Estevan Mercury 20210505

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Tanyan Strudwick launches his disc while Colby Hirsch watches at the disc golf course in Estevan’s Torgeson Park on Saturday. The park was among the sites where people could be found that day. It was one of the nicest days of the year, giving people plenty of reason to be outside at local recreation sites.

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Kin clubs looking to develop dog park within Estevan city limits

By David Willberg

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Estevan dog owners could soon have a second off-leash area to take their canines, as the Estevan Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs are looking to add a dog park to the list of amenities offered in the park they sponsor in the Hillside subdivision.

Adam Beck and Jake Porter from the Kinsmen Club were at Monday night’s meeting of Estevan city council to discuss their vision for the dog area. They would expand the fence in the northwest corner of the park, which is currently vacant.

The park would go in the empty area between the pool and the rink.

“All we’re looking at doing is

building a six-foot fence … we don’t have it all staked out or anything like that, but it would roughly require 350 feet of fence to be built. It would be built to any regulations that are present, and whatever the city would propose would be best,” said Porter.

A former member of the Weyburn Kinsmen Club, Porter noted the Kin members in Weyburn are running the dog park in that community.

Designs for the park indicate there would be a small holding pen with a small gate with access from the inside of the main park, and another small gate with access to the dog park. This area would be used to get dogs accustomed to their surroundings.

The holding pen would be located in the southeast corner of the dog park, closest to the existing change room building.

Also in the plans would be a larger gate in the southwest corner of the dog park to provide access for larger equipment such as mowers.

There would also be a small black water tank on a stand that will be used to hydrate animals as they see appropriate. Dog bowls will be provided and water from the tank will be accessed by turning a simple ball valve.

Councillor Travis Frank expressed his support, but he said when he first heard of the project, he thought the park might be too small

for a dog park. The Estevan park would be smaller than its counterpart in Weyburn, but Porter said it would still be large enough.

“It might be to our surprise as to how many people use it, but it all depends on usage, too. I think it’s a place to start, and it’s something good that we could use for that space, too,” said Porter.

Councillor Kirsten Walliser said she spoke with a homeowner in the area, because Walliser thought if anyone would have a concern, it would be those living closest to the park. That homeowner replied that when they purchased the house, they knew they would be across from an A2 » NEIGHBOURING

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Neighbouring residents to be consulted about dog park « A1 outdoor rink, which would mean lights and noise.

“They’re quite happy to hear that the city’s exploring an option where they don’t need to get into their vehicle and drive their dog to a dog park. They think this is a really welcome addition to the area.”

Walliser also supports the park, but she requested that council seek the opinions of additional homeowners in the area to get their thoughts before approving the project, but she believes the proposed addition would address a need within city limits.

There has been a dog park inside the free park area of Woodlawn Regional Park since 2016. It has been well used, but the proposed new park would be close to the heart of Estevan and more accessible.

Most people have to

drive their dog to the Woodlawn dog park, Porter said.

Some people don’t have that option.

“I just see people walking their dogs everywhere. I think it would be a great way for dog owners and pet owners just to be able to walk to a park, let their dog play and walk home,” said Porter.

Rod March, the city’s manager of parks and facilities, said there were a couple of things that were brought up, including the presence of the nearby summer play park program. There would need to be double fence lines adjacent to where kids are playing.

There were also questions around liability for dog bites. The current bylaw says dogs can’t be off leash within the city, so it would have to be changed.

For his part, March is

thrilled with the idea, especially since people are taking their dogs in areas where they aren’t off-leash.

“If it were in a place that’s already designated, I think that’s a great thing,” said March.

Mayor Roy Ludwig said pets are fantastic, and if he had a dog, he’d take it down to the park. But he stressed that council wants to make sure the neighbours are OK before giving it their official blessing.

Ludwig appreciates the relationship the city has with the Kinsmen and Kinettes.

“We’ve done jobs with them in the past and it’s always been very successful. We look forward with this one.”

Beck noted that the Kinsmen and Kinettes would be very active in maintaining the dog park, and they

Adam Beck, left, and Jake Porter from the Estevan Kinsmen Club spoke to city council about the potential for a new dog park in the city on Monday night. wouldn’t take anything from the citizens for park upkeep.

Porter stressed the Kin

clubs have worked with the city on many projects within the park, and they’re always

looking for new ways to utilize the park and the space that they have.

Sacred Heart School moves to virtual learning for two weeks Students at Sacred Heart School/École Sacré Coeur have returned to remote learning for two weeks after four cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed at the school since April 30.

Gwen Keith, the director of education for the Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division, said they decided to shift to virtual learning because of the impact of the cases. With the number of cases and close contacts,

it impacted about half of the classrooms.

“With that specifically, we had eight classrooms that would have been off,” said Keith.

The cases are from different classrooms in the school, rather than one classroom.

And there are some pending test results as well.

“As these things emerge, this is the safest, most coherent thing to do at this point for the safety of students and staff,”

said Keith. “We certainly realize this has inconvenience to families, however we are doing our best to manage the complexity of what this means.”

The decision was made Sunday, but Keith said parents had an indication Friday this was coming.

There has also been one case in the Grade 7 classroom at St. Mary’s School. The affected classroom will be shifting to virtual learning as well and return to in-person

learning on May 11.

Keith didn’t divulge whether it was staff, students or a mixture of both who tested positive between the two schools.

“The communication shared at the health level is that there is somebody who tested positive,” said Keith.

Students at Sacred Heart are slated to return to inperson learning on May 17, but the remote learning could be extended. Keith said the

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decision to have students back in the school will be based on the number of cases and discussions with administration for all concerned.

There is no immediate indication that COVID was spread within the school.

Having COVID among students and/or staff at the school “is a new experience” for Sacred Heart this school year, she said.

“What seems to happen across the province, and certainly for us, too, is certainly a community gets experienced in this because of a spread in a local community. And we deal with it, and it seems to move somewhere else.”

Sacred Heart was the last school in the division to be impacted, she said.

Holy Family students returned to Level 2, in-class learning on April 26, after spending two weeks in virtual learning. Keith believes the experience of remote learning in April will help.

“We were dealing with remote learning, off and on, throughout the last while, so this is not a highly complicated matter from the point of view of staff,” said Keith.

The school division has had significant training for its people to prepare for online learning if necessary. Each one of the schools has a remote learning lead whose job is primarily to support families and staff to be able to pivot in these situations.

“This is not something new or strange to either families or staff,” said Keith.

She thanked parents for the patience they have shown throughout this process and for their flexibility.

“I know what kind of

challenge this causes on the home front, but we have to keep people safe first, and our objective, always, has been … to do two things this year, relative to this COVID experience. One was to reduce the risk of transmission. We can’t control it 100 per cent, so we’re trying to reduce the risk of transmission, and the second thing is to continue to move forward with the education of our students in the safest way possible.”

As for the South East Cornerstone Public School Division, it has been affected by cases this week, although not to the same degree as Sacred Heart. Cornerstone returned to Level 2, in-person learning last week as well, with few exceptions.

The public divisions have several schools where positive cases have attended school while infectious.

The Estevan Comprehensive School (ECS), Carnduff Education Complex, Redvers School, Weyburn Comprehensive School (WCS), Radville Regional School and Ogema School all have classes which have moved to Level 4, remote learning.

ECS and WCS are at Level 3 learning, with students alternating between in-person and remote learning. That is scheduled to continue until next week, when the schools are slated to return entirely to in-person learning.

Meanwhile, Spruce Ridge School moved back to Level 2 learning on Monday, a week after the other schools in the division were back at Level 2.

Spruce Ridge waited a week because some of its staff were close contacts of those who tested positive for COVID.

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Team Froese finds creative ways to raise funds and awareness about Alzheimer’s disease

By Ana Bykhovskaia For the second year, a local family is dedicating time to fighting the stigma around Alzheimer's disease, while also raising some funds to support people and families living with this and other forms of dementia.

Harrison, Indy and Max Froese formed Team Froese Boys last year when they partook in IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer's for the first time. Indy said it was "pretty fun." They were able to raise over $1,000 and also they walked around with their parents and dog, wearing Walk for Alzheimer's T-shirts.

Indy said it wasn't very difficult to meet their goal, as many people supported their cause. He also explained that Team Froese has a personal motive to keep participating in the campaign.

"We are motivated because our grandfather has Alzheimer's, dementia, and we decided that it would be awesome if we could raise awareness and raise funds for people affected by Alzheimer's," Indy said.

Last year's success inspired them to keep on with their mission this spring.

The team has already started fundraising towards their goal of $1,250, which they want to forward to the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan after the walk. These funds will go

towards programs and services that improve the quality of life for people living with dementia and their families, as well as funding research into causes, a cure and improvements to quality of life.

Harrison said that they appreciate any support.

This year the Froese boys came up with more ideas that should make their fundraising efforts even more successful.

First, they decided to keep on going with recording personal videos for every donor, supporting their campaign. Max said the idea was suggested by their mom Jennifer Froese.

"The thank-you videos are just our little extra for people who donate to Team Froese Boys. We want to thank them in a really fun, silly, personal way. So the boys sing songs, dance (and do other things)," explained Jennifer.

With another month to go, Team Froese has already recorded nine "thank-you" videos. In the videos, they wear the IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer's TShirts and make sure that the content matches the interests or hobbies of each of their supporters.

"Whenever someone donates and we know them a little bit, we'll do something that they like. Our other grandpa is into Star Wars, so we'll do something a little on the lines of Star Wars and Star Trek. And then we'll just per-

Team Froese consists of three brothers, Harrison, Indy and Max Froese, who dedicate a lot of time to raise awareness and funds to support people with Alzheimer's disease in honour of their grandfather, who has dementia.

Photo by Ana Bykhovskaia sonalize them to something that would make them laugh," explained Harrison.

The team is trying to make videos as fast as they can. They also did some on-location recording, performing at Boundary Dam, at a playground and at other places, thus also personalizing their "thank yous." Once videos are completed, the Froeses share them with the community.

"We post them on Facebook (and tag the donors) so that not only the people who donated can see them, but everybody can see," Indy said.

The boys said that they like partaking in the campaign and grateful to see the support

from the community.

"I think it's pretty awesome when people donate because it spreads awareness and raises funds to help people and families who've been affected by it. So when people donate, it's really nice," Indy said.

"I think it's pretty good because it helps our grandpa and other people with dementia," Max added.

"I think it just shows how much our community cares about people affected with dementia and just how much people care," Harrison concluded.

On May 11, Team Froese will also be the beneficiary of Black Beard’s Restaurant's

weekly Burgers for a Cause effort.

"Anybody who buys a burger from Black Beard’s, $5 of that purchase will go to the Team Froese Boys and to the IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer's," Indy explained.

At the time of the interview, their total was $520, and they were confident that they will reach the goal.

"We're just really proud of them for how much they're engaged and that they let their silliness show in their videos.

We're just really, really proud of the boys," said Jennifer.

To support Team Froese, people can go to https://www.

justgiving.com/fundraising/ teamfroeseboys or stop by Black Beard’s in Estevan on May 11 and purchase a Burger for a Cause.

On May 30, Team Froese will walk around Royal Heights Veterans’ Memorial Park in Estevan, attracting more attention to the cause.

Walks from all across the province will be streamed live on Facebook on the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan page.

"Anyone who wants to join, can watch and see people from across Canada walking and (hear) their stories," explained Jennifer.

The IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer's is one of Saskatchewan's biggest fundraising events, according to the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan website. It takes place in more than seven communities across the province.

Due to COVID restriction, the walk this year is virtual with participants fundraising and raising awareness in their own ways at their own pace.

But the walks are to take place on the same day, thus wrapping up the campaign.

"Together we display a combined strength and dedication in the fight against this disease," says the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan website.

More information about the IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer's can be found at alzheimers.ca/sk.

The Reach Cafe provides connection in times of isolation

By Olivia Grandy The Reach Café is a specialty pop-up coffee shop with a cause. The café’s committee works alongside the United Church in Oxbow and Alameda to create a welcoming space for all.

The Mercury spoke to the Reach committee and the baristas about the café’s success, mission in the community and future plans.

The Reach Café, a nonprofit, has been operating using grant money from the United Church of Canada since February 2019. The café is located in the basements of the United Churches in Oxbow and Alameda, where they welcome the community.

Recently, the Reach Café was closed for three weeks due to increased COVID-19 cases in the area, but is excited to have their doors open once again.

“This is our second week open. It was a good week back. We’ve had some pretty good traffic. We have some new drink items, so there have been regulars in to see what’s different,” said barista Megan Andersen.

The café’s goal has always been to build connection in the community, so all

items are pay by donation.

Committee member Anita Warner explained that when the grant money was initially received, they wanted to meet a need within the community. Together, the committee agreed that it was missing an accessible specialty coffee shop.

“Now more than ever, people need ways to connect, and this is a way that we can offer our building because otherwise, it would be sitting empty right now. I think we are called to share with the world,” said Warner.

With the help of Michel Ellis of Michael’s Coffee Shop and Bakery in Carlyle and Estevan, Penny Lasy and Megan Andersen became trained baristas. The Reach Café also sources its coffee beans from Michael’s. Reach feels that they are creating a demand for specialty coffee all across the southeast corner.

“When we started, there were many people who had never had a latte or a cappuccino.”

It is also a value of the Reach Café to source local items, with almost everything they use and sell being Canadian-made.

The committee recently received its last year of fund-

ing through the grant from the United Church. This means that eventually, they may have to set menu prices.

However, they emphasized that there will always be an option to pay by donation.

“I want people to know that there is a place to gather.

If you have no money, you can still come here and have a drink. We’re not looking at how much people donate, but we’re hoping that people who can put in money and can be generous will, so that the café can continue. It’s kind of like a community trust in that we share as we are able,” expressed Warner.

A notable priority of the Reach Café is to be an inviting space for people of all gender identities, sexual orientations, nationalities, and religions. Rev. Jackie van’t Voort shared how this value aligns with the mission of the café.

“One of the things that we aim to do with this is to break those barriers and stereotypes down so that people can feel welcome coming into the building. Sometimes I think that people see a church and they go, ‘Oh, I can’t go there.’ What we’re saying is yes, you can. Come have a coffee,” van’t Voort said.

