FortSask

A few foggy days helped lay the perfect conditions for some beautiful frost around the city last week. 

Frost forms when water vapour comes into contact with a solid surface that is below the freezing point. Ice crystals will form and continue to grow on the surface as more and more vapour freezes.

It's known to be able to grow exceptionally well on tree branches due to the temperature on branches being able to maintain the cold temperature needed. 

Let's take a look at the beautiful photos that Fort Sask residents were able to take!

A local girls' soccer team took home hardware over the holidays. 

The U11 Fort Sask Arsenal competed in the Polar Cup in Edmonton from December 27 to 29. 

Their division consisted of three other teams from Beaumont. 

Arsenal opened up the tournament with a game against the Huskies that saw them down by a couple of goals. 

"We were struggling in the first half," said head coach Shayne Davis. "[The Huskies] pushed the play a bit and built up a two-goal lead." 

The start of the new year is an opportunity to set new goals.

For the agriculture ministers in the prairies, investment and expanding the agri-food industry are top priorities.

Manitoba's Agriculture Minister Derek Johnson says by 2025 they're hoping to have $1.5 billion of investments and 1550 jobs added to the province, and he feels their protein strategy will be a key contributor.

The New Year brings forth moments of epiphany and change, whether it's a personal project or a journey towards better health.

The Dow Centennial Center (DCC) in Fort Saskatchewan has seen an influx of memberships for the start of the New Year.

"The New Year brings on many new goals for folks, and that is no different this year," said Vikki Delorey with The City of Fort Saskatchewan. "We have seen lots of new faces so far this year."

However, many who start going to the gym as a New Year's resolution seem to fall off the routine as time goes on.

Fort Saskatchewan is working with the Canadian government to help save urban forests. 

On Wednesday (Jan. 4) the city announced that they are one of 54 partners from across the country to join the federal government's '2 Billion Trees Program'. 

As a result, Fort Saskatchewan received about $220,000 in funding for the program, while also kicking in $30,000 of its own money, making for a grand total of $250,000 to go toward the program. 

Jennelle Hart, the manager of parks services with the city, said this opportunity came up in early 2022. 

A couple from Fort Saskatchewan had an unexpected New Year's Day delivery. 

Zoë and Kyle Capuli welcomed a set of twins into the world on January 1, making them one of the first of 2023. 

According to Zoë, they had known about the twins for most of the pregnancy, but the fact that they came so quickly was very unexpected. 

"They were actually supposed to come at the end of March," said Zoë. "They're micro-preemies, they were 12 weeks early." 

"It was pretty surprising; we had no idea [they would come so quick]."

Airline passengers leaving China, Hong Kong and Macau will have to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test when they enter Canada starting today.

The Canadian government announced last week that the travellers would need a negative test administered within 48 hours of their departure as cases soar in China. 

Other countries, including the United States and several European nations, imposed similar rules despite protest from China. 

Nour Alideeb and her partner are trying to decide what to do with the hundreds of dollars they're now saving on child care for their two-year-old son.

Parents are seeing their child-care fees reduced by 50 per cent, on average, as part of the federal government's early learning and childcare agreements with provinces and territories. 

For Alideeb and her family in Mississauga, Ont., that means about $700 in savings each month. 

A local firefighter is being honoured. 

Elliott Davis, a Strathcona County firefighter, has been awarded with the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal for his efforts in the community.

Davis received the award on Dec. 28 at the Strathcona County Council Chambers from Strathcona-Sherwood Park MLA Nate Glubish.

Davis says it was Glubish who nominated him.

"He's gone really out of his way to get some of our messages across," Davis said.

After a rather cold end of the year, the forecast is finally warming up.

With temperatures just under the freezing point on New Year's Day, it's looking like the next few weeks will be just as mild.

"Generally, this time of year our overnight lows are about -18 C, and our daytime highs are around -7 C," said Brian Proctor, a meteorologist with Environment Canada. "We're sort of floating right around that until we get into the weekend."

According to forecast data from Environment Canada, Saturday and next Monday are looking to reach into the positives at 1 C.