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STICKING TOGETHER DURING THESE TIMES
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020
Businesses will start to open again May 4
Land of living skies
By Jordan Stricker Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Premier Scott Moe announced Thursday the province’s plan to reopen Saskatchewan which is set to begin May 4. “Over the next several weeks restrictions will be gradually lifted adding more types of businesses to the allowable businesses list,” said Moe. “Let me be clear, many of the physical distancing restrictions and rules are going to remain in place,” he added. Moe said during the presentation he believes that Saskatchewan can find the right path and carefully begin to open the province while still protecting residents from the spread of COVID-19. Chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab said based on the current allowable businesses that are open and how they have operated, the province expects no risk increase when residents are engaging in other allowed activities. “Even if there is a case you may get some limited secondary transmission but that is controlled quickly,” said Shahab. “I think it will be essential that if we do see transmission in those settings, we are able to control that quickly,” he added. Re-Open Saskatchewan is made up of five phases. Phase one will include previously restricted medical services, and the opening of golf courses, parks and campgrounds. Medical services previously restricted and boat launches will be reopened on May 4 while golf courses will open May 15. Parks and campgrounds will reopen June 1. Golf courses, along with all other services included in the reopen phases, will undergo rule changes for operations to ensure proper steps are taken to avoid further spread of COVID-19. Courses will have to spread tee times out to a minimum of 20 minutes apart to avoid congestion. No walk-on appointments are allowed, flags will remain in place and cups will be elevated so balls do not drop in the hole. The presentation said play is concluded when the ball makes contact with the cup. Additionally, food and beverage service will be suspended. Campgrounds, reopening on June 1, will have to comply with a 50 per cent capacity rate with no adjacent sites occupied at the same time. All shower and laundry facilities will be closed to reduce the chance of further spread. Phase two includes reopening retail businesses and select personal services that include hairdressers, massage therapists and acupuncturists, starting May 19. Phase three, which has a date to be determined, will include services such as gyms and fitness facilities, child care facilities, tattoo artists, estheticians, cosmetologists and other personal service facilities. The third phase will start to reopen restaurant and food services at 50 per cent capacity. This phase will also include raising the size of public gatherings from 10 to 15 people. The fourth phase which also has a to be determined date, includes reopening indoor and outdoor recreation and entertainment facilities along with increasing the size of public and private gatherings to 30 people. The fifth phase with the date to be determined, includes considering lifting some long-term restrictions. Moe said if the province starts to see a small manageable increase in active cases they would have to take a good look at the next proposed phases. He added it is not a time yet to make comment about allowing crowd sizes that come with CFL games and other large gathering events due to not having the information at this point in time. “I don’t think we would be looking much past the next A2 » PREMIER
Saskatchewan is known for its beautiful and ever-changing skies. The Prairie's mesmerizing sunsets are a full-scale natural tourist attraction that no one can either put a price tag on or have control over. From night to night the evening sky over Estevan uncovers the entire palette of colours and emotions, keeping the residents charmed by its glory and power. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia
A new physician has arrived in Estevan Dr. Germin Attia commenced her practice in the Energy City last week. Attia is based out of the Primacy Medical Clinic, attached to the No Frills Grocery Store, where she will share her practice with Dr.’s Edward Tsoi, Allison Christie, Ahmed Belal and Hanan Yazid. Attia received her medical training in Egypt and brings approximately 12 years of medical practice experience. Dr. Attia is a graduate of the Saskatchewan International Physicians Practice Assessment program (SIPPA). SIPPA is the competency assessment program used by the province of S askatchewan to ensure competency of international physicians prior to licensing in Saskatchewan. Attia has received her licence from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan and has received privileges from the Saskatchewan
Dr. Edward Tsoi, Dr. Germin Attia and St. Joseph's Hospital executive director Greg Hoffort. Photo submitted Health Authority. Greg Hoffort, executive director of St. Joseph’s Hospital said: “The arrival of Dr. Attia will bring the number of full time physicians practising in Estevan to 12, in addition to several
providing locum services at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Dr. Attia is a welcome addition to the medical staff and the health care team at St. Joseph’s Hospital of Estevan and we are pleased that she has made the decision to
move to Estevan to practice medicine in our community.” Hoffort credits a collaborative effort between th e St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation and St. Joseph’s Hospital for their ability to recruit and retain physicians.
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City pleased with Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan The City of Estevan is pleased with the contents of the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan that the provincial government released Thursday. Mayor Roy Ludwig said that due to the positive efforts of the community and people throughout the province during this COVID-19 pandemic, it has given the provincial government the opportunity to re-open the economy in different phases. “We were quite excited
about the provincial release,” said Ludwig. “We believe a lot of thought went into it, we appreciate the time that went into that plan, and we feel that we’re ready to start opening up our economy, and we look forward to the different phases as they unfold.” The city believes now is the time to begin the process of reopening the businesses in the community. Medical services businesses will be the first to open May 4, and retail
businesses could be open again May 19. The plan calls for recreation facilities, such as Affinity Place and the Estevan Leisure Centre, to open again in Phase 4. A date for Phase 4 wasn’t released. But Phase 4 also limits crowd sizes to 30 people for gatherings. The final phase calls for the easing of restrictions on larger gatherings. “Our expectation is that
they will have to continue with our social distancing until they find a vaccine, and although we’re hoping the vaccine will be sooner rather than later, some people are saying it could be as much as a year away,” said Ludwig. Ludwig wasn’t surprised to see a facility like the Leisure Centre in a later phase. As for City Hall, it will remain closed to public access, although city staff are still working in the building, and
the public can still call or email their questions and concerns. The city is looking at manpower requirements on a weekly basis. There are about three dozen casual employees who haven’t been called on for weeks. They are also looking at their 10 permanent parttime employees, and offering voluntary layoffs to their staff. “Then we’ll revisit it in a week or two or see how that looks.”
Mayor Roy Ludwig
Premier praises efforts of Saskatchewan residents « A1 phase over the course of the next number of months,” said Moe. “This needs to be primarily about keeping Saskatchewan residents safe. It also is focused with finding that right path, finding the path of how we can open up some sectors of the economy that have not been allowed to be open,” he added. Moe said the province will continue to have conversations with all that are interested whether it be the CFL or other sporting leagues. “It’s just too early for us to make any determinations with respect to whether or not those types of gatherings with that number of people would be allowed to carry on,” said Moe. Shahab said it is a positive that the province is able
to reopen in an organized way. “The reason we can do that is because we have all been practising physical distancing and other measures to keep the curve flat,” said Shahab. “As we go forward it’s not really back to business as usual, it’s going forward to business in a new normal for the next little while,” he added. The announcement came a day after the premier addressed the province, praising Saskatchewan residents for their efforts in flattening the COVID-19 curve. “The last few weeks have been difficult for everyone,” said Moe. “This is not how things are supposed to be. People are meant to be together. It’s against our very nature to stay apart,” he added.
Premier Scott Moe says a lot of thought went into the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan. File Photo Moe said by following the guidelines laid out by the provincial government, the people of Saskatchewan not
only protected themselves, but their families, neighbours and the province. Moe pointed out in Sas-
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katchewan the largest and most dangerous outbreaks have been related to travel, large gatherings and to seniors’ care homes. He added those restrictions will remain in place for the time being. “We also know that aggressive testing and contact tracing are key to controlling the spread of COVID-19,” said Moe. “Canada has one of the highest testing rates in the
world, and Saskatchewan has one of the highest testing rates in Canada; that will continue,” he added. Moe said the province is continuing to look at ways to increase testing and contact tracing going forward. “This is how we will continue to keep our case numbers low and manageable as we proceed with caution through the reopening process,” said Moe.
One person dead in workplace incident
A workplace incident in Estevan has left one person dead. Emergency services from Estevan responded to an incident at a business on the east side of the city Monday afternoon at about 2 p.m. A 74-year-old male died due to injuries sustained in the incident. Occupational Health and Safety attended to the scene and are the primary investigators of the incident. The Estevan RCMP is assisting with the investigation. The Mercury will have more details as they become available.
Boards approve 2020-21 school year calendar The boards of education of the Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division and the South East Cornerstone Public School Division have approved the 202021 school year calendar. In keeping with legislative and regulatory amendments, calendars must ensure that a minimum of 950 hours of instructional time is provided to all students. These legislative and regulatory amendments were implemented to ensure that there is consistent minimum amount of instruction time. There will be 184 in-
structional days in the 2020-21 school year. The first day of school will be Tuesday, Sept. 1. Classes will begin before Labour Day this year because Labour Day falls on Sept. 7 – the latest it can happen. The final day of classes before the Christmas break will be Dec. 18. Classes will resume on Jan. 4. The annual winter break will be from Feb. 15-19, and spring break will run from April 5-9, following the Good Friday/Easter long weekend. The final day of classes will be June 28, 2021.
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Redvers artist Marchand finds different types of inspiration in the fluid pandemic world By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca
Born in Gravelbourg and now a resident of Redvers, artist Chylisse Marchand has lately experienced both the challenges and the advantages of the times of self-isolation. As a response to intervention (RTI) teacher, she continued to work with students from home and also keeps the school page going, but the quarantine also allowed more time for art and brought different sources of inspiration. “Lately, my inspiration has been very much COVID-19 related. I’ve been focusing on things that bring me peace – thus my recent works with succulents. I find these flowers to be so peaceful and beautiful,” said Marchand in an interview with the Mercury. “When I paint, I can escape the current reality and jump into a totally different world. While working, I tend to listen to podcasts – some uplifting mindful podcasts, some podcasts exposing the deep and dark history of Canada and others that are light and entertaining. Whatever mood I am in, art grounds me and brings me peace.” Her love for art began during her early years. Being a quiet child, she spent a lot of her time dabbling with the arts and for a number of years, she took watercolour lessons from Gravelbourg artist Avis Frank. Marchand pursued visual communications at Medicine Hat College in Alberta, but then she chose to follow in the footsteps of her parents who were teachers and got her education and fine arts degree from the University of Lethbridge. Spending most of the time at home allowed Marchand to do a lot of things simultaneously, and while work still takes a significant part of the day she had much more time for art. “I find that with this whole thing, I’ve been able to focus on my art more probably than I ever had before because we cannot really do anything,” said Marchand. One day Marchand wants to be a tattoo artist if she can, and tattoostyle paintings are common within her works. One such piece she created under the influence of the earlier news about the pandemic a few weeks ago. “For me, my work (as a teacher) is so important and being able to see my kids at school is so important, that I was really, really sad and I was in such a negative place that I wanted to do something that would speak to the whole COVID thing,” said Marchand. “This one I wanted to do to commemorate all of the heroes that are out there right now working through this
very fluid time. I wanted to include basically everything that I could think of that is going through my mind.” She went on to explain that the sand-glass is a symbol of frustration around the timeframe of the pandemic that overtook the world, symbolized by a globe. The triangles represent past, present and future, and DNA speaks to the notion of the virus affecting human beings. There is also a medical stethoscope to recognize healthcare workers. Roses signify love, gratitude and appreciation and a wing stands for freedom. There are also a few circles that look like bull’s eyes. “It’s hard to explain what was going through my head at that time with that one. But I just thought that we were all getting hit and we were all part of the bull’s eyes,” said Marchand. Some other recent works Marchand did are completely different. They are light and peaceful. “Sometimes with my other pieces … I need to do a light floral piece just to kind of escape the reality. Right now, the reality is so fluid and it’s just so strange and I struggle with grounding myself. So painting is a way for me to escape that,” said Marchand. When it comes to floral art and lately the succulents, Marchand usu-
ally looks through many beautiful pictures, finding her inspiration in them, and then combines the positive vibes into an oil or watercolour painting. And while the self-isolation period turned to be very productive, Marchand still cannot wait for the end of the quarantine. “I'm very much a people person and I’m very outgoing, I like to volunteer throughout my community and run paint classes and do all these extra things. So I’m really looking forward to when quarantine is done,” said Marchand, adding that she hopes to continue painting a lot when life gets back to normal, but the first thing she wants to do as soon as it’s allowed is to go camping with her two daughters and friends, which promises to also result in more sketches and pencil art she usually does when out enjoying nature. If it is still happening this summer, Marchand also plans to show her work at the Moose Mountain Provincial Park Artist Colony in July. More of her finished works along with the step-by-step art progress can be found on the Chylisse Marchand Facebook page. She can be contacted via messenger or email at chyssey@ icloud.com to inquire about her work.
