FortSask

If you hear sirens in Fort Saskatchewan this week there will be no need to worry. 

The city will be testing its emergency siren system this Thursday (Oct. 6) between the hours of 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. as part of Fire Prevention Week. 

The sirens will not be alerting to any threat to public safety. 

These sirens are in place to warn residents of emergencies in the community such as: 

Changes are coming to labs at the Fort Saskatchewan Community Hospital and the Strathcona County Health Centre. 

Effective December 5, urgent-care labs in both places will shift their focus to emergency, inpatient, and ambulatory patients. Community patients will be directed to independent labs in the community. 

The change will affect several other hospitals across the Edmonton area, and will only be implemented in areas where community labs are already in operation. 

JUNO Award winner Serena Ryder is coming to the Shell Theatre.

Ryder will be performing on Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m. as part of The Art of Falling Apart Tour.

The tour is named after her recent album of the same name. She describes it as the "most authentic" album she's released so far as it dives into themes of mental wellness and the journey towards good health. The album won Adult Contemporary Album of the Year at the 2022 JUNO Awards.

Tatyanna Harrison’s 21st birthday would have been on Sept. 29.

Her mother described Tatyanna, whose body was found in Vancouver earlier this year, as a courageous woman with the gift of gab and a deep love for learning.

“It affected (Tatyanna) deeply to witness anything that was unfair or cruel. She wasn't afraid to use her voice to speak on it and this has always been the core of who she was,” Natasha Harrison said.

“I know in my heart she wouldn't be OK with the injustice surrounding her passing.”

Legislation to temporarily double GST rebates to help low- and modest-income Canadians cope with high inflation is expected to pass the House of Commons later this week.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says the measure is "a balance between compassion and fiscal responsibility."

Freeland appeared at the House of Common Finance Committee Monday where she commended MPs from all parties for supporting the measure.

The bill is expected to come to a final vote in the House of Commons Thursday, after which it will be sent to the Senate. 

Chuck Larsen has lived on Sanibel Island for 12 years and until last week had never experienced a major hurricane. The 76-year-old who moved from California decided to ride out Hurricane Ian in his condominium with little idea of the horror he was about to go through.

He filled his bathtub with water, stocked up on food and water, and made sure batteries were charged and his windows were rated to withstand 150 mph (240 kph) winds. He followed the forecast thinking the island would get strong wind and rain, and trees would fall, but areas to the north would take the hardest hit.

Fort Saskatchewan residents can expect construction on the new Highway 15 bridge to wrap up in about two weeks. 

Members of the provincial government were in the city on Monday (Oct. 3) afternoon to give an update on the project, which includes twinning a portion of the busy highway. 

Alberta transportation minister, Prasad Panda, is proud of the work being done. 

Sunflowers is one crop that could hold a lot of potential for producers on the prairies. 

Currently, the majority of the acres in the prairies are found in southern Manitoba, with some acres also grown in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Crops Extension Specialist Sherri Roberts says sunflowers is a crop that can be seeded a little bit later, and is generally harvested into October which can help to spread out the workload.

A local golfer has won the 2022 Alberta Schools Athletic Association Golf Provincial Championship. 

Mya Rowan, 16, a Grade 12 high school student at Salisbury Composite, shot for a score of 144 over the two-day tournament last week. The score was good enough for par and edged out her closest competitor by two strokes. 

One of the shots that helped her was a hole-in-one. 

Strathcona County RCMP is investigating the sudden death of a man after discovering a body near the North Saskatchewan River near Township Road 540 on Sunday (Oct. 2). 

The area was closed off to the public while RCMP was on the scene. 

Police believe the death is not suspicious. They are currently in the process of identifying the body. 

No further details have been provided. 

Updates will be added once they become available.