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STICKING TOGETHER DURING THESE TIMES

WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020

City council awards tender for the expansion of the Estevan Police Service’s building The expansion of the Estevan Police Ser vice’s building is moving forward.

Estevan city council approved a $2,159,000 tender from Quorex Construction at Monday night’s meeting, following a recommendation from the Estevan board of police commissioners, who also selected Quorex for the work.

The bid came above the budgeted amount of $1.5 million. Mayor Roy Ludwig noted at the meeting that the work has been trimmed to about $2 million. Council will be seeking $1 million from the provincial government’s recently-announced stimulus package to ease the city’s burden for this project.

Council spent about 20 minutes debating the issue during the open portion of the meeting, covering such topics as ways to reduce the costs, to getting local contractors involved, to the

condition of the current building.

A building committee has been struck to discuss the project and to look at how to lower costs.

“The building committee has spent literally hours and hours and hours just on this, on awarding this tender, and that’s why we took our time,” said Ludwig. “ We wanted to make sure we cross ts and dot I’s.”

Ludwig believes that if anyone takes a tour of the police station, they would see how much the expansion is needed. Members of council echoed Ludwig’s statement.

“The room that really just stuck with me was a room where some of the vulnerable victims go to,” said Councillor Shelly Veroba.

“It’s very small, and to have to be interviewed in that room or to give your statement in that room, I thought that was one of many items

in the police stations that need to be enhanced.”

She also cited concern with the filing system that requires more space and the lab.

Other members of council shared their experiences with the design of the building, with Councillor Greg Hoffort calling the building’s design “dysfunctional.”

C o u n c i l l o r Tr e v o r Knibbs cited a conversation with an unnamed member of council, who pointed out that in the last few years, the fire department has moved into a new building, and the police station will be expanded, all for less than $5 million. “ W hen you put that into perspective, I’m even more in favour,” Knibbs said.

“I think we’ve done a great job getting two new facilities. You see police stations getting built all over the country for $17 million to

$20 million.”

Quorex was awarded the bid even though they weren’t the lowest bid. That was local company B&S Construction Ltd., whose bid came in at $1,847,127. B&S called for the work to be completed in 7 1/2 months, while Quorex projects a seven-month project.

A total of nine bids were received for the expansion, and a 10th came in late. All were above the city’s budgeted figure.

Ludwig pointed out that for large projects such as the renovation, the city uses a system called the best value tender agreement.

The cost of the project accounts for the majority of the value at 60 per cent, but also receiving weight in this case were COR certification, experience with previous similar projects and completion time.

According to Ray Gos-

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation of one of the most eagerly anticipated events in Estevan this year.

The Estevan Exhibition Association’s board of directors announced on May 5 the cancellation of the 2020 Energy City Ex. The decision was made public on the association’s Facebook page.

The Energy City Ex., slated for June 4-7, was to bring Estevan’s Fair and Rodeo together on the same weekend for the first time in more than 20 years. The annual domestics show, the Estevan Sings talent competition, the SMILE Services Parade and other attractions were to be part of the event.

“We know the public is aware that this cancellation was going to take place and we could not officially announce until we were able to arrange a meeting and follow all the necessary steps that need to take place prior to the announcement,” president Tamera Huber wrote in a letter posted to the exhibition association’s Facebook page.

“It was a sombre night when the information was

officially recorded into our minutes.”

The board was unanimous in the decision to cancel.

In the initial days of the pandemic, the association held out hope that this marquee community event would still be able to happen. But as the days progressed, they knew a decision would have to happen eventually, but they still needed to arrange a meeting of some type while respecting all government guidelines.

“We had to get a meeting together, and it just wasn’t easy because some of us don’t have technologies to do it. I needed to speak with West Coast Amusements (the midway provider) as well.”

West Coast Amusements, which supplies midways to events throughout Western Canada, has since announced the cancellation of their entire season.

Ride passes and tickets were not on sale as of yet.

The association noted that the public had asked for the fair and rodeo to be held together on the same weekend for many years, and they felt blessed when West Coast Amusements came to the

table last year with the news of a four-day midway leading into a weekend.

Huber said the EEA heard so much excitement in the community. People were stepping forward to volunteer to do their part to make it happen.

“I was hearing great things about it. People were excited about it. We spoke with the business community at a chamber of commerce meeting and they were on board with us,” said Huber. “It was going to be a good one. I could picture it all happening, and it’s a shame.”

The fair has been held on weekdays in June for nearly two decades. The rodeo has typically been on the last weekend in August or the first weekend in September since 2011. Prior to that, it was in July.

“The Estevan Exhibition Association midway is what sustains our non-profit organization throughout the year,” Huber wrote.

The City of Estevan was planning to bring in the #Rednek country music festival with Gord Bamford and Jess Moskaluke to Affin-

ity Place on June 6 as part of the Energy City Ex., but that concert has been pushed back to 2021.

Huber hopes the exhibition association can have some sort of an event or a fundraiser later this year. A couple of people have tossed around some ideas for events, such as having a digital version of the domestics art show, which has been one of the long-standing traditions of the fair days.

“We were actually going to have something new this year. We were going to have an agriculture pavilion. We were calling it Farm to Fork. One of our board members had some really great things lined up there. It was all about ag.

And education,” said Huber.

It’s been difficult to communicate over Zoom meetings, and get people talking, but there are good ideas out there, she said.

The association also doesn’t want to make plans for the fall and then have to cancel those as well because the government restrictions are still in place.

The coming months will be tough to get through, the association said, just like they

The next step has been taken for the expansion of the Estevan Police Service’s building. File photo selin Architect Ltd., who is the architect for the project, B&S didn’t have a letter of surety.

Ludwig said that if council were to have looked strictly at the cost of the bid, and ignored the other factors, Quorex could have sued the city under the terms of the New West Partnership Trade Agreement, which includes

Saskatchewan and the other Western Canadian provinces, or the Canadian Free Trade Agreement.

“In both those agreements, they very clearly state that we can’t give preference to local, so even though the local was lower, we go with what we call the best value tender agreement,” said Ludwig.

A2 » POLICE

Fair and rodeo reunion will have to wait a year

The Estevan Exhibition Association has been forced to cancel the Energy City Ex. File photo will be tough for the entire business community. But Huber is confident the organiza-

tion, which is more than 100 years old, will survive this setback.

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A2 May 13, 2020

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City Hall remains closed to public It appears that Estevan City Hall will remain closed to public access for a little while yet.

During the inquiries portion of Monday night’s Estevan city council meeting, Councillor Shelly Veroba wanted to know when City Hall would be open to the public again. Mayor Roy Ludwig responded city council will ultimately have to make that decision.

City manager Jeff Ward said he has been part of a conference call with other cities in the province twice a week. Most cities are trying to align the opening of their municipal office buildings with Phase 4 of the province’s Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan, which includes recreation facilities.

A date has not been set for when Phase 4 would occur.

Some smaller communities have opened their town or village offices already, including a few in southeast Saskatchewan.

“We did look at the potential opening for a couple of hours per day last week in discussion with our staff.

We’re just trying to have that balance of everyone feeling safe, while still being accessible to public,” said Ward.

People Veroba has talked to believe that if they can go to a retail store, they should be able to come to city hall and pay their water bill. She suggested they pay using direct deposit, but they would rather come to city hall and pay.

Since March 17, city hall services have been available over the phone. Payments can be made through a drop box at the building, via a bank or online.

The unbearable beauty

The powerful long horns crown the head of this beautiful steer living in the Estevan area. With one horn growing up and another one down this steer, with the snow-white back, looks like a magical creature that just stepped out of a fairy tale. Accompanied by another long-horned friend, he spends his days enjoying the touches of the soft spring sun and watching the life around him.

Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

Police chief hopes expansion can be finished in 2020 from Quorex that he believes should alleviate some concerns.

“We intend to post an ad for local labour within the community,” the correspondence said. “Should qualified c andidates be available, Q uorex Construction is willing to hire individuals, as required, to complete work scopes.”

Quorex has previously used local contractors within the community, he said, and if competitive pricing is

« A1 The mayor pointed out that the architect has a lot of experience with these projects, and Quorex has experience with projects such as police stations.

After the police board announced its decision to go with Quorex on Monday af ternoon, many people criticized the decision, saying the project should go to a local firm.

Police Chief Paul Ladouceur says he has received a written correspondence

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mended the construction of a new police station, but council rejected it due to the high costs.

The expansion is expected to be 5,000 square feet, and expand the police station’s size by about 50 per cent.

Ladouceur said construction is scheduled to start in the very near future.

“Obviously there will be some time that Quorex needs to discuss work with their contractors and things

like that, so there will be a bit of time there, but the idea is to initiate construction sooner rather than later, with the hopes of being completed by the end of this year, or very early next year.”

The expansion will give the EPS additional office space and room for files.

“The file room is quite congested. In fact, we had to remove some ceiling tiles just to fit some of the files in there, and so it’s a very narrow room that ’s over-

loaded. We’ve moved files into several different rooms in the basement just to try to make storage for them.”

There are minor renovations that the EPS would like to do with the existing building as well, such as a public washroom and security upgrades to provide interview rooms right off of the front lobby, but those will happen over time, and Ladouceur said those would be coming from the building maintenance budget.

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received, local materials will be sourced for the project.

Councillor Lyle Yanish wants to know if there’s a way to ensure that the cost of the project comes in at $2 million instead of $2.5 million. Ladoucuer suggested negotiating a fixed price before going ahead with the project.

The expansion of the police building has been discussed extensively in recent years. A study in September 2018 recom-

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Students won’t physically return to school for the rest of the school year.The government said it’s working on what happens if schools can’t reopen in September.

Gordon Wyant, the provincial education minister, said they are working on a number of different scenarios.

“We are in constant contact between the response plan-

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quickly and decisively in order to protect our students, staff and families, and within a matter of weeks, a supplemental learning framework was created to provide students with learning opportunities from their home,” Wyant said.

Wyant said the advice given by the chief medical health officer will decide whether or not traditional education will resume.

A media release sent out by the province added the Education Response Planning

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ning team and administrations throughout the school divisions to make sure we are doing everything we can,” said Wyant.

“There is no playbook for this.”

Wyant said with the quick spread of COVID-19, the province needed to move quickly and decisively in order to protect staff and students.

He added he is pleased with the success the province has seen using the “new way” of delivering education.

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With the school year being cut short due to COVID-19 and students being given final marks a lot earlier than normal, Wyant said the province has been providing supplementary learning opportunities for students to continue their studies and enhance their grades.

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From silent movies to 3D, Orpheum Theatre marked 106 years of providing entertainment to Estevan

By Ana Bykhovskaia

abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

The Orpheum Theatre in Estevan has seen it all, from mothers saying farewell to their sons leaving to fight in the First World War, to the soldiers coming back from the Second World War, from Dirty Thirties to all other kinds of economic crisis. But it seems that never before was it closed for as long as it is now due to COVID-19.

In April, the Orpheum Theatre celebrated 106 years of its history. The Mercury talked to co-owner Jocelyn Dougherty about the achievements, challenges and the best memories she and her husband Alan have had through their years of operating one of the very few independent movie theatres remaining in Saskatchewan.

Due to the current restrictions, the cinema's birthday quietly passed by, but with nobody to remember the first years of the movie theatre anymore, it became even more important to preserve its history and traditions. The Doughertys did some research for the 100th anniversary celebration, but Jocelyn said that not all of the history can be found in the archives.

“A lot of it has been lost already because people that were here for the opening are not around anymore,” said Jocelyn.

The Doughertys took over the theatre back in the late 90s. At that time, they were helping the previous owners, who ran it for about 40 years, and they ended up having the first chance of buying the Orpheum when it was put up for sale in 1998.

Jocelyn said that never in her life could she have thought that she would be running a movie theatre.

“We both grew up in Estevan, and the theatre was the place to go when we were growing up. But we never dreamed that one day we

would own it. Neither of us.”

