Estevan Mercury 20200617

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The 2020 ECS graduation day was filled with happiness, as grads, their families and the City of Estevan were celebrating their achievements. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

They might not have had a traditional cap and gown ceremony. They might not have had a group picture taken in front of the courthouse. They might not have received their diplomas from the hands of their principal and teachers. But it seemed that on June 12, the 2020 Estevan Comprehensive School (ECS) graduating class had even a greater celebration than any other class before them.

The entire community came together to mark their achievements. Businesses decorated storefronts and people lined up along a graduation cruise night route to show their love and support.

With the cancellation of all graduation ceremonies throughout the province and numerous restrictions issued by the Saskatchewan Health Authority, no one expected

much from this day a few weeks ago, and definitely no one could see it turn out so wonderful and exciting.

But Mike Keating, whose son Jamison was graduating along with 185 other ECS students, wasn’t ready to give up on celebrating the milestone for his and hundreds of other families in the community. So a month and a half prior to the day, when it became obvious that there would be no cap and gown graduation, despite the challenges, Keating still believed that not only could they pull it off, but they could actually do it safely. And the idea of an old and beautiful tradition, the cruise night, came into play.

“Me and Jamison (agreed) to go for a cruise because he was not having (a graduation ceremony), so I wanted to give him something. And then for me the idea (grew into) doing something for all the grads.

And it snowballed,” recalled Keating in an interview with

the Mercury.

The little family cruise developed into an all-out Estevan grad cruise night.

“The biggest thing was getting people on board with what I envisioned. And what happened (on Friday) was a million times bigger than my vision.”

It took a lot of time and work, but the effort he put into making this day special for the kids definitely paid off, turning the 2020 graduation into an unprecedented and unforgettable full-scale celebration of the ECS students, whose final school year fell on the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The emotions I never expect in a million years, when I left my house on Second Street and I turned on Fourth, to see the community of hundreds of people in their cars or standing on the sidewalk,” recalled Keating.

Many businesses in town decorated their store fronts well

in advance, and others put up the signs only on Friday. One way or the other, by 7 p.m. the graduation cruise route was all dressed up with balloons, signs and pictures. Hundreds of people came out and spread out along the so-called “boot” route that had the cruisers start from the former Derrick Motor Inn, go down Fourth Street, turn right on 13th Avenue, go down Souris Avenue North up to Isabelle Street, where they made a loop to come back to the community, celebrating them on the sides of the streets.

“Every parking lot was full of cars, honking, and people were waving and had posters, and the fire department, and the city and everybody. I just never thought of that,” said Keating emotionally.

Heading out for the cruise night he expected to see some of the graduates cruising in their dressed-up vehicles down the streets that Keating and others decorated for them. In reality,

the entire community partook in making this day special.

“I think, it turned into the most memorable (graduation) that they will remember forever,” said Keating.

“I couldn’t believe how big it was … There were hundreds people, but everybody was still doing social distancing. We had our small little groups and everything else. And everybody was being safe. And it was fun and exciting,” said Keating.

Fortunately, right before the date, the provincial government allowed bigger gatherings for graduations, which allowed the students to spend time with each other without breaking any regulations.

Some grads had their vehicles decorated, others rented limos and party buses. The public also joined the cruise night, bringing out their fancy rides and making the cruise even brighter. Even race cars could be seen driving down the streets A2 » GRAD

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Saskatchewan government releases its 2020-21 budget

By Jordan Stricker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, and David Willberg

The provincial government handed down its budget on Monday, nearly three months after the document was put on hold due to the onset of COVID-19.

The reduction in provincial revenues and additional costs related to the pandemic have resulted in a $2.4 billion deficit forecasted for 2020-21.

“This is a pandemic deficit, not a structural deficit,” Finance Minister Donna Harpauer said. “Prior to the pandemic, Saskatchewan was on track for balanced budgets last year and this year, and I am confident that as Saskatchewan’s economy recovers, our revenues will also recover and we will get back to balance in the coming years without having to cut programs and services.”

Revenues are expected to be $13.6 billion, down $1.2 billion, or about eight per cent from last year, a result of the shuttering of domestic and global economies to contain the spread of COVID-19. A collapse in the price of oil is also a factor.

The 2020-21 budget in-

cludes $16.1 billion in spending, an increase of $1.1 billion, or about seven per cent compared to last year. This includes record spending on health care, which the government says is vital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The budget also invests strongly into many needed programs and services.

To help stimulate Saskatchewan’s economic recovery and create jobs, the province’s capital plan in the 2020-21 budget includes a $3.1 billion investment to build hospitals, schools, highways, municipal and Crown corporation infrastructure.

Among the highlights for those in the Estevan area is the previously announced establishment of a specialized crystal methamphetamine inpatient treatment centre at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Estevan, the construction of numerous sets of passing lanes on Highways 39 and 6 between Regina and the Canada-U.S. border, and the resurfacing of Souris Avenue South/Highway 47 from Fourth Street to the Canada-U.S. border.

The document also includes money for municipalities in the form of provincial revenue sharing and the Municipal Economic Enhancement Program that will support the city’s

operations and capital expenses.

The budget also has support for the energy sector, with money for the abandonment and reclamation of inactive oil and gas wells and facilities, and help for agriculture, highlighted by $10 million to help livestock producers manage the impacts of COVID-19-related market disruptions.

But the budget did not include a commitment to construct a new regional nursing home in Estevan, even though the money has been in place for the project for more than five years.

Estevan MLA Lori Carr said the province is not in the position it wanted to be in when the financial plan was originally to be released on March 18.

“Right now, because of the reduction in revenues and the additional costs related to the pandemic, we’re going to end up with budgeting for a $2.4 billion deficit,” Carr told the Mercury.

But she believes the supports put forward by the province for individuals and businesses were important and needed to insure stability.

Carr was pleased to see some of the items that were included when the province released its cost estimates in March were still in the budget, most notably the addictions

treatment centre at St. Joe’s and highway improvements.

“All of that money is going to continue to flow, and those projects are going to carry on,” said Carr.

The funding for municipalities will help offset some lost revenue in case people are unable to pay their property taxes or utility bills due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She’s pleased that health, education and social services received a bump in funding this year.

“Once we get back to normal, people should see the services that they’re used to receiving, and I think that’s important for people to know, that we will get back to normal,” she said.

The budget showed an investment of $2.6 billion for the Ministry of Education and $5.8 billion for healthcare.

The provincial healthcare budget for 2020-21 of $5.8 billion is an increase of $255 million from 2019-20. Health has committed $118 million specifically related to the COVID-19 response on hospital and testing equipment, along with personal protective equipment and operating costs.

“Today’s budget also contains a $200 million health and safety contingency that is avail-

able, if necessary, to address any COVID-related costs that can’t be covered within the existing health budget,”Health Minister Jim Reiter said.

An additional $43.7 million will be provided to the health sector to stimulate Saskatchewan’s economic recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Saskatchewan is providing “record funding” for the education sector with a budget of $2.6 billion, an increase of $123.3 million.

According to the provincial budget, Saskatchewan’s 27 school divisions will receive $1.94 billion in school operating funding for the 2020-21 school year, an increase of $42.1 million over last year’s $1.9 billion budget. The increase will provides school divisions with funding for enrolment growth and inflation. An increase related to the teachers’ new collective bargaining agreement is included.

The budget provides capital funding to build seven new schools and renovate three existing schools.

The Saskatchewan NDP criticized the budget, with leader Ryan Meili saying that it “missed the mark.”

Meili said the budget is a “placeholder pre-election budget” that presents no re-

covery plan for the people of Saskatchewan.

“This is not a plan,” said Meili. “This budget shows that Premier Scott Moe has no idea how to bring about a recovery that works for the people.There is nothing here for seniors, nothing for childcare, no money for safely reopening and resourcing schools for a pandemic.”

Meili said the province’s budget also shows no commitment to hiring Saskatchewan workers and Saskatchewan companies to build infrastructure. He added Moe and company were planning a snap election knowing the province was already in the midst of a recession.

“When COVID-19 came along, the last thing the Sask.

Party wanted to do was face the public,” said Meili. “They wanted to coast through the summer, post no budget at all, and go to the polls this fall without any legislative scrutiny of their spending choices.”

Meili went on to say the one thing the government is “selling as a stimulus” infrastructure spending is, given the Sask.

Party’s record, simply a plan to “once again send Saskatchewan dollars to out of province companies and bring in out of province workers.”

Grad cruise night was incredible « A? that night, celebrating the grads.

The Estevan Police Service and Estevan RCMP were out there throughout the night ensuring everybody was safe.

Some students didn’t

partake in activities, but their families still found ways to pay tribute to them through decorating their vehicles and joining the cruise or setting up celebratory displays by their houses.

Many grads chose to

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dress up, but high heels that traditionally spoil the day for most of the female graduates were skipped in favour of more comfortable footwear as the graduation turned out to be way more active than usual.

A lot of students started the day with pictures. While the traditional all-class photo in front of the courthouse was not an option this year, many of them found other beautiful or meaningful locations in and around Estevan. Prior to cruise night, some grads also stopped by their early-years teachers to thank them for all they’ve given the kids.

W hile there was no grand march, all the grads were still acknowledged as their pictures were on digital displays in town during the cruise night. The ad time was given to the graduation committee by Estevan businesses, along with many other donations made by companies, the

City of Estevan and private people, who wanted to ensure the grads receive the recognition they deserve despite the circumstances.

After the cruise night, instead of going to one big gathering, students spread out for many small grad parties with their closest friends.

Since the ceremony, Keating received hundreds of calls and messages from people thanking him for his efforts, but he said that if not for the incredible support from businesses and the community, none of it would be possible.

“Once again, this community showed how amazing it is to live in Estevan, and how everybody supports everybody when we put on a function like that. It’s just unbelievable with the support coming out like that. I still get tingles thinking of that.

“There are so many to

Grad cruise had hundreds of vehicles circulating down Fourth Street and 13th/Souris Avenue North Friday night. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia thank. Anybody who dressed up their storefronts. Anybody that helped with decorations.

Anybody that helped with signage. And just a big thank you to all the grads and hope they had fun. I just appreciate all the thankyous from everybody. I don’t need any praise, I

wanted to do it for the graduates. And it was amazing.”

Keating added that he would love to see such cruise nights becoming a tradition again, as it used to be when he was graduating. But that will be up to future grads and their families.

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Estevan Web Printing covers the printing needs across Saskatchewan and Manitoba

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

Did you know that your local newspaper is actually printed locally? Has anyone told you that many other newspapers distributed all across the broad southern Saskatchewan region and even into Manitoba are also printed in Estevan by local people?

Have you realized that Estevan actually has the printing company that has the potential to produce an endless list of print mediums from menus and catalogues to newspapers and books, and now they are also taking on the magazine production?

All that is done at the Estevan Web Printing, which is located just a couple of kilometres west of the Energy City.

Corey Dornian, who is the production manager at Estevan Web Printing, knows the operation from A to Z as he started from the bottom and tried out almost every job. He took the Mercury on a tour around the plant, explaining what it takes to put a paper together and showing what other capacities the printing company has.

A really complicated but fascinating printing process starts at the pre-press department. It is a relatively small room where product templates usually sent over the Internet are transferred onto aluminum plates with the help of giant laser printers.

The plates then go into benders that form them to the press. What took hours and even days of manual labour centuries ago, now is a matter of only three minutes. Once plates are burnt, no corrections can be made, so if there are any mistakes on a page that is going to be printed, a new plate needs to be made to replace it. Employees take the bent plates and set them on press cylinders, which are a part of the big printing plant consisting of 10 printing towers.

Fo u r p re s s m e n a n d two supervisors operate two printing stations that control the printing towers. The entire process, including colour fine-tuning, is controlled from the stations. The new system was installed at Estevan Web about 10 years ago, prior to that, the process required people going up each tower to manage the colours and ink by hand.

And even though the system that is currently used at Estevan Web Printing is moderate in the printing world, it creates endless opportunities for numerous printing needs, while requiring only six or seven people

to run it.

Huge black, red, blue and yellow ink touts are located on the far end of the press room and automatically feed the nine offset printing towers through ink lines, which are small pipes, spread out over the walls and the ceiling.

The only UV tower located in the middle of the plant is used for printing magazines and specialties.

It has its own barrels that supply special ink, cured by big UV lamps on top of the tower.

Each printing tower feeds from two giant paper rolls located in the back.

The roll room, filled with hundreds of rolls of all sizes, is restocked on a regular basis and an employee ensures that rolls are loaded into the feeders in a timely manner, which allows for non-stop printing.

Printed paper sheets come up and above the towers, flying towards the folder, a machine that folds them into needed formats. Then the stacker organizes the printed materials.

From there, papers are taken to what Dornian called a “big dinosaur” – an AlphaLiner, machine that inserts prepacked flyers into the papers. The newspapers are then organized into bundles by employees and are sent out to final destinations or to carriers who deliver them to your doors.

Even though the pandemic reduced the amount of work for the printing company, they didn’t need to lay anyone off and still employ over 30 full-time and part-time local workers. And while some of the jobs don’t require particular education, the fulfillment of other duties needs a lot of specific knowledge.

Even though pressman isn't recognized in Saskatchewan, it is a journeyman trade, and when required Estevan Web Printing trains their employees.

The printing company produces from 500,000 to a million copies of newspapers, flyers and specialties on average every week, but it has the capacity to do much more. Product-wise, Estevan Web Printing can cover most of the advertising and commercial needs a business may have, providing the best quality in a timely manner.

“We can do a lot of different things. We (recently) did The Tower (Café) menu.

We can do anything you come up with,” said Dornian.

Estevan Web Printing is always open for business and ready to help companies of all types and sizes to reach their goals using all tools available.

The 10 printing towers produce tens of thousands of printed pages a day and are operated from two control stations. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

Production manager Corey Dornian, who knows the printing process from top to bottom, is pictured here in front of the Estevan Web Printing building. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

Huge rolls of paper feed the towers allowing for a nonstop print. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

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Students need to be back in classes We didn’t hear a lot in terms of specifics, but it appears that Saskatchewan students will be back in class when school starts up in September.

The provincial government announced last week their intention to have students studying in the classroom. Of course, conventional in-person learning has been shut down since mid-March, when classrooms were shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students have been able to continue learning from their homes through digital avenues, but it’s not the same as being in the classroom.

In many cases, there hasn’t been the same workload, for both students and teachers, since learning went digital.

And the kids obviously don’t get the benefits of sports and extracurricular activities like they would at school.

It’s great that many teachers have found ways to engage students through online forums for extracurricular programs, but it’s still very different from what they would experience when they come together.

Teachers and students who have been part of this online learning deserve a lot of credit for doing so, rather than just sitting at home and waiting for the pandemic to pass. It’s encouraging to see the number of students who have been attending classes digitally.

We have to remember that the resumption of in-person learning in September is not a slam dunk. There is still a chance that

we could see a surge in the number of cases of COVID-19 in the province, or that school might not resume in the fall for some areas if they see a spike in cases.

We also have to remember that expectations need to be tempered for what school will look like in September. We’ve seen what socially-distanced classrooms look like in other provinces. The provinces that have opened up their schools again for a few weeks before summer vacation have had just a handful of kids in each room. Attendance has been optional, and many parents have opted to keep their kids at home, rather than chancing a return to school.

You have to wonder how extracurricular activities such as sports, band and choirs can happen during COVID-19 if restrictions are the same or similar to what they are now. Some sports, such as golf, can function fairly easily in this era of social distancing, as we have seen with the reopening of golf courses. Others, such as football and soccer, are much more difficult to have if the two-metre restriction remains.

And how do you get a large choir with several dozen members to rehearse when people need to be two metres apart?

