Estevan Mercury 20220504

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Let’s do some music. A call-out for musicians to join community bands.

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2022

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Plans have been announced for this year’s ECS grad ceremonies Exploring opportunities.

SE College hosts a joint open house.

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Show time. Souris Valley Theatre announces numerous summer plans.

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Thank you for being awesome.

Community celebrates local nurses.

By David Willberg The Estevan Comprehensive School’s graduation ceremony is going to look closer to what people have seen in the past, but this year’s grad is also going to incorporate an event from last year.

The annual community celebration of the school’s Grade 12 students will take place on June 18, starting with the cap and gown celebration at Affinity Place at 2 p.m. There will be the tributes and speeches associated with grad, and then diplomas will be presented to the 156 kids scheduled to graduate.

“It’s wonderful to be able to celebrate the graduates, as always,” said ECS vice-principal Brian Wright. “We’re very blessed with the grads and the students that we have at our school, and it’s wonderful to be able to honour those kids that have put in the work and the effort and managed to graduate.”

Wright noted the school proposed to have the celebration at the school’s cafetorium, which has been renovated to include a new sound system, new lights and new flooring, but the decision was made to have it at Affinity Place. Grad has long been held outside of the school to accommodate all of the people who want to attend.

“The parents and the graduates spoke up very loudly and said they wanted it to be at Affinity,” said Wright.

The plan was always to have an in-person cap and gown ceremony, barring any changes in COVID-19 restrictions. Last year’s grad saw students pick up their diplomas at the school.

Jennifer Olfert, who co-chairs the grad parent committee with Cathy Empey and Trinda Jocelyn, is looking forward to seeing a grad at Affinity Place.

“We’re so lucky that we have this facility that we can use,” said Olfert. “Not many communities have a facility like ours. So to be able to go in there and bring that back, it’s almost like this is one step closer to for us to feel that much more back to the way it used to be.”

She’s looking forward to seeing all of the family members in attendance and enjoying grad.

One of the highlights of the celebration, the annual grad photo in front of the Estevan Court House, will happen after the cap-and-gown ceremony wraps up, if the weather co-operates.

The grad parade will be part of activities for the ECS grad this year. File photo The grand march, which has been part of grad in the past, won’t be happening this year due to time constraints.

The grad parade will return this year and will start at 7 p.m. The route, which will be printed in the Mercury as the event draws closer, will follow the same path as the inaugural edition in 2021, with the graduates starting at the Estevan Leisure Centre and making their way through the northeast end of town to the Estevan Comprehensive School.

“The main reason we decided that [to bring it back] was we wanted to include all of our community. Lots of people maybe can’t come and sit for the amount of time that it takes to do the ceremony. And then this way, everybody gets to see the kids that are graduating in their gowns.”

Other people might not want to come to the ceremony if they have young kids, because it’s a lot for them as well.

“Our grads aren’t just about the grads themselves, it’s the community that has helped them get to where they are, so we just really wanted to be able to display our grads and show our grads we are proud of

them, as well as how grateful we are to our community to help us get our kids to where they are,” said Olfert.

The kids will get to be on a float with their friends while wearing their finest clothes, to the delight of the community.

Once the parade is finished, a safe grad celebration will happen at the farm of one of the graduates, giving the Class of 2022 one last chance to celebrate together. Olfert said there will be games, a DJ playing music and a bunch of fun activities for the kids.

Parents will be providing supervision.

COVID-19 restrictions have prevented a traditional cap and gown ceremony from proceeding the past two years. The parade was held last year to celebrate the grads, while a grad cruise occurred in 2020.

Olfert said the response shown by the community to the cruise and the parade played a big factor in the parade’s return.

“The kids have talked to other grads from the previous year that did the parade, and the kids really enjoyed it. And I think our grads that watched the parade last year enjoyed watching it and want to be able to display themselves, too,” said Olfert.

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SaskPower announces plans for 100-megawatt solar power facility near Estevan

By David Willberg

Bienfait gem.

Local hockey product claims championship in Germany.

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Saskatchewan’s largest solarpowered facility could eventually be located in the Estevan area.

SaskPower announced on April 27 it will be launching a competition in the coming weeks to find a vendor to build the facility.

Estevan was chosen due to its abundance of sunny days, its proximity to suitable transmission

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infrastructure and the relatively flat neighbouring landscape. Don Morgan, the minister responsible for SaskPower, said SaskPower also considered the lack of wind power generation in the Estevan area.

“We have a really good grid going through there because of the other generating facilities that we have there, the coal facilities and hydro. So it fits in well with our grid,” said Morgan. “We also knew that we

have a really good workforce in there with people that are working on other energy projects already.”

At 100 megawatts, this facility will be 10 times the capacity of Saskatchewan’s current largest solar facility and will be able to provide power for up to 25,000 homes.

A specific location has not been determined for the generating site.

Morgan said there will be a request for proposals for the Estevan area.

Among the factors they will consider is the infrastructure needed to the plant to the grid and the availability of land.

“If the proponent has a piece of land already that they would use, that’s fine. We’ll go through the process there. If they do not, or they want to purchase some land and it’s already owned by SaskPower or another government agency, we would A2 » DECISION

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Constructing the facility on land adjacent to Boundary Dam or Shand Power Stations would be a possibility, he said.

“It will use that much more land. It has to interconnect between the different pieces of the solar panel, and then interconnect into our existing grid. So those are all issues that will have to be addressed as they come forward.”

The competition to determine the proponent is expected to start in the near future, Morgan said.

“With any source of energy, you look to other energy producers,” said Morgan.

“What is there available? Is someone doing something with hydro? Is someone doing something with wind?

This is when we look to the private sector to be providing it, but we look at whatever competition there might be from other sources of energy.”

SaskPower hopes the Estevan solar power site will be operating by early 2026, but the timeline will be determined after the proponent is selected.

The utility also doesn’t have a projection for how

SaskPower plans to construct its largest solar power facility ever in Estevan. Photo by thianchai sitthikongsak / Moment / Getty Images. much the venture will cost.

SaskPower is looking for some significant Indigenous involvement from equity, job and operational points of view.

He noted that solar and wind power have seen their costs drop over time.

Morgan expects the construction process will employ about 100 people. Once it is built and operational, the number of employees will be relatively low.

“There will be people doing maintenance, cleaning panels and stuff like that. So there will be a number of

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them (employees), but it will depend on what the proponent comes forward with.

There will certainly be far more during the construction of the facility as they build whatever framework has been to be built, on a stable framework, and then they interconnect.”

Solar panels do not have any moving parts, unlike the Boundary Dam Power Station or a wind turbine. They all have turbines that are turning and generate lots of heat, so they require constant maintenance and attention.

“With this one, the sun hits out, electricity comes out,” said Morgan.

Maintenance and control will make sure it operates and fits in well with the grid system.

“When you look at ones like wind or solar, they will require more attention to maintain on the grid, because as the sun goes behind clouds, the output drops off.

Same with wind. The wind drops off, no output.

“So you have people to manage how they fit into the grid, how you adjust other things, up or down, as they are operating.”

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The announcement has led to further speculation about the future of Boundary Dam and Shand, and the potential for retrofitting Shand and Unit 6 at Boundary Dam with CCS technology. Morgan said SaskPower has yet to make a decision on the future of those two units.

“We were a leader with Boundar y Dam [Unit] 3 … since it came online. It certainly had some growing pains. But at the present time, it’s operating well, it’s doing what it ’s supposed to do.”

Morgan said current federal regulations will not provide any funding, support or licensing for anything further that involves coal or advanced coal alternatives.

There is room for solar and wind, he said, but expanded CCS will be up to the federal government. Morgan has invited the federal government to tour the CCS facility at Boundary Dam, and SaskPower is continuing to negotiate with the federal government. For the next 20-30 years, Morgan said it would be beneficial to allow for additional use of CCS in coal-fired generation.

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Estevan Wildlife Federation hosts fundraising dinner and auction

By Ana Bykhovskaia Despite one of the most intense Estevan Bruins' games of the season happening next door, the Estevan Wildlife Federation's 36th annual fundraising dinner and auction had over 300 people joining them for a great night.

A f t e r t w o ye a r s o f a break, hunters, anglers, wildlife photographers, their families and supporters of the organization finally had a chance to get together and have a good time.

The night started with a dinner, followed by a pick of the litter draw and a traditional live auction with many items to be purchased. Silent auction and various raffles also had dozens of goods to offer.

Kendra Lainton, who

organized the event alongside Monica Eagles, said it was a bit of a challenge to put everything together this year. Not only has it been a while since the last event, but they also had way less time to organize everything.

"At times, it almost felt like the first time we were doing it because we had to refresh our memories on how everything worked out all over again," Lainton said. "And we actually had less time this year than normal. Normally we take three to four months to plan it. And because we were late waiting for COVID restrictions to lift, we crunched it down to about a month and a half."

While the weeks leading up to the event were intense, the results were good, and the evening went well. They had

a lot of people in attendance, and the community support they received was on par with previous years.

"Monica and I are happy with the turnout, happy with how everything went. We couldn't have done it without the volunteers that helped us out. And we were just excited to get back. We were happy to see faces again. That was definitely nice. There was a lot of socializing that everybody was looking forward to, and I think that was half the excitement of the evening to be able to be out and see everybody again. We just look forward to getting everything back the way it was and being able to do it again next year," Lainton said.

The program was similar to years before, with many fun and exciting raffle games as

Numerous great pieces were donated by local businesses and individuals to help raise funds through silent and live auctions.

Dexter Maisonneuve was helping to showcase items during the live auction part of the EWF's fundraiser. well as the auctions. Lainton said that some of their bid items, though, were new. For example, it was the first time when they were able to offer a wolf hunting and guided fishing at Rafferty experiences. They didn't have any extravagant trips this year, as they didn't have enough time to put them together, but they hope to bring those attractions back next time.

