Estevan Mercury 20190116

MAYOR’S ADDRESS

ECS BASKETBALL

Ludwig looks ahead to 2019 A5

Elecs second at tournment A11

Issue 38

SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

www.estevanmercury.ca

Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240

Feds commit $25.6 million to geothermal

By Brian Zinchuk brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net

Handing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a piece of core, Kirsten Marcia explained to him that it was from the deepest well in Saskatchewan, 3,530 metres down, and it had not seen the surface for around a half billion years. She also explained her intentions of producing green, emissionsfree electrical power from it.

“It’s full of water, and three-and-a-half kilometres in depth. When we drill into this, that water actually flows right to surface,” she told him, in explaining some of the science behind the geothermal electrical power project. Marcia, a geologist herself, has been working on since 2010.

It was an enormous day for Marcia, originally from Estevan, and her team with Deep Earth Energy Production (DEEP) Corp. Trudeau had been in Regina the night before for a townhall at the University of Regina. Marcia is the president and CEO of DEEP. “ We’re excited about geothermal in Saskatchewan.

Of course, it’s an obvious place for geothermal, with all the volcanoes you have here,”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, complimented Kirsten Marcia for being a clean-energy trailblazer as he announced $25.6 million in federal funding for the Deep Earth Energy Production Corp. project. Photo by Brian Zinchuk Trudeau joked after he put down the core. “Recognizing the extraordinary potential this is is very exciting,” he said, once the chuckles died down.

He was then shown maps

indicating the geothermal potential in southeast Saskatchewan and was able to take a look through a microscope at some of that core.

Trudeau’s presence that

morning was to announce $25.6 million in federal funding for DEEP’s geothermal project, location within sight of the U.S. border, south of Torquay.

The federal funding makes up approximately half of the funds needed to complete this, the second phase of the project, which includes building a pilot plant that

would be supplying five megawatts of electricity to the power grid in about 2 1/2 years. Its initial well was spudded in mid-November and completed in late December.

That included the retrieval of over 200 metres of core, recovered across the targeted reservoir.

It was some of that core DEEP had on display to show the prime minister; the deepest, oldest core ever retrieved in Saskatchewan. It was deeper by over 100 metres than that from the Aquistore wells near Boundary Dam Power Station.

Drill stem test (DST) results were positive, indicating reservoir pressure and permeability that exceeds the minimum threshold for project feasibility. The well was completed with a slotted production liner, in preparation for the second phase of the pilot project which includes a production flow and build up test this spring.

Federal funding was a key component in DEEP being able to drill that first well at Torquay. The vertical well, managed by Frontier Project Solutions and drilled

by Horizon Drilling, reached A2 » TORQUAY

Estevan is experiencing the A H1N1 type flu peak point

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

With six deadly flu cases across Saskatchewan so far, the southeast region as well as Estevan in particular coped to manage the flu wave quite well.

The former Sun Country Health Region had 76 labconfirmed cases, 90 per cent of which were due to influenza A H1N1 type.St.Joseph’s hospital registered 29 lab-positive cases.

A medical health officer with Saskatchewan Health Authority Dr. Lanri Medu noticed that people of any age are at risk of getting the flu.

“The youngest (person with lab-confirmed flu) was about eight months and the oldest was about 93 years of age.

The average is at about 37 years of age. Half of lab confirmed cases we had were persons between ages of 30 and 65,” Medu said.

Younger children and adults with underlying health conditions, particularly pregnant women, are more at risk of having severe influenza.

So far, in Estevan there

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an agreement with Saskatchewan that will allow it to extend the life of some of its coal-fired power generation units. Photo by Brian Zinchuk

Trudeau confirms coal equivalency agreement

By Brian Zinchuk brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed on Friday that the federal government and the Government of Saskatchewan have reached an equivalency agreement for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions

from its coal-fired power fleet.

Trudeau was in Regina on Jan. 10 for a town hall session and an announcement the following day of $25.6 million in funding for the Deep Earth Energy Production Corp.

(DEEP) geothermal project south of Torquay. In a media availability after the DEEP

announcement, Trudeau spoke about the equivalency agreement in response to a question from Pipeline News.

Trudeau said, “We were very pleased to announce, this morning, that Saskatchewan and the federal government have come to an agreement on A2 » SASKATCHEWAN

YEAR END

sleeve. Regular hand wash and self-isolation would also help to prevent the spread.

In most cases, the treatment of flu tends to be supportive and in about three to five days individuals usually feel better.

Even though the flu wave is at its peak point, Medu said that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get a flu shot, if one hasn’t had it yet.

“One of the best preventive measures that we have is flu vaccine. It’s still available at this time,” Medu said. “And you are not going to get the flu from the flu shot.”

On the other hand, wearing a facemask may reduce your exposure to the influenza, but will not totally protect you from getting sick and is not recommended as a flu prevention initiative.

According to health officials, this winter Saskatchewan is experiencing a much stronger flu wave with over 1,700 lab-confirmed cases across the province against about 700 cases last year.

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was only one dangerous flu case in a minor. The child has since recovered and is back at home.

Medu noticed that this year A H1N1 type influenza is predominant, and up to this moment there were no B type cases registered.

Usually flu comes with muscle pain and headaches, fever, may or may not be accompanied by cough and runny nose. Sometimes it’s not easy to tell the difference between flu and a regular cold.

“The common cold tends to have a slower onset. On the other hand, flu tends to have more certain onset,”Medu said.

He underlined that if you find yourself experiencing the above symptoms it would be a good idea to visit the doctor.

“In most cases flu is not severe and doesn’t require hospitalization.But if the individual were feeling ill, you would want to go see the doctor and have the doctor assess. The doctor will be able to identify if there are any red flags,” Medu said.

Once you begin to feel sick improve on hygiene. If you are coughing cough into your

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A2 January 16, 2019

Torquay area site of geothermal project « A1 its target total depth of 3,530 metres on December 16, 2018. Several more are expected to be drilled, in “doublets” of injectors and producers.

But they’re not producing oil. They’re producing hot, salty water. Heat recovered from that brine will use the organic Rankine cycle to generate electricity. Marcia said the results exceeded expectations and that they had found water 125 C in temperature.

The next steps for the project include the drilling and coring of a Mannville injection well on the same location before spring. During production testing operations, produced brine from the source well will be injected and disposed into the injection well, enabling a production/injection doublet.

Further geothermal parameters including corroboration of the initial DST data with confirmation of pressure, temperature and reservoir permeability will be acquired during this next step which includes a longer term (30-day) injection and production flow and build up test.

“In effect, we’re supporting DEEP, as they mine natural heat to generate clean, renewable energy that will help power

Saskatchewan’s homes and businesses,” Trudeau said.

“Once the proposed facility is done, the electricity produced will be able to power 5,000 homes, all the while taking the yearly pollution of 7,400 cars out of the atmosphere. And if all that sounds cutting edge, that’s because it is.

“DEEP’s plant will be Canada’s first ever geothermal power plant. The federal government contributed $1.5 million to test and launch this project, we knew it would be just the start of some incredible work being done, right here in Saskatchewan.”

He acknowledged the DEEP team and Marcia, as a “clean-energy trailblazer and an outstanding lady.”

“This project is expected to create 100 jobs during construction, providing more people with good employment and opportunities,” he added.

“Whether we’re supporting sustainable infrastructure, or putting a price on the pollution that causes climate change, while returning all the money collected back to Canadians, our government is committed to doing our part to build a better future for everyone,” Trudeau said.

Marcia said, “The funding announced today is critical for the success of this first geothermal power project. It’s funding like this, paired with equity investments from Canadians, that helps launch new, innovative, clean energy projects that will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and create jobs.”

She thanked the Government of Canada and Natural Resources Canada for the funding. She also thanked SaskPower, the Government of Saskatchewan, and DEEP’s investors, all of whom have also contributed.

“What I find really unique about this project is that we are using Canada’s world-class oil and gas technology, and unleashing it for the first time, ever, on a renewable energy resource. Taking it one step further, I find it interesting that we wouldn’t even know this renewable energy resource existed, 3.5 kilometres beneath us, if it weren’t for the oil and gas industry doing their exploration.

“At our location, there isn’t any hot springs or any geysers.

It’s just wide-open farmland. It took oil exploration to discover this geothermal resources.”

She reported the first well has been drilled west of Estevan,

Kirsten Marcia, left, handed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a piece of the deepest core ever taken in Saskatchewan. Behind them are chief geologist of Saskatchewan Gary Delaney and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale. Photo by Brian Zinchuk and it has exceeded expectations. “We are going to create clean, renewable power with it, emission-free and sustainable.”

“Successfully drilling and validating the resource potential is the biggest achievement this project has seen to date.”

In addition to federal funding, DEEP has also received money from SaskPower and Innovation Saskatchewan,

in addition to its private investors. When completed, it will be the first geothermal power project in the country.

Representing the provincial government,Tina BeaudryMellor, Saskatchewan Minister of Innovation, said, “One of the things I’ve heard is the oil industry played a very important role in helping this project advance, which I think was really

great to hear.”

In addition to its investment, SaskPower has committed to buy the electricity eventually produced by the project.

The backdrop of the announcement was the Saskatchewan Subsurface Geological Laboratory, or core lab, in Regina, the repository for all core collected in this province since it opened over 60 years ago.

Saskatchewan found out about agreement through Gazette « A1 coal equivalency.

“It’s important. I think we all understand the need to phase out coal as an energy source, and we will be doing that by 2030. But it’s also extremely important that we’re supporting the workers and their families who are in that industry now. That agreement we’ve come to with Saskatchewan will allow for exactly that.”

Dustin Duncan, Saskatchewan’s minister of Environment and minister responsible for SaskPower, confirmed that an equivalency agreement had been gazetted on Dec. 29.

“At the end of December, the federal government gazetted the agreement. And so that kicks off a 60-day consultation period. So basically, we’re in a 60-day period where the gov-

ernment can provide feedback.

Provided that the federal government receives no feedback that will make them want to make amendments to it, the equivalency agreement should be ready to signed, sometime in March,” Duncan said.

The Agreement on the Equivalency of Federal and Saskatchewan Regulations for the Control of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Electricity Producers in Saskatchewan was published in the Dec. 29 Canada Gazette, the official newspaper of the Government of Canada. Publication in the Gazette formalizes federal statutes, new and proposed legislation, administrative board decisions and public notices.

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yet, Duncan explained.

The agreement puts mandatory greenhouse gas emissions limits for the electricity sector in Saskatchewan for the years 2018 to 2029. For 2018 and 2019, the limit is not greater than 33.5 metatonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide equivalent.

For 2020-2024, the output can’t be greater than 77 Mt of carbon dioxide equivalent. For 2025-2029, emissions cannot be not greater than 64.5 Mt of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Saskatchewan agrees to meet a commitment to have at least 40 per cent of the province’s electricity generation capacity be from non-emitting energy sources by 2030, by achieving a escalating, specified targets.

The federal government didn’t expressly contact the provincial government that they would be going ahead with the agreement. Duncan said the province found out about the long-awaited agreement via the Gazette.

Saskatchewan has been waiting for this agreement for a long time. Duncan recalled speaking about an equivalency agreement to then-federal Minister of Environment Peter Kent, under the Stephen Harp-

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mandated to close, by the federal government by the end of 2029,” Duncan said.

The key element in this agreement is the reduction of emissions of carbon dioxide by the Boundary Dam Unit 3 Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage project. Since it captures nearly all the carbon dioxide that would otherwise be emitted through the burning of coal, SaskPower can take those reductions and average it across its other units to hit federal targets.

Asked what changed to finally bring this about, Duncan said there had been several minor agreements to get to this point.

“This was a long time in the making. There were serious discussions back and forth going back to the summer, early fall, that were making me feel not really confident that we were going to get an equivalency agreement,” he said.

He didn’t know about the agreement until it was seen in the Gazette.

“Why it took this long, people can have all sorts of opinions,” Duncan said.

Regarding Boundar y Dam Unit 6, their deadline is Dec. 31, 2027, according to Duncan. The shutdown deadline for Shand, Polar River Unit 1 and Unit 2 is Dec. 31, 2029, without CCS. A decision has not been made regarding those units.

Size matters, according to Duncan. Units the size of BD4 and BD5, their generation are being retired in the United States despite President Donald Trump’s support of coal. They are 150 megawatts each, whereas the remaining SaskPower units, except BD3, are all 300 megawatts apiece.

Mayor Roy Ludwig was pleased with the equivalency agreement announcement, but he wants to see what happens during the 60-day comment period. He hopes there won’t be any opposition.

“We’re optimistic, now that it’s been gazetted, that the equivalency agreement will go through,” said Ludwig.

The mayor said the city is looking at other opportunities to diversify the local economy once Unit 4 shuts down. He cited the DEEP geothermal project as one that will make a positive impact. Other possible opportunities include working with cannabis producers to try to get a greenhouse in place, and attracting manufacturing plants back to the community.

The city would still like to meet with Environment Minister Catherine McKenna in Ottawa.

“We’re still trying to get a meeting with her, and convince her, that … if we don’t get this equivalency agreement, about the potential negative impacts for our community,” said Ludwig.

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er Conservative government, when Duncan was in his first round as environment minister from 2010 to 2012.

In more recent months, Saskatchewan had essentially laid out all the information it felt it possibly could for the federal government and awaited a reply.

Duncan said it was “great to hear” the prime minister make the announcement, so long as nothing comes up during the consultation period.

“It provides for the ability of SaskPower to manage the coal-fired fleet, as a fleet, not as individual facilities. So under federal regulations, all facilities cannot exceed 420 tonnes of carbon dioxide per gigawatt hour (GHw) of production. So basically, rather than looking at each individual unit facility by facility, SaskPower is able to manage it on a fleetwide basis,” he said.

That will allow SaskPower, rather than having to shut down Boundary Dam 4 and 5 by the end of this year to continue to operate them until 2021 and 2024, respectively.

“That’s really the only effect that it has. Anything that doesn’t have carbon capture and storage attached to it is

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Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Estevan police call volumes dropped in 2018

By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

The Estevan Police Service (EPS) saw a moderate decline in the amount of calls it received in 2018.

According to numbers supplied to the Mercury last week, the EPS had 8,140 calls for service and occurrences last year, which was a four per cent drop from the 8,498 they received in 2017.

Those numbers cover all calls and infractions, including Criminal Code violations, speeding tickets, scam calls and more. It also includes the EPS’s contribution to the Combined Traffic Services of Saskatchewan’s southeast unit.

Police Chief Paul Ladouceur pointed out that the EPS has made changes in how they track calls for service.

“It used to be that every time we conducted curfew checks or condition checks on people who were out on bail, we created a new occurrence each time we did that,” said Ladouceur. “What we do now is we create a master occurrence, so we put that person’s name on the occurrence, and every time that person is checked on, it would go under that same occurrence.”

