FortSask

On May 14, the Strathcona County RCMP will host a “kids bicycle rodeo and safety fair” at the Strathcona County Athletic Park in Sherwood Park. The event is part of National Police Week, which runs from May 15 to 21. 

The event will feature demonstrations of specialised RCMP units, and the  RCMP helicopter will be on site. Mounties will also have retro police cars on display. 

A few local non-profits recently got a hand-up from the provincial government. 

Poverty Awareness Fort Saskatchewan and the Fort Saskatchewan Multicultural Association each received $150,000 through Civil Society Fund (CSF).  

Funds dispersed through the Civil Society Fund will help support organisations that address a number of social issues, such as mental health, homeless and domestic violence. 

KidSport Fort Saskatchewan is expecting to see more requests for help in 2022.

The organisation helps pay for kids in the community to play sports. In the last few years, their numbers have been down, helping about 67 kids in 2021. Before the pandemic, they would usually help up to 160 a year.

With activities able to carry on without provincial restrictions, KidSport expects those numbers to bounce back to normal this year. Already they have had over 50 applications only five months in.

Police have arrested a 19-year-old after an incident in Westpark.

On Sunday (May 1), the Fort Saskatchewan RCMP responded to a robbery in progress at a business on Westpark Boulevard. Reportedly, the targeted store was Liquor House.

Upon arrival, officers say they found a customer holding down the suspect behind the business counter and a store employee, whose face had been injured.

"It was determined this male was assaulted with a baton-style weapon and was working at the business at the time of the assault," the RCMP said in a release.

On Monday, Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) Ministers of Agriculture met to discuss key areas of interest for Canada’s agriculture sector. The meeting was a precursor in the lead up to the Annual Conference in July.

Areas discussed included progress on the Next Agricultural Policy Framework (NPF), the successor to the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, which expires on March 31, 2023. Ongoing exchanges will set the stage for the upcoming Multilateral Framework Agreement (MFA) signing, which will see the realization of the Guelph Statement.

The Redwater RCMP hopes to hear from community members at the 2022 Detachment Town Hall.  

Residents who are served by the Redwater RCMP, including the communities of Abee, Amelia, Coronado, Egremont, Half Moon Lake, Lost Point Lake, Newbrook, Opal, Radway, Redwater, Thorhild County, and Sturgeon County (North and East of Gibbons) are invited to attend. People will be able to learn more and ask questions about policing in the area.

Cleanfarms is encouraging farmers to return even more empty single use jugs than last year.

“And that is no easy challenge,” said Cleanfarms Executive Director Barry Friesen. “In 2021, Canadian farmers returned more than 6.2 million small empty containers, up 12.5% over the year before. Farmers are doing a great job which means we’re closing in on 80% of the containers in the marketplace. But we’re not stopping there. We’re going after 100%.”

The Conservative party says six leadership candidates have cleared the final hurdles to getting their names on the ballot, while three others who did not make the cut are pushing back.

Pierre Poilievre, the bombastic Tory finance critic whose rallies have at times drawn thousands, and Jean Charest, the former Quebec premier who is appealing to more centrist Conservatives, are both candidates in the race to replace former leader Erin O'Toole.

It is Emergency Preparedness Week.

Emergency Preparedness Week takes place each year during the first week of May. This year's theme, "Emergency Preparedness: Be Ready for Anything," highlights the importance of being well-prepared in the event of an emergency. 

"We get all kinds of stuff in our province, with fires, floods, extreme weather, and we also have to be prepared for incidents involving hazardous materials," explained Brenda Gheran, executive director of NRCAER. 

Today marks the long-anticipated start of the 2022 NHL Playoffs. Sixteen teams will be battling it out for the glory of becoming Stanley Cup Champions.

I am a big Toronto Maple Leafs fan and have a huge passion for the game of hockey. This year, my Christmas present was to attend the Oil vs Leafs game, and I am so grateful Santa was on my side for that one! This year I foresee very physical games from every round.