Van’t Voort said the Reach Cafe is part of a larger vision for the community and is the foundation of other potential initiatives in Oxbow and Alameda.

“The mission and the goal of the Reach Café is to be a place where people can reach out to one another, they can be in touch with one another, and it’s a safe space.

The fact that the church has this space available and is willing to give it so freely is our way of saying to the communities, we’re here, and we support you. We want to give you what you need, but we also need you to tell us what you need, so here’s a space and here’s an opportunity to do that.”

The Reach Café would like to acknowledge the hard work of all committee members, including Kathleen Rae, Heather Tober, Mike Meyer, Margaret Pool, Sara East and Rayanne Freitag.

The Reach Café is open on Tuesdays in Oxbow and Wednesdays in Alameda from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Oxbow on Thursdays from 6-8 p.m.. You can view their full menu on their Facebook page and follow their Instagram, @the_reach_cafe to receive updates.

Barista Penny Lasy serving customers at the Reach Cafe in Oxbow.

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The changing face of downtown Estevan It was one of those ideas that had to be shelved for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it appears to be ready to go now.

The Estevan Downtown Business Association’s first outdoor market is slated to occur Thursday night. And while the name of the event is a market, it’s going to be much more than that.

People who attend can look forward to live music and food trucks, in addition to the assortment of vendors you’d expect at an outdoor market.

We praised the idea when it was brought forward in early March of last year. Unfortunately, COVID forced the plans to be delayed until this year.

And while this damn pandemic is far from over, the Downtown Business Association is confident that they can pull off this idea safely, in much the same way that the Estevan Farmers’ Market held their outdoor markets last year without issue. (We’re confident in the Farmers’ Market’s ability to hold markets safely this year, too, starting May 8).

These weekly Thursday markets are another example of the overdue changes that we’re seeing in downtown Estevan.

We have multiple shopping areas besides downtown Estevan. There are lots of businesses on 13th Avenue and Souris Avenue North, in the southeast corner, in the south end and in northeast Estevan. Our business community is

diverse and spread out.

But the downtown area is going to play an important role in Estevan and any other community, because of the concentration of businesses. Since we have a national highway that cuts through our downtown area, it makes that core even more important.

However, downtown Estevan needs to be more than just the place where you go to shop, even though we have a nice assortment of businesses.

The Orpheum Theatre is a big asset for our downtown. It brings people to central Estevan, including many that wouldn’t be here otherwise.

After all, it’s one of only two year-round theatres east of Highway 6 and south of Highway 13.

The patio that was introduced to the front of The Tap House a couple of years ago was a nice addition as well for giving people another hangout, at least for a few months of the year.

And we’re seeing new businesses move into downtown Estevan. It wasn’t that long ago that you saw quite a number of vacancy signs hanging in the 1200-block of Fourth Street. There are still open spots for retailers, but not as many as there were before.

The bonus is that these new businesses have jazzed-up storefronts. It’s not just enough to have a sign above the window and the business name on the door. KoN Artistan Ice Cream, Blonde Beauty Lounge and Kessel Run Games have all

added some flair to their storefronts, enticing customers.

If you were skeptical about the tax credit that the City of Estevan has for business storefronts, we’re seeing why it’s such a good idea.

It would be great to see other businesses jump at this.

It’s also been wonderful to see the number of people in the community, throughout the community, showing confidence in Estevan – especially during a tough time – and opening new businesses, or expanding their existing companies.

We hear about creating a buzz in Estevan, and downtown is an important part of that.

Doug Griffiths of 13 Ways – who has been contracted out by the city to help with economic development – is a vocal proponent of downtown areas. The Rafferty Rumble was a tremendous showcase of our downtown area.

These downtown markets are just another piece of the puzzle. You can be sure downtown merchants will be staying open late each Thursday to capitalize on the added traffic.

So let’s make sure we’re supportive of these markets. Keep the vendors busy each week. Hopefully they’ll look forward to coming.

Hopefully they’ll see the value. And downtown merchants will see benefits as well.

And in the process, there can be more buzz in Estevan.

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The past year sure made things look different. Like a mirror, it flipped everything.

I won't pretend that I'm still a big fan of Zoom wine and cheese nights. They were a lot of fun a year ago. We even had a high school class reunion over Zoom. Some of us haven't seen each other in a few years, as we all live in different countries now, and it took a pandemic to come up with a "genius" idea to meet online. It was good. But after several months of Zoomed life, I lost the taste for it.

Some events really lost something when they switched to an online format. Some of them we lost completely. Hopefully, just for now. But when I started thinking about it, I realized that there are so many events and activities that are winning and that are progressing with the speed of light now.

I know that if I have a choice, I always will choose an in-person meeting with friends over a virtual one. However, I also realized how many opportunities we have now. The technical potential was already there, and the new situation just sped up the process of integrating it into our lives.

Friendly and family gatherings are one thing, but all types of general or just organizational meetings are a completely different story. In most cases, they don't involve much interaction outside the agenda, so in these cases, I was grateful to save a few hours on the road and join from my cozy home office.

One friend of mine is an eager learner.

She takes a lot of workshops to perfect different aspects of her professional skills. The booming development of online education even further intensified by lack of any inperson options turned her into a real guru in her profession. She learned a lot, and I think by

Ana Bykhovskaia Twenty Lines About… now she has enough diplomas and certificates to cover at least one full wall at her work.

I also took a few webinars, training sessions and classes over the past year. The experience was very different from what it would be if it was a normal event. But if it was in-person education, I probably wouldn't even think of taking it as some of it was produced in Russia, some in the U.S, some in Europe and some in Latin America.

This year, the Souris Valley Museum also started rapidly exploring the new opportunities brought to us by the pandemic and technology. They started doing virtual tours and also hosted their first-ever virtual workshop last week with about 500 students and teachers attending.

Summer is traditionally their busy season when they get tourists and locals stopping by just to have a quick peak at the museum’s collection of artifacts or to seriously tour the building and learn about the history of the area. They also have summer camps, where kids get a chance to learn something about the museum. But even at the busiest times, I don't think they had 500 people coming through their doors in a week or even a month on a regular basis.

With a virtual format, they were able to share what they have with students from all across Saskatchewan. It probably wasn't as exciting as a field trip would be, but I bet some of the participants didn't know much

about Estevan before. They probably didn't even know where Estevan was. Now they do, and maybe one day they will come to check out the museum and everything else Estevan has to offer in person.

Saskatchewan fire chiefs recently participated in an online professional conference. Of course, the networking wasn't there, but at least they were able to get on the same page as to what the main focuses are this year and share some experiences.

It seems that over the past 14 months we mastered the technology, we learned how to hold virtual conferences for thousands of people without any major hiccups, we figured out online education and, of course, the virtual sales industry.

The latest sector is just booming. According to Insider Intelligence, neither numerous economic challenges nor flat retail sales overall could slow down the progress and last year Canadian ecommerce grew 20.7 per cent, reaching over $52 billion, which is equal to 8.1 per cent of all retail.

Many small businesses that weren't actively present in the online world joined ecommerce giants. By no means they can compete, but I enjoy shopping at a local store I like and whose quality I trust without a need to physically go anywhere. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who was grateful for the flexibility of the businesses.

Now we need to find a way for successful networking in the world where, for some time yet, we will have to stay separated by at least six feet.

I don't know if it's possible, but the victories of the last year suggest that nothing is impossible when we really want to.

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Support for fundraiser continued to roll in for Boundary Dam employee who died from COVID-19

Bill C-10 was way out of hand It appears that Canadians’ concerns have been heard over Bill C-10 – the federal Liberal government’s new legislation that would have clamped down on new media platforms, including social media.

The government says an amendment will make it clear that content individual users upload to social media sites like YouTube and Facebook won’t be regulated by Bill C-10.

His comments come after days of speculation and pushback by politicians and average citizens who were worried that Bill C-10 would infringe on freedom of speech.

Bill C-10 started innocuously enough – an effort to modernize our laws, and create legislation that reflects our consumption of music, movies and broadcast content has changed.

In particular, it wants to see large online streaming services contribute to the creation, production and promotion of Canadian content.

I’m all for having more Canadian content on Netflix. I don’t watch nearly enough Canadian programming online. Quality Canadian programming in recent years is not just limited to Schitt’s Creek.

There are some really talented people out there in our country doing some great things, not just in film and television, but in Canadian music as well.

We can always do more to promote the talent that exists within our own borders.

Unfortunately, Bill C-10 went far beyond having more Canadian content on streaming services.

A provision in the bill could have allowed the federal government to order the deletion of any Facebook, YouTube, Instagram or Twitter upload made by a Canadian.

You know you have created a potential monster when the former head of the Canadian Radio-Telecommunications Commission says it is an assault upon free expression.

Thankfully, it appears the feds are backing away on this, although to what extent has yet to be determined.

We had no real need for the social media provisions in Bill C-10. There are rules in place to regulate the online world.

If you want to go online and spread rhetoric that is discriminatory or even hate-filled to people based on their gender, religion, race, nationality, sexual orientation or a disability, then there are laws in place to hold you accountable. And you should be held accountable.

Regardless of who said it, diversity is strength.

Thankfully, the people who spew such venom are the minority in this country, although that minority seems to be growing.

If you decide you want to commit slander or libel against someone online on a Facebook post, then you’re at risk of getting sued, and frankly, you deserve to face a lawsuit.

There are a lot of people who have lost their jobs, or have lost opportunities or suffered harm to their reputations, because of what they have said online.

So why in the hell did we need the social media amendments to Bill C-10 anyways?

Had the social media provisions remained in Bill C-10, they would have created a train wreck.

With all of the garbage that is posted to online platforms, and with all of the people who take offence the moment something is posted that they disagree with, we all know that whoever is tasked with policing the online world would have a very busy department.

You’d have people complaining about why their social media account was axed and someone else’s wasn’t.

And who’s going to be responsible for the bills for this new regulation? The taxpayers, of course.

Facebook has a hard enough time looking after itself. That’s why so much vile content slips onto its pages and remains there for a prolonged period of time. Can you imagine how difficult it would be for the feds to seemingly babysit all of the social media pages in this country.

And, eventually, the social media clauses in Bill C-10 would have been overturned eventually, making all of the discussion a giant waste of time.

So now we get to breathe a giant sigh of relief that Bill C-10 was squashed, that we can continue to have some measure of freedom when online, and we don’t have to worry about our social media accounts being deleted for sharing something that offended someone.

We get to wonder how the federal government ever gave themselves this slippery situation, and why they had such a massive lapse in common sense.

And hopefully we will get some measures that encourage us to enjoy more Canadian content, because there is some really good talent out there.

A GoFundMe campaign for the family of Ali Syed, left, has been well supported after Syed died of COVID-19 on April 25. The campaign started while Syed was still in hospital. Photo submitted The community has continued to be very generous with its support for a former Estevan resident who died last month following a battle with COVID-19.

Ali Syed passed away on April 25 at the age of 48, just days after his wife Misbah Zakir gave birth to their third child. He had been in hospital in Regina with COVID since late March.

Syed was an employee at SaskPower’s Boundary Dam Power Station. He and his family lived in Estevan and his children went to school here, and they moved to Regina for the start of the 2020-21 school year.

He would carpool to Estevan for work at Boundary Dam, and returned to Regina during his days off.

His co-workers at Boundary Dam created a GoFundMe campaign for him in early April after he was hospitalized.

It had an early goal of $5,000, but the support easily surpassed that amount, and the campaign continued. After his death, it shifted from a fundraiser to support his medical costs to one that would assist his wife and their three young children.

As of Monday afternoon, it had raised more than $121,500, eclipsing the most recent goal of $120,000. There have been approximately 1,400 donors.

Preston Benning, who wrote the information for the GoFundMe campaign, said the amount of donations received from across Canada reflected how loved and respected Syed was.

“I’ve had multiple people from Van-

couver, Calgary and Ottawa reach out with stories about how they knew Ali and that they were going to spread the GoFundMe within their own communities. He was a great man; I had a pleasure working with him and he will be missed by many,” Benning told the Mercury.

Syed was one of Benning’s favourite co-workers at Boundary Dam. He was always the first one to jump in and help out around the plant, regardless of the task. And he went above and beyond in all daily tasks.

“Socially he was also great, he had great stories about life and made an effort to ask how you were doing and what was new in your life.”

Syed and Zakir were very generous and would routinely bring home cooked authentic Pakistani dishes for everyone on shift to try, which was always very appreciated by Benning and other co-workers.

Even when Syed would bring in food for himself and Benning hinted that the food smelt pretty good, Syed would offer to share.

“My favourite memory of him would definitely be one time at work we brought about 20 different hot sauces and chicken strips and set up a gauntlet of mild to hottest. He went through them the quickest and made a tier list of the best tasting for every single one, and also a tier list for the hottest,” said Benning.

“There were some pretty hot ones and once he got to the end he literally had beads of sweat coming down his forehead, and was

sitting on the desk with his head in his arms.

Every time he would look up he would just smile and shake his head and yell ‘Holy!’

Everywhere Syed went he made a memorable impression on people, Benning said, and the proof of that is the donations and stories that have flooded in on GoFundMe. Benning said he is going to stop increasing the goal but he will keep the fundraiser open until donations stop rolling in. There’s still been a few each day.

“The money will definitely be needed to help Ali’s wife and family transition into a life without him. I’m sure it’s been difficult enough for them and they shouldn’t need to worry about financial problems for at least a few years.”

Syed’s health quickly deteriorated after he tested positive for the virus. Throughout the last year, Benning noted Syed had been very cautious and mindful of social distancing and wearing a mask.

His wife was nine months pregnant with their third child when he was hospitalized. She also tested positive just weeks before giving birth and was hospitalized, but was later released.

Benning wrote on April 22 that Zakir gave birth to a beautiful baby girl the previous day. By all accounts, Zakir and the baby are doing very well. Before the birth, she got to see her husband.

A funeral/burial was held April 26 at the Riverside Memorial Park Cemetery in Regina.

The first outdoor market for the Estevan Downtown Business Association is slated to happen Thursday night.

The market will run from 6-9 p.m. in the parking lot behind the Royal Bank of Canada. The 300-block of 12th Avenue will be blocked off. Merchants will need to remain until 9 p.m.

It is hoped that these markets can be a weekly occurrence.

Josh LeBlanc with the Downtown Business Association said they have about 25 vendors registered already, and they have continued to receive applications.

Bakers, artisans, local business owners and much more will be offering their products for sale.

People can also look forward to food trucks and entertainment that will be

courtesy of the Ross LeBlanc Trio. The business association is looking for more bands to perform.

There has been a lot of interest in the markets already, he said.

“We’re very confident and excited to get things going,” said LeBlanc.

The market will meet all public health requirements. There will be arrows on the ground that people need to follow, and social distancing requirements will be in place. Vendors won’t be allowed to offer free samples, but customers are able to purchase their food.

LeBlanc hopes that people will check out some of the downtown merchants while they are at the downtown market. All of the stores will be open, and he hopes that people will also visit the

restaurants in the downtown area.

He stressed these markets won’t be in competition with the Estevan Farmers’ Markets, which will have their first sale of the year on Saturday morning at the Estevan Shoppers’ Mall.

The downtown market on Thursday will have some similar vendors to the farmers’ market, but it will be a largely different group.

“The list that I’m looking at really aren’t people that I’ve seen at the farmers’ market, so that’s good to see, that there’s a completely different offering here,” said LeBlanc.

They just want to offer something different for the people of Estevan, provide something else to do, and bring people to Estevan’s downtown area.

First downtown, outdoor market will happen Thursday

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Lachlan O'Handley

Age: 11 “I’m happy to be back with my friends and I don’t feel behind as much.”

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United Way Estevan to have a safe Day of Caring; volunteers and projects are welcome

By Ana Bykhovskaia The United Way Estevan's getting everything ready to help the community share their kindness.

Their Day of Caring is slated for May 26. To keep everybody safe in the current situation, it was decided to limit projects to outdoors only, and all volunteers will have to follow existing protocols.

"We had big plans a while ago, and then with the government restrictions coming into play we've had to change our plans a little bit, but we want to hold some form of a Day of Caring this year," said Wendy Gustafson, who is on board for the initiative.

Last year, due to restrictions, they opted to send letters to residents in long-term care facilities in a campaign named Days of Caring, but this year they wanted to return to the traditional Day of Caring.

"This year, we want to get back to doing some hands-on projects.

So we're going to be having some outdoor projects and small groups are going to work on them. We won't have large groups of people, but small groups will be working on outdoor projects and things like weeding a garden, planting some flowers, getting ready to plant a garden, painting a fence, washing windows outside, those kinds of outdoor things that some people cannot do (by themselves)," Gustafson explained.

Other projects may include picking up garbage, cleaning out trees or flowerbeds, cleaning or sweeping decks, getting the summer furniture out and more.

The committee came up with a way to show that they care about everyone who would like to see it.

If someone doesn't need anything done, but still would like to see a little cheer, they can apply for a sunshine basket.

"We're going to offer something different in place of indoor projects. Our volunteers will deliver

The United Way Estevan’s Day of Caring sees people chipping in to support others. File photo a basket to a house. And then what we would do is if somebody has requested a sunshine basket, or if they know someone that would benefit from a visit, what we're going to do is we will deliver the basket to that house, knock on the door, step back six feet, and when they come to get the basket we will, of course, be wearing masks, but we'll have a little visit with that person before we leave,” said Gustafson.

“We're just trying to make contact with some of the people that maybe have spent the year inside and have not really had contact with a lot of people.”

Baskets will be filled with some little items, like a coffee mug, tea, hand sanitizers, crossword or puzzle books, etc., and a hand-made card from the United Way Estevan.

"Just like you would if you were going to sign up for a project, we want you to contact us and make a reservation for either themselves or for somebody they think would be deserving of a basket, somebody that hasn't been able to get out or has been isolated a lot due to COVID," Gustafson added.

"There's a lot of people that I think would really benefit from a friendly visit and basket to brighten their day."

The Day of Caring will start at about 9 a.m. on May 26, with small groups of two or three people taking on outdoor projects, while other volunteers will be delivering sunshine baskets. It's planned that the activities will wrap up by 4 p.m.

United Way Estevan used to host a mid-day lunch for all volun-

teers, however, due to restrictions on gatherings the committee had to come up with another way to feed participants.

"With COVID, we're not able to do provide lunch at the church like we usually do. But this year, I have been in contact with some of the fast-food places in Estevan, and some of them are willing to make a donation. So we're going to be able to provide free food vouchers to people that are working. They can just go through the drive-thru and get a free meal at noon. We're still going to take care of the people when they come to work," Gustafson said.

"I'm so grateful to our businesses in Estevan. It's amazing; they always step up to the plate and they're always willing to help out in one way or the other."

s n o i t a l u t a r g n o C e m o N H A g V n E i s T r S u E N ew N r u ro

on

fo l a v o Appr

The cut-off for all applications is May 14. This will allow the committee time to match projects with volunteers and develop a plan for the day.

"This is a little bit of a puzzle to make it all line up and make it all work out. So we try to have a cut-off date, but of course, we never say no to anyone if it's a last-minute entry.

We work at the end but we want to be as organized as possible," Gustafson said.

With 2021 being very different, Gustafson expects to see many people, both regular participants and new volunteers, who will want to get out and do something.

"We have people that come every year. They have been waiting to hear what we're doing this year, and anxious to come out. I have a feeling we're going to have a lot of people turn out this year, just because it's been a tough year. And people are anxious to get out and to help others. And people are anxious to see people too, and some of these seniors have not seen a lot of people this past year. So I think it's going to be very beneficial, especially the friendly visitor project."

There is a simple registration form to be filled with details about projects or volunteer preferences.

People can register for a project, basket or to volunteer at unitedwayestevan.com, through United Way Estevan board members, by calling the office at 306-634-7375, contacting Sheila Guenther at 306421-3357 or sheila@unitedwayestevan.com, or just stopping by 322 Fourth Street and dropping off the application.

"We're grateful to all the people that participate, whether they're volunteering or whatever they do every year, we absolutely could not pull this off without the amazing people in this community and surrounding area. We were very grateful to them.

So we're looking forward to a super good Day of Caring again this year," Gustafson said.

Our New Long Term Care Home

Future Construction Future Planning

Fundraising Estevan and area raises $8 million to contribute to cost of replacing existing Estevan Regional Nursing Home

Advocacy Nernh committee lobbies gov’t and waits… and waits

Approval 2021 Provincial Budget approves funding for preliminary planning

y a W e h t f o p e t S y r e v Closer E “I’m ecstatic that the government has come forward and said Estevan is now in the queue to start planning to replace the present nursing home”.

- Don Kindopp, NERNH Committee Chair

Find us on Facebook at: Estevan Hearthstone Community Campaign

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Prairie Pro Outfitters looks forward to taking anglers out onto Rafferty Dam this fishing season

By David Willberg

Fishing season in southern Saskatchewan starts on May 5, and for one wellknown local angler, it’s going to be even more meaningful.

Ralph Smart of Estevan opened up Prairie Pro Outfitters this spring, after purchasing the only guiding rights that were available for Rafferty Dam. “I’ve fished at Rafferty since its inception here, when it first started going,” said Smart. “I’ve seen its potential as having very, very good fishing, and over the last few years, it’s gotten better and better. The lake’s matured, with more weed growth, and the population and the size of the fish in there is getting better and better every year.”

The experience he has on Rafferty makes him an ideal person to offer guided fishing experiences on the dam.

Smart has fished competitively in the Saskatchewan Walleye Trail and the Central Walleye Trail, with first place finishes and multiple top 10 finishes. He also participates in the Manitoba Master Angler Awards, attaining a silver award for 10-plus species meeting the length requirements.

There has been excellent interest in the business already, with some calls through his angling academy, and a few phone calls through the online booking option on his website. It’s simple and easy to use, as people just have to select a date on the calendar.

That angling academy teaches aspects of fishing for people of all experience levels.

“I’ve had a lifetime of tournament fishing and more advanced fishing, and I like to offer that and teach it to people,” said Smart. “You can be a beginner or more advanced, and we’ll set up, teaching all aspects from filleting to learning the new electronics, all of the new tackle, everything that I think pertains to a successful fisherman.”

When somebody books

with Prairie Pro Outfitters, they’re presented with a few options. He can meet them in Estevan, at the Rafferty Marina outside the city, or at Mainprize Regional Park.

“It’s up to the people who are booking what they want to fish. We can fish for pike or we can fish for walleye and perch at the same time.

You can fish multiple species during the day. We can mix it up if you want. And I have all the equipment on the boats, ready to go.”

His preference is that people not bring their own equipment, because he has brand new gear.

Smart will fillet the fish once they’re finished, and teach a few things during the outfitting session.

He has also volunteered at the Estevan Wildlife Federation’s conservation camp for local youths for more than a decade. He’ll take kids out on the water when he teaches them how to fish.

The experience is one of the catalysts for the business, and he hopes to be able to take a lot of kids out on the water.

“I was lucky enough to grow up with a family where we went fishing all of the time, and I’d like to offer that to families that haven’t had that opportunity. Especially

since we have it so good at Rafferty, and it’s well worth the time to go out there. I think I can teach them how to be successful.”

Prairie Pro Outfitters also marks Smart’s effort to boost tourism in Estevan.

There is great potential in the community with two reservoirs in the city’s backyard.

Not only is it good for him if the business succeeds, but it would be good news for hotels, restaurants, service stations and more.

“Even with the border closure, I still believe we can do extremely well with tourists from Canada coming down and checking out just how good it is,” said Smart.

“I’ve been trying to help the city with promotions, and I think we can go a long way with it.”

Smart also has a partnership with the Days Inn Estevan. General manager Jeff Pierson has assisted Smart with Pierson’s connections, and Smart has offered accommodations at the hotel on his website.

People from the U.S. have been calling, because they’re eager to come to Canada to fish once the CanadaU.S. border is fully reopened.

Rafferty Dam is not only in close proximity to the Canada-U.S. border, but

Ralph Smart is the owner and operator of Prairie Pro Outfitters, a new business that takes anglers out on Rafferty Dam. Photo submitted

Ralph Smart looks forward to sharing his knowledge of fishing and Rafferty Dam with his clients. Photo submitted

clients can fly into Regina and rent a vehicle to come to Estevan, or they can even fly into the Estevan Regional Airport, where he’ll arrange for pickup.

“Even Saskatchewan and Canadian residents are starting to see what we have in our backyard, and are taking

advantage of it,” said Smart.

With an early spring like this, fish are in the midst of spawning season or wrapping up their spawn, so it’s pretty tough to catch a walleye. Usually the fishing becomes more consistent on June 1.

“May is mainly for pike fishing, I found out there. The

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pike are in super shallow, and haven’t moved out into deeper water yet, so it’s phenomenal pike fishing here for the first three weeks in May out on Rafferty.”

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Souris Valley Museum hosted 500 guests from all across Sask. over four days. Virtually

By Ana Bykhovskaia The Souris Valley Museum invited students from all across Saskatchewan last week to join them for a workshop allowing kids to get a sense of the old days.

Museum executive director Mark Veneziano, with the help of volunteers, was hosting classes from different communities.

"Originally, we were only slated for a two-day workshop. But due to demand, we ended up opening up for four days. Over for the month of April, we had over 500 students and teachers take part in our virtual tours and workshops from all across the province from northern Saskatchewan, western Saskatchewan, as well as some local schools, and schools out of Regina and Swift Current," Veneziano said.

He pointed out that the museum started doing virtual tours in January, and they became pretty popular with Saskatchewan schools. Soon they started developing their first-ever virtual workshop, and last week they finally had a chance to try it out, showcasing part of their collection to a diverse audience.

The first workshop was called In the Pioneer Kitchen. The SV Museum

used items from its collection and the established pioneer kitchen, through which Veneziano explained what pioneers used in daily life and how things worked back in the day. There also was a sweet bonus at the end of the workshop.

"We talked about how kitchen was the most important room in our home, we went into different histories of the kitchen, and then we ended the workshop with learning about the science behind ice cream making.

We had a live demonstration of how kids can make ice cream at home like pioneers," Veneziano said.

They had six classes a day for four days. Kids from pre-kindergarten to Grade 8 enjoyed the opportunity to learn something new in an interactive way. The live presentation was done over the platform that suited each school the best. Veneziano said they used three platforms, including Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Zoom, customizing the tour based on the needs of different school divisions.

And it seemed that their efforts didn't go unnoticed.

"We had quite a big turnout and it was great to see people supporting the museum, not just locally, but provincially as well,"

Veneziano said.

"A lot of teachers were so happy. Because of the restrictions, they haven't been able to leave their classroom for field trips. So this was the best alternative because it was actually a live presentation. We tried to make it as interactive as possible, but there are still some barriers due to the virtual format," Veneziano explained.

The feedback has been good, and some teachers asked for instructions and recipes, so they could make ice cream later with their students. Some schools that are not too far from Estevan also expressed interest in potentially coming for a real tour once the restrictions are eased or lifted.

"It was a great way to really showcase the importance of the history of our area, as well as the history of the pioneers," Veneziano said.

"We've heard positive things coming back from our teachers that have attended, and they're all looking forward to doing this again next year. So that's great to hear and due to the success, we're actually going to be continuing this into the new school year."

The museum plans to introduce more virtual workshops in the 2021-22 school year in addition to In the

Cornerstone administration procedures updated During the April 21 public business session for the South East Cornerstone Public School Division’s (SECPSD) board members, business manager and chief financial officer Shelley Toth, along with the deputy director of education Keith Keating, provided a brief outline of several administration procedures that had been updated.

The six procedures that were updated included freedom of information and protection of privacy details, acquisition of software and web-based services, commitment statement forms, management and leadership responsibilities, reporting and investigation processes and hazard identification and control.

The board also welcomed the online presence of Desirée Fisher, who was mak-

ing a bus transportation appeal that would allow her son transportation to attend Arcola School following the family’s move that would otherwise place him in the Lampman School attendance area.

The board retreated to an in-camera session following the general public meeting to consider the application, promising Fisher she would receive word of their ruling in a timely manner.

The SECPSD board will meet for another public session on May 19 at 1 p.m.

It has not been determined yet whether this will be a physical gathering in the division’s head office in Weyburn, or an online remote meeting.

An in-camera strategic planning meeting has also been scheduled for May 5.

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Souris Valley Museum executive director Mark Veneziano taught students from all across Saskatchewan about pioneer kitchen last week. Photo submitted Pioneer Kitchen. It's a bit too early to talk about what the new workshops will be about, but after the first success, they are looking forward to working with more students.

"The museum is so

grateful for the community support and provincial support as well. It shows the importance of museums in the province, so it's nice to see," Veneziano said.

The SV Museum of-

fers general virtual tours for school students on regular basis now. Teachers can book their classes to help them learn about the history of the province and of the area in a different format.

Estevan RCMP arrests two for dangerous driving A member of the Estevan RCMP arrested two motorists travelling at a high rate of speed on the weekend.

The officer was conducting regular patrols on Highway 18/39 on Saturday when he located two red cars heading eastbound near Bienfait. The two vehicles were travelling side by side on the two-lane, divided highway.

The police officer captured one car travelling at 214 kilometres an hour and the other car at 190 km/h. The speed limit is 110 km/h.

A 34-year-old Estevan man and 30-yearold Bienfait man were both charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle under the Criminal Code. Both men are set to appear in Estevan Provincial Court on June 14.

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Taking aim at the OTS Top Gun trap shoot The Estevan Oilfield Technical Society’s (OTS) inaugural Top Gun trap shooting event Friday proved to be a hit with those who work in the oilpatch.

The competition attracted a full field of 100 participants to the Estevan Wildlife Federation’s shooting range near Boundary Dam. Teams consisted of five shooters each, and every shooter was able to fire 100 rounds.

The teams showed up in 20-minute intervals to keep everyone spread out.

Lyle Odgers was the individual champion. He finished tied with Derek Fichter for top spot with a score of 81, but Odgers was declared the winner

because he had a higher score for the doubles event.

Chad Froese was third with an 80.

In the team competition, Certified Energy Services was the winner with a score of 356. Team members were Dave Odgers, Jared Schlamp, Travis Markoski, Mark Fitzpatrick and Patrick Sinclair.

Estevan OTS president Tony Sernick was thrilled with the event. It was a beautiful day to be out on the range, even if the winds were strong.

“Everybody loved it, just getting out and getting something to do, doing something safely and all that,” said Sernick.

Many of the participants remarked that

they didn’t realize a trapshooting range existed at Boundary Dam, but Sernick responded it’s been around for decades.

The trap shoot was initially slated for April 16, but a spring snowstorm blew through the Estevan area a few days earlier, and there was still snow on the ground on the originally scheduled date. The twoweek delay proved to be beneficial.

“On April 30, when it’s plus-28 C, you can’t go wrong,” Sernick said.

There were some low scores, since many of the participants were trying trap shooting for the first time, but there were also some high scores. Lots of competitors finished in

the 70s, and he marvelled that the top shooters were in the 80s.

Sernick also gave an honourable mention to Logan King and Sam Meek, young members from the trap shooting club who helped out and filled in for a couple of teams that were short a person. The youngsters put on a clinic, Sernick said, with King scoring a 90 and Meek putting up an 87.

Trap shooting is a sport that can still occur despite the ongoing pandemic restrictions, Sernick said. Everybody stuck to their groups, and there were three different shooting stations.

“With the amount of space and the beautiful facility out there, it was

very easy to stay apart,” said Sernick. “All the picnic tables were 20 feet apart.”

Still, even though they couldn’t serve food or provide entertainment, there was a social component and interaction for the shooters.

Sernick expects this will now be an annual event. The OTS has talked about hosting a trap shoot competition for years.

“It was a totally different event, and it had a totally different crowd from curling and golf,” said Sernick, alluding to the other two events that the OTS traditionally hosts.

“It’s just another option to get more people in the oilfield involved and getting together.”

Lyle Odgers was the winner of the Estevan Oilfield Technical Society’s inaugural Top Gun trap shooting event. Photo submitted

Government commits money for airports in Estevan and Carlyle The Government of Saskatchewan is investing $1.5 million in the Community Airport Partnership (CAP) program as part of its 2021-22 provincial budget.

This funding will provide improvements to 19 community airports around the province. When combined with local matching dollars, CAP represents a $3 million investment in provincial airport infrastructure.

Estevan will receive $37,750 for new fence posts and wire. Carlyle will receive $33,911 for runway slurry seal, to repaint runway lines and numbers, and add ceilometer to the automated weather observing system (AWOS).

"As a commercial pilot myself, I know of the benefit these investments will have on some of our more rural and remote communities," Highways Minister Fred Bradshaw said. "These revitalization and rehabilitation projects will bring some much

needed upgrades to some of our community airports and runways, leading to better usage and reliability for medical, emergency and transportation services to all regions of the province."

Last year, the Government of Saskatchewan more than doubled its funding for the CAP program to $1.5 million, an increase of 114 per cent over the previous year. A portion of the 2021-22 investment, $650,000, comes from the $2 billion stimulus package announced in mid-2020.

The Ministry of Highways will be investing $300 million from that stimulus fund over several years into projects like resurfacing of runways, improvements for pilot assists at airports and several other highways specific projects.

The CAP helps municipal airports offset the costs of rehabilitation, construction and infrastructure improvements by providing

cost-shared grants, up to a maximum of $275,000. So far, 20 applications from 19 communities have been approved, totalling $1.26 million

in funding from each partner: Another intake of applications will take place this fall to allocate the remaining funds.

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• Souris Valley Pipeline Limited operates a High Pressure Carbon Dioxide Pipeline in Southeast Saskatchewan, a component of the gas is Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S).

• As a member of Sask 1st Call, Souris Valley Pipeline would like to remind you to call Sask 1st Call at 1-866-828-4888.

• Statistics show that a significant cause of pipeline ruptures is due to third party damage.

For pipeline safety concerns or emergencies call toll free 1-866-PIPELINE (1-866-747-3546) Before excavating call Sask 1st Call at 1-866-828-4888 for a free locate. www.sask1stcall.com

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A10 May 5, 2021

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New French immersion teacher hired for Estevan The effort to bring French Immersion to Pleasantdale School in Estevan has taken another step forward, with the hiring of the program’s first teacher.

Emma Cooper has been hired to teach the kindergarten-Grade 2 class that will launch the French immersion program. While this will be her first teaching job, she has been in French immersion for much of her life.

“I had been in a French Immersion program since kindergarten myself, and I’m also from a small community like Estevan,” said Cooper, who hails from Dauphin, Man. “So it just seemed like a really good fit to start a program that I love so much and that I believe in so much.”

Cooper is currently finishing her final practicum. She completed a bachelor’s degree at Brandon University with a major in music and a minor in French, and she is wrapping up her bachelor in education in early years at the university.

Her parents put her in French Immersion when she was in kindergarten, and it has opened

so many opportunities for her.

“There are so many jobs out there where French is essential or an upgrade. You can translate for people coming around. I worked at a local museum, and if we had anybody who couldn’t speak English, sometimes they spoke French.”

Travelling is much easier with French, and, of course, she never would have had the opportunity to come to Pleasantdale without French Immersion.

Cooper said the South East Cornerstone Public School Division showed interest in her after she created a video to send out to the school divisions in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The school division called her university, and once she heard about the job, she knew it was a great opportunity to start French immersion in Estevan.

The video came about because the university couldn’t have a career fair due to COVID restrictions. Many of the students in her class did the same, because they knew it would improve the odds of finding a job.

Part of Fourth Street to be resurfaced this year The eastern half of Fourth Street is going to be smoother this summer, after Estevan city council approved a tender for a resurfacing project at Monday night’s meeting.

The arterial road will be resurfaced from Kensington Avenue to Souris Avenue South, and there will also be a watermain replacement for the 800 and 900 blocks of Fourth Street.

That stretch of road was last resurfaced in 2007. Undergrounds for most of the eastern half of Fourth Street were completed at that time, although the 800 and 900 blocks of Fourth Street were not.

GenCo Asphalt was awarded the resurfacing tender for $1,167,000. The estimated cost of the watermain and services for the 800 and 900 blocks of Fourth Street is approximately $219,000. Thus the total roadway and watermain replacement expense is estimated to be $1,386,000.

The Urban Highways Connector Program, offered through the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure, will supply $570,000, leaving the city to cover the remaining $816,000. The money collected through the infrastructure levy on water bills will offset the

cost of the water main replacement.

The tender stipulates the resurfacing would begin July 5 and wrap up July 23.

While the resurfacing was discussed back in January, city manager Jeff Ward said this project was not confirmed at the time of the city budget discussions in January, and he believes some changes can be made to accommodate the project.

But as far as awarding the actual tender, council could move forward to start with the planning, and then bring forward some options at the next meeting for council to adjust the budget.

Mayor Roy Ludwig said to the untrained eye, the eastern half of Fourth Street looks good, but the province is coming forward with the money, and that doesn’t happen very often for main thoroughfares through a community.

“I think it’s great to take advantage of that, put an extra layer of pavement on there, which will be good, probably, on top of what we have there now, for the next 10-15 years,” said Ludwig.

The mayor would like to see Fourth Street completed from Souris Avenue South to 16th Avenue during this term, but that will depend on council and the opportunities they have to partner with the federal and provincial governments.

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“Our university assigned to have us make two-minute introductory videos, explaining who we were, what we’re interested in teaching, and just a bit about our philosophy as teachers.

And then they sent that out and someone at the division saw it and they called,” said Cooper.

In her video, Cooper talked about her background in French Immersion, her love for early years education and her belief that handson and creative learning is the best approach to inspire life-long learning.

“If you start kids off with a play-based sense of learning, they realize that learning is not only educational and academic, but it’s also fun, and if you instill fun into it, they tend to learn it for longer,” said Cooper.

She recognizes that it will be a challenge to be the first instructor, and to teach three grades in one classroom, while having all students at the same level of learning the language.

“But I’m excited for the opportunity it gives for the older students who might grasp it faster to help the younger students in the classroom as well,” said Cooper.

It’s a challenge she’s looking forward to, as she gets to start something at the ground level and see it grow all the way through.

The French Immersion program is an option for all students in the Estevan area who will be in kindergarten, Grade 1 or Grade 2 next year.

There will be busing supplied to Pleasantdale for those students.

Grade 3 French Immersion will be added

Emma Cooper for 2022-23, with another grade added each subsequent year, until French immersion is offered from kindergarten to Grade 8 at the school. Students will join the existing immersion program already available at the Estevan Comprehensive School for Grades 9-12 to graduate with their bilingual mention.

Students can still register for French immersion at Pleasantdale by contacting the school at 306-634-4210.

PSAC increases Canadian drilling forecast for 2021 In its second update to the 2021 Canadian Oilfield Services Activity Forecast, released Thursday, the Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC) has revised the number of wells drilled (rig released) across Canada for 2021 to 3,600 wells.

This is an increase of 250 wells over PSAC’s January 2021 forecast of 3,350 wells.

The updated forecast is based on a stronger commodity price outlook for 2021 with PSAC now expecting the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil price to average US$58/barrel for 2021, natural gas prices of C$2.75 per thousand cubic feet (AECO) and the Canadian dollar slightly stronger, averaging US$0.80.

PSAC interim president & CEO Elizabeth Aquin commented: "Global demand for oil is expected to recover and grow with the ramp-up in vaccinations despite harsh restrictions to counter the third wave of COVID-19 currently wreaking havoc on several key markets around the globe.

“According to Platts Analytics, oil demand is expected to reach 102.6 million b/d (barrels per day) by the fourth quarter of this year, the highest since Q4 2019 when it averaged 103.9 million b/d.

"With price support from OPEC and demand recovering, commodity prices for oil have also rebounded. While we are seeing some increased activity, exploration and production (E&P) companies are using their improved cash flow to strengthen balance sheets, pay down debt, issue dividends, and bolster reserves and production through M&A activity over re-investment in new production.”

“Between 2011 and 2016, after-tax cash flow reinvestment averaged 140 per cent but over the past four years (2017 through 2020) this ratio fell to an average of 83 per cent, and is forecasted to plunge to a mere 35 per cent for this year. This dearth of investment combined with demand growth trending up and storage levels trending down, could portend an upswing in activity."

Activity levels in the first half of 2021 are expected to account for only 45 per cent of the year’s total versus 64 per cent last year before

the full impact of pipeline blockades, project cancellations, oil price war and COVID-19 was felt. Although 2021 rig release count for the first quarter trailed first quarter 2020 by over 30 per cent, PSAC expects that drilling from April to December will be almost double that for the same nine-month period in 2020.

The majority of drilling this year is expected to be focused on oil, with 67 per cent of total wells, gas with 29 per cent, and the balance being service wells.

"Maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) and turnaround activity is growing over that seen last year and helping to keep oilfield services (OFS) companies working,” Aquin said. “Also helpful is the increased work from the $1.72 billion in federal funding that aligned with PSAC’s advocacy, for activities to decommission and close well sites, facilities, and pipelines. Work under these programs in the three western provinces is underway, helping to retain jobs and provide some revenue for OFS companies while drilling and completion activity levels are down."

On a provincial basis for 2021, PSAC estimates 1,920 wells to be drilled in Alberta and 1,125 wells for Saskatchewan, representing yearover-year increases of 482 and 48 wells, respectively. At 90 wells, drilling activity in Manitoba is expected to increase modestly from 83 wells in 2020, whilst activity in British Columbia is projected to increase from 367 wells in 2020 to 450 wells in 2021.

At 15 wells for 2021, activity in Eastern Canada is expected to decrease nominally from its 2020 figure of 16 wells.

Despite the expected demand growth for oil and positive outlook for natural gas, headwinds continue with rising climate goals and emissions reductions targets of the federal government that will impact costs and capital investment decisions in Canada.

Rising inflation is another factor that is already impacting costs of the OFS sector that will undoubtedly affect the economics and decisions of future activity.

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May 5, 2021 A11

City Hall: 1102 4th Street 8 am to 4:30 pm | (306) 634-1800 Leisure Office: 701 Souris Avenue 8 am to 4:30 pm | (306) 634-1880

A Message From The Mayor Our Clean Sweep Campaign is starting on May 10th please check out the dates we will be in your area and help keep our City Clean.

Notice of Assessment

Pursuant to subsection 187 (1) of The Cities Act, notice is hereby given that the assessment roll for the City of Estevan for the year of 2021, has been prepared and is open to inspection April 21, 2021 to June 21, 2021.

The Assessment Roll can be viewed on our website www.estevan.ca, as well assessment information can also be obtained by calling 306-634-1811. Please note due to the current situation regarding COVID-19 the assessment roll will not be available for viewing at City Hall at this time.

Any person having an interest in any property who wishes to appeal the assessment of that property to the Board of Revision is required to file a notice of appeal in writing to: The Secretary of the Board of Revision, 1102 Fourth Street, Estevan, SK S4A 0W7 on or before the 21st day of June, 2021.

Dated this 21st day of April, 2021 Trina Sieben Tax Assessor

May 10 - 16, 2021

MAY 10 City of Estevan crews will be clean sweeping the North, East, South, and West entrances of the city and outlying areas.

MAY 11 City of Estevan crews will be clean sweeping all city owned properties including green-spaces such as boulevards, medians, parks and natural areas.

TAKE A

LEAD

IN GOOD PET OWNERSHIP

MAY 12

MAY 14 - 16

NORTH - City of Estevan crews will be helping you clean sweep by picking up your contained organic waste material (twigs, leaves, and yard refuse) in your front driveway. Branches must be bundled in 3 ft lengths and leaves and yard refuse must be bagged. ALL items must be on your driveway BEFORE 8 am on May 12th. Call backs will not happen. See map online at www.estevan.ca/operationcleansweep/ for boundaries.

FREE LANDFILL WEEKEND City of Estevan Residents and their residential waste only.

ID will be required. *Freon appliances andhazardous waste material will not be accepted.

Friday 8 am - 8 pm Saturday 9 am - 6 pm Sunday 9 am - 6 pm

MAY 13 Remember not everyone loves Buster.

SOUTH - City of Estevan crews will be helping you clean sweep by picking up your contained organic waste material (twigs, leaves, and yard refuse) in your front driveway. Branches must be bundled in 3 ft lengths.

Leaves and yard refuse must be bagged. ALL items must be on your driveway BEFORE 8 am on May 13th. Call backs will not happen. See map online at www.estevan.ca/operationcleansweep/ for boundaries.

www.estevan.ca

FITNESS

ESTEVAN LEISURE CENTRE - 2021

EFFECTIVE - April 19- May 9, 2021 Sunday

SPIN 9:10 am - 9:50 am SPIN 10:10 am - 10:50 am

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

SPIN 6:10 am - 6:50 am

SPIN 6:10 am - 6:50 am

GRIT 6:10 am - 6:50 am

SPIN 6:10 am - 6:50 am

GRIT 6:10 am - 6:50 am

GRIT CORE BARRE SPIN SPIN GRIT 9:10 am - 9:50 am ABOVE 9:10 am - 9:50 am 9:10 am 9:10 am - 9:50 am *NOT ON APRIL 19 - 10:15 am 9:10 am - 9:50 am EASY STRETCH CORE BARRE SPIN SPIN EASY STRETCH 10:10 am - 10:50 am 10:15 am ABOVE - 10:55 am 10:15 am - 10:55 am 10:10 am - 10:50 am *NOT ON APRIL 19 10:30 am - 11:10 am

SPIN 9:10 am - 9:50 am

GRIT 11:10 am - 11:50 am

UGS DOODLECBARE PLAY RCH 1ST OPE9:N00SamM-A11:00 am

AFTERNOON / EVENING SPIN 12:15 pm - 12:45 pm *NOT ON APRIL 19 SPIN / CORE 5:10 pm - 6:10 pm

SPIN 5:30 pm - 6:10 pm

iday Monday - Fr

SPIN 5:30 pm - 6:10 pm

SPIN 6:30 pm - 7:10 pm

SPIN 5:30 pm - 6:10 pm WEIGHT ROOM

OPEN 9:00 am - 9:00 pm

OPEN 6:00 am - 10:00 pm

OPEN 6:00 am - 9:00 pm

OPEN 6:00 am - 10:00 pm

OPEN 6:00 am - 9:00 pm

OPEN 6:00 am - 9:00 pm

OPEN 9:00 am - 9:00 pm

Must be 16 years of age to participate in fitness classes and have a completed Par-Q Questionnaire prior to participating in classes. The questionnaire lets our fitness instructors determine abilities and needs of each participant.

PLEASE NOTE - Due to the pandemic-related protocols fitness registration has moved to a PRE-Registration process. Users must pre-register online or by calling the Information Desk.

Patrons will be screened upon arrival and asked a few questions as per the Operational Health and Safety Guidelines. Drop in is available for the weight room. Space between workout stations have either increased or a machine has been put into 'not in use.' Water fountains are not available.

306-634-1800

Class Descriptions ACTIVITY

SCHEDULE

www.estevan.ca

DESCRIPTION

AQUA AWE (must be 16 years of age)

Aqua AWE features impact free exercises designed to improve balance, agility, posture, flexibility and core strength. Facility Daily Pass Required. Low Intensity

CORE/ BARRE ABOVE (must be 16 years of age)

This extra long fitness class combines the best of both worlds. Core focuses an ab workout for your front, lower back and sides while Barre Above will challenge your flexibility, stability and strength. This workout is not only fun and dynamic, but it will sculpt your body and get you into shape. Facility Daily Pass Required. High Intensity

DEEP WATER POWER (must be 16 years of age)

An intense power deep water class that incorporates cardiovascular fitness, core strengthening and toning. Participant swimming skills not required but must be comfortable moving in deep water. Floatation equipment will be provided. Facility Daily Pass Required. High Intensity

EASY GRIT (must be 16 years of age)

Designed for beginners in fitness looking for general strengthening of muscles and joints. Low intensity exercises focusing on getting our bodies moving again. Facility Daily Pass Required. Low Intensity

EASY STRETCH (must be 16 years of age)

Stretching is one of the most important elements of maintaining a balanced, healthy, and strong body, but all too often it gets left out at the end of a long and tiring workout. Come warmed up – relax, unwind, and combat muscle tightness in this 40-minute class. Facility Daily Pass Required. Low Intensity

FOAM ROLLER (must be 16 years of age)

The Foam Roller Stretch Class is designed to provide self-myofascial release of connective tissue throughout the body to help improve flexibility, decrease muscular stiffness and pain, and help with alignment. During the class you will use the roller to release trigger points and tight spots throughout the body through dynamic rolling or by applying pressure on tight or knotted areas. Limit of 12/class. Facility Daily Pass Required. Low Intensity

LUNCHTIME CARDIO (must be 16 years of age)

Body weight cardio class, combing step, plyometrics and core endurance exercises for people who want a quick sweat during lunch break.

Facility Daily Pass Required. Low Intensity

GRIT (must be 16 years of age)

(Group Interval Training) A moderate to advanced workout incorporating steps, weights, and bands that emphasize aerobic, interval, resistance and strength training. It’s Tabata, pyramids, or AMRAPs. You’ll work for 10 seconds to 3 minutes to your fitness level; get a well-deserved break and do it all over again! Facility Daily Pass Required. High Intensity

SPIN (must be 16 years of age)

Outdoor cycling workout indoors, designed for ‘new recruits’ and ‘veteran riders.’ Designed to enhance endurance and strength, the cardiovascular benefits are fantastic! Your experienced instructor will professionally fit you to your bike and guide you toward a super-energizing workout set to uplifting music. Facility Daily Pass Required. High Intensity

SPIN/CORE (must be 16 years of age)

This extra long fitness class combines the best of both worlds. Core’s focus is an ab workout for your front, lower back and sides while Spin is designed to enhance endurance and strength, the cardiovascular benefits are fantastic! Facility Daily Pass Required. High Intensity

Don’t see what you are looking for?

Do you have an idea for something we should try?

Please contact the Program Manager at 306-634-1880.

We would love to hear your ideas!

?

Schedule Subject to Change. Please visit www.estevan.ca for updates on closures and cancellations. Proper footwear and exercise wear is required to participate.

Please note during school breaks, (Teachers Convention, Spring Break and Christmas Break) Fitness, Aquatic Centre and Arena schedules may vary. Please visit our live schedules at www.estevan.ca

A12 May 5, 2020

www.estevanmercury.ca Mother’s Day is next Sunday and we will be celebrating all weekend!

Find Mom’s gift at The House of Stationery!

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Decorate her garden with these paving stones!

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With limited seating for Dine in, our suggestion is to reserve your four person household table today.

Saturday and Sunday Breakfast 9-2 Sunday delivery at 4pm.

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Order online @ www.firedupgrill.ca or call for your delivery or takeout order 306-636-2323

HENDERS DRUGS M-F: 9-9 • SAT: 9-5 SUN & HOLIDAYS: 12-4 1220 4th Street, Estevan • 306-634-3666

WIN A $500 GIFT CARD PACKAGE Package includes $50 Gift Cards from: Jenny Joans | A&A Jewellery | Eddie Webster's | Pharmasave | 1124 Social House | Ice Factory | Soul Hideout | Fired Up Grill | Henders Drugs | House of Stationery Prize courtesy of HOW TO ENTER: Follow the local businesses listed above on Facebook.

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Remember when bought tickets to your local fundraiser?

Find the perfect gift at this unique boutique shop Adornments such as: Jewelry Clothes Essential Oils Bath & Body Goods Self Care such as: Healing crystals Books Incense/Candles Tarot & Oracle Card Decks Meditation Tools Local Goods Home & Garden Decor & so much more

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May 5, 2020 A13

Mother’s Day CREPE MENU

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BRUNCH

Available all day in the Tower Cafė Call for reservations in Eleven24

11AM - 2PM

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram

DINNER 4 - 10 PM

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Six ways to spoil Mom on Mother’s Day When you ask your mom what she’d like for Mother’s Day, is the answer always “nothing”?

Well, this year, why not take things into your own hands?

Here are a few ways to spoil your mother (whether she likes it or not!): 1. Clean her fridge or wash her car (it’s free and highly appreciated) 2. Kindly forbid her from cooking (and order from her favourite restaurant instead) 3. Be her chauffeur for the day (“We’re going wherever you want to go and listening to the music you want to hear”) 4. Take her to the movie (and let her order whatever drinks or snacks she’d like) 5. Make her a card or write a letter telling her all of the things you love about her.

6. Read the ads on this page and find the perfect gift at these local businesses!

Make sure Mom knows that she’s the star on Mother’s Day and that she deserves to be pampered accordingly.

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A14 May 5, 2021

www.estevanmercury.ca

Coal country run registration is now open

By Ana Bykhovskaia Fresh Air Fitness' biggest fundraiser of the year is a go, but in a new format.

The Coal Country Run is scheduled for May 14-23 this year. On May 14 the organizers will mark the course for five and 10 kilometres, and from that day, participants can choose their own time to walk or run the preferred distance.

The pandemic-related health measures don't allow for big group gatherings, so the organizers are asking people to share results and photos to create the spirit of the event. Rotary Hall at Woodlawn Regional Park will serve as the start-finish line.

Co-founder of Fresh

Air Fitness Peggy Rohatyn said with the new format the organization process looks different as well.

"It's going very well.

There's not a lot that we can organize this year. It has to be a virtual run. But we have the medals that we've got for the participants," Rohatyn said.

People can do the fun community challenge at any other location, and cover the distance at their own pace when they choose to. But for those who want to be precise with their race, routes will be marked up.

"The 5K racers will follow all the blue arrows, and the 10K racers will follow all the red ones.," Rohatyn explained.

She asked that people who choose to run or walk

along the marked route keep a safe distance from other participants.

Fresh Air Fitness approached the Saskatchewan Health Authority to get permission for more of a traditional event, but they weren't successful.

"We cannot have any kind of gathering. So we'll just do it within that week.

And we'd like you to post your results or pictures on the Coal Country Run Facebook group. It would be fun to see how people did. And everybody's going to get a medal this year," Rohatyn said.

She added that they will make sure all participants receive medals. Since the race this year is virtual, people from anywhere can join it.

Organizers will ship medals to those who are out of town.

And with Estevanites, they'll either drop medals off or people can pick them up at Henders Drugs.

The fee to participate was dropped to $20 this year. There will be no lunch due to restrictions and no T-shirts, so the organizers cut the price, and hope that more people will partake in this fun activity. And it seems that so far the strategy is working.

"It can be a Mother's Day gift, the whole family can go down there and do it.

It is a fundraiser and we've

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Before the pandemic, participants of the Coal Country Run would challenge themselves at a five or 10-kilometre distance on a fun community run or walk.

File photo had a good response so far," Rohatyn said.

As of the end of April, they already had about 60 people registered. Traditionally the Coal Country Run would see about 120-140 participants, and with a few weeks still left before the event, they hope to see quite a few more runners joining.

"We hope to see a lot of people out there and I hope that they all post pictures and stuff. It should be good. It's

The City of Estevan is reminding the public to be ready for anything in advance of Emergency Pre-

306.421.3669

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ers against COVID-19 by staying informed.”

Emergency preparedness is everyone’s responsibility. Some individuals may not have the support or capacity to deal with emergencies. Reach out to neighbours, family and friends who may be vulnerable or unable to support themselves during an emergency.

Residents are asked to know the risks, make a plan and get an emergency kit.

To stay up to date with local emergencies, download the SaskAlert App and turn on the notifications for the Estevan area.

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD

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Estevan Lacrosse Steak Supper Fundraiser

Coal Country Run/ Walk Virtual Edition

Hillcrest School is raising money for a new playground!

Black Beard’s Restaurant | The Beef Bar & Grill Monday, May 10, 2021 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm For more information contact Nicole Malaryk 306-421-4627

May 15 - 24, 2021 • 5K - 10K or more $20 per entry - Registration: Form is on our Facebook page.

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ing from May 2-8.

This national event is co-ordinated by Public Safety Canada, in close collaboration with the provinces, territories and partners.

Helen Fornwald, the safety co-ordinator for the City of Estevan, said: “This year, the COVID-19 global pandemic continues to have an unprecedented impact on Canadians. While governments at all levels are working hard to keep Canada safe; now, more than ever, we understand that we all have a role to play in emergency preparedness. You can help to protect yourself and oth-

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another sort of ninja-type apparatus, but they're expensive to put up and there's always maintenance that we have to do down there too," Rohatyn said.

People can find the registration form on the Coal Country Run Facebook page, fill it and email it to samac@ sasktel.net with an e-transfer to wwalliser@sasktel.net. Or they can fill out the registration form and pay at Henders Drugs with cash or cheque.

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going to be fun," Rohatyn said.

All money raised through the event will go towards the needs of the popular, free, volunteer-run outdoor fitness facility located at Woodlawn.

"We have a couple of climbing structures that we want to get in there. We have applied for a couple of grants, but we don't know if we've received them yet. We're hoping to add a tire wall and

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is selling delicious Atlantic lobsters.

Lobsters are $30 each and must be paid for in advance by eTransfer.

We will also be raffling off a Monster Lobster, a 5 pound beauty you’ll want to take home!

For information: Wendy at 306-421-6122 Heather at 306-421-2457 Deadline to order is May 21.

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Taeghen Hack’s remarkable freshman season in NCAA water polo will continue at national competition Estevan’s Taeghen Hack is surprised at how well her first season in collegiate water polo has gone.

Hack, who played water polo with the Estevan Sharks program, is a member of the Salem University Tigers women’s water polo team, and has enjoyed individual and team success this year.

First she was named to the all-conference freshman

team for the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA).

Then Salem University won their first-ever WWPA championship on April 25, defeating the Mercyhurst University Lakers 8-4. The win helped the Tigers clinch an automatic bid to the NCAA national tournament.

It was a close, hardfought game, closer than the score indicated.

“It was c lose pretty much the entire game until the last period, when we pulled ahead. It was just a really good game. I didn’t score in that game, but I played pretty strong defence, and I was able to give my captain the assist for our last goal we scored in that game,” said Hack.

Hack described the Tigers as “a stellar team.”

Taeghen Hack is looking forward to competing at the NCAA women’s water polo nationals. Photo submitted

“After watching us train and grow as a team throughout the season, it really wasn’t much of a shock when we won,” Hack said. “Don’t get me wrong, the feeling was absolutely amazing when we won our championship, but I saw how we grew together as a team, and we worked really well all together.”

Coaching has played a big part in the Tigers success.

Head coach Justin Kassab and assistant coach Kathryn Elgin pushed the team to win, and the coaches and trainers helped them to achieve their goals, especially after spending time in quarantines.

“Always being there for us physically but also mentally, he was one of the keys,” said Hack.

Out of all the teams in the country, the Tigers likely spent the most time training and had the most games, she said. Hack believes the Tigers have played 29 games.

Nationals will be May 14-16 at the University of California – Los Angeles.

“Back home, when I would qualify for nationals, it

Bears announce commitment of recruits and returning players The Estevan Eclipse Downhole Solutions U18 AAA Bears hockey club has announced the commitment of several players, and the return of others.

The Bears, who will be entering their second season in the Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League next season, have received commitments from the following new players: • Goaltender Kaden Perron, 15, of White City. He had a 3-0 record, with a 1.25 goals against average and .952 save percentage, with the Prairie Storm U15 AA team last season.

• Defenceman Jacob Booth, 16, of Fort Qu’Appelle, who had two goals and an assist in five games with the Prairie Hockey Academy’s U16 team.

• Defenceman Cor t Simpson, 15, of Theodore, who had three assists in two games with the Melville Millionaires U15 team.

• Defenceman Jase Konecsni, 15, of Southey, who had one assist in six games with the Lumsden-Bethune Lions U18 AA program.

• Centre Daniel Ganert, 16, of Fox Valley, who was with Medicine Hat’s U18 AA team.

• Centre Kole Keen, 15, of White City, who had three goals and four assists in four games with the Prairie Storm U15 AA team.

• Centre Marshall Light of Moosomin, 15, who had nine assists in 10 games with

the Prairie Hockey Academy’s U16 prep team.

• Left wing Carter Onrait, 15, of Estevan, who spent last season with the Estevan TS&M U15 AA Bruins and had a goal and two assists in two games.

• Left wing Carter Tuplin of Swift Current, 14, who had two goals and two assists in five games with the Swift Current U15 AA Broncos.

Returning players from last season’s team are: • Goaltender Jackson Miller, 16, of Estevan;

• Defencemen Boston Harkness, 16, of Emerald Park; and • Forwards Carson Birnie, 16, of Arcola, Tucker Buhay, 17, of Craven, Caden Drury, 17, of Carrot River, Blaze Gutzke, 16, of Francis, and Ty Mason 15, of Weyburn.

Also, four graduating members of the club have announced plans for next season.

Forward Turner McMillen of Carievale has been playing with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League. He recently scored his

first goal in the league against the Vancouver Giants.

Defenceman Hunter Weber of Saskatoon will play for the Battlefords North Stars. Another blue-liner, Cade Bendtsen of Carlyle, has committed to play for the Neepewa Natives of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. Forward Cooper Chisholm of Weyburn will play for the Grande Prairie Storm of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

Taeghen Hack has had a remarkable first season with the Salem University Tigers’ women’s water polo team. Photo submitted was a great feeling, but now knowing that I am competing with some of the best people who get picked to go to college, and now I’m going to the highest tournament you could play in college, it’s just an amazing feeling.”

The work isn’t finished yet, either. They still have about a week before they head out to California to play some of the top-ranked schools.

“I’m just really excited to see how the team does, and I know that we can do really well when we’re there.”

It’s an accomplishment just to make it to NCAAs. Hack hopes they can advance past the initial round of nationals, and it would be an accomplishment to play the top schools and win.

This marks the first time the Tigers have made it to nationals.

Hack was really nervous coming into the season.

Her final season of water polo with Team Saskatchewan ended early, and she couldn’t train much for a long time before going to college. Hack believes she had about a week of training in the pool before arriving

at Salem.

The Tigers have been put into quarantine multiple times since she arrived.

“I was able to work hard, get all my strength back, get my speed back and everything. I’m not nearly to where I was before, but I know that with hard work and determination, I can get there,” said Hack.

It ’s a higher level of competition. The athletes are older than what she faced when she was in Saskatchewan, as those in their senior year are 21 or 22. And they’re much stronger, with excellent players throughout the lineups.

“The playing is a lot different, especially with the United States and Canada,” said Hack.

The officiating is also very different.

“Other than that, it’s the same game I’ve always played and I just played how I know it,” said Hack.

Hack has enjoyed her first year at Salem, saying she couldn’t imagine playing anywhere else. It’s become a home for her, and she’s already looking forward to next season, even though she still has nationals to play.

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A16 May 5, 2021

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May 5, 2021 A17

Nurses play a big role at St. Joseph’s Hospital Nurses have an important role to play in the operations of any hospital.

After all, without them, there wouldn’t be a hospital.

Cheryl Harrison is the nurse manager at the hospital.

Her career began in 1984 as a continuing care aid (CCA).

At the time, she was living in southwest Saskatchewan, and that’s where the jobs were in healthcare.

“I wasn’t able to go to school at that time, so I was a CCA when I was raising my children, and then after that I went back and became an RN (registered nurse),” said Harrison.

She obtained her nursing degree in 2004, and has been working in Estevan ever since.

“I love being a nurse to be able to support families

and patients in their journey through healthcare,” said Harrison. “I think that’s really important, because it’s a stressful time for patients and families, and anything we can do to help that stress and help to improve their health is important.”

St. Joe’s has dozens of nurses on staff, working in its different departments.

“They’re essential for our departments. They’re highly skilled professionals who are critically thinking and assessing our patients.

Especially with these challenging times. We’ve needed them, and we`ve needed them to be flexible to take on a lot of new roles,” said Harrison.

St. Joseph’s Hospital CEO Greg Hoffort said the nurses at the hospital are in many cases the faces of the

St. Joseph’s Hospital in Estevan has skilled nurses who allow the hospital to operate. File photo

facility. They can be found in the emergency room, the obstetrics unit, the operating room, the medical ward, the dialysis unit, long-term care and the addictions treatment centre.

Through some S askatchewan Health Authority, they’re providing services in Estevan Area Home Care and Public Health.

“Right across the entire organization, we’re wellstaffed with incredible nurses,” said Hoffort.

Many of them work in multiple departments. In a small community hospital like Estevan, some will be found in anywhere from one to four departments, and do a great job of it all.

“They provide the lion’s share of the patient care.

Obviously there’s a great support network at St. Joseph’s Hospital with many of the support services, but a lot of the front line care is handled by the nurses.”

St. Joseph’s has a lot of young and eager nurses, mixed with many nurses who bring decades of experience, Hoffort said.

“It is a young workforce, probably younger than the average at the moment, but (you`ll find) anywhere from

brand new to some 30-year plus members on the staff,” said Hoffort.

The nurses at St. Joseph’s have a lot of expertise. In addition to helping people with their emotional and mental health, nurses are able to critically think through the physical needs of patients.

They have also done an excellent job of adapting.

“It’s been a fairly challenging year for the staff, a lot of changes in policies and procedures, and also it’s a very stressful with changes in their knowledge of this pandemic.

So we were presented with something that with very little knowledge, and as things have come up, it’s been rapidly changing, and we’ve had to keep up with the changes, but the nurses here have done an excellent job of taking it in stride,” said Harrison.

Hoffort added it has been a challenge 14 months for everyone, and St. Joe’s has had other services to provide.

He noted that on April 30, the hospital was full, with multiple children being born that day, C-sections, activity in the operating room and the emergency, and more.

“It’s trying for everyone, but they’re handling it extremely well, they’re

Cheryl Harrison is the nurse manager at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Photo submitted professional, they’re patientfirst and they’re powering through,” said Hoffort.

Nursing has changed a lot over the years, Harrison said. Safety has improved a lot for workers. There are better lifts and transfers and medication safety, so that patients are safer in their care.

“It’s an excellent career

choice, and I would encourage anyone to get into it. It’s a very diverse field, and there’s something for everybody in it,” said Harrison.

Nurses Week is from May 10-16, and St. Joseph’s Hospital will do what it can during the week to celebrate these valuable members of its staff.

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A18 May 5, 2021

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Skilled young Estevan nurse shares her experience with working in the time of COVID

By Ana Bykhovskaia The year of the pandemic was tough on everyone, but healthcare workers felt it more than almost everyone else.

Fortunately, the situation in Estevan has never been out of control, nevertheless, local staff experienced a lot over the past 14 months. Within our special for the upcoming Nurses' Week, Mercury spoke to one of the Estevan nurses Josie Folk about how the last year has been for her and her colleagues.

"Every day is still a good day, we just have to find different means of getting through each day. Not all of it is bad.

We've been pretty lucky in Estevan. And I think we're working as a team and we're pushing through and just doing whatever we can to get through this pandemic altogether," Folk said.

She's has been working at St. Joseph's Hospital for four years now, and she said that the last year was definitely very different. Even before the pandemic days were busy. It remained somewhat the same, but the highly contagious virus put a twist into nurses' routine.

"Now we do a lot of patient screening, family screening, just to make sure that

we can make the appropriate accommodations to keep not only ourselves safe but to keep the rest of the hospital safe too.

We're assessing different things a lot more," Folk said.

The education Folk received as well as all her previous work experience had a familycentred care approach. COVID took most of the families out of hospitals.

"It is a lot different in that sense," Folk said.

When the pandemic first hit Saskatchewan last March, no one in the world knew how to work with the virus. But since day one, the healthcare workers had to navigate through the unknown, putting their emotions aside.

"At first, it was really scary for us. Even the word COVID in our hospital. If we knew that there was a COVID patient, it would be a source of stress for everybody that's involved, every department. But now it's become something that we're a little bit more comfortable dealing with. We know what we're supposed to do and how we're supposed to keep ourselves safe.

So just more extensive knowledge on our PPE (personal protective equipment). And I would say that we're a lot more diligent to try and to prevent the

spread of COVID," Folk noted.

A regular workday for a nurse now looks very different from how it used to be and involves way more PPE. Folk pointed out that they've always had similar PPE available, but these days they use it more extensively.

"Typical PPE for us to walk into a COVID room would include two different types of masks, a set of goggles, a face shield, a gown, gloves, our whole bodies are covered with PPE. It almost takes away from the human aspect of care, too, because we probably look like minions walking into the patient's room," said Folk.

Whenever they leave an isolation room, they have to shut themselves off the PPE and sanitize everything that was touched to eliminate the potential of transmission of the virus. Folk pointed out that many things now take longer due to safety measures.

"I would say it's a five to 10-minute process, just getting ourselves ready to ensure that we're safe getting into the (COVID) room having all of the stuff that we need. We're usually in (patient's room) for a large amount of time. And when we leave, we have to accommodate our schedules to know that we

have that extra PPE disposal time," Folk explained.

While all healthcare workers had a significant workload over the last year, Folk said they are in general trained to be prepared, which helps to get through the emergency humanity found itself in.

"You anticipate the worst, but hope for the best, even prepandemic, but with this, too.

People are coming in a lot sicker.

They're scared themselves. And we just have to put on a brave face and make sure that we can give them good quality care while also maintaining our own safety in the room," Folk said.

She added that patients have been understanding, too.

She misses working more with patients and their families, but the safety needs come first during this time.

"That's difficult for nurses like ourselves who are used to having such compassionate and family-centred care," Folk said.

Folk said that she made her career choice early on in life.

"As cliché as that sounds, I always knew I wanted to be a nurse. I come from a family of healthcare workers, and that was probably the only thing that I thought was an option in my mind. I just knew I wanted to be a nurse. I knew that there was a

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THANKS TO ALL THE HEALTHCARE WORKERS FOR ALL THAT YOU DO!

great variety within the career," Folk said.

She added that this job has avenues to do something new every month, and she's been exploring the opportunities. She's worked in multiple departments, she went to Africa and did volunteer work in one of the city hospitals in Ghana and she's also exploring the teaching avenue as she is an instructor with the University of Saskatchewan program.

"I feel like you can always find a different passion when it comes to nursing, there's always something new that you can be doing."

The last year was tough, but even the challenges created by the pandemic didn't affect Folk's passion for the profession.

