Estevan Mercury 20200415

AURIEL BILL

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Reflects on her senior season A6

Plans in place for 2020 A10

Issue 51

SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240

ESTEVAN’S

SOURCE FOR LOCAL & REGIONAL NEWS

Family grateful for support after house fire

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

Socials might be turning into a thing of the past, but the core idea of the community support and community spirit remains a part of the Prairie DNA. At least it was the case for Melissa MacKenzie and her family, whose house burned down last week.

The fire department received a call about a fire at the south-west side of the city at 10 p.m. on April 8. The initial report stated that it was an outdoor fire, however, dispatchers rapidly upgraded it to a structure fire. Mackenzie, her husband and their five kids were in bed when the neighbour alerted them about the emergency. The family quickly made it outside and were also able to safely bring their two dogs out.

McKenzie said firefighters arrived on the scene in a matter of moments after the 911 call.

At that time the backside of the house and the adjusting garden shed were already on fire. It took firefighters a considerable amount of time to bring the fire under control.

“There definitely were some challenges with this one, as we were dealing with some very high-speed wind conditions as well as a lot of snow and low temperatures icing up the area,” said Fire Chief Dale Feser.

Fe s e r p o i n t e d o u t that the family was able to safely escape in large thanks to the neighbours, one of whom was an offduty RCMP member, who alerted them about the exterior fire that was in very close proximity to where they actually were at that time. “ We want to thank the people who were involved and showed some pretty quick thinking and good reaction time to alert

occupants of the home,” said Feser.

“A great big thanks to an amazing group of people in our community, or neighbours, who came to help us trying to extinguish the fire with their extinguishers. Down at the West Valley Village there we have an amazing group of people. And there were a few that were just unprecedented in reacting.

I really really appreciate that, we really appreciate our neighbours,” said MacKenzie.

MacKenzie also pointed out the great work the Estevan Fire Rescue Service did at the scene.

“I’d like to turn out a great big thank you to Fire Chief Dale Feser and his staff of firefighters who were there within minutes and did such a great job of controlling the fire so fast that we actually are able to salvage some of our stuff,” said MacKenzie.

The fire started by a not extinguished cigarette bud le ft outside. The wind quickly picked up the ambers and spread the fire, getting into the garden shed, into roof lining and then inside the building.

“We definitely want to make sure that everybody is discarding smoking materials appropriately, whether it be an ashcan or whatever the case may be, because it’s still fairly dry out there, so cigarette buds can easily start the fire as it was in this case,” said Feser.

The crews spent a lot of time ensuring that there were no more hotspots lef t, however the next day when the family came back to salvage some of their belongings they noticed some smoke.

So the firefighters were dispatched to the location again to bring smouldering hot spots in attic space under control.

MacKenzie also pointed out the work done A2 » THE

Clap your pans Adele Belanger banged a couple of pans together Thursday evening at the Valley View Heritage building, as part of residents’ tribute to local police and other essential services personnel who have been going above and beyond during the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the Estevan Police Service drove their vehicles through the Valley View parking lot twice. For more on the story, see Page A3. Photo by David Willberg

Domestic calls grow in numbers during COVID-19 pandemic

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

The number of calls related to domestic problems and domestic violence has been up recently.

While it’s impossible to name the exclusive reason to that, isolation due to the pandemic, lack of social activities along with economic challenges and stress they are causing are definitely among the main candidates.

The Mercury talked to Estevan Deputy Chief Murray Cowan about what kind of situation they’ve been dealing with lately.

“A lot of that is due to not only just self-isolation that we see in the news all the time, but it’s more the fact that the socialization aspect … is limited, and people don’t go

out as much and should stay home,” said Cowan.

“When it comes to those things it’s not always berries, of course. A lot of times people are just having disagreements and arguments.”

The Estevan Police Service (EPS), along with other police services across the province and across the country, started noticing the increase in the number of so-called ‘domestics’ about a month ago. Cowan said that there is a strong network between services across the country, so ever since that tendency started, they ’ve been staying in touch with others to find the best ways to assist their communities during these difficult times.

“Members will always try to mediate those situations. Of course, we have

Deputy Chief Murray Cowan to remember that domestic violence or intimate partner violence is something that we have no tolerance for, we are mandated to take zero-tolerance against that, so of course, if there is any violence we certainly

have to and we will act on it,” said Cowan.

Police usually see an increase in domestic problems at the end of winter or beginning of spring, when people start getting A2 » POLICE

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Firefighters prevented a possible disaster with their quick response near Boundary Dam The Estevan Fire Rescue Service (EFRS) was called to fire south of the city on April 8 in the evening.

The call, about an outdoor uncontrolled fire happening near the cabins along Boundary Dam, came in at 7:35 p.m. The strong winds that were shaking Estevan that day raised the danger level for the call.

Crews responded immediately and upon arrival, they found a big debris pile

on fire. However, the situation was a bit different from what they expected.

“It was indeed found it wasn’t an uncontrolled fire.

It was intentionally started,” said Estevan Fire Chief Dale Feser. “But this wasn’t intended to be burning that day. We are suspecting that there were some ashes from a previous burn that the local residents do out there.

It must have gotten stirred up by the high winds and

started the collected material, set to be disposed by fire out there.”

Due to high winds, firefighters had to act as quickly as possible to prevent any ambers from starting an uncontrolled wildland fire.

While crews were able to successfully extinguish the fire and bring it under control quickly, Feser said there was a substantial amount of debris that was on fire and it took firefight-

ers some time to soak down the pile to ensure there were no flames remaining that the wind could spread over to dry vegetation, leading to a more serious scenario.

Firefighters cleared the scene just before 9 p.m.

Another call came on April 10 at about 12:30 p.m. Fire crews were called to an assumed wildland fire that started close to the U.S. border and had the potential to quickly spread due to dry

conditions in the area.

“North Dakota called in to a report of what appeared to be an uncontrolled wildland fire that they figured was on the Canadian side,” said Feser.

Crews responded and were en route to the location, when the RCMP members that were the first ones on the scene found that it was indeed a controlled burn. So the firefighters stood down and

returned to the station.

Outside of their main duties, last week firefighters also assisted other local emergency services in celebrating birthdays of the Estevan residents. The emergency vehicles drove by the houses of people who had their birthdays with their lights on to bring some cheer to them during the times of quarantine and isolation when people are asked to stay home.

Police aim to be problem-solvers during calls « A1 tired of each other after being cooped up inside due to bad weather. The current situation is, to a point, similar to this usual tendency however it has more pitfalls.

In most cases, periods of cooling off, suggested by police members, help people to get through their argument and resolve the problem on their own. But officers are not counsellors, and if the problem is deeper they often cannot provide the support people are seeking.

“Usually we just try to solve the problem at the time, and that doesn’t always mean solving what issues are causing the argument and whatnot. Most times, it relates to a cooling-off period when we want to prevent things from getting worse,” said Cowan.

Sometimes officers ask one of the participants of the argument to leave for some time, depending on the situation.

Often that’s enough, but sometimes the underlying problems require further support and assistance.

“If it’s more than that then officers do and will offer other professional services such as counselling or in some cases if kids are involved, they may involve social services or partnering agencies,” said Cowan. “Our focus isn’t to always just enforce laws, police are community people, and we are problem-solvers as well and certainly we want to solve the issue or try to help to solve the issue because if you don’t more often than not we get called back again.”