“Definitely you become fussier when you own it, because even things like watching a movie, you are looking for a presentation.

And sound. We are always looking for things that could be improved versus just being a consumer and you are just there to enjoy it,” said Jocelyn.

Right when the Doughterys purchased the theatre, they knew that it needed a lot of work. They totally changed the building and have given it a complete makeover, including plumbing and electrical.

But one of the main drives for change was the willingness to make the theatre fully wheelchair-accessible. And in order to do so, they almost had to rebuild it. The second screen came as just another part of the big project. “ We had that in our vision when we bought it, we could see having twin screen,” said Jocelyn.

The second breath the Doughertys gave the theatre was bringing the innovations, but still keeping the antique component. It was definitely within the biggest achievements of their time at the theatre so far. “ W hat feels great is when people walk into the lobby, into the concession area, and they’ve never been there before, just to see their expression. They are just like, ‘Wow, this is a beautiful place.’ They didn’t expect that from walking into the place,” said Jocelyn.

The renovations became not only their biggest success but also their biggest challenge. To fix a 100-year-old building, which also includes a load of paper work due to age, was not an easy job.

On top of that, the time of changes for Orpheum coincided with the economic boom in Estevan, and finding not just the right, but even simply available contractors, became another challenge.

“I wouldn’t want to (repeat) these years, but I’m glad

Built by Henry MacKenzie, over the century the Orphe um Theatre had several owners, but always has been family-run. Photo submitted

The theatre has greatly changed since 1927, but it kept its authentic atmosphere and great acoustics.

Nowadays the Orpheum is a digital twin movie theatre with a classic 40s look. we did it,” said Jocelyn.

Another big change was going digital and also adding the 3D component. The Orpheum was one of the first theatres in Saskatchewan to add 3D, and a Yogi Bear movie was the first 3D movie they played about 10 years ago. However, up to this day, the Orpheum Theatre remains one of the very few cinemas that has the capacity to play 35-millimetre movies.

Keeping a great palette of entertainment is another big task the owners of the independent theatre are constantly solving. It consists of understanding what kind of movies the community would love, balancing between the laws of the market and people’s interests and also working within the bounds of film companies’ rules and regulations.

“I do my own booking.

There are not so many independent theatres around either, but a lot of them go through what ’s called a booking agent. I do my own booking, so I call every film company myself,” said Jocelyn.

Choosing movies to show in the theatre in a

relatively small community is an art of its own.

“I’m always in the future trying to see when the movies are coming out. You hope that you pick things that people of Estevan want to see. Some of the big blockbusters you know they’ll do well, and other things you try to bring for a variety so everybody can see a little bit of everything from comedy to horror,” said Jocelyn.

She went on to explain that often companies have rules as to how long the movies have to be played for, which doesn't always work for smaller communities.

“Sometimes we have to look that we are only a population of 11,000-plus, so we don’t have a market that we can play one movie for four weeks if that’s what they are asking for,” said Jocelyn.

“It can be tough being in a smaller city for sure, but we do our best trying to bring the newest movies as quickly as we can.”

Operating an independent theatre is more work than it may look from the outside. The Doughertys are also always trying to diversify their schedule, adding

other types of entertainment.

Sometimes it’s difficult to fit concerts or comedy shows into the movies, but after all, the live events attracted a lot of interest from the community and brought a lot of joy.

“Our very first concert at the theatre, while we owned it I mean, was the Legendary Ink Spots. Our first big name was Randy Bachman with his Every Song Tells A Story tour. We've had great local Saskatchewan performers including Brad Johner, Chris Henderson, Lori Solomon and Jack Semple,” recalled Jocelyn.

“Some of our favourite rock bands were Kenny Shields and Streetheart, Stampeders, Five Man Electrical Band, Dr. Hook, Little River Band, Nazareth, Chilliwack and Rik Emmett of Triumph. Of course, Toque gave everyone a night to remember last December 31 and we were sure hoping to bring them back.

“Some of our favourite country bands were Michelle Wright, Deric Ruttan, Julian Austin and Almost Johnny Cash. And, of course, we've really enjoyed our Yuk Yuk concerts because everyone

knows laughter is the best medicine!”

Jocelyn said going forward she also was looking into getting some gaming on the big screen and possibly having some tournaments to add to their entertainment menu. But for now, all their plans are on pause.

They still don’t have a date when they will be allowed to reopen. And even when the Government of Saskatchewan lets them do so, Jocelyn pointed out that they still will need Hollywood to get back to somewhat normal, before they can invite Estevan for a movie again. While they may run some old classic movies, to get back to normal they would need the new product, which probably will start being released only when the bigger centres are open.

But when it happens, the Orpheum Theatre will do their best to keep their employees and guests safe and they really hope that the community will be there to support them, so Estevan can keep enjoying its own unique, beautiful and community-oriented movie theatre.

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Editorial

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Staff SERVING CANADA’S SUNSHINE CAPITAL Publisher / Marketing Specialist

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EDITORIAL

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Now can we get our nursing home?

When you look back on the Great Recession of 2008-09, you see that Canada did a better job of weathering the economic storm than most countries.

One of the reasons was a massive economic stimulus program that saw billions of dollars invested into projects to get people working again and to get projects constructed.

The provincial government took that step last week with the introduction of an additional $2 billion in capital spending over the next two years to support health care, education and highways projects, as well as municipal infrastructure.

Like many government projects, the stimulus package was high on promises and talk, but low on specifics. We know that there will be big money poured into health care facilities, but we don’t know how much. We know the government will spend on schools, but the amount is unknown.

For those who have been involved with projects that have been shelved for a long time, this is great news. It might even be a glimmer of hope for those involved with Estevan’s new regional nursing home.

We’ve been waiting more than half a decade for our turn for this project. A celebration was held in January 2015 to mark the end of the Hearthstone Community Campaign, the multi-year fundraising initiative that raised more than $8 million for the new nursing home.

Since the $8 million represented 20 per cent of the projected $40 million cost, the new nursing home was inserted into the queue for new long-term care facilities.

It’s still in the queue.

The new nursing home committee has tried multiple measures to get the building constructed, including the latest move to significantly reduce the costs by redesigning the project and its amenities.

The projected expense is now $32 million instead of $40 million.

Until construction on a new nursing home begins, it means all of that time and effort spent on the campaign, and all of the money donated, is merely gathering interest.

Meanwhile, the residents of the current nursing home are forced to live in a facility that is well below the current standard. The staff at the current facility does their best, but they deserve better, too.

It’s hard to believe there are long-term care facilities in Saskatchewan now in worse shape than what we have in Estevan.

We’ll see what else is of interest. Don’t expect to see the government throw around money to retrofit the Shand Power Station and Unit 6 at the Boundary Dam Power Station with carbon capture and storage technology; that decision is still years away.

Also don’t expect to see money for an expansion and renovation of the Estevan Comprehensive School. That project is still in its initial stages, although it might

be up for consideration for next year.

If you’re hoping to see the government step forward with money to twin Highways 39 and 6 from Estevan to Regina, keep dreaming. But don’t be surprised if the passing lanes are fast-tracked with this money, or if other highway projects in the region get the green light. (Highway 47 north of Estevan could use some fresh asphalt).

As for the municipal component, Estevan city council eliminated any suspense when it said it wants to use its share for the expansion of the Estevan Police Service’s building. If the project is eligible for the stimulus package, then it eases the financial burden of one much-needed but divisive project in the community.

There’s the obvious question of where all this money is going to come from, who’s going to wind up paying for these projects and how that will happen. Eventually, the bills are going to come in.

And we saw with the federal stimulus of more than a decade ago that the stimulus packages were soon followed by austerity budgets that significantly slashed spending.

Still, for those who have been waiting years for their project to go ahead, such as Estevan’s new nursing home, this spending could be very good news.

Or it could lead to further frustration and anguish that will only prolong the waiting game.

Oh, the toll a pandemic takes It was the last 30 seconds or so of Premier Scott Moe’s daily COVID-19 when something peculiar happened. He spoke to the current restrictions that will possibly leave us at a distance from our mothers as their day approaches.

As he took a self-proclaimed “selfish moment” to tell his mother and wife how much they are loved because he will not be with them this Mother’s Day, he broke.

His voice cracked and you could clearly see he was fighting off the urge to let it out.

“Many are going to be wishing their mothers and the mothers of their children a happy Mother’s Day through the telephone, FaceTime or through a glass window if they are in a long-term care facility,” said Moe. “Myself, like many others, will not be spending Mother’s Day with my mom or the mother of my children. I would take this very selfish opportunity to wish them a very happy Mother’s Day. And to the rest of the mothers of this province, I would just say thank you for all you do,” said Moe. A small moment can show you so much. This pandemic has taken so much out of everyone. Even the man who is tasked with guiding a province. In one moment, as politicians rarely do, we saw a man behind the suit and stature.

The job as a provincial leader is one based on a constant barrage of scrutiny, difficult decisions and very little space reserved to be who you are behind closed doors. The job demands perfection of

Jordan Stricker Postcards from the Leg.

sorts. Anything less, we in the media and in public will find a way to pick it out and expose whatever we can.

We put our faith in a system, and whenever it wrongs us, we have someone to point to, and that’s Moe. It might be safe to assume we’ve all had a moment like Moe did on May 8.

This pandemic has shaken not only Saskatchewan but the world. We have all been forced to completely shut down the way we have lived this whole time and start from scratch.

Most of us have the luxury of only dealing with our direct circles. Who we are in those circles, does not shake a whole province. We are who we are in our little worlds and for the most part wrong choices serve little repercussions.

Moe does not have that luxury. In a single moment, you could see a flash of a spring election, scrutiny of a delayed pandemic response, outbreaks in the north and a tanking economy build up to what could be seen as a straw that broke the camel’s back: distance from the ones who really

know and love you the most.

I don’t take this moment to sit here and tell you to throw away your political beliefs or feel bad for someone because they showed some emotion. Take a moment and understand not only the position we are in as the general public, but the position the people who actually have to make decisions to keep the majority as safe as possible, whether you think they are doing a great job or not.

We are all human and this has hurt us all, even the ones who sit atop their legislative thrones.

Things are starting to somewhat progress in a positive direction. Take the time to look at everyone you come across, be it online or in passing, and understand we all are in this together.

At the present moment, we don’t have access to all of the things we normally do to distract ourselves. We are all looking forward to the day we can get back on our favourite patios, and go see our favourite musicians and favourite sports teams play.

Those days are getting closer the more success social distancing and constant testing have.

Until that day comes, we have each other and the messages we put out into the world. Hopefully, more for the better and not for the worse.

If we’re lucky, we’ll move past this and gain a greater understanding of what happens when we stop pointing fingers and stick together.

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Wednesday, May 13, 2020

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Ana Bykhovskaia Twenty Lines About…

A lesson that might help Estevan’s future Since day one, the spread of a novel COVID-19 virus has become a learning edge for humanity that was caught by the throat.

Not only wasn’t pandemic something new to humanity, but soon the arrival of a killer virus has actually been anticipated by many scientists and global leaders for a while. Nevertheless, most of these messages remained without attention until this spring when it already was too late to prepare, and just the time to react.

Now we all are looking forward to the day when we can get back to normal. But when it’s over, the world and each country will have a lot to take home for correction work. And the one system that definitely will need to be reconsidered in the aftermath of the pandemic is our supply chain.

Despite the many forecasts of a global pandemic, since the SARS outbreak in 2003, the world became much more dependent on China-manufactured goods. The current crisis made this dependency undeniably obvious and demonstrated its weakness.

Supply chains have been shaking and shivering since the announcement of the pandemic (and I’m afraid we are not done yet). I feel that in the current situation only the time will show if they will make it through the pandemic or will collapse, leading to global starvation that I see being mentioned more and more in global COVID-19 related discourse. Even a minor failure may lead to a rise in death tolls due to a lack of medication. We may see the return of diseases that we’ve overcome in the past with the help of vaccination and who knows what else.

Most of the vital items we are using (and almost all nonessential ones as well) are manufactured in China and India.