During the quarantine, Chylisse Marchand keeps working as a teacher and also dedicates a lot of time to art. Photo submitted
Lately, Marchand was painting succulents a lot, finding them peaceful and beautiful. Photo submitted
This tattoo-style art was created during the early days of quarantine and reflected Marchand’s frustration related to the spread of COVID-19. Photo submitted
Warm Welcome will remain open another month The Warm Welcome Kitchen’s season has been extended by at least another month. The kitchen’s board of directors met April 20 and decided that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they should continue with their suppers until the end of May. Their season was slated to end April 30. The kitchen has been serving meals that people
can take home and prepare every Tuesday and Thursday since March 17. The pickup area is the Estevan Salvation Army’s Food Bank. “With everything that’s going on with the COVID-19 pandemic, it just seems like more and more people are being let go from work, more and more people have been out of work for a long time,” said board chairperson Wendy Godfrey.
“Nobody knows when that’s coming to an end, and we just thought the need was there.” Thanks to their connections with the food bank, Warm Welcome knows the need is still out there. “People need the food more than ever. They need meals and this was one way we could give back to the community and keep helping out. If the need is there, we
thought we should fill that need the best we could,” said Godfrey. Approximately 20-25 people have made use of the Warm Welcome Kitchen each time since mid-March. They have been as low as 17 or 18, and as high as 30. “People are relying on that meal, and that, we think, is really helping a budget,” said Godfrey. The committee will
decide at their May meeting whether to extend the program into June. “This will depend on what happens with the pandemic. If things are headed back to normal we will end at the end of May but if we see a need we will consider continuing for June.” Godfre y noted that thanks to the support they received when they encountered financial issues in De-
cember, they are able to continue on for as long as necessary. They aren’t spending as much money as they were earlier in the season, when they were serving a full meal to around 50-60 people each night. “The community came together and the donations were fantastic, and that ’s enabling us to keep this going for as long as we need to,” said Godfrey.
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Published weekly by Prairie Newspaper Group Limited Partnership, 68 Souris Avenue N., Estevan, SK S4A 2M3.The Estevan Mercury is owned and operated by Prairie Newspaper Group Limited Partnership, a subsidiary of Glacier Media Inc. Advertising rates are available upon request and are subject to change without notice. Conditions of editorial and advertising content: The Estevan Mercury attempts to be accurate in Editorial and Advertising content; however, no guarantee is given or implied. The Estevan Mercury reserves the right to revise or reject any or all editorial and advertising content as the newspaper’s principals see fit. The Estevan Mercury will not be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion of an advertisement, and is not responsible for errors in advertisements except for the space occupied by such errors. The Estevan Mercury will not be responsible for manuscripts, photographs, negatives and other related material that may be submitted for possible publication. All of the Estevan Mercury’s content is protected by Canadian Copyright laws. Reviews and similar mention of material in this newspaper is granted on the provision that The Estevan Mercury receives credit. Otherwise, any reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. Advertisers purchase space and circulation only. Rights to any advertisement produced by The Estevan Mercury, including artwork, typography, photos, etc., remain the property of this newspaper. Advertisements or parts thereof may not be reproduced or assigned without the consent of the publisher. We acknowledge financial support of the Government of Canada. Nous reconnaissons l'appui financier du gouvernement du Canada.
EDITORIAL
Gradual steps the only possible approach We should all have a measure of pride in the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan announced by the provincial government last week. Oh sure, you’re going to have those who say Saskatchewan is moving too fast on this, and we should just keep the province closed until we have a vaccine for COVID-19. You’re also going to get those who say we’re moving too slowly, and that we should be close to open for business again any time soon. Ultimately, though, it’s because of the actions of Saskatchewan people that we could even have the government discuss such a plan to begin with. For the most part, Saskatchewan residents have handled the pandemic well. We haven’t been perfect, but we’ve done our best to obey quarantine, self-isolation and crowd restriction measures. So maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that Saskatchewan was the first province to release a plan to reopen its borders. (New Brunswick followed suit the next day). While the province is open again, we’re not returning to normal for quite a while. The first phase calls for medical professional services to be opened up on May 4, and then golf courses will be operational May 15. But even golf won’t be normal like it used to be. Tee times will be in 20-minute intervals. Walk-ons won’t be accepted, although green
fee players can still play. Driving ranges will still be closed. And there will be just one player allowed in a power cart, unless both players in the cart are from the same household. (Note: this might be a good opportunity for players to try walking while they golf ). Perhaps the best news is that retailers that have been closed since the pandemic began will get to open again on May 19. The last six weeks have been very difficult for them. Our business community should be applauded for the way in which they have adapted to the changing circumstances during the pandemic. Many of them have found new ways to meet the needs of their customers. But their greatest success will be when they’re able to be open and interacting with the public. And besides, it’s more fun to go shopping when you’re in the store, and you can get that up-close look at what you want to buy. We’re also looking forward to when campgrounds can open to the public again, even though they won’t be at normal operations. We wish restaurants could open before Phase 3. Much like our retailers, they should be praised for how they have adapted. It would have been nice to have recreation facilities like Affinity Place and the Estevan Leisure Centre open before Phase 4, but given the province’s desire to avoid large public
gatherings, we shouldn’t expect them to be open for a while yet. The province still seems skittish about large public gatherings. We can’t have more than 10 in an indoor or outdoor public event. That number will increase to 15 for Phase 3 and 30 for Phase 4. But we’re still a long ways off from hundreds of people in a movie theatre or at a banquet, or thousands of people at a football game or concert. Social distancing and crowd restrictions will remain the norm for a while. Saskatchewan hasn’t been immune from COVID-19, but it is worth noting that the south region has had just 15 cases, and the central region has had 11. Those numbers have remained the same since early April. We had a small spike in the number of cases last week, but that’s largely due to a rash of diagnoses in the far north. That shouldn’t be a reason to abandon this plan, but it should serve as a stern reminder of what can happen if we let our guard down on social distancing and self-isolation, or if we disobey the quarantine. We’ve earned the opportunity to start reopening the province. Let’s not spoil it by trying to do too much, too soon, or by becoming complacent. After all, if we see a surge in cases, we can forget about Re-Opening Saskatchewan.
Province is working on help for industry I spoke to Minister of Energy and Resources Bronwyn Eyre on April 14 about the province’s announcement on that day of a number of measures to help out the oilpatch in this time of crisis. I asked her about the thinking behind extending expiries for oil leases. Eyre responded there’s very little cost to the government on this, and since the current price of oil is so low, they’re not going to lose much in terms of land sales, and there’s so little drilling expected. But Saskatchewan has not followed Alberta’s lead in stopping land sales for now. The usual April Saskatchewan sale went ahead April 7, bringing in a paltry $1.7 million. The ministry hasn’t cancelled or postponed the next one, scheduled for June 2. “We decided to go with the routine, because it’s so hard to know,” Eyre said. “We did decide to go ahead. We’ll see what we do, going forward. We did have some interest, but of course not a massive amount. That’s to be expected. It was just about trying to stick to the schedule, perhaps for force of habit or predictability.” In recent years, the province has been charging an administration levy on oil producers, basically having the industry paying for its own regulation, to the tune of 90 per cent. In an effort to help out the industry, Eyre announced the province would be knocking that back to 50 per cent for the time being. When I asked her about drilling prospects for this year, Eyre said, “I’m very concerned. “I don’t think it would be correct to say that things are looking particularly up. It’s a great concern, to me. The capital investment cuts announced by companies in the province, will sadly impact jobs and drilling, and more broadly seeing, production. We’re already seeing
From the Top of the Pile BRIAN ZINCHUK the impacts of this. It’s been a perfect storm, and such a rapid one.” One of the sticking points between the federal and provincial governments has been on methane regulation. For a while there, it looked like there could be a Saskatchewan set of rules, and a federal set. The feds have now accepted the province’s rules as being sufficient. “The methane agreement is significant,” Eyre said, adding, “This was something the sector wanted, to be clear there were not going to be two sets of frameworks imposed, with two sets of regs. But in fact, the Saskatchewan rules, which make more common sense, are way less prescriptive, based on individual pieces of equipment, that kind of thing. And we now have the jurisdiction to act in that space.” It’s been a long time coming, she said. In a way, this was similar to the province asking the feds “will you accept our plan, our approach” when it came to implementation of carbon dioxide strategies. It took months of work to get to this point. She said Saskatchewan appreciates the acceptance of the plan, “because we think it’s a good plan.” “It still strives to reduce 4.5 million tonnes from venting and flaring by 2025. We know that gas is wasted, 20 per cent to venting and flaring, so it makes common sense to do something.” To this end, I would say reducing the release of methane to the atmosphere is probably one
of Saskatchewan’s best strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Surely there will be groans from the industry, especially with regards to where it’s uneconomical to capture this gas. But perhaps this will drive innovation for smallscale power generation using this gas. Maybe it’s easier to feed power into the grid, already supplying that wellsite or battery, than it is to collect gas from it? Even if you’re not wholly sold on the whole greenhouse gas thing, this is essentially an argument for energy conservations and increased efficiency. Eyre has told her federal counterpart that now would not be the time to throw any more regulatory hurdles at the provinces. She pointed out we’re still importing Saudi oil into Eastern Canada, but can’t export oil from northern British Columbia due to Bill C-48, which is now law. “The optics around that are a bit unfortunate, in light of the Saudi Arabian component to the problem we’re in, in the first place. Wouldn’t it be night if Canadian energy were mandated at a time like this? It would be instant unity,” she said. Just a couple days before, OPEC+ announced production cuts of 10 million barrels per day, although President Donald Trump indicated it was likely going to be a lot more. I asked Eyre, should Saskatchewan be part of some sort of cartel to control production? These mid-April measures are not the end. The province is looking to do more for the industry. “In terms of what is to come, and what form it is to take, that is unknown, in terms of what’s wanted,” she said. Brian Zinchuk can be reached at brian. zinchuk@sasktel.net.
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Last days of quiet life for this Estevan trio
World after the pandemic Even prior to last Thursday’s announcement, many people already were talking about the new normal we’ll be living in after the end of the quarantine, while others are hoping to soon return to just normal. Now, when the beginning of the re-opening the province is less than a week away, we all are eager for changes, but nobody knows yet what exactly they’ll bring, how they’ll look and how smart we’ll be as a community to slow ourselves down and keep following uncomfortable rules even when the danger is not that close. Last weekend I was talking to dad, and just as it’s happening in every conversation since the beginning of this let’s call it “different normal,” we quickly changed the subject to coronavirus and how it is reshaping the world. I focused on the changes in global migration and the tourism industry, and dad was quick to notice that we probably would never get back to things like big soccer games the way we knew them (in Saint-Petersburg the local team usually pretty much fills the 68,000-seat bowl for every home game). And I was quick to argue with that. I believe that we never enter the same water twice and that every day is a new chapter. So especially after such a serious shake as a world pandemic, many things will become a notion of the past. But nevertheless, I feel that just like throughout the previous thousands of years, the public will always need its bread and games. If we prove that we can keep it boring, stay sober and hold the distance, then we may get our big events in a new format in the foreseeable future. If not, then we’ll have to wait for COVID-19 to sate its thirst for blood first and maybe not even then, but eventually, we'll get our big gatherings back. The spheres that will change the most are work and education. My auntie is a school teacher. For over 30 years her favourite part of the job was working with kids, just watching them grow and develop. Now, working through Zoom and over email, even she (if not for the cause, as she keeps saying) is enjoying the flexibility the new format gave her. While the school education probably wasn’t completely ready for the changes, the serious shift to distant work and online postgraduate education was well overdue prior to the pandemic. And if we manage to organize it now, I believe most white collars won’t get back to a full-time office routine. The “end” will remain the same — getting work done and keep going forward. But I think the means will look very different. Even though healthcare once again proved to be the most essential and resource-needing industry, it’s also been going through major changes.Those working on frontlines had to focus on personal protection (which may now become a greater value even during the peace times), and others were trying to find ways to help their patients when no personal contacts are possible. Online medical services, allowing people to receive qualified advice from the comfort of their homes, has become quite popular and probably will keep growing and improving in the days to come. Another service that I think won’t be back to what we were used to is public transit. Estevan doesn’t have public transportation to worry about, but most people here every so often probably use planes. Now that we are feeling more and more comfortable staying six feet apart at least with strangers, I can’t imagine my shoulder touching the neighbour in a small crowded charter heading to the Caribbean. And even though most people I know are looking forward to the end of restrictions on travelling (I definitely do), I don’t see the planes being as full or organized as they used to be any time soon. In general, I think that the social distancing that is a part of our current "different normal" may become just normal. It's comfortable and it keeps us safer. Will we ever shake hands again? I don’t know. After all, it is a rudiment that was originally invented to ensure that upon meeting, counterparts didn’t have a knife in their hands or sleeves. So chances are we'll leave this tradition in the past and come up with something pandemic-generated, like an elbow bump. Politics is another sphere that will see big changes. Without an option to go door to door or attend big community events, politicians will be forced to gain attention online. And while it will be somewhat easy for currently known figures, those who are trying to gather the electorate will have to come up with loud Internet campaigns heavily relying on social media (so we may soon see hundreds of Trumps Tweeting about their platforms all over the world). World of art and performances, urbanization, global migration, the value of particular occupations, just the employment itself and the very consumerist society might be shifting. Many more possible foreseen and unforeseen changes might be coming. Or not, and the "different normal" we have now will soon turn into a story of the past.
SHop SafE & SHop at HomE!
The nice weather has been teasing and tricking the residents lately, and the Estevan fishing community can hardly wait to get out on the lakes. It seems that the prayers of those feeling itchy for catching some fish have been heard. If everything goes along the lines with the provincial reopening plan, nothing should affect the traditional May 5 angling season start date. In the meantime, seagulls have been enjoying the last days of having the local marinas for themselves, disdainfully watching lone bystanders intruding their territory. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia
Former Estevan resident offers insight into deadly Nova Scotia shooting Sam Macdonald is very familiar with rural Nova Scotia. He has lived there and worked there for most of his life. Macdonald, who worked for the Estevan Mercury as a reporter from July 2015 to April 2017, has lived in several rural Nova Scotia communities in his life, most recently Stellarton, which is about an hour east of Portapique, the tiny coastal community where Gabriel Wortman, a 51-year-old denturist, started a rampage that would leave 22 people dead in several communities and others injured. Macdonald also has what he called a “small world” connection to Wortman, thanks to Wortman’s denture clinic in the Halifax area. “He was literally 30 seconds down the street from where my brother used to live on Portland in Dartmouth.” Macdonald doesn’t recall ever meeting Wortman, but he remembers driving and walking past the office, which he said was really hard to miss because of its “big, ugly, imitation teeth on the side of it” that certainly drew attention to the business.
His brother hadn’t had any dealings with the shooter, either. Macdonald didn’t know any of the victims, either, but rural Nova Scotia, much like rural Saskatchewan, is known for having just a couple of degrees of separation. “I know people who know people who are part of the families and that kind of thing,” said Macdonald. And while he has worked in the Nova Scotia media, Macdonald said he hadn’t encountered Const. Heidi Stevenson, the 23-
year RCMP member who was among those killed. Stevenson was at one time a spokesperson for the RCMP in the province. She has earned praise from across the country for her efforts to try to stop the massacre. Like most people, Macdonald didn’t find out about the shooting until he woke up the Sunday morning. But at that point, people were abuzz, and at that time, he knew something serious was happening in a part of the country he’s very familiar with. There was a lot of shock regarding the incident. People he knows have been reeling, especially those with a connection to the victims. “That part of Nova Scotia is very quiet, and you wouldn’t think something like that would ever happen. Everybody there seems to know somebody who knows somebody.” Portapique would be a similar size to Benson or Frobisher. Other communities where Wortman struck would likely have a couple of hundred residents as well. “These are the kinds of places where people wouldn’t lock their doors,” said Macdonald. “ There are some rougher places here in Nova
One person has been charged with alleged firearms offences following an investigation by the Estevan Police Service’s Intelligence Unit. A search warrant was executed at a residence locat-
ed in south Estevan on April 22 at about noon. Firearms and ammunition were seized from the residence. The suspect was taken into custody without incident. Kevin Levick of Este-
van has been charged with possessing a firearm without a licence, unlawful storage of a firearm and failing to comply with a probation order. All charges are under the Criminal Code. Levick was held in cus-
By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
Sam Macdonald is a former Estevan resident who has spent extensive amounts of time in rural Nova Scotia, and is very familiar with the area that was the scene of a shooting rampage earlier this month.
Scotia where people wouldn’t be that open, but in the rural areas, it’s … definitely a little more friendly and a little more community minded, so this definitely came like a bolt of lightning from a clear blue sky.” One of his friends lives in Enfield – the community where the rampage ended. It’s a bedroom community for Halifax, and Macdonald believes the situation could have been much more dangerous if Wortman would have been able to make it to the largest city in the province. But people have also shown their resilience in the face of the tragedy. They can purchase Nova Scotia Strong shirts to show their solidarity, with the money going towards the families affected by the tragedy. The turnaround time was impressive, as it took just a couple of days. “A lot of people have moved quick after an event like this, and there’s been a lot of co-ordination,” he said. A petition also was successfully launched to have the dentures removed from Wortman’s old Dartmouth office building. Macdonald now resides in Saint John, N.B., where he works for an online business publication.
tody and appeared in front of a judge April 24 in Estevan. He was released by the court on multiple conditions. The matter is still under investigation and further details will be released once the investigation is completed.
Police arrest one for firearms
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Michael’s Coffee Shop and Bakery is now treating Estevan customers with cinnamon buns No big celebrations or ribbon cuttings. On April 22, Michael’s Coffee Shop and Bakery in Estevan just opened their doors and declared the new location open and they got slammed with orders. Michael Ellis, the man behind the original coffee shop in Carlyle, the unique small business that has claimed its reputation throughout the province, said that with restricted access, take out operation only and also a minimal amount of people allowed in the kitchen, the first few days appeared to be really busy. But there was nothing better than such a reception for him, especially during the difficult times. He said that during the first couple of days, they had many take-out orders for their famous cinnamon buns, and occasionally they managed to make some extra for people who just stop by for a coffee and a bun to go. “It’s been the tremendous response from the community,” said Ellis. While the demand for what Michael’s Coffee Shop and Bakery has to offer is defi-
nitely there, it’s still the time of social distancing. The new place is strictly following all the requirements and is limiting the number of people who can come in at once. Fulfilling orders during the first few days felt even busier also because they are currently working short-staffed with just about half of employees that they would normally have, which is done to maintain social distancing in the kitchen as well. Ellis said that if not for the current situation they probably would have seen even more response, but they are still really happy with how things are now. “We are feeling very positive about the first interaction for the new place,” said Ellis. Getting ready to open they’ve redone the floor, repainted everything and changed lights. While the place looks pretty “simple” and was designed from the minimalist approach standpoint, Ellis noted that transparency was one of the key elements and is one of their main values. When customers walk in the front door they can see all the way right through to the back door. This kind of setup allows guests to see everything happening in the kitchen. This way
when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, customers can come in, enjoy a nice cup of coffee or a meal and also have an element of entertainment watching how it’s all being made. The new kitchen was also a positive experience for Ellis. “I love working in the new kitchen. When you put it together just the way you want it, you’d better love it otherwise you have nobody to blame but yourself,” said Ellis laughing.
The coffeeshop and bakery started off offering coffees, cinnamon buns and pizzas, but as the days go they are adding to their menu bringing it on par with what they offer at the Carlyle location. Soup and sandwiches were the first ones in line to appear on the Estevan menu. When restrictions are lifted and they will be allowed to actually sit people, they might call for a grand opening with a
celebration. “ We look forward to hosting live music and probably have ribbon cutting … and make an event out of it. But we have no real plans for that until we know things a bit more clearly,” said Ellis. In the meantime, Ellis said that being able to offer people even a little bit of comfort through the goods and services during these times is something that keeps them
going despite all the challenges. “During the crisis, because we can’t have people in … what happens is that the community is very supportive as all of the local businesses, they don’t want to see anybody to get lost through this process. So we can only praise the people in our communities for the way they’ve responded in that regard,” said Ellis. “And I think for the products and services that we offer, people like coming out. Even though they can’t stay and they can’t gather, just to provide a little bit of things that kind of remind them … of that stability, that sense of groundedness, that it’s all going to be OK. And we are proud to be a part of providing a little bit of that.” Michael’s also partnered with potter Jeffrey Taylor, who runs the Newschool Arts studio in Duval, and they just received a fresh batch of souvenir mugs with the special logo to commemorate the coffee shop opening in Estevan. “We are pretty excited with that partnership with the Newschool Arts,” said Ellis. Michael’s Coffee shop and Baker y is now open Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
The Government of Saskatchewan’s Subsurface Mineral Crown Disposition Public Offering, held
April 27, raised $169,878 in revenue for the province. This is the first subsurface mineral offering of the
2020-21 fiscal year. Eighty-one subsurface mineral permit blocks totalling 141,640.79 hectares
were posted. Out of the 81 blocks, 16 received bonus bids and consisted of 51,917.960 hectares.
Sun Valley Land Ltd. of Estevan picked up nine permit blocks totalling 36,769.377 hectares for $101,300; Deep Earth Energy Production Corporation picked up three permit blocks totalling 3,462.289 hectares for $55,000; and Prairie Lithium Corporation picked up four permit blocks totalling 11,686.294 hectares for $13,578.00. The highest bid received in this offering was $30,000 from Sun Valley Land. This 1,656.780-hectare permit block is located 18 kilometres southwest of Estevan and is prospective for minerals such as lithium. The subsurface mineral public offering uses a transparent and competitive
bidding system to issue subsurface mineral dispositions that grant the holder exploration and development rights for potash and natural mineral salts occurring more than 60 metres below the land surface. These include boron, calcium, lithium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, bromine, chlorine, fluorine, iodine, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur and their compounds. As the appeal for lithium is increasing in the global market, the province has seen a significant interest in Saskatchewan’s lithium potential. The next scheduled date for a subsurface mineral public offering in Saskatchewan is Dec. 14.
By Ana Bykhovskaia
abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca
Michael's Coffee Shop and Bakery opened its Estevan location on April 22. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia
Subsurface mineral Crown disposition generates more than $169,000 in revenue for the province
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NOTICE OF PREPARATION OF ASSESSMENT ROLL R.M. of Benson No. 35 Notice is hereby given that the assessment roll for the R.M. of Benson No. 35 for the year 2020 has been prepared and is open to inspection from 8 a.m. to Noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., on the following days: Monday to Friday, April 29, 2020, to June 30, 2020, excluding holidays. Due to Covid-19 the office of the assessor is closed to the public; anyone wishing to review assessed properties, please call the office at 306-634-9410 or email rm35@sasktel.net to arrange for an appointment.
