FortSask

Strathcona County Emergency Services is optimistic to see more work being put into helping EMS in Alberta.

For the last several months, the province has been working with municipalities to improve the strain on EMS due to an increased need for service. An emergency medical services advisory committee was even formed in January to help find solutions to these issues.

"It's a very complex issue and only with all parties working together can we help to make the improvements that are required," said Strathcona County fire chief Jeff Hutton.

Two Arsenal teams represented Fort Saskatchewan on the provincial stage.

Over the weekend, the U13 Girls (Thompson) team and U15 Girls (Crockroft) team participated in this year's provincial tournament in Edmonton, facing different teams from all across Alberta.

The U13 Girls managed to get three wins right off the start. They beat Cochrane 3-0, Sherwood Park 7-2 and then beat a Calgary team 4-0.

This is Canadian Agricultural Safety Week.

This year's theme, "Safety is our Standard" is the first of a three-year farm safety campaign; Your Farm, Your Family, Your Success.

Agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations there is, with accidents occurring most often between seeding and harvest.

Stats from the Saskatchewan Farm Injury Surveillance Program at the University of Saskatchewan show that approximately 13 people are killed in farm related accidents in Saskatchewan each year.

The Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions says a potential CP Rail strike would have a devastating impact on farmers.

The farm groups are calling on the Federal Government to intervene through any measures necessary and are strongly urging the Minister of Labour Seamus O’Regan to find a resolution.

Alberta Barley chair Tara Sawyer says Canadian railways are lifelines for western Canadian farmers and this potential strike poses serious threats to the success of our upcoming growing season which is just weeks away.

More new electric vehicles hit the road in Canada last year than ever before but the growth is nowhere near what is happening in Europe.

Statistics Canada says more than 65,000 new battery-only and plug-in hybrid electric cars were registered in the first nine months of 2021, compared with 38,000 in 2020.

There were also more new electric-vehicle registrations in just nine months last year than in any full year before.

Flames were seen from a construction site in Fort Saskatchewan.

Emergency crews got a call from Elm Street Monday evening (Mar. 14) after a person in the area spotted a vehicle fire on the site. When crews arrived, they found a construction vehicle fully engulfed in flames.

Firefighters were able to put the fire out and stop it from spreading past the vehicle.

No injuries were reported.

The cause is currently under investigation.

Monday (Mar.14) marked the start of a Fort Saskatchewan man's six-week murder trial.

After the death of his one-year-old son in November of 2019, the man, whose name is being withheld due to a publication ban, was brought up on charges of second-degree murder. 

The man also allegedly injured his five-year-old daughter at the time of the incident.

The 33-year-old faced a jury at the Court of Queen’s Bench in Edmonton, pleading not guilty. The defence claims the accused had no memory of the killing due to sleeping problems and self-medicating with opioids.

Many were without power for a few hours in Fort Saskatchewan.

Monday morning (Mar. 14), an outage hit the city, affecting areas north of Highway 15 and west of 94 Street. This includes all of downtown and multiple schools.

According to FortisAlberta, the cause of the outage is currently unknown. 

About 1,363 customers were affected.

The power has since been fully restored.

Police are looking into a break-and-enter in Redwater.

In the early morning on Feb.20, three suspects in a red Ford F-350 rammed through the gate at AM PM Towing.

The suspects hooked the truck up to a gold-coloured 2002 Chevrolet Silverado and stole it by towing it away from the business. Police confirmed the Silverado was a vehicle that had previously been towed and was being held in the compound. The owner has been notified of the theft.

Mounties are still investigating the theft but were unable to provide a description of the suspects.

Farmers are busy finalizing this year's cropping plans and reviewing their risk management plans.

Agriculture Financial Services Corporation manages the program.

Among the changes for 2022:

Silage Greenfeed Insurance - Lack of Moisture which includes a reduction in recorded precipitation by 1.0 mm when daily temperatures reach 30 C, and by another 2.0 mm for a total of 3.0 mm when temperatures reach 35 C. As well, the minimum moisture threshold has increased from 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm.