Estevan Mercury February 24

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WEEKS

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THE COUNTDOWN IS ON

WEEKS

Legal

Sports

Entertainment

Texting and driving don’t mix

Wings frustrate Bruins

Hunter Brothers rocking country

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Wed., Feb. 24, 2016

www.estevanmercury.ca

Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240

CT service welcomed

Fatality This SUV collided with a pair of fire hydrant bollards on the 700 block of Sixth Street on Feb. 17. The investigation into the accident continues. Details on page A2.

Estevan’s population dropped in 2015 By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

Few will be surprised to hear that Estevan’s population is declining, thanks to the drop in the price of oil. But according to the annual covered population report from eHealth Saskatchewan, the population decline might not be as sharp as some people thought. The annual tabulation of people who possess Saskatchewan Health Cards in urban and rural municipalities shows that there were 13,205 people in the city of Estevan, as of June 30, 2015. It’s a moderate decline from the 13,513 individuals who resided in the city as of June 30, 2014. The annual tabulation is not a census, but it is viewed as a more credible source than the census run by Statistics Canada every five years. Estevan’s population is consistently higher in the covered population report than in the census. The last census in 2011 pegged Estevan’s population at a little more than 11,000 people. Mayor Roy Ludwig is among those who puts more stock in the eHealth Saskatchewan figures. “I think an annual report keeps it closer to the actual numbers,” Ludwig told the Mercury. “By getting the numbers more often, it shows a truer picture.” Ludwig admits he was “pleasantly surprised” with the numbers in the most recent covered population report. “Although we thought the numbers would be lower, I was afraid they might be lower than what they actually proved to be,” he said. A number of indicators point to fewer people in the city than a few years ago, when the economy was thriving. There are fewer vehicles on the road, and more vacancies in rental properties. “That’s why I thought, correspondingly, the numbers for our population would be less than what they were,”

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SERVING THE ENERGY CITY FOR 113 YEARS

said Ludwig. The numbers from eHealth Saskatchewan break down a municipality’s population into gender and age groups. It shows there were 6,739 males and 6,436 females in the city last year. Both numbers were down, as there were 6,957 males and 6,556 females the previous year. As for the age groups, there were more people between the ages of 25 and 29 than any other with 1,270. There were 692 men and 578 women in that age demographic. The rural municipality (RM) of Estevan, meanwhile, experienced a slight increase in its population, from 641 people in 2014 to 715 last year. There were 384 males and 331 females in the RM. The largest age group for males in the RM was boys between the age of five and nine, as there were 35. There were 37 women between the ages of 50 and 54, making it the largest age group for females. The 50 to 54 age group also accounted for the largest share of the population in the RM with 66 residents. As for the other communities close to Estevan, Bienfait’s listed population was 1,061 people in 2015, which was 15 more than the previous year; Frobisher had 205 residents, which was down from 216 people in 2014; North Portal had 165 people, which was down from 181 residents; Torquay had 337 inhabitants, which was down from 358 people; Macoun had 392 residents, which was up from 356 people; and Midale had 853 residents, which was down from 863 inhabitants. The rural municipalities saw slight changes to their populations. Coalfields was home to 214 people in 2015, compared with 211 the year before; Cambria had 191 residents, which was up from 179 people the previous year; Benson had 334 residents, which was down from 340 inhabitants; and Cymri had 215 residents, which was up from their 207 inhabitants in 2014. The total population in the Sun Country Health Region was 59,686 people last year, compared with 59,984 in 2014.

The first-ever state-of-the-art computed tomography (CT) scanner was pressed into service less than an hour after it was officially launched on Monday afternoon at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Mel Chamney, his wife Marge and family gathered in the imaging department at the Estevan hospital with Mel having the honour of initiating the service with a neurological scan. After it was over, family members James, Mike and Mel produced a cheque in the amount of $5,000 from Chamney Crushing Ltd. for the St. Joseph’s Foundation to express their gratitude. The family said they certainly welcomed the addition to health-care services in southeast Saskatchewan. “It will beat having to make those long drives into Regina, especially in the winter and it will reduce the wait times all around,” said James. Dr. Khalid Sheikh, who performs surgeries in Estevan and Weyburn on a regular basis, said CT scans were “an essential service we can now offer. It was a long-awaited addition. On many occasions I’ve had to send a patient into Regina just for a CT scan and Regina, being a catchall tertiary health service region, often had delays, so the process was highly inconvenient at times, plus risky on occasions, as well as more expensive — with the added time for everyone. Now we can provide a standard of care that patients deserve. And I’m sure Regina will be happy too,” he said amidst a round of laughter from the 100 or more people in attendance. Provincial Health Minister Dustin Duncan, who represents Weyburn-Big Muddy, which is included in the Sun Country Health Region, said the unique proposal coming from the Estevan committee over three years ago, was eventually accepted and the process began. The uniqueness was the fact that the local committee and St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation were willing to purchase the $1.2 million scanner and also pay for the necessary renovations at the hospital to accommodate it. He said the other factor was that this was the first CT scanner to be approved for a district hospital. All of the other 13 scanners in the province are located in larger regional hospitals. Duncan paid tribute to Estevan MLA Doreen Eagles, who was unable to attend the function, but he noted she was a committed advocate for the project, as were the local committee members who continually lobbied for the service. “The growth in services will continue and will include private and public services. It’s been great to see the partnerships that came together to make this happen,” Duncan said, referring to the fact that local rural municipalities and local businesses and individuals provided large financial donations which led to the launch date. Mayfair Radiology Services of Regina and Calgary will provide the image readings and assist with the diagnostics. They were represented at the opening by Drs. Illya Boridy and Kaushik Bhagat and Lana Bruner. Greg Hoffort, executive director of St. Joseph’s, served as emcee for the afternoon program that included words of welcome and celebration from Sun Country Health Region’s CEO Marga Cugnet, Sun Country board chairwoman Marilyn Charlton, Dr. Sheikh, Mayor Roy Ludwig who is also vice-chairman of the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation and Duncan. A more complete summary of the celebration and comments from health-care providers and participants can be found in this weekend’s edition of Southeast Lifestyles.

Senchuk Ford Sales Ltd.

118 Souris Ave. N., Estevan 306-634-3696 www.senchukford.ca


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