If the EPS carries out 40 curfew checks on one individual, then it counts as one occurrence instead of 40.

“It makes more sense to have one master occurrence, so that when we query that individual’s name, then it will show every time they’ve been check on,” said Ladouceur.

Another example is with alarm calls. If the EPS is called to a business several times in a year, it will only show up as one occurrence now.

“When you take into

account with the way we’re tracking occurrences, I would suspect there’s very little difference from 2017 to 2018 overall,” said Ladouceur.

The EPS could see a further reduction next year as they continue to change how they track the numbers.

But the number of Criminal Code violations for the EPS was 694 in 2018, one more than they had the previous year.

Crimes against the person were at 128, up one from 2017. There were 95 assaults, 26 sexual crimes and seven assaults causing bodily harm last year.

Ladouceur said the EPS continues to pay close attention to domestic-related calls, as he believes many of them are not reported.

The number of crimes against property increased by 14 per cent from 306 to 349.

There were 180 thefts under $5,000 and 109 mischief/ wilful damage complaints. The other infractions included 16 residential break and enters, three business break and enters, three break and enters classified as other, 25 motor vehicles thefts, one vehicle theft classified as other, and 12 thefts over $5,000.

Ladouceur noted there were only eight vehicle thefts reported in 2017.

“I can’t remind people enough to not leave those keys in the vehicle, and don’t make it easy for someone to steal your vehicle,” said Ladouceur.

“Leaving your vehicle running with the doors unlocked, you might as well put a sign in the front windshield that says ‘Take me.’”

The number of thefts worth more than $5,000 was up from five to 12 as well.

Estevan Police Chief Paul Ladouceur is pleased to see some crime numbers are down in Estevan. File photo He expects the number of thefts will continue to increase due to the state of the local economy.

“As the economy tends to go down, we see those ripple effect crimes that go along with it. And we’re seeing that.”

Seventy-two charges were issued under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, a 25 per cent drop from the 96 the previous year.

Sixty-one charges were for possession and 11 were for trafficking.

“That comes in ebbs and flows, too,” said Ladouceur.

“Sometimes the target of the investigation is more towards possession. Sometimes it’s more towards trafficking.

Sometimes there’s a belief of trafficking, but only enough evidence to support a possession charge.”

Much of the reduction

in crime numbers can be attributed to taking such a harsh approach to drugs, he said, because Ladouceur believes drug trafficking leads to a lot of spinoff crimes.

He isn’t convinced possession charges will go down this year now that possession of cannabis is legal for recreational purposes. Prior to legalization last October, officers would often seize cannabis and issue a warning if

people were caught possessing small amounts.

Possession charges are usually for cocaine and methamphetamines, he said. Meth is a particular concern because it’s cheaper and addictive.

The EPS issued 147 Criminal Code traffic charges last year, down from 166 the previous year. There were 143 charges for impaired driving and other offences for exceeding the legal limit, and four for dangerous driving.

The police chief is proud to see the number of impaired driving charges on the decline from 161 in 2017.

“As I always said, as we focused on impaired driving, we’d see a spike before we’d see a downward curve, and my hope is that we’re now going to continue to see that downward curve,” said Ladouceur.

The arrival of a Mothers Against Drunk Driving chapter in Estevan last year, the continued high visibility check stops in the community and other efforts should result in continued drops in impaired driving.

He stressed there is still enough work in the community to retain all of their current positions. Several positions are funded by the province, and Ladouceur said the provincial government still sees the need for those officers.

“We would have to reduce five members of this organization before we’d see any cost savings,” said Ladouceur.

Ladouceur pointed out some occurrences won’t get generated until after the start of 2019, or they might not get finalized until later, so the final number for their call volumes might increase by one or two per cent.

Police bring back their variety night The Estevan Police Association is once again bringing a magic variety show to entertain children and families in the community.

The event will take place on Jan. 31 at the Estevan Comprehensive S c hool, starting at 6:30 p.m. Entertainers will include Marty Putz, Richy Roy, and Murray and Teresa Hatfield.

“It’s going to be a magic and a comedy show for the youth to enjoy from the community,” said Sgt. Kevin Reed, the president of the Estevan Police Association.

Roy was part of the entertainment last year.

Reed said he is looking forward to watching the performers, and seeing how the audience reacts to the show.

“It’s a good way to interact with the community, and for the public to see a different side of police officers,” said Reed. “The vast majority of their contacts aren’t always

in the best of circumstances.”

Ticket sales are going well, Reed said, and he expects there will be a rush to get tickets in the days prior to the event. Tickets will be available at the door.

The promoter for the event has been approaching people to see if they want to purchase tickets.

The police association has been holding the variety night for several years, and it’s an event that has proven to be successful. Proceeds from the event will be directed to causes in the community. The EPS has received very good feedback from the community regarding previous shows.

Reed pointed out that proceeds from last year went to the Estevan Salvation Army’s food bank, the United Way Estevan and the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation.

A recipient for this year has not been determined.

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Wednesday, January 16, 2019

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EDITORIAL

Agreement gives a little more time The provincial and federal governments have come together on a new equivalency agreement when it comes to SaskPower’s fleet of coal-fired power plants.

If you were hoping this agreement would allow Units 4 and 5 at the Boundary Dam Power Station to remain open for the long-term, you’ll be disappointed. Barring a major miracle, nothing is going to save those units.

But the equivalency agreement, if it is officially ratified, represents a reprieve for Units 4 and 5, and it gives the city more time to move forward and plan for life after Units 4 and 5 close, and plan for life after coal-fired power in general.

If the agreement goes ahead, Unit 4 will shut down at the end of 2021, and Unit 5 would be shuttered three years later. It’s not an ideal situation, but it’s a much better situation than those units closing at the end of this year, which would have happened without equivalency.

If those two units were to close this year, then it would be a pretty bleak outlook for the community. It wouldn’t have hurt just the SaskPower employees in the community, it would have hurt the local mining operations, and as such, it would have had negative consequences on every aspect of the community, ranging from real estate to education to healthcare to retail to the hospitality sector.

It wouldn’t be a rosy short-term and medium-term picture for Estevan.

Now there’s time to prepare, not so much for the closure of Unit 4, since its end-of-service date would be less than three years away, but there is time to get ready for the end of Unit 5, which is more than five years away from going offline.

As we’ve stated before, the demise of conventional coal power – among other issues – is why economic development is one of the most important portfolios for the City of Estevan moving forward.

The city took over economic development responsibilities from the Estevan Chamber of Commerce in 2015, and while you can question whether that was the right decision, you can’t debate the value of the city’s economic division.

It should be viewed as essential at any time, but now it’s even more vital than in the past.

It was imperative that the city hire an economic development manager when the position became vacant in 2016. Estevan needed somebody with a vision for the city and the ability to sell the community, but also the work ethic to do the job and the administrative skills to handle all the other work.

It’s not easy to find somebody who brings all of those skills to the table.

We also have to remember that economic development often moves at the speed of a tectonic plate. It’s one of those portfolios that requires a lot of patience. If you’re expecting things to

happen quickly, and for announcements to happen frequently, you’re going to be disappointed.

There have been some positives from the economic development department since Dwight “Fitz” Bramble was hired as the city’s economic development co-ordinator in 2017, most notably the business incentives program from last August.

Hopefully those incentives will yield results in the coming years, with new businesses coming to town, and a more diverse business community, but we also hope existing businesses will capitalize on some of those incentives.

Bramble is going to be a very important person for the city moving forward. If for whatever reason his job becomes vacant, then the city needs to find someone to replace him.

The city can’t afford to nickel-and-dime the economic development department and related areas, such as promotion. Not only are Units 4 and 5 going to be discontinued, but the future doesn’t look great for Unit 6 at Boundary Dam, either, and the long-term viability of the Shand Power Station isn’t a guarantee, either.

Estevan is going to look very different in 10 years than it does now. An equivalency agreement gives the city time to prepare for the demise of Units 4 and 5, but it’s imperative to do everything imaginable to prepare Estevan for the day in which coal-fired generation doesn’t have the economic impact it does now.

Destroying the myth of Liberal screening of townhall questions There’s a myth floating around cyberspace that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s townhall sessions include pre-screened questions and questioners, all Liberal-friendly.

That, my friends, is a lie. Full stop.

There wasn’t a lot of notice for the Regina townhall, held in the gym at the University of Regina on Jan. 10 – just a few days. If you wanted to attend, you had to go to the website of Saskatchewan’s sole Liberal in the House of Commons, Regina-Wascana Member of Parliament Ralph Goodale. On the site you had to enter your name, email and phone number.

That’s it. As soon as you clicked submit, you got an RSVP in your inbox.

I was going as media, and I took my daughter along to assist. This was not just for the learning experience (of which it was, in spades), but also because I needed someone to run my video camera while I was moving around shooting stills and video from other angles. But we both filled out RSVPs, just in case. Both came back immediately.

Someone I’ve gotten to know is Jason LeBlanc, a farmer from Estevan. I did some video and photography work for him a few years ago. He is probably one of the most ardent nonLiberals out there. A few years ago, he used his tractor and a cultivator to write some, how shall we say, impolite words regarding Trudeau in his field, large enough to be visible from airliners. (isn’t it a wonder how useful GPS is for tractors these days?)

Jason and his group were second or third in line, waiting to get in. They weren’t going to miss this.

After a brief introduction, the prime minister, in his shirt and tie and with the sleeves rolled up, said he would start to take questions in a circular pattern going around the room.

It wasn’t quite full. They still could have

From the Top of the Pile BRIAN ZINCHUK put maybe 200-300 more people in the back rows of seating. People were still being admitted close to showtime. But it was a good showing, nonetheless.

Having been the early bird, Jason got the worm. He was in the front row, facing the cameras, within literal spitting distance of where the prime minister would be walking around. In all the online videos, you’ll find him in a grey shirt, behind Trudeau, on the left side of the screen.

Another not-so-Trudeau fan I know is Courtland Klein. He’s a steelworker at Evraz Regina, and has spent many years involved with the United Steelworkers union. As I was setting up my camcorder, he texted me, waving from a seat about 20 feet behind Jason.

As a union guy, Courtland might be expected to be very much on the opposite side of the political spectrum. Or maybe not, as we were to soon find out.

The first half of the townhall session was punctuated by some low-key questions. There were a few about international students complaining about the cost of education here in Canada, and quite frankly, Trudeau put them in their place in a nice sort of way. There were a few questions about immigration, Islam and Christianity that were simply bad – and indeed, a few days later the prime minister’s Twitter feed showed his response to these.

But then he turned to Courtland, identifying him as the “Man in the I Love Pipelines shirt.”

And Courtland let him have it, with both barrels. He wanted to know why Canada signed the new NAFTA deal without resolution on steel tariffs. And when it came to the Trans Mountain pipeline, which Evraz is supposed to supply with its pipe, Courtland said, “You can legalize marijuana, but you can’t twin a pipeline?”

Over the next few days, the online views of the exchange numbered in the millions.

A few minutes later, Jason got his chance.

When he’s not farming, Jason is an auctioneer, and a very good one at that. He knows how to talk, and how to hold a crowd. And you could see the steel in his eyes as he took on Justin Trudeau, his nemesis.

Jason questioned Trudeau on the impending carbon tax, which Trudeau in turn referred to as a “price on pollution.”

Jason pointed to continuous cropping, huge efficiency gains in agriculture by using bigger, but fewer tractors, and the diesel engines that no longer belch black smoke. He also talked about the protests that CBC hasn’t been reporting on. Then he asked why the carbon tax is being brought in on Canada, and questioned if the same was happening in China.

Trudeau’s response might have given him the sound clips he wants to use for the upcoming campaign, but Jason, at least, had his title shot, so to speak.

The reality is, at the end of the night, Jason LeBlanc and Courtland Klein both got a chance, granted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself, to give him a piece of their minds.

If that’s Liberal screening of questions and those who attend these townhalls, I’ll eat my fedora.

Some dreams did come true.

Brian Zinchuk is editor of Pipeline News. He can be reached at brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net.

Delivering the Gold Standard in real estate

Op-Ed A5

LYNN CHIPLEY, Broker/Owner Cell 306.421.0100

1339 Fourth St., Estevan, SK S4A 0X1 Office 306.634.1020 Fax 306.634.0088 lynn.chipley@c21.ca www.century21.ca/lynn.chipley Each office is independently owned and operated.

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Anastasiia Bykhovskaia Twenty Lines About…

El Nino As if Saskatchewan didn’t have enough on its plate with all the changes and transitions in the energy sector – one of the cornerstones of the province’s economy. Now, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), we should also look deeper into what is going to happen the in agricultural sector – another vital part of the Prairieland budget.

At the end of 2018, the WMO has reported the possibility of a new full-fledged El Nino – a recurrent global atmospheric-oceanic phenomenon, which comes with an increase in sea surface temperatures in the central tropical Pacific Ocean (the UN) – is as high as 75-80 per cent. They predict El Nino will happen by February. And American meteorologists, with 90 per cent confidence, state that it will begin as soon as this month.

I’m not going to bore you with numerous details on this natural phenomenon. I’ll mention just a few, for clarity. El Nino reoccurs every two to seven years. And what’s important is this anomaly does not only affect the Pacific Ocean region, but it also changes the weather all over the world. It brings excessive rains and flooding to some parts of Latin America, and curses regions of Africa and Asia with droughts, wildfires and heat waves. Quite often it results in enormously high temperatures.

The 1997-98 El Nino was a disaster, so was the 20152016 one. The WMO doesn’t expect to see anything as bad as then. And after all, Canada is not on the list of countries, which will experience the negative influence of the phenomenon. But what actually will El Nino mean for Canada in general and for Saskatchewan in particular?

Let’s fantasize. As it always is with weather fluctuations, farmers are the main ones to pray about it and the first ones to struggle from what Mother Nature brings us.

So far scientists predict a good harvest for most of Canada and the U.S., but does it mean that we are safe when it comes to global disasters?

The 2019 El Nino may drastically affect the precipitation level and temperatures in various regions, in that way, causing disturbance in agricultural processes and putting a number of countries at risk of lack of food supplies. In the globally interconnected world, a lack of food in one country doesn’t go unnoticed and may strongly affect the international trade system.

Back when I was in university, in one of the class books I read that even a one-degree increase in temperatures in southern countries may be enough for a war. If droughts destroy fertile land, people are forced to flee this evolving desert, seeking food and asylum in more fortunate neighboring states. Mass migration caused by the extremely poor yields may result in hundreds of thousands of forced migrants – homeless, poor, starving, and fighting for survival. And no matter what made them move, they are usually unwelcome.

So if Canada and the U.S. have a rich harvest this year, whom will those in need turn their heads to? We know how the neighbour state is when it comes to immigrants. So chances are, it will be up to the Canadian government to decide to help or not to help.

