Estevan Mercury 20191120

SURROGATE BABY BORN

VOLLEYBALL DISTRICTS

Brings two families togethe A3

Champions crowned A6

SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

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Issue 30

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Christmas came to Estevan with the record Festival of Trees weekend

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation’s (SJHF) seventh annual Festival of Trees once again proved to be a big success with record support. Thousands of people attended various events put together and sponsored by Estevan businesses and organizations.

Everyone could find something to do the past weekend, as Estevan soaked the Christmas spirit in all while raising money for the SJHF. “ We are ver y, ver y happy with how Festival of Trees went this year.

We brought a lot of new festivities and had some of the old favourites. It was a really great weekend,” said SJHF executive director Breanne Van de Woestyne.

The Christmas festivities started off with the Ultimate Family Movie Night on Friday. Parents and children watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas in Whoville on the big screen with concessions, hot chocolate and prizes.

S a t u rd a y m o r n i n g had hundreds of Estevanites and visitors out at the Affinity place for the Christmas Tea Party. The traditional event this year was open to both seniors

Johner Brothers & Brad Johner & Johner Boys provided entertainment during the Festival of Tree Gala Dinner on Saturday. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia and their family members.

Participants could take a look at the trees, enjoy hot beverages and snacks.

This also was the first time when the hospital foundation partnered with the Estevan Kinettes Club for their annual Christmas Marketplace. So right after the tea party, many people headed over to the WyllieMitchell Building and the Estevan Exhibition Hall

to start on their Christmas shopping.

Christmas spirit completely took over Affinity Place Saturday night, as SJHF invited the community to come out and kick off the holiday season at the Festival of Trees Gala Dinner.

The gala celebrated the generosity of the people from southeast Saskatchewan as they continued to

give back, thus allowing the hospital foundation to continually improve healthcare in the community. Don Kindopp, who is the board chair for St. Joseph’s Hospital, addressed the guests at the gala.

“On behalf of some 280 staff members that deliver health services to the community, we thank those of you in attendance here tonight. Our health

system team is blessed to live and work in this community, which is undoubtedly is the most generous community in our country,” said Kindopp.

He named some improvements that became a reality with the help of money raised. The latest purchases included a $60,000 sterilizer, new hospital beds totalling at $250,000, a $100,000 up-

grade of the maternity ward and the list goes on.

“St. Joseph’s Hospital has a capital inventory of approximately $10 million, which must be kept up to date. With this in mind our plans for next year include the purchase of a ventilator for $40,000, ICU modern equipment for approximately $200,000 and a $100,000 upgrade to the new endoscopy unit,” said Kindopp.

The live auction was one of the main fund generators of the festival. The list of bid items included trips to San Francisco, Hawaii, New York and Ireland, a dream vacation, a painting by Michael Lonechild, a hot tub, an ultimate bar shed and many more exciting adventures and unique items. All pieces were donated by local sponsors, and the auction generated about $48,000.

The Christmas tree a u c t i on ad d e d a l m o s t $20,000 to the total. Ten beautiful Christmas trees found their new homes that night, with money from each sale going to designated hospital units and facilities.

The silent auction, 5050, million-dollar tree and jewellery raffles and other activities added few more A2 » HUNDREDS

City council approves RFP for new arena

By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

The City of Estevan has taken a step towards having a third arena in the community, but the construction of such a facility is still not a guarantee.

Estevan city council gave the green light for the city to issue requests for proposals (RFP) during Monday night’s meeting.

The RFP allows potential companies to submit their bids on the project, but does not commit council to moving forward.

Rod March, who is the parks and facilities manager

for the city, said there is no financial commitment from the city to issue the RFP. “This stage of procurement is to investigate the quality of submissions and costs associated with the cost of a new turnkey facility, with negotiated options for phased construction.

Council has the authority to reject any and all submissions, or to choose to proceed into a negotiated contractual stage within this process.”

The request for proposal is a lengthy document that spells out the requirements for the project. It calls for the facility to be

constructed at the site of the former Civic Auditorium, which was torn down last year, and it will have a regulation sized ice surface.

The proposal packages would need to be submitted

by Feb. 3, 2020. Electronic submissions will not be accepted.

Mayor Roy Ludwig said he thought there was some good discussion on the issue at Monday night’s meeting. He believes the arena would be able to accommodate about 1,000 people if it goes ahead, but they could look at having lower capacity numbers.

A2 » COMMITTEE

Estevan city council has approved a request for proposals for a third arena for the city. If it’s approved, it would be located at the site of the former Civic Auditorium

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Hundreds came to the Festival of Trees Gala « A1 thousands to the total, raised during the gala.

Van de Woestyne said that this year about 80 per cent of weekend expenses were covered by sponsorship, which meant that part of the money from the gala table sales also went back to the hospital foundation.

She noted that they had the record sponsorship throughout the history of the festival.

“That just says enough of how much support we really have from local businesses,” said Van de Woestyne, pointing out that every year they have at least $100,000 from the festival going towards hospital equipment.

Johner Brothers and Johner Boys provided great entertainment, and many guests hit the floor to enjoy dancing that night.

The Festival of Trees continued on Sunday with Santa’s Breakfast with the Bruins and Christmas Lane at Affinity Place. Over 2,000 people enjoyed pancakes and participated in various family activities.

Santa was on stage to listen to children’s Christmas wishes, while the Estevan Bruins were serving breakfast and entertaining guests. Christmas Lane this year had all kinds of activities from cookie decoration to a teddy bear hospital. Kids also could write a letter to Santa at the Post Office, decorate a miniature Christmas tree or get

Santa’s Breakfast with the Bruins presented by Estevan Mercury fed hundreds of people Sunday morning. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia a colourful tattoo.

The weekend-long festival took over 200 volunteers and thousands of volunteer

hours, but the final result was worth it.

Many guests and participants agreed that it was wonderful to see the community come

together, once again proving its strength and unity by providing support for a good cause despite the economic downturn.

“The community support wasn’t just this weekend. It’s been the last few months with sponsorship and people donating their time… It makes it even more special with how the economy is right now that we worry about too. We still hold such a major event and still fundraise a great amount of money to go into our hospital and to continue to reinvest those dollars back into our community,” said Van de Woestyne.

“The whole weekend itself went amazing… We could include more people. We wanted it to really focus on community and family... It was more a celebration than a fundraiser. We wanted it to be a lot of fun and a really great event to kick off Christmas. And I think we were able to succeed with that.”

“We just want to put out a huge thank you to the community on our sponsors and local businesses that helped us put this on.

It’s not just our team that puts this on, it is the whole-community event, and without that support it would not be possible,” ended Van de Woestyne.

The organizing committee was still adding up the numbers. The Mercury will have the totals as they become available.

Committee could be formed for project Five people arrested in drug bust; no charges yet

« A1 “Perhaps through communication and feedback, that might get narrowed down, because we said from the beginning that if that goes ahead, it would need to be a basic rink,” said Ludwig.

The city has also put a lot of money into the Power Dodge Ice Centre, which is currently the city’s No. 2 ice surface, and Ludwig said it now looks a lot better.

Councillor Shelly Veroba said she would like to have an economic assessment done on the value of a third rink for the community, and what the community could look like after Units 4 and 5 at SaskPower’s Boundary Dam Power Station are closed and potential job losses would occur.

“Then it would also show how we’re going to pay for this rink.Those are the kind of questions that I’m getting right now.

People are saying how will you pay for this,” said Veroba.

Ludwig suggested the city’s economic development

division could prepare a document on the economic spinoffs associated with the rink.

City manager Jeff Ward said initial estimates are it would cost about $400,000 per year to operate a third arena, which is a little more than what the city spent on the Civic’s upkeep.

Councillor Greg Hoffort suggested having a committee, similar to the one that was struck for the construction of Affinity Place from 2006-2011.

“They took the lead on a lot of things to do with that arena, right from the different features of the arena, to does the community have the wherewithal to afford such an arena,” said Hoffort.

Grassroots level committees have played a key role in city projects in the past, and Hoffort believes it could happen again here.

Ludwig chaired the new arena committee for those five years.

“I think it’s probably a

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good idea,” said Ludwig. “Any time you build something like that – now this would be on a much smaller scale than Affinity Place – but I think the ground rules would still be the same and I think the idea would be a good one.”

The different user groups, including the Estevan Minor Hockey Association and other ice sports groups, would need to come to the table.

“I know that with the back and forth that we’ve heard from the community, we haven’t heard a lot from our hockey community and our skating community, but I’m sure that will be coming forward, so it will be interesting to hear that segment as well,” said Ludwig.

Councillor Lyle Yanish and Ludwig were quick to point out that the city will not be directing money from the coal transition fund to this project.

The city received $5 million from the provincial government through the fund, and while parameters of the fund are still being worked out, a new arena wouldn’t be eligible for funding.

“It will be to generate economic activity within our community to mitigate the negative impact of the closure of Units 4 and 5,” said Ludwig.

Councillor Travis Frank pointed out that since the Civic

Auditorium closed, there has been discussion on whether the community can handle three rinks, and council wants to know what it would cost.

“For all we know, this may come back and may not even be feasible,” said Frank.

The city received sharp criticism on social media last week after a press release was sent out, announcing that it was seeking public feedback on the potential RFP. Additional criticism came on Monday night after the RFP was approved, leading Frank to post a video on his social media page explaining council’s decision.

Ludwig said there is infrastructure that a potential new rink could share with the Power Dodge Curling Club, which would be next door. The ice plant would not be shared.

The city looked at other prospective sites, including one adjacent to the Power Dodge Ice Centre, but after soil testing in both areas, it was decided the better site would be the old Civic site.

The city would be looking at naming rights sales and other fundraising initiatives to generate funds to cover a potential new arena’s construction cost.

The city would also seek government grants for the project.

19114SS0

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Five people were arrested Thursday in Estevan as part of a drug bust.

Members of the Estevan Police Service’s (EPS) Drug and Intelligence Unit, in par tnership with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) Saskatchewan and local RCMP and uniformed members of the EPS, executed search warrants at three residences and two businesses in Estevan.

Two men and three women were arrested in relation to trafficking cocaine and possession of proceeds of crime.

The names of the five individuals arrested were not immediately released, as charges were not laid. Since there weren’t any charges, the five people were released.

Police Chief Paul Ladouceur said the investigators have a lot to comb over, and once they determine what the most appropriate

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charges are, then the charges will be laid.

The investigation has been going on for some time.

The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) Saskatchewan consists of three teams, located in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert. CFSEU is comprised of personnel from partner police services from Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who receive funding for resources and operations from the Government of Saskatchewan through the Ministr y of Corrections, Public Safety and Policing.

The CFSEU’s primary mandate is to expose, investigate, prosecute, dismantle and disrupt organized crime enterprises.

The Mercury will have more details as they become available. For any breaking information on this story, please visit www.estevanmercury.ca.

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LAST WEEK’S QUESTION WAS:

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16%

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71%

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THIS WEEK’S QUESTION:

Do you believe the City of Estevan should proceed with a third arena?

Go online at www.estevanmercury.ca to vote!

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Surrogacy allows local woman to give birth to a baby girl for former Estevan residents

Tim Bangsund, Lisa Beaulieu and Chewn Bangsund gather for a photo with Florence Juniper Pham Bangsund. Florence was born on Nov. 6. Lisa served as the surrogate for the Bangsunds. Photo by Angyl Ravyn Photography

By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

Lisa Beaulieu says that everyone does something big in their lives.

Some people get degrees or travel the world or build homes in other countries.

For her, it was being a surrogate mother.

Lisa, who is from Estevan, recently gave birth as a surrogate mother for former Estevan residents Tim Bangsund and his husband Chewn (nee Pham), who now reside in Adelaide, Australia. They have lived there for about seven years.

