FortSask

Burlington “BUCK” Slater

September 25, 1946 – December 28, 2022

It is with deep sorrow that the family of Buck Slater announce his passing. He will be lovingly remembered by his daughter Gina (Darren). Buck was grandpa to Warren who will miss him and the times they had together deeply and with fond memories. Buck also leaves behind his caring sister Ardelle Dudley. He was predeceased by his kindhearted parents Grace and Don. Buck was loved by many extended family and had great friends who will all miss him very much.

It's been quite the year in Fort Saskatchewan!

Mayor Gale Katchur talked about some local highlights from throughout 2022.

Katchur said that one of the biggest highlights was the completed construction of the Highway 15 bridge.

Construction began in August 2019 as part of the provincial government's $789.4-million investment into roads and bridges around Alberta.

The bridge partially opened in mid-September before fully opening in early October.

"I haven't seen that much excitement in the community in a long time," Katchur said. 

Those looking to get some swimming in at the Harbour Pool will have to wait. 

The pool is slated to close down on Sunday (Jan. 1)  as they undergo routine maintenance. 

Management at the pool has said in the past that January is typically a slow month for attendance, which makes it an ideal time to drain the pool and undergo a more intensive cleaning. 

It's expected that the maintenance will take just over a month to complete. 

The pool is expected to reopen in mid-February.  

Tons of new laws and rules are coming to Canada and Alberta in the New Year.

From a foreign homebuyer ban to an increase in the federal carbon price, there are plenty of new laws you'll want to know.

Pension and EI

There's going to be less money to take home in 2023 since Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and employment insurance (EI) premiums are increasing.

The CPP rate increases from 5.70 per cent to 5.95 per cent for the New Year.

As for employment insurance, the maximum annual EI premium of $952.74 is going up to $1,002.45.

The year is coming to an end, so what better time to reflect on the year that was? 

According to hits on FortSaskOnline.com, here's a look at the five most popular local news stories from 2022. 

#5 - Shooting at the Brant

On April 13, a man wielding a shotgun opened fire in the Brant Hotel bar. A bullet grazed one man's head, resulting in minor injuries.

It's looking like we will be ringing in the New Year on the right foot. 

After weeks of sporadic weather that has seen temperatures dip as low as -45 C, it appears we are in for a stretch of tolerable weather to start off the New Year. 

Eric Van Lochem with Environment Canada says things will be a bit chilly to start. 

"Starting off on Saturday you're probably looking at a morning low around -15 C to -20 C or so," said Van Lochem. "Warming up to around -5 C to -10 C by afternoon and then we start a general warming trend going into Sunday." 

A fog advisory has been put in place for the region. 

Travel in the following areas will be hazardous for the remainder of Thursday (Dec. 29) night as patches of fog are causing near-zero visibility: 

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

It's expected that things will start to clear up on Friday morning. 

If you do plan to travel in these areas, please take precautions. 

Sunwing Vacations Inc. is sending out dozens of recovery flights this week to bring home thousands of passengers stranded in Mexico after winter storms disrupted its operations. 

"We continue to navigate unprecedented operational challenges, resulting in a number of ongoing flight delays," said airline president Len Corrado in a statement. 

"We deeply apologize for the impact to our customers’ travel plans over the holiday season."

The airline said Thursday that it has 40 recovery flights planned this week with 24 expected to be completed by the end of the day.

Two British Columbia residents have been arrested by Fort Saskatchewan RCMP after getting caught stealing mail.

According to the RCMP, in the early hours of Dec. 17, police responded to a call of a pair of people breaking into mailboxes.

Police say that a man and woman were seen fleeing the scene in a vehicle but were eventually caught. 

Richard Kubik and Marion Sevilla, both residents of Sooke, British Columbia, have been charged with the following:

2022 brought some moisture benefits for farmers, while also introducing a whole host of other benefits and issues across the prairies.

In Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, many areas either saw too much rain, continued with drought, or managed to get right into the middle sweet spot.

The year has been one which had governments on the edge of their seats to see how crops and farmers would fare.

Manitoba Agriculture Minister Darren Johnson said that more moisture helped some farmers while hindering others.