Prairie Fire
Despite the snow and rain that has hit the area over the past few weeks, grass fires remain a concern. The Estevan Fire Rescue Service recently dealt with fires in the Bienfait and Torquay (pictured above) areas. (Photo by Const. Peter Donaldson, Estevan RCMP)
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Wed., May 7, 2014
Issue 52
SERVING THE ENERGY CITY FOR 111 YEARS
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Salvation Army celebrates centennial By Jordan Baker jbaker@estevanmercury.ca
You only turn 100 years old once, and the Salvation Army did it among friends. The Estevan organization, founded in the Energy City in 1914 is celebrating its 100th year and held its ceremony along with other events last weekend. Hosting a Family Fun Night on Friday evening, the Salvation Army followed up on Saturday afternoon with an anniversary service at the church, led by Captains Kirk and Linda Green, who served as the local administrators from 2000 to 2005. The service featured the Salvation Army brass band out of Regina, and a dinner was held, welcoming the community and past leaders. Brian and June Bobolo led the evening program as congregation members read letters that were sent in from the Army’s national representatives of what the institution meant to the community. Major Mike Hoeft, area commander and emergency
Salvation Army leaders past and present attended the 100th anniversary celebration over the weekend, which featured a number of events and reflection on what the organization has meant to Estevan in its 100 years of history. disaster services director for Prairie West, noted the importance of taking the time to recognize the centennial anniversary. “It’s excellent to look back and say that for 100 years there have been all kinds of things going on in
the world around us, and yet, the Salvation Army is still here. We’re still providing the same service to people that we’ve been providing for many, many years. The church is still active. It’s getting stronger all the time. That’s great,”
said Hoeft. “We know that stability is important for communities and for people, and for us to be able to celebrate 100 years means we’ve been stable for that long.” Displays featuring photos and newspaper ar-
ticles from the Mercury were set out so those attending could look back on the history. Major Len Miller, was in Estevan from 2009 to 2011, and returned for the celebration taking time away from his current post
in Kindersley. “It was really exciting, not only to meet old friends but to meet new friends as well. I’ve discovered there are a lot of new programs they have started in the community, which is really exciting,” said Miller. Miller said he asked a man attending the 100-year celebration on Saturday when he started attending the Salvation Army and he had been here for 85 years. “He has been around even longer than I have, but to see the excitement of some of the younger people who are coming in here and the respect they still have in the community is amazing.” Of his three years in the city, Miller said he will perhaps remember best the flooding in 2011. “That was the big issue that we had here,” said Miller. “To see that it’s ongoing and growing is sort of exciting that we were a part of it. We’re here to help people. We want to give people a second chance. It doesn’t matter who they are. → A3 Past
Homeowners face avg. tax increase of $164 The City of Estevan’s years of boasting about having some of the lowest taxes in Saskatchewan are quickly coming to an end. As was reported in last week’s Mercury, City Council approved the 2014 general operating budget during an April 26 meeting. Among the highlights was a 1.8 mill rate increase, which boosts property taxes by 20 per cent. Speaking after the meeting, Mayor Roy Ludwig said raising taxes is not something council takes lightly. However with a $38
million debt looming and some much-needed infrastructure work scheduled for 2014, he feels council had no other choice. “Unfortunately we went for too many years without raising the mill rate and now we are paying the price,” Ludwig said following the April 26 meeting. “We are hoping after this second increase, which is a fairly large increase again this year, that we can go back to more reasonable increases in the future.” Combined with a two-mill jump in 2013,
Estevan taxpayers have been hit with an increase of over 40 per cent in just two years. “It’s never an easy decision to raise taxes by a hefty amount like we have done here a couple years in a row,” Ludwig said. “But we have made the commitment that we are going to take care of business and that is exactly what we are going to do.” In a report from city manager Amber Smale, it was noted that municipal taxes for the average home, based on an assessed value of $280,000, will increase by $164 from
2013. She added that Estevan still has some of the lowest property taxes in Saskatchewan despite the increase. Overall, the City is expecting revenues of $31.11 million in 2014. That total includes the additional $2.2 million that the mill rate increase is expected to generate. Total expenses are forecasted to be $29.77 million, which would be a decrease of 18.27 per cent when compared to expenses in 2013. A big reason behind the decrease → A2 Fiscal
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