“I have always just thought it was a great idea,” Lisa said in an interview that the Mercury conducted with her and the two fathers. “To be able to have children is a gift, I think, and a lot of people don’t have the ability, so when I was younger, I always thought that if I was able to have children, that I would love to help another family.”

Florence Juniper Pham Bangsund was born on Nov. 6 at 10:54 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Hospital. The baby is doing great, and getting to know her fathers better.

The Bangsunds did not know Lisa well before embarking on the surrogacy process. Chewn and Lisa went to the Estevan Comprehensive School at the same time, and Beaulieu used to cut Chewn’s hair when they lived in Saskatoon. She doesn’t believe she had met Tim until just recently.

They connected when Lisa decided to embark on the surrogacy process, and one of their friends overheard and put the Bangsunds in contact with her.

Lisa said she was going to be a surrogate regardless of if it was with them or someone else.

She knew she wanted to do it after she went through a miscarriage the first time she was pregnant. If she had a healthy baby one day, her next pregnancy would be as a surrogate.

She and her husband Dylan had that healthy baby, Lyric, who is now eight years old.

Forty-two is the oldest that a surrogate can be; Lisa was 35 when she embarked on the surrogacy path more than 18 months ago.

“It can take a while, so I knew I might be 37 or 38 by the time it happens, so this was perfect timing. A lot of agencies recommend you don’t surrogate until you’re done with your own family, in case there’s any complications that could cause infertility.”

Lisa connected with Surrogacy in Canada Online, an agency that matches surrogates with potential partner families.

The Bangsunds had already registered with the agency.

A lengthy process saw Lisa and Dylan both go through medical screening and psychological screening, and then Lisa had to visit a maternal fetal specialist.

“The first one told me I was not a good candidate, so it took us a while, but we got a second opinion, and we got the green light, and in February I started fertility meds, hormone medication, and on March 5 we transferred one embryo,” said Lisa.

In the meantime, she continued to chat with the Bangsusnds through Face-

book messenger.

The Bangsunds started looking into surrogacy about five years ago, because they always knew they wanted to be fathers. But they didn’t get serious about joining an agency until two or three years ago.

“We decided Canada versus Australia because it’s a lot more established and they’ve got agencies that help along the process. They help the surrogates and they help the parents just to navigate all of the legalities and whole process,” said Tim. They had been looking for a surrogate before they came across Lisa.

“Surrogacy in Canada Online was a good service. I think we’ve been really fortunate because we have connections in Estevan, and by chance, one of my close friends who lives and works here in Estevan, her and Lisa talked about it, and a couple of days later, sent us a message.”

The Bangsunds’ surrogacy lawyer in Swift Current has been through the process previously with others, and she helped out a lot, too.

While Lisa said this will be the one chance she has to be a surrogate, the Bangsunds hope to go through the process again.

“I would love to have some siblings for Florence,” said Tim. “I grew up in a family of four, and so did Chewn. We’re all very close with our families, and it’s important to me that she has something of the same.”

And despite the hurdles that they have to clear, they said they would do it again.

“I love babies and I love

being a mom, and I just feel very blessed to be able to give the gift of parenthood to another couple,” said Lisa.

The bonus is that Florence will be raised by a couple with local connections. While Florence will be half a world away, there will be opportunities to see her.

“I actually wasn’t sure what kind of couple I was going to pick,” said Lisa. “I just felt like the right couple would reveal themselves to me as time went on, and they did. Very much so.”

Lisa expects she and Lyric will visit them in Australia, hopefully for Florence’s first birthday.

“We’ve also talked about, down the road, meeting up for vacations together as a big family. We’re going to be in contact forever, I’m sure,” said Lisa.

Lyric is crazy about Florence, too. She even refers to Florence as her baby sister.

“When I told her I was going to have a baby for somebody else, she said ‘I’m the big sister. No matter where in the world she is, I’m the big sister.’”

Sally Rhodes-Heinrich from Surrogacy in Canada Online was a surrogate about 20 years ago who carried twins for a couple. It was such a wonderful experience that she started a surrogacy website to help connect surrogates and prospective parents, and to supply them with more information.

“It kind of grew into an introductory service to help intended parents and surrogates to connect,” said RhodesHeinrich.

She said the Bangsunds and Lisa were all wonderful to deal with during the process.

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Surrogacy in Canada Online deals with about 75 to 100 cases a year. There has been a growing demand in Saskatchewan, from one every couple of years to three or four a year.

She noted that 50-100 women apply to be surrogates each month, but only five to 10 will be able to go through with it. Consequently, it means there are about 50 intended parents for every surrogate in Canada.

“We’re contacted all day long by potential intended parents that are struggling to find a surrogate,” said RhodesHeinrich. “It’s very hard to find a woman who is willing to help and carry a baby for someone else.”

Since Florence was born, the Bangsunds have been able to stay with his parents, who still live in Estevan, which has been a tremendous support while they learn to be parents themselves. Lisa has been able to visit with Florence every day.

Chewn pointed out that surrogacies are more common in Eastern Canada, and that’s where most of the mothers were from.

“To find Western Canadian surrogates is quite rare, and on top of that, to be in Estevan, where Tim’s sister lives here and Tim’s parents live here, it was pretty crazy, but pretty cool,” Chewn said.

They also praised the obstetrics unit at St. Joseph’s Hospital for being so accommodating.

“They went above and beyond and figured out how they could best suit the baby’s needs and everybody’s wishes,” said Lisa.

Tim and Chewn are looking forward to taking Florence to Australia, where Tim works as a pharmacist at a hospital in Adelaide, while Chewn works for the BHP Biliton mining company. But they will likely remain in Saskatchewan until March.

Chewn Bangsund, left, and Tim Bangsund with Lisa Beaulieu and her daughter Lyric before Florence was born. Photo by Lacie Paige Photography

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EDITORIAL

RFP is just a step. It’s not final.

Looking at the reaction from some people who posted on the Mercury’s Facebook page in the hours following Monday night’s city council meeting, you’d swear that they thought Estevan city council had given the green light for a new arena to be built that would rival Affinity Place.

That would be far from the truth.

True, Estevan city council voted to proceed with a request for proposals (RFP) for a third arena. But that’s it. In essence, they’re looking to see if someone can step forward with plans they want for an affordable third ice surface in the community.

There’s nothing to lose with the RFP. It’s not like the city is now locked in to build a new rink. It’s not like the city has to pay a fee to each company that submits a bid.

If council gets a bid that looks good and makes sense from a fiscal and a community perspective, then they should take a long hard look at it and decide whether to proceed. If they don’t get one that is affordable and ultimately meets the city’s needs, then they should shelve the project, and revisit it at a later date.

It’s been more than two years since the Civic Auditorium played host to its final hockey game. Ever since then, there has been rampant speculation about which direction the city should go. Build a basic third arena that can be used to host hockey games and other skating activities

in the winter months, and some form of community or sporting activities in the summer?

Go with a field house type of facility that has great year-round versatility, but can’t accommodate ice sports?

Or hold off until the economy gets better?

Six years ago, we might have been able to look at both the third arena and the field house.

But not now.

When the Civic was demolished, there was still the belief that something should be built on that site. But since that time, we’ve been dealt the eventual retirement of Units 4 and 5 at the Boundary Dam Power Station, and the associated job losses. There is a growing belief that we might be wise to play the waiting game.

We were making good use of three ice surfaces five years ago. We might still make good use of them now. But that doesn’t mean we’d need three in five or 10 years from now, especially if our population drops below 10,000 people.

But this is still worth looking at. The recreation needs assessment the city had completed earlier this year showed people wanted to have a third rink or a field house. Not many said stand pat. Maybe the people complaining about council’s decision didn’t respond to that survey. Maybe they were too busy taking to social media to complain about something else.

And you have to wonder how many of the social media complainers actually took the time to respond to the city directly ever since the city announced this issue would be on the council agenda. (Note: posts on social media don’t count).

A third arena would be a pretty basic facility. It doesn’t need much in the way of seating, just a few hundred. Give it a standard ice surface, dressing rooms, an ice plant, washrooms and a few other basic amenities and creature comforts.

If the city can secure government funding and some money through the naming rights sales and fundraising, then that will help with this project as well.

There is a good economic spinoff from having a third rink, especially when it comes to tournaments. It allows for larger tournaments that can bring more people to Estevan, and it means games don’t have to be split between Estevan and Bienfait.

As for the harsh critics of council’s decision – and there aren’t a lot of them, just a very vocal group who posted a lot – please do everyone a favour.

Take a deep breath. Do your research. Find out what a request for proposals is, what it means, and what it doesn’t mean.

And then wait and see what council decides early next year when the RFPs are in.

Quebec sure is one to talk

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I’ve seen a lot of TV clips of late, showing Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet basically trash talking the West, and Alberta in particular. He would support western separation if they wanted a “green state,” for example, but not an “oil state.”

Because oil is bad. He thinks we should stop producing it.

He doesn’t think Quebec gets Alberta money. It comes from the feds, he says, conveniently forgetting that money for equalization is almost entirely coming from Alberta, and mostly going to Quebec.

Blanchet is not a provincial premier, nor is he in power federally. He’s the leader of a minor party during a minority government, albeit one that has enough seats to hold the balance of power. And he’s driving Alberta Premier Jason Kenney crazy.

Indeed, it’s not a stretch to say Blanchet is driving the entire oilpatch crazy.

It sure must be nice to have a $4 billion surplus this year in Quebec. So much so that they’re opening up the wallet for more social program spending and cheaper child care, beyond what is already ridiculously cheap. In the meantime, Alberta public servants are wondering how many of them will have a job in the future, and when, if ever, they will see a decent raise again.

The federal equalization formula, which excludes renewable resource revenue but includes non-renewable resource revenue, is very rapidly driving a stake into the beating heart of this confederation.

Let’s look at Quebec for a minute, so blessed with renewable hydroelectricity it thinks it walks on water instead of just damming it. Ever hear of the Churchill Falls project?

Back in 1969 Newfoundland got into financial trouble building a massive hydro dam project in Labrador at Churchill Falls. Hydro Quebec stepped in and bailed it out, but in doing so, essentially forced the Newfies to sign one of the most lopsided, predatory contracts in

From the Top of the Pile BRIAN ZINCHUK Canadian history.

It ensures that Quebec gets an enormous amount of hydro electricity at a fixed rate, $2 per megawatt-hour (0.2 cents per kilowatthour). My power bill charges me 14.2 cents per kilowatt hour. Newfoundland is getting 0.2 cents per kilowatt-hour for its Churchill Falls power.

I strongly encourage you to look up an article published by Policy Options on Sept.

1, 2010, by James P. Feehan and Melvin Baker, entitled The Churchill Falls Contract and why Newfoundlanders can’t get over it.

It reads, “Even in the late 1960s, a price of $2 was extraordinarily low and not achievable from any new energy source then available to HydroQuébec. To put this future price in perspective, in 2004 the average wholesale price of electricity in Ontario was about $52 per MWh, and in 2003 Hydro-Québec received an average of approximately $85 per MWh for its electricity exports.

A price of $2 in 2016 with that price fixed until 2041 is barely distinguishable from being free.”

How much power does that plant generate?

More than all of SaskPower, combined. Churchill Falls produces about 30 million gigawatt-hours of power per year. SaskPower supplies 25.7 gigawatt hours per year, as of 2018-19. That means Churchill Falls produces more power than every single coal, gas, wind, solar, cogen and hydro plant in all of Saskatchewan. And Quebec is getting a very large chunk of it, and profiting immensely from it, for basically free.

And despite numerous legal challenges brought forward by Newfoundland, the Supreme Court has allowed this to continue, to 2041.

Tell me again why renewable resources

aren’t considered in the equalization equation?

Especially given that Newfoundland, in dire shape right now over its follow up to Churchill Falls, the Muskrat Falls project, is paying into equalization and Quebec is withdrawing?

