T H E B AT T L E F O R D S
Regional
news-optimist Serving the Battlefords since 1908
www.newsoptimist.ca
|
BATTLEFORD
Thursday, August 27, 2020
|
Plumbing
306-445-6707 www.nblukplumbing.com
Published every Thursday
Over 50 Freezers in stock and on Sale!
Pick up available anytime and delivery can be arranged by appointment!
FURNITURE Community rallies around grieving family after Edam woman killed by bear “Where “Wherethe thedifference difference is isworth worth the the drive” drive”
Prices From $199.00
306-937-7474
mail@battlefordfurniture.com
GoFundMe page set up by cousin Staff A GoFundMe page organized by Jane Rusbridge of Saskatoon is raising money for the family of Stephanie Blais (Esquirol) who was killed by a bear at the family fly-in cabin north of Buffalo Narrows last Thursday. She was there with her husband Curtis, son Eli and daughter Uma. Rusbridge, a first cousin, wrote on the site, “Stephanie was a wonderful mother, wife, daughter, sister, auntie, cousin, niece, and dear friend, who touched the lives of all those around her.” Rusbridge added, “Stephanie was killed at the young age of 44 by an unprovoked bear attack in Northern Saskatchewan while at a family cabin with her immediate family. The cabin at McKie Lake has been in the family for 35 years. The family were wilderness and bear trained and experienced. The investigation after showed this was an unprovoked and surprise predatory attack by an old male bear. The area around the cabin was meticulous and there was nothing that attracted or provoked the bear to attack.” Curtis Blais bearsprayed and shot the bear
following the attack. “In these dark moments, we can take some comfort that quick actions prevented this unimaginable tragedy from being even worse,” wrote Rusbridge. The funds raised by the GoFundMe page will go towards: emergency flights; additional family costs with Curtis needing to be home for now; any other needs Curtis sees fit for their family; anything over and above to go to a college fund for the kids. In Tuesday’s update, Rusbridge wrote, “It is absolutely incredible how our community comes together in times of need! Your support is giving Curtis the gift of finding a way forward with his children and finding a way to honour Steph. Given he is self-employed, you are giving him the gift of time and options, and we know a weight will lift with this generosity. It’s so much more than we hoped for. Words can’t express our families’ gratitude - so we will simply say THANK YOU!” As of Wednesday morning, 479 people had donated more than $62,000. Blais’ death is the first recorded fatal bear attack in Saskatchewan since 1983. The area is remote, near McKie Lake, approxi-
WE ARE OPEN CJV
mately 150 kilometers north/northeast of Buffalo Narrows or 20 kilometers directly west of the southern tip of Cree Lake. Buffalo Narrows RCMP says around 7:15 p.m. Aug. 20, they were advised of a bear attack that occurred in the forest north of the community of Buffalo Narrows. The victim’s father, Hubert Esquirol of Edam, told the press this week he was on a satellite phone with his daughter when she was attacked. She had called him about a problem with the water pump. According to a report from the Canadian Press, Esquirol says Blais sent her son into the cabin for the phone’s antenna to improve reception, and seconds later he heard a gurgling noise, and then couldn’t get a response. “I waited, and I stayed on the line two minutes, and I called her name and I said, ‘Hello,’ and I got no response. So then I called back and let it ring four minutes later, and I got no response,” Esquirol recounted to the Canadian Press. “And seven minutes later Curtis called me (and said) that the bear had attacked Stephanie, he pepper-sprayed the bear, shot the bear twice, he attended
The Blais family as pictured on a GoFundMe page organized by Jane Rusbridge of Saskatoon – Braxton, Curtis, Stephanie, Uma and Eli.
to Stephanie and gave her CPR, but by that time she had no pulse.” Esquirol said he then contacted a friend who was a seaplane operator, who picked up Blais from McKie Lake and brought her back to Buffalo Narrows. Police said she had sustained significant injuries and was pronounced deceased by medical personnel. No one else was injured. Esquirol said many are rallying around his family in the wake of Blais’ death. Stephanie Blais was predeceased by her mother Janice Esquirol (who died in 2008) and her older sister Natalie, who died in a
car crash in 1991 in North Battleford. In a recent story by Victor van der Merwe, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The WorldSpectator, it was reported the number of bear inquiries received by Saskatchewan Environment between the months of April and July was just over 600, up 14 per cent from last year’s 525 inquiries. “Keep in mind this includes simple sightings, people seeing (bears) in their yard, it could be actual encounters with bears or a simple question about bears,” said Katherine Conkin, biologist and team leader of the wildlife
BEAUTIFUL AND PRICED TO SELL!
is here to help you with your renovation! Installation available.
FREE ESTIMATES PROVIDED Flooring, Backsplash, and Blinds.
The Carpet People
306.445.1221
2741-99th Street North Battleford
management section. This summer there have been reports of a bear entering a home in northern Saskatchewan, a bear attacking a runner and a bear hanging around a schoolyard. The government said this could be due to a variety of factors, including a late spring that saw the berry crop come in later than normal. This may have led to bears wandering from usual feeding areas into new areas to find food. This story can be found on www.newsoptimist.ca The estimated population of bears in Saskatchewan at the moment is 43,000.
NOW ACCEPTING 1091 110th Street
Battleford Agency Tribal Chiefs
SALE BY OWNER
For up to date information please visit our facebook page
For More Info - Visit www.1091nb.com Call 306-481-4222 for Exclusive Viewing
1272 101 Street, North Battleford, SK S9A 0Z8
2 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom and More!
(306) 446-1400
Kindergarten Registrations & Pre-K Applications for the 2020-21 school year.
For more information, contact your local school or call 306-937-7702 www.lskysd.ca