The new call may come in on the same night, or next week, but if the problem isn’t resolved there are always high chances of new calls and even bigger problems. Cowan noted that sometimes people that are looking for a solution

to their problem get mixed and expect police officers to find that solution for them. However, in many cases, officers can only help by sending them in the right direction.

Nowadays, when many people are spending unusually long periods of time with their children and spouses, there are even higher chances that the situation may get out of control. Cowan said that if that’s the case, the first thing people should try is stepping aside, allowing each other room to breathe.

If people feel unsafe in a particular situation and they have an option to leave the residence, they should. If they can’t, they should try calling or signalling for help. There are also other organizations people should reach out to before things get out of hand, such as Envision Counselling and Support Centre or mental

health services at the hospital.

“We always encourage people to follow up with those things, because it’s a preventative measure,” said Cowan.

“In certain households it’s not normal that we spend every minute with our family or our spouse, so when we start to spend more times than what we normally would, sometimes frustrations can build. So we have to be able to recognize that and when you start to feel those frustrations, give yourself a time-out. If it means going for a walk, going to the yard, going in a different room or out to the garage … and just give yourself that time away.”

Cowan encouraged people who feel the irritation and frustration building up to seek that self-time and acknowledge the need for it before it turns into a major problem requiring the police intervention.

The community helped with immediate needs « A1 by the Estevan Police Service Sgt. McMillan and his crew, who were on the scene immediately and really helped to comfort the children and did many other things that she was grateful for.

When the fire was finally out, it became obvious that the backside of the house was badly damaged, so the Canada Red Cross placed the family at the Days Inn for a few days.

MacKenzie thanked the hotel, the staff and the Red Cross for organizing everything and making their first days after the tragedy more manageable.

The family was able to salvage most of their clothes and they were really grateful for helping them to make it wearable again. MacKenzie also noted that many people stepped forward offering to provide them with clothes and furniture, which she strongly appreciate. “ We will eventually start rebuilding with furniture and stuff. Salvation Army has reached out to us and said, when we get settled or if we need anything to

let them know, which was amazing,” said MacKenzie, adding that the church she is associated with offered them help as well. “We do have a lot of help.”

W hile some things made it fine through the fire, MacKenzie’s husband’s and son’s prescribed medications melted down. But even before the family thought of anything, Henders Drugs got a hold of them and refilled all the prescriptions adding some games and magazines to the package.

“They were awesome,” said MacKenzie.

The first couple of days after the fire were really rough with many ups and downs, but by the end of the week, the family was doing pretty good and even had a small holiday celebration for their kids.

“Kids are doing really well. We had a little bit of an Easter. We got them a few Easter eggs that we were able to salvage because they weren’t in the back room,” said MacKenzie. “They are very happy that we have a new home to go to so quickly.”

To make these days a bit sweeter for the family Prairie Toons brought them some baked goods for Easter, which MacKenzie sincerely appreciated.

The family plans to go back to the house to see how much of their belongings are still usable. MacKenzie said that so far they have all the necessities, thank for the community support.

A GoFundMe campaign was started on Thursday. As of Monday, the campaign had 61 donors who contributed $3,925 out of the $5,000 goal. MacKenzie said that this money will help them to secure food and also secured the place that they will be moving in soon.

People will leave some furniture at the place where the family will be living at for now, which MacKenzie called “another amazing community contribution.”

“We are doing much better. Thanks to the GoFundMe and the graciousness, and kindness, and caring and loving community we have. It’s been really much easier,” said MacKenzie.

And while the tragedy

West Valley Village residents came together to help a family overcome a serious house fire that occurred in one of the homes last Wednesday. happened just a few days ago, all the community support made these challenging days manageable and more positive for MacKenzie.

“I’m just thankful that my whole family is together,”

said MacKenzie. “I know we are all in hardship right now with the world having COVID-19, and a lot of people aren’t working and for everybody and anyone to reach out like that and donate, I’m

just overwhelmed with the kindness, I really am … It’s been the community that really helped us through this.”

Readers can visit the GoFundMe website to support the family.

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Third Page A3

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Valley View Heritage residents say thanks

By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

Residents of the Valley View Heritage building in south-central Estevan paid tribute to local first responders Thursday afternoon.

The majority of the residents in the senior citizens’ facility gathered on the walkway in front of the building to clang pots and pans while local law enforcement personnel twice drove by in their police vehicles. Officers had their lights and sirens activated.

It was the latest effort by people in Estevan to recognize first responders and other essential services workers.

Darlene Himmelspeck, a resident of Valley View, organized the rally after hearing that a similar event was happening in Regina.

“Everybody has pots and pans. It’s appreciation to the people that are out

there risking their lives like the nurses, doctors and others,” said Himmelspeck.

She believes it’s good for essential services workers to know how much people appreciate them as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The vast majority of the Valley View residents were out on Thursday night, she said, creating the very loud tribute for police officers.

“We have three floors, and I’m sure there are 10 or 12 suites on each floor,” said Himmelspeck.

She’s very happy with the number of people who were out to greet the police, but she would also like to see other people and organizations in the community following the lead of Valley View and others who have held tributes.

Residents were also excited to see the police officers drive through the parking lot with their si-

rens and lights activated, and they were very eager to salute the police.

Without the police, Himmelspeck said it’s easy to imagine what the city would look like.

In addition to the Estevan Police Service and RCMP, Himmelspeck said they wanted to also recognize firefighters and doctors, as well as the nurses who tend to the sick. Others that Valley View would like to recognize are: • People working in grocery stores; • Truck drivers who deliver groceries, since they have to work long hours to make sure there are groceries and other essential supplies; • Employees who make sure the shelves are filled each day; • The Southern Plains Co-op for delivering groceries for free; • Employees who go to work early and open the stores for elderly people; • All the employees

Darlene Himmelspeck was the organizer of the tribute to the police.

who work and care for the sick in the hospital; • Pharmacists who fill the prescriptions for the sick; • Ambulance drivers; • People who deliver

Meals on Wheels; and • The employees of the Estevan Regional Nursing Home.

“If we’ve forgotten anyone who deserves recognition, we apologize.

Thanks from the bottom of our hearts. It wouldn’t be possible without your hard work,” Himmelspeck said.

For a video of the tribute, please visit www. estevanmercury.ca.

Members of the Estevan Police Service drove past enthusiastic residents of Valley View Heritage.

Carol Freundl was excited to show her support.

Hillcrest seeking donations for emergency fund Hillcrest School is seeking donations for its emergency fund, so that it can continue to assist families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The school has an emergency fund set up through its Hillcrest Community Program, and wants to continue to support families even though the school is closed to the public at this time. “ We w e l c o m e a n y support for our families as we shift away from being able to provide support during school hours to helping provide emergency support to families most in need,” the school said in a letter sent to businesses.

Hillcrest has had a breakfast program since 2011 that provides a daily meal to about three-quarters of its student body, and they also provide afterschool programs including a variety of events and clubs in order to expand the opportunities for students.

Last month, the school announced that it would use the funds from its breakfast program, including its allocation from the United Way Estevan, to purchase gift cards to No Frills for families in

need. The breakfast program has been a United Way member agency since 2011.

The school has also maintained the emergency fund for years to help support families during the toughest of times, and they believe this may become one of them for many who may be without resources or support.