And then there’s shale gas. Quebec, apparently, has lots of it. You know, good, clean natural gas with a low carbon footprint. But they haven’t developed any of it.

A few years ago, I interviewed the CEO of a company that drilled 15 wells in Quebec. They had a discovery in 2008 which could have been game-changing, if only they could frac.

But Quebec brought in a de facto moratorium on fracking.

That company had acquired a substantial amount of permits for land, but couldn’t do anything with it. If they could frac, the CEO figured they could supply a substantial amount of Quebec’s domestic natural gas needs.

But you see, it’s easier to rely on gas from the northeast U.S., these days, and the money taxed from the gas industry in Alberta which goes to support equalization. Why develop your own resources when you get the money without effort, or risk?

Yes, Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Newfoundland and, to a much lesser extent, Manitoba, are blessed with oil and gas. But other jurisdictions, like Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia, are blessed with hydropower.

In a world where green energy is considered the ultimate goal, shouldn’t they now be considered the have provinces?

Quebec took advantage of Newfoundland in a way that is unconscionable. And with $4 billion surpluses, their “have not” status is a total farce.

Let’s see Quebec have to pay their way in the world, and maybe we’ll see some drilling in the St. Lawrence Valley. Then we’ll see whose resources are socially unacceptable.

Brian Zinchuk is editor of Pipeline News. He can be reached at brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net.

Op-Ed A5

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Wednesday, November 20, 2019

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Ana Bykhovskaia Twenty Lines About…

Seismic shift in gender relations Here is another fact about me, I watch Survivor. A few years ago it became our family tradition, which we always enjoy together.

Through the years Survivor became something almost like the Wheel of Fortune: even if you never really watch it, you know what it is about. Many will argue that the contemporary show doesn’t have much to do with real surviving and the original concept. Today it’s more about the social, rather than physical survival. And even though it’s not a reality show, in a way it actually does mirror the changes in our society. And that’s what I like about the show.

It’s hard to say, if the producers to a point orchestrate the game so it would reflect what’s going on in the real world, or if the shifts that we are going through are strong enough to affect the game realities, in which the $1 million prize can justify almost anything. One way or the other, when played in Survivor, the current realities are brought to the table to become a part of the big discourse.

So the last episode of the show happened to focus on one of the biggest social problems, sexual harassment and power imbalance. One of the players named Dan was spotted many times by cameramen (and so by millions of viewers all around the world) with his uninvited hands on female participants. It took quite a few episodes for this bomb to explode.

One of the women, Kellee, literally told him not to touch her in the very first episode. And while he left her alone at that point (and soon after they became parts of different tribes), that notice didn’t prevent him from practising the same habits with other women, rubbing their toes, putting hands over them, touching scalps and so on. When the two players got reunited, the problem came to light again. Kellee brought it up to another woman and the chain reaction, consisting of tears, denials, touching moments of sharing experience, lies and misrepresentation, started. And while strategically for most of the participants Dan wasn't a target to get rid of, one of the players formulated her position saying that for her “mental health” it would be better if he was gone. It would be quite straight forward if at that point they would either talk to him or vote him out. Kelle formulated her concerns quite well: “It’s super upsetting because it’s like you can’t do anything about it. There are always consequences for standing up. This happens in real life, in work settings, in school. You can’t say anything because it’s going to affect your upward trajectory.

It’s going to affect how people look at you.”

After this confession, the showrunners actually addressed the problem and talked to all the participants. However then very quickly this sexual impropriety turned into a power “card” (a word used by one of the players). And while Kellee’s feeling felt quite real, the other two female participants agreed that they weren't too uncomfortable with Dan and played this to further their game, blindsiding the victim and actually getting rid of her.

Dan, who was inappropriate no matter which way you look at it, hardly apologized when the showrunners wouldn’t let it go. Another male participant used classic nobody came to me about it, so it couldn’t be such a big deal.

The entire incident strongly resonated with reality, but unlike in the big world the victim, who felt uncomfortable and probably unsafe, but didn’t feel empowered to act, actually had video evidence (and even that didn't help her to escape the repercussions of speaking up).

I believe we are going through a historic seismic shift in gender relations. We are not there yet. But now we find old us on a new, still-moving map. And our markers, signs and views that we used to help navigate through relationships with other human beings, they are off for many. Our social platforms are not done shifting to the new reality yet, and many people tend to stick to the norms known to them and devalue situations that used to be below the radars before.

Sexual harassment cases are being brought to light more and more often nowadays. Very rarely they are false, but unfortunately quite often they are manipulated and played exactly like in the situation above. And every time something like that happens, it pushes us back again, leaving unknown victims in the darkness of fear and abuse and re-empowering those resisting this overdue seismic shift.

Departing physician expresses some concerns The editor: To the patients of the Southeast Medical Group, physicians, nurses and allied health professionals of Estevan: It is with sincere relief that I announce my resignation as a family physician here in Estevan, effective Dec. 15. Over the last 13 months I have been privileged to work with all of you. Of course, it has come at my own great personal dissatisfaction.

The circumstances around why I have made this decision are multifactorial, encompassing both personal and professional reasons, which have been longstanding since the commencement of my position. Those who are close to me have seen my struggles throughout this time, and I feel it is valuable for you to

understand them too.

If you would like to know, you are welcome to ask me in person. You would be correct to trust my own views on the matter, rather than the propagating falsehoods on social media. I'm looking directly at you, Estevan Rant and Rave.

Regarding my cherished receptionist, Ms. SueAnne Orser, with whom I, along with Drs. Cormier, Geller and Krickan have entrusted to work with, I plead with you to treat her with respect and humility.

We understand you come to a physician's office in moments of vulnerability, confusion, and duress. However, all people deserve to be treated as human beings. No one deserves to be yelled at, sworn at or be called disrespectful insults.

To Ms. Kristin Dupuis,

the first friend I made in this city, who works in her role as executive assistant to the St. Joseph's Hospital CEO, I sincerely thank you for your hard work in helping me transition to Estevan. Your efforts in mitigating several unanticipated conflicts cannot be overstated. The hospital and community would be unwise to forget this.

Medicine is a privilege.

It comes with the highest sense of responsibility that we as health care professionals are burdened to carry with grace and facility. In this respect, we pursue these duties together. If there is anything I can suggest to anyone committed to see change in this community, it is that we are better heard and valued when we act with a unified, coherent voice.

As you may know, my own clinic of patients has

been run as a walk-in setting for the last few months in anticipation of my departure. My last day of seeing patients for any new issues was Nov. 15. To those whom I deem necessary to undergo further care in December, I will arrange for limited follow-up appointments on a case-by-case basis.

My esteemed colleague Dr. Cormier will not assume care of my patients. Rather, he will be accepting patients on a case-by-case basis, with the decision ultimately being up to him. Dr. Geller continues in his role as a family physician with surgical and obstetrical services.

Oh, also I'm not North Korean and neither is Dr. Chou. Both Canadian. Like 100 per cent.

Dr. Neal Cabigon Estevan

Provincial government releases growth plan for next decade Estevan MLA Lori Carr believes there are several items in the province’s new growth strategy that will benefit the Estevan area.

Premier Scott Moe released Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan: the Next Decade of Growth 2020-2030, on Thursday morning. The plan is a roadmap for the economy, communities and families, to build the province.

The new Growth Plan includes 30 goals for 2030, including key targets of a population of 1.4 million people, 100,000 new jobs, a 50 per cent increase in exports and $10 billion in value-added agriculture.

Carr doesn’t believe the 1.4 million populations target is too ambitious, even though it would require Saskatchewan growing by more than 20,000 people per year over the next 10 years.

“We set our target for 2020,” she told the Mercury.

“We’re a few thousand people short of that right now.

We’ve just about made the target that was set for 2020.

As we move forward, and if we truly work on these goals that we’ve set out, whether it be in manufacturing or whether it be in agriculture or whatever the case may be, that’s going need people to actually to do that work.”

The growth plans also calls for increasing oil production by 25 per cent to 600,000 barrels per day by 2030. Carr believes Estevan and the surrounding area would play a big role in that goal.

Using enhanced oil recovery, Carr said Saskatchewan would be positioned as the best place in North America to test, commercialize and scale new oil and gas technologies.

“Given the fact that we currently have carbon capture technology right here in our community through Boundary Dam (Unit) 3, and we’re always looking ways to enhance our oilfield to get more production going, once again it would be a natural fit for this area,” said Carr.

The growth plan also calls for reducing carbon emissions in electricity production and advancing the development of zero-emission small modular reactor technology using Saskatchewan uranium.

“If this type of power production moves forward within the province of Saskatchewan, I truly believe that with the transmission lines and equipment that we already have here existing in Estevan, it would make a natural fit,” said Carr.

is

Estevan MLA Lori Carr The provincial government has reached a memorandum of understanding with another province to seriously look at these modular reactors. If it is to move forward, a site selection would need to occur sooner rather than later, because the process is lengthy, but Carr views it as a viable option for the province.

There is not a commitment to retrofit the Shand Power Station or the Unit 6 at the Boundary Dam Power Station with carbon capture and storage technology. Those decisions will be made several years from now, she said.

Other goals for 2030 include: • Growing agri-food exports to $20 billion; • Annual private capital investment of $16 billion; • Potash sales worth $9 billion annually;

• Tripling the growth of Saskatchewan’s technology sector; • Building and upgrading 10,000 kilometres of highways; • Supporting communities through $2.5 billion in revenue sharing; and • Reducing surgical wait times to a three-month target.

As part of the growth plan, three new international trade and investment offices will be established in Japan, India and Singapore. These offices will help increase exports, attract more investment to the province and strengthen key trading relationships.

To help increase mining exploration and the value of mining exports, the province will reinstate provincial sales tax exemptions for exploratory and downhole drilling activity.

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Estevan’s Christmas Catalogue comes out Friday

The Estevan Mercury’s Christmas Catalogue has quickly become a hit for Christmas shopping in the Estevan area, and it will be distributed to the public soon.

The 32-page shopping guide, which became known as Estevan’s Christmas Wish List Guide last year when it was released for the first time, will be included in Friday’s editions of Southeast Lifestyles and Newsbreak. It will also be available at the 30-plus businesses who participated

in the initiative this year.

“It is to show you that you can do all of your Christmas shopping in town. There are gift ideas for him, for her, for kids, for students, for grandparents and for stocking stuffers,” said Deanna Tarnes, who is the publisher and sales manager for the Mercury.

There is a variety of participating businesses, including downtown merchants, the Estevan Shoppers Mall, grocery stores, furniture businesses, clothing outlets, hardware com-

panies, home electronics stores and more. Lots of great sales are included in this keepsake publication, and Tarnes urges people to take a long look through it when compiling their Christmas wish lists.

Also included are organizations promoting experiences and activities that could also be great gift ideas.

“It’s a place to show you that Estevan really does have something for everyone,” said Tarnes.

There are also a couple of businesses from Carlyle

participating in the catalogue, showing that there are options for those who live outside of the Energy City.

The businesses who participated in last year’s catalogue were excited to be involved, and Tarnes believes they will be even happier with this year’s product.

“It’s improved. Last year was our first one and it was fine. It was good. This one is going to be a much better layout and much easier to read.”

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Mercury’s Christmas promotion will support local businesses and local non-profits The annual Christmas promotion for Estevan Mercury Publications will not only promote the diverse business community in Estevan, but it will also support local charities.

The Mercury has teamed up with the Estevan Salvation Army’s Food Bank, the Estevan Kinettes Club’s pyjama drive and the Community Hamper Association’s Angel Tree promotion, in which local hamper recipients with a child or children can select a toy to round out the hamper.

“We really want to help them get the word out and promote their needs this year.

There are a lot of families in need,” said Deanna Tarnes, the Mercury’s publisher and sales manager.

The promotion, named t h e E s t e v a n M e r c u r y ’s Christmas Cash, starts Nov. 25, and will feature two separate $1,000 grand prizes.

People need to shop locally or donate to one of the partnering charitable organizations in order to win the first $1,000 prize.

More than 30 businesses are participating in this year’s promotion. There will be donation boxes set up at all businesses, and people can bring a donation of food,

toys or pyjamas, and with every donation people bring in, they can enter their name to win $1,000 cash that the Mercury is offering as the prize.

They can also enter by shopping at those businesses.

Contestants can enter from Nov. 27-Dec. 12, and on Dec. 13, the Mercury will gather all of the donations for the different organizations. There will also be a draw that day for the $1,000 cash prize.

“It’s just a nice community-minded promotion,” said Tarnes. “We’re going to use this opportunity for the 19114TT0

businesses to advertise in the paper to tell you what they have to offer this holiday season.”

Your Toy S tore and More is offering a discount as part of the promotion. If a customer buys one toy for the Angel Tree, there will be a 20 per cent discount; buy two toys, including at least one for the Angel Tree, and save 30 per cent; buy three toys, including at least one for the Angel Tree, and save 40 per cent.

The other component for the promotion is during

the week of Dec. 16-20, the Mercury and the participating businesses will do five days of social media contests, with an opportunity to win $1,000 courtesy of the Estevan Mercury.

People are encouraged to watch the Mercury’s Facebook page, which has more than 5,750 likes, for posts about these businesses. Each business will get a post during the promotion, and there will be information on the three participating charities.

“The Mercury wants to come together to help the

people and help the advertisers, and show people they can get everything we need here,” said Tarnes.

The Mercury is a strong proponent of shopping locally, not just at Christmas time but throughout the year.

And it has used its Christmas campaigns to give back to the community, helping agencies like the Envision Counselling and Support Centre the last two years.

“This year is just bigger and better and getting more people involved in the giving back process,” said Tarnes.

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Performance Pump of Estevan announces the purchase of Universal Machine Shop

By Brian Zinchuk brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net

Performance Pump of Estevan recently bought the machine shop they did much of their machining work with.

Universal Machine Shop is now known as Performance Machining.

The deal, effective Oct. 15, brings four people into Performance’s operation.

This includes previous owners Nick Bourassa and Burke Barnstable, both journeyman machinists, another journeyman and an apprentice.

“They all stayed on to work with us,” said Kent Phillips on Nov. 14. He and Cort Barker are the owners of Performance Pump.

“All the machining will be there,” he said. This meant moving existing machining operations, and two journeymen machinists from their Malmgren Drive location on the west side of Estevan to Universal’s shop on the east side.

Performance Pump’s move to Malmgren Drive a few years ago was meant to consolidate into one location, but all that machining equipment won’t fit, thus they will be using both locations.

That equipment includes lathes, a boring mill and two CNC lathes.

One of those lathes was where Nick Bourassa was working that morning, cutting new threads on drill pipe. A few years ago they built a pipe handling system that is aligned through a porthole in the wall, allowing the pipe to remain on a rack outside and inserting the threaded end into the CNC lathe to recut it. “ We were looking at adding to our machine shop,” Barker said. “This added machines, a customer base and employees.”

Phillips noted that there was a benefit to getting qualified employees to join them. “If we added a machine or two here, we would have had to find someone to run it,” he said, noting it can be hard to find skilled labour.

Universal’s work has been mostly oilfield, with some additional work in the mining, agriculture and power generation sectors.

W hile Per f or mance Pump used to split their machining work between Universal and another shop, they can now do all that work in-house.

“We don’t have to send anything to outside sources for machining anymore,” Phillips said. That reduces costs and deliveries. “Now we can do everything in-house.

We don’t have to farm it out.

We can pick our own schedule to get machining.”

The addition brings the total workforce to 20 people.

Barker said there was a lot of number crunching to get to where both parties were satisfied.

Bourassa said, “I think it’s a good fit between the two businesses, as far as pump work and us adding the drill pipe, and casing and tubing repair. Their mechanics go hand-in-hand with the machining side of things.”

“We were busy doing drill pipe and all that, but it’s more job security for everyone. It’s a benefit to their company, supplying their stock,” he said.

“We’re sticking around.

We’re not going anywhere.

We’re pretty young. We’ve owned Universal for 13 years.

I’ve been machining since 1999, and Burke has been machining since 2000.”

“We have a lot of good machines here and good equipment. It ’s going to provide good service for our customers.”

He was monitoring the CNC lathe rethreading drill

The specialized, automated pipe rack behind Nick Bourassa aligns and then inserts pipe into a porthole in the wall, allowing it to be worked on by a CNC lathe inside. Photo by Brian Zinchuk pipe. “This is a premium connection. It ’s a DS-40 thread. Right now, I’m taking off about an inch. It’s worked

hard, and we’re repairing it so it’s like new.”

“We do a lot of drilling rig repair. We do a lot

of casing repair, and we also do tubing as well,” Bourassa said.

“It hasn’t been slow.

We’ve been busy. It’s mostly oil. We’re probably 80 per

cent oil, and 10, 15 per cent power.”

Bourassa’s originally from Bienfait, now Estevan, and Barnstable’s from Estevan.

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This is what recut threads look like on drill pipe, once Performance Machining is done with them. Photo by Brian Zinchuk W W W. M A C K A U C T I O N C O M P A N Y . C O M

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A8 November 20, 2019

Estevan’s police board recognizes its chiefs The Estevan board of police commissioners recognized Police Chief Paul Ladouceur and Deputy Police Chief Murray Cowan on recent achievements during their monthly meeting Nov. 13.

Ladouceur was invested as a member of the national Order of Merit of the Police Forces on Oct. 31 in Ottawa.

Two days earlier in Regina, Cowan received the provincial Protective Services Medal, which is presented to protective services personnel with at least 25 years of experience.

Ladouceur said it was quite a ceremony and a great experience. He commended those around him for allowing him to do so well.

“You don’t receive these things without having great staff by your side. Murray’s been a tremendous asset,” Ladouceur said.

Ladouceur recalled he was adamant he wanted Cowan as the deputy chief, and the board was supportive.

Cowan, who has been a member of the EPS for most of his adult life, after serving with Emergency Medical Services and the Canadian Forces, said the medal represents years of exemplary service.

“Not only is it an honour, but it’s a long time at 25 years,” said Cowan.

He thanked his wife for the support she has shown throughout his career, because without her, this wouldn’t have been possible.

A reception was held at city hall after the meeting.

• • • Crime numbers release during the meeting showed that officers responded to 657 calls for service in October.

Included in that total was 10 crimes against the person, with eight assaults, one assault causing bodily harm and one sexual crime.

Officers responded to 25 crimes against property, including 11 mischief/wilful damage complaints, 10 thefts under $5,000, two residential break and enters, one theft of a motor vehicle and one classified as theft of other motor vehicle.

Eighteen charges were laid for Criminal Code traffic violations. Seventeen of them were for impaired or exceeding the legal limit due to alcohol. One was for being impaired by drug.

There weren’t any charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act or the Cannabis Act last month.

In October 2018, the

Cutline: From left, Councillor Lyle Yanish, Deputy Police Chief Murray Cowan, Chief Paul Ladouceur, Mayor Roy Ludwig and member at large Bernadette Wright gather for a group photo at the police board meeting.

EPS had 850 calls for service. trolled Drugs and Substances tion experts is up, as is the by 19 parking complaints, 18 So far this year, the EPS Act, thee under the Cannabis number of check stops and unkempt property violations has had 7,198 calls for ser- Act and 131 Criminal Code the number of standard field and 13 animal calls. vice, a 2.4 per cent increase traffic violations. sobriety tests.

So far this year, she has from a year ago, when they City Councillor Lyle • • • had 1,222 occurrences, with had 7,031 calls in the first Yanish asked Ladouceur The monthly report 260 animal calls and 255 10 months. Included in the about the increase in the from Special Const. Josie unkempt property violations total for this year are 97 number of people charged Palmer, who is the city ’s leading the way. She has crimes against the person, with impaired by drug. La- bylaw enforcement officer, also handled 192 parking 265 crimes against property, douceur pointed out the shows that she had 81 total violations and 176 parking 30 charges under the Con- number of drug recogni- occurrences in October, led complaints.

Potential exists for above normal runoff The Saskatchewan Water Security Agency (WSA) issued its 2019 Conditions at Freeze-up Report Monday morning, and thanks to well above average precipitation through the fall, conditions are favourable for a higher than normal spring run-off in much of southern

Saskatchewan.

The Souris River Basin, including the Antler River and Gainsborough Creek basins, were particularly wet at freeze-up.

While these conditions are wetter than normal, this preliminary forecast for next spring will also be impacted

by actual conditions and snow accumulation through winter. Current long-range forecasts suggest near normal precipitation and above normal temperatures for much of the winter.

“This initial assessment does not mean there will be flooding in southern Sas-

katchewan next year,” the WSA said in a news release.

“The runoff potential is higher because the existing wetter soil conditions will reduce infiltration next spring.”

By contrast, much of northern Saskatchewan enters winter with normal conditions, the result of below

normal precipitation this fall after a wetter than normal summer.

The only areas where drier than normal conditions persist entering winter is a small area around Kindersley, the area between Saskatoon and Prince Albert and a small area northeast of Yorkton that extends to

the Manitoba border.

The report is a tool to assist the WSA in planning, but also helps Saskatchewan communities start to plan for next spring. The WSA will be monitoring the development of the winter snowpack and will issue a spring runoff outlook in early February.

19114PM0 19114PM1

T POS RY DA N O ION SEC T A RM O F IN T NIGH

Wednesday, November 27th Southeast College Estevan Campus 4 pm - 6 pm

• Ask us how to Apply for FREE and be accepted on the spot for our Fall 2020 programs! (U of R applications not included)

• Ask us about the benefits of taking First Year University at Southeast College.

• U of R representatives will be in attendance. Students applying to the U of R will receive a discounted application fee of $70. *Nursing not included

• High School Accelerated students can hand in their application and get their questions answered.

Learn more at www.southeastcollege.org

November 20, 2019 A9

Southeast family selected for Family Feud When Family Feud hits Canadian airwaves late this year, there will be one team with significant southeast Saskatchewan connections.

It’s also a family that has a very unique story.

Family Feud will air four nights a week on the CBC starting on Dec. 16, with actor and stand-up comedian Gerry Dee as the host.

Among the teams chosen is one comprised of former Estevan resident Pam Currie, who now resides in Esterhazy, her sister Teresa Smyth of Bienfait, their brother Kelly Wheeler of Stoughton, and their twin brothers Scott and Todd Marasse.

The Marasse twins were given up for adoption by their parents at birth, and only recently reconnected with the family.

It was Currie’s sister-inlaw Jennifer Wheeler, who isn’t on the team, who came up with the idea.

“We had just found our biological twin brothers, and because we were three siblings prior to this, and then when we found our twin brothers, we became five siblings, so my sister in law thought this would be a wonderful way to celebrate our reunion with our twin brothers,” said Currie.

They were hesitant initially

Pam Currie, Teresa Smyth, Kelly Wheeler, Scott Marasse and Todd Marasse will be contestants on Family Feud Canada. Photo submitted because they had just reconnected with their twin siblings, but this felt like a good thing to do.

The family filled out an application and submitted a writeup on themselves and why they thought they would be good contestants for the show. They also had to submit a five-minute video in which they talked about themselves and engaged in a simulated Family Feud game.

“We applied a little later

than a lot of the other people; it would have been the middle of August,” said Currie. “We didn’t hear back from them for a couple of weeks.”

The family was invited to the regional auditions in Regina in September, and they competed with 15 other families that afternoon.

“We did a little game play with them as well,” Currie recalled.

A couple of days later the family received the call that

they were selected to be part of the show.

The story about recently meeting their twin brothers was a big part of the reason they were selected. According to Currie, the producers thought it was an “interesting and heart-warming story” to find twin brothers and start a new relationship with them.

“It was really weird. Meeting these brand new people in our lives, and the instant connection that we felt with them

was unbelievable,” said Currie.

“It’s uncanny.”

It also helps that this fiveperson sibling team is a lot of fun and they brought a lot of energy to the audition.

The episode is scheduled to be filmed on Dec. 2, but they don’t know when it will air. They have the opportunity to play and win on up to three episodes, with a chance to win up to $10,000 each time if they win the Fast Money round at the end of the episode.

Conceivably, they could win up to $30,000.

“When we play Family Feud on TV, we’re pretty darn smart,” said Currie. “I’ve been emailing everybody websites that have the questions and answers that you can practice with, and I think we’re going to do OK. I really do.

“I think we’re quick-witted and we’re funny, and I think it will be entertaining and hopefully we’ll be smart enough to pull off the top answers.”

Currie said they’re fans of the program, and they’re looking forward to interacting with Dee. “I think he’ll be very entertaining, and I think he’ll keep everybody going as well,” said Currie.

She believes this will be a great opportunity to have fun with family members, and she is looking forward to the support of friends who will want to see how they do. Currie suggested having a party the date of the episode.

Almost 2,000 families applied from across Canada for Family Feud Canada. A total of 575 families were invited to audition regionally in person, and approximately 72 families were selected to compete on air.

The show is expected to run for several months.

Warm Welcome Kitchen has a lot to give, but needs community support Another great community program battling a number of serious problems at once is once again underway. Since October, the Warm Welcome Kitchen started serving hot free suppers twice a week.

“The program is going pretty good, we are serving about 50 people every night,” said the kitchen co-ordinator Christa Jorgensen.

It runs every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:306:30 p.m. Tuesday suppers are served St. Giles Anglican Church, while Thursday gatherings take place at Trinity Lutheran Church.

Not only does the program help people to keep eating well, even when their budgets run short, it also allows people to come out and

spend some time in a friendly and welcoming environment without putting an extra burden on their wallets.

“It’s really nice to see people come out and really utilize that program. Even if you are just tired staying at home by yourself and you want some interaction with the community, it’s a great thing to come and enjoy," said Jorgensen.

But it takes a community effort to keep programs like this running, so Warm Welcome Kitchen hopes to see more businesses, organizations and clubs come out and in one way or the other support the program.

“I would love to have more organizations come out. We had Lions Club come out, they bring money

and they actually paid for the meal and they brought their volunteers, which was awesome," said Jorgensen.

Grade 5 students also ran a bake sale last year, raising over $400, which covered a fabulous supper with a desert and also allowed extra money for the future meals.

They also volunteered their time serving the supper.

“Even if you are not paying for the meal, grab a group of people from your business and come on out and volunteer,” said Jorgensen.

This season started midfall and will continue providing the community with nice suppers and a good company until the end of winter.

Jorgensen noted that they’ve been seeing lots of

new faces and lots of new families this season, which is always a good thing. But it also means that the program constantly needs support.

“We could always use more donations to help keep the program running. We are non-profit, we just run on donations. And volunteers would always be welcome,” said Jorgensen.

Donations, be it cheques or food supplies, can be dropped off at the Salvation Army. Jorgenson also said that people can just come out for a meal and leave a donation with them at one of the churches.

People are welcome to come to have a meal, see what the program is about and then sign up if they decide so, or they can just call

Jorgenson at 306-421-1543.

“I’d love to have more people to come out and volunteer because donations and volunteers are what really keeps the program going.

And it’s really nice when you stop in and you see it or have a conversation with someone you normally haven’t had a conversation with,” said Jorgensen. ”It’s a great way to make community happen within our community.”

The supper menu often depends on what’s on sale those days, as the coordinator has to stay within the budget while at the same time feeding all people willing to utilize the program.

Jorgenson always ensures that they serve good food, which resonates with most

of their patrons.

“We did spaghetti last time, which was a big hit with all the kids who were there and even the adults.

We do pork tenderloins, I’ve done soup, we did burgers,” said Jorgenson.

They also serve coffee, tea, water and juice with all meals.

Jorgenson said that in the past three years she ran out of food just once. They usually plan for 60 people to minimize food waste, as leftovers cannot be utilized under the food safety regulations they follow.

No registration is needed. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and people can just come in, take their drinks, pick a spot and wait for supper to be served by volunteers.

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Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Estevan schools win district volleyball titles

Three Estevan teams won titles at district school volleyball championships on Nov. 12.

The Estevan Comprehensive School intermediate boys team won the title on their home court. Teams from Estevan, the Weyburn Comprehensive School, Lampman School, 33 Central School in Fillmore and McNaughton High School in Moosomin participated.

Matches in the roundrobin were two-set, total-point contests. ECS went 4-0 during the round robin, losing just one set to Moosomin, but winning that match on total points.

The Elecs went straight to the final, where they played Weyburn. Estevan won the best of three final 2-1 (26-28, 25-20 and 15-10).

“They served really well again and they played as a team and they didn’t get too discouraged when things didn’t go their way,” said Kevin Toombs, who coached the team along with Trevor Gordon. “That was probably the best thing that came out of it is that they kept confident in their game, and it

prevailed for them in the end, because they pulled it off.”

The players have worked hard and they have come a long way since the start of the season.

They finished second at their home tournament last month, and they have shown dramatic improvements in setting and hitting the ball over the net.

“It’s been great to see how far the kids have come, and to see their hard work paying off here,” said Toombs. “We’ve had two successful tournaments.”

They practised twice a week and kept their interest high throughout the season.

Toombs also paid tribute to manager Simone Saigeon for all her hard work to keep the team organized this year.

The intermediate Elecs are largely comprised of Grade 9s and 10s, but they also have one Grade 11 player. Toombs expects there will be a few members making the jump to the senior boys volleyball team in 2020.

The Hillcrest School Hornets No. 2 team also won at home, capturing the junior coed tournament. Coach Rebecca

Bonokoski applauded them for their teamwork throughout the season, and their ability to get the ball in play.

“They were very respectful towards all of the other schools that came, they were very helpful at any time that the other teachers asked them to do anything.”

Macoun School, Carievale School, Gladmar Regional School and Lyndale School in Oungre joined Hillcrest 1 and 2 for the tournament. Hillcrest 1 finished fourth.

A round-robin was held at the start of the tournament.

Macoun and Hillcrest 2 were tied for top spot, so then they had to count total points from the games, which put Hillcrest in first.

Carievale and Macoun played in the semi-final, which Macoun won, and so they met Hillcrest in the final. Hillcrest won the final 2-1. (Set scores were not available, but Bonokoski said all three sets were close).

Bonokoski noted that Hillcrest 1 and 2 played together throughout the year, but they

Members of the Pleasantdale Bulldogs team that won junior girls districts were, back row, from left, Taya Saigeon, Venzia Zhou, Elora Holman, Bryn Gaignard and Rowan O'Handley. Middle row, Max Milewicz, Camryn Westling, Hanna Stubel and Halle Shaver. Front row, Randi Milbrandt and Jenna Knibbs. Photo submitted

had 16 players for the district tournament. They were split based on grades, with Grade 7s largely on team 1 Grade 8s on the other squad.

She praised the players for their progress this season.

“At the beginning of the year, we could barely bump a ball or set it, and by the end

of the year, both teams had no issues with it. They were calling the ball every time. It was a great improvement.”

The Pleasantdale School Bulldogs girls team won their junior district tournament at Arcola School. Joining Pleasantdale for the tournament were Spruce Ridge School, Sa-

cred Heart School/École Sacré Coeur, 33 Central School and the host Arcola School team.

The Bulldogs went 3-1 in the round robin, and defeated Spruce Ridge in the semifinal round to reach the final against Sacred Heart. Pleasantdale won the final 2-0 (25-21, 25-20) to take districts.

Members of the ECS intermediate boys team were, back row, from left, coach Trevor Gordon, Logan Skuce, Riley Brooks, Tyler Saigeon, Justin Linthicum, Colby Durr, Aiden Johnstone, and coach Kevin Toombs. Front row, Brayden Hall, Lou Abucayan, Andy Mack, Devin Elford, Bryson George and Jesse Toombs. Photo submitted

The Hillcrest School Hornets won the junior intermediate title. Photo submitted

Kids learned basics of curling from a pro

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

L ocal youths had a chance to learn professional basics of curling on Sunday.

Andrea McEwen, who is a high-performance coach and instructor, had 12 students participating in the Estevan Viterra Youth Clinic at the Power Dodge Curling Centre.

A day of training was aimed at gearing the young players up for further challenges.

“We are learning basic curling skills, we are learning

all the fundamentals and we are learning all the technical parts of it,” said McEwen.

As participants were progressing throughout the day, they got to play some games and were introduced to mixed doubles.

“Mixed doubles is now a U18 format event that these kids can actually start working towards and potentially competing in,” noted McEwen.

To start off the day kids of 10-13 years of age were offered the chance to practice aiming for a target and worked on

At the clinic, Andrea McEwen was working on participants’ balance, target and release. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

their release and balance skills.

While some of the participants were new to curling and were learning the entire concept of the game at the clinic, others already had some knowledge.

“Our oldest one, she actually has been curling for six years,” said McEwen. “So there is a really wide range from anywhere from three years and less, to six years as well.”

Participants were drawn from Estevan, Oxbow and Wilcox. McEwen explained that the clinic wasn’t as much team-oriented, but rather was targeting the development of individual skills with the perspective of further involvement in youth leagues.

She also pointed out that clinics like this one help established players enhance their game, while the beginners get a chance to start professionally.

“Especially with the beginning of the season, I think, we all are a bit rusty, maybe have developed some bad habits. So I’m able to have a different level for each kid.

There are some things that I’m finer tuning on (the girl who has more experience in curling

UPCOMING HOME

Andrea McEwen, second from the right, taught youths basic curling skills.

Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia than other participants), as to the other kids I’m getting them to get balance,” said McEwen, noting that while instructing a mixed-aged and mixed-level groups, she separates them based on experience to provide each participant with individual information to continue on.

Besides the practical curling clinic participants also talked about proper nutrition and how to feed their bodies to have enough energy and stamina throughout the game.

GAMES

November 29th vs

Flin Flon Bombers

November 30th vs

Notre Dame Hounds

December 4

vs

Battlefords North Stars @ 7pm

December 13

vs

Kindersley Klippers

December 14

vs

Melfort Mustangs

December 21

vs

Yorton Terriers

January 1

vs

Weyburn Red Wings @ 3pm

All games start at 7:30 unless otherwise stated

For McEwen training sessions of this kind is the usual practice.

“Either I’m hired through CurlSask, or I do them personally as well,” said McEwen.

“I actually teach two youth programs, one in Whitewood and one in Arcola.”

She mainly works in the southeast Saskatchewan area and sometimes in Manitoba.

Most clinics she does at the beginning of the season, but occasionally is asked to come again during the year.

McEwen was grateful to CurlSask and Estevan for inviting her to come out and work with the kids here. Even though she is a high-performance junior men’s coach and has a passion for working at higher levels, working with children is something she enjoys as well.

“I love getting kids started and hope that they’ll continue with their passion for curling and take it all the way into adulthood,” said McEwen.

Teddy Bear Toss for the e Salvation Army @ the e December 4th game Bring a stuffed animal to n throw on the ice when the Bruins score their first goal. www.estevanbruins.com

November 20, 2019 A11

Atom Bearcats teams impress at a tournament in North Dakota The two atom female hockey teams in the Estevan Minor Hockey Association impressed during the Schwan Cadillac Cup in Mandan, N.D., on the weekend.

The Estevan Senchuk atom Bearcats went 4-0 during the weekend to win the gold medal, while the Estevan atom Bearcats went 3-1 and finished third.

The Senchuk Bearcats opened the tournament with a 6-0 shutout victory over Dickinson. Then they doubled up Minot 8-4, and earned another shutout, 170, over Watford City. Their final game was an 8-3 win over the host Mandan team in what proved to be the unofficial gold medal game.

Coach Shawn Madsen said the games against Minot and Mandan were closer than what the score indicated.

“You see some scores like that, and you sometimes think that was an easy game.

No, they weren’t easy games,” said Madsen. “You get a few late goals, and it makes the score look a little differently than the game actually was.”

Madsen was pleased with how they pressured the opponents in all ends of the rink throughout the tournament.

“If they have the puck, go get it. And it’s been paying off. Right from the beginning of the season, that’s what we’ve been trying to drill into

Members of the Estevan Senchuk atom Bearcats team that won gold in Mandan, N.D., are, back row, from left, coaches Shawn Madsen, Nathan Johnson and Nick Bourassa. Middle row, Christine Chaszewski, Haven Bourassa, Kamryn Kish, Taya Northrop, Ruby Graf and Jayda Johnson. Front row, Morgan Hase, Mya Farr, Baya Summers, Kayla Mitchell and Chelsea Madsen. Photo submitted. them,” Madsen said.

It was also tough considering they hadn’t seen any of the American teams previously.

“We went down there not knowing what to expect.

You go down there playing

some teams that you’re obviously very unfamiliar with, because you don’t see them very often. You don’t get to play against U.S. teams.”

It means they have to approach each game believing they’re playing the best

team they’ve ever faced.

The atom Bearcats beat the Senchuk Bearcats in the final of last year’s tournament, so Madsen said it was nice to win gold this year.

The atom Bearcats won their first game of the tour-

nament 19-0 over Watford City, but then lost 4-3 to Mandan. They recovered to win their final two games, 8-1 over Minot and 8-0 over Dickinson. “ They played reall y well, with the exception of

maybe a little bit in which the wheels feel off against Mandan. But they came back in the next game and they played really well,” said coach Wade Grimes.

Grimes was pleased with how the players skated and shot the puck. Everybody had scoring chances, and they wanted to win. “ We h a ve n’t p l aye d some games for a few weeks now, so getting back into it and playing, they did well,” Grimes said.

The tournament used a round robin to determine the champion, although the six teams only had four games each, which meant they didn’t play one of the teams. The Estevan teams didn’t play each other.

W h i l e t h e re w a s n’t a gold medal game at the end of the tournament, the game between the Senchuk Bearcats and Mandan was a gold medal game, since whoever won that game would win gold.

“We controlled our own destiny. It was us,” said Madsen. “It was the girls who were on the ice. All they had to do was go out and work their tail off and win the game, and we win the tournament. You don’t have to rely on somebody else doing the work for you.”

Both Grimes and Madsen hope this result will give their teams some momentum as they return to league play.

Midget AA Bruins are still unbeaten The Estevan Apex midget AA Bruins quest for a perfect season came to an end on the weekend, but they still have an unbeaten record at 14-0-1.

The Bruins tied the Swift Current Broncos 4-4 on Friday in Swift Current, and then they posted big wins over the Moose Jaw Warriors, 8-2 on Saturday and 9-2 the following day.

Estevan was down 4-2 to Swift Current after two periods, but goals by Joey Meredith and Chase Gedak

tied the game. Gedak’s goal was his second of the night.

Tayce Miller also scored for Estevan.

Logan Nagel made 26 saves in the game.

Estevan raced out to a 4-0 lead after the first period against Moose Jaw on Saturday, and led 6-0 midway through the second. Kaden Chrest scored twice in the victory, while Adrien Riddell, Kaden Chrest, James Mann, Clay McKersie, Tanner Stovin, Kieran Stewart and Gedak scored in the victory.

Jackson Miller stopped 16 shots for Estevan.

Moose Jaw opened the scoring Sunday, but Estevan tied the game before the period was out, and took over with four goals in each of the second and third periods.

Mann scored three times and Stewart had two goals.

Meredith, Chrest, Stewart and Trey Stovin also scored.

Nagel made 18 saves in the victory.

• • • The Estevan TS&M bantam AA Bruins dropped

two games, 5-3 to the Melville Millionaires on Friday and 7-0 to the Yorkton Terriers the following day.

Nicolas Hins, Jordan Marcotte and Colton Pushie had Estevan’s goals against Melville.

Ty Fehrenbach made 42 saves for Estevan.

Estevan and Yorkton were scoreless after the first period. Yorkton scored four times in the second and three times in the third.

Keagan Carley made 36 saves for Estevan.

• • • The Estevan Meter peewee AA Bruins picked up their first win of the season in their home opener, defeating the Moose Jaw Warriors 5-1 at the Power Dodge Ice Centre on Friday night.

After Moose Jaw took

a 1-0 lead in the first, Carter Hirsch scored for Estevan to tie the game. Hirsch and Conrad Hase scored in the second, and Carson Deichert and Dawson Galbraith tallied in the third.

Amy Swayze was in goal for the victory.

With the Christmas holidays coming up what better way to kickoff the holiday season with spending quality time with your grandchildren decorating cookies and having milk (tea and coffee for the adults) at the Souris Valley Museum!

Registration is required; Register by November 29th .

Estevan Farmer’s Market Will be holding their

Christmas Sales

YOU ARE INVITED TO

Co�k�e� ��t� G��n��ar���s Saturday, December 14, 2019 • 10:00-10:45 am or 11:00-11:45 am Cost: $5 (1 grandparent, 2 grandchildren)* ($3 per extra grandchild)

R E G I S T E R B Y N OV . 2 9 T H B Y C ON TA C T I N G 3 0 6 . 6 3 4 . 5 5 4 3

in the Estevan Shoppers Mall

1418 Third St., Estevan

November 23, November 30, December 7, December 14 and December 21 9:30am - 2:00pm

COMMERCIAL SAND BLASTING & PAINTING SPECIALIZING IN INDUSTRIAL COATINGS AND LININGS We’re ready to meet any of your protec�ve coa�ngs and linings needs.

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INCLUDED IN OUR SERVICES ARE: PROTECTIVE COATINGS PLANT MAINTENANCE SHOP & FIELD SERVICE TANK LININGS ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAINMENT INDUSTRIAL FIBERGLASS NACE CERTIFIED INSPECTORS

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Saskatoon Office PO Box 26053, Saskatoon, SK S7K 8C1 306-931-2820 office@csbp.ca Esterhazy Office 1010 Commercial Drive, Esterhazy, SK S0A 0X0 Chad Lussier, Area Manager 306-222-7116 esterhazy@csbp.ca www.csbp.ca

BAZAAR and BAKE SALE

ST. PAUL’S UNITED CHURCH

Saturdays

For more information, contact Patricia at 306-634-3521

CHRISTMAS

Friday, November 22 • 4:00 - 7:00 Saturday, November 23 • 10:00 - 3:00 Sunday, November 24 • 12:00 - 4:00 Soup and Sandwich Lunch

The Estevan Mercury

Christmas

edition is coming, and we need you!

• We are looking for local content to fill our pages this holiday season • Share your favorite holiday recipe • Tell us about your best Christmas ever • Write a poem • Tell us want you want Santa to bring you • Draw a Christmas picture • Send us a funny Christmas photo.

• Send out your Christmas messages to everyone!

Email:

Food Bank Donations gratefully accepted

Sensory-Friendly

SHOPPING Every Thursday from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

To provide a welcoming environment for all of our shoppers, you can expect:

Reduced Store Lighting

No cart collection

Suspended Announcements No overhead music • Reduced scanner noise

submissions to dtarnes@estevanmercury.ca or deliver to 68 Souris Avenue.

Call 306-634-2654 for more information.

Deadline is December 1, 2019

Locally Owned & Operated 440 King St., Estevan • 306-637-2550

A12 November 20, 2019

Musicians Meagan & Amy to perform in Estevan

Violinist Amy Hillis, left, and pianist Meagan Milatz will perform at St. Paul’s United Church.

Photo submitted

The Estevan Arts Council is proud to bring Prairie Debut presents Meagan and Amy. Two talented musicians Meagan Milatz and Amy Hillis will perform in Estevan at St. Paul’s United Church on Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m.

The musical performance, which is part of Prairie Debut, will be the fourth concert in the Estevan Arts Council’s Concert Series this season.

Milatz and Hillis share an intense passion for interesting programming and fearless music-making. Selected the winner for a Pan-Canadian tour offered by Debut Atlantic, Jeunesses Musicales Canada, and Prairie Debut in 2019-20, pianist Milatz and violinist

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That way, you don’t have to start seeing other people, because that can be disruptive.”

Hillis, formed the Meagan and Amy musical union in 2011.

They will share with audiences across Canada a unique program that reflects their Saskatchewan origins, their Montreal studies, their international musical experiences, and connect them with music that has inspired them along the way.

Meagan and Amy pro-

gram works by the celebrated European masters and pair them with works by composers across Canada. These two composers have a connection to their home, their studies, and their Canadian travels.

This tour, Road Trip! A Pan-Canadian Partnership, is not only a partnership of the touring networks, but a partnership of composers, and

All Creatures offering canine first aid All Creatures is going to be offering a canine first aid and CPR course early next month.

Jennifer Ward, a certified instructor with Canine Health Canada, will be guiding the session on Dec. 7 at All Creatures site north of the city. The event starts at 9:30 a.m. and will go throughout the day.

It started with All Creatures bringing in Ward to update training for the staff, so that they are adequately certified.

Then they thought it would be good to sponsor the staff of the Estevan Humane Society as well.

“In order to help us help them, we opened the course up to the general public to see if anybody else would be interested,” said Klassen. “It just helps me get a few more people in the course.”

The goal is to have 1520 participants. If they have that many, then they might be split in two and a second course might be offered. And should they have enough for two classes, then they might extend the program to some of the volunteers at the humane society as well.

The deadline to register is Nov. 25.

“There are lots of people involved with dogs,” said Klassen. “They have pets or they are pet care professionals, so there are lots of people interested.”

Participants will learn first aid tips and techniques for dogs, including emergency first aid such as CPR. Klassen said there is a need for a course for this in the community. People enjoy taking their dogs hiking and camping, and they should be prepared

Canine Emergency First Aid & CPR Course Saturday, December 7

Brought to you by All Creatures & Canine Health Canada.

All Creatures is proud to be providing this course for the staff at the Estevan Humane Society.

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Deadline to register is November 25.

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A Come & Go Tea

will be held on Saturday November 23rd 2019 from 2-4 P.M. at the Senior Center in Estevan To celebrate June Engeke’s 90th birthday. Please no gifts.

Collins says this gives members better understanding, control and influence. “Sometimes it’s too much detail, but at the end of the day, people don’t want some mysterious ‘trust me’ structure—they want to know what’s going on.”

To that end, members are served through a progressive, fee-based structure. With members calling for greater transparency from their financial institutions, the fee-based structure allows for clarity without the risk of a conflict of interest affecting their investments. “From an ethical standpoint, it’s a big improvement,” says Collins, “and for non-RSP assets, it’s a tax-deductible fee.” This could save members up to one-half of what they might pay for services elsewhere.

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in case something happens to their dog.

“It certainly can’t hurt to be prepared if your dog manages to hurt themselves.”

If there’s enough demand in the community, then Klassen said they would be prepared to offer the course again.w

June Engeke’s 90th

There’s no one-size-fits-all investment, so Credential Securities offers ‘private managed’ accounts. Portfolios are meticulously assembled and managed by multiple financial analysts, creating what Collins calls ‘layers’ of accountability. Next, the portfolio goes through extra screening processes for risk assessment and, if the client wishes, social responsibility, “so that we can actually feel good about what we’re buying,” as Collins puts it. “What’s so appealing about this structure is that we have diversity, clarity, and the investment is tailor-made, just for you.”

Credential Securities at Affinity goes the extra mile because they care about people, not profits. It’s also why they extend their services to members’ children—for the same price. “In some cases, I’ve advised four generations within the same family,” says Collins.

“Although the youngest generation is at least ten or twenty years away from being able to access this level of expertise based on their investment portfolio, they’re getting a great head start. This is how we can make a significant impact on their financial well-being.”

a partnership of artistic excellence.

Advance tickets are available at a discount at Henders Drugs, on ticketpro.ca, at the Visitor Information Centre in Affinity Place, or at the Estevan Arts Council office.

Regular-priced tickets will be available at the door.

For more information call 306-634-3942.

306-636-2323 www.firedupgrill.ca

Seafood Delight

This melody is for all seafood lovers to enjoy a 6oz Lobster tail accompanied with Shrimp and Scallop Skewers and a Crab Cake.

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MELISSA LYNN TEETAERT, LATE OF CARNDUFF, IN THE PROVINCE OF SASKATCHEWAN, DECEASED. All claims against the above Estate, duly verified by Statutory Declaration and with particulars and valuation of security held, if any, must be sent to the undersigned before the 27th day of November, 2019.

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Michael Jacques June 20, 1976November 24, 2008 We miss you more than anyone knows, As time goes by the emptiness grows.

We laugh, we talk, we play our part.

But behind our smiles are broken hearts.

Love Mom, Dad, Bobbi, Josh, Alyssa, Ciara and Jaxx

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Personal Messages

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Wanted WANTED: All Wild Fur (Coyotes, etc), All Antlers (Deer, Moose, etc) And Old Traps. Phone Bryan 306278-7756 or Phil 306-278-2299.

In Loving Memory of Moe Snider 1954-2013 Your memory we will treasure.

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Crown Unifor employees ratify deal After several weeks of voting in communities across Saskatchewan, Unifor members working at SaskTel, SaskEnergy, SaskPower, SaskWater, DirectWest, and SecureTek ratified the new collective agreements with the provincial government Nov. 15.

“Unifor members took historic action to get a contract they deserve,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor national president.

“Solidarity was key to their success and they should be proud of what they accomplished together.”

Nearly 5,000 Unifor members working at Crown corporations were on strike between Sept. 30 and Oct. 19.

“Unifor members knew the government mandate was unfair and found solutions to get a superior contract,” said Dias.

“We are very pleased that Unifor represented employees have voted to ratify their respective agreements,” Finance Minister Donna Harpauer said. “We believe the agreements are fair and equitable and provide for long-term stability for both employees

and Crown corporations and agencies.”

Management and Unifor bargaining teams reached tentative agreements Oct. 20 following a 17-day labour dispute.

Ratification votes were held across the province starting on Oct. 28 with the final ratification meeting held Nov. 14.

The ratified agreement at SaskTel provides a monetary package of 5.0 per cent over five years, while the ratified sixyear agreements at SaskEnergy, SaskWater, and SaskPower provide a monetary package of seven per cent over that time.

The ratified six-year agreement at the WSA provides a six per cent increase in annual wages over six years with an additional one per cent increase in pension: To acknowledge that employees experienced hardship during the 17-day labour disruption, active-full time employees at SaskTel, SaskEnergy, SaskPower, SaskWater will receive four days’ pay and full time employees who worked in essential positions during the strike will receive a pro-rated number of days pay.

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William Dean Allen 1919 - November 23, 2016 Elsie Emma Allen (nee Maerz) 1925 - August 25, 2006 As the years pass some things fade but The Memories of and Love for my parents will never diminish Miss you always.

Love Joan

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Michael Jacques June 29, 1976 November 24, 2008 The depths of sorrow we cannot tell, Of the loss of one we loved so well; And while they sleep a peaceful sleep, Their memory we shall always keep Love Grandma Kolenz

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Notices / NomiNatioNs

A14 November 20, 2019 Obituaries Josephine Cossette 1923 - 2019 It is with much sadness, but also with grateful hearts for a long and full life that the family of Josephine Cossette announces her passing. She passed away peacefully at the Estevan Regional Nursing Home, Estevan, Sask. on Tuesday, November 12, 2019 at the age of 96.

Memories of Josephine will be forever cherished by her daughters: Margaret Daoust (Clarence Dickie), Mary Sernick and Diane Phillips; 16 grandchildren and 37 great grandchildren. She will also be lovingly remembered by her sisters, Annamary Friess and Margaret Mack, her sister-in-law Sylvia Walliser, and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her husband Francis Cossette, sons-in-law, Gaylord Daoust, Tom Sernick and Ken Phillips; siblings: Robert (Bertha) Walliser, Eva (Matt) Yoner, Joseph (Martha) Walliser, Pauline (Bill) Betnar, Katherine (Leo) Mack, Anton Walliser, Ralph Walliser and Johnny Walliser; brothersin-law, Jerome Friess and John Mack.

The Prayer Service was held on Friday, November 15, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. in the Chapel of Hall Funeral Services, Estevan, with Bill Mann officiating. The Funeral Mass was celebrated on Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. at St. John the Baptist R.C. Church, Estevan, by Rev. Sathiadas Antony. The Rite of Committal followed at Souris Valley Memorial Gardens, after which a luncheon was held in the church hall.

If friends so desire, donations in Josephine’s memory may be made to the Estevan Regional Nursing Home Auxiliary, 1921 Wellock Road, Estevan, Sask., S4A 2B5.

Dustin Hall with Hall Funeral Services, Estevan assisted Josephine's family.

Mary Irene Lafrentz 1931 – 2019 Mary Lafrentz, late of Estevan, SK passed away at the Estevan Regional Nursing Home Sunday, November 10, 2019 at the age of 88 years.

Mary is survived by her family, son Allan Lafrentz and his daughter Amber (Jon) Treloar and their children Camden and Cedar and daughter Brittney (Trevor) St. John and their children Thea and Ayton; son Garry (Kathy) Lafrentz and their daughter Karla (Derek) Forrester and their son Jenson, daughter Kellie (Arash) Ashou and their son Oliver and son Justin; son Darcy (Carrie) Lisafeld and daughter Dessiray (Spencer) Wade and their children Blair and Eli and son Dylan; brother Raymond Lisafeld and sister-in-law Olga Lafrentz as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Mary was predeceased by her parents, Peter and Sybilla Lisafeld; husband Elmer Lafrentz; daughter Linda (Roland) Morine; daughter-in-law Gail Lafrentz and sister Lorraine.

Visitation was held at the Chapel of Hall Funeral Services, Estevan Wednesday, November 13, 2019 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Funeral Service was held at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Estevan on Thursday, November 14, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Randy Kleemola presiding. Interment followed at Souris Valley Memorial Gardens. A time of lunch and fellowship at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church followed the interment.

Those so wishing may make memorial donations to the New Estevan Regional Nursing Home 1201- 2nd Street, Estevan, SK S4A 0M1.

Deb Heidinger with Hall Funeral Services, Estevan assisted Mary’s family.

Estevan Police Service members facilitated a road conflict Police received two driving complaints on Nov. 16.

The operators of the two vehicles were reporting each other.

A semi unit and passenger car were in the merge lane of a highway not allowing the other to merge. The passenger car followed the semi unit and the drivers of both vehicles got into an exchange once the vehicles were parked. One of the drivers struck the window of the other driver’s vehicle.

One motorist was issued a ticket for driving without reasonable consideration.

In other recent police news, one person has been charged with several offences stemming from assaults.

Members of the Estevan Police Service (EPS) announced on Nov. 10 they had arrested a 33-year-old man. He has been charged with three counts of assault, one count of assault causing bodily harm and one count of strangulation to overcome resistance. He appeared in court in Weyburn on Nov. 12. No further details were released. The alleged offences all relate to a single victim and

span several years.

Police are also investigating a report of a male who breached a no-contact order.

The matter is under investigation and charges are pending.

Police were called to a department store parking lot for a report of unsafe storage of firearms. The suspect's vehicle and the owner were located. The matter is under investigation.

An individual attended the police station to report she was picking up a vehicle as a designated driver when she struck another parked vehicle. She was unable to locate the owner of the victim vehicle so she went to the police station to report it. The owner of the other vehicle was located and the investigation material was forwarded to Saskatchewan Government Insurance.

Police responded to a complaint of a hit and run in the 400-block of Maple Bay on Nov. 11. The matter is still under investigation.

Officers received a complaint of a person driving erratically. Members located the subject of complaint later

left and the second vehicle struck the first from behind.

The driver was issued a ticket for following too close.

The same day members attended to a couple of noise complaints during the course of the evening. One homeowner was given a warning about a noisy party and subsequently shut it down. A second homeowner was charged under the bylaw for creating a noise that disturbed others.

Officers then went to a local establishment on a report of an altercation that was taking place. When police arrived on the scene, there were several accounts as to what took place. The matter is now under investigation.

Police keep receiving calls for Ser vice Canada scams involving the callers asking about SIN numbers or someone fraudulently using people’s SIN numbers.

Police are reminding the public not to give out personal information over the phone to these individuals, and if they have concerns to call Service Canada directly from the number on their website.

Fire department called to collision near Hirsch Members of the Estevan Fire Rescue Service (EFRS) and other emergency crews were called to a two-vehicle collision on Highway 18 near Hirsch on Nov. 15.

Fire Chief Dale Feser said the collision was caused by heavy fog near the hamlet.

The two vehicles were not drivable after the collision, but nobody was injured.

CAREERS SRI HOMES’ Estevan Facility SHELTER HOME SYSTEMS is currently accepting applications for

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• Assembling and installing modular components Send, fax, e-mail or drop off resume to: PALMER, Brian 1961 – 2019 Brian touched many hearts with his kind soul and contagious smile. He always greeted you with a friendly hello. His greatest passion in life was his daughter. Brian loved nothing more than helping guide her through life and supporting her in any way. He took every opportunity to come visit Kayla and Dillon in Regina and share his amazing handyman skills with them. Brian was always a hard worker, who loved all animals and spending time outdoors. He is simply irreplaceable and is going to be so greatly missed. Brian is survived by his daughter Kayla Johnstone (Dillon); brother Greg Palmer (Darla) and their 3 daughters Carla Jones (Kevin), Kristine Jones (Jeff), and Jamie Palmer (Jacob); along with his beloved cat Grizzly, and grand-dog Oliver. He was predeceased by his parents June and Gerald Palmer; grandparents Anna and Rueben Granberg, Bertha and William Palmer; aunts Beverley Barrows, Lillian Fleck, Ruby Lemon; and uncle Stanley Granberg. A Celebration of Brian’s Life was held at Victoria Avenue Funeral Home, 2080 Victoria Avenue East in Regina, SK on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. A private interment will follow. Brian loved all animals and donations may be made in his name to the Estevan Humane Society, Box 1095, Estevan, SK, S4A 2H7. To leave an online message of condolence, please visit www.victoriaavenuefuneral.com

in the evening but they were not driving at the time. They were warned of their driving actions.

Members also assisted a local taxi company with an intoxicated patron who could not provide them with a destination on Nov. 14. The 40-year-old male was lodged in cells and was released when sober.

On Nov. 15, officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle that the license plate indicated was stolen. Police learned that the vehicle was also unregistered and the driver had a suspended licence as well.

Further investigation showed that the driver also had some outstanding warrants fortheir arrest. The driver was taken back to the police station to be processed.

The driver was charged for driving while suspended, operating an unregistered vehicle, possession of stolen property and failing to comply with a court order.

