Estevan Mercury

Page 1

ADVER TISING

⇢A19 -24

Wed., Aug. 20, 2014

www.estevanmercury.ca

Issue 16

SERVING THE ENERGY CITY FOR 112 YEARS

Mailing No. 10769

Vancouver tip leads to arrest By Jordan Baker editor@estevanmercury.ca

After red flags were raised regarding an Estevan-bound package at the Vancouver International Airport, Estevan Police Service members arrested and charged a local man under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Just after 1 p.m. Aug. 14, the EPS arrested Bryan Francis Moyles, a 30-year-old Estevan man, after executing a search warrant at a residence on Peterson Drive. Police seized a quantity of Gamma-Butyrolactone, which is an ingredient used in producing Gamme Hydroxybutyrate (GHB), a drug commonly used in drug-facilitated sexual assaults. Moyles has been charged with importation of a controlled substance, unlawfully producing a schedule I substance and possession of cannabis marijuana. All charges fall under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Police seized about 2,000 doses of the substance with an estimated street value between $10,000 and $20,000. Moyles is scheduled to appear in Estevan provincial court on Sept. 8. The investigation into Moyles was launched when Canada Border Services Agency officers at Vancouver International Airport intercepted a parcel headed for Estevan that was declared as “peppermint oil.” An inspection of the parcel revealed about 8.05 litres of a clear liquid, which tested positive for Gamma-Butyrolactone, at which point local authorities were contacted. The substances found are among the ingredients to produce GHB, which, like Rohypnol, is commonly used to give to an unaware person and is often linked to sexual assaults. “There was certainly no Rohypnol found. It’s just the GHB, but they are the two biggest drugs used for sexual assault,” said EPS Chief Paul Ladouceur. “It’s one of the main ingredients used to make the drug. The other items found during the course of the search warrant were the ingredients to complete that recipe. It was basically the point of producing it, that’s why he has been charged with production as well. He was (allegedly) making this drug within the residence in the city.” He said the ingredients found are what are needed to synthesize GHB. “This drug is of particular concern. Although there can be other uses for the drug, it can be used just as a drug with no intent of sexual assault but that’s one of its most common uses,” said Ladouceur. “We have to be cognizant that even if the person manufacturing it doesn’t have that intention when they distribute it, does the person who is receiving it intend to use it in that fashion? It’s a controlled substance for a reason, and that’s because of the volatility and the linkage it has to sexual assault.” Ladouceur said as the investigation continued, they have reason to believe this isn’t the first time these substances were accumulated for drug-concocting purposes. “When you’re talking 2,000 doses — our investigation shows that it’s certainly not what we believe to be the first that this has been done. With the concern we’ve had in the past in relation to the instance within our local bars, we want to take a strong stand against what’s coming in and nip it in the bud as much as we can.” Ladouceur said the police don’t know if this individual or this kind of drug in particular is connected to complaints filed by women earlier this year that they had foreign substances slipped into their drinks at local bars. “Whether this is tied or whether there’s another source, we’ll continue to work on it. The investigation is ongoing at this time,” Ladouceur said in an interview on Aug. 15. “Certainly, when I started here, I made it very clear to the public that we’d be taking a hard approach on drugs in the city and will continue to do so. This is the first but certainly won’t be the last of the drug search warrants this police service conducts.”

Smashing Bash Kale Little sends a volley back over the net during the beach volleyball tournament at Beach Bash. See complete Beach Bash coverage on A3.