“Our emergency fund is now being used to directly support our families. Donations are being converted into grocer y gift cards and distributed to families who may be without at this time,” the school wrote in the letter. “After much consideration, we believe that enabling people to make their own food choices preserves dignity in a time of great stress and anxiety.”

Sara Pippus, the school community liaison

with Hillcrest, said the community has been quick to support the emergency fund.

“But we have also had donations sent to us from other communities because people have heard of what we are doing and want to be able to help in some way. We have funds

coming from businesses, community members, service groups and churches,” said Pippus.

The school has received just under $10,000 in two weeks since opening their emergency fund to accept donations, including the allocation from the United Way Estevan that would have gone to the breakfast club.

“We have served about a third of our families with the total funds and still have families in need on our list,” said Pippus.

The school has a small committee who makes the decisions for who may need help and support.

Committee members include school administra-

Apologies to Elaine Durr: On April 8, 2020, we posted a notice in the newspaper regarding Thomas Durr, and BC Supreme Court Action No. 57493 in Kamloops Registry regarding a Motor Vehicle Accident that occurred on May 26, 2017 in Kamloops. Thomas Durr, born on April 10, 1947, deceased husband of Elaine Durr, is not the person whom we meant to identify. The Thomas Durr that we are looking for has a birth date of about September 22, 1998, making him about 21 years old today.

We apologize for any confusion we caused, and we specifically apologize to Elaine Durr for this confusion.

tion, the school counsellor and Pippus, in consultation with classroom teachers and support. “ We are a smal ler school and tend to work together to ensure we are not missing those who might need help e ven when times are what they were before COVID 19.

We hope to be able to reach as many families as possible. We have reached about a third of our families with support.”

Hillcrest has had an over whelming response

of gratitude and relief from families receiving support, including new families that have not received money from the emergency fund before, but are now receiving help due to circumstances beyond their control.

All donations over $20 will receive a tax receipt if a mailing address is included g on the envelope. Donations can be made to Hillcrest Commu n i t y Pro g r a m , 6 0 9 Rooks Avenue, Estevan, SK, S4A 0B4.

20043SS0

Editorial A4

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Staff

SERVING CANADA’S SUNSHINE CAPITAL Publisher / Marketing Specialist

Deanna Tarnes - dtarnes@estevanmercury.ca

Editor

David Willberg - dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

Editorial Staff: Ana Bykhovskaia - abykhovskaisa@estevanmercury.ca Brian Zinchuk - brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net

Marketing Specialists

Teresa Hrywkiw - thrywkiw@estevanmercury.ca Kimberlee Pushie - kpushie@estevanmercury.ca

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Vaila Lindenbach - vlindenbach@estevanmercury.ca Fay Bonthoux - fbonthoux@estevanmercury.ca

EDITORIAL

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Business support must be done right As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to leave its impact on so many aspects of Canadians’ lives, we’ve seen the federal and provincial government step forward with a variety of programs to help us weather this storm as much as possible.

The feds have passed the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to offer some measure of support to Canadians who have lost their job or income due to COVID-19, and they have also brought in new measures to support small businesses so that they can continue to operate during this tough time.

The province, meanwhile, has brought in its own measures to support small businesses during this time of crisis.

It’s good that we’ve had these different programs introduced so that Canadians have at least some form of income, even if it’s just $500 a week in taxable income that will end after 16 weeks. And it’s also good that businesses are going to receive some support.

But it’s also vital that it be doled out pronto and that it gets to the people who really need it.

Governments, not just those in Canada, aren’t exactly known for their expediency when it comes to delivery programs and services, including money. And they also aren’t renowned for getting the money to the people who truly need it.

Now that the CERB has been approved, the government says it will get the money to people quickly. We hope so, because the people of this country can’t wait for it to get lost in red tape.

This money also can’t wind up in the already deep pockets of CEOs, who don’t need a dime of support during this time.

And while this money is good, the feds still need to come up with something for the energy sector, because it has been suffering considerably in the past few weeks, and it will pay a big role in our economic recovery.

We’re not going to be able to build the pipelines and the refineries that we need right away, so it means the government will have to dole out funds for oil and gas workers.

We’ve speculated how tough this pandemic would be on Canadians, and now we have an answer. More than one million jobs were lost in Canada in March, according to numbers released by Statistics Canada on April 9.

The national jobless rate swelled to 7.8 per cent; in Saskatchewan, it stood at 7.3 per cent.

Some might be surprised that these numbers weren’t worse; after all, we’ve spent the past month hearing about the severity of the economic impact of COVID-19. But we have to remember the jobless numbers were for March. We all know that they’re going to be much worse when we get the April jobs data

in a few weeks.

The various levels of government get the treacherous task of making sure that they have the programs in place to help Canadians: ensure that Canadians have enough money to pay the bills, and find a way for businesses to stay open, if possible, and provide services to the best of their ability.

But we also have to remember that eventually banks will have to collect mortgage payments, vehicle dealerships will have to collect payments, landlords will have to receive rent and municipalities will need property taxes.

You can’t keep putting these off beyond the next few months.

We also have to remember that other areas have been hit much harder than us, including the U.S. and Europe. Our economic recovery is going to be slowed by their ability to emerge from this.

One day, life will return to some semblance of normalcy in Canada and elsewhere in the world. Hopefully most businesses will be able to open again and hopefully most Canadians will be able to return to work.

The government has a role to play in this.

But they can’t operate with a blank cheque, nor can they keep offering all these different subsidies for the long-term, or else it will be future generations of Canadians who will be forced to pay the bills.

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Big news came out on Sunday. After a week of trying, the oil market was supposed to be fixed.

Saudi Arabia and Russia, as part of the OPEC+ group, had gotten everyone to sign on to a 9.7 million barrel per day reduction of oil production for two months.

For those who don’t pay attention to these things, that’s almost exactly the amount Saudi Arabia, itself, was producing before the price war started in early March, and the COVID-19 pandemic took hold worldwide in the weeks to follow.

President Donald Trump posted Monday on social media: “Having been involved in the negotiations, to put it mildly, the number that OPEC+ is looking to cut is 20 million barrels a day, not the 10 million that is generally being reported. If anything near this happens, and the world gets back to business from the COVID-19 disaster, the energy industry will be strong again, far faster than currently anticipated. Thank you to all of those who worked with me on getting this very big business back on track, in particular Russia and Saudi Arabia.”

That’s a big amount. Huge. Unprecedented.

But is it enough?

No. What’s your SUV getting for mileage these days? Mine is getting about three weeks per gallon. Demand in any of the COVID-affected nations has dropped like a stone. Empty highways and empty skies do not empty fuel tanks, nor do they empty refineries’ storage tanks.

What does all this mean for Canada?

The market didn’t think much of it, when it comes to Western Canadian Select (WCS).

That’s the benchmark price for most of our oil production, principally from the oilsands and heavy oil regions. A few hours after Trump posted his comments, WCS was trading for US$3.96, down 43 cents or 9.79 per cent.

So much for an improvement, huh?

With these WCS prices, Canada, and

From the Top of the Pile BRIAN ZINCHUK more specifically Alberta, didn’t need to join any formal agreement of production cuts. The market will do that on its own.

We cannot produce oil, until now our most valuable export, for nothing. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney warned of negative pricing coming. That’s where you pay someone to take your product. We’ve already seen this in recent years in the natural gas market on occasion.

That’s simply unsustainable. We can’t do it.