Since the early 2000s, China outcompeted the world in manufacturing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from the financial standpoint, thus pretty much quietly taking control over the pharmaceutical market. Only 10 per cent of generic drugs used in the States is produced within the country, and it seems that the situation in Canada is no better. So if anything disrupts the manufacturing process, the West is left with no real means to affect it and no alternative.

A huge percentage of the essential medical supplies used by the world is accounted for by the two giants as well. And they can be nationalized in case of emergency. Besides, even in case of emergency, the governments can only exert influence over the production within the country, not over the production offshored by local companies or contracts signed with foreign make.

The current pandemic has demonstrated that the entire seemingly reliable supply chain may fail in the face of a deathly virus. And not that it was completely unexpected. The scientists were calling for it for a while, but nothing changed then and now we know how vulnerable we actually are.

This means that the manufacturing, food production and trade might and should be reorganized when we come out of it.

And that may open some long-searched for doors for stagnating or transitioning communities like Estevan.

Dr. Michael T. Osterholm of the University of Minnesota, who is a Regents professor, holds an endowed chair, founded the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, has been cautious about the dependency of the global market on China and India long before the 2019-20 outbreak. Watching the situation now he believes that the critical changes are to happen in the supply chain: “I think that you're going to see a lot of the private sector taking a step back after this pandemic has run its course and asking ourselves, 'Do we want to be vulnerable to these very isolated location supply chain issues?' And what does redundancy mean? Are they cautious? But it may be a wise investment in the future ... The economic cost of this pandemic to the world is almost immeasurable. And now people have to understand what do we do.”

Hopefully, when we are through this (which is probably still a long ways away), the industrialized west may reconsider its politics and direct its efforts towards the support of local manufacturing. And this is what not only Estevan, but Western Canada needs moving forward.

Be it APIs or parts, clothes or medical equipment, throughout its history Estevan has been a reliable resource and energy supplier for many, many decades. The infrastructure is here, the workforce is here, the training capacities are set and people are eager to keep their hometown going. So if there is a demand for local production in after-COVID times, we definitely have the means to supply it.

Elected officials need our help The editor: It is time to give our elected officials, whether they be urban, rural or provincial, some much-needed help and advice to avoid having their ratepayers going bankrupt or becoming insolvent.

We are guilty of not having done something sooner, perhaps when those massive assessment increases came through from the Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency three years ago, and mill rates were not adjusted to help small businesses and oil companies.

Some of the things we should point out to assist in the decision-making are as

follows: 1) Large groups of ratepayers get more attention than one ratepayer in front of a group of councillors.

2) Empty buildings do not create revenue.

3) Businesses that have been shut down or compromised by government policy have little or no income coming in.

4) Vacant oilfield shops and offices in RMs do not require any roads to be graded, and as such are no burden to the RM they are located in.

5) If ratepayers are forced to bulldoze buildings and leave behind empty lots, it is not good for councils wanting

to collect tax revenue.

6) A fair amount of tax is better than no tax.

7) It takes a lot of room rentals for a motel to pay taxes in excess of $100,000.

8) Small business creates employment for us and our children.

9) Council has the ability to abate taxes on an individual basis.

10) Crown Corporations and city councils might better serve citizens by perhaps leasing vacant properties from ratepayers rather than spending millions on new facilities, or creating small museums for fire departments or flagship police stations.

11) Perhaps the tax burden could be more evenly distributed between business, agriculture and domestic property.

12) In order for ratepayers to better understand and be able to help our officials, perhaps when tax enforcement lists are printed in local papers, it could include a report from councils showing all expenses, revenues and bank balances of the respective municipalities involved.

13) COVID did not cause this problem; it just made it more noticeable.

George Foord Macoun

Family centre holding important fundraiser The Estevan Family Resource Centre has come up with a new fundraiser for this year in order to continue its valuable services for the community.

The organization is holding a Growing Smiles fundraiser, in which the centre is selling beautiful, locally grown plants to help raise money for its programs. The family centre believes plants are a great way to encourage friends to get out into the garden while choosing to support a healthy fundraiser.

“It’s a good fit for us,” said family centre executive director Colleen Macmillan.

“So you can go online and order plants. These are plants for outside, so hanging baskets and patio planters, herbs, succulents, individual plants, that sort of stuff.”

The fundraiser started May 1 and will continue until May 16. The order will go in

on May 17, and flowers are scheduled to arrive May 27.

The fundraiser has been going very well thus far. There is no limit on the amount of products they can sell or order.

“We’re very happy with how much we’ve sold thus far,” she said.

Proceeds from the sale will go towards the centre’s operating costs, staffing and programming.

Traditionally the family centre has held a golf tournament as its biggest fundraiser of the year. But that has been called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the current challenges facing the energy sector, so Growing Smiles will be their biggest fundraiser of 2020.

“You have to figure out new ways of doing things that don’t bring a bunch of people together, so this was a great fit,” said Macmillan.

using our Instagram and our Facebook and our Twitter and ever ything else, and we’ve done a lot of stuff on Zoom as well. Some of the stuff on Zoom is open to everyone. Other things are password protected, so you have to register for it,” she said.

The family centre is confident they will emerge from it, but this is tough, because they aren’t government-funded, and they aren’t sure what will be available from the Community Initiatives Fund, since the fund is supported by casinos, which are closed. So it means their fundraisers will be more important than ever.

“We’ve been here for 18 years, so I would hate to see that this is what would close the doors,” said Macmillan.

Visit https://estevanfamilycentre.growingsmilesfundraising.com for more details on the fundraiser.

Love from Midale

The province is gradually reopening, but many residents still find ways to keep sending positive messages out to support those who’ve been working really hard throughout this entire time.

Scott Kienlen submitted this picture of their farmyard near Midale, adding that this is the heart for healthcare workers. Photo submitted

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Sacred Heart School in Estevan has held this fundraiser before, and anyone who purchased through the school said the flowers they received were high quality, Macmillan said. The family centre reached out to the school to ensure they weren’t doing it this year before proceeding.

The pandemic has forced the family centre to put its popular Drop in and Play program on hold, and the centre’s counsellor has been working from home, although people can still call her for assistance. Macmillan is still in the office every day.

Everything they do is happening virtually, and people can still get emergency supplies of diapers, wipes, baby formula and more, although the family centre asks them to call ahead.

“Our kids programs are online, and we have a YouTube channel now. We’re

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Estevan’s new business incubator has its home Estevan’s new business incubator has found its home.

The service, which is known as the Launchbox, will occupy part of the Spectra Financial building, located next to Affinity Credit Union. Jeff Taylor, who is the manager of the incubator, said there have been renovations that have already taken place, and he needs to organize the area.

He hopes to have it open to the public once restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic are lifted.

“We have the entryway where we’ll have printed business resources for people. I’ll be at the front, and I’ll always be there and available for any time anyone wants to come in and ask a question, or just come in and grab a coffee and talk about entrepreneurship,” he said.

The area will have three components. The first will be a business resource centre for people to come in and

get help and advice for their business; it’s a service that is open to all at no cost. Taylor said he welcomes anyone who wants to come in and get advice about their business, regardless of the stage. It could be someone who has an idea in their mind, or the head of a multi-national company looking to come to Estevan.

“If you want to do business in Estevan, I want to help you do it,” he said.

Next will be a co-work space where budding entrepreneurs can rent space or desks, giving them an area in which they’re surrounded by other aspiring entrepreneurs.

The third area is the business incubator, to take companies from early stages, even as early as a business idea, hopefully to the point where it becomes self-sufficient.

“We’ll be able to provide space, support, programs, advice and mentorship to new

companies that are looking to get started and get off the ground,” said Taylor.

The number of entrepreneurs in the Launchbox will depend on the needs of the individuals. Taylor said they want to be flexible until they know the needs of the entrepreneurs going through the doors.

“Some of the programs and workshops that we offer will be open to anyone, and if we run over capacity for those, Affinity Credit Union has generously offered us a larger space if we have a lot of interest.”

He believes they have room for eight to 10 people to rent space, but they will likely start with just four rental spots until they can find out exactly what people want.

Taylor describes an incubator as an area where a business can get all of the support, mentorship and resources that it needs to grow

The Spectra Financial building will house Estevan’s new business incubator. Photo submitted and sustain itself.

“It’s to help it through that first stage of growth,” said Taylor.

The Launchbox doesn’t have its first occupants yet.

Taylor expects it will start as a business resource centre,

but there seems to be a lot of interest from the community in the Launchbox concept.

He’s really excited to see what the people of Estevan can come up with for businesses and ideas, and what he can do to help.

The incubator was among the ideas put forward by the city for its business incentives program in August 2018. The project has received funding through the federal government’s Canada Coal Transition Initiative.

Burned pizza resulted in fire crews’ activation A relatively quiet week allowed the Estevan Fire Rescue Service to catch up on paperwork and also get ready for some needed controlled burns.

One call came in early Saturday. At about 2:30 a.m., the fire crews were dispatched to a report of a residential smoke alarm. The call came from the north-central area of Estevan. Once on scene, firefighters couldn’t see any smoke

or flame from the exterior of the building.

“Once crews did make access to the single-family dwelling there they met with the homeowner. And an occupant had indicated that it was a cooking-related alarm,” said Estevan Fire Chief Dale Feser.

Further investigation confirmed that the source of the smoke was a burned pizza in the oven.

There was not enough smoke for any ventilation efforts, so the scene was turned back to the homeowners.

The EFRS reminds the public that people should always monitor cooking and make sure that whatever they are making on the stove or in the oven doesn’t get away on them. Besides, the residents should be mindful of the notification procedures to pre-

vent unnecessary firefighters’ activations.

“Please, ensure that notification procedures of your residential fire alarms are indeed to the homeowner first prior to the fire department, especially with smaller cooking-related issues,” said Feser.

There haven’t been any wildland fires in the area this season yet, but the firefighters are closely monitoring

the situation.

They are also getting ready to conduct several prescribed burns this or the next week, depending on a few conditions.

“We have to take into consideration the available manpower, the weather conditions, the moisture content and the fire danger indexing and the vegetation here at the time.

But the biggest thing is the

wind conditions because once we start this, we obviously want to keep the smoke away from the residential occupancy areas as much as possible,” said Feser.

When decisions to conduct the burns are made, citizens will be notified via flyers and through social media.

Follow the Estevan Mercury website and Facebook page for up to date information on all Estevan’s latest news.

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May 13, 2020 A7

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Southeast farmers have started seeding operations Michael Brown is excited to be back into the field and begin seeding, even though the wet field conditions are going to pose a challenge this year.

Brown has nearly 5,000 acres of land nine kilometres south of Carlyle. He’ll seed canola, wheat, durum, peas, lentils and soybeans this year, which are the traditional crops for the operation.

“It’s going well so far,” he told Agri News. “We’re picking away at our dry ground, but we’re starting to get into

our wet ground. We’re probably going to get the harrows and try to dry the ground.”

Dry areas where he has been able to seed are largely southeast of Carlyle. Now that he’s started seeding straight south of the town, the land is getting wetter – a remnant of the moisture that many producers in the southeast had to contend with last fall.

“Wherever we got more rain last fall, it seems to be wetter in those areas right now,” said Brown.

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As of Thursday afternoon, he had seeded about 1,200 acres, so he was roughly a quarter of the way finished.

His progress so far has been normal for this time of year.

He hopes the conditions will remain dry until seeding is finished. His equipment has been co-operative.

“We haven’t had any major breakdowns yet, just typical little things like hoses and everything, but every farm has those issues.”

Other farmers he has talked to have encountered similar issues with moisture in the ground. Some have had their equipment get stuck.

Seeding for Brown started on May 1, and he decided it was the best time to get started.

“I was waiting for temperatures to warm up a bit, but I figured with the thermometer in the ground, it

seemed to be decent there, and the ground I had started on, it was dry enough. I knew if I didn’t have that land where it was, I wouldn’t have started until now.”

