FortSask

Different generations came together at Dr. Turner Lodge on Monday (Mar. 20). 

Linking Generations is a charity that works to bridge the generational gap by pairing up students with seniors throughout the school year.

This meet and greet allowed student parents to join in and see the bonds that their children have made through the program. 

Debbie Sinclair, executive director of the charity, said that everyone engaged in conversation and even played trivia games.

A Fort Saskatchewan preschooler has read enough books to last a lifetime. 

Penelope Milburn is just four-year-sold but has read 2,428 books so far, most of which were from the Fort Saskatchewan Public Library. 

Rebecca, Penelope's mother, said it all started with the '1000 books before kindergarten' challenge.

"We started that and once we hit a thousand, we just kept going," said Rebecca.

Penelope reads at least one book a day, with her dedicated reading time in the middle of the day, or sometimes right before bed.

Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada has released their What We Heard Report today, the result of consultations on the announced national target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

That had the federal government looking at a voluntary 30% reduction in emissions associated with fertilizer application by 2030.

Over 2,000 submissions were received through online consultation, technical workshops, and town hall meetings between March and October 2022, with input being received from farmers, business owners, and members of the public.

Local artist Ashley Rosenow is raising funds for the families of the two EPS officers who were killed earlier this month.

Rosenow, the owner of Illustrious Interiors, created The Heart Beats On, an original painting which depicts two hands holding a blue heart.

"I painted this piece for our brothers and sisters in blue who have tragically lost their lives in the line of duty," said Rosenow. 

The Fort Saskatchewan fire services master plan has been revealed. 

The plan was presented at Wednesday's (Mar. 21) committee and gives an extensive look at the current ability of the city's fire department and some ways to improve upon it. 

The plan was put together by BEHR Integrated Solutions. 

"I look at it as more of an evaluation for where our fire service is at and they provide recommendations on how to address any gaps that were identified," said Darrick Graff, the president of the Fort Saskatchewan Firefighters Association. 

Careers Under Construction has introduced a free 12-week workplace training program for residents of Fort Saskatchewan and the surrounding area.

Teaming up with Omnia training, this program - called Skill-Bit - is designed to get oilfield and construction labourers ready for the job site through on-site training.

"The program combines essential skills and technical job site training to prepare prospective workers for diverse job sites in Alberta," said Careers Under Construction president Jill Dean. 

The Servus Credit Union Spring Food Drive will get underway at the beginning of next month. 

The drive will go toward supporting the Fort Saskatchewan Food Bank and is presented by Servus Credit Union, PME Inc., the Bridge Church, and MIX 107. 

Kassandra Gartner, the executive director of the food bank, is extremely excited to have the community's help. 

"[This event] is a first for us, we are really excited about this," said Gartner. "Everybody has pulled together to make it happen and make it really convenient to donate." 

Some changes have been made to Sturgeon County's drinking water. 

EPCOR recently announced that they have started adding orthophosphate to the county's drinking water. 

Orthophosphate, more commonly known as phosphate, is a salt that acts as a protective coating and is used to reduce the amount of lead in drinking water. 

"While there isn’t lead in the water when it leaves EPCOR’s treatment plant, lead can get into the drinking water through lead pipes and other household plumbing fixtures," said the county in a release earlier this week. 

The Canadian Cattle Association is looking for its next crop of individuals for the Canadian Cattle Young Leaders program.

Jessica Radau, the CCA's Youth Leadership Co-ordinator, says the overall objective is to use the program as a built in industry succession planning tool.

She says the program is designed for people 18 to 35 with an interest in any aspect of the cattle industry.

Morinville Community High School is enjoying their first full semester with their freshly completed renovations. 

Greg Boutestian is the school's CTS teacher, and has been working at the school since 1995.

"This new renovation has been the largest project that's been done in our building in close to thirty years of operation.”

The last major renovation the school experienced included adding a new wing in the late 1990s. 

These renovations had been a long time coming, with plans in the works for the last four years.