20051ss0
A bylaw pursuant to section 214 of The Municipalities Act has been passed and the assessment notices have been sent as required. Any person who wishes to appeal against his or her assessment is required to file his or her notice of appeal, accompanied by a $50.00 appeal fee which will be returned if the appeal is successful, with: The Assessor, R.M. of Benson No. 35, Box 69, Benson, SK S0C 0L0, by the 30th day of June, 2020. Dated this 29th day of April, 2020. Chantel Walsh Assessor
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THE CHURCH OF CHRIST CLOTHING EXCHANGE IS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC.
If you are in need of clothing during this time, please call 306.421.9543 to make arrangements.
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April 29, 2020 A7
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Improvement Furniture adds to a home’s appearance By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
Everyone knows that quality, well-built and nicelooking furniture can have a big impact on a home, and on the morale of its occupants. During the spring time, upgrading furniture can be a big part of a spring home renovation or restoration. And Estevan has options for those looking to find new furniture. Room by Room Furniture has been meeting the furniture needs of the community for more than 15 years. Co-owner Barry O’Handley said the spring time is typically when they sell a lot of patio furniture, now that people are eager to get outdoors. And they still sell a lot of items for the bedroom, the kitchen and the living room at their 14,000 square foot store. “People may discover they’re going to renovate a little bit, and at the same time, usually when they do that, they’re looking at changing some furniture, because when you’ve had to stay in your home all day pretty well, or the majority of the day, it’s going to make a difference in how you do things.” New furniture can en-
hance a home, he said, in much the same way that paint or accessories can help out. And they have still have customers looking to purchase items during the past few weeks. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a lot of challenges.The store is closed to the public but they still have options for people who want to purchase something from the company. Customers are still calling them to book an appointment, and that has helped them pay their bills. “My wife Pat and I have been in business since 1974, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this as far as having to adjust business.” Social distancing is a priority at their business, and they place a premium on sanitizing touch points, and the staff will wear masks if requested. Customers have handled the situation well, and Room by Room is looking forward to May 19, when the provincial government says retail stores can open again. Trina Milford from The Brick said they had a good start to the year, and January was particularly busy.They were selling a lot of appliances, such
as laundry sets, and they were also selling mattresses and other pieces of furniture. Patio furniture and barbecues would typically be top sellers entering the spring and summer season, but this year appliances and indoor furniture have been top sellers in March and April. Milford believes new furniture adds a lot to a home’s appearance. “It’s your area rugs, your lamps, your pictures, everything that ties into together definitely finishes it off, but most certainly it can make a big, big difference.” And the patio can definitely do a lot for a home’s outdoor appearance during the spring and summer months. The Brick has been closed to public access since mid-April, although they still have customers coming in for pickups, payments and essential items. Online shopping has increased, and it’s been a good way to keep contact with their customers. “When customers were coming into the door, our number 1 priority was to keep them healthy and safe, and we started pre-qualifying at the door to see what they were coming in for,
and to assist them as soon as we could, keeping that six-foot distance.” They are looking forward to opening again on May 19, and they’re excited to see old customers and new faces, and do their part to flatten the curve of COVID-19. Jerry Van Roon from Sholter and Horsman Furniture and Appliances said the last few weeks have been a challenge. Some of the factories they deal with were closed, but they have reopened, enabling them to get products back on their shelves. The long-time business has a variety of merchandise for living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms and the outdoors. They’re trying to adapt certain elements of their business, including their website, so that it’s more user-friendly for people. “We’re just trying to stay afloat like everybody else,” said Van Roon. “We’re doing things that we didn’t used to. When a customer comes in, we’re cleaning the door handles and we’re cleaning the counters and the washrooms. You’re doing more of that now than you ever have.” They have shown products to the customers while maintaining social distancing, and most people are adapting to the changes. The sale of appliances means that Sholter & Horsman has been classified as an essential service, and so they’re able to remain open. Appliances have accounted for the bulk of their sales, but they are still sell-
Trina Milford from The Brick said they continue to meet their customers’ needs. File photo
Sholter & Horsman Furniture & Appliances has remained open during the pandemic. ing some furniture. Van Roon said it’s important for them to continue to meet their customers’ needs in any way they can, and he reminded people about the need to shop locally in this time, regardless of whether
it’s at Sholter & Horsman or another business in the community. Local businesses are strong supporters of the community and all that happens in Estevan, and they will continue to do that once the pandemic is over.
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Room by Room Furniture continues to have a wide selection to enhance someone’s home. File photo
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A8 April 29, 2020
HOME
Improvement Sector 1 has gone through considerable growth in the past couple of years, and still meets customers’ needs By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
It ’s been a pretty remarkable couple of years for Sector 1 Construction and Renovations Ltd. The company is owned by Sandon Weber of Estevan and it provides general contracting, encompassing full interior and exterior work on residential and commercial properties. They also do remediation and restoration work following sewer backups, floods and fires. May 1 will mark their seven-year anniversary, but much of the growth has come recently. “The first five years or so were very slow and steady,” said Weber. “It was just me and one or two employees, basically. So I was on the job site every day, and then doing
the paperwork and quoting evenings and weekends.” Early last year, they started getting more and more calls for work, and so they hired additional staff. That growth trend has continued. He now stays in the office on a regular basis, and he had to hire full-time office workers to keep up with the work. Weber cited several reasons for the company’s success: attention to detail and quality work, consistency in their jobs and an ability to handle additional jobs. “It allows us to serve more people,” said Weber. After the price of oil dropped in 2014, Weber saw an increase in the number of construction companies in the area.
“At the same time, in the last year or so, there’s been a number of people leave town or get a normal job or do a few different things with their business venture. It’s been a few different things culminating at once, basically.” They want to make sure people are happy with their work. Estevan area residents are starting to take notice. During the recent Estevan Mercury Publications’ Best of Estevan Contest, Sector 1 was selected as being the readers’ favourite general contractor, and best for home improvements and kitchen renovations. The company has eight full-time employees and five sub-contractors on a nearfull-time basis. Sector 1 has also had
Sector 1 designed this custom bar that was supplied and installed in a basement. Photo submitted
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the opportunity to work with local businesses, which has provided a lot of mentorship opportunities. Weber admits he made mistakes early on in his business on a number of fronts, and he suspects that it ’s common with upstart entrepreneurs. “So the last couple of years, being able to lean on other local businesses who have been in the community for 20 years or 30 years has been helpful to us as well, to be able to work with other local trade partners or vendors and get their wisdom or advice on how to operate a business successfully, even if it’s in a down economy.” As for the COVID-19 pandemic, it started affecting their business in the middle of March. Construction companies like Sector 1 have been declared as essential
people were brought back within a week after Sector 1 finished rearranging their project schedule. And they never had to shut their doors completely. “We had to put policies in place like everyone else for more stringent cleaning and sanitization. Even if we’re outside on a job and the social distancing, we’ve had to make sure we run smaller crews. Usually on exteriors we’ll try to have a crew doing the roof and a crew working on the siding, so now we’re not doing them at the same time. We’re keeping it separate with smaller crews.” They’ve had to ensure customers are aware of new policies and procedures, and a couple of projects have been rescheduled, but people are still pretty happy with the service Sector 1 provides.
A custom kitchen Sector 1 supplied and installed, including a tile backsplash. Photo submitted
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services, so they have been able to remain open, but that doesn’t mean their work continued without interruption. At the time when the pandemic arrived Saskatchewan, Sector 1 were working on larger interior jobs, and one in particular was in a building that was considered a high-risk of COVID-19. They had to halt their work on those projects indefinitely. Then they needed to take a few weeks to reschedule the next few months. “We focused on all of the exterior work that we had booked, and we’re just trying to move through those faster now, because we have more manpower or workforce paying attention to the exterior side of the business.” They had to briefly lay two people off, but those
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April 29, 2020 A9
HOME
Improvement Spring maintenance: 5 key things to inspect outside your home When spring arrives, it’s important to inspect the exterior of your home to make sure it hasn’t been damaged over the winter. Here are five key things you should check. 1. The roof. A visual inspection from the ground or a window will indicate if immediate re-
pairs are needed. In particular, look out for curled, wavy or missing shingles. Also, check the ceilings inside your house for signs of water infiltration. 2. Gutters and spouts. Make sure they’re still firmly attached to the house and that nothing is blocking water from flowing
Home décor Ideas Décor ideas to give homes a fresh look this spring Spring is a season of rejuvenation, and that spirit of renewal can take hold inside a home. Warm weather and longer hours of daylight make spring a perfect time to imagine a home’s interior design in a new light. The following are a handful of décor ideas that may inspire homeowners to give their homes an entirely new look this spring.Wallpaper: Wallpaper fell out of favor years ago, but new styles that aren’t so heavily patterned can make for wonderful additions to any room. Large-scale prints can give a room a whole new feel without giving homeowners or their guests the impression that they have stepped back in time. A simple, muralstyle floral wallpaper on the walls surrounding a table in a breakfast nook can bring nature inside. Pastel colors: Nothing embodies the spring quite like pastel colours. If colourful, bright flowers dot the garden in the backyard, homeowners can bring those uplifting pastels inside by painting an accent wall or even adding some
brightly colored accent furniture to rooms that could use a lift.Declutter: Clutter is often conquered during spring cleaning sessions, but homeowners who want to create more free-flowing interior spaces can downsize their furniture and/or look for multipurpose features that make it hard for clutter to take over a room. Create more open space in entertaining areas by mounting the television and getting rid of a bulky entertainment centre. Create even more space by replacing rarely used end tables with a storage ottoman where books and magazines can be stored to give a room a fresh, clean look.Accent features: Sometimes the smallest changes to an interior space make the biggest impression. Replace dated accents like vases and table lamps with newer items that reflect the latest styles and trends. Such adjustments won’t break the bank, and they can give rooms a whole new feel.Spring is a great time to reconsider home interiors. This spring homeowners can embrace various strategies, both big and small, to give their homes a whole new feel.
LANDSCAPE YOUR YARD
through them. Remove any debris that’s accumulated over the winter. 3. Foundation. Examine the concrete for cracks or signs of water damage. Even the smallest fissure can cause big problems for your home. If you see any signs of degradation, schedule a repair as soon as possible. 4. Balcony or patio. Clean your deck thoroughly and secure any loose boards. Wood patios should be stained every one to
three years. If it needs to be done this spring, sand the surface and apply your chosen stain. 5. Windows and doors. Check the caulking around each window and door, and replace it if necessary. Inspect wooden frames to make sure they don’t show signs of water infiltration or rot. If you notice any major damage during your inspection, be sure to make the needed repairs.
Springtime home improvement projects that look great Are you thinking about updating your home this spring? If so, these three projects are perfectly suited to the season. 1. Upgrade the landscaping. Spring is the perfect time to upgrade flower beds and walkways or even install a pool or hot tub. Your garden will have time to grow in and you’ll be able to enjoy your new outdoor space all summer long. 2. Rebuild or refinish the deck. If your deck has seen better days, this is the ideal time to repair or rebuild it. Consider
expanding it to create zones for eating, cooking and relaxing. 3. Replace the siding. If your siding took a beating over the winter, now’s the right time to replace it. Choose a quality product and consider using a more modern colour. Cool tones like grey, blue and green have been popular in recent years. Spring is the best time of year to tackle most outdoor projects. Just be sure to get to them before the hotter weather arrives.
FIX UP YOUR HOUSE!
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A10 April 29, 2020
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Carnduff’s Fast Trucking shows support for laidoff workers with $50,000 in Co-op gift cards Fast Trucking Service has found a way to support the employees that they had to lay off during these challenging times. The long-time Carnduffbased trucking company, which moves drilling rigs, hauls frac equipment and other oil rigrelated equipment, was forced to lay off 250 workers earlier this month due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the price of oil. But they wanted to find a way to support their employees.
