FortSask

Highway 37 near Namao was closed for a portion of the morning (Mar. 31). 

A blue Jeep caught fire on the side of the road. 

Fire crews responded quickly and were able to extinguish the fire and remove the vehicle from the road. 

The highway has since re-opened in both directions. 

There is no word on the cause of the fire or if anybody was injured as a result.

The federal government now expects far more Canadians with long-overdue dental needs to sign up for its insurance plan, and the health minister says that's why the estimated cost has risen by $7 billion.

In its 2023 budget Tuesday, the government revealed the federally-administered insurance program will be far more expensive over the next five years than it originally thought. 

It is also projecting that ongoing costs after that will more than double, to $4.4 billion per year, up from $1.7 billion.

The City of Fort Saskatchewan will be changing up their waste collection schedule this weekend. 

Starting Saturday (Apr. 1), the city will be moving back to its weekly organic, or green cart, waste collection. 

"Residents are encouraged to use their green carts for all organic materials and not just yard waste," said Sadie Miller, the waste program supervisor for the city. "Everything from your food scraps to soiled paper products can be placed in your green cart." 

A Fort Saskatchewan man is facing several charges related to fraud.

Taylor Berezowski, 22, was arrested in Edmonton during an investigation into several Facebook and Kijiji scams in early March. 

Berezowski was wanted on outstanding warrants for fraud-related crimes in Edmonton, Vermillion, and Fort Saskatchewan.

With two court dates in the coming weeks, Berezowski faces a total of seven charges so far:

• Fraud under $5,000 (x2)
• Failure to attend court (x3)

Berezowski faces two other charges from when he was a minor.

Ottawa announced funding this week for farmers looking to upgrade their farming operations to include more efficient grain drying technology.

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced $22.2 million for 45 new projects through the Agricultural Clean Technology program - Adoption Stream.

The Conservative Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Agri-Food says he's concerned by what he heard in the federal budget.

John Barlow says this is a government that promised to get their their spending under control, get deficits under control and start to work towards a balanced budget - but that obviously did not happen.

Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau says they tried to balance the budget the best they could in terms of so many priorities.

"We wanted to support Canadians because we know that times are hard, and everything is very expensive. So we brought what we call the grocery rebate to be able to give some money to those who need it most, while not putting fuel on the fire and provoking an increase in interest rates."

An Alberta deputy premier says it was appropriate for his boss to phone up a pastor and discuss his upcoming criminal trial on charges stemming from protests over pandemic restrictions. 

Kaycee Madu says Premier Danielle Smith has a broad mandate to reduce divisions over the COVID-19 pandemic while helping the province grow. 

Madu says in pursuing that mission, Smith is free to contact whomever she wants.

Drivers were given another option instead of paying for their tickets this week.

Fort Saskatchewan RCMP and municipal enforcement handed out 60 tickets for a variety of violations including cracked windshields, window tint, and loud exhausts on Wednesday (Mar. 29).

Typically, drivers are given three options when issued a ticket: pay the fine, plead not guilty in writing, or appear in court. This time, there was an 'Option 4'.

The cavalry is coming to Ardrossan this summer to celebrate the 150th RCMP Musical Ride.

On June 17, 24 Mounties will perform cavalry drills at the Ardrossan football practice field on horseback, choreographed to Canadian-themed music.

This event coincides with the Ardrossan Recreation and Agriculture Society's annual Picnic and Parade. The officers are expected to participate in the parade in the morning before performing their drills in the afternoon.

The music that plays alongside their drills is dependent on the area of the Musical Ride itself.