"I can still honestly say that I love my job. But I will say that my job is hard, harder than it has been.

"I have the greatest team of co-workers at St. Joseph's Hospital. We're a smaller facility, so everybody is like family.

We all know each other. We know each other's personal lives.

We care about each other. So I feel like the team that we have is so great that it makes every day a good day," Folk said.

She added that all the departments within the hospital have been amazing throughout this year.

"Our housekeepers need a big round of applause for all that they do. Their work will definitely have increased within the last year and those are the ones that are keeping our entire facility safe by making sure that everything is cleaned. I honestly thank the housekeepers every single shift, because they have such a heavy workload right now," Folk concluded.

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Josie Folk has been a nurse for four years.

File photo

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May 5, 2021 A19

Simple ways to thank local nurses Nurses have long been unsung heroes of the medical community.

But that tide began to turn in 2020 as the world confronted the COVID-19 pandemic and realized just how invaluable nurses are to public health.

Globally, data from the International Council of Nurses indicated that roughly 1,500 nurses lost their lives to COVID-19 by the end of October 2020.

That data is sobering and serves as a reminder that nurses put their lives on the line each day they go to work. Such sacrifices are worthy of widespread support, and there are many ways ordinary citizens can thank nurses working in their communities.

• Support efforts to protect nurses. Despite widespread recognition of how vital they are to public health, nurses still may not have unbridled access to personal protective equipment (PPE). An ANA survey of nurses working in various health care settings conducted in fall 2020 found that 42 percent of nurses indicated they were still experiencing

widespread or intermittent PPE shortages. In fact, more than half of the 21,000-plus nurses surveyed reported that they were forced to re-use single-use PPE, a practice they said makes them feel unsafe.

The public can do its part by urging local lawmakers to support legisla-

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nurse [nurs] noun

tion that increases domestic production of PPE so the brave men and women in the nursing profession can feel safe when doing their jobs.

• Give nurses and their families a night off from cooking. Long shifts in stressful situations have taken a toll on nurses and their

families. Neighbors can pitch in by offering to cook and deliver meals or pay for takeout for nurses and their families. This simple gesture can provide a much-needed break for nurses and their spouses who have been stretched thin during the pandemic, and it’s a great way

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to remind nurses their heroic efforts are not going unnoticed.

• Help out with chores. Before going to the grocery store, text or call a friend or neighbor in the nursing field to see if he or she needs anything from the store. If nurses shop online for their groceries, arrange to pick them up so nurses can spend more time relaxing at home with their families. During warm weather seasons, offer to mow the lawn or help with leaf pickup.

• Offer discounts to nurses in your community. Local business owners can do their part by offering discounts to nurses and other health care professionals in their communities. A 10 percent discount on a restaurant bill or a nursing discount on a fresh bouquet of flowers can lift nurses’ spirits and reassure them that their communities are behind them.

Nurses have made immeasurable sacrifices throughout the pandemic. Communities can come together in various and often simple ways to show nurses just how much those sacrifices are appreciated.

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A20 May 5, 2021

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Two new exhibits at the Estevan Art Gallery The Estevan Art Gallery and Museum (EAGM) has a pair of new exhibits, and one of the installations is courtesy of a former staff member.

Chantel Schultz’s This Loop is Wearing Thin is in the EAGM’s Gallery No. 2. Schultz is no stranger to the local art community, as she was a curatorial assistant at the EAGM from November 2020 until the end of March, and she had an outdoor exhibit, Inside-Out, at the Woodlawn Regional Park this past winter.

Most of the works for This Loop is Wearing Thin were created when she was working at the EAGM. “A lot of it came from playing off of the work that I had done previously in Woodlawn, using kitchen scraps and these materials that we throw away or consume. These … waste products that become part of our daily ritual were a big jumping off for me,” said Schultz.

While most of the work had been completed in her time here, the exhibit had been booked at the EAGM previously.

The installation features a video component along with the works.

The video has all of the small pieces

that aren’t in the installation going through these different transformations, such as ice melting, the produce decomposing and food drying out.

“If there’s one component that I really enjoy, I’ve casted some of the materials in an EcoPoxy resin, so it’s mostly made with bio materials that make it non-toxic, and they mimic the large outdoor sculptures that I had made,” said Schultz.

While she has had her work exhibited before, this marked the first time that she has incorporated a video into the exhibit in this way.

In her artist statement, Schultz said she aims to develop an intimacy with the materials and forms she engages with, to become sensitive to their temperaments, and to share the material’s vibrancy.

The forms in This Loop is Wearing Thin possess various qualities and express different rates of transformation throughout the installation and video component, Schultz said. As the forms defy their bodily containers by leaking, decomposing, spilling, evaporating, and accumulating, she attempts to closely consider the temporalities of the objects and

people’s relation to these processes and properties.

“Where does one body end and another begin? In an age of growing concerns for individual health and ecological responsibility, I attempt to blur this bodily barrier to express the complex relationality of these non-human actants and ourselves.”

A raised table in the installation heightens this awareness. Looking into rather than over the objects brings them into direct relation to ourselves.

“The senses engage with a faint acrid scent of fermentation and decomposition. The small weightless bits of dust and debris quiver beneath the breath. By virtue of being in the space, we become a participant, completing the installation with our organic presence modifying the space. In what ways might you be affecting the materials and how might the materials be affecting you?”

Schultz said she thoroughly enjoyed her time working at the EAGM, and she has a hard time believing it’s already over.

“It’s such a great organization, and I really enjoyed working

Chantel Schultz’s This Loops is Wearing Thin is now on display at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum. there. I’m sad that my time there is finished.”

Also on display is Grotesque by Winnipeg artist Bev Pike. It features the gigantic, immersive paintings that she is known for.

Bizarre labyrinths in the exhibit, just like a good tango or opera (both

Baroque art forms), have unexpected, yet pleasurable, twists and turns.

Pike bases her research on 300-year-old subterranean shell grottos. Her work has been shown across Canada.

The EAGM will host a virtual artist’s talk on May 19.

“Unique” season wraps up for Warm Welcome It was a “unique” season for the Warm Welcome Kitchen, but board chair Wendy Godfrey says it was still a really good year.

The final supper for the 2020-21 campaign was served Thursday night at Trinity Lutheran Church.

The interest for the kitchen grew throughout the year, and by the end, Godfrey said they were averaging 60-70 people per night. The kitchen was open Tuesday and Thursday nights at the church for people to pick up prepared meals.

“When we first got going, we had a couple of starts and stops … and as we were learning how to do this,

sometimes our venues would close down because of COVIID or whatever reason, and we made changes in the beginning,” said Godfrey.

More people started coming out once they saw the plan that the kitchen was using for its meals every Tuesday and Thursday night.

“The procedure was the same every time, so it made it easier for them to keep track, so then I think our numbers started to go up,” said Godfrey.

Rather than having the sit-down meal that they have had in previous years, the Warm Welcome Kitchen offered take-out meals. Clients had to line up for the food.

“For a lot of people, I just think having a couple of free meals every week really helps to stretch budgets to be able to afford meals for the other days,” said Godfrey.

The kitchen’s board discussed extending the season, like they did last year after the COVID-19 pandemic hit. But this year Godfrey said the volunteers needed a break because they have been working hard throughout the season. “ We h a v e a s m a l l amount of volunteers because you can’t have a lot of volunteers now,” said Godfrey.

“You have to be socially distanced and everything, so few people are coming together

to put on these meals, and we just feel that they need a break, and Christa (kitchen co-ordinator Christa Jorgensen) needs a break. She has a young family and that hasn’t been easy, either, with the schools in and out.”

Jorgensen had some excellent ideas on how they could keep the kitchen open during the pandemic, Godfrey said, with all of the different protocols they had to follow.

“She was up on every rule that the health organizations are putting out,” said Godfrey. “She was able to implement them to make sure that our suppers were being prepared in a safe man-

ner, and we could put them out safely as well.”

People told Godfrey all the time about how delicious the meals were. Godfrey said Jorgensen came up with a variety of meals, rather than serving the same food time after time.

Jorgensen did all of the shopping for the meals, pieced the meals together and made the plan for the food. Chicken, pork chops, meatloaf, spaghetti, lasagna and so much more were offered during the past six months.

People who accessed the kitchen this year provided really positive feedback, Godfrey said. Clients understood

that the kitchen needed to have certain restrictions in place, and so they have been following the rules.

“We’ve had no problems with people trying to come in and break the rules.

They’ve been really good,” said Godfrey.

A lot of businesses stepped forward with donations to keep the kitchen operating this year. They donated food, time and money, and private citizens stepped forward as well.

While they will enjoy the break, Godfrey said the kitchen committee is looking forward to next season beginning in the fall, hopefully with fewer restrictions.

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CLASSIFIEDS A21 | Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | estevanmercury.ca

Obituaries Irene Grace Selk (nee Weiler) February 5, 1929 – April 13, 2021 Our Mom, Irene went peacefully home to be with the Lord, after a short illness at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon on April 13, 2021.

Mom was born in Lampman Union Hospital on February 5, 1929. Growing up their family moved around a lot because her father, Jake, was the Pool elevator operator. They lived in Cullen, Woodley, Claybank, Whittome, and Melfort areas.

Irene met Lewis and they were married on February 24, 1951.

They made their home around Benson where they farmed 4 quarters of land. They raised many animals like cattle, horses, pigs, ducks, geese, goats, chickens and even pheasants for the Sask. Wildlife Federation. Besides working on the farm, Irene also worked at the Derrick Hotel in Estevan. She was a busy mom raising 6 kids, but always found the time to bake, can, garden, sew, do lots of crafts and all kinds of needlework. She also loved spending time doing Fretwork and painting. She was blessed with so many talents. She also taught herself how to play guitar and accordion which she spent lots of time doing and listening to the music of Frank Yankovic. Later in life they sold the farm and moved to Estevan and eventually a move to Saskatoon. It was here she became an active member of Faith Lutheran Church where she sang in the choir and volunteered with ladies in the kitchen and on some committees. She had many friends she served the Lord with there.

She was predeceased by her husband Lewis, son Murray, Daughters-in-law Judy and Donna; parents Freda (nee Johnson) and Jacob Weiler, brother Harold and sisters-in-law, Faye and Iona.

She leaves to mourn her children; Doug, Gilbert, Marc (Terry), Dennis (Joan) and Heather (Trent).

She will be missed by her two brothers Mervyn (Mary) and Lanny (Jan). Irene had 19 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren.

A Celebration of her life will take place at Cromer Woodley Cemetery at a later date.

The family would like to thank all her caregivers at the hospital. Thank-you also to Cherished Memories – Martensville for all the arrangements.

In Lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation (Estevan Branch), Box 105 Estevan SK. S4A 2A2

Rodney Glenn Gust 1963 - 2021 Our Saviour Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. Let us remember with thanksgiving what God has done through His servant Rodney.

Rodney was reborn as a child of God in the waters of Holy Baptism on July 1964. Rodney was confirmed in the Christian faith as an adult and was fed the life-giving body and blood of Jesus. On April 21, 2021 God called Rodney home to heaven. He is survived by his parents, Wayne and Marilyn; brothers, Darcy (Leanne) and Arron (Becky); his nephew Chael and great nephew Fisher and nieces, Chloe and Madeline. He is also survived by his grandmother Marg Hauglum and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. He has countless friends who were supportive and continued to cheer Rodney on during his cancer diagnosis and treatments. Rodney also had a very special friend, Yana, during these last few years who filled him with immense love and joy.

Rodney grew up playing and enjoying sports. His beloved hockey team, the Montreal Canadiens, had him as their number one fan. He was a selfless human being always putting others first. This gentle giant, standing at almost 6’4”, welcomed everyone with his huge infectious smile and a massive bear hug. He was a social butterfly and became known as “Rockin’ Rod” while moonlighting as a DJ at the Beefeater in Estevan. He was passionate about politics and was very proud of his work as a coal hauler at Westmoreland Mining in Estevan.

Memorial donations may be sent to Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan (designate to Allan Blair Cancer Centre), 200 - 4545 Parliament Ave, Regina SK S4W 0G3. We are thankful for the medical care he received in Canada as well as at Oasis of Hope in Mexico. The gifts received through Go Fund Me allowed Rod to travel with his youngest brother Arron to receive alternative cancer treatments. We are thankful to everyone who believed in Rod’s fight and supported him with funding to travel to Mexico. He fought cancer bravely until he took his last breath.

A graveside service will be held in the near future at Westphalia Cemetery, Midale, Sask.

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord. We give thanks to God our Father through Jesus Christ, our Lord, for our brother, Rodney. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.

Hall Funeral Services in Estevan is caring for Rod’s family - Yvonne Clark - Funeral Director.

In MeMorIaM Brooke Duckarmie May 1, 1996 September 5, 2010 Happy Birthday in Heaven Brookie We love you and miss you Love: Mom, Mike, Beau, Bailee and Grandma Doreen XOXOXO

Notices / NomiNatioNs Advertisements and statements contained herein are the sole responsibility of the persons or entities that post the advertisement, and the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association and membership do not make any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness or reliability of such advertisements. For greater information on advertising conditions, please consult the Association’s Blanket Advertising Conditions on our website at www.swna.com.

PROVINCE-WIDE CLASSIFIEDS. 51 local community newspapers, distributing to over 450 communities, including 14 cities. Reach over 550,000 readers weekly. Call 306-649.1405 or visit www.swna.com for details.

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The last thing we want to do is fine someone for not cleaning up after their pet, but giving warnings is not working.”

Problem areas are Lynn Prime Park, Cactus Park and public school grounds.

“Owners aren’t even supposed to have dogs, whether leashed or not, on school grounds. The grounds will be an area that we will be focusing on,” said Prentice.

City of Estevan parks manager Rod March said: “There’s way too much waste.

That’s because people are out walking in late fall, early winter. They don’t pick up after their dogs, then the snow comes. By the time spring rolls around, you’ve really got a real mess on your hands down here.

“If residents notice an area that garbage cans are not placed to meet usage needs, please let us know. We do have 150 garbage cans spread throughout our parks, but we can always add more or move them to meet demand.”

Residents should also be aware of Section 11 of the Bylaw that states any dog or cat running at large on municipal property is subject to a fine. This means all animals should either be on a leash or at a dog park that permits offleash activities. There is one off-leash park for large and small dogs in the free park area of Woodlawn Regional Park.

Career OppOrtunities

The RM of Souris Valley #7 Requires a Fulltime Seasonal Grader/ Equipment Operator Potential start date of middle/end of April, 2021 Wage will be based upon experience We thank all applicants for your interest, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Please forward your resume by e-mail to rm07@sasktel.net, by fax 1-306-456-2480, by mail to Box 40, Oungre, SK S0C 1Z0, OR in person to the RM Office.

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“Most pet owners are very responsible. But we do have high traffic areas with people that are not picking up after their animal, and over time, it accumulates in the parks,” said Special Constable Morgan Prentice, who is the bylaw enforcement officer with the Estevan Police Service.

“There are safety risks with having excessive poop leftover — with parasites — and other dogs like to roll in it.

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Estevan area residents are being reminded about the importance of good pet ownership now that spring has arrived and more people are out and about.

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The simple act of picking up after your dog can help remove harmful nutrients and bacteria from local waterways

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A22 May 5, 2021

www.estevanmercury.ca

Patriots host Freedom Rally The Estevan Patriots held a Freedom Rally in central Estevan on Saturday afternoon. Nearly 50 people participated. They gathered in the 1000 and 1100 blocks of Fourth Street and toted signs that called for an end to current pandemicrelated restrictions. Many motorists supportively honked their horns as they drove past the rally. It was one of a number of such rallies held across the country on Saturday.

Estevan fire chief and deputy chief learn a lot at provincial fire chief’s conference Estevan Fire Chief Dale Feser and Deputy Chief Rick Davies joined the Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs (SAFS) virtual conference and trade show last Friday and Saturday.

The theme this year was Redefining the Fire Service.

Feser said the virtual presentations had a lot of useful information, which will serve the fire service professionals and volunteers, as well as the community further down the line.

After a few special meetings and a presentation by guest speaker Frank Schroder of the Calgary Fire Department, the conference opened on Friday evening. The conference goes hand in hand with a trade show, where fire chiefs can find anything that might be needed in their jobs.

"Typically what we have in the real environment and that we brought in a virtual setting for this year is what's called the trade show. So in a normal setting, we're going out to a very large area, and looking at fire trucks, internal gear, and other safety equipment, everything that pertains to the fire service. With this year's venue we had tiles from these vendors so that people could just click on it if they had questions and there was a little question and answer session for specific vendors,"

Feser explained.

The conference reconvened Saturday morning with a presentation by the president of the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency Marlo Pritchard.

"There're a lot of things that were discussed provincially on what we're hoping to achieve in the next calendar year, and what kind of frameworks are in place.

There's going to be also a lot of training opportunities that the government is going to try to provide for firefighters, whether it's career, paid on call or volunteer," said Feser.

Jodi Burnett, who is a doctor and a registered psychologist, spoke about a PSP NET model that helps firefighters cope with trauma, posttraumatic stress and other work-related psychological issues.

"Critical incident stress management component is another tool in the toolbox that's provided free for any firefighter, whether they're retired or active duty. Currently, the (PSP NET) model only stands in Saskatchewan and Quebec. So we're very fortunate to have it here in Saskatchewan, where 24 hours a day, if one of our individuals thinks that they need help, or they need somebody to talk to, they can phone this line and they'll get the means that they are requesting," Feser said.

Saskatoon Fire Service instructor Doug Wergen made a presentation on hazardous materials awareness, which was followed by a session on fire code and carbon monoxide

by Yvonne Raymer and Trevor Davies.

"That presentation was in regards to mandatory installation of carbon monoxide alarms, especially in lieu of what just recently happened in Saskatoon where we got large apartment buildings not once but twice in the last little while, suffering mechanical failures of a boiler system and exposing a lot of individuals living within those apartments to carbon monoxide.

"Currently in the fire code, only newer buildings are required to have CO alarms but older buildings that predated the current code were allowed to continue to operate without. We're seeing a pitfall here. This is definitely going to be something that we want to see (changing) province-wide to increase the safety margin," Feser said.

Saskatoon was the host this year, and Feser praised the work their fire department has put into organizing this province-wide event in a new format.

Saskatoon Fire Chief Morgan Hackl, along with SAFC president Mike Kwasnica and Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs president

John McKearney, delivered the keynote presentation on redefining fire service.

"We talked about what we're looking at, how we're redefining the fire service, how we're responding to more than what we initially responded to in years past where it was just fires. Now it's an all-hazards approach, and … whenever everybody else doesn't know what to do, they just call the fire department and we come in and figure out a solution to the problem.

“So we were trying to make sure that we're able to support that financially and with training, and to make sure that we are doing a good job at what we're doing, providing a safe package for end customers or end users," Feser said.

Deputy Chief Mike Ralston and Bat Chief Rob Hogan made a presentation on cancer prevention and presumptive legislation. Feser said that the presenters spoke about how health and safety officials and the Workers Compensation Board have been working with fire departments across the province trying to make their work environment safer.

"From decontaminating firefighters on scene or back at the fire station and providing washing machines so we can wash our turnout gear.

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As part of our commitment to communities, Kingston Midstream provides funding opportunities three times a year through the Richardson Foundation to organizations that provide services in the communities where we live and work. Congratulations to the following organizations who were awarded funding in March 2021: Redvers & District Recreation Centre Estevan Gymnastics RM of Pipestone Community Development Corporation Village of Kennedy Estevan Art Gallery and Museum Virden Junior High School MORE 2000 Kipling Volunteer Fire Department Applications for funding through the Richardson Foundation are currently being accepted until May 25th. For more information about eligibility requirements, please visit: https://www.kingstonmidstream.com/about-us/ community-investment/.

Under the provisions of The Alcohol and Gaming Regulations Act, 1997, Notice is hereby given that Local Buzz Liquor Store Inc. has applied to the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) for a Retail Store Stand-Alone permit to sell alcohol in the premises known as Local Buzz Liquor Store at 126 4th St Estevan SK. Written objections to the granting of the permit may be filed with SLGA not more than two weeks from the date of publication of this notice.

Every person filing a written objection with SLGA shall state their name, address, and telephone number in printed form, as well as the grounds for the objection(s). Petitions must name a contact person, state grounds, and be legible, Each signatory to the petition and the contact person must provide an address and telephone number, Frivolous, vexatious or competitionbased objections within the beverage alcohol industry may not be considered and may be rejected by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Licensing Commission, who may refuse to hold a hearing.

Write to: Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority Box 5054 REGINA SK S4P 3M3

we already have that in place.

Down to exhaust management of the fire apparatus at the fire station as well. So it was an all-hazards all-encompassing approach to try and minimize our exposures to cancer-causing agents."

Saskatoon Assistant Chief Anthony Tataryn and Saskatoon Fire Service instructor Trevor Warren made a presentation on rehab and incident safety officers. The conference wrapped up with a presentation by the regional director of the National Fire Protection Association Shayne Mintz.

"He talked about stored energy systems, solar and electric-powered vehicles and how it relates to the fire de-

partments and how there are additional hazards and measures that we have to take to successfully mitigate these situations," Feser said.

Meanwhile, during the lunch break on Saturday, Estevan firefighters were called out to a residential fire alarm, which went off in the north central area. Crews responded, but just as they arrived on scene, dispatchers updated the call. It turned out it was a cooking-related incident, so crews were stood down.

The Estevan fire chief contacted the homeowner to confirm that indeed there was no emergency occurring and no help from the fire department was needed at the location.

Public Notice Rural Municipality of Estevan No. 5 Notice of Intent to Amend the Zoning Bylaw Pursuant to Section 207 of The Planning and Development Act, 2007, the Council of the Rural Municipality of Estevan No. 5 hereby gives notice of its intention to amend Zoning Bylaw 5-2014 by passing bylaw 2021-04.

Intent: The proposed bylaw amendment will allow property owners the option to use ASTM approved protective covers with lockable devices as an alternative to installing a fence and gate to prevent unauthorized access to outdoor swimming pools.

Reason: The reason for the text amendment is to allow property owners the ability to install ASTM approved protective covers with lockable devices as an alternative to installing a fence and gate to prevent access to outdoor swimming pools by unauthorized persons.

Public Inspection: Any person may inspect the proposed bylaw at the R.M. of Estevan Municipal Office at #1 – 322 – 4th Street, Estevan, Saskatchewan between 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays. Copies are available at cost.

Public Hearing: Council will hold a public hearing to receive submissions, written or verbal, on the proposed bylaw at 11:00 a.m. (local time) on Wednesday, May 26th, 2021 in the Council Chambers of the R.M. of Estevan No. 5, #1-322 4th Street Estevan, Saskatchewan. Those wishing to make verbal representation are required to register with the municipal office due to limited space in Council Chambers and COVID-19 social distancing requirements.

Please contact the municipal office at (306) 634-2222 for details prior to Friday, May 21st, 2021.

Dated at Estevan, Saskatchewan this 5th day of May, 2021.

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CHEERS & JEERS A23 | Wednesday, May 5, 2021 | estevanmercury.ca

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Flashback – Wednesday May 2, 1979 Cheers Cheers to the Royal Canadian Legion Estevan branch’s staff, cooks and volunteers for the fundraiser roast beef supper held on May 1. The food was awesome, and the event was very well organized.

Cheers to the Estevan Oilfield Technical Society for holding the Top Gun Trap Shooting event. It was a great opportunity for people to try out a new sport and socialize with fellow oilfield workers.

Cheers to the Warm Welcome Kitchen for their efforts to have this much-needed service for the community this year. The food was great every time out.

Cheers to Taeghen Hack for the way in which she has represented Estevan water polo program during her first year of college. Good luck at the NCAA women’s water polo competition.

Cheers to the number of people we saw in Estevan’s parks on the weekend, finding ways to be outside and exercising while following the public health orders.

Cheers to the City of Estevan and the Souris Valley Museum for bringing in the Guided Historical Walking Tours, and giving us an opportunity to learn about the rich history of the community and the people who used to live here

Jeers Jeers to those who fail to use their signal light when driving, and therefore create a risk for all of the other motorists who follow them.

Jeers to those who are driving faster than 30 kilometres per hour in school zones and playground zones. Now that there are lots of kids in the playgrounds at all hours of the day, it’s even more important than ever to slow down.

Jeers to the fact that it’s the first week of May, and we’re not seeing kids enjoying soccer, baseball, softball and other outdoor team activities. Some of them can still be played very safely.

To submit a cheer or a jeer, please email it to dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca, or visit www.estevanmercury.ca.

The Coolest Spot to Stay & Play

Red Wings captured the tom thumb title in 1978-79 season in Estevan Minor Hockey Association. The team was honored at the association windup at the end of April. Front row, from left, David Hawkins, John Boles, John Garbe, Bruce Gedak, Darwin Fox, Pat O’Greysik, Michael Elchuck and Brian Waldegger.

Back row, Michael Weinrauch, Brad Semeniuk, David Ganje, Kelly Eldridge, Tim Barkasy, David Ball and Damon Kindopp. In the background, coach Dale Fox and assistant coach Don Kindopp.

The mystery of grace The owner, I assume, of a plumbing company advertised the business by posting a sign on the side of his truck that read: “There is no place too deep, too dark or too dirty for us to handle.”

Wow, I thought, what a great endorsement for that anonymous company, but the more I thought about it, the more convinced I was that it’s also a profound theological statement.

For people who have been in the church for years or decades, the word “grace” can become almost trite. Please forgive me if that statement sounds offensive and I agree, it is, but in all honesty, to

Linda Wegner Words of Worth

many that’s what it’s become.

The more I thought about that great endorsement for that anonymous plumbing company, the more I’m convinced that it speaks of the basis of our Christian belief.

For the past many years, I read through my Bible once every 12 months. Each day, week, month and year I dis-

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cover something new; thank God that I’ve never found it to be “routine” or boring, but lately I’ve never been quite as astounded by the grace of God. Reading about the lives of Old Testament men such as David and Solomon floor me: in spite of God’s goodness to them and in spite of

their desire to please Him, they descend into horrid behaviour. Adultery. Greed.

Murder. They end up reaping the rewards of their behaviour but also of experiencing God’s forgiveness and second chances. And, what about us and our weaknesses?

“The law condemns the best of us but grace saves the worst of us.” ( Joseph Prince) “I do not at all understand the mystery of grace, only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us.” (Anne Lamont) “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.” ( John Newton, former slave trader)

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The annual RE/MAX Quest for Excellence program encourages graduating students from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon and Northwest Territories to submit an essay detailing the contributions they have made to their communities. The bursary winners have all demonstrated exceptional motivation, leadership and communication skills.

“The place to sit, stay and play!”

306-634-2628 • #5 421A KENSINGTON AVE. www.remax-bluechip-estevan-sk.ca *Each office independently owned & operated

Debit now available

Call: 306.634.9512 to consign.

• Collision Repair • Frame Repair • Glass Repair • Glass Replacement • Custom Paint • Sikkens Paint • Camper/RV Repair • Complete Autobody Repair & Painting • Courtesy Cars Available • Journeymen Technicians

You Bend ‘Em, We Mend ‘Em Lance Mack & Yansey Hagel

1010 6th Street, Estevan Phone: 306-634-6060

A24 May 5, 2021

www.estevanmercury.ca

THURSDAY’S MAY - AUGUST 6:00PM - 9:00PM PARKING LOT BEHIND RBC LIVE MUSIC BY: THE ROSS LEBLANC TRIO First market - may 6th

SHOP | EAT | MUSIC VISIT THESE LOCAL VENDORS: Native Edge Lowbrow BBQ LC&CO Jeans Krista’s Cookies & Sweets Gorgeous Gauges and Jewlery Ashworth Bedding by Jenn Ice Factory Peyton Gardiner Clothing Balls Bombs Away Taco Taquito Norwex Southern Themal Cork & Stucco Elephant Ear Emporium

A&A Jewellery Jenny Joans Moji Life Watkins Small Town Creations Jewels & Jems Redesigns Recharge Massage Studio Young Living Hugs & Kisses Scrunchies & More Get in My Belly Donuts/Pastries Sweet Corner Bakery NuSkin Tower/Tap/1124

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