Estevan Mercury 20200304

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(306) 634-2514 Issue 45

SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240

ESTEVAN’S

SOURCE FOR LOCAL & REGIONAL NEWS

Loss of Units 4 and 5 at the Boundary Dam to have a big impact on jobs, population and GDP The City of Estevan has released the findings of a recent socio-economic assessment that studies the impact of shutting down Units 4 and 5 at the Boundary Dam Power Station.

According to a news release issued Monday afternoon, the Estevan Economic Development board recently hired MDB Insights to conduct a Socio-Economic Impact Study related to the closure of Units 4 and 5 at the Boundary Dam Power Station. Currently, Westmoreland Coal employs approximately 360 individuals, and SaskPower employs about 400 people, with 300 at Boundary Dam and 100 at the Shand Power Station.

The closure of Units 4 and 5 at Boundary Dam are expected to have the following impact: •A total of 150 direct job losses, with 100 lost in mining and 50 in utilities; •The population of Estevan is expected to fall by 635, equivalent to four to five per cent; •Total jobs lost in Estevan of about 350 (four to five per cent); •Household income reduction of about $65 million (eight per cent); •Gross domestic product reduced by $200 million per annum, totalling $1 billion by 2029 (eight per cent); and •Real estate values will

continue to be impacted through this period of transition.

“As a committee, we realize that understanding the economic impact that the community is facing is key in formulating a plan to move forward and transition our economy,” the city stated in a news release. “To stabilize and provide confidence into the area, we need to work together as a community, a province, and federally to ensure the political landscape understands the importance of developing a center of energy excellence within the Estevan area.

“This includes the critical implementation of CCS technology on Unit 6 (at the Boundary Dam Power Station) and Shand, which can meet the goals of all parties involved and ensure employment opportunities in coal mining and power production remain in the area.”

Although this is their first priority, other technologies such as the introduction of nuclear small modular reactors are key to the provincial and federal goal of emissions reduction. The implementation of solar construction and training in the area, along with continued research and construction of geothermal, will help the province meet its renewable energy targets moving forward.

“It is important to un-

derstand that political uncertainties carry a significant consequence. While it has been reiterated to us that no decision will be made until 2025, we as a community, along with all stakeholders, need to continue to advocate to all levels of government the importance of clean coal technology and its implementation into the future not only for our area and country but throughout the world.”

This includes advocacy to the federal government to implement a tax credit for stored carbon dioxide (CO2) where a $35 per megatonne tax credit can be utilized to offset items such as the carbon tax. Although the final analysis of this will be a political decision, there are many factors that will play into the end result, such as economic, federal and provincial environmental guidelines and the priorities of the different levels of governments into the future.

In addition to this announcement, the economic development board will continue to advocate, not only for clean coal technologies on Unit 6 and Shand, but any and all economic activities that will benefit the area. The community needs to ensure the government carefully reviews all factors related to coal production. These include the cost to decommission the plants, the timeline for the decommissioning, and

An impact assessment released by the City of Estevan on Monday afternoon shows the impact of the retirement of Units 4 and 5 at Boundary Dam. File photo environmental impact and assessments of the habitat for marine life that was created by the plant.

The members of the board encourage all citizens

of the city of Estevan and surrounding area to be aware and to play a part in the economic transition of our community. It is time to ask questions to elected represen-

tatives and to advocate for the community.

“It will take all of us to work together to continue to move our city forward,” the city said.

Premier Moe visits Estevan to sign coal transition pact Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

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urging of Minister Carr quite frankly, backed up by the urging of Minster Duncan as well as other MLAs. They have been very strong voices at the cabinet table and at our caucus table for this region and for the economy of southeastern Saskatchewan,” said Moe. The $8 million given to Estevan from the province, will begin being disbursed this year and will be divided into three installments over the next three years with the OBTENEZ JUSQU’À * other $2 million being sent$ to Coronach in the same DE RABAIS TOTAL A2 » ESTEVAN

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From left, Coronach Mayor Trevor Schell, Government Relations Minister Lori Carr, UN Premier Moe$ and Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig sign a ceremonial INCLUS RABAISScott DE 9 000 EN ALLOCATION-LIVRAISON agreement signifyingETthe province providing $10 million in coal transition UN BONI DÉCOR SPORT DE 2funding.

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right here in the City of Estevan, it’s where I was born, it’s where I chose to raise my family and where I choose to Premier Scott Moe was have my future, I am really in Estevan on Friday for the pleased to have the Premier signing of the Coal Transi- here today and to have him tion Fund, a $10 million show his support for our investment of which Estevan communities,” said Carr. will receive $8 million over Moe praised the efforts the next three years. of Carr along with other Moe was joined by Es- MLAs to get to a position tevan MLA Lori Carr, Es- where this funding was a tevan Mayor Roy Ludwig possibility. and Coronach Mayor Trevor “Some of these funds SchnellGET forUP TO the announce- may be used to explore the $ DELIVERY ment $ that took place at CityINCLUDES viability9,000 of new industries $2,000 ALLOWANCE AND Hall. for our region.

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Estevan mayor grateful for $8 million in funding

By Brian Zinchuk brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net

Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig has been a coal miner for 44 years, and is considering taking an early retirement as part of the 25 positions currently being laid off for Westmoreland Mining LLC. As such, a transition away from coal-fired power generation in Estevan is a very personal thing for him.

Estevan will be getting $8 million of the $10 million in provincial coal transition funding, announced by Premier Scott Moe in Estevan on Friday.

The other $2 million will be going to Coronach, which is in a similar predicament.

“Coal is very important to the city of Estevan,” said Ludwig. “It ’s been part of our community since the turn of the (20th) century, in the 1800s, we were mining coal.

“It’s a huge impact, to see, with the changes, with the carbon tax, with the changes of the regulations.

The fact is our industry is under siege,” he said.

L udwig noted the

i m p e n d i n g 2 5 l a yo f f s are just the beginning.

Asked if this money takes away hope for additional carbon capture and storage (CCS) at Shand and with Boundary Dam Unit 6, he said, “We hope not. We will continue to work ver y hard on the clean coal. Again, we feel that’s our future in this community, clean coal. And now that the first unit has been put into place and is working very well, with the fact that we can sell it (CO2) to the oil industry to revitalize the oil wells in a given sector, we do feel it does have a future for us in this community and we’ll continue to support that.”

He noted that with oil companies wil ling to buy carbon dioxide (CO2), it will make clean coal more viable and put Estevan in the running for other technologies SaskPower is looking at.

“We feel that clean coal is definitely one of the ones in the running. That’s going to be our focus, going forward. And if we can top up the grid with nuclear, we’ll be willing to look at that.

Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig, who has work with the mines for 44 years, responds to the province’s $10 million in coal transition funding for Estevan and Coronach.

The bottom line is jobs.”

Asked if he would welcome a nuclear power plant in the Estevan area, Ludwig said overtures have already been made to New Brunswick to learn more about it, realizing it’s a 10year window for a project like that to be initiated.

The federal government has a role to play in Estevan, he said.

“With the carbon tax they’ve put in place, with the fact they feel coal is

black, and therefore it’s dirty, which we don’t agree with, we feel their responsibility should be pension bridging for people losing their livelihoods, and of course training and transition to new jobs, whatever that may look like, whatever that may be.”

The federal “Just Transition” task force last year recommended pension bridging not just in Saskatchewan, but other coal mining operations,

but Ludwig has not heard back from the federal government on it.

He said Estevan set up a coal transition committee a year ago with stakeholders in the community, as well as representatives from the federal government.

“We are looking at federal transition funding,” he said.

“One of the things we’re looking at is an incubator, for small businesses to start up in a given area.

We will supply the office

and allow them to get up and running, and hopefully their business will take off, and from there … they don’t need those additional resources,” said Ludwig.

The incubator, with federal funds, would be put in place to help people get started in new businesses.

“That’s something we have started on. As we come forward with more and more suggestions on different businesses, different technologies that we want to perfect, different ideas that maybe this will work in our community – those are the transition funding, at this point that we’re looking at getting.”

Jody Dukart, international auditor and teller for the United Mine Workers of America Local 7606, which represents the unionized workforce at the Estevan Mine, was present for the announcement and subsequent working lunch with the premier. He said that “It would be nice for the provincial government to follow what Alberta did,” referring to assisting with bridging pensions for those taking early retirement.

Estevan will continue to play a role in energy needs « A1 fashion. Premier Moe said that Estevan and Coronach will be important to Saskatchewan’s energy sector for years to come.

“Estevan and the surrounding area, including Coronach, have quite literally powered this province now for the better part of the last

century. We expect that this region is going to play a crucial role in our energy industry for many years to come.

But, there is a fundamental change that is coming soon.

We’ve discussed that and we need to adapt to these changing circumstances,” said Moe. In 2016, the federal gov-

ernment announced regulations to phase-out traditional coal-fired electricity by 2030 as part of their initiative to fight climate change. Plants already in place have until they turn 50 or until 2030 before they will have to be shut down, whichever comes first.

Those that are retrofitted with carbon capture and storage would be able to remain open beyond 2030.

Jobs are already being lost in the area with Westmoreland Mining LLC announcing they would be permanently laying off 25

people in the coming weeks.

“Unfortunately, now we can’t compete with natural gas because of the carbon tax.

We have a tough road ahead, not that we are giving up. We will continue to pursue clean coal technology. It’s green energy, we feel it does have an important part to play in our future,” said Ludwig.

“We are hitting the ground running on economic development in our community … We’re looking at any opportunities that we can put in place to help build our community and create jobs,” he added.

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Mayor Ludwig also touched on the fact they are aware a large corporation would not come in with hundreds of jobs, but added that the goal of adding more jobs would be incremental.

Coronach will more than likely feel the sting more so than other areas.

With a population of around 600, their mine employs 300 locals and residents in close surrounding areas. With the plant slated to shutdown in the coming years due to federal regulations, many in the town will be out of work. Mayor Trevor Schnell said that there are around 50 homes for sale in Coronach, a devastating number in a small town.

“It’s tough. It’s astonishing. [In] our town, we don’t have an oilfield, our town is coal and power, that is what we do. We have accepted that we are not going to fill 300 jobs. There is no point in trying to think you are going to do that. Let’s just start out small,” said Schnell.