President Dennis Day, whose family operates Fast Trucking, said he knew that some employees were going to be in need of help. “I didn’t know, when there was a million people going on unemployment and half the country’s shut down, when my guys were going to get any money,” said Day. He thought that if he bought them each a gift card from the co-op, they could get
the groceries they need until the government support kicks in. Day went to the co-op in Carnduff and ran into one of his employees, who was carrying a 10-pound ham and three dozen buns. “You know what he’s eating the next 10 days, and that’s when I thought I am going to do this.” He talked to his brother Larry, the rest of his family and his managers, and asked them
what they thought of the gift card idea. They agreed it was a great concept. Day phoned the co-op, asked for $50,000 in gift cards, and wrote a letter to each employee from his family. Each employee was to receive $250 in gift cards, but Day managed to get them even more value. “I’m a business guy, so I phoned the co-op and said if I buy $50,000 worth of gift cards, what kind of deal are you going
to give me? And they said ‘We’ll give you a five per cent discount.’ So I said ‘Don’t give me the five per cent discount, add it on to each employee’s card. So they got $260.” Day noted that he received more than 120 phone calls, text messages and emails the day after the gift cards were sent out. Other people stopped him in the street to thank him. The gift cards are good for any co-op location, since
Fast Trucking has locations in Estevan and Swift Current, in addition to Carnduff, and they have employees elsewhere. Approximately 350 people work for the business. Fast Trucking has been trying to maintain some operations during the pandemic and the oil price crash, but Day said they have had some trucks parked since 2014, when the price of oil went through a significant drop in value.
www.estevanmercury.ca
April 29, 2020 A11
Estevan youth supports front-line healthcare workers Lucas Dzer yk might be young, but he wants to show support for front-line medical workers. Lucas, a 14-year-old Estevan resident, has been using a 3D printer that he received for his birthday to create surgical mask clips for front-line healthcare workers. He heard about a boy his age in B.C. who was doing something similar with a 3D printer. Once Lucas realized it was something he could do, he started the process, because it seemed like it would be fairly
simple. “I go online to this 3D website called Thingiverse, and I searched masked attachments, and this one from the B.C. boy showed up, so I downloaded it. And then I send it to the printer and just print a bunch of the clips.” One strap would be required for each mask, and it only takes around 10 minutes to make one. Lucas’ mother Melanie said it appears that wearing a mask daily for their entire shift is rubbing the back of the workers’ ears raw, and so they are looking
for ways to keep a mask off of their ears. The clip that keeps the mask off of their ears can be easily disinfected after each shift, can be transferred to a different mask for repeated use, and is comfortable to wear. Clips have been sent to the Estevan Regional Nursing Home and other health care facilities. A couple have gone to St. Joseph’s Hospital, and Lucas has received more requests for clips from hospital staff. “Everyone’s very happy and pleased that I’m doing this,” he
said. Melanie Dzeryk noted he printed one out last week and they posted it on various Facebook Estevan sites, explaining to front line workers that they could get this clip for free just by contacting the Dzeryk family. He expects he will continue to do this until life returns to normal from COVID-19. He’s not sure how many more he’ll print, so he’ll keep making them until he stops receiving requests. “I’m surprised at how many people need them and want them,” he said.
Lucas Dzeryk. Photo submitted
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A12 April 29, 2020
www.estevanmercury.ca
Estevan fast food restaurants have become popular destinations for customers during pandemic By Ana Bykhovskaia
abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca
With the current lack of activities during the afterwork hours, many people in the Estevan area turned to the few still available options, including the fast-food restaurants. While all of them had to close for sitting and some also had to put a break on take-out options, the drive-thru became a new type of a social activity, which many citizens have been utilizing lately. To ensure employee and public safety, restaurants had to implement many rules and regulations suggested by the health authority. “We are doing employeescreening on a daily basis. They come in, we have regular meetings with our employees,” said Tim Jenish, Estevan McDonald’s co-owner-operator. The meetings help to ensure the employees’ heath,
and if someone is not feeling well, they are asked to leave and seek rest or medical help if needed. Besides, the meetings help keep the workers informed about the changes that are being made throughout the COVID-19 times. Estevan KFC asks the employees to stay home if they experience any symptoms of a disease, including sniffles. Many readjustments were also made inside the fast food restaurants. Both Estevan KFC and McDonald’s changed the positioning of the employees or handling the product, which includes regular cleaning and other hygiene-related precautions. “We’ve got the Plexiglas up as a way to protect ourselves first and foremost and we protect the customers. We are … practising social distancing between us and customers as much as we can and in between each other here,” said
Estevan KFC general manager Robert Hazzard. The health safety procedures do have an impact on service times per customer, resulting in a little bit longer wait. “We had to adjust some of our procedures to accommodate things like social distancing and sanitizing high touch areas by employees and the customers,” said Jenish. KFC also sanitizes pin pads in between each customer, adding on average five to 10 seconds to the serving times. The readjustment instructions came from head offices, making it a bit easier for the local restaurants to quickly switch to new standards. But even with all the changes, with the news about the virus spreading, some of the McDonald’s employees didn't feel comfortable working and volunteered to be laid off.
Estevan KFC had about 90 per cent of its traffic shift to drive-thru, keeping the place busy.
“They weren’t comfortable working with the virus situation,” said Jenish. “It was just a general fear with the (information from the) media and warnings coming from the government. People were just scared and concerned. They were happy for the most part with the procedures that we do in terms of protection and safety, but it was the unknown, they were afraid of that.” Estevan McDonald’s allowed all employees who requested to leave for the time being to do so. The restaurant itself also only could have so many workers inside to ensure the safe distance between those working to serve through the drive thru. And with the lobby and the sitting area closed to the public by a decision made by the McDonald’s head office, aimed at protecting the employees, some other services weren’t needed at this time.
Estevan KFC saw some really slow times during the first week of the pandemic, but then the drive-thru picked up and they were able to readjust the procedures, keeping all the employees and even seeking a few more people to join the team. “We are trying to hire a few more people because we’ve actually been trying to be as busy. We are always on the lookout for some good team members,” said Hazzard. For KFC, which currently offers a take-out, drive thru and delivery options, the business shifted from 50 per cent to 90 per cent for drivethru, and the number of their deliveries more than doubled. Hazzard noted that just a few people still prefer to come into the building, but if that happens, the rules are in place to ensure their safety. Jenish noticed that the busiest times for McDonald’s
have shifted a little bit, but the traditional breakfast, lunch and supper windows are still the times when they see the most people coming in. In KFC the lunch peak time became a bit more spread out, but supper remains really busy and the restaurant is not seeing too much of a decline in sales over the last year, which is very positive for them. But they are still eager to get back to normal. Jenish also said that they are ultimately looking forward to reopening the dining room, but with no clarity about when it’s going to happen and what changes will have to occur to make it safe for the public and employees they are not “overly excited” yet. McDonald’s drive-thru is currently open from 5 a.m.10 p.m. KFC is open for drive thru, pick up and delivery from 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
McDonalds: Busy times for Estevan McDonald’s haven’t changed, but all people now have to get their meals going through the drive thru.
City wants public input on coal transition The City of Estevan is seeking the public’s input regarding the transition away from conventional coal-fired power. In a post on the city’s website, Rick Sadick, the coal transition co-ordinator, noted the community is facing challenges with the pending closure of Units 4 and 5 at the Boundary Dam Power Station. Power production jobs and coal mining jobs will be affected. “It’s our community responsibility to ensure we come out of this in a positive way, and although we continue to advocate for the use of
clean coal, we need to pull together and solve the uncertainty of our future,” Sadick wrote. During his first few weeks as coal transition co-ordinator in Estevan, Sadick said he has heard from folks who have some really good ideas. “I have also been reviewing lists of community-generated opportunities that have been provided to me by colleagues,” he said. “These ideas and opportunities are aimed at moving our community forward through this transition, but more approaches are needed.”
He has been working closely with the economic development department, city staff, the Estevan Chamber of Commerce and both federal and provincial governments in an attempt to secure new business opportunities that will strengthen the city’s ability to grow and attract new business ventures. At the same time, the city wants to keep citizens shopping at local businesses while they find new ways to draw shoppers and families from outside the community into Estevan. “We need to ask ourselves, ‘What do we
have in Estevan that makes our city great?’ and ‘What things in our community need to be fixed?’” If people have any suggestions that could possibly help, the city wants to hear from them. Sadick stressed there are no bad ideas. All submissions will be held in the strictest confidence. In the coming months, the city will also be talking to local businesses. “We all want to remain positive and keep Estevan moving forward – and together, we will succeed.”
HEALTH CARE
HEROES A weekly salute to the care providers at St. Joseph’s Hospital of Estevan An Emmanuel Health Facility This week’s focus - Obstetrics
20051pm0
The Obstetrics Department serves our community with Maternity Services including 150 – 300 births per year. The care is provided by: Nursing, Physicians, Lab, Housekeeping, Maintenance, Admin Clerks, Pharmacy, Food Services, CSR, and more The staff continues to provide services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thank you to our Health Care Hero’s at the Obstetrics Department of St. Joseph’s Hospital of Estevan
Energy
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
A13
Coal car memorial is back to its traditional home By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca
Estevan received a significant historical monument back on April 22. A group of United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Local 7606 members gathered by the courthouse in the morning to ensure that the renovated coal car was installed without an issue. Skylift Services donated their efforts and helped to move the Coal Miners’ Corner from the trailer to its spot at the corner of Fourth Street and Souris Avenue South. For decades this piece of the Estevan labour movement history has been serving as a tribute to the three people killed and the many injured in the Estevan Riot of 1931. But tricky Estevan weather and time gave it no quarter. And last October a group of UMWA Local 7606 members decided that it was the time to step forward and save the monument. The renovations took about six months and saw the
car completely redone. Dave Dukart, who took a lead on the project, said that by the time they removed the car from its location last fall it was in really poor shape and completing the project felt good. “It was well needed. It was very deteriorated. It sat here since 1981, that’s when they put it here,” said Dukart. The car was ripped right down to the original. The metal was flaking, so it had to be sandblasted first. “We didn’t take too much off because we wanted to keep it as authentic as possible,” said Dukart. Finding close to the original boards turned out to be quite difficult. Throughout the years the dimensions have changed and contemporary two by fours didn’t fit the original construction. The work on the car was accomplished by Doug Dawson, who is a retired International Brotherhood of Electric Workers (IBEW) member and a former SaskPower employee. “He is pretty handy with the hammer as you can see. He
United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Local 7606 members who were at the courthouse for coal car installation were, from left, Ashley Johnson, Darcy Dukart, Dave Grass and Dave Dukart. kept it up for us quite well,” said Dukart. The local company restored the plate, located on the side of the car and telling the story of the riot and the monument. “The sign had a lot of meaning to it. It was worded back in 1981 and we wanted to keep that wording,” said Dukart.
Dave Dukart carefully cleaned the spot before reinstalling the coal car. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia
Skylift donated its service to help to bring the historical piece back to the community. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia
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Now that the car is shiny and fixed, Dukart said that they are not going to let it get back to the condition that it was in last year. “We are going to make a commitment that we are going to look after it from now on,” said Dukart. “It was something that was kind of forgotten about and hopefully it won’t be anymore.” He was also grateful to the public for allowing them time to complete all the work needed. “Just a special thanks to the public for being patient with us. We had a few calls wondering about the car, and when is it coming back, and what’s going on with it. You don’t realize how many people miss it once it’s gone. It’s a major piece of history for the union,” said Dukart. “And a special thanks to people who got involved and helped us out in getting it back to where it is.” UMWA was hoping to have a small ceremony in conjunction with the national Day of Mourning on April 28, however, due to the current situation the traditional activities – recognizing people who were killed at work or due to work in the previous year – were switched to virtual and the ceremony for the coal car is not on agenda for now. Despite the changes in plans, it was important to put
the Coal Miners’ Car back where it belongs as soon as it was ready. Back in 1981, the coal car was installed at the corner in partnership with the Estevan Labour Congress to keep the memory of people killed and injured at that same place during the Estevan Riot. “In 1931 three people lost their lives trying to organize better working conditions for the future,” said Dukart. While the car is looking good now and doesn't need more work, union members
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may focus their efforts at preserving the headstone and a gravesite where the three miners are buried at the Bienfait cemetery. “That’s probably going to be our next little project that we are going to try to take on, try to beautify it a bit,” said Dukart. The big cement monument is deteriorating and needs some work. And as long as the coal industry is active, even if at the lower scale, the miners will keep maintaining the historical pieces in the area.