Police responded to a motor vehicle accident with no injuries on Nov. 16. One of the vehicles stopped to turn

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“We did arrive on scene and provide traffic control, as well as isolate the vehicles, returning them to zero energy,” said Feser.

The Estevan RCMP arrived on scene and the fire department returned to the city.

In other recent fire department news, the department was called on Nov. 12 to a collision involving a vehicle and a deer three kilometres east of the city on Highway 39. Crews arrived to see the vehicle suffered minimal damage and it was still drivable. The driver was not injured.

The scene was turned over to the RCMP. Two calls came in on Nov. 14. The first was a flow switch initiation at a commercial property in south Estevan. A forklift accidentally struck a sprinkler line and caused it to burst.

“We were thankful to find that there weren’t any injuries whatsoever and no actual emergency occurring.

We did assist with shutting off the branch lines for the system.”

They also dealt with a collision at the intersection of 13th Avenue and King Street. Fluids were leaking and one vehicle suffered significant front-end damage, but nobody was injured.

In addition to the collision near Hirsch, firefighters had to deal with two other calls on Nov. 15. The first was a commercial fire alarm in central Estevan, likely caused by a faulty detection device. Another commercial fire alarm occurred in the RM of Estevan to the east of the city. Upon entry, they found the audible alarms were not active, but an inspection of the fire

alarm panel found an issue causing a signal to the fire department, but not alerting occupants.

On Nov. 17, they were called to a reported structure fire in south-central Estevan.

They found the occupants were safely outside the home.

No smoke or flame was encountered on the interior or exterior of the home, but there was a smell of smoke that could be attributed to the fact that furnace ventilation and heat runs had not been cleaned out for some time.

In the community, the fire department attended the Remembrance Day service hosted by the Royal Canadian Legion’s Estevan branch.

A couple of firefighters laid a wreath at the cenotaph set up at the Estevan Comprehensive School’s gymnasium.

Several other firefighters were in the audience as well.

The fire department also provided assistance Nov. 16 to the Estevan Kinsmen Club with unloading Christmas trees at the Canadian Tire for the annual Christmas tree lot sales, and the following day they read a few books to children at the Santa’s Library during the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation’s Festival of Trees.

They also had a training night on Nov. 12 in which the fire department’s new recruits went through some unique training. They used extraction tools to move large blocks of wood around and play Jenga, and they stacked paper cups without causing damage. It helped them get used to the function and control of the tools.

“It led to a very entertaining and yet a very unique learning environment for our firefighters,” said Feser.

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Estevan Kinettes’ Christmas Marketplace a big success

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

The local Christmas shopping season officially opened with the Estevan Kinettes’ Christmas Marketplace on Saturday. The traditional craft market with a Christmas twist and special features like flying minions, wooden flowers, sparkling tattoos, various decorations, sweets and much more - attracted hundreds of people.

Janelle Luddington, who is the co-chair of the Estevan Kinettes’ Christmas Marketplace, said that they usually have about 1,100 people, but this time just one hour into the sales they already had over 400 visitors.

“We’ve been steady all throughout the day, it’s been nice,” said Luddington, who was very grateful to the community for their support.

Most vendors were set up at the Wylie-Mitchell Building and about 20 were at the Estevan Exhibition Hall. All together the Kinettes had 70 vendors and they even had to put about 10 participants on the waiting list since they reached the capacity.

“It’s nice to have that problem. Hopefully, over time we’ll be able to get them in. There isn’t a bigger venue in Estevan, that’s the

problem,” said Luddington.

Most vendors were local with a few coming from Carnduff, Regina and Manitoba.

“We have a variety of crafts and home-based businesses. It’s a nice selection,” said Luddington. “We have quite a few new vendors this year. Out of 70 booths, I'd say 12 are new to us.”

Originally the show was started by the Quota Club, but the Estevan Kinettes took over it and have been running Christmas Marketplace for years.

“When we took it over we were lucky to get about 20 vendors. And then we had to start letting in home-based businesses. Before we were strictly a craft show, there was no home-based businesses allowed,” explained Luddington.

Nowadays the crafts are again dominating the show with about 20 home-based businesses participating.

This years was the first time when the Estevan Kinettes Club organized their traditional Christmas market along with the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation’s Festival of Trees.

“The reason why the partnership happened is money we raise at our door and from the booth, it goes to St. Joseph’s Hospital Foun-

Hundreds of people went through the Estevan Kinettes’ Christmas Marketplace on Saturday.

Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia dation. That’s what spearheaded the idea that maybe we should tr y and work together on the same weekend,” said Luddington.

In the sense of organization everything was almost the same as before. The only difference was that a seniors’ tea was held at Affinity Place at the same time as the market, so many people first stopped for tea, and then made their way to the market area.

Luddington noted that

it takes a lot of work to put this event together and the organizing committee starts planning for the next one as early as the next day after the market. They also start registering vendors for the next year right away, with first vendors reclaiming their spots already during the event.

This year the Kinettes were joined by Wylie-Mitchell Air Cadets who helped by running the canteen, wrapping gifts and babysitting.

EAGM hosting an opening reception The Estevan Art Gallery and Museum (EAGM) will host an opening reception for its two newest exhibits on Nov. 22, starting at 7 p.m.

Seeing and not Seeing is by Mindy Yan Miller and Relative Bonds is by Regan Lanning. Both are slated to be on display until Jan. 10, 2020.

Yan Miller’s installations, sculpture and performative pieces investigate labour, identity, loss and commodification. Primarily a material and medium-based

practice, Yan Miller often works with large masses of found or ready-made materials, including used clothing, human hair, soft drink cans and most recently cowhide.

She has been the recipient of numerous grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Quebec Arts Council and the Saskatchewan Arts Board. Yan Miller lives with her family in Saskatoon and in Montreal where she regularly teaches in fibres and material practices at Concordia University.

Regan Lanning is curator of the Weyburn Arts Council. She was the winner of the Estevan Arts Council’s 2018 Ev Johnson Memorial Adjudicated Art Show, which earned her a solo show at the EAGM. She is a ceramicist and the Relative Bonds exhibit combines her

love of drawing with her love of pottery, with the theme of representing the relationships she has with her loved ones, such as her two children.

Both artists are scheduled to be in attendance.

This event is free to attend and all ages are welcome.

Estevan Concert Series

Nov.

Doug Sands Sales Consultant

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Weekdays 8 am - 5:30 pm | Saturdays 9 am 3 pm

Jordan & Katherine Kawecki (nee Chamney) would like to announce their new baby boy, Brodie Jordan Kawecki Proud grandparents are Gregg and Peggy Kawecki & Mike and Jackie Chamney. Proud sister is Sophie.

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Corner of 4th & Souris

It’s coming....

PRESENTS:

NTS: PRESE

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A16 November 20, 2019

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

The Mayor Get your tickets for the concert.

It will be a great evening.

The Estevan Police Service, supported by the Community Initiatives Fund; proudly presents:

Youth Night Who: Youth between the ages 8- 15 are welcome to join!

When: November 20th & December 4th 2019 Where: Church of God - Gymnasium (1920 Wellock Road) 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

DIFFERENT GROUP ACTIVITIES EACH SESSION! WE WILL START AGAIN IN THE NEW YEAR.

Floor hockey Basketball Dodgeball

Kickball

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FITNESS SCHEDULE

ESTEVAN LEISURE CENTRE EFFECTIVE September 23- December 20, 2019 AQUASTEP 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM CORE 2.0 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM BEGINNER BOOT CAMP 6:15 PM - 6:55 PM WEIGHT ROOM 6:00 AM - 10:00 PM

MONDAY GRIT 6:10 AM - 6:50 AM, 9:10 AM - 9:50 AM AQUA AWE 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM EASY STRETCH 10:10 AM - 10:50 AM FOAM ROLLER 10:10 AM - 10:50 AM MOM & BABY PIYPO 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM SPIN 12:15 PM - 12:45 PM, 4:30 PM - 5:10 PM SCULPT 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM AQUASTEP 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM GRIT 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM WEIGHT ROOM 6:00 AM - 10:00 PM

THURSDAY

TUESDAY SPIN 6:10 AM - 6:50 AM AQUA AWE 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM SPIN 9:10 AM - 9:50 AM CHAIR YOGA 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CORE 2.0 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM, 12:15 PM - 12:45 PM PIYO FLOW 10:40 AM - 11:10 AM MOM & BABY AQUA FIT 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM ZOOMER 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM SPIN 5:30 PM - 6:10 PM GRIT 6:15 PM - 6:55 PM WEIGHT ROOM 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM

SPIN 6:10 - 6:50 AM, 9:10 AM - 9:50 AM AQUA AWE 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM ZOOMER 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CORE 2.0 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM PIYO POWER 10:40 AM - 11:10 AM MOM & BABY AQUA FIT 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM CORE 2.0 12:15 PM - 12:45 PM ZOOMER 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM AQUASTEP 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM SPIN 5:30 PM - 6:10 PM GRIT 6:15 PM - 6:55 PM WEIGHT ROOM 6:00 AM - 10:00 PM FRIDAY GRIT 6:10 AM - 6:50 AM AQUA AWE 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM P90X 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM EASY STRETCH 10:10 AM - 10:50 AM FOAM ROLLER 10:10 AM - 10:50 AM WEIGHT ROOM 6:00 AM - 10:00 PM

WEDNESDAY GRIT 6:10 AM - 6:50 AM AQUA AWE 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM GRIT 9:10 AM - 9:50 AM CHAIR YOGA 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EASY STRETCH 10:10 AM - 10:50 AM MOM & BABY PIYO 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM GRIT 12:15 PM - 12:45 SCULPT LIGHT 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM P90X 4:30 PM - 5:10 PM

SATURDAY WEIGHT ROOM 6:30 AM - 10:00 PM SUNDAY DEEP WATER POWER 8:00 PM - 8:45 PM WEIGHT ROOM 6:30 AM - 10:00 PM

NO CLASSES: OCT. 14 & NOV. 11 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

DROP IN RECREATION

ESTEVAN LEISURE CENTRE September 23 - December 20, 2019

AQUATIC SCHEDULE SUNDAY PRIVATE RENTALS 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM LANE SWIM 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM FAMILY SWIM 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM PUBLIC SWIM 3:00 PM -5:00 PM DEEP WATER POWER 8:00 PM - 8:45 PM MONDAY LANE SWIM 6:00 AM - 9:00 AM AQUA AWE 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM LANE SWIM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

SURF & SWIM AQUASTEP LANE SWIM

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM

TUESDAY LANE SWIM 6:00 AM - 9:00 AM AQUA AWE 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM MOM & BABY AQUAFIT 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM LANE SWIM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM SURF & SWIM 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

WEDNESDAY LANE SWIM AQUA AWE LANE SWIM SURF & SWIM AQUASTEP LANE SWIM

6:00 AM - 9:00 AM 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM

THURSDAY LANE SWIM 6:00 AM - 9:00 AM

AQUA AWE 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM MOM & BABY AQUAFIT 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM LANE SWIM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM SURF & SWIM 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM AQUASTEP 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM FRIDAY LANE SWIM 6:00 AM - 9:00 AM AQUA AWE 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM LANE SWIM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM SURF & SWIM 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM LIONS FREE SWIM 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM * NOT NOV 22 PUBLIC SWIM 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

* ONLY NOV 22 LANE SWIM 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM * NOT DEC 13 PUBLIC SWIM7:00 PM - 9:00 PM * NOT DEC 13 SATURDAY PRIVATE RENTALS 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM LANE SWIM 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM PUBLIC SWIM 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM LANE SWIM 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM FAMILY SWIM 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM PUBLIC SWIM 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM HOT TUB & STEAMROOM AVAILABLE MON & WED - 5PM - 10PM TUE, THU, SAT & SUN - 5PM - 9PM