FortSask

Federal, Provincial and Territorial Agriculture Ministers met virtually on Friday to discuss key areas of interest for Canada’s agricultural sector.

Ministers gave updates on their progress with the new Sustainable CAP program which is set to come into effect on April 1st.

They also discussed the remaining steps to implementation to ensure a smooth transition from the current program.

Police in India say two men are facing charges in the deaths of a family who froze a year ago while trying to cross from Manitoba into the United States.

Deputy Commissioner Chaitanya Mandlik of the Ahmedabad crime branch in the state of Gujarat says the two men were arrested Sunday and other suspects are also wanted in Canada and the U.S.

He says the two men are accused of acting as immigration agents, supplying the family with paperwork and assisting them in getting to the U.S.

We can expect to see some key numbers coming out tomorrow (Tuesday) on inflation for the month of December in Canada.

J.P. Gervais, the Chief Economist for Farm Credit Canada says the hope is that it will be coming down, and may start to plateau the cycle of higher interest rates.

"We have a big, big, critical data release tomorrow on inflation for the month of December in Canada. The hope is that this will be coming down slightly, because then that's one critical data point that would actually start, perhaps to plateau the cycle of higher interest rates."

Canadian flax acres dropped last year, but yields rebounded nicely in many areas. 

Chuck Penner with LeftField Commodity Research says we saw lower acres despite new crop bids of $24-25 a bushel.

He says that while acreage was down, yields rebounded allowing supplies to recover to where we were before the drought, but certainly not a big supply situation.

Unfortunately, flax exports this year have not been encouraging. 

Canada has three key buyers of flax that take about a third of the crop each, the U-S, China and the E.U.  

We are just over halfway through the first month of 2023, but what does this year really have in store for Fort Saskatchewan? 

It's shaping up to be a year of transition and growth for the community as city council is preparing for a levy of investments, construction projects, and some potential new recreation possibilities. 

Mayor Gale Katchur sat down with FortSaskOnline.com to chat about what residents should expect in 2023. 

Here are some of the highlights...

Strathcona County took some time to honour some of the region's biggest sporting heroes last Friday (Jan. 13). 

They held a ceremony at Millenium Place to welcome in the newest additions to their Wall of Recognition. 

Six people were inducted, including athletes and builders, with a packed house reminiscing on each of their careers and applauding their contributions to local sports. 

Throughout November, Hot Shots Films and Factory Films Studio were filming their first Albertan feature movie just outside Fort Saskatchewan.

Red Pine City stars Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts, known for his roles in The Dark Knight, The Expendables, and Doctor Who. He is also the brother of Julia Roberts.

Other stars include Rick Ravenello (General Hospital, Lethal Weapon, Weeds) and Elise Muller (The Young and the Restless, Parenthood).

Canada is developing its first-ever Grocery Code of Conduct.

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and André Lamontagne, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food say the agri-food industry has been making substantial progress.

They strongly encourage all agri-food organizations to participate in the upcoming consultations.

The Code will enhancing transparency, predictability and fair dealings and make Canada’s food supply chain more resilient. 

A water main break has caused two schools to close on Monday (Jan. 16). 

On Sunday evening, the City of Fort Saskatchewan announced on Facebook that a water main break closed down 101 St, between 98 Ave and 99 Ave. Outside of the road closure, the break will limit water pressure in the area.

Crews are expected to get to work on repairing the issue on Monday. 

"Water will be turned off during repair and expected to flow late in the day," the City's post said.

A fog advisory has been put in place for our area. 

Dense fog will linger throughout Sunday morning (Jan 15) then dissipate later in the day. The fog may return in the evening hours. 

The advisory is in place for the following places:

• Fort Saskatchewan
• Gibbons
• Bon Accord
• Bruderheim
• Redwater

If you do plan to travel in these areas, caution is advised.