Canada soccer fans opt for communal viewings of 'monumental' World Cup appearance

Kyla Rose was still a few months away from being born the last time Canada played in the FIFA World Cup in 1986. 

On Wednesday, when the men's national team makes its first appearance at the tournament in 36 years, facing off against second-ranked Belgium, she's taking the day off work to watch with her parents and friends at a North Vancouver sports pub.

"I've waited my whole life for this as a soccer fan," she said. "I want to really experience being able to watch Team Canada play in a World Cup game with other fans, not just from my office or at home by myself."

Update: One dead in Fort Saskatchewan garage fire

A person was killed in a garage fire in Fort Saskatchewan over the weekend. 

The Fort Saskatchewan Fire Department and RCMP responded to the blaze in the Sherridon area on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 19).

Police say that local firefighters were successful in containing the blaze and discovered a dead body after entering the garage. 

The identity of the deceased has not been released. An autopsy is expected to be performed on Tuesday to determine the cause of death. 

Police are working together with a fire investigator to determine the cause of the blaze. 

Proposed budget affects Fort Saskatchewan Fire Department

The proposed 2023 budget for Fort Saskatchewan has a few implications for the local fire department. 

Two new changes to the department were outlined in the document, the first proposes that two new full-time positions are added while the second is asking for a second complete set of bunker equipment, which will add up to about 40 more sets of individual equipment. 

Darrick Graff, the president of the Fort Saskatchewan Fire Fighters Association, says that the two new full-time positions won't necessarily add more firefighters to the overall staff. 

New natural playground opening soon in Fort Saskatchewan

A new playground has finished construction in downtown Fort Saskatchewan, but this one has a catch -- it's all made from natural materials.

The Fort, which finished construction on Thursday (Nov. 17), is in the middle of its final inspection with an expected opening day of Tuesday (Nov. 22). The playground is located next to the Fort Heritage Precinct.

According to Jenelle Hart, parks services manager with The City of Fort Saskatchewan, studies show that kids need to get out and play in natural areas.

What's influencing the markets?

The USDA's November World Agricultural Supply Demand Estimates report saw an unexpected change.

Dan Basse with Ag Resource Company says the surprise in the report was an increase in yield for US Corn and Soybeans:

"That extra supply ended up coming through in both end-use stocks and U.S. soybean. End-use stocks were up 10 per cent or 20 million bushels to 220 million bushels. The corn was still relatively tight, it was a little under 1.3 billion bushels."

AHS: Shigella hospitalizations double in Edmonton

Alberta Health Services (AHS) is continuing its investigation into a recent Shigella outbreak.

According to AHS, they noticed a cluster of Shigella cases from the inner-city population of Edmonton in August.

Back in October, they identified 87 people with Shigella — 64 of them were taken to hospital.

In less than a month, these cases have doubled to 173 people identified with Shigella — 115 required hospitalizations.

Lights Up! event returns next week

The annual Lights Up! celebration will be returning in its full form next Friday (Nov. 25). 

The event will take place at Fort Saskatchewan City Hall and will be both an indoor and outdoor celebration, a change from last year's completely outdoor format. 

Arthur Lewandowski, the community events and tourism specialist for the city, is excited to bring the holiday spirit to Fort Sask. 

Elk Island Public School superintendent announces retirement

Elk Island Public School's (EIPS) longest-serving superintendent will be moving on at the end of the school year. 

Mark Liguori, 62, has been teaching since the late 1980s and has served as the division's superintendent since 2015. 

"It has absolutely been rewarding," said Liguori. "It's the people I will remember the most regardless of whether it's our staff, our parents or our students." 

Being in the role for the past eight years has proven to be anything but ordinary, but Liguori looks back fondly on all the challenges that came his way. 

'Break a barrier': Indigenous artist to sing part of O Canada in Cree at Grey Cup

When Teagan Littlechief sings in front of thousands of fans at Sunday's Grey Cup game, she'll be thinking about Canada's Indigenous youth. 

Littlechief, who is from White Bear First Nation on Treaty 4 territory in southeastern Saskatchewan, says she was often the only Indigenous person on stage when she first started performing.

Shell Theatre set to host A Night at the East Coast Music Awards

The Shell Theatre will be the place to be on Saturday (Nov. 19) night! 

The Anchor's Up Tour will take to the stage for a night full of maritime melodies. This MIX Presents show features three of the hottest east coast artists -- Old Man Luedecke, The Fortunate Ones, and The Once 

"Every year I head out to the East Coast Music Awards to find new talent," said Josh Gennings from the Shell Theatre. "The environment there is one where everyone gets on stage to perform, and the music is just amazing!" 

"We wanted to recreate that out here in Fort Saskatchewan."