“With this announce-

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ment, we can draw businesses in. We’re open, Coronach is open for business. Come see us, we are here to help,” he added.

After the announcement and signing, Moe took questions in a media scrum where he continued to speak on the funds awarded to Estevan and Coronach and how important economic development will be in the coming years.

Moe also referenced the need for a tax credit like the 45Q incentive for carbon capture used in the U.S. which provides a foundational policy for increasing deployment of carbon capture projects.

“What would be very beneficial would be for the federal government to consider an incentive that would encourage clean investment and encourage growth of carbon capture and storage, a clean industry. An industry that this province has been at the forefront of with public investment and pushing that technology along,” said Moe.

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New garden at ECS help further reconciliation at the school and provides a learning experience to students

By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

A project that started early in the 2019-20 school year has been a real learning experience for students at the Estevan Comprehensive School, and has helped further understanding of reconciliation.

The school celebrated the grand reveal of its reconciliation garden, named Ahopa Intchagink’ta (which means respect growing in the Nakota language), on Thursday morning. Located in the school’s courtyard, the permanent area features murals, displays, plants native to this area and other tributes to Indigenous people designed to promote reconciliation.

The leadership 30 and art 20 students completed the project.

“Leadership 30 fit right into this,” said teacher Josh LeBlanc. “Bringing the idea of reconciliation into ECS and how we were going to do it. Because we have the courtyard, this played into this so well.”

LeBlanc noted this

started out as a one-semester project that grew into something more.

“We involved lots of people. While we were going through this, the kids researched everything from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to Indian residential schools to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls,” said LeBlanc.

The plants within the garden came from the SaskPower Shand Greenhouse.

Murals are on the east and west side; one deals with missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and the other looks at the history of Canada’s residential schools.

Along the top of those murals are several calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that deal specifically with education.

Surrounding the garden are the background and the research that the students completed, and quick response (QR) codes that people can scan with their cell phones to watch associated

Young people from the Ocean Man First Nation danced during the ceremony.

Members of the Estevan Comprehensive School’s leadership 30 class gather with elder Peter Bigstone following the unveilling ceremony for the school’s new Indigenous garden. videos and photos.

“It allows you to sit in the garden and hear those survivor stories,” said LeBlanc.

Another code allows people to read the different cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, including those that are unsolved.

The grand reveal celebration served as a tribute to Indigenous culture. Members of the Ocean Man First Nation played drums, sang and performed dances. Elder Peter Bigstone, a survivor of the residential school system, led a smudging ceremony and discussed his experiences in residential schools.

Another residential school survivor, Delmar Quewezance of Estevan, explained his experiences at schools in Regina, which he attended from age five to 17.

Both Bigstone and

Quewezance praised the students for their work with the reconciliation garden.

(For more on their speeches, please see this week’s edition of Southeast Lifestyles).

Leadership 30 student Sarah Dacuycuy said it is time for ECS to recognize and reflect upon the injustices that were inflicted upon Indigenous people in this country. She hopes that as the garden grows, the respect, understanding, empathy and healing will grow with it.

“It is no question that generational harm has been caused by actions,” she said.

“While it may not have been in this building today that attributed to these actions, it doesn’t mean that we can’t be part of the solution.”

Bernice Haux and Kaylee Carlson from the art 20 project said the project made a lasting impact, not just for

those who created it, but for those who will come later.

Each student in the art 20 class spent about 10 to 20 hours working on it on their own time, not class time.

And they came across so many meaningful stories of the survivors.

The middle panel of the mural for the missing and murdered depicts unique and different women looking up at butterflies, which Haux and Carlson said are symbols of renewal, beauty and balance.

The old Regina residential school is painted on the other mural.

Two videos were shown during the event as well, documenting the history of challenges facing Indigenous peoples in Canada.

The ceremony ended with a round dance, in which the people who gathered for the reveal held hands and

moved around the courtyard in a circle while the drummers played and sang.

Students collaborated with Indigenous people, including Bigstone, for the garden and a lot of it is Nakota-centred with the medicine wheel and other designs.

“We have a First Nations, Indigenous and Métis consultant with the school division, and basically we worked together,” said LeBlanc. “So Peter came in, talked to the kids, shared his story, shared his knowledge with the kids and from that knowledge we developed the project.”

Indigenous people were also consulted for Thursday’s ceremony as well.

LeBlanc had the idea to do something after attending the Cornerstone teachers convention and hearing Dr. Kevin Lamoreux from the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba, speak on reconciliation. Lamoreux encouraged people to be part of the solution to build relationships with Indigenous people.

It’s been a real learning process for everyone involved, and they have had lots of discussions about the 94 recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation commissions. They listened to residential school survivors, and how they can still remember the smell of the disinfectant.

“To me, to see people go through and have to relive that trauma, is super sad” said LeBlanc.

The public can drop by the school to view the garden, as long as they inform the front office they are visiting.

Estevan Snowmobile Club set for End of Season Party Even though Mother Nature wasn’t kind to the Estevan Snowmobile Club this year, not allowing them to set any trails and thus to have a season, the End of Season Party is still going to happen. It will take place on March 7 at 7 p.m. at the Estevan Exhibition Hall.

Not only does the nowtraditional event that the club hosts along with Prairie Women on Snowmobiles promises to be a lot of fun,

it also helps to raise money for both the club and breast cancer awareness.

The partnership between two non-profit organizations started three years ago.

“The first year was when we met the girls at the Saskatchewan Snowmobile Association’s AGM in June. I’d seen the girls and I said, ‘Hey, you girls never come down south. Come south, we’ll throw you a big party at the end,’” recalled Estevan Snow-

mobile Club president Dave Heier. “We’ve given them about $10,000 in the last three years, which is pretty unusual for a non-profit to be giving to a non-profit. It’s supporting snowmobiling and (the fight against) breast cancer. So the club adopted it and really likes it. We’ve got some girls in the club that push really hard for it.”

Prairie Women on Snowmobiles raised nearly $100,000 last year that is 20031JJ0

used to purchase the equipment and support the research about breast cancer.

The money raised at the party will go towards their 2020 total.

Outside of direct financial support, the Estevan Snowmobile Club also sponsors local riders to participate

in the campaign.

The Prairie Women on Snowmobiles president Kelly Rea, local rider Alison Taylor and some other members will join the party.

Zacch Vandenhurk will be the DJ for the night.There will be 50/50, Chinese auction and door prizes. The

Polish Kitchen will supply the food, while Days Inn offered special rates for guests of the party. Everyone is welcome to attend. Tickets are only $10.

The price is lower than before, so more people could come and enjoy the fun night out.

Tickets are available at Thunder City and at the door.

20031KK0 20031KK1

Editorial A4

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Staff

SERVING CANADA’S SUNSHINE CAPITAL Publisher & Sales Manager:

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EDITORIAL

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We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.

Nous reconnaissons l'appui financier du gouvernement du Canada.

Provincial funding is a good start We’ve known for several months that Estevan would be receiving some muchneeded financial support from the provincial government as this city transitions away from conventional coal-fired power generation.

But we didn’t know how much we would be receiving until last week, when Premier Scott Moe came to Estevan to announce that the Energy City would receive $8 million of the $10 million available in the provincial coal transition fund, while Coronach would receive the other $2 million.

That money will be paid out over three years.

Estevan won’t see the entire funding; some of the funds will have to be doled out to surrounding communities that will also be affected by the transition, such as Bienfait.

But the vast majority of that money will come to the Energy City.

The announcement at City Hall on Friday morning was a chance for Premier Scott Moe, Estevan MLA Lori Carr and other government representatives to tell us that we aren’t forgotten during this challenging time, that they’re here for us, and that they are still looking at carbon capture and storage as a part of the province’s future power generation needs. We’ll see whether their comments diminish the speculation in the community about coal’s overall future.

We don’t know where this money is going to be spent. What we do know is this

money is not a blank cheque. It’s not going to be directed towards a new third arena for Estevan, or for raises for city staff members, or for new pickup trucks for city employees.

The provincial government has to give the green light for any projects for the $8 million in coal transition funding.

The comments on social media that were posted after the announcement about how this money would pay for a third arena should be dismissed as laughable and foolish.

Estevan should have received the majority of the $10 million from the province. We have a bigger community than Coronach; we’re going to suffer more job losses than the town 200 kilometres to the west. We’re ultimately going to need that money more.

At the same time, you can’t fault Coronach if they feel short-changed in this arrangement. Estevan is going to suffer a blow when Units 4 and 5 at Boundary Dam go offline, and that blow will be even greater if Unit 6 at Boundary Dam and the Shand Power Station are retired, which will happen within the next decade if the government decides not to retrofit them with CCS technology.

But we still have the oil industry. And people in our community are looking at ways to diversify our economy.

Coronach’s economy is entirely tied to coal-fired power generation. The town’s

mayor pointed out they have 300 jobs tied to the mines and the Poplar River Power Station. And while many of those workers live out of town, they don’t expect they’ll be able to fill all of those jobs, no matter how much they try to diversify their economy.

You have to sympathize with the challenges that town is facing.

We’re grateful to the provincial government for the money we’ve received so far.

The $8 million for Estevan, coupled with the money we’ve received from the federal government, is a great start. But it’s a start.

We’re going to need a lot more money from both the province and the feds over the next few years. The negative economic impact we’re going to suffer once Boundary 4 and 5 come offline is going to be a lot greater than $8 million.

We’re looking at hundreds of jobs lost, in a city with a population over 10,000, in the next few years. Those are good-paying jobs with wages that average out to more than $100,000 per year.

As we’ve stated before, if you currently work in Estevan, and you don’t think your workplace is going to be adversely affected by the retirement of Units 4 and 5, then think again.

So we’re glad to get $8 million, and hopefully it will be put to good use. But it’s just a start.

Carbon capture is a true saviour The provincial government announced on Feb. 28 it was giving $8 million to Estevan and $2 million to Coronach to assist with their respective “coal transition.”

Premier Scott Moe was there to make the announcement, along with Estevan MLA and Minister of Government Relations Lori Carr. Speaking gratefully on behalf of Estevan and Coronach were their respective mayors, Roy Ludwig and Trevor Schnell. Both were thankful, and said the money would go to economic development. But it’s quite clear, both would prefer to keep their coal mines and power plants. Should they be lost, it will be very difficult for both communities. In the case of Coronach, utterly devastating would be an understatement.

That $10 million is spread over three years. We need to put this in perspective. I understand an average unionized salary at the Estevan Mine would be in the range of $110,000-$120,000. Now, I expect there’s going to be a fair bit of range between someone who works as custodial staff and someone operating a dragline, as well as substantial differences when it comes to people who work a lot of overtime. But let’s be conservative and use $100,000 as a round number.

Eight million dollars is the equivalent of the salaries of 80 miners in Estevan for one year, and $2 million is the equivalent of 20 miners in Coronach for one year.

Indeed, I would estimate these values are substantially less than the provincial income tax alone from the staffs of the three affected power plants and two mines, for just one year.

The United Mine Workers of America represents 325 workers at the Estevan Mine.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers represents approximately 600 workers between the Poplar River Power Station, Poplar River Mine, Boundary Dam Power Station and Shand Power Station. This does not include out-of-scope staff, which must

From the Top of the Pile BRIAN ZINCHUK number in the hundreds between the five facilities.

So it is good the province is helping, offering something of a lifeline. Hopefully these communities will be able to wisely use those funds to develop economic development strategies that will lessen the blow.

The federal government, too, has provided some coal transition funding. But again, none of it comes anywhere close to replacing the salaries of the hundreds of workers at stake, should conventional coal come to an end by 2030. I don’t expect the Boundary Dam 3 Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage project, even with an equivalency agreement for other generation, will be enough to keep the mines open beyond that date.

Premier Moe laid out three possible options, one of which appears to be new. The first option is the additional application of carbon capture and storage. The discussion to this point has been regarding the Shand Power Station. The mayor of Coronach does not expect to see it applied there. But if the federal government applied a tax credit like the Americans recently implemented called 45Q, that could change the game, according to Moe. The second, and new option, is natural gas-fired power generation. To replace Boundary Dam and Shand, you would likely need a three-unit facility, each producing 350 megawatts. Add in Poplar River, and you’re looking at another one to two units, but where that would be built is not clear. Would you build that at Moose Jaw, Estevan, or Poplar

River? Moe suggested making use of existing transmission infrastructure. That makes sense for Estevan, as southeast Saskatchewan, and its oilfields, would still need substantial power generation, but less so for Poplar River.

The recent $605 million, 350-megawatt, one-unit Chinook Power Station employs around 25 people. Not hundreds.

The third option Moe mentioned is small modular reactors. This is quite literally the nuclear option. He’s been talking about it a lot, but the time horizon of actually having such generation in place within 10 years, as coal is phased out, gets less likely be the day. When I was a kid, mankind was 15 years away from going to Mars.Today, we’re still 15 years away.

Nuclear seems to be the same sort of exercise for Saskatchewan.

If maintaining jobs and communities are the key factor, carbon capture, applied both at Shand and Poplar River, is the key effort that everyone should be pushing the hardest.

Doing so would keep the mines open, as well as the power stations. In addition to the hundreds of miners, it would keep hundreds of power station workers employed, too. It would save and sustain both Estevan and Coronach.

But more importantly, from an oilpatch perspective, the captured CO2 could be used to reinvigorate the oilfields of southeast Saskatchewan, much as it has for the Weyburn and Midale Units. Doing so means decades of additional oil production, employing hundreds of additional people and hundreds of millions in oil royalties, for the province and mineral rights owners.

Don’t forget, we have hundreds of years of coal reserves, and lots of oil left in the ground.

I asked Mayor Schnell if Coronach was a sacrificial lamb on the alter of global warming, he said, “I guess so, unfortunately.”

Brian Zinchuk is editor of Pipeline News.

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

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Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Ana Bykhovskaia Twenty Lines About…

Be a lady they said There are probably hardly any women in the world who haven’t heard this phrase. Be a lady...

Be a lady, don’t climb the trees. Be a lady, watch your mouth, but don’t be a mouse. Be a lady, don’t cross your legs. Be a lady, don’t put your legs too far apart. You have to be small, you have to be bright, you have to be smart, you have to be quiet.

I was growing up with all that, and most of the other statements from Be a Lady They Said, read by Sex and the City’s Cynthia Nixon in the powerful three-minute video released last week.

The video is a shorter version of a piece of writing

by Camille Rainville that first saw light through her blog Writings of a Furious Woman in 2017 and is filled with conflicting messages that women across the world have been receiving throughout their lives.

“Be a lady they said. Your skirt is too short. Your shirt is too low. Don’t show so much skin. Cover up. Leave something to the imagination. Don’t be a temptress. Men can’t control themselves,” reads Nixon in the video.

The piece consists of messages about how women should look and dress, behave and eat, engage in relationships with men and appear at work.

“Be a lady they said. Remove your body hair. Bleach this. Bleach that. Eradicate your scars. Cover your stretch marks. Plump your lips. Botox your wrinkles. Lift your face. Tuck your tummy. Perk up your boobs. Look natural.

You’re trying too hard. You look overdone. Men don’t like girls who try too hard,” continues Nixon with the float of most widespread oppressive controversies, to which most women can add their particular examples.

With word-messages in the background, images of women trying to achieve impossible standards and play traditional gender roles glimpse on the screen. The video also touches on issues of feminism and messages we hear about sexual assault like victim-blaming.

“Be a lady they said. Don’t get raped. Don’t drink too much. Don’t walk alone. Don’t go out too late. Don’t dress like that. Don’t get drunk. Don’t smile at strangers. Don’t go out at night. Don’t trust anyone. Don’t say yes. Don’t say no,” reads Nixon.

And while most of these messages are aimed at regulating women’s behaviours and appearance in the men’s world, most of those phrases we usually hear from each other, from our mothers, colleagues and girlfriends. In online discussions generated by the viral video, many people pointed out that fact as a sign of women against women’s oppression, which just underlined that these unachievable messages are so deeply entwined in our culture that many refuse to even try to see the roots.

However, I felt that in reality, the video was just drawing a picture of an enormous pressure that women are carrying alongside with hundreds of other duties every day and that most of the men can’t understand.

Even though the piece was criticized for not opening up the topic and not offering ways out of these double binds (which I believe wasn’t its goal at all), it definitely carries weight.

The first time I watched it, it made me pause, then watch it again, than read the words. The life consisting of these phrases was dancing in front of my eyes with moments when those words hurt or when I managed to ignore or resist them, slowing down in that stream. And then I recalled that one lunch last year, when all these messages scattered as a house of cards and almost didn’t exist anymore, at least for some time.

It was the Women of Today Awards luncheon here in Estevan, the event that’s been happening for many years and that’s coming up again next month. That’s the event, where women step forward and break the sky-load of the pressure for many by their own examples, experiences and life paths, in which they found the strength to acknowledge the problems and discovered their ways to navigate through these messages. That memory for me became a natural continuation of the discussion started by Be a Lady, They Said.

So if you’ve never been to a Women of Today Awards, or if the video touched you, I would sincerely recommend you to mark April 22 on your calendar.

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Signatures to register Wexit Sask political party are now filed Volunteers for Wexit Saskatchewan, a movement advocating for Western independence, were collecting signatures in Estevan and all across the province at the end of last week to register a new political party.

They needed at least 2,500 people to demonstrate their support in writing. They also had to have a minimum of 100 signatures from 10 different constituencies.

The deadline for signature collection was March 1 at midnight, but the requirements were met by the end of the day on Feb. 29, so by Sunday, Wexit Saskatchewan has filed the registration papers for a Wexit Sask. political party.

Shirley A. Huber, who was volunteering on location in Estevan at the Days Inn, said that it ’s been active and many people showed up to sign the petition. “ We’ve got a good cross-section. We’ve got people that work in the resource industry, oil and gas specifically. We have people that work in mining, the coalmines. We have people that have signed from manufacturing. We have people that have signed the petition from actually every walk of life. People that work in hotels, restaurants, stores. We’ve had services like plumbing and heating.

It’s been across the board,” said Huber.

The signature collection started on Thursday, to exceed the minimum requirements to ensure that even if some signatures will be disqualified they still would have enough support to register a party. “ We p i c k e d t h e s e hours just to be available

Volunteers with Wexit Sask Shirley A. Huber and Lynette Duncan were at the Days Inn accepting signatures when Jay Riedel stopped by to sign the petition. as much as possible before March 1,” said Huber. “Our goal is, of course, to form a political party and push the agenda of asking the voters, democratically, through a referendum if they wish to secede from Canada or remain a part of Canada.”

She noted that when the party is registered, there would be a convention for Wexit Saskatchewan, where a lot of details about its operation and procedures will be worked out.

The Western separation movement is not new.

The party’s motto, The West Wants Out, summarizes the main ideas of Wexit.

Their platforms are economic liberty, social stability and western sovereignty.

They advocate for the freedom to pursue legal means of income, unburdened by taxation unrelated to essential government services or regulation that is not objectively designed to prevent a public hazard. They push for the advancement of policy, legislation and civil structures that protect and

enhance the health, safety and well-being of all Western Canadians while limiting and removing entities that undermine this objective. They also promote the recognition and practice of western Canadians enjoying the rights and privileges of national sovereignty through sole governance and legislation of the affairs of the land, waters, mineral and other natural resources of Western Canada, in addition to the economic and social structures that apply to Western Canadians.

The movement states that the imbalance comes from unequal representation with the East being able to push its way despite that no Liberal MPs were elected for over 2,000 kilometres during the federal election in October 2019.

They fight against Quebec receiving money through the equalization program.

They also talk about the western advantages that could be used for local, and not Eastern economic success and progress.

Similar movements in B.C., Alberta and Manitoba are currently gaining support and working on registering parties.

“Western Canada is currently sitting on trillions of dollars of rich resources – economic opportunities that have been dictated and socially manipulated by eastern governments.

While AB/SK are landlocked provinces (as they remain within Canada), a secession would allow our new independent nation to exercise the U.N. agreement of landlocked states to access tidewater,” says the Wexit pamphlet.

“However, through MB/B.C. secession, interprovincial free trade would bring further prosperity to our Western nation without need for international law.”

Ideas of Wexit were discussed in Estevan in July 2019, when former MLA and MP Allen Kerpan invited the community to join him in a discussion of the future of Saskatchewan and Western Canada.

One person arrested in drug bust One person has been charged with drug and firearms offences after being arrested in the city last week.

According to a news release from the Estevan Police Service (EPS) on Feb. 24, the Drug and Intelligence Unit conducted an investigation into individuals believed to be trafficking cocaine and other street level drugs within the city.

On Feb. 20, as a result of this investigation, members of the EPS Drug

and Intelligence Unit, the Criminal Investigation Unit and Patrol Unit conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in east-central Estevan.

During the traffic stop, two males were arrested and taken into custody without incident.

A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of cocaine and items used for the sale and distribution of illicit drugs. The vehicle was subsequently seized as offence-related property.

A short time after the

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traffic stop, EPS members executed a search warrant at a residence associated with the driver of the vehicle, during which time a quantity of Canadian currency and two firearms were seized.

The 34-year-old passenger of the vehicle and a 20-year-old woman who were also arrested during the investigation were subsequently released without charge.

As a result of the investigation, 21-year-old Chase Jordan Velestuk

has been charged with one count of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and trafficking cocaine, and two charges each of possession of a weapon for a purpose dangerous to the public and breach of a firearms probation.

Velestuk was remanded in custody for court Feb. 24 and made a second appearance in Estevan Provincial Court on Feb. 27 to speak to the matter.

No further details were released.

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Preparation for annual fundraiser has started It’s still early, but the preparations for the Radiothon for Life, one of the biggest fundraisers for the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation, have already started.

“We are really excited to bring back this event.

It ’s always been a huge success in purchasing our equipment and we are just really excited to get it all started,” said Breanne Van de Woestyne, St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation executive director.

This year the foundation has teamed up with the Beefeater Catering Company for a workshop series. There will be four different classes, and proceeds will be added to the Radiothon total.

Estevan schools are also already getting involved, and St. Mar y ’s School held their campaign they do every year in support of the Radiothon.

Van de Woestyne noted that it’s always good to know that they have that support from the community.

Currently, the foundation is working alongside the hospital staff to come

up with the list of needed equipment.

“That’s still in preparation, but other than that we are just excited to start launching our campaign and start raising money for a good cause,” said Van de Woestyne.

There will be a few changes to the traditional fundraiser this year. First, the foundation decided to focus on all types of care people need close to home, and for that reason, they agreed to have not one, but many faces for Radiothon.

“This year we are focusing on the care you need close to home. So it’s all the services that we are able to offer for all of the southeast Saskatchewan here in our hospital. Whether it’s chemo treatment or delivering babies, or a stroke clinic, we are very, very lucky to have the services we have here, so this year we will be focusing on a broader view of the patients and the families that have been affected. So we’ll be having 10 or 15 faces this year, instead of one,” said Van de Woestyne.

She added that the list is not finalized yet, so if

Breanne Van de Woestyne, St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation executive director anyone has a story to share they are welcome to call the office.

“It’s just a great way to celebrate not only healthcare and services that we have here but the community and the healthy experiences that they had in our hospital and how it does affect people from all areas and all walks of life.”

Besides, the organizers are trying to add a couple of activities throughout the

day of Radiothon. They will have a traditional barbeque, supported by Southern Plains Co-op, but they are also considering different ideas to offer other ways for people to come into the hospital and experience Radiothon not just on the radio.

There will be an auction this year. And they are also looking for something in the afternoon that will bring people in as well.

“We are always welcoming anyone. Anyone that wants to help in any way, whether that’s to do fundraising or volunteering or just spreading the word, we are always very grateful for any support that we receive,” said Van de Woestyne. “For the auction, we are looking for four or five larger items to raise extra funds and just to make it a little more exciting throughout the afternoon. So if any businesses or individuals want to be a part of that and want to donate items, we are always welcoming that support. So they can reach out to us to make some arrangements.”

Some youth ambassadors plan to partake in Radiothon during the day, and after school, all members will come and help to answer phones, work with social media and other tasks.

“They are really excited to be a part of it… They are also fundraising within the school as well leading up to it,” said Van de Woestyne.

It takes about 50 to 60 volunteers to ensure the fundraiser goes smoothly.

Usually, they have three

people running the phones throughout the day taking three-hour shifts.

“Radiothon wouldn’t be anything without the volunteers,” said Van de Woestyne.

Anyone interested in volunteering can call the office or sign up online.

“It’s just a really fun day to be a part of.”

There is no goal set for the fundraiser. Van de Woestyne said that for them it’s about the community support.

“We don’t want to set it to a number or standard, we just want to have a 12hour day on the radio that will really just celebrates the community and celebrate local healthcare.”

On the day of Radiothon, which is April 29, people willing to donate will have an opportunity to do so by calling in. The online donation platform is already set up, so if someone wants to make a donation prior to the event they can go to sjhf.org/ radiothon-for-life/ or mail in their donations.

The Radiothon will air on Golden West Broadcasting’s Estevan stations.

Estevan’s new bylaw officer enjoying her work The new bylaw enforcement officer for the Estevan Police Ser vice (EPS) has been busy in her first few weeks on the job, but she has enjoyed the experience.

S p e c i a l C on s t a b l e Morgan Prentice started on the job in mid-February, and spent time learning the different bylaws, how to enforce them and how to work with the people.

“I’ve always had a passion for emergency response and different aspects of it, and when this position came up, it felt like the right fit for me,” she said.

Last week marked her first time patrolling the street without her training officer, Const. Michelle Beaulieu, who was the bylaw enforcement officer

until 2017. Prentice said Beaulieu was an excellent trainer.

Prentice was also formally introduced to the public at Thursday’s meeting of the Estevan board of police commissioners.

At one time, Prentice worked in bylaw enforcement in Cobourg, Ont., and enjoyed interacting with the public and the exercise associated with the job. Then she was hired for security and emergency response in Port Hope, Ont. Prentice has been in the southeast region since September. She is looking forward to the start of the spring bylaw season, which will keep her busy handling a variety of calls.

Police Chief Paul Ladouceur said Prentice has been doing well so far,

and has proven to be very diligent.

••• The Estevan Police Service (EPS) had a very active start to the year, according to the monthly crime and call volume statistics released at the police board meeting.

The EPS had 738 calls for service in January, an increase of 14 per cent from the 646 calls they had in January 2019.

As for the crime numbers, the biggest increase came through crimes against property, from 21 in January 2019 to 40 this year. The increase is largely due to mischief and willful damage, incidents which jumped from six to 22. Thefts under $5,000 jumped from eight to 13.

The EPS also had two

Special Constable Morgan Prentice is the new bylaw enforcement officer residential break and enters, one break and enter classified as other, one theft

of a motor vehicle and one theft of other motor vehicle.

The EPS also had an increase in crimes against the person, rising from five to eight. The EPS had six assaults in January, along with one assault causing bodily harm and one sexual crime.

Police laid five charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, with three for possession and two for trafficking, compared with one charge of possession a year earlier.

Criminal Code Traffic violations remained at 10, with eight for impaired driving and exceedingrelated offences, the same as January 2019. They also had two for impairment by drug this year.

Ladouceur said they expected to see a call volume increase and that has materialized.

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Elecs came in third in Shoot for a Cure The Estevan Comprehensive School (ECS) Elecs senior girls basketball team claimed bronze in 10th Victor Elias Memorial Shoot for a Cure Invitational basketball tournament that was held at the school’s gymnasium last Friday and Saturday.

ECS and the Lumsden Angels opened the anniversary tournament with a cancer awareness ceremony.

The previous years’ tournaments beneficiaries or their relatives were invited to come out to participate in the event.

All proceeds from the tournament this year will go to Bill Mann.

“The tournament was a success. We had a wonderful turnout for our pink game on Friday, along with an inspiring and emotional ceremony for Bill Mann and the beneficiaries we have helped in the last 10 years,” said Elecs coach Jessie Smoliak.

After pink balloons were let go in honour of those whose lives were affected by cancer, the basketball began.

The Elecs came out strong in their pink game, winning the

first game against Lumsden 97-79.

They advanced in the tournament and played the Notre Dame Hounds in the semi-final, losing the game by two points, 71-69, and then played Weyburn for the fourth time this season.

The ECS team was down 20-16 after the first

quarter, but up 29-26 at halftime.The teams were tied 4444 after three and 64-64 after regulation. After all, Elecs ended up winning 74-67 in overtime and claimed third place in the tournament.

Smoliak noted that all three teams they faced in the tournament were competitive.

Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs curlers returned from regionals with one victory and two losses. It was the first time the team made it so far, and according to coach Mike Keating, they showed a very strong game.

“We had the best time out there in Whitewood,” said Keating. “Really good experience… Kids did amazing. We worked all year to get to regionals. We got there, so everything was fine and exciting.”

A number of teams from the southeast that made it through districts earlier met in Whitewood at the end of the last week.

None of the teams were familiar to the ECS players. “ We played against some of the top teams in Saskatchewan this weekend, definitely an amazing experience,” said Keating.”

In the first game ECS team lost to Regina’s LeBoldus Catholic High School and dropped to B-side, but they recovered during the second game against Greenall High.

In their third game, they faced another Regina team, the O’Neill Catholic High School, and ended up losing, which at that point meant that the tournament was over for them. However, Keating was really pleased with the team’s game and skills.

“My kids couldn’t play better. They were super excited to play the game. I’ve never seen them curl so good,” said Keating, noting that they will continue building up their skills as a team to become even better in the future. “We came up against teams that have been playing together since Grade 9. We came up

against teams that had four Grade 12s on their team, where we have a couple of Grade 10s and a couple of Grade 12s … So we keep playing together next year and they each get better and better every year.”

There are still a few games left in the season, which will wrap up in March. Keating hopes they will continue to see a lot of interest in years to come.

“This year we had a lot of kids come out for curling. We were able to have three teams for curling this year. And hope next year more kids come out, so we can even have more teams next year. It’s such a great program to be in. And for us to stay focused, go bonspiel all year, win districts, move on to regionals were the highlights of the year and it was definitely an exciting year,” said Keating.

Elecs Renee Stephany getting through Lumsden players during the first game.

Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia “Our tournament had all 4A/5A teams so it was a competitive tournament, especially before playoffs.The grade 12s played really well, but everyone had moments of greatness, which was nice to show to our home crowd.”

Winston Knoll was the winner of the tournament, with Notre Dame Hounds

taking the second place.

Smoliak said that successful free throws seemed to be what the ECS team was lacking over these two days.

“We didn’t make our free throws and missed a lot of lay ups in the semi-finals which would have helped us get to the final against Winston Knoll. If we could have made even half of our free throws that would have been a game-changer,” said Smoliak.

The tournament was also a celebration of the senior players as this was their last home tournament.

“At the end of our last game, my assistant coaches and I recognized our grade 12s along with their parents for their dedication and commitment over the years.

Speeches, roses and photos were given out to Talissa Gervais, Taylor Haux, Sarah Dacuycuy and Shanelle Rioux,” said Smoliak.

The last four games of the tournament, each Grade 12 player received a flower for their commitment to their team, just adding a touch as

this tournament would be the last seasonal tournament before playoffs begin on the weekend.

“A very exciting and emotional weekend but so worth the time that was put in to make this tournament a success! Thanks again to everyone who supported, donated and volunteered at the tournament,” said Smoliak extending her gratitude over to Shelia Kobitz, Kristy Jones, Dyan Haux and Kerri Lawson, who were tournament organizers, as well as to the team that has supported the idea of this tournament from the beginning of the season, and to Tanis Savill, Christa Kurtz, Simone Saigon and Melissa Holman, who organized the canteen, and also to this year’s champions Winson Knoll that gave a generous donation.

The ECS Elecs will head out to Yorkton for regionals next weekend.

For more on the ceremony and this year’s beneficiary, Bill Mann, see this week’s edition of Southeast Lifestyles.

ECS curlers had strong showing at regionals

From left, coach Mike Keating, skip Jamison Keating, third Abby Renkas, lead Jessica Haygarth, alternate Hanna Mercer and second Parker Lavoie.

Photo submitted

Atom AA Bruins advance to league semifinals The Estevan Western Star Signature Hotel atom tier 1 Bruins have moved on to the semifinal round in the South East Minor Hockey League’s playoffs.

The Bruins defeated the host Melville Millionaires 5-3 on Feb. 29 to sweep the best-of-three first round series in two games.

After Melville took an early 1-0 lead in Game 2, Jaxson Orsted scored for Estevan to tie the game.

Goals by Broden Henry and Cameron Milbrandt in the second gave Estevan a 3-1

lead after two; Milbrandt’s goal came with 33 seconds to play in the frame.

Boston Tait scored early in the third to add to Estevan’s advantage. Melville scored twice in the final minutes, while Tait added his second of the game late in the game to round out the scoring.

Addison Wanner was in goal.

Estevan was the fourth-seeded team in the league after the regular season, while Melville was fifth.

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The Bruins will play either the Swift Current Broncos or the Weyburn Wings in the semifinals.

••• The Estevan TS&M bantam AA Bruins season came to an end Feb. 28 in an 8-2 loss to the Regina Pat Blues at Affinity Place.

Dec lyn Henderson scored six minutes into the first period to give Estevan a 1-0 lead, but then the Blues notched four unanswered goals to lead 4-1.

Zack McGillicky tallied for Estevan to pull the

Bruins to within two, but the Blues scored four more times to win by six.

Ty Fehrenbach stopped 36 shots in the loss.

The Bruins finished 11th in the Saskatchewan Minor AA Hockey League’s bantam AA South Division this season. The top eight teams make the playoffs.

••• The schedule has been set for the Estevan Apex midget AA Bruins next round in the playoffs.

The Apex Bruins will meet the Yorkton Terriers

in the Saskatchewan Minor AA Hockey League’s midget AA South Division semifinal. Game 1 will be played March 4 at Affinity Place, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Game 2 will be March 7 in Yorkton, and Game 3 is slated for March 8 at Affinity Place, starting at 2:30 p.m.

Game 4, if necessary, would be March 10 in Yorkton and Game 5 would happen March 14 in Estevan.

Estevan reached this round by sweeping the Regina Rangers in three straight in a best-of-five series, while Yorkton needed four games to dispatch of the Regina Vics.

Up to 65% off Mattress Sets Massive Savings on Furniture & Appliances DON’T MISS THIS

is seeking ki nominees i ffor 22020.

Do you know a woman who goes above and beyond the call of duty to make a better, more productive workplace?

Do you know a woman that is an amazing entrepreneur?

How about a young woman that demonstrates leadership qualities and contributes to our community?

Or a woman that makes significant contributions to improving the lives of the citizens of Estevan and area?

Nominate these women to be recognized at the 2020 Women of Today Awards.

Contact: these women to be recognized Nominate fundraisingsoe@gmail.com Women of Today Awards.

400 KING STREET • 306-634-7211

306.421.9610

for a nomination form.

at the 2020

A8 March 4, 2020

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

Welcome visitors to the Curling Masters starting March 12th Come join the fun.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Our Estevan: Community Development Plan Bylaw No. 2020-2019 Public notice is hereby given that the council of the City of Estevan, pursuant to Section 207 of the Planning and Development Act, 2007, will consider adoption of the Our Estevan: Community Development Plan Bylaw No. 2020-2019.

The intent of te bylaw is to provide a comprehensive long-term land use vision for the city that will manage land use through the next decade. The vision is within the framework provided through the planning and development act and the statements of provincial interest regulation. The bylaw may be accessed through the city clerk's office, city web-site or by contacting Land Development Services.

Prior to consideration of this bylaw, a public hearing will be held: Date: Location: Time:

March 16, 2020 Council Chambers, City Hall 6:00 pm

The public hearing is your opportunity to make presentations directly to council. Those unable to attend may submit written comments to the city clerk.

City Clerk, City Hall 1102 - Fourth Street Estevan, SK S4A 0W7 The bylaw may be viewed at City Hall during regular office hours or viewed online at www.estevan.ca

DROP IN RECREATION

AQUATIC SCHEDULE SUNDAY LANE SWIM 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM FAMILY SWIM 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM PUBLIC SWIM 3:00PM - 5:00 PM PROGRAM RENTALS DEEP WATER POWER 8:00 PM - 8:45 PM MONDAY LANE SWIM 6:00 AM - 9:00 AM AQUA AWE 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM PROGRAM RENTALS LANE SWIM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM SURF & SWIM 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM PROGRAM RENTALS AQUA STEP 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM LANE SWIM 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM

PUBLIC NOTICE The council of the City of Estevan pursuant to The Cities Act gives notice of its intention to implement the following: A bylaw to establish the statutory authority to set administrative fees for service within the city of Estevan.

A bylaw to regulate taxi cabs within the City of Estevan identified a taxi bylaw within the City of Estevan.

TUESDAY LANE SWIM 6:00 AM - 9:00 AM AQUA AWE 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM MOM & BABY AQUAFIT 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM LANE SWIM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM SURF & SWIM 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM PROGRAM RENTALS WEDNESDAY LANE SWIM 6:00 AM - 9:00 AM AQUA AWE 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM PROGRAM RENTALS LANE SWIM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM SURF & SWIM 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

On Feruary 10, 2020 meeting the first reading of both bylaws was passed and the final readings is expected to be on March 16, 2020.

The proposed bylaws; fees for service bylaw #2020-2021 and taxi bylaw #2020-2020 may be inspected by any person in the City Cler's Office, on the main level of City Hall, between the hours of 9 am and 4 pm, Monday to Friday.

Dated this 11th day of February, 2020.

Judy Pilloud, 1102 4th Street Estevan, SK S4A 0W7

ESTEVAN LEISURE CENTRE EFFECTIVE February 23- APRIL 9, 2020 PROGRAM RENTALS AQUA STEP 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM LANE SWIM 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM THURSDAY LANE SWIM 6:00 AM - 9:00 AM AQUA AWE 9:00 AM - 9:45AM MOM & BABY AQUAFIT 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM LANE SWIM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM SURF & SWIM 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM PROGRAM RENTALS AQUA STEP 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM PROGRAM RENTALS FRIDAY LANE SWIM AQUA AWE PROGRAM RENTALS LANE SWIM SURF & SWIM LION'S FREE SWIM LANE SWIM PUBLIC SWIM SATURDAY AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE RENTALS LANE SWIM PUBLIC SWIM LANE SWIM FAMILY SWIM PUBLIC SWIM

6:00 AM - 9:00 AM 9:00 AM - 9:45 AM 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM (NOT ON MAR 13) 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM (NOT ON MAR 6) 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (NOT ON MAR 6)

9:30 AM - 11:30 AM 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

HOT TUB & STEAMROOM AVAILABLE

MON & WED - 5PM - 10PM TUE, THU, SAT & SUN - 5PM - 9PM

WEIGHT ROOM MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

9:00 AM - 9:00 PM 6:00 AM - 10:00 PM 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM 6:00 AM - 10:00 PM

FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

6:00 AM - 9:00 PM 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Therapeutic Counselling and Support for Individuals, Families and Couples We help with conflict, violence and abuse such as: Exploring your Options and Partner Abuse • Sexual Assault Cyberviolence • Relationship Breakdown • Grief and Loss Supporting your Decisions Estevan Weyburn Carlyle Oxbow 306-637-4004 306-842-8821 306-453-2405 306-483-5555 We do not subscribe to call or name display. Collect calls accepted www.envisioncounsellingcentre.com

Energy

A9

Chris Hammett Consultant

IG Wealth Management

231 12th Avenue Estevan, SK Cell: 306-461-5425 Office: 306-634-0808

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Natural gas generation could be an option for Estevan

By Brian Zinchuk brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net

Several times during the announcement of $10 million in coal transition money for Estevan and Coronach on Feb. 28, Premier Scott Moe referenced the possibility of natural gas-fired power generation, and specifically spoke of taking advantage of existing transmission line infrastructure.

Asking Moe about that, and what the impact of a carbon tax would be on

such a decision, he replied, “If we’re successful at the Supreme Court of Canada, which I entirely expect we will be after the Alberta Court of Appeal, a carbon tax won’t come into play with a natural gas plant, if it happens to be chosen here.”

If a natural gas-fired power plant were to come to southeast Saskatchewan, what would that mean?

The last decade has seen SaskPower put up or contract a lot of wind turbines, but more significantly, it has put the bulk of its efforts into natural

Designated driver blew over the legal limit Matthew D. Blanchard pleaded guilty in Estevan Provincial Court on March 2 to operating a conveyance with a blood alcohol content in excess of .08.

Blanchard represented himself in front of Judge Anna Crugnale-Reid.

Crown prosecutor Derek Maher said on Sept. 12, 2019, police were monitoring the closing of a bar in Estevan and were in a nearby parking lot.

They saw a pickup leave the bar, stopping for an extended period at a stop sign where the driver appeared to light a cigarette.

The police pulled in behind and eventually stopped Blanchard, who said he was the designated driver.

At first the officer could not detect the smell of alcohol on him, but later did when he was in the back seat of the police cruiser. He failed the roadside screening device and eventually blew .10 and .09, just above the legal limit of .08.

As Blanchard had no prior criminal record, the Crown asked for the mandatory minimum sentence.

The judge asked if Blanchard had anything to say, and he did not. She warned him about being a danger on the road,

cautioning him of higher penalties for subsequent offences.

Crugnale-Reid imposed the mandatory minimum $1,000 fine plus a $300 victim impact surcharge, and a one-year driving prohibition. She told him he could apply for the ignition interlock program.

gas-fired power generation.

This includes expanding Saskatoon’s Queen Elizabeth Power Station in 2015 to 16 units generating a total of 634 megawatts.

Natural gas-fired power generation is also used to backstop wind turbines, for times when there is insufficient wind, or it is too cold for the turbines and they must shut down operation.

Over the past 10 years, SaskPower has contracted 250 megawatts of baseload power generation from Northlands Power at North Battleford, built and recently put into operation the 350-megawatt Chinook Power Station at Swift Current, and decided to go ahead with construction of another 350-megawatt power station at Moose Jaw, to be in service by 2024.

Each 350-megawatt plant will provide enough power to service a city the size of Saskatoon, according to SaskPower’s website.

North Battleford, Swift Current and Moose Jaw are all combined cycle natural

• Souris Valley Pipeline Limited operates a High Pressure Carbon Dioxide Pipeline in Southeast Saskatchewan, a component of the gas is Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S).

• As a member of Sask 1st Call, Souris Valley Pipeline would like to remind you to call Sask 1st Call at 1-866-828-4888.

• Statistics show that a significant cause of pipeline ruptures is due to third party damage.

Midale

the Swift Current Switching Station. In operation, it permanently employs 25 workers, according to SaskPower.

To replace the Boundary Dam Power Station, which currently produces 672 megawatts, would require two units of the size of Chinook. When all six units were operating, Boundary Dam used to produce over 800 megawatts. Units 1 and 2, at 75 megawatts each, were retired before Unit 3, with its carbon capture plant, was refurbished and went online in late 2014. Unit 4 and 5, at 150 megawatts each, are to be retired in 2021 and 2024, respectively. SaskPower and the province have thus far expressed their intention to continue operating Unit 3 and its carbon capture plant, as its reduced emissions are key to a hard-won equiva-

lency agreement for reducing the overall emissions of the rest of the coal fleet.

There are several gas plants in southeast Saskatchewan, now owned by Steel Reef Infrastructure Corp. All of those process associated gas from local oil production and are tied into the TransGas grid.

However, if local gas production is not sufficient, North Dakota’s burgeoning Bakken oilfield could be a nearby source. TransGas’ grid map indicates an international interconnection to the U.S. south of Estevan.

As for a possible location of a natural gas production facility, the Shand Power Station was built with the intention of building a second unit at the later date. That land is still mostly open, with the exception of the Carbon Capture Test Facility.

• Fire Extinguisher Sales, Services & Rentals • Gas Detection Sales, Services & Rentals • Breathing Air Refills & Hydro Testing • SCBA/SABA Equipment Sales & Services • Rentals • Fit Testing • Safety Air Trailers & Safety Personnel • Calibration Gases & Accessories Sales • New & Reconditioned Equipment • First Aid, Eyewash & Burn Kit Services • Signage • Safety Glasses, Gloves & Hearing Protection • Gastec & Rae Pumps/H2S Detection Tubes es

For pipeline safety concerns or emergencies call toll free 1-866-PIPELINE (1-866-747-3546) Before excavating call Sask 1st Call at 1-866-828-4888 for a free locate. www.sask1stcall.com

SOURIS VALLEY PIPELINE LTD. 24 HOUR PHONE SERVICE 1-866-747-3546

SOURIS VALLEY PIPELINE LIMITED 617 Government Road S Weyburn, SK S4H 2B3

Trucking Estevan Ltd.

Drilling Licenses 10 new licenses issued to Monday, March 2 148996 Highrock Resources Hz ...................................................................................................... 10-36-6-6 148943 Vermilion Energy Hz ............................................................................................................. 1-11-1-6 149665 Vermilion Energy Hz ........................................................................................................... 13-34-1-3 148980 Crescent Point Energy Vert ................................................................................................... 2-7-1-12 149623 Tundra Oil & Gas Hz ............................................................................................................. 4-20-1-6 149795 Vermilion Energy Hz ........................................................................................................... 8-31-1-31 149898 Vermilion Energy Hz ........................................................................................................... 8-31-1-31 148974 Crescent Point Energy Vert ................................................................................................... 1-9-1-13 149932 Crescent Point Energy Hz .........................................................................................9-32-5-7149341 Vermilion Energy Hz.......................................................................................................................... 9-26-6-15

Rig Report Ensign Drilling .....................................Torc Oil & Gas ........................................................ 3-15-3-11 Stampede Drilling ..................................Pemoco Ltd.......................................................... 5-15-9-33 Stampede Drilling ................................Torc Oil & Gas .......................................................... 8-32-9-8 Stampede Drilling ............................... Astra Oil Corp ............................................................ 4-5-6-7 Tempco Drilling .................................Vermilion Energy........................................................ 7-8-6-33 Alliance Drilling..............................Crescent Point Energy.................................................. 1-13-7-11 Ensign Drilling ...............................Crescent Point Energy.................................................. 1-14-10-8 Betts Drilling .............................. Burgess Creek Exploration .............................................. 3-10-6-32 Horizon Drilling..............................Crescent Point Energy.................................................. 3-34-5-25 Ensign Drilling ...............................Crescent Point Energy................................................ 14-24-10-8 Horizon Drilling.............................. Ridgeback Resources .................................................. 2-30-10-7 Alliance Drilling................................ Midale Petroleums ...................................................... 2-27-6-7

Authorized Sales & Service & Warranty Centre for:

Troye Carson • 306-421-3603

Phone: 306-848-0206 Fax: 306-848-0293

88 Devonian St. Estevan, SK. 634-4041 (24 hr) Fax: 634-4040

140138 136797 147046 90796 147039 147231 148119 147389 145204 146635 137914 147794

gas power plants, which produce roughly half the greenhouse gas emissions of conventional coal-fired power plants.

In addition, SaskPower in 2010 built a less efficient, simple cycle natural gas three-unit peaking plant at North Battleford called the Yellowhead Power Station which generates 138 megawatts. It contracted Northland Power for an 89-megawatt, two-unit facility at Spy Hill, near Esterhazy. It opened in 2011.

T h e p ro v i n c e h ad “pumped the breaks,” on the Moose Jaw plant in mid-2019 when the federal government decided to apply the federal carbon tax on emissions from plants built after 2021. Later in the year, the decision was made to go ahead with Moose Jaw’s plant.

The one-unit Chinook plant cost $605 million and employed 500 people during construction. It also required a 200-kilometre transmission line from the Pasqua Switching Station to

tcarsonsafety@sasktel.net

Preston Majeran • 306-421-6609 pmajeransafety@sasktel.net

Highway 361 West (South Yard), P.O. Box 518, Lampman, SK, S0C 1N0

THE ESTEVAN MERCURY DRILLING REPORT 142789 147786 147671 147469 146631 145599 148287 147613 147048 146441 147079 147413 146898 146397 143962 144497 147409 105329 143184 136797 146342 147125 148961 147822 145440 113362 149437 145981 148949

Horizon Drilling.............................. Ridgeback Resources ................................................ 15-31-10-6 Stampede Drilling ..............................Tundra Oil & Gas ........................................................ 5-20-1-6 Precision Drilling ...........................Crescent Point Energy.................................................. 3-19-10-5 Precision Drilling ...........................Crescent Point Energy.................................................... 2-5-11-6 Precision Drilling ...........................Crescent Point Energy.................................................. 1-22-10-6 Ensign Drilling .....................................Torc Oil & Gas .......................................................... 4-4-2-11 Tempco Drilling .................................Vermilion Energy...................................................... 4-31-10-1 Precision Drilling ...............................Vermilion Energy...................................................... 9-31-1-31 Stampede Drilling ............................. Tundra Oil & Gas ....................................................... 4-13-1-7 Precision Drilling ...........................Crescent Point Energy.................................................... 2-21-8-5 Trinidad Drilling ...................................Torc Oil & Gas .......................................................... 9-22-4-9 Panther Drilling..................................Vermilion Energy........................................................ 9-13-1-1 Stampede Drilling ........................... Tundra Oil & Energy ..................................................... 4-20-1-6 Precision Drilling ............................Whitecap Resources ................................................... 8-17-6-12 Precision Drilling ............................Whitecap Resources ................................................... 14-9-6-12 Stampede Drilling ..............................Vermilion Energy...................................................... 7-20-2-14 Savanna Drilling ................................Vermilion Energy...................................................... 3-11-11-7 Betts Drilling .............................. Burgess Creek Exploration .............................................. 8-27-6-31 Stampede Drilling ..................................Pemoco Ltd.......................................................... 9-21-9-33 Stampede Drilling ..................................Pemoco Ltd.......................................................... 5-15-9-33 Alliance Drilling..............................Crescent Point Energy................................................ 16-15-7-10 Trinidad Drilling ...................................Torc Oil & Gas ........................................................ 13-26-4-9 Panther Drilling..................................Vermilion Energy...................................................... 13-34-1-3 Vermilion Energy ...............................Vermilion Energy...................................................... 5-34-6-15 Stampede Drilling ................................ Astra Oil Corp ........................................................ 10-11-5-6 Stampede Drilling ..................................Pemoco Ltd.......................................................... 16-31-9-1 Fire Sky Energy...................................Fire Sky Energy ....................................................... 1-34-2-31 Ensign Drilling ...............................Crescent Point Energy...................................................... 2-6-9-9 Panther Drilling..................................Vermilion Energy........................................................ 1-11-1-6

People A10

104 - Hwy. 47 South, Estevan, SK 306-634-5588 Bay #1 - Hwy. 13, Carlyle, SK 306-453-2519

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

WWW.FLOORSTOREESTEVAN.CA

Revamped Bruin fundraiser proved to be popular draw The Estevan Bruins revamped their biggest fundraiser of the year, and it proved to be a popular attraction with supporters of the club.

The Bruins held a medieval feast and stand-up comedy night Thursday at the WylieMitchell building, with approximately 350 people in attendance.

Traditionally the Bruins have held a sportsman’s dinner as their top fundraiser, with a speech from at least one prominent athlete serving as the highlight of the evening. But this year they decided to try something different.

It started with the medieval feast, prepared by the 1124 Social House, in which the crowd enjoyed a large meal with foods they could eat with their fingers.

Then there was a live auction with 10 items that raised an estimated $16,700 for the hockey club. The top-selling item was an Aurora Houseboats Tour of Tobin Lake for eight people that brought in $3,100.

A silent auction was also a popular part of the evening.

The event ended with a performance by the Don’t Mind Us comedy duo. They kept the crowd laughing with stand-up comedy performance that often involved audience participation, and even incorporated a few members of the Bruins.

Proceeds from the evening will be directed to the Bruins organization.

Mason Strutt (23) and Tory Hamilton (28) helped the Don’t Mind Us stand-up comedy duo entertain the crowd during the Bruins fundraiser.

Preparations are underway for Coal Country Run It might be a couple of months away, but preparations are already well under way for the Coal Country Run. The 13th annual fundraiser will take place May 9 at 10 a.m., using a route in and around Woodlawn Regional Park. There will be five-kilometre and 10-kilometre runs and walks for the public to choose from, along with the mini-mile for children.

Rotary Park will serve as the start-finish area.

Debby Knight, who organizes the event alongside Peggy Rohatyn, said they have received some registrations already, and they have some good support from sponsors.

It is a timed event, and there will be awards in six different age categories for both males and females.

Also back for this year will be the wellness expo at Rotary Hall, in which vendors can come and sell their products that

are health and wellness related. It ’s free for the vendors and for people who attend.

“We’ve got quite a few vendors who are interested in coming to it this year,” said Knight.

Proceeds from the Coal Country Run will be directed to Fresh Air Fitness, the outdoor fitness site at Woodlawn Regional Park that Knight and Rohatyn opened back in 2017.

“Since we started back in 2008, it’s always been our purpose that the fundraising goes back to the community, and we’ve always given all of our fundraising back, and it’s usually to different things pertaining to health and wellness.”

The support shown for the Coal Country RunWalk and the Run the Course, which Knight and Rohatyn held in October at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Course, raised

Peggy Rohatyn, left, and Debby Knight participated in a cheque presentation from the Coal Country Run to Fresh Air Fitness. Photo submitted $10,000 for Fresh Air Fitness last year. With the money, Fresh Air Fitness was able to purchase a donor sign, an aerial yoga apparatus to offer different types of classes, and an

upper body strength apparatus to meet the needs of those looking to build their upper-body strength.

The donor wall was important, she said, so they could salute all those

who have helped make the facility possible.

“Our intention there is to keeping adding and to keep growing and keep maintaining, and just try to facilitate all different

abilities and interests,” said Knight.

Knight and Rohatyn also had a Community Hero Challenge during the Run the Course that attracted members of the Estevan Police Ser vice, Estevan RCMP, Estevan Fire Rescue Service, Estevan Emergency Medical Services and the Canada Border Services Agency, in support of the United Way Estevan.

They have also started a $500 scholarship for a graduate of the Estevan Comprehensive School who is looking to enter a wellness-related career.

Early bird pricing for the Coal Country Run will be in effect until March 15.

The participation fee will then increase, and it will go up again April 15. The price will remain the same until race day.

Knight said they want to have as many people register as quickly as possible.

BUSINESS SERVICES LEGAL

AUDIOLOGIST

Barristers & Solicitors

Paul Elash Q.C. Aaron Ludwig, B.Sc., LL.B. Genevieve Schrader, B. Mgt., J.D.

“Your ears deserve an audiologist” #5 - 418 Kensington Ave. (Across from Walmart)

306-636-EARS (3277)

JACQUIE MVULA M.S., R. Aud. Audiologist/Owner

www.suncountryhearing.com

PLUMBING

Gainsborough: Thursday a.m.

Carnduff: Thursday p.m.

1312- 4th Street, Estevan, SK S4A 0X2

P. 306-634-3631 • F. (306) 634-6901 • www.kohalyelash.com

POLITICIAN

Call 306-634-3333 Or Rob 306-421-0144, Stan 306-421-3161

05 /RFN . H\ *·V 24/7 Service

• Auto • Home • Office

- Dead Bolt Locks Installed - Locks Mastered Keyed & Keyed Alike - Emergency Locksmith Services - Restricted Keyway

Home of the 15.00 lock

$

306.471.0741 or 306.461.5196

COMMERCIAL PRINTING

WE PRINT

Stan’s Plumbing & Heating Providing Estevan and surrounding area with plumbing, heating & cooling products and services for 60 years!

LOCKSMITH

Lori Carr, MLA Estevan Constituency Office

306.634.7311 loricarrmla@sasktel.net

Business Cards • Posters Flyers • Ticket Book Cheques • Programs and more 306.634.2654

Classifieds A11

with a variety of cleanse options Bring in your own bags and containers!

Coming EvEnts

BIG RIVER FISH DERBY on Cowan Lake.

SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2020

Maurice Monteyne 2017 It has been 3 years since you’ve passed, dear Maurice, Since you were called away; How well do I remember, That sad and weary day.

Suffering much, you murmured not, We watched you day by day; We prayed that your dear life, Would not be taken away.

Forever in our hearts Clark & Robin McClelland

Card of Thanks Thank you The family of Daryl Kolke would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to Dr. Zarkovic (Allan Blair Centre, Regina), Dr. Sabry (Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon) and Dr. Krickan (St. Joseph’s Hospital, Estevan) for all the care of their beloved Husband, Father and Grandfather. A special Thanks to the chemo nurses and homecare nurses for their excellent care and compassion throughout Daryl’s illness. We would also like to thank our friends and family for the gifts of food, flowers, gift cards, pictures and donations and for all the telephone calls, home visits and support during and after this battle with cancer. We want everyone to know they are loved and appreciated.

Berva, Jeff, Pam and families

For info visit: www.bigriver.ca or email: krienkemaisie @sasktel.net To register call: 306-469-7990

HealtH ServiceS

Estevan Shoppers Mall • 306-634-9577

GET UP TO $50,000 from the Government of Canada. Do you or someone you know Have any of these Conditions? ADHD, Anxiety, Arthritis, Asthma, Cancer, COPD, Depression, Diabetes, Difficulty Walking, Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowels, Overweight, Trouble Dressing...and Hundreds more.

ALL Ages & Medical Conditions Qualify. Have a child under 18 instantly receive more money. CALL SASKATCHEWAN BENEFITS 1-(800)-211-3550 or Send a Text Message with Your Name and Mailing Address to 306-992-5527 for your FREE benefits package.

Wanted

HealtH ServiceS Feed & Seed

Advertisements and statements contained herein are the sole responsibility of the persons or entities that post the advertisement, and the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association and membership do not make any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness or reliability of such advertisements. For greater information on advertising conditions, please consult the Association’s Blanket Advertising Conditions on our website at www.swna.com.

The Disability Tax Credit allows for $2,500 yearly tax credit and $20,000 Lump sum refund.

Take advantage of this offer.

Apply NOW; quickest refund Nationwide!

PROVINCE-WIDE CLASSIFIEDS. Reach over 550,000 readers weekly. Call this newspaper NOW or 306-649.1405 for details.

Expert Help:

1-844-453-5372

Wanted to buy WANTED Private collector working in area looking for Antique firearms, knives & native beadwork.

Would buy single pieces or entire collections.

Call 1-613-223-9425

is currently accepting applications for

LIKE US ON

• Required Immediately

Duties include:

• Assembling and installing modular components Send, fax, e-mail or drop off resume to:

E

S

SHELTER

Box 845 #200 Hwy. 18 West, Estevan, SK S4A 2A7 Fax: 306-634-7597 jobs.shelter@gmail.com www.shelterhomes.ca

The Estevan Mercury is seeking a

SALES REPRESENTATIVE to join our team.

The successful candidate will be: • • • • • •

Friendly, Confident, Outgoing And Driven Able to Work with Little Supervision A Team Player Interested in Helping Local Businesses Able to Multi-Task Calm and Able to Work In a Fast Paced, Deadline Driven Environment

We offer Flexibility, Attractive Compensation packages and the opportunity to sell many print and digital products.

We are also willing to train the right person, No Experience Necessary.

Are you our Newest Team Member?

Email resume to dtarnes@estevanmercury.ca with a cover letter and references.

WANTED: OLD TUBE AUDIO EQUIPMENT. 40 years or older.

Amplifiers, Stereo, Recording and Theatre Sound Equipment. Hammond Organs, any condition.

CALL Toll-Free 1-800-947-0393.

For Sale - MiSc

Other medical conditions causing TROUBLE WALKING or DRESSING?

SRI HOMES’ Estevan Facility SHELTER HOME SYSTEMS

M

GREAT PRICES on new, used and re-manufactured engines, parts and accessories for diesel pickups. Large inventory, engines can be shipped or installed. Give us a call or check us out at www.thickettenginerebuilding.ca Thickett Engine Rebuilding.

PH 204-532-2187 Russell, MB

Career OppOrtunities

Currently accepting applications for CROP HAIL ADJUSTERS for the 2020 hail season.

(July - October) Semi-retired or retired this job is for you!

Competitive salary, all expenses & mileage paid, health spending account and pension plan. We provide extensive training using our industry leading crop hail adjusting program.

Late model, clean CAT, JD equip: winch, dump, gravel trucks and trailers. Both camp and shop locations; R & B provided.

Wage negotiable.

Clean drivers abstract a must.

Send resume and work references to: Bryden Construction Box 100, Arborfield, Sk. S0E 0A0; Fax: 306-769-8844 Email: brydenconstruct@ xplornet.ca www. brydenconstruction andtransport.ca Needed for a summer operated crusher. Perfect for individual looking for seasonal contract or for semi-retired. Very good compensation. Adrian 250-486-0006

Crews called to collision Nobody was injured in a three-vehicle collision north of Estevan on Feb. 26.

Just before 9 a.m.,

members of the Estevan Fire Rescue Service, the Estevan RCMP and the Estevan Emergency Medical

CAREERS JOB POSTING Job Title: Journeyman Millwright Location: South East Saskatchewan Job Overview The successful candidate will be responsible for supporting the Millwright/ mechanical function to Kingston Midstream and provide technical expertise for the gathering system, to optimize production processes and eliminate operational downtime.

Position Responsibilities • Perform preventative and repair maintenance to a wide variety of mechanical equipment such as motors,production equipment and machines to ensure it is in good working order.

• Complete all maintenance record keeping and ensure all related maintenance information is available and documented in Azzier.

• Ensure all maintenance work is performed safely, and in accordance with statutory and company regulations and good engineering practice; ensure all safety training is complete.

• Assist in the continuous improvement of Kingston Midstream’s Preventative Maintenance program.

• Liaison with various groups with the commissioning of new facilities to meet in service dates.

• Recognize abnormal operating conditions and perform tasks to resolve the condition.

• Perform system/equipment improvements as well as research and test new equipment.

• Respond to emergency situations, providing on-call services for after hour requests to repair failed equipment.

Skills and Qualifications • Journeyman Red Seal/Interprovincial Industrial Mechanic Certificate • High school diploma or GED required • Possess strong interpersonal, team work and communications skills required • Positive attitude towards safe work practices and safe driving habits • Strong Computer skills • Understanding of technical drawings • Proven analytical skills for problem solving • Possess valid Class V drivers’ license and a clean drivers’ abstract We thank all interested candidates; however, only qualified candidates will be contacted, please submit your resume to Careers@kingstonmidstream.com Closing Date: March 8th

Heavy Duty Mechanics, Dozer Operators and 1A Drivers required:

Email: dtiefenbach@smhi.ca for application form and job overview.

306-569-1852 ext 170.

Note: Candidates must be legally entitled to work in Canada without sponsorship.

Deadline to apply is March 16, 2020

Career OppOrtunities

Parts & accessories

Two Year Old Black Angus Bull Sale March 20, 2020. Wawota, SK. 306-577-9141. www.gbtangus.com

PRODUCTION WORKERS

Auctions Mack Auction Co. presents a land auction for Terry Payton. Thursday April 2, 2020 @ Stoughton Legion Hall @ 7:00 p.m. 2 quarters of pasture with surface lease revenue!

This land has been previously broke and farmed and returned to grass. Parcel #1 NW-11-10-07-W2 RM OF GOLDEN WEST #95; 160 Titled Acres, FVA 139,300, Taxes $350.73, Perimeter Fence, Dugout, Surface Lease Revenue $2000.00 (Ridgeback) Parcel #2 NE-11-10-07-W2 RM OF GOLDEN WEST #95; 160 Titled Acres, FVA 124,600, Taxes $340.32, Perimeter Fence, Surface Lease Revenue $6200.00 (2 Leases with Ridgeback) Visit www.mackauctioncompany.com or call 306-421-2928 or 306-487-7815.

Mack Auction Co. PL 311962

Farm ServiceS

CAREERS

O

LAND FOR SALE

CALL FOR VENDORS - Fort Qu’Appelle Trade Show & Sale.

April 18-19, 2020. Fort Qu‚‘Appelle RecCentre. Contact Tammy at 1-844-GNG-NEWS (ext. 222) or email accounts@grasslandsnews.ca, webpage www.forttradeshow.com

HIP/KNEE Replacement?

Going Plastic

FREE

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

In MeMorIaM

H

Detox + Recharge

Services were called to the incident, which occurred on Highway 47 just north of the access road for the Estevan Regional Airport.

A southbound pick-up truck crossed over into the centre lane and struck two northbound vehicles.

“Crews did arrive on scene to indeed find three vehicles with debris littered throughout the highway, so we established traffic control measures immediately for the safety of everyone, including the emergency responders,” said Fire Chief Dale Feser.

No entrapment occurred due to the collision, and nobody was injured.

“EMS treated and released everybody at the scene,” Feser said.

The collision involved a one-tonne flat-deck truck, a half-tonne truck and a onetonne hauling a gooseneck trailer with some oilfield supplies strapped to it. One vehicle was carrying some dangerous goods, but none of the containers leaked any fluids.

One of the vehicles had to be towed from the scene.

Traffic was affected for some time, but was back to normal later that morning.

Feser said people obeyed the traffic control measures in place.

Always Remember To Recycle Your Old Newspapers

A12 March 4, 2020

BEST OF ESTEVAN – 2020

RULES: - Fill in your favourite local business/service name on the lines below.

- A minimum of 25 categories must be filled in.

- Every ballot with 25 categories filled in will be entered to win $100 cash.

- Forms must be submitted by March 6, 2020.

- Drop forms off at The Estevan Mercury, 68 Souris Avenue.

- Only forms filled out on newsprint will be accepted.

Businesses that receive the most votes in their category will be declared the ESTEVAN MERCURY’S READER’S CHOICE BEST OF ESTEVAN. AUTOMOTIVE Auto Body Repair _________________ Auto Glass _______________________ Auto Parts ________________________ Car Dealership (new) ______________ Car Dealership (used) ______________ Car Wash ________________________ Gas Station ______________________ General Auto Repair _______________ Oil/Lube Change _________________ Tire Shop ________________________ BEAUTY Body Piercing_____________________ Botox ____________________________ Cosmetics ________________________ Eyelash Extensions ________________ Hair Salon _______________________ Laser Hair Removal ________________ Manicure/Pedicure ________________ Skin Care ________________________ Tanning Salon ____________________ Tattoo Artist ______________________ Teeth Whitening __________________ Waxing __________________________ BUSINESS & SERVICES Accounting Firm __________________ Advertising Specialties _____________ Ag Machinery Sales _______________ Ag Machinery Service _____________ Alterations _______________________ Auction Company _________________ Bulk Fuel Supply __________________ Communication Systems ____________ Computer Service _________________ Convenience Store ________________ Day Care Service _________________ Dry Cleaner ______________________ Engraver _________________________ Equipment Rental __________________ Home Made Business ______________ Insurance Company _______________ Investments _______________________ Lawyers __________________________ Local News ______________________ Locksmith ________________________ Hotel ____________________________ Pet Grooming_____________________ Pet Boarding _____________________ Photographer _____________________ Print Shop ________________________ Real Estate Company ______________ Realtor___________________________ Senior Housing ___________________ Self Storage ______________________ Skate Sharpener __________________ Travel Agent ______________________ Veterinarian ______________________ Web Design ______________________

ENTERTAINMENT Billiards/Pool _____________________ Campground _____________________ Christmas Party ___________________ Class ____________________________ Date Night _______________________ Driving Range ____________________ Family Fun _______________________ Fun for Kids ______________________ Girls Night Out ___________________ Golf Course ______________________ Karaoke Bar ______________________ Local Event _______________________ Lounge __________________________ Playpark _________________________ Summer Fun ______________________ Tourist Attraction __________________ Thing To Do ______________________ HEALTH & WELLNESS Audiologist _______________________ Chiropractor______________________ Dentist ___________________________ Fitness Centre_____________________ Massage Therapist ________________ Optometrist_______________________ Pharmacy ________________________ Personal Trainer ___________________ Vitamin/Supplements ______________ Weight Management ______________ RESTAURANTS Overall Restaurant_________________ Asian Cuisine_____________________ Bakery___________________________ Breakfast _________________________ Buffet ____________________________ Catering ________________________ Chicken Wings ___________________ Chicken _________________________ Cup of Coffee ____________________ Deli Sandwich ____________________ Dessert __________________________ Family Restaurant _________________ Fast Food ________________________ Fine Dining _______________________ Hamburger _______________________ Ice Cream ________________________ Liquor Store ______________________ Organic Food ____________________ Outdoor Patio ____________________ Pasta ____________________________ Pizza ____________________________ Steak ____________________________ Sushi ____________________________ HOME & GARDEN Building Centre ___________________ Carpet Cleaner ___________________

Cleaning Services _________________ Concrete Contractor _______________ Duct Cleaning ____________________ Electrician ________________________ Exterminator ______________________ Fireplaces ________________________ Floor Covering ____________________ Garden/Greenhouse ______________ General Contractor ________________ Home Improvements _______________ Hot Tubs _________________________ Kitchen Renovations _______________ Landscaping ______________________ Lawn Service _____________________ Lighting __________________________ Painter ___________________________ Paint ____________________________ Plumber __________________________ Roofing __________________________ Windows ________________________ Window Coverings ________________ Oil Industry Drilling Company _________________ Equipment Rentals _________________ Hotshot __________________________ Oilfield Construction _______________ Oilfield Hauling ___________________ Oilfield Trucking __________________ Safety Services ___________________ Service Rig Company ______________ Supply Store______________________ SHOPPING Appliances _______________________ Art ______________________________ Bikes ____________________________ Cellular Phones ___________________ Gift Shop ________________________ Computers _______________________ Drug Store _______________________ Electronics _______________________ Eye Glasses ______________________ Fresh Produce ____________________ Furniture _________________________ Grocery _________________________ Jewelry __________________________ Mattresses _______________________ Meat/Deli________________________ Medical Supplies__________________ Mens Clothing ____________________ Office Supplies ___________________ Pet Supplies ______________________ Shoes ___________________________ Sporting Goods ___________________ Toys _____________________________ Women’s Clothing _________________

ALL SUBMITTED FORMS WILL BE ENTERED TO WIN

$

100

Cash.

Name:__________________________________ Phone Number: __________________________ Winners will be announced in the March 25 Estevan Mercury and on estevanmercury.ca.