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Units 4 and 5 at Fire rips through trailer in Willow Boundary Dam Park Greens on Friday night to be retired By David Willberg
dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
Units 4 and 5 at the Boundary Dam Power Station aren’t part of the provincial government’s long-term power production plans, and now there are questions regarding how much coal power will be part of power generation in the future. SaskPower announced on Monday that Units 4 and 5 at Boundary Dam would be retired, rather than receive a carbon capture and storage (CCS) retrofit. The future of Units 4 and 5 has been the subject of much speculation, as the government was faced with a decision whether to retrofit them with CCS technology, or look at other options for baseload power generation. If the provincial government is able to reach the much-discussed equivalency agreement with its federal counterparts, then Units 4 and 5 would come offline in 2021 and 2024, respectively. But without an agreement, they would be shuttered on Dec. 31, 2019. SaskPower is currently supporting the Saskatchewan Ministry of the Environment’s efforts to secure an equivalency agreement, which is expected this year. The equivalency agreement would allow the province to meet or improve upon federal emission requirements over time on a system-wide basis, as opposed to every coal-fired plant. “There was a significant amount of analysis that went into making the decision to not retrofit Boundary Dam 4 and 5 with CCS technology,” said Dustin Duncan, the minister responsible for SaskPower, in an interview with the Mercury. “It certainly was not an easy decision to make, but ultimately the business case couldn’t be made that would justify going through the retrofit on CCS for 4 and 5.” Because the units have reached the end of their lifespan, Duncan claimed they were going to require $200 million to $300 mil-
lion each for upgrades before the CCS technology could be applied to the two units. And since the costs were not competitive with other alternatives, Duncan said there wasn’t a firm dollar figure on how much it would cost to apply the CCS technology, and whether it would cost less than the original CCS facility, which opened in 2014. CCS and natural gas were viewed as the two options for new baseload power. “With historically low gas prices, when you look at the cost comparison between gas prices for today as well as for the foreseeable future, certainly it appears that we’re going to have a surplus of gas in North America,” he said. But natural gas is also prone to volatile price swings, an issue that SaskPower has acknowledged in the past. A decision has not been made on where a natural gas facility would be located. The Chinook Power Station is being constructed in the Swift Current area, and for the next baseload project, SaskPower is doing analysis on which site makes the most sense. Estevan would be considered as an option for such a facility. “Knowing the decision that we have to make with respect to the coal fleets over the next decade, I think SaskPower is going to keep a close eye on how we can mitigate as much of that as possible.” The eventual retirement of the units is not anticipated to include any layoffs for the 40 employees involved. Duncan said there will be opportunities for people to move into other positions, including to other plants outside of the community. Attrition could also allow them to avoid laying people off. Units 4 and 5 each produce 150 megawatts of power, A2 » CCS
A trailer in the Willow Park Greens trailer park was destroyed by a fire on Friday night. Just before 10 p.m., members of the Estevan Fire Rescue Service were called to a structural fire. When they arrived on the scene, they found the trailer fully engulfed. “Crews did set up and establish water suppression for operations and made a fairly aggressive interior structural attack into the home, however, after approximately five to 10 minutes, crews were informing of signs of impending structural collapse of both the floor and the roof,” said Fire Chief Dale Feser. Firefighters were forced to retreat into defensive positions, and continued to do so until the fire was extinguished. The fire was not allowing crews to enter the home, and with the structural compromise, firefighters had to be pulled back.
A trailer in the Willow Park Greens trailer park was destroyed by a fire on Friday night. Photo by Corey Atkinson Feser said the fire department spent several hours at the scene. All family members were able to escape the home. A few minor injuries were reported, including a shoulder injury and burns, but those didn’t require treatment by Estevan Emergency Medical Services. The family has been displaced from the home, and Feser said it appears the home will be a total loss.
“We called in the Canadian Red Cross, and they are offering assistance at this time,” said Feser. A GoFundMe page has been started for the family, identified as Ryan and Alicia Koch. As of Monday evening, the campaign had raised $1,635 of its $2,000 goal. Shelley Porath, who started the campaign, said the family lost everything in the fire and ran out with just
their pyjamas. The money can help out with immediate items they need until insurance kicks in. There wasn’t any damage to the surrounding units, other than possibly some smoke damage. “It was kind of a heavy, dense atmosphere, so it wasn’t allowing the smoke to rise as it normally would,” said Feser. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Federal government provides support for passing lanes on Highways 39 and 6 By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
The passing lanes and twinning that will be constructed on Highways 39 and 6 from Estevan to Regina have received a boost from the federal government. Ralph Goodale, the federal minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, announced an investment of $53.3 million on Thursday in Weyburn. The project consists of building 16 sets of passing lanes for Highways 39 and 6 between Estevan and Regina. It also includes twinning short segments, including Highway 6 south of Regina, and Highway 39 north of Milestone and south of Weyburn. Also included is the rehabilitation of approximately 51 kilometres of pavement, and the improvement of intersections and highway entrances and exits along the corridor. “Transportation and distribution of goods are a vital part of our local, regional and national economies,” Goodale said. “The investment announced here today will make our
transportation system stronger by addressing capacity constraints and safety concerns along this corridor and fostering long-term prosperity for our community.” The federal government previously contributed to the twinning of Highway 39 from an area east of Estevan to southeast of the junction of Highways 39 and 18. That project was completed last year. Doug Wakabayashi, the executive director of communications and customer service for the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways, said two sets of passing lanes are scheduled to be constructed south of Regina this year, and the rest of the project will go to tender soon. But until the procurement process comes to a close, the full cost of the project won’t be released. Wakabayashi said the government decided not to twin Highway 39 northwest of Estevan because the existing traffic numbers didn’t justify the work. “We didn’t feel it was warranted at this time, especially with the truck bypass,” said Wakabayashi.
The twinning of Highway 39 east of the city wasn’t a factor in the decision not to twin northwest of the city. It’s a decision the government could revisit at some point in the future. “At some point in time, traffic volumes will get to the point where more twinning is warranted,” said Wakabayashi. The government expects the passing lanes will take about five years to complete. A decision hasn’t been made on whether construction of the passing lanes will south of Regina, and work its way towards Estevan, or if it will start outside of Regina and Estevan and then work its way to the middle. “Delivery is something that will be proposed by the bidders on the contract,” said Wakabayashi. That’s one of the things they’ll be evaluated on is their plan for doing work.” They could also start in the middle and work their way to Estevan and Regina. “One of the things we do by giving bidders the flexibility to determine A2 » COMMITTEE
A2 July 11, 2018
Estevan Mercury
Investigation ongoing into Struble’s disappearance The investigation into what happened to Courtney Struble continues, 14 years after her disappearance. Courtney vanished in the early morning hours of July 9, 2004, after watching a movie with friends at the Estevan Veterinary Clinic on the west edge of the city. Her friends offered her a ride home, but she decided to walk. She was last seen at approximately 12:30 a.m. in the vicinity of Highway 39 and Woodlawn Avenue North (now Sister Roddy Road). Initially her disappearance was treated as a miss-
ing person case, and foul play was not suspected. But in 2010, the RCMP’s Historical Case Unit (HCU) took over the investigation from the Estevan Police Service, and a short time later, the HCU started treating her disappearance as a homicide. Cpl. Rob King with the Saskatchewan RCMP’s media relations division said the investigation remains active. Whenever some new information comes in, investigators act upon it. “If anyone in the public has any information, if they haven’t already brought it forward, we definitely
encourage them to come forward and supply us with that information to hopefully give us new leads and new things to investigate,” King told the Mercury. King couldn’t divulge specifics into how many calls they have received, how frequent those calls have been or the information contained in those tips. He said it’s hard to say whether they’re any closer to finding out what happened to Courtney. “Right now we can only act on the information that we have, and we always need more,” said King. “So we want more
information to come from the public. “Somebody out there knows something. Somebody out there, who may not even know they know something, knows something. So we need those people to come forward and be able to speak to us, because it gets things going again. “It gives you that glimmer of hope, and that avenue to start looking in that different direction that maybe you weren’t able to look before.” The anniversary of a missing person often puts the case back in the spot-
Courtney Struble light, and King said that can be beneficial for investigators. It might jog someone’s memory. Unit members have visited the Estevan area over the years to follow up
on information regarding the case, and has performed searches since taking over the investigation in an effort to find her. The HCU has stated previously that it believes her body is somewhere in the Estevan area, or a nearby rural community. Courtney was fivefoot-three and weighed between 110 and 125 pounds when she vanished. She had a birthmark on the nape of her neck, and a 1 1/2-inch scar on her left shin. The night that she disappeared, Courtney was wearing a grey hoodie, blue jeans and running shoes.
Committee still wants more twinning « A1 their own construction schedule is sometimes you can generate a cost-savings by tendering a job that way,” said Wakabayashi. A decision hasn’t been made on which stretches of Highway 39 will be resurfaced, nor has the government decided where the intersection upgrades will occur. But the resurfacing will occur on older pavement. “There are some efficiencies that can be gained by doing that at the same time as the contractors have their asphalt plants mobilized for paving the passing lanes,” said Wakabayashi. The intersection improvements will include left-turn lanes and acceleration lanes. The portion of Highway 39 south of Weyburn
that will be twinned will extend to the Weyburn Inland Terminal building, he said, while the stretch north of Milestone will extend to around Corrine. The twinned portion of Highway 6 south of Regina will extend beyond the junction with the Regina bypass. There are not any plans at this point to add passing lanes to Highway 39 from the Roche Percee access road to North Portal, since the traffic volumes wouldn’t justify the work. The local Time to Twin committee, though, still wants to see twinning from Regina to the U.S. border. Marge Young, who has co-chaired the committee with Lorelei Ireland since it started meeting in 2009, said she wasn’t surprised that the federal
government supported the project. “Putting in some passing lanes is not the answer,” said Young. “It’s a Band-Aid solution, and it’s what they’ve chosen to do because it suits them. It doesn’t suit us as a group. It doesn’t suit a lot of people in this area.” She reiterated previous statements that passing lanes won’t enhance safety because of the number of semi-trailer units on the road. “There is still a huge number of semis out there,” said Young. “Some people feel the oilfield is picking up, so it could get
to be the crazy situation that it was a few years ago.” Passing lanes will alleviate some of the issues on Highways 39 and 6, but not all of them. Young said she is pleased to hear that some short sections of Highways 39 and 6 will have double lanes, but the committee believes the passing lanes mean the government won’t be looking at twinning. “What’s the point of waiting to see if you’re spending that money on passing lanes? Do it properly the first time,” said Young.
The committee has been largely quiet since last summer when members met with David Marit, the Minister of Highways and Infrastructure. Young and committee member Norm Park met with Gord Wyant in January during the Saskatchewan Party’s
leadership race, as Wyant reached out to them. Wyant has since been named the deputy premier. But the committee has been largely quiet in recent months, now that the government has told them passing lanes is the direction they have chosen.
Ralph Goodale, the federal minister for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, announced federal support for passing lanes and twinning on Highways 39 and 6 Thursday in Weyburn. Photo by Greg Nikkel of the Weyburn Review
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« A1 which is the same as Unit 3. But Duncan said that when the government decided to proceed with a retrofit of Unit 3 at Boundary Dam nearly a decade ago, the price of natural gas was much higher. Also, the federal government contributed $240 million to Unit 3. The provincial government was going to be on its own this time. CCS technology will continue to be used at Unit 3 at Boundary Dam. In a news release, SaskPower said Unit 3 has demonstrated how conventional coal can be replaced with a low-emission process that makes Unit 3 one of the world’s cleanest-burning coal power units. A high-level CCS feasibility study is being prepared for the Shand Power Station east of Estevan. That feasibility study does not extend to Unit 6 at
the Boundary Dam Power Station. Duncan said Unit 6 at Boundary Dam remains in the mix for future baseload power options. “The feasibility is being done on Shand just because absent of the issue around natural gas costs, there are other factors that I think are more favourable for Shand,” said Duncan. “For instance, Shand is a bigger unit. It’s a 300-megawatt unit. So the economies of scale make the business case that much better for Shand. As well, Shand was built with a footprint for a second 300-megawatt unit that was never built, so the footprint of Shand is not as congested at Boundary Dam.” For more on the feasibility study, see Page A12. Duncan said the equivalency could be signed “any day now.” The federal government has asked SaskPower for information on how it would reach its stated goal of a 40 per cent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030. That information has been supplied to the federal government, and he hopes that will clarify what they were looking for. For more reaction to SaskPower’s announcement on Units 4 and 5, see Page A5.
Third Page A3
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Auction, awards and achievement at 4-H activities
It appears the interest level and the support from the community remain very high for 4-H clubs in the Estevan area. The annual Estevan
Rotary 4-H Regional Show and Sale took place from July 3 to 5, with members from the Benson, Browning, Crossroads and Outram-Madigan 4-H Clubs
Brenden Lischka, left, accepts the award for the grand champion steer from Phil Holzer with Murray GM.
participating in achievement days, judging of the cattle, presentation of awards and the annual beef auction. Wade Brokenshire, who is the chairperson of the show and sale, praised the youths for the quality of their cattle. “There are a lot of great producers and 4-H families,” Brokenshire told the Mercury. “We have one of the best steer shows in Saskatchewan as far as 4-H is concerned.” Brenden Lischka from the Browning club had this year’s grand champion steer. It weighed in at 1,329 pounds, and was sold to Kendall’s Auto Electric for $4.30 per pound. Casie Brokenshire had the reserve champion steer, a 1,278-pound animal that sold to Certified Energy Services for $4.25 per pound. A total of 50 steers were auctioned off during the sale, with the largest tipping the scales at 1,554 pounds. The average sale price was $3.16 per pound, which Wade Brokenshire said is close to last year. “We’re one of the
highest sales in Saskatchewan for 4-H kids on average. We get good support from the buyers,” said Brokenshire. The Benson 4-H club had its achievement day on July 3, and the other three clubs had their achievement days the following day. The oral reasons and judging competition for the kids was also held on July 4. “The kids judge a class of steers and heifers, and then they place the heifers just on points, and then for the steers they have to give their oral reasons to four judges. And that was a success again this year,” said Brokenshire. The awards saw the young people recognized for the cattle they grew, the cleanliness of their stalls, their abilities for judging and grooming, and their overall commitment to 4-H. For a full list of winners, please visit www. estevanmercury.ca. During the awards, MC Wes Mack applauded the youths for the commit-
Casie Brokenshire, left, was presented with the award for the reserve champion steer from Ray Frehlick with Prairie Mud. ment they have shown during the past year, and for the cattle they have grown. Brokenshire said 4-H helps young people develop a work ethic, and it teaches them how to critique cattle.
“They work on a project all year, and know what it takes and what it costs to feed their project, and drive it to the end to get a finished product and try to win a competition,” said Brokenshire.
Grand opening held for new visitor centre The City of Estevan has seen an increase in the number of visitors at its Visitor Information Centre this year. The centre is in the Estevan Leisure Centre, where the concession stand was once located. A grand opening ceremony was held on Thursday, with refreshments for the public and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The information centre opened following renovations in early June, and according to Rebecca Westling, the city’s destination marketing/communications consultant, there has been a slight increase in visitors compared to the previous site, which was a log cabin next to the Souris Valley Museum. There were 148 visitors at the new information centre last month, compared with 140 in June 2017. But Westling stressed there has been a big difference in the type of visitors.
Last year the bulk of the visitors were from the southern U.S., and were headed for Alaska. They stopped at the information centre to use the washroom or find highway maps. “The visitors who come now are local residents,” said Westling. “There are tons more residents. I would say 75 per cent are residents who come in to use the visitor centre, and they’re coming to find out information about energy tours, information about what to do here, where to go and events coming up.” The centre has clothing, brochures, maps, souvenirs and more. It also serves as the meeting point for the Energy Tours that are offered through a partnership with the city, the Westmoreland Coal Company and SaskPower. Tours are offered in the morning and afternoon from Tuesdays to Saturdays. Westling expected the centre would be busy this
past weekend when Estevan hosted the Saskatchewan Lacrosse Association provincials. She also expects to see significant activity for the provincial speed swimming competition at the end of the month. “We’re really excited to share the new space and share what Estevan has to offer,” said Westling. The city announced plans during budget deliberations in the winter to move the information centre to the leisure centre due to dwindling visitor numbers. Westling reported the centre had 1,197 visitors in 2017, compared with 2,097 the year before. The majority of visitors last year were to take an Energy Tour or to use the washroom. “We just wanted to change that goal for the visitor centre, and we wanted to really use the resources for the visitor centre for residents here, to share what Estevan has to offer,” said Westling.
Participating in the ribbon cutting for the new visitor information centre were, from left, Tourism Estevan employee Michaella Matthies, Mayor Roy Ludwig, Tourism Estevan employee Lorin Fichter and destination marketing/communications consultant Rebecca Westling. Other visitor centres have been shutting down in recent years, but Westling said the city wanted to have a location to promote local tourism attractions to residents. Renovations started in
April and the centre opened early last month. The city is also using more digital content to promote its activities, with the Experience Estevan blog that will be written by summer students Michaella
Matthies and Lorin Fichter, who will be documenting their experiences in the community. A decision on what to do with the former information centre building has not been made.
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Editorial A4
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
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EDITORIAL
What do we lose with two units? The announcement wasn’t a surprise, but it doesn’t make it any easier to swallow. SaskPower has announced it won’t be retrofitting Units 4 and 5 of the Boundary Dam Power Station with carbon capture and storage technologies. Instead, the two units will be retired within the next few years. An equivalency agreement with the federal government would allow Units 4 and 5 to remain online until 2021 and 2024, respectively. Without an equivalency agreement, those units will be offline at the end of next year. Perhaps the only short-term silver lining from this announcement is that SaskPower says there won’t be any job losses. We don’t know whether there will be job losses at the coal mines, but people were laid off a few years ago when SaskPower shuttered Units 1 and 2. Local residents should be upset and dismayed over this announcement. There has been a lot of speculation about the future of Units 4 and 5, even before last fall when there were reports that SaskPower was leaning towards natural gas as a
From the Top of the Pile BRIAN ZINCHUK
The hints were there on coal The writing was on the wall, now that I think of it, and it has been for quite a while. I’m talking about the announcement on July 9 that SaskPower would not be proceeding with carbon capture retrofits on Boundary Dam Power Station Units 4 and 5 (BD4 and BD5). I think back to the conversation I had with a SaskPower vice-president (whose name escapes me) over a lunch during one of the numerous tours I’ve taken part of at the BD3 carbon capture facility. He noted that it might make more sense to install carbon capture on one of the larger coal fire units, i.e. Poplar River or Shand, than it would to install it on BD4 and BD5. Then there was the time I asked the previous CEO of SaskPower, Robert Watson, about the long-impending decision to go ahead with BD4 and BD5, and he basically said they will push those decisions back as long as they possibly could. Apparently they did. Then there was two weeks ago, when Minister of Environment and Minister responsible for SaskPower Dustin Duncan addressed
baseload power option, rather than carbon capture and storage. Units 4 and 5 wouldn’t cost as much to retrofit as Unit 3, but it would still be more expensive than natural gas at this time. Whether natural gas is still the cheaper option in a few years has yet to be seen. It should also be noted that this announcement covers Units 4 and 5, and not Unit 6, which is the most powerful in SaskPower’s fleet. SaskPower also hasn’t made an announcement regarding the future of the Shand Power Station or Coronach’s Poplar River Power Station. So for those who are writing the obituary for Boundary Dam, for coal-fired power generation in Saskatchewan, or for Estevan, Coronach and other communities affected by coal-fired generation, you might want to delay the story. We also have to remember the amount of money that has been invested in CCS. Do you really think they want Unit 3 at the Boundary Dam Power Station to be a one-off project, a demonstration of the abilities of CCS with no follow-up? It should also be noted that the federal gov-
ernment’s phase-out of coal-fired power covers just conventional coal-fired power plants, and does not include CCS. That doesn’t mean that they won’t expand the phase-out of coal-fired power to include clean coal, but they haven’t announced those plans at this point. This decision to not retrofit Units 4 and 5 creates one of the issues that nobody wants, and that’s uncertainty. When SaskPower opted not to retrofit Units 1 and 2 a few years ago, there was disappointment, but there weren’t concerns about the future of the area. The economy was strong, we knew Unit 3 was going to be retrofitted, and we expected the same would happen for Units 4, 5 and 6, as well as Shand. It was sad to lose Units 1 and 2, but it wasn’t the end of the world. Local residents should be troubled about the decision to not retrofit Units 4 and 5. We should be worried about the impact it will have on Boundary Dam, the mines and the local economy as a whole. But the sky isn’t falling on Estevan. At least not yet.
the Estevan Chamber of Commerce. He made the not-so-subtle point that natural gas prices are at historic lows, and have been for a long time. As in, it’s really hard not to consider natural gas for new power plants. I made the point to him that everyone in the room was concerned that if we lost the coal mines and coal-fired power plants at Estevan, they would each lose $100,000 value on their house. And I might have been underestimating that. So BD4 and BD5 will close. But we do not yet have that much-ballyhooed fleet-wide equivalency agreement on CCS with the federal government; the one I, and many others, thought was in the bag years ago. Turns out, the provincial government has been talking about it, but the feds appear to not have been very receptive, to date, to doing anything about it. Will SaskPower closing two units finally give the feds the impulse to sign on? The reality is that a few years ago, Boundary Dam Power Station was a six-unit station, with two 75-megawatt units, three 150-megawatt units and one 300-megawatt units. (These are round numbers usually quoted by government sources. SaskPower’s own website refers the Units 4 and 5, as Unit 3 was before it, as 139 megawatts apiece.) Units 1 and 2 were retired at the age of 50 years due to carbon dioxide emissions regulations, and Unit 4 and Unit 5, in 2021 and 2024, respectively, will be retired. But that’s only if we get that equivalency agreement. If we don’t, they close at the end of 2019. The net result is that a power plant that used to produce over 800 megawatts of power will soon produce more like 450 megawatts gross. And when you reduce the power produced by half, you reduce the amount of coal
consumed by half, too. That inevitably means much fewer coal miners, fewer direct jobs, fewer spin-off jobs, and lower house values. That won’t be half of the area’s total coal production overall, as there’s still the charcoal plant and Shand’s consumption for 276 megawatts (often rounded up to 300 megawatts). You’ll note there was no mention of converting BD4 and BD5 to natural gas consumption. If that were to happen, they would be simple cycle, not combined cycle, natural gas – not nearly as efficient. Ergo, converting them to natural gas wouldn’t see huge savings in emissions, and that’s likely why it won’t be done. It’ll also likely be easier to build new than retrofit an old plant. Besides, if SaskPower were to build natural gas power plants, I hate to say it, but it won’t be at Estevan. It will be close to demand centres – Regina and Saskatoon. Yes, there are already power lines running from Estevan, but the line loss due to electrical resistance over those distances is not insignificant, and would be never-ending. It would require more power production at the power station end of the line (and more emissions) for the same result at the consumption end. No, if SaskPower builds new gas-fired power plants, you can bet your bottom dollar you will be able to see them from the city edges of either Regina or Saskatoon, where line losses will be negligible. They’ve already done it at North Battleford, and are building one for Swift Current. Maybe some day Yorkton will get one. The federal government is getting its way. Coal is being pushed out, slowly but surely. Brian Zinchuk is editor of Pipeline News. He can be reached at brian.zinchuk@ sasktel.net
Op-Ed A5
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Danger isn’t my middle name Corey Atkinson New Material Only
I found myself trudging through a muddy, mosquito-ridden field at 11 p.m. the other night on my first day back from holidays thinking about how fortunate I was to be able to do this for a living. I’d heard of a fire in the trailer court and thought immediately of the best angle to take pics this safely. I parked my (ancient) car along the side of the road nearby where one could hear and smell the fire but far enough away that it wasn’t going to be any kind of danger personally. That wasn’t good enough, so I moved ahead in the field a little bit to get a little closer. Then a little bit more. By the time I realized the field wasn’t going to be as muddy as I thought, I decided to use it to get as close as I can without being confused for a firefighter. Eventually I was right by the house, meeting a neighbour to the fire who told me what happened and then texted me some photos. This isn’t what a lot of people assume would be part of a day’s work for a sports reporter, but that’s what it is when you’re temporarily down a person. This is spot news, as they call it, and can happen at any time for any reason. Just come with a camera with a full battery and a few business cards, and voila. Danger isn’t exactly my middle name but there have been times when I‘ve put myself in a bit of a difficult position in order to get either a specific photo or a story. It’s part of the job even if that’s not in the traditional job description. Coverage of the storms last month that ravaged Woodlawn Regional Park and Boundary Dam required a bit of quick thinking. It wasn’t my day to work, but who cares? When I saw the swirling clouds to the south after watching a bit of TV with a friend, I immediately set out to work to find a camera and shoot whatever I saw. As I came in, I heard all of our phones with the klaxon of the tornado warning and I moved even faster, going to the closest, most open space I could think of, the parking lot of the Estevan Leisure Centre. Once I saw the clouds swirling again and going to the south, I packed my stuff in my car with the intent of outrunning the storm and going to Bienfait. Alas, I couldn’t outrun it and was parked on Fourth Avenue under a tree so I didn’t get hit by too much hail. By this point I was on low fuel and I wasn’t going to outrun anything with rain and hail like this. So the focus became on finding other things to shoot. Cars travelling in flash flooding areas can only go so far. I got a tip of some heavy damage to trees and signs at the Woodlawn area and used the remaining gas I had to go down there. There, I took shots of downed trees, water and hail damage in the campground and the golf course. From the time I was a kid to today, I always thought those hurricane reporters and tornado chasers had one of the most exciting jobs imaginable. You’re literally at the centre of a storm, what people will be talking about for a long time. It’s the adrenaline rush that attracted me to this field to begin with, and maybe even pushed me forward. As I finished the conversation with the nice neighbour, I walked back in the field to the car but stumbled a bit and lost my shoe in muck. “You ok?” he asked. “Yeah, my camera’s ok. I’m good,” I told him. I used the light of the camera’s view screen to make sure I didn’t stumble again and promised myself I wouldn’t just grab my nice shoes next time.
Estevan Mercury Publications welcomes a new reporter Hello Mercury readers, My name is Brady Bateman and I am the newest addition to the wonderful Estevan Mercury Publications team. If you would allow me the honour I would love to inform you all about who I am and how I came to be one of Estevan’s newest citizens. I’ve lived in an astonishing number of states, provinces, towns and cities in my 22 years in this world, ranging from southern Alberta to southern Texas and many places in between. I delved into writing at a young age and was urged on by my family and loved ones to pursue it as a career, which, thanks to the people who have always supported me, is exactly what I did.
Spending the last five years of my life in Calgary, I worked several part-time jobs while pursuing a diploma from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in journalism. In that same time I met many amazing people including professors, National Geographic cave divers and my amazing girlfriend Grace, who all helped guide me down the path which has lead me to where I am now. I have an astounding passion for all things related to journalism, from the relentless pursuit of information, the meeting of the interesting people we write our stories about and the ability to share knowledge and information to you — our amazing audience.
In mid-June, I received an email from Mercury editor David Willberg that would change my life in ways I never thought possible at this stage in my journalistic career. I had scoured the Internet for writing-based positions that appealed to me, ranging from West Coast to East Coast, and amongst those interesting jobs was an application I had submitted to Estevan Mercury Publications. I had piqued the interest of the Mercury team and they wanted to know a bit more about me and what I could bring to the table. Since that initial conversation my life has been a whirlwind of planning, packing and organizing, all in preparation for the
New reporter Brady Bateman next great adventure in life, departing from Alberta and my arrival in what is now my beautiful home, Estevan. I look forward to sharing your stories.