How will cafeteria service happen if we might be in a situation in which only a few dozen people are allowed in a room at once in Phase 4? It’s not as simple as a restaurant, since most schools only have one lunch break, and therefore a limited time for kids to get their lunch.

Will libraries be able to open up to students? Will computer labs be accessible?

How do you navigate the schedule for when kids arrive for the start of the school day, and depart at the end? The days of having a mad rush to the exit doors once the final bell sounds appear to be over for now.

While many people aren’t as obsessive about social distancing as they were two or three months ago, we can’t completely ignore it, and you can be sure that schools will be as vigilant as possible.

We’re hearing speculation on whether all kids will be in the school at once, or if we’ll be looking at staggered schedules and online learning to allow for kids to return to class.

If nothing else, hopefully kids won’t take being in school for granted, at least for a little while. Sept. 1 might mark the greatest level of excitement among kids for the first day of school in our lifetimes.

We’ll have a much better idea of what education will look like in September once the guidelines are released.

Perhaps it would have been better for the government to wait for the guidelines to be ready before making any formal announcements; it would have put the brakes on some of the speculation we’re heard about what could be next.

But at least we have a picture for parents, teachers and students who have been wondering what will happen in early September.

Saskatchewan has a tough road ahead The long-awaited final draft of the province’s budget has come. It may be a few months late, but for good reason.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to its knees in 2020. It is fair to say that globally, people will be trying to recover for years to come.

Saskatchewan’s budget which finally has projections included, shows some pretty grim numbers although the spending seems to continue going up.

Finance Minister Donna Harpauer said in her minister’s message that Saskatchewan is “well positioned” to recover from the effects of the pandemic because of the strength of the people and the province produces what the world needs, which is food, fuel and fertilizer.

That comes one paragraph before she announces the forecasted deficit of $2.4 billion, and projected revenue of $13.6 billion, down 8.3 per cent from the previous year.

It is hard to know as of today the future implications of what will be coming down the line from the widespread pandemic we faced, but amid a tanking oil industry and recovery methods, it is probably safe to say it will not be easy. People and industries will suffer.

There have obviously been many attempts to keep people afloat during the crisis, but only so much can be done when governments are hemorrhaging money at an alarming rate.

All of the stimulus packages, wage topups and quarantine pay incentives sound nice in theory. But how can that be a positive when you also announce a $2.4 billion deficit?

We have all heard the cliché “you’ve got to spend money to make money” but you have to ask if that notion really applies when you

Jordan Stricker Postcards from the Leg.

have been faced with a global pandemic and historic drops in oil prices.

It’s easy to understand the province’s record numbers for healthcare and education.

No matter what the circumstance, education for future generations is paramount. And obviously, healthcare funding is how we avoid getting ourselves into another round of what we have just been through.

Harpauer did her best during the budget press conference on Monday. Put yourself in the shoes of the person who not only had to construct a budget that shows a province limping to the proverbial pre-election finish line, she also had to go out to defend and promote it.

Leader of the Official Opposition Ryan Meili said on Monday if the Sask. Party gets to announce a post-election budget yet again, the province will see cuts and sell offs going forward.

It makes you wonder, because how else can a government make up so much lost ground? Harpauer said they aren’t looking at raising the PST or other taxes, but it would not have been smart politically to say anything otherwise.

The conspiracy theorist in me wants to side with Meili. I would not at all be surprised

if after another Sask. Party victory, they hit the ground running with cuts across the board along with sales and bailouts wherever they can muster.

Sometimes it is hard to sit and look at politicians with an open honest heart. They operate under the shadows of correctness, and you never fully know their motives until it’s too late.

Sometimes that is for good. Although we tend to see a lot of times their deception, in terms of clarity it comes at a cost of the people.

We can look at this budget with a glimmer of hope in regards to the investments in healthcare and education.

What we can’t do is look at the budget released today think the positive words from the government are a sign that we are even on the right track. The deficit numbers presented are nothing short of terrifying. It is important to remember that going forward.

Let the weeks and months ahead show what they really mean with the presented budget.

It’s safe to assume the Sask. Party will more than likely dominate in the polls again.

What happens afterwards will show the true colours of the Sask. Party and where their actual motives lie post-pandemic.

Let’s hope post-election doesn’t bring forth immense cuts to a province that needs stability in some capacity.

Hopefully, the immense spending has some sort of payoff in terms of economic recovery. We should be prepared for the fact that the extra spending means more room to cut going forward, depending on how bad it really gets.

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Ana Bykhovskaia Twenty Lines About…

Nothing’s impossible when we’re together I don’t have kids. I hardly even know anybody in Estevan who is graduating this year. And I don’t have any personal connection to the graduating class. But tears were blurring my vision again and again when I was looking at the Estevan Comprehensive School grads through the camera, while also smiling ear to ear.

Hundreds of people were out on the streets spread along the 2020 graduation cruise route, cheering them, taking pictures, celebrating their achievements, supporting them in their transition and trying to turn the day that the pandemic sucked all colours dry, into a firework.

I went uptown earlier that afternoon and Estevan still looked like the city I’ve known for seven years. Some businesses and homes were decorated, there were balloons on the light posts here and there, and displays. It was hot and quiet. Almost as quiet as it was during the first days of the pandemic. But if you look closer, one would realize that it was a different type of silence. The city wasn’t hiding, it was getting ready. People were adding some decorations to the buildings and vehicles, getting their banners finished, testing their honks, packing lawn chairs, dressing up…

I came back to Fourth Street closer to 7 p.m. to see the results of those preparations. There were just three or four vehicles at the Derrick Motor Inn, but slowly decorated rides started pulling in. In a matter of 30 minutes there was no room left in that big parking lot.

I was watching grads and their families and friends come out of the vehicles. Happy, full of joy, they were a bit anxious, with reflections of nostalgia in their eyes, eager to get together with their friends, but already regretting the soon break up.

I was almost hypnotized by their appearances. Young, beautiful, ambitious, full of energy and potential, bright and shining. The 2020 grads were like a light in a middle of the COVID storm. And that light with its power and everything the graduation symbolizes brought Estevan together and proved how strong the community indeed is when it comes to its residents.

I took pictures at the graduation last year as well, and I participated in several ceremonies throughout my life, but this celebration was nothing close to anything I’ve seen before. I was catching grads’ eyes in my lens and they were purely happy.

Yes, the end of the year didn’t turn out as expected, but at that moment, surrounded by their friends with the night that would draw the line on their childhood and open doors into a new life ahead of them, right there and then they looked truly happy.

What was happening in Estevan last Friday wasn’t about formalities and traditions, it was about them, the 2020 graduates, their needs and their feelings. Nothing was obligatory, so the entire graduation day turned out to be student driven.

Some chose to thank their first teachers, and others were with mothers and fathers who guided them throughout these years. A third group decided to be with their friends, and others wanted to capture the moment spending it out in the city where they made their first steps. A few students chose to spend the day on their own or with families, but many had their loved ones out joining the city-wide celebration. For the first time there was no one “proper” ceremony, and the night went as real as it could be.

These young adults are already in transition. They are leaving a whole life behind and are opening what will be a new page, a new chapter or even a whole new book. Some will be leaving for college or university soon, and others plan to take on some training here. Some have a job lined up and will immerse themselves into big life right away. Even with some plans, not much is predictable about their future, and the pandemic added uncertainty. But unlike adults, I could see that they still know how to enjoy the moment.

They may have some regret, they may feel anxiety and excitement, but Estevan sure reminded them how proud of themselves and their achievements they should be. And with thousands of eyes on them the 2020 grads rocked it, sharing their pride, energy and joy with the community.

I know youth probably don’t read newspapers and find Facebook a social network for grannies, but I’ll still use this column to thank every one of you for making Estevan shine like I’ve never seen it before. I wish you the best of luck in all your beginnings.

And remember, there is no other place like home.

New firearms legislation only punishes law-abiding citizens The editor: In regards to the recent announcement by the federal government about the banning of many types of firearms, most in the sport shooting and hunting fraternity were taken aback by the absolutely ridiculous idea that taking firearms out of the hands of legitimate, law-abiding firearms owners will somehow take firearms

the NFA are gladly taking donations to fight this.

Hopefully some common sense will come of this but I wouldn’t count on it until a more firearms-friendly government can be elected.

Let’s hope that happens sooner rather than later.

Gray Cowan, Alida

The work on the expansion for the Estevan Police Service building started last week.

The Estevan Police Service (EPS) experienced a slight increase in calls for service last month.

Numbers were discussed during the last Estevan Board of Police Commissioners meeting on June 10. The EPS responded to 660 calls in May and provided service in 3,310 instances since the beginning of this year.

Crimes against persons in Estevan went down in May in comparison to the same time in 2019 with just eight charges this year as opposed to 13 a year earlier.

“It’s nice to see. It had gone up last month,” said Estevan Police Chief Paul Ladouceur.

April’s statistic was reflected in the year to date numbers, which showed that crimes against the person were still up 38 per cent in comparison to last year with a total of 69 incidents in 2020 as opposed to 50 cases in 2019. Sexual crimes, included in this statistic, were up from three last year to nine this year, and assaults were also up from 44 last year to 56 this year, as of May 31.

Police also experienced a decrease in crimes against property in May with a total of 22 incidents as opposed to 27 last May, and on a year to date basis, there were 137 infractions in 2020 and 110 in 2019. There were two break and enters, one theft over $5,000, eight thefts under $5,000 and 11 cases of mischief/willful damage last month.

Violations of Controlled Drug and Substances Act went up last month with four charges of possession laid in May, and 28 total violations on a year to date basis, as opposed to 11 for this time last

EMPLOYEE

PRICING P

ing about the shooting sports and only believe firearms are for police and military.

And, of course, that’s where the votes are, is the big cities.

Many firearm related groups such as the National Firearms Association (NFA) are now taking the cause to the courts and, of course, this costs money. Groups such as

EPS call volume slightly up, crimes against person and property down

YOU PAY WHAT WE PAY WITH

lus

out of the hands of criminals.

What are these guys thinking? This was done by order-in-council and not even put before the House of Commons, which in itself is a ridiculous thing to do with a major piece of legislation.

Most likely it’s political posturing and catering to the big cities like Toronto and Montreal, where they know noth-

year. On the other hand, there were zero violations of the Cannabis Act since the beginning of 2020.

The Criminal Code traffic violations remained at the exact same level as in May 2019 with 13 charges in total on a monthly basis. Out of them, the police handled eight impaired/exceed related offences, four impaired by drug cases and one dangerous driving incident.

Ladouceur noted that even though they saw a slight increase in call volume, fortunately, a lot of their calls were not crime-related.

• • • The EPS is experiencing a decline in revenue this year compared to last year to date. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many processes were put on pause, which meant fewer criminal record checks were needed. Besides, with less activity in town and less traffic, there were fewer violations such as speeding, and some restrictions were eased, so fewer tickets were issued. However, Ladouceur pointed out that EPS is still on par with the planned budget.

“Good news is we are still where we are where we budget for. Although we are lower than last year, we are still meeting our budget.”

• • • The bylaw enforcement officer responded to 19 animal calls, two aggressive animal issues, one parking complaint, 19 parking violations, arranged 12 cat traps, did 35 unkempt property inspections and also responded to two taxi bylaw and four other bylaw calls.

There were 155 unkempt property inspections done in 2020 compared to

50 last year. Property owners were given 14 days to fix the problem and Ladouceur said that in most cases people were in compliance within that timeframe.

The EPS also agreed to review the parking restrictions when it comes to downtown hair salon customers. Due to virus-related preventative measures that hairstylists had to adopt, cuts and colours now take longer and in some cases way over two hours allowed for parking downtown.

“We are going to be designing a tag that the business, hair salon, can give its customers to say put it on your dash and you’ll be fine for extra hour,” explained Ladouceur.

The bylaw officer, along with the downtown business owner who came up with that initiative, are working on drafting the tags. It was planned that downtown hair salons would have those tags to give to their customers at the end of last week.

• • • Construction on the expansion for the police building started last week and is expected to last for about six months.

The details of the process were also discussed during the latest board meeting.

It was decided that the building committee has the authority to deal with issues that may arise in between the monthly board meetings and will report to the board at the meetings. The board also agreed that they will need to give latitude to Ladouceur and the building committee for any spending over $5,000.

Information about such spending or issues will be distributed over email and phone in between meetings.

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A6 June 17, 2020

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Long-time EPS constable diagnosed with PTSD wins court appeal to receive benefits

By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

A veteran member of the Estevan Police Service (EPS), diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), has won his appeal to receive benefits.

Const. Jay Pierson had appealed to the Saskatche wan Cour t of Q ueen’s Bench, following a decision of the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) appeals tribunal in 2018 that denied Pierson’s claim for benefits.

The tribunal’s decision reversed an earlier ruling by the WCB appeals officer in October 2017 that approved Pierson’s claim.

His case was against the Estevan board of police commissioners and the Workers Compensation Board.

“The central issue in both decisions was whether the applicant sustained a

psychological injury that arose out of or in the course of his employment,” wrote Court of Q ueen’s Bench Judge Richard Elson in handing down his decision.

He noted that Pierson is a long-term member of the Estevan Police Service (EPS) who has been diagnosed with PTSD by multiple medical professionals.

“His caregivers, as well as an independent psychologist selected by the Workers’ Compensation Board, opine that the diagnosis arises from circumstances relating to his employment with the EPS,” the judge wrote.

Elson noted that much of the argument in this judicial review is based on the tribunal’s consideration, or lack of consideration, to a presumption set out in a recently-enacted provision of the Workers’ Compensation Act that states – unless the contrary is proven – where a

REPORT FROM THE LEGISLATURE JUNE 11, 2020 Members of the Legislative Assembly are returning to the legislature after a three-month hiatus due to COVID-19.

The 14-day sitting will allow our government to introduce and pass a provincial budget that invests in building a strong Saskatchewan while ensuring the document receives the legislative scrutiny that it deserves.

Prekindergarten to Grade 12 students will be returning to the classroom in the upcoming school year, which is set to begin as early as September 1. This comes after an indefinite suspension of in-class learning was announced in response to COVID-19.

While the classroom may look a little different, our priority is the health and safety of students, staff and caregivers.

The Chief Medical Health Officer will continue providing advice and recommendations as the planning and implementation process takes place.

I would like to congratulate all high school and postsecondary graduates in the Class of 2020. While this is certainly not how you imagined your year would end, I applaud your efforts to find innovative and safe ways to celebrate your achievements.

Our province recently entered Phase 3 of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan which has seen restaurants, gyms and other personal care services take measures to resume serving clients within the guidelines set forth by our health authorities.

Included as part of Phase 3 is the re-opening of beaches and playgrounds. As the weather continues to improve, I am pleased that children and families will be able to enjoy our province’s many amenities in a cautious and responsible way.

While public gathering sizes have increased to 15 people indoors and 30 people outdoors, it is important to remember to practice physical distancing of two meters between each person as any gathering increases the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Saskatchewan’s success in flattening the COVID-19 curve is the result of a collective and concerted effort that has been difficult at times, especially when it means distancing ourselves from seniors and those in long term care centres. Recently, we announced expanded visitation guidelines for Saskatchewan Health Authority facilities to allow residents to safely visit and support their loved ones in care.

Our government recently announced the expansion of the Saskatchewan Temporary Wage Supplement Program to include a larger number of workers who are helping our most vulnerable residents, including all of the workers in our long-term care facilities. These workers have provided tremendous physical and emotional support to our seniors throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and it is important we recognize their great work.

Small businesses are a critical part of our economy and, as we settle into Phase 3 of our Re-Open Saskatchewan plan, it is important to ensure these businesses can continue to operate without the fear of being evicted. That is why we announced commercial eviction protection for tenants who have been impacted by the pandemic.

