FortSask

Be on the lookout for a scum-looking substance in bodies of water this summer.

Water that contains blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, can pose a health risk, especially in young children, the elderly and pets.

“Prevention is better than cure. That is why we provide recommendations and advise to avoid all contact with blue-green algae,” said Michael Zakhary, a medical officer of health with Alberta Health Services (AHS). 

The Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) is on a record pace in terms of the number of advances issued through the Advance Payments Program, as well as the dollars issued. 
    
"What we've seen so far is a record-breaking year in terms of the number of advances as well as the dollar value of advances," said David Gallant, Director of Finance & Operations. "One the first day of the program this year, we issued over 1,500 farmers over $275 million in the cash advance program."   

Canadian incomes trended higher in 2020 everywhere except in Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador, as millions benefited from pandemic supports, according to new census data from Statistics Canada.

The agency reports that median after-tax household income was $73,000 in 2020, up 9.8 per cent compared to its last national survey five years earlier, partly driven by the losses of lower-paying jobs.

Rogers Communications Inc. will compensate its customers for the massive outage that crippled its network last week by crediting them with the equivalent of five days of service as a first step.

In a statement, Rogers spokesperson Chloe Luciani-Girouard says the company has been listening to its customers and Canadians from across the country who have shared how significant the impacts of the outage were for them.

Rogers wireless and internet customers were left without service in the outage that began early Friday morning last week and led to widespread disruptions.

The family of a five-year-old Saskatchewan boy whose body was found 81 days after he was reported missing said Tuesday he will be buried this week.

RCMP said Frank Young was located Saturday in the Carrot River, about two kilometres downstream from where he was last seen playing on the Red Earth Cree Nation in April.

Frank's grandmother Teresa Whitecap, the matriarch of the family, said they have have been participating in ceremonies and prayers to prepare for his burial on Friday.

Canada's premiers have wrapped up talks in Victoria, B.C., frustrated that a date has yet to be set for a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau focused on health care.

The 13 premiers were unanimous in calling for the meeting to chart a path forward for working with the federal government on funding the modernization of what they say is a "crumbling" health system plagued by severe staffing shortages.

A black bear was spotted on security footage walking through an acreage just outside of Josephburg.

Mairin Innes got a call from her son at 6 a.m. -- she says he had gotten a notification of movement detected on their home security system. When he opened the video, he saw a black bear stroll from their backyard, through their driveway, and onto the road ahead.

Innes and her family were inside, unknowing of the bear.

"I think three years ago there were some bear droppings outside in the front yard, but no sightings of an actual bear."

NASA is releasing new photos from its James Webb Space Telescope that offer a glimpse into dying stars and distant galaxies.

The United States agency released four new images today during an event broadcast worldwide, one day after the White House released the first image from the telescope.

The Webb, a US$10-billion joint partnership between NASA and the Canadian and European space agencies, is outfitted with two crucial Canadian-built systems, both of which are working properly.

With a high reaching the early 30s today (July 12), municipal enforcement are warning people about the dangers of leaving their pets in hot vehicles.

Pets are unable to sweat and lower their body temperature like people can. They can only cool off through panting and their paw pads.

“Normally in the summer months we do get quite a lot of calls about these types of things," said Lee Hardman, supervisor of municipal enforcement with the City of Fort Saskatchewan.

How to spot the signs of distress:

The recent summer storm activity brought heavy rain, high winds and hail to many areas.

With temperatures increasing and high humidity it can create the perfect environment for disease issues.

The Canola Council of Canada says sporadic moisture across much of the prairies and a quickly growing canopy mean sclerotinia stem rot may be a concern in many areas.

Plants tend to be infected with sclerotinia when the canola crop is flowering.