The organizing committee didn't have the fundraising total yet, but the preliminary numbers looked good. " We ' r e s t i l l g o i n g through numbers. We are considering it a great success, though. We don't have any final numbers or anything yet, but considering the amount of time people had to plan and figure out if they wanted to come or not, we're happy with what we've got for sure," Lainton said. "It's definitely

going to give us a big help and allow us to tackle some bigger projects that we were probably holding off on for the last couple of years."

The dinner is the EWF's biggest fundraiser of the year, which allows them to maintain the properties they supervise and helps with various programs they are running.

Some of the money raised will be put into the new clubhouse completion and maintenance, as well as into the shooting range and the newest acquisition – Rafferty marina. Besides, they are building a fileting shack at Boundary Dam. They also run fishing competitions every year, and their Boundary Dam Walleye Derby is coming up next weekend. They give out scholarships to several high-school students and run a fish-inschools program, providing

all supplies to give students the experience of raising trout eggs. Their youth camp for 11–14-year-olds is coming back in August, too.

In their dinner committee message, Lainton and Eagles also thanked everyone involved with the event that allows them to keep going with all of their projects.

"We appreciate the generous support of Estevan and the surrounding area.

Without the numerous cash and merchandise donations, this function wouldn't be possible. We want to thank each and every one of you for your interest and generous support.

Your support will help the Estevan Wildlife Federation carry out our many programs.

A special thank you to all of our EWF members for donating so much of their time to help make this evening a success."

Estevan music lover is calling for local musicians to form community, youth and jazz bands

By Ana Bykhovskaia Kyle Whitehead, who is the music teacher at the ECS, put a call out for southeast musicians of all kinds last week who are interested in starting bands.

With enough people, the plan is to form various musical groups in the Estevan area in the coming fall.

Whitehead said he's been looking into starting community bands for a few years, and now with a bit more time freed up, he decided to put the plans to work. When he lived in Flin Flon, Man., he was part of the group that started a band and it was nothing, but a positive experience, which he wants to bring over to Estevan.

"It was a tiny little group, but we had a lot of fun. It's been a while and teaching high school is good and rewarding, but sometimes it's nice to be able to perform and practise with other adults as well," Whitehead explained.

He hopes to bring together three different bands, including a

The Estevan Community Band Facebook group was created to check interest in forming some musical groups in the area. full community band, a youth band and a jazz band. The full community band is planned to be comprised of wind and percussion musicians from ages 16 and up. The youth band will be for musicians under the age of 19 who have had at least two years of band experience. The jazz band will be made up of musicians aged 16 and up.

They are looking for musicians who have already played and had

some experience. They may be rusty, Whitehead said, but they have some ideas in place to get everybody up to speed and ready to go.

Later on, they may open up the initiative to those who are just dreaming about being in a band but don't have any experience yet.

"In the future, we may look at doing some start-up as well for people that have never played before. But

initially, we're trying to find those that already play and then work into building into some of those other ideas," Whitehead said.

Just a couple of days after the call-out was posted on social media, Whitehead almost had enough people to form a jazz band and there were musicians interested in joining other community bands as well.

"Our goal is to become a registered non-profit group. Presently, we are at the point of gauging community members' interest in forming such musical groups. Dates of rehearsals, location and membership fees will be decided once we have a strong sense of the numbers of those interested in the formation of these bands," Whitehead said in a Facebook post.

He also stated that there will be a discounted youth band rate for those individuals who participate in their school band programs and wish to enhance their musical abilities.

Adult and student private lessons may also become a possibility if there is interest.

"What we're ultimately aiming to do is to get some people together, have some fun making music and then put on a concert," Whitehead said. "We're hoping once it's up and running, it becomes self-sustaining."

He added that joining a band is a great way for those who like playing music to put their talents and passions to work.

They are going to see what interest is there for about a month, Whitehead said, and hopefully have all three bands going in the fall.

"If you are interested, please fill out the brief survey and I will put you on a list to be contacted once we know we have enough to make any of the groups run. I look forward to hearing from you and getting a chance to make some music together in the coming months," Whitehead wrote.

The 20-second survey can be found on the Estevan Community Band Facebook group. If there are people that are interested, but they're not on Facebook, they can give Whitehead a call at 306-415-1222.

EDITORIAL A4

| Wednesday, May 4, 2022 | www.SASKTODAY.ca

Staff SERVING CANADA’S SUNSHINE CAPITAL Sales Manager Pat Pasloski - ppasloski@estevanmercury.ca

Sales Kimberlee Pushie - kpushie@estevanmercury.ca

Editor David Willberg - dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

Editorial Staff Ana Bykhovskaia - abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

Production Manager Ana Villarreal - avillarreal@estevanmercury.ca

Production Morgan Hodgens - mohodgens@estevanmercury.ca

Administration Vaila Lindenbach - admin@estevanmercury.ca

EDITORIAL

Why can’t we have both?

Volume 116 Issue 47 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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SaskPower has announced that it wants to build its largest solar power facility yet in the Estevan area.

We don’t know where exactly this project is going to be located, but at 100 megawatts of power, it will be 10 times greater than anything SaskPower has tried before when it comes to solar. So it will take up a lot of space.

Once the announcement was made, the usual criticism began. You had some claiming that climate change is a hoax or a myth, so investments in solar and wind power are a waste. Others said this reflects the end of coal-fired power generation, and in turn, the end of carbon capture and storage technology.

There are probably a lot of people who would welcome solar power, and some who no doubt want to see it replace coal-fired power.

You just won’t hear much from them in this part of the province.

Regardless of whether you’re in favour of solar power or not, and regardless of your reasons, a question to ask is why can’t we have both down here?

There’s a lot of potential with solar power and this project. The size is enormous.

Once construction begins, you’ll have a lot of people involved. That’ll be great news for our hospitality sector and other businesses in the area. It will be one of the largest construction projects in the area for a long time.

Once it begins operations, it will mean

jobs, but not as many as some might think.

Solar power doesn’t carry nearly the employment benefits of coal-fired generation.

If SaskPower doesn’t invest further in CCS, then this wouldn’t come close to offsetting the jobs lost at the mines.

You can’t fault SaskPower for looking at the Estevan area for solar power. You have the existing transmission line infrastructure around Estevan. Let’s make use of it. And Estevan has lots of hours of sunshine to work with.

SaskPower has looked at Estevan as an option for solar power in the past, but ultimately decided for another location. Those projects were nowhere near as large as what is being planned for here now.

The Crown corporation is also still a few years away from being forced to make a decision on whether to retrofit the Shand Power Station or Unit 6 at the Boundary Dam Power Station with CCS technology.

We need to keep the pressure on SaskPower and continue with lobbying efforts, but the decision isn`t imminent.

We know that CCS works. Yes, there are still kinks that are being worked out. The CCS facility at Boundary Dam had a number of unscheduled outages over a seven-month span from July 2021 to February of this year. With each of those outages, the critics renewed their opposition, although they

conveniently ignore the fact that CCS was very reliable in the previous years.

Solar power could be a very good support power option for retrofitted coal-fired power units with CCS technology. Heavy emphasis on support power option.

At this stage, solar power is not baseload power. That’s not to say that we won’t reach that point eventually. But we’re not there yet.

And we won’t be there for a while.

As far as being a baseload power candidate, the geothermal plant that is being worked on in the southeast is far more viable at this time. Geothermal has proven to be a baseload source elsewhere.

We need legitimate baseload power options. For Saskatchewan at this time, CCS and coal remain the best option.

SaskPower missed the opportunity to have CCS technology applied to Units 4 and 5 at Boundary Dam. Hopefully, they don’t do the same with Unit 6 at Boundary Dam and with Shand.

So build solar power. Let’s get people here during the construction phase. Enjoy the economic spinoff. Let’s get the jobs here for those who will work at the site once it is finished. Bring people here to tour the plant.

We’re the Energy City. Solar and geothermal are sources of energy.

But we need to remember which source still has to come first.

Plan to travel? Don't forget to pack patience Published weekly by Prairie Newspaper Group Limited Partnership, 68 Souris Avenue N., Estevan, SK S4A 2M3.The Estevan Mercury is owned and operated

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This weekend flipped the calendar pages over to May, which means the vacation season is right around the corner.

Now, that COVID-19 restrictions are eased in most of the world, many people may want to return to their summer travel habits.

It definitely won't be completely back to normal. The risk of catching the contagious Omicron that is tricky enough to go around immunity and ruin our long-awaited holidays is still pretty high. But the fact that we can actually get to do something outside Saskatchewan and even outside Canada this summer is really exciting.

The testing is not that much of an obstacle, so it almost seems that we can hop on the plane at any time and make it almost anywhere if we want to. Unfortunately, the chaos that had consumed the world over the past two years, took a serious toll on the tourism industry and aviation in particular.

With hardly any travelling on the agenda over the past two years due to the virus, restrictions and the general economic crisis that limited people's opportunities, many employees were laid off. And even though we are now trying to "live with COVID" rather than "curb the pandemic" or "stick it to COVID," no one would confidentially say that the latest motto is a keeper and no more changes will come our way. The little bugger may still have an ace up its sleeve to mess things up again. Yet, already now the travellers' flows significantly increase, which outlines the aftermath of the months of the pandemic more and more.

On Monday, Toronto's Pearson Airport had to deal with enormous lines. Passengers were warned about serious delays getting

Ana Bykhovskaia Twenty Lines About… through security.

Especially with the past two years in their luggage, some people know better to expect the unexpected these days and arrive at the airport well in advance. But for a lot of us, that temptation to jump into the old-life normal habits and get to the airport with just enough time to get through is strong. So I bet lots of people did not make their planes earlier this week.