While every provincial economy has taken a hit – and Saskatchewan is no exception – 87% of workers in our province have been able to keep working through the pandemic and, as more businesses start to re-open, even more will be able to return to work.

Together, we have proven that we can reduce the spread of COVID-19 and we can re-open safely. The latest Statistics Canada figures show Saskatchewan added 600 new jobs in May over April and has the second-lowest unemployment rate in Canada at 12.5%.

As we continue to re-open our economy, I encourage everyone to be careful and cautious. I also encourage you to find local businesses in your community to support so that we all can get through these challenging times together.

You can learn more about our Re-Open Saskatchewan plan online at Saskatchewan. ca/re-open. As always, please contact my office at 306-634-7311 if you have any questions or concerns.

Lori Carr, MLA Estevan Constituency Office

306.634.7311

loricarrmla@sasktel.net

worker is exposed to a traumatic event, is diagnosed with a psychological injury by a psychiatrist or a psychologist, the injury is presumed to be one that arose out of and in the course of the worker’s employment.

That provision came into effect on Dec. 20, 2016.

It holds PTSD as a psychological injury, and that Pierson would fit under the description of a worker because he was exposed to a traumatic event or is in an occupation that is prescribed in the regulations.

P i e r s on h a s b e e n a member of the EPS since July 1998. During his early years of service, he successfully completed a training program at the Canadian Police College in forensic examination. In 2001, he joined the Criminal Investigations Department of the EPS, where he worked primarily as a forensic examination technician (FET).

He remained with the CID until 2015, when the EPS transferred him to a traffic services officer position. Pierson moved to a community services officer role in 2017.

The assertion of psychological injury arises from his years in forensics.

Duties as an FET included conduct of criminal investigation, processing crime scenes and the preparation of reports on the outcome of investigations.

Pierson submitted a request for benefits on May 12, 2017, and a mental health evaluation was submitted on July 26, 2017.

Pierson described six particular scenes that contributed to his injury. Those incidents led to flashbacks, nightmares and otherwise caused him to relive the experiences. Events that prompted these experiences tended to be fairly innocuous, such as his son’s nosebleed or reading a newspaper article about similar events.

He also described physical symptoms brought on by these experiences, including increased blood pressure, a feeling of being very hot and numbness from the back of his neck to the top of his head.

When Pierson was in traffic and community services, he was still finishing up some of the investigation reports from his previous work. One of case was a high-profile missing person case in the community.

While Pierson did not feel traumatized by the case, he often found himself staring at the notes and feeling unable to do a report.

He then had an argument with Deputy Chief Murray Cowan on Feb. 16, 2017, about the file that needed to be completed, and Cowan warned him it might go to discipline due to the tardiness of the report.

“This upset the worker

(Pierson) greatly because of his years of service and standard of work produced,” Elson wrote in his findings.

Pierson had a stress reaction with physiological symptoms, such as heart pounding, sweating and trouble calming down.

W hen he went off work, he began having more recollections of traumatic events he experienced over his career with the police, and some hypervigilance in regards to his young son’s safety and health.

Elson noted it does not appear Pierson sought medical care for these issues until Feb. 16, 2017, immediately after his interaction with Cowan. He went to the emergency department at St. Joseph’s Hospital, and had high blood pressure. When he returned to work on Feb. 21, 2017, he experienced the same symptoms, and asked for and received more time off. He went to the Weyburn Mental Health Centre for the first time on March 3, 2017. He has since been diagnosed with PTSD. Following the initial appeals officer’s decision in 2017, Estevan Police Chief Paul Ladouceur expressed concern that in allowing the claim, little input had been sought from the EPS. He also expressed his belief that the cause of the stress and anxiety related to employeeemployer relations and not PTSD.

Ladouceur also included a statement of facts memorandum from Deputy Chief Murray Cowan, along with correspondences and an internal investigations report. Cowan pointed out the history of high blood pressure, a desire to remain in the CID and no changes until Pierson was presented with work performance issues. The tribunal sided with the EPS. Elson ruled that the tribunal did not distinguish between events that cause a psychological condition from those which trigger it.

Ladouceur said he and the police board will not comment on internal human resource matters or matters relating to the physical or mental health of staff. After an initial appeal made by the employee, the police board exercised their legal right, under legislation, to a final appeal to the Workers’ Compensation Board appeal tribunal.

The police board, along with the chief of police, say they support the process of appeal and the important decisions the tribunal is entrusted to make.

The police board, and the chief also fully support the new “presumptive” legislation relating to PTSD and emergency services personnel.

An appeal has yet to be filed regarding the Court of Queen’s Bench decision.

Sask. emergency rooms re-opening The Saskatchewan Health Authority has started the process of re-opening eight of the 12 regional emergency

rooms temporarily closed as part of the health system readiness plan for COVID-19.

Hospitals, including the

20063cc0 20063cc1

Galloway Health Centre in Oxbow and the Arcola Health Centre, were converted to alternate level of care sites in May. The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health said this helped build capacity for any potential surge in COVID-19 cases and to protect against outbreaks in the medical facilities.

Kerrobert was the first to reopen on June 12. Arcola and Leader were to see their facilities open again on June 16.

Oxbow’s is slated to open on June 22, the same day as Biggar.

Other reopening dates include Preeceville on June

This Grad Cruise, put on by the parents, was not possible without the support of the Estevan Community and all its business!

Once again Estevan you have outdone yourselves!

We want to personally thank everyone!

Easily over a 1,000 people showed up to support our graduating class of 2020 to make it a night they will never forget!

Thank You!!

A special thank you to the following: City of Estevan, Legion Branch 060, The Estevan Mercury, CO-OP, Dynamic Signs, Future Signs, Direct West, Sun 102.3, Raymond Vacuum Truck Services, Access Communications, Mr. Mikes Steakhouse and House Of Stationery.

You all have gone above and beyond to help make this Grad Cruise Unforgettable!

18, Davidson on June 24 and Herbert the following day.

These dates may be subject to the status of active COVID-19 positive cases and the ability to meet all required safety criteria and human resourcing requirements for re-opening.

The SHA continues to work on ER resumption planning for the community hospitals in Broadview, Radville, Lanigan and Wolseley that are not part of the reopening plan.

The announcement last month to convert these 12 facilities to alternate levels of care status drew considerable criticism from the affected communities, who voiced concern with losing the emergency room services and acute care services, and with having to travel greater distances to access healthcare.

A petition was circulated in the southeast region due to the frustration with the loss of services in Arcola and Oxbow.

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Wednesday, June 17, 2020

www.joshleblanc.ca

No property tax increase in Estevan this year For the second straight year, there won’t be an increase to the municipal share of property taxes in Estevan.

Estevan city council gave second and third readings Monday night to the bylaw that fixes the rate of taxation.

The mill rate has gone up just one per cent over the past three years.

Mayor Roy Ludwig said council wanted to hold the line on property taxes this year, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the province.

There will be consequences associated with COVID-19 on the city’s bottom line.

“We’re hoping that our community respects the fact that these are tough times, and our council is reacting to the

fact that it hasn’t been an easy year,” said Ludwig.

There were some discussions about increasing property taxes due to the pandemic, but council looked at it and decided to go with reductions in other areas.

“I know a lot of the cities … within the province are looking at huge deficits,” said Ludwig.

The pandemic forced the city to cut back in certain areas such as casual and part-time employment, but the city is starting to call back part-time employees.

The Municipal Economic Enhancement Program grant from the provincial government that can be used for capital projects, and the front-end

payment of municipal revenue sharing for Saskatchewan communities, will help the city mitigate issues they encounter.

The property tax bylaw was one of several approved by council on Monday night.

The first bylaw was the health care levy, which generates approximately $310,000 for physician recruitment and retention, and for the city’s commitment to the new Estevan Regional Nursing Home project.

The city has paid off the bulk of the nursing home commitment.

During discussion of the health levy, it was noted that there have been erroneous comments on social media that this levy is new, even though it

has been around for more than a decade. Councillor Shelly Veroba said the levy has been the same for the past several years, and Councillor Lyle Yanish criticized the “keyboard warriors” who said it was a new tax.

The next levy was for the library.The library levy has been in place since 2015, but the city, and other Saskatchewan municipalities, have had to pay an amount each year to libraries for decades. The city will pay $34.74 per capita, or $398,920, to the Southeast Regional Library, and $25,000 to the local operations of the Estevan Public Library.

Estevan and other Saskatchewan municipalities are mandated to pay a per capita

amount to regional libraries each year.

The final levy is new this year: a Business Improvement District levy that is to raise $27,500.

M o n d a y ’s m e e t i n g

marked the first time in three months that council has been able to gather together in council chambers. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the April and May meetings were held via Zoom.

By Jordan Stricker, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

significant milestone for our province, and an important step for families to get back to a new normal,” said Education Minister Gordon Wyant in a media release. “Thank you to the teachers and staff for the tremendous job they have done connecting with their students while in-class learning has been suspended.

According to the media release sent out by the province, the Ministry of Education, with input from the Education Response Planning Team, will distribute public health guidelines in concert with the chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab.

Guidelines could be available to school divisions as early

as this week to ensure schools are safe for students, staff and caregivers, but were not out as of the Mercury’s press time.

The media release added Shahab will continue providing advice and recommendations as the planning and implementation process takes place.

While a return to the classroom in the fall is the scenario being planned for, there will be contingency plans in place in the event that there becomes an “elevated transmission risk” and in-class learning cannot resume as planned provincially or regionally.

Wyant later said in a press conference the contingency is dependent on the state of affairs in September. He added

alternative entrances, staggered schedules and online learning will be a part of the plan.

“I think we’ve had some great experiences over the last number of months with online learning,” said Wyant.

“We’ve learned a lot about alternate delivery of educational opportunities to kids. That can all form part of what those alternative protocols might be.

The key here is to ensure the safety of kids in the classroom,

but to make sure we provide an equitable learning opportunity for all the kids across the entire province,” he added.

Shahab said they have been paying close attention to the school reopening in Australia, which has had low COVID-19 transmission like Saskatchewan.

“We have been reassured by the fact that they have not seen large scale transmission in the school settings. Australia

and Southeast Asia have been able to open more in the presence of low transmission, more or less in a regular fashion,” said Shahab.

“If local epidemiology is not as low as it is now, there may be some additional considerations that may apply at a local or regional level. We will obviously continue to see how the school year continues in the Southern Hemisphere to learn from that as well,” he added.

Estevan city council approved the mill rate Monday.

It won’t include a property tax. File photo

Students and staff to return to classrooms in September The provincial government has announced prekindergarten to Grade 12 students and staff will be returning to the classroom for the 2020-21 school year.

Schools have been closed in the province since March 20 due to an indefinite suspension set out by the province in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The school year is set to start Sept. 1 in both the South East Cornerstone Public School Division and the Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division.

“Reopening schools is a

Unreserved Public Farm Auction

ONLINE BIDDING ONLY

D&L Roy Farms Dennis & Lorna Roy

Lampman, SK | June 24, 2020

Bidding begins 3 days prior to sale day · Lots begin closing on sale day at 12 Noon

TAX ENFORCEMENT LIST TOWN OF CARNDUFF

PROVINCE OF SASKATCHEWAN Notice is hereby given under The Tax Enforcement Act, that unless arrears and costs appearing opposite the land and title number described in the following list are fully paid before the 19th day of August, 2020, an interest based on a tax lien will be registered against the land.

Note: A sum for the costs in an amount required by subsection 4(3) of The Tax Enforcement Act is included in the amount shown against each parcel.

Description of Property

Total Arrears

Advert.

Costs

Lot

Blk

Plan

Part of Section

Sec.

TP

RGE.

11

1

11751

149809641

$3,540.99

$14.06

$3,555.05

17

1

11751

148879232

$1,377.82

$14.06

$1,391.88

1 2

3 3

11751 11751

127392059 127392082

$1,662.58

$28.12

$1,690.70

24

4

11751

149298250

$2,566.43

$14.06

$2,580.49

9

5

B3119

141241733

$1,157.83

$14.06

$1,171.89

S 42' of S 42' of

S 25' of

S 1/2 of

N 30' of

N 1/2 of

S 35' of N 1/2 of

S 1/2 of

2013 Versatile 450 & 2010 Seedmaster 49 Ft w/SXG425

Total Arrears and Costs

Part of Lot

Title No.

2003 & 2001 John Deere 9650STS

Meridian

2005 New Holland TV145

7

7

11751

143805551

$1,649.20

$14.06

$1,663.26

15

11

B3119

134273550

$1,098.70

$14.06

$1,112.76

12 13

12 12

E1422 E1422

141685106 141685094

$2,126.10

$28.12

$2,154.22

1

13

E1422

145804844

$868.39

$14.06

$882.45

11 12

15 15

E1422 E1422

142481134 142481156

$1,867.50

$28.12

$1,895.62

12 13

17 17

E1422 E1422

128740035 128740057

$812.89

$28.12

$841.01

15 16

17 17

E1422 E1422

131870314 131870336

$2,604.03

$28.12

$2,632.15

5 6

18 18

E1422 E1422

143063805 143063760

$2,000.00

$28.12

$2,028.12

11

18

E1422

141571469

$1,969.10

$14.06

$1,983.16

12

18

E1422

141571470

$991.20

$14.06

$1,005.26

15

18

E1422

142002391

$2,032.28

$14.06

$2,046.34

11 12

20 20

E1422 E1422

146144011 146144022

$1,386.76

$28.12

$1,414.88

12 13

21 21

E1422 E1422

151326165 151326154

$3,323.76

$28.12

$3,351.88

12 13

22 22

E1422 E1422

103724681 103724704

$253.30

$28.12

$281.42

2 3

23 23

E1422 E1422

136906285 136906296

$354.34

$28.12

$382.46

2

28

78R04975

151498222

$1,280.53

$14.06

$1,294.59

10

D

12663

103737179

$2,499.33

$14.06

$2,513.39

Dated this 17th day of June, 2020 Annette Brown Treasurer

2003 Rogator 1064 100 Ft

2012 Landoll 7431-23 23 Ft

Dennis Roy: 306.487.7966 royfam@sasktel.net Ritchie Bros. Territory Manager – Tyler Doepker: 306.630.5171 800.491.4494

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A8 June 17, 2020

www.estevanmercury.ca

City opens up more recreation facilities to the public Estevan residents are able to use the play structures, fitness facilities, outdoor washroom facilities and the Estevan Skate Park, starting Friday.

Crews were be working that day to remove the existing closed signage and tape at the playgrounds. New signage was installed at each location to provide users with reminders from the chief medical health officer, including maintaining two metres of physical distance from others, outdoor gatherings in groups of 30 or less, and only sharing common equipment with members of the same extended household.

"The city will be opening and following the cleaning procedures set out by the provincial guidelines at the approximately 11 play structures and outdoor fitness spaces," said the city's parks and facilities manager Rod

March. "Users are expected to wash or sanitize their hands before and after use, and people who are sick are asked to stay home.

"We expect users to enjoy these facilities safely by practising the guidelines set out by the provincial government."

Disc golf at Torgeson Park is open, but users must supply their own discs. Sports fields are ready for play as well but should not be used for group or organized sports or activities, as directed by the provincial guidelines. Spray parks are not subject to open in this phase, but the city recommends cooling off at Woodlawn Regional Park’s Boundary Dam beach site.

“We are very fortunate to have such close access to such a beautiful outdoor space,” stated the news release.

March emphasizes abiding by the guidelines.

"We've been waiting a long time for this, and we have the beautiful weather to go with it, so welcome back and play safe.”

The indoor track at Affinity Place opened again Monday, with restrictions in place.

“We recognize the importance of being able to provide recreation opportunities for residents while ensuring the health and safety of our patrons and our staff,” Mayor Roy Ludwig said. “We look forward to being able to open additional facilities over the coming months.”

