FortSask

When Stephen LaSalle first injured his foot in a military training exercise, he had only heard the stories about what it was like to deal with Veterans Affairs Canada. Five years later, the reservist naval lieutenant can talk about the experience firsthand.

LaSalle is one of more than 23,000 veterans whose disability claims are waiting to be processed by the federal department — a backlog that remains a source of anger, frustration and anxiety despite the Liberal government’s repeated promises to eliminate it.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is heading back to the legislature.

Smith defeated four challengers to win a byelection Tuesday night in the constituency of Brooks-Medicine Hat.

She has been absent from the legislature for seven years.

She won a seat in 2012 as leader of the former Wildrose Party, but failed to even gain a nomination in 2015 after she led her caucus on a mass floor crossing to the Progressive Conservatives.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Ontario Premier Doug Ford last winter that police shouldn't need more legal tools to clear protesters from the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, according to evidence released through a public inquiry Tuesday.

A readout of their conversation on Feb. 9 was submitted to the Public Order Emergency Commission, which is investigating the government's decision to use emergency powers in an effort to clear protest blockades in downtown Ottawa and at several border crossings.

Environment Canada has released an extreme cold warning for Fort Saskatchewan and the surrounding area.

On Tuesday (Nov. 8) temperatures will drop to near -30 C overnight. Counting the wind chill, temperatures will reach -40 C by Wednesday morning.

The warning has also been issued for Sturgeon County, Lamont County, and Strathcona County.

Conditions are expected to improve by late Wednesday (Nov. 9) morning.

A Canadian Grain Commission study confirms a decrease in cadmium concentration in Canadian durum exports.

Cadmium is a  naturally occurring heavy metal that, because of its presence in soil, can be a food contaminant. 

Dr. Sheryl Tittlemier with the CGC says high cadmium levels are a concern as they can lead to various negative health effects if consumers have large exposures to it. 

For this study, Dr. Tittlemier and her team monitored export shipments of Canadian durum wheat for cadmium concentrations from 1992 to 2020. 

The flags outside city hall are at half-mast for National Indigenous Veterans Day (Nov. 8).

The half-mast flags are to honour the contributions of Indigenous people to the military, specifically in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War.

Thousands of Indigenous people fought for Canada during all these wars. 

The day was commemorated in 1994, before then Indigenous veterans were not recognized in Remembrance Day activities. 

The Fort Heritage Precinct is hosting a Remembrance Day event. 

On Friday (Nov. 11), the precinct will be putting on a tour of the Fort Saskatchewan cemetery that will include stories from veterans. 

Stephanie Huolt, the program's coordinator at the precinct, says it should be a fantastic way to pay tribute to fallen soldiers. 

"There is a great number of veterans in the tour," said Huolt. "It does combine both World Wars." 

"It will be a walking tour so dress for the elements, but it is free admission." 

Strathcona County Emergency Services gathered a team of eight firefighters to take place in a rucksack march to raise donations for veterans.

The event, put on by Wounded Warriors, aims to simulate the struggle of these veterans through a 22-kilometre march while participants carry a 50-pound pack over their shoulders.

The event started around 10 a.m. on Nov. 5. The firefighters started at Rundle Park in Edmonton and did a loop throughout the river valley trails.

Local ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts might want to check out their TV guides on Wednesday (Nov. 9) night. 

The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) will be broadcasting two episodes of 'The Other Side' in the coming weeks that take place in Fort Saskatchewan. 

The documentary series features a team of three indigenous ghost hunters, Jeff Richards, Erin Goodpipe, and Lee Crowchild, who tour the country searching for unsettled spirits. 

Kendall Wicks, is a teacher from Cabri who answered her 2-year-old son's request for a combine story.

"When I went looking for a combine story I couldn't find anything that captured the sort of the experience that he was familiar with and that we were familiar with as a family.  I could find a tractor here, and a tractor there in the odd children's book, but nothing that was the sort of Canadian prairie experience of harvest. So, one night after I tucked him into bed, I went down to my basement and I opened up my laptop and I just started to type."