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority explained that the Monday jam was caused by issues with staffing, adding that they are going through recruitment and retention challenges well known in the broader commercial aviation industry as well as in other spheres. They pointed out that these days passengers tend to take more carry-on luggage, which also affects the security check times.

The agency said they are ramping up staffing and co-ordinating their efforts with airline companies and partners to improve the service.

It's not known yet, how many people CATSA plans on bringing back, but Air Canada said at the end of March they intend to increase their full-year capacity by 150 per cent compared to 2021, and up to 75 per cent of 2019 pre-pandemic levels. Will similar increases across the industry be enough to meet the demand? Time will show.

While it might feel risky to make big moves and significant investments during times with multiple chaotic variables, including the pandemic, ongoing war, growing fuel prices, etc., the changes need to occur sooner rather than later. If Pearson won't find a way to handle the passenger flow throughout May, the summer months may turn into a real disaster.

Hopefully, it will take CATSA and Transport Canada not more than a few weeks to balance things out. However, what's happening at Pearson isn't unique.

Other airports in Canada as well as all over the world struggle with similar challenges and experience increased wait times.

Most companies had to cut down their wages expenses after the beginning of the pandemic and now, with more travellers at the doors, are short on staff.

On top of that, nobody cancelled COVID outbreaks, which may instantly take dozens of employees out of operation, which means that even with increased numbers of staff, the delays and longer wait times may become a common point this summer.

The good thing is that while it probably won't be the most comfortable, we still can travel across the border, overseas and pretty much anywhere we want. We just need to be ready and arm ourselves with patience. And the reward will be well worth it, especially if you stayed closer to home for the last couple of years.

P.S. If you are to travel any time soon, Pearson Airport is currently asking to arrive at least 90 minutes in advance for domestic flights, and at least three hours before scheduled international flights. Safe travels!

Flooring

OP-ED A5

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| Wednesday, May 4, 2022 | www.SASKTODAY.ca

David Willberg Willberg’s World

Tweeting about new ownership The world’s richest man is now the owner of Twitter.

Some people are up in arms about Elon Musk purchasing the social media company. They’re lamenting Twitter`s decision to accept Musk’s offer after previously fighting against his takeover bid.

But ultimately money won out, as it often does, and Musk now owns a social media company – one that has gradually been surpassed by other platformers.

To answer the inevitable questions, yes, I`m on Twitter.

I was on Twitter before Musk launched his takeover bid.

I’ll be on Twitter once the purchase is finalized. And I`ll remain on Twitter as long as I believe there are professional and personal benefits.

Most of my tweeting is work related. I provided live updates of city council meetings. I think I have a dedicated group of about 12 people who follow along with my blowby-blow accounts of council discussions. And I’ve been provided regular updates from Estevan Bruin home games during the playoffs. The final moments of the third period and overtime gave me lots of ammunition.

(Be sure to follow me @Willbergs_World during the Centennial Cup).

When I travel, I’ll tweet about it. When I want to promote a beer I like or food I enjoy, I’ll tweet about it. If I need to provide an update on something related to work, I’ll do so. And I follow a really cool account related to noteworthy moments in Vancouver Canucks’ history. Yes, we do have occasions worth celebrating. No Stanley Cups, mind you, but we`ve had some victories, and the late Pat Quinn made some great trades.

But generally, my Twitter feed is for work. I don’t follow celebrities. A waste of time. I don’t get involved in Twitter debates. A bigger waste of time. As stated in previous columns, I’d rather prop myself up against my patio chair and stand on my head until I pass out, than get involved in a social media debate with some yahoo I’ve never met (or one I have met).

I have no need to modify the spelling of my last name, or use an assumed name or have protected tweets.

Anyways, getting back to Elon Musk. Frankly, I have more pressing things to care about than whether he purchased Twitter. We live in a capitalist society. Elon Musk had the money to purchase Twitter.

The Twitter board decided to accept his offer. Deal with it. Move on.

If you think Musk owning Twitter is bad news, then cancel your account. People might be surprised how little they miss Twitter, or any other form of social media, once it`s no longer part of their lives.

If you think Musk buying Twitter is the greatest thing to happen this year, then you’ll probably want to be on the social media platform if you don’t have an account already.

If I had $40 billion to spend, I can think of better things to do with it than to shell out for a social media platform that could be described as a diminishing return. Musk might give it a boost at first, but it’s unlikely that Twitter will ever regain the foothold that it had 10 years ago.

I’m not a big Elon Musk fan. I think he is undeniably brilliant and a visionary.

He comes up with ideas that the rest of us can only dream of, and he has the financial resources to make them happen.

I think it’s cool that he spent time working in southwest Saskatchewan one summer years ago, and I hope one day he takes up Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig’s offer to come to Estevan to see our world-leading CCS facility.

I hope he continues to see the benefit of CCS technology.

But at times, the massive ego of the wealthiest man on Earth shines through. He’s Elon Musk. So he’s going to be right. And we should listen to what he says, regardless of the topic.

But his ownership of Twitter won`t influence my decision to be part of the platform.

So you can still visit @Willbergs_World to find out what’s happening during city council meetings. And Bruin games. And when I find a really great-tasting craft beer.

floorstoreestevan.ca

Southeast College hosts joint open house at ECS

By Ana Bykhovskaia The Southeast College offered Estevan students a look into their potential future.

A joint open house was held April 26 at the Estevan Comprehensive School with a number of colleges and universities coming from all across Saskatchewan and some from Alberta. Canadian Armed Forces Naval Reserves and RCMP also joined the event to promote their education and career opportunities.

Sheena Onrait, the manager of marketing and communications with the college, said that even though they had to move from their Estevan campus over to ECS due to power outages, the event went "remarkably well."

"We didn't really have that preconceived idea of how many people would be able to

attend. But I think the little complication of us not having power at the Southeast College, and the Estevan Comprehensive School graciously putting us into the cafeteria to be able to hold the event, definitely helped with getting the comprehensive school students down and talking about post-secondary and career options after they finish high school," Onrait said.

Many ECS students used the opportunity to stop by the cafeteria and look into their potential options during breaks and at the end of the day. Some parents with younger kids also came over to find some education ideas towards the end of the day. Onrait said that the earlier students know what they want to do, the better, as it helps them to get in shape and have the best chances of getting into a preferred postsecondary institution.

"It's always a great thing

About 15 institutions attended SE College’s open house, held at the ECS on April 26. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

Mika Perez, Arabella Boloto and Jazmine Espira stopped by the Southeast College open house last week to check out university and college programs offered. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia to have people come in, start talking about post-secondary options at that young age, to know what kind of classes they need to take in high school to be able to gain entry to those post-secondary programs," Onrait explained.

Before the pandemic, SE College partook in different career fairs that run through post-secondary association, travelling from high school to high school in the region and outside it. In the last couple of years, there weren't any big events, which left a large layer of students less informed about their opportunities.

The SE College was going to host an open house at their location anyway, but decided to open it up to other post-secondary partners to create a bigger, more cohesive atmosphere and offer different options for local students to explore.

W hile students had about 15 options to look

into that day, SE College's programs were also pretty popular among those who attended the open house.

"We had our hairstylist instructor … down with one of her students from this year.

It's always nice when you have a visual representation of what students could be doing. [And we saw] interest in our hairstylist program, which is located at our Weyburn campus.

"And then, of course, our programs here in Estevan are always high on the interest list with local students, so our welding, our industrial mechanic and our heavy equipment and public transport program [saw a lot of interest]," Onrait said.

All in all, the college was pleased with the event and the attendance by both students and other institutions.

Onrait also thanked the ECS for graciously accommodating their last-minute move.

Committee looking for volunteers The organizing committee for the 2022 Centennial Cup national junior A hockey championship, presented

by Tim Hortons, is looking for volunteers for the event.

A come-and-go information session was held April 12 at Affinity Place.

Cory Prokop, who is one of the co-chairs for the organizing committee, said they were pleased with the response, as they filled about 30 per cent of the slots.

“We’d like to get that filled as soon as possible so that we’re confident everything’s taken care of heading into the tournament,” said Prokop. “I think there are a few spots here and there that will need to be filled closer to the actual games starting up.”

According to volunteer committee chair Pam Dechief, 456 of the 753 volunteer spots are taken, which amounts to 61 per cent. She

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said they are doing well with recruitment of volunteers, but they still need about 30 more people to help out.

“People of Estevan and area are remarkable in giving of their time to make all community events successful whether it is the little kids’ hockey tournaments or the Centennial Cup on a national stage,” Dechief said.

Prokop pointed out volunteers traditionally take more than one shift.

“A handful of individuals might take 10 or 20 spots, be working all week and love doing that kind of thing,” Prokop said. “We’re lucky we live in a community where we have the volunteer base that we do.”

The committee is looking for people to take at least five volunteer shifts, but they wouldn’t reject someone who wants just one or two.

Volunteers can handle

such duties as selling tickets in the box office, taking tickets, working security, serving as ushers and selling 50-50 tickets. They also need people to supervise hospitality rooms for scouts, media, Hockey Canada personnel and league officials.

Security might be the toughest job to fill, Prokop said, but they won’t be forcing people to enter a fray or break up fights. If a situation were to get out of hand, the police can be brought in.

“We’ll have game-day officials running the penalty box and the time keeping, along with goal judges,” said Prokop. “That’s a bit separate from this job. This application won’t include those.

We have specific individuals looking after filling those spots, because they are a little more specific.”

The game-day officials will need to be vaccinated

against COVID-19, Prokop said, because they are interacting with players.

Each team will be assigned a liaison for the tournament who will have to be fully vaccinated and have a criminal record check.

Expanding to a 10-team tournament from five, and having 25 games from 13, means they need more volunteers and more shifts to be filled.