The walking track will be open Monday to Friday from 6 a.m.-9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

Users will notice some changes once entering the facility. They will need to check-in with a staff member

Braxton Dukart was among the young people at Estevan’s skate park on Friday.

Photo by David Willberg

when entering the building from the main west entrance.

There the staff member will screen participants to ensure the safety of other users and staff.

Also, there is now oneway walking on the track with signage in place to direct traffic. Users that enjoy using the stairs will be able to add them to their workout routine.

A maximum of 15 people will be allowed onto the track at a time, and admission will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Reservations will not be taken.

Fresh Air Fitness excited to open to the public again Pegg y Rohat y n and Debby Knight are excited that people can use Fresh Air Fitness in the Woodlawn Regional Park once again.

The popular outdoor exercise area opened for the first time in 2020 on Friday as part of the provincial government’s Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan. Rohatyn and Knight, who opened the facility back in 2017, had been hoping the site would open at the same time that Woodlawn Regional Park opened to the public.

“People are anxious to get out there,” said Rohatyn.

“I was down there working yesterday (on June 10), and there was a family asking about it, whether it would be opened or not.”

The park’s maintenance staff has kept the Fresh Air Fitness site trimmed and looking good. They had a few pieces of equipment that required repairs, but Rohatyn

said that’s to be expected.

To be ready for Friday’s opening, Fresh Air Fitness had to repaint the weights and hang the ropes, which they had put away for the winter months. And they had to finish some cleanup around the site.

New for this year will be the addition of aerial yogo.

Rohatyn described it as being in a hammock for yoga exercises, allowing participants to be upside down and to twirl around.

“We’re getting the structure built over the yoga platform so that OM Yoga will be giving classes for aerial yoga,” said Rohatyn.

They hope to have a new sign this year, and they have a couple other items they would like to add to the site, but that will depend on finances.

A couple of cameras could be added to the grounds, due to what Ro-

hatyn referred to as “silly little incidents” that have happened. She hopes cameras will discourage people from that kind of behaviour.

Nothing has been wrecked during those incidents, but they are frustrating.

S i n c e R oh a t y n a n d Knight had to cancel the Coal Country Run fundraiser for Fresh Air Fitness in May, it hampers their fundraising capabilities. Also cancelled for this year is the Force Fitness Challenge, which was held for the first time last year during the Rafferty Rumble weekend, and was supposed to happen this year as part of the Rumble.

“Every time somebody uses a piece of equipment it has to be cleaned, and you can’t have more than 30 people.”

People will have to remember several things when using the equipment at Fresh Air Fitness, beyond the two

metres of social distancing, which Rohatyn described as the most important thing.

There is no water or bathrooms down there, so people will have to bring their own hand sanitizer, possibly use gloves when using the equipment and maybe even wash

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ple to purchase a pass to the park each year, even though the outdoor recreation site is in the free park area. But the park does a great job of looking after the maintenance and the upkeep of the grounds, and Rohatyn hopes people will support the park.

People can once again use Fresh Air Fitness’ exercise equipment at Woodlawn Regional Park.

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“Keep safe and keep your family safe and enjoy it,” she said.

Children under the age of 12 have to be supervised at all times.

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SV Theatre renovating their building this year After cancelling the 2020 season due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Souris Valley Theatre (SVT) has decided to undertake some much-needed capital improvements.

The work being done includes the replacement of the roofing on both the main theatre building, known as Frehlick Hall, and one of the on-site actor accommodations.

“This was work that has been needed to be done for a few years now, but unfortunately it had to be put off due to budgetary restrictions,” said SVT board president Robert Godfrey. “Earlier this year we were made aware of and applied for a grant opportunity through Kingston Midstream and the Richardson Foundation that provided $20,000 to complete the repairs.”

A donation from Kingston Midstream will help with

these renovations, and see the company has become the naming partner for the 2021 season.

“This was a great opportunity for us to help support the arts in Estevan while also supporting the local economy, especially during these times,” said Becky Cassidy, Kingston Midstream advisor of external relations.

“Through the Richardson Foundation, Kingston Midstream provides funding to organizations that enrich the lives of the people in the communities served by James Richardson & Sons, Limited and its affiliate companies.

Visual and performing arts is a pillar of the foundation, so Souris Valley Theatre was a great fit.”

The work is expected to be completed in the coming months and will be utilizing the services of local contractors.

From left, Wendy Godfrey of the Souris Valley Theatre, Becky Cassidy of Kingston Midstream, and Allison Holzer and Robert Godfrey with the theatre participate in a cheque presentation. Photo submitted

New lithium production project announced Lithium exploration and development are coming to Saskatchewan, thanks to a new joint lithium project undertaken by Prairie Lithium Corp. and LiEP Energy Ltd. The two companies started the Prairie-LiEP Critical Mineral (PLCM) joint venture, a two-stage pilot project that will produce lithium hydroxide from Saskatchewan oilfield brines. The first stage is expected to begin

this July, based in Regina, and the second stage is planned for the second half of 2021, with field operations in an undisclosed area in southern Saskatchewan.

“This is another exciting development that promotes economic diversification in Saskatchewan,” Energy and Resources Minister Bronwyn Eyre said. “Lithium has great potential, due to increasing world-wide demand, which

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“The lithium industry has the potential to be another significant economic driver and help our province through economic recovery,” Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison said. “We are pleased to welcome this new project to our province and look forward to the future opportunities it will bring for our residents.”

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and operating expenditures.

The SPII program targets a broad range of innovations deployed across all areas of Saskatchewan’s oil and gas industry, including for lithium. The program is open to pilot projects and commercial scaling projects, providing applicants the opportunity to test their innovations in a pilot setting, then deploy them on a larger commercial scale.

“PLCM Joint Venture is excited to begin stage one of the pilot operation in Saskatchewan this summer,” Prairie and LiEP’s president and CEO Zach Maurer and CEO Haafiz Hasham said.

“The province has been great to work with and is committed to diversifying the economy through innovation.

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chemical processing of lithium, and both companies are thrilled to be working toward proving that potential.”

Stage one of the project will produce one to 1.75 kilograms (kg) of lithium hydroxide per day. Stage two will include the construction of one of Canada’s first lithium extraction and refining facilities, which will produce approximately one tonne of lithium hydroxide per day, resulting in 365 tonnes per year. This will serve as a demonstration plant prior to full commercialization.

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by 10 per cent, per year, between 2019 and 2024 due to the expanding use of rechargeable lithium ion batteries in electric cars and portable electronic devices.

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Souris Valley Museum has a variety of camps to offer local children this summer

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

Throughout the pandemic, the Souris Valley Museum has been working behind the scenes, developing the best ways to offer services to the community.

It wasn’t an easy decision, but after considerations, the board agreed to switch all summer camps that they were going to offer in the museum to a virtual format. This way parents will have some safe options to keep their children busy when e-learning is over this month.

“Instead of kids coming to the museum and doing the activities, we actually will be providing camp kits for parents to pick up at curbside at the museum or at the Estevan Farmers Market on Saturdays,” said museum executive director Mark Veneziano.

Once parents register their kids for the camp, they will receive a Google classroom code to access an instruction video for children to follow.

“We’ll be instructing the majority of the camp online, so parents could just log on and the kids could follow along with our staff,” said Veneziano.

The museum also prepared paper tutorials for those parents who don’t want their kids to spend much time in front of the computers.

“We tried to customize it to whatever kind of learners you have at home.”

In the kits, parents will

find the supplies for learning and entertaining activities and crafts.

The museum’s camps traditionally used to take place either in the mornings or afternoons, however, with the new format, the approach was changed.

“This year there will be approximately two hours a day of instructions from the museum staff for each day for the camp,” said Veneziano.

The cost of the camps has significantly decreased as well, and now varies from $5 to $10 per camp. The museum will offer nine camps for kids ages three to 15: • Little Time Travellers is recommended for ages three to five and will give children a chance to go back in time and explore history through games, activities and crafts.

• Wild, Wild West, developed for ages six to 10, will teach children about the challenges that pioneers faced daily.

• Giants camp is recommended for ages five to eight and takes kids on an adventurous trip teaching them about everything big, from dinosaurs to heavy machinery to the tallest person in the world.

• Villains Camp is created for kids ages six to 10. Campers will go back in time to learn about villains from Canada’s past and will have a chance to make their own villains.

• Games Camp is also for ages six to 10 and teaches about what people of the past

did for fun.

• Warrior Camp, recommended for children ages eight to 12, will tell the stories of Indigenous warriors, knights and other historical fighters. Campers will participate in making weapons, playing games and other warrior-related activities.

• Construction Camp, suggested for ages five to eight, will offer a chance to learn about buildings and other structures in Estevan.

• Myths and Legends Camp, recommended for ages six to 10 will be dedicated to exploring stories about dragons, unicorns, King Arthur and the legend of Bigfoot.

• Fashion Camp, aimed at kids ages nine to 15, will allow campers to learn about the different fashion trends throughout the decades and create their own fashion masterpieces.

All camps will be available July 2 through August 31 through the Google platform.

Campers will be able to work on their materials whenever it’s convenient for them and their families.

“It’s up to the parents and the families if they want to do multiple days in one day or if they would want to expand it in one week,” explained Veneziano.

“We had quite a few positive feedbacks from parents that have registered already. Some of them are registering for a few camps now, and then they might register in August later on for a few other camps as

Souris Valley Museum executive director Mark Veneziano and education assistant Moira Keijzer-Koops are promoting summer camps and other programs at the Estevan Farmers Market on Saturday. well. They like the flexibility, especially considering that some people don’t know what their summer plans are yet.”

Even though each camp is recommended for a particular age group, while kids will be participating from the comfort of their homes, they can take on the activities developed for other ages if they chose so.

“We don’t want to limit our registration to specific ages because we understand that through this time it might be difficult to find the activities to do with children. We just have recommended age,” said Veneziano.

In March the museum

also started an online program called Inside Blues, which was an adult-led initiative for children at home. But since it was overlapping with online supplemental education offered by schools, it was decided to put it on pause until the end of June.

“We just thought it was important for students to (be in) contact with teachers and figure out their schooling that way without having additional materials out there. And we also figured that once the supplemental learning is finished from the schools, parents will be looking for things to do, so it would be a great time to reintroduce it,” said Veneziano.

The Souris Valley Museum is supposed to open its doors to the public during Phase 4, Part 2, of the re-open Saskatchewan plan. They are looking for other possible ways to interact with the public online and also once they are open, they might add some offline elements to their camps and programs depending on the provincial guidelines.

For now, with any questions, parents can call the museum or contact them through email or Facebook. Registration can be done online at www. sourisvalleymuseum.com and it’s accepted anytime throughout the summer.

Decisions made about Canada Day activities A couple of perennial Canada Day events in southeast Saskatchewan have made decisions about their status.

The first is the annual Canada Day celebrations in Bienfait.

Activities have been postponed until September, but have not

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been outright cancelled.

Among the highlights are the annual parade that makes its way throughout the town, activities throughout the town that happen in the late morning and into the afternoon, and a fireworks show after dusk.

Not only are the activities popular with people in Bienfait, but they draw large crowds from Estevan.

Due to crowd restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, Bienfait has had to shelve their plans, as they all attract more people

than what’s allowed.

So they hope to have some of the events later this year, possibly in September, if the restrictions are eased.

The Canada Day event a key fundraiser for the Bienfait Rec Board each year.

The other event is the cancellation of the Canada Day bash hosted by the Estevan Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs at their playpark in the Hillside subdivision. Kinsmen Club president Preston Majeran said it’s because they aren’t allowed to have large public gatherings,

NOTICE OF PREPARATION OF ASSESSMENT ROLL RURAL MUNICIPALITY OF ESTEVAN NO. 5

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Notice is hereby given that the assessment roll for the R.M. of Estevan No. 5 for the year 2020 has been prepared and is open to inspection in the office of the assessor from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., on the following days: Monday to Friday, June 19, 2020 to August 19, 2020. A bylaw pursuant to Section 214 of The Municipalities Act has been passed and the assessment notices have been sent as required.

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and the national headquarters said the local clubs wouldn’t be insured if they held the event.

“It was a disappointing decision due to the fact that this is Kin Canada’s 100th year, and we wanted to make it a special celebration in conjunction with Canada Day and the celebration of Kin Canada’s 100th anniversary,” said Majeran.

The Kin Canada Day celebration typically attracts about 300-400 people. Local Kin Club members usually cook 800 hot dogs for the crowd. Other highlights include free popcorn,

snow cones and cotton candy.

Kids get to enjoy swimming, face painting and a variety of games. Many families use the day as a chance to have a picnic.

“It’s us saying thanks to the community for all of the donations and the support that we receive all year round. Every year the Kinsmen and the Kinettes hold this function at the park,” said Majeran.

They won’t have a make-up event, so the Kin Clubs will look to use next year’s July 1 bash as a chance to mark 101 years of Kin Canada.

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June 17, 2020 A11

Garden Park has lots to offer this year Gale Tytlandsvik is once again spending her days in the Garden Park on Fourth, making sure it looks great for visitors and for anyone else who sees it while in downtown Estevan.

Tytlandsvik is the local green thumb and champion for community beautification who dedicates many hours to the park, located on fourth Street between the Salvation Army and the SaskTel building.

It’s been challenging to get plants this year, because the suppliers didn’t get their normal supply due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We really scrounged for varieties to put in here, and some of the ones we normally have did not get here,” said Tytlandsvik.

Visitors to the park can find brugmansias, which are in the garden for the third straight year. They have beautiful peach flowers that hang down. Climbing vines were added this year because she wanted something that has height.

Sunflowers, petunias and love loves bleeding flowers can also be found in the park.

“As usual, everything that’s in here has to be drought-tolerant, because the wind whips through here and makes it dry,” Tytlandsvik said.

She’s trying a few new things in there, including colitas flowers.

“Everyone loved the angel wing silver white plant that was in here last year, so I planted it at the back of the garden this

year so they’re forced to walk through,” said Tytlandsvik.

The wind has caused challenges, and forced her to replace one plant already. But the winter didn’t lead to the loss of any flowers.

Tytlandsvik is also working on a trio of murals on the Salvation Army’s wall facing the garden. She will start on the south end, clean it with a power washer and start priming.

There will be three separate murals on the wall. They will be similar and flow from one end to the other.

“The first one, I’m thinking, is shades of pinks, oranges and yellows. The second area I’m thinking will be shades of purples, pinks and blues. And then the back area will be shades of blues and greens. It will be more of an abstract landscape. I don’t want to compete with the flowers,” she said.

She is confident she will have the first two murals finished this year, but she’s not sure about the third. Tytlandsvik has never undertaken a project like this before.

“I painted right on the surface at the family centre, with trees and giraffes, but it was also in a controlled environment, and this is not a controlled environment,” she said.

People who would like to make a donation for the mural project can contact her or drop by when she is working at the park. She has sponsors for the planters, but the money will not cover the cost of the mural.

Gale Tytlandsvik stands next to some of the flowers in the Garden Park on Fourth, and in front of a wall that will eventually have a mural.

The city provides water and lighting, but the rest of the park is volunteer-run, and it’s not on city property.

Last year the park also had to contend with renovations to SaskTel’s building throughout the season. SaskTel will have some excavation work to do later this year that will affect the western edge of the garden, and take out paving stones and crushed rock.

Planters will also be moved to the side.

Tytlandsvik has also announced Coffee in the Park will be back this year. It will be held Tuesday mornings, with the first session at 7:30 a.m. and a second at 9:30 a.m. Some have said they want an earlier session because they have to get to work, while others wanted a later start time, so Tytlandsvik decided to have two gatherings.

Construction ongoing at North Portal crossing Construction continues to forge ahead on the expansion at the North Portal border crossing – the busiest port of entry from the U.S. into Canada.

