FortSask

A senior official in the department of public safety says the minister has been "misunderstood" in saying police asked the federal government to use the Emergencies Act in February.

Deputy minister Rob Stewart appeared before the special joint committee that’s examining the Liberals' decision to invoke the act on Tuesday evening. 

In April, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told the same committee that after weeks of blockades in downtown Ottawa and at several border crossings, the government was in regular consultation with law enforcement including the RCMP. 

The Grand North American Fiddle Championship will be held in Fort Saskatchewan this summer.

The 38th annual championship will run from July 14 - 17 at the Dow Centennial Centre.

The event is open to fiddlers of all levels and ages. In the past, competitors have ranged in age from 6 years to 101 years old. 

Many musicians from this event have gone on to become finalists or winners at the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Contest.

Thursday evening:

Ram Everyday Adventure is back!

Sure, were giving you a chance to win our grand prize, a 2022 RAM 1500 Bighorn truck (worth over $70,000) but we also have some amazing adventure prizes to score every month this summer.

For the month of June enter to win a camping adventure package worth over $3,000 from Woody's RV World.  

All the essentials included:

Police have provided an update on a collision that shut down a local highway last week. 

On May 29 at 5:24 a.m., Strathcona County RCMP received a 911 call about a head-on collision on Highway 15 near Range Road 213 east of Fort Saskatchewan.  

The Strathcona County indoor fieldhouse is expected to begin construction in about five years.

Strathcona County Council had a meeting on May 17 where they discussed prioritizing their budgets. During this meeting, they reduced the scope and budget of the indoor fieldhouse.

This fieldhouse, which has been in the works since at least 2020, would include a gymnasium, fitness tracks, and multi-use program spaces. In a survey, 72 per cent of Strathcona County residents were in favour of the fieldhouse, which had an estimated cost of $90 million.

Fort Saskatchewan Pride Week is back on for 2022. 

From Jun. 10-16, various events and activities will take place across the city for Fort Saskatchewan Pride Week, which is now in its fourth year.

"It was just a small group of us. We got together and thought, you know, we could really show our support for the community and hold some educational events and have a celebration," explained Fort Saskatchewan Pride Week committee chair Lauren Reid.  

You may see more of an orange hue in the sky in the coming weeks.
 
According to Inter Pipeline, the Heartland Petrochemical Complex is in the late stages of commissioning a start-up process that will cause noticeable flaring. 

“This is a normal part of start-up operations. We just wanted to let people know it’s a part of the process of going through a safe start-up,” explained Steven Noble, manager of corporate communications for Inter Pipeline.  

A Lamont teacher has won the 2021 Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Michel Blades Bird is a teacher at The Ranch Learning Centre, a school part of Elk Island's Child and Youth Ranch. According to the ranch, many students who attend this school have severe emotional or behavioural issues, do not thrive in a community school setting and are children growing up in government care.

The Fort Lions Club is hosting a grand opening for the Turner Park Campground expansion.

The campground is known for its beautiful location in the heart of Turner Park, right by the North Saskatchewan River. After eight years of trying for an expansion, the Lions have finally had their wish come true. 

Although the expansion was built last year, Friday (Jun. 10) marks the day of their grand opening and open house for the new and improved campground. The event is free and includes hot dogs, cupcakes, cold drinks, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony around noon. 

Meet the Fort Saskatchewan RCMP's newest detachment commander.

Inspector Barry LaRocque is a 30-year member of the RCMP and comes to Fort Saskatchewan from Yellowknife, NWT, although most of his career has been in Alberta. His first-ever posting was to Cold Lake, where he spent five years before transferring to Edmonton, working in plain clothes policing and drug enforcement.