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A14
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Doris (Bachan) Dirpaul 1938 – 2020 With heavy hearts the family wishes to announce that Doris Dirpaul, late of Estevan, SK passed away at home surrounded by the love of her daughters in the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 21, 2020 at the age of 81 years. Doris was preceded in death by her parents and husband Teddy Dirpaul. Left with precious memories are her children, Mary Dirpaul, Rosanne Dirpaul, Tenny (Alma) Dirpaul, Lavona Dirpaul, Dan (Joan) Dirpaul and Torry Dirpaul. Sweet memories will remain in the hearts of her grandchildren: Sidney Dirpaul, Stephanie Dirpaul, Genevieve “Genie” Dirpaul, Evangeline “Evie” Dirpaul, Danielle “Dani” Dirpaul and Angelique “AJ” Dirpaul. A Private Family Interment will take place at Souris Valley Memorial Gardens, Estevan, SK. A Celebration of Doris’ Life will be held at a later date when we can safely gather together again. Those so wishing may make donations in memory of Doris to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, 1738 Quebec Ave., Saskatoon, SK S7K 1V9. Deb Heidinger with Hall Funeral Services, Estevan is assisting the Dirpaul family.
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Zane B. Olson 1958 - 2020 With profound sadness, the family of Zane Olson announces his death on Friday, April 17, 2020. Zane was found on The Land, one of his favourite places, with his boots on, shovel in hand, and dog by his side. Zane was predeceased by his father, Perry Olson; father-in-law, Elmer Bowes; mother-in-law, Madge Bowes; brother, Wesley Olson; nephews Eric Olson, Blake Olson. Zane’s quick wit, generosity, work ethic and loyalty will be affectionately remembered by his family: wife, Sherry; son, Dustin (Sabrina); daughter, Brandi (Alex); granddaughters, Iyla and Mirren; mother, Clara; brothers, Todd (Sharon) and Randy (Wendy); sister, Jocelynn (Marvin); brother-in-law, Robert (Lorrie); sisters-in-law, Maureen, Marilynn (Dave), Betty (Martin); Linda (Glenn); as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Sherry, Dustin and Brandi are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support received from the community of Estevan and people across the world. We appreciate the meals, phone calls, and messages of solidarity. We know you grieve with us. When travel restrictions are lifted, there will be a Celebration of Life for Zane. We look forward to sharing stories about the many ways he positively impacted our lives. In place of flowers, please consider donating to an organization Zane was a dedicated member of: the Southeast Saskatchewan Search and Rescue. Southeast Saskatchewan Search and Rescue Box 603 Estevan, SK S4A 2A2 Yvonne Clark at Hall Funeral Services, Estevan is assisting Zane’s family. Betty Olive SHACKLETON Betty Olive Shackleton (nee Willcox) of Regina (formerly Estevan) passed away unexpectedly yet peacefully at the age of 84 years on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. She leaves to cherish her memory, Don, her loving husband of 61 years and their family; daughter Louine (Tony) Orlowski, their daughters Tatiana (Mars) and Alexis and her son Issac; son Murray (Laurie) Shackleton, their daughter Kelly (Mark) and son Morgan (Courtney) and their children Jude and Eli; daughter Karen (Terry) Tantardini, their sons Dexter (Chelby) and Spencer (Lindsay) and their sons Ryan and Ellis; and daughter Linnea (Ted) Aumentado and their children Jaron and Kadin. Betty was predeceased by her brothers Tod (Helen) and Medford (Alice). She is remembered by her numerous nieces and nephews and their families, including Cindy Warner who was the flower girl at her wedding; as well as by her sister Joyce Scott (Ken (predeceased)). Betty spent a lifetime building enduring friendships and will be lovingly remembered by many from the Grenfell, Moose Jaw, and Estevan areas as well as her lifelong school and nursing classmates. She truly enjoyed organizing many camping adventures, travelling across the country, visiting family and friends along the way. Her infectious giggle brought joy to many people over the years, especially those in her nursing care. Betty had a unique way of bringing people together, always sharing what she had and going out of her way to make everyone feel welcome. A service will be scheduled at a later date due to the current circumstances. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan, 1738 Quebec Avenue Unit 26, Saskatoon, SK S7K 1V9 or a charity of your choice. Family and friends are invited to sign the online obituary and tributes page at www.reginafuneralhome.ca. Arrangements entrusted to Regina Funeral Home and Cemetery (306) 789-8850. Jean Wilson It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Jean Wilson at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Estevan, SK with her daughter by her side on April 17, 2020. Jean was predeceased by her husband Howard Wilson; daughter Joyce Moroz; sisters, Peggy (Doug) Crate, Frances (Norm) Johnson and Ruth Lees; grandson David Gervais; sonin-law Don L. Holinaty; brother-in-law Henry Hiebert and sisterin-law Vera Hodgens. Jean’s memory will be forever remembered by her daughters, June (Richard) Gervais, Beth (Ron) Gervais, Bev Holinaty, Helen Murfitt, Patsy (Orlie) Caan, Reta (Bob) Scott and Pat Wilson; sister Amy Hiebert; brother-in-law John Lees; as well as numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. Jean will also be deeply missed by her extended family, Shirley Peterson and Wendy Horrocks as well as several others who called her mom
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or grandma. There will be a private family graveside held at Souris Valley Memorial Gardens, Estevan, SK. It was Jean’s request that there be no flowers. Please consider giving a memorial donation to Creighton Lodge, 1028 Hillcrest Drive, Estevan, SK, S4A 1Y7 in memory of Jean. The family would like to thank Dr. Babkis and nurses on Unit A for all the excellent care to their mother Jean. Thank you to Yvonne Clark, Dustin Hall and the staff at Hall Funeral Services. Thank you to all those for their prayers, phone calls, food and words of encouragement at this difficult time. Yvonne Clark at Hall Funeral Services, Estevan is assisting Jean’s family.
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April 29, 2020 A15
A&A Jewellery still having its big anniversary sale Like every business, A&A Jewellery has been forced to adapt in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and an example of that can be seen with an annual event that started last week. Their 48th-anniversary sale is normally a big event for the store, but they couldn’t have people drop by the business and view the selection. They decided to do it as a Facebook live sale, with the first one happening April 22; 46 items were available. Those items were posted online afterwards. “It went over very well, and I’ve been getting messages that people would like these to continue even after we’re open again,” said co-owner Laurel Buck. The second sale was April 28 at 7 p.m., so that they could reach those who are working and can’t make it for an afternoon session. The final one is April 30 at noon. The anniversary sales would usually see
A&A send out an invite, and their loyalty cardholders would get the opportunity to attend the first day. Then the public would get their turn to shop on subsequent days. Usually, it happens over the course of two weeks, and they have added incentives to bring customers into the store. A&A Jewellery has done their best to engage their customers even though the business has been closed to public access since mid-March. They have a texting app that sends messages to desktops and phones, and Buck has been employing Facebook messenger as well. Buck referred to it as “personalized service over the Internet.” People have been going to their website and reserving their items. A&A has had curbside payments and a few deliveries in recent weeks. The pandemic and the closure of the
business to foot traffic are particularly tough, because jewellery is one business in particular in which customers like to hold and feel the item before they purchase it. “A lot of people want to try a ring on or look to see what a pendant looks like around their neck. So it makes it a little different, but I think rather than just looking at a picture, that’s where the Facebook live comes in handy, too, because they can see the diamonds sparkle or the colour of something, so it’s not just a company stock photo,” she said. While the business has adapted well, Buck believes the customers have also done a good job of adjusting to the challenge. The provincial government announced last week that retail stores will be able to open again on May 19, and Buck is looking forward to seeing A&A’s customers again in a face-to-face setting.
A&A Jewellery co-owner Laurel Buck. Photo submitted
New Estevan chamber president praises community The new president of the Estevan Chamber of Commerce has high praise for the chamber and the community as a whole. Michael Dunne, a manager of mortgage specialists for rural Saskatchewan with RBC Royal Bank, was elected as the chamber’s president during the annual general meeting on April 22. When he came to Estevan five years ago from Weyburn, he viewed this city as a pit stop. He initially wanted to get out of southeast Saskatchewan as quickly as he could, as he had a two-year contract to work in Estevan. After the two years were up, he asked to stay here. And after the end of his next two-year contract, he asked to stay again. “When I look around at the people in Estevan, I’ve lived in many different countries, I’ve lived in many different cities, and you guys are special. There’s a resilience that can be seen in Saskatchewan, but the resiliency in Estevan is truly something,” said Dunne.
“That is the sort of people that I wanted to align myself with, and now as president, I want to be the voice for that moving forward. We stayed. Other people are going to stay.” His wife started a small business that has been supported by the community. Dunne said he looks forward to hearing from each of the chamber members. He pointed out the board members are volunteers who are getting up at 6 a.m. to go to meetings and really try to help the membership. Members and the executive have done a great job of allowing the organization to move forward. “We are in new times and we are in difficult times, and really this is not the time for outlooks, this is the time for action. We are a chamber of action and we’ve been seeing that over the last few years, and I want to continue on that trend.” Estevan people are able to adapt quickly, and get used to the changes in the world. Dunne is looking for the chamber’s
Michael Dunne is the new president of the Estevan Chamber of Commerce. Photo submitted executive and its membership to provide feedback on what they would like to see from the chamber. The other members of the executive
this year are first vice-president Daniel Betnar with IG Wealth Management, second vice-president Joe Billesberger with B&S Construction/Prairie Sky Kitchens, and past-president Cathy Welta-Eagles with RBC Royal Bank. Board members are Lori Naka with Affinity Credit Union, Denise Taylor with Travel Only, Cory Casemore from Spectra Financial, Jeff Pierson from the Days Inn, Twyla Bauman from Western Star Signature Hotel and Conference Centre, Sheena Onrait with the Southeast College, David Hammermeister with MNP and Linda Mack with RE/Max Blue Chip Realty. The meeting had to be held through a teleconference due to the ongoing restrictions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-three people called in for the event. Financial statements released during the annual meeting showed the chamber had a small deficit of $2,445. Revenues were at $237,883, while expenses stood at $240,328.
Some things never change, but Jesus remains the same Do you remember 8-tracks? I do. In fact, when I got my first car, one of the first things I did was install an 8-track player. Soon, cassette tapes became popular, so I had to buy the adaptor that allowed me to play them in the 8-track player. Eventually, I got one of the early portable cassette players. It was bigger than the 8-track player in my car and it came with a strap so that you could carry it on your shoulder like a purse.
