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Lori Carr elected as Estevan’s MLA for a second term By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

The Saskatchewan Party continues to be the dominant party in provincial politics, and it continues to have a strong grip over southeast Saskatchewan. The Sask. Party won a fourth straight majority government in Monday’s provincial election, winning or holding the lead in 50 of 61 ridings. When the provincial election was called, they had 46, while the opposition NDP had 13. Two seats were vacant. In the Estevan constituency, Lori Carr of the Saskatchewan Party picked up 4,100 of the 6,623 votes cast, or 61.9 per cent of the popular vote. Phil Zajac of the recentlyformed Buffalo Party was second with 1,689 (25.5 per cent), Seth Lendrum of the New Democratic Party was third with 391 (5.9 per cent), Linda Sopp of the Progressive Conservatives was fourth at 329 (5.0 per cent) and Scott Meyers of the Green Party was fifth with 114 (1.7 per cent). There are also 441 mail-in ballots that have yet to be counted in the riding, and those weren’t tabulated as of Mercury press time. Those mail-in ballots won’t impact the results in Estevan, but could change results in some of the big city ridings, where results are close. In an interview with the Mercury Monday night, Carr said she

Lori Carr will serve as Estevan’s MLA for a second term, following her victory in Monday’s provincial election. Photo by Brian Zinchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter is looking forward to representing the constituency for a second term, and she was pleased to see another strong majority government for the Sask. Party. “We did a lot of door-knocking. We door-knocked the entire constituency, all of the residents,” she said. People shared a lot of concerns about the future of coal-fired power generation in the riding, especially with the pending retirement of Units 4 and 5 at the Boundary Dam

Power Station. “We all know that carbon capture and sequestration is something that works. It does take those emissions out of the air. It’s something that I want to be able to continue with.” The decision on whether CCS technology will be applied to Unit 6 at Boundary Dam Power Station and for the Shand Power Station will be made in the next few years. She also heard a lot of concerns

about the need for a new Estevan Regional Nursing Home. The committee tasked with raising the local share for the project reached its goal in early 2015, but since then, Estevan has been stuck in the queue for longterm care projects. “It’s just a matter of the province prioritizing which nursing homes get to go first. Unfortunately, within the province, there are several nursing homes that are in worse condition than the nursing home here in Este-

van,” said Carr. The support for the newlyformed Buffalo Party cut into her share of the popular vote from the 78 per cent she received in 2016. Carr’s share of the vote is the lowest for a Sask. Party candidate since Doreen Eagles received 51 per cent of the vote in 2003. Carr noted the Buffalo Party had a big emphasis on support for coal power and for the oil and gas sector. “It just shows me how important coal is for this community, and I think it was them talking and saying this is how important this is for us,” said Carr. This campaign was very different from the one four years ago. Carr spent more time at public gatherings in advance of the 2016 election, but that wasn’t possible this time due to crowd restrictions due to COVID-19. “Even going to coffee rows and different things, and the whole contact tracing piece, you don’t want to be seeing too many people face to face,” said Carr. “The door-knocking worked really well, because we could knock, step back six feet, you had your mask on all the time, and you knew that you were in that safe zone.” Normally she would also shake hands and spend more time visiting people. Carr had a campaign office on Fourth Street in Estevan this year, but spent election night at home with A2 » CARR

Addictions Treatment Centre now open and helping patients The new addictions treatment centre at St. Joseph’s Hospital is now open, and already more than half of the beds for patients receiving care are now occupied. The centre held its grand opening in mid-September and officially opened on Oct. 6; the opening itself couldn’t be acknowledged due to the blackout period associated with the Oct. 26 provincial election. St. Joseph’s CEO Greg Hoffort said they admitted five patients when the centre opened earlier this month, and more have been arriving since. About a dozen patients are currently receiving treatment. “Our goal is to continue a slow, phase-in until the full funded occupancy, which is 20,” Hoffort told the Mercury. It was never their intention to have all 20 patients receiving care at the centre on the opening day. The 12 patients come from

across Saskatchewan, including the southeast region. The addictions centre specializes in crystal meth, and some of the patients now in Estevan are recovering from crystal meth addiction. “Crystal meth is the prevalent addiction of the clients we have right now,” said Hoffort. He expects to reach the capacity of 20 within the next month. As for staffing, the last of the 15 positions should be filled before the end of the month. All of the counsellors and the treatment centre manager have already been hired; nursing and attendant staff still have to be hired. The renovations to the area that houses the treatment centre were completed earlier and were on time, he said. Some furniture still has to be moved in before the project is finished. “It’s a very warm and home-like environment that we’ve created, as much as you can

within an institution,” said Hoffort. “We’re really pleased with how everything turned out.” The program also has four pre-treatment and six posttreatment beds. The latter won’t be used until the first patients are ready to move on from the treatment centre. “That will be 30-60 days down the road, depending on the length of time of their individualized program,” said Hoffort. “At that point, we’ll be looking at the post (treatment) beds that we were also approved for.” Since it opened, there have been challenges associated with having a new facility, but everything has gone very well thus far. “We’re pleased with the partnership we have with Cedars at Cobble Hill, and we’re very pleased as well with our new staff. They’re really motivated staff to make a difference,” said Hoffort. Since the treatment centre

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The addictions treatment centre at St. Joseph’s Hospital is open and treating patients. File photo doesn’t ever take a break, it means that patients will have to be here over the Christmas break to receive treatment. The Government of Saskatchewan announced in March it had committed $1.55 million in the 2020-21 budget and $1.95 million in annualized funding to establish the new treatment centre.This funding will support

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As clients will come from across the province to access services, they will be connected to followup care in their home communities once they complete treatment. The St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation was tasked with some fundraising to help cover the costs of furnishings before the centre opened.

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Candidates react to provincial election results By Anastasiia Bykhovskaia and David Willberg

The candidates for the Buffalo Party, the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Progressive Conservatives (PC) weighed in on the results after Monday night’s election. Phil Zajac, who was running for the Buffalo Party in their first election, finished second with 1,689 votes – the most for any Buffalo candidate in the province. It was a bitter-sweet result for Zajac, because he expected to win. But the party has been around for a few months, and they finished second in three other constituencies, including nearby Cannington. “I believe most news agencies thought we would get two per cent of the vote or less, and I think we surprised a lot of people at how we did across the province,” he said. People told him they’re concerned about the future of the area, with the phase-out of conventional coal-fired power. Zajac said he shares those concerns. “I’m concerned about

the future of coal and power in Estevan. I think it’s in real trouble and I don’t know what the future’s going to hold for us here,” he said. Zajac also took a leadership role with the Buffalo Party during the campaign. He represented the party at the provincial debate in Regina days after the Estevan constituency candidates’ forum on Oct. 13. “I thought it was a great opportunity for me to voice Estevan’s concerns, and I look forward to that into the future,” he said. Z a j a c p re d i c t e d h e would continue to be involved with the Buffalo Party, and will continue to support the party moving forward. “The best part about politics is all of the people that you meet and all of the people who care about their community. There’s a lot of people here who feel the same way I do, and unfortunately we just didn’t have enough votes tonight.” The NDP has had tough times in the Estevan constituency since 1999, and this election didn't bring any positive changes for them.

« A1 a few invited guests, since there is a 15-person limit on gatherings in residences. Four years ago, her victory party was at the Estevan

Elks Lodge. Carr spent most of her first term as an MLA in cabinet, first as the minister of Highways and Infrastructure, and then as the minister

NDP candidate for Estevan Seth L endrum said that while they always aim for the best, they realized that they couldn't win every seat. "Goals for me were just a matter of how many votes I could pull in. Province-wide, we were just focusing on trying to get as many seats as we could to change the balance of power," Lendrum said. With the emergence of the Buffalo Party, which speaks a lot to the region's current problems, the NDP was pushed to the third position and came just a few dozen votes ahead of the Progressive Conservatives. Lendrum said that he expected to see higher numbers, but he knew that the Buffalo Party would pull away some votes.

"I knew it was a very strong opponent just due to how Estevan is very heavily invested into oil and coal," Lendrum said. It was Lendrum's first time running in an election. "It was a great learning curve. It showed that there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scene. It teaches you how to talk to people, that's what I found," Lendrum said. He added that this experience helped him to become more confident. While currently residing in Weyburn, he used every opportunity to get out and meet the electorate. He did a bit of doorknocking and also communicated with the electorate over the phone and distributed pamphlets. He said there was

an "OK" amount of support. Sopp said the results for the constituency and across the province were a bit disappointing as they expected to see more votes coming their way. In the Estevan constituency, the PCs attracted just under 330 votes this year, coming in fourth. “I was expecting it to be a little bit higher just by what my feedback was from everybody. But it was a good run,” Sopp said. Sopp spent the night of the elections at the party’s office in Regina, watching the ballots coming in alongside other PC candidates. “Everybody were just walking around and wondering, ‘What the hell?!’ Some of the candidates, their numbers were going up really good.

But we kind of expected (to see) what we did, what happened.” “We did good, all of us through Saskatchewan. We did a good race and we’ll do better next time in 2024,” Sopp said. She added that even though they realized that with its Wexit background, the Buffalo Party was a strong opponent, they didn’t think that the newcomers would pull so many voters. It was Sopp’s first experience running as a candidate, so she assumed that her results wouldn’t be as high, but the experience was worth it. “I was petrified,” Sopp said laughing. “(The experience) was awesome, I enjoyed it. But with COVID and everything, it made it a little bit tougher to do as much as I wanted to.” She plans to get more done for the party ahead of the next elections and hopes it will bring different results in four years. “In 2024 we are going to be coming back stronger and better than ever before,” Sopp said.

of Government Relations, the provincial Capital Commission, and First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs. She said she would welcome the opportunity to retain the government relations role. “ We all work at the pleasure of the premier, so if the premier feels that I’ve done a good job and I can stay in cabinet, then that’s where I’ll be. If something happens that he decided to put someone else in and they

get their turn, then that will not stop me from working any harder or fighting any harder for our constituency.” In the Cannington constituency, with all 58 polling stations reporting, Daryl Harrison of the Saskatchewan Party won with 5,581 votes. Wes Smith of the Buffalo Party was second with 1,227, Dianne Twietmeyer was third with 617 and Jaina Forrest of the Green Party was fourth with 131. Harrison replaces long-

time Sask. Party MLA Dan D ’ Au t re m o n t , w h o a n nounced in 2018 that he wouldn’t seek another term

in the job. D’Autremont had been MLA since 1991. A couple of other ridings had local connections.

NDP candidate Seth Lendrum. Conservative Party candidate Linda Sopp. Buffalo Party candidate Phil Zajac. Photo by Brian Zinchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Carr would like to remain part of cabinet

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Mercury has some exciting promotions The Estevan Mercury has a number of ongoing and upcoming promotions that people can look forward to, with both Halloween and Christmas approaching. The Halloween Costume Contest had people send in photos of their favourite Halloween costumes. The Mercury then selected the top 12, and the public voted for their favourite on the Mercury’s Facebook page. The top three winners will receive gift cards from King’s Department Store in Carlyle and candy from the Southern Plains Co-op. For those of you planning on handing out candy this Halloween, you can hang our Halloween flag in your window to show trick or treaters that they are welcome at your house this year. The Halloween Spookiest House Contest saw the Mercury team up with Coldwell Banker Choice Real Estate to find the spookiest decorated house. People voted on the

Coldwell Banker Choice Real Estate Facebook page for the house they liked the most. The winner will receive a $250 gift card to a local business of their choice in an effort to get people to shop locally. Looking ahead, the Mercury and Estevan McDonald’s will continue with their very popular McWin Wednesday promotion. Every Wednesday, the Mercury will give away a prize from McDonalds. All people have to do is follow the Mercury’s Facebook page and comment on the post. People can look forward to the Mercury’s annual Christmas promotion, which will allow them to win everything they need on their Christmas wish list. And the Mercury’s annual Christmas Catalogue, which has become a popular feature every year with shoppers and business owners alike, will be released on Nov. 25 – just in time for Black Friday shopping at local retailers.

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Former Estevan resident says the city and people here changed her views forever By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

Maria Ibarra and her family, originally from Colombia, made a few attempts at making Canada their new home. But it took them some time and one Energy City to develop a great love for the country and people here. Ibarra's family first came to Canada in 1999 and settled in Ontario. They later went back to Colombia for several years, but Ibarra said she knew they would come back. They returned in 2016 and that time they decided to try out Vancouver. Ibarra was getting into the filmmaking industry when her husband found a job in Estevan. "When he told me, I was really sad because I was supposed to go to the university to study art and filming," Ibarra recalled. But the decision was made and the family started moving. First Ibarra's husband moved to the Energy City, and three months later she followed with their kids. When she arrived in Estevan, Ibarra at first was pretty

upset. "When we first came I didn't like it. It felt like a really small town and I was focused on my art," said Ibarra. "I was mad and sad because I didn't know what I was going to do there and it wasn't the first time to start life over. Even though we were in the same country, it was a different province, different people." She was used to living in big cities and didn't know what she would do in a smaller community. But pretty soon her attitude completely changed. "The first week in Estevan was hard, and at the same time I did a big mistake – I was comparing Vancouver to Estevan," Ibarra said. But in a matter of a few days, she met some people from Colombia, and the wheels started spinning with Estevan turning around and opening up, showing its hospitality and friendliness to a newcomer. "I met some people and I felt really welcome," recalled Ibarra. Even though she started feeling better in the commu-

Veronica Curriel, Maria Ibarra, Andrea Acosta and her baby Thiago Moreno visiting while in Estevan. Photo submitted nity, her schedule still wasn't very busy. One day she went to the Estevan Leisure Centre looking for something to do. She checked out the Visitor Information Centre, and when the staff there learned that she was an artist they

From left, Andrea Acosta, Azucena Barragan, María Ibarra and Veronica Curriel participated Savour the Southeast. Photo submitted

sent Ibarra to Wilma Mantei of the Estevan Arts Council. Ibarra later taught some art classes at the pottery room at the leisure centre and met many more great people through her involvement with the Estevan Arts Council. It turned out that it was just the beginning of her life-changing, year-long Estevan adventure. "At that time I realized that it's not the place, it's the people. So I started feeling that this is my place. People here were really, really, really nice," said Ibarra. She was used to living in big metropolises and was originally from Cartagena in Colombia. The friendliness of people in Estevan resembled home for her. Soon Ibarra joined efforts with three other women from Colombia, Mexico and Peru – Andrea Acostea, Azucena Barragan and Veronica Armas – and opened Sweet Corner Bakery and Pastry, which still spoils Estevan residents with delightful treats. It started as a friendly afternoon chat, but shortly

after women were meeting every day, putting their thoughts, skills and recipes together to come up with something nice for Estevan. "It was really fun," said Ibarra. And while Ibarra fell in love with Estevan and its people, her life made another turn and the family ended up moving to Guelph, Ont. However, she took appreciation for the energy capital of Saskatchewan with her. "It was just a year, but I can say that that time there it really marked my heart," Ibarra said. "When I say Estevan here (in Guelph) they don't have any idea where Estevan is, but that small place… Every time I have an opportunity, I say, 'You have to go because the people there are the nicest.'" Since her husband works as a grain buyer, Ibarra also had a chance to get to know the agricultural sector and she had a lot of good things to say about local farmers, their hard work and pride in what they do.