The project will include new primary inspection lines, a third processing lane, a commercial warehouse expansion and a new drive-thru examination bay.

The permanent, new booths and building canopy are expected to be fully installed and in use by the end of 2020.

Work on a third processing lane that is being added will continue into 2021. Three new primary inspection line (PIL) booth structures are on-site and in place, and are awaiting hook-up, said Luke Reimer, a communications advisor for Western Canada with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

Officers at the North Portal border crossing continue to process traffic from temporary primary inspection line (PIL) booths at this time, he said.

The commercial warehouse expansion and new drive-through examination bay are approximately 75 per cent complete, and are expected to

be in use by the end of 2020.

“At this point, the outstanding work consists mainly of electrical work and systems installation,” Reimer said.

Throughout the summer, crews will be working to install concrete and pavement underneath the main building canopy and in the expanded parking area designated for commercial traffic.

There is still also significant civil work required, which includes land drainage systems and roadwork to connect the highway system to the CBSA plaza underneath the main building canopy.

Reimer noted that construction started in May 2018 and was initially estimated to take 18-30 months. However, this timeline has been extended due to the discovery of undocumented, buried structures, such as old foundations, concrete, halocarbon tanks and paved roadways during the excavation process, which required additional work.

While the CBSA still expects major project components to be completed later this year, work will continue into the next construction season. A phased approach to construction remains neces-

The renovations and expansion continue at the North Portal border crossing. Photo courtesy of the Canada Border Services Agency. sary to maintain the flow of non-discretionary travel, such as commercial shipments, into Canada at North Portal.

The CBSA at North Portal has remained operational throughout the construction, and there are no expected closures. From time to time

there have been moderate delays in traveller processing as equipment moves or work is required in a specific area.

However, this is being monitored and kept to a minimum.

“The vast majority of comments from travellers have been positive, with people

expressing their anticipation to see the end result at project completion,” said Reimer. “We are grateful to the Village of North Portal and surrounding community for their continued support and understanding.”

COVID-19 has not affected the project to a large

degree. Contractors have been responsible for ensuring their employees follow public health advice and adhere to physical distancing requirements.

Traffic volumes remain low due to COVID-19 restrictions on discretionary travel at the Canada-U.S. border.

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330 4th Street, Estevan MLS SK808194

119 Perry Crescent, Estevan MLS SK780120

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1815 Dieppe Cre MLS SK804096

1228 4th Street, Estevan MLS SK809977

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201 408 Heritag MLS SK795297

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517 King Street, Estevan MLS SK787657

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89 Highway 39, Estevan MLS SK791270

250 1st Avenue, Benson MLS SK811327

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802 2nd Street, Estevan MLS SK809320

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1212 4th Street, Estevan

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404 304 Petterson Drive, Estevan MLS SK797125

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310 3rd Avenue E, Lampman MLS SK811624

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1205 4th Street, Estevan MLS SK801355

170 Monroe Street, Macoun MLS SK803830

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2128 Larter Road, Estevan MLS SK799633

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110 Perry Crescent, Estevan MLS SK800626

102 408 Heritage Drive, Estevan MLS SK798731

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2130 Larter Road, Estevan MLS SK799629

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926 3rd Stre MLS SK793658

379 O’Connor Avenue, Macoun MLS SK808210

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June 10, 2020 A13

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Wednesday, June 17, 2020

A14

Estevan Motor Speedway’s season opener drew nearly 50 drivers for a fun night of racing The Estevan Motor Speedway’s first-ever pay per view-only event, named the Lockdown Showdown, drew drivers from throughout southern Saskatchewan and even Manitoba for a fun night of racing.

Fo r t y - e i g h t d r i v e r s from Canada raced in the five different programs, with hobby stocks representing the largest share of the car count at 14. Modifieds, stock cars, slingshots and sport mods also competed.

The vehicles were spaced accordingly in the pits due to social distancing. Each driver could bring three crew members along.

I n t h e h o b by s t o c k c lass, Landon Runge of Lampman took top spot.

He moved up from fourth place on the starting grid to first. Connor Hansen of Torquay, who started on the pole position, was second.

Kaiden Tuchscherer of Estevan was third despite starting from the eighth spot.

In the sport modified class, Grant Hall of Brandon, Man., took top spot.

Leevi Runge, who was racing in sport mods after winning the hobby stock track championship last year and four times in the previous five years, was second. Justin Fichter was third.

In the stock car class, Jeremy S wanson of Estevan finished where he started from, in first place.

Chris Hortness of Estevan was second even though he started from the back of

the field in eighth, and JJ Barnstable, also of Estevan, came in third.

Ryder Raynard continued his mastery of the sling shot division, as the young Estevan driver won the feature race. He was also last year’s track champion in the division. Cash Saxon of Lampman was second and Jagger Ashworth of Weyburn came in third.

The modified feature wrapped up the night. Kody Scholpp of Estevan won the pole position and went on to capture the feature.

Les McLenehan of Estevan started from the fifth spot and worked his way up to second. Tyler Wagner of Weyburn was third.

Track president Byron Fichter was pleased with the number of drivers they attracted.

“It ’s pretty tough to expect a large car count.

Most of the tracks that we work with directly as far as same sanctioning, they’re all American tracks,” said Fichter.

Most tracks in the Prairie provinces operate with different rules than Estevan.

The drivers were racing for points in the standings, but not for money, because cash prizes weren’t offered for the winners Saturday night.

“Everybody was beyond excited to be back at the race track. Everybody was beyond excited to feel normal or to get to do something fun,” said Fichter. “It was almost like a weight had been

lifted off a lot of people.

I think there was concern whether we were going to race at all.”

The program aired live on DARN TV, a dirt track racing pay per view service out of North Dakota.

Seventy-seven purchases were made.

Even the pay per view faced some challenges, as DARN TV couldn’t cross the border, since the Canada-U.S. border is closed to non-essential travel.

“They had attempted to ship their gear to us for us to use. That gear did not make it,” said Fichter.

“In a last-minute deal we

A long-time member of the Estevan Minor Hockey Association (EMHA) has committed to play Division 1 hockey in the NCAA next season.

Preston Brodziak will join the Long Island University Sharks program in New York. The upcoming season will be the first for the Sharks in men’s hockey.

“I got some videos of the campus,” Brodziak told the Mercury. “Obviously I can’t go down there for a visit, for a tour or anything, but the spot where it is, Long Island, it’s a really cool place to live.

The whole school is a really cool school.”

The campus is located in in Brookville, which is about 40 kilometres east of New York City.

The Sharks status as a first-year team was a factor in his decision.

“I’m really excited for that opportunity, because I’m going to be there from the very start,” said Brodziak.

“There’s going to be lots of opportunity, and at the same time, it’s going to be kind of special, too, because you’re

there from the very beginning.

“I think in the long run, the program, by the sounds of it, is going to turn into something special.”

The coach is Brett Riley, who made a favourable impression on Brodziak last year.

“He cares about character a lot, and he’s a younger guy, so I think he’s going to build a pretty good team,” said Brodziak. “He’s done it before with a Division 3 school … so he has a little bit of experience from building up a team from the start.”

Brodziak expects to study business at Long Island.

An Estevan native, Brodziak played the bulk of his minor hockey here. He was the top scorer in the South Saskatchewan Minor Hockey League’s midget AA division in 2015-16 with 33 goals and 59 points in 38 games.

He credits the EMHA for playing a big role in his development.

“I grew up here and I played most of my years here when I was a younger kid. I got cut from the midget AA team in my first year, and that put me down a bit, and then

I used it as motivation to just work harder, and the next year I ended up leading the league (in scoring),” he said.

His final year of midget was with the Regina Pat Canadians AAA program.

He had a productive season with the Pat Canadians with 13 goals and 38 points in 43 games, but starred in the postseason. Brodziak had five goals and 16 points in 11 playoff games as the Pat Canadians won the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League Title, and he had a big role in helping the Pat Canadians win the Telus Cup qualifier. Then he had two goals and an assist in four games at the Telus Cup national tournament.

That season also saw Brodziak play three games as an affiliated player with the Estevan Bruins, scoring once, but he decided to play in B.C. Hockey League because the league attracts more scouts.

“They send a few more guys off to college, and that was my goal, was to play Division 1 hockey, so I’m really grateful and glad that I made the decision to go out there.”

Destiny Klym (5D) tries to hold off Ed Turnbull (10eh) in the modified division. Photo by Byron Fichter Fotography brokered with SaskTel Max, they came in with the assist, and they helped supply us with some of the video that we needed. Without them, we couldn’t have raced.

“It was a lot of lastminute forging of new relationships, but it went absolutely amazing. They did a stellar job.”

The number of pay per view purchases was lower than expected, as Fichter was hoping for at least 100.

There was a big memorial race in Jamestown, N.D., Saturday night that attracted a lot of viewers.

Pay per view traditionally hasn’t been a big source

of income for the speedway.

“People rented it for the first time. They’re used to coming to the track. So they rent it for the first time, give it a try for the first time and see how amazing it is.”

Due to restrictions from COVID-19, the track can’t use the grandstand, although they did sell spots for people to park their vehicles south of the grandstand and watch races from there. Fichter estimates they had about 25 vehicles watching from that area, which would normally have about 50 vehicles, but the speedway had to take social distancing into account.

Fichter said the board

will have to meet to decide their next step. They won’t ask drivers to race for free again.

“We want to make sure they’re getting something out of the deal,” said Fichter.

The next program was slated for June 20, but it has been postponed.

Fichter said the speedway has had really constructive conversations with the provincial government regarding future programs.

Their grandstand holds about 1,500 people, and the track has been asking for 30 per cent capacity, which would allow them to have 400-500 spectators.

Estevan’s Brodziak commits to play in the U.S.

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Estevan’s Preston Brodziak has committed to play Division 1 hockey in the U.S. next season. Photo submitted All three seasons of junior hockey were in B.C., playing with each of the Nanaimo Clippers, the Cowichan Valley Capitals and the Prince George Spruce Kings. He was an alternate captain with Prince George.

His rights were briefly dealt to the Estevan Bruins last summer, but then he was traded to the Prince George Spruce Kings in the deal that brought goaltender Keenan Rancier to Estevan.

Brodziak said he will

work to get bigger and stronger for next season. It will be tough to skate this summer due to COVID-19, but he hopes the ice will be installed at Affinity Place at some point in the summer so he can skate.

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June 17, 2020 A15

Estevan’s double header on the mod tour cancelled The doubleheader for the Dakota Classic Modified Tour that was scheduled to happen at the Estevan Motor Speedway next month has been cancelled, thanks to the ongoing closure of the Canada-U.S. border to non-essential traffic.

The announcement was made by tour organizers on June 10.

Estevan was slated to host the first two nights of the tour on July 11 and 12.

While the track has held tour doubleheaders previously, they haven’t hosted a doubleheader on a weekend.

In a post on their Facebook page, the speedway said they are grateful for the opportunity to have the doubleheader this year. They are also sad the local drivers won’t be joining the tour and competing for tour glory, “as they are well capable of doing.”

“There’s a handful of them that have been super, super competitive, and really have done a great job on that tour,” said Estevan Motor Speedway president Byron Fichter. “I think we had some candidates as possible guys to win races or even have an outside chance of winning the championship, and it’s just heartbreaking they can’t participate in that.”

Even if the border re-

strictions weren’t in place, it would have been impossible to run the doubleheader with current crowd restrictions. The tour’s purse is about $20,000 per night, and the speedway couldn’t have those races without fans in the seats.

“If the border was open but we weren’t allowed to have a grandstand, that’s even more heartbreaking,” said Ficther.

“You know that you’re available, but you still can’t make it work because you can’t have a grandstand. It’s a really sad day for the race fans of Estevan.”

Prior to COVID-19’s arrival in Saskatchewan in March, plans for the doubleheader weekend were progressing well. Fichter predicted this would have been the biggest event at the speedway since the current track opened in 2000.

They were going to bring in a band for live entertainment on Saturday night, and a scramble golf tournament and an afternoon shopping excursion were planned for Sunday.

“They could go downtown and experience downtown Estevan, do some shopping, hit up some sidewalk cafés downtown and see what the culinary picture of Estevan looks like,” said Fichter.

Not only did they want to showcase the speedway to

The Dakota Classic Modified Tour won’t be coming to Estevan for a doubleheader in July. File Photo drivers from numerous U.S. states, but they wanted people to see what Estevan has to offer.

“It was on such a broad scope of something we’ve never done before, and it makes it even that much more heartbreaking that we don’t get to race,” said Fichter.

The speedway wishes the tour organizers the best of luck with next month’s races.

Fichter said in order to be fair to other tracks, they need about a month to promote

their tour stops, so a decision had to be made now, and they couldn’t wait for a decision to be announced on whether the Canada-U.S. border would reopen.

“There wasn’t really any discussion. We just all know that there was no real option for us at this point.”

A press release for the tour said organizers have been working on a Plan B for several weeks in case Estevan could not race. The tour will

now start at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, N.D., on July 10.

The program on July 11 will be at Jamestown Speedway and the third race will be at Nodak Speedway in Minot the next night. Nodak was not going to be on the tour this year because of a scheduling conflict with the North Dakota State Fair, but the fair was cancelled so Minot is now able to host a race.

The tour features six

races in six days with modifieds and stock cars racing each night.

Fichter noted there won’t be much for crowd restrictions in North Dakota during the tour. He knows that the recommendation in Minot was to not have their grandstand at more than 50 per cent capacity, but their grandstand is 7,000 spectators.

The Estevan Motor Speedway will be back on the tour in 2021.

Bruins finalize coaching staff for upcoming season The coaching staff is now complete for the Estevan Bruins for the 2020-21 season, as Phil Fife has been hired by the club as one of the two assistant coaches under new head coach and general manager Jason Tatarnic.

Fife joins Aren Miller, who is returning for his eighth consecutive season as assistant coach. Dylan Lafrentz will also be returning as the club’s athletic trainer and strength coach for his sixth consecutive season.

“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to work for such a first class organization like the Estevan Bruins,” said Fife. “After talking with Jason about the opportunity to coach with him in Estevan, it was an easy decision to make.

“I look forward to coaching and learning from Jason and the rest of the staff. Likewise, I’m looking forward to working with the players and becoming a member of the Estevan community. I want to thank the entire Bruins organization for making me feel welcome from day one.”

Fife is relatively new to the coaching ranks, as the 27-year-old from Oromocto, N.B., is only two seasons removed from playing hockey with the University of Waterloo Warriors for four seasons. Before that,

Fife had a four-year junior A hockey career split between the Truro Bearcats and the Woodstock Slammers in the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MJAHL).

Fife played two seasons under Tatarnic with the Slammers, from 2010-12. He was part of the Slammers team that won the MJAHL title in 2011-12, and advanced to the RBC Cup national championship game in Humboldt, which the Slammers lost 4-3 in the final minute to the Penticton Vees.

Fife then played his next two seasons with the Bearcats, capping off his junior career with another MJAHL championship in 2013-14 and once again playing in the RBC Cup tournament.

“We are very excited to add Phil to our coaching staff. Phil was an excellent player during his time with me in Woodstock,” said Tatarnic. “Here was a player that did everything and anything to win hockey games. He had great character with a high work ethic.

“As a junior player, Phil has played in two national championship tournaments. He knows what it takes to be successful and he can provide some great insight of what it’s like to play in the Centennial Cup for our players. We share the same values and it’s a

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great opportunity to learn from each other.”

Fife broke into the coaching world last season with the Bruins’ Viterra Division rival, the Melville Millionaires. Fife served under former Millionaires’ head coach Kyle Adams as an assistant, but he became available following the departure of Adams from Melville in late February.

Fife takes over from former Bruins’ associate coach Jeff Smith, who left the club following the season to become the head coach and GM of the Estevan Bears U18 AAA team for their inaugural season in 2020-21.

