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Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Issue 26
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United Way Estevan soars past its goal during the 41st annual telethon By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
The United Way Estevan continues to receive outstanding support from the community for its annual telethon. The 33-hour broadcast, which ran from 8 a.m. on Friday to 5 p.m. on Saturday at the Royal Canadian Legion’s Estevan branch, went off the air with a total of $350,215, one of the highest off-air figures in the fundraiser’s 41-year history. The money raised will benefit the United Way’s 15 member agencies and two community partners. “It doesn’t whether it’s a good time or bad, the community of Estevan steps up, whether it’s businesses, whether it’s individuals, whether it’s people new to Estevan or people who have been lifelong residents, they understand what the United Way does, they support everything it does and they allow us to succeed,” said local president Patrick Fisher. The United Way entered the telethon with a
goal of $325,000. It eclipsed the objective just after 2 p.m. on Saturday, when SaskPower came in with a donation of $115,336.50. But the support didn’t stop there, and donations continued to come in until the broadcast’s conclusion. Just after 4 p.m. on Saturday, Fisher called Jacline Nyman, the United Way’s national president and CEO, and informed her that Estevan’s United Way had eclipsed its goal. “That is fantastic news,” Nyman said. “Congratulations.” Fisher then stressed that raising money for the member agencies is the most important thing of all. “The city of Estevan, everyone in the community, understands and knows the works that the United Way Estevan does, that the United Way does with all of our member agencies, and the service they provide,” said Fisher. The telethon enjoyed excellent support from the moment it went on the air. By 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon, it had already sur-
passed the $100,000 mark. The final total by the end of Friday was above $119,000, which is one of the best Friday totals ever for the telethon. The broadcast continued through the overnight hours. The donations picked up again on Saturday morning. Most of the large donations came in on Saturday afternoon. Fisher admits he was surprised with how much money was raised, since the price of oil remains relatively low and some in the community are still struggling economically. “Factoring in the economy, and factoring in things like that, I obviously wanted to make sure that we had a realistic goal,” said Fisher. “I never would have expected we would be $25,000 over (the goal).” He was always confident the United Way would reach its goal, regardless of whether it happened during the broadcast or after the event was finished. In 2013 and 2015, the United Way surpassed its goal following the telethon.
The students from Macoun School looked cool for their performance during the United Way Estevan’s telethon. Fisher said it’s imperative that the United Way reach its goal every year. “That means we’re able to go to our member agencies and say ‘What we said we would give you, we will give you.’ In the end, that’s what matters, and that’s what our board strives for,” said Fisher. “It’s a full group mentality to get to that goal regardless, and whether it took us a little longer than telethon, I knew
we were going to reach it.” Entertainment happened throughout the 33 hours, with people of all ages in the community lending their talents to the broadcast. Fisher noted the telethon was held two weeks later than normal, since the legion hosted the provincial convention during the telethon’s traditional time the weekend after Thanksgiving. It allowed the United
Way to book some performers who haven’t been able to entertain in recent years because of scheduling conflicts. “We actually got a lot of new entertainment and a lot of different performers,” said Fisher. He was particularly impressed with local band the Way, who served as the closing act. The Way had performed in the past, but A2 » ENTERTAINMENT
City of Estevan Residuals management project nears completion
One person injured in Highway 18 rollover
By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
One person sustained serious injuries in a rollover on Highway 18 near Torquay on Monday morning. Members of the Estevan RCMP, the Torquay Fire Departments, the Estevan Fire Rescue Service and Estevan EMS were called to the rollover just before 8 a.m., about five kilometres east of Torquay. Cpl. Craig Park of the Estevan RCMP reported the lone occupant of the eastbound vehicle was a female who had to be airlifted to Regina by the STARS Air Ambulance in serious condition. Highway 18 was closed for about two hours while an RCMP traffic analyst conducted an investigation. Park said the cause of the accident had not been determined as of Monday afternoon, but road conditions were believed to be a factor. The highway was icy at the time of the accident due to freezing rain that had moved through the area, and the new asphalt on the highway became smooth and icy.
One of the most significant capital projects undertaken by the City of Estevan this year is slated to be completed before the end of November. A residuals management facility, which is located behind the water treatment plant, is a $2 million project that is being costshared by the city, the provincial government and the federal government. Kevin Sutter, the water division manager for the city, said the project is on track to be completed in time for a grand opening celebration on Nov. 24. “They have to put some of the mechanical equipment in,” Sutter said in an interview with the Mercury. “They’re working on putting on some pumps that will move the water to the ponds. And there are some valves that have to be put in on the decant structure of the ponds, and some mechanical things.” The lingering work can be completed regardless of the weather, he said. Even if Estevan receives a large dump of snow, it
The residuals management project behind Estevan’s water treatment plant will be completed before the end of the year. won’t prevent the remaining tasks from happening. The ponds for the residuals management have been dug and are complete. The landscaping is finished as well. “The whole project required a lot of clearing of brush, and then digging the
ponds out, placing a clay liner in the ponds, putting the geotextile down, putting the riprap down and then pouring the decant structures and putting in all the pipe work that moves the water to and from the settling ponds,” said Sutter. A2 » WATER
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