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Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240
Issue 13
SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903
win!
MADD prepares for August Long weekend By Brady Bateman bbateman@estevanmercury.ca
A new campaign from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Regina will focus on Saskatchewan’s impaired drivers this August long weekend. Michelle Okere, regional manager for MADD Regina, said that the campaign is going to be a first for the organization, with a local approach focusing only on Saskatchewan. “Saskatchewan has had the highest rate of impaired driving in the country for several years so this is basically a collaborative approach with SGI (Saskatchewan Government Insurance), SLGA (Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority), the Ministry of Corrections and Policing, the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure and ISM (Information Systems Management) Canada, to take it from more of a grass roots level, to try to go to people in the community and ask them to get involved,” said Okere. Also affiliated with the event, the Canadian Brewhouse will be showing public service announcements designed by MADD, as well as providing safe ride cards designed to inform patrons of the safe ride options they have available to them. MADD has also partnered with local police forces to visit establishments over the long weekend and again later in August to have conversations with patrons regarding impaired driving and safe options to get themselves home. The decision to hold
the campaign over the August long weekend in Saskatchewan was made, in part, because of the date “08/04” which happens to coincide with the federal and provincial legal limits for impaired driving. A 2015 study by Statistics Canada showed that Saskatchewan led the country in impaired driving incidents with 575 per 100,000 people reported by police, with Regina and Saskatoon being third and sixth highest in the country, respectively. Alberta’s rate was the second highest in the country with 314 per 100,000 people. “We’ve made some strides in the last few years in Saskatchewan,” said Okere. “We now have new legislation around impaired driving with limits now being at .04, and we’ve been having more police on the road as well as public service announcements from SGI. We’ve seen some changes already; last year there was a 40 per cent decrease in deaths as a result of impaired driving which is a significant number.” Rural communities throughout the province are also a major focus of the MADD campaign. “Sometimes in the rural communities, people will say they don’t have cabs or public transit, but there are options even in the small towns,” said Okere. “You can have a designated driver or spend a night somewhere. The biggest thing with this campaign is telling people the responsibility is on the individual to make the right choice.” A2 » CAMPAIGN
Alex Reed, left, and Sawyer Zahn enjoyed the petting zoo at the Family Fun Day
Family Fun Day proves popular at Woodlawn Regional Park By Brady Bateman bbateman@estevanmercury.ca
Woodlawn Regional Park hosted their Family Fun Day in place of their Beach Bash on July 29 with events for the whole family to enjoy.
The one-day event, which took place at the park’s Boundary Dam beach site, was hosted in hopes to provide a more family friendly day for people in the Estevan area and surrounding communities. Activities included a
flea market featuring different vendors from the area, a rock climbing wall supplied by the Estevan Bible Camp, bouncy castles, a petting zoo, sand dig, and three shows throughout the day by Dr. Von Houligans, featuring magic and traditional
circus acts. Although there are no current plans to continue the Family Fun Day event on an annual basis the park will continue to host summer activities targeted at providing entertainment for the whole A2 » INAUGURAL
Trucker convicted of smuggling child porn into Canada By Brian Zinchuk brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net
A long haul trucker was convicted in Estevan Provincial Court on Monday of smuggling child pornography into Canada. Sarbjit Singh Kahlon was convicted of Section 159 of the Customs Act, involving smuggling prohibited items. He was not present in court, nor was his lawyer, Chris McLeod, who appeared by phone. Crown prosecutor Ali Shah noted that Kahlon had
no prior history or criminal record. He entered a joint submission between the Crown and defence accompanying a guilty plea. On July 31, 2017, at 6:15 am, Kahlon was driving his semi-trailer unit back to Canada, on his way from Florida. Customs officers searched his electronic devices and found child pornography on a Samsung cellular phone and a Kingston USB memory stick. There were three videos found between these devices. The prosecutor described in graphic detail
what was on them. The first two involved young boys ages five or six engaged in sexual acts. The third involved a child ages 12 to 13 sexually involved with an animal. The defence attorney told the judge Kahlon is a 49-year-old long-haul truck driver who was coming back from Florida. He described these as “known propaganda videos,” with a voice over carrying political commentary denouncing the actions. They had been sent to Kahlon, but he had not deleted them. He did
not describe how the videos ended up on the memory stick. Shah noted, “We do not know what was said,” referring to the different language used in the aforementioned commentary. The joint submission called for a $1,500 fine and forfeiture of the phone and memory stick. Judge Lane Wiegers agreed with the submission and imposed the fine and forfeitures. As Kahlon was not present, his lawyer would be sending him the notification of the fine.
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