The Bruins have also announced three trades involving goaltenders. Emerik Demers, born in 2001, was acquired from the Valleyfield Braves of the Quebec Junior Hockey League in exchange for a player development fee and future considerations.

Demers earned the Q uebec junior league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2019-20, finishing with a 3.00 goals against average and .908 save percentage in 32 games played.

“I am proud and honored to be part of a professional organization like the Estevan Bruins,” said Demers. “I can’t wait to start this new part of my life in such a great environ-

ment that can help me become a better player, but also a better person.”

In related news, netminder Keenan Rancier has decided to join the Minot Minotauros after being selected by Minot in the North American Hockey League supplemental draft on May 13. A transaction will be made between Estevan and Minot at a later date.

Rancier was the Bruins top goaltender last season, appearing in a league-high 48 games. He was also Estevan’s playoff MVP with a 1.65 goals against average and a .955 save percentage in four games.

“Emerik had an impressive season in 2019-20 and was named Rookie of the Year.

He won his share of games and recorded a very good save percentage and goals against average in a very offensive-minded league,” said Tatarnic. “With the departure of Keenan Rancier to Minot, we were in the market for a goaltender and we added a good one that fits into our build for the Centennial Cup.” Finally, the Bruins shipped goaltender Randy Cooke to the Waywayseecappo Wolverines (MJHL) in exchange for future considerations. Cooke served as Rancier’s backup last season, and after a slow start to the season, won his final six starts.

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The big swing Taya Schnell and her son Tanner were among the local residents excited to have playgrounds open again on Friday. Tanner was eager to make use of the swing at the Dennis Moore Centennial Park. Since Friday marked the first day that playgrounds were able to be open under the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan, it marked the first time that families could use the swing and the play structure added to the park this year.

Oxbow’s Chase the Ace jackpot is expected to hit at least $18K and it has to go this Wednesday

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

It took three tries, but the O xbow and District Recreation’s running Chace the Ace fundraiser is finally seeing the jackpot hit high numbers.

The licence is almost expired, which means that with 26 cards left in the deck, on June 17 the ace of spades will have to be drawn and someone will become at least $18,000 wealthier.

“That’s the last night of this particular game. We are really excited that we’ve gone to the end on this one because it really helps to increase the jackpot,” said Oxbow community development officer Tami Scott.

On June 10, the jackpot was $16,474. Krista Grulich’s ticket was drawn and she won the weekly jackpot but came up short on the Ace of Spades. Ticket sales started as soon as the last draw was over. They’ve been growing

by about $2,500 every week and Scott expects the final jackpot to reach at least $18,000-$19,000 by June 17.

This is the second licence the Oxbow and District Recreation Board received from the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority, and they’ve never had the pot go up this high. The first time they played the game, the jackpot grew up to about $5,000. And the first couple of tries on this licence, which was obtained in September, were completed quite fast.

“We had a rocky start for the game in terms of growing the ace jackpot because the second night the ace of spades got drawn. And then we started a new game with a new deck of cards and the ace of spades got drawn again in the fall,” said Scott.

This particular game started around Christmas time and in the spring it was switched to an online format due to COVID-19.

On June 17 the board

will start out with an individual who wins the weekly jackpot and they will have the first chance to draw for the ace of spades. If they don’t catch the sacred card, the organizers will continue to draw names until the lucky winner gets a hold of the ace of spades and wins the big jackpot.

If more than one person is to try their luck that night, Scott said they will call only the first winner and they’ll be drawing cards for everyone after that, so they can wrap up the game in a timely manner.

The Oxbow and District Recreation Board gets 50 per cent of weekly sales that they put into their community projects.

“We’ve been averaging $3,000-$4,000 every week, so that’s very for good for our recreation board, a very good fundraiser,” said Scott.

Last year the board introduced an online registration and scheduling system

for recreation facilities. The money raised through Chace the Ace has been used to pay for the innovation. But with such strong support from the community, it seems that there will be some funds left for other initiatives.

“Of course, we’ve exceeded our expectations on that, so I’m certain that we’ll find another project to (use) the money towards,” said

Scott.

She noted that the game attracted a lot of attention and was entertaining during these trying times.

“It’s very exciting for the community. We’ve got lots of people interested and excited to watch the draw every week,” said Scott.

“We are really pleased with the support we were getting both from within

O xbow and surrounding communities. It’s been fun to see lots of names come in to play the game.”

Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased either at Credit Union in Oxbow or via e-transfer to OxbowChaseTheAce@outlook.com.

Livestream will start at 7:45 p.m. on June 17 at Oxbow & District Recreation Board Facebook page.

Estevan supported Special Olympics fundraiser Estevan area residents threw their support behind the Law Enforcement Virtual Torch Run that was held for Special Olympics Saskatch-

ewan this spring.

Matthew Walliser was the top individual fundraiser in Saskatchewan, as the support shown for him and his

family amounted to $1,665.

The family’s goal at the start of the campaign was $300.

Matthew and Kirsten Walliser’s son Micah has 20063PS0 20064PS0

been part of the Active Start program offered by Special Olympics in Estevan. Their other son Zeke has joined Micah for activities through Special Olympics.

The Estevan Police Service was the top fundraising team, as they brought in $5,370, surpassing their goal of $5,000. Most of that

money was raised through a jail and bail for Police Chief Paul Ladouceur and Fire Chief Dale Feser that pushed the EPS over their goal in early April.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics was held as a virtual fundraiser in Saskatchewan

this year. Participants covered 2,633 kilometres through their exercise and reached every Special Olympics community in Saskatchewan.

They needed 2,400 kilometres to reach their goal of making it to every community in the province.

The virtual torch run initiative wrapped up June 7.

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Auction items can be viewed at Estevan Motor Speedway.

Mack Auction Co. presents the famous Timed Online Only Estevan Motor Speedway Auction featuring Equipment-RV-Vehicles. Online bidding opens Saturday June 27, 2020 @ 8:00 a.m. and closes Wednesday July 1 @ 1:00 pm. Estevan, Sask. To bid online Register @ www.mackauctioncompany,com . Auction items can be viewed at Estevan Motor Speedway. JD 4450 2WD tractor and JD 725 FEL with 3PTH and 6525 hours, JD 8630 4WD tractor with PTO and 8650 motor upgrades, 2013 Heartland Landmark San Antonia 41’ Quad Slide 5TH Wheel, Bobcat CT335 compact diesel FWA tractor with 906 hours, JD 555-A diesel crawler tractor backhoe with 1572 hours, 2004 NH 18’ hay header with NH 9030 adapter, NH 273 square baler, Bale King 2000 bale processor, Norton 8 bale round hay hiker wagon, NEW HOLLAND 195 MAUNURE SPREADER, JD 567 round baler with mega wide pickup twin tie and 11,000 bales, HESSTON 6650 SP HAYBINE & 6650 HESSTON 16’ HAY HEADER, HIGHLINE BALE PROCESSOR, JOHN DEERE 566 ROUND BALER with new chain and belts, 195 NH tandem axle manure spreader, 1985 16’ Lift Off gooseneck stock trailer, Flexicoil trailer type post pounder, 2-Miami Welding 250 bushel creep feeders, Case IH 1660 Axial Flow combine, 19’ Noble tandem disc, Degelman hydraulic drive rock picker, JD 3PTH MX8 gyro mower, 3 PTH Degelman blade, Danuser post hole auger, quantity of portable corral panels, 2003 Zamboni Ice arena machine, 6-Sukup grain bin aeration fans, Omega upright air compressor, Westeel 454 fuel tank, Simoniz 2700 gas pressure washer, diesel duraplas slip tank, diesel slip tank, 2020 Double A tandem axle 20’sled trailer with ramps, 1998 25’ gooseneck triple axle trailer flat deck trailer with beavertail and ramps, 2008 Snow Bear single axle utility trailer, 2020 Double A one ton dually flat deck, heavy duty trailer chassis, 2006 Toyota Sienna CE mini van with summer and winter tires, 2008 Sportsman 32’ travel trailer with quad bunks and large slide, 2000 Seabreeze 5th wheel camper with 3 slides, 1984 Gendale 23’ motorhome with only 43,683 km, Suzuki King Quad 700 4WD, NH PT 55 Bale Wagon, Haybuster tub grinder, Case 730 PT 30’ swather, Bumper Pull 2 horse trailer, Power blade ATV snow push blade, Polaris Indy Sport snow machine, TRX 250 Honda quad, Bourgault Century II PT 83’ field sprayer, JD Z425 Zero turn mower with 388 hours, Land Pride 3PTH rototiller, Land Pride 3PTH FDR1672 finishing mower, McConnell 3PTH backhoe.

To Consign to auction call 306-421-2928 or 306-487-7815 Visit www.mackauctioncompany.com for photos and sale listing.

Cheers & Jeers

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

A17

Cheers Cheers to everyone who was involved with the Grad Cruise in Estevan on Friday night.

Thanks for creating a special night for the grads that they’ll never forget.

Cheers to all of the businesses and residences that were so well decorated for the cruise, even if they weren’t on the cruise route.

The kids loved seeing all of the messages.

Cheers to the Estevan Motor Speedway for finding a way to have their season-opening program. Hopefully fans can be in the grandstands within the next few weeks.

Cheers to municipal councils that have opted not to have a mill rate increase this year, despite the challenging financial times they are facing.

Cheers to the reopening of playground equipment, skate parks and amenities such as Fresh Air Fitness, as they’ll give us yet another chance to get some exercise.

Cheers to everyone who supported the Virtual Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics. It was good to see that Estevan was the provincial leader for both individuals and teams.

Jeers Jeers to the Ministry of the Environment for implementing a blanket regulation discontinuing replacement big game tags in which the meat is unusable, and for the lack of communication with hunters regarding this regulation.

Jeers to the provincial government for the changes being made to graduation ceremonies.

It’s astounding they would make this change now after so many grad dates were cancelled, and after all the schools already made plans.

Jeers to the unnecessary closure of the Arcola Health Centre’s emergency room. It’s great that it’s open again, and Oxbow will be open soon, but it shouldn’t have happened in the first place.

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

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Former Estevan resident finds 100-year-old message in a bottle

By Dan Archer of the Assiniboia Times

A former Estevan resident recently discovered an old message in a bottle in Assiniboia.

Remington Walker was busy renovating his home, which is more than 100 years old, when he discovered a bottle late last month after removing a heat register.

He spied the rolled piece of paper in the old 375-millilitre, mickey-sized bottle.

“Oh cool!” Walker exclaimed. “I see a message inside.”

Walker phoned the Assiniboia Times before opening the bottle to reveal the mysterious contents.

However, when Walker opened the bottle and unrolled the paper, he discovered this wasn’t an SOS message from the 1800s, nor was it a hidden treasure map leading into the jungles of Peru. Rather, the message was a statement using vulgar language, and directed at a man named William with an unreadable last name beginning with a W. Even so, Walker’s discovery still brought a bit of intrigue.

Walker has lived in Assiniboia for seven years. Prior to that, he was a long-time resident of Estevan.

Remington Walker is a former Estevan resident now living in Assiniboia who found a 100-year-old message in a bottle while renovating a property in the town. Photo by Dan Archer of the Assiniboia Times

Tearing down and building up As challenging as these past months of isolation have been, there are lots of positive things happening in our neighbourhood.

First, there are a lot of new fences and paint jobs.

With time on their hands, neighbours are installing, repairing and upgrading their yards. Fruit, vegetable and flower gardens are spectacular and down the street, in the next block, an “elderly” house has been raised and a new basement is being installed.

Several blocks the opposite direction but still on our street, another neighbour has built the most imaginative and beautiful

Linda Wegner Words of Worth garden boxes. The dirt level is at my friend’s waistline; with four opening doors on either side, reaching plants is a whiz. In these trying times, folks are taking time to make significant improvements.

Even more beautiful, though, is the time we’ve all found to communicate with each other. Pot-banging at 7 p.m. is now a daily ritual,

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enhanced by the called-out greetings to folks up and down this particular block of our street. Not only that, but friends and neighbours are voluntarily exchanging garden produce and homebaked goods with each other.

(We are so fortunate to have two commercial bakers living across the street. No more needs to be said).

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of all the difficult circumstances of these past weeks and months, however, is the growing realization of how much we need each other and of how privileged we are to communicate in ways we never have before.

While pots bang and voices ring out, it’s the warmth of our hearts and of actions expressing care for each other that symbolize tearing down unseen walls and building up even more solid relationships.

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An incredible 90th birthday for a local resident An Estevan resident enjoyed a tremendous birthday celebration last week, courtesy of some friends.

Henry Peters turned 90 on June 2, and his friends and others came together for him. The Estevan Police Service and the Estevan Fire Rescue Service had their vehicles roll in front of his home on Isabelle Street.

The choir from Trinity Lutheran Church, of which Peters is a member, did something memorable for him as well, since they couldn’t be together. The choir sang Happy Birthday and another brief song while standing on both sides of Isabelle Street so they could respect social distancing requirements.

“It was to make it special for him,” said Anita Kuntz, who was one of the organizers of the event.

Peters’ kids live outside the city, and they couldn’t make it to Estevan for the day.

Kuntz even called the provincial COVID-19 line to find out how they could conduct his birthday celebration safely.

“We said we wanted to be with him on this special day,” Kuntz said.

Peters was emotional because of the celebration.

He thought there would be a couple of people coming over for coffee, and he never imagined there would be so many people there to celebrate his milestone birthday.

Henry Peters of Estevan received lots of love for his 90th birthday earlier this month. Photo by Bonna Tarnes

Tree hit power line in Estevan, nobody was hurt Estevan Fire Rescue Service (EFRS) members were called out to an incident that involved a tree and a power line during the weekend.

The call came in at about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. High winds broke a big tree branch that came in contact with a power line in north-central Estevan. The neighbours living next to the property where the incident occurred called it in.

“A substantially large tree branch had fallen and came across the main power line

for the home. Of course, we called in SaskPower emergency response crews to assist us on scene,” said Fire Chief Dale Feser.

The home was secured, and there were vehicles parked in front of the building. Fire crews that responded to the call set up a perimeter to prevent people from coming in contact with a downed powerline that was still live. They also alerted all neighbours to ensure they were staying away.

The Estevan Police Service was called in for assis-

tance to help to find and alert a homeowner who could have been sleeping inside.

“It was noted that there was a Sun Country Health (Region)’s parking pass that was in the mirror of one of the vehicles. We ran the plate number to make a contact to see if somebody may be sleeping inside if they were a shift worker,” said Feser.

A short time later, SaskPower crews joined the EFRS members, isolated power and proceeded with repairs to restore power to the home. No

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Sunday’s thunderstorms didn’t create extra work for the fire department, however, Feser reminded the public that since it’s that time of the year, it’s important to keep an eye on the weather forecasts and be prepared for possible severe weather conditions.

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that you keep your eyes to the sky. We are in prime time here now, where summer weather can be very violent at times. Make sure that you are building a plan and preparing for that, understand the difference between watches and warnings. And when a warning is issued, that means that there is an imminent danger and the storm or tornado is

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Shown here are the patrol captains of several elementary schools in the city that took part in the safety patrol program. In the back are the president elect Wayne Hendrickson of the Lions Club and Constable Elmer Vicary of Estevan City Police.

Front row, from left, Carol Harris of Pleasantdale, Rick Senchuk of Souris Valley and Melody Burns of Hillside. Back row, Sharon Caswell of St. John’s, Laurie Mack of Sacred Heart and Darwin Melnyk of Westview.

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Vandalism at Roche Percee rock formation under investigation The Estevan RCMP is investigating a vandalism incident that occurred at the pierced rock formations near Roche Percee recently.

Some photos of the vandalism were posted on social media last week. The suspect(s) spray-painted the rocks and used vulgar and obscene language.