Volunteers will receive t-shirts and other memorabilia for helping out. They will also get a complimentary ticket to attend a non-Bruins game during the round robin for each shift worked.

“We’ll be looking for a sponsor to take on a bit of a volunteer appreciation night after the tournament has been completed, to thank everyone that comes out and helps us out during the 11 days,” said Prokop.

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Souris Valley Theatre announces production, camps and more plans for summer

By Ana Bykhovskaia With COVID-19 restrictions lifted, the new season at the Souris Valley Theatre – the only professional live theatre in southeast Saskatchewan – has a lot of exciting entertainment options slated for upcoming months.

The board recently got together to discuss the work that's been done over the last pandemic year and also to get their plans together for the new season.

President Allison Holzer said that so far the summer is looking good. For this year, they agreed to go with one three-week professional show that they will produce.

"Our main show this year is Norm Foster's play Ladies’ Foursome. It's based on golfing; it's about four ladies who are out golfing. It's a very good play.

There's lots of comedy in it," Holzer said. "We've got lots of golfers in Estevan, and the golf course is willing to partner with us on some ideas and some promotions, so we're really looking forward to that as well."

The main play will run from July 12-30. Each week they will have shows Tuesday through Saturday, and there will be one matinee during each week. The first and the third week, they'll have a Saturday matinee and the middle week it will be a Thursday matinee.

They are currently in the process of hiring the play director, who will recruit actors and get into production.

The theatre also hopes to bring in a second drop-in show for a week or two in August, but that is still in the works.

Summer camps are coming back again this year. Act

After two quieter years, the Souris Valley Theatre is getting ready for a busy season.

I for ages six to eight will run July 4-8. Act II for ages nine to 12 will welcome participants on July 11-15. Act III for students 10 and up will be a two-week program running July 18-29.

Local playwright Maureen Ulrich has created a play, which is also based on golfing.The students will practise and present it to the public at the end of the Act III camp.

Also, the theatre is going to bring back their Improv Camp that they tried for the first time last year. It will take place in early August and will accept students ages eight and up.

"We're hoping to build the number of students that sign up for that because it's really fun. But we've moved it to just a three-day camp," Holzer said.

The theatre will hire four summer students to help with the camps. The registration for the camps is now open.

Summer plans at the theatre also include several concerts. On June 25, Teagan Littlechief, who was named the Indigenous Artist of the Year at the recent Saskatchewan Country Music Awards, will open the season. A couple of other concerts will take place in August.

In September, the theatre will partner with the Woodlawn Regional Park to run some activities, and Holzer said that they may have some form of entertainment production on Sept. 10.

Holzer and theatre vicepresident Ashley Lattery entered the second year of their two-year term. During the AGM, Holzer also updated the board on everything that's been done in 2021, as they've moved forward on a lot of their goals.

"We feel that we put in some significant steps to improving the theatre and mov-

ing things forward and getting some ideas about what we can do in the future. Our ultimate goal would be to hire a parttime person to do some of the year-round jobs.That was something we stepped away from a couple of years ago, but I think we're ready to maybe move into hiring someone part-time.

But that will be something that the board will have to decide," Holzer said.

Last year, the Estevan United Way's Day of Caring brought in a lot of volunteers to help with the grounds and the theatre is looking forward to it again this year.

A lot of work has been done inside the buildings and around the property. They were able to put a tin roof on one of their trailers. They had a spray coating on the roof of the main theatre to prevent leaks.

They also purchased and wired in some dimmer panels.

Besides, they had electrical receptacles and upgrades done so that they could avoid the extension cords that they had been using in the past.

They hired a local contractor to spray cork on the inside of the theatre walls to help with acoustics and the heat in summer. This project is currently underway and will be ongoing as the theatre can afford it.

"We're very happy that the city continued to fund us because it helped us to do some of these upgrades as our theatre was closed," Holzer noted.

The theatre also put work into the creative side of things.

"We co-ordinated with Ruth Smiley, who is a past CEO of the Globe Theatre [Regina], Bill Hales, U of R professor [who teaches the technical aspects of theatre and stage management] and Mark Claxton, who is the executive director of Saskatchewan Association of Theatre Professionals.

We managed to get together with them to consult them about ideas and thoughts about our theatre, so we had some professional input," Holzer said.

They also hired professionals to build a five-year strategic plan.

"We are very happy with the results of that, which gives us a very clear idea of how we want to move forward with the theatre," Holzer said.

They also are rebuilding their website. The new one will be coming live at the end of May or beginning of June and will provide an option to purchase tickets online.

Some of the projects accomplished over the last year will improve the public's experience at the theatre, while other things would just make

it a better facility for everyone.

While the COVID pandemic created many challenges, it also allowed for some time to move forward with the projects.

Now as they are getting back to normal, they are looking for some help to make the experience at the theatre even better.

"We have a working board and we are really interested in having more board members come on board. It's a great board. We work together well and we're also looking at hiring people to do the managing of a lot of the work. But we would love to have new board members come on board.

"And we're also always looking for volunteers to come down and help us when the play is running in the concession and at the door, selling 50/50 tickets.

We've always got a call out to volunteers to help us during showtimes. So, if anybody is interested in volunteering, they can contact us through social media [Souris Valley Theatre on Faebook], or call me," Holzer said.

"And also, if people have ideas, [for example] if they've seen a show and they think, 'oh, that would be great for Souris Valley Theatre,' let us know, we are open to suggestions."

Holzer also thanked everyone involved with the theatre and welcomed patrons back as they are getting closer to the beginning of the season.

"I would just like to thank our patrons that have been very faithful. We want to welcome them back with open arms to our production this summer.

We're looking forward to great support from our community because we're just so excited to be able to produce theatre again," Holzer said.

Moisture levels for the southeast improve, but not much

By Ana Bykhovskaia Two late winter snowfall events brought some moisture to the southeast in April, with most of the precipitations falling as snow.

Last week the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency (WSA) issued an advisory of the potential for overland flooding in the extreme southeast

corner due to another Colorado low aiming at the area. The weather system could have potentially brought a significant amount of rain, which would have sped up the snowmelt and resulted in potential local flooding.

The area of concern extended from Highway 1 south to the U.S. border, and from Highway 47 east to the Manito-

ba border. It included Pipestone Creek, Moose Mountain Creek, Short Creek and the Antler River and its tributaries, including Gainsborough, Lightning, Jackson and Graham creeks.

While the weather event missed the region, snow accumulated during the previous snowstorms and the now rapidly melting snow did affect the situation in the region.

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“That Colorado low just slipped the quarter a little bit and it didn’t drop the amount of precipitation that was possible.

So that’s good that we didn’t see that large influx of rain that could have resulted in flooding,” said Sean Osmar, communications manager with the WSA. “Flows along some of the tributaries, smaller rivers and streams, creeks that were in the area of the advisory, their flows are increased, and they’re holding, but they seemed to peak, which is good. And along the Souris River, Grant Devine (Lake) it looks like it’s filling up nicely, so we expect to see that reservoir filled up probably later in the month here.”

In their spring runoff forecast for 2022, which was based on conditions as of March 1, the WSA stated that due to hot and dry conditions throughout 2021, despite significant amounts of snow, some areas with dry conditions at freezeup were still predicted to have normal to below normal runoff.

The forecast called for above-normal runoff for an area that includes Weyburn, Regina and Indian Head. The Estevan area was in the region with forecasted below normal run-

off. The eastern area, including Carlyle, was expected to have near-normal runoff.

In the Souris River Basin, both Rafferty Dam and Grant Devine Lake were below their Feb. 1 drawdown target elevations.

Osmar said the snowstorms improved moisture levels for the region, but not much so far.

“It certainly improved conditions, it did help replenish some of the reservoirs down there with Grant Devine being one of them, Boundary, Rafferty.

But because of very hot, very dry conditions that we saw in most of southern Saskatchewan last summer, we’re still below normal,” Osmar said.

“Things have improved, and we’re hoping to see more precipitation come through.

And we expect that probably by the end of the week with these temperatures, we’ll see the last of the snow that remains out there will probably melt off and will contribute to the runoff.”

He added that the snow from mid-winter and what the area has experienced in April brought in different levels of moisture.

“The heavier wet snow

tends to translate into more water as opposed to some of the drier, fluffier snow that we were seeing midwinter and earlier this year. These last two snowstorms we had have contributed more water than some of the drier snow would. So, we’ve seen conditions improve for the southeast and in the south in general, but I think we’re still below normal. And we’d still like to see some additional rains come here in the spring,” Osmar said.

The latest Colorado low didn’t hit the southeast as was predicted, but Osmar said potential flooding can’t be taken out of the picture, however, the general situation is not alarming at this time.

“It’s something we’ll continue to monitor. The flows look like they peaked and are holding steady. We haven’t been alerted to any flooding in any place, but we’ll continue to watch. There’s still snow to melt off and depending on how that melts and runs off, we’ll determine whether there’s going to be any flooding or not. But certainly, with the way those rains have bypassed the province, the risk is lower,” Osmar said.

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Crazy Corks gives aspiring wine makers and other brewers a chance to create their own products

By David Willberg A new business in Estevan is giving people an opportunity to make their own wine and other alcoholic beverages.

Crazy Corks, located in the 600-block of Fourth Street, allows people to pick out the ingredients to take home and make their wine. The business also has the equipment needed to start brewing. And they have the brewing room, reserved for people to ferment and make their own wine within the store.

“It’s required that you have to do two visits into the store,” said Bruce Craig, who owns the business with his fiancée Anita Rieland. “And that will be to put the yeast in and to do the bottling. That is required by [Saskatchewan] Liquor and Gaming.

“We can do all of the other steps for you, but you have to make two visits. When the product is done, we will phone you, you come in, bottle your wine, which we can assist you in, but you are to actually bottle your own wine.”