Ibarra is currently involved with the film industry and is writing a proposal for the theatre, developing an art project about different generations of immigrants telling their stories in various artistic ways. It is planned to include visual arts, theatre and documentary elements. Ibarra said she hopes it will be artistic, interesting and also therapeutical, as all Canadians except for First Nations peoples were immigrants at some point, and immigration is often a very tough experience to go through. Ibarra's family still owns a house in Estevan, and she hopes to soon come over to do some art classes and visit with the community. Ibarra reached out to the Mercury to tell her story to share her feelings about Estevan and to tell people of Estevan that "they are amazing and great." "I think the way (people of Estevan) were with me, they are with everyone that is there," Ibarra finished the story. "And I felt really, really welcome."

Operation Christmas Child is underway in Estevan The Operation Christmas Child (OCC) campaign for the Estevan area is underway, and people are once again encouraged to fill a shoebox with a variety of items for a child in another country. Jillian Ursu, who is the Estevan drop-off team lead, said Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse that brings hope and joy into the lives of hurting children around the world, through gift-filled shoeboxes. People can use their own shoebox or pick up an Operation Christmas Child container from the collection

centre at the Estevan Alliance Church. Since its beginning in 1993, Operation Christmas Child has collected and delivered more than 177 million shoeboxes to children in over 100 countries. For many of these children, the gift-filled shoebox is the first gift they will ever receive. Last year, Canadians packed over 490,000 shoeboxes and 1,102 of those came from Estevan and area. The total surpassed the goal of 1,000 for the Estevan area. Canadian shoeboxes collected this year will be going to El Salvador, Nicaragua,

Costa Rica, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea and Sierra Leone. “Shoeboxes are distributed as unconditional gifts, regardless of the child’s race, religion, or gender,” Ursu wrote. “The shoeboxes often open the door for Samaritan’s Purse to work with the local community to identify and meet other vital needs like clean water, literacy, work training, school meals, etc.” Churches, groups, organization and schools who require at least 25 shoeboxes should order their shoeboxes and pamphlets online at samaritanspurse.ca and have

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them shipped directly to them. “Anyone can pack a shoebox and put a smile on the face of a child across the world; a tangible way to show them the love of God,” Ursu said. People are asked to pack a shoebox with toys, school supplies, hygiene items, “wow” items, a personal note or picture, and a $10-per-box donation. They also need to indicate whether the box is for a boy or a girl, and the appropriate age group, and fill the box with appropriate items. Supporters are asked not to include food, candy, playing

cards, toothpaste, war-related items, or items that can leak, freeze, or melt (like bubbles, lotions, shampoos, hand sanitizer, or other liquids). National Collection Week is Nov. 16-22. The Alliance Church will be the dropoff location, and will be open extended hours throughout the week: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Monday, Tuesday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the Wednesday to Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Sunday. “We encourage everyone to drop off during National Collection Week as there will be volunteers present

during those times to collect shoeboxes.” If you are unable to dropoff during National Collection Week, please contact the Estevan Alliance Church (36-634-2601) to arrange an alternate drop off time. Volunteers will be wearing a mask, using hand sanitizer and making the shoebox drop-off process as contactless as possible. “If you are feeling uncertain about packing physical shoeboxes this year, but would love to support Operation Christmas Child, we encourage you to pack shoeboxes online,” Ursu said.

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EDITORIAL

Election brought change at a deeper level Volume 115 Issue 30 Contact us: (306) 634-2654 68 Souris Avenue N. Estevan, SK S4A 2M3 www.estevanmercury.ca @Estevan_Mercury facebook.com/EstevanMercury

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The surface results might not have shown it, but there was change in the provincial election results on Monday night. Sure the Saskatchewan Party won a majority government – the fourth consecutive majority for the party. They collected more than 60 per cent of the popular vote for the third consecutive election. And every member of the Sask. Party cabinet has been re-elected or was leading at the end of election night. The New Democratic Party (NDP) will still be the Official Opposition.They won 11 of the 61 seats available in the Saskatchewan Legislature, one more than they won four years ago, but two fewer than they had when the election was called. There were some close races on election night, and many people opted for mail-in voting, so the NDP might pick up a few seats in which they were a close runner-up, but still, they’re looking at around 15 or 16 seats – not the result the party wanted. If they do ultimately see an improvement, it might be enough to save NDP Leader Ryan Meili’s job for now, but we’ll see whether the NDP will enter the next election in 2024 with a new leader – for the fifth consecutive election. But there were some changes on election night, and it appears the Buffalo Party was the source of that change. Critics will be quick to point out the party’s separatist roots; they were known as the Wexit

(or Western Exit) Party until a few months ago. But they finished second in both Estevan and Cannington, and two other constituencies in the province. Voters who feel like they’ve been taken for granted by the Sask. Party after 20 years of dominance in rural Saskatchewan found an alternative in the Buffalo. It wasn’t enough to get them a seat in the legislature, but it was enough to get them results that few expected. In the case of Estevan, MLA Lori Carr received 64.1 per cent of the popular vote, the lowest share for the Sask. Party since 2003, when former MLA Doreen eagles barely had 50 per cent support. (Note: Carr’s share could change based on the mail-in ballots, but there likely won’t be a major swing). Local Buffalo Party candidate Phil Zajac deserves a lot of credit for his performance in Estevan’s pre-election candidates’ forum, and the ideas he articulated resonated with a lot of people. It’s also not a coincidence that the party had its best results in ridings hit hard by the federal Liberals’ policies. In recent elections, the NDP has finished a distant second to the Sask. Party in rural ridings. In this election, they finished behind a party that didn’t exist a year ago. Seth Lendrum, the NDP hopeful for Estevan, had the fewest votes of any NDP candidate in the province. Rural voters have been rejecting the NDP’s message en masse for more than 20 years, but in

this election, the lack of support for the NDP plummeted to record levels. We know the NDP will never gain votes in rural Saskatchewan when they voice support for a carbon tax, but the disdain rural voters showed for the NDP isn’t just a one-issue matter. It’s time for the NDP to take a long, hard look at how they handle rural ridings, because they won’t get elected again until they pick up a few of these constituencies. One thing that nobody should be happy about is voter turnout. Yes, we know we’re in the midst of a pandemic, and a lot of people are skittish about going out, especially as we see a rise in cases. But voter turnout was less than 50 per cent, which is inexcusable. You have to wonder how much the lack of turnout is due to the pandemic, and how much of it is due to people taking the results for granted, since everyone knew the Saskatchewan Party was going to win handily. As for the Estevan constituency, nobody should be surprised with Carr’s victory. Despite the support for the Buffalos, this is still a Sask. Party riding. But we need progress on a new nursing home for Estevan, and we need to see carbon capture and storage moving forward on the Shand Power Station and Unit 6 at the Boundary Dam Power Station. If we don’t, she’ll find the next election even tougher.

Why did a Russian journalist self-immolate? Published weekly by Prairie Newspaper Group Limited Partnership, 68 Souris Avenue N., Estevan, SK S4A 2M3.The Estevan Mercury is owned and operated by Prairie Newspaper Group Limited Partnership, a subsidiary of Glacier Media Inc. Advertising rates are available upon request and are subject to change without notice. Conditions of editorial and advertising content: The Estevan Mercury attempts to be accurate in Editorial and Advertising content; however, no guarantee is given or implied. The Estevan Mercury reserves the right to revise or reject any or all editorial and advertising content as the newspaper’s principals see fit. The Estevan Mercury will not be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion of an advertisement, and is not responsible for errors in advertisements except for the space occupied by such errors. The Estevan Mercury will not be responsible for manuscripts, photographs, negatives and other related material that may be submitted for possible publication. All of the Estevan Mercury’s content is protected by Canadian Copyright laws. Reviews and similar mention of material in this newspaper is granted on the provision that The Estevan Mercury receives credit. Otherwise, any reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. Advertisers purchase space and circulation only. Rights to any advertisement produced by The Estevan Mercury, including artwork, typography, photos, etc., remain the property of this newspaper. Advertisements or parts thereof may not be reproduced or assigned without the consent of the publisher. We acknowledge financial support of the Government of Canada. Nous reconnaissons l'appui financier du gouvernement du Canada.

I have to apologize ahead, as this column is not an opinion piece but rather a story, which I had to share. Work was a huge part of Irina Slavina, a Russian journalist from Nizhny Novgorod. On Oct. 2 she tied herself to a bench in front of the regional Ministry of Inner Affairs building in Nizhny Novgorod and committed an act of self-immolation. She was a well-known public person and a journalist, editor-in-chief of Koza.Press. The day before her apartment was searched in relation to a criminal case in which she was a witness. And before that, for a couple of years, she'd been charged for various administrative cases and was going through other hardships with the local government security services. The last post Slavina did on Facebook said "Blame the Russian Federation for my death." Was it suicide? Protest? Breakdown? Many people didn't accept her manifestation. But only the person knows and can evaluate what they are actually going through. One may argue that she was going through hardly any pressure in the context of Russian realities. She wasn't prosecuted anywhere close to Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, and it makes many believe that it wasn't a provoked suicide. Opponents insist that it was her personal psychological breakdown. But people who were around her say there were no signs of any psychological issues. Many of her friends and family believe that it was rather the strongest possible protest. Some assume that while the final decision could have been made quickly, Slavina planned and prepared that "political statement," and did more than possible to ensure it's heard. Slavina used to be a school teacher but left the education sector to become a journalist when she was 30 years old. In an interview

Ana Bykhovskaia Twenty Lines About… with journalist Alexey Pivovarov, her husband said that back then she explained that she felt she was getting restricted in her work and couldn't work freely with kids because of government intervention and regulations. She came into journalism to tell the truth and to publish facts. But for that, she was fired from her first newspaper where she'd spent eight years. Slavina published a brochure for media, distributed by the leading political party and providing instructions to reporters on how to cover their campaign. Having a reputation of a straight-shooter it was almost impossible to find another job, and even more difficult to keep it. So, at some point, she started her online media – Koza. Press (Goat.Press). While actions or absence of such on behalf of many politicians and bureaucrats were subject matters of her investigations, she still wasn't an enemy number 1 in the region and had decent relationships with different people including the city governor. Koza.Press was a fact-based media with just a pinch of subjectivity in the opinion section. It was pretty much a one-person operation, and Slavina was fully dedicated to it. Financially it wasn't really successful, but it allowed her to get by while doing what she believed in. The media was known and was getting more and more popular and quoted regularly because there hardly was any competition in what Slavina was doing. But it was her personal sharp and often non-compromised opinions she published on social media that attracted extra attention to Slavina. She was persecuted personally,

someone cut tires on her vehicle, and with administrative charges. Some of the claims came from the public, from people who don't want to see any opposition in the country and whose concerns were found rightful by the court system. Slavina was charged several times in such cases for a total of about $2,000, which is a pretty big number for a regular citizen in that region. The day before Slavina died, armed security servicemen came into her apartment with a search warrant, grabbed all gadgets and memory sticks, according to her husband, banned them from calling a lawyer and then delivered her to the station for questioning. (Again, Slavina was just a witness in the criminal case against a local entrepreneur who was allegedly involved with Open Russia, a public movement for freedom of speech. Besides, the case turned out as a total misinterpretation of those opposition fighters). Slavina wasn't known outside her professional circle and the region where she worked until her last day. She used her talent and energy to change injustice, mainly locally. And people who've known her say she didn't accept any compromises. Slavina was known as an energetic and strong person and professional. But as Pivovarov put it, with every new case, court appearance, police station visit or that final house search, the spring inside her could have been shrinking more and more. After all, it doesn't matter if the government prosecution pushed her beyond the limits, or if she chose that terrible move to attract attention to a crucial situation with the Russian press, freedom of speech and freedom in general. If self-immolation was the resort, something is deeply wrong with the system. She wanted to change the world. Has she? The time will show, but the price paid was too high.

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COVID-19 exposure advisories issued for several Estevan businesses

David Willberg Willberg’s World

Where have all my sports gone? Normally, late October would be the brief 10-14-day happy place for sports fans in Canada. The NHL and the NFL season would be underway. The World Series would be on the cusp of crowning a champion in MLB. The CFL season would be approaching its playoffs. And the NBA season would be about to begin. Usually, you’d have two or three great sports options a night. Who needs anything else on your TV? If Sportsnet and TSN play their cards right, they’ll have no problem filling each of their channels with unique content. As a bonus, by this point in the year, the days are short, the nights are cold, and some years, like this year, there’s snow on the ground by the final week of October. I’m not going to be sitting outside on my patio, reading a book, drinking a craft beer and cranking the Canadian indie rock like I do in the summer. (I’d apologize to my neighbours for any inconvenience I caused this summer, but the music was too damn good). There was a chance that the World Series could have ended Tuesday night. If that’s the case, all we’ll have left to watch is the NFL, which plays just three days a week, and usually has multiple games on just one day. The NHL and NBA are in their rescheduled offseasons. The CFL cancelled its season back in August. My sports television Shangri La truly is paradise lost this year. I’ll be frank: I’m not a big NFL guy. I’m a lifelong CFL fan. I’ve always loved the Canadian game, and I don’t pay attention to the NFL until after the Grey Cup is handed out. So if the NFL is the only sports game in town, I’m not exactly giddy about that development. And even if I was a big NFL guy, well, there’s exhibit A about having just three days a week of NFL games. I’ll get to watch the Breeders Cup horse races on Nov. 6 and 7. The following weekend will be the rescheduled Masters golf tournament. After that, there isn’t much to get excited about for sports on TV until the World Junior Hockey Championship starts on Boxing Day. That is, assuming there will be a World Juniors this year; right now some people are skittish about Alberta’s rise in COVID-19 cases. Anyways, right now I have four days a week to find something to watch, on those rare quiet nights at home. I know I can sit back and watch Netflix. Still haven’t watched that Last Dance documentary about the final season of the Chicago Bulls 1990s dynasty. And there are some other good things to watch. But thanks to ADHD, I’m not the type who can binge watch a program. And it’s so much easier to have a hockey game as background noise than Volume 2 of Unsolved Mysteries when you’re working around your home. There is one silver lining: the slow return of the local sports scene. I’ll refrain from rehashing my column last month about finding a happy balance between allowing more fans at games, while keeping the number of fans to a safe and reasonable amount. It’s great that we’ve had preseason games for junior hockey and minor hockey, and that the Big Six Hockey League looks to be on track to return in November. Hopefully, they’ll be able to have more fans than the current restrictions, especially the Estevan Bruins, who can’t possibly make ends meet with 150 fans a night. Other sports are starting up again in town, most notably curling, which is such a big part of the Saskatchewan winter sports fabric. I miss high school sports. It’s unfortunate that there wasn’t a fall golf season, a cross-country season, fall soccer, volleyball (a sport that Estevan has often excelled at) and football. It’s particularly sad for the football team, since this might have been the best team Estevan has had since the sport returned to Estevan at the high school level in 2009. Perhaps we’ll be able to have some of these sports in the spring, but I’m not holding my breath. It’s good to have sports to watch and cover this fall. Thank God, because we don’t have much to watch on TV right now.