At this point the RCMP has no suspects, but a file has been started.

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The RCMP reminds the public that this is a provincial historical site.

Anyone with information can contact the Estevan RCMP at 306-637-4400 or 310 RCMP. In other recent police news, members of the Estevan Police Service (EPS) received a report of an allterrain vehicle being operated in the Willow Park Greens Home Park on June 8. Officers attended and located the operator and the vehicle. The operator was warned.

Officers are investigating a reported theft of property from a local business.

The theft is believed to have taken place in the evening of June 5 and was reported June 9. Further details will be released as they become available. The matter is still under investigation.

Police attended to the skate park to speak to a group of youths that were using the facility when the park was still closed due to COVID-19. The youths had been asked to leave by the facility staff but refused.

Police attended, warned the young people and sent them on their way. The skate park opened to the public June 12.

Members received a call through the Report Impaired Drivers line June 10. The vehicle was located and it was determined the driver was not impaired. The driver was cautioned that their manner of driving left the complainant concerned enough to call the police.

Police were dispatched to a local business June 12 regarding a disturbance taking place outside. The two parties quickly separated after members arrived. Police remained in the area to ensure no further issues arose.

No charges were necessary.

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call about a male who was breaching his release conditions. The male had left his residence on a bike and eventually came to the police station on his own. He was located outside and arrested. Charges for breaching the conditions of his undertaking have been laid and he was released later in the day on new conditions.

Police located a local man on June 14 who had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for failing to attend court. He was released with a new court date later in the evening.

Members were called to a downtown establishment to deal with a male who was trying to re-enter after being asked to leave. He was warned by police and sent on his way.

Police attended a north end residence to do a curfew check on a 15-year-old youth.

The young man was not at home as was required by his release conditions. He will face a new charge as a result.

Members continue to deal with calls about scams.

In one instance, the victim reported that someone called, claiming to be a telemarketer.

The individual supplied personal information to the caller. Police remind the public not to provide personal information to unsolicited callers. This matter is still under investigation.

Complainants also received calls from an individual saying they won a prize on the STARS Air Ambulance lottery. The caller indicated that a money order had to be issued and a deposit paid in order for the winner to claim their prize. Police remind the public that it is definitely a scam when there is a request for a deposit or money in order for you to claim any winnings.

www.estevanmercury.ca

June 17, 2020 A21

Art gave second life to historic coal landmark

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

The catchy shark graffiti appeared on old cement constructions located a few kilometres to the southeast of Estevan in the late May. T h i s c re a t i ve m o ve made by an unknown artist brought a lot of attention to the forgotten historic site.

Not only did it give the site a new sharp industrial look, attracting a lot of visitors and photographers, but it also made the community question the history of the construction.

The conversation was started on Facebook and brought up many assumptions about the past of the area. Some people shared their stories of kids thinking these were castle remains, while others assumed the cement constructions were the last signs of the coal-fired Estevan Generating Station (EGS) that was decommissioned in 1992 when the

Shand Power Station was opened in Estevan.

In reality the EGS was a couple of kilometres south of the site, and the only Canadian castle is located in Toronto.

While the cement constructions have been in place forever, not too many people could remember what exactly it used to be, as most people who worked there or even saw it are now gone.

By bits and pieces, the story of the area slowly came together when a few people who had the connection to the place voiced their opinions. Stacey Dupuis’ father, who used to work at the EGS, along with a number of other Estevan residents, confirmed that many years ago the cement blocks were a part of the tipple at the Truax-Traer Coal Co., Ltd., mine at Estevan.

The American TruaxTraer Coal Co. purchased the Big Lump Coal Co., located close to the contemporary

A shark graffiti appeared on what’s left of the Estevan Truax-Traer mine tipple late spring giving it a new sharp look. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia Estevan Landfill, in 1930 and introduced strip mining to southeast Saskatchewan, which up to that time was dominated by underground mining. It was the first successful large scale strip mine, but the novel way of produc-

tion left many small underground miners out of work.

Besides, the Truax-Traer mine could produce coal at a quarter of the price of underground production, which sold at that time for $1.50 to $1.75 per tonne.

The historic picture shows the tipple at the Truax-Traer Coal Co., Ltd., mine by Estevan. Photo credit Grant Walker, achieved through Doug Gent History Pages website

Between 1928 and 1931, the coal prices sank by 25-35 per cent per tonne, which also lead to a reduction in salaries for the deep seam miners employed by six other mines in the area.

During the 1931 riot, one of the strikers painted a steam shovel on the back of a car along with other slogans such as "We are going to live in houses now, not in piano boxes," "We refuse to starve" and "Down with the company stores." The picture referred to the big steam stripping shovel used at the Truax-Traer mine, to which many jobs were lost. The Truax-Traer mine wasn’t unionized and kept operating during the strike, thus becoming a centre of the conflict.

The Truax-Traer mine had an artesian well, tipple and the railway. The cement constructions that can be seen now used to be a part of a conveyer belt and a bottom of the tipple used for loading coal at the Truax-Traer mine.

The steam stripping shovel was set on the hills that rise

about 40 feet, working its way north to another ravine that was located at the very north end of the property.

The history of the Estevan Truax-Traer mine ended in the 1940s, when it was nationalized by the government. The company continued to operate in the U.S. up to the 1960s when it was taken over by the Consolidation Coal Company and became its division.

The first Estevan strip mine is long gone. Many generations grew up climbing its remains and imagining themselves being miners or soldiers, star travellers or knights, but once in a while, this different-looking cement construction brings up questions and raises interest towards the real history of the area and the Energy City.

This article is based on the information gained from Estevan residents, Estevan History Books, S.L. Endicott, Bienfait, The Saskatchewan Miners’ Struggle of ’31, as well as from Doug Gent History Pages website at www.gent.name/sask:start.

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Estevan Girls’ Softball Bursary Estevan Kinsmen Club Estevan Legion Branch 60 Bursaries

Estevan Lions Club Service Award Estevan Masonic Lodge Estevan Minor Hockey Scholarship Estevan Motor Speedway Scholarship Estevan OTS Scholarship Estevan Police Association Bursary Estevan Power & Energy Social Club Scholarship Estevan Student Basketball Association Estevan Wildlife Federation Scholarship Future Leaders in Environmental Sustainability and Research Kay Scraper Memorial Award Knights of Columbus Entrance Scholarships McDonald’s Employee Scholarship MNP LLP Scholarship Murray GM Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12 Nick and Verna Morsky Outstanding Leadership Scholarship Norvin & Alice Uhrich Academic Leadership Awards Humanities Liberal Arts Math & Science Technical Vocational Pro-Life Estevan and Area Annual Bursary Award Quota International Scholarship Quota International Peer Mentorship Award Salvation Army Community Volunteer Award South East Eyecare Prize for Proficiency in Physics St. Joseph’s Health Care Auxiliary Scholarships Sun 104 Nursing Bursary United Way Estevan Bursary Walter Senchuk Memorial Scholarship Western Inspirational Award

Nigel Mack Angelle Avery Noah Perkins Dann Pangan Dylan Ravanera Dylan Ravanera Jacob Wade Julie Frostad Marci LeBlanc Joren Dryden Kelsey Littlejohn Kade Anderson, Joren Dryden, Logan Ehrmantraut Emily Hanson, Taylor Haux James Knibbs Jonah Bachorcik, Joren Dryden, James Knibbs, Zachary Schmidt, Jacob Wade Faith Haberstock, James Knibbs, Christopher Sutter James Knibbs, Parker Lavoie Brennan Stubel, Chase Gedak, Marci LeBlanc, Alyson Park Luke LeBlanc Nicole Kistanov Logan Ehrmantraut, Parker Lavoie Joren Dryden, Avery McNabb Sarah Dacuycuy, Taylor Haux Faith Dupas, Mackenzie Skuce Noah Perkins Markie Daoust Markie Daoust, Luke LeBlanc Dann Pangan, Christopher Sutter Trixie Elguira Jonah Bachorcik Jessica Haygarth Dawson Simon Carson Petterson Sean Kim Angelle Avery James Knibbs Dann Pangan Hunter Wallster Angelle Avery Hudson Chernoff James Knibbs Zachary Schmidt Dann Pangan Kelsey Littlejohn, Trinity Rooks Kelsey Littlejohn James Knibbs, Christopher Sutter Bridgette Neb Cyrile Penaloza

PRINCIPAL’S DISTINCTION AWARD Lou Henricks Abucayan

Jaslyn McNabb

Muhammad Ahmad

Kaitlin Milbrandt

Joseph Andrew Bibat

Graeson Nelson

Seth Bohlken

Kamri Olfert

Ryan Chernoff Jayna Chrest Kaden Chrest Haley Copeland

Leevi Olver Katie Ostrander Emily Phillips

Rebecca Duncan

Keira Phillips

Yara El Yaakobi

Diya Rabari

Bryson George

Kenny Reischke

Katryna Heleta

Garrett Schwab

Hannah Hjorteland

Kristina Siemens

Jackson Hurren Lauren Kobitz Abby Lachambre Renkas Cloe Legault

Tayyba Sultan Salman Tajammal Jesse Toombs

Mikayla Lischka

Connor Trobert

Tanya Kaye Macalos

Alec Waldegger

Reese Madsen

Nathanael Weldeab

Annika Kirsten Magliquian

Michaela Zatko

GRADE 12 Angelle Avery Gemma Bittman Faith Dupas Julie Frostad Faith Haberstock Emily Hanson Abby Hanson Bryce Huber Sean Kim James Knibbs Kailey Kowalchuk Marci LeBlanc Kelsey Littlejohn Queen Lontoc Avery McNabb Camryn Murray Dann Pangan Megan Parsons Cyrile Penaloza Trinity Rooks Mackenzie Skuce Ameer Sultan Christopher Sutter Jonathan Swirski Gemma Sylvestre Jacob Wade Hunter Wallster Brynn Waloshin

Brayden Lachambre Renkas Tyler Leverton Jeremy Littlefield Sydney McKenzie Lenae Mehler Saw Klokwehtaw Min Bethany Faye Montebon Julia Carmel Pangan Curtis Phillipchuk Albert Reimer Morgan Riese Abigail Ross Gabrielle Stephany Rachelle Stephany Renee Stephany Bridget Stovin Brielle Wakely Kayla Wanner Teagan Westling Carson Wheeler Paige Wilson Megan Wilson

Business Education Department Medal

Chase Gedak

Science Department Medal

English Department Medal

Emily Hanson

Social Studies Department Medal

Kailey Kowalchuk

Fine Arts Department Medal

Faith Haberstock

Technical Education Department Medal

Owen Gudmonson

French Department Medal

Marci LeBlanc

Western Financial Group Safe Driving Award

Josh Bittman

Mathematics Department Medal

Dann Pangan

ECS Citizenship

Jacob Wade

Physical Education Department Medal

Jonah Bachorcik

ECS Most Improved Student

Jeremy Tessier

Emily Hanson

PARTICIPATION AWARDS Debate Club Most Enthusiastic Most Enthusiastic Most Enthusiastic

Rebecca Duncan Parker Lavoie Katie Ostrander

Skills Canada Outstanding Achievement Outstanding Achievement Outstanding Achievement

Morgan Lowenberg Jon Swirski Hunter Wallster

Library Aficionado Award Aficionado Award

Josephina Andrist Callista Gerling

Social Justice Most Dedicated Most Dedicated

Rebecca Duncan Laura Swirski

Math Club Most Dedicated

Joren Dryden

Photography Photographer of the Year

Melanie Myers

SRC Excellence Commitment Success

Jeremy Littlefield Jacob Wade Brayden Lachambre Renkas

Wired Female Vocalist of the Year Male Vocalist of the Year Most Improved Vocalist

Paige Wilson Jeremy Littlefield Kaylee Carlson

Yearbook Yearbook and Multimedia Award Yearbook and Multimedia Award Yearbook and Multimedia Award Yearbook and Multimedia Award Yearbook and Multimedia Award

Raiza Bognot Ellanie Donos Harvey Leal Joseph Limin Nhu Tong

Radio Show Radio Show Rock Star Radio Show Rock Star Radio Show Rock Star

Joseph Limin Abby Lachambre Renkas Brayden Lachambre Renkas

RAK Commitment

Gemma Bittman

SHOUTS Most Dedicated Most Dedicated Outstanding Leadership Spirit of SHOUTS

Rykelle Holinaty Jennica Memory Angelle Avery James Knibbs

ACADEMIC AWARDS Board Proficiency Awards Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12

GRADE 11 Princess Agbon Charlotte Andrist Daylen Babyak Kaleb Bechtold Taya-Lynn Boettcher Brooklynn Brandow Kaylee Carlson Kendra Cossette Adah De Leeuw Mason Elford Shayna Fichter Tegan Fitzpatrick Shay Frederick Emily Frostad Liam Gudmundson Brianna Gusikoski Lee Haines Dylan Hall Bernice Hauck Jabez Holman Madison Hrywkiw Cain Kruger Brynn Kuntz

GRADE 10

Mickalishen Award

Group of Eleven Reconciliation Painters

MR. & MISS ECS AWARDS Ryan Chernoff Emily Frostad Julie Frostad

Miss ECS Grade 9 Miss ECS Grade 10 Miss ECS Grade 11 Miss ECS Grade 12

Laura Swirski Katie Ostrander Gabrielle Stephany Sarah Dacuycuy

Mr. ECS Grade 9 Mr. ECS Grade 10 Mr. ECS Grade 11 Mr. ECS Grade 12

Conner Piché Carter Porter Kaleb Bechtold Parker Lavoie

A22 June 17, 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 Congratulations to the Class of 2020.

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:

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!

(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)

PARKING NOTICE

PARKING NOTICE Time Limit Parking 29.

(1) No person shall park a vehicle on any street or parking lot for a longer period than specified by sign and set out in Schedule “C” No Parking 34.

(1) No person shall park a vehicle on any street or parking lot: (a) where parking is prohibited or restricted by display of a sign or yellow painted curb; (b) For a period of more than twenty-four (24) consecutive hours (c) No person shall leave a recreational vehicle which is not attached to a motor vehicle on a highway; provided that this provision shall not apply to equipment owned or operated by the City or contracted by the City during the construction of capital works or maintenance projects.

PART I - Two Hour Parking •

• • •

All of Lots 21, 22 and 23, Block 43, Plan 12538 (12th Avenue and 6th Street) (known as the Holmgren Parking Lot) All of Lot 25, Block 43, Plan 12538 (1217 3rd Street) (known as “RBC” Lot) All of Lot 27, Block 43, Plan 12538 (1225 3rd Street) (Also known as “Henders” Lot) All of Lot 28, Block 43, Plan 12538 (1229 3rd Street) (Also known as “A & A Jewellers” lot) • East 12.5 feet of Lot 3 and all of Lots 4 and 5, Block 12, Plan 12538.

• The west half (12.5 feet) of Lot 28, the whole of Lot 29 and the most south easterly 17 feet in perpendicular width of Lot 30, Block 12, Plan 12538.

• All of Lot 48, Block 19, Plan 101113434 (1216 Fifth Street) (Also known as House of Stationary – H.O.S. lot)

CONSTRUCTION BULLETIN VETERANS CRESCENT - The City of Estevan is undertaking construction for the Watermain replacement. The affected area includes Veterans Crescent.

Property access and parking restrictions are to occur.

This work will commence June 15, 2020 and will take approximately eight (8) weeks to complete (subject to weather) City of Estevan will perform this work within the current Bylaw regulations and specifications.

Safety - Construction site could be dangerous. If you have children, please ask them to keep a safe distance from the site. We will take every precaution to ensure public safety, but we need your assistance to constrain the natural curiosity of younger children. Please DO NOT attempt to go close to areas affected.

