FortSask

Representatives from the Canola Council of Canada, Cereals Canada, and Pulse Canada met last week in Ottawa with government decision makers about the establishment of a diversification office in the Indo-Pacific region. 

A newly released joint-commissioned report outlines why Canada must take strategic steps to secure its agricultural export growth, diversification and competitiveness in a key export region. 

A key pillar of the report is the creation of a Canadian Indo-Pacific Diversification Office.

The energy, the rush, the 18,347 fans cheering on the home team.

There is definitely something about being at an NHL playoff game in person.

Tonight at Rogers Place, you can experience all that as the Oilers host the Avs for Game 4.  As of 4 p.m., there were still a few tickets left for as low as $162 a seat in the upper bowl.

For the lower bowl, it's going to cost you a bit more at $250, according to Ticketmaster.

Go Oilers, go!

A fundraiser for Ukrainian refugees brought in a flood of donations. 

Approximately 500 people gathered at the Lamont Arena Saturday (Jun. 4) morning for a pancake breakfast fundraiser in support of Ukrainians displaced by the war.  

The morning kicked off with a land acknowledgment followed by a singing of O Canada. Town of Lamont mayor Kirk Perrin offered greetings on behalf of the town, Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs, and the Fort Saskatchewan & District Chamber of Commerce.  

A suspect is being sought in connection with a theft from a Morinville liquor store. 

On May 22, around 7:30 p.m., a man entered the store and spent about five minutes gathering four large liquor bottles before fleeing, knocking over several boxes along the way. 

He ran into a back alley and got into a green pickup truck. 

He is described as being tall and lanky, with shorter black hair. He was dressed in all black with jeans, a tank top, and a baseball cap.

Canadians across the country organized parties, donned traditional British garb and planted trees over the weekend as they joined the world in celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee marking her 70 years on the throne.

The Canadian festivities were more muted affairs compared to the boisterous, four-day party that took place in London in honour of the occasion. 

Gasoline prices continued to trend upward across much of Canada over the weekend and experts warn more increases are coming this week.

National average gas prices rose to about $2.06 on Sunday, up almost three cents from the day before and 11 cents higher compared with a week ago, according to the Canadian Automobile Association.

"We're seeing gas price records repeatedly shattered across the country," said Dan McTeague, president of Canadians for Affordable Energy.

Two long years ago, the Legacy Park Family Festival was put on hold due to COVID-19.

The times of bounce castles and balloon swords became nothing more than a memory. That is, until this year. 

The Family Festival came back full force, with one-man bands, a portable video game room, and the return of the almighty sheep. Although the weather was overcast and windy, it didn't stop the spirit of Fort Saskatchewan from bringing sunshine to Legacy Park.

The Crown is requesting a manslaughter conviction for Damien Starrett.

The Fort Saskatchewan man is accused of killing his one-year-old son Ares and assaulting his five-year-old daughter in November of 2019. He was originally facing second-degree murder charges.

Starrett's defence claims he was in a state of automatism and incapable of comprehending his actions when he attacked his children. Starrett’s defence is pursuing a not criminally responsible action which could result in Starrett being sent to a psychiatric hospital instead of being criminally convicted.

A backyard fire left a shed in ruins on Thursday (June 2).

Shortly after 9 p.m., fire crews responded to a call of a structure fire in the Sherridon area of Fort Saskatchewan. 

The initial crew was on the scene in under five minutes to help contain the blaze. An additional crew with a ladder truck then arrived, and a third crew from Strathcona County came to help. 

In total, 10 fire personnel aided in extinguishing the fire. 

The Fort Saskatchewan Rotary Club is organizing a bed build in partnership with the Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) organization.

The build is happening on June 11, and volunteers can sign up for multiple positions to help build beds for kids in need.

According to SHP, approximately two per cent of children in Canadian communities sleep on the floor or in their parents' beds.