SaskPower decision generates lots of reaction locally
SaskPower’s announcement on Monday to retire Units 4 and 5 at the Boundary Dam Power Station within the next few years, rather than to retrofit them with carbon capture and storage technology, has drawn a lot of reaction. Estevan MLA Lori Carr said she supports the government’s decision, but she recognizes the strain it will put on the constituency. She said she has regularly reminded the government of the economic downturn that would happen locally in this area if coal were to be phased out. “If coal were not used at all for the production of power going forward, it would affect Estevan so drastically, because between coal mining and power production, that would take probably 1,000 people out of the workforce, and not only that, but think of all of the spinoff businesses that contract out there that rely on coal for their survival.” While natural gas prices are low at this time, eventually the price is going to come up, and then CCS will be more feasible. So she believes coal needs to remain part of the mix. Carr wishes the economies of CCS were different, so it could have been more affordable. “When I look at everybody else’s power bill across the province that would go up if we decided to change these
two units to carbon capture and sequestration, is that fair to every ratepayer across Saskatchewan?” said Carr. Mayor Roy Ludwig said he is concerned with the decision not only because he is mayor, but he also works at the Westmoreland Coal Company’s Estevan mines. “We knew that there was some uncertainty around those units, but of course we always remain optimistic that we can keep moving ahead with the clean coal technology,” said Ludwig. During a meeting with SaskPower on Monday morning, Ludwig was notified that Units 4 and 5 would be retired. When he asked about the coal mining issue, they weren’t given an answer. “We’ll continue to lobby the provincial government and the federal government to try to keep moving forward on clean coal technology,” said Ludwig. The negative impacts from retiring Units 4 and 5 could be mitigated if the government agrees to retrofit the Shand Power Station and Unit 6 at Boundary Dam. Ludwig hasn’t been able to speak with co-workers at the mines about the decision, but he said a lot of them are concerned about the future following the visit of a task force last month regarding a transition for those who work in coal mining. Jackie Wall, the executive director of the Estevan
Chamber of Commerce, said she is concerned with the impact that the loss of Units 4 and 5 could have on the community. She noted that when Dustin Duncan, the minister responsible for SaskPower, was in Estevan for a luncheon last month, he said many of the same things as what he said on Monday while making the announcement. “The chamber has had large concerns about this for many, many months, more than a year, actually, when we read the GHG (greenhouse gas) legislation, and had a meeting with SaskPower that was several months ago,” said Wall. She was hoping to hear some details on a new equivalency agreement with the federal government by now, but it appears the agreement will be finished by the end of the month. Wall believes the equivalency agreement will play a big role in the future of Unit 6 and Shand.
Mayor Roy Ludwig For now, the chamber is forced to play the waiting game on the future of coal power. “We’ve been taking a look at diversification in the community through the economic development committee. We are also looking into the possibility as well. We’re looking at several different options, and a lot of that is going to come down to meeting with the stakeholders in the community and choosing a course of action.”
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Estevan Mercury Publications values your opinion. Do you have thoughts on an article that appeared in an edition of the Mercury, or an issue happening in the area? What are your thoughts on the future of coal-fired generation? You can email your letter to editor@estevanmercury.ca, or you can submit it online by visiting www.estevanmercury.ca.
Business A6
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Ground breaking for Woodlawn View subdivision
The new Woodlawn View subdivision south of Estevan is moving forward. A ground-breaking ceremony was held on Thursday morning at the site of the subdivision, which is located south of Estevan and overlooks the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club. Wilhelm Construction is the developer for the project, and Meigan Wilhelm with Coldwell Banker Choice Real Estate in Estevan is the real estate agent. Six lots are currently available for purchase in Phase 1. They range in size from a quarter of an acre to just over half an acre, and are priced accordingly based on the lot size. “They’ll all have a backyard view to hole No. 5 on the golf course,” said Wilhelm. “The prices were just lowered pretty significantly for early bird pricing, because the developers are pretty excited to get the first houses up and built.” All lots come fully serviced except for septic services. Four more lots will be available through Phase 2. The subdivision encompasses a total of six acres. Each home has a walk-out design and will overlook the golf course. Architectural controls are in place to ensure a high-quality, cohesive living aesthetic and to maintain an upscale living environment. The subdivision has a great view, she said, and it will allow homeowners to watch people play golf from their rear patios. While the first lot has not been purchased, Wilhelm said there has been a lot of interest, particularly for the largest lot in Phase 1. Keep our environment looking
Wilhelm Construction designer Nanette McRitche, owner Nathan Wilhelm, site planner Garnet Wilhelm and senior designer Michelle Stepp participated in the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Woodlawn View subdivision.
One woman convicted of break and enter at former Frobisher School By Brian Zinchuk brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net
Two women charged with break and enter to the former Frobisher schoolhouse, converted to a residence, had their cases come before Estevan Provincial Court on Monday. One pleaded guilty and was sentenced, the other has a later court date. Ashley R. Hagon was not present in court, as her common law partner, Devin M. Glasser, spoke for her. Glasser, himself, appeared
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before the judge moments before, facing charges of possession of stolen property not exceeding $5,000. Glasser told Judge Lane Wiegers that Hagon could not attend because she was not feeling well in relation to her late-term pregnancy. Hagon and Glasser both are to appear before the court on July 30. Lindsey Mueller, 36, of Estevan, pleaded guilty to break and enter of a dwelling house and possession of a small amount of a narcotic. Mueller is co-accused with Hagon. Crown prosecutor Nathanial Scipioni said that on May 11, two females broke into the old school in Frobisher. (Statements regarding Hagon should be
considered allegations, as her court matters were adjourned). Scipioni noted the entire back of a pickup truck was loaded with things. Witnesses called police and they were both arrested. A small baggie of narcotics was found on the ground near the truck. The items included a television and laptop as well as other times. “There are still several items outstanding and missing,” Scipioni said. Legal Aid defence attorney Joelle Graham asked for a conditional discharge, but Wiegers pointed out that is not appropriate for charges where the sentence could potentially be in excess of 14 years, and break and enter to a dwelling
house could potentially see a sentence of life in prison. The Crown asked for a 12-month suspended sentence, and Graham agreed, making it a joint submission. Graham added that Mueller has changed her living conditions and been sober since the event. Wiegers agreed with the joint submission, and sentenced Mueller to a 12-month suspended sentence during which time she will be on probation. She must follow standard conditions, including no drugs, alcohol, or attendance at places that sell or serve beverage alcohol. She’s also to have no contact with Hagon, and has three months to pay a $300 victim surcharge.
Sports A7
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
The bantam Voltz take a team picture after winning the B-side final Sunday afternoon at the Power Dodge Ice Centre.
Voltz teams win B-side medals at provincials By Corey Atkinson sports@estevanmercury.ca
They may not have been in the A-side of the tournament but both of Estevan’s indoor lacrosse teams were able to win a few games and play well at the tournament.
At the Saskatchewan Lacrosse Association’s indoor lacrosse provincials on the weekend, both the Harris Oilfield Construction bantam Voltz and the KPCL peewee Voltz had to move to the B-side of the tournament after early losses left them with matching 1-2 records.
The bantam Voltz took care of the Saskatoon Forgotten Rebels with an impressive 12-3 win in the B side gold medal game. “This was a great way for the boys to finish their year,” said Voltz head coach Dion Wagstaff, whose team got to use the Power Dodge
Chase Foord of the peewee Voltz looks to take a shot in the B-side final against the Saskatoon Quikstix.
Estevan Bruins dressing room for their final game. “I think the final record for the season, including playoffs, was 25 wins, two losses and two ties. For these guys to come through like that, they had a blast… “It was just a good exclamation mark on a great regular season.” After losing their first games of the round robin 7-5 to the Saskatoon Tropics and 6-5 to the Moose Jaw Mustangs, the Voltz had to come from behind to win over the Prince Albert Predators in the last round robin game Saturday afternoon. Kaden Chrest scored six goals in an 8-7 win over the Predators, including the last four unanswered. He scored the last goal on a breakaway with only one second left on the clock. “There was a big hit by Seth (Peters) who just came in and laid out one of the biggest guys,” said Chrest of that game’s turning point. “It got the team going and got us moving the ball.” They beat the Yorkton Fighting Pikes 8-1 in the B semifinal Sunday morning — Kersey Hollingshead
and Tanner Hall scoring two goals each – to earn their spot in the B final. Getting the team to refocus wasn’t a difficult task for Wagstaff and the coaching staff. “It wasn’t really hard because these guys haven’t given up all season,” said Wagstaff. “This was the hardest working team I’ve had the ability to coach and we have some great young men and women here and they just keep coming and coming. We have one of the best players … in Saskatchewan in Kaden Chrest and he pulled us through some great spots. He brought us from behind and we could have lost our third game.” The team was prepared for the B-side final, Wagstaff said. “We were all fired up ready to go for the last game of the season to give it everything we got,” said Chrest, who scored 16 goals and five assists in the five games they played this weekend. T h e p e e w e e Vo l t z were also prepared for the 45-minute, three period game but then ran out of gas in the non-sudden death
Twins split four games on the road The Southeast Performance Pump Twins won a couple more games on the road last weekend and seem to have found their stride against some of the competition in the midget AAA Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League. The Twins (8-19) beat the Swift Current 57s 7-4 and 7-2 Sunday after losing 12-5 and 16-6 to the Saskatoon Cubs. On the mound for all innings of their 7-2 victory over Swift Current (915), Ty Nikolejsin bent but didn’t break in scattering 10 hits and two walks for two earned runs allowed, only striking out two. The Twins entered the top of the seventh inning tied 2-2 but exploded for five runs in the inning. A sacrifice fly by Aiden Krafchuk that brought home the go-ahead run was helped out later by a two-run single from Tyran Dorrance. Two more singles brought home a couple more Twins and Nikolejsin shut the door on the 57s in the bottom of the seventh to earn the victory. In the second win, the Twins were able to secure a lead earlier and hold onto it. After getting a first inning run, the Twins grabbed a 3-0 lead in the second when Dorrance was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and a Jayke Smolinski walk with the bases still loaded. They grabbed a 6-2 lead in the fifth inning when Thomas Husband doubled in Smolinski and Dahlyn Klassen doubled in Husband. Krafchuk also scored on a groundout
that inning. Burke Lyons went the distance on the mound, allowing seven hits and one walk for four runs, only one earned run, and striking out three. They had started out their weekend with a 12-5 loss to the Saskatoon Cubs (16-7). The Twins jumped on the scoreboard first with a pair of first inning runs thanks to RBI singles by Husband and Boston Walker. While the Twins allowed a run in the third they scored two more in the top of the fourth to take a brief 4-1 lead after Krafchuk had an RBI single and a passed ball allowed Lyons to score. The Twins allowed six runs in the bottom of the fourth to trail 7-4 and never fully regained their footing. They concluded Saturday’s diamond play with a 16-6 loss to the Cubs. The Twins allowed five runs in the bottom of the first inning – including four runs with two out – but had played the rest of the game close until the fifth, when the Cubs scored eight runs. Dorrance went 2-for-3 with a run scored, and Lyons had a double and two RBI. Their next league action is July 19 against the Regina Wolfpack at Regina’s Currie Field and then they play a doubleheader July 21 against the Regina Athletics at Lynn Prime Park for the last games of the regular season.