A decision to help may cause strong disturbance within the country, since the higher demand may affect the inner retail prices. Refusal to help may bring the global disturbance to a boiling point. Besides, grain prices may fall into a nosedive if Canada loses big international grain buyers, which won’t be able to keep up with the free market prices.

This may hit either farmers, or taxpayers, should the government decide to support the producers. One way or another, Canadians will notice the aftermath of the El Nino as well as the rest of the world.

These are just two possible scenarios. There are many more, and within a month we will be able to see, what nature has for us. I know, it all may sound a little bit too much, but check out history books. There is nothing new. We are humans; we need food, water and shelter to survive. And when we lack those, the drive to meet basic needs becomes irresistible.

In the meantime, I think it makes sense to take the WMO forecasts into consideration to some extent when planning the 2019-seeding season. If El Nino gets its way disturbing Asian, African and South American agricultural markets, some crops traditionally supplied by those regions may become much more treasurable.

Yellow Vests must unite The editor: As we grow closer to the 2019 federal election, an awakening is on the horizon in Canada.

The masses are assembling like never before in a historic movement known as the Yellow Vests.

Adopted from France, whose residents are required to carry the now symbolic vest in their vehicles in the event of a situation of distress, Canadians have come together, town by town, city by city, uniting in one common goal, to show distress and discontent with the current government’s policies on carbon pricing, pipelines, and the UN migration compact, which threatens to derail the country’s sovereignty.

Although no one is against immi-

gration, they all seem to be against illegal immigration.

Never before has there been anything that has engaged so many people in such a way that they have taken to the streets in protest, brandishing signs consisting of their own personal renditions of their disapproval.

The western part of the country, being the provider for years due to its rich oil and gas deposits, has gone one step further by showing its anger towards the lack of progress in moving forward on getting resources to market via the Trans Mountain and Energy East Pipelines.

Huge convoys of oilfield trucks have been assembled in numerous centres in conjunction with the protesters lining

the streets. Since these protests have been ongoing, a national Convoy to Ottawa has been born of these and has been building steam, as more people and trucks have been registering to travel across Canada to make a statement to this government that we mean business, and we will not stand down until something changes in the direction we are headed as a country.

Time will tell whether the efforts of so many people will be realized, but one thing for sure is there has been a renewed feeling of community and hope in this great country like there never has been before.

Jay Riedel Estevan Yellow Vest organizer

Ludwig delivers New Year’s address

Mayor Roy Ludwig delivered his annual mayor’s address at Monday night’s city council meeting.

Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig recapped some of the highlights from the past year, and offered a look to 2019, to open Monday night’s meeting of Estevan city council.

The city opened last year by announcing the hiring of Richard Neufeld as the new land development services manager. Neufeld has been working to update the city’s official community plan. The city received considerable feedback from the public on the document.

The city also had to permanently close and demolish the Civic Auditorium because it didn’t obtain the necessary insurance.

“We will be undertaking a recreational needs assessment this year to get necessary input from our community and other stakeholders on options moving forward,” said Ludwig.

Early in the year, council agreed to allow a marijuana retailer in Estevan, which opened in December.

An open house was held at the multipurpose room in May to get feedback on planned improvements to the leisure

centre’s weight room. Through this consultation, a committee was struck with users of the weight room, and Ludwig said improvements are now being implemented.

Work was completed on the medians on Souris Avenue North, which was a large project. Ludwig believes the results look great.

“Also we were happy to see the completion of the resurfacing and rehabilitation of King Street from Pine Avenue to Kensington Avenue,” said Ludwig.

Trudy Firth was promoted from the city’s financial controller job to the city treasurer’s role.

The city also had to reject the tenders for the water intake project to Rafferty Dam, as the price coming in $6 million over budget.

“We continue to work on this project with our Engineering group and the province,” said Ludwig.

The future of the energy sector in the community was a frequent topic of discussion.

The federal task force on the transition from coal power was in Estevan in June. The city

was hoping for a final report to be released late in 2018, but it hasn’t happened yet.

Souris-Moose Mountain MP Robert Kitchen hosted an open house on the future of coal-fired power in September in Bienfait. It was an event that generated lots of good comments, Ludwig said.

He noted there are some concerns about the future of the community due to the pending retirement of Units 4 and 5 at the Boundary Dam Power Station. SaskPower has said they will absorb the job losses through attrition.

“But at the coal mine, we are looking at up to 100 jobs lost, if we cannot get the equivalency agreement,” said Ludwig.

That equivalency agreement was announced last week, and has been posted. It could be ratified in March.

Ludwig said he and other city representatives were impressed when they toured geothermal energy production

by Deep Earth Energy Production Corp. near Torquay late last year.

The city also hosted sev-

eral special events last year, including the SaskTel Tankard men’s provincial curling championship in the winter, concerts at Affinity Place by rock legends Alice Cooper in August and John Mellencamp in October, and the Home Hardware Canada Cup curling event in December.

Ludwig also recognized St. Joseph’s Hospital for celebrating its 80th anniversary last year, the Community Hamper Association for their work with the hampers and the Angel Tree program, and the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation for its Festival of Trees.

“On another note we understand the frustrations around the inability to build needed pipelines in our country,” said Ludwig. “We continue to advocate for pipelines which are the safest way to get our product to market.”

Ludwig said the city has a number of plans for this year, with continued improvements to infrastructure and parks, and an expansion of the city’s police station among the projects.

(For more on the budget, see page A10).

FEBRUARY IS

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Business A6

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

It’s time to buy real estate in Estevan

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

If you were looking into buying real estate in Estevan, now would be the time to do so. With the number of listings available for sale at the moment one could find a home that fits all needs for a very reasonable price. Real estate broker Josh LeBlanc with Coldwell Banker Choice Real Estate in Estevan has some numbers.

“We have an increased number of listings in comparison to what we’ve seen in the past, or what we’ve seen at the height of the boom.

Right now you are looking at the residential side, if you are looking straight in Estevan in

terms of active listings, there is a 176 listings on the market right now,” LeBlanc said.

Winter is the least popular time to move, so traditionally the real estate market is slower during this time of the year. However, it’s hard to believe the difference between a few years ago and now.

During the boom in Estevan there were between 30 and 60 houses available for sale at this time.

Since the offer went up significantly, prices dropped quite noticeably.

“In terms of price we’ve seen drops as high as 28 – 28.5 per cent on the average price and as high as 31-32 per cent on the median price,” LeBlanc said.

Josh LeBlanc Sales are still happening, but for many sellers it’s difficult to adjust to the contemporary market conditions.

Often individual financial

situations don’t allow people to accept a much lower price for their home. However, as LeBlanc noticed, to see success on the market most participants eventually would need to adapt.

With the market being tough for those selling, the buyers or investors find themselves in a much better situation.

“If you are a buyer right now, I would say ‘Yes, absolutely, it is time to buy in this town, if you want to buy in this town.’ Our low is significantly lower than they were at the height of the boom,” LeBlanc said.

Estevan still may witness more price drops happening in 2019, but that is not promised

to happen, since there is a number of outside influences, such as possible changes in interest rates, which may significantly affect the real estate market.

According to LeBlanc, the contemporary Estevan real estate market looks attractive to many investors.

“I’m working with quite a few investors on the rental side. We still see investor confidence in the community, there are people still buying rental properties and they are not having huge issues renting them out at all,” LeBlanc said.

In some cases, people sell their estate and go into rental situation till the end of their work contracts or schooling in the area. Others instead

of investing into real estate prefer to rent to see, which way Estevan economy will go this time. And some use the opportunity to buy in Estevan for less before prices go up again.

“There is still consumer confidence out there, we are still seeing sales happen. Are the number of sales the same as what they were during the height of the boom? Absolutely not. Prices the same? No, but we had these prices rise and these inventories continue to rise. That’s going to provide an excellent opportunity for buyers. And that opportunity is now,” LeBlanc said.

So if you are a buyer or an investor, who is considering Estevan, it’s time to seal deals in the Energy City.

Estevan economic development: achievements and future plans

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

In his first full year in the position, economic development co-ordinator Dwight “Fitz” Bramble spent time doing foundational work. He helped to finalize the bylaw that established the economic development board, completed the strategic plan that guides where they want to go and how they want to move. He also put a lot of time into networking.

Through this time Bramble worked on updating the economic development part of the city’s website, and developed a number of incentives, aimed to support local businesses and to attract new investors. Tax exemption programs for new businesses

building in Estevan and for existing ones, renovating their properties, were approved in August and now are open for entrepreneurs. “ We offer a 100 per cent tax exemption for any new business that builds the facility in Estevan (for three years).” Bramble said.

“Another incentive has to do with the store-front improvement and parking lot paving. If business owner decides to improve the look of their property within certain criteria, then they would get $15,000 or 25 per cent tax exemption, whichever is the less of the two.”

Bramble hopes to see the business incubator, as well as a craft brewery and a craft distillery set up and operating in Estevan by the

end of 2019.

According to the economic development data, 38 new businesses opened in Estevan in 2018.

“Twenty of them are home-based businesses. They are small businesses, but non the less, it is an indication that people still have confidence in the city and in the business environment.

Thirty-eight businesses created a total of 51 part-time and full-time employees,” Bramble said.

Last year, the economic development board has identified five areas of priority that they want to focus on for investment and for business attraction. Those are agro value, geothermal energy, renewable energy, greenhouse technology and manufactur-

Dwight “Fitz” Bramble ing and warehousing.

H o w e v e r, i n a f e w months as Bramble will be undertaking a far and direct investment mission, he will narrow his focus down to

just two areas: agro value and renewable energy.

“I’ll be going to Europe and the United States to have some direct businessto-business meetings with potential investors, who have already identified Canada as a place where they would want to come and set up business,” Bramble said.

Netherlands in Europe and the city of Denver in the U.S. are the main destinations so far. “ That ’s the program that’s promoted by the federal government. It’s called ICCA – the Invest Canada Community Initiative. We applied to that program for funding and we got approved. The federal government granted us $30,000 towards undertaking this

overseas mission,” Bramble said.

Besides, the economic development co-ordinator is planning on applying for another piece of federal money.

“The federal government just approved $25 million for what they call CCTI – Canada Coal Transition Initiative. These are the money that they’ve set aside to help communities in western Canada who are considered as coal communities,” Bramble said.

Being one of the biggest coal communities Estevan definitely falls within this category, so application for financing is to be made within 2019. Bramble promised to give the details as soon as they become available.

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Energy

A7

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Candace Carnahan: safety is an attitude that breaks injuries and death odds

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

Candace Carnahan, motivational safety speaker, took her leg off on the stage in front of more than 200 people at the Independent Well Servicing Safety Stand Down. Humorous and very deep Carnahan gave an influential speech at the Southeast College’s Estevan campus.

Through sharing her own unique life lesson Carnahan outlined the importance of some preventive measures each person can take to stay safe at work, home and everywhere else.

The tragedy happened to Carnahan when she was 21 years old. It was a work incident that took place at the paper mill in New Brunswick, where she was working during that summer.

“On that day, it was August 11, I got caught. And it wasn’t by my supervisor. I put my foot down when I went to step overtop of the belt, and I put it down in the exact wrong place at the exact wrong time.

And just like that everything changed for me. Life, as I knew it, was over,” Carnahan said.

That day Carnahan lost her lower left leg. If not for one of the workers who manually stopped the machine by hitting the emergency-stop button, she might have lost her life. But what was even more influential for Carnahan

- the incident was preventable. The guard was down, the automatic stop sensor was disabled, and everybody at the mill would take a short cut, stepping over the low-standing conveyer instead of going around it. Workers always used to get away with that, but in Carnahan’s case that one out of a million chance was one too many.

“I came home from the hospital two weeks after the injury. Of course, I had to go for the therapy. And I couldn’t have a prosthetic leg right away,” Carnahan said.

It took 10 tough months to learn how to walk again, but Carnahan had enough courage not only to get back to life and backpack and travel the world, but also to turn her experience into a transformational message.

When it comes to safety, Carnahan insists that most tragedies are incidents, not accidents. They are preventable and usually happen because people make wrong decisions, misjudge situations, but more important - they don’t think that anything bad may happen, and people take chances when they don’t need to put thier life and wellbeing at risk.

“The world is very, say, out of control right now,” Carnahan said. “But we’ve got so much control over so many things every day. How you drive to work, how you make sure your windshield is cleared, deciding to put your

phone away in the car, looking at situations with fresh eyes.”

Carnahan insisted each individual in the conference hall should change at least one unsafe routine practice right after the presentation to make life safer.

“If something is broken, fix it! Fix it the right away.

Fix it now, and don’t wait until something goes wrong, when you go ‘ah, I knew it was gonna happen. Should have done that a little bit earlier’,” Carnahan said.

Carnahan also outlined three main safety-related

rights each Canadian worker has.

“The right to know: the right to know the rules, the right to know how to work safely. The right to participate is another one. And that’s the right to participate in the joint health safety committee, should you choose to, the right to participate in the workforce.

And then there is the right to refuse unsafe work. That’s the right to say ‘no’ if you feel uncomfortable,” Carnahan said.

In the end, Carnahan made the entire auditorium stand up and repeat her main

LAND FOR SALE Offers will be accepted for the purchase of the following farmland: NE 6-1-3-W2nd The land includes a surface lease with an annual rent of $3,400.00 The highest or any tender may not necessarily be accepted.

Tenders should be submitted to Billesberger Law Firm, 1017 Third Street, Estevan, Saskatchewan, S4A 0R4 together with a cheque payable to the law firm for 5% of the tender price.

Tenders are to be submitted by February 1, 2019.

message: “If you see something. Say something.” She believes that if people stand up for each other and bring unsafe practices to attention, it will help to change the statistics, according to which every day in Canada three people die in work-related incidents.

Independent Well Servicing Ltd. has been organizing the Safety Stand Down for four years. The event is open not only for their employees, but also for other oil companies’ personnel from

the southeast for free. Independent Well Servicing field supervisor/marketing Brian Crossman explained what makes them invest time and money into these events.

“We give the guys the tools they need out at the rig to do the job safely, but sometimes it ’s more than just a tool, sometimes it’s how they think about safety and their motivation towards doing a safe job and how they care about each other,” Crossman said.

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Robbie Burns’ Night Banquet & Dance Saturday, January 26th • Roast Beef Dinner • Piping & Highland Dancing Open to the Public - Children Welcome - Bring the Whole Family

Location moved to Wylie Mitchell Hall Performance by: Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Royal Canadian Army Cadet Pipe Band, Kilted Wind Pipe Band and Drewitz School of Dance.

Children 10 & under: $15.00 Children 11 and older thru to adults: $30.00 Tickets available at the Home Hardware Building Centre paint desk or by calling Angela at 306-461-5101

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Motivational safety speaker Candace Carnahan, through her personal story, outlined the importance of day-to-day safety steps.