Theft or Vandalism - If you see any act of vandalism, theft or anyone suspiciously tampering with equipment, signage or barricades please contact 306-634-1800, or after hours call Police.

Questions and Concerns - The City of Estevan, Engineering Services apologize for any inconveniences that this work may cause and thank you in advance for your cooperation and patience. If you have any question or concerns, please call at 634-1800 or approach the supervisor or foreman on site.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HOUSE NUMBERS Please note for your safety that Bylaw 2008-1789 requires house numbers to be posted on your building so that it is visible in the front and the back.

Section 1a) The owner or occupant of a building shall cause the number or numbers to be at all times prominently displayed in a conspicuous place on the front of the building facing the street near the main entrance door of the building. g) all buildings within the City of Estevan will be required to have the civic address of each building posted so that it is clearly visible from the back lane of each building.

If you require emergency services it is for your safety that they are able to find your residence quickly when called.

FITNESS SCHEDULE SUNDAY SPIN 9:10 AM - 9:50 AM WEIGHT ROOM 9:00 AM - 8:30 PM MONDAY SPIN 6:10 AM - 6:50 AM GRIT 9:10 AM - 10:00 AM EASY STRETCH 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (virtual class) POWER BLAST 11:10 PM - 12:00 PM CARDIO BLAST 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM GRIT 6:10 PM - 6:50 PM WEIGHT ROOM 6:00 AM - 8:30 PM TUESDAY SPIN 6:10 AM - 6:50 AM CORE/BARRE ABOVE 9:10 AM - 10:15 AM ZOOMER 11:10 AM - 12:00 PM POWER BLAST 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM SPIN 5:30 PM - 6:10 PM WEIGHT ROOM 6:00 AM - 8:30 PM

ESTEVAN LEISURE CENTRE EFFECTIVE JUNE 8 - 30, 2020 THURSDAY SPIN 6:10 AM - 6:50 AM CORE/ BARRE ABOVE 9:10 AM - 10:15 AM ZOOMER 11:10 AM - 12:00 PM POWER BLAST 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM SPIN 5:30 PM - 6:10 PM WEIGHT ROOM 6:00 AM - 8:30 PM FRIDAY SPIN 6:10 AM - 6:50 AM GRIT 9:10 AM - 10:00 AM EASY STRETCH 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (virtual class) FOAM ROLLER 11:10 PM - 12:00 PM WEIGHT ROOM 6:00 AM - 8:30 PM SATURDAY GRIT 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM WEIGHT ROOM 6:30 AM - 10:00 PM

WEDNESDAY FEB. 19 SPIN 6:10 AM - 6:50 AM GRIT 9:10 AM - 10:00 AM CHAIR YOGA 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (virtual class) POWER BLAST 11:10 PM - 12:00 PM CARDIO BLAST 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM GRIT 6:10 PM - 6:50 PM WEIGHT ROOM 6:00 AM - 8:30 PM PLEASE NOTE - Due to the pandemic-related protocols registration has moved to a PRE-Registration process.

Users must pre-register online or by calling the Information Desk. Patrons will be screened upon arrival and asked a few questions as per the Operational Health and Safety Guidelines. Space between workout stations have either increased or a machine has been put into 'not in use.' Drinking fountains and change rooms will be closed.

Memberships that were bought previously were put on hold; the days remaining on memberships have been applied to your accounts starting June 8th, 2020. If you need a new membership, please either book online at www.estevan.ca or call the Information Desk for contactless payment.

Make Your Future So Clear, that it’s

2020

Make Your Future So Clear, that it’s Make Your Future So Clear, that it’s

2020 2020 ESTEVAN COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL

ESTEVAN COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL ESTEVAN COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL

B2 June 17, 2020

www.estevanmercury.ca

Congratulations to the Estevan Comprehensive School’s Class of 2020!

By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

The Class of 2020 at the Estevan Comprehensive School (ECS) is truly a special group of young men and women.

The grads were to have their annual ceremony June 12 at Affinity Place, but those plans were dashed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, ECS has tried their part to make this year’s graduation special.

Principal Pat Jeannot said everyone was disappointed not to celebrate grad like they traditionally would have it. So following the directions from the provincial government’s education response planning team, they have taken the video route instead.

“We’re trying to engage our Grade 12s to participate in it. We’ll have the usual addresses and the recognitions that we normally have,” Jeannot told the Mercury.

Jeannot will give his address – the last one he will give before his retirement takes effect at the end of the 2019-20 school year. Valedictorian Julie Frostad will also speak.

There will be cap and

gown photos with information on the students and their future plans. In lieu of the grand march that takes place following the main ceremony, the school has asked students to include photos of themselves participating in school activities, spending time with friends and family, or posing for formal photos to mark grad.

“We’d like to have them send those in, and try to make a special gift for them, knowing that this isn’t what they expected from Grade 12, but we’re working hard to try to deliver a nice gift that they can have for years to come,” said Jeannot.

They hope to incorporate band and choral performances as well, but that will have to be done virtually.

Home room teachers have been talking to the grads about when they want the videos, with the choices being the end of June, early summer or late summer.

“The reason we’re asking the grads to tell us when they want it is because we want to give them the opportunity to send in more pictures,” said Jeannot.

If it’s a later deadline, it

will give them time to have some formal graduation photos taken by a professional photographer.

The number of photos will determine the length of the video, but Jeannot said it will be shorter than the conventional ceremony.

Grad packages were delivered on June 10 and 11 to students by the school’s bus drivers. Students received their caps and tassels for photos, recognitions for awards and scholarships and messages from government officials.

Each graduate will also receive a $50 gift card from a local business. “ We s a t d o w n a s a committee and decided we wouldn’t go to businesses to ask for donations, because COVID-19 has obviously hit our business community very hard as well, but we got some money from the chem. free account, and there was some voluntary contributions that came in,” said Jeannot.

Photos of the kids in their caps and gowns will be posted on digital advertising signs in the city, and shown on a loop.

The grad committee is also working with parent groups on some legacy proj-

ects, although those have yet to be finalized.

Jeannot described this year’s grad class as a very resilient group.

“This is a situation beyond everyone’s control. Although the kids are going to be disappointed, this will affect each and every one of them differently, and each and every one of them will find a way to regroup, move forward, become successful, whatever pathway they choose. All of our graduates have goals, they all have dreams,” said Jeannot.

As difficult as the times are right now, the grads all have the skills to pick themselves up, and they have a tremendous work ethic.

Since he’s been the principal since 2014, Jeannot has known most of them since they came to ECS over the past four years.

This year’s theme is Make Your Future so Clear that it is 20/20. Colours will be the traditional red, white and blue of the school.

Pr i o r t o COV I D - 1 9 forced the cancellation of the school year, Jeannot said they were having a great year in all grades. Grads were involved in high school sports and

To the class of 2020 After 12 years of good times and bad, exhilaration and sadness, it is time to turn the page and start a new chapter in your lives.

Unfortunately, a typical grad is out of the question this year because of COVID-19. Instead of large crowds with family and friends celebrating your success, you will be looking at smaller gatherings, complete with social distancing. And as a result, this is a sad time for some of you. But grads, thanks to your resiliency and adaptability, you will persevere.

You will shine, as this is your time to celebrate the lifelong friendships, great memories and the respect of your peers for all of the hard work you have put in.

Life is about choices; thanks to your positive choices and the guidance of your parents, friends and teachers, you are graduating.

As you move forward in these uncertain times, remain positive, look towards the future with confidence and determination, and with the courage you already possess. Embrace the adventure ahead with flexibility and commitment to make the most of your life.

In closing, no matter where you go in life, you can always call Estevan home; this is our Estevan. Congratulations Grads, always remember to believe in yourself, embrace diversity and keep your sense of humour.

Mayor Ludwig Roy

extra-curricular activities, such as the student representative council, celebration rallies, dances and spirit days.

A reconciliation garden was created in the school’s courtyard, thanks to Wade Kotelo’s art students and Josh LeBlanc’s leadership class. A dedication ceremony was held in late February, with those who supported the project and representatives of local Indigenous communities in attendance.

“It’s there for everybody to read the story of reconciliation,” said Jeannot.

Mark Kroeker secured a new computer numerical control machine for the school’s welding students, and the school’s cafeteria went through renovations to make it more student friendly.

Congratulations Congratulations to the Classtoofthe2020.

Class 2020.

Goodofluck in

Good luck in allallofofyour future your future endeavours. endeavours.

Lori Carr,MLA MLA Lori Carr, Estevan Constituency Office Estevan Constituency Office 306.634.7311

306.634.7311 loricarrmla@sasktel.net loricarrmla@sasktel.net

Celebrating the

Graduating Class of 2020 “ ”

Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.

- Helen Keller

DR. ROBERT KITCHEN MP

Souris-Moose Mountain

306-634-3000 • www.drrobertkitchen.ca

www.estevanmercury.ca

Make Your Future So Clear, that it’s

June 17, 2020 B3

Class Of 2020

ESTEVAN COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL

Glyzabeth Abucayan

Cale NameAdams Here

Harold Alquino

Kade Anderson

Angelle Avery

Drewitz

School of Dance

Jonah Bachorcik

Myah Battersby

Dylan Beahm

Ford Sales Ltd.

Roy Bod

Ethan Bill

Gemma Bittman

Denys Bodnarus

Raiza Bognot

Gabrielle Bokhorst

Pake Brokenshire

Drewitz

5 STREET Autobody

Marvin Contillo

Jasmine Crouse

School of Dance

Aldrin Cela

H

O

M

E

Hudson Chernoff

Hunter Chipley

Madison Colbow

Markie Daoust

Alexa Dauk-Law

th

JOHNSON

BILLESBERGER LAW FIRM

S

SHELTER

Sarah Dacuycuy

Prairie Mud Service

HENDERS DRUGS

Senchuk

Andriy Bobrov

Jasmine Bedore

Nicole Babuyog

PLUMBING & HEATING LTD.

Matthew Dauk-Law

Ma. Paulla Danica David

Sydney Davidson

2020 B4 June 17, 2020

www.estevanmercury.ca

ESTEVAN COMPREHENSIVE S

ESTEVAN COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL

Jesse DeBruyne

Angelica NameDela HereTorre

Brendan Dickie

Kayla Dietz

Ellanie Donos

Maddex Dornian

Sara Eggen

Logan Ehrmantraut

Town of Bienfait

Joren Dryden

Jayden Dudas

Faith Dupas

Nyla Dyck

Prairie Mud Service

Trixie Elguira

Drew Fenwick

Dominique Fernando

Kylan Fichter

Madison Folkerts

William Ford

Town of Bienfait

Bryla Fornwald

Isaak Friesen

Rowena Friesen

Julie Frostad

Connor Fry

Kara Gallinger

Lionel Ganados

Chase Gedak

Taylor Geisel

Callista Gerling

Talissa Gervais

Ma Pauline Gesmundo

Town of Bienfait

H

O

M

E

S

SHELTER

www.estevanmercury.ca

Make Your Future So Clear, that it’s

June 17, 2020 B5

Class Of 2020

ESTEVAN COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL

Jordan Gillingham

Kierra NameGingras Here

Tye Ginnis

Caitlin Graham

Owen Gudmundson

Darson Gunnlaugson

Faith Haberstock

Abby Hanson

Emily Hanson

Taylor Haux

River Hesketh

Tatum Hirsch

Drewitz

School of Dance

Bryce Huber

H

O

M

E

S

SHELTER

Emily Hurren

Damien Hutchins

Roman Ivanov

Hanna Jaworski

Hunter Jaworski

Senchuk Ford Sales Ltd.

Anthony Johnson

Kolby Kaban

Jamison Keating

Suhyun Kim

Nicole Kistanov

James Knibbs

Kailey Kowalchuk

Chelsea Kramer

Olivia Kramer

Victoria Kroeker

Shaylee Kuhberg

Axel Kulach

Drewitz

School of Dance

Senchuk Ford Sales Ltd.

Prairie Mud Service

A6 June 17, 2020

www.estevanmercury.ca

Make Your Future So Clear, that it’s

2020 ECS Grad C ESTEVAN COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL

Angelle Avery and her escort Kaleb Bechtold were capturing a moment at the courthouse on Friday.

on June 12.

Estevan Comprehensive School graduates celebrated the milestone

Avenue North with the grads’ These bright banners lined Souris names.

Some grads rented limos and

party buses for the night.

Kristin Pr night to pa

The youth were driving up s were decorated with Many cars and building e and white colours. traditional ECS red, blu

Some students and many spe

ctators had whistles to make it louder and more exciting.

down the streets with big hap py smiles on their faces.

Mike Keating signalled the beginning of the graduate cruise night from the top of his car.

Beautiful grads in

The gradu ation w Queen Lo as a ntoc an

www.estevanmercury.ca

June 17, 2020 A7

Cruise in Estevan Photos by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

The Orpheum Theatre wished the grads farewell and all the best in

their lives.

Graduate Myah Battersby and her escort Brett Grieve stopped at the Garden Park for pictures.

Lonnie, graduating Cyrus, Vicky and Lucus Rooks stopped for a few memorable pictures.

rocyshyn partook in cruise ay tribute to her graduating son Axel Kulach.

Glyzabeth Abucayan cam e to the Derrick Motor Inn early to tak e a picture.

Joseph Limin, Aaron Madu

and Christopher Sutter che cked out the arch set up for grad pictures

in downtown dressed up vehicles could be seen Estevan on Friday.

a big mile stone for nd her fam ily.

Talissa Gervais put on her beautiful grad dress for the cruise night.

e in honour on Third Street of the Lorraine Foord decorated her hom graduates.

Coldwell Banker Choice Rea l Estate decorated the storefront to celebrate the grads.

Gemma Sylvestre came out for a graduation cruise night with her family.

2020 B8 June 17, 2020

www.estevanmercury.ca

ESTEVAN COMPREHENSIVE S

ESTEVAN COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL

Faith Kyle

Parker Name Lavoie Here

Harvey Leal

Luke LeBlanc

Marci LeBlanc

Haylie LeMoine

Senchuk Ford Sales Ltd.

Tulilla LeMoine

Prairie Mud Service

Rey Jean Lubreo

Joseph Limin

Drayden Lischka

Kelsey Littlejohn

Queen Lontoc

Morgan Lowenberg

Kade Lukye

Nigel Mack

Taylor Mack

Cassidy MacKenzie

Senchuk Ford Sales Ltd.

George Lukye

Town of Bienfait

Elissa Mackenzie

Aaron Madu

Hannah Mantei

Eve Marum Quinn

Christian McArthur

Reilly McGeough

Senchuk Ford Sales Ltd.

Sarah McGillicky

Jaycee McLellan

Avery McNabb

Christina Medwid

Town of Bienfait

Camryn Murray

Melanie Myers

www.estevanmercury.ca

Make Your Future So Clear, that it’s

June 17, 2020 B9

Class Of 2020

ESTEVAN COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL

Logan Nagel

Bridgette Neb Name Here

Sarah Nobiss

Mataya Olson

Aika Palad

Dann Pangan

Cyrile Penaloza

Noah Perkins

Carson Petterson

Mason Piper

Senchuk Ford Sales Ltd.

Ally Park

Megan Parsons

5 STREET Autobody

HENDERS DRUGS

th

Pamiela Placer

Senchuk Ford Sales Ltd.

Kiera Renauld

Dylan Ricci Ravanera

Curtis Riersgard

Prairie Mud Service

Shanelle Rioux

Mason Roche

Town of Bienfait

Drewitz

School of Dance

Joshua Romanyk

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Trinity Rooks

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2020 B10 June 17, 2020

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ESTEVAN COMPREHENSIVE S

ESTEVAN COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL

Mackenzie Skuce

Kendel NameSpencer Here

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Taylor Stang

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! s t a r g n Co

2020

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June 17, 2020 B11

Congratulations!

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