10-minute overtime frame of the B-side gold medal game and lost 9-3 to the Saskatoon Quikstix. While there were disappointed faces heading back to the locker room, the tournament itself was good for the Voltz, who beat Weyburn in the B semifinal and Yorkton in the round robin. “The kids came out hard and we took a Saskatoon team which picked up players to a fourth period,” said head coach Trevor McNabb. “The kids fell hard but we just ran out of gas at the end. It was a great, fun season with these kids.” The record was good and the Voltz came to play, McNabb said. “We could have easily won this game here with an extra bounce here or there,” he said. “For a house team coming in to host provincials, you can’t ask for anything better.” Chase Foord led the Voltz with 11 goals and an assist in the five games, while Ryder Davidson chipped in five goals and an assist. The Voltz will graduate seven players on the season and nine more can return and be joined by graduating novice players. “We should be very competitive next year in the peewee division, McNabb said. The Saskatoon Tropics, who wore Hawaiian shirts everywhere on the weekend, won the A-side gold medal game in the bantam division with an 8-4 win over the Swift Current Rampage. The Regina Outlaws won the A-side gold medal game in the peewee division with a 10-1 win over the Swift Current Rampage. In the midget final held at Bienfait, the Regina Rush knocked off the (you guessed it) Swift Current Rampage 4-2 in the gold medal game.
A8 July 11, 2018
Estevan Mercury
Main feature races washed out by torrential rain during modified tour night at the EMS By Corey Atkinson sports@estevanmercury.ca
Thunderbolts and lightning were very, very frightening but it was rain that washed out the Kupper Chevrolet Dakota Classic Modified Tour stop at the Estevan Motor Speedway (EMS) Monday night. The heat races got off largely on time and without major incidents but just as the street stock cars were taking their laps on the track to warm up for their A feature races, the heavens opened up and buckets of rain came down onto the track. While a little bit of rain could have worked, by the time the rain came down hard, it was only a matter of moments before organizers called it a night. “Last year we had a very similar kind of evening where we had rain and it only rained for 1015 minutes and we were able to bring the track back and ended up finishing the race,” said EMS president Byron Fichter. In 2017 the green flag went up on schedule at 7 p.m. and fans were leaving the speedway at about
1 a.m. the next morning. When the first few raindrops fell Monday, there was a thought to keep going but those raindrops came harder and harder until officials were left with no choice but to cancel the features. “I think there was quite a bit of hope,” Fichter said. “In this instance I think it ended up raining for half an hour or 45 minutes and it was too much. You can’t come back from that.” The heat races were entertaining to the large crowd who braved the threat of elements taking over. There was a field of 50 IMCA modifieds in the heats that had been whittled down to 29 by the time the heats and B features were done, plus a field of 39 street stocks that had been chopped to a field of 28 through the heats and the B features. “I believe everyone ends up getting last place points and they split the purse evenly among all the (qualified) drivers,” said Fichter. Estevan’s Austin Daae and Jeremy Swanson were leading the pack for the
The Dakota Modified tour got the heat races off but not the A features. Estevan’s Les McLenehan (29A) and Norwich, N.D.’s Zach Dockter (6z) lead their heat early in the evening. street stocks in the first two positions. West Union, Iowa’s Justin O’Brien and veteran racer Marlyn Seidler of Underwood, N.D. were in the top two spots in the modifieds. “The track was pretty good and I was actually
pretty happy because our local drivers were showcasing that the home turf was good for them,” Fichter said. “It was good because they might not have been having luck at other stops on the tour. Some of the guys haven’t even raced the tour at all until racing last night were qualified for the feature. It was kind of cool for our guys to be playing a spoiler, for lack of a better term.” The six-city tour had races scheduled for Tuesday at Williston, N.D., and Dickenson, N.D., Wednesday and will conclude
The next races scheduled for the EMS are the Dirt Wars July 21-22. It won’t take very long for the speedway to get back into racing form. “If we wanted to race (Tuesday) we could probably race again,” said Fichter. “The big thing is when it rained (Monday) night for so long, after that it takes a couple of hours to roll it in. You’re just asking too much of the fans to stick around.” Lots of the local drivers who would only race this night also would have had to work Tuesday morning, Fichter said.
Thursday with a race night in Mandan, N.D. On the tour, leading the pack for the modifieds was Brookfield, Mo.’s Hunter Marriott with 80 points, a six-point lead over Tucson, Ariz.’s R.C. Whitwell. The top Estevan driver was Kody Scholpp in 25th place with 37 points. Angel Munoz of Lamar, Colo. leads the stock car drivers with 74 points, with Ricky Thornton Jr. of Clive, Iowa in second place three points behind him. Daae, the top Estevan driver on the tour, is in seventh place with 68 points.
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July 11, 2018 A9
Local baseball teams heading to provincials
Cup time The National Lacrosse League Cup made an appearance at the provincial box lacrosse championship Saturday at Affinity Place. The cup was won by the Saskatchewan Rush on June 10 over the Rochester Knighthawks.
The Saskatchewan Baseball Association provincial championship schedules have been announced for some of the Estevan and area baseball teams. The Estevan KPC Sluggers will be one of 17 teams at White City for the AAA Mosquito championship. They play two games July 20 against the Saskatoon Super As and the Regina Pacers, following that with a pair on July 21 against the Sask 5 Giant Crushers and the Saskatoon Brave Bombers. The championship final is scheduled for July 22. The mosquito AA Tier 3 division’s Southeast As will play their provincial championship at Unity July 20-22, and their pool includes the Tisdale HB Rangers, the Unity Cardinals and the Meadow Lake Sox. That tournament’s gold medal game is scheduled for July 22. The Carnduff Astros will be at Weyburn for the mosquito AA Tier 5 provincials July 20-22. Estevan’s peewee TS&M Tornados will be at Regina’s Pacer Park for their provincials Aug. 3-5. They’ll take on the Saskatoon Braves and the Regina Buffalos on the first day and the Saskatoon Blue Jay Dirtbags and the Saskatoon As on the second day. The gold medal game is scheduled for Aug. 5. Carnduff hosts the July 27-29 peewee
AA Tier 2 provincials, in one of two pools and will play Assiniboia, Unity, Battleford and Macklin. July 29 is the date on the schedule for their gold medal game. The Estevan Crown Cubs will play at Moosomin for their peewee AA Tier 4 provincials July 27-29. They’re in a pool with the host Moosomin, plus Canora, Saskatoon Blue Jay Dirtbags and Muenster. That gold medal game is scheduled for July 29. Carlyle will be at Weyburn July 2729 for their peewee AA Tier 5 provincials, playing against the Sask 5 Giants Sluggers, the Regina Pacers and the Saskatoon Braves Bandits, with the gold medal game scheduled for July 29. The bantam AAA playoff dates for the Southeast As haven’t been announced yet but are scheduled for Regina Aug. 3-5. The Estevan Twins will play in Saskatoon July 20-22 at the bantam AA Tier 3 provincials. Their pool includes the Saskatoon Blue Jay Bandits, the Sask Five Sliders and the Regina Blue Jays. The gold medal game is set for July 22. Midget AAA provincials will be in Saskatoon this year July 27-29. Estevan and Carnduff will host the senior AA Tier 2 and Tier 3 provincials Aug. 10-12 but the full schedule has not been released.