Brown was one of the fortunate producers in the southeast who was able to finish harvest last year, but he has neighbours and other friends who still have crop remaining from last year.

They’ll begin seeding this year even though they haven’t finished last year’s harvest.

Due to the wet ground, they might not finish last year’s harvest until this year’s seeding is complete.

Brown is hopeful for a good year this year. While the moisture is a challenge, he’s glad to have moisture in the ground, a luxury he didn’t have in some recent years, when drought conditions have been a problem for producers.

Carlyle-area farmer Michael Brown is among those in the field now for spring seeding. Photo submitted

Estevan student Marci LeBlanc receives a Saskatchewan Agriculture scholarship An Estevan student is one of four young people from across the province to receive a Saskatchewan Agriculture scholarship this year.

Marci LeBlanc received a scholarship for $2,000.

LeBlanc and her family farm just over 14,000 acres of land in the rural municipality of Cambria and Estevan.

She is a fifth generation farmer on both sides of her family. LeBlanc has witnessed firsthand the hard work and dedication that goes into making a farm operation work.

In her video submission, LeBlanc relates her food

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story and the impact farming has had on her family, specifically the knowledge that she has gained from her grandfather and parents.

“My grandfather, who is 83, has witnessed so many changes in our industry. I’m so lucky to still be farming alongside him today. For me, understanding where our food story started plays a big part in shaping who I am and the role that I play on our farm,” she said.

Marci will be attending the University of Saskatchewan in the fall of 2020 to pursue a degree in animal science.

The scholarship is

awarded to Saskatchewan students pursing an agriculture-related education.

“Each year the submissions to the Agriculture Student Scholarship Program show how passionate the province’s youth are about the agriculture industry,” said David Marit, the minister of Agriculture. “These young people show how bright the future is for agriculture in Saskatchewan.”

Mackenzie Van Damme f rom I m p e r i a l re c e i ve d $4,000 towards her agriculture-related post-secondary studies as the 2020 grandprize scholarship winner.

Van Damme’s submission

highlighted the importance of agriculture in her community, the evolution of her family’s grain farm and the unique opportunity producers have to connect with consumers.

Isobel Kinash of Wishart and Makenzie Olson of Tisdale also received scholarships of $2,000 each.

This scholarship is funded through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year, $388 million investment in strategic initiatives by the federal and provincial governments.

To see LeBlanc’s video, please visit www.estevanmercury.ca

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May 13, 2020 A9

Alameda 4-H club is getting ready for a virtual sale Despite all the changes and challenges, life goes on and the Alameda 4-H club would traditionally be getting ready for their annual show and sale. Due to the current provincial regulations regarding COVID-19 physical distancing, the 4-H show and sale committee has decided to host the Alameda Regional 4-H Sale as on online-only auction.

The format is totally new for the club, but the possibility of still having a sale is really exciting. Jason Frey, who is organizing the event, explained that it will be a horse race style finish auction broadcast on dvauction.com.

“It is a modern-day version of a silent auction.

Buyers can scroll through and find the one they want to bid on and bid on it anytime from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 13,” said Frey.

If someone is outbid, the prospective buyer will receive an email notification and then they can increase the bid if they so choose. After 7 p.m., the closeout will start. Every time when somebody bids, the sale will open for five more minutes. When five minutes are passed with no bidding, then the auction will be over.

“It could, in theory, go until 8-8:30 at night if people keep bidding.”

The steers will sell by the head this year instead of by the pound. The amount that people bid is what they will pay. All steers will be weighed using the Chopper K Auction Mart scale within one week of the sale to give buyers an idea of

what they weigh.

Since no big gatherings are allowed, every club member selling a calf this year will be required to make a one or two-minute video, submit a picture ahead of time and upload it to the auction website for buyers to watch and make up their minds. In the video, they will need to tell a bit about themselves and their calves.

The committee plans to have 85 steers for sale this year. They will do a little bit of online advertising prior to the sale, but part of this responsibility also lays on the kids who are now getting their calves ready for sale with their parents’ help and guidance.

Frey noted that some members have been recently posting pictures of their progress working with calves online, in that way staying in touch with the club.

People planning to participate in the auction have to follow these simple instructions: • Give Sarah Buchanan a call at (306) 6815340 and she will set it up as quickly and easily as possible. People can also create a free account at www.dvauction.com under the “registration” tab.

• Apply for bidding approval by clicking on the “details” tab at least 24 hours prior to the auction.

Participants will be notified once they are approved.

• Find the “Alameda Regional 4-H Online Sale” to view the entire sale offering videos.

• Place bids between 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Saskatchewan time on June 13.

• Proxy bidding – if someone can’t make

Unlike before, this year kids will have to video their steers at home prior to the sale. Photo submitted

time to keep an eye on the sale or be available for the closeout, they can register a proxy bid and let the DVAuction system represent their bid while they are away. To do so, look for the “proxy bid” tab on the auction listing and fill in your maximum bids. DVAuction will handle the rest in strict confidence.

For those wishing to resell the steers, there will be a sale in Alameda at Chopper K the week following the online auction.

Last year’s Alameda 4-H sale attracted many buyers and was a success. Even though this year the format will be very different, the organizers still hope to see as much interest. Photo submitted

Wishing the farmers a successful seeding!

Mack Auction has moved online!

FARM EQUIPMENT AUCTION The Estate of Glen Adacsi Friday June 5, 2020 | Weyburn, SK

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FARM EQUIPMENT AUCTION Denis & Annette Boutin (DA Boutin Farms Ltd.) Saturday July 25, 2020 | Alida, SK

FARM EQUIPMENT AUCTION Wilfred & Marguerite Petit (W & M Petit Farms Ltd.) Monday July 27, 2020 | Storthoaks, SK

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Wishing the farmers a safe & successful seeding. Thank you for all that you do.

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loricarrmla@sasktel.net

FARM EQUIPMENT AUCTION Brian & Lynette Callfas Monday June 22, 2020 | Glenavon, SK

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By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

342 5th Street, Estevan • 306-634-3601

Energy

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

A10

Energy minister calls for “further, substantial help” fot the Saskatchewan oil and gas sector

By Jordan Stricker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter As the province continues with its Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan and attempting to move past the COVID-19 pandemic, Energy and Resources Minister Bronwyn Eyre has called on the federal government for further, substantial help for Saskatchewan’s oil and gas sector.

“It is unprecedented and a terrible, terrible challenge for the sector that has faced so many challenges over the last year,” said Eyre during a phone interview.

“I have dealt with and addressed quite a few challenges, this was one that we

didn’t see coming,” she added.

Eyre sent a letter to the federal government’s Minister of Natural Resources, Seamus O’Regan on May 4, outlining the unique challenges the province is currently facing.

The letter noted the oil price war, negative pricing and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eyre’s call to the federal government included further help for a sector that is “topin-class when it comes to innovation, has provided millions in funding for community organizations and infrastructure across our province.”

On April 17, the federal government announced $675 million in repayable loan funding for greenhouse gas emission reductions with a focus on methane for Alberta,

B.C. and Saskatchewan. Also announced was a $400 million pledge for the clean-up of inactive orphan wells.

Eyre said those efforts will create crucial work for the sector, but added Saskatchewan companies are desperately trying to retain existing production for wells.

“Certainly, that will help our service sector, it is welcome,” said Eyre.

“Abandonment is just one part of the life of a well.

If you focus on just abandonment you are focusing on end of life,” she added. “You are not focusing on a well in life, on current existing production. It’s current production that produces royalties for the province.”

Eyre said the royalties

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

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

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from production brings in $600 million in taxes for the province. She added it is that cash flow that is desperately needed for operators in current production.

“I found it unfortunate that the Prime Minister seemed to imply during his announcement three weeks ago that leaking wells are dotting the landscape,” said Eyre.

“That isn’t the case in Saskatchewan. We have a strong record of cleaning up wells going into this crisis, and I think it’s important that Saskatchewan people understand and know that,” she added.

Eyre’s letter also said the province of Saskatchewan only has one large, vertically integrated producer, which is Husky. Additionally, the province has 10-15 “midcap” producers and around 160

Minister of Energy and Resources Bronwyn Eyre small producers. She said only a handful of producers in the province will qualify for the recent federal loan program also which requires companies to produce 5,000 to 100,000 barrels per day.

“We continue to look at other support and relief options for the sector while we wait for what we understand could be more help from the federal government,” said Eyre.

Mine union donates to the Salvation Army

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Estevan Salvation Army director of ministry Ronza Reynard, left, accepts a cheque for $3,000 from Ashley Johnson, the financial secretary for the United Mine Workers of America Local 7606. The union, which represents employees at Westmoreland Mining LLC’s Estevan Mines, recently made the cheque presentation through a collection they had for the food bank.

Johnson said they chose to support the Salvation Army because they know the food bank has been experiencing an increase in the number of clients in the community, and many of the mine workers know someone who has accessed the food bank’s services. Photo submitted

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May 13, 2020 A11

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Club House................................................................................$13.50 Chicken Caesar Wrap........................................................... $13.00 Chicken Souvlaki Wrap .......................................................$14.00 Italian Chicken Club ............................................................. $15.00 Beef Dip au Jus ......................................................................$14.00 Philly Cheese Steak .............................................................. $14.50 Chicken Frazolaki .................................................................. $14.50 BLT ............................................................................................................ $11.00 Toasted Denver. .......................................................................... $11.00 Patti Melt. .................................................................................$14.00 Monte Cristo .............................................................................$15.50 Hot Cutlet Sandwich ............................................................ $14.50 Hot Meatloaf Sandwich ....................................................... $14.50 Original Chicken Sandwich ................................................$15.00

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CALZONES Cheesey Calzone.................................................................... $14.50 Pepperoni and Cheese Calzone.................................................. $15.50 Pepperoni, Mushroom and Cheese Calzone ....................$16.00 Meatball, Mushroom, Onion and Cheese Calzone .......$16.50

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Calamari Fritti ...........................................................................$11.50

Single Breast of Chicken with Fresh Vegetable Medley ..... $16.50

Chicken Quesadillas ..............................................................$16.00

Tilapia with Fresh Vegetable Medley .....................................$16.50

Tempura Battered Green Beans......................................... $8.50

Single Broiled Cutlet with Fresh Vegetable Medley ..$16.50

Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites ..........................................$11.00

Wicked Sweet Potato Bake ...........................................................$16.50

Fried Pickle Spears.................................................................. $9.00

Salt and Pepper Chicken Wing Entree .................................$16.50

Loaded Tator Tot Poutine .................................................... $12.50

6 oz. Sirloin Steak and Fresh Vegetable Medley............$18.00

STEAKS

6 ounce Sirloin Steak.......................................................................... $18.00

SALADS Caesar Salad .............................................................................$12.50 Chef’s Salad ............................................................................. $14.00

8 ounce New York Steak................................................................. $28.00 Pepper Steak Saute ............................................................................ $26.00

SEAFOOD

Crispy Chicken Pecan .......................................................... $14.00

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Fresh Berry Salad ...................................................................$15.00

Homemade Battered Cod & Chips............................................$18.50 Pan Fried Halibut Steak ................................................................... $27.50

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Mozza Cheese Stix..................................................................$10.50

Mediterranean Greek Salad ............................................... $14.50

INTRODUCING THE NEW

Meatloaf Parmesan .............................................................. $20.00

Chicken Alfredo with Ham and Cheese Calzone ..........$16.50

Italian Tator Tot Poutine ...................................................... $12.50

Oven Baked Lasagna ........................................................... $14.50 Fettuccini Alfredo ..................................................................$13.50 Chicken Fettuccini .................................................................$18.50 Brown Butter Pasta ...............................................................$15.00 Prawn Spaghettini ................................................................ $19.00 Baked Chicken Penne ..........................................................$18.50

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Perogies .....................................................................................$12.50 Chicken Stirfry........................................................................$20.50

Potato Skins .............................................................................$10.50

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Cutlets Parmesan ................................................................. $20.00

Spinach & Feta Flatbread ....................................................$15.50

Cheesey Breadstix................................................................... $9.50

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Liver, Onions & Bacon .......................................................... $16.00

Greek Chicken Flatbread .....................................................$16.50

Chicken Tenders .....................................................................$10.50

CHOPHOUSE PRIME

Chicken Strip Dinner ............................................................$14.00

Gyro Flatbread .........................................................................$15.50

Sweet Potato Bake.................................................................$16.50

CHOPHOUSE CHEDDAR

Greek Stuffed Chicken Breast Dinner ............................$22.50

Grilled Reuben .........................................................................$15.50

Battered Mushrooms ............................................................. $9.50

CHOPHOUSE CAROLINA BBQ

Homemade Cutlets ............................................................... $17.00

Tuscan Genoa salami, Italian sausage, onions & green peppers.

