FortSask

A discussion document and survey on a Sustainable Agriculture Strategy are now available online and open for comment.

The federal government says the overall goal for the Sustainable Agriculture Strategy is to support the livelihood of farmers, while growing a sustainable sector.

The Strategy will focus on five key areas - soil health, climate adaptation and resilience, water, climate change mitigation, and biodiversity. 

The Indigenous Society of Fort Saskatchewan has had a busy year. 

After being formed in the summer, the group has been trying to get their name out in the community, from hosting ribbon skirt classes to handing out free bannock at last month's Light Up! ceremony. 

"It's going good, we're moving along quickly," said Colleen Dollfusz, one of the co-founders of the society. "There is a lot of community support through the City of Fort Saskatchewan itself helping us out doing a few activities around town."

Nine people have been arrested after a massive joint operation with local and provincial police enforcement. 

Strathcona County RCMP worked together with the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team's (ALERT) Human Trafficking Counter Exploitation unit to target people who are seeking sexual services in exchange for some type of payment. 

The operation resulted in nine people being arrested. Each individual faces a single charge of obtaining sexual services for consideration and has been released with documents asking them to attend a provincial court in February. 

Producers taking part in the Foraging into the Future Conference were reminded about the importance of feed testing. 

The nutrient content of feed will vary from year to year, field to field, species, climate conditions, fertilization, stage of maturity
when it was cut and processed, as well as storage management.

In order to balance rations for livestock it's key to know exactly what you're working with.

Livestock and Feed Extension Specialist Adriane Good says this is where a feed test can help.

Students at SouthPointe School in Fort Saskatchewan helped the local food bank restock one of their key items on Monday (Dec. 19) morning. 

Since the end of November, students have come together to construct a massive toilet paper tree that consisted of over 1000 rolls. 

Manny Peterson, 10, is one of the grade five students that helped get donations together. 

"We planned to build a toilet paper tree to represent everybody in the community [and that they] should be healthy, stay warm, and have a roof above their head," said Peterson. 

Harbour Pool opened its doors on December 17, 1982, and on Saturday the pool celebrated its 40th anniversary.

This party featured a variety of goodies and snacks, a visit from the city's mascot Auggie, and a free swim.

City councilor Patrick Noyen served as deputy mayor, giving a speech where he told the story of when he was a young boy in the early 1990s, he gained his passion for swimming at Harbour Pool.

A lone gunman opened fire and killed five people at a Toronto-area condo building on Sunday evening before he himself was shot by police, the regional force's chief said. 

Jim MacSween, head of the York Regional Police Force, offered few details in the hours immediately following the shooting in Vaughan, Ont. But in a hastily called news conference outside the building, he said police immediately realized a complex situation was unfolding. 

"Once the officers arrived they were met with a horrendous scene," he said. "Numerous victims were deceased."

After several months on the run, four cows from a herd of runaway cattle were captured on Saturday night in St-Sévère, Que. 

The regional chapter of the Union des producteurs agricoles says the cows were transported back to their original farm on Sunday morning. 

Specialists examined the cows after their capture and confirmed the animals were in good shape. 

The union says weather conditions over the last few days prevented the entire herd from being captured, so another operation will take place soon to catch seven or eight animals that remain at large. 

The Fort Saskatchewan Community Hospital will be temporarily closing down its labour and delivery unit on Sunday (Dec. 18). 

According to Alberta Health Services (AHS), the reason is staff shortage and a lack of shift coverage.

"Women’s health services are expected to resume at 7 a.m. on Dec. 29," AHS said in a statement.

Pregnant women who were planning to deliver at the hospital will now have to adjust their birth plan to deliver at the Sturgeon Community Hospital.

Plans are in place to help any labouring patient get to the Sturgeon if needed.

Owners of loud vehicles might want to start finding ways to quiet down in Fort Saskatchewan. 

At Tuesday's (Dec. 13) city council meeting a number of amendments to Fort Saskatchewan's traffic bylaw were approved and immediately went into effect. 

Among those changes was a cap on vehicle noise. 

This change added a bylaw that allows law enforcement to administer decibel readings of an idle vehicle and a vehicle traveling faster than idle. The limit for an idle vehicle has been set at 92 dBA while a moving vehicle must be at 96 dBA or below.