FortSask

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.

Redwater RCMP has arrested one of the alleged three thieves who broke into a rural residence in Sturgeon County back on New Year's Day.

As a result of an investigation, and with the public's help, one of the suspects has been identified. The stolen firearms from the property were also recovered.

Sheldon Young, a 47-year-old Edmonton resident, has been arrested and charged with:

Amanda Milke is a prolific artist from Fort Saskatchewan who has her work on display at the Dow Centennial Centre.

Milke's newest exhibit, 'Unity in Diversity', shows how our community shows something that's beautiful and unique. 

"You don't have to be like your neighbour," Milke said. "Each individual piece is just like how each individual person forms a community."

Milke has been making art since she was a teenager, even painting throughout university as she acquired her degree in humanities.

A historical home in Fort Saskatchewan has gone up for sale.

A house on 103 Street was once the residence of Dick Mager, who served as mayor from 1943 until 1950.

Mager immigrated to the Fort from England in the early 1900s. He served in WWI where he worked as a sapper — a person responsible for digging trenches as well as finding and disarming enemy bombs. 

Locals may also recognize the name from a park on 101 Avenue named in his honour.

Alberta's Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Nate Horner says poultry farmers affected by avian influenza will be given allowed late participation for  AgriStability in the 2022 program year. 

The move means that any poultry producers who are not currently signed up for AgriStability can reach out to Agriculture Financial Services Corporation to enrol by February 28, 2023.

Fort Saskatchewan's Families First Society is bringing the first homes for victims of domestic violence to the community. 

The program, called 'Healing Homes', is slated to open in March 2023 and is medium-longer-term second-stage housing. The homes will accommodate two families at a time.

Residents of Healing Homes will have time to consider their options and work on goals that build stability, including finding housing, employment, and education.

You can certainly count on Strathcona County's ambulance delivery. 

The county service recently scored over 99 per cent on an independent third-party national accreditation assessment. 

This is an improvement from the last time they were assessed in 2018, where they scored 96 per cent. 

This year’s theme for World Wetlands Day is “It’s Time for Wetland Restoration”. 

Wetlands are some of the most productive ecosystems in the world but are often undervalued. 

Ducks Unlimited Canada reports that in the last 50 years, 35 per cent of the world's wetlands have disappeared.

Statistics show that up to 80 acres of wetlands are lost every day in Canada. 

Canada is blazing a trail in wetland restoration.

With the support of conservation organizations like Ducks Unlimited Canada, some of these wetlands are being put back on the landscape.