EXCITING CONTEST
FISHING SEASON
Win a new car this summer A6
Tournament held on opening day A10
Issue 2
SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903
Wednesday, MAY 8, 2019
www.estevanmercury.ca
Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240
Estevan and area savoured the southeast flavour palette
City had a surplus in 2018 By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
The City of Estevan’s audited financial statements were released at Monday night’s meeting of Estevan city council, and they show the city continued to make strides on a number of fronts. Giselle Bourgeois and Ashley Rushton from MNP presented the document to city council. It shows the city had a surplus of revenues over expenses of $3.30 million, with about $1.13 million of that coming from provincial and federal capital grants and contributions. Revenues were at about $33.25 million, with nearly two-thirds of that amount ($21.42 million) coming through property taxes. Fees and charges accounted for about $10.35 million of the revenues. The revenues were down from $33.65 million in 2017, but expenses were also down, as they came in at $31.08 million, compared to $31.31 million in 2017. City manager Jeff Ward pointed out the city operates on a budget of a little more than $30 million, so to come close to that on an annual basis is a positive sign. Recreation and cultural services accounted for the largest share of the expenses at more than $7.55 million, followed by protective services ($5.83 million), transportation services ($5.79 million) and general government services ($5.74 million). The city was carrying about $7.17 million in cash at the end of last year, although about $3.09 million of that is restricted cash. Cash levels were at about $4.95 million at the end of 2017. The restricted cash included $264,700 for the upkeep of the cemetery, $832,302 for the new Estevan Regional Nursing Home and $2 million through the federal gas tax, which will be allocated to approved projects. There is also some money set aside for the water intake project that is currently underway, which is shifting the primary water source from Boundary Dam to Rafferty Dam. “We’re continually doing progress billings as the project goes, and then we submit back for the Canada Builds Funds from the federal and the provincial governments,” said Ward. As the first phase gets completed this year, the city will have a better picture of where they’re at. “We’re in a great financial position cash-wise, and we’re making sure to monitor that and budget that as we move forward, but that continual net debt reduction and getting that as close to zero as possible is going to be a continuation here in the short-term,” said Ward. The city’s cash level provides a built-in reserve in case something unforeseen happens, such as a disaster or an unbudgeted road repair. “I think we’ve done a lot of due diligence, and worked with our accounting team, to make sure that … if there is a snow storm, or if there is some sort of item like that, so that we can weather the storm,” said Ward. Total financial assets were $15.31 million at the end of last year, while liabilities were $34.16 million. The bulk of the liabilities ($28.02 million) were for long-term debt; the long-term debt for the city was at about $30.39 million at the end of 2017. The net debt, which is the excess of liabilities over assets, was at $18.85 million, down from $23.82 million a year earlier. Ward noted that net debt is the figure that many municipalities pay the closest attention to, and it’s been a point of emphasis for city council. “I think we’ve implemented a plan that’s still relevant and useful. Generally the plan is to pay down about $4 million or $4.5 million a year, while still borrowing $2 million to complete large-scale projects,” said Ward. If there’s one source of concern with the financial statements, it remains with the taxes receivable category, which stands at $2.5 million and growing. That figure has been climbing in recent years, but Ward sees some reason for hope looming. “There was some sales of some properties here in the start of this year, that will reduce that pretty substantially, so that we’re to a more comparative level, but it’s definitely something that we have to be concerned with, and make sure that we watch. “We’re going through our tax enforcement process, just like any other year, and council is being made aware and given that information as they go into any budget year.”
Savour the Southeast food and drink festival attracted a big crowd. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia
By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca
For two hours people kept steadily coming through the doors of Affinity Place on Saturday night, as the Savour the Southeast food and drinks festival was gaining momentum. Intriguing food aromas tickled the nose and colourful light glares of drink bottles teased the eye, as people were making their way around the stage with DJ Baby Daddy and later the Johnny McCuaig Band
filling the air with the music. Some vendors were local, while others brought their product from all across Saskatchewan so the Estevan community could sample the entire palette of flavours. A big crowd of food and drink connoisseurs came to enjoy what the festival had to offer this year, making the event another big success. However, the attendance numbers were slightly down in comparison to past events. “The Savour was well attended. Attendance seemed to be down from previous years, but not entirely surprising
with the economy as it is. But we are still happy with the attendance and the cabaret exceeded our expectations,” said Savour the Southeast cochair Amanda Spenst. The cabaret performance by Aces Wild took place at the Power Dodge Curling Centre this year and was really well attended. “Everybody seemed to be having a really great time… Being the first year having it in two separate locations, we weren’t really sure how that would go. Whether people would just go home right after savour, or whether they would
actually head over to the curling rink. And it seemed like the majority of the people did head over to the cabaret next door, and we did have more people (coming just) for the cabaret also,” said Spenst. It was really busy at the cabaret, and Spenst said that looking forward they will consider keeping the savour and the cabaret parts of the night separate, instead of making everybody leave the Affinity for some time prior to proceeding with the entertainment as they used to do it before. “It turned out to be better A2 » VOLUNTEERS
Estevan strongly represented at Regina Senate hearings on Bill C-48 By Brian Zinchuk brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net
The Senate Transportation and Communications Committee got an earful when it held a hearing May 1 in Regina, looking into Bill C-48, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act. Nearly all the presentations were dead-set against the bill save one. In a curious juxtaposition, Davide Latremouille, a fisheries habitat biologist originally from the Maritimes, was representing the Skeena Fisheries Commission, whose membership included the hereditary leadership of several First Nations in the Skeena, B.C., watershed. He was calling for the tanker ban, while Sean Willy, president and chief executive officer of Des Nedhe Developments from Saskatchewan’s English River First Nation, expressed that the ban would be an impediment to northern jobs. The hearings were set up in panels made up of roughly similar interest groups, with up to four witnesses allotted an hour-long block. The witnesses each had five minutes to make
Senator Mike MacDonald, left, of Nova Scotia, asked many questions to people like Jim Wilson, right, of Estevan. Photo by Brian Zinchuk an initial statement, and the rest of the time was made up by the senators asking more in-depth questions into their positions. Speaking on behalf of the provincial government was Energy and Resources Minister Bronwyn Eyre, who got a halfhour panel to herself. Eyre said, “This Canadian energy crisis that we are in — because it is a crisis — represents; and is having on people. This crisis continues to put
Canadian jobs at risk: thousands across Western Canada. “And these are Canadian jobs. Just like GM or Chrysler jobs or SNC-Lavalin jobs. “We like to say that energy jobs are ‘people too.’” She stressed the double standard of allowing tankers off the East Coast, but banning them from the West Coast. There was a substantial Estevan contingent, especially after Senator Denise Batters
put out a request. Other Saskatchewan legislators made similar urgings for people to come forward. John Breakey of Estevanbased Fire Sky Energy said, “The message to investors is Canada is not prepared to develop or maintain its economic engines. Canada is not open for business.” Independent Well Servicing’s Brian Crossman said, A2 »TESTIMONY
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