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THE ESTEVAN MERCURY DRILLING REPORT DRILLING LICENSES

15 new licenses issued to Monday, January 14 115340 115103 115574 115625 115353 115367 115394 115403 115755 115776 115342 115349 115356 115474 114641

Crescent Point Energy Hz ..................................................................................................... 1-29-9-8 Crescent Point Energy Hz ..................................................................................................... 1-15-8-8 Crescent Point Energy Hz ....................................................................................................... 8-7-9-8 Crescent Point Energy Hz ..................................................................................................... 13-3-9-8 Gear Energy Hz ................................................................................................................. 13-28-1-11 Crescent Point Energy Hz ..................................................................................................... 4-1-8-10 Crescent Point Energy Hz ..................................................................................................... 5-1-8-10 Crescent Point Energy Hz ................................................................................................... 16-35-7-9 Crescent Point Energy Hz ................................................................................................... 1-27-1-13 Crescent Point Energy Hz ................................................................................................... 1-27-1-13 Vermilion Energy Hz ............................................................................................................. 16-5-7-4 Crescent Point Energy Hz ..................................................................................................... 4-17-8-9 Crescent Point Energy Hz ..................................................................................................... 16-4-9-9 Vermilion Energy Hz ............................................................................................................. 9-9-6-14 Crescent Point Energy Hz ................................................................................................... 2-35-10-8

Rig Report 111984 114249 114179 111490 114913 115123 72A011

Precision Drilling ...........................Crescent Point Energy.................................................... 4-29-7-7 Stampede Drilling ................................ Astra Oil Corp ........................................................ 13-26-4-6 Precision Drilling ...........................Crescent Point Energy.................................................. 12-35-7-8 Panther Drilling..................................Vermilion Energy........................................................ 15-1-2-5 Panther Drilling..................................Vermilion Energy........................................................ 2-26-2-4 Betts Drilling .....................................CanPacific Potash ................................................... 13-2-15-15 Rife Resources ................................... Rife Resources ................................................... 15-24-29-23

110941 112924 112721 114047 92460 113166 110607 113179 114860 115299 114860 115299 92460 113668 115042 112432 110588 112833 107290 114325 114906 92199 110797 113149 113034 114922 112835 114721 113944

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Wednesday, January 16, 2019

Create, laugh, and compete: Estevan Derby is on the way to support the EAGM

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

The Estevan Art Gallery and Museum (EAGM) has announced its third annual Estevan Derby hobbyhorse fundraiser. The event promises to be joyful and hilarious. It is going to take place on Saturday, Feb. 9.

The director of the EAGM Amber Andersen was excited to announce the venue they picked for this year.

“Last year we had it at the (Southeast) College. This year we’ll be at the Exhibition Hall. We are excited, and we keep trying different places,” Andersen said.

The new location will be able to accommodate over 200 guests and Andersen believes that out of their previous experience they will max out the Exhibition Hall capacity.

“It’s really popular, because people really bring the creativity. People can decorate their horses as they see them, so last year there was a lot of hilarious themes,” Andersen said.

Every individual will have an opportunity to buy a wooden hobbyhorse, turn it into a unique piece of art and then compete against others. The race will look like a big board game, where people will

take turns rolling numbers, which will indicate how far they can advance on the board.

The price of participation is $100, which includes two entrance tickets. All money raised through the night will be used for the EAGM programs.

“We always put the money we ask from the community back in the community in the form of the programming, so these are our trivia nights, our family art that we do with kids, our family events that we do,” Andersen said.

People who don’t want to participate in horse decoration and the race can always come watch and enjoy the night.

The tickets are available for purchase for $20 apiece. And those who will catch a gambling itch through the night will be able to wager on a favourite horse.

Doors will open at 7 p.m. and the event will last as long as it will take for all participants to race their horses and try their luck in the unique derby.

Tickets can be purchased at the EAGM. Last year, the Estevan Derby attracted more than 150 people. That time 49 horses were entered. The EAGM hopes that this year they will be able to attract even more interest towards the event.

Terry Williams is among the eager riders to participate in the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum’s hobby horse night fundraiser. File photo

Estevan Humane Society received $5,000 infrastructure grant for its new facility

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

The Estevan Humane Society (EHS) received one out of the 20 infrastructure grants awarded by the Western Communities Foundation (WCF).

The information about the award was a pleasant surprise for the EHS president Angela Prette.

“The member who had applied for all of the grants last year has since retired her posi-

tion with us,” Prette said. “We apply for dozens of grants each year and might only receive two. So this is pretty amazing.

We haven’t heard from Western Financial about this one yet.”

The grant is $5,000 and it will go towards a new facility construction.

Prette noted that being a non-profit organization, the EHS often runs short of funding.

“It is difficult to keep afloat with funding. It’s quite

expensive to run a no kill shelter. We rely heavily on our three major fundraisers: Dr. Howard (memorial) Dog Jog, Judy Martin Duck Derby and the Whiskers & Wine Gala, and also on individual donations and smaller fundraisers throughout the year,” Prette said.

Unfortunately, with the slower economy it’s becoming more and more difficult for the Humane Society to keep the doors open and lights on.

“Lately we have been coming up short and have been working hard to keep everything going. With the economy the way it is in Estevan it’s understandable and we can’t really expect people to give like they used to,” Prette said.

She said that it would be a big help if people wanted to have their own fundraisers in the Humane Society’s name.

“We ask that they contact us for a third party fundraiser form and then we can help

them out as best we can with social media promotion and use of our logo. This also ensures the public that funding will for surely get to us as unfortunately there has been misleading fundraisers in the past,” Prette said.

In the meanwhile, the WCF grant should significantly help with the constructing a new shelter.

Other infrastructure grants awarded by the WCF went to five organizations in Alberta, 12 in British Co-

lumbia and two in Manitoba.

Estevan Humane Society was the only organization to receive the WCF funding in Saskatchewan.

All together the WCF handed $300,000 in grants and bursaries in 2018. Money was raised through the annual Support the Cause walk, Fall Classic Golf Tournament and other events. With the help of employees and supporters the WCF has raised more than $3.1 million since 2002.

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January 16, 2019 A9

One impaired driver blew .290, the other hasn’t had a licence in five years

By Brian Zinchuk brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net

Two people convicted of drinking and driving got substantially different sentences, as their circumstances were both remarkable in their own way.

One had several previous convictions. The other had no previous convictions, but had blown .290, when the legal limit for blood alcohol content when driving is .08.

Both sentences were the result of joint submissions between the defence and the Crown.

Judge Lane Wiegers

handed down the two sentences in Estevan Provincial Court on Monday. He was accompanied on the bench by newly-sworn-in Judge Michelle Brass, who didn’t speak during the morning docket court proceedings.

Brass is to replace Wiegers when he transfers to the Regina Provincial Court later this year.

First up, Kenneth C. Stelnicki was charged on Sept. 25, 2018, with operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content over .08, and it was way more than that. His Ford F-150 was reported driving

down 13th Avenue. Police found him at a gas station parking lot on the south end of town, in the driver’s seat.

He attempted to reverse the vehicle, but didn’t get far.

He had a small bottle of vodka on him, bloodshot eyes and a strong smell of alcohol about him. This was at 11:30 a.m.

Stelnicki twice blew .290, more than three times the legal limit.

“Your honour, I do apologize for this regrettable action,” Stelnicki told the judge. He had no prior record.

Stelnicki was handed down a $1,500 fine, and a

12-month driving prohibition.

He has four months to pay.

Jonathon L. Poitras, 30, was up next, for also earning a .08 conviction. On June 22, 2018, he was seen making a wide turn on 13th Avenue and police pulled him over for a traffic stop in a back alley. He had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and the scent of alcohol on him. He blew into the breathalyzer three times, with results of .190, .160 and .160, all at least double the legal limit.

In Poitras’ case, Estevan Police Service Constable Jeff Fry pointed out that he hasn’t had a valid driver’s licence in

five years, and has four convictions for driving while disqualified over the last 10 years. He also had previous drunk driving convictions.

Defence attorney Suzanne Wurtz said, “He regrets his decision to drive that day and he tells me he will probably never drink again.”

Poitras did not speak in his defence.

Wiegers, evidently familiar with Poitras, said, “It’s too bad to see you back here.

“Every time you drink, there’s a risk you’re going to hurt someone.

“You’ve got to get your

drinking under control, before you find yourself in the penitentiary.”

While Poitras won’t land in the pen this time, Wiegers did send him to jail for 60 days in custody, followed by six months probation with standard conditions. This time Poitras earned a three-year driving prohibition.

As for a ticket for driving while disqualified, Wiegers fined Poitras $500. He concluded by saying, “Mr. Poitras, you are in custody.”

Poitras took his seat in the prisoners’ box, and then was led away.

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A fun day outdoors Noelle Gress and her grandson Blaize Gress skated at the outdoor rink in the Kin Hillside Play Park on Sunday. It was a perfect day to be outdoors and enjoying some fun winter activities, thanks to the combination of clear skies, above average temperatures and a lack of wind. The outdoor arena in Hillside was a particularly popular destination, with many people skating and playing shinny. Photo by David Willberg

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A10 January 16, 2019

City of Estevan releases budget details

By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

For the first time in more than a decade, taxpayers in the city of Estevan shouldn’t expect a property tax increase this year.

The city released its budget document on Tuesday, and it shows the city doesn’t anticipate raising the mill rate.

The last time the city didn’t have a property tax increase was in 2006.

City manager Jeff Ward said that due to the most recent provincial reassessment, some ratepayers were hit hard, especially commercial properties.

“Some got hit hard by that assessment, and some did not,” said Ward. “At this point, with the current state of the economy, we thought a zero (property tax increase) would be appropriate.”

The city also wants to see what happens with oil prices, the equivalency agreement between the provincial and federal governments, and the upcoming federal election.

“There are just a bunch of things that are up in the air,” said Ward.

Last year property taxes went up just one per cent.

Perhaps the most highprofile capital project for the general fund would be the expansion of the Estevan Police Service building. The city has opted to renovate the building, rather than build a new one,

and has allocated $500,000 this year for Phase 1 of the renovation.

Ward noted that any further information on the project would have to come from the Estevan board of police commissioners.

Also in this year’s budget are renovations for the Estevan Leisure Centre, with upgrades to the roof and the rooftop HVAC units.

There will also be about $250,000 for the Power Dodge Ice Centre. Ward pointed to the washrooms, showers, dressing rooms and seating as areas that need upgrades.

The plan calls for more seating in the bowl seating at the one end, and seating in the east corners, since there is an east entrance for the building.

“We have got comments that people can’t see their children at the other end if they’re playing,” said Ward. “These are just preliminary ideas. We’ve been working with the user groups to get their feedback on what they feel needs to be renovated in the current time.”

Funds will also be allocated for continued sidewalk renewal. There has been a call for improved pedestrian safety at the Pure Energy Learning Centre and Estevan Day Care Co-operative on Souris Avenue North. A pedestrian crossing could be added, and a sidewalk could be constructed from Edward Street to Wellock Road.

There is also a plan to do something at Centennial Park in central Estevan for about $250,000, including the possible construction of a spray park.

There is also money in the budget for a recreational needs assessment, which will look at all user groups, and assess the needs of the community. (This week’s edition of Lifestyles will have more on the feasibility study).

One project that’s not included in this year’s budget is the resurfacing of King Street from Cundall Drive to Hillcrest Bay. It’s a bigger project than resurfacing other areas of King Street, due to the prevalence of underground infrastructure. Ward said that

project remains on the city’s radar.

As for the utility fund, the city won’t have any increases for utility or water consumption rates this year. The city also won’t have another increase to the infrastructure levy.

The infrastructure levy is expected to generate about $650,000 and the money will allow the city to resume its water main replacement program, starting on Veterans Crescent.

“We’ve identified areas with the most breaks and the most issues, and that will be one of the first priorities,” said Ward.

The water main replacement on Veterans Crescent will be a multi-year project.

Thanks to the money gen-

erated by the infrastructure levy, the city won’t have to complete the work as a local improvement. Previously affected homeowners shared the cost of the project.

The city will also move forward with the water intake project, which will see the primary water source shifted from the Boundary Dam to Rafferty Dam. Work was to begin last year, but had to be shelved when bids came in several million dollars over budget.

The project needs to be completed in April 2021, as per the terms of the provincial and federal funding.

The budget also calls for more than $4.3 million in debt principal to be paid down this year, and another $877,685 in interest. That would leave the balance at the end of the year at $23.7 million, but the city also plans to borrow $2 million for some of the costly capital projects, such as the water intake project and the police station renovations.

Ward hopes the city’s net debt – which represents total financial assets versus liabilities – could be below $20 million by the end of this year.

Revenues for this year’s budget are projected to be a little more than $26 million, with $22 million for taxes and grants, and a little less than $4 million through fees and charges.

Operating expenses in the

general fund are projected to be $24.7 million, which is down by about $100,000. The city’s staff won’t receive a wage increase this year, as per the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement.

“We’re trying to find efficiencies,” said Ward. “Positions that are vacant, we haven’t filled some.”

The net surplus from general operations is to be $1.3 million.

Capital expenses are to be a little more than $3 million.

It leaves the city with a deficit, but that would be offset by the borrowing.

Utility operations are to generate $6.7 million in fees and charges, and $2 million through capital funding, for total revenues of $8.7 million.

Operating expenses are slated to be $5.1 million, and the net surplus from utility operations is to be $3.6 million.

Capital expenses are $3.8 million, which would leave a deficit in the utility fund that would again be offset by borrowing.

The city is looking for public feedback on the budget.

People are asked to contact city hall with their concerns.

While the next council meeting isn’t scheduled until Feb. 25, Mayor Roy Ludwig would like to see a special meeting before then to evaluate the feedback from the public, and to pass the budget.

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Wednesday, January 16, 2019

CHOICE CHO ICE RE REAL AL ESTATE ESTATE

Elecs boys finish second at home tournament Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs senior boys basketball coach Carmon Lindquist is pleased with how the team played at its annual home tournament on the weekend, even though the Elecs came up short in the first place showdown with the Notre Dame Hounds.

The Elecs finished 2-1 at the tournament. They opened with an 84-64 victory Friday over their archrivals, the Weyburn Comprehensive School Eagles.

“I was really pleased with how we c ame out against Weyburn on Friday night,” said Lindquist. “We were able to get a lot of our rookies into that game, and played well.”

The victory came a few weeks before the Elecs will face the Eagles in the annual McLeod Series showdown, a best-of-four that has games in both Estevan and Weyburn for the senior boys and girls teams. “ Weyburn has come a long ways, and they’re a strong team, and we have to be prepared for them,” said Lindquist.

