FOREVER REMEMBERED
PEEWEE BRUINS
Monument finalized
A3
A11
Tryouts attract new faces
Issue 20
SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
www.estevanmercury.ca
Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240
Meeting held in Bienfait regarding the future of coal-fired electricity in Saskatchewan By Brady Bateman bbateman@estevanmercury.ca
A public discussion was held in the town of Bienfait on Thursday regarding the future of coal-fired power in Saskatchewan, and the rest of the country. The meeting was hosted by Souris-Moose Mountain MP Robert Kitchen, who stated that the purpose of the evening was not for him to speak to the attendees, but to have the attendees speak to him, and to suggest ideas that could be useful in the argument of the importance of coal power in Canada. “Why I’m here is that I, with a couple of my colleagues from Alberta that have coal mining in their ridings, as well as coal energy in their ridings,
we obviously have some big concerns, for you, for the communities and the big impact that this will have on this part of Saskatchewan as well as Alberta,” said Kitchen. “When you see what has happened in Ontario when they shut down coal, and the devastation that happened in the communities, as well as the cost of electricity, we want to try and approach that in a proactive way.” “What our plan today is, is to talk to our constituents and over the next month or so and devise a policy as to where we should go with coal mining and the coal industry. We believe that you, who work in the industry, know a lot more about these things than we do as politicians, so we need your help to create a policy
that … we can hopefully pitch to our leadership such that we will hopefully put that in our platform for the next election.” Roughly 40 people were in attendance, with many voicing their concerns. Several members of the Bienfait community were in attendance, including Mayor Paul Carroll. Also in attendance were Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig, Torquay Mayor Michael Strachan and Jackie Wall, executive director for the Estevan Chamber of Commerce. Several attendees voiced their growing concerns over the possible loss of jobs throughout Saskatchewan if coal power is phased out. Another frequent concern was the federal government’s disinterests in the idea of investing money into carbon capture technology, and
continued development in the coal-fired power sector. Among those with growing concerns was Ludwig, who voiced concerns over the possible loss of jobs at the Boundary Dam Power Station. “Everyone here is very concerned and everyone should be,” said Ludwig. “We absolutely are hopeful that clean coal has a future, and we need it to have a future with Unit 6 and Shand Power Station to keep the employment going, because otherwise we will be totally decimated in this area. We are talking large dollars, we are talking $50 or $60 million a year in this economy that the power plants and the mine bring, and if you take those out it will be unbelievable.” A2 » WORRIES
Souris-Moose Mountain MP Robert Kitchen speaks to a crowd at a meeting held in the town of Bienfait on Sept.13. Photo by Brady Bateman
New report recommends a new police building By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
The Estevan Police Service (EPS) could eventually be moving to a new building, rather than expanding its current home. Police Chief Paul Ladouceur and Deputy Chief Murray Cowan presented a report to Estevan city council during council’s meeting on Monday night. The report, prepared by Rebanks Pepper Littlewood Architects, recommends the construction of a new police station, as opposed to a renovation of the current building. The current building was built about 60 years ago, and was renovated in 1991. “There are several security deficiencies, as well as space deficiencies, that were noted, hampering performance and the ability to provide adequate protection within Estevan,” Ladouceur said.
The report states that during the past 60 years, technology has improved, with the need for special labs and server rooms to conduct cyber investigations. Retention periods result in more space for file and evidence storage. Crimes have become more sophisticated, creating a need for specialized units. Discussions on the future of the current building, located at the intersection of 11th Avenue and Third Street, have been going on for the better part of a year and a half, Ladouceur said. In October 2016, the police service began looking at concerns with the current facility. Two months later, the EPS presented concerns to the Estevan board of police commissioners. The following month, it was decided to have a third party examine what local residents need for a facility. Findings were first dis-
McIsaac pleads guilty to theft Aleah McIsaac, a 36-year-old woman from Estevan, pleaded guilty to one count of theft over $5,000 in Estevan Provincial Court on Monday. The charge stemmed from when McIsaac was involved with the Estevan Youth Soccer Association. The period of the offence was from Jan. 1, 2016, to Feb. 1, 2017.
A second charge of fraud exceeding $5,000 is expected to be stayed upon sentencing. McIsaac’s lawyer, Jonathan Goby, asked for a presentencing report. He also asked if electronic monitoring would be considered. Her case has been adjourned until Oct. 29 for the pre-sentence report and sentencing.
Police Chief Paul Ladouceur, left, and Deputy Chief Murray Cowan delivered a report to Estevan city council at Monday night’s meeting. cussed last year. Ladouceur stressed that the recommendation for a new police facility came from the architectural firm, and not the EPS. Rebanks Pepper Littlewood has been providing architectural and planning services to police organizations across North America, the police chief said, and has in-depth experience in police needs assessments. “Many spaces within the existing building are undersized, and there are many activities for which dedicated space is not available,” Ladouceur said while reading the report. “The continuing move towards more specialization in response to changing police strategies and methods has further impacted the pressure on existing space.”
That lack of space results in inefficiencies and hampers the organization’s operations, particularly in times of emergency or in response to major incidents. The shortcomings include inadequate meeting spaces, project rooms, training areas, or staff briefing rooms; a lack of interview and briefing areas for witnesses, victims, suspects and members of the public; inadequate forensic identification areas, including an inability to conduct analysis on smart phones and other devices; a lack of lockers and other amenities; and an inadequate dispatch area. “We now don’t have the capacity to put another locker in our female locker room,” Ladouceur said. “So if we were to hire another female today,
where are we putting her?” Ceiling tiles have been removed to allow for folders and files to be stored, and the property room is at capacity. As for safety issues, since the police station was built, threats to police have increased, and safety for officers has changed dramatically. “I don’t think there’s anybody that’s toured that facility that doesn’t realize the space concerns. We’ve had it commented on at open houses, we’ve certainly had board tours. We’ve had council tour through our building.” The report presents a total of four options. Three of them involve renovating and expanding the current building by closing off part of the 300-block of 11th Avenue and incorporating the former fire
hall building into the design. The fourth, which involves building a new police station, projected a cost of $9.9 million. The costs of those projects range from $8.9 million to $10.49 million. Ladouceur said building codes, and the cost of expansion versus new construction, will play into which direction to take. “We can’t just renovate and put an addition on a building that’s 60 years old, without looking at what we are doing with the 60-year-old part of facility, and how we’re going to utilize that.” A location hasn’t been determined for a new police station if one were to be built, but the police chief doesn’t believe it has to be centrally A2 » REPORT
118 Souris Ave. N., Estevan 306-634-3696 www.senchuk.com