Crazy Corks opened on April 5 and has been busy since that time. They secured their brewing permit on April 28 and the brewing room has been full.

“I can’t say anything negative about the community on the support. It’s been great,” said Craig. For each kit, people can have 200 millilitres of wine to taste test in the store If people aren’t sure how to operate a home-brewing system, then Craig and Rieland will explain every step so that people understand for next time.

“We will walk you through that whole process to start your fermentation. We’ll do it right through to the bottom if you want by telephone, or I will even go to their house. She can go to the house.”

Rieland has been brewing for 15 years and Craig has been making his own wine for 10 or 11 years.

They can also help people with beer and spirits.

“We can do carbonated wine,” said Craig. “We can do beer. We do it in a keg. We do it in bottles. We put wine on tap.”

Crazy Corks carries ingredients for four different types of beers, from Nova Scotia to B.C., including Paddockwood Brewing in Saskatoon.

But wine has proven to be the most popular drawing card thus far. The Orchard Breeze fruit wine is expected to be the most popular this summer.

They will add fruit to enhance the body, flavour and colour of the beverage. And the wine is filtered twice before it goes into the bottle.

And they will conduct alcohol testing for the wine.

Custom labels are a popular offering for the business.

“If you wanted to have your name on your wine, the year or the name of your wine, we can put that all on a label on your wine,” said Craig.

They cited a commemorative bottle of wine for a wedding as one example in which the label would be a great idea.

The wines will range in quality from the highest-calibre to fruity wines.

Craig said brewing their own wine has allowed them to meet a variety of people and have a lot of fun.

“You get to joke and carry on. And the different people.

That’s the thing that we like,” said Craig. “The craft of the wines, how they turn out, seeing the reaction on people’s

Anita Rieland and Bruce Craig are the owners of the new Crazy Corks business in Estevan. Their brewing room is in the background. faces when they taste it.”

“It’s a learning process for people to come in and to learn,” added Rieland. Crazy Corks is bringing in giftware as well, such as wine charms, fridge magnets and wine racks. The

latter are made in Saskatchewan and can range from six to 100 bottles. They are the Canadian distributor for Fast Fermenting Canada, so anything ordered online from the company can be picked up at

Crazy Corks.

The building that houses the business was recently renovated to accommodate a wine store company. There are two part-time employees in addition to Craig and Rieland.

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Crazy Corks has a variety of products available for people who want to create their own wine.

Spring cleanup campaign approaching The City of Estevan’s annual spring clean-up campaign, known as Operation Clean Sweep, is coming from May 9-15.

On the first two days of the program, city crews will be picking up trash at the city entrances and outlying areas, as well as city-owned properties, including green spaces such as boulevards, medians, parks and natural areas.

Then on May 11 and 12, crews will be making their way through residential areas, with those in the north side of the community tended to May 11 and residents in the southern half the focus the following day. They will pick up contained organic waste material such as twigs, leaves and yard refuse placed in the front driveway.

Branches must be bundled in three-foot lengths and leaves and yard refuse must be bagged. Items must be on the driveway before 8 a.m. on May 12 for the north and May 13 for the south. Call-backs will not

be accepted.

To end the week-long event, the City of Estevan landfill will be the site of a free landfill weekend. The event applies to City of Estevan residents and their residential waste only. Commercial waste will still be accepted, but regular tipping fees will apply. During the free landfill weekend, Freon appliances are not included.

Landfill hours are May 13 from 8 a.m.-8 p.m., and May 14 and 15 from 9 a.m.6 p.m.

On May 14, the City of Estevan will be hosting a household hazardous waste collection day. Residents are welcome to bring their acceptable hazardous waste to 500 Bourquin Road from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Proof of residency is required.

Commercial properties will not be included in the operation, but the city appreciates the efforts made by commercial properties during the week to help beautify city streets.

Customer Appreciation Day Saturday, May 7, 2022 - 8am - noon dainties & refreshments will be served

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Celebrating Nurses!

Nurses play a vital role at St. Joseph’s Hospital Regard less of when someone is at St. Joseph’s Hospital, there will be a dedicated contingent of nurses eager to serve the public.

Cheryl Harrison, the director of patient services at St. Joe’s, said there are approximately 70 nurses who work at the hospital. The past couple of years have been challenging for the nursing crew and the hospital’s staff, but everybody has stepped forward and worked

as a team.

“It’s just been great,” said Harrison. “In this community, we have a lot of people who step up and help, and our nursing team has been outstanding.”

Nurses work in all different areas of the hospital: emergency, dialysis, medical, close observation, obstetrics, surgery, ambulatory care, chemotherapy, long-term care and the addictions treatment centre.

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Lori Carr, MLA Estevan

306.634.7311 • loricarrmla@sasktel.net

Thank you to all Nurses and

Since the hospital is open around the clock, some nurses have to work during the overnight hours.

“Almost all of our departments are 24-hour departments,” said Harrison.

The nurses have done a good job of navigating through the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

There have been lots of demands made of them, including workload and changes in protocol for infection control.

“We’ve dealt with all types of patients, as we always do, and they’ve had to adapt to the different requirements for infection control with the pandemic and still care for all of the patients in our community.

It’s been quite demanding but they certainly stepped up to that and been very resilient during that time,”

Cheryl Harrison is the director of patient services at St. Joseph’s Hospital. said Harrison.

There have been recent changes in public health orders that have brought the hospital closer to normal,

nk You ThtoaNurses

such as with visiting, which is now back to its pre-pandemic level. Other areas might not return to normal.

“I’m just really thankful

for the nurses. How do we care for everyone without them?” said Harrison. “It’s great to have their compassionate faces at the bedside.”

We appreciate all you do today and everyday

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May 4, 2022 A9

Celebrating Nurses!

Kendra Memory enjoys helping patients at St. Joe’s

By David Willberg She might not have always wanted to be a nurse, but Kendra Memory is pleased that she made the choice to enter the profession more than a decade ago.

Memory graduated from the nursing program offered through the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) back in 2011, and has worked at St. Joseph’s Hospital ever since.

“You do all of your theory at home, and then all of the clinical, practicums and labs are in Regina,” said Memory.

But even before she started in nursing, she had been introduced to health care when she was a special care aid at St. Joseph’s and at Estevan Area Home Care, and she also worked at Hill View Manor when it first opened 20 years ago.

“It was not something I ever thought I wanted to do, but my motherin-law worked there, and she really wanted me to try it, and I loved it right from Day 1,” said Memory. “I decided to pursue my career with the encouragement of the wonderful nurses that worked there at the time.”

Once she completed the special care aid program, she went on to take nursing classes online.

Memory noted that one of her

sons was diagnosed with cancer at the age of four in 1998, and even after spending all that time in the hospital with him, surrounded by dedicated staff, she never thought it would be something she wanted to do.

“The thought didn’t even occur to me. It wasn’t until I stepped foot in Hill View that I realized it is a good career,” said Memory.

Helping people is the basis of nursing and that’s what drew her to the profession. Nurses help people during their toughest times, but they are also there for the best of times, such as in the maternity ward during the birth of a new baby.

Nurses often work in several units rather than focus on just one. In her line, as it’s called, there is maternity, acute care and long-term care.

She has also worked in endoscopy and the addictions treatment centre.

“I find variety,” said Memory. “I find you don’t get in a rut then. I do like to change it up a bit. Working in addictions was quite enjoyable. I was there for almost a year … and it’s a different pace, a different type of nursing, but it’s a very rewarding place to work when you see the changes in the patients from when they walk in,” she recalled.

But there isn’t one particular area that’s a favourite. She enjoys her co-workers regardless of where she is

Kendra Memory is one of the hard-working and diligent nurses who works at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Estevan. working, which is another big attraction for her.

She has been impressed with the improvements in long-term care.

“I didn’t work down here during the first part of COVID, just because in any long-term care facility, the staff members were cohorted, which means they basically kept the staff that worked

there, and they didn’t work anywhere else.”

They did pick certain people to stay in long-term care, and she was working in the other units. Memory went about 18 months between longterm care shifts. Once she returned, she realized how much she missed it.

She loves her interactions with the residents of long-term care.

“Right now they don’t have to wear masks when they’re in the common areas, which is much nicer for them. You can see them smile and the recreation department does a wonderful job of keeping them busy during the day and involved with different activities.”

Memory believes the hospital’s staff has done a great job of handling the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sometimes they had patients from Regina or Weyburn, which filled up the hospital’s medical unit and added to their workload. Other times the acute care ward plateaued.

“Even with our interruptions in physicians or coverage, we try to always accommodate anybody who wants to stay in Estevan,” said Memory.

Cheryl Harrison, the patient services manager at the hospital, said Memory has long been an asset to the team.

“She’s energetic and eager to

help us out wherever we may be,” said Harrison.

Memory expects she will remain in nursing and health care for some time yet. She had a later in life start in the industry, so she knows she has a few years to go.

And she encourages other people to become a nurse. If it’s something they’re considering, there are ways they can try it out like she did.

“Either start in a different position in the hospital, or they can request to shadow a nurse or request to shadow somebody for a day to see the ins and outs, and to see if it’s something they would enjoy,” said Memory.

High school students have been matched with a nurse for a few hours.

Memory has served as a mentor. And aspiring nurses have completed their preceptorship at the hospital, in which they’re paired with a nurse to learn to build their independence. Once they’re finished that period, they’re prepared to go on their own with the support of their co-workers.

Memory noted she is also grateful to the community for supporting the hospital, and she hopes to see excellent support for the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation’s Radiothon for Life fundraiser, which runs from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. on May 4 on Golden West Broadcasting’s Estevan radio stations.

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Day of Mourning service held in Estevan The National Day of Mourning for those who were killed, injured or stricken with illness from the workplace was observed April 28 in Estevan and elsewhere in Canada.