The Elecs raced out to a 23-10 lead after the first quarter, and led 48-25 at halftime. Weyburn outscored

the Elecs 39-34 in the second half, but by then the game was virtually out of reach.

John Andres led the offensive attack with 24 points, and also had 10 rebounds.

Francois Adaya added 19 points, included a trio of three-pointers for the Elecs.

Estevan’s second game was Saturday, an 82-69 victory over the Swift Current Colts. It was a good test for the Elecs, since the Colts are competing in the provincial 5A division with ECS and other teams.

The Elecs led 27-13 after the first quarter, and built the lead to 45-24 at the half. Swift Current outscored the Elecs 27-18 in the third quarter to pull within 12, but the Elecs pulled away again in the final frame before surrendering a few baskets late.

Anders once again led the offensive attack with 24 points, while Clark Cabiluna added 16.

In what proved to be the first place game, the Elecs dropped an 82-72 decision to the Notre Dame Hounds.

“That was a good team, a really good team, and we came out and we competed with them and gave them a run,” said Lindquist. “It was a pace that we hoped we could

Feranmi Adebiyi dribbles past Swift Current’s Austin Beverly-Collins in the Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs 81-69 win over Swift Current on Saturday. play at, was to play against a team like that. We have some takeaways from the games, but we’re building towards the end of season goals, where we need to go.”

Notre Dame led 19-12 after the first quarter, and built the lead to 40-30 after

two quarters. The second half saw each team manage 42 points.

Anders led the team offensively with 30 points, including four from beyond the three-point line.

The Elecs did a lot of things well during the tour-

nament, he said. They played well at both ends of the court, and they continue to work on finding structure for their offence.

That lack of structure was an issue at a recent tournament in Moose Jaw. “They have picked it up

and they have shown real improvement,” said Lindquist.

Up next for the Elecs will be a tournament in Swift Current. They expect to play four games in Swift Current.

Then they will have a tournament in Yorkton, followed by the McLeod Series.

Bruins split home and home with Hounds The Power Dodge Estevan Bruins had very different games against the Notre Dame Hounds during a home-andhome on the weekend.

Friday night, the Bruins dropped a 2-0 decision in Wilcox in a game that didn’t have much for either goals or penalties.

The following night, Estevan won 4-3 in overtime in a contest that saw three Bruins ejected for fights.

Devan Harrison scored the winning goal 64 seconds into overtime. He pinched into the offensive zone, and took a pass from Bryce Platt to beat Notre Dame goaltender Riley Kohonick. Harrison also had two assists in the game.

“I saw Platter had the puck, and I knew I could beat my guy up the ice. There’s only six guys on the ice, so there was plenty of room. I decided to jump (in),” said Harrison.

Notre Dame grabbed an early lead when Jared Hamm scored 59 seconds into the game. Tristyn DeRoose responded with a power play goal six minutes later to tie the game, but Tanner Tarbell’s goal with 69 seconds left in the first period gave the Hounds a 2-1 advantage.

Michael McChesney scored at the 12:58 mark of the second period to tie the game again, but Notre Dame took the lead back 20 seconds later on Cody Lehner’s goal.

Both tallies came during fouron-four play.

The Bruins tied the game again with less than three minutes to play in the middle frame when TJ Irey – playing in just his second game back after missing four weeks due to injury – scored on a slappass from Harrison.

The third period featured everything except for goals.

There were two fights. One saw McChesney get in his first scrap in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with Notre Dame’s Jakob Breault.

Then the Bruins Jayden Davis fought the Hounds Curtis Wiebe. Davis was also assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for a hit to the head of a Notre Dame opponent right before he fought Wiebe.

But the Hounds couldn’t convert on the power play, and generated few opportunities.

Harrison said it wasn’t a chippy game on Friday, but dislike for the Hounds grew for Saturday’s contest.

“It feels that much better to beat them up and win,” said Harrison.

Grant Boldt stopped 18 shots in the victory. Riley Kohonick made 28 saves for the Hounds.

In Friday night’s game, Marshall Wilton scored what proved to be the game-winning goal nine minutes into the second period. Breault’s added the insurance marker midway through the third.

Boldt stopped 29 shots in the loss, while Kohonick made 33 saves to get the shutout.

Head coach/GM Chris Lewgood thought the Bruins effort was good on Friday, but they showed the extra effort needed on Saturday.

“Even on the winning goal, the effort that it takes to separate our defenceman from their back-checker and get a stick on that puck, last night’s game we wouldn’t have had that effort,” said Lewgood. “Last night’s game we wouldn’t have had the effort to get in front of some of

U-

Will Koop attempts a wraparound against the Notre Dame Hounds on Saturday night at Affinity Place.

The Bruins won the game 4-3 in overtime. those shots that we did on the penalty kill.”

The Bruins next action is a home and home with the Weyburn Red Wings. They will visit Weyburn on Jan. 18, and host the Wings on Jan. 19.

Both games start at 7:30 p.m. *** In off-ice news, the Bruins were relatively quiet prior to the trade deadline. They dealt goaltender Matt Lucaks to Notre Dame for future considerations. Lukacs, 20, hadn’t played for the Bruins this season.

Then the club pulled off a three-way trade that also involved the Flin Flon Bombers and the B.C. Hockey League’s Cowichan Capitals.

The Bruins dealt 17-yearold defenceman Jack Michell to Flin Flon Bombers for 20-year-old goaltender Pierce Diamond and future considerations. Estevan then flipped Diamond to the Capitals for future considerations, which Lewgood said is a player to be named later.

“We thought that getting (centre Will) Koop back

in the lineup after not having since November 3, and having Harrison come to us at the start of December really was what we needed for deadline transactions,” said Lewgood.

Also, eight members of the Bruins attended the annual showcase involving the SJHL and their counterparts from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League on Monday and Tuesday in Regina. Players from both leagues were divided into three teams, and participated in two days of games. Boldt, defence-

man Kade McMillen and forward Isaiah Thomas were selected for Team Schwartz, which is for players born in 2000 and 2001. Defencemen Johnny Witzke and Jake Heerspink, and forwards Turner Ripplinger and Michael McChesney skated for Team Kunitz, which is for those born in 1998 and 1999.

Forward Will Koop was part of Team Mitchell, which is also for 1998 and 1999born talent.

Lewgood served as the head coach of Team Schwartz.

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A12 January 16, 2019

Midget AA Bruins sweep Yorkton at home; bantams split games up north The Estevan Apex midget AA Bruins enjoyed a couple of dominant victories on home ice over the Yorkton Terriers on the weekend.

The Bruins scored five times in the first 13 minutes in a 9-2 victory over the Terriers on Friday night.

Joey Meredith had two of those goals in a 2:15 span.

Trey Stovin, Tayce Miller and Kelby Widenmeier had Estevan’s other goals.

Neither team scored for most of the second, but after a Yorkton goal with a few minutes to play in the middle frame, Chase Gedak and Dreyden Chyz tallied just over a minute apart to give Estevan a 7-1 lead through two periods.

Tristan Seeman and Kieran Stewart added goals in the third period to add to the Bruins lead. Yorkton scored one more before the game was finished.

Zane W inter was in goal for the victory.

The following day, the midget AAs shut out the Terriers 5-0. Meredith and Gedak scored less than a minute apart late in the first period to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead. It would be all the offence the Bruins would need.

Triston Sorenson and Cade Bendsten then scored

less than two minutes apart in the second for a 4-0 advantage, and Sorenson scored with 2:33 to play in the third to round out the scoring.

Morgan Wanner was in goal for Estevan, whose record now stands at 16-8-2.

A few days prior to the wins over Yorkton, the midget AAs were in Regina, and came away with a 3-1 victory.

Meredith opened the scoring less than two minutes into the first period, and Stewart doubled the lead by scoring with about two minutes to play in the first.

Regina scored in the second to cut the Bruins lead in half, but Adams tallied early in the third to restore the two-goal lead.

Wanner was also in goal for that game.

The midget AAs were also scheduled to be in Wilcox on Tuesday night to play the Notre Dame Argos.

(Results not available at press time).

The midget AAs will be in Regina to visit the Capitals on Saturday, and then they will host the LumsdenBethune Lions on Sunday at 5:15 p.m. at Affinity Place. *** The Estevan TS&M bantam AA Bruins split games in a northern road trip

on the weekend.

Their first game was a 3-0 shutout of the Saskatoon Generals on Saturday afternoon. Mason Fichter’s goal with three minutes to play in the first period proved to be the game-winning marker.

Alec Waldegger scored early in the second to double the advantage, and Jordan Marcotte’s goal in the third rounded out the scoring.

Jackson Miller stopped 24 shots to get the shutout.

The following day, the bantams dropped a 3-2 decision to the Warman Wildcats. After a scoreless first period, Warman took a 1-0 lead in the second period, but Kaden Chrest scored a few minutes later to tie the game. The Wildcats would get one more goal before the period was finished.

Chrest scored his second of the game with 4:31 to play in the third to tie the game again, but the Wildcats notched the winning goal with 66 seconds to play in the game.

Joshua Bittman stopped 28 shots in the loss for Estevan, whose record stands at 11-9-0-2.

The next league action for the bantam AA Bruins will be Jan. 26 in Swift Current and Jan. 27 in Moose Jaw.

Peyton Stewart (17) tries to get positioning on Dru Minke (6) following a faceoff during the midget AA Bruins 5-0 win over Yorkton on Saturday night.

Your News.

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 12 @ 7:30 PM VS NOTRE DAME

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Contact: Jason Gibson 306.891.8199 Contact: Dwight Hall 306.421.3732

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&ODVVLĂ€HGV A13

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

LAND FOR SALE FARMLAND WANTED NO FEES OR COMMISSIONS! PURCHASING: SINGLE TO LARGE BLOCKS OF LAND. PREMIUM PRICES PAID WITH QUICK PAYMENT. GREAT References Available

IN MEMORIAM

A TOTAL OF 602 QUARTER SECTIONS SOLD ACROSS SASKATCHEWAN RENT BACK AVAILABLE Call DOUG 306-716-2671 saskfarms@shaw.ca

FOR SALE - MISC

Louis Belanger May 1933- January 2017 To one we will never forget.

His absence to us is a sorrow.

His loss we will always regret.

Love Adele and family

HEALTH SERVICES

Advertisements and statements contained herein are the sole responsibility of the persons or entities that post the advertisement, and the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association and membership do not make any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness or reliability of such advertisements. For greater information on advertising conditions, please consult the Association’s Blanket Advertising Conditions on our website at www.swna.com.

PROVINCE-WIDE CLASSIFIEDS. Reach over 550,000 readers weekly. Call this newspaper NOW or 306-649.1405 for details.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Looking for part time positions possibly full time for large grain farm in SE sack. Skills and duties will be to operate Large equipment, maintain equipment as needed, all GPS equipped, must have valid drivers license, and able to work well with others.

Class 1A will be a benefit, housing available, good wages depending on experience. Lampman Sask. send resume to carsonfarms@signaldirect.ca

GET UP TO $50,000 from the Government of Canada. Do you or someone you know Have any of these Conditions? ADHD, Anxiety, Arthritis, Asthma, Cancer, COPD, Depression, Diabetes, Difficulty Walking, Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowels, Overweight, Trouble Dressing...and Hundreds more.\~ ALL Ages & Medical Conditions Qualify. CALL SASKATCHEWAN BENEFITS 1-(800)-211-3550 or Send a Text Message with Your Name and Mailing Address to 306992-5527 for your FREE benefits package.

FEED & SEED HEATED CANOLA WANTED!! *5((1 &$12/$ 635,1* 7+5(6+(' '$0$*(' &$12/$ FEED OATS WANTED!! %$5/(< 2$76 :+7 /,*+7 25 728*+ 635,1* 7+5(6+(' HEATED FLAX WANTED!! +($7(' 3($6 +($7(' /(17,/6 "ON FARM PICKUP" Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252 Buying/Selling FEED GRAINS heated / damaged CANOLA/FLAX Top price paid FOB FARM

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We also require O/O and company drivers for our 3 tons and semi divisions to haul RVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s & general freight. Border crossing required with valid passport & clean criminal record; 1-800-867-6233 Ext 475; www.roadexservices.com The Birtle Riverside Golf Club Is seeking an individual or couple to lease or manage the club house for the 2019 golf season.

(April - Oct.) Please submit a resume or letter of interest to Box 418 Birtle MB. R0M 0C0 or email to birtleriversidegolf@gmail. com For more information, please contact Gail at 204-842-3277

If you dream it â&#x20AC;Ś If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re planning it â&#x20AC;Ś If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re selling it â&#x20AC;Ś If you want to buy it â&#x20AC;Ś

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OBITUARIES

OBITUARIES

Cornelius Bergen Cornelius Bergen, age 82, of Swift Current, SK, passed away peacefully on January 4th, 2019 at the Cypress Regional Hospital after a brief hospitalization. At his request, there will be no formal funeral service, but a cremation will take place and a celebration of life will be held in his honour in Big River, SK at a future date.

Cornie is survived by his daughters, Wendy Beattie (Murray Weston) of Swift Current, SK and Kimberly (Darryl) Scherr of Edmonton, AB and grandchildren Robert Beattie, Michael Beattie, Blake (Alexus) Weston, Kayla Weston and Carley Weston of Swift Current, SK, and Madison and Parker Scherr of Edmonton, AB. He is also survived by one great grandchild, Nikita Weston-Lange. Cornie was from a large family and grew up in the Big River area. He is survived by 7 brothers and sisters, Dick (Rita) Bergen, Margaret (Arthur) Peterson, Nettie Scorgie, Tena Amundson, Helen Rempel, Susan (Jack) Reimer, Betty (Clifford) McKnight, and many nieces and nephews.

Cornie was predeceased by his wife Alva, his parents Anna and Diedrich, his siblings, Pete, Henry, Abe, Jake, and two infant siblings, Anna and John. He was also predeceased by his father and mother in-law, Christina and Walter Waddle, and brothers and sisters-in-law, Audrey Scorgie, Susie Bergen, Leslie Scorgie, Raymond Amundson, Henry Rempel, and Maria Bergen.

Cornie was born on July 10th, 1936 on the farm near Hepburn, SK. He grew up in the Big River area and moved to Regina where he married Alva Gear and had their two daughters, Wendy and Kimberly. The family moved to Estevan in 1970 where Cornie pursued his career as a power engineer at Boundary Dam with Sask Power. He worked there for 26 years and developed many long-lasting friendships before his retirement in 1993 at the age RI $IWHU $OYD¡V GHDWK LQ &RUQLH PRYHG WR 6ZLIW &XUUHQW to be closer to family, where he resided for the remainder of his OLIH )DPLO\ DQG IULHQGV ZHUH DOZD\V WKH FRUQHUVWRQH RI &RUQLH¡V life. He had so much fun and so many laughs whenever he was around the people he loved. Cornie would always laugh until he KDG WHDUV Ă RZLQJ GRZQ KLV IDFH 2QH RI KLV IDYRXULWH KREELHV ZDV skunking his relatives in a game of crib, after expressing that he ´GRHVQ¡W UHDOO\ UHPHPEHU KRZ WR SOD\Âľ &RUQLH WDXJKW KLPVHOI KRZ to play the 5-string banjo and spent many hours in the basement of his Estevan home practicing so that he could play well enough to be in a family band. He had a love for old-time country music and he enjoyed the many opportunities to play at the Riverside -DPERUHH DW -DFN DQG 6XVDQ¡V IDUP HYHU\ \HDU RQH RI KLV favourite places to be. He also loved the outdoors and spent as much time as possible outside on his deck or in his garage. Cornie kept an immaculate garage and had the amazing ability to be able to construct or repair anything. You could be certain that he would never pay for any professional services, and that if his car would go to the shop, he would oversee everything that was being done by the mechanic. He was also extremely minimalistic and lived off the bare minimum because he considered anything else to be ´WRWDOO\ XQQHFHVVDU\Âľ <RX FRXOG Ă&#x20AC;QG KLP HYHU\ HYHQLQJ LQ IURQW of the television watching nature shows or funniest home videos, or sitting outside on his deck when the weather was warm. Last but not least, Cornie was extremely generous in his later years, and donated much of his income to those less fortunate. Cornie was an amazing father, grandfather, brother, and son, and made an impact on everyone he knew. He will be deeply missed, but his memory will live on forever. You can be sure that when we meet DJDLQ KLV Ă&#x20AC;UVW ZRUGV ZLOO EH :KDW DUH \RXXXX GRRRRLQJ" ,Q &RUQLH¡V PHPRU\ PHPRULDO GRQDWLRQV PD\ EH PDGH WR WKH 'U Noble Irwin Health Care Foundation, 2051 Saskatchewan Drive, Swift Current SK S9H 0X6. :DUUHQ¡V )XQHUDO +RPH ZHUH HQWUXVWHG ZLWK WKH DUUDQJHPHQWV For further information call 306-773-8831 or 1-800-267-6606 or visit our website at www.warrensfuneralhome.com and express your sympathy to family members in our book of condolences.

BILL, Dean Calvin 1939 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2019 Dean Bill, late of Estevan, Sask. passed away at the Estevan Regional Nursing Home on Wednesday, January 2, 2019 at the age of 79 years.

Dean will be greatly missed by his daughter Michelle (Lawrence) Wock; son Brian (Gloria) Bill; grandchildren, Cary (Shauna) Wock, Kris Wock, Aaron (Audrey) Wock, Ryan (Kala) Wock, Crystal Workman, Rachelle Harron (Jay Pereira), Brendon Bill and Auriel Bill; great grandchildren, Paige, Carisa, Madelynn, Victoria, Kaj, 'DOHQ *UDFH DQG :\DWW :RFN DQG 0DLVRQ :RUNPDQ 'HDQ¡V memory will also be cherished by his brother Gary (Joanne) Bill; sister-in-law Joyce (Lottie) Bill and in-laws, Ritchie (Elaine) Meckler, Kathy Daoust, Vince (Shirley) Meckler and David (Karen) Meckler, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife Agnes; grandson-inlaw Murray Workman; great granddaughter Lexi Calfas-Wock; parents, Calvin and Ethel Bill; brother Ross Bill; parents-inlaw, Anna and Chris Meckler; brother-in-law Percy Daoust and nephews, Mark Bill and Brent Daoust.

The Funeral Mass was celebrated by Rev. Sathiadas Antony on Monday, January 7, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. Immediately following the Funeral Mass, a time of fellowship and refreshments was held in the parish auditorium. Interment will take place at Souris Valley Memorial Gardens at a later date.

7KRVH ZLVKLQJ WR PDNH GRQDWLRQV LQ 'HDQ¡V PHPRU\ PD\ GR VR directly to the Estevan Regional Nursing Home Auxiliary, 1921 Wellock Road, Estevan, Sask., S4A 2B5.

'XVWLQ +DOO ZLWK +DOO )XQHUDO 6HUYLFHV (VWHYDQ DVVLVWHG 'HDQ¡V family.

Remember Your Loved Ones with a Memorial Tribute in The Estevan Mercury

OBITUARIES

OBITUARIES

Everett Lyle Howard 1928 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2019 Everett Lyle Howard, late of Frobisher, SK passed away peacefully on January 5, 2019 at the age of 90 years. Lyle was preceded in death by his wife Mary; son Brian; parents, Mary (nee Parker) and Harry Howard; brothers, Leslie (Katie), Fred (Georginia) and Bruce in infancy.

Lyle will be lovingly missed by his daughters, Janice (Melvin) and Heather Howard; son Jim (JoAnne). Lyle was a proud grandfather to Jordan (Chantelle), Jillian (Michael), Samantha, Jessica (Dave) and a great grandfather to Connor, Claire and Elle. Lyle also leaves in passing his brother Bill (Ann); sister Eva (Ken); sister in law Irene and brother in law Jack.

Lyle was born in Antler, SK, later moving to Frobisher as a young boy. It was here that he would spend his entire life. In 1952 Lyle married Mary Sabroe, a hometown girl. They lovingly enjoyed 63 \HDUV RI PDUULDJH SULRU WR 0DU\¡V SDVVLQJ /\OH ZRUNHG IRU WKH CPR until he was 55 years of age. At this time he retired due to health reasons but this never stopped his amazing energy and love for life. Lyle was an avid sportsman in his youth and was well known in the area for his hockey and softball abilities. Lyle loved the outdoors and gardening. He took great pleasure in teaching KLV FKLOGUHQ DQG JUDQGFKLOGUHQ WKH QDPHV RI ZLOG à RZHUV DQG birds. His greatest lesson to all was to respect all things living.

The Celebration of Life Service was held on Saturday, January 12, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. at Frobisher Union Church with Don Britt RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDWLQJ 7KH LQWHUPHQW WRRN SODFH LPPHGLDWHO\ IROORZLQJ WKH service at Frobisher Cemetery with lunch following at the church.

7KRVH VR ZLVKLQJ WR PDNH GRQDWLRQV LQ /\OH¡V PHPRU\ PD\ GR so directly to STARS Air Ambulance, 2640 Airport Road, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4W 1A3. <YRQQH &ODUN DW +DOO )XQHUDO 6HUYLFHV (VWHYDQ DVVLVWHG /\OH¡V family.

Two arrested for driving at vey high speeds Members of the Estevan Police Service (EPS) apprehended two motorists who were travelling at very high rates of speed on Fourth Street during the Jan. 12 day shift.

Police issued speeding tickets to a 26-year-old Estevan man and a 20-year-old Midale man for travelling on Fourth Street at speeds greater than 100 kilometres per hour. Both individuals were fined $800 each, had their driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s licence suspended for three days and their vehicles were seized for seven days.

In other recent police news, members received a complaint of damage to a residence and the possible theft of property by renters during the Jan. 9 day shift.

The matter is under investigation at this time.

Members performed conditions checks during the Jan. 9 night shift on several people with court-ordered release conditions. One Estevan male was checked and found to be in possession of an illegal substance. Police arrested the male and held him pending a court appearance. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance and breach of release conditions.

Police also received a complaint of a possible harassment and are looking into the matter.

Members of the EPS, the Estevan Fire Rescue Service and Estevan Emergency Medical Services attended to a collision on 13th Avenue and Fifth Street during the Jan. 10 day shift. The incident involved a semi-trailer unit and a pickup truck. The driver of the pickup suffered minor injuries, and both vehicles were towed from the scene.

The driver of the semi has been charged with failing to follow the truck route and disobeying a red light at an intersection. He will appear in court in March to answer to the charges.

Police received a call during the Jan. 10 night shift about a possible impaired driver. Members were able to locate the vehicle because

the caller followed the suspect and relayed information. Police stopped the vehicle and the driver was checked for sobriety and was sober. The driver, who was concerned about the vehicle that was following, was spoken to and allowed to proceed.

Police also received a call about an erratic driver on Fourth Street. Members were able to locate the suspect vehicle parked a short distance away. The matter is under investigation.

Members attended to conduct a curfew check during the Jan. 11 night shift on a 24-year-old woman from Estevan. The woman was not home and charges are pending.

While out on patrol, members noted a male drinking alcohol outside of a local liquor establishment. The 33-year-old man from Estevan was issued a ticket under the Alcohol Gaming and Regulations Act. Police received a report of a vehicle fire at a local business parking lot during the Jan. 12 day shift. Police were advised and requested to attend by the fire department.

Police received a request to conduct a wellbeing check on an Estevan male in southeast Estevan during the Jan. 12 night shift. The male in question was located at his residence and no further police involvement was required.

Officers received a report of a suspicious female in central Estevan knocking on residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; doors. Members attended and located the female, who stated that she had forgotten her keys and had to wake someone up to let her into her apartment.

Police executed an arrest warrant for the Regina Police Service during the Jan. 13 day shift, after stopping a vehicle for a traffic violation. The Estevan male was released to appear in Regina Provincial Court on a later date.

Officers were summoned to a residence in the Hillcrest area of smoke in the residence.

A14 January 16, 2019 OBITUARIES

OBITUARIES

OBITUARIES

OBITUARIES

PARKER, Eric Leonard 1935 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2019 Eric Leonard Parker died peacefully on January 09, 2019 in Estevan, SK at the age of 83.

Eric is survived by his wife of 58 years, Margaret; sons, Walter and Wayne Parker; grandchildren, Samuel, Scott and Ryan and brother Reg Parker. He was predeceased by his brothers, Bob, Jack, Joe and Alfred Parker.

Born on September 21, 1935 to William Henry and Susan Parker (nĂŠe Spalding) in Dryden, Ontario, Eric attended four schools (Pine Grove, Minnitaki, Oxdrift and Eton Rugby). He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force between 1952 and 1955 and returned to Dryden with an honourable discharge to work at the Dryden Paper Company for 14 years while building up the farm. In 1969 he started farming full time and this continued for 33 years until retirement.

(ULF ZDV DQ DFWLYH PHPEHU RI WKH 2[GULIW 'U\GHQ DQG (VWHYDQ EUDQFKHV RI WKH Royal Canadian Legion, including roles as Second Vice, First Vice and President of the Dryden branch over the period of 1975 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2008. He contributed substantively to his local community including roles as President of the Dryden District Soil and Crop Association, Dryden District Pork Producers Association, Chairman of the Eton Statute Labour Board and the Eton Township Local Roads Board.

He was a member of the Dryden District Veterinary Association, Dryden District Beef Association, the Kenora District Seed Growers Association and the Dryden District Agricultural Society.

Eric enjoyed a variety of social activities and particularly liked bowling and old time dancing. +H DFWLYHO\ SDUWLFLSDWHG LQ WKH 'U\GHQ DQG (VWHYDQ 6HQLRU¡V FOXEV SOD\LQJ FDUGV DQG SRRO 8SRQ retirement Eric and Margaret enjoyed traveling with a particular passion for cruise ships.

7KH 0HPRULDO 6HUYLFH IRU (ULF ZDV KHOG RQ 6DWXUGD\ -DQXDU\ DW S P LQ WKH &KDSHO RI +DOO )XQHUDO 6HUYLFHV (VWHYDQ ZLWK 0DULDQ +XEHU RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDWLQJ ,PPHGLDWHO\ IROORZLQJ WKH VHUYLFH a time of fellowship and refreshments was held at the Royal Canadian Legion, Estevan. Interment will take place at the Estevan City Cemetery at a later date. ,Q OLHX RI Ă RZHUV SOHDVH PDNH GRQDWLRQV LQ PHPRU\ RI (ULF WR WKH 0XOWLSOH 6FOHURVLV 6RFLHW\ RI Canada, 150 Albert Street, Regina, SK, S4R 2N2 or the Canadian Cancer Society, 1910 McIntyre Street, Regina, SK, S4P 2R3.

'XVWLQ +DOO ZLWK +DOO )XQHUDO 6HUYLFHV (VWHYDQ DVVLVWHG (ULF¡V IDPLO\

Rita Muirhead 1922 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2018 Rita Muirhead, late of Estevan, SK, was born on July 14, 1922 and passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 at St. -RVHSK¡V +RVSLWDO (VWHYDQ 6. DW WKH DJH RI \HDUV Rita is survived by her daughter in law Kathy Muirhead and son Daryl (Judy) Muirhead; grandchildren, Twyla (Mark) Hanson, Michelle (Cory) Stepp, Destiny (Jay) Tolley and Luke (Skye) Muirhead; great grandchildren, Braydon, Hallie and Emily Hanson, Ashton and Bria Stepp, Drew and Ryan Tolley and Hudson Muirhead.

Rita was predeceased by her husband Robert Muirhead; son Ronald Muirhead; infant grandson Kevin Muirhead; parents, George and Marguerite Chabot; brothers, Joseph (Pauline) Chabot, George (Margaret) Chabot and Wallace (Marguerite) Chabot; sisters, Flora (Joe) Gervais, Loretta (Martin) Messer, Lucy (Ben) Hanson, Yvette (Reynold) Jesse and Dorothy (Robert) ClichĂŠ as well as numerous other sister in laws, brother in laws, nieces and nephews.

Rita grew up on a farm south of Bromhead, SK. She was the 7th of 9 children and only spoke French until she began going to Schneller School. Rita often talked about the school pride at the ´Ă&#x20AC;HOG GD\VÂľ DW )RVWHUV *URYH QRZ 2XQJUH 3DUN :KHQ 5LWD ZDV MXVW VKH IHOO LQ ORYH ZLWK ORFDO farmer Robert Muirhead. They were married for 48 years. They farmed, worked hard and raised 2 VRQV 5RQ DQG 'DU\O DQG HYHQWXDOO\ ZHOFRPHG LQWR WKHLU IDPLO\ 5RQ¡V ZLIH .DWK\ DQG WKHLU IDPLO\ 7Z\OD DQG 0LFKHOOH DQG WKHQ 'DU\O¡V ZLIH -XG\ DQG WKHLU IDPLO\ 'HV DQG /XNH 7KH JUDQGFKLOGUHQ have some good memories of Grandma Rita playing house and dress up and pulling them around the farm yard on an oversized plastic riding car.

Rita was a great gardener. She always grew more than enough and liked to give the family bags of WKH H[WUDV %XW KHU IDYRULWH WKLQJ ZDV FRRNLQJ DQG EDNLQJ +HU GHOLFLRXV DSSOH SLHV DQG Ă XII\ EXQV were the best! She enjoyed visiting with and feeding people and you would get treated to quite the spread if you happened to stop by for coffee or a meal.

