FortSask

Fort Saskatchewan city councillor Lisa Makin has given her opinion on the proposed expansion of Veterans Way (Highway 21).

The proposed bylaw, which involves borrowing almost $5 million, received approval from all but two members of city council during its first reading.  

The two city council members who voted against the idea of borrowing money for the expansion were Jibs Abitoye and Mayor Gale Katchur, who both prefer getting funding through a provincial grant.

The documentary "Guardians of the Grasslands" has now evolved into an online game for students in Grade 7 to 10.

Students in Alberta will be the first to experience the online grazing simulation game which focuses on the ecosystem services provided by raising cattle on grasslands.

Amie Peck, manager of public and stakeholder engagement with the Canadian Cattle Association says they had excellent uptake with the film in classrooms.

The latest Canfax report shows the number of cattle on feed in Saskatchewan and Alberta is down.

According to the report the number of cattle on feed as of February 1st was at 1,049,686 head down from the January 1st number of 1,087,813 head.

Last week 7,779 head of cattle went through Saskatchewan Auction Marts, that's down from the 9,400 head marketed during the same week last year.

Prices for Saskatchewan feeder steers and heifers last week were up from the previous week. 

The UCP government's first and last budget under Premier Danielle Smith before an expected May election forecasts a surplus of $2.4 billion this fiscal year.

There's money for jobs, health care, childcare, and education.

It's coming right down to the wire for the U17 AAA South Fort Chev Rangers. 

With just two games remaining in their regular season, the Rangers find themselves atop the league with 58 points and a sparkling 28-2-1-1 record.

"We are on a 16-game winning streak right now," said Mason Hawkes, the head coach of the Rangers. "We've kept the train on the tracks and have kept going in the right direction." 

With such a fantastic record it would be easy to assume that first place is all but guaranteed, but that isn't the case. 

The City of Fort Saskatchewan has revealed some more information about a theft that occurred at the JRC in mid-February. 

On February 13, RCMP say that thieves stole copper from the complex and did about $125,000 in damage to the rink's ice cooling systems. 

Grant Schaffer, the director of fleet, facilities, and engineering with the city, says that it is believed that the thieves attempted to extract copper from the pipes of one of the two cooling systems. 

Some big changes for Alberta drivers have been delayed. 

Last year, changes were introduced to the Traffic Safety Amendment Act. These changes included different laws for passing emergency vehicles.

Earlier today, the Alberta government announced that they have delayed the initial start date of March 1 to September 1.

The reason for the delay was to give time to educate the public about the changes to prevent unneeded tickets.

Hosting Ukrainians in Fort Saskatchewan (HUFS) is March's Half Grand Helping Hand winner, courtesy of South Fort Chevrolet and MIX 107. 

Francee Kaehn, the chairperson and one of the founders of HUFS, was at South Fort Chevrolet to accept the $500 cheque. 

"I think for the moment [the money] will go into general funds," said Kaehn. "We feel it'll go into general funds to continue to provide financial assistance for the families moving out, and also for the hosts." 

Challenges and breakdowns in Canada's supply chain became evident during the pandemic.

Minister of Transport, Omar Alghabra, established a National Supply Chain Task Force to examine the key issues affecting supply chain operations.

The Task Force's mandate was to produce recommendations on how we can make our transportation supply chain stronger.

In the agriculture sector, a key challenge has been trying to get raw commodities to port in a timely fashion.

On Monday, Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced $13 million for the Youth Employment and Skills Program, to help support approximately 1200 jobs for youth in the ag sector. 

She says the program helps to eliminate barriers to employment by providing meaningful work opportunities for youth wanting to pursue a career in agriculture.

The Youth Employment and Skills Program offers support for 50 per cent of wages to a maximum of $14,000 to agriculture employers hiring youth.