3
WEEKS
14
THE COUNTDOWN IS ON
WEEKS
Oil
Sports
History
Focus placed on oil industry
Strippers take over Estevan ice
Wedding dresses go back in time
⇢A3 & A8
⇢B1
⇢B6
18th Annual
⇢ B10
Issue 48
SERVING THE ENERGY CITY FOR 113 YEARS
www.estevanmercury.ca
Wed., Apr. 13, 2016
Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240
Charges laid in fatal accident
By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
The Estevan Police Service (EPS) has announced that charges have been laid against the motorist who was involved in the fatal vehicle-pedestrian collision last October in downtown Estevan. Metro Ignatiuk, 68, has been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm, under the Criminal Code. The accident occurred on Oct. 6, 2015. Kathy Batke, 69, and an unnamed man, aged 74, were using the midblock pedestrian crossing in the 1200-block of Fourth Street when they were struck by a pickup truck driven by Ignatiuk. Batke and the unnamed man were transported to St. Joseph’s
Hospital, and then were airlifted to a hospital in Regina for further treatment. Batke died of her injuries in the hospital in Regina on Oct. 8. The man suffered extensive injuries in the accident, and has been hospitalized in Regina since then. He is expected to be released soon. Estevan police Chief Paul Ladouceur noted the man has spent an extensive amount of time in the Wascana Treatment Centre. “There are some ongoing injuries resulting from the accident,” Ladouceur told the Mercury in an interview last week. “Without getting too specific about the injuries, because it is still an ongoing investigation, but the person suffered severe injuries that will no doubt be lifelasting.” The charges were filed on March 31, but were not
The Estevan Police Service has announced charges in connection with a fatal accident last year in the 1200-block of Fourth Street. File photo. made public until April 8. Police have received some criticism for not pressing charges sooner, but Ladouceur stressed the investigation was a timeconsuming process. “When we do these types of investigations, we have to go through all the evidence, and that involves all kinds of evidence,” said Ladouceur.
“It includes post-mortem examinations, coroner’s reports and reviewing the data that is collected from the scene through accident reconstruction information.” They also consulted with the crown prosecutors before proceeding with any charges. And they had to decide whether to charge Ignatiuk under
Traffic bylaw gets first reading in council By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
A proposed new traffic bylaw in Estevan will result in higher fines for parking violations, changes to the city’s truck route and lower speed limits in back alleys. Estevan city council gave first reading to the traffic bylaw at their meeting on Monday night. Police Chief Paul Ladouceur said the bylaw should streamline processes while bringing forward a few changes. “It makes it easier to flow and easier to read for members of the public and members of the police for that matter,” Ladouceur told the Mercury in an interview. “A lot of it was cleaning up language, cleaning up of sections and re-establishing certain things.” Perhaps the biggest change for the public will be the parking fines. Ladouceur believes some of the fines are quite outdated. “A parking ticket in Estevan was, on average, $20, and $10 if you paid it early,” he said. “Looking at that, it’s cheaper to pay for a parking ticket in Estevan, than it is to pay for legal parking in Regina.” He believes a visitor to the community might think it’s easier to park illegally, and pay the $10 fine within 14 days, than it is to park legally.
“We’re not saying that the fines will be extremely high, like some of the cities or larger centres, but there has to be enough of a deterrent to make somebody want to abide by the no parking signs in our community,” said the police chief. “People often get concerned or upset because there’s an increase in the fine, or they think ‘This is ridiculous,’ and there’s a simple solution…don’t park illegally. Problem solved.” The most common ticket handed out is for motorists who park too long. It will increase to $45, but it will be reduced to $30 if paid within 14 days. The fines for most infractions will increase from $40 to $80. If paid within 14 days, the fine will be $50. “We’re way behind when we compare ourselves to other municipalities when it comes to parking … fines, and quite frankly we’re constantly receiving parking complaints,” said Ladouceur. The fines are now competitive with other small cities in the province, he said, and the fines in Regina are still a lot higher than in Estevan. He understands finding a parking spot can be challenging, particularly in the downtown core, but Ladouceur also believes people shouldn’t be able to occupy a parking spot for eight hours. Speed ⇢ A2
the Criminal Code or the Traffic Safety Act (TSA). Ladouceur said they were never leaning towards TSA charges. “In this case, with all the evidence that’s been obtained to this point, it was felt that the charges certainly fell within the Criminal Code,” said Ladouceur. The investigation re-
mains before the courts, so Ladouceur said he couldn’t discuss the evidence, and why the EPS believes the charges should be under the Criminal Code. “It is important to note he has been charged. He has not been convicted,” said Ladouceur. Ignatiuk is scheduled to appear in court on May 16.
Carr announces council resignation Estevan city council will be operating with six members for the remainder of the current term. Lori Carr announced her resignation from council at Monday night’s meeting, ending nearly a decade of service in municipal politics. Her departure was expected. Carr was elected to be Estevan’s next MLA during the April 4 provincial election. She had stated prior to the campaign that she would remain on council until the election, and then if she was elected to the MLA’s position, she would step down from council. In a farewell speech, she paid tribute to the people she has worked with on council over the years, and the city’s staff and department heads. “They work so hard to make this city run on a day-to-day basis,” said Carr. “People don’t see the work that goes into it and
the time and effort that they do put in.” She looks forward to seeing the city prosper in the future, and she hopes to be a part of it, but at the provincial rather than the municipal level. Members of council also paid tribute to her contributions, and offered their congratulations. “You’ve done a very good job,” Mayor Roy Ludwig told Carr. “You’ve helped us focus on the financial aspects many times. Sometimes we tend to overlook that, but you’ve always brought that … to council.” The next civic election will occur in October, so a byelection won’t be needed to fill the vacancy on council. Carr was elected as a city councillor for the first time in 2003, and was re-elected in 2006. She was defeated in the 2009 election, but returned to council in the 2012 election.
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