Field nearly complete for Canada Cup curling showdown coming to Estevan’s Affinity Place later this year The field for the 2018 Home Hardware Canada Cup curling event is nearly complete. The competition will take place on Dec. 5 to 9 at Affinity Place. And it will be a slightly expanded field as well, with an additional women’s team making the grade thanks to a virtual tie in the qualifying standings. The 14th edition of the Home Hardware Canada Cup will showcase Canada’s best men’s and women’s curling teams playing for a share of a $140,000 cash purse ($70,000 to each gender). In addition to the cash prizes, the winning men’s and
women’s teams will be guaranteed of a berth in the 2021 Road to the Roar Pre-Trials, which will be the final qualifying event for the 2021 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings Canadian Curling Trials The Roar of the Rings will decide Canada’s fourplayer teams for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Additionally, the 2018 Home Hardware Canada Cup champions will qualify for a World Curling Federation World Cup event during the 2019-20 season. Six men’s and seven women’s teams were invited to play at the 2018 Home Hardware Canada Cup. With new teams being formed for
the 2018-19 season, a revised set of Order of Merit standings — which allows new teams to combine the points individual players carried over from former teams — was used to determine the invitees. One more team in each gender will be decided in the fall as the top non-qualified teams on the Canadian team ranking system as of midNovember will book their tickets to Estevan. On the women’s side, reigning world women’s champion Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, who won last year’s Canada Cup, heads the field, and her team will feature new second Jocelyn
Peterman, who fills the spot vacated by the departure of Jill Officer. Also in the field will be 2017 World Women’s champ Rachel Homan of Ottawa, whose lineup remains intact. New-look teams skipped by Laura Walker of Edmonton and Chelsea Carey (Calgary) also are in the field, while the other three women’s teams — Casey Scheidegger (Lethbridge, Alta.), Kerri Einarson (Gimli, Man.) and Darcy Robertson (Winnipeg) — all finished the 2017-18 season in a virtual tie in the qualifying standings for the final two direct-entry berths. So, as was the case in
the men’s competition at the 2015 Canada Cup, an additional team will be in the field in Estevan. The six qualified men’s teams feature three teams that will enter the 2018-19 season with no lineup changes: 2018 Tim Hortons Brier champ and world silver-medallist Brad Gushue of St. John’s, 2018 Tim Hortons Brier
silver-medallist Brendan Bottcher of Edmonton and 2014 Olympic champ Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. New-look lineups helmed by Calgary’s Kevin Koe, Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers (who won the most recent Canada Cup in 2016) and Toronto’s John Epping round out the list of qualified men’s teams. Full-event ticket packages for the Canada Cup are now on sale. The full-event packages cost just $249.50 (subject to standard ticket service fees), and are available online at curling.ca/ tickets as well as over the phone at (833) 219-9444.
A10 July 11, 2018
Estevan Mercury
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July 11, 2018 A11
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People A13
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Museum’s summer programs are underway
The Souris Valley Museum is offering a more diversified fleet of camps for youths this summer. Traditionally the museum has held two camps during the summer, with a Pioneer Day Camp and a Discovery Day Camp offered on multiple occasions. Both those camps would take place in the afternoon. But now they will have a greater number of camps, and camps will take place in the morning or the afternoon. Pioneer Day Camp is back this year, as the first session ran from July 3-6. A second round of the camp will be from Aug. 7-10. New for this year is Little Time Travellers, which ran from July 3-5, and will happen again Aug. 7-9. Due to the popularity of the camp, morning and afternoon sessions were offered. Settling the West Camp and Superhero Camp will be July 9-13 and Aug. 2024. Energize Me and Archaeology Camp will be July 16-20 and July 30-Aug. 3. Dinosaur Camp will be July 23-26, Aug. 13-16 and Aug. 20-23, Recycling Camp will be July 23-27, Estevan: My Home will be Aug. 13 and 14, and Fashion Camp will be Aug. 16 and 17. “We have quite a few interesting
camps at the museum, for a variety of ages, from three all the way up to 15,” said director-curator Mark Veneziano. The Pioneer Day Camp is a popular camp that they wanted to retain, but they wanted to try some other camps. Little Time Travellers and the Dinosaur Camp have proven to be the most popular and filled up quickly. Some spaces will be available in some of the other camps. Capacity for a camp is 13 children. The museum is still accepting registrations for some of its camps, and will continue to do so until the date of the camp. Children who attend the camps enjoy outdoor activities, crafts, games and history lessons. During the Settling the West Camp, the youth will learn the process for building a home. “It’s all sorts of different things going on. For the dinosaur camp, we have a dinosaur tracking game. For our recycling camp, we’re going be creating new things out of old things. There’s a lot stuff happening, and summer fun out at the museum.” Veneziano said they wanted to grow the summer programming, and people in the community have been asking to have more at the museum.
Emma Grobbink works on her craft during the Little Time Travellers camp hosted by the Souris Valley Museum.
Arts on stage Weyburn’s Tenille Arts played with her band at the Souris Valley Theatre Saturday night to a nearly full theatre. Arts, a country and pop musician with many Saskatchewan country music awards under her belt, played some of songs at Frehlick Hall from her most recent Rebel Child album with a full four-piece backing band to an appreciative crowd. Arts played Sunday at the All Folk’d Up music festival in Montmartre. Saturday night’s fundraiser for Souris Valley Theatre will help pay for operations of its plays and summer camps. Photo by Corey Atkinson
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Energy
A12
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Hold on here, CCS is not dead in Saskatchewan
By Brian Zinchuk brian.zinchuk@sasktel.ca
Hold on here, CSS is not dead just yet. That was the thrust of a press release issued by the International Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Knowledge Centre in response to SaskPower’s announcement it would not be retrofitting Units 4 and 5 of the Boundary Dam Power Station with CCS. A lot of that comes down to the economies of scale, and in particular, how well suited the Shand Power Station is for future carbon capture as opposed to retrofitting those older units. Corwyn Bruce, head of technical services with the International CCS Knowledge Centre, spoke to the Mercury on July 9. The organization describes itself as a nonprofit, non-partisan operation with about a dozen people
seconded from SaskPower and funded by BHP. Bruce pointed out, “We are doing a study on a CCS retrofit of Shand.” It’s something they’re calling “second generation CCS.” If built, it would be twice the size of the capture plant at Boundary Dam Unit 3 (BD3), with a nameplate capacity of 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. That would be the size of a capture unit for BD4 and BD5 combined. The high-level study started last year. As with any secondgeneration technology, cost reductions are expected. Cost reductions for the next facility were originally anticipated to be 30 per less; however, this study’s preliminary findings indicate the potential for significantly deeper cost reductions. Bruce noted that they’ve
found the turbines of Shand, BD6 and Polar River 1 and 2 are all amiable for CO2 capture, with large quantities of low-pressure steam needed for amine rejection. One of the most expensive items in the retrofit of BD3 was the one-of-a-kind turbine needed. Similar turbines would be required for BD4 and BD5. Bruce also explained that of the cost overruns on the BD3 project, the lion’s share were related to the power plant portion, as opposed to the capture plant. To use a farming analogy, if carbon capture were a mower behind a tractor, Shand already has a power take-off connection, while BD4 and BD5 would require a separate motor on the mower. The centre noted there are also several important environmental benefits of the new design beyond CO2 abatement. The design takes advantage of the CCS plant’s ability to vary the plant output, and to increase the capture rate at lower loads beyond 90 per cent, such that it supports the integration of additional renewable energy from wind and solar. The new design also requires no additional cooling water and eliminates all sulfur dioxide emissions. As the Shand Power Station was originally designed for two coal-burning units,
While Boundary Dam Power Station Units 4 and 5 will not see carbon capture and storage, the future of CCS may lie with the Shand Power Station, seen here, in green. File photo but only one was ultimately built, there is ample room to locate a carbon capture facility immediately adjacent to the plant. It would go north of the power plant, and west of the Carbon Capture Test Facility (CCTF). Having the CCTF in place also means that piloting of whatever process will be used can be done right there, on the actual facility. The CCTF was built initially with the co-operation of Hitachi (which built the turbine for BD3). They were the first company to use the test facility. However, they were purchased by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which has its own, separate carbon capture process, which Bruce said SaskPower is considering. Currently Shell CanSolv, which provided the capture process in the BD3 capture
plant, is using the CCTF, having started last fall and concluding this December. Timelines The International CCS Knowledge Centre expects to complete its feasibility study on Shand later this year. Asked how long it would take to get to CO2 flowing down a pipeline, Bruce responded that it would be a minimum of five years, and possibly much longer. That includes one year to finish a front-end engineering and design study, then once a final investment decision is made, a further four years to design, build and commission a CCS plant before CO2 is flowing down the pipe. He added that it could take longer than 12 months for the FEED study, and while a final investment decision could be made in an afternoon by a private company, a provincial decision would likely take a lot longer.
Market changes could be another factor. If there’s a desire for CO2 for enhanced oil recovery, that could swing value to CCS. Competition for power is another factor, Bruce noted. In May, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum told the Williston Basin Conference that the state could eventually need more CO2 than it can produce, to be used for CCS in the Bakken oilfields. Internationally, Bruce said Norway is building a carbon capture plant on a cement facility, and considering one for a waste incinerator. In China, most of the interest they have seen had been for retrofits of CCS on existing coal plants, not on new builds. But to that end, the International CCS Knowledge Centre has memoranda of understanding with six firms in China. “CCS is not a coal-fired power plant solution. It’s a CO2 solution,” he said.
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A14 July 11, 2018
Estevan Mercury
Five-kilometer poker run supports the EAGM The Estevan Art Gallery and Museum’s (EAGM) second annual poker run-walk on Saturday attracted 48 people and raised money for the cultural organization. “We had a great turnout, and the participants had a really great time,” said Amber Andersen, the EAGM’s curator-director. While she doesn’t have an estimate on how much money was raised, the number of participants was up from a year ago, and she expects the net proceeds will be higher than a year ago. The participants ran or walked five kilometres through the trails of Woodlawn Regional Park. They were handed a playing card every kilometre. Once the event was finished, one last card was drawn, and the person with the best five-card hand was the winner. The best hand was three-of-a-kind, Andersen said. All prizes were determined based on the strength of the hands, and most participants went home with a prize. While the event was non-competitive, Andersen said they did keep times for the entrants, because some want to know their times, and Andersen noted the fastest time for a five-kilometre run was 23 minutes and two seconds. Proceeds from the poker run will be directed to the EAGM’s programming efforts.
Participants in the poker run depart the start-finish line at Woodlawn Regional Park.
