FortSask

You could soon be eligible for some extra grocery cash. 

As part of this year's federal budget, the government is planning to include a one-time grocery rebate to help Canadians who are struggling to make ends meet while dealing with high food inflation. 

The following amounts being proposed in the rebate are: 

A new waste collection program is coming to Strathcona County.

Starting on May 1, the new ‘Sort and Save’ program will allow residents to exchange their large waste or organics carts for smaller carts to save money on their utility bills.

These new carts are 120L, half the volume of the current 240L carts.

Jeremy Hansen, a colonel and CF-18 pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force, has been selected to become the first Canadian to venture further into space and orbit the moon.

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency made the long-awaited announcement Monday, introducing the four astronauts who will steer the next stage of an ambitious plan to establish a long-term presence on the moon.

The Canadian Cattle Association is disappointed with the news that Canada has reached a market access agreement with the UK to join the CPTPP without achieving viable access for Canadian beef into the UK.

While full details of the deal remain unavailable the CCA says they are aware that other members of the CPTPP have achieved unlimited beef access in their bilateral agreements with the UK, but that similar access for Canada is 'off the table'. 

Last week's Federal Budget called for a pilot program to reintroduce and extend the rail interswitching limit on the prairies.

Elizabeth Hucker, CP's assistant vice-president of marketing and sales for Canadian grain says it's an idea CP Rail is not in favor of.

"Interswitching requires additional handoffs for rail cars between carriers, which in turn causes increased dwell time. This slows the entire rail supply chain and reduces capacity by introducing inefficiencies which could otherwise be avoided."

Farmers and Ranchers across the country now have full access to the new five year Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

The agreement includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities, and $2.5 billion in cost-shared programs and activities funded by federal, provincial and territorial governments, an increase of 25 percent from the old CAP 
program.

A Vegreville councillor has thrown their hat into the ring. 

The Alberta NDP announced that Taneen Rudyk will be their candidate for Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville in the upcoming provincial election next month. 

"I am really excited to make this announcement and to take my advocacy to a different group in Edmonton this time to make sure we have the continuation of caring and competent leadership that constituents in the Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville area are looking for," said Rudyk. 

Coming into Monday (Apr. 3) morning there was a chance a Fort Saskatchewan man would be announced as part of NASA's Artemis II mission around the moon. 

Joshua Kutryk was born in Fort Saskatchewan and was recently chosen as one of four Canadian candidates being considered for the mission. 

Unfortunately, as NASA leaders took to the stage in Houston, Texas, it was announced that Kutryk would not be part of the crew. 

Instead, astronaut Jeremy Hansen was instead chosen as the sole Canadian to join the Artemis II crew. 

The Fort Heritage Precinct held their first Easter scavenger hunt on Sunday (Apr. 2) afternoon.

By the time the Fort Heritage Precinct opened their doors, the line had grown to the parking lot of the Warden's House.

The free event involved a search where kids were given a list of images, and they had to count how many of them were hidden throughout the precinct. Once they finished, they got a prize and some snacks.

There was also a place for crafts where kids could make bunnies out of cotton.

A Fort Saskatchewan father held a watch party to see his daughter's appearance in the new cartoon from the Property Brothers.

Harlan Kingfisher's 12-year-old daughter Meadow stars as Mel in Builder Brother's Dream Factory, with the first episode airing last Sunday (Mar. 26).

"We had some of Meadow's best friends come over," said Harlan. "It's been over a year and a half wait for this cartoon to come out."

"We had food prepped, and my mother-in-law and Meadow's little cousin came over."