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Several advisories for COVID-19 exposures have been issued at businesses in Estevan during the past week. The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) notified the public Thursday of potential exposures to COVID-19 at three Estevan businesses, in which a person or persons attended on Oct. 15 while likely infectious: Michael's Coffee Shop and Bakery from 12:45-1 p.m., Walmart from 5-5:15 p.m. and Eddie Webster's Kitchen and Bar from 6-8 p.m. Another advisor y was issued Sunday for Hall Funeral Services, for a public visitation on Oct. 17 from 6-8 p.m. Hall Funeral S er vices owner Dustin Hall posted on Facebook after the announcement. “Since the Reopen Saskatchewan Plan has allowed small gathering for funeral services and visitations, our staff has been diligently working to ensure that the safety of all guests in our facility is a top priority,” said Hall. Sanitization processes include disinfecting of high touch/high traffic areas, and the use of electrostatic disinfectant fogging in between events. “Additionally, our staff completes a symptom checklist daily, and are not permitted to work if displaying any symptoms of the COVID-19 virus,” said Hall. At the time of the exposure, the business only had one staff member in attendance, who is following the direc-

tion of public health officials, and will not be returning to work until cleared by SHA. “Our belief has always been, and continues to be, that it is important to support one another in times of loss. We will continue to accommodate families to the best of our ability, while recognizing that the safety of our staff and their families, our client families and the public at large is paramount.” Advisories were issued for two business on Monday. The first is for the Days Inn Estevan from Oct. 1017. No times were available from the Saskatchewan Health Authority. In a post on their Facebook page, the Days Inn said they have been advised that a guest was at the Days Inn while likely infectious, and it is also possible that this guest may have visited onsite businesses, including Black Beard's Restaurant, The Beef Bar or the Ice Factory. "Please be assured that our staff have been working diligently to ensure the safety of all patrons and guests," the Facebook post said. "Our award winning housekeeping team has increased the frequency of disinfecting all high traffic and high contact areas. Continued training and resources has been provided to our staff on cleaning for a pandemic, and as always, after each stay, our guest rooms are thoroughly cleaned. To ensure that our cleaning practices are effective in killing the COVID-19 virus, we’ve partnered with

Ecolab, a cleaning industry expert." The advisory other is for Dollarama on Oct. 18 from 3:40-4 p.m. For most of the businesses, Public Health officials advised individuals who were at these locations on the specified dates during the specified times to self-monitor for 14 days, and if you have had or develop symptoms of COVID-19, immediately self-isolate and call HealthLine 811, your physician or nurse practitioner to arrange for testing. As for the Hall Funeral Services advisory, all individuals were asked to self-isolate immediately and contact Weyburn Public Health at 306-8614808 for further guidance. If people have already been contacted by Public Health, they do not need to call. If you also attended the private gathering associated with the visitation that evening, and have not been contacted by Public Health, please call the number listed above. It is important to note that individuals may develop symptoms from two to 14 days following exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19. As of Monday afternoon, 48 cases of COVID-19 had been diagnosed in the southeast region over the past 7 1/2 months. Twenty-four of those cases were considered active, including 20 cases in Southeast Zone 4, which includes Estevan and has more than 30,000 residents.

One veteran and one newcomer for Estevan trustees on Holy Family There will be a very experienced trustee and a new board member for the Estevan city seats on the Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division’s board. Karen Melle is a veteran trustee who has been part of Catholic education boards, first with the Estevan Catholic board and then with Holy Family after Estevan merged into Holy Family early in the century. Beckey Franke is entering her first term on the board, but has plenty of enthusiasm for the post. Melle said these are some interesting times for Holy Family with COVID-19, but she sees other issues, including the adjustments to 21st century learning.

She sees several issues that need to be tackled. The schools are getting older, with the future of Estevan’s two Catholic schools – St. Mary’s School and Sacred Heart School/École Sacré Coeur, discussed at a public meeting in January. Melle expects it will be talked about at meetings going forward. Numbers, both for enrolment and finances, also always have to be considered. Also in the background is the lingering concern over a court decision in Theodore several years that would affect which school parents can send their children. Melle said she is looking forward to working with new people on the Holy Family board. “I’m going to miss the

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Karen Melle other two Estevan cohorts (city representative Bev Hickie and rural representative Bob Cossette). Travelling with them all of the time was ver y good, but the new faces are going to be welcomed as well,” said Melle. Franke said she was encouraged to run by her husband Randy, who was approached by someone about running. After thinking and praying about the decision, she filed nomination papers for the city seat. “This is a whole new experience for me. I have not ever been on this side of things. My kids have gone to Catholic school and we’re involved in the parish and the church, so it’s going to be a bit of a learning curve for me,

and trying to see how things roll and run for a while.” When her children were growing up, she wasn’t on the school community councils or the home and school boards, but she’s excited for this new venture. “I’m very interested in learning about it, and seeing how it works, and if I can help in any way, which I’m hoping to, the idea of doing it and getting into it and being involved is exciting for me,” said Franke. She expects she will lean on the experience of her fellow Holy Family trustees at first, and she is interested to see how Holy Family brings faith, family and school together for all of the division’s families, while keeping everyone working together.

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Tattoos and make-up art can be found under one roof By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

B.J. Zieger and his fiancé Keisha MacDonald weren’t sure what to expect when they ventured into the business world together, but they’re pleased with the response so far. Zieger runs Lucky Buddha Tattoo, while MacDonald operates YLM Beauty and Lifestyle, both of which are located in the Scotsburn Square strip mall. They moved into the location in June, although they had been previously serving clients through a home-based business. “We did a soft opening (in June), and we had those clients in, and then we did a grand opening in August, and then we fully opened to the public in August,” said MacDonald. The businesses have been busy since they opened. “I’m booked for a few months,” said Zieger. “I’ve got some really great clients, so it’s been good.” MacDonald ’s family is originally from Estevan.

Z ieger and MacDonald moved to the Energy City in August 2019, and had a home-based business, operating out of a detached shop at the home they purchased. Most of their clients were family and friends. “But then with COVID and everything happening with that, we decided that it would probably benefit us more to be a public business, somewhere that customers could just drop by, and not necessarily have to book an appointment or find him (BJ) on social media. So we just thought it was a better fit for us, and it worked out so far, so we’re glad we did it,” said MacDonald. They join a growing list of businesses from various sectors that have opened up in Estevan in the past few months, showing confidence in the community and its people despite some challenging times for the community. They’re glad they did it. MacDonald takes care of makeup and beauty service, while Zieger handles tattoos.

B.J. Zieger and Keisha MacDonald have brought new businesses to Estevan this year, and are pleased with the response from the community. They are standing next to a mural Zieger painted. “I like doing black and and all that is going on in “I do makeup for most- more about makeup. So it’s ly grads, weddings, photo good for mother-daughter grey realism, colour realism. the world right now, how shoots, and even if people combos, just for something Traditional Japanese and people were going to respond just want to come in and get different to do on a week- lettering styles are my fa- to a business, but it’s been pampered for the day, I can end, or something different vourite things to do. I love nothing but great so far,” said MacDonald. do that as well,” said Mac- to do together, but then I … animals.” A tiger and an elephant Both said they’ve been Donald. “I also do makeup also make macramé, I make lessons for people that are nurser y décor and home that he has created in the busier than they’ve ever been; past are among his favourites. MacDonald noted that she curious and wanting to learn décor as well.” And she provides skin He also did an underwater thought she would have lost care services as well. scene with a turtle and a crab. a lot of business due to wedZieger brings a lot of Both view their work dings being postponed, but experience to Estevan. He as a chance to show off their other activity has compenhas spent about 12 years as a creativity. sated for any weddings she tattoo artist, working mostly People have appreciated did lose. in Regina, first at Planet Car- the work that they do. The business is open avan Tattoos and Piercing, “We’ve had a lot of traf- Tuesday to Saturday from and then at Lucky Panther fic in that we didn’t know noon to 6 p.m. They were Tattoo, which he owned until we were going to have, so open from Thursday to Satmoving to Estevan. it’s been a pleasant surprise urday at first, but had to He has also worked in for us. We weren’t sure, es- expand their hours due to the Australia and Bali. pecially with the COVID, demand since their opening.

DOING BUSINESS IN ESTEVAN

How to improve your store front for less

CLUES ACROSS 1. Autonomic nervous system 4. At or near the stern 7. Adenosine triphosphate 10. Polynesian garland of flowers 11. Chinese revolutionary 12. Green veggie 13. Large group 15. Swiss river 16. Semiaquatic mammal 19. Wrongdoers 21. Home to Disney World 23. Spanish doctors 24. Newborn child 25. Absence of difficulty 26. Large, stocky lizard 27. Earned top billing 30. A long wandering and eventful journey 34. Water (French) 35. Brew 36. Winged horse 41. A usually malignant tumor 45. Alfred __, American actor 46. Austrian river 47. A reminder of past events 50. Connected with 54. Status 55. Dean residence 56. Egyptian city 57. Boxing’s GOAT 59. Straits along the Red Sea 60. “The Partridge Family” actress Susan 61. Get some color 62. Facilitates hearing 63. Commercials 64. A team’s best pitcher 65. Patti Hearst’s captors

CLUES DOWN 1. Speak up 2. More informative 3. Where passengers sit 4. Gathered 5. Supervises flying 6. Home of the Blue Jays 7. Public statement of regret 8. Lockjaw 9. Indian city 13. Patriots’ Newton 14. Relative biological effectiveness (abbr.) 17. Sun up in New York 18. Eggs in female fish 20. Stood up 22. NBA legend Willis 27. Calendar month (abbr.) 28. Exercise regimen __-bo 29. The 8th month (abbr.) 31. __ Paulo, city 32. Tall deciduous tree 33. Affirmative 37. Notified of danger 38. NFL game days 39. Archaic term for “to” 40. Plant pores 41. Canned fish 42. Phil __, former CIA 43. Connects with 44. Of the skull 47. Time zone (abbr.) 48. When you hope to get there 49. Hindu goddess 51. Land 52. Pitching stat 53. Field force unit 58. Lakers’ crosstown rivals

Bringing your storefront into the 21st century is a great way to improve the look of your business and attract shoppers into your store. Did you know that the Estevan Economic Development Board has available tax incentives for storefront and façade improvements? Well, it’s true! This program covers upgrades including lighting, new or upgraded awnings, exterior architectural features, upgraded windows and exterior walls, parking lot paving, landscaping, signage, and more.

property located within the City of Estevan that has undergone storefront/façade improvements. After an application is submitted to the Economic Development Board, the businesses may be granted a commercial municipal property tax exemption equivalent to 75% of the cost of the improvement to a maximum of $10,000 or the lower of the two. The tax levy exemption will be applied starting the calendar year after the improvement has been completed and will be spread equally over the three years.

“We developed these incentives with a couple goals in mind” explained Coal Transition and Economic Development Coordinator Richard Sadick. “The program will not only help to improve the appearance of your building facade but will also improve the look of our streetscapes and provide a more welcoming environment to work, shop and live.”

So go above and beyond on the look of your storefront, pave your parking lot, or purchase a rundown building and upgrade it to your liking. With the City of Estevan Economic Development Façade Improvement program, you can invest in the look of your business without bearing a large cost.

The incentive is available for any commercial

*Terms and conditions apply. All applications are subject to the approval of the Estevan Economic Development Board.

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Moe and Sask. Party earn big honkin’ election win By Brian Zinchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Saskatchewan Party was re-elected to its historic fourth majority government on Monday night, winning or leading in 50 of 61 seats, and giving Scott Moe his first “big honkin’ election win,” as he put it, as leader of the Saskatchewan Party and now premier-elect. It was a gain of four seats for the Saskatchewan Party. The New Democratic Party (NDP), led by Ryan Meili, won 11 seats, a decline of two. The 2016 election had the Saskatchewan Party winning 51 seats and the New Democratic Party winning 10, but by dissolution, due to by-elections and vacancies, the Saskatchewan Party had 46 seats, the NDP had 13, and there were two vacancies. Late into the night it looked like not much at all had changed, with similar seat counts. The Saskatchewan Party kept picking up additional seats, and an upset came in for NDP Leader Ryan Meili. With 50 of 50 polls reporting in in Saskatoon Meewasin, he was behind the Saskatchewan Party’s Rylund Hunter by 83 votes. However, that could change in the coming days, as there were 1,656 vote-by-mail ballots issued by Elections Saskatchewan for Saskatoon Meewasin. Due to the pandemic, votes by mail received by 8 p.m. on election day will be counted by Elections Saskatchewan on Oct. 28. Even then, the final result may not be known until the final election count Nov. 7, 12 days after the election. That’s because votes received in the mail from Oct. 27 to Nov. 5 won’t be counted until the final count. Additionally, some voters may have chosen to vote in person instead of by mail, or have chosen not to vote at all, so how many of those vote by mail ballots issued are actually in play is an open question. The COVID-19 pandemic led to an extraordinary increase in both requests for mail-in ballots and participation in advanced polls. Advance voting was up substantially compared to 2016, with 185,061 votes cast this year compared to 110,716 four years ago. Those vote by mail ballots could be the deciding factor in several races. There were 61,412 vote by mail ballot kits sent out by Elections Saskatchewan, a record number by a factor of more than 13. Most of the seats in the closest races had substantial numbers of vote by mail ballots issued – ranging from 568 to 2,674, easily enough to sway the final numbers.

Meili’s seat wasn’t the only race which could be impacted by the extraordinarily high number of mail-in ballots. Saskatoon University had the NDP’s Jennifer Bowes leading the Sask. Party’s Eric Olausen by 105 votes, with 1,296 vote-by-mail ballots issued. Saskatoon Eastview saw NDP candidate Matt Love ahead of Sask. Party candidate Chris Guérette by 102. That riding had 1,555 vote-by-mail ballots issued. An upset came in Saskatoon Riversdale, where the Sask. Party’s Marv Friesen beat the NDP’s Ashlee Hicks by 274 votes. Hicks ran for the NDP in Souris-Moose Mountain in the 2019 federal election. Saskatoon Riversdale has long been an NDP stronghold, represented by past NDP Premiers Roy Romanow and Lorne Calvert. But that riding also had 920 vote-by-mail ballots issued. The map was awash with Sask. Party green across all of

rural Saskatchewan, save the two northern seats of Athabasca and Cumberland. Other than the north, only the more central and western portions of both Saskatoon and Regina went NDP orange. While there were six parties running and three independents, it was really a twoparty race. The Saskatchewan Party improved its share of the popular vote by nearly 0.6 per cent, from 62.4 per cent in 2016, to 62.95 per cent. The NDP’s share of the popular vote declined, from 30.2 per cent in 2016, to 29.12 per cent. That makes the third time the Sask. Party has received over 60 per cent of the vote. The brand-new Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan outdid all other parties, scoring 11,050 votes for a 2.9 per cent share. That was accomplished with just 17 candidates running. They beat out the Saskatchewan Green Party, which fielded 60 candidates but only gained 9,091 votes, or 2.4 per

cent. The Progressive Conservatives had 31 candidates, and garnered 7,935 votes, or two per cent. The Liberals, with just three candidates, received 338 votes, or 0.09 per cent. This is the third provincial election since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and in each case, the incumbent government won, with a stronger showing either in seats or vote share. New Brunswick’s Progressive Conservative government under Blaine Higgs was the first, moving from a minority to a majority government. A similar pattern happened just days ago in British Columbia, where a minority NDP government lead by John Horgan won a majority. In each case, the voters trusted the incumbents to continue on. That was the central theme of Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe’s campaign. He started the election by asking “Who do you trust?” and

it was his mantra throughout the campaign, asking who the voters would trust to lead Saskatchewan through the recovery from the pandemic. Moe consistently brought up the NDP’s record of cuts during its 16 years in power from 1991-2007 under austerity budgets to eliminate a deficit in the earlier years. He said the NDP were a party of decline, while the Sask. Party was one of growth. Conversely, NDP Lead-

er Meili often focused on what they said the Sask. Party would do – make severe cuts to social programs under austerity budgets. Meili’s repeated phrase that such cuts, during uncertain times, were “downright dangerous.” Their campaign focused on “People first,” and included a “Sask. First” procurement strategy, smaller class sizes in schools, and a restoration of Saskatchewan Transportation Company bus service.

