FortSask

A fire has destroyed a home in downtown Fort Saskatchewan. 

At the moment, 100 Avenue between 104 Street and 105 Street has been closed as the Fort Saskatchewan Fire Department responds to the structure fire.

Just after 1 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 3), emergency services arrived at the property, located next to the United Church of Canada on 100 Avenue.

The road is expected to be closed as local firefighters suppress the blaze.

There has been no report on the extent of the damages, or if there were any injuries.

More to come...

The federal Liberals withdrew an amendment to their guns bill on Friday that had introduced a controversial new definition of an assault-style weapon.

On behalf of the government, Vancouver MP Taleeb Noormohamed asked for and received unanimous consent to withdraw the amendment to Bill C-21 at the House of Commons public safety committee Friday morning.

The amendment introduced a new definition of an "assault-style" gun that includes semi-automatic rifles and shotguns with a capacity of more than five cartridges.

Redwater RCMP has released a list of all incidents that occurred during the month of January.

In total, police say they responded to a total of 347 calls throughout the first month of 2023. 

These calls involved a variety of incidents, including seven counts of break and enter, twenty-eight motor vehicle collisions, and even one case of assault with a weapon.

Other incidents reported throughout January include:

Researchers at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) are working on developing a single-shot vaccine that will provide broader protection against foot rot in beef and dairy cattle. 

Foot rot is a hoof infection that can be transmitted to other animals, and is considered to be one of the most frequent infectious diseases found in beef cattle. 

Dr. Jose Perez-Casal is leading VIDO's project team in their effort to develop a single-dose multivalent vaccine.

Strathcona County RCMP has arrested and charged a Camrose man for allegedly drug trafficking a week after he was released for previous offences.

In late January, police stopped 37-year-old Christopher Coates for a traffic offence. As a result, his vehicle was towed.

Police say that while searching Coates' vehicle they found 60 rounds of ammunition, 288 grams of meth, 8 grams of cocaine, 8 grams of crack, and an undisclosed amount of Canadian currency.

Strathcona County RCMP has seized 11 dogs from a Sherwood Park home. 

On Saturday (Jan. 28) police say they responded to a report of an animal in distress at a local home. Upon arriving they reported discovering 11 dogs that appeared to be malnourished and neglected. 

All the dogs were transported to the Edmonton Humane Society to receive veterinary care and will be put up for adoption. 

RCMP say that a 26-year-old Edmonton man, Alex McGrath, was arrested and charged with the following: 

The Alberta government announced on Thursday (Feb. 2) that they would be investing $15-million in accessible transit across the province. 

Edmonton and Calgary will each receive $4.5-million while an additional $6-million will be used to support low-income transit pass programs across the province.

"We recognize the importance of transit, especially for those who rely on it to meet their essential needs," said Jeremy Nixon, the Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services.

A key announcement coming out of the Manitoba Beef Producers AGM.

The Manitoba Beef and Forage Initiatives will be joining the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network.

The network of smart farms (led by Olds College) shares data and expertise to help all aspects of the ag sector better understand, use, and develop smart agricultural technologies.

The overall goal is to accelerate the development and adoption of these  technologies across Canada. 

The Department of National Defence says Canada is working with the United States to protect sensitive information from foreign intelligence threats after a high-altitude surveillance balloon was detected.

The U.S. says it is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a few days. 

The Pentagon says it decided not to shoot it down over concerns of hurting people on the ground.

Durum Summit 2023 was a sold-out event featuring market, research and transportation updates as well as an opportunity to hear directly from an end-use customer.

Jaume Mas is the technical director of the Gallo Group (the biggest manufacturer of pasta in Spain) and president of the European Millers Association which represents 180 mills in the European Union.

He told the group that Canadian durum plays a very important role in the E.U. as they have a structural deficit of about 2 million tonnes per year.