APPETIZERS

$16.00

ENTREES

Turkey and Swiss ................................................................... $13.00

Wings (1 lb.) ..............................................................................$12.00

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Mushroom & Swiss Burger ..................................................$15.00 New Yorker Burger................................................................ $16.00

Smokey Bacon Lover Smoked bacon chips, mushrooms, onions & green peppers.

Dry Rib Appetizer ...................................................................$12.00

each

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Boneless Dry Rib Dinner ..................................................... $16.50

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Tower Burger (1/2 Pounder) ................................................$16.50

Chicken Parmesan ............................................................... $20.00

Western Seasoned ground beef, mushroom, pepperoni, ham, cheese & tomato sauce.

6oz Sirloin Steak, 7 oz Lobster tail, Choice of side (rice pilaf, mashed, fries) garlic bread, starter Caesar salad

Monster Burger and Cheddar ............................................$19.50

Vegetarian Mushroom, onion, green pepper, fresh tomato, pineapple, cheese & tomato sauce.

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A12 May 13, 2020

“Pioneers of resiliency:” Congratulations to L

By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

The Class of 2020 at Lampman School might not get to have a conventional graduation ceremony like their predecessors, but that doesn’t take away from the significance of their accomplishment as they enter the next chapter of their lives.

The school’s annual graduation ceremony was cancelled thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirteen students are part of this year’s graduating class, and the theme was to be The New Chapter of their Books Begin.

Pr i n c i p a l An n m a r i e Rosner said the graduating class is filled with leaders, team players and positive role models, “ T h e s e 1 3 k i d s a re pretty wonderful. I’ve only

known them for a short while, but each one of them has left a mark on our school and in their teachers’ hearts,” said Rosner, who is wrapping up her second year as Lampman’s principal.

Even though they never planned it, they have become “Pioneers of resiliency,” she said.

These also are students with strong voices and great ideas, and Rosner expects they will do great things in the future.

Katie Weinrauch is this year’s valedictorian.

Even though the school can’t have a traditional ceremony, plans are still in place to honour the graduates. The school and the school community council have purchased Grad 2020 banners, with pictures of the graduates, to hang up on Corrigan Road – the

stretch of Highway 361 that runs past the school and is a main road in the town. The banners have been ordered and are scheduled to arrive next week. “ We a re l o o k i n g a t working with the families on what they would like to see in a type of a tribute video to the grads,” said Rosner.

Videos would include the student bios that the parents write, and then a bit of a tribute from the teachers.

Lampman School would also acknowledge the scholarship recipients.

Rosner said the school wouldn’t have felt right if it didn’t offer some kind of a tribute to the graduates’ accomplishments that they will put together with the help of the parents.

Grad planning and classes at Lampman School came to a sudden halt when

Lainey Dube

Kennedi Laub

Cheyenne Siebert

COVID-19 arrived in Saskatchewan in mid-March, and the resulting uncertainty soon settled in. Since then, Rosner said the members of the Class of 2020 have been working diligently on their online learning classes, applying for scholarships and post-secondary opportunities, testing out the workforce and spending time with their families.

“The class of 2020 is one we won’t soon forget. I know it feels like your graduation celebration was taken away from you, but please don’t let unprecedented circumstances beyond your control dictate your memory of this very special time,” Rosner said. “ L ampman School sincerely wishes our class of 2020 the best as the New Chapter of their Books Begin.”

S tudents and family

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Jonah Schlamp

Eric Kim

The Best Is Yet to Come We’re proud of you, graduates.

Good luck and best wishes in all of your future endeavors!

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Best of luck to all the LAMPMAN GRADS in their future!

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With these ever changing times, Congratulations on this Milestone achievement, Graduates. We salute your hard work and dedication!!

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Katie We

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Honoring Our Grads

Sales & Service.

University of Minnesota Concert Band Festival; spirit days and school dances that were popular events; volleyball, cross-country and curling seasons that were successful and fun; a trip to Agribition in Regina in November; a Reading and a Muffin Literacy Event; school celebrations to mark the 50th and the 100th days of the school year; a Rocks and Rings curling program in the school; and a competition to dress homeroom teachers up as a Christmas tree.

A new banner was painted in the gymnasium to remind people that Lampman School is the home of the Grizzlies.

The majority of their students have opted in for some form of distance learning, and they have had great involvement in the last few weeks.

Linnea Mack

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2020!

Years of hard work have led you here today, and we’re honored to celebrate with all of you.

We wish you the best as you take the next step.

Thanks for making us proud!

members have handled the adversity of the past two months well, Rosner said.

They found out March 16 that classes would be suspended and the traditional school year could be over.

The provincial government has since confirmed that students won’t return to the classrooms until September, at the earliest.

“It was an uncertain time in the beginning, and there were so many questions with no answers, but I think as we’ve moved into it, and they’ve started (online) classes, and they started building rapports online and in different ways, I think they’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Prior to the shutdown, the school year was going very well.

There was a senior band trip to Minnesota for the

113 Main Street | Lampman | 306.487.2414

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Box 40, Lampman, SK (306) 487-2444

Box 70, Lampman, SK (306) 487-2462

May 13, 2020 A13

Lampman School’s Graduating Class of 2020

The Class of 2020 at Lampman School is a special group of young people who worked tirelessly and persevered during tough times. Photo submitted

Madison Greenwood

einrauch

Aydan Nobert

Amrah Peterson

Tanner Carson

Brooklyn Stinson

Bryden Erdelyan

Congratulations!

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Graduating Class of 2020

Optimism is the faith that leads “ to achievement. Nothing can be done

“

We salute you, Class of 2020!

Your hard work and dedication set a great example, and we’re very proud of your accomplishments.

Congratulations!

Celebrating the

without hope and confidence.

- Helen Keller

DR. ROBERT KITCHEN MP

Souris-Moose Mountain

306-634-3000 • www.drrobertkitchen.ca

Congratulations to the class of 2020!

A14 May 13, 2020

www.estevanmercury.ca

Pleasantdale staff showed how much they miss students

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

Quarantine is not only tough on kids, but it’s also hurting school staff. Teachers have missed seeing their students so much, that they couldn’t hold it back anymore. So the staff of Pleasantdale School came up with a safe way to greet most of their kids and also to show them how much they mean to them.

Last Tuesday afternoon a colourful fleet of decorated

staff vehicles went around the neighbourhood. Current and some former P leasantdale students and their families were waiting at the curbside to see the staff, say hi and wave back. School mascot Pleasantdale Bulldog was cruising in one of the vehicles and greeting the families as well.

“It was so fun. It was a little bit emotional, but it was so fun to see all these faces and their smiles,” said school principal Michelle Smart.

“I think that what we

Every participant came up with their own way to show their feeling to the students. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

miss the most is just seeing our students every day.”

The y ’ve seen a f e w schools doing something similar. One of the former teachers, who is currently working in Regina, participated in a similar event and Pleasantdale staff found it to be a great idea.

“We’ve been thinking of ways to keep our school culture going and to be able to make connections and have a little fun together. So we thought, why not, let’s do a little parade,” said Smart.

If teachers had time to decorate their vehicles, they could do it in any way they wanted. But the main idea was to just get out there and see the students. Grade 8 teacher Mercedes Morstad went above and beyond, decorating her car to cheer up her class that is graduating and moving on to the Comp in September.

“She put a lot of effort in, I really appreciate that.

It was fun for her Grade 8 students,” said Smart.

It took the staff about a week to put everything together. They made a poster, came up with the date that would fit everybody and let the families know. Vice-principle Devin Aspinall, who is from Estevan and knows the area really well, was tasked with the map for the parade and he came up with a very detailed route covering most of the school boundary area.

The staff of Pleasantdale School went on a parade around the neighbourhood to show the students how much they are missed. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

The Grade 8 teacher went above and beyond to show her graduating class her support. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia The goal was to hit most of the little streets and see most of the students, but it turned out that twisting and turning from drive to drive, teachers ended up missing a

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FORM C [Section 6] NOTICE The Tax Enforcement Act TAKE NOTICE that the Village of Frobisher intends to be registered pursuant to the above Act as owner of the land described below.

The municipality claims title to the land by virtue of an interest based on the tax lien registered against the existing title to the land in the Land Titles Registry as Interest Number 185671929, 185671952, 185671918, and 185671963, and you are required to TAKE NOTICE that unless you contest the claim of the municipality or redeem the land pursuant to the provisions of the above Act within six months from the service of this notice on you and, subject to the further provisions of The Tax Enforcement Act, a title will be issued to the applicant.

On and after the date that the title is issued to the applicant, you will be forever estopped and debarred from setting up any claim to, or with respect to, the land.

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Dated this 13th day of May, 2020

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20ACU033 Get Vocal about local.

Estevan Mercury

not to see the kids, they are getting into a better routine working remotely and doing their best to help kids moving forward in their education process.

“My teachers have been absolutely amazing and positive through all of this. And our school division is giving us lots of support,” said Smart.

“And I just would really like our families to know how much we (appreciate that) we have such a great and never-ending support … We appreciate everything they are doing to support us and to support their children and we definitely recognize that it’s not easy for our families either.”

She added that the staff is now trying to see if they can organize their traditional art show and probably some other activities in a different format and also find some safe way to celebrate the end of the year.

For more pictures and a video of the parade visit www.estevanmercury.ca.

Auction items will be on display at Estevan Motor Speedway June 15 for viewing.

This high profile auction will be accomplished with no public gatherings and respecting the safety for all involved.

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little street marked on the map. “ We did disappoint some of our families and we all are feeling bad about that.

It didn’t happen on purpose, but we missed a little section of the street that we had marked on the map,” said Smart.

And since some students who came out to greet the parade never saw it, several teachers decided to come out there at the end of the week to make sure they got to see these kids as well.

Smart said that they had a great turnout and saw many students. And some of them even moved from location to location to meet the parade a few times.

An Estevan Police Service car also joined the parade to add a bit of volume and colours, and to support the initiative.

Many teachers had their families with them, greeting students’ families along the route.

Smart also noted that while it’s really hard for them

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The amount required to redeem the land may be ascertained on application to the Clerk, Treasurer, or Administrator of the municipality.

Kate Halkyard (Treasurer) The Frobisher Athletic Association (Name of Assessed Owner) Legal Description of Land(s)

Title Number(s)

Lot 10 Blk 10 Plan C4363 Ext 0

107352682

Lot 10 Blk 10 Plan C4363 Ext 0 (Mineral)

107352693

Blk/Par 14 Plan C4363 Ext 0

107352705

Blk/Par 14 Plan C4363 Ext 0 (Mineral)

107352716

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Wednesday, May 13, 2020

A15

New Bruins coach and GM excited to come to Estevan

By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

The new head coach and general manager of the Estevan Bruins brings a strong track record of success to the club as it gets ready to host the Centennial Cup national junior A championship in 2022.

The Bruins announced on May 6 that they had hired Jason Tatarnic for the role.

As a head coach and general manager, Tatarnic has compiled a 470-17214-16 record primarily with the Woodstock Slammers of the Maritime Hockey League and the Chilliwack Chiefs of the B.C. Hockey League. With Tatarnic serving as the head coach, the Slammers reached the 2012 national final, back when it was known as the RBC Cup, when the tournament was held in Humboldt.