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Important issues for City Council going forward:

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• Maintain a balanced budget and manage debt reduction

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• Develop a robust economy and stronger infrastructure • Create opportunities for Estevan residents and newcomers • Enhance a healthy, safe community

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Senior Living

A monthly supplement

Museum to offer event for seniors The Souris Valley Museum has announced an event that is geared towards seniors in the community. History and Coffee on Nov. 19 at 10 a.m. will allow seniors to enjoy a cup of coffee and have a good time with friends. “The museum will be providing some of our reference materials about the

history of Estevan and they will be more than welcome to go through all the books that we have referencing Estevan’s history,” said museum curator-director Mark Veneziano. Photos will also be on display for people to view. The museum traditionally hosts a Senior High Tea, with live entertainment,

dainties, refreshments and socializing, but it couldn’t happen due to COVID-19 restrictions. So they decided to try out a new format in a new time of year for their seniors’ event. Veneziano noted the high tea doesn’t have the learning materials that History and Coffee will have for seniors.

“This is more of a learning environment,” said Veneziano. Staff will also have an open dialogue with seniors that day to see what else the museum can offer them, whether it be hosting History and Coffee on a more regular basis, or having a different activity. They might also continue to offer the High

Tea each year; it depends on what the seniors want. “We are more than happy to work with our community members to develop something for them,” said Veneziano. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, people need to pre-register to attend History and Coffee. Seniors can register by calling the

museum at 306-634-5543. It will cost $2 for seniors to attend. The number of people is limited to about 12 seniors, so that they can be adequately spaced out in the building. Veneziano expects it will be a great time, and he’s looking forward to seeing people turn out.

Ways to cut costs during retirement The average person will spend more than 50 years in the employment sector. As retirement draws closer, many professionals begin to daydream about giving up the commute and having more time to pursue their personal interests. Even if planning for retirement has been many years in the making, it can take some time for a person to become acclimated to having less income. “Older households,” which are defined as those run by someone age 65 and older, spent an average of $45,756 in 2016, or roughly $3,800 a month. That’s roughly $1,000 less than the monthly average spent. Housing, transportation, health care, and food are some of the biggest bills retirees will have to account for. Aiming to have savings in addition to any other retirement income or government subsidy coming in

to cover that amount is a step in the right direction. Retirees can make their money go further if they take inventory of their spending and make some cuts where possible. • Know where your money is going. It’s impossible to save without knowing what your expenses are each month. Many people are surprised to learn how much little things add up over the course of a month. For example, spending $4 for a take-out coffee each day can quickly become an expensive luxury. Add all expenses and see where you can trim, especially if there’s a deficit each month. • Pare down on possessions. Take inventory of what you have and scale back where possible. If you are no longer commuting to work, you may be able to become a one-car household. Downsizing your

residence can help seniors avoid spending too much of their retirement time and money maintaining their homes. • Take advantage of senior discounts. Take advantage of the many discounts that are offered to seniors. Retirees can usually save on restaurants, travel, groceries, and much more by simply shopping on specific days or verifying their age when checking out. • Purchase less expensive life insurance. The chief purpose of life insurance is to replace income to ensure the financial security of dependents in the event of death. Retirees may have no dependents and little income. Therefore, a large life insurance policy may not be necessary, especially if you’ve already set aside funds to cover funeral costs. • Pay off a mortgage. Housing is many people’s most

substantial expense. Paying off a mortgage can free up more money each month and allow

retirees to spend their golden years doing as they please. As retirement nears,

adults can employ various strategies to reduce their monthly expenses.

Tips for seniors to remain safe behind the wheel A license to drive has long been symbolic of independence. Teenage drivers long for the day they earn their licenses and can take to the road without mom or dad riding shotgun, while aging drivers want to keep driving as long as possible so they can come and go as they please in their golden years.

There’s no formula drivers and their families can employ to determine when it’s time to take the car keys away from senior citizens. Thankfully, fatal collisions involving older drivers have declined considerably in recent decades. Collisionrelated fatalities among drivers ages 70 and older declined by 15 percent between 1997 and

2018. A host of factors have no doubt contributed to that decline, including lane-assist technology and forward collision warning systems that have become standard offerings on many modern vehicles. As much as technology has helped make driving safer for everyone, aging drivers should still keep an eye out

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for certain signs that may indicate their skills behind the wheel are diminishing and potentially compromising their ability to drive safely. The following are warning signs of unsafe driving. • Delayed response to unexpected situations: Frequent close calls and narrowly avoiding collisions when other drivers stop suddenly indicate reduced response time that can put aging drivers at an elevated risk of being involved in an accident. • Becoming easily distracted while driving: Distracted driving has become a significant concern in recent decades, but it’s often associated with young drivers. However, aging drivers who are easily distracted also pose a safety risk to themselves and

other motorists. • Decrease in confidence while driving: Only drivers will know if they feel confident enough to drive safely, and it’s vital that aging drivers be honest with themselves when assessing how they feel when driving. • Having difficulty moving into or maintaining the correct lane of traffic: Laneassist technology can help drivers recognize how often they’re staying in the correct lane of traffic. When the warning bell goes off frequently, it might be time for older drivers to reconsider if it’s safe for them to be behind the wheel. • Hitting curbs when making right turns or backing up: Hitting curbs when turning or backing up indicates drivers may be having difficulty

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controlling their vehicles and/ or seeing the road, both of which indicate it’s no longer safe for drivers to get behind the wheel. • Getting scrapes or dents on car, garage or mailbox: These signs also indicate drivers are having trouble controlling their vehicles. • Driving too fast or too slow for road conditions: This indicates drivers are not as alert to their surroundings as they need to be to stay safe on the road. It’s not easy for aging drivers to relinquish their drivers’ licenses. Learning to recognize potential warning signs of unsafe driving can help aging drivers make the safest decisions for themselves, their passengers and their fellow motorists.

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Three new candidates aspire to councillor position for the RM of Estevan Division 5 in November election Three women candidates are going after a councillor position for the RM of Estevan’s Division 5. Tania Hlohovsky Andrist, Ramona Dukart and Dakota Michael filed their nominations and the residents of the division will have to decide who will best represent their interests. Hlohovsky Andrist has a bachelor of arts degrees in political science and journalism and also a certificate in nonprofit leadership. She's been involved in the community for many years and said that she always had an interest in RM politics, so becoming involved with the council is just the next step for her. "I really do believe in our RM. I just have such a positive feeling about it and about the place where we live. And I would like to participate in making an impact in the future," said Hlohovsky Andrist. She added that with the

Tania Hlohovsky Andrist

Ramona Dukart

Dakota Michael

downturn in the economy and the uncertainty in the energy sector, she'd like to help the RM to find the vision for the future. For her, the "number one" project is the new Estevan Regional Nursing Home. Hlohovsky Andrist has been involved with the nursing home committee almost from the beginning and she continues to push for the project to be accomplished. She lives and farms in Division 5, and is a fundraiser and grant writer for a local non-profit. Hlohovsky Andrist

believes her experience with planning large projects and programming, finding budgets and making things happen can be very beneficial for the RM. "I believe there are grants out there for municipalities, and … I would like to see our RM trying to seek additional funding for other things that maybe could make improvements for our community without having to burden taxpayers or the ratepayers," said Hlohovsky Andrist. Dukart has retired from the South East Cornerstone Public School Division, where

she worked as an educational assistant in speech and language. She said she can dedicate a lot of time and give 100 per cent to the RM if she is elected. She felt that she wanted to help shape the future of the municipality, which is facing serious changes. "(I want to help) make decisions about services they provide in the RM to help establish policies and some core essential services that are provided and how these services are delivered, like roads, transportation, snow removal, recreation facilities

and programs that we run or help run, land use, planning and economic development, fire prevention, animal control, emergency planning within our division and the RM, and possible garbage removal," said Dukart. She pointed out that road repairs and transportation are her main concerns, and added that for her it's important to help the RM with their involvement with senior care as well. "I'm here for the ratepayers within our division and within the whole RM. And I would like to move the RM into the future and to stand behind the ratepayers, present what they have to say," said Dukart. Dukart lives on the family farm north of Estevan and lived all her life in a rural setting. Michael, who was raised in Macoun and has been living on the west side of the RM for the last six years, said that family members inspired her to run this

the RM has done a great job this term by building new roads and lowering taxes. Daoust said he has always had an interest in what is happening in the RM, and he’s coming to the end of his career at SaskPower. So he believes now is a good time to run and give something back. His family has resided in Division 3 for nearly 20 years. During the next four years, he hopes to work with the provincial government to strengthen this corner of the province.

“Roads are important to me, of course and I think there’s a few upgrades that we can do to the roads, but probably my main focus is going to be to rejuvenate not only the rural in this area around Estevan, but Estevan as a whole,” he said. Daoust said he has tracked what is happening in Division 3. The division took a hit during the flood of the Souris River in 2011, and the Daoust farm wasn’t immune from the damage. He hopes the RM can be ready should a similar flood happen again.

year because of her concerns with the municipality. "I thought that the RM needed a bit of a change and a different perspective with a female running and with someone younger as well," said Michael. She added that there is a list of issues she would like to address within the RM, including the quality of roads, implementation of the coal phase-out plan and property assessment frequency. Michael said that working alongside the Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency, she would like to see properties in the RM being assessed more often to represent the current fair market value. She also wants to see the RM working alongside the City of Estevan. And she would like to get a field house started whether it be in the city or out in the RM. Michael is an accounting technician for Siever, Fonstad and Erdman.

He’s pleased to see the RM council has embraced acreage owners during the past term. “We’ve allowed that to take a bit of a foothold in the area. I think what that does is help the tax base for the Estevan RM,” he said. Daoust will also be watching to see what happens with the coal mines and the power production facilities. If elected, he said he would make decisions on a calm, coolheaded approach, and not make rash decisions.

Candidates vying for Division 3 in the Rm of Estevan The election for Division 3 in the RM of Estevan features a showdown between a veteran councillor and a first-time challenger. Dennis Blackburn, who has been a councillor for the RM for 16 years, will face Kevin Daoust. The vote will take place on Nov. 9. Blackburn said he has been trying to get cabins and houses constructed adjacent to Rafferty Dam, similar to what has been built near Boundary Dam, but it hasn’t been accomplished yet. “I think it’s time … that we get together with some of the adjoining RMs that join on with that dam, and see if we can get enough people to go to the government and lobby and see if we can get some ground freed up,” said Blackburn.

Dennis Blackburn

Kevin Daoust

It would mean a lot for the RM, especially with the uncertain future of the power plants and coal mines. Blackburn believes it’s tough to know what’s going to happen next, because the federal government didn’t have a plan for this area. “We have to get something here, a refinery or something. We have to be able to sell finished products, not give away our raw products. And

we’re giving our raw products away, because wherever we ship our oil to, somebody else is refining it. Wherever we ship our grain to, somebody else is making the flour, making the oils.” Blackburn said it’s important for the RM to continue maintaining the roads. A retired coal miner and farmer, Blackburn said he has the time to be on council, and he enjoys the work. He believes

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Lorne Jahn Two candidates are aspiring for a Division 1 seat on the RM of Estevan Council this year. Newcomer Jeff Mack is challenging incumbent councillor Lorne Jahn, who’s been part of the council for the past 27 years. Jahn said it is his last time running, but so far there are some issues that have to be addressed before he retires from council work. For example, he would like to see taxes going down. “We are way out of whack with taxes here,” said Jahn. He also pointed out that while it’s unclear so far what the new government would mean to the region and to the RM, the council has serious issues to deal with and it has to be knowledgeable to face them. And Jahn has a lot of knowledge and experience to offer. “They call me ‘the historian,’” he said. “I want to try to keep the fair government in the RM.” Jahn said he’s received a lot of support from people around. “I’ve always been fair to everybody. I don’t have any enemies as far as I’m concerned,” Jahn said. Jahn is now retired and lives in the RM south of the Shand Power Station, just a couple of kilometres away from where his father was born. He’s spent 30 years working draglines and also

Jeff Mack dedicated many years to raising cattle alongside his family. Mack, on the other hand, said he decided to run for the RM council to see some changes happening and to add a fresh voice to the group, leading the area through the upcoming transformations related to changes in the coal industry in the region. “It’s a good time to add somebody fresh in there, a little bit younger, who is trying to get ahead of the game and get some idea of what’s going on,” said Mack. He added that for him it’s important to hear the people out and bring attention to their issues and concerns. “I’m running to be able to get to the people in this area that actually voice their concerns,” said Mack. “There are some people that haven’t seen a councillor for quite a while … I honestly think that … (councillors) should be able to go out and visit people and get their opinions on their division in their RM on what should be done.” For Mack, it is the first time running for the councillor position. Mack was born and raised in Estevan, and five years ago moved to an acreage south of the Shand Power Station by Roche Percee. He’s recently started working as a custom hauler

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Bruins sweep Red Wings in first preseason home and home The regular season has yet to begin, but the Estevan Bruins have already had a number of positive developments. They defeated their Highway 39 rivals, the Weyburn Red Wings, 6-3 in Weyburn on Friday night and 3-0 in Estevan on Saturday, to open the 2020-21 SJHL preseason schedule for both teams. Kade McMillen, Antoine St. Onge, Matt Millette, Griffin Asham-Moroz, Erik Boers and Mason Smith scored for Estevan in the first game. Eric Clark made 27 saves in the victory. The following night, Mason Strutt scored twice and Troy Hamilton also scored for the Bruins. Emerik Demers stopped 18 shots to get the shutout. Both Estevan and Weyburn ran into penalty troubles in the first two periods of Saturday’s game. Bruins head coach and general manager Jason Tatarnic said he was pleased with how the Bruins responded, especially during a two-minute, two-man advantage Weyburn enjoyed in the first period. “We were pretty aggressive,” said Tatarnic. “It’s no secret what we do. I think we’re fast enough and we have

enough team speed that we can kill that way.” While Demers wasn’t busy, he was good when called upon, making impressive saves in the first and third periods. Tatarnic was pleased with the Bruins’ effort both nights. The two teams will meet again Oct. 30 in Weyburn and Oct. 31 in Estevan. Estevan received some good news before Friday’s game, when they learned that local product Cole Fonstad would be allowed to join the club to start the season. Fonstad, a skilled forward, hails from Estevan and played most of his minor hockey here. He was drafted in the fifth round by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and he helped the Prince Albert Raiders win the 2019 Western Hockey League (WHL) title. After being dealt to the Everett Silvertips early in the 2019-20 season, Fonstad went on to finish tied for third in assists in the WHL last season. Fonstad is slated to remain with the Bruins until Dec. 20, when he will rejoin the Silvertips. An agreement has been reached with the WHL and the SJHL to allow WHL players to play in the SJ, since the WHL season won’t start until at least Jan. 8, 2021. In the two preseason

games, Fonstad joined Strutt and Ryder Pierson, both of Estevan, to form a local line. “It’s been a while since I played in this rink, so I have a lot of buddies that I played with back in minor hockey, so it’s pretty cool,” said Fonstad. Earlier in the week, he wasn’t allowed to join the Bruins, but then a teammate from Everett was allowed to play for the Melfort Mustangs. “I reached out to Jason, and then had to get approval from my team, and that was it,” said Fonstad. Tatarnic said there has

been some criticism about WHL players joining junior A teams, but he counters this will benefit both Fonstad and the Bruins. “Guys can learn from him. He’s a great teammate,” said Tatarnic. “There’s no arrogance about him whatsoever, and he’s a very humble kid. He’s been good for our dressing room and he’s been good for practice.” Fonstad said it was great to play with Pierson and Strutt. The three formed a dangerous line at the U15 level, and were a threat to score

