CN Rail is working on putting together their 2023-24 grain plan

CN's assistant vice president of grain David Przednowek says as a result they're watching what's happening with crop development and taking that into account when trying to determine new crop movement.

He says last year, they implemented a lot of operational changes that delivered really strong consistent grain movement and this year is an opportunity to refine the plan and tweak it. 

With Grasshoppers being a problem this year, keeping economic thresholds in mind is important

Prairiewide grasshoppers are a key insect to monitor for right now, especially in the southern and drier areas.

Grasshoppers can cause tremendous damage to a crop.

Saskatchewan's insect specialist James Tansey says with that in mind it's important to take note of the economic thresholds for the crop.

Prairie Pest Monitoring Network update

The Prairie Pest Monitoring Network Report shows flea beetles are still out there.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Field Crop Entomologist Dr Meghan Vankosky says farmers should be busy scouting for insects.

"Flea beetles are still out there, but most canola is past the damage stage and patchy reports of cutworm damage are still coming in from Alberta."

She says grasshoppers are going to be an issue across the prairies.

Military investigates sexual misconduct allegation against Snowbirds pilot

The Royal Canadian Air Force is investigating a sexual misconduct allegation against a Snowbirds pilot, and the aerobatics team will be performing a plane short for the time being.

The commanders of 1 and 2 Canadian Air Divisions issued a statement on Saturday saying the allegation has been made against a member of 431 Squadron, which is based in Moose Jaw, Sask., and the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service is investigating.

Meet Lamont High's valedictorian

Falynn Short was declared the valedictorian for the class of 2023 at Lamont High.

Short grew up in Bruderheim, attending Bruderheim Elementary before heading into Lamont High.

"It's very small. Everybody knew everybody, which lead to a close community, which is nice," said Short. "There was a lot of support from the teachers."

Going to school during the COVID-19 pandemic, Short said changed the dynamic in how students were taught.

Fort Saskatchewan cuts landfill waste in half

Fort Saskatchewan's organic material diversion program has saved quite a lot of material from going to landfills.

Before the program was implemented five years ago, the city noticed that 82 per cent of the material they would collect from curbs was being sent to the landfill.

The city conducted a waste audit in 2017 and found that 60 per cent of that waste could be diverted away to either a recycling facility or an organics processing facility.

The latest on the deadly crash between seniors' bus and semi truck in rural Manitoba

RCMP say 15 people are dead and 10 are injured after a bus carrying seniors to a casino crashed with a semi truck on the Trans-Canada Highway near Carberry, Man., on Thursday morning.

Here are the latest developments (all times CT): 

4:45 p.m.

At a news conference, RCMP say dashcam video shows the bus pulled into the highway lane where the transport truck had the right-of-way.

They say further tests need to be done on the truck and the bus before responsibility can be determined.

Canada passes 40 million population milestone amid immigration push

Canada's population has reached more than 40 million, Statistics Canada said. 

The milestone comes amid a wave of new immigrants as part of Ottawa's promise to bring in 500,000 people a year by 2025. 

The 40-million mark came faster than expected, Statistics Canada said, as the country added 1.1 million people in 2022, most of them permanent and temporary immigrants. 

That's more than twice the federal government's plan to welcome more than 430,000 new permanent residents last year. 

Fort Saskatchewan artist paints stunning mural in Rogers Place

A Fort Saskatchewan artist had his work featured in Rogers Place in Edmonton. 

Brandon McMurchy had the opportunity to paint a mural displayed in the arena ahead of the Oilers' 2023 playoff run. 

The mural is a beautiful, realistic depiction of some of the members of the Oilers and performers who have played at Rogers Place.

On top of being a fantastic artist, McMurchy also does creative design for the Edmonton Oilers. 

How ground-penetrating radar is used to find unmarked graves at residential schools

Indigenous communities searching for unmarked graves have encountered a rising number of individuals questioning, or outright denying, that children disappeared or died in residential schools, says a new report from an independent special interlocutor.

Ground-penetrating radar is the technology behind the identification of what are believed to be unmarked burial sites, including for the remains of children, on the grounds of former residential schools.