The United Mine Workers of America Local 7606 organized the service at the coal car adjacent to the Estevan Courthouse. The names of 31 people from Saskatchewan who died from workplace-related incidents or illnesses were read off by Darcy Wright, a retired member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

A candle was lit for each of the victims.

Two of the names had connections to Estevan. One was Estevan Police Service Const. Jay Pierson, who died in March 2022 from a heart attack.

The other was former Estevan resident Larry Pangborn, a volunteer/paid on-call firefighter in Lampman and Estevan who died in Alberta in September at age 74 from what was described as “firefighter cancer.”

Other causes of death for those who died on the job or from workplace-related illnesses last year in Saskatchewan were asbestos exposure, motor vehicle accidents, COVID-19, impact with a flying object, paraplegic and respiratory disease.

The Day of Mourning is observed in Canada on April 28 each year.

This marked the first time in three years that an in-person service has been held in Estevan. Last year a virtual ceremony was held with the names being read.

Garry Malaryk lights a candle for those who died in the workplace, while Ashley Johnson, left, and Darcy Dukart look on.

Power was restored in the region on Thursday The last of the residents who lost power due to a late April snowstorm had electricity restored on Thursday.

Shortly after 2 p.m. that afternoon, SaskPower said

its crews were able to restore power to all remaining customers who were without electricity due to the power storm that dumped wet, heavy snow across the southeast on

April 23 and 24. This came as the four-day restoration effort began to wind down, with crews being sent back to their home districts.

A salvage operation

then started.

SaskPower extended thanks to its customers for their patience and understanding as crews worked tirelessly to restore power.

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"The damage sustained by this recent storm was substantial, and the warmth and support from the southeast has been greatly appreciated," SaskPower said in a news release.

SaskPower warned customers in the region may experience short, planned outages as crews continued to make repairs.

The day before, the utility said it was focusing on restoring any farm and residential customers who were still without electricity.

Extremely difficult wet and muddy conditions slowed their progress.

"SaskPower would like to offer its sincere gratitude

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and thanks to the countless farmers and producers who have assisted in the restoration effort in the southeast, helping tow power line equipment through muddy fields.

Without this assistance, some repairs may have taken much longer than they did, and for this help, SaskPower crews are extremely grateful."

While the majority of customers were restored by Monday night, there were still customers in several communities without power.

Since the beginning of the restoration effort, over 3,100 crossarms, 600 power poles and 300 metres of power line were dispatched to the southeast.

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Bruins won Game 5 in an instant classic

By David Willberg and Eric Westhaver The Estevan Bruins were seconds away from being down 3-2 in the bestof-seven SJHL final against the Flin Flon Bombers.

Instead, they wound up with a 3-2 series lead after beating Flin Flon 3-2 in overtime in Game 5 of the final Saturday night at Affinity Place.

Bruin defenceman Nolan Jones’ point shot through a maze of players with 5.8 seconds to play in the third period tied the game at 2-2, and Olivier Pouliot notched the overtime winner with 7:47 to play in the first overtime.

Pouliot redirected a shot by defenceman Alex Von Sprecken.

Both players said the goals were the biggest of their careers.

“Pearcey [forward Eric Pearce] picked up the puck in the corner and noticed I was all alone up top and he made a great play up to me, and I just was hoping I could get the puck to the net and something good would happen, and something did,” said Jones.

Jones said he didn’t realize right away how little time was left on the clock.

“I wasn’t really focused on that.

I knew there wasn’t a lot, but I didn’t know how little we actually had,” said Jones, who saw how much time was left once he sat down on the bench.

Pouliot knew there was less than 20 seconds remaining after he skated the puck out of the Flin Flon zone, and he knew Jones’ shot would be their last chance.

“When it went in, I was so happy.

We worked hard for that goal, and we needed that one.”

As for the winner, Pouliot said the winning goal came down to the classic hockey strategy of getting the puck on net in overtime.

“It just happened so quickly. I just

Olivier Pouliot (8), pictured here cutting in on the Flin Flon goal, scored the overtime winner in Game 5 against the Bombers on Saturday night in Estevan. saw the puck. I wanted to go to the net, the defenceman kind of boxed me out, and Vonny [Von Sprecken] shot at the net. It’s the classic playoff overtime goal. Just get the puck at the net, just the tip on my stick. I don’t know how it got in the top corner, but I’m glad it happened,” Pouliot said.

After a closely-contested opening 10 minutes of the first period, Flin Flon opened the scoring with power-play goals about five minutes apart. Jaeden Mercier scored first, after he took a pass from Xavier Lapointe, skated a few strides and beat Bruin goaltender Boston Bilous.

Bombers’ captain Zak Smith scored on a wraparound late in the frame for the 2-0 lead.

Pearce scored on a wraparound of his own after an end-to-end rush to cut the Bombers’ lead in half. The Bruins then carried the play and had several chances to score, but couldn’t convert, and then ran into more pen-

alty problems.

Flin Flon had six straight power plays at one point in the first and second periods. Bruin goaltender Boston Bilous made several big saves for the Bruins in the second period when the Bombers were pressing to restore their two-goal lead.

Neither team would score again until Jones’ marker.

In the overtime, the Bruins’ best chance to score came about two minutes before Pouliot’s goal when Bombers’goalie Cal Schell made a spectacular glove save off of Bruin defenceman Damon Byers.

The Bombers’ best opportunity, meanwhile, came moments later when the puck wound up on top of the net.

It rolled along the net and dropped right in front of Bilous, rather than hitting the Bruin goalie and going into the goal.

Shots on goal were 51-35 for Estevan on the night.

The announced crowd for the game was 2,234 fans. The spectators were boisterous throughout the night, with fans for both teams bringing an assortment of noise makers.

“The atmosphere was great and it’s always nice having the whole barn packed, and it helps the guys out a lot, just having the positive energy that the fans create,” said Jones.

Game 6 was slated for Tuesday night in Flin Flon. (Results were not available at press time). Estevan would clinch the series, and their first league title since 1999, with a victory. You can find a full recap of the game at our provincial news hub, www.sasktoday.ca.

Game 7, if necessary, would be Friday night in Estevan at 7 p.m.

• • • Flin Flon won Games 3 and 4 in their rink, 4-3 on April 27 and 7-1 the following night, to tie the series.

A last-minute goal by Brett Wieschorster gave the Bombers the

win in Game 3.

The Bombers opened the scoring midway through the first on a goal by Zak Smith on a power play to give the Bombers their first lead of the series.

Estevan responded in the second period, with Mark Rumsey tying the game up with a power-play goal of his own. The Bruins would then take the lead moments later, with Pouliot notching a short-handed marker.

Drew Kuzma and Mercier scored for Flin Flon before the middle frame was out. Kuzma was the first player other than Smith to score on Bilous in the series.

Kade Runke’s goal midway through the third tied the game again.

Bilous stopped 24 shots for Estevan and Schell made 31 saves for the Bombers.

Estevan’s Jamie Valentino skated to centre ice after the game and picked up the Bombers’ moose leg, which is thrown on the ice after every Flin Flon victory. He then attempted to skate away with it. That plan was quickly halted when a pair of Bombers skated the length of the ice at full tilt to prevent Valentino from leaving with the leg. Valentino threw the leg into the Estevan net and skated to the dressing room.

The gesture seemingly fired up the fans and players for Game 4.

Pearce had the Bruins’ lone goal – a tally early in the second period that pulled the Bruins to within one at that point.

Flin Flon scored four times in 5 1/2 minutes in the third to take over a 3-1 game.

Mercier scored twice for Flin Flon, and Jacob Vockler, Jaxon Martens, Ethan Anstey, Smith and Kuzma also scored.

Bilous and Cam Hrdlicka shared the goaltending duties for Estevan, while Schell and Ben Montgomery were in net for the Bombers.

Like father, like son: Bienfait’s Lynnden Pastachak wins a championship in Germany Lynnden Pastachak is ensuring that another generation of German hockey fans knows the last name Pastachak.

The Bienfait hockey product was the top scorer on the HC Klostersee team that won the Germany 4 Bayernleague championship this season.

Thanks to their league title, the club will move up to Germany’s Division 3 for next season.

Pastachak’s father, Kevin, spent seven seasons playing hockey in Germany before returning home to Bienfait after his hockey career was finished.

Lynnden Pastachak grew up playing minor hockey in Bienfait and Estevan before heading to Yorkton for two seasons of U18 AAA play. He then shifted to the Estevan Bruins for four seasons of junior hockey, serving as the Bruins’ captain in his final season in 2016-17.

Then he spent three years of Alberta collegiate hockey with Red Deer College, picking up a diploma in kinesiology. In 2020-21, he played for the Bienfait Coalers of the Big Six Hockey League in an abbreviated season. Then he decided to try playing in Germany.

He practised with the Strama Tigers in the top German league, thanks to one of his father’s connections. Then

he ventured to a couple of other teams before landing in Klostersee through another person who knew his father.

“Everything felt really good and felt at home, and all the guys were nice and the coaching staff was nice. Everything was just perfect. So I practised once and the coach wanted to sign me.”

Pastachak finished with 31 goals and 54 points in 31 games this season, and added two goals and eight points in five playoff games. He was one of two Canadians on the team, the other being former NHLer Bob Wren.

Some members of his team played for Germany in previous editions of the World Junior Hockey Championships.

“I always wanted to move up in competitiveness, so I went juniors and then I went to college, and then I wanted to play pro hockey, so I went over and played there, and it was definitely a step up from college hockey,” said Pastachak.

He has already committed to play for Kolstersee for next season, as have most of the players on the team, so he expects they’ll be strong again.

