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Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Issue 27
SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903
www.estevanmercury.ca
Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240
Council approves snow removal policy By David Willberg and William Acri The City of Estevan expects to offer the same level of snow removal as it did this past winter. Estevan city council approved the snow removal policy for 2017-18 at its meeting on Monday night. The timing was appropriate, since it came just days after the city received a couple of dustings of snow that created some icy road conditions. Those conditions improved once sand was applied. “I think the people demand (quality) snow removal,” said Norm Mack, the roads and drainage manager for the city’s public works division. “It was obvious last year that it’s what the people want.”
Mack said the city spent a lot of money on snow removal last winter, thanks to five large snowstorms that hammered the city. Total snow removal costs so far this year are $556,953; the budget for 2017 is about $263,400. “But we have to be practical, too,” said Mack. “If there is three or four inches, we’re not going out and moving snow on priority 3s. We’ll let them pack. “So people have to understand that last year, with all those storms, we had no choice. We just had to do it … because there was so much of it.” The city received a significant snowstorm in January and a blizzard in March. There were also some expenses stemming from a Christmas Day snowstorm last year, since some of the
Bail denied for Marion Ellson By Brian Zinchuk brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net
Two people charged in connection with a drug bust in southeast Saskatchewan during the Thanksgiving long weekend were back in court on Nov. 6, and one will be staying behind bars until the conclusion of her trial. Marion Ellson, a 51-year-old woman from Regina, had her show cause hearing, also known as a bail hearing, on that day. Judge Lane Wiegers imposed a publication ban on evidence in the case. Ellson was denied bail on Nov. 6, and was remanded in custody. Her next appearance will be Nov. 20, by video, for election. She has been charged with one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, one count of possession of a firearm while prohibited from doing so, and one count of careless storage of a firearm. All three charges are under the Criminal Code. She is also facing one count of possession of a con-
trolled substance and one count of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Federal Crown prosecutor Eric Neufeld stayed one count of possession of a controlled substance. Accused in relation to these matters, Neil Goertzen, 60, from Regina, also made an appearance. The Crown elected indictment on his charges. Goertzen had previously been released on a non-cash bail with conditions. Goertzen has been charged with one count of possession of a firearm without a licence and one count of careless storage of a firearm under the Criminal Code, and one count of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Goertzen is to appear in court on Dec. 4 to confirm his legal representation.
cleanup work happened early this year. Mack hopes the city will receive as little snow as possible in the final weeks of the year. Snow removal is an essential service, he said, because emergency vehicles need to access the roads and people need to drive in the community. The city won’t be short-changing its snow removal service until the end of the year because of the budget overages. “Snow removal will not be effected by budgets; if the snow comes we will be dealing with it,” said Mack. Mack noted other communities have called the city to find out what Estevan is doing, and have even asked Mack to coach their crews. The snow removal
City of Estevan crews were out clearing snow from pathways in Estevan on Thursday after the city received its first snowfall of the year. Photo by William Acri equipment is ready for the upcoming winter, he said. The city has two relatively new snowblowers, three loaders, a backhoe, a skidsteer for pathways, and
three tandem trucks. It also has access to contractors in the event of a larger snow event. “We have a good fleet of mechanics now, so … be-
fore everything is put away, it’s fixed and ready to go for the next winter,” said Mack. The policy approved by council on Monday night A2 » SEVERAL
Charges laid in connection with 2015 armed robbery By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
The Estevan Police Service (EPS) has announced charges have been laid for an armed robbery that occurred at the Royal Heights Esso in 2015. In an interview with the Mercury on Nov. 1, EPS Deputy Chief Murray Cowan said the charges were laid following an investigation by the local police’s Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU). E v a n G a r r o w, a 27-year-old Estevan man, has been charged with armed robbery, committing an offence while his face was masked or covered, and theft of a motor vehicle worth more than $5,000, all under the Criminal Code of Canada. Garrow is also facing five further charges from offences that date back to this past spring, Cowan said. Four counts are for uttering death threats and one is for intimidating a court witness, all under the Criminal Code. The uttering threats
and intimidation charges are unrelated to the Royal Heights incident, Cowan said. “Extensive work has gone into these investigations by our CIU detectives,” said Cowan. “Although investigations can become dated, they often remain ongoing, and can result in these types of conclusions.” Cowan said these investigations, like the one for the armed robbery, can take a lengthy amount of time because the information or evidence might not be there initially to make an arrest or file charges. “A number of things can happen with these types of things,” said Cowan. “You can have forensic evidence that was obtained at the time, and sometimes there’s a delay in the process of getting that forensic evidence. It can be a situation where information doesn’t come forward until a couple years, or a year or so after an offence.” It’s not uncommon for the EPS to get information on offences that somebody
had, but didn’t share, because they didn’t believe the information was relevant, or they didn’t think it might help put the pieces of the puzzle together. “Once it comes together, and once we get that information, it can put those pieces of the puzzle together that I mentioned, and next thing you know, you can solve the offences,” said Cowan. For serious offences like this, the files will often remain open and the investigation will be ongoing. But because of the time lapsed for the case, the interest in the case from the public might fade over time. “From a police perspective, some cases can become dated, and historical,” said Cowan. The armed robbery occurred on Nov. 23, 2015, and was committed with a knife, Cowan said. Cash and cigarettes were taken. The stolen vehicle was later recovered. As for the uttering threats and intimidations charges, police were inves-
tigating them at the same time as the armed robbery. “Everything came together at the same time, which is why we announced everything at the same time,” said Cowan. The charges for threats and intimidation were filed on Sept. 15. The uttering threats charge came on Oct. 12. Garrow is currently in custody in Regina and was scheduled to appear in court in Weyburn on Nov. 7. Cowan noted that anyone with information regarding a serious offence, regardless of when it happened, is encouraged to call the Estevan Police Service at 306-634-4767 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-2228477. There is no statute of limitations for serious incidents, Cowan said. “With serious offences, any information is good … and sometimes the smallest piece can put the puzzle together, so we like to get out – even though a lot of times it can involve a lot of work – to conduct these investigations,” said Cowan.
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