They won league titles in 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012.

Tatarnic was the head coach and general manager of that Chiefs from 2014-15 to 2017-18. They reached the B.C. Hockey League’s final in 2016 and 2017, and won the RBC Cup as the host team in 2018. But he

was dismissed by the club shortly before the national tournament began.

Since leaving the Chiefs, he has been operating Hockey Pathways, a player advisory service.

He wanted to ensure he was going to the right situation with the right people for his next hockey job, and he believes the Bruins are the right opportunity.

“I’ve been very selective with the places that I’ve looked at and places that would interest me,” he told the Mercury.

The Bruin job appealed to him, in part, because he played in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with the Notre Dame Hounds in 1993-94. He was also an assistant coach with the Humboldt Broncos in the 2004-05 season. That Humboldt team was swept by the Bruins in the league’s quarter-final round.

After the 2004-05 season, Tatarnic took the job with the Slammers.

“I think it ’s a good league. I think the fans are passionate. I think it’s a great place for players to play, and when you look at Estevan’s facility, it’s not a bad place to work and not a bad place to

Jason Tatarnic is the new head coach and general manager of the Estevan Bruins. Photo submitted coach hockey games.”

The chance to lead a Centennial Cup host team was likely a lure for a lot of applicants, but Tatarnic found that once he started going through the application process and had a sense of who he would be working for, he found that Estevan was a place he wanted to be.

He looks forward to working with the executive.

Last season he saw the Bruins play on multiple occasions and saw some of the Bruins talent at SJHL-

MJHL Showcase in Regina.

“I think they ’re in a good spot right now. I think the people that are still currently involved with the team did a great job, and I think Chris (former head coach and GM Chris Lewgood) did a fantastic job of his list and developing those younger players.”

Tatarnic inherits a team that has 19 of 23 players eligible to return, including starting goaltender Keenan Rancier and six of their seven defencemen.

“You always like to start from the backend on out, and that’s already in place,” he said.

New team president George Sereggela said Tatarnic checked all the boxes for the executive, thanks in part to his record in junior A hockey.

“From contacting his references and other sources, the feedback that we were getting is that he has an unmatched recruiting network across Canada and into the United States,” said Sereggela.

One coach the executive spoke with said that if there’s a competition for a player, Tatarnic will get him.

Player advancement was another factor, as the Bruins noted Tatarnic has sent 170 players to post-secondary and professional hockey leagues in his career.

Also an asset is Tatarnic’s experience in building a team that is hosting a national junior A tournament, and his ability to budget.

There was a lot to like about many of the candidates, Sereggela said. Roughly 50 people applied for the job. Sereggela admits there were concerns about how Tatarnic’s tenure in Chilliwack

ended, but they spoke to several individuals connected with the Chiefs who felt that it was still Tatarnic’s team.

“One, he built the team, two, he installed the systems, and three, he had the players focused on winning that tournament,” said Sereggela.

Tatarnic said he enjoys the process associated with winning and player development. It’s important to develop good skills and good people.

“You’re pretty much a teacher. You’re no different than a teacher in the school system. And I really enjoy that. To develop those players into who they are, and develop them so they can advance to the next level, there’s no greater satisfaction than seeing that player move on to the next level and do well.”

Tatarnic said he will be winding down his involvement with Hockey Pathways, and his focus will be on the Bruins. He looks forward to coming to Estevan, and his wife and three children will be joining him.

Te r m s o f t h e c o n tract were not disclosed, but Sereggela said the term extends beyond the 2022 Centennial Cup.

Golden Eels still hope to have activities this year The sanctioned summer speed swimming meets in Saskatchewan have been scrubbed for this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Estevan Golden Eels still hope to have some activities.

The decision to cancel the meets was made May 2 during an online meeting with all of the clubs from across the province, as well as Swim Sask. officials. The decision means the Eels members won’t be travelling to any sanctioned events this year.

Estevan club president Deanna Tarnes said Swimming Canada has a rule that youth swimmers must train for 30 days before travelling to any competitive meets.

Since it appears that swimming pools won’t be allowed to open until Phase 4 of the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan, and a date hasn’t been set for Phase 4, it means there wouldn’t be enough time to get a season in.

Also a factor is that a lot of clubs only have outdoor pools, and many communities might not fill outdoor pools in 2020.

“It’s just not economical for them to fill their pools this year, so they’ve already said they’re not even going to have swimming,” said Tarnes.

Even if the crowd restrictions are eventually eased to allow 50 people, you can’t have a sanctioned swim meet with just 50

The summer swimming season in Saskatchewan has been cancelled for the 2020 season. File photo people present, Tarnes said.

“You require 50 officials to run a swim meet, let alone kids and spectators. It would just be too hard to do a meet the way it should be.”

The club had started pre-registration when the

COVID-19 pandemic hit Saskatchewan and forced the closure of recreation facilities such as swimming pools. The Eels, who have won the past five provincial titles, often in convincing fashion, were hoping to have

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60 kids this year.

If the RM of Estevan Aquatic Centre inside the Estevan Leisure Centre is allowed to open early enough this year, then the Eels would like to have some kind of a fun season for the

swimmers. It could include non-sanctioned meets that wouldn’t count in the provincial record books.

“We can have fun,” said Tarnes. “We can use social distancing where half the kids start at one end and half

the kids start at the other.

There are ways around it that we can try to do if the pool opens.”

And if other clubs are practising, they would be invited to come join the Eels for their event.

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CERTIFIED SEED

Brian was suddenly called home on April 28th.

Brian was predeceased by his parents, Nels and Emilie Backman, brother Vernon, brother-in-law Ken Katrusik and niece Kendra Katrusik, sister-in-law Myrna Stefiuk, father-inlaw Mike Stefiuk.

He will forever be cherished and missed by his loving family: wife Rose; son: Peter(Sharon); Mother-in-law Alphada Stefiuk; sister Nola (Terry); niece Krista; brother Kelly (Sandra); niece Brie-Anne; nephew Tayler; Sister-in-Law Kathy (Wes), nieces and nephews; brother-in-law Terry (Colleen) nieces; brother-inlaw Kim as well as many cousins and friends.

Brian was born in Estevan, SK and lived his early years in Hirsch, SK. He left home at 17 and through his travels lived in Regina, Saskatoon, Calgary, Estevan and finally Kelowna. Brian had numerous health issues in the first half of his life but in the latter part of his life he found complete recovery through Naturopathic/Homeopathic healing. This turn around in his health would eventually propel him and his wonderful wife, Rose to dedicate their lives to the emotional and physical healing of others. They were in business together for over 30 years and helped give others hope and healing. Brian exuded unconditional love, compassion and a quiet wisdom. His humor was second to none and endeared those who had the privilege of being in his presence. His famous hugs, caring personality, quick wit, teasing and listening ear will be greatly missed.

As per Brian’s request, there will be no funeral. Family and friends will have a private memorial at a later date.

Jean Dukart passed away at the Estevan Regional Nursing Home, Estevan, SK on Thursday, April 30th, 2020 at the age of 92.

Precious memories of Jean will be forever cherished by her children: Dennis, David (Joanne) and children, Jodie and Jamie, Brenda (James) Durr and children, Melissa and Bradley, Brian (Marie) and children, Cory, Robbie and Jessica, Rodney (Ramona) and children, Mallory, Meghan and Marlee and Rhonda (Keith) Hesketh and children, A.J. and Brittney, as well as 19 great grandchildren. She will also be lovingly remembered by her sisters: Mae Breeze, Cecile Friess, Annette (Selby) Porter, Rita Brailsford, Elaine Thomas and Linda (Harry) Moroz.

Jean was predeceased by her husband John; son Darwin; daughters: Gloria and Mary Anne in infancy; parents: Maurice and Gertrude Gervais; siblings: Victor Gervais, Edward (Otillia) Gervais, Louise (Adam) Frank, Gloria (Rae) Mitchell and Leo (Adele) Gervais; brothers-in-law: Ray Breeze, George Friess, Cliff Thomas and Jim Brailsford.

The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. John the Baptist R.C. Church, Estevan, at a later date when it is once again safe for us to gather.

If friends so desire, donations in Jean's memory may be made to the Estevan Regional Nursing Home Auxiliary, 1921 Wellock Road, Estevan, Sask., S4A 2B5 or the St. Joseph's Hospital Auxiliary, 1176 Nicholson Road, Estevan, Sask., S4A 0H3.

Hall Funeral Services in Estevan is caring for the Dukart family - Dustin Hall, Funeral Director.

Sheila Dies 1931 - 2020

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

Our family sadly announces the passing of Sheila Colleen Dies at the Lampman Community Health Centre, Lampman, Sask. on Saturday, May 2, 2020.

Sheila was born on the family farm east of Macoun, Sask. on January 27, 1931, the youngest child of William and Janie Dixon. She married the love of her life, John Dies, on January 7, 1949, and lived in Estevan until moving to Lampman in December of 2015.

Sheila was predeceased by her husband John in 2004; her son Brian in 1993; her eight siblings and their spouses, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Sheila will be missed and lovingly remembered by her son Barry (Marilyn) and their family, Nathan (Melanie), and Leah Dies; daughter Audrey (Rolan) Quaife and Audrey's daughters, Tracy (Pierre) Simaika and their children Anna and Lyla, and Jacie Friedrick; daughter-in-law Debbie VanDeventer and her family, Colin (Sabrina) Dies and Melanie Dies; Rolan's daughter Amanda (Aaron) Black and their daughter Arissa.

There will be a private family graveside service held at Souris Valley Memorial Gardens, Estevan, Sask. A celebration of Sheila's life will be held at a later date when it is once again safe for us to gather.

Those so wishing may make donations in memory of Sheila, to the Lampman Community Health Centre Trust, Box 100, Lampman, Sask., S0C 1N0 or a charity of choice.

Hall Funeral Services in Estevan is caring for the Dies family - Dustin Hall, Funeral Director.

BREAKING NEWS

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May 13, 2020 A17

www.estevanmercury.ca Obituaries

Flashback – May 11, 1988

William "Carroll" Cantlon 1936 - 2020 Carroll Cantlon, formerly of Estevan, Sask. passed away at Newhope Pioneer Lodge, Stoughton, Sask. on April 30, 2020 at the age of 83. Carroll was very active in service groups in Estevan. He was the Grand First Principal of the Royal Arch Masons of Saskatchewan (1987-1988) and a charter member of the Estevan Shrine Club Clown Unit.

Carroll will be lovingly remembered by his daughter Carol Lynne (Lawrence) (grandchildren; Sean and Keely) and his daughter Lisa (Arlon).

He was predeceased by his wife Marjorie and his parents, William and Sarah.

A Celebration of Life for Carroll and Marj will be held at a later date, when it is once again safe for us to gather.

If friends so desire, donations in Carroll's memory may be made to the Newhope Lodge Activity Fund, Box 38, Stoughton, Sask., S0G 4T0.

Hall Funeral Services in Estevan is caring for the Cantlon family - Dustin Hall, Funeral Director.

Audrey "Gail" Brady 1945 - 2020 It is with sad hearts that the family announces the passing of Gail Brady, late of Estevan, Sask.

She passed away at St. Joseph's Hospital in Estevan at the age of 74.

Gail will be lovingly remembered by her family - sons: Ward (Kathy) Carty and Corey (Cheryl) Carty; Dallas' children: Vic (Drena) Pickering, Bonnie (Robert) Brezinsky, Lana (Oliver) Buschow and Terry (Angela) Pickering; 20 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren.

Gail will also be missed by her sister Trilbie (Norman) Morrow, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Gail was predeceased by her husband Dallas Pickering; parents: Charles and Loretta Brady and Dallas' daughter Debbie Hamilton.

In keeping with Gail's wishes, cremation has taken place and there will be no formal service.