Pastachak decided to play in Germany because of his father. He doesn’t remember his father playing overseas, as the younger Pastachak was a young boy at the time.The only time Lynnden Pastachak recalls being in Germany

Lynnden Pastachak celebrates after winning a league championship in Germany earlier this year. Photo submitted came when he was playing in a tournament in the Czech Republic at age 15.

“It was something I always want-

ed to do since I was little. We’ve always talked about it and I’ve heard stories from him and all that he experienced,

and I wanted to experience that, too, and I definitely did.They make you feel like a celebrity over there when you’re playing in the fourth league, and the fans in Kolstersee, they’re just different than anywhere I’ve played.”

The name Pastachak is still well known in German circles, too. One of the equipment managers with Klostersee remembered watching Kevin Pastachak play.

“Next year when we move up into the third league … that’s where dad played. I think Deggendorf was in the third league, so next year I’ll be playing against them. So it will be kind of cool going into their rink and they’ll be seeing Pastachak on the jersey of the away team this time.”

Winning a championship was a special feeling. He believes his last title was when he was playing U13 AA hockey in Estevan in 2008-09.

It was a great party after Klostersee won the game.

“Coming that close in other leagues, where you couldn’t win it or things didn’t work out or stuff like that, everything came together in the season. I had a good year, the team had a good year and we won it all. You’re riding high, and I’m still riding high on it. It’s something that you’ll never forget for your life. All the memories that I made that season were pretty crazy.”

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Estevan hosts senior men basketball tournament The Estevan F lamethrowers senior men’s team hosted an adult basketball tournament at the Estevan Comprehensive School last weekend.

For the first time in two years, the Flamethrowers were able to invite other teams for a tournament, which was also a fundraiser.

The tournament has been going on for over 10 years, and Mike Grobbink, who is a part of the Flamethrowers team, said it was good to have it back after the hiatus.

“It went really well. All the teams had a good time.

We had a social on Friday night at the Beefeater. And everybody said they really enjoyed themselves,” Grobbink said. “This was just a chance to get back together and hopefully get things going again.”

Players from Estevan, Fort Q u’Appelle, Indian Head, Moose Jaw, Lloydminster, Regina, Calgary and other communities started competing Friday evening,

Dustin Wilson is dribbling the ball during the Flamethrowers’ game against Brick Layers. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia and the final game took place on Sunday at 3 p.m.

The Wolf Pac, consisting of Saskatchewan players from different communities, won the final game against Quaranteam from Regina 110-103.

“It was a real good game,” Grobbink said.

The three Estevan teams were the Flamethrowers, Left Overs and Junk Yard Dogs, which consisted of a mixture of players from Estevan

and Calgary. On Friday, the Flamethrowers played the Left Overs in a very tight opening game, which they lost by four. Their next intense game against Brick Layers came to an end with an 83-57

victory. Then they took the consolation final against Fort Qu’Appelle’s United brothers 85-56.

The Left Overs lost to Junk Yard Dogs in the thirdplace game.

The tournament also served as a fundraiser for local basketball initiatives. Besides the entry fee, the organizers had a Calcutta for a threepoint competition on the last day of the tournament and a silent auction Saturday night, with items donated by local businesses. Grobbink didn’t have the tally of the money raised at the time of the interview, but he said that all proceeds from the event will go towards Estevan’s basketball programs.

The tournament usually was the last event of the basketball season, but this year, there were hardly any events to participate in due to COVID. Now that things are changing back to how they used to be, the organizers and participants hope that they

will get more opportunities to play and compete later on in the year. “ U s u a l l y, w e p l a y throughout the winter, and then this is the end tournament. It was hard to get people out to come and play this year because of COVID and the masks and everything like that. So we just had this to try to get things going again so that in the fall, people will get out and start coming again. And then we’ll try to plan tournaments for next year to go to,” Grobbink said.

He also thanked the tournament organizers for putting the event together.

“The event was organized by the Flamethrowers, and I just want to say thanks to Rob Gallaway and Dustin Wilson and the rest of the guys that helped out with all the organizing and setting up the gym and everything like that, and Rob Andrist.

They were a big help,” Grobbink said.

Three Estevan Extreme teams win gold medals

By David Willberg The Estevan Extreme volleyball program’s teams have thrived at provincials this season.

The five teams who have competed thus far have combined to win three gold medals and a bronze medal. The other team finished fourth.

The 14-and-under men’s team won gold at the tournament, held in Warman from April 22-24. Estevan lost their first game in roundrobin play to Prince Albert, and then went undefeated over their next eight contests, defeating Warman’s Central Valley Vikings 2-1 (26-24, 23-25 and 15-9) in the final.

They also defeated the Lloydminster Rustlers Green in the quarter-final and the Regina Volleyball Club Red in the semifinal.

Coach Bryson Such said the Extreme thrived in every aspect of the sport.

“They played well physically, they executed when they needed to, they were able to bounce back mentally after a tough call or making a mistake, and they played together as a team,” said Such.

The Extreme also did a good job of encouraging each other and not getting angry after a mistake. They always believed they would get the next point, Such said.

Those who would have watched the team at the start of the season wouldn’t have believed Estevan would be a provincial contender, he said.

Some players were still serving underhand.

The level of competition was very tough at provincials.

There were some really good teams and great athletes.

“It’s exciting to know that there’s some promising volleyball upcoming here in Saskatchewan. I’m definitely looking forward to continuing to keep our team together and playing against some toplevel teams,” said Such.

The Estevan Extreme 14U men’s volleyball team won gold in Division 1, meaning they were the top team in Saskatchewan. Photo courtesy of Kristin Dupuis Six players will be eligible to play on the club next year, so they should be strong once again.

The 13U women’s team won gold in Division 2 at their provincial event, held April 22-24 in Saskatoon.

Their combined record was 7-0, winning all five matches in the round robin. They took the semifinal over Saskatoon’s JCVC team and the final 2-0 (25-18, 25-23) over the Prince Albert Toppers Espirit. They didn’t lose any of their 14 sets.

Round robin victories were over Lloydminster, Yorkton, Lanigan, Watrous and Warman.

Coach Brittany Zahn said the coaches were in their first year with the program, and all of the girls had only played school volleyball before. Club volleyball was a lot different for them and it took time to build cohesion.

“I think we all just gelled so well from November to last

weekend, that it was evident that it took us as far as it did.

We all just played as a team.

They didn’t get down on themselves. If we lost a few points or we made mistakes, we were able to let it go and move on to the next play,” said Zahn.

It was their fourth tournament of the year, and the girls wanted to win a medal.

It was a great feeling to finally win one, and a gold medal to boot.

The players have come a long ways with all of their skills in the last few months.

Zahn praised the Extreme program and school volleyball in Estevan.

“They’re very supportive.

Anything that we needed addressed or needed support from the board or other coaches who have coached before, they were super helpful. The parents were amazing.”

The other team competing from April 22-24 was the

The Extreme’s 13U women’s volleyball club won gold in Division 2 at provincials.

Photo courtesy of Kristin Dupuis

14U women’s team, who won bronze in Tier 2 in Saskatoon.

They swept Saskatoon JCVC Black 2-0 (25-10, 25-22).

Estevan trailed 19-4 at one point in the second set.

Coach Aiden Miller said they lost their three round-robin games, but they responded on the second day and played their best volleyball of the season.

“They definitely peaked at the right time,” said Miller.

Estevan was seeded fourth after the round robin, and then upset the Prince Albert Toppers Espirit 2-0 (25-13, 25-18). Then they lost 2-0 to another Prince Albert team, the Espirit En Feugo, before recovering to win the bronze medal game.

Miller was pleased with their teamwork at provincials.

“They started calling the ball more, making smarter choices on the court and that kind of stuff,” said Miller.

Players worked hard to reach this stage.

Two Extreme teams were at provincial tournaments from April 29-May 1 in Saskatoon.

The Extreme 15U women’s team came away from provincials with a first place finish in Division 3, Tier 2.

They defeated the Junior Sun Dogs team 2-0 (25-18, 2517) in the gold medal game.

Coach Sara Saigeon said they came together for provincials.

“Throughout the year, they slowly got better at working together as a team on the court,” said Saigeon. “And their skills just improved all together, and we were able to pull off a win.”

She was looking to see the players perform to their best, and she would have been proud of them regardless of the outcome. The provincial title was “the icing on top of the cake,” she said.

Saigeon said the players have come a long way, from not playing for two years due

to COVID-19 restrictions, to playing in Sask. Cup tournaments and then provincials.

Two players on the team had never played before.

“They definitely all show a love and a passion for the game, both in practice and on the court,” she said.

All members of the team will move up to the 16U women’s team next year.

Saigeon looks forward to seeing how they progress.

The 16U team finished fourth in Tier 2. They went 4-1 in the round robin, which left them tied for first, but Estevan was awarded first on a tie-breaker.

Estevan won their quarter-final contest over the Battlefords Volleyball Club Storm, but lost in the semifinal to Esterhazy and the bronze medal game to Weyburn.

Coach Brooke MacDonald said the Extreme saved their best volleyball of the season for provincials.

“It was quite heartwarming to see their progression through the season, and they played the best volleyball they had played all season at provincials,” said Macdonald.

The quarter-final and the semifinals were fun games to watch and the crowd was into the contests.

The level of competition at provincials was strong.

Estevan was among the top 20 teams in the province in their age group, and they faced some really good talent.

MacDonald was pleased with the progress shown by the team this season.

“They were able to come together and jive really well as a whole, and then each individual player, their skills have come so far with attacking and serving, and being able to read where the other team is and where to place the ball. They were really honed in and focused. Especially during provincials, it was really good.”

The 15U women’s club finished first in Division 3 Tier 2. Photo courtesy of Kristin Dupuis

CLASSIFIEDS A13

| Wednesday, May 4, 2022 | www.SASKTODAY.ca

Obituaries

Feed & Seed

STANLEY ALPHONSE FORNWALD September 1, 1928 – April 28, 2022 With Praise and Thanksgiving for a life well lived we the family of Stanley Fornwald would like to announce his passing at the age of 93.