Later, my brother got a Sony Walkman and it was not much bigger than the tapes themselves. Next came the compact disc. I remember when my buddy Ian bought his first portable CD player. He put it in his truck and every time he hit a bump, the CD skipped. It was terrible. Sara’s brother was the first person I knew who had an iPod. This music player was all electronic and about the size of a credit card. I was amazed at how much music
Tim Pippus of the Estevan Church of Christ it stored and how quickly it moved from one song to the next. Now, many people use their phones to stream their music. There was a lot of tech-
nological change from the 8-track to the iPod, but the goal was unchanged. Each of these devices allowed you to listen to your favourite music any time you wanted, but they did it in completely
different ways. The methods changed, but the point did not. Over the last few weeks, life has changed in tremendous ways. Who would have thought that we would be working from home, that restaurants and stores would be shut down, and that every professional sports team in North America would cease operations? On the other hand, some things remain unchanged. Family is still important. Community is valu-
able. Helping one another always makes things better. Spring has started to visit as it always does this time of year. One other thing remains unchanged as well: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). God has looked after us in the past and he will continue to do so in the future. That has not changed. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
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Wednesday, April 29, 2020
A16
Estevan golf courses excited they’ll get to open By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca
The two golf courses in Estevan are pleased the provincial government has given them the green light to open this spring, and they’re looking forward to their opening day. The TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club and the Hidden Valley Golf and RV Resort believe the provincial government did the right thing in allowing them to open May 15, and they’ll follow the standards announced by the province. Amanda Minchin, the head pro and general manager at Woodlawn, said it’s exciting news for them and for other
businesses that get to open next month, as well as for those who are looking forward to a return of some semblance of normalcy. “Saskatchewan as a province, we’ve done a great job of containing the pandemic and the transfer of COVID,” she told the Mercury. And while there have been tough times caused by COVID, she believes Saskatchewan did really well, especially when compared to other parts of the world. Woodlawn was inundated with phone calls in the hours after Premier Scott Moe announced the golf courses could open again. Woodlawn will spend the next few weeks get-
ting ready to begin play. “It will take us some time to get all of our new policies and restrictions in place,” said Minchin. Restrictions will be in place. Courses won’t be able to have their driving ranges open. There will be 20-minute intervals between tee-off times, and walk-on players won’t be allowed, although green fee players are still allowed. Also, there will be just one golfer allowed in a power cart, unless both occupants are from the same household. In the case of Woodlawn, their upstairs clubhouse will be closed to public access, but it will have a limited menu for
The Hidden Valley Golf and RV Resort is going to be ready for the first day of the golf season on May 15. Photo submitted
curbside pickup and delivery on the course of food and beverages. They will have to adapt their pro shop. Holes won’t be cut into the ground, either. Once the ball hits the cup, that hole for the golfer is finished. Tournaments that were scheduled for May and June will be rescheduled, and the start of league play, including men’s and women’s nights, has been delayed. Woodlawn still hopes to have some sort of an event to mark their 75th anniversary. The restrictions aren’t a surprise for Minchin, as she has been communicating with golf courses elsewhere in the province and the country. “I’ve been following different types of restrictions for golf courses and different types of restrictions for all sorts of businesses. Listing them off, I wasn’t surprised. They were pretty much what I’ve been reading about for the past four weeks.” People will be encouraged to play before they get to the golf course. “We’re going to do our best to accommodate people, following the Saskatchewan guidelines, and making sure that we can do that safely.” But people are excited to get out and play. “We’re going to be busy. It’s going to look different but people will be happy to be here.” Brad Dutton with Hid-
Flashback – May 1, 1968
The Estevan Bruins celebrated winning the Abbott Cup, symbolic of Western Canadian Junior hockey supremacy, on April 29 in Estevan. Coach Ernie (Punch) McLean, manager Scotty Munro, captain Danny Schock and Jim Harrison participate in the trophy presentation ceremony. Estevan defeated the Penticton Broncos in the final.
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The TS&M Woodlawn Golf Course is looking forward to opening day on May 15. File photo den Valley said the provincial government’s announcement was a healthy decision to get people out and enjoying nature, and golf is a perfect part of that. It will be tough to see their driving range remain closed, and there will be some logistical challenges with power carts use, parking lot spacing and people coming in and out of their pro shop. But he’s looking forward to opening. “It’s going to be a bit of a chore to keep everyone safe and distanced,” said Dutton. Traffic will be a little bit slower than a normal year because of the tee time issue, but it’s something they can manage. “The course looks wonderful. It looks very inviting right now. I wish I could have people golfing on it right now. It came out of the winter in fine shape. It might look a little goofy with
the cups sticking out of the hole, but we will manage quite well.” This is typically the time of the year when the course would open. “It’s going to do nothing but get better with no traffic on it for another two or three weeks.” It might also mean a few more golfers claiming a holein-one, due to the new rules regarding golf holes. Hidden Valley also has seven par-threes. Dutton also hopes that the restrictions on power carts mean that more people will choose to walk while golfing as opposed to using a cart, because Hidden Valley lends itself to walking with a total distance of about 2,000 yards. But he’s looking forward to when the course can open on May 15, and people can get out and enjoy a game in an outdoor setting.
Special Olympics continues with fundraising efforts The Special Olympics Estevan committee has been forced to shelve their sporting activities for the time being, but they’re still fundraising so that they can resume activities when they’re ready. Programs have been postponed or cancelled until June 30 by Special Olympics Saskatchewan. They had to halt ActiveStart and Fundamentals with about three weeks remaining in each. “We had about 30 participants, and it was a lot of fun,” said local organizer Kandyce Meili. The average weekly turnout was more than what they had in the winter of 2019 when ActiveStart and Fundamentals were brought to Estevan. New participants were happy to join the activities. An annual bowling tournament was cancelled, while their swimming program ended early. An adult bocce ball program that typically runs once a week outdoors in May and June had to be postponed. There are usually about 10 athletes who participate. Their annual softball game against local law enforcement personnel that traditionally takes place in August is still a go. “We haven’t been able to do any planning or anything for that one yet because we don’t know what’s happening,” she said. As for fundraisers, their provincial 50-50 sale is underway. It has a deadline of June 26, but that has been extended to October, so they can continue to sell. Tickets can be purchased from a Special Olympics Estevan board member. “Fifty per cent of what we sell will come back to Estevan,” she said. The other initiative is the Saskatchewan Law Enforcement Torch Run.This year it is a virtual torch run, with people able to raise funds and log their minutes while walking, jogging, cycling and doing other forms of fundraising. “It definitely does boost awareness when people in the community become involved.They’re sharing that they’re doing this.They’re asking for pledges. More people find out about Special Olympics and what we do and who we help,” Meili said. Special Olympics Estevan was scheduled to be involved with the Quota International Women of Today Awards this year. The event was to be their biggest fundraiser of the year, but it has been postponed to a later date. That means the 50-50 draw and the virtual run are even more important, she said.
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Oxbow digital Community Art Gallery is now live By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca
The quarantine made creative minds work and reorganize quickly and brought up many new opportunities. The Oxbow Arts and Cultural Committee first organized a successful online music concert and has now launched their first Community Art Gallery in a digital format. Comprised of artists representing a variety of mediums from the Oxbow area, the gallery went live Sunday evening and will be available for a week. The digital album was added to the committee’s social networks that are open for public viewing to be enjoyed from home. Megan Andersen, who took on inviting the artists to participate and organized the gallery, talked to the Mercury about the project. “I’ve been in contact with several artists to see if they were willing to submit some works they already had. They emailed back to myself and I (uploaded) it through Facebook and Instagram. It’s one album to look at,” said Andersen. The gallery is comprised of images of various art including photography, unique woodwork, collage, oil and watercolour paintings, and a few sketches. Andersen, Kim Friesen, Jeremy Maffenbeier, Leonard and Evan Moncrief, Lynn Wood and Doug Sully partook in the Community Art Gallery project. Some of the artists are currently living in Oxbow, Alameda and Glen Ewen, while others were born there but are now reside in Estevan or somewhere else.
Oxbow Community Art Gallery opened at 8 p.m. on Sunday. Photo printscreen of the gallery “We have people who live in the States, in B.C. that have submitted their work. One of our photographers has entered photos of her own area, so we got some really nice rural Saskatchewan work,” said Andersen. Forty art pieces were entered for the project. Each picture has a description, in-
cluding the artist’s name, the medium and explanation of what it is. It was the first digital Community Art Gallery, and Andersen said that if it goes well, they’d like to have a second one in the future or maybe even turn it into a monthly event for as long as life is affected by the COVID-19
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pandemic. But the future digital galleries may be organized a bit differently. “This one we did by invitation, otherwise next ones we will probably open up to anyone else who might be interested,” said Andersen. She hopes that people will post feedback on the committee's social networks,
which along with the number of engagements, will help evaluate the project and navigate them in the future. The page and the album are public, so people can like and comment if they choose so. To view the album, people can follow or like the Oxbow Arts and Cultural Committee on Facebook or
Instagram, or just search them to check out the latest album. Andersen said the group is open to everybody, and even if people don’t have a social network account they can still access the gallery. The album will be available to view from April 26 to May 3, and then it will be archived on their Facebook pag
A monthly supplement
Hill View Manor residents gice reasons for pride Submitted by Eunice Massett With the world in such uncertainty and fear-based information feeding our minds on a daily basis it seem difficult to believe there is any hope for a future. Our homes and lives have been turned upside down, changing everything as we once knew it. I believe that there is hope! As difficult as it is we must remain positive, trust God to be our protector and be grateful for the blessings we
do have instead of dwelling on the influx of negativity on every side. This has been a time of change here at Hill View. We have had to divide our home into sides and areas, staff face a daily regime of taking temperatures, changing clothes, washing their hands raw and covering their beautiful faces with masks to protect our residents. Our residents have been amazing. I have never been so proud of them as these last months. They have been so
patient and understanding with all the mandates from the Saskatchewan Health Author it y and personal care home legislation. They know it is to keep them safe and thank God we have no one ill. I know that all my residents are missing their families very much. Staff as well are isolating at home when not working to be sure they don't bring anything into our resident family, yet they come in smiling and positive every day. I appreciate and respect my staff very
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much. They have caring, kind hearts and sincerely love our residents. One of my staff Trudy McKewen has had two new grandbabies born to her sons who live in town and she has yet to hold and bond with them in order to keep social distancing. I drive by my grandsons’ house and they stand at the door and wave. It is hard for everyone. We have allowed a few window visits and have set up two computers that were graciously donated by DMS Services here in Estevan. We are setting them up so that our residents can Facetime with family. What a thoughtful and generous gift to help our elderly. Louise Seipp says she is happy for the phone calls she gets everyday from her children. Henry Fornwald says that they are getting very good care but the days are long. Elaine Murray, who by the way just celebrated her 60th anniversary with her husband Barrie, stated that we feed them very well and she appreciates all the cooks and staff. That is nice to hear. Congratulations to Barrie and Elaine. It is times like these that one really learns how supportive families can be. Some have sent fruit trays and cakes for the staff and residents and call with words of encouragement to all of us who care for their parents. You do not know how much that means to us and makes our sacrifice so worthwhile. Chris Sali is one of our activity workers and her grandson Carter Beatty and his mom Reni made many hearts out of construction paper, wrote uplifting sayings on them and then put them on the outside of the windows. This brought a lot of smiles from our residents and lifted their spirits. We
Hearts have been hung in the windows of Hill View Manor to show support for residents. have received a lot of beautiful handmade cards from the United Way Estevan’s Days of Caring as well and we have them taped up on all of our walls for everyone to enjoy. Gwen Haaland's daughters Kathy Blackstock and Tami Scott brought a beautiful treat from Creative Cookies in Saskatoon. It was an absolutely delicious cookie in the shape of a bunny rabbit and as part of the decoration there were edible paint drops with a brush that you could decorate the rest of the cookie with. A few weeks ago we had Susan Shepherd and her keyboard set up in the backyard gazebo and played for house 3 and 4 residents as they sat inside and had the doors and windows open. At the same time we had Susan Moser set up in house 1 and 2 gazebo playing her accordion for those residents as they listened while social distancing. A while before that, Dave Kjersem brought his guitar and played and sang for us. We were unable to purchase Isagel hand sanitizer anywhere and a family member in Calgary shipped us two 22 kilogram pails of it. We funnel it into all the bottles and it is great. Who would have thought of that?