In lieu of flowers, Gail's family would appreciate donations in her name to the Estevan Humane Society, Box 1095, Estevan, Sask., S4A 2H7 or online at estevanhumanesociety.ca Hall Funeral Services in Estevan is caring for Gail's family - Dustin Hall, Funeral Director.

The Monday night men’s 10-poin bowling champions were honoured at the Derrick Motor Hotel.

From left are Todd Chamney, John Prette, Wes Nyeste, Scott Dryden and Clint Prette.

Missing are James Prette and Bart Meley. Trophies were presented in several other bowling leagues that night as well.

The promise of new life One of the reasons we bought our current house is that it had so many trees in the yard. Seven of them line the front sidewalk. Well, there were seven.

A couple of years ago, a big storm came through town and the wind snapped one of the trees. The next day, I got my chainsaw and cut down what remained, leaving only a three-foot-high stump. I reasoned that a taller stump would be easier to pull out of the ground later.

Now, the stump is re-

Tim Pippus of the Estevan Church of Christ growing. There are branches and shoots all over the place.

What we thought was dead and gone is coming back to life.

Whenever I look out the living room window and see this rebirth taking place, I am reminded that there is always

hope. What looks like the end may be the start of something new. We do not know what is going to happen next and new life could be right around the corner.

Finding a renewed life, both physically and spiritu-

ally, was one of Jesus’ favourite themes. In fact, in John chapter 10, he claimed, “I have come that they might have life and have it to the full” (verse 10), or, as other versions say, “I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly.”

I do not know what you are facing right now but please remember this: Jesus came with a message of second chances and new beginnings, both for this life and the life to come.

That is a promise worth holding on to.

Estevan police arrested two for impaired driving Members of the Estevan Police (EPS) made a pair of arrests for impaired driving last week.

Police received a call around 11 p.m. on May 7 regarding a possible impaired driver coming into Estevan on Highway 47. The vehicle was located and stopped on Souris Avenue North.

T h e EP S s a y s t h e driver, a 20-year-old Estevan man, was displaying gross signs of impairment as members interacted with him. Police called in a drug recognition expert to assist as investigators believed the impairment was caused by a combination of drugs and alcohol.

He was lodged in cells until sober and was released with a charge of impaired driving. The investigation continues as a blood sample was obtained and will be sent for lab testing.

Officers also made an impaired driving arrest on May 9.

As a result of a traffic stop at Eighth Street and 13th Avenue, a 19-yearold man from Estevan was charged with operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drug. He was lodged in cells until sober and will appear in Estevan Provincial Court in July to answer to the charge.

The vehic le he was

operating was impounded for 30 days and his driver’s licence has been suspended indefinitely.

In other recent police news, officers received a report of mischief to a property in the Hillside area May 3. Police attended and were able to determine who damaged the property. The matter was mediated and the property was repaired by the responsible person. No further action was necessary.

Members received a report of a break and enter to a local hotel in the evening hours of May 6. The matter is still under investigation.

Officers responded to a complaint May 7 of a male

causing a disturbance in a construction zone. On arrival the male was located and spoken to. The matter is still under investigation for possible charges of uttering threats.

Members attended to a complaint of a possible assault in the 400-block of Brooks Road. Both parties were spoken to and the matter is still being looked into.

As a result of a traffic stop in the Willow Park Greens area, a 25-year-old woman was arrested for failing to comply with her release conditions. She was also charged with failing to stop for a police officer and driving without a valid or

appropriate licence, as she is a suspended driver.

Police are looking into a drive-off gas purchase on May 8. Police are waiting for video surveillance to be able to identify the suspects in this matter.

As a result of a traffic stop at the intersection of 12th Avenue and Second Street, a 28-year-old man from Estevan was arrested on outstanding warrants from the Regina Police Service. The man is also facing new charges of possession of methamphetamine and failing to comply with a probation order. He will appear in court in July to answer to the charges.

Also on May 9, police conducted a curfew check on a female in the 1400-block of Nicholson Road and found that she was not abiding by her conditions. She was located a short time later, charged and released for court in June.

Members are still receiving calls about scammers, stating that the person has a warrant for their arrest or their information has been compromised. Police are reminding citizens not to provide personal information over the phone.

People can also report the frauds to the Anti-Fraud Centre.

Vehicles cruised through Estevan Saturday night Classic vehicles and other automobiles made their way through Estevan Saturday evening as part of a cruise night.

Chelsea Choma organized the event, and was pleased with the turnout. It’s hard for her to know how many people were participating, since there wasn’t a designated starting location, and people could begin at any time.

And it’s hard to know how many vehicles were driving around the city for the cruise, and how many were out for other reasons.

But she noted 130 people committed to participate on the event’s Facebook page.

“There wasn’t anywhere to meet up or find out how many people were out,”

said Choma.

But she saw a lot of antique automobiles out on the roads that night.

As part of the event, Choma was encouraging people to grab a takeout supper from one of Estevan’s many great restaurants.

“It was pretty informal, just trying to get people out of their homes and enjoying themselves again and supporting some of the local businesses in town,” she said.

There were some vehicles on the roads that she hadn’t seen before.

Choma and her family drove around the city a few times and enjoyed looking at some of the classic vehicles. Then they washed their truck and picked up a pizza supper from the Tower Café.

U-

Antique vehicles rolled through Estevan’s streets Saturday evening as part of a cruise night.

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Cheers & Jeers

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

A18

Cheers Cheers to the Salvation Army and the United Way Estevan for delivering a gift bag to the home of a local resident.

Cheers to A Loving Touch for thinking of our seniors and delivering snack packs to their homes.

Cheers to Chelsea Choma for organizing the cruise night in Estevan on Saturday night, and to all those who participated. It was great to see all of the classic vehicles being driven around the city.

Cheers to everyone who came up with unique ways to celebrate Mother’s Day this year.

It was great to see the effort that was happening and the time that was put in, especially for those who couldn’t receive a visit.

Cheers to the Oxbow Arts and Cultural Committee for their efforts to promote the talented people who reside in that part of the region, through concerts and virtual art shows.

Cheers to Pleasantdale School’s staff for the parade throughout the neighbourhood last week. The kids were excited to see their teachers again, and they were encouraged by the messages of support.

Jeers Jeers to businesses who don’t answer the phones properly. When phoning a retail business, restaurant or a grocery store, one should be greeted with a “good morning,” not a pause and then a hello. And answer the phone promptly, rather than waiting for several rings.

Jeers to politicians who are talking about how “Oil is dead” or how we’re seeing the demise of the oil industry. Oil will be needed far longer than those people’s political careers.

Jeers to arrows on retail store floors that are difficult to see. It’s great that stores are using them and that people pay attention to the arrows, but a small, light-coloured arrow on a light-coloured floor doesn’t help anybody.

To submit a cheer or a jeer, please email it to dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca, or visit www.estevanmercury.ca.

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Alameda woman sewing PPE for frontline healthcare workers

Evelyn Vandenberg is providing PPE to frontline workers in a volunteer effort by turning her sewing room into a vital manufacturing workplace. Photo by Kelly Johnson of the Carlyle Observer

By Kelly Johnson of the Carlyle Observer During the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a lot of activity behind the frontlines.

One such activity, not visible to the public eye, is a sewing project that is keeping frontline medical personnel safe.

Evelyn Vandenberg, who lives and farms north of Alameda with her husband, is donating her time and skills to make personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline medical professionals and has been very busy sewing up facemasks, surgical caps, headbands and clothing bags.

The volunteer effort is made possible with the help of others in the area.

Vandenberg was looking for pattern ideas for a sewing

THANK YOU

to the community for everything you are doing in order to keep our seniors safe.

We appreciate the wonderful letters we have been receiving through the Day of Caring campaign with the United Way. Thanks to the people who have dropped off special goodies, treated us to meals and given cash donations.

Thanks also to the United Way with the extra funding to help us with COVID expenses.

We are so grateful to the people of Estevan and our surrounding communities.

project on Facebook, when she came across a post discussing the need for PPE in the battle against COVID-19.

She discovered a page called Canada Sews that was started by a group of volunteers in Ontario, who were volunteering their time to make PPE. She contacted the group and was put in touch with the co-ordinator for the Saskatchewan volunteer group.

Each province has been given a list of various needs by hospitals and care homes who are searching for necessary supplies for frontline workers in Saskatchewan and across the country.

The PPE she is sewing is made of heavy cotton with a tight weave, generally found in fabric used for quilting, which is being donated by

others in the area. The donated material, some that is already precut from a standard pattern, is stitched on her industrial sewing machine.

She has received a donation from an individual for shipping costs, donations of bias tape and buttons, which are required in the manufacturing of the PPE, and she welcomes donations from anyone that can help in any way or capacity with the effort.

So far, Vandenberg has shipped items to La Ronge, Cypress Regional Hospital in Swift Current, Kelowna, B.C., and a hospital in Toronto. As well, she has had a lady from Golden Prairie, Sask., send her masks to include in her shipments.

Vandenberg started the project about three weeks ago

and so far has shipped over 250 pieces of PPE. She has spent as many as 10 hours a day sewing, as well as taxiing her husband and son around as they plant this year’s crop.

One mask takes about 10-15 minutes of sewing time.

Currently she is organizing for another request for 1,000 masks that are needed in northern Saskatchewan and she has the call out for more fabric donations, of darker coloured 100 per cent cotton.

The Vandenbergs immigrated to Canada from Holland in 2006, initially farming in Vauxhall, Alta., before taking up roots in 2012 on the farm in the Alameda area and are proof positive of this country’s spirit to help others in times of need.

LOCAL MATTERS.

Remember that time wrote a story about your business?

Remember when wrote a story about your hometown team winning a championship?

Or when helped local non-profit promote their fundraiser?

NEITHER DO WE!

STAY SAFE. THANK YOU.

Local Businesses and their owners are the heart of our city. They live here. They play here. They invest here.

They need our support, now more than ever.

Love the staff and residents of Creighton Lodge

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MAY 10-16

Estevan police share experience on adapting to realities associated with the COVID-19 pandemic

By Ana Bykhovskaia

abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

Covid-19 and the changes the pandemic brought were unexpected and new for everyone. And just like others police services had to quickly learn to adapt, find their ways to keep operating, make it safe for staff and citizens, and also understand the new focus the global problem has brought up in their field of work.

Fortunately, as Estevan Police Chief Paul Ladouceur pointed out, police, in general, are very good at adapting to fluid situations as being prepared for the unexpected has always been a part of their job.

“This is no different.

We obviously had to practise social distancing at the workplace like everybody else. We had to ensure that

we have the proper protective equipment available to our staff and our members,” said Ladouceur.

Few expected the pandemic to develop to this scale, but Ladouceur said that they turned out to be as prepared as possible, keeping in mind that there was no other precedent of that magnitude in recent history.

“A lot of internal changes certainly have occurred.

We had to enact our internal pandemic business plan for this virus, which involved moving individuals to different positions within the organization, some back to frontline patrol to deal with the potential increase in call volume,” said Ladouceur.

Even though the call numbers were down a bit in comparison to the previous month, in reality, the EPS had a chance to take the low-

er priority calls. Ladouceur also noticed that they started to see an increase in what they call “spin-off occurrences from the pandemic,” such as domestic calls, mental health issues and also an increase in thefts and fraud due to financial problems caused by the quarantine.

“We are assessing that to see what is (ahead). It’s not just going to stop. When COVID-19 finally does drift away … the reality is the aftereffects and the aftermath of this may carry on for a period of time,” said Ladouceur.

The EPS also received a “significant number” of calls related to self-isolation, especially in the beginning of the quarantine. But none of them resulted in any kind of enforcement, since all community members brought to police attention were indeed complying with the regulations.

“It was a case of people just wanting to be cautious, making sure that we were aware that someone was potentially violating.”

Another challenge the Estevan Police Service

(EPS) had to adapt to was fast-changing and evolving legislation. Members constantly had to be up to date on the new practices and educational components, along with ways to deal with any potential violations or lack of knowledge for general public, which were often updating on weekly or bi-weekly basis.