Street Fair will bring people to downtown Estevan The Estevan Downtown Business Association hopes to see a large crowd for its annual Street Fair on July 14. The 1200-block and part of the 1100-block of Fourth Street will be shut down for the event. Activities will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jennifer Pettitt, who owns the Jenny Joans clothing store on Fourth Street, said there will be a wide variety of activities taking place. Activities for children will include bumper cars, face-painting and bouncy castles. Businesses will have in-store specials during the day.
JULY 14, 2018 @ 10AM - 3PM
DOWNTOWN ESTEVAN
“Each merchant will have their own sidewalk sale going on outside, so they will have deals, discounts and special promotions going on, as well as in-store specials,” said Pettitt. Charitable organizations will have booths set up to raise funds for their community initiatives. Food trucks and other food vendors will be set up on Fourth Street. She hopes the local members of the Estevan Police Service and the Estevan Fire Rescue Service can be present for tours of their vehicles.
Bouncy Houses Food Trucks Bumper Cars
Since the street will be closed off, it will allow people to take their time and browse the merchandise in a relaxed setting. Pettitt said the downtown merchants are always excited to get people to come take a look at what they have to offer. “There are always new businesses to check out, and we have some new members to the Downtown Business Association, so we like to bring everyone for a community event, to do it together and have a family-oriented event. It’s a really fun day.”
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Card of Thanks The family of the late William Joseph Boyle, would like to thank Dr. Tsoi, Dr. Christi, all the ER staff, ICU, Palliative care and 2nd Floor nursing staff for all your compassion and thoughtfulness and care while husband, dad, grandfather and great grandfather was in the hospital. Thanks also to the EMS staff for taking care of William on your many visits to the house. Thanks to homecare for putting up with William at his times of need. We know he tried your patience at times. Thanks to Bob & Laverene for your visits to the house. Thanks to Glenn Barton for coming out of the way to cut his hair and trim his beard, it was very much appreciated. Thanks to Dustin Hall & Staff for your services words cannot express our thankfulness for all of what you have done.
Adver tisements and statements contained herein are the sole responsibility of the persons or entities that post the advertisement, and the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association and membership do not make any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness or reliability of such advertisements. For greater information on advertising conditions, please consult the Association’s Blanket Advertising Conditions on our website at www.swna.com.
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Coming EvEnts H i g h ways to H e ro e s 5 t h Ca r Show, Snowbirds aerial performance, Skyhawks parachuting, music concert, July 15, 10 am. 15 Wing Air Base Moose Jaw. Call 306- 692-4245 or see udon FaceBook.
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Members of the Estevan Police Service made arrests for an assault on the weekend. Police received a call to keep the peace between two people at a residence during the July 7 night shift. When officers arrived on scene, it was learned that one of the people had assaulted the other and had left the area. Police located the person who was subsequently taken into custody. The individual faces charges of assault and will appear in Estevan court later in August. Police are investigating a report of a fraud during the July 2 day shift, after a cellphone was bought from a social media website. The matter is still under investigation. Officers were notified of a theft from a grocery store and have made a positive identification of the suspect from a security video. The suspect has not been located but is known to police. The EPS received a report during the July 2 night shift of damage that Career OppOrtunities
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was done to a residence in central Estevan, in which a window was broken and a vehicle parked nearby was scratched. The matter remains under investigation. The EPS received a report of a teenager who had been missing from a central Estevan residence since the previous day. As members were searching, police received a call from the parents reporting that the teen had returned home safe. Two reports were received during the July 3 night shift regarding a suspicious vehicle continuously driving around in a reckless manner at a central Estevan recreational facility. The vehicle was gone upon police arrival. The incident remains under investigation. Multiple reports were received regarding a vehicle being operated in reckless manner throughout the city. The vehicle was later observed by members, and the driver was charged under the Traffic Safety Act for stunting. His vehicle was seized since this was the second time within a year that the driver has been charged for the same driving offence. Police took a report of a theft from a vehicle that was parked in northwest Estevan during the July 4 day shift. The EPS requests
that citizens make sure to lock their vehicles and not to leave valuables in view inside the vehicle. Members stopped a vehicle during the July 4 night shift after observing it driving without taillights. The driver provided a sample for a roadside screening device and was issued a 72hour driving suspension for driving with a blood alcohol content over .04. Police arrested a 42-year-old woman for theft from a grocery store. She was released for court on Sept. 10. The female was also placed on conditions to not attend the store where she committed the theft. Members are investigating reports of theft of property from yards in east Estevan that were filed during the July 5 day shift. Residents are reporting that unknown persons are entering yards and removing items. Citizens are asked to report any suspicious behaviour immediately to police so that they can follow-up and learn the identity of these individuals. Police received a complaint of a fraud during the July 6 day shift involving a rental vehicle in which the renter refused to return the vehicle. The matter is still under investigation. Police received a complaint during the July 7 day shift that staff at a local hotel located a controlled substance in a room. The substance was turned over to police and is to be destroyed. The matter is still under investigation. Members attended to a complaint of a theft of fuel at a local service station. The suspect vehicle has been identified and the matter remains open.
Obituaries
Obituaries
DACIO, Warren Jason January 7, 1975 - June 28, 2018 It is with heavy hearts that the family of Warren announces his peaceful passing at his Estevan home on June 28, 2018 at the age of 43 years. Warren grew up on the family farm and attended Weldon School in Bienfait and Estevan Comprehensive School. He attended SIAST and obtained his Interprovincial Journeyman Automotive Service Technician Certificate. His 24 year employment career was spent with Dinsmore Dodge and Power Dodge, both in Estevan. In 2003 Warren married the love of his life, Christa. He loved to tinker, putz around and spend time on and with his tractors. He had a great love for antiques, farming, camping and was always available to lend a hand. Warren was kind, gentle, hardworking and had the biggest heart. Warren will be greatly missed by his wife of 15 years, Christa; his precious cat Dolly-Sue; mother Lydia Dacio; sister Charlene (Rudy) Valdes; brother Sheldon (Cathy) and children, Catherine, Victoria and Andrew; sister Twyla Ronyk (Wally) and children, Sydnie and Cassandra; Christa’s parents, Denis and Jean Huel; Christa’s brother Chad (Michelle) and children, Mistiya, Asha and AJ. He was predeceased by his father Bill Dacio and infant brother Bryce.
We would like to thank
Dr. Beggs of Regina, Dr. Christie of Estevan, Allan Blair Cancer Centre in Regina, staff of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Estevan, the wonderful and supportive Estevan Home Care, Estevan EMS and Father Sathi Antony, pastoral assistants, choir and members of the CWL at St. John the Baptist Parish. Those wishing to make donations in Warren’s memory may do so directly to the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency (designate to Allan Blair Cancer Centre), 200 - 4545 Parliament Avenue, Regina, SK, S4W 0G3 or the Estevan Humane Society Inc., Box 1095, Estevan, SK, S4A 2H7. Family, friends and all whose lives have been touched by Warren were invited to join in a celebration of Warren’s life which was held at St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, 109 12th Avenue, Estevan on Saturday, July 7, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. Interment followed at Souris Valley Memorial Gardens, after which a luncheon was held in the church auditorium. Dustin Hall at Hall Funeral Services, Estevan assisted Warren’s family.
A16 July 11, 2018
Estevan Mercury
Experience Estevan while taking a selfie
Rebecca Westling
The City of Estevan is encouraging people to take selfies while enjoying tourist attractions in the area. The Experience Estevan Selfie Spot was launched this week, and will highlight Estevan’s best places to take a selfie. The promotion is kicking off with the best summer spots in the community,
CAREERS
and eventually other attractions will be added. “There will additional spots that we’ll be adding, depending on what season we’ll be in,” said Rebecca Westling, the destination marketing/communications consultant with the city.
Most of them are within the city limits, but there are some in the rural municipality of Estevan that could be a good location for a selfie. And there are other locations that could be added at some point in the future, if they have a spot where
CAREERS
the Selfie Spot sticker can be applied. “It’s a sticker that we’ll be putting on the ground, and there are foot marks on it, and it’s the best place for where to stand to take the best selfie,” said Westling. After they take a
photo of themselves at that attraction, people are to share it on social media with the Experience Estevan hashtag, which the city has been promoting for more than a year. “Visitors and residents really love to share photos on social media, and we just want to share with them and guide them where the best places to take a selfie are in our area,” said Westling. Summer attractions include Woodlawn Regional Park’s Boundary Dam beach site, which Westling said is a popular area for selfies while at the beach and while swimming. Another attraction is one of the walking bridges for Woodlawn’s Souris River site. The Estevan Motor Speedway is another location where people are encouraged to take a selfie. “The speedway is really unique to our area, and you can take some really cool selfies out there with the cars racing around,” said Westling. The selfie site at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club is in a location that Westling believes provides the best view of the golf course, so people will have to play a round of golf and find the hole with the selfie spot. Other attractions that now have a selfie spot are the Royal Heights Veterans’ Memorial Park, the Churchill Play Park, Affinity Place, the dragline bucket at the Souris Valley Museum and the Estevan Skate Park. All are destinations that have popular events during the summer months. Westling said Tourism Saskatchewan and Destination Canada have used selfie spots with their own promotional materials in the past. “Destination Canada has kind of selfie spots with their Red Chair program, and other tourism entities do selfie spots as well. So I borrowed the idea to try to use that information here to try to share the best places to take a photo.”