Evelyne Svorkdahl, who lives here is an avid quilt maker, seamstress, paper machete artist and painter. She came to my office the other day with some face masks the she had sewed for the staff. That blessed my heart! The Faith Lutheran Church Cut N Sew group sewed dozens of cotton reusable face masks as well to help us through this crisis. We don't have words to appropriately thank everyone that has contributed time and effort to support us. We try to have enough activities to keep everyone' mind stimulated but it is a challenge. Our residents love Bingo and I think they have it most every day. The winners should have lots of coffee money by the time we are allowed to go for coffee. We are being as diligent as we can to keep our resident's safe yet active because they are our family as well. Thoughts of gardens and flower beds are pressing in and Gordon Loustel tells me he like to plant beefstake tomatoes so I best find a way to get some of them for him. We are hoping that soon we can lift some of the restrictions and help life to be a little better for everyone.
Cheers & Jeers
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
A19
Cheers Cheers to the couple that comes faithfully, every day, to the Estevan Regional Nursing Home windows, and waves and smiles to the residents and staff. They bring so much sunshine into everyone’s world there. Cheers to Lucas Dzeryk for his efforts to create clips for surgical masks for front-line healthcare workers. It’s a simple gesture but it has a really big impact. Cheers to all of the online fitness classes that have been offered during the last few weeks, and how they allow us to stay in shape while quarantined. Cheers to those who have rethought their meetings, and have moved them online so that the important business can still be discussed. Cheers to the arrival of a new physician in Estevan. It’s not an easy time to be coming to a new community, but it’s good that we have another family doctor to serve our medical needs. Cheers to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League for having these simulations of the league playoffs. Yes, they’re video games and the Bruins have been eliminated, but it’s at least something different for us to talk about.
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Teachers and province reach tentative four-year agreement By Jordan Stricker Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The province and the Sask. Teachers Bargaining Committee (TBC) reached a tentative agreement on April 22 which includes a pay increase for teachers in Saskatchewan. The tentative agreement will be taken to the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation’s (STF) 13,000 members for a vote. “This tentative agreement balances our respect and appreciation for teachers with the fiscal realities of the province,” said deputy premier and Education Minister Gordon Wyant. “The terms of our offer mean that Saskatchewan teachers will have stability for years to come and be paid
at five per cent above the Western Canadian average,” he added. The four-year tentative agreement includes a two per cent salary increase for years two, three and four. STF president Patrick Maze said while the proposed agreement does not fully address all items the TBC sought resolution on, with the uncertainty surrounding the COVI-19 pandemic, the TBC felt it was necessary for members to vote on the current offer. “COVID-19’s impact on our communities over the last month has been significant on the education sector, our communities and each of us individually and professionally,” said Maze in a press release. “ While the proposed settlement does not fully address all the items the TBC
sought resolution on in this round of bargaining, given the uncertainty caused by the pandemic the TBC felt it was necessary for members to vote on this offer,” he added. The STF’s press release said they remain committed to solving class size and composition through ongoing advocacy and participation on a new class complexity committee. “Our withdrawal of these issues from this round of bargaining in no way signals resolution or reduced importance of these issues,” said Maze. “Systematic changes take time and are often made incrementally. I believe we have advanced this issue significantly, and the federation is unwavering in its dedication to address class complexity and ensure an adequately funded public education sys-
tem in Saskatchewan,” he added. The STF’s press release also said if ratified, the new agreement would be effective from Sept. 1, 2019, to Aug. 31, 2023. In addition to salary raises in years two, three and four, the agreement states at the beginning of each school year, all school boards will provide the STF with contact information of all approved substitute teachers, and increases to allowances for principals, vice-principals and assistant principals for the same 2 per cent increase The teachers are expected to vote on the tentative agreement within the next four to six weeks. The STF is finalizing details on how the vote will be conducted in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Jeers Jeers to those who were caught driving at a very high rate of speed in Estevan last week. There is absolutely no reason for someone to be driving more than 140 kilometres per hour, except on a race track. Jeers to those who are using the crash in the price of oil as an excuse to say we should move away from resources such as oil. Want to move away from oil? You’re only going to prolong this recession. Jeers to those who want to see us reopen the province far too quickly. It’s great businesses will be open again, and we can go golfing and camping again, but if we’re going to move forward, it has to be incrementally. Jeers to those complaining about the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan. If you’re really worried about it, then just stay indoors. To submit a cheer or a jeer, please email it to dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca, or visit www.estevanmercury.ca.
Jane-Anne Ireland, the community family services worker and on office admin assistant for the Estevan Salvation Army, was excited to see the Salvation Army receive $2,000 from the Royal Canadian Legion’s Estevan branch on April 20. The donation will help the food bank meet the needs of the community during this challenging time. Photo submitted
Report shows Cornerstone’s fiscal responsibility A report that focused on the role of the director of education in the South East Cornerstone Public School Division (SECPSD) regarding fiscal responsibility was filed with the division’s governance board at their April 22 online public meeting. The report was read out by Shelley Toth, the chief financial officer for the
division, and contained the information that director of education Lynn Little had complied with all six major categories and subsections required by the governance and funding groups. The report contained information that the division had operated in a fiscally responsible manner and adhered to recognized ac-
NOTICE OF PREPARATION OF ASSESSMENT ROLL
counting procedures and that Little had also ensured insurance coverage was in place to protect assets, indemnify liabilities and provided for reasonable risk management. Toth went on to say the director had approved emergency expenditures and change orders on approved projects up to $100,000 and had informed the board
of any expenditure above $50,000. One item, she noted, was the approved purchase of a reading program for a three-year term at a cost of just over $314,000. Security and continuity of the business and security systems regarding information management and technology assets as approved by administration procedures,
also received a thumbs-up. The report provided thorough details regarding the logging of all information technology (IT) interruptions and how the administration provided an annual review of service levels and incidents that were reported to the board. All the servers, routers, switches and firewalls were
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The Village of Macoun pursuant to subsection 217(1) of The Municipalities Act, notice is hereby given that the property assessment roll for the Village of Macoun for the year of 2020, has been prepared and is open to inspection in the village office between the hours of 8:30am and 3:30pm Mondays - Fridays May 1, 2020 to July 3, 2020. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, please contact the Village Office to set up an appointment to view the assessment roll. Carmen Dodd-Vicary, CAO Village of Macoun, P.O. Box 58 454 Appleton Ave., Macoun, SK S0C 1P0 Phone: (306) 634-9352 Fax: (306) 634-9377 e-mail: macoun.sask@gmail.com
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configured to maintain a security log that is reviewed centrally by the information systems department headed by Brian Belinsky. The security area of the monitoring report provided additional information regarding six incidents within the past year when the system was breached but also noted that all six were rated as Class 4 meaning a minor impact on the information system generally brought about by an error by users. There were no emergency, critical or major classification breaches reported. The reporters added that investigative processes and conclusions were included in the report for the board members to review. Having had the time to review the full report well in advance of the April 22 meeting, the board members were in full agreement that Little and the SECPSD administration had complied with all requirements.
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Message From
The Mayor Thanks to our community for doing their part in social distancing – it has helped our province make the decision to open up the economy. Please continue your efforts.
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
UTILITIES AND TAXES DURING COVID 19 PANDEMIC The City of Estevan will be hosting an altered Operation Clean Sweep this Spring. A Free Landfill Weekend on May 15 through May 18, will be the sole opportunity for the Clean Sweep this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Typically, Operation Clean Sweep is a week-long event that has City Crews and residents cleaning up and disposing of refuse. City crews clean in entrances and outlying areas of the City, pick up organic waste material from yard fronts and offer a free landfill weekend. New this year, a Househouse Hazardous Waste Drop off Day was slated – a partnership with Green for Life Environmental. All but that Free Landfill weekend will be postponed. “Many residents are doing projects in their homes and yards, and we want to ensure that the Free Landfill Weekend can still happen, but with restrictions that are mandated by the Provincial Government at the forefront,” shared Norm Mack, Roads and Drainage Manager. “A new date will be announced when restrictions are lifted, and it is safe to hold the other opportunities.” May 15th – 18th – FREE LANDFILL WEEKEND applies to the City of Estevan residents and their residential waste only. Commercial waste will be accepted for regular tipping fees.
Freon appliances are not included. No hazardous waste material will be accepted. Friday, 8am – 8pm, Saturday 9am – 6pm, Sunday 9am – 6pm, Monday 8am – 8pm. If you would like more information or have any questions, please City Hall at 306-6341800.
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.
2020 WATERMAIN FLUSHING SCHEDULE
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.
The City of Estevan will be flushing watermains to ensure good water quality for all users of City water. This work includes the turning of main water valves around the City, and flushing large quantities of water from various hydrants in each area. During this process you may notice a substantial drop in pressure, this will be brief. As well, discoloured water is possible during the days your area is scheduled for this work (see schedule below), please run a faucet for a few minutes until the water is clear again. Please contact City Hall at 634-1800 if issues persist. Thank you for your understanding during this important maintenance! (1) Thursday, and Friday- May 28 and May 29 Area bounded by Perkins Street and Luscar Park on the North, Water Treatment Plant on the South, Woodlawn Ave on the West, and Hwy 47S Service Road on the East (Includes Luscar Park, City of Estevan Public Works yards, and businesses on Hwy 47S Service Road) (2) Monday – Friday- June 1-5 Area bounded by 6th Street on the North, Valley Street, 1st Street, and Westview Place on the South, Alice Road and Woodlawn Avenue on the West, and Souris Avenue on the East (includes Westview, Central, and downtown regions) (3 Monday- Friday June 8-12 Area bounded by 6th street on the North, McDonald Road and Perkins Street on the South, Souris Avenue on the West, and Kensington Ave on the East (includes the Eastend, Bay Meadows, and Valley view regions, and Jubilee Place) (4) Monday –Friday June 15-19 Area Bounded by City Cemetery on the North, King Street on the South, Sister Roddy Road on the West (formerly Woodlawn Avenue), and Souris Road (Hwy 47N) on the East (includes Dominion Heights, Pleasantdale, and Royal Heights regions, as well as Cundall Drive, Woodend Place, Chinook Bay and Hwy 47N Service Road) (5) Monday – Friday June 29-July 3 Area bounded by Spruce Drive and Princess Street on the North, King Street on the South, Souris Avenue on the West, and Kensington on the East (includes Hillside and Scotsburn regions) (6) Monday -Friday July 6-10 Area bounded by King Street on the North, CPR Railroad on the South, 14th Ave on the West, and Kensington on the East (includes 7th Street, 8th Street, 9th Street, Centennial, Trojan, and Soo Industrial regions) (7) Monday- Friday July 13-17 Area bounded by Kensington on the West, Sawyer Road on the East, North and South City Limits (includes Glen Peterson Industrial Park, East Industrial, Southeast Industrial regions, and properties along Hwy 39E Service Road)
Message from the Coal Transition Coordinator: We are all facing challenges with the pending closure of Boundary Dam units 4 and 5. Power production jobs, as well as coal mining jobs, will be affected. It’s our community responsibility to ensure we come out of this in a positive way, and although we continue to advocate for the use of clean coal, we need to pull together and solve the uncertainty of our future. During my first weeks as Coal Transition Coordinator in Estevan, I have heard from folks who have some really good ideas. I have also been reviewing lists of communitygenerated opportunities that have been provided to me by colleagues. These ideas and opportunities are aimed at moving our community forward through this transition, but more approaches are needed. We have been working closely with the Economic Development Department, City staff, Chamber of Commerce as well both Federal and Provincial governments in an attempt to secure new business opportunities that will strengthen our ability to grow and attract new business ventures in Estevan. At the same time, we want to keep our citizens at home shopping local at our current businesses while we find new ways to draw shoppers and families from outside our community, into Estevan. We need to ask ourselves, “what do we have in Estevan that makes our city great?” and “what things in our community need to be fixed?” If you have any suggestions that could possibly help our cause, we want to hear from you – and there’s no bad ideas. All submissions will be held in the strictest confidence. In the coming months, we will also be talking to local businesses, but most importantly, we want to hear from you. We all want to remain positive and keep Estevan moving forward – and together, we will succeed. Please send me your ideas. Rick Sadick Coal Transition Coordinator, City of Estevan r.sadick@estevan.ca - 306-634-1843