FortSask

Light rainfall and cooler temperatures slowed down wildfire activity in Alberta over the long weekend and more rain that's in the forecast may help firefighters catch a breath during a record-breaking season of fires.

"This could be a turning point for the firefighters working out there on the fires," Christie Tucker of Alberta Wildfire said during a news conference Monday.

"We have received rain, I understand, on almost every wildfire that's currently burning in the province except those in the far north."

The provincial election is less than two weeks away and polls have been released for the regional districts. 

These polls were put together by 338 Canada and present a snapshot of voter intentions ahead of the election. 

All the local districts are a two-horse race between the United Conservatives (UCP) and Alberta New Democrats (NDP) with some races being closer than others. 

Here is a quick look at where each district stands.

Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville

Candidates: 

UCP: Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk (incumbent) 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent a forceful rebuke of Russia at the conclusion of the G7 Leaders' Summit, which was taken over by the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who hoped to shore up more support for his country. 

The support of allies has been crucial to Ukraine's survival amid a Russian invasion, and countries pushing for a ceasefire must recognize Russia is squarely to blame, Trudeau said Sunday in Hiroshima, Japan. 

Air quality in Fort Saskatchewan has gotten worse. 

According to the Fort Air Partnership, the air quality has been upgraded to a 10, which is the second highest ranking and indicates a high risk. 

The smoke has been attributed to a change in the wind patterns that have funnelled smoke from the northern Alberta wildfires through the region.

Wildfire smoke can be harmful even in low concentrations, especially for children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with lung or heart disease.

The long weekend has finally arrived!

Though smoke is putting a little bit of a damper on things, there is still ample opportunity to get out and about to enjoy the extra time off. 

The weather, outside of the smoke, is expected to be stellar and there is no shortage of things to do! 

Here are five local things you can do to make the most of your long weekend: 

Wildfires across the prairies are a major concern  especially in Alberta as fire crews work to try and get control of the situation

Thousands of people have been evacuated as a result of the fires along with pets and livestock.

The fires have also impacted rail movement on some of CN's rail lines.

Assistant Vice-President of Grain David Przednowek says at the end of Grain week 40 the fire situation resulted in the shutdown of the Edson subdivision west of Edmonton.

It's going to be a busy weekend on the highways.

It's the long weekend and farmers are busy with seeding and will be moving equipment from field to field.

The communications coordinator for the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association Robin Anderson says it's important that everyone is patient, stay alert, and respects each other:

The Government of Alberta just released statements in support of those who have evacuated livestock and are looking for space.

Grazing disposition holders can accept livestock from other producers on their lease land to shelter displaced livestock without application prior to. This must be reported to the local rangeland agrologist within seven days. Here is the statement from GoA:

Under the provincial state of emergency, grazing disposition holders with grazing capacity can accept livestock from other producers subject to the following conditions:

Elk Island National Park (EINP) is excited to see visitors during what they expect to be a busy long weekend. 

The park opened up on Friday (May 19) and is asking anyone thinking about coming to the park for the weekend to make their reservations as soon as they can. 

"We're definitely anticipating a lot of visitation for this weekend especially if the weather holds out," said Erin Davidson, a visitor services team lead at EINP. "In terms of campgrounds, we are almost completely booked." 

"We have a very limited number of walk-on sites that are non-reservable." 

It's shaping up to be quite a long weekend. 

Though there will be lingering wildfire smoke for the region over the weekend, it is looking to be very nice otherwise. 

"It will be a continuation of the hot and dry conditions we've had for the last little while," said Eric van Lochem with Environment Canada. 

The average temperature for this time of year hovers around the 18 C mark, but people should be expecting much hotter weather over the next few days.