Dad’s greatest joy was his Roman Catholic Faith and it brought him great comfort in his last days on his earthly journey.

His daily Rosary devotion to our Blessed Mother was an inspiration to his family.

Stanley is survived by his loving and devoted wife Dorothy of 65 years and his children: Blaise (Diane), Gerard (Carol), Lyle (Kyla), Jacqueline (Dan) Wanner, Anna-Marie (Dean) Lemieux, Lisa (Terry) Fuchs and Jason (Dena); as well as 17 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren: Lyndsay (Steven) Leslie, River, Shay, & Van Leslie, Samantha (Jared Erickson), Banks Erickson, Michael Fornwald, Luke & Leah Fornwald, Boston, Asia, & Willow Wanner, Austin, Lucia (Ryan Fleischhacker), & Dalton Lemieux, Bond, Saije, & Rhett Fuchs, Dirk, Sydney, & Camille Fornwald. He is also survived by his siblings: Martha Mantei, Jeannette Fleck, and Mary Anne Walter; as well as in-laws: Marguerite Fornwald, Marjorie Fornwald, Anne Johner, Henry Peters, Joe & Jan Tarnes, Marjorie Heidinger, Bonna Tarnes, Margaret & Dale Norris, Richard & Betty Anne Tarnes and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by his parents: Vitus & Anna Fornwald; his father and mother-in-law: Joseph & Katherine Tarnes; brothers: Henry and Jonas, including Peter and Jacob in infancy; his brothersin-law: Albert Mantei, Raymond Fleck, Richard Walter, Frank Johner, Johnny Bespflug, Joe Heidinger, Albert Tarnes, and Dennis Tarnes; sisters-in-law: Pauline Peters, and Bernice Bespflug.

The Prayer Service was be held on Sunday May 1, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. and the Funeral Mass was held on Monday, May 2, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Anthony Phung Tran the Celebrant. Both services took place at Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Roman Catholic Church in Lampman, Sask. A luncheon was held in the parish hall immediately following the Funeral Mass, after which interment took place at Souris Valley Memorial Gardens, Estevan, Sask.

In lieu of flowers, family and friends so wishing may make a donation in memoriam, to a charity which was very dear to Dad’s heart – Pro-Life Estevan & Area, Inc., Box 1829, Estevan, SK S4A 2X8, or Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Parish, Box 28, Lampman, SK S0C 1N0.

Hall Funeral Services in Estevan provided care to the Fornwald family – Dustin Hall, Funeral Director.

In MeMorIaM

Notices / NomiNatioNs

SCAN HERE

www.swna.com

SWNA can take you to every community in the province.

Financial ServiceS Private mortgage lender. All real estate types considered. No credit checks done. Deal direct with lender and get quick approval. Toll free 1-866-405-1228 www.firstandsecondmortgages.ca

CERTIFIED SEED - Wheat6 varieties - Oats 7 varieties - Barley7 varieties very early yellow Pea, Forage Peas.

Polish Canola, sPring tritiCale. mastinseeds.com 403-556-2609

WE BUY DAMAGED GRAIN HEATED... LIGHT BUGS... TOUGH MIXED GRAIN SPRING THRASHED WHEAT... OATS PEAS... BARLEY CANOLA... FLAX “ON FARM PICKUP” WESTCAN FEED & GRAIN 1-877-250-5252

Winch trucks & trailers; dump trucks & pups/ quad wagons. Hauling heavy equipment, gravel, & camp shacks.

Wage negotiable.

Clean drivers abstract a must.

Send resume and work references to: Bryden Construction Box 100, Arborfield, Sk. S0E 0A0; Fax: 306-769-8844 Email: brydenconstruct@ xplornet.ca www. brydenconstruction andtransport.ca HEAVY DUTY MECHANICS REQUIRED Clean CAT, JD equip; winch, dump, gravel trucks, and trailers.

Both camp and shop locations; R & B provided Wage negotiable.

Clean drivers abstract a must.

Send resume and work references to: Bryden Construction Box 100, Arborfield, Sk. S0E 0A0; Fax: 306-769-8844 Email: brydenconstruct@ xplornet.ca www. brydenconstruction andtransport.ca

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

PROVINCE-WIDE CLASSIFIEDS. 51 local community newspapers, distributing to over 450 communities, including 14 cities. Reach over 550,000 readers weekly. Call 306-649.1405 or visit www.swna.com for details.

Wanted CASH for all gold & silver! Bullion, coins, bars, jewelry, nuggets, dental gold, sterling, 9999 silver+.

Also buying coin collections & old money. US, Canada & world collections WANTED. Todd 250-8643521.

Charges laid after rink damage Members of the Estevan Police Service arrested an individual April 27 after they received a report of damage that was made at the Rusty Duce outdoor skating rink.

The subject also had arrest warrants from another agency in Saskatchewan.

At the time of his arrest, it was also found that he was in possession of two mountain bikes, which are believed to be stolen. Police are continuing to look into this further. The man was held in custody on the outstanding warrants.

The same day, police were also called to a break and enter at a residence along King Street. Anyone with information is asked to report it to EPS at 306-634-4767, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-8477 or on their website.

Wanted to Rent For Rent 30x34 shop in Estevan with small fenced compound beside it.

Available May 15th, 2022. Long or short term lease. $500.00 per month, plus heat and power.

Call or text 306-482-7443.

Earlier in the week, police along with EMS and Estevan Fire Rescue Service members, responded to a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Fourth Street and Ninth Avenue. Both vehicles involved were towed from the scene. No injuries were reported. One of the drivers was issued a ticket for disobeying a red light.

Police received a Report Impaired Drivers call of a possible impaired motorist.

The driver was located and was not impaired. He was having a medical issue that caused the driving action.

Estevan police officers took three impaired drivers off the road on April 29.

EPS members issued three 72-hour driver’s licence suspensions and seized three vehicles after the drivers blew warnings on the roadside screening device. No further information about the cases was released. The public is reminded to drink responsibly and always plan a safe ride home.

Farm ServiceS

Business services

HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATORS REQUIRED: motor scrapers, dozers, excavators, graders, rock trucks. Lots of work all season.

Camp job; R & B provided. Competitive wages. Valid drivers license req’d.

AGPRO SEEDS: BUYING HEATED, DAMAGED CANOLA. On farm pickup, prompt payment!

TOP PRICES PAID IN SASK. Phone: 306-873-3006 or Visit AGPRO website for bids: agproseeds.com

Notices / NomiNatioNs

Follow us on Facebook to see award-winning content in Saskatchewan community newspapers.

1A TRUCK DRIVERS WANTED:

HealtH ServiceS

Brooke Duckarmie May 1, 1996 September 5, 2010 You will forever be a part of me and live on in my heart.

Heavens gain is our loss .Happy Birthday Brookie!

Love Mom XOXOXO *************************************** Today you would have been 26 years old.

Happy Birthday in Heaven Brookie!

Love and Miss you, Gramma Doreen

is on social media!

Career OppOrtunities

FORAGE SEED FOR SALE: Organic & conventional: Sweet Clover, Alfalfa, Red Clover, Smooth Brome, Meadow Brome, Crested Wheatgrass, Timothy, etc.

Star City, SK. Birch Rose Acres Ltd. 306-921-9942.

Origin Partners is seeking heated/damaged/light bu weight/out of condition grain. Canola, flax, Bly, oats, all grain has value. Call 403875-1444 for pricing and shipping options. www.originpartners.ca

Career OppOrtunities $2000 signing bonus! Seeking class 1 drivers to transport RV’s throughout N.America. Subsidized group benefits, competitive rates, monthly bonuses. Driver must have valid passport, able to cross the border, pass drug test and be 21 years or older. For more information about us, please visit our website at roadexservices.com. To apply please email resume and a current driver’s abstract to recruiting@roadexservices.com.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT is NOW HIRING: Managers, AG Equipment Techs, Heavy Equipment Techs - Journeyman & Apprentices, Parts Techs. View Open Roles & Apply: www.rockymtn.com/careers. Relocation Offered.

Send resume and work references to: Bryden Construction Box 100, Arborfield, Sk. S0E 0A0; Fax: 306-769-8844 Email: brydenconstruct@ xplornet.ca www. brydenconstruction andtransport.ca

HIGH PRESSURE PUMP SERVICE CAT Pump / Interpump Parts & Accessories Pressure washer Service D.A Lincoln Pump Service & Supply #4, 210 – 48th St. E SASKATOON, SK 306-683-6622 www.dalincoln.com kelly@dalincoln.com

LAND FOR SALE

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FARMLAND WANTED I am currently PURCHASING single to large blocks of land.

NO FEES OR COMMISSIONS Saskatchewan born and raised, I know land, farming and farmland and can help you every step of the way.

Doug Rue, for further information 306-716-2671 saskfarms@shaw.ca www.sellyourfarm land.com

BUSINESS SERVICES LEGAL Barristers & Solicitors

Paul Elash Q.C. Aaron Ludwig, B.Sc., LL.B. Genevieve Schrader, B. Mgt., J.D. Gainsborough: Thursday a.m.

Carnduff: Thursday p.m.

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P. 306-634-3631 • F. (306) 634-6901 • www.kohalyelash.com

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A14 May 4, 2022

www.SASKTODAY.ca

Flashback Wednesday, May 6, 1992 Estevan Shoppers Mall and Estevan Mercury hosted an Easter colouring contest in spring 1992. The winners were, from left, Christopher George, Autumn Story, Tracy Donais, Bryan Prette, Kayla Seipp, Natisse Stade, Cole Beaulieu, Gerilee Ganje and Katrina Schoff.

EPS sees a decrease in crