FortSask

Canadian superstar Céline Dion's Instagram announcement that she has been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome is sparking questions about the rare and widely unknown disease. 

The condition is a "neurological disorder with features of an autoimmune disease," according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in the U.S.  

The name doesn't do justice to the pain and life-changing symptoms the syndrome causes, said Tara Zier, founder of the Stiff Person Syndrome Research Foundation.

The Mendelson family would love to find the envelope where their father, Lee, scribbled some lyrics to jazz musician Vince Guaraldi's composition “Christmas Time is Here” for an animated TV special featuring the “Peanuts” gang in 1965.

You might have to apply to get the $600 inflation-relief payments from the provincial government.

If you're a family with kids under 18-years-old, it looks like you'll have to apply to get approved before you the government cuts you a cheque.

A couple of weeks ago, the UCP government announced the inflation-relief plan saying families making under $180,000 a year would be getting $100 per month for six months for every child under 18.

It seems like animals in the community haven't been too affected by the colder weather. 

Fort Saskatchewan municipal enforcement's animal services aren't reporting any increases in lost pets or animals in distress. 

Lee Hartman, the supervisor of municipal enforcement for the city, outlines a few of the things that animal services are responsible for. 

"We deal with barking, animals in distress, and animals at large," said Hartman. "If an animal is found at large our officers would attempt to capture and impound the animal." 

Mosaic notes that the Colonsay mine had been operating at an annual run rate of 1.3 million tonnes.

The company says inventory levels are sufficient to meet near-term demand with demand returning slower than expected in the second half of 2022.

In a press release announcing the move, President and CEO Joc O'Rourke says the decision to temporarily curtail Colonsay reflects near-term dynamics and not long-term agricultural market fundamentals. 

With the Bank of Canada raising its benchmark interest rate to 4.25 per cent, how will this affect homeowners in Fort Saskatchewan?

Cheri Kucy, a mortgage broker based out of Fort Saskatchewan, says that the rise will affect young people in particular.

"As that rate increases, the qualifying rate also increases," Kucy said. "I'm finding a lot of my first-time homebuyers need co-signers no matter what because their income level isn't there yet."

The rate has been raised seven times this year, alone.

It's been an information-packed week for participants taking in the Canola Industry Meetings in Saskatoon. 

During the event Oilseed Specialist Cory Jacob gave a prairie-wide overview of the 2022 canola crop.

In Alberta, producers seeded 6.5 million acres to canola, about a 2.5 per cent decrease from 2021 and about a 1.1 per cent increase from the five-year average.

He says on average farmers brought in  41.7 bushel yield, which is 44.1 per cent above 2021's drought and about 8.7 percent above the five-year average.

The Bank of Canada raised its key interest rate by half a percentage point or 50 basis points this week, putting the new rate at 4.25 per cent.

It's also signaling it may pause its aggressive rate hike cycle.

Farm Credit Canada's chief economist J.P. Gervais says he hopes we've seen the worst of it.

"My message is that even if there is a major slowdown or even a recession, I would say don't expect interest rates to be lower in 2023."

That can create a dilemma for farms or operations that need to renew loans. 

A couple of former Fort Saskatchewan Rangers will be looking to crack Team Canada's 2023 world junior squad over the next few days. 

Colton Dach and Olen Zellweger both received invitations to the camp and are hoping they can earn spots on the final roster. 

Zellweger, who currently plays for the Everett Silvertips of the WHL, is a veteran of the world junior tournament, having won gold with Canada last summer. 

Calls from the daughters of a slain Indigenous woman to bring her remains home from a landfill that police in Winnipeg won't search turned into a rallying cry Wednesday to end the violence against their women and girls.

Cambria Harris, speaking before an Assembly of First Nations gathering in Ottawa, says her mother, Morgan, was a "bright and loving soul" who had her life stolen by a "monster."

The 39-year-old mother and grandmother is one of four victims police believe were killed by 35-year-old Jeremy Skibicki, now facing first-degree murder charges.