FortSask

More than 36,000 people have signed a petition calling on the federal Liberals to live up to their election promise to ban the live export of horses for slaughter.

Statistics Canada data shows since the promise was made in 2021 more than 2,000 horses have been shipped from Canada to Japan where raw horse meat is a local delicacy.

Canadian singer Jann Arden initiated the petition because she believes the shipping of horses overseas is a cruel practice that has to end.

The City of Fort Saskatchewan is reminding residents that barking dogs could result in hefty fines. 

In a release earlier this week, the city mentioned limitations in the local animal control bylaw that involves barking dogs. 

"Dogs bark, it’s what they do naturally," said the city in the release. "However, it can become excessive if it persists for a long period of time." 

First-time offenders face a penalty of $150, while repeat offences double that penalty to $300. 

But what exactly does excessive barking mean? 

Fort Saskatchewan RCMP are looking for the people responsible for breaking into and damaging the Jubilee Recreation Centre (JRC). 

According to police, on Monday (Feb. 13) night, copper was stolen from the complex.

RCMP say that the theft caused about $125,000 of damage to the ice rink’s cooling system.

They currently do not have any suspects in the case.

If you have any information about this crime, police are asking you to contact the local detachment at 780-992-6100.

According to Gasbuddy.com, these are the cheapest places to find gas in the area over the long weekend.

These prices are as of 11 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 17).

Fort Saskatchewan

• UFA - $1.16 per litre
• Shell, 7-Eleven, Husky, Safeway, and Petro-Canada - $1.19 per litre
• Fas Gas, No Frills, and Co-op - $1.22 per litre

Edmonton

• Your Spot - $1.14 per litre
• Kikit - $1.15 per litre
• Centex - $1.18 per litre

Sherwood Park

The 2023 Canada Winter Games gets rolling this weekend! 

The national event will take place in P.E.I this year with athletes coming from all across the country to compete in their respective sports. 

Our region is well-represented with 17 local athletes and two coaches competing at the games. 

Here is a complete look at all the local athletes to keep an eye on: 

Joan Hardy is CP's vice president of sales and marketing for grain and fertilizer.

She says they attribute that to the efficiency and effectiveness of their customers, supply chains, and the infrastructure that they have built and developed.

"Also to our own operating model and our focus on moving grain. So in January, we moved 2.29 million metric tons of Canadian grain and grain products, so that was a new record. And, in fact, we've moved now crop year to date, more than 15 million metric tons of Canadian grain and grain products."

The Public Order Emergency Commission says the Liberal government met the "very high threshold" for invoking the Emergencies Act amid the weeks-long "Freedom Convoy" protests last winter. 

In a report released Friday, Justice Paul Rouleau concludes a series of policing failures and a "failure of federalism" led to a protest that spun out of control and had a striking impact on Ottawa residents.

“I have concluded that in this case, the very high threshold for invocation was met. I have done so with reluctance," he wrote. 

There were a lot of babies born in Alberta last year and with that came many new names to keep track of. 

The province recently released a list of all the names given to newborns for both boys and girls. 

Here are the 10 most popular boy names last year: 

1. Noah (229) 

2. Liam (176) 

3. Theodore (173) 

4. Oliver (172) 

5. Jack (159) 

6. William (146) 

7. Benjamin (138)

8. James (138) 

9. Henry (136) 

10. Lucas (135) 

Since packing up a small suitcase and leaving her home in Ukraine with her six-year-old son, Iryna Mishyna has found solace in helping other families in similar situations find some stability.

Her own situation, however, is still less than certain.

The 35-year-old was granted a temporary visa to work in Canada while she seeks refuge from the war, but her son Nikita is one of nearly 279,000 Ukrainians whose applications are still waiting for a response.

A key topic of discussion at farm meetings over the last few weeks has been the insect forecast.

The Prairie Pest Network released the provincial insect forecast maps this week.

During Alberta's Agronomy Update insect technologist with Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation Dr Shelley Barkley told producers that not only did grasshoppers increase in numbers in 2022, but also in area.

You can start watching for grasshoppers in May or June in areas where we saw lots of them in 2022.