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Issue 15
SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903
winm!er
Police make arrests for meth By Brady Bateman bbateman@estevanmercury.ca
The Estevan Police Service (EPS) has made several arrests in recent weeks in regards to methamphetamines. Members of the EPS arrested one individual early on Aug.2, after receiving calls of a man walking in public wearing only pajama bottoms. Police arrested the man with reasonable suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and found a substance believed to be crystal meth. The previous day the EPS conducted a traffic stop on a male who was believed to be in possession of a controlled substance according to Estevan Police Chief Paul Ladouceur. “This particular investigation was an ongoing investigation, that resulted in one male being arrested in relation to possession for the purpose of trafficking methamphetamine,” said Ladouceur. “In this case, the male was stopped in his vehicle, where the drugs were seized at the time. Further drugs were seized as a result of a search warrant executed at two residences, resulting in an estimated street value of over $3,200 in meth seized from the suspect.” The EPS also made an arrest on Aug.4 in relation to methamphetamine possession. Police conducted a traffic stop during their night shift and apprehended two people. A 28-year-old passenger was charged with possession of methamphetamine and will appear in court on Sept. 17. The EPS has seen a marked increase in dangerous drugs like methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine in recent years, but say it is something they are extremely prepared to death with. “We’ve said it time and time again, if you do choose to traffic drugs in this community you will be caught. I
can’t be more pointed when I say, if you’re going to deal, you’re going to get caught, it’s going to happen…we’re not going to stop, this is just the beginning,” said Ladouceur. “Since the inception of our Drug Intelligence Unit we’ve been doing a lot of work in the community into the relation of the investigation of drugs including cocaine and meth, and other serious drugs like heroin, and we will continue to do these investigations and make arrests.” Of equal concern to the increase of drugs in the community, is the increase in crime that those drugs can bring with them, according to the EPS. Most notably, with increases in drugs like methamphetamine and heroin, the EPS state that an increase in crimes such as home invasions may follow, as drug users seek out cash to fund their habit. “We’ve seen home invasions, we’ve seen robberies and we’ve seen break and enters, just to try to get more meth, this is not a drug that just solely impacts the user. There is no saying it affects just lower class individuals. This can affect the community as a whole. All it takes is someone trying it one time and they may be hooked,” said Ladouceur.“We’ve seen a lot of peripheral crime that comes along with meth, users often become highly addicted and will go to no end to obtain the drug and that may mean committing other offences like thefts to provide cash to fund the habit.” According to the EPS, police often see a trickle down effect, with drugs such as methamphetamine and heroin. The drugs are noticed in larger communities before they make their way to smaller communities like Estevan where drug traffickers and dealers may A2 » POLICE
Glow Party Addison Cote, left, and Brooks Cote, right, enjoy lounging in the pool at the Churchill Park Glow Party on August 2. Photo by Brady Bateman
Unit 3 is still offline Unit 3 at the Boundary Dam Power Station is remains offline. The unit was knocked out of service by the severe thunderstorm that struck the Estevan area on June 14. In an email to the Mercury, spokesperson Jona-
than Tremblay said repairs continue on various turbine pieces at specialized labs in Canada and the U.S. “It’s high-precision work and takes some time but things are going well and we should have everything back in service at the end of August, maybe (the)
beginning of September,” said Tremblay in the email. Unit 3 is the one connected to the power station’s carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility, so when Unit 3 is offline, it means that the CCS facility is going to be offline. The CCS facility remains ready
and available to resume capturing once the power unit is restored. Units 4, 5 and 6 also sustained damage during the storm, but the damage was less severe than Unit 3, and those units resumed operation in the days after the storm.
Former mayor and Roughrider Galen Wahlmeier has died By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
A former mayor of Estevan who was also a decorated football star and a long-time educator has died. G a l e n Wa h l m e i e r, who spent six years as Estevan’s mayor, died on July 26 in Kipling at the age of 84. He was born in Jennings, Kansas, in 1934, and after playing for the University of Kansas Jayhawks, moved to Saskatchewan in 1957 to play with the Riders. He was a division all-star that year. After taking a year off, he rejoined the team
Galen Wahlmeier in 1959, and remained part of the club until 1967. Wahlmeier played centre, linebacker and long snapper for the club. He was a member of the Riders Grey Cup-winning 1966 team, although he missed the game due to
a knee injury. His daughter, Constance Wahlmeier, said her father was an excellent football player who was selected as the best player to ever wear No. 42 for the Riders during their centennial season in 2010. “He was well-known as a very good long snapper,” said Wahlmeier. While he was playing for the Riders, Wahlmeier embarked on a teaching career, and following his retirement from the CFL, he moved to Estevan with his family to continue his teaching career. “He was a principal … at Hillcrest School and then at Westview, and
when then when he became mayor, he had to return to teaching, and that’s when he went to the EJH (Estevan Junior High) School,” said Wahlmeier. Wa h l m e i e r a l s o coached youth football after moving to Estevan. He retired from teaching around 1990, she said, and a few years later he moved to the White Bear First Nation. In recent years, he had been living in Kipling. Wahlmeier was also involved with numerous boards and organizations in the Estevan area and southeast Saskatchewan, including Estevan city A2 » WAHLMEIER
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