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July 11, 2018 B3
Culex tarsalis mosquitoes found in Estevan The City of Estevan has announced that low numbers of Culex tarsalis mosquitoes have been found in mosquito traps in the city and elsewhere in southern Saskatchewan. Culex tarsalis is the mosquito that carries the west Nile virus. No infected west Nile virus-positive mosquitoes have been found so far this year. The risk of transmission to humans is minimal to low, but is expected to rise in July. Higher numbers of other mosquito species are being detected in areas that received rainfall over the past
two weeks. Local residents are urged to take precautions against mosquito bites. They can protect themselves by covering up and wearing repellents or reducing the amount of time spent outdoors. Mosquitoes can be active at any time but are most active in the evening and throughout the night. They can also wear light-coloured clothing, eliminate standing water, and ensure screens for doors and windows are secure. Regardless of the West Nile virus risk level for the area, people are asked to remember there is no such thing
as being risk-free from West Nile. If people get bitten by an infected mosquito, they can contract West Nile or other mosquito-borne viruses. Other mosquito species are being detected in higher numbers than normal in southern Saskatchewan. Thunderstorm activity in June flooded many low-lying areas, resulting in increased mosquito habitat. Numbers will continue to increase in those areas that received significant rainfall. More information on West Nile virus risk levels and prevention can be found on the provincial government’s website.
City Hall: 1102 4th Street 8 am to 4:30 pm | (306) 634-1800 Leisure Office: 701 Souris Avenue 8 am to 4:30 pm | (306) 634-1880
Message From
Keep cool and enjoy the playparks and walkways
The Mayor
CITY OF ESTEVAN CONSTRUCTION BULLETIN
CITY OF ESTEVAN 2018 WATERMAIN FLUSHING SCHEDULE
CONSTRUCTION BULLETIN
The City of Estevan will be flushing watermains to ensure good water quality for all users of City water. This work includes the turning of main water valves around the City, and flushing large quantities of water from various hydrants in each area. If your water appears discoloured during the days your area is scheduled for this work (see schedule below), please run a faucet for a few minutes until the water is clear again. If the water remains dirty for a longer period, please contact City Hall at 634-1800 to let us know. Thank you for your understanding during this important maintenance!
KING STREET: Pine Avenue to Kensington Avenue The City of Estevan is undertaking construction for Concrete and Surface Works The affected area includes Pine Avenue and Spruce Drive and Kensington Avenue intersections. Property access and parking restrictions are to occur. This work will commence June 25, 2018 and will take approximately six (6) weeks to complete (subject to weather) Chamney Crushing will perform this work within the current Bylaw regulations and specifications. Safety: Construction site could be dangerous. If you have children, please ask them to keep a safe distance from the site. We will take every precaution to ensure public safety, but we need your assistance to constrain the natural curiosity of younger children. Please DO NOT attempt to go close to areas affected. Theft or Vandalism: If you see any act of vandalism, theft or anyone suspiciously tampering with equipment, signage or barricades please contact 306-634-1800, or after hours call Police. Questions and Concerns: The City of Estevan, Engineering Services apologize for any inconveniences that this work may causeand thank you in advance for your cooperation and patience. If you have any question or concerns, please call at 634-1800 or approach the supervisor or foreman on site.
Monday- Friday July 16-20 Area bounded by Kensington on the West, Sawyer Road on the East, North and South City Limits (includes Glen Peterson Industrial Park, East Industrial, Southeast Industrial regions, and properties along Hwy 39E Service Road)
LAND DEVELOPMENT NOTICE OF PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT Application has been made for the development of: Application No. Proposed Use DP020-2018 Fitness & Wellness Studio DP022-2018 Cannabis Retail Store
Civic Address Zoning 1009-6th Street Industrial (M1) Unit 4, 421A Kensington Avenue Commercial (C5)
Persons interested in obtaining more information on this permit or commenting on the application may contact landdevelopment@estevan.ca or contact City of Estevan Land Development Services at 306-634-1800. Any submissions should note the development permit application number and be submitted by July 16, 2018 at 12:00 PM. (noon).
DROP IN RECREATION
AQUATIC SCHEDULE
Richard Neufeld, Development Officer
MONDAY LANE SWIM AQUA AWE LANE SWIM PUBLIC SWIM LANE SWIM PUBLIC SWIM LANE SWIM
6:00 AM - 9:00 AM 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 1:00 PM - 4:15 PM 6:30 PM - 7:00 PM 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM
TUESDAY LANE SWIM AQUA AWE LANE SWIM PUBLIC SWIM LANE SWIM PUBLIC SWIM
6:00 AM - 9:00 AM 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 1:00 PM - 4:15 PM 6:30 PM - 7:00 PM 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
WEDNESDAY LANE SWIM AQUA AWE LANE SWIM PUBLIC SWIM LANE SWIM PUBLIC SWIM LANE SWIM
6:00 AM - 9:00 AM 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 1:00 PM - 4:15 PM 6:30 PM - 7:00 PM 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM
SANITARY SEWER MAIN AND STORM SEWER FLUSHING PROGRAM Beginning Tuesday, May 1, 2018 and continuing to Friday, August 31,2018 the Water and wastewater Division will be carrying out Sanitary Sewer Main Flushing and Storm sewer Flushing, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. with the occasional carry over to 6:00 p.m. During the periods of jetting, residents and businesses are advised to securely cap basement floor drains. You may smell an odor in your home, this can be resolved by simply opening windows for a short period of time and running water to ensure all traps are full of water. Storm sewer will have no effect on homes and business’.
2018 Program Area will encompass all streets South of Railroad Tracks, and East of Souris Ave within City limits including: • • • • • • • • • • • •
Jubilee Place Murray Street Duncan Road McDonald Road McLeod Ave Galloway Street Rooks Ave Perry Crescent Perkins Street 1st Street A 1st Street 2nd Street
• • • • • • • • • • • •
3rd Street 4th Street 5th Street 6th Street 2nd Avenue 3rd Avenue 4th Avenue 5th Avenue 6th Avenue 7th Avenue 8th Avenue 9th Avenue
• • • • • • • • • • •
10th Avenue Souris Avenue South Sun Valley Drive Park Drive Sunset Bay Mississippian Drive Devonian Street Escana Street Imperial Avenue Pacific Street Superior Avenue
EFFECTIVE - July 2, 2018
THURSDAY LANE SWIM AQUA AWE LANE SWIM PUBLIC SWIM LANE SWIM PUBLIC SWIM
6:00 AM - 9:00 AM 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 1:00 PM - 4:15 PM 6:30 PM - 7:00 PM 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
FRIDAY LANE SWIM LANE SWIM PUBLIC SWIM LANE SWIM PUBLIC SWIM
6:00 AM - 9:00 AM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
SATURDAY LANE SWIM PUBLIC SWIM LANE SWIM FAMILY SWIM PUBLIC SWIM
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
SUNDAY LANE SWIM FAMILY SWIM PUBLIC SWIM LANE SWIM PUBLIC SWIM
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
* Schedule Subject to Change. Please visit www.estevan.ca for updates on closures and cancellations. Proper footwear and exercise wear is required to participate. Please note during school breaks, (Teachers Convention, Spring Break and Christmas Break) Fitness, Aquatic Centre and Arena schedules may vary. Please visit our live schedules at www.estevan.ca
PLAY PARKS
www.estevan.ca
JULY 2018 Sunday
Monday 8
9
Wednesday 10
Hillcrest Park 5-8pm
15
Hillcrest Park| 265 Rooks Road Hillside Park | 825 George Street
Tuesday
NIGHT SWIM
Thursday 11
24
Churchill Park 5-8pm
29
PLANES AND TRAINS WEEK 30
18
ART EXPLOSION WEEK
13
31
19
NIGHT SWIM
20
Rusty Duce Park 5-8pm
25
NIGHT SWIM
Hillside Park 5-8pm
NIGHT SWIM
Hillcrest Park 5-8pm
Saturday 14
SATURDAY SWIM
Churchill Park 1-5pm
Hillcrest Park 9am-11am
22
12
NIGHT SWIM
PANCAKE17 BREAKFAST
COMMUNTIY HELPERS WEEK 23 NIGHT SWIM
Friday
Hillside Park 5-8pm
KINGS AND QUEENS WEEK 16
Churchill Park | 1202 First Street Rusty Duce Park | 1400 Nicholson Road
21
SATURDAY SWIM
Hillcrest Park 1-5pm
26
10:00 am - 12:00 pm CRAFTS, GAMES & ACTIVITIES 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm SWIMMING OPEN MON-FRI EXCEPT ON DESIGNATED DAYS.
27
28
SATURDAY SWIM
Rusty Duce Park 1-5pm
B4 July 11, 2018
Estevan Mercury
Changes made to single-stream recycling Green for Life (GFL) Environmental Inc. is no longer able to accept glass and plastic bags in its single-stream recycling process. In a news release, GFL stat-
ed that it and other waste and recycling companies have had external factors placed upon them resulting in the change. These factors are due to changes in China’s National
Sword recycling program. Much of the world’s recyclables are sent to China, but the Chinese have been turning away more recyclable materials in recent months.
GFL is no longer able to accept any glass containers, including food and beverage containers such as soft drinks and alcohol. GFL Environmental will continue to look for alternative
recycling locations for these products and make them available when possible. SARCAN is still able to accept empty soft drink and alcohol bottles.
Charges dropped against impaired driver
Charges have been dropped against an individual charged with impaired driving earlier this year. Joseph Telesphore Carl Lapensee of Lampman had been charged with impaired driving and driving with a
blood alcohol content over .08 back in February. But his charges were stayed by the Crown on June 28, as the Crown did not think it was in the public’s interest to continue with the charges.
Ready for flight From left, Jessica Rosengren, Katie Rosengren and Erin McIsaac were among the young people who enjoyed flights at the Estevan Regional Airport on Saturday. The event started with a fly-in barbecue lunch, and then members of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association offered free airplane flights for children, giving them the chance to see the area from high in the air.