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Issue 33

SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240

ESTEVAN’S

SOURCE FOR LOCAL & REGIONAL NEWS

Estevan donates lots of toys; need still remains

By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

So far this month, Estevan residents have been very generous with their support for the Community Hamper Association and the Angel Tree program, but the need still remains.

Members of the hamper association were joined by the Estevan Fire Rescue Service and the Estevan RCMP on Saturday afternoon at Canadian Tire for the annual Fill a Fire Truck initiative. People could drop by the Canadian Tire, pluck an angel from the Angel Tree that was set up, purchase a

gift and take it to the fire department and the RCMP, who were waiting outside.

The goal was to fill a fire department command vehicle and an RCMP truck with as many toys as possible.

Fire Chief Dale Feser said the donations for boys and girls of all ages will help ensure that kids in Estevan have a toy to open on Christmas morning.

The event has become a mainstay for the fire department in the past few years.

“We help out in various capacities here, but this has been our mainstay is to try to collect donations. We always have a friendly competition going on with policing ser-

Fire Chief Dale Feser, left, and firefighter Monty Blomberg, right, accept a donation of a toy from Cameron Thomas during the Fill a Fire Truck campaign.

vices as well,” said Feser.

The EPS had their Fill a Cruiser campaign earlier on Dec. 4 and 5, in which people could bring toys to stuff a police vehicle. (For more on Fill a Cruiser, please see page A2).

“We try to see who collects the most toys, but … the winners are always the kids,” said Feser.

People of Estevan have been so supportive of emergency services organizations, so Feser said they want to see people happy at Christmas.

“The support has been tremendous,” said Feser.

“That’s one thing that we’re fortunate about in the southeastern portion of the province and especially the city of Estevan is they always come together to help out when needed and to donate.”

Jeff Clarke with the Estevan RCMP said they are always proud to be involved with efforts like this one.

“The RCMP likes being involved in the community. We’re all about giving back to the community, helping out wherever we can and keeping our community safe, and it’s just a great project that they have going on here in the community, and it’s always good to team up with our other emergency services personnel,” said Clarke.

From left, firefighter Monty Blomberg, Shelley Dayman and Jolie Bayda from the Community Hamper Association and Lieutenant Brandon Frank were among those at the Fill a Fire Truck event.

Clarke has only been in the community for about three years, but he always marvels at the generosity of the people of Estevan.

“It keeps growing every year,” he said.

A similar event will take place at Your Toy Store and More on Dec. 15 from 1-5 p.m.

Char Seeman, who co-chairs the Community Hamper Association along with Heather Woodhouse, said the initiatives of the past week have helped to boost their numbers, but more work still remains. She believes they have collected in the neighbourhood of 150-200 toys, but they have

had 420 requests for toys this year.

More hamper recipients this year have at least one child, so they will need a lot of donations this week.

“We knew it was going to be high demand this year, but we didn’t think it would be that high,” Seeman said.

People can find the Angel Tree at Your Toy Store and More, Walmart, Blown Away Hair Studio and Mr. Mike’s Steakhouse Casual.

Those who don’t want to donate toys can give cash, and then the hamper association will do the shopping. A lot of people have opted for that route.

Toys that are collected

will be set up in a toy store at St. Giles Anglican Church, so that hamper recipients with a child or children can select a toy. The toy store will be open Dec. 18 and 19.

The Community Hamper Association has received 275 requests for hampers this year, which is more than in 2018. The cutoff date was Monday, but Seeman said they won’t turn anyone away, so she anticipated they will be around the 300-hamper mark.

People can support the hamper association by making a donation or stepping forward to fill a hamper.

Hampers will be delivered starting on Dec. 20.

Police seeking information in Alexander’s death The Estevan Police Service’s Criminal Investigations Unit is requesting the public’s assistance regarding the death of Geoffrey Alexander in 2015.

The case has never been closed, and now the police decided to make another appeal to the public hoping to collect more information, about the case they are considering suspicious.

“That is the file that was never closed or finalized, which is often a case in a death investigation. So until we can prove 100 per cent that there was no foul play involved or no possibility of foul play involved those investigations would remain open as is the case

with this one,” said Estevan Police Chief Paul Ladouceur. “So we’ve continued to investigate this one.”

According to the EPS, Alexander was last seen on Nov. 11, 2015, in the southwest area of the city.

Human remains found on Dec. 21, 2015, were identified as belonging to Alexander.

People referred to him by his nicknames of “Geo” and “Little G.” Now, when the time came of the anniversary of the death, police decided to once again ask the public to step up.

“We believe that there are people out there that know something about

this case, and we are obviously encouraging them to come forward and to speak to police,” said Ladouceur noting that police often appeal to the public around the anniversary of a death when it comes to ongoing investigations.

Since it’s an open case a lot of information such as a cause or known details about his death can’t be revealed yet.

It was the first time when Alexander ’s case was officially called suspicious, but Ladouceur said that even though it wasn’t named that before, it doesn’t mean the case wasn’t treated as such. “ I t ’s i m p o r t a n t t o

Geoffrey Alexander know that because the police call the death suspicious it doesn’t necessarily mean the foul play was involved.

It means that we can’t say for certain that it wasn’t.

There are suspicious circumstances around it for a number of reasons that we are obviously not prepared

to disclose publicly, but certainly, that causes us to say, ok, we need to keep working on this until we can prove absolutely that there was no nefarious activity that led to this individual’s death,” said Ladouceur.

Police believe that now when some time has passed, they may find more information.

“Sometimes people don’t want to come forward for a number of different reasons. And sometimes with the passage of time people have a change in view, or their circumstances change where they feel that they are ready to come forward and ready to talk to police,” said Ladouceur.

The EPS is looking for anybody that would have seen Alexander prior to his death around that time or anybody that has heard any information in regards to the circumstances surrounding death.

“Anything that may give us some history about that individual’s activities leading up to their death and so forth,” said Ladouceur.

Investigators are asking anyone with information regarding this case, to contact AlexanderTips@ estevanpolice.ca, to call Detective Trevor Roberts at 306-634-1505, or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-8477.

A2 December 11, 2019

Six schools packed police cruisers for the Angel Tree The two-day Pack the Cruiser campaign organized by the Community Hamper Association and the Estevan Police Service (EPS) gathered a lot of toys for kids in need. It wrapped up on Dec. 5 after visiting all six schools in Estevan.

“Schools were good about getting the word out to their families and we got support from families that can (provide donations). And kids were just excited,” said EPS community programming officer Monica Rae. For kids, it was exciting to be a part of the campaign.

Many of them came to engage with the officers, brought their donations out to the cruiser, put their gifts in and checked the other toys out.

“To know that they were a part of something special in

the community, it was really important for them. And the staff at the schools were really keen in making these all come together as a big success,” said Rae. Every time EPS finished at a school they had to go to the Angel Tree gift drop-off location at St. Giles Anglican Church to unload before heading out to the next school. Students tried to ensure that there would be something special for every kid in the community.

“There was a great variety of stuff, I was really impressed,” said Rae. When all the toys are collected they will be distributed through the Community Hamper Association, which does its best every year to provide each family in need with a Christmas supper and a gift for the kids.

Hillcrest School students were excited to take their donations out and pack the EPS cruiser. Photo submitted

Council discusses debt reduction Estevan city council gave first reading to the debt-borrowing bylaw for 2019 during its meeting on Dec. 2.

City manager Jeff Ward said the bylaw continues the trend seen in the past few years.

The city has been paying down about $4 million in debt a year; it will be $4.2 million this year.

Then it borrows $2 million for large-scale projects, which in 2019 included Power Dodge Ice Centre upgrades, the new splash park in Centennial Park,

the first phase of the police station addition and the water intake project.

“We generally do our borrowing in August, because that’s the time that we get our tax payments,” said Ward. “We didn’t need the cash at that point, so instead of paying interest for five to six months, we decided to wait for December.”

There are expenses coming for the water intake project, which is shifting the primary water source from Boundary

Home for the Holidays

Dam to Rafferty Dam, so borrowing is occurring now.

According to the most recent audited financial statements, the city’s net debt was about $18.8 million and its long-term debt was a little more than $28 million. Both numbers were as of Dec. 31, 2018.

Councillor Trevor Knibbs wants people to know how much work has been done on the debt front.

“People are still acting like we’re still $50 million in debt.

They don’t want to spend anything,” said Knibbs. “They don’t want to see any new anything because they think we’re $50 million in debt.”

Compared to other cities, Estevan is in great shape when it comes to debt. He credited the administration and the previous city council for their work.

Second and third readings will be given at a later date.

Council also gave first reading to a bylaw that was needed for the expansion of the Estevan Police Service to proceed. The property to the east of the police station, which will be encompassed by the expansion, is currently zoned for residential purposes, which would not allow for a police station as a proper use.

Zoning has to be amended to commercial to match the current police station.

Christmas tree lit during Moonlight Madness Santa and Mayor Roy Ludwig were equally popular among Estevan citizens who gathered in front of City Hall Thursday night.

While kids preferred pictures with Santa, adults asked the mayor to join them for a photo.

The two came together to light up the Christmas tree and wish people

happy holidays.

“I want to wish you a very merry Christmas and an awesome holiday season, and a very happy and healthy 2020,” said Ludwig and pushed the button.

The tree lights came on and a few minutes later the crowd was gone to continue the Moonlight Madness shopping downtown Estevan.

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Third Page A3

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Jason LeBlanc reflects on 30 years of auctioneering as he moves into next part of his life

By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

Jason LeBlanc doesn’t know for certain if he has brought down the gavel and said “Sold!” for the final time, but auctioneering isn’t going to be as big of a part of his life as it once was.

LeBlanc conducted a Ritchie Bros. auction for the last time Dec. 5 in Saskatoon.

There was a large crowd, and many of them were there to offer him their fondest wishes as he closes this chapter of his life.

He cited his family and his farm near Outram as reasons to step away from the auctioneering business. But that doesn’t change his belief that Ritchie Bros. is a great company to work for.

“It’s the world’s largest

auction company,” he told the Mercury. “They took us around the world at different continents and different countries, and it’s been a great ride.”

LeBlanc selected the Dec. 5 auction to be his last with Ritchie Bros. because it was close to the 30-year anniversary of his first auction on Dec. 15, 1989.

“It was the first time I ever legally said the word ‘Sold,’” he recalled. “It was just as close to the two dates as I could possibly get.”

The last item he sold was a 15-foot, $300 cultivator.

The location was also sentimental, as the Saskatoon yard site was also one of his first for Ritchie Bros.

A reception was held after the Dec. 5 auction to mark the end of LeBlanc’s tenure with the company. Many auc-

tioneers he has sold with over the years, from all kinds of companies, came out to be there with him. Some were people he hadn’t seen for years; others flew into Saskatoon for the celebration.

LeBlanc grew up working in the back of an auction mart, thanks to his family’s involvement in the cattle business. When he graduated from Grade 12, he thought he would become a welder.

“Sometime throughout the summer, I met a guy named Otto Streberg who was putting on an auction school, and he happened to be in Estevan,” said LeBlanc.

“I ran into him and met him, and another local guy, Donnie Hilstrom, he was going to take this auction course, and they asked me if I’d be interested in something like that. I never

From left, Sherrill, Marcie, Jason, Gracie and Megan LeBlanc at Jason LeBlanc’s retirement celebration. Photo submitted

Jason LeBlanc had his final auction for Ritchie Bros. in Saskatoon on Dec. 5.

Photo submitted once thought of even being an auctioneer.”

He used the money from the sale of his 4-H steer that year, and $1,000 from his mother, to go to auction school, and he graduated in December 1989.

Eventually he started the LeBlanc Auction Service, and sold it to Ritchie Bros. in 2004.

“When I first met with Ritchie Bros., they weren’t even in the ag. business. They were just getting started. I was very fortunate to be on the ground floor, and to take the agriculture knowledge that I gained and basically sold it to Ritchie Bros., and I was able to be instrumental in developing agricultural auctions within that company.”

Serving as an auctioneer allowed him to travel the world and meet new people, and it’s the interactions with others that he enjoyed the most.

“My favourite part of the

auction business, out of all of the stuff that I’ve sold over the years, and there’s been multitudes – from cattle to antiques to major lines of equipment, airplanes, land – but my heart is with the farms, the farm sales, the farm retirements and the dispersals.”

He would get to know the families during the final months on the farm.

“We had so many tight bonds, and that’s what I like, and I’m going to miss that part of it.”

He kept a copy of every sale he conducted, and he has a couple thousand sale posters to look at.

“I have a memory from each one of them,” LeBlanc said.

People like Del Godman from Del’s Commercial Printing and John Empey were a big help early in his career. The Symons family from the Beefeater co-signed his bond, and his parents helped him out.

LeBlanc might conduct an occasional auction, but the days of living on a schedule and travelling as an auctioneer are finished.

“I’m just coming home. I want to farm a little bit with my family and spend some time with my dad, and do that type of thing.”

It was difficult balancing farming, family and auctioneering. His wife Sherrill looked after the kids and the home when he was gone, and his hired hand, Jake Fast, did a lot of work on the farm, too.

“The balancing act, it does get a little trickier at times, especially when you’re gone into faraway places. It’s not bad if you’re within a day of being at home, but when you’re gone on a long journey somewhere, or gone into the States, it just becomes a little tougher all the time,” said LeBlanc. “I want to be home before all of the kids are gone, and be around a little more.”

EPS Youth Nights break for Christmas to come back in 2020 The Estevan Police Service (EPS) Youth Nights have come to an end for 2019.

Three nights that invited Estevan youth to come to play some sports side by side with police officers and EPS staff were held at the Estevan Church of God’s gymnasium on Nov. 6, 20 and Dec. 4. And according to EPS community programming officer Monica Rae, the events were a lot of fun.

“Youth nights went really well. They were well attended.

Kids were eager and brought a ton of energy and excitement. We had great volunteers coming in to help and we had really a lot of fun,” said Rae. Police officers and staff from the EPS volunteered to do sports along with the kids those nights. The decisions on what to do throughout the night were left up to the guests.

“We are letting it be youth-led somewhat, and we just go with the general consensus with what the group would like to do as far as the

big group activity,” said Rae. Kids would come in and warm up in small groups, and after 20 minutes they would come back together as a big group and decide what they would do. Dodgeball so far was the most popular activity for the EPS Youth Nights.

They also played floor hockey and soccer in a large group and basketball and volleyball in smaller groups.

The nights were opened for everybody, and Rae noted that she was happy to see some girls attending the events as well. The activities were open for kids ages eight to 15, but it was the most popular among nine to 12-year-olds.

Even though many participants didn’t know each other before, they had a great time together.

“They get along well… they were encouraging each other. It’s just been incredible to see,” said Rae. The first couple of the youth nights had 13 kids in attendance, while for the last night in 2019, 19 participants

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As it was expected, the community accepted the sport nights for youth organized by the Estevan Police Service (EPS) with open arms. Photo submitted showed up to play some sports.

Now they break for Christmas and will continue sometime after the holidays.

“We are going to come back… in the middle of January, and we’ll stick with the Wednesdays, at the same time, the same place. And we’ll let

FOR LEASE

it evolve as it needs to… And we’ll probably run it very similarly until the rest of the season,” said Rae. In 2020, the youth nights will run every second Wednesday until April. Rae also said that if the youths will want to keep coming and the EPS

will have volunteers to keep participating, then they might go longer.

There is no set ratio for volunteers and participants, but the EPS tries to have at least a few members participating.

“The more adult volun-

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teers are present the engagement is increased. It’s fun for them to be there with adults.

And it feels a little bit more competitive. It’s enjoyable,” said Rae. The EPS will announce the first 2020 youth night as soon as the date is set.

Editorial A4

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EDITORIAL

Crunching the debt numbers So what is the city’s debt, actually?

When people think about the city’s debt, they think about the long-term debt – the amount that the city owes. It stood at $28 million as of the end of 2018, and whether it is too much for a city of this size is another debate for another time. The debt is expected to be around $26 million by the end of this year.

The city has been gradually paying down the debt by about $2 million per year the last few years, but they will admit they still have a lot of work remaining.

Net debt is a concept the city talks a lot about as well, which can be summed up as assets versus liabilities. This is a figure that other communities track closely as well. Worth noting is that long-term debt accounts for the bulk of our liabilities.

Estevan’s long-term debt has been trending downward, too, over the last few years, and stood at just under $19 million at the end of last year.

If the objective is to eventually eliminate the long-term debt and the net debt, then it’s likely the net debt that will be eradicated first. As stated before, it’s the long-term debt that residents pay closer attention to.

While we can debate whether $28 million in long-term debt is too much for a city of Estevan’s size to be carrying, or whether it should be reducing the long-term debt by more than $2 million per annum, the bottom line is that it is essential for the city to be working on the debt at this time of uncertainty.

We don’t know what Estevan is going to look like five or 10 years from now, with Unit 4 at the Boundary Dam Power Station to come offline in 2021, Unit 5 to come offline in 2024 and a decision looming on Unit 6 before the end of the next decade. We don’t know how many people will be living here, how high property values will be, or what the tax base will be.

And as we all know, the bulk of the city’s revenues come from property taxes. That’s one thing that will never change for Estevan and virtually every municipality in the province.

If there is to be a reduction in revenues, then the city won’t be able to dedicate as much money to debt repayment as it does now.

After all, this city has other needs. It needs to worry about resurfacing and maintaining roads. It needs to worry about policing. It needs to pay for recreation facilities, cultural amenities

and public works. There are capital projects that need to be completed.

In essence, there is a city to run.

This has not been an easy term for city council. They have faced a significant amount of adversity over the past two years, some of it due to decisions it had to make, some of it due to the way it has handled external pressures, and some of it due to situations completely beyond its control, such as the pending retirement of Units 4 and 5.

But the handling of the finances is one thing that has gone right. It’s not all on council; it’s a team effort that city management deserve a lot of credit for. The previous council also has to be lauded for its efforts to bring the debt down.

When you look at where the long-term debt was six years ago, as well as the amount of cash in the bank and the overall financial picture, you see the improvements that have been made.

It’s been quite a few years since the city has been forced to turn to short-term borrowing to pay the bills until property taxes came in. (Yes, that used to be a thing).

Hopefully the city will continue to make progress on debt repayment, while continuing to complete other projects.

Why isn’t all booze limited to flavourless vodka?

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Canadians sure are a schizophrenic lot when it comes to what sort of substances we will legally allow to be used for a chemical high.

Take, for instance, e-cigarrettes/vaping.

You can see displays for them at the corner store, but normal cigarettes are hidden from view. We have whole stores, vape shops, dedicated to the wide variety of flavours and nicotine strengths.

And the same can be said for our nowplentiful cannabis stores. Perhaps the only successful marquee policy Justin Trudeau brought in as prime minister thus far was the legalization of marijuana. He proved it could be done without the utter collapse in society many, myself included, kind of expected.

Saskatchewan has also been moving towards more liberalized access to alcohol, slowly but surely moving to a fully privatized model.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney wants to move a lot further down that road, thinking alcohol access should be similar to that in Europe – in other words, it’s not a big deal. Want to have beer with your picnic? Fine.

Some people are now suggesting decriminalization should be applied to other hard drugs, something I certainly don’t agree with.

But it would appear that’s the path we’re on.

So how is it that we can be on an inexorable path to liberalization on all these various mind-altering substances, but we’ve become the metaphorical Nazis on nicotine and tobacco? (And note, I detest both.)

First you couldn’t smoke in bars and restaurants. Then you couldn’t smoke inside.

Then you couldn’t smoke near a door. Or on public property in certain places. You couldn’t smoke in a vehicle with kids in it. Very soon you won’t be able to smoke on planet Earth.

All the interesting flavours like menthol or spearmint? Those are bad! Can’t do that! It encourages kids to use it!

Fancy packages are bad, too. Plain labelling is the order of the day, something that’s been applied to marijuana, too. Well, plain

From the Top of the Pile BRIAN ZINCHUK except for all the horrific consequences of smoking shown on packages. But hey! It’s still legal, kinda sorta.

Vaping is the latest, greatest thing, and many former smokers I know swear by it. Their vape is never far from their reach, with all its fruity flavours.

Now CBC Nova Scotia reports, “Nova Scotia says it will become the first province to make it illegal to sell any kind of flavoured e-cigarettes and juices, announcing Thursday (Dec. 5.) a ban that will come into force on April 1.”

So much for your business model if you’re a Halifax vape shop. Does this mean you will be able to buy multiple varieties and flavours of marijuana in Nova Scotia, but be limited in cigarettes and vapes? Will we see an illicit Maritime trade in vape juices come April 2?

Will they have to inspect lobster fishing boats for bringing in pink lemonade vape juice from P.E.I., lest the adults in Nova Scotia have a choice in their personal pollutants?

The story went on, “The province has worked hard to become a smoke-free culture and doesn’t want to lose ground as the number of people who are vaping continues to grow, said Health Minister Randy Delorey.”

So they don’t want you to intake nicotine.

I guess that’s because tobacco kills you slowly, very slowly, over years. Pot kills off your brain cells, too. Just talk to a long-time pothead, and you get the idea. Vaping? Well, there’s some concern it might be killing people a lot quicker due to a new, mysterious illness linked to it.

I’ve spent about six years sitting in courtrooms in North Battleford, Battleford and Estevan. I have never sat through a trial or sentencing of someone who killed someone

else because they spent a few hours, or days, vaping, toking or smoking.

But I have sat through the sentencing of a woman who killed six adults and one unborn child due to drinking for a few days and then getting behind the wheel of her car. I have walked among the bodies scattered along Highway 16, right in front of the graveyard east of North Battleford, no less.

If I recall correctly, the three young people got drunk and stole a minivan from Saskatoon, then rolled it across four lanes of traffic. I have seen the preliminary inquiry, and discharge, of a man who punched his brother so hard over a case of beer at a house party, his brother’s head hit the floor and he died.

In those six years, I can say without a doubt at least three-quarters of what passes through those courtrooms started with a bottle of alcohol.

A century ago, the temperance movement was successful in getting a constitutional amendment to prohibit alcohol in the U.S., something that utterly failed. All Canadian provinces flirted with prohibition before dropping it. Some had it for a decade or so, Quebec for less than a year. By 1930, all but Prince Edward Island had dropped prohibition. The Islanders got around to it in 1948.

Now, you can get an almost unlimited variety of types and flavours of booze. Yesterday, I saw a Facebook post for “Estevan Vodka.”

So why is it that you can have infinite varieties of alcohol – much more likely to cause you immediate grief, and possibly someone’s death – but governments continually limit similar variety in tobacco and, in Nova Scotia, vapes? I’m told there’s plenty of variety of flavour in marijuana, too.

Why don’t we limit all booze to vodka, as it has no flavour? That’s the idea with smokes and now vapes.

Like I said, this is schizophrenic behaviour, in a metaphorical sense.

Brian Zinchuk is editor of Pipeline News.

He can be reached at brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net.

Op-Ed A5

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Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Each office is independently owned and operated.

Ana Bykhovskaia Twenty Lines About…

What’s with strikes?

Have you noticed that there is hardly a day without news about a new or an upcoming work stoppage?

Teachers in different parts of Canada, Crown employees, CN Rail employees, you name it. The Co-op Refinery Complex employees who are the Unifor members went on picket lines at the end of last week in Regina. SkyTrain employees in Vancouver will go on strike this week if a deal isn’t reached with the employer. The U.S. news feed has been steadily flooded with strike updates for the last two years. And it seems that those who aren’t on strike or locked out yet, are talking about it.

I always thought there was something romantic about strikes and revolutions.There also was something inspiring and strong in those kinds of movements. It’s something natural but hard to pull out. Like when smaller birds fly together as a big cloud to keep the predators away by creating that image of something big and powerful. The university years of research convinced me that violent revolutions were romanticized more than romantic, as they are really unsustainable and rarely lead to positive outcomes. Strikes still attract my attention as something quite resultative, brave and valuable. But with what feels almost like an outbreak of strikes across the world I started wondering what is going on.

Is it a domino effect in the world of globalized information? Or is it tough times in different spheres around the globe?

Or is it the end of the decade and people are at the pick of their frustration? Or is it a full moon (something I hear people blame for almost anything)?

It’s hard everywhere financially. Costs keep going up, and wages don’t. People are getting desperate. The new jobs are created, but the population keeps growing and we work longer now, so after all, the employment situation is not that positive. Besides, with all the cuts the jobs often disappear, while bills don’t.

And that’s something we are experiencing no matter if we are in Canada, Russia, the U.S., South Korea or almost anywhere else.

What are strikes?

Simplistically, that’s a conflict between employers and employees that appears when an employee wants to be paid a “million” while doing the minimum, and the employer, on the other sides, wants the opposite – they want the employee to work a lot while being paid a “thousand.” (Even though nowadays most strikers state that they go on picket lines for other reasons, I think that money is still the bottom line here).

In the real life, in most cases employers and employees find a compromise, besides, the laws regulate much of it, making it bearable for both. But sometimes there is a rock on which they split. So the strike is a way to find that new compromise, which usually is a lose-lose situation, but which is good enough for both sides to get back to working together.

Why do employees who want to be paid more agree to take less? Because nobody can pay a “million,” and there will always be somebody who will agree to take the job. But it works for employers as well. Why do miners get decent money for work? Because no miner will work for a “thousand.”

Union strikes are a powerful weapon, but they also hurt.

They cause considerable financial damage to the company (which is a working threat mechanism of any strike), but they also drive a wedge between the company and workers, drive customers away and hurt a lot of innocent bystanders, which are collateral damage in this conflict.

A quick look at the economic situation suggests that strikes are mirroring the general frustration of the population, and probably have a pinch of a relative deprivation effect (when people see how others achieve something they want as well they tend to employ the same techniques).

I see a lot of comments of “They should be happy with what they have; I’ll take their job if they don’t want it”-type.

That suggests that the level of despair for some is close to what a mouse experiences when stuck in a trap and instinctively chews on itself to get out, despite the fact that it’s more likely going to kill it.

So it seems that the time came to renegotiate many deals that were made between employers and employees before.

And the current wave of strikes reflects the economic anxiety millions are dealing with, which is also often intensified by the sense of unfairness caused by a growing gap between employers gains and a portion they are allocating for employees, many of whom have been without a raise for years.

Pyjama party Jennifer Carson and, from left, Breanne, Bria and Brooklyn Wright attended the PJ Christmas party hosted by the Estevan Family Resource Centre on Dec. 5. People enjoyed crafts, cookie decorating, hot chocolate, Christmas treats, Christmas tree decorating and other activities. Many turned out wearing their pyjamas, and had photos taken in their attire. Photo by Patricia Martindale of Developing Photography

Youth need to be warned of the dangers of cannabis, vaping

By Greg Nikkel of the Weyburn Review Any use of cannabis, including by vaping, is dangerous for young people, and they need to be educated about the effects on their brains and bodies, the board of trustees for the Holy Family Separate Roman Catholic School Division heard at their monthly board meeting on Nov. 26.

Natasha Perkins presented extensive information about cannabis and vaping to the board, and explained the different types of drugs along with their dangers.

“We don’t know enough about the effects of cannabis.

The developing brain isn’t finished until you’re 25, so you really don’t know how it’s going to affect you. It’s best to wait,” said Perkins, when asked what educators should be telling young people. “The approach is to provide information and evidence and create a dialogue over time.

The biggest argument I can think of is the impact on a youth’s developing brain, and

also the dangers of illegal products. There are regulations in place so adults can enjoy it responsibly.”

She explained that a big danger to illegal cannabis products, including those available for vaping, is the drugs include a lot of unregulated and often toxic substances, plus there is no control on the levels of THC, which is the ingredient that gives the high in cannabis.

Perkins said at least one in five teens, between the ages of 15 and 19, have used cannabis in the last year, and youth are two-and-a-half times more likely to use cannabis than adults are.

“Canadian youth are the top users of cannabis in the developed world,” she added.

“It’s important for parents, teachers and coaches to speak freely with youth about drug use. We need to trust youth with handling the facts about drugs.”

Regulations for using marijuana as a medical drug were introduced in 2013, and cannabis was legalized by the federal government for recreational use in 2018, with

edibles now being allowed this year. Perkins also pointed out that there are real medical applications for cannabis, such as treating people with multiple sclerosis.

The federal government sets the regulations on supply of cannabis, as well as on how it’s packaged and labelled, while each province has its own framework for the retail sales of cannabis.

Saskatchewan has an open retail market, and retailers can sell online along with retail outlets.

Showing examples of legal packaging for cannabis, Perkins noted that a legal product has to have a large yellow warning label along with a red THC label if it contains THC in any volume. On illegal packages, they do not have the proper excise stamps that only a legal product has, and some are sold in baggies, which no legal product ever is.

A couple of retailers have tried to sneak in illegally packaged products and have been caught, such as one business in Winnipeg that had 200 kilograms of black

market cannabis on their property.

In regard to vaping, one of the biggest problems is the use of Vitamin E acetate, which can cause irreversible damage to lungs, and can have severe health consequences.

Those who use cannabis in vaping can encounter some highly toxic unregulated products, such as a product known as “Shatters” which can contain up to 90 per cent pure THC. “It’s just all sorts of bad,” said Perkins, who noted that this product can cause extreme reactions and health problems.

“Should we be concerned that students are smoking cannabis more than we think they might be?” she was asked.

“Yes. A lot of illegal products are selling online across Canada, and you should be concerned,” Perkins replied.

One trustee commented that his granddaughter told him it’s easier to get illegal cannabis than it is to buy legal products.

appeared by telephone from Surrey, B.C. In addition to the cocaine charge, Dario faces a charge of possession of the proceeds of crime under $5,000 and a count of failure to appear.

It was a “reverse onus” case, where the defence has to prove why the accused should be released, as opposed to the Crown proving why the individual should be kept in custody.

A request by the defence counsel for a publication ban led to Judge Michelle Brass imposing such a ban on the publication of the evidence presented in the hearing and her reasoning.

As such, no further details can be published.

Publication bans are common during show cause hearings.

Dario had initially been arrested in June.

He was initially released on strict conditions, but ended up back in remand in August, resulting in his four-month stay in custody. He was released on another recognizance with electronic monitoring and a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., allowing him to obtain employment. He is to live in Regina. He also has to pay $3,000 bail.

Dario’s next court date is Jan. 13.

Bail hearing results in release

By Brian Zinchuk brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net

A man who has spent four months in remand awaiting trial on a charge of possession of cocaine for the purposes of trafficking was released at the conclusion of a show cause hearing, also known as a bail hearing, on Monday.

Emmanuel Enocent Dario appeared by video, while his lawyer, Bill Jessop,

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Chamber of Commerce’s Coffee Talks will continue in 2020

The Estevan Chamber of Commerce’s Coffee Talks proved to be a success, attracting both members of the chamber and people from the community. The future of the regular event, introduced by the chamber about a year ago, was discussed at the last Coffee Talk meeting on Dec. 4. “ The talk went well.

There were some great ideas that came forward and great participation,” said Jackie Wall, who is the executive director of the Estevan Chamber of Commerce.

About 30 people gathered for the Coffee Talk last time to discuss the chamber in 2020 and what they want to see from it moving forward into the new year.

“There was a resounding ‘yes’ when we asked them if they wanted to continue with the Coffee Talk,” said Wall.

“So I’m happy to say that we’ll be continuing with that in 2020.”

Coffee Talks are focused dialogues, which usually start with a brief speech on a par-

ticular designated topic from a presenter that is followed by open discussions between the members of the community in attendance.

The potential topics for upcoming talks were discussed during the last gathering.

“We are going to piece that together… at the board meeting (this) week. We probably will be looking at some public consultations on different aspects of Estevan.

Potentially we might do one talk about the ECS (Estevan Comprehensive School) and the future there. There will be quite a few different things coming forward. Some ideas that we have to flush out or perhaps find the right people to do a short presentation,” said Wall.

When the chamber introduced the idea of the Coffee Talk they thought that it would attract some business people who would gather in their boardroom, but already at the very first one, they had over 30 people showing up.

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where from 30 to 70 people attending each talk depending on the topic and timing. “ We ’ v e b e e n o v e r whelmed by the success of the Coffee Talk. And we’ve been hearing that from not only our members,” said Wall, noting that representatives of the city and the economic development committee often attend to find some insightful information as well.

Not only can people hear and present some ideas there, but it’s also a great opportunity for networking and collaborating.

Coffee Talks are open to the entire community, encouraging collaboration and pro-active thinking.

“The more people we can have come out, and the more ideas and conversations we can have, the better,” said Wall.

Participation is free of charge, but the chamber asks people planning to attend, to phone in and register in advance, so they could have the room set up and have enough

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Those who made it last Wednesday also talked about the economic development, cleared some information up about how the funding for communities is coming down from the federal government through the western diversification fund and addressed general comments as to within Estevan.

The chamber members

also discussed the possibility of turning their annual general meeting into an evening event as opposed to a lunchtime gathering. The plan is to make it more like a pub night, more informal and casual to get more people out.

All the ideas will be discussed at the chamber’s board meeting this week and then will be formalized for the new year.

The topics for the upcoming Coffee Talks, as well as other chamber events are announced on their website and social media pages.

“Coffee Talks have been very successful and it led to a lot of other conversations and collaborations that even I’m sometimes not aware of, so we are very, very pleased to be able to bring it forward into the new year again,” said Wall.

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Industrial Communications earns awards

Industrial Communications Systems Ltd. of Estevan has earned a couple of awards for the growth it has experienced and the service it provides.

The Estevan company was presented with two JVCKenwood Canada Inc. awards, one for the Outstanding Performance in the Largest Single Land Mobile Radio Dealer in Western Canada for the period from April 1, 2018-March 31, 2019; and for Outstanding Performance as the Greatest Growth of a Land Mobile Radio Dealer in Western Canada for the same period.

Awards were presented to Alan and Art Dougherty by Terry Gossnell, who is a dealer representative from Toronto.

Alan Dougherty said the company has a vast network and they have had a lot of growth in their business, despite it being a tough times for others in the southeast region.

In 2017, Industrial Communications put a tower up north of Virden, Man., which expanded their network further throughout southwest Manitoba.

Their network extends from Brandon, Man., to Regina and Coronach.

“For today’s day and age, while people are using cellphones, if you’re running a business any more than three people, radios are more efficient and more cost efficient,” said Alan Dougherty. “You keep tabs on the men and what’s going on.”

They also have a lot of alarm systems.

“Nowadays, radios aren’t just talk and listen. You GPS the radio and you can do text messages, and there’s quite a bit of things with the technology that’s evolving with digital radio systems today,” he said.

Dougherty stressed he is very proud to receive the awards. He wishes that his father, the late Elroy Dougherty, was still alive to see it, because the elder Dougherty started the company.

The company has been doing very well this year, too.

The business was started in 1959 by Elroy Dougherty, and in 1966, it became known as Industrial Communications. It currently has five employees.

Alan Dougherty, left, and Art Dougherty, right, accept awards from Terry Gossnell with JVCKenwood. Gossnell is a dealer representative from Toronto. Photo submitted

Saskatchewan brings in $3.4 million in December land sale Saskatchewan’s December oil and gas public offering held on Dec. 3 generated $3.4 million in revenue for the province.

This brings the 2019-20 fiscal year total to $15.2 million with one sale remaining, and brings the final 2019 calendar year total to $25.4 million.

The Estevan area accounted for $1,462,674 for 24 leases totalling 3,015 hectares, while the Kindersley area received $1,346,468 for 21 leases and one exploration licence totalling 5,037 hectares.

One lease in the southeast area consisting of 72.5 hectares received the highest dollars per hectare offer in this offering at $3,889 per hectare.

Cougar Creek Land Ltd. was the successful bidder on this

parcel, which is situated east of Carnduff and is prospective for oil in the Frobisher beds of the Madison Group.

The highest bonus bid received in this offering was $485,900 for a 1,558-hectare exploration licence west of Kerrobert. This parcel was purchased by Novus Energy Inc. and is prospective for oil in the Viking Formation and the Mannville Group.

In the Lloydminster area, the highest bonus bid received was for a parcel situated between the Mervin East Waseca Oil Pool and the Turtleford North Colony Oil Pool, 16 kilometres east of Turtleford.

This 259-hectare lease was purchased by Millennium Land (444) Ltd. for $77,675.

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Group Ltd. bid the highest amount per hectare in this area to purchase three leases. These 16.2-hectare leases situated in the Dulwich Sparky Oil Pool, eight kilometres southeast of Lloydminster, were purchased for $2,118 per hectare.

Millennium Land (444) Ltd. was the top bidder in this area picking up four leases totalling 1,506 hectares for $174,256.

The Kindersley-Kerrobert area received an average of $267/hectare. This compares to $431,525, an average of $238/ hectare at the last offering.

The top bidder in this area was Millennium Land (222) Ltd. who spent $145,780 to acquire two leases totalling 196 hectares.

The top dollars per hect-

are received in this area was $1,811/hectare for a 66-hectare lease. Millennium Land (555) Ltd. purchased this parcel that is situated near the Hoosier North Viking Oil Pool, 12 kilometres southwest of Major.

In the Estevan-Weyburn area, the total bonus received an average of $485 per hectare.

This compares to $1,608,244, an average of $327/hectare at the last offering.

The highest bonus bid and top dollars per hectare received in this area was for the aforementioneda parcel situated near the Gainsborough West Frobisher Beds Oil Pool, 16 kilometres east of Carnduff.

Prairie Land Investment Services Ltd. was the top bidder in this area picking up

EPS investigating oilfield theft The Estevan Police Service is seeking the public’s assistance with a theft from a local business.

According to a post from the S askatc he wan

Crime Watch Advisory Network, sometime between 5 p.m. on Nov. 29 and the early afternoon of Dec. 1, an oilfield business on Devonian Street in Estevan had sev-

eral trucks broken into and a large quantity of tools stolen.

Members continue to investigate and are requesting information from the

public.

Anyone with information related to this advisory is asked to call the Estevan Police Service at 306-6344767.

seven leases totalling 422.037 hectares for $341,628.

There were no leases purchased in the Swift Current area. One lease was posted, but not sold.

The Ministry of Energy and Resources noted it its press release that Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan: The Next Decade of Growth 2020-2030 includes the goal of increasing oil production to 600,000 barrels per day by 2030.

“The province has already worked diligently to create

what is one of the most competitive business environments in North America,” said the release.

A recent report on profitability in the oil sector, the 2019 Scotiabank Playbook, ranked Saskatchewan as having two of the top 10 oil or gas plays in North America and a total of seven plays ranked among those in the top 35.

The scheduled date for the next public offering is Feb. 4, 2020, which will be the final sale of the 2019-20 fiscal year.

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THE ESTEVAN MERCURY DRILLING REPORT Drilling Licenses 13 new licenses issued to Monday, December 9 139583 142393 142384 142752 143277 140434 141568 142993 143004 143446 143341 144038 144425

Vermilion Energy Hz ........................................................................................................... 16-35-1-5 Torc Oil & Gas Hz ................................................................................................................. 3-15-5-6 Torc Oil & Gas Hz ................................................................................................................. 2-25-5-6 Vermilion Energy Hz ............................................................................................................. 16-2-7-5 Crescent Point Energy Hz ................................................................................................. 13-10-11-6 Crescent Point Energy Hz ................................................................................................... 3-34-5-25 Crescent Point Energy Hz ..................................................................................................... 5-9-11-6 Crescent Point Energy Hz ................................................................................................... 3-26-8-10 Torc Oil & Gas Hz ................................................................................................................... 4-3-6-6 Crescent Point Energy Hz ................................................................................................. 13-34-10-6 Crescent Point Energy Hz ..................................................................................................... 4-28-9-8 Highrock Resources Hz ........................................................................................................ 12-9-6-7 Crescent Point Energy Hz ................................................................................................. 15-33-1-16

Rig Report

123999 Precision Drilling ...........................Crescent Point Energy.................................................... 1-27-8-7 92511 Mosaic Potash ....................... Esterhazy Limited Partnership ......................................... 4-22-19-32

121816 128964 141162 73592 115340 124610 133863 115574 113483 131607 141668 142849 139878 135686 139335 141704 141603 140538 116794 140482 142240

Horizon Drilling.............................. Ridgeback Resources .................................................. 8-21-9-10 Alliance Drilling..............................Crescent Point Energy...................................................... 9-9-8-9 Horizon Drilling.............................. Ridgeback Resources ................................................ 15-35-8-10 Stampede Drilling ..............................Fire Sky Energy ....................................................... 4-33-1-32 Horizon Drilling..............................Crescent Point Energy.................................................... 1-29-9-8 Ensign Drilling ...............................Crescent Point Energy.................................................. 13-32-8-5 Horizon Drilling..............................Crescent Point Energy.................................................... 3-28-9-8 Ensign Drilling ...............................Crescent Point Energy...................................................... 8-7-9-8 Precision Drilling ............................Whitecap Resources ................................................... 1-29-5-12 Trinidad Drilling ...................................Torc Oil & Gas ...................................................... 16-27-1-16 Precision Drilling ...........................Crescent Point Energy...................................................... 9-3-9-7 Betts Drilling .....................................Adonai Resources ................................................... 11-22-2-32 Precision Drilling ............................Whitecap Resources ................................................. 14-31-5-12 Precision Drilling ...........................Crescent Point Energy.................................................... 3-30-9-7 Panther Drilling.................................Deep Earth Energy................................................... 12-10-1-11 Ensign Drilling ...............................Crescent Point Energy.................................................. 16-11-7-2 Stampede Drilling ................................Torc Oil & Gas .......................................................... 13-2-6-6 Ensign Drilling ...............................Crescent Point Energy.................................................. 13-2-3-13 Ensign Drilling ...............................Crescent Point Energy................................................ 11-32-3-33 Ensign Drilling ...............................Crescent Point Energy.................................................. 13-2-3-13 Stampede Drilling .............................. Villanova Energy ........................................................ 8-23-6-6

A8 December 11, 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

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PUBLIC NOTICE THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ESTEVAN PURSUANT TO SECTION 277 OF THE CITIES ACT THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ESTEVAN, GIVES NOTICE OF ITS INTENTION TO PASS A SPECIAL TAX FOR THE SPECIFIC PURPOSE OF A 2019 CAPITAL PROJECTS. ON THE DECEMBER 2, 2019 MEETING THE FIRST READING OF THIS BYLAW WAS PASSED AND THE FINAL READING IS EXPECTED TO BE ON DECEMBER 16, 2019.

THE PROPOSED BYLAW 2019-2018 MAY BE INSPECTED BY ANY PERSON IN THE CITY CLERK’S OFFICE, ON THE MAIN LEVEL OF CITY HALL, BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 9 AM AND 4 PM, MONDAY TO FRIDAY. DATED THIS 3RD DAY OF DECEMBER, 2019 JUDY PILLOUD I 1102 4TH STREET I ESTEVAN, SK S4A 0W7

LAND BYLAW FOR POLICE STATION THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ESTEVAN, PURSUANT TO SECTION 207 OF THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT ACT, 2007, GIVES NOTICE OF ITS INTENTION TO AMEND ZONING BYLAW #2010-1834 TO ALLOW AN ADDITION TO THE EXISTING ESTEVAN POLICE STATION LOCATED AT 301 11TH AVENUE. LEGAL LOCATION: PLAN 12675, BLOCK 41, LOT 19 CIVIC ADDRESS: 1025 THIRD STREET CURRENT ZONING DISTRICT: RESIDENTIAL R4 PROPOSED ZONING DISTRICT: RESIDENTIAL C1 THE AMENDING BYLAW (#2019-2017) MAY BE INSPECTED

BY ANY PERSON AT THE LEGISLATIVE SERVICES BUSINESS DIVISION, CITY HALL, 1102 4TH STREET, ESTEVAN, SASKATCHEWAN, BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8:00AM-4:30PM MONDAY TO FRIDAY. CITY COUNCIL, AT IT’S MEETING TO BE HELD ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2019, AT 6:00PM IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, 1102 FOURTH STREET, ESTEVAN, SASKATCHEWAN WILL HEAR ANY PERSON(S) WISHING TO BE HEARD WITH RESPECT TO THE PROPOSED REZONING BYLAW AND WILL FURTHER CONSIDER ANY WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS RESPECTING THE PROPOSED ZONING AMENDMENT, PROVIDED SUCH INTENTIONS AND/OR SUBMISSIONS ARE RECEIVED BY THE CITY CLERK’S OFFICE, LEGISLATIVE SERVICES, CITY HALL, 1102 FOURTH STREET, ESTEVAN, SASKATCHEWAN, S4A 0W7 NO LATER THAN 12:00 PM ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2019.

DATED THIS 3RD DAY OF DECEMBER, 2019

DROP IN RECREATION

FITNESS SCHEDULE 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 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

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 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 THURSDAY 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

C 5 fo hild r $1 0

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 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

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

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Sports A9

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Dedicated Estevan youth hockey player remembered at first-time tournament

For the first time in years, the Estevan Minor Hockey Association hosted a midget tournament for house league teams, and used it to remember a dedicated local hockey player.

The inaugural Aaron Lavoie Memorial Hockey Tournament ran from Friday to Sunday at Affinity Place and the Power Dodge Ice Centre. Eight teams were entered.

The tournament was named after Aaron, who died suddenly in February. He was a member of the midget Wolves hockey team when he passed away, and scored the gamewinning goal for Estevan in a provincial midget A hockey game the day before he died.

A ceremonial puck drop took place Friday evening before the game between the Estevan Wolves and the Indian Head Chiefs.

Aaron’s brothers Landon, Jordan and Cameron dropped the puck for the faceoff.

“Aaron Lavoie, also known as Air Bud, was an

amazing soul. He loved hockey. He played with heart and a competitiveness that never went unnoticed. He was always there for his teammates with a timely pass, timely hit to make a play and of course, a quick joke to make us laugh,” said Dalton Giblett, who paid tribute to Aaron before the game.

He also loved spending time with friends, travelling on road trips and creating shenanigans in the hotel rooms when on the road.

“If there was a story to be told, Aaron was usually involved,” Gibblett said.

Landon said his family was honoured that the tournament was named after his brother, and Aaron had many friends playing in the competition.

“On behalf of our family, we wish everyone the best of luck, and most importantly, have fun,” said Landon.

Jason Fenwick, who coached Aaron in minor hockey, said the decision was made to name the tournament after

A ceremonial opening faceoff was held at the start of the Aaron Lavoie Memorial Hockey Tournament.

Aaron because he grew up here, his family was from Estevan and he loved the game.

“His most favourite part of the year was the tournaments,” said Fenwick. “He couldn’t wait for tournaments.

When we decided to have

this tournament, it was a nobrainer to name it after Aaron for his love of tournaments and competition play.”

As for the tournament results, the Regina Blues defeated the Esterhazy Flyers 6-3 in the A final, the Estevan

Bears won 7-0 over the Weyburn Red Wings in the B final, the Yorkton Terriers knocked off the Wolves 6-2 in the C Final, and the Swift Current Wild defeated the Chiefs 4-1 in the D final.

The Wolves went 1-2 in

the round robin. They opened with a 6-0 win over the Chiefs, and then they lost 8-3 to Esterhazy and 6-3 to Weyburn.

The Bears had a 2-1 record in the round robin, thanks to a 9-5 victory over Swift Current, a 5-4 loss to the Regina Blues and a 2-0 victory over Yorkton.

Fenwick was pleased with how the tournament went.

“It was a very good tournament. There were good teams with good competition. All of the kids were very respectful to each other and they played hard, and they did what Aaron Lavoie would have loved. They just had a lot of fun and made some new friendships and battled hard in every game.”

Members of the Lavoie family were at the tournament to present the winning team with the trophy and their plaque, and they were very supportive all weekend.

He hopes that this tournament can become an annual event for many years to come.

Estevan Bruins had another split last week The Estevan Bruins trend of winning one and losing one continued last week.

The Bruins knocked off the league-leading Battlefords North Stars 3-2 on Dec. 4 at Affinity Place in the annual Teddy Bear Toss Game. The Bruins became just the third team to defeat the Stars this season.

Two nights later, though, the Black and Gold were defeated 5-2 on the road by the Melville Millionaires.

Tanner Manz gave the Bruins an early jump against the North Stars, as he scored 11 seconds into the game. Since it was the Bruins annual Teddy Bear Toss game, fans tossed teddy bears and other stuffed animals onto the ice after Manz’s goal.

(For more on the Teddy Bear Toss, please see page A15).

When play did resume, Elijah Loon-Stewardson scored for the Battlefords to tie the game, but only 69 seconds later, Jayden Davis responded to put the Bruins back on top.

Griffin Asham-Moroz scored before the period was up to give Estevan a 3-1 lead. The North Stars pulled goaltender Austin Schwab at that point after he allowed three goals on nine shots.

Adam Dmyterko came in and stopped all 26 shots he faced.

It remained a 3-1 game until there was less than two minutes to play in the third, when Matthias Urbanski scored to pull the Stars within one.

The Bruins clamped down defensively, and not only did Battlefords not test the Bruins again, but they weren’t able to pull the goaltender until the final seconds of the period.

Keenan Rancier stopped 29 shots for the victory.

Head coach and general manager Chris Lewgood was pleased with how they played throughout the night, but es-

Keenan Rancier makes a stop during the Dec. 4 game against the Battlefords North Stars. pecially after the second Battlefords goal.

“That speaks to the growth of our team. We always talk about how we’re going to grow … and you can see it, because we’ve had several games with these guys (North Battleford) where a little bit of adversity late against a veteran team, and especially the young guys start to worry a little bit and they play apprehensive,” said Lewgood.

Lewgood cited aggressive play as the biggest reason for the Bruins success in the final couple of minutes.

“I thought we played the game for 60 minutes, our penalty kill was excellent and our power play was solid, even though it didn’t capitalize, and five on five I thought we carried the play,” said Lewgood.

Manz said it was nice to beat the Stars after having three close games against them earlier this season.

“Our record doesn’t depict how we’re playing right now, and this shows that we can play with anyone in the league,” he said.

It was nice to capitalize on their chances, Manz said, and to

hold the Stars offensive players in check.

Two nights later, the Bruins surrendered three goals in

the third period in the loss to Melville.

Melville took a 1-0 lead 23 seconds into the first period

when Luke Nkwama scored his first of three goals on the night.

The Bruins tied the game on a goal by Brady Nicholas midway through the first, and move in front 69 seconds into the second on a goal by Isaiah Thomas.

Melville tied the game again when Zach Bannister scored with 7 1/2 minutes to play in the middle frame.

Nkwama gave the Millionaires the lead for good at the 6:49 mark of the third, and added his third of the game late in the third. Rin Beny finished the scoring with an empty net goal with three seconds remaining Randy Cooke stopped 21 of the 25 shots he faced for the Bruins.

Forward Erik Boers, acquired from the Camrose Kodiaks of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League on Dec. 1, made his Bruin debut against

Melville. He was ejected due to a fight in the third period.

The game against Melville started a stretch of 14 of 15 games in which the Bruins will face division rivals, or teams that they are battling for the final playoff spot in the league.

While the Bruins are tied with the Weyburn Red Wings for the fewest points in the league, they have at least four games in hand on all of the teams they are chasing for that final playoff spot.

Estevan (11-14-2-1) will return to the ice on Dec. 11 when they visit the Yorkton Terriers. Then they will host the Kindersley Klippers on Dec. 13 and the Melfort Mustangs the following night. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.

They will also play the Notre Dame Hounds in a neutral site game on Dec. 16 in Midale at 7 p.m..

Novice Flames win tournament The Estevan novice Flames hockey team won the Crosby Comets annual Novice/Mite Tournament. After sweeping through their pool undefeated with wins against two North Dakota teams, Watford City and Sidney, the Flames punched their ticket to the A final to face the host Crosby Comets. The Flames played hard and came out on top 12-9 to win the tournament. Members of the Estevan Novice Flames were, back row, from left, coach Brant Kersey, Tobias Laven, Cooper Hale, Jett Kersey, Ryder Mantei, Lucas Desautels and coach Jevon Desautels. Front row, from left, Cale Farr, Nicholas Penney, Nate Melle, Brody Hogg, Tucker Hilstrom, Braxton Shier and Kierran Wilson. Photo by Brett Melle

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www.estevanbruins.com

A10 December 11, 2019

Sharks win medals at winter provincials The water polo winter provincials tournament was held this past weekend in Saskatoon, and the Estevan Sharks

sent two atom and two bantam teams to the competition.

They also had several athletes playing on teams in the

The atom boys were bronze medallists during the winter provincial tournament. Photo submitted

open men and open women events.

In the atom division, the Sharks boys were defeated by Weyburn boys 11-6, and lost a tough one to the Regina boys 13-12. They also faced the Regina girls, winning 1110, and defeated the Estevan girls. Their record left the boys out of the gold medal match, but they came home with the bronze medal.

The Sharks atom girls struggled with a short bench and young roster, losing games against the Regina, Weyburn and Estevan boys. They faced the Regina girls twice, coming up short both times, but they still brought home a silver medal.

The bantam boys welcomed five players from Saskatoon, combining to form the Prairie Sharks. They finished round robin play with a record of 2-1-1. This record brought them to the bronze medal match against the Weyburn

Hurricanes. The Sharks won 13-6.

The bantam girls joined forces with athletes from Saskatoon and Weyburn, forming another Prairie Sharks team.

They finished the round robin with three tough losses, putting them out of the gold medal game, but they still brought home a bronze medal.

In the open men’s division, Sask. White had local athletes Tristan Thrienen and Lyndon Sauder playing for them. Team

White went undefeated, winning games against Edmonton, Manitoba and Sask. Green.

They faced Sask. Green in an exciting gold medal match, winning 12-11.

Ethan Elliott, Logan Dalziel, Lucas Dzeryk and Nathan Thrienen played for Sask Green, who won the silver medal. Team Green defeated Manitoba, but came up short against Sask. White and Edmonton.

In the open women’s divi-

sion, Josie Andrist played for Sask. Roll, and Jordyn Tarnes and Alex Andrist played for Sask. Rock.

Sask. Roll finished 3-1 taking them into the gold medal game against Edmonton.

In a hard fought game, they came up short, bringing home the silver medal.

Sask. Rock had a round robin recordof 2-2. They faced Manitoba in the bronze medal match, coming up short with a score of 9-1.

The atom girls Sharks brought home the silver medal. Photo submitted

The bantam girls Prairie Sharks captured a bronze medal during the winter provincials. Photo submitted

The bantam boys won the bronze medal at winter water polo provincials. Photo submitted

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December 11, 2019 A11

Children met Santa in a different setting Fo r m a ny c h i l d re n , meeting Santa Claus and giving him a Christmas wish list is an exciting moment each year.

But for some, it can be a challenging time due to some of the external factors.

A Sensory Santa event was held at the Best Western Plus hotel in Estevan on Sunday. Santa was on hand for four hours to meet with the children, pose for pictures and get Christmas wish lists.

Christine Jones, who organized the event with her husband Mark, said it was for children with anxiety, social anxiety, sensory processing disorder and autism.

She pointed out that going to meet Santa in a mall or another busy environment usually brings loud noises, bells, long lines and screaming kids.

“When you have a child with a sensory processing disorder, all of these elements are escalated. Just a regular jingling bell like you would hear with most Santas escalates that by 10, and it is so loud.”

These situations can cause meltdowns, kids to act out and other issues that aren’t good for children or parents.

Sensory Santa was held in low lighting at the ho-

Three break and enters in Torquay The Estevan RCMP detachment is investigating three break and enters that occurred sometime during the early morning hours on Dec. 5 in the community of Torquay.

An unknown subject broke into the RM of Cambria office, the Village of Torquay office and the local rink.

This subject is suspected of also breaking into several other RM and village offices in the

south half of the province.

P lease keep eyes open for any suspicious vehicles or people in your communities around the RM or village offices after business hours.

If you have information related to this advisory please call 310RCMP. The inf or mation came through the Saskatchewan Crime Watch Advisory system.

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tel, with quiet surroundings and with no lineups. People booked a 15-minute shift.

“You’re not just getting that one picture with Santa, you’re getting a 15-minute time slot, where we’ll take pictures,” she said.

One child who came Sunday morning needed that full 15-minute time slot to feel comfortable visiting with Santa.

Other rooms in the hotel were dedicated for hot chocolate and cookies, and different sensory crafts and activities, such as making their own Christmas decorations, writing a letter to Santa, colouring Christmas pictures and making sensory bottles.

“What a sensory bottle is, it’s a lot of glitter and … sequins and stuff like that, and it helps calm the child, too,” Jones said.

Jones, who brought Challenger Baseball to Estevan earlier this year for children with disabilities, said they had 10 families booked, and two of those bookings were for multiple children.

A couple of people from Weyburn had said they would come, but had to pull out due to road conditions.

Parents have been very appreciative of the event.

The kids had a lot of fun, and felt comfortable in the surroundings.

Bigger centres have been

Deyosic Curtis, left, Ethin Lalonde, right, and Carson Jones met with Santa Claus Sunday during the Sensory Santa event. holding Sensory Santa events for a while, but this is the first one for Estevan that Jones knows of. She hopes it can be an annual thing for the Energy City, and some ad-

ditional people have already indicated a desire to come next year, so Jones hopes it can be expanded.

“With this, you’re getting more one on one. You’re

getting craft time, and you’re getting other things that you can do with your child as well that will help bring sensory issues back to home, like the sensory bottles.”

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Every person �iling a written objection with SLGA shall state their name, address, and telephone number in printed form, as well as the grounds for the objection(s). Petitions must name a contact person, state grounds, and be legible. Each signatory to the petition and the contact person must provide an address and telephone number. Frivolous, vexatious or competition based objections within the beverage alcohol industry may not be considered and may be rejected by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Licensing Commission, who may refuse to hold a hearing.

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A12 December 11, 2019

Choruses showcase talents in annual show The sounds of beautiful Christmas music echoed throughout the sanctuary of St. Paul’s United Church in Estevan on Saturday night.

Saskatchewan’s Southeast Chorus and North Dakota’s Northwest Chorus and Orchestra presented their 49th annual Celebration of Christmas music. Fifty-four singers from both sides of the border were part of this year’s concert, with about half of them from southeast Saskatchewan.

This year’s theme was A Star is Born, and many of the selections were connected to the theme, such as the opening song of Alleluia! Christ is Born! The show offered a chance for people to showcase their talents through solos, narration and instru-

mental performances.

But there was also humour through such songs as Ugly Christmas Sweater. The performance wrapped up with a Christmas-themed rendition of Leonard Cohen’s classic Hallelujah.

A large crowd filled the church to listen to the music.

Shauna Meek of Estevan and Harlan Johnson of Crosby, N.D., were the directors. Danielle Evenson of Estevan was the principal piano accompanist and Allison Holzer, also of Estevan, was the secondary accompanist.

Another performance was held the following day at Concordia Lutheran Church in Crosby, N.D.

The Southeast Chorus performed its annual celebration of Christmas music Saturday at St. Paul’s United Church in Estevan.

Firefighters rescued person stuck in the elevator due to power outage The Estevan Fire Rescue Service (EFRS) had a busy beginning to last week due to the power outages in the Estevan area.

At approximately 10 a.m. on Dec 2, crews were alerted to a commercial fire alarm that went of at the south side of the city in the RM of Estevan.

There were no visible signs off ongoing fire on the exterior of the building. Firefighters gained access and assessed the building with thermal imag-

ing camera and gas detection equipment.

“It appeared it was a case of a faulty fire alarm panel for this particular call,” said Fire Chief Dale Feser.

The crews turned the scene back over to the staff and returned to the fire station.

Shortly after, the station received a rush of calls.

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in the elevator due to a power outage. Crews arrived on the scene, isolated the hydraulics for the elevator, safely lowered the car to the floor and freed the person trapped inside without any accidents.

Another commercial fire alarm went off at about 12:30 p.m. on King Street. Crews arrived on the scene to find that there were some technical issues due to the power outage and no fire was occurring.

Later that afternoon, another fire alarm went off in a building on Nicholson Road.

Crews headed out to the area, and it was found that there

was an issue with the remote pull-station. The owners were advised to have it fixed.

On Dec. 8, the crews were called to a residential fire alarm, which went off at 3:30 p.m. When on the scene, crews found out that it was a cooking-related alarm.

“There was actually no fire occurring at the particular residence,” said Feser. “So it was released back to owner and crews returned to service.”

With winter driving conditions this week, Feser also reminded the public to use caution and adjust their times to commute, allowing themselves

some extra time for safe travel.

The fire department was also tied up with various training last week.

They spent quite a bit of time assisting and training with SaskPower emergency response team and other individuals doing emergency first responder training. The fire chief, along with other instructors, worked with 24 individuals, who were obtaining, renewing or upgrading their knowledge on the topic.

There was the regular training held on Dec. 3 as well, where crews started to do hazardous materials

awareness training.

On Dec. 5 EFRS also participated in the Emergency Measures Organizations (EMO) airport tabletop training exercise, in which different organizations were playing out a scenario and practising the collaborative response to it.

And on Dec. 7 some members were busy setting up displays at the Woodlawn Park for the Festival of Lights that will kick off on Dec. 15, while other firefighters were out at Canadian Tire filling up the truck with toy donations for the Angel Tree (for more on the story see page A1).

Classifieds A13

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

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Clarence Edgar Mantei 1933 – 2019 Clarence Mantei, late of Estevan, SK passed away on Wednesday, November 20, 2019 at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Estevan, SK at the age of 86 years.

Clarence will forever be remembered with love by his wife of 54 years, Esther; 4 children and their families, son Russell (Lorett) and grandchildren, Tanner and Hannah, daughter Vivyan (Les) and granddaughter Katrina, son Chris (Bobbie), daughter Alyshia (Dalan) and grandchildren, Zach, Ben and Emmey all of Estevan, SK; 2 sisters, Margaret Wingert, Estevan, SK and Clara Demeter, Regina, SK; 2 sisters-in-law, Martha Mantei, Estevan, SK and Myrtle (Cliff) Finstad, Estevan, SK as well as Esther’s family.

Clarence was predeceased by his parents, Edward and Elizabeth Mantei; siblings, Herman Mantei, Albert Mantei, William (Lillian) Mantei, Bertha (Tom) Cundall, Rudy Mantei, Ella (Elmer) Jensen and Lenora (Bill) Konopaki as well as 2 brothers-in-law, Henry Wingert and Frank Demeter.

The Memorial Service for Clarence was held on Wednesday, November 27, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. at the Trinity Lutheran Church with Rev. Daniel Krauss officiating. The luncheon followed in the social hall at the church, after which the private family interment took place at Souris Valley Memorial Gardens.

If friends so desire, memorial donations may be made to the Shriners Hospitals for Children, 2065 Hamilton Street, Regina, SK, S4P 2E1.

Yvonne Clark at Hall Funeral Services, Estevan assisted Clarence’s family.

Thank You

We, the family of Clarence Mantei would like to express our deepest gratitude to everyone for their thoughts and prayers, food, telephone calls, flowers, visits, cards and memorial donations. Thank you to Dr. Babkis, the staff at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Marian Huber for their care and support. To Pastors Dan Krauss and Nick Laven, Wilma Mantei, Faith Lutheran Gospel Band, Stan Wicks, the ladies of Faith Lutheran and Trinity Lutheran Church for the beautiful service in memory of Clarence.

Thank you to Dustin Hall and the staff at Hall Funeral Services for their professionalism during this difficult time.

Carr pleased with fall sitting Estevan MLA Lori Carr said the fall sitting of the Saskatchewan legislature was a busy time that had some news for Estevan.

The fall sitting wrapped up on Dec. 4. Among the highlights was the release of the provincial throne speech, which included a $10 million commitment from the provincial government for Estevan and Coronach to assist those communities as they transition away from conventional coal power.

Carr said she has had the opportunity to sit down with the local economic development committee, and she’s encouraged by the passion that they have.

The money for Estevan should give the committee some resources to help with ideas they want to explore.

A decision has not been made on how funds will be divided between the two communities.

“Ministry officials have met with the City of Estevan, and they recently met with the Town of Coronach, and so they’re going to take the feedback from both of those meetings, and then, I believe, in early January, they’ll have another meeting with both of those communities to share what they got from each of them,” said Carr.

The money will be used

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for economic development to diversify the businesses in communities, and to ensure there are jobs for everybody.

She also finds it interesting to hear the talk about small modular reactors, and how it could affect Estevan.

“Estevan is a natural fit for that. We have a very skilled workforce here. We have transmission lines. And it just makes sense that if we move down that path, some of that would be right here in the community,” she said.

The province’s growth plan for the next decade was released, and Carr said it will chart the path for the next decade.

Several key pieces of legislation were passed, including the Tobacco Control Amendments Act, which brings vaping inline with existing tobacco laws. The Financial Planners Amendment Act will regulate who can actually use the title of a financial planner or advisor.

These new guidelines will provide some clarity for regular consumers, so that they know when they go to a financial planner, they are going to someone licensed and qualified.

She noted that the fall sitting was a busy time for her, as she was learning her new portfolio duties as the minister of Government Relations, as well as the minister responsible for First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs, and the minister responsible for the Provincial Capital Commission.

“I can easily say it has been the busiest session to date. Having said that, I’m truly enjoying everything that I’m doing, and I’m finding the work really rewarding.”

Notices / NomiNatioNs

A14 December 11, 2019

Names of alleged impaired drivers released The Estevan Police Service has released the names of three people recently charged with impaired driving.

Shawn Michel, 49, of Estevan, was charged on Nov. 27 with operating a conveyance while impaired by alcohol or drug.

On Dec. 1, Karli Kittleson, 24, of Estevan was charged with operating a conveyance while impaired and operating a conveyance with a blood-alcohol content exceeding .08.

Also that day, Terry Aaron Craven, 35, of Olds, Alta., was charged with operating a conveyance while impaired and failing or refusing to comply with a demand made by a peace officer.

The charges have not been proven in court.

In other recent police news, members responded to a complaint Dec. 3 of an intoxicated man in the 100-block of 15th Avenue, and as a result arrested a 64-year-old man from Frobisher. He also had outstanding warrants for failing to appear in court. He was lodged in cells until sober and will appear in court in January to answer to his charges.

Members received a report of an unwanted guest at a Westview residence Dec.

4. Officers attended to find the unwanted guest in a vehicle parked out front of the residence. The individual was sent on their way and asked not to return.

Police received three separate reports of frauds or attempted frauds. In one case, an individual bought a prepaid calling card and was informed that it was not valid and already used. Two other individuals reported they were contacted by telephone and asked to provide their social insurance number. They did not provide anything to the caller.

Police received a Report Impaired Drivers call. The vehicle was not located until a significant amount of time after the call. The vehicles were already parked with nobody inside. The matter is under investigation.

Members were dispatched to a north Estevan apartment Dec. 5 check on a male who hadn’t reported for work for a week. The male was found and transported to hospital regarding a health matter.

A report was received regarding a recycle bin left in the alley after recycling pick up. The public is reminded to be sure to put garbage or recycling bins back onto their

property as soon as possible as required by the City of Estevan bylaw.

Police attended to a disturbance in the 600-block of Fourth Street on Dec. 6. Members spoke to the individuals involved and the parties separated for the evening. No further action was required.

Members were called to a male sleeping in front of a local church. The male was arrested for public intoxication. He was lodged in cells for his own safety and released in the morning with no charges.

Officers made an arrest Dec. 7 following a theft at a local business. The complainant spotted the suspect vehicle a short time after the theft and a man was ar-

rested. The 38-year-old from Estevan was charged for theft under $5,000. He is also on a conditional sentence order, which he allegedly breached.

The man was remanded for court Dec. 9.

Police received a call from a local business about a possible scam. An unknown person called a business in Regina to have them attend to Estevan and do work on the business’ Internet. The scam would have allowed the suspect to have remote access to the business. The matter remains under investigation.

Members responded to a report of an erratic driver.

The vehicle was located and the driver was warned.

Officers received a complaint of failing to remain at the scene of an accident. The

complainant had attended a hockey game the night before in Carlyle, and their vehicle received damage while in the parking lot at the arena. The matter has been forwarded to the Carlyle RCMP detachment.

Members attended to a local liquor establishment for a report of a male bothering a female. Officers attended and spoke to the male. He was going home in a taxi as police arrived. No further action was required.

Police were again called to a local liquor establishment for a report of a male being difficult with staff.

Members attended and the male was asked to leave. He was taken home by a family member. No further action was required.

Officers received a complaint of an individual being harassed through text messaging. The matter is still under investigation.

Po l i c e a r re s t e d a 44-year-old Estevan man for impaired driving. He will appear in court in January 2020.

Members attended to a local liquor establishment to a report of a disturbance.

Two Estevan residents were arrested and lodged in cells.

One was arrested for breaching his conditions and the second was arrested for obstruction of justice and being intoxicated in a public place.

Police officers and volunteers with the local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving were out on Dec. 7 for check stops in the community.

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EXPERIENCED OPERATOR Required for the R.M. of Estevan No. 5 The R.M. of Estevan No. 5 is currently accepting applications for the services of an experienced operator. This is a full time, year-round equipment operator position. Experience and skills in the operation of heavy equipment including, grader, loader, tandem gravel truck, tractor and mower, as well as a class 1A driver's license is an asset.

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Please send applications to: RM of Estevan No.5 #1, 322 - 4th Street, Estevan, SK S4A 0T8 Fax to (306) 634-2223 e-mail: rm5@sasktel.net We thank all applicants for applying, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

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Wednesday, December 11, 2019

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It didn’t take long for fans to toss the bears

This year’s Estevan Bruins Teddy Bear Toss goal was not only a record for the Estevan Bruins, it might have been one of the fastest anywhere in the history of the promotion.

Tanner Manz scored the goal 11 into the Teddy Bear Toss game versus the Battlefords North Stars on Dec. 4 at Affinity Place. Fans threw their teddy bears and other stuff animals onto the ice after the goal, and the game was

delayed by several minutes while Bruin players and others removed the bears from the ice so they could be shipped to the local Salvation Army.

“I lost the faceoff, and then we got the puck and dumped it in, and I finished my check on their defenceman,” said Manz. “He turned the puck over to one of our dmen on the point, and he was going to shoot, so I went hard to the net and got a stick on it.”

Manz believes this is the first time he has scored a goal so early in a game. He noted that he and his linemates, Isaiah Thomas and Jayden Davis, were joking before the game that they should score on the first shift.

“It was kind of funny that way,” said Manz.

Just over 300 bears were collected that night.

The fact that the Bruins scored so early shouldn’t have

been a surprise to some. It was the fourth time the Bruins had scored in the opening minute of a game at Affinity Place this season.

But they were also playing the league-leading North Stars, and the starting goaltender that night, Austin Schwab, had a goals against average of less than 2.00 entering the contest.

Ronza Reynard, the director of ministry with the Salvation Army, said they had a variety of bears and other stuffed animals collected.

“We had one that was a good four feet or 4 1/2 feet tall, so that’s a big one,” said Reynard. “It was a success, I think. I’m happy that the Bruins scored, it was a little quick there, 11 seconds in, but it was a good night.”

Reynard and the other Salvation Army people who were at the game didn’t expect a goal so quickly. And since it came so soon, it meant that fans who arrived late didn’t get

the chance to toss a bear on the ice. Instead, they just turned their bear over to the Salvation Army at a table they had set up in Affinity Place’s lobby.

“We actually had people dropping them off as we were loading them into the truck,” said Reynard.

The bears were taken back to the church and removed from the bags. They will be taken to nursing homes and other senior citizens’ centres in Estevan and surrounding areas. They will also go to a children’s camp that the Salvation Army operates for newborns to age 12.

“When they come to camp, they can pick a bear, and they can have that as their companion for the week,” said Reynard. “They do a teddy bear picnic with them.”

They also like to have bears at their building, just in case something happens in the community, and a kid needs a bear to feel better in a tough situation, such as a fire.

The Salvation Army supplied bags to people before the game for the bears, so that the bears would remain dry and clean once they are tossed on the ice. A majority of them stayed in the bags.

“I know some people put them in the bags to carry them around, but took them out of the bags to throw them onto the ice.”

A few will have to be washed before they can be used.

Also, because it was so early in a period, the bears were a little soggier than they would have been if the Bruins had scored late in the period.

“But it’s just such a fun night. It’s fun when the kids come, if they want to pick a bear at the table.”

The Salvation Army also had a kettle set up in the front foyer of Affinity Place, and they collected about $680.

Estevan went on to win the game 3-2. (For more on the game, please see page A9).

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Tanner Manz scored this year’s Teddy Bear Toss goal 11 seconds into the first period against the Battlefords North Stars on Dec. 4. Photo by Danny Ewen

Jan Harris’ 75th

A Come & Go Tea

will be held on Saturday, December 28, 2019 from 2-4 P.M. at the Senior Citizen Centre (north of the Estevan Public Library), Affinity Place, Estevan.

Although presents are gratefully declined, please bring a memory to share with Jan on this special occasion.

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If hearing difficulties have made holiday gatherings less enjoyable for you over the years, let us help! #130-1175 Nicholson Road, Estevan 306-634-0193 • dunlophearing@gmail.com

Christmas Flea Market located at the front of the store

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Tegan has been delivering the Mercury and Lifestyles for about four years. He delivers 400 papers each week in the Hillside and Pleasantdale areas. He enjoys delivering papers to get some exercise and earn some extra spending money.

A&W Restaurant proudly supports hard work and doing your best and will be supplying the carrier of the month with a gift card for a meal at the A&W location in Estevan.

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With glad tidings from our entire staff this holiday season.

We thank you for your business during the past year and look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

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Estevan • Carnduff (306) 636-2020 • www.southeasteyecare.ca

A16 December 11, 2019

FINAL DAYS!

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