In her later years she lived in Estevan at Sunshine apartments, then Valleyview Heritage Place DQG Ă&#x20AC;QDOO\ +LOOYLHZ 0DQRU 6KH ZDV DFWLYH LQ WKH &DWKROLF :RPHQ¡V /HDJXH DQG HQMR\HG VHUYLQJ IRU funerals. She bowled in a league for many years and was a Royal Purple lifetime member receiving her 25 and 30 year pins.

Thank you

5LWD¡V IDPLO\ ZRXOG OLNH WR WKDQN +LOOYLHZ 0DQRU IRU WKH ZRQGHUIXO FDUH UHVSHFW DQG ORYLQJ NLQGQHVV JLYHQ WR 5LWD DQG WR WKH GRFWRUV DQG QXUVHV DW 6W -RVHSK¡V +RVSLWDO ZKR FDUHG IRU 5LWD LQ KHU Ă&#x20AC;QDO days and hours. Our deepest appreciation!

3UD\HUV ZLOO EH KHOG RQ )ULGD\ -DQXDU\ DW S P DW WKH &KDSHO DW +DOO )XQHUDO 6HUYLFHV (VWHYDQ 6. ZLWK %LOO 0DQQ RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDWLQJ 7KH )XQHUDO 0DVV ZLOO EH KHOG RQ 6DWXUGD\ -DQXDU\ DW D P DW 6W -RKQ WKH %DSWLVW 5 & &KXUFK ZLWK 5HY 6DWKLDGDV $QWRQ\ SUHVLGLQJ 7KH luncheon will be held immediately following the service in the parish auditorium. The interment will take place following lunch at Bromhead Cemetery, Bromhead, SK. If friends so desire, memorial donations may be made in memory of Rita to Hillview Manor Activities Fund, 1401 1 St, Estevan, SK S4A 2W7 or to the New Estevan Regional Nursing Home, 1201 2nd Street, Estevan, SK, S4A 0M1. <YRQQH &ODUN ZLWK +DOO )XQHUDO 6HUYLFHV (VWHYDQ 6. LV DVVLVWLQJ 5LWD¡V IDPLO\

CAREER

Remember Your Loved Ones with a Memorial Tribute in The Estevan Mercury

OBITUARIES

OBITUARIES

IRENE (BIBERDORF) FREITAG It is with great sadness that the family of Irene Freitag announces her passing on Sunday, January 6, 2019, at the age of 85 years.

Irene was born at Gardena, North Dakota on May 29, 1933.

After spending her formative years in the Willow City (ND) area, Irene received her B.Sc. in Education from Concordia University, Seward, Nebraska (1956) and her M.A. from the University of Minnesota (1959). She also studied for one year (1966-67) at the Conservatory of Music in Basel, Switzerland. Irene was a music instructor at Concordia Universities in Seward, Nebraska; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Ann Arbor, Michigan until 1971. She and her husband, the late Leo Freitag, were actively engaged in grain farming in the Willmar area from 1973 until moving to Estevan in 2001.

Irene was instrumental in the formation of the Moose Mountain Choral Society and had presented church organ and choral workshops throughout Western Canada and several U.S. states. She had also served on the executive board of the Estevan and District Pro-Life Association for several years. Most recently, ,UHQH ZDV DQ RUJDQLVW DW 6W 3HWHU¡V /XWKHUDQ &KXUFK LQ (VWHYDQ WR

Irene will be lovingly remembered by her son David (Gina) and grandsons Troy and Ryan of Fargo, ND. She will also be forever remembered by her numerous nieces, nephews and extended family and dear friends. $ FHOHEUDWLRQ RI ,UHQH¡V OLIH ZDV KHOG RQ )ULGD\ -DQXDU\ DW D P DW 6W 3HWHU¡V /XWKHUDQ &KXUFK 6RXULV $YH 1 (VWHYDQ ZLWK 5HY 5DQG\ .OHHPROD RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDWLQJ ,QWHUPHQW followed in the family plot at the Alameda Cemetery.

Memorial donations in memory of Irene may be made to Lutheran Hour Ministries â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Canada, 270 Lawrence Ave., Kitchener, Ontario, N2M 1Y4.

'XVWLQ +DOO ZLWK +DOO )XQHUDO 6HUYLFHV (VWHYDQ DVVLVWHG ,UHQH¡V IDPLO\ Jerry W. Gustafson 1952 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2019 Jerry Gustafson, late of Macoun, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, January 8, 2019 at the age of 66 years.

Jerry will be lovingly remembered by his wife Joanne â&#x20AC;&#x153;Joniâ&#x20AC;? (nee Podolsky); parents, Lenard and Alice (nee Snider) Gustafson; children, son Graham (April) Gustafson and their children, Ava and Ethan; daughter Kathryn (Matthew) Schultz and their children, Isaiah, Evangeline and Gabrielle; daughter Kristine (Derek) McWilliam and their children, Samuel, Avigail, Azariah and Rebekah; son Ryan (Heather) Gustafson and their children, Eliana, Audrey, Felicity and Jessalyn; daughter Karissa Gustafson; siblings Terry Gustafson, Bently (Wendy) Gustafson and Bona Jean (Bill) Ashbee.

Jerry was predeceased by his grandparents, Clarence and Theresa Gustafson and Fred and Mary Snider.

7KH &HOHEUDWLRQ RI /LIH IRU -HUU\ ZDV KHOG RQ :HGQHVGD\ -DQXDU\ DW D P DW WKH 0DFRXQ (YDQJHOLFDO 0LVVLRQDU\ &KXUFK ZLWK 3DVWRU &KDUOLH %RZHQ RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDWLQJ ,QWHUPHQW WRRN SODFH at the Macoun Cemetery with lunch following at the Macoun School Gymnasium.

If friends so desire, memorial donations may be made to the Echo Lake Bible Camp, 770 SK-56, )RUW 4X¡$SSHOOH 6. 6 * 6 RU WR WKH &DQDGLDQ )RRGJUDLQV %DQN 3RUWDJH $YH Winnipeg, MB, R3B 3H6. Both donations were very near and dear to Jerry. <YRQQH &ODUN DW +DOO )XQHUDO 6HUYLFHV (VWHYDQ 6. DVVLVWHG -HUU\¡V IDPLO\

Thank you

We want to express our deepest gratitude for the love, prayers and practical kindness shown to our family during this season. It is such a blessing to be surrounded by such a caring community.

Every expression of sympathy has lightened our burden and eased the pain. May the Lord bless your generousity.

With love, Joni Gustafson, Len & Alice Gustafson and Family.

Nick Morsky April 7, 1931 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; January 5, 2019 It is with tremendous sadness we say goodbye to a Husband, Father and Grandfather who passed away peacefully at home in Estevan at the age of 87.

Nick was born on the farm in 1931, near Lac du Bonnet, MB, married Verna in 1953 and moved to Estevan with his young family in 1956. An extraordinary entrepreneur, Nick founded and grew many successful businesses in Estevan and around Saskatchewan. They began their journey by building a BA Gas Station. Soon after, Nick branched out into the Motel Business and resourcefully opened a Royalite Gas Station as well as a Lumber Yard on the additional land. The Derrick Motor Hotel was his most notable operation, where Nick and Verna devoted 38 years of service to Estevan and surrounding area.

1LFN ZDV Ă&#x20AC;HUFHO\ SURXG RI KLV 8NUDLQLDQ +HULWDJH DQG KLV IDPLO\ travelling on many occasions with Verna and siblings to the Ukraine to visit relatives in the old FRXQWU\ %HLQJ DGYHQWXURXV IRU WKHLU JHQHUDWLRQ 1LFN DQG 9HUQD Ă HZ WR %UD]LO ZLWKRXW PRUH WKDQ WKHLU SDUHQWV¡ VWRULHV WR Ă&#x20AC;QG ORQJ ORVW UHODWLYHV ZKR FKRVH %UD]LO RYHU &DQDGD 7KLV SDVVLRQ IRU H[SORULQJ SXVKHG WKH FRXSOH WR WUDYHOOLQJ WKH ZRUOG DQG RYHU WLPH YLVLWLQJ DOO 6HYHQ &RQWLQHQWV 1LFN¡V ORYH for Saskatchewan and Canada was apparent in daily conversations, either at his business or time he spent in the community chatting with individuals between errands.

Nick strongly believed in supporting his community and gave generously to local sport, volunteer DQG QRW IRU SURĂ&#x20AC;W JURXSV WKURXJK ERWK WKH XVH RI WKH 'HUULFN 0RWRU +RWHO¡V IDFLOLWLHV LQ DGGLWLRQ WR Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLDOO\ 1LFN YROXQWHHUHG KLV WLPH WR WKH FRPPXQLW\ E\ VHUYLQJ WKH &LW\ RI (VWHYDQ DV DQ $OGHUPDQ LQ WKH ¡V GHYRWLQJ RYHU \HDUV RI VHUYLFH ZLWK WKH /LRQV &OXE \HDUV VXSSRUWLQJ 'XFNV 8QOLPLWHG DQG RWKHU QRWDEOH RUJDQL]DWLRQV 7KH 0RUVN\¡V SHUVRQDO DQG EXVLQHVV VXFFHVV was ultimately acknowledged by the community when Estevan created the Nick and Verna Morsky Business Hall of Fame at the Estevan Business Excellence Awards. The couple were the inaugural inductees.

Nick was happiest in his later years when welcoming family to his homes in either Estevan or Mesa. We will all cherish our memories of Nick looking back with fondness and adoration. Although consistently engaged in new ideas and projects, he always made time for family, from playing games with Grandchildren prior to retirement to bouncing Great Grandchildren on his knee over the past few years. The Grandchildren will, with a smile on their faces, remember Nick for his unique and impressive Nintendo acumen. A visit would include Nick claiming victory during a friendly game of Dr. Mario.

Nick leaves his loving Wife, life companion and business partner of 65 years, Verna Morsky; Son - Rand (Marsha) Morsky; Daughters - Darlene Fletcher (Ted Kuntz) and Pam (Greg) Dechief; Grandchildren - Natalie (Josh) Cahill, Grant (Christina Lindsay) Fletcher, Nicole Fletcher, Greg Morsky, Drew Morsky, Ellen Morsky, Adrienne Dechief, Derek Dechief, Amber Dechief and Avery Dechief; Great Grandchildren - Aria Mullin, Piper Mullin and TJ Cahill; Sister - Nellie Lupyrypa; Sisters-in-law - Gloria Morsky and Adeline Wazny. He was predeceased by his Brother Paul Morsky and Brothers-in-law Maurice Lupyrypa and Frank Wazny.

3UD\HUV DQG 3XEOLF 9LHZLQJ ZHUH KHOG RQ )ULGD\ -DQXDU\ DW S P DW +DOO )XQHUDO Services, 1506 4th Street, Estevan. The Funeral Mass was celebrated on Saturday, January 12, DW D P DW 6W -RKQ WKH %DSWLVW &DWKROLF &KXUFK WK $YHQXH (VWHYDQ $ UHFHSWLRQ for all followed the service at the church. A graveside service at the Estevan City Cemetery followed WKH UHFHSWLRQ 3OHDVH GLUHFW Ă RZHUV DQG GRQDWLRQV WR WKH ORYHG RQHV LQ \RXU OLIH â&#x20AC;&#x153;We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.â&#x20AC;? -Winston Churchill Dustin Hall with Hall Funeral Services, Estevan assisted the Morsky family.

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January 16, 2019 A15

Local man involved with Regina convoy The man who has taken the lead for the Yellow Vest Movement protests in Estevan played a key role in the truck convoy that was held Thursday in Regina.

J ay R i e d e l w a s a p p r o a c h e d by B e t h u n e â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brenda Stettner, an organizer of the Regina convoy, after Riedel was involved with the organization of a similar event in Estevan in December that attracted 427 vehicles and spanned about 15 kilometres.

The Regina convoy was held while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was holding a town hall in the Queen City.

The convoy started at Sask.

Polytechnic and worked its way to the University of Regina, where it circled the campus. It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as long as the Estevan convoy, but

Jay Riedel Riedel was still pleased with the turnout. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect that many people, as it was on a Thursday and people are working and trying to get up there in time,â&#x20AC;? said Riedel.

The convoy started at

5:30 p.m., he said, and about 100 trucks participated. It spanned about five or six kilometres.

Many trucks were honking their horns, and protesters were cheering their support.

Riedel noted that Stettner approached him about the organization of a convoy in late December, after the success of the Estevan rally. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She asked me a few questions on how to go about things, and get stuff in Regina going,â&#x20AC;? said Riedel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I gave her some advice on how things were here, and then we kept in contact the whole time since.â&#x20AC;?

They didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know that the prime minister was coming to Regina until a couple of days before.

CAREER The St. Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital Foundation is a charity whose main goal is to provide funding to the St. Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital of Estevan to allow it to provide the most advanced healthcare possible to this community.

The St. Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital is currently in search of a Foundation Director Terms of Employment: Permanent Full Time Start Date: February 1, 2019 Time Commitment: 37.5 hours per week. 8:00am-4:00pm.

Some evening and weekend work will be required.

Compensation: will vary depending on the qualifications of the individual Location: St. Josephâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital Foundation Clinic.

1176 Nicholson Road, Estevan, Saskatchewan

Riedel wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to attend the town hall on Thursday due to his commitment with the truck convoy, but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s confident the prime minister and others in the building would have heard the protest.

But they did sit out front with a lot of protesters once the convoy slowed down. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I saw a couple of posts on social media that they could hear the horns outside,â&#x20AC;? said Riedel.

Riedel expects the local Yellow Vest Movement protests will continue each Saturday in front of city hall. They havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t had as many participants as the first two protests in December, but they still attract 20-30 people. â&#x20AC;&#x153; E ve r y we e k e n d , i t seems like thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a few different people who arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t working who show up,â&#x20AC;? said Riedel.

He also suggested getting a group of people together during road bans, and doing a protest with people in Regina and Saskatoon, possibly at the office of Regina-Wascana Member of Parliament Ralph Goodale, the lone Liberal MP from Saskatchewan.

Fire department called to ďŹ res on the weekend Members of the Estevan Fire Rescue Service were called to a couple of fires last week.

They were dispatched to a report of a vehicle fire in southeast Estevan on Jan. 12. The fire was largely extinguished by the time crews arrived. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Once on scene, crews confirmed that the fire was out, and de-energized the vehicle,â&#x20AC;? said Deputy Fire Chief Rick Davies.

Then on Jan. 13, firefighters were called to a report of a structure fire in the Hillcrest subdivision.

Some contents of a room had started on fire. Damage was limited to those contents. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There was no actual fire damage inside the house,â&#x20AC;? said Davies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Crews ventilated and tried to clean out as much smoke as they could.â&#x20AC;?

Earlier in the week, firefighters were called to a collision between a semi-trailer unit and a pickup truck at the intersection of Fifth Street and 13th Avenue on Jan. 10.