So you crank everything down, and basically keep the bare minimum going. Reduce oilsands projects to the minimum amount of product to keep the plant operating. Our oilpatch could soon be reduced to the status of a pilot light. A little flame, flickering in the dark.

Canada’s oil production was 4.6 million barrels per day in December 2019. If major oilsands projects shut in, and drilling grinds to a halt, how much is that going to fall? One million barrels per day? Two, even?

The U.S. has already dropped 1.8 million barrels per day, compared to last year.

The impact on drilling in Canada is going to be profound. Last year’s drilling was horrendous, to put it bluntly. Most of the year saw roughly one-third fewer drilling rigs compared to the year previous, and let me tell you, 2018 was no banner year. There was a slight improvement in the first 10 weeks of this year, but that is well and truly over.

Mid-April is always the lowest point for the year, quite literally the middle of spring breakup. But this year spring breakup isn’t going to end with spring. It may not even end with summer. You have got to have a pretty darn

good reason to want to drill when West Texas Intermediate is selling for US$22.39. Expiring mineral rights that require drilling before the lease ends are the only reason I can think of, and even then, it might be better to just give up those rights.

As more than one oil producer has told me, you get your best production in the first few months of a well, so why would you want to drill anything and give away those barrels for nothing?

Drilling for oil is going to all but cease until prices pick up substantially. If you’re a rig hand, you might want to apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).

I would be remiss if I did not point out, again, that despite the Brent oil price also being garbage, it’s still garbage that was trading 8.03x higher than WCS. If we had built the Northern Gateway and Energy East pipelines, we might not be getting the Brent price for our oil, but we’d be getting something a lot better than what we are now.

I am repeating myself because this bears repeating. This, THIS, is what killing those pipelines has meant for us. We’re getting one-eighth of an already abysmal world price for our oil.

So will the giant 9.7 million barrels per day production cuts make a difference? They should, eventually. But it won’t be immediate.

And it won’t be enough, either. It will take time to shut in that much production worldwide.

I don’t think anyone truly knows how much demand destruction has occurred, or when it will be restored. In the meantime, every tank is being filled to capacity, with next-to-free oil.

That will not boost prices anytime soon.

Oil production is going to have to drop a lot more before prices start to come anywhere close to a level we can live with, and that’s going to hurt us all.

Brian Zinchuk can be reached at brian. zinchuk@sasktel.net.

Op-Ed A5

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Wednesday, April 15, 2020

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Ana Bykhovskaia Twenty Lines About…

The window hearts theory Hard times are bringing the best out in people. I can’t talk for the rest of the world, country or even the rest of the province, but I noticed that from week to week I’m becoming more and more proud of the place I live in.

Almost since the very beginning of the pandemic, my weekly agenda started changing. First, all regular activities were cancelled which left us one on one with the COVID-19 topic, desperately looking for other things to cover. But then some amazing things started happening.

All of a sudden, I started noticing posts offering free grocery delivery or free food or supplies packages for those, who may have missed out on getting essentials during that “toilet paper panic” wave.

I knew Estevan is a generous community that does respect the “Give where you live” motto. The city always supported all of its charities, the people here were fast to rally around good causes and raise money for important initiatives.

So when not for profit organizations paused their work, the attention automatically got switched to the most essential one – the food bank. And the food bank in its turn promised that they will continue serving everyone in need.

I talked to them; they say donations keep coming (and hopefully will continue to do so as their client base keeps growing) in different shapes and quantities from cheques to individual cans or boxes of non-perishable food, and people continue giving what they can.

The next new wave I noticed was about gratitude. It started with the hearts campaign. Every other house or business got decorated by one or numerous hearts sending positive messages out and showing all the love people have piling up inside during the times of self-isolation.

When the amount of that love boiled over, people started organizing appreciation activities to show their support and cheer up healthcare and emergency service workers, store staff and truck drivers, anyone who keeps working so others could stay safely at home.

First responders, who are at least as busy as they always are, found time to give love back to the community. They stop by to celebrate birthdays to the strains of sirens and they show that they care in any other possible way.

Then Easter came, and people who do not necessarily have kids of their own went far and beyond to ensure that despite the pandemic the youngest members of the community don’t miss out on being kids and still enjoying Easter the way it’s supposed to be. And while the real egg hunt wasn’t an option, a community-wide virtual activity generated many laughs and great moments for local families.

One may argue that all I’ve described is fluff and easy to do, but further proof for my point came with tragedy. When the local family lost their house to a fire last week, nobody thought twice or was purged by hard times. The community came together and did what they could to help them out through donations, support and all other types of help including pies.

There is a broken windows theory. Briefly, it’s a criminology theory that suggests that visible signs of crime and civil disorder, such as broken windows, create an urban environment that encourages further crime and disorder. I feel in our case, we are creating an opposite phenomenon where kind gestures trigger the inherent goodness in people, creating an unstoppable chain of positive moves that often go beyond local borders. I called it a window hearts theory.

Every week I talk to my family and friends at home and tell them what I get to write about. Not only I feel excited to share my pride with them, but I also see that kind, caring and generous things people do here inspire them, make them smile and make their day a bit brighter.

With all that said, I know that it’s hard for everyone now. We all are anxious, we don’t like the changes and new order, we miss our families, we grief about celebrations that are cancelled, we regret all the events that won’t happen, but we are still strong enough to respect safety measures, thank the workers and do small or big moves to cheer each other up.

So thank you, Estevan, for being so incredibly kind and amazing!

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound The sound of bagpipe music echoed through central Estevan for a few minutes on Easter Sunday, as Angela Clements and a few other local bagpipers performed Amazing Grace in front of the Royal Canadian Legion’s Estevan branch. They braved the cold, windy weather to play the iconic hymn while maintaining social distancing. A small, appreciative crowd gathered to witness the performance, with some watching from across the street, and others listening from their vehicles. The performance was part of a global initiative to show solidarity in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic by playing the hymn on the bagpipes at noon at sites around the world.

Communities need their newspapers, and newspapers need their communities Editor’s note: The following article is adapted by Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association executive director Steve Nixon, adapted from an article by Judy Patrick with the New York Press Association.

From afar, the COVID-19 pandemic is generating news of such terrifying magnitude that it is nearly too overwhelming to comprehend. Millions are suffering and thousands are dying.

Economies are collapsing.

The world seems out of control.

That’s the big picture, which you can learn about from innumerable print, web and broadcast news outlets.

But it’s in the pages of local newspapers that this terrible news hits home.

Through stories of sickness and of death, of brave healthcare workers and struggling small business owners, local journalists are documenting their communities. In communities all over Saskatchewan, dozens of local newspapers are chronicling the challenges town by town, city by city. As the virus spreads beyond other province, the chronicling extends, paper by paper.

In each, above all are the stories of the lives that have been lost, touching tributes to much loved grandfathers and grandmothers, principals and store clerks, police officers and nurses.

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Next come the stories of isolation and loss as the life of a community is put on hold: funerals, weddings, minor baseball, high school grads, senior citizen trips and college graduations. The list goes on and on.

Finally come the tales of generosity and hope, of food drives for the afflicted, of music and art and of the million small kindnesses of one person to another.

Years from now, these stories will be part of the historical record of this pandemic. Right now, however, they serve a far greater purpose: they are helping communities come together to mourn, to support and to hope.To eventually go forward and heal, we first need to understand what is happening to the people we know and the businesses we rely on.

