Henderson Releases First Album
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Sand Blasting
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August 7, 2013
Lutheran Pastor Returns From Pilgrimage
WEDNESDAY
Tony Heath blasts his ball out of the sand trap during the horse race portion of the Woodlawn Classic. Marcus Friess eventually outlasted 11 other golfers to capture the horse race title for 2013. Photo by Chad Saxon.
www.estevanmercury.ca Issue 14
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The minister Responsible for Rural and Remote Health was in Estevan on July 30 as part of his summer visitation schedule, which means barbecues not ministry announcements. Randy Weekes said the community engagement calendar this summer has been an ambitious one, with Estevan being the 12th call on the list. Weekes said the general conversations during the
informal meetings and luncheons has usually focused on physician recruitment and retention, and primary health care. Asked if he had any concerns raised regarding underutilization of hospitals and health care centres in rural Saskatchewan, Weekes said that topic had not been raised during the conversations. “I am not hearing underutilization of hospitals as a
Randy Weekes problem,” he said. Weekes also said the anticipated announcement
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regarding a CT scanner for St Jospeh’s Hospital in Estevan, was not on his agenda for the visit to the Energy City. “It’s a meet and greet event. I met with the physicians, mayors and community leaders, and yes, the scanner was brought up, but I have nothing to add. That’s a topic down the road, probably for budget considerations next spring,” Weekes said.
“But we are aware of it and determining that if it comes, it’s done as a partnership with the ministry.” When asked what the implications might be if the local health care committee simply purchased a CT scanner, installed and operated it for two years with certified personnel, which is a proposal already in the Health Ministry’s hands, Weekes said the Rural ⇢ A2
Retirement nears, but work remains for MP By Norm Park Of The Mercury
Thursday
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CT scanner in holding pattern
Bruins Hold Fitness Testing
WEATHER & INDEX
Fitness Group Brings The Funk
In a wide-ranging one-hour visit with Souris-Moose Mountain MP Ed Komarnicki, the veteran politician agreed to take a reflective look back on his nine-year career as a representative in the House of Commons as well as providing a look at the future. Komarnicki announced this spring that he will not be seeking reelection when the electorate go to the polls in the next federal election. This will give the party and local committee ample time to select the next federal candidate to carry the Conservative banner. Komarnicki has been a runaway leader at the polls in the past, which means the southeast Saskatchewan seat will be
Ed Komarnicki a very important one for the current government to try and keep. Komarnicki said he has made it clear that while he is stepping aside, he will also be stepping out of the picture and definitely will not be making any recommendations to the party’s hierarchy as to who he
thinks might be heir to the seat in the House of Commons. He’ll stay well out of that scenario, but will probably work backstage, so-tospeak, on getting the next Conservative party nominee elected. “The person will have to be an organizer because this is a strong Conservative area, and I expect the competition to be the next nominee will be stiff, and the contest could be tight. The candidate should be a new face, energetic and be prepared to take the next step up. It requires a lot of energy to do this job. There are a lot of miles to travel.” He said his constituency work and the additional work concerning the two secretariats he served in took up a lot of time. Komarnicki said he was fortunate to have worked with a number
of ministers in the secretariat in Immigration and Human Resources. If he had been called upon to be a cabinet minister, he said he felt he would have been up to the challenge, but what he had been able to do in the support role, was very rewarding and exciting. “Wherever you’re placed, that’s where you give it your best, and I always have,” he said. “It gave me the opportunity to meet some very interesting people and to travel across the country to represent the government and ministry and deal with issues that are very much in front of us today. There’s a lot of reform in human resources, and to be a part of the process to see it happen is exciting,” he said, referring to his time Komarnicki ⇢ A4
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