Tax request leaves council split By Jordan Baker editor@estevanmercury.ca

Estevan city councillors expressed a split opinion when a request for a tax reallocation surfaced for another year. Estevan Daycare Co-operative filed a request with the City to have their municipal property tax rate reduced from a commercial rate to a residential one, a request the City has approved over the past several years. As a non-profit organization aimed at providing childcare to more than 50 families in the Estevan area, Patrick Sullivan, who made submissions for the Daycare Co-op during the Aug. 11 regular meeting of council, said the tax reduction helps them maintain their service without increasing costs to their users. It’s a debate heard at all levels of government throughout the year for all services: what ratio should the taxpayer share with the service’s users? In the Estevan Daycare’s case, paying a residential

mill rate instead of a corporate one would save them $5,721.12, or about 1.5 per cent of their total operating budget. If the request is denied, the organization would have to pass that cost onto its users, and Sullivan noted they have had to put more stress on their users already through increased fees, and they continue to operate at a loss each month. He told council they experienced a staff crisis in 2012 that nearly closed their doors. The increase in fees for their users since that time has already been significant, he said. When council did vote on a motion to grant the request in 2014, the result was a tie and the motion was lost. The motion included a provision to not provide the tax reduction in 2015. With Coun. Trevor Knibbs absent from the meeting and only six eligible voters at the table, Councillors, Brian Johnson, Greg Hoffort and Mayor Roy Ludwig provided the yeas, while Councillors Lori Carr, Kevin Smith and Dennis Moore provided the nays. Day care ⇢ A2

City happy with construction results By Jordan Baker editor@estevanmercury.ca

It has been a busy construction season in Estevan thus far. With long-awaited projects like the rebuilding of 13th Avenue from Fourth Street to Sixth Street and the paving of the leisure centre parking lot complete, residents can expect more odds and ends to be completed by the end of the fall. Though the pace of heavy construction has been removed from the busiest areas of the city, the road

Mayor Roy Ludwig construction connecting Wellock and Sister Roddy Roads near the St. Joseph’s Hospital is nearing completion. A less visible but vital

construction project that continues, with expected completion this fall, is the new biosolids processing facility for the wastewater treatment plant, a $1.4 million project. Kevin Sutter, Estevan water treatment manager, said the construction by Wilhelm Construction Services Inc. is progressing and he expects the work to be completed this fall on schedule and on budget. “The next step is to connect the utilities and do the electrical work inside,”

he said. Sutter noted the equipment for the building, which costs another $475,000, is to be installed next year as part of the City’s 2015 budget. He said the equipment has been ordered but won’t be delivered until the new year and should be installed in the spring. “We will be using it as storage until we get the equipment in. My goal is to have it all in the processing mode at the beginning of March,” said Sutter. Work ⇢ A2

BIGGEST OFFERS

EMPLOYEE

OF THE YEAR

PRICING IT’S BACK

Senchuk Ford Sales Ltd.

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

41928_R0_EPTemplate_GenericADMAT_Truck_10.5x2.857.indd 1

Vehicle(s) may be shown with optional equipment. Dealer may sell or lease for less. Limited time offers. Offers only valid at participating dealers. Retail offers may be cancelled or changed at any time without notice. See your Ford Dealer for complete details or call the Ford Customer Relationship Centre at 1-800-565-3673. For factory orders, a customer may either take advantage of eligible Ford retail customer promotional incentives/offers available at the time of vehicle factory order or time of vehicle delivery, but not both or combinations thereof. *Ford Employee Pricing (“Employee Pricing”) is available from July 1, 2014 to September 30, 2014 (the “Program Period”), on the purchase or lease of most new 2014/2015 Ford vehicles (excluding all chassis cab, stripped chassis, and cutaway body models, F-150 Raptor, F-650/F-750, Mustang Shelby GT500, 50th Anniversary Edition Mustang and all Lincoln models). Employee Pricing refers to A-Plan pricing ordinarily available to Ford of Canada employees (excluding any Unifor/CAW negotiated programs). The new vehicle must be delivered or factory-ordered during the Program Period from your participating Ford Dealer. Employee Pricing is not combinable with CPA, GPC, CFIP, Daily Rental Allowance and A/X/Z/D/F-Plan programs. ©2014 Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. All rights reserved. 2014-06-23 10:34 AM


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.