These are the stories that set local newspapers apart from anything you’ll see and read via bigger outlets. Each paper is telling its community’s unique set of stories about death and heroism and struggle. And for communities in crisis, this personalization is key to grappling with this pandemic.

There are practical benefits as well. In times of crisis, local newspapers have long been a clearinghouse of essential information such as phone numbers, emergency food distribution plans, road closures and boil water or-

Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association executive director Steve Nixon ders. Nowadays, with much of this information scattered online, newspapers are adapting and collating.

Take the Grasslands Group that publish the Melville Advance, Fort QuAppelle Times and the Whitewood/ Grenfell Herald Sun, for example. They provided continual updates on the COVID-19 situation both in their printed publications and on their website. They also did stories on how local businesses were being affected by the pandemic, how people were coping and stepping up, and how groups or organizations were doing things to help people through self isolation.

Through their press plant, they also provided an insert filled with information about COVID-19 to help readers know how to prevent and limit transmission.

All of this is how local newspapers bring commu-

nities together. It’s just one reason they’re so important.

While their watchdog role in sustaining our democracy will always be paramount, and one that’s become a crucial part of the ongoing story, this shared commitment to community is shining right now.

Local newspapers care – they always have and always will. It’s what sets them apart from all other media, even Facebook. They will be at the zoning board meeting you care about, at your Canada Day parade and your high school graduation.

They will write about the kindergarten class trip to the pumpkin farm as well as the school budget, food banks for the hungry as well as which takeout joint has the best burgers.

They’ve been around so long it’s easy to take them for granted. But they are in danger, especially now that local businesses that provide crucial advertising revenue have closed.

News really isn’t free.

It’s costly to produce. Reporters, photographers, editors, printers, advertising representatives and support staff deserve and need a paycheque for the work they do. To do that, newspapers need the people in those Canada Day parades and at those school board meetings to subscribe. Now, more than ever, they need their communities.

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Sports A6

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Auriel Bill hopes college career isn’t over

By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

Auriel Bill’s senior season in water polo in the U.S. might have come to an early end, but that doesn’t mean her collegiate sports career is finished.

Bill and her California State University East Bay Pioneers teammates saw the majority of their season cancelled due to concerns with the COVID-19 pandemic.

She believes it was in everyone’s best interests to have the season wrap up early, but it was hard for her, not only because it might mean the end of her collegiate career, but because the Pioneers were coming together as a team.

“We had a remarkable group of girls this season,” she told the Mercury. “We finally had a really good team chemistry – we were doing well in past seasons, but this season it just seemed like everyone was clicking, and things were really starting to come together for us, playing for a common goal.”

The NCAA has decided that those in spring

sports, including water polo, will get an extra year of eligibility, since they didn’t get the chance to play the bulk of their season.

“We’re still waiting on the logistics of that, like scholarships and if you have to take a certain number of classes. There are still a lot of questions up in the air that the NCAA is trying to finalize.”

So it’s not a guarantee that Bill would get that extra year.

“I’m really hoping that I can pursue my education and play water polo for one more year,” she said. “I’m looking into some master’s options right now, and just seeing if something will work out that way. With that hope in mind, I’d like to think my water polo days aren’t quite over yet.”

The Pioneers are the only team she would play for.

“I honestly believe that if somebody would rather go to a different university, maybe, to pursue something else, I like to think they can go anywhere … but I know that if I were going to go for an

Estevan’s Auriel Bill has been a star in water polo for the East Bay Pioneers program. File photo extra year, I wouldn’t play for anybody else,” she said.

The Pioneers were nearing the halfway point of their season. They had one big tournament remaining, and then they would have had the bulk of their conference games.

“Conference games are what determines your placement for the conference championship at the end of the season,” said Bill. “We had actu-

ally played two conference games, but we had a number of them that we still had to play in order to get ranking for the final tournament.”

Tournaments typically dot their schedule at the start of the season. They played a lot of the top eight teams in the country early on, which helped them prepare for the conference championships. The Pioneers goal was to be in the

NCAA tournament at the end of the season.

If they would have kept playing at the level they showed in tournaments, she’s confident they would have won the conference title.

“The fact that it got taken away was really, really disappointing, but it gives the team for next year a lot of momentum moving forward. That ’s going to be the team that goes and wins the conference championship and potentially makes it to the NCAA tournament for Division 1,” said Bill.

She was playing some of her best water polo, too, which is quite an accomplishment for an athlete who has won a number of awards during her four seasons with the Pioneers.

“The coaches were doing endless amounts of work just to prep for this season. Everything was really starting to work out, and we were working out the kinks early on in the season.”

Bill was a couple of assists shy of setting the program’s record for helpers, although she doesn’t

know the exact number. It would have been a source of pride for her, because she views herself as a better playmaker than a scorer.

“Allowing other people to have success that way not only makes me successful and them successful, but the entire team successful.”

She was battling a nagging knee injury when the season was cancelled, so the early end to the campaign has allowed her to start rehabilitating it while tr ying to stay in shape. Classes have shifted online, and school is obviously a priority for her.

“They decided to keep it online until the end of the semester here. I don’t know what the new year will bring for school, whether they keep it online for a little while or not.”

Bill expects to return to Estevan in the next few days, which means two weeks of self-isolation mandated by the provincial government for those returning from other countries. School will remain her focus, because final exams are right around the corner.

Former Bruin wins national award in the U.S. A former captain of the Estevan Bruins has won a prestigious award in the U.S. Defenceman Nolan Nicholas, who has wrapped up his fourth and final season with the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) Seawolves, has been selected as the 2019-20 Senior CLASS Award winner for NCAA Division 1 men’s

hockey. The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division 1 men’s hockey coaches, national hockey media and fans, is given annually to an outstanding senior student-athlete.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total

student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be in their senior year and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: classroom, community, character and

competition.

“To even appear on a list with such committed students, talented hockey players and exceptional citizens is truly humbling,” said Nicholas, who served as a Seawolves captain and played in all 36 games during the 2019-20 season. “I truly tried every day to put everything I could into my experience as a University of Alaska Anchorage studentathlete.

“The opportunity gave me lessons in determination, perseverance, dedication and teamwork that I will carry for the rest of my life. The experience of playing the game I love, in a place I never in a million years thought I’d ever call home, all while receiving a first-class education, has

profoundly impacted me.

“The support I received along the way from coaches, teammates, friends and family has been instrumental in this achievement, and I am forever indebted.”

Nicholas, 24, hails from Thunder Bay, Ont. He joined the Bruins for the 2013-14 season and quickly became a fan favourite with his physical play, work ethic and community involvement. He was also named the team’s captain for the 2014-15 season, even though he had one more year of junior eligibility after 2014-15.

In his two seasons with the Bruins, Nicholas had had four goals and 23 points in 95 games.

Nicholas joined the Sioux Falls Stampede of

the United States Hockey League for his final season of junior hockey, and parlayed his performance with the Stampede into an NCAA scholarship.

D uring his time at UAA, Nicholas had a 3.84 cumulative grade-point-average, which exemplifies his dedication and commitment to his criminal justice major and legal studies minor.

Off campus, Nicholas participates in volunteer events in conjunction with UAA hockey and other youth initiatives to help educate the next generation of hockey fans throughout the community.