Ken Bonokoski has been a big part of curling in Bienfait for decades, and he recently earned a well-deserved provincial recognition. Bonokoski was presented with the Walter Ortt Volunteer Award by CurlSask on Oct. 21. Pauline Ziehl Grimsrud, who is the manager of the Estevan Curling Club and a CurlSask representative, nominated him for the award and quietly assembled the information for his nomination without Bonokoski’s knowledge. “I didn’t know until Wednesday evening (Oct. 21), when we had our curling club meeting (In Bienfait), and Pauline showed up with the award,” Bonokoski told the Mercury. Bonokoski has been a volunteer at the curling club

since the 1980s; he and his wife Suzanne have taken an active role in looking after the facility. “In the early 1980s I started curling – actually, I was curling a number of years before that – but in the early ‘80s, I started getting involved,” recalled Bonokoski. “In 1984, I took on being the treasurer, and then in about the 1987-88 season, our numbers were down to almost nothing, and we were having problems with our ice.” A group came together and decided they needed to redo the ice surface, so they dug the whole ice surface up and installed a cement floor to replace the previous gravel floor. “In the fall of 1988, I took on the presidency of the club, and I’ve been there ever since,” said Bonokoski. An addition was built to

the back of the rink for water storage to make ice, and they rebuilt the fire escape on the east side of the rink. “You’re always operating on a pretty small budget,” he said. Bonokoski said he has taken such an active role to keep the club running because he didn’t want to see it fail, and he has enjoyed being involved. “The curling community as a whole is actually a great community to work with,” said Bonokoski. “My wife and I have made a lot of friends through the curling rink, and having other people involved with us.” Numbers at the Bienfait Curling Club are down a little, but they’re holding their own, like a lot of curling clubs these days. They’re sitting at about

12 or 13 teams, or about 50 members, for the three-sheet ice surface. Each week a recreational league takes to the ice in Bienfait. It’s an open league, so teams can be comprised of men, women or mixed. “We haven’t really gotten into a real competitive side of it,” said Bonokoski. He would like to see somebody step in and take over the presidency and some of the other involvements that Bonokoski and his wife have, but trying to find volunteers to step forward can be tough. They’ll remain involved in the meantime, and he’s glad that they have taken such an active role in keeping curling viable in the town. And he said there have been a lot of people who have been

By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

Cody Davis (9) cuts in past a Weyburn defender during the Bruins 3-0 preseason victory over the Weyburn Red Wings on Saturday night at Affinity Place. consistently in the two exhibition games against Weyburn. He’s pleased with the team, and he’s already enjoying playing for Tatarnic. “He’s a good coach. For everyone here, he’s brought in a lot of new stuff and created an excitement in the room,” said Fonstad. The Bruins have also announced the acquisition of Quintin Loon-Stewardson, a 2000-born forward, from the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the BC Hockey League for a player development fee. He spent the 2019-20

season with the Battlefords North Stars, who were the top-ranked team in the SJHL before the SJHL playoffs were scuttled due to COVID-19. He had 30 goals and 55 points in 53 games played for the Battlefords, and added 168 penalty minutes. Loon-Stewardson also helped the Stars win the SJHL title in 2018-19, recording 19 points in 16 postseason games. “He’s a very established guy in this league and a proven winner,” said Tatarnic. “He’s good on the faceoffs. He’s going to make our team better.”

Bienfait curling leader honoured by CurlSask

Pauline Ziehl Grimsrud presented the Walter Ortt Volunteer Award to Ken Bonokoski in honour of Bonokoski’s many years of service with the Bienfait Curling Club. Photo submitted involved with the club over the years who he shares the award with. The Bienfait Curling

Club would normally open on the first Monday of November, but this year they’re holding off until early January.

Run the Course The I Run for Iris team participated in the annual Run the Course fundraiser on Saturday morning at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Course. The team members regularly exercise in memory of their friend Iris Curriel, who died in January. This year’s Run the Course was held on a frigid day, but the cold temperatures and the snow-covered pathways didn’t deter participants from walking or running to support the Fresh Air Fitness outdoor exercise area at Woodlawn. They had three distances to choose from: the pathways for the front nine at Woodlawn, 18 holes at Woodlawn, or a 10-kilometre route through the golf course and Woodlawn Regional Park.

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Bears release schedule; play preseason games The Estevan Eclipse Downhole Solutions U18 AAA Bears hockey club has released the schedule for their inaugural season. The Bears will play a 30game slate, with games against the Notre Dame Hounds, the Regina Pat Canadians, the Moose Jaw Warriors, the Swift Current Legionnaires and the Yorkton Maulers. Their first-ever regular season game will be played Nov. 1 when they visit the Regina Pat Canadians. Estevan will then visit the Swift Current Legionnaires on Nov. 6, and host the Legionnaires on Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. in the Bears inaugural regular season home game at Affinity Place. Twelve of the Bears games will be played before Christmas. Their final game before the Christmas break will be Dec. 13, when they host the Pat Canadians, starting at 4 p.m. They will return to action on Jan. 9 when they visit Swift Current. The majority of their home games will be played on

The Estevan Bears faced the Notre Dame Hounds in a preseason game Sunday at Affinity Place. Sunday afternoons, and most games will be home and home showdowns. Estevan played their two preseason games on the weekend. Their first game was a

10-2 loss to the Notre Dame Hounds on Saturday afternoon in Wilcox. It was a close game early on, as the Hounds held a 1-0 lead after the first period. But

then the Hounds pulled away in the second, scoring six times to lead 7-1 after 40 minutes. Turner McMillen had the Bears goal in the middle frame – a goal early in the second that

left Estevan down 2-1. Notre Dame would add three more in the third. Ty Mason notched the Bears third-period goal. Kelton Pyne stopped 24

shots for the Bears. McMillen had the Bears lone goal in a 4-1 loss to the Hounds Sunday at Affinity Place. Jackson Miller made 38 saves for the Bears in goal.

Estevan Taekwon-Do resumes its practices The Estevan Taekwon-Do Association had a phased-in start to their year, but now they’re able to have practices for all of their members. Head instructor Wayne Brown, who is a sixth degree black belt, said they held their first full practice Oct. 15. The senior black belt instructors and the black belts started training in mid-September. “We wanted to get the opportunity to train together and work on some of the different practices and the different things we would have to implement in order to get ready for the regular classes,” he said.

They trained for about four weeks, and studied different ways to manage the small group of black belts and instructors before regular classes began. The association has about 30 returning students and six new beginners. Some were unable to make the first few sessions, and they accepted a few more after the initial gatherings. Numbers are down, but they’re happy to have about 36 members this year, and to have some new students. “Everyone is a little tentative in the current situation,” said Brown. Practice sessions are held Mondays and Thursdays from

6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Estevan Church of God. They had to find a new location, since they couldn’t practise in schools, so the executive spent the summer looking for a new home. A number of protocols have been established for the practices. There’s a screening process when a member walks in the building to undergo questions and to make sure a student or an instructor isn’t feeling well, because they don’t want an illness brought into the building. Spots are marked on the floor to keep the two-metre distancing and for training. “It’s hard when you can only have 30 people in a room,

but we are doing our best to maintain that social distancing. The students are coming to class all dressed in their doboks, and they’re bringing their own water and equipment,” said Brown. “Right now we’re just working through this slowly, and as things change, we’re always continuing to look for better ways, and to implement some closer contact training and

shield work, but we have to look at what we can implement that will be safer for everybody.” Members have done a good job of handling the challenges. “Of course we’re following the guidelines that the Saskatchewan Health Authority established, and we had to in order to make sure we could open up safely,” said Brown.

The club doesn’t want to encounter a situation that would force them to suspend their practices again. The association’s annual meet would typically happen in November, but that can’t happen, as there aren’t any tournaments happening in the province, and they want to keep the same cohort or bubble of people training together.

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A14 October 28, 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

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION (Section 81 of the Act] Notice of Poll

Municipal Election

PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that: 1 A poll has been granted in the City of Estevan for the election of: Mayor Councillor Southeast Cornerstone School Division No. 209 Holy Family Separate School Division No. 140

November 9, 2020

2 Voting will take place on Monday the 9th day of November, 2020, at the polling places listed below.

•

ADVANCE POLLS

3 I will declare the result of the election at City Hall, 1102 4th Street, Estevan on the 9th day of November, 2020.

MAIL-IN BALLOT

Polling Area #1 #2

Get your Mail-In Ballot online at www.estevan.ca

Polling Place

Address

Church of God (8:00 am - 8:00 pm) Estevan Fire Hall Drive-Thru (11:00am -7:00 pm)

1920 Wellock Road

Dated at Estevan this 9th day of October, 2020.

or call Connie Spencer at 306-634-1802

Monday November 2, 2020 between 10:00 am & 3:00 pm

or Email a request to DRO@estevan.ca

Tuesday November 3, 2020 between 10:00 am & 3:00 pm

ELECTION DAY

Estevan Fire Hall DriveThru

MunicipaledElection

November 9, 2020

801 - 13th Avenue

NOTICE OF CHANGE TO ADVANCED POLL

Whereas, a poll is unable to be held at #403A – 9th Avenue, Estevan, SK Start Up (Spectra Financial Building) #403A 9th Avenue, Estevan, SK Tuesday October 27, 202 Monday November 2, 2020 Tuesday Nov ember 3, 2020 Wednesday November 4, 2020 -

Church of God - 1920 Wellock Road 8:00am-8:00 pm

Friday Oc tober 30, 2020 between 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm

November ell 9, 2020

c n a

Es tevan Fire Hall - 801-13th Avenue 11:00am-7:00 pm

NOTICE OF ABANDONMENT OF POLL

I hereby give public notice that Revised Advance Polls will be established as:

NOTICE OF ABANDONMENT OF POLL

[Section 82 of the Act] Whereas a poll is not required pursuant to The Local Government Election Act, 2015 for the office of:

Board Member: Southeast Cornerstone Public School Division No. 209

Board Member: Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division No. 140

KEATING, Kevin MCCRIMMON, Eric

FRANKE, Becky MELLE, Karen

Dated at Weyburn, this 9th day of October, 2020.

Dated at Estevan, this 9th day of October, 2020.

•

 November 2, 2020 – Church of God (1920 Wellock Road, Estevan, SK ) 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

ADVANCE POLLS

MAIL-IN BALLOT

 November 3, 2020 – Church of God (1920 Wellock Road, Estevan, SK) 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Dated at Estevan this 22 day of October, 2020. st

Get your Mail-In Ballot online at www.estevan.ca

Judy Pilloud Returning Officer.

or call Connie Spencer at 306-634-1802

Monday

FITNESS SCHEDULE MONDAY SPIN 6:10 AM - 6:50 AM AQUA AWE 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM GRIT 9:10 AM - 9:50 AM EASY STRETCH 10:10 AM - 10:50 AM SPIN 12:15 PM - 12:45 PM POWER BLAST 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM SPIN/CORE 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM AQUA STEP 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM WEIGHT ROOM 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM

801 - 13th Avenue

November 2, 2020 between 10:00 am & 3:00 pm

ESTEVAN LEISURE CENTRE -2020 EFFECTIVE -SEPTEMBER 1 - DECEMBER 24, 2020

TUESDAY SPIN 6:10 AM - 6:50 AM AQUA AWE 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM SPIN 9:10 AM - 9:50 AM CARDIO BLAST 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM SPIN 5:30 PM - 6:10 PM WEIGHT ROOM 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM

WEDNESDAY GRIT 6:10 AM - 6:50 AM AQUA AWE 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM CORE BARRE ABOVE 9:10 AM - 10:15 AM FOAM ROLLER 10:30 AM - 11:10 AM CARDIO BLAST 1:10 PM - 2:00 PM BARRE ABOVE 12:15 PM - 12:45 PM AQUA STEP 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM WEIGHT ROOM 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes

Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes

THURSDAY FRIDAY TuesdayGRIT 6:10 AM - 6:50 AM SPIN 6:10 AM - 6:50 AM AQUA AWE 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM AWE 9:10 AM - 10:00 AM November 3,AQUA 2020 SPIN 9:10 AM - 9:50 AM GRIT 9:10 AM - 9:50 AM between am & 3:00 pm 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CARDIO BLAST 1:15 PM - 2:0010:00 PM EASY STRETCH HEAD TO TOE MOBILITY 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM (virtual class) SPIN 5:30 PM - 6:10 PM WEIGHT ROOM 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM WEIGHT ROOM 6:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Estevan Fire Hall

or Email a request to DRO@estevan.ca

ELECTION DAY

DriveThru 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 ncreased 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.caChurch or call the Information contactless of GodDesk-for1920 Wellock Ro payment. 8:00am-8:00 pm

801 - 13th Avenue

Friday Oc tober 30, 2020 between 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm

AQUATIC SCHEDULE MONDAY LANE SWIM 6:00 AM - 6:45 AM LANE SWIM 7:00 AM - 7:45 AM LANE SWIM 8:00 AM - 8:45 AM AQUA AWE 9:15AM - 10:00 AM LANE SWIM 12:15 PM -1:00 PM LANE SWIM 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM SURF & SWIM 3:00 PM - 3:45 PM LANE SWIM 9:00 PM - 9:45 PM

November 9, 2020

Es tevan Fire Hall - 801-13th Aven 11:00am-7:00 pm

EFFECTIVE - OCTOBER 1 - DECEMBER 19, 2020

TUESDAY LANE SWIM 6:00 AM - 6:45 AM LANE SWIM 7:00 AM - 7:45 AM LANE SWIM 8:00 AM - 8:45 AM AQUA AWE 9:15AM - 10:00 AM LANE SWIM 12:15 PM -1:00 PM LANE SWIM 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM SURF & SWIM 3:00 PM - 3:45 PM

WEDNESDAY LANE SWIM 6:00 AM - 6:45 AM LANE SWIM 7:00 AM - 7:45 AM LANE SWIM 8:00 AM - 8:45 AM AQUA AWE 9:15AM - 10:00 AM LANE SWIM 12:15 PM - 1:00 PM LANE SWIM 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM SURF & SWIM 3:00 PM - 3:45 PM LANE SWIM 9:00 PM - 9:45 PM

THURSDAY LANE SWIM 6:00 AM - 6:45 AM LANE SWIM 7:00 AM - 7:45 AM LANE SWIM 8:00 AM - 8:45 AM AQUA AWE 9:15AM - 10:00 AM LANE SWIM 12:15 PM - 1:00 PM AQUA AWE 1:15 PM -2:00 PM SURF & SWIM 3:00 PM - 3:45 PM

FRIDAY LANE SWIM 6:00 AM - 6:45 AM LANE SWIM 7:00 AM - 7:45 AM LANE SWIM 8:00 AM - 8:45 AM AQUA AWE 9:15AM - 10:00 AM LANE SWIM 12:15 PM - 1:00 PM LANE SWIM 1:15 PM -2:00 PM SURF & SWIM 3:00 PM - 3:45 PM FREE SWIM 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM ** LANE SWIM 6:15 PM - 7:00 PM *** **NO NOV 6 OR 27 *** ONLY OCT 9,16,30 & DEC 4,11,18

SATURDAY LANE SWIM 12:15 PM - 12:45 PM PUBLIC SWIM 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM LANE SWIM 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

FAMILY SWIM 6:15PM - 7:15 PM PUBLIC SWIM 7:15PM - 9:00 PM

SUNDAY LANE SWIM 1200 PM - 12:45 PM FAMILY SWIM 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM

LANE SWIM 3:45 PM - 4:45 PM DEEP WATER POWER 8:00 PM - 8:45 PM

PLEASE NOTE - Due to the pandemic-related protocols, Lane Swim, Aqua Step, A.I.S., Deep Water Power Awe programming has moved to a PRE-Registration process. Users must pre-register online or by calling the Information Desk. For all other activities space is limited. Patrons will be screened upon arrival and asked a few questions as per the Operational Health and Safety Guidelines. Water fountains are not available.

Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes Estevan Votes

Agri News A15

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Adapting is the key to success. Torkelson family reflects on over 50 years in farming By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

Many things have changed over the past 50 years, but some remain the same. For Russ and Sharon Torkelson, who reside 10 kilometres west of Oungre, these years brought many challenges and successes, as they were building their farm on the first 10 acres of land and growing it to the size of almost 6,500 acres. Russ Torkelson started farming in the Beaubier area many years ago alongside his father, a good, hardworking farmer who was more into a mixed cattle operation. Soon the two men got to a point when they had to go bigger, but they also realized that their approach was different, and Russ went his own way. "He came home one day and asked, 'Do you want a new house?' I said, 'No, I'm happy where I am.' He left and talked to his dad again and he came back about an hour later and said, 'We are building a new house. Tell me where you want it,'" Sharon recalled. "There is one word that expresses my feeling, you have to be able to adapt. 'Adapt' – is the major word. You have to be able to adapt, you don't have to like it, but you want to adapt to the way it is. Don't fight it," said Russ, recalling the wisdom an older man shared with him a long time ago. "My father had trouble adapting," Russ recalled. The Torkelsons started

their own farm by renting land and building their home and yard around it on 10 acres along Highway 18. "There was absolutely nothing when we started here," Russ said. "The bald Prairies," Sharon added. They never regretted going their own way. Nachman Feldman, one of the farmers in the area, was retiring from farming at that time and offered the Torkelsons to start working his land. "I went to see him and we set down. And I rented his farm, which is 13 quarters, bought all his machinery, which was $19,000. And that's when we got going," Russ recalled. Torkelsons recall Feldman as a strong businessman and great farm operator, and they learned a lot from him. It was 1968 when they took over Feldman's land, and 1969 brought a big crop, helping Torkelsons to pay some of the machinery off. The family also kept cattle for a couple of years in the late 60s, but Russ always had more interest in grain operation. For them, farming was a business, and they always treated it as such, trying to make optimal decisions. They soon sold the cows and concentrated on grain. Russ started custom combining before getting into his operation and it took him as far as Maxwell, Kansas, where he met Sharon. The couple got married in 1971. "Saskatchewan was very

much like Kansas because it was an agriculture-based state. And then we had a lot of gas wells, so Saskatchewan was very similar because of agricultural base and oil wells … Just so much less trees and less population," Sharon said. After starting his own operation, Russ continued with custom combining for several more years, which also helped them to get through the debt and purchase better equipment. He recalls that back in the day farmers were used to paying cash for things and taking on debt was a big and stressful step, but he didn't have another option. Once that was paid out, he quit custom combining and focused more on his own farm. Russ has a degree in agriculture from the University of Saskatoon, which helped him to manage and grow his business navigating through challenges. "(The degree) gives you a different view. You look at things a little differently. I had a professor … and he said, 'Farm within your fence line.' I think what he meant was do good what you do do. And we are getting away from it as farms get bigger and bigger. And they are not operated as good as they would if they were on a smaller scale." But the theoretical knowledge combined with farming background allowed the Torkelsons to get far ahead in the game. For example, they were one of the first ones in the area who started fertilizing the land.

A lot of thought and planning went into starting and growing Torkelsons’ farm. Photo submitted

Salute To The Agriculture Industry In Southeast Saskatchewan

Sharon and Russ Torkelson have been living at their farm they built west of Oungre for many decades. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia The first 13 quarters they rented from Feldman they've been renting ever since, building a strong and reliable relationship only possible in the farming world. "They were so good. He worked with us, not to us," Russ said. "When farming changed, he changed our rental agreement so it was fair for both of us. He was willing to work with us all the time. Very trusting. We farmed his land for 47 or 48 years without a contract. It was just a handshake," Sharon added. "That goes a long way." In the past 50 years as they were going through market fluctuations and weather whims, nature's tricks and the technological jumps, the Torkelson family learned how to adapt firsthand on many occasions. The latest turned out to be one of the biggest challenges,

ing their corner of the Prairies. Even though it has always been treated as a business, farming has been their life and they always appreciated and enjoyed the path they chose. "Every year is a challenge. There are things about farming you can't control, the weather. And there are some things that you can control … In a way, I think farming keeps you closer to God because you really can't do anything by yourself. You can seed, but you don't have the power to make it grow," Sharon said. "Every year is different … You simply get out and do the best you can in your seeding, in your farming, in pre-buying your fertilizer and … seed. It's always trying to do the best you can in so many areas … and it's always a challenge … If anything I just feel that we've truly been blessed."

Over 50 years later, Russ Torkelson still does different jobs around the farm during the season. Photo submitted

Thank you Farmers!

Acknowledging the importance of the agricultural community in our area

50 2)

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but fortunately, their son Toby, who chose a career as a grain merchant, was able to fill in on that to ensure that everything still goes smoothly. Over the years, Russ has done all jobs around the farm, and he still does loading and unloading in the yard. But now, with Toby coming down to help with seeding and harvesting, as well as with marketing, and three staff helping during the season he can choose when to take on some jobs, and when to skip them. "At my age now I don't want to get tied in something and have to be there," Russ said. Over the years the family purchased 20 quarters of their own land and got into renting some more, currently operating 40 quarters in total. They also grew big beautiful trees around their yard, which are populated with wildlife and which are fill-

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Thankful

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Saluting The Agriculture Community In Our Area ORLOWSKI LAW OFFICE Prof. Corp. STEPHEN J. ORLOWSKI, B.Ed., LL.B. 1215 - 5th Street, Estevan

Phone: 306-634-3353 • Fax: 306-634-7714 steve@orlowskilaw.ca Branch Offices at: ARCOLA • REDVERS • CARNDUFF

A16 October 28, 2020

www.estevanmercury.ca

Celebrity animals at Stavanger Farms west of Estevan are looking forward to the next season By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

Stavanger is a municipality in Norway where Bjarne McKnight, now a resident of the Estevan area, was born. When Bjarne and Theresa McKnight moved from Vancouver three years ago and decided to make Estevan their new home, they chose to name their small farm, a long-time

dream, after Bjarne's hometown. Stavanger Farms is all about animals.The farm name is unique for this area, and some of the animals the McKnights have at their farm are also pretty rare. Originally the family started with just chickens and horses and then added a few more species to their family. "We started a horse boarding right away. We have a few horses ourselves and we've done

The family had to buy their miniature Highland cows from the U.S. as they couldn't find any for sale in Canada at the time. Photo submitted

lessons in the past. I've gotten an instructor to come in and do classes," Theresa explained. While they don't do classes anymore, between May and September they do birthday parties, where children can interact and learn about their animals. "Those are pretty popular. Usually, kids can ride a pony and they get the farm experience where they can go around and feed all the animals," Theresa said. The Stavanger family now consists of 53 animals, including miniature Highland cows, a Jersey miniature young bull that is now for sale, chickens, three ducks, three horses – a quarter horse, a Welsh pony and a miniature pony – two dogs and three cats. Until recently they also had goats, but they were relocated. All Stavanger Farms animals, including chickens, that are not meant to be consumed have names, and their names are pretty special as well. "All our animals are named after movie characters or TV characters or celebrities." The animal family started with Theresa's love for horses and then it naturally

RESOURCE CENTRE

grew from there. "I always loved horses so I wanted to have horses. Initially, when we moved here we just wanted to do horse boarding, and then one of our borders was an instructor. That's how we started with the instruction, lesson program … I love goats, so we got goats. And we looked at possibly getting dairy goats, but goats are a lot of work," recalled Theresa. Since they still wanted to have some fresh milk, they looked into dairy cows. Wellmannered miniature Highland cows with their adorable teddybear look seemed to be a perfect choice. But it turned out that they were hard to come by in Canada. And the McKnights ended up going to Minnesota to get them. Theresa noted that Highlands' milk is high on fat, and mixed with Jersey, another dairy breed of cows, they should produce a great product. So last spring, they had some miniature Highland cross Jersey calves born and they expect to have some pure bread miniature Highland babies soon. "We borrowed a miniature Highland bull from a farm in Weyburn and bread our two girls again, so we should have a miniature Highland comes springtime." In her ancestry,Theresa had some farming, but not in recent generations so the family is learning everything step by step. "My cousin had a hobby farm, and I just loved it as a kid. So it was always a dream, but I never thought it would be a reality," Theresa recalled. "So leaving Vancouver with busy traffic and the rain, and Bjarne growing up here, we thought we would love an acreage and the peaceful quietness of it, no traffic. And we just started collecting animals." Theresa added that they try to be self-sustaining and get useful animals that do something, like producing eggs or milk. "It's been a real learning experience, a lot of hard work, … but we love it." Theresa also runs Stavan-

Bjarne and Theresa McKnight have a unique variety of animals at the Stavanger Farms. Photo submitted ger Farms Eco-Friendly Shop at the farmers' market and online. "I've always been passionate about the environment, sustainability and recycling, trying to reduce my carbon footprint for years since I was a kid," Theresa said. Her daughter, who is also very conscious that way, motivated Theresa to start the shop that offers a variety of single-use swap items such as reusable makeup removal discs, cloth paper towels and more. Theresa also makes chemical-free deodorants, soaps, lip balms and

bug sprays, as well as bees' wax food wraps, for which she uses wax from local bee farmers. "I try to get everything locally if I can, and I get all my supplies from Canada," she added. Theresa also recycles denim jeans, trying to use all of it, turning them into accessories or small clothing items. More information about the farm and the store can be found at stavangerfarms.com, or on Stavanger Farms and Stavanger Farms Eco-Friendly Shop Facebook pages.

Theresa McKnight has some laying ducks that give company to their chickens. Photo submitted

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The McKnights also run Stavanger Farms Eco-friendly Shop. Photo submitted

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Wednesday, October 28, 2020

A17

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Flashback – Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2001 Cheers Cheers to the staff at the Estevan Leisure Centre for offering Aqua Awe in the RM of Estevan Aquatic Centre from Monday through Friday. Cheers to First Aberdeen Properties on the changes and upcoming vision for the Estevan Market Mall. Cheers to the staff at Hillcrest School for the breakfast program and all the extra efforts made in helping Hillcrest families. Cheers to everyone who was involved with Run the Course on Saturday morning. It couldn’t have been easy trying to run or walk that distance in the cold and the snow. Cheers to all of the stories on new businesses in the community that we’ve been seeing in the Mercury in the past few weeks. In these tough times, it’s nice to see people showing confidence in our city. Cheers to those who have served on urban and rural councils, on school boards or as MLAs who decided not to seek re-election. Many people fail to realize how tough these jobs are.

Jeers Jeers to people that park in front of other people’s garbage bins. Then the garbage truck comes and can’t dump the bin. If a motorist drives up and saw the bin next to the curb, they shouldn’t park in front of it. Jeers to those who didn’t take the time to vote in the provincial election. Given the number of polling stations available, it can’t be because of how far you’d have to travel to vote. So please don’t complain if the provincial government makes a decision you aren’t happy with. Jeers to the lack of fans allowed in for hockey games on the weekend. You could hear every comment by players and coaches during the games. (And some comments you didn’t want to hear).

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

Estevan Taekwon-do club went to Northwest Territories. Members who went were, from left, Gurjeet Bilkhu, Kyle Hoffort, Kaitlyn Anderson, Miranda Debusschere, Jorde Anderson, Brian Threinen and Amanda Olsen. Middle row, Shawna Brown, Norma Jones, Samara Bush, Tracy Martens, Dustin Brown, Rebecca Zimmerman, Christina Jackiw and Nash Dzuba. Back row, Wayne Brown (Estevan head instructor), Don Dechief (instructor), Charles Olsen (instructor), Greg Hoffort, Larry Braun, Gavin Bush, Dustin Martens, Larry Debusschere (North Portal instructor) and Warren Morrical (instructor),

When life is difficult sible.

It seemed almost impos-

They had lost everything. The Babylonians took their land, crushed their cities and deported God’s people to a new home a thousand kilometres away. For 70 years, they lived in that strange land until God brought them back home. Finally, they could rebuild their houses, their lives, and, most importantly, the temple of God in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, their initial enthusiasm did not last long. They finished their homes, but they hardly touched the temple. In fact, when they started working on it, they encountered so much opposition that they decided that it was going to be too hard and they quit. They had no resources. They had no

Are you feeling...

ISOLATED

Be cozy and warm at home this winter...

of the Estevan Church of Christ support from their neighbours. It seemed as if everything was against them and, in their discouragement, they just gave up (Haggai 1:2). Does any of this sound familiar? Granted, we have not had our land taken away by some foreign army, but, over the last six months, we have experienced loss and a lot of discouragement. Many are under stress financially. We have lost social contacts and our routine

afraid

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has been disrupted to the point that many have begun to feel as though there is no hope. Calls to mental health centres continue to climb. Where do you turn when life seems out of control? What do you do when you do not know what to do? Zechariah knew those feelings and asked those same questions. He had been sent to get God’s people working again. How was he going to motivate

like BUT Would to feel...