The adaptation was no easy job, but Ladouceur praised the community for handling the difficult situation and expects to see the same level of responsibility going forward.

Now that some restrictions are off, EPS started receiving new calls about some

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smaller gatherings in which people are seen getting closer together than two metres. In those cases, police recommend using common sense.

“Thing that people have to keep in mind is just because there is a low level or no level of cases in our immediate area doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be practising the measures and the recommendations that are put in place,” said Ladouceur.

The EPS has been responding to calls about gatherings, where people were formally following the regulations. Officers attended to educate citizens and remind them that even if they are meeting in a group of nine, it’s not necessarily safe.

“There are recommendations and there are orders … Group over 10 that’s a violation (of the order). If someone is refusing to selfisolate or quarantine, that’s a violation. Having a group of eight people together is not a violation, but it’s going against the recommendations.

“And what we want to do is instill common sense in people. The whole idea is not to have to enforce and legislate and go out and charge people for not complying. The whole idea is to educate the community of the importance of complying

and importance of practising and following recommendations,” said Ladouceur.

He went on to explain that on top of following the main recommendations, to do their best to protect themselves, people also should try to keep their close circle of those they are staying in touch with quite narrow.

“If we don’t put this on ourselves and take the necessary responsibility on then we may be extending this much longer than we already have,” said Ladouceur.

Even though everyone is eager to reopen, the police are not in much of a hurry to get back to normal. Ladouceur said the system they put in place is working and it’s more important for them to ensure that the community is safe first. At this point, the EPS also has committed to continue attending kids’ birthdays when they can as they’ve been doing during the last weeks.

“The response we are getting is fantastic. The kids absolutely love it and the parents are very surprised and happy to see us there.

Sometimes you have to step outside your box and what your true mandate is and your role is and just do the things that are right,” said Ladouceur.

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We value and appreciate the work of our enforcement agencies who dedicate themselves in protecting our communities and keeping the peace.

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Estevan Constituency Office

DR. ROBERT KITCHEN MP Souris-Moose Mountain

Lori Carr, MLA

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www.estevanmercury.ca

May 13, 2020 A21

Estevan’s chiefs spent a Friday night together in a cell The Estevan Police Service (EPS) has reached its goal of $5,000 in the virtual Law Enforcement Torch Run fundraiser for Special Olympics, thanks to the support of the community and the efforts of Estevan Police Service Chief Paul Ladouceur and Estevan Fire Rescue Service Chief Dale Feser.

The two community leaders spent Friday evening in one of the Estevan Police Service’s prison cells. They were escorted just after 4 p.m. and weren’t released until just after 10 p.m., when the EPS eclipsed its goal.

The funds raised will be directed to the EPS entry for the Virtual Torch Run. Both Feser and Ladouceur thanked the community for their generosity during these tough times.

Special Olympics Saskatchewan also sent out a

tweet to Ladouceur and Feser, thanking them for their support.

As of Thursday morning, the total was at 52 per cent with $2,615 raised for the Special Olympics Saskatchewan.

Ladouceur said it was going well at that time, but with the current economy, it became much more difficult for many people to support even the greatest of causes.

“It’s tough times. It’s a tough time to ask for people to donate. There is so many charities out there, but I can tell you this one is near and dear to my heart. They do such important work and these athletes are absolutely incredible. They inspire their communities, they inspire me. And I will push and push,” said Ladouceur.

This year, due to COVID-19, Special Olympics

Saskatchewan was not able to host their usual Law Enforcement Torch Run but to have some kind of activity they decided to instead proceed with a virtual Torch Run. The other fundraisers law enforcement does every year, such as pour plunges, ball games and other initiatives are also currently on hold, so the virtual Torch Run is one of the few fundraising methods left.

Ladouceur added that it didn’t have to be “millions of dollars,” but if there is anything that people could spare, the EPS encourages them to think about giving to Special Olympics Saskatchewan this year.

“I made a very strong commitment to S pecial Olympics that my goal is $5,000 and I’m determined to reach that,” said Ladouceur.

Estevan Police Chief Paul Ladouceur and Estevan Fire Chief Dale Feser were locked up in a jail cell Friday night for Special Olympics.

People were asked to make their pledges online, rather than dropping by the police station to donate. Ladouceur and Feser weren’t calling people for donations

while they were incarcerated.

The EPS continues to fundraise for Special Olympics. To support their efforts, please visit the Law Enforcement Torch Run’s website.

As of Monday morning, the EPS had raised $5,335.

For videos of Feser and Ladouceur’s incarceration, please visit www.estevanmercury.ca.

Estevan RCMP active with Carnduff RCMP remains busy in their service area calls to start the year The Estevan RCMP has had to handle some calls related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they have had other calls in the community, too.

The detachment covers a vast area that includes Benson, Lampman, Torquay, Midale, Bienfait, North Portal, Frobisher and Roche Percee.

They’re fully staffed right now, with Sgt. Jeff Clarke, Cpl. Craig Park and six constables, as well as a support person who works out of the office.

“In the last year and a half, we’ve had a turnover of five new constables … so lots of eager young blood to get out and learn the area,” said Park. “We had been doing some programs, before COVID happened, with our new guys, sending them out with some local farmers to learn the industry and learn the area, so some culture training there and they enjoyed that.”

People have handled the pandemic pretty well, although there has likely been a small increase in mental health-related calls.

“In general, people who have been forced to stay at home get a little on edge sometimes,” said Park. “But overall it hasn’t been too bad.

People have been pretty cooperative. People are maintaining the rules that are put in place.”

It’s hard to tell if the detachment is busier than last year as far as call volumes, but he believes there are fewer people on the roads. There is the essential traffic that needs to be out there, but there are also those who are bored and out for a drive, which he said is fine.

It means they have less traffic enforcement to worry about.

Corporal Craig Park with the Estevan RCMP. File photo As far as criminal activity, they have still had to handle calls for drug activity, break and enters and thefts.

They will also have to learn about the changes to firearm laws, which means more education for the public.

“We’re trying to keep up like everybody else. We’ve had lots of changes in the last month here with gun laws, public health orders, and just like the public, it’s new to us, so we had to scramble to keep up here.”

As for COVID-19, there has been an impact on day-today operations.

“As anybody approaching the building now would see, there’s a sign on our front door. We keep our front door locked, so anybody coming to the front door is required to phone in to our support staff here and answer a few questions, go through a bit of a screening process and go from there.”

There have also been changes in how they interact with the public, through minimizing contact and maintaining social distancing, even though it’s harder in their line of work.

The RCMP has also performed extra cleaning of their detachment building and vehicles.

“Our vehicles have probably never been so clean,” Park said.

There are also hearts on the exterior of the RCMP’s building. The person who handles the cleaning of the building put the hearts up as a tribute to the RCMP and those who are working at home.

The RCMP has also had to adapt to the new restrictions that came out, which can change quickly. They have received some calls about social distancing and self-isolation and other infractions, but they haven’t laid any charges.

“Most of those calls, we’ve just had to educate the public, and they’re good and they abide by the rules.”

If someone comes into the area who is supposed to self-isolate, then the RCMP will be notified and they will monitor the individual.

He believes that the way people have handled the pandemic is why the Estevan area hasn’t had any COVID-19 cases as of yet.

The Carnduff RCMP continues to handle a variety of calls, in addition to those associated with COVID-19.

Sgt. Warner Ignatiuk with the detachment said that for the most part, it’s been business as usual. COVID pandemic has forced them to modify how they go about doing business, so that they avoid disruptions.

But they’re still out in their service area, making themselves available to the public and responding to calls for service, although with those adjustments.

In terms of the types of calls they have had, they have received some for property concerns, as well as suspicious persons and vehicles. The detachment has been trying to create more awareness among the public when it comes to suspicious activity.

“We’re encouraging people to make a concerted effort to report suspicious persons, vehicles or property. The way I go about looking at it is if something doesn’t look right, if it doesn’t smell right, then it probably isn’t right, and therefore it’s something you shouldn’t look past,” said Ignatiuk.

People should call the police and make officers aware of the situation.

“That goes to looking after yourself and your property, and at the same time, helping to maintain the integrity of your neighbours’ property and the community in general.”

When looking at their call and infraction totals for this year, he has seen a decrease in some violations, such as traffic violations, since there has been a decrease in the number of people on the roads. But the RCMP is still

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Kindergarten Registration

Children Born in 2015 South East Cornerstone Public School Division No. 209 Schools: 33 Central Alameda Arcola Assiniboia Park Carievale Carlyle Elementary Carnduff Education Complex Gladmar Regional Haig Hillcrest Lampman Lyndale MacLeod Macoun Manor Maryfield

Midale Central Ogema Oxbow Prairie Horizons Pangman Pleasantdale Queen Elizabeth Radville Regional Redvers Rocanville Souris Spruce Ridge Stoughton Central Wapella Wawota Parkland Weldon Westview Yellow Grass

Those parents/guardians who intend to register their children at any of the above noted schools, please call the school directly.

Registration forms and school telephone numbers can be found on our website at www.secpsd.ca.

Success and achievement for every student in every school

out there as much as in the past.

Since oil business has taken a hit, that has also affected the amount of traffic on the roads.

“The remaining motorists, for the most part, are abiding by the laws and the safety regulations.”

People in the detachment’s service area, which extends from east of Frobisher to the Manitoba border, and south to the U.S. border, have handled the pandemic-related restrictions well.

“We’ve had a couple of points where things have come up where we’ve been engaged to be more of an education focus rather than an enforcement focus, unless where necessary.”

During their patrols and in their observations of people, they have seen people who obey the guidelines from public health.

They have received calls for service regarding non-compliance, but they have also received calls seeking clarification on Public Health and Saskatchewan Health Authority recommendations.

“It was more from an educational point of view that we were providing a response,” he said.

The RCMP has not had to lay any charges either. There was a high-profile incident regarding a cruise night in Carievale in which people were seen in a gathering with more than 10 people, but no charges occurred.

The Carnduff RCMP detachment has five constables, as well as Ignatiuk and a support staff person who takes calls and looks after the office. The detachment is fully staffed.

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A22 May 13, 2020

www.estevanmercury.ca

City Hall: 1102 4th Street 8 am to 4:30 pm | (306) 634-1800 Leisure Office: 701 Souris Avenue 8 am to 4:30 pm | (306) 634-1880

Message From

The Mayor

We are happy to offer free landfill for the Operation Clean Sweep.

Unfortunately due to social distancing the City wide pick up will not be until fall.

Please take advantage of this service to help make our City a cleaner place.

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:

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.

2020 WATERMAIN FLUSHING SCHEDULE 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)

Morsky Drive

Barabash Bay

Hill Avenue

Larter Road

Taisey Crescent

Veterans Avenue

MacCready Bay

Newcombe Drive

Veterans Crescent

Tedford Way

Nicholson Road

Veterans Bay

Matte Court

Wahlmeier Drive

Kohaly Avenue

Jesse Bay

Boyer Avenue

Lynd Crescent

Wellock Road

Mack Place

Hudson Road

Irvine Crescent

Mather Crescent

Hillcrest Drive

Dieppe Crescent

Dyer Road

Hillcrest Bay

Victory Road

Pettigrew Road

Woodend Place

Gibbs Road

McCormick Crescent

Cundall Drive

Mayfair Drive

Grundeen Crescent

King Street

Mayfair Bay

Thorn Crescent

Chinook Bay

Cardinal Avenue

Sinclair Bay

UTILITIES AND TAXES DURING COVID 19 PANDEMIC 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 shortterm relief for your utility and property tax payments through the following: UTILITY SERVICES: The City will continue to bill for utility services as normal. However, to best serve the City’s customers in these extraordinary times, the City has made the following changes to current utility collections activities: Utility disconnections due to arrears will be suspended until September 1, 2020; Late payment charges will be suspended on all utility accounts until September 1, 2020; and We will continue to generate utility bills, reminders and other related notices for customers who are in arrears to keep them informed of their current situation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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