Nicholas is the first student-athlete from the University of Alaska Anchorage to win the Senior CLASS Award.

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

Peter Kurczaba 1926 - 2020 Peter Kurczaba, late of Estevan, Sask. passed away in Saskatoon, Sask. on Monday, March 16, 2020 at the age of 93.

Peter is survived by his loving wife of 61 years, Rose; his children: Randy (Sheila) and their family, Michael (Meredith), Kyle (Jessica), and Rebecca Kurczaba (Jaden) from Saskatoon, Brian from Winnipeg, Man., David from Saskatoon, and Cheryl (Dave) Rowe and their family, Eric and Aiden from Humboldt, Sask. He was predeceased by his parents: John and Josepha, and his sister Victoria (Vicki).

Peter was born and lived his life in Estevan, save for the last nine months when he and Rose moved to Saskatoon to be closer to their family. An avid bowler, he met Rose at the lanes. After marrying her, they moved into the house next door to his family home where he had lived until then with his parents and sister.

They lived and raised their family there for over 50 years, moving into a condo only 7 years ago.

They made sure that his bowling trophies had an honored spot in their new homes, both in Estevan and Saskatoon.

Peter was an excellent provider, working for over 30 years with CP Rail. He retired in 1985. In retirement he often golfed with his cousin, Pete Tokar, and spent most afternoons having coffee with his “railway buddies” in downtown Estevan. Later in life, he and Rose enjoyed bus trips to casinos in Carlyle, Regina and nearby United States. They always enjoyed walking around the Estevan Fair, and when mobility became an issue, they would drive to the fairgrounds and sit in the parking lot watching the activities for a while before heading back home.

His family and close friends will remember him for his great love of polka music, especially when played on the accordion. He had a large record collection of polkas that he would listen to on their jukebox style record player. Lawrence Welk and the local TV show “Profile” were a staple for the Kurczaba household. Every summer, Peter and Rose made the trip to Minot, North Dakota to see the Norsk Hostfest. His children and grandchildren will always remember the “Saturday Night Polka Party” he would listen to on a very staticky radio as well as the “Polka Dance Party” blasting on TV. The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses at St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon that have cared for Peter over the past few months as well as the staff at Preston Park Retirement Village and “Samona’s House” care home. Your help, compassion, and understanding are extremely appreciated. Our sincere appreciation also goes out to all friends and family that have expressed their sympathies and prayers.

After much consideration, Peter's family has made the decision to postpone his Funeral Mass, due to current health concerns. Interment took place at Souris Valley Memorial Gardens.

If friends desire, a donation to your favorite charity in Peter’s name would be welcomed.

Dustin Hall with Hall Funeral Services, Estevan is assisting the Kurczaba family.

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EPS members make arrests following traffic stops The Estevan Police Service arrested individuals for failing to provide a breath sample and for possession of drugs in separate traffic stops late last week.

As a result of a traffic stop in south Estevan on April 9, a 19-year-old woman was arrested and charged under the Criminal Code for failing to

provide a sample into a roadside screening device.

She was also charged under the Alcohol Gaming Regulations Act for having open alcohol in the vehicle.

She will appear in court in July to answer to the charges.

A 31-year-old man from Estevan was charged with possession of a con-

trolled substance April 10, after he was found with a small amount of methamphetamine during a traffic stop. He was released for court in July to answer to the charge.

Police responded to a complaint of an assault in west Estevan. The matter is still under investigation.

To be eligible for the Saskatchewan Small Business Emergency Payment (SSBEP), the business applying needs to have been fully operating by Feb. 29, have ceased or curtailed operations as a result of the COVID-19 public health orders, commit to reopen business operations following the cancellation of the public health orders and have less than 500 employees.

Jeremy Harrison, minister of trade and export, said applications will begin being accepted for the program as soon as April 13.

Moe reported that according to Statistics Canada, Saskatchewan is down 21,000 jobs month over month.

“This is at the very front end of the restrictions that were put in place as we entered the COVID-19 pandemic response,” said Moe. “We are expecting that we will see additional job losses, not only in Saskatchewan but across the nation of

Canada,” he added.

Moe said the investment announcement is one to ensure that when the province gets on the backside of the pandemic curve, the small business community in Saskatchewan remains.

Moe also said the province will be asking the federal government to exempt this funding from the business income for tax purposes.

“This will not solve all of the problems facing businesses during this pandemic,” said Moe. “However, this is the first step to our economic recovery efforts,” he added.

The S askatchewan Chamber of Commerce (SCC) applauds the Government of Saskatchewan’s announcement of the new support program.

“We have been working with our members non-stop over the past month to better understand the unique challenges businesses are facing, and we continue to

advocate for programs to support Saskatchewan businesses during this time of tremendous economic hardship. We welcome the news from the Province and see it as a much-needed new tool for businesses to sustain their operations until things get back to normal,” said provincial chamber CEO Steve McLellan.

The SCC has been speaking to government about the acute challenges for businesses and has made several recommendations.

One of these recommendations was changes to lay-off provisions under the Saskatchewan Employment Act, which was announced on March 20. These recommendations will assist in managing the overhead costs that many businesses have. This program is also important to many small businesses whose ability to take on additional debt during a time of greatly reduced revenues is severely constrained.

Province implements emergency support for small businesses

By Jordan Stricker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Premier Scott Moe announced last week the province will be implementing an emergency support program to support small businesses during the COVID-19 crisis.

The $50 million fund will provide support to small and medium-sized businesses that have had to temporarily close or significantly change operations.

The program provides a one-time grant for these enterprises directly affected by government public health orders related to COVID-19.

Grants will be paid based on 15 per cent of a business’ monthly sales revenue, up to a maximum of $5,000.

“The goal of this program is to get some funds in the hands of small businesses across this province as quickly as possible,” said Moe.

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Tips for tank truck drivers during COVID-19

By Brian Zinchuk brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net

Registered nurse Shirley Galloway, who has decades of experience in industrial hygiene and occupational health and safety, has some pointers on how keep working in the oilfield in the age of COVID-19.

This week she looks at tank trucks.

“We need to be grateful for our truck drivers, including our tank truck drivers,” she said, noting that she has observed a lower amount of truck traffic.

The principles of social distancing, keeping things clean and disinfecting all you touch, are continual refrains in Galloway’s advice, and it starts at the beginning of a shift, when you approach your truck.

“Going to the shop in the morning, their greatest risk is touching things others have touched,” she said. As such, she recommends using latex gloves and a bottle of disinfectant.

Disinfectant doesn’t work well on soiled surfaces, however, so it’s important that surfaces that have vis-

ible dirt, like door handles, be cleaned first with soap and water before applying a disinfectant. That includes your hands as well. The U.S. government has posted a list of approved products that are known to work for COVID-19.

W hile Spray Nine, commonly used in the oilpatch, is not on that list, she said it is known to kill similar viruses.

“When they go to the vehicle, outside or in the shop, keep physical distance,” she said.

Cleaning inside the

CCS facility captured more than 61,000 tonnes of CO2 in March The carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility at SaskPower’s Boundary Dam Power Station had another very productive month in March.

The facility captured 61,801 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) last month, which was about 62 per cent of capacity, according to information posted on SaskPower’s website. The average daily capture rate was 2,289 tonnes per day, with a peak one-day capture of 2,683 tonnes.

The average for the previous 12 months at the CCS facility was 55,328 tonnes of captured CO2.

The CCS facility was online 83 per

cent of the month, coming offline for a total of 123 hours, or a little more than five days, to accommodate two outages at the Boundary Dam Unit 3 power unit.

The average time online for the previous 12 months was 71.4 per cent.

Unit 3 at Boundary Dam produced an average of about 100 megawatts of power in March, compared to the 12-month average of 97.3 megawatts.

In the first three months of this year, the CCS facility captured 178,520 tonnes of CO2. Since the facility came online in October 2014, 3,259,972 tonnes of CO2 have been kept out of the atmosphere.

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If you’re a fluid hauler, there are some valuable tips to remember. Photo by Brian Zinchuk truck, use a Lysol or Spray Nine cleaner. It’s important to let it soak on the surfaces at least 60 seconds before wiping the cleaner off, otherwise you will reduce its effectiveness. Do the outside door handle, the inside handle, steering wheel, shifter, etc.

And once you’ve cleaned something on your truck, make sure no one else touches it, either.

Be cognizant that using the same gloves from one area to another can lead to cross contamination. Ideally, it would be best to switch gloves, but supplies are limited and difficult to come by.

Dispose of your gloves when done. Once you’ve used your gloves, to open your door, for instance, it’s

important to throw them out. Remember your first aid recertification, where they show you how to remove latex gloves without getting blood on your hands? Use the same sort of technique, turning them inside out as you take them off. Wash or sanitize your hands after removal.

Asked about nitrile (i.e. rubber) gloves, she said they can be washed with soap and water, but need to be dried and then cleaned with a disinfectant.

When washing your hands, be sure to wash your thumbs as well. When using hand sanitizer, use a “thumbsized” amount, she said.

And don’t allow yourself to get a false sense of

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security from using gloves.

That’s especially important when it comes to your face.

“Do not touch your face!” she emphasized. Using gloves and disinfecting everything doesn’t help a lot if you then touch your face with contaminated gloves.

When fuelling up, realize that anything you’re about to touch has likely be touched by others, so wipe it down. Sanitize keypads and nozzles when refuelling.

Wear gloves.

When meeting people on a lease, keep your distance.

On a lease, drivers will likely be touching hoses, valves, connections and meters. Galloway recommends cleaning them with a Lysol cleaner and leaving it on for 60 seconds before wiping them down and touching them. If you’re going to touch them, clean them.

She does not recommend bleach solutions. Sodium hypochlorite is a strong oxidizer and, when mixed with organic materials such as diesel fuel oil, undergoes an exothermic reaction that generates heat and releases chlorine gas, sometimes violently.

Drivers should stick to their own units if at all possible. If multiple drivers are going to be using the same truck, they must be thoroughly cleaned between drivers.

“If not, have a detailed cleaning procedure between users if trucks are shared,” Galloway said.

“Infection control, at this point in time, is huge.”

W hen it comes to paperwork, bring your own pen(s). What do people often do with pens? Stick them in their mouths. So do you want to pick up someone else’s pen? Don’t share clipboards, either, although people aren’t likely to be chewing on those.

When you are handwashing, do so for 20 seconds. Again, don’t forget the thumbs.

At the end of the day don’t congregate in groups at the shop, or in the coffee room, especially small ones.

Don’t take your coveralls home, either.

And if you have possible symptoms of COVID-19, most notably a fever and cough, do not go to work. Stay home.

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

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

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

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Water opened around Estevan Creeks and rivers around Estevan were happily brawling during the past weekend, celebrating the beginning of spring. Cold temperatures early this week might have put frosty crusts on the water surfaces around the area, but the main bodies of ice are gone for the winter. The forecast promises some more weather fluctuations throughout the week, but already by Friday Estevan is supposed to have temperatures going over the 10 C mark.

Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

Local business provides computers to senior citizens to keep them connected with families

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

During these challenging times of quarantine and a struggling economy, many community members find ways to support each other, proving over and over how strong Estevan is. The Mercury continues to proudly share some of those stories.

DMS Services, a locally owned and operated IT company, has been providing computers to those who may really need them now.

Company president Graham Cennon said that the thought of elderly people currently stuck inside due to health measures and hardly having any contact with the outside world made him act right away. “(I thought) if they don’t have computers out there, how do they see their

relatives or see their family?

You can’t. So I figured it’s a really good opportunity to put some refurbished machines where they can do some good in our community,” said Cennon.

They walked the talk and last week the company donated two desktop computers with new monitors to the Hill View Manor seniors’ home.

“I just called and asked them, ‘Do you guys have any computers there for people to use?’ And they were like, ‘No, we don’t have anything.’ So it was kind of a no-brainer,” said Cennon.

He also pointed out that Hill View Manor was the first facility suggested by a “care homes in Estevan” Google search, that’s why the first computers went that way. But the gift was definitely appreciated.

“They seemed pretty happy. At first, they were a little confused. They were like, ‘Why would you want to do that?’ And I was like, ‘Why wouldn’t I want to do that?’ They (were wondering) what was the catch, but there was no catch. We just wanted to give them some computers, (because) we care,” said Cennon.

The specialists downloaded some card games and others like minesweeper, and preinstalled programs that will allow the residents to make video calls.

Due to regulations, Cennon can’t get inside the building to run cables for Wi-Fi, so instead DMS will supply the residents with USB wireless adapters to plug into the computers and some web cameras as soon as they get those items

5 generations

Back Row: Darryl Gervais (great grandpa), Otillia Gervais (great, Great grandma) holding baby Bentley Demchuk Front Row: Natalie Gervais (grandma) and Christina Gervais (mom)

in stock. This way residents will have an opportunity to connect with their kids and grandkids while staying safe.

Everything in these computers was set pretty straight forward, and Cennon already provided the instructions on using the machines over the phone, so he believes the residents shouldn’t have any problems operating them. And if they do have any questions, they always can reach out and DMS will do troubleshooting or assistance remotely also at no charge.

While restocking the store is a real challenge nowadays, with the supply chains being steadily overloaded, DMS is trying to provide local senior living places with what they have. Cennon said that they

DMS services stepped forward to connect seniors with their families and provide them with some entertainment during the quarantine. were to provide another two computers to at least one more seniors’ building in Estevan.

“We just saw that opportunity, and I figured why not give back if we can,” said Cennon.

While keeping really busy with many people now working or studying from home, DMS Service still

Public Notice Please take note that pursuant to Section 13, The Municipalities Act, the Rural Municipality of Estevan No. 5, Saskatchewan intends to consider a proposed bylaw to Close and Sell municipal road allowance, described as follows: All shown within the road closed area highlighted and located in the NW 7-2-7-W2M indicated on Schedule A.

WHEREAS lack of respect for human life has historically resulted in acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind,

WHEREAS all human life, is sacred and anything which violates this

human life, and thereby disarm the attacks made upon it,

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED: I, Roy Ludwig, Mayor of the City of Estevan do hereby proclaim the month of April 2020 to be Respect for Life Month in the City of Estevan and I urge all citizens to take notice of the special events for awareness at this time.

Roy Ludwig Mayor Ad sponsored by:

Pro-Life Estevan and Area, Inc.

Pregnant? Call 1-800-842-7752 • Options Pregnancy 1-866-870-3344 Birthright of Regina 1-800-550-4900 • Sask Pro Life Association » www.saskprolife.com Donations welcome via cheque, cash or auto-deposit.

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human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in a society

WHEREAS it is essential to renew in society the inherent value of each

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WHEREAS Recognition of the inherent dignity of each member of the

principal indicates lack of respect for human life within our society.

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PROCLAMATION April is “Respect For Life” Month 1102 4th Street Estevan, SK S4A 0W87

found some time to pay it forward. They also did some computer donations to a few schools and to the Estevan Public Library earlier to support the community.

“You have to give to the community where you live. That’s how it goes if you want to make it in a small town,” said Cennon.

“We are all in this together.”

Council will hold a public hearing to receive submissions, written or verbal, on the proposed bylaw at 10:30 a.m. (local time) on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020 in the Council Chambers of the R.M. of Estevan No. 5, #1-322 4th Street Estevan, Saskatchewan. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, we would prefer to receive submission by email or regular mail.

Dated at Estevan, Saskatchewan this 9th day of April, 2020.

Michelle Dickie Administrator

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A10 April 15, 2020

Coal Country Run is cancelled, but Fresh Air Fitness keeps growing for the future

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

Entering the fourth year of its existence, Fresh Air Fitness has earned fame not only locally, but also provincially. But like any other sports or fitness facility, it is now closed due to the current health situation.

Peggy Rohatyn, who co-founded and maintains the facility alongside Debby Knight, said that while their community plans for this spring and summer were affected by the pandemic, they still are on track with bringing more equipment in for the future.

“We’ve got a couple more pieces coming and I’m sure that they’ll be up this summer,” said Rohatyn.

The facility is now taped off to prevent the public from using it, but while it is closed, Rohatyn and Knight still have to maintain the outdoor equipment.

“There are some pieces that get put out in the spring. We’ll definitely do that, we’ll put those back out again. You have to think positive that sometime this summer we’ ll

The Fresh Air Fitness outdoor gym is closed to the public and lined off with yellow tape until the situation with COVID-19 changes. be able to use it,” said Rohatyn. “And we’ll do any maintenance that ’s needed.”

The Coal Countr y Run, a fundraiser that helps the outdoor gym to stay open and wellequipped from year to year, was slated to happen May 9 in and around Woodlawn Regional Park, but it has been called off.

“It’s been cancelled already because we had to do

it early enough (before) we ordered T-shirts and stuff like that. There is just a lot of prep that has to be done before that. And if we left it too long, we wouldn’t be able to have the same calibre of the race,” Rohatyn explained.

Now they are hoping to organize some kind of community activity in the summer if the pandemic is over then, but Rohatyn said it was too early to talk

about it yet.

“We don’t really want to say yet, because you want to wait to see what happens when we are able to go down there and run stuff like that,” said Rohatyn. “ We a r e p l a n n i n g something more of a celebration of ‘Thank God, this is over!’ sort of thing.”

The Coal Countr y Run was supposed to be their main fundraiser of

the year, and Rohat yn noted that when it was cancelled many people who already paid their registration fee told her to keep the money for the needs of Fresh Air Fitness.

“That was really awesome. And actually, when I posted that and people were saying ‘Keep mine, keep mine,’ Queen City (Marathon), Regina’s run, they follow us, they were super impressed and made

a comment of how impressive the nice words were said and how people rallied around when the race got cancelled,” Rohatyn said.

They also get donations from businesses in town and Rohatyn was very grateful for all the support. If someone wants to make a donation, they can reach out to Rohatyn or Knight on Facebook.

Rohat y n said that while they are closed there are a number of other sports facilities in town that offer different types of online workouts, exercises and programs. So they decided to leave it to the professionals and just wait until they can open their outdoor gym to the public. In the meantime, their main recommendations are quite straight forward.

“Just to get out and go for a walk or go for a run is good not just for your physical health, but for your mental health also. As long as you keep your six feet apart you are good,” said Rohatyn.

Fresh Air Fitness follows the provincial guidelines and directions from the Woodlawn Regional Park and will reopen when they say it’s OK to do so.

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

We would like to thank our community for their cooperation during these difficult times. Please continue social distancing, by working together we will win this fight.

UTILITIES AND TAXES DURING COVID 19 PANDEMIC

MESSAGE FROM EMO COORDINATOR COVID-19 is a serious health threat, and the situation is evolving daily. In order to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, everyone has a role to play. Social distancing measures are a way to minimize COVID-19 transmission in the community. This means minimizing close contact with others such as hand shaking, hugging, elbow bump and being within personal space of 2 meters during this outbreak. Your cooperation during this pandemic is critical.

Thank you.

FLUSHING PROGRAM Beginning Monday April 6,2020,and continuing to Friday, June 26,2020, the Water and wastewater Division will be carrying out Sanitary Sewer Main Flushing and Storm sewer Flushing, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. During the periods of jetting, residents and businesses are advised to securely cap basement floor drains. You may smell an odor in your home, this can be resolved by simply opening windows for a short period of time and running water to ensure all traps are full of water. Storm sewer will have no effect on homes and business’.

2020 Program Area will encompass all streets North of 6th Street, and west of Souris Ave within City limits including:

Morsky Drive Larter Road MacCready Bau Tedford Way Matte Court Jesse Bay Wellock Road Irvine Crescent Dieppe Crescent Victory Road Gibbs Road Mayfair Drive Mayfair Bay Cardinal Avenue

Barabash Bay Taisey Crescent Newcombe Drive Nicholson Road Wahlmeier Drive Boyer Avenue Mack Place Mather Crescent Dyer Road Pettigrew Road McCormick Crescent Grundeen Crescent Thorn Crescent Sinclair Bay

Hill Avenue Veterans Avenue Veterans Crescent Veterans Bay Kohaly Avenue Lynd Crescent Hudson Road Hillcrest Drive Hillcrest Bay Woodend Place Cundall Drive King Street Chinook Bay

To offer assistance and best service to citizens experiencing the effects of the economic impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City is committed to providing increased flexibility and immediate short-term relief for your utility and property tax payments through the following: UTILITY SERVICES: The City will continue to bill for utility services as normal.

However, to best serve the City’s customers in these extraordinary times, the City has made the following changes to current utility collections activities: Utility disconnections due to arrears will be suspended until September 1, 2020; Late payment charges will be suspended on all utility accounts until September 1, 2020; and We will continue to generate utility bills, reminders and other related notices for customers who are in arrears to keep them informed of their current situation.

These measures are aimed at providing financial relief for customers who may not be able to afford to pay their bills on time. By suspending late payment charges, utility customers will have the option to delay bill payments without putting themselves in additional financial hardship. However, civic staff will continue to work with the City’s utility customers regarding payment arrangements so as not to leave them in a difficult financial situation in the future.

Delaying disconnections will help ensure that all homes have access to water, allowing for proper hand-washing and personal hygiene.

PROPERTY TAX: Your 2020 Property Tax notice will be delivered by the end of June, 2020.

To offer assistance and best service to citizens experiencing the effects of the economic impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the City is committed to providing increased flexibility and immediate short-term relief for your 2020 Property Tax payment.

On your notice, your 2020 Property Tax due date will still show as July 31, 2020.

HOWEVER: The City is extending a two-month grace period to provide you with additional time to pay your 2020 Property Tax. You will not incur any late payment penalties on your 2020 Property Tax if you pay the full amount due by September 30, 2020.

We would like to answer your property tax-related questions. We understand and will work with you.