SAD

LONELY

Tim Pippus

a bunch of people when they had already given up? Then God provided the answer: “‘Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6). They may not have been able to find any solutions, but God was not defeated. They had a strength that they had not even accessed yet. It is difficult to trust God in hard times because everything we see leads us to believe that there is no hope. Thankfully, there is more going on than what we see. Try your hardest. Do your best. But remember, ultimately, your real strength comes from, “…him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

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A18 October 28, 2020

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Estevan legion is starting poppy campaign on Friday By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

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The Royal Canadian Legion’s Poppy Campaign is set to begin on Friday. The legion’s Estevan branch is going through the last preparations and has already started talking to businesses about their participation. During the weeks leading to Remembrance Day, the legion’s volunteers will be visiting local businesses as part of their business blitz. They will be asking for donations for the poppy campaign. Poppy trays will start appearing at local businesses this week as well. Another option to support the legion is to purchase a wreath that will be laid at the cenotaph on Nov. 11 on behalf of a donor. “Poppies can’t be put out until the last Friday of October,” explained Estevan branch president Jim (Frosty) Forrest. The number of poppy trays put out in the community will depend on how many businesses will decide to participate, but Forrest said that usually, they have about 100 trays with poppy pins that help to collect donations in Estevan. While several businesses already reached out to the legion expressing their willingness to help them raise money, Forrest believes it might be pretty tough this year due to numerous COVID-19 related restrictions. “It’s going to be hard for the poppy campaign this year, but we are going to give it our best effort,” said Forrest. “We hope the community will get together and support this. Veterans have been disproportionally hit by some of the hardships of the whole COVID thing and they certainly need our assistance.” Legion volunteers will be visiting retail businesses in person, and this year they came up with another option for organizations and individuals to partake in the campaign. Starting Oct. 27 and until Remembrance Day, they will have poppy trays and wreaths available at the legion. “Come see us at the legion between 11 and 1 o’clock, and someone will be there to help you out. That’s if a business would prefer to pick up their poppy tray, they can do that during that

Royal Canadian Legion Estevan branch president Jim (Frosty) Forrest. File photo time as well,” said Forrest. The money raised through the poppy campaign every year goes to the trust fund and can be used only for specific purposes. Three major programs the legion's poppy fund supports every year are the Paws for Veterans, which provides service dogs to veterans that need them; Leave the Streets Behind, which helps homeless veterans to get off the streets and get established and in a position where they can find some work; and Veterans Wellness, which is a relatively new program that focuses on supporting veterans seeking general health and wellness assistance, be it getting into a gym or education on nutrition. Forrest added that they annually give out bursaries to graduating high school students, who, in many cases, are children or grandchildren of veterans, to help them pursue education. Besides, the legion supports local cadets. “The poppy fund isn’t a general fund for the legion use. The poppy fund is almost a separate entity; it can only be used for specific things. When we make those donations, we actually have to get an approval,” Forrest explained. 20104CC1

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October 28, 2020 A19

Demolition is underway

The demolition of the Derrick Motor Hotel has started. The work started early last week, and while much of the hotel had been torn down as of Monday morning, there was still a lot of the structure that remained. The once-popular hotel has been closed since early 2016, and has been vacant since that time.

Two house fires occurred in the Estevan area in one week A significant fire that occurred south of Estevan last Tuesday night consumed a house. The Estevan Fire Rescue Service (EFRS) received a call at about 11:30 p.m. after the homeowners called 911. It was reported that a structure was on fire and crews immediately headed out. "Upon arrival, we found a fully involved structure; it was a house out on an acreage, acreage-farm set up," said Estevan Deputy Fire Chief Rick Davies. All occupants had made it out of the aflame house upon firefighters' arrival. Crews spent about six hours extinguishing the fire and had to come back to the scene the next day for about two more hours to ensure all hot spots and smouldering areas were neutralized as well. Neither occupants nor firefighters sustained any injuries. However, homeowners confirmed that a small family dog didn't make it out of the fire. "The house is a total loss," said Davies.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. "We are currently working with the investigators that are checking into that," said Davies. Also, a fire in Estevan completely destroyed a yard structure and damaged a house. The call came in on Saturday morning just before 4 a.m. A neighbour noticed flames and called 911. The emergency occurred on the west side of Estevan. "Upon arrival, we found a structure in the yard fully involved. Crews were able to extinguish the fire. There was minor damage to the house, but no injuries," said Estevan Deputy Fire Chief Rick Davies. He added that people were in the house, but the neighbour got them up and they were able to safely evacuate the house. The yard structure was a total loss, and while the house wasn't damaged too badly, the family was still relocated to a hotel, where they will spend a few days before they can return home.

Festival of Trees continues to take shape The St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation has already launched one aspect of its Festival of Trees fundraiser, and other components will start soon. With the name of There’s no Place Like Home Edition, the fundraiser has activities planned for people of all ages. One that is already underway is the Ultimate 50/50 draw, and the winner could take home up to $50,000. The deadline to purchase tickets is Dec. 9. “So far it has gotten a lot of traction. People are getting really excited, and we’re just looking forward to seeing where that total goes, just because it’s a great fundraiser and it’s a great way for somebody to have a chance to win up to $50,000,” said foundation executive director Breanne Van de Woestyne. Ticket sales started in mid-October. The Kid’s Zone will have activities for families, and will be sponsored by the Estevan Mercury. Traditionally the Mercury has sponsored Santa’s Breakfast with the Bruins, a large family gathering on the Sunday of the Festival of Trees weekend that features a family pancake breakfast, kids activities, photos with Santa Claus and interactions with members of the Estevan Bruins. But this year, there is

the Kid’s Zone, which offers something for young people to enjoy this holiday season. Featuring Night Before Christmas Kits and Santa's Workshop Kits, families will be kept busy as Christmas approaches. Kits will be available at www.sjhf.shop beginning on Nov. 13. Limited quantities are available. The kits will help with getting kids in the Christmas spirit, and emphasize family. “Christmas time is all about family, and especially right now, we just really want to be able to promote spending as much time as we can with our families right now,” said Van De Woestyne. With every purchase of a Kid's Zone kit, a child is entered to win a prize, such as a Zoom Call from the North Pole or a Toy from Santa's Workshop. “We tried to be creative and work with our different partners, especially the Mercury, to come up with a way to really include families this year in the different ways they can participate from home,” said Van De Woestyne. Also beginning Nov. 13 will be an online silent auction that will run until Dec. 11. The auction will feature over 30 prizes, including local experiences, family activities, groceries and fuel for a year and more. A full list

U-

will be released soon. Holiday Coffee Breaks offer a chance to treat an office or a small group of friends to a tray of decadent treats and a hot chocolate charcuterie board. This is a new concept and the items will be delivered. A couple of options are being offered for corporate supporters. One will be holiday office Christmas parties, which are being scheduled now. EB’s will cater a Christmas lunch to the businesses. About 30-35 companies have already signed up. The other is a Christmas advertising package with the Mercury, Golden West Radio and Future Signs that will see those who support the foundation recognized in various platforms. Van De Woestyne said they’re trying to work with all of the restrictions in place, while still offering that first kickoff for Christmas for the community that raises money and awareness for the hospital. “It’s going to be a very busy month for us, but we’re just excited to include everyone that we can and just to have that holiday spirit kicked off for Estevan,” said Van De Woestyne. Proceeds will be directed towards the foundation’s efforts to support the hospital.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. In other recent news, the Estevan Fire Rescue Service members were dispatched to a commercial fire alarm that went off in a business northeast of the city Friday morning. Upon arrival, it was learned that it was accidentally set off and no emergency was occurring, so crews stood down and returned to the station. About an hour later another commercial fire alarm went off in a business in east Estevan. Upon arrival firefighters again confirmed that it was accidentally set off, so they stood down and returned to the station. The next call for service came in Friday night, right after 9 p.m., when firefighters were called out to a vehicle vs. moose collision that occurred about eight kilometres north of Estevan on Highway 47. "We found that the vehicle had struck not one, but two moose. Surprisingly, no serious damage to the vehicle, although it was undrivable. No injuries to the occupants of the car. Both moose were deceased," said Davies.

ESTEVAN LIONS LOTTERY DRAWS 2019/2020 WINNERS S

Draw Date

Amount

Winner

Ticket

Suzanna Corbett, grand prize winner

Draw Date April 24, 2020

Amount $500.00

Winner Daryl Whitman

Ticket 359

October 18, 2019 $1,000.00 Wes Hanson

257

October 25, 2019 $250.00

306

May 01, 2020

$250.00

Jay Dzuba

211

$300.00

Theresa Jahn

4 189

Kelly Tsakas

Nov. 01, 2019

$250.00

Kelly Kramer

191

May 08, 2020

Nov. 08, 2019

$300.00

Ron Stregger

May 15, 2020

$250.00

Ken Sali

Nov. 15, 2019

$250.00

Jenna & Kyle Loc

298

May 22, 2020

$250.00

Graham Shirley

334

$500.00

Cheryl Anseth

100 12

Nov. 22, 2019

$250.00

Tyler Thompson

152

May 29, 2020

Nov. 29, 2019

$300.00

Alton Finstad

271

June 05, 2020

$250.00

Andrea Wilson

Dec. 06, 2019

$250.00

Rylee & Teagen Gallaway 351

June 12, 2020

$250.00

Leroy Schlamp

361

Lorna Dawson

$300.00

Jo Toombs

$250.00

Ashley Pukas

108

Dec. 13, 2019

$250.00

221

June 19, 2020

Dec. 20, 2019

$1,500.00 Kelly Phillipchuk

283

June 26, 2020

Dec. 27, 2019

$1,000.00 Wes Hanson

257

July 03, 2020

$250.00

Sylvia Prime

$400.00

Lynn Trobert

398

Jan. 03, 2020

$250.00

Calvin Matthis

226

July 10, 2020

Jan. 10, 2020

$300.00

Leonard Haukeness

July 17, 2020

$250.00

Chris Lewgood

121

July 24, 2020

$300.00

Chris Lewgood

121

July 31, 2020

$250.00

Vaughn Shirley

330

August 07, 2020

$500.00

Ron Highfield

133

August 14, 2020

$250.00

Kevin Kobitz

172

August 21, 2020

$300.00

Tim Bonokowski

357

August 28, 2020

$250.00

Bernie Bjorndalen

269

Sept. 04, 2020

$300.00

Wendy Walliser

381

Jan. 17, 2020

$250.00

Brenda & John Hodgens

304

Jan. 24, 2020

$300.00

Arlene Anderson

Jan. 31, 2020

$300.00

Miles Johnson

153

Feb. 07, 2020

$250.00

Jim King

315

Feb. 14, 2020

$250.00

Paulann Boulding

Feb. 21, 2020

$300.00

Dave Gedak

370

Feb. 28, 2020

$250.00

Randy Senchuk

316

March 06, 2020

$300.00

Jim Larter

118

March 13, 2020

$250.00

Mindy Schauf

231

March 20, 2020

$250.00

Tim Nixon

March 27, 2020

$300.00

Tammy Melle

April 03, 2020

$250.00

Chris Lewgood

121

April 10, 2020

$300.00

Miles Meszaros

343

April 17, 2020

$250.00

Leonard Haukeness

Sept. 11, 2020

$250.00

Bill Orsted

Sept. 18, 2020

$300.00

Darrell Shirley

332

Sept. 25, 2020

$250.00

Sharon Adams

October 02, 2020 $300.00

Scott Walton

October 09, 2020 $2,000.00 Suzanna Corbett

TOTAL PRIZES

301 223

$19,200.00

Estevan Lions thank all those who purchased tickets from their recent lottery. The money raised is used for numerous Lion projects including scholarships, free swims, family day, an outdoor rink, and various local needs. Your support is appreciated. The next year long lottery starts 16 October. Good luck to all those who bought tickets.

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Wednesday, October 28, 2020

A20

Obituaries

Farm ServiceS

Reynold Louis Bert 1962 – 2020 Reynold Bert passed away surrounded by his wife and children at home in Estevan, Sask. on Sunday, October 11, 2020 at the age of 58 years. Reynold was born and raised in Radville, Sask. on the family farm to parents Louis and Jeannine Bert. He grew up in a very close nit family with eight siblings. He owned and operated the Esso in Radville from 1982 to 1990. He later made a career change to financial planning which led to a move to Estevan in 1997 where he purchased Bannatyne Investments. In 2003 he started Spectra Financial where he was well respected by all his clients, many of whom became friends. He was an active volunteer in his community, always willing to lend a hand when needed. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Estevan, and a foster parent since 1994 with his wife. He enjoyed life to the fullest and said he lived the best life there ever was. He was able to enjoy many hobbies such as motor biking, traveling and playing Texas hold’em. Reynold was predeceased by his father, Louis Bert. Left with a legacy of love are his wife of 37 years, Shelley Bert; their children Terace (Rebal) and their children Judd and Jacob, Reanne (Chilo), Kennen (Jason) Kyle and their children Harrison and Piper, and Trent (Amanda) and their daughter Brooklyn. Reynold is also survived by his mother Jeannine Bert and his siblings, Denise (Dick) Bourassa, Evelyn (Ted) Puszkar, Felix (Shelley) Bert, Victor (Celine) Bert, Eugene (Patti) Bert, Annette (David) Bourassa, Denis Bert and Jody (Patti) Bert; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and in-laws. A Private Family Graveside Service was held at the Laurier Cemetery in Radville. Donations have already been made on behalf of Reynold to cancer research. In memory of him we ask everyone to share a bright smile everywhere you go. The family of Reynold Bert would like to thank all their relatives, many friends, neighbors and especially Reynold’s co-workers at Spectra Financial for their support during this time. Your sympathy and thoughtfulness will always be gratefully remembered and deeply appreciated. They also wish to express their heartfelt gratitude to everyone in the community who reflected on Reynold’s life and shared words of condolences. Hall Funeral Services in Estevan cared for Reynold’s family – Deb Heidinger, Funeral Director. Alberta Mae Rogers 1929 – 2020 It is with heavy hearts that the family wishes to announce that Alberta Rogers, late of Estevan, SK passed away at the Estevan Regional Nursing Home in the early hours of Monday, October 19, 2020 at the age of 90 years. Alberta was predeceased by her parents, Lillian and Stanley Harris; husband Harvey Rogers; daughter Beverly Rogers; brother Lawrence Harris; sisters, Irene (George) Kuster, Dolores (Stewart) Miller, and Aileen (Fenton) Elliott; brothers-in-law, Bob Rogers and Bill Rogers and grandson Shawn Rogers. Precious memories will be cherished by sons, Lawrence Rogers, Gordon Rogers and his children: Scott and Stephanie (Cory) Walker, David (Jo-Ann) Rogers and their children: April (Greg) Stradeski, Kara (Jeff) Anderson and Cody Rogers, and Doug (Shannon) Rogers and their children: Chloe and Reece. Alberta will be greatly missed by her nine great grandchildren; sister Gloria (Barry) Neilson; and sisters-in-law Sylvia Harris and Mary (Jim) Boettcher as well as numerous nieces and nephews. A Private Funeral Service was held at the Chapel of Hall Funeral Services, Estevan on Saturday, October 24, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. with Sandy Dalziel officiating. You may view a recording of Alberta’s service by copying and pasting this link into your browser: https://vimeo.com/470356845/ d300960e56 . Those so wishing may make donations in memory of Alberta to the St. Paul’s United Church Women, 1418 Third St., Estevan, SK S4A 0S4. Hall Funeral Services in Estevan is caring for the Rogers’ family, Deb Heidinger – Funeral Director. BRIAN CLARE BRADLEY B.Sc.(Engineering Science Physics) P.Eng. December 31, 1944 - October 7, 2020 Passed away unexpectedly on October 7, 2020. Brian is survived by his beloved wife of 28 years, Nesta, his children David (Debbie); Jodie; Rhea and Joel. Brian also leaves five grandchildren: Laz; Kassie; Stephanie; Alex and Nova as well as his brother, Allan and niece Agnes, nephews Christopher, Nicholas in Edinburgh. We will all miss him more than words can express. Brian was predeceased by his parents; Agnes Marie and Harry Hague Bradley; brother Lorne and sister-in-law, Dr. Patsy Hannon. Friends, relatives and colleagues are invited to view a full obituary and are encouraged to share in a photo-tribute, stories, and condolences for the family by visiting Brian’s memorial page at IntegrityFuneralPlanning.com. INTEGRITY Cremation & Funeral Planning 204-295-5408 – IntegrityFuneralPlanning.com

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No schools to be reviewed The South East Cornerstone Public School Division will not be reviewing the future of any schools for viability for the 2020-21 school year. Three schools in the division failed to meet the provincially established standards for enrolment when all 38 public school facilities opened on Sept. 8 this year. But under extenuating circumstances that included the pandemic’s arrival last spring, Cornerstone board members this year voted unanimously to forego any challenges or action plans that would place these schools and their surrounding community under any additional pressures. Director of education Lynn Little informed the board during their Oct. 14 meeting in Weyburn that the schools in Pangman, Macoun and Manor did not reach the minimum enrolment level outlined by the Ministry of Education as being a basis for possibly notifying the schools and their communities that they were under scrutiny. That would mean the communities would need to make a case to remain open and operating as a viable educational facility in the next school year.