Firefighters isolated a few fluid leaks and helped with clearing the semi from the location.

The fire department also held its first training session

of the year was held on Jan. 8.

Firefighters were informed of what the department hopes to do in the next few months. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After that was all done, the guys just did pump checks to make sure all our equipment worked,â&#x20AC;? said Davies.

Davies noted the department has also brought in six new recruits, so they have started 1001 Level 1 and Level 2 training, which is professional certification for firefighters. It will also be offered to current members who havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t attained those levels yet.

The fire department currently has 23 active firefighters, and the six new recruits would bring the department close to a maximum number of members.

Also last week, the fire department hosted an incident command system training course. Mutual aid partners from the different urban and rural municipalities in the area participated.

Davies said it was a good opportunity for the participants to update their training.

Another course will be offered next month as well. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are different levels of training,â&#x20AC;? Davies said.

Skills/Education that will be considered an asset: â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘ â&#x20AC;˘

Degree or Diploma in Marketing, Communications, Community Development or a related field 3 years experience in major event planning and execution Experience in Donor Acquisition and retention Proven experience in public relations, communications and social media marketing Knowledge of the non-profit sector Demonstrated leadership skills Experience in Non-Profit Financial Planning and Management Effective oral communication skills Ability to engage in professional communication with committees, stakeholders and donors Strong public speaking, writing and project management skills Self motivated, independent thinker and ability to work under pressure

CAREER

JOB DESCRIPTION: You will plan all of the annual events: Festival of Trees (November), Radiothon (April), Donor Recognition Event (Every Other June), Colour My Foundation (June), Third party fundraisers You will also handle financial management, grant applications, work with the SJHF clinic, handle all marketing, communications and public awareness.

How to Apply: Please email a cover letter, resume and two references as a single PDF document to Application Due Date: bandmbittman@sasktel.net Tuesday, January 22nd, 2019 at 12:00pm

We thank all applicants for their time and interest, however only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

POSITION TITLE: REPORTS TO: BUSINESS DIVISION:

Journeyman Mechanic Journeyman Mechanic Fleet Foreperson Roads and Drainage

SUMMARY: Performs service and repair of equipment, machinery, and vehicles.

DUTIES â&#x20AC;˘ Maintains and repairs City of Estevan equipment, machinery, and vehicles â&#x20AC;˘ Performs scheduled preventative maintenance â&#x20AC;˘ Identifies potential failure points of City of Estevan equipment, machinery, and vehicles and recommends measures to be taken â&#x20AC;˘ Provides technical advice on the preparation and review of tenders and/or the estimated costs of repairs â&#x20AC;˘ Provides technical advice on the purchase of new equipment, machinery, and vehicles â&#x20AC;˘ Assists in training City of Estevan staff in the maintenance and safe operation of equipment, machinery, and vehicles â&#x20AC;˘ Responds to requests for information or requests for reports in a timely manner â&#x20AC;˘ Maintains files and records of work performed, equipment installed, problems encountered, resources consumed, and repairs completed â&#x20AC;˘ And (Other duties as assigned).

19013JJ0

EDUCATION â&#x20AC;˘ Grade 12 or equivalent education â&#x20AC;˘ One of the following certificates; o Journeyman Automotive Mechanic o Journeyman Heavy Duty Mechanic o Journeyman Truck and Transport Mechanic â&#x20AC;˘ Valid Class 3 Driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s License with Airbrake Endorsement Experience and Additional Requirements â&#x20AC;˘ 1 year of relevant work experience â&#x20AC;˘ Valid Class 1 Driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s License with Airbrake Endorsement â&#x20AC;˘ Firemanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Certificate The City of Estevan offers competitive wages based upon achieved qualifications. This position requires flexibility and availability to work on a shift schedule and call in basis. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for a career that contributes directly to a thriving community, then apply by January 30, 2019 to: Sheryl March, Human Resource Generalist 1102- 4th Street, Estevan, SK S4A 0W7 â&#x20AC;˘ Ph: (306) 634-1841 â&#x20AC;˘ apply@estevan.ca We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

BUSINESS SERVICES LEGAL

FURNITURE & APPLIANCES

ORLOWSKI LAW OFFICE PROFESSIONAL CORP.

Barristers & Solicitors Paul Elash Q.C. Aaron Ludwig, B.Sc., LL.B. Genevieve Schrader, B. Mgt., J.D. Gainsborough 5IVSTEBZ B N t Carnduff 5IVSTEBZ Q N t 1312- 4th Street, Estevan 1 t ' t XXX LPIBMZFMBTI DPN

Stephen J. Orlowski,

APPLIANCES & FURNITURE

B.Ed., LL.B.

1215 - 5th Street, Estevan

Phone: 306-634-3353

Fax: 306-634-7714

orlowski.law@sasktel.net %UDQFK RIĂ&#x20AC;FHV DW ARCOLA REDVERS CARNDUFF Arcola Agencies Bldg.

Carlsen Bldg.

Carnduff Agencies Bldg.

Wednesday A.M. Wednesday P.M. Thursday P.M. Phone: 306-455-2277 Phone: 306-452-3377 Phone: 306-482-4077

Shane Winter - Owner estevanappliance@gmail.com

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ANNUAL JANUARY CLEARANCE SALE IS ON NOW AT THE FLOOR STORE!!

Up to 60% off flooring â&#x20AC;˘ Up to 50% off blinds 30% off paint supplies $8-$15 off gallon of Cloverdale paint

104 - Hwy. 47 S., Estevan, SK 306-634-5588

Bay #1 - Hwy. 13, Carlyle, SK 306-453-2519

www.floorstoreestevan.ca

A16 January 16, 2019

Warnings issued about common scams The Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority (FCAA) and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) are warning residents about common frauds and scams that are occurring in Saskatchewan.

“We are partnering with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre because we have common concerns about frauds happening in the province,” said Dean Murrison, the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority

director of securities.

The most prominent frauds and scams in Saskatchewan by complaint are: Phishing: Any email falsely claiming to be an established legitimate organization such as a financial institution, business or government agency in an attempt to have the consumer give private and personal information.

Service scam: Any false, deceptive or misleading promo-

tion of or solicitation for services.

These solicitations involve third parties that commonly make offers for telecommunications and internet finance services.

Prize scam: Any false, deceptive or misleading solicitation advising victims they have won or have a chance to win something, but are required to purchase something first or pay an advance fee, such as taxes, to receive the prize.

Sale of fraudulent securi-

ties: Sale of investments that do not exist.

Recovery scam: A victim who lost money in a previous scam, is approached by someone claiming to work for a government agency, private company or consumer organization and told that they can help recover the lost money for a fee.

Extortion: Any person who unlawfully obtains money, property or services from a person, entity or institution,

through coercion.

People can protect themselves by taking the following steps: Be very cautious when speaking to people on the phone you do not know.

If someone emails, texts or calls asking for personal or banking information, do not provide the information.

Never wire money to a stranger.

Never make a cheque pay-

able to a financial advisor personally or to a financial advisor’s personal company. It should only be payable to the registered dealer or issuer of the securities.

If someone contacts you about an investment opportunity, contact a professional adviser.

If you are investing money, check and make sure the person you are sending money to is a registered professional by visiting the Are they Registered website.

City Hall: 1102 4th Street 8 am to 4:30 pm | (306) 634-1800 /HLVXUH 2ɝFH 701 Souris Avenue 8 am to 4:30 pm | (306) 634-1880

Message From

The Mayor

The 2019 Budget will be released on our website on January 15, 2019 at www. estevan.ca.

RATES CAREER - LICENSED, RED SEAL HVAC/REFRIGERATION TECHNICIAN DROP IN RECREATION

RATES EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1, 2019

FITNESS SCHEDULE

EFFECTIVE JANUARY, 2019

This is to inform the public that effective January 1, 2019 two new bylaws were implemented that affect fees and rates set in the City of Estevan.

Bylaw 2018-2009 is Fees for Service for administrative duties Bylaw 2018-2010 is Solid Waste /Landfill Fees Both bylaws can be seen on the City of Estevan website www.estevan.ca.

If you require any additional clarification or information please contact the City Clerk Judy Pilloud cityclerk@estevan.ca or 306-634-1852.

SARSAN SEARCH & RESCUE CHAPTER MEETINGS Public Information Meetings are being held regarding the startup of a volunteer SARSAV Search and Rescue Chapter for the South East area of Saskatchewan.

Meetings are arranged and hosted by a partnership between the RCMP Search and Rescue Team, SARSAV (Search and Rescue Saskatchewan Association of Volunteers), Estevan Police Service and Weyburn Police Service.

MEETINGS ARE SCHEDULED FOR: Carnduff - January 16th, 7:00 PM at the Carnduff Education Complex Carlyle - January 17th at 7:00 PM at the Memorial Hall - 111 Main St Estevan - January 23rd at 7:00 PM at the Western Star Inn and Suites Weyburn - January 24th at 7:00 PM at the City Works Building Classroom - 55 – 16th St. NE A team such as this requires significant community support. All levels of interest are welcome. Please come out and support the development of this needed resource.

MONDAY GRIT AQUA AWE EASY STRETCH MOM & BABY AQUA AQUA STEP

6:10 AM - 6:50 AM, 5:30 PM - 6:10 PM 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM 10:10 AM - 10:50 AM 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM

TUESDAY SPIN AQUA AWE SCULPT TWINGES & HINGES MOM & BABY/TOT GRIT

6:10 AM - 6:50 AM, 9:10 AM - 9:50 AM, 5:30 PM - 6:10 PM 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM 10:10 AM - 10:50 AM 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM 6:15 PM - 7:00 PM

WEDNESDAY GRIT AQUA AWE EASY STRETCH MOM & BABY AQUA AQUA STEP THURSDAY SPIN AQUA AWE SCULPT TWINGES & HINGES MOM & BABY/TOT AQUA STEP GRIT FRIDAY GRIT AQUA AWE EASY STRETCH

WEIGHT ROOM USED EQUIPMENT AUCTION The Weight Room in the Estevan Leisure Centre has recently received a facelift. With that, the City of Estevan has cycled out older equipment to make room for new!

6:10 AM - 6:50 AM, 9:10 AM - 9:50 AM, 5:30 PM - 6:10 PM 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM 10:10 am - 10:50 AM 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM

6:10 - 6:50 AM, 9:10 AM - 9:50 AM, 5:30 PM - 6:10 PM 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM 10:10 AM - 10:50 AM 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM 6:15 PM - 7:00 PM 6:10 AM - 6:50 AM - 9:10 AM - 9:50 AM 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM 10:10 AM - 10:50 AM

SATURDAY DEEP WATER POWER 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM

The equipment in this auction has been well used but still has life in it and we hope you can provide a happy home for it.

If you are interested in any of this equipment or would like to see a list Text ‘weightroom’ to 855-735-BIDR (2437) to join our online auction (make sure weightroom is one word) Or visit online at https://bidr.co/events/weightroom Bidding will be held on Jan 24, 2019 starting at 6am and will close at 9pm CST.

CAREER OPPORTUNITY

All Equipment will be sold in “ as is” condition.

POSITION TITLE: Journeyman Mechanic REPORTS TO: Journeyman Mechanic Fleet Foreperson BUSINESS DIVISION: Roads and Drainage

All funds raised will be used for City of Estevan Summer Playpark Programs.

DROP IN RECREATION

AQUATIC SCHEDULE

ESTEVAM LEISURE CENTRE - 2019

SUMMARY: Performs service and repair of equipment, machinery, and vehicles.

DUTIES

Maintains and repairs City of Estevan equipment, machinery, and vehicles

EFFECTIVE - JANUARY 5 - FEBRUARY 15, 2019 MONDAY LANE SWIM AQUA AWE MOM & BABY LANE SWIM AQUA STEP LANE SWIM

6:00 AM - 9:00 AM 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM

TUESDAY LANE SWIM AQUA AWE LANE SWIM

6:00 AM - 9:00 AM 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

WEDNESDAY LANE SWIM AQUA AWE MOM & BABY LANE SWIM AQUA STEP LANE SWIM

6:00 AM - 9:00 AM 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM

THURSDAY LANE SWIM AQUA AWE LANE SWIM AQUA STEP

6:00 AM - 9:00 AM 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM

FRIDAY LANE SWIM AQUA AWE LANE SWIM LIONS FREE SWIM LANE SWIM * NOT ON FEB 15 PUBLIC SWMIN *NOT ON FEB 15

6:00 AM - 9:00 AM 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

SATURDAY LANE SWIM 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM *ON JAN 12 & 19 STARTS AT 12PM PUBLIC SWIM 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM LANE SWIM 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM FAMILY SWIM 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM PUBLIC SWIM 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM SUNDAY *POOL CLOSED TO PUBLIC JAN 20 LANE SWIM 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM FAMILY SWIM 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM PUBLIC SWIM 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM LANE SWIM 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM *JAN 6 ONLY LANE SWIM 7:00 PM - 8:OO PM *JAN 13 ONLY DEEP WATER POWER 8:00 PM - 8:45 PM

* Schedule Subject to Change. Please visit www.estevan.ca for updates on closures and cancellations. Proper footwear and exercise wear is required to participate. Please note during school breaks, (Teachers Convention, Spring Break and Christmas Break) Fitness, Aquatic Centre and Arena schedules may vary. Please visit our live schedules at www.estevan.ca

Performs scheduled preventative maintenance Identifies potential failure points of City of Estevan equipment, machinery, and vehicles and recommends measures to be taken Provides technical advice on the preparation and review of tenders and/or the estimated costs of repairs Provides technical advice on the purchase of new equipment, machinery, and vehicles Assists in training City of Estevan staff in the maintenance and safe operation of equipment, machinery, and vehicles Responds to requests for information or requests for reports in a timely manner Maintains files and records of work performed, equipment installed, problems encountered, resources consumed, and repairs completed And (Other duties as assigned).

EDUCATION Grade 12 or equivalent education One of the following certificates; Journeyman Automotive Mechanic Journeyman Heavy Duty Mechanic Journeyman Truck and Transport Mechanic Valid Class 3 Driver’s License with Airbrake Endorsement Experience and Additional Requirements 1 year of relevant work experience Valid Class 1 Driver’s License with Airbrake Endorsement Fireman’s Certificate

WEIGHT ROOM MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

9:00 AM - 9:00 PM 6:00 AM - 10:00 PM 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM 6:00 AM - 10:00 PM

FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

6:00 AM - 9:00 PM 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM

The City of Estevan offers competitive wages based upon achieved qualifications. This position requires flexibility and availability to work on a shift schedule and call in basis.

If you’re looking for a career that contributes directly to a thriving community, then apply

by January 30, 2019 to: Sheryl March, Human Resource Generalist,1102- 4th Street, Estevan, SK S4A 0W7, Ph: (306) 634-1841, apply@estevan.ca We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.