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SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
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Issue 17
BROW SE T
OUGH R H
Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240
Province announces new rural enforcement unit By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
The provincial government has announced the creation of the new Protection and Response Team (PRT) to aid in the reduction of crime in rural Saskatchewan. The new PRT is being created in response to recommendations by the Caucus Committee on Crime. The PRT will consist of 258 armed officers who will have arrest and detention powers. Estevan MLA Lori Carr was among the committee’s members. She said it was an interesting learning experience to be part of the committee, because she saw some of the crimerelated issues facing other parts of the province. “What I see is more of drugs and DUIs (driving under the influence) and stuff like that (in Estevan) … but as I went out to the other communities, and even as we visited here, I got to hear what actually happens because of that, all of the related issues, with drug trafficking,” said Carr. Domestic violence and other family-related related issues can often be connected to drugs and other substance abuse issues, she said. The committee went to 10 different communities over a 12-day span last year. They listened to 58 groups in face-to-face consultations, and they also received other submissions
Lori Carr through e-mails and other correspondences. Police forces, Indigenous groups, a school board, a health region and other groups shared their concerns with the committee. “We got a really, really well-rounded look from many people’s different point of views as far as crime goes,” said Carr. Once the meetings were finished, the committee met to take the findings and bring them together for the report. The committee’s report calls for a total of 120 police officers to come from RCMP and municipal police services, with 60 police positions currently deployed to the Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan (CTSS) Initiative, 30 new police positions and 30 re-purposed police positions currently funded by the ministry. They will be integrated with 40 Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure commercial vehicle en-
forcement officers (CVEO), with expanded powers, and 98 Ministry of Environment conservation officers (CO). Carr doesn’t expect the new unit will have an impact on the CO’s ability to enforce fish and wildlife laws, among the other duties they have. She said the committee was looking for solutions that are affordable, so that the government can work with resources in place, while making some new additions. “I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out,” said Carr. “It’s a little bit more than I thought. I think there’s some great detail in here.” If the PRT is successful with its goal, then it will be a great initiative in the end, she said. A total of $5.9 million will be invested in order to support the new group and other recommendations in the report. SGI will provide $4.9 million directly to fund the additional officers and an additional $1 million will come from the Ministry of Justice to address recommendations. Estevan police Chief Paul Ladouceur believes the report has positive components because it will increase police visibility and awareness in rural communities. “The distance between built-up communities is very vast, so to be able to police all the time everywhere is very difficult,” said Ladouceur. “It’s not surpris-
Playpark carnival Ashley Messner tosses a ring around a bowling pin during the Estevan Play Parks carnival on Thursday afternoon at the Rusty Duce Play Park. This year’s theme was the Country Fair, and so many of the activities had a fair theme. Children also enjoyed swimming and using the park’s playground equipment. Photo by David Willberg ing that there would be a concern over rural crime, because how do you police such broad spaces with only so many resources?” Drawing on the traffic officers, the CVEOs and the COs will create a greater degree of enforcement, he said.
Ladouceur doesn’t expect that the people in Estevan will see a loss in enforcement because the CTSS officers are now focused on other duties. The CTSS unit in Estevan has six officers, with four from the RCMP and two from the Estevan Police Service.
“You’re going to see an increase in the number of officers in the Regina area, the Prince Albert area and those areas that don’t have CTSS right now will see a significant increase,” said Ladouceur. “I think we were kind A2 » POLICE
Highway 39 twinning project remains on schedule The Highway 39 twinning project east of Estevan remains on track to be completed this year. David Marit, the provincial minister of highways and infrastructure, said the project is progressing well. The reconstruction of the subgrade is almost complete on the existing lanes of Highway 39 south of the junction with Highway 18, and to accommodate the work that is taking place, traffic has been diverted onto the newly constructed lanes of Highway 39. The realigned junction for Highways 39 and 18 opened a few weeks ago, marking another key milestone of the project. The junction was moved several hundred metres to
the west for safety reasons, so that the junction will be at a right angle. “I know there are temporary traffic signals now on Highway 18 and the coal haul road, and I know they’re working on that, and that’s just for safety to accommodate the mining traffic crossing the highway,” said Marit. Changes have also been made to the double lanes that were in place for Highway 39 just east of the city limits. The stretch that had been used for eastbound traffic is now closed, while the lanes that had been used for westbound traffic have been converted to singlelane traffic in each direction while the twinning project is ongoing.
“We are still very hopeful that, weather permitting, and obviously the weather has been permitting here for a while now, that the project will be completed and we will be opening it to traffic by the end of October,” said Marit. Marit said there were some delays regarding the construction of the coal haul road, but those are settled and they’re able to proceed again. “I know the contractor was quite concerned that if we didn’t proceed quickly on trying to work those issues out, that it would have probably delayed the paving and stuff to next year,” said Marit. “But it sounds like we’re … back on schedule.”
Construction is ongoing on Highway 39 east of Estevan.
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