Macoun School, a kindergarten to Grade 8 facility, has bounced from viable to nonviable on the enrolment charts since 2007, the report showed, and while it met the minimum threshold number of 51 set by the ministry the previous school year, with a school population of 54, it fell under that mark in September of this year, with a total enrolment of 47. Little noted, however, that projections for Macoun were favourable with expected enrolments for the next five years topping the threshold requirement by at least two to four students. Based on the information provided to them, and recognizing the stress and anxiety factors existing in all communities this fall and winter, the Cornerstone board vetoed the idea of putting any school under notice for being a non-viable entity. Manor, which has a kindergarten to Grade 12 program, registered 59 students in September of this year. It first fell into the province’s non-viable checklist in 2015, falling just a few students shy of the 88-student enrolment figure. Pangman School, meanwhile, has 62 students this year.

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In Loving Memory of John Len July 18, 1941 October 30, 2015 Nothing can ever take away The love a heart holds dear Fond memories linger everyday Remembrance keeps you near Your resting place we visit And put flowers there with care But no one knows the heartache As we turn and leave you there Deeply missed and forever loved Linda, Jamie, Clark, Landon, Logan and Families

Don Holinaty October 11, 1948 November 4, 2014 Gone But Not Forgotten Forever in my Heart Until we meet again Your Loving Wife Bev

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Calvin Veroba February 1, 1957 November 1, 2018 Gone, dear husband; gone forever, How we miss your smiling face, But you left us to remember None on earth can take your place. A happy home we once enjoyed, How sweet the memory still, But death has left a loneliness The world can never fill. Love Always Lori, Casey and Ryan

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Notices / NomiNatioNs

PROVINCE-WIDE CLASSIFIEDS. Reach over 550,000 readers weekly. Call this newspaper NOW or 306-649.1405 for details. In Memory of Graeme Paul MacKenzie June 24, 1960 - October 30, 2019 Love you Always Kirsten, Kaylee and Jon, Amy and Kendall Erin, Dave and our Grandson Jackson

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www.estevanmercury.ca

October 28, 2020 A21

Duck Derby winnings presented The Estevan Humane Society presented the proceeds Friday from its annual Duck Derby. The derby was held on Oct. 18, and for the first time, tickets for all 2,000 rubber ducks were sold, so the maximum grand prize of $10,000 was awarded. Ceyanna Olson was the winner when her duck finished first. A Grade 10 student at the Estevan Comprehensive School, she said she would use the money for postsecondary education. Olson, second from left, accepted the cheque from humane society manager Michaela Pho. Also participating in the photo were Olson’s mother Jamie Schoff, left, and humane society board member Elizabeth Murphy.

Carievale 4-H Club resumes its monthly meetings

Act, 2007, the Council of the Rural Municipality of Estevan No.5 hereby gives notice of its intention to amend Zoning Bylaw 5-2014 by passing Bylaw 2020-07.

Intent: The proposed bylaw is to allow Council to consider approving a lesser separation distance of coal mining operations to residential developments. Reason: The reason for the amendment is to give Council the option to consider approving a lesser separation distance of a residence from coal mining, subject to provincial requirements/consultation and where the applicant establishes that the lesser separation distance will not negatively affect surrounding land uses and where appropriate fencing, screening, landscaping, berming, building or site orientation or other similar measures are provided to the satisfaction of Council. Public Inspection: Any person may inspect the proposed bylaw at the R.M. of Estevan Municipal Office at #1 – 322 – 4th Street, Estevan, Saskatchewan between 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holiday. Copies are available at cost.

Notice of Abandonment of Poll Rural Municipality of Coalfields No. 4 Whereas a poll is not required pursuant to The Local Government Election Act, 2015 for the office of: Councillor: Rural Municipality of Coalfields No. 4 – Division 1 I hereby give public notice that no voting for the said office will take place and the following person is elected by acclamation: Councillor – Division 1 – Heather Brokenshire Dated this 23rd day of October, 2020.

Head Office Box 5054, 2500 Victoria Avenue Regina, SK S4P 3M3 Canada

Dated at Estevan, Saskatchewan this 21st day of October, 2020.

Liquor Permit Advertising Form

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Notice is hereby given that Masterbuilt Estevan Lodging Ltd has applied to the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) for a Restaurant permit & Tavern endorsement to sell alcohol in the premises known as Microtel Inn & Suites Estevan at 120 King St Estevan SK. Written objections to the granting of the permit may be filed with SLGA not more than two weeks from the date of publication of this notice. Every person filing a written objection with SLGA shall state their name, address, and telephone number in printed form, as well as the grounds for the objection(s). Petitions must name a contact person, state grounds, and be legible. Each signatory to the petition and the contact person must provide an address and telephone number. Frivolous, vexatious or competition based objections within the beverage alcohol industry may not be considered and may be rejected by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Licensing Commission, who may refuse to hold a hearing. Write to: Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority Box 5054 REGINA SK S4P 3M3

theme of 4-H food and you. And they talked about what do they bring for the food bank; do they do a food drive or bring food from each family. A discussion was made about you, your animal, and digestion, with an example. The next meeting will be Nov. 9.

Tenders - R.M. of Estevan No. 5 Tenders will be received at the office of the R.M. of Estevan No. 5, until 5.00 p.m. local time November 10, 2020, and opened at the next council meeting November 12, 2020, for Used Concrete Bridge Girders in “as is” condition: 12 of 19” thick x 4’ wide x 20’ long concrete bridge girders 6 of 19” thick x 4’ wide x 30’ long concrete bridge girders

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Public Hearing: Council will hold a public hearing to receive submissions, written or verbal, on the proposed bylaw at 11:00 a.m. (local time) on Thursday, November 12th, 2020 in the Council Chambers of the R.M. of Estevan No. 5, #1-322 4th Street Estevan, Saskatchewan.

CAREER

pay the bills. Old business was reviewed and discussed. Members discussed the district meeting on Oct. 21 at Redvers and two members and two leaders attended. A bottle drive was on Oct. 3 with all members attending. Also discussed were National 4-H day, the 4-H sustainability initiative, the

CROSSWORD ANSWER

the Sept. 14 meeting to order aware of registration fees, Marisol Gilliland (club reand the pledge was recited. COVID-19 rules, waivers, porter), and Teresa Cowan The financial report was and reviewed the constitu- (general leader). The district meeting The Carievale 4-H Beef given, and motion was made tion. They held an election hosted by Redvers Wrangles Club has started holding to pay the bills. Old business for spots on the board. was reviewed and discussed. Kamryn Gilliland was was discussed. monthly meetings. Members were made elected president. Other The next meeting was Kamryn Gilliland called executive members are Ka- held Oct. 5. rissa Elliott (vice-president), Roll call was made, the Public Notice Kenzie White (secretary), financial report was given Rural Municipality of Estevan No. 5 Dane Taylor (treasurer), and a motion was made to Notice of Intent to Amend the Zoning Bylaw (Section 82 of the Act) Pursuant to Section 207 of The Planning and Development

Submitted by Marisol Gilliland

Bids may be for all or some; however, preference will be given to bids for the entire stock. For more information please contact RM office at 306634-2222. Girders can be viewed at the RM of Estevan Maintenance yard located in SE-35-2-8 W2nd. The highest or any tender will not necessarily be accepted. Please remit in a sealed envelope marked with “bridge girder tender” to: R.M. of Estevan No. 5 #1 322 4th Street Estevan, Saskatchewan S4A 0T8 (Section 82 of the Act)

Notice of Abandonment of Poll – Amended Rural Municipality of Coalfields No. 4 Whereas a poll is not required pursuant to The Local Government Election Act, 2015 for the offices of: Reeve: Rural Municipality of Coalfields No. 4 Councillor: Rural Municipality of Coalfields No. 4 – Division 3 Councillor: Rural Municipality of Coalfields No. 4 – Division 5 I hereby give public notice that no voting for the said offices will take place and the following persons are elected by acclamation: Reeve – acclaimed incumbent, Richard Tessier Division 3 – acclaimed incumbent, Dylan Tokarchuk Division 5 – acclaimed incumbent, Leonard Johnson Dated this 09th day of October, 2020. Holley Odgers Returning Officer

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Wood carving a tribute to family roots

This alligator was carved by sculptor Darren Jones for Randy LaCoste as a tribute to LaCoste’s family. An Estevan man has a new wood carving sculpture, and it’s a tribute to his family’s past. Randy LaCoste had a wooden alligator carved by Darren Jones, the Alberta chainsaw sculptor who transformed trees into the Estevan

Soldiers’ Tree monument, the Forever in the Clouds monument and other carvings in the city. Jones carved an alligator for LaCoste, using a spruce tree that he found between Estevan and Hitchcock that had been damaged by the

wind. LaCoste said he is a descendent to Rene LaCoste, a famed tennis player who also started a tennis clothing line that famously has a crocodile as a logo; many believe the logo is an alligator. “Two (LaCoste) brothers

came over from France. One (Rene) went to the States and one came to Canada,” said LaCoste. Fans gave LaCoste the nickname The Crocodile. “I remember my mom telling me that we were related to him, and how he got

the nickname of The Crocodile, because his serve was so vicious,” said LaCoste. Since the logo for the clothing line looks more like an alligator than a crocodile, Randy LaCoste went with the alligator for the entrance to his property.

LaCoste said he looks forward to having a sign above the alligator that indicates it is home to the LaCoste family. The sculpture is bigger than what he expected, but Randy LaCoste is still pleased with how it turned out.

EPS arrests two for impaired driving offences immediately available on either case. In other recent police news, officers arrested a 38-year-old woman on Oct. 19 who is on a conditional sentence order. She failed to attend court for a hearing in regards to an allegation of breaching that order. She will be scheduled to appear in court on Thursday to answer to the breach allegations. Police were able to execute a couple of other arrest warrants during the day. Two people turned themselves into the police station and were later released with a new court date. Officers arrested one person on several charges on Oct. 20. Members were called to a disturbance in a multidwelling unit in the Trojan area. Officers attended and arrested a 35-year-old man for assault and break and enter to a dwelling. He resisted arrest and was taken into custody. The man was lodged in cells for the evening, and was released the following day on conditions before a justice

of the peace. The male will appear in court in December on one count of break and enter to a dwelling, one count of assault and one count of resisting arrest. Police attended to two vehicle collisions during the day. The damage was minimal and no injuries were reported from either accident. With the current road conditions, police are urging people to slow down, drive cautiously and to not be in a hurry. One person is facing charges following an assault that occurred Oct. 20. Statements and evidence were gathered. Police said the following day an Estevan man is facing a charge of assault causing bodily harm. His court date had yet to be set. Police received a report on Oct. 21 of a theft over $5,000 from an elderly female. The matter is still under investigation. Members are looking into a complaint of uttering threats to cause damage to property and to do bodily harm.

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Police received a complaint of a male causing a disturbance at a local business. The male left prior to officers arriving and the matter is being looked into. Officers received several complaints Oct. 22 of motor vehicles collisions due to the weather. One driver was charged for failing to comply with his licence restrictions. Members attended to a

local business for a complaint of a male causing a disturbance. The male was spoken to regarding his behaviour. Police received a report Oct. 24 of mischief to a vehicle in the Lynd Crescent area. The matter is still under investigation. O f fi c e r s a r re s t e d a 34-year-old Estevan man for public intoxication and reentering a licensed premise

after being asked to leave. He was lodged in cells until sober and was issued a summary offence ticket under the Alcohol and Gaming Regulations Act. As a result of investigation into an incident from Oct. 22, a 15-year-old female from Estevan was charged with assault on Oct. 25. She was released on conditions and will appear in court in December to answer to the charges.

Two charged for child porn offences in separate arrests The Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit arrested and charged two Estevan residents for child pornography offences last week. In the first offence, the ICE Unit charged an Estevan man with child pornography offences, following an investigation that began in August of numerous complaints about the accused’s Internet activities, and for making child pornography available through several different social media platforms. On Oct. 21, members of the Saskatchewan ICE Unit and Estevan Police Service executed a search warrant at a residence in Estevan that was identified as a location where the offences were occurring. The ICE Unit said in a news release that child pornography was located at the residence and a mobile phone and computer device were seized for further forensic analysis. Kyle Mansil Fiddler, age 30, of Estevan was arrested

at the location and has been charged with possession of child pornography, transmits child pornography and failing to comply with an order of prohibition. All charges are under the Criminal Code. He was held in custody overnight and appeared in Saskatchewan Provincial Court in Estevan on Oct. 22, where he was remanded. He was scheduled to be in Weyburn Provincial Court on Oct. 27 at 10 a.m. Fiddler is presumed innocent. As for the second arrest, the ICE Unit said it received complaints about the accused’s Internet activities and his sharing of child pornography using a popular social media application. An investigation into his actions started in September. On Oct. 22, members of the Saskatchewan ICE Unit and Estevan Police Service executed a search warrant at a residence in Estevan that was identified as a location where the offences were occurring.

Child pornography was located on two mobile phones, which were seized for further forensic analysis. A 20-year-old Estevan man was arrested at the location and will be charged with possession of child pornography and transmits child pornography. Both charges are under the Criminal Code. His name was not released by the ICE Unit, as the charges have only been sworn in by a justice of the peace and not in open court. He has been released with several conditions, and is scheduled to appear in Estevan Provincial Court on Dec. 7 at 9:30 a.m. It’s not believed the two arrests are connected. The Saskatchewan ICE Unit is comprised of investigators from the RCMP, Regina Police Service, Saskatoon Police Service and Prince Albert Police Service. Their mandate is to investigate crimes involving the abuse and/or exploitation of children on the Internet.

Allan Yergens for City Council

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Municipal Council (elected officer) Money Management • Negotiation Skills • Result Oriented About Allan: • He grew up west of Estevan in the Outram area where he successfully farmed for over 45 years. Allan moved to Estevan in 2016. • Served on RM of Cambria municipal council for 35 years, first as councilor then Reeve for 27 years. • Served on St. Joseph’s Hospital Board & Mainprize Park Board. • Negotiated with Sask. government when Rafferty Dam was build and separating the RM. • Involved in tendering for road building. • Founding shareholder and board member for the Weyburn Inland Terminal. • Estevan Kinsmen Club member for many years. As a City of Estevan Councilor, Allan would like to see: • Improved access to recreation sites like Rafferty Dam & Boundary Dam. • Continue to pressure the provincial government for a new nursing home • Tax dollars used most efficiently

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The Estevan Police Service arrested two motorists on impaired driving-related charges on Oct. 24. As a result of a traffic stop at King Street and 13th Avenue, a 33-year-old man from Hitchcock was arrested and is facing charges of impaired operation of a vehicle and driving while over .08. The man was lodged in cells and will be released in the morning. His driver’s licence was suspended indefinitely and his vehicle was impounded. He will appear in Estevan Provincial Court in January to answer to the charges. Members also arrested a 38-year-old man from Carlyle for impaired operation and refusal to provide a breath sample after a traffic stop around King Street and Souris Avenue North. He was lodged in cells until sober and all documents were served. The vehicle he was operating was impounded and his licence was suspended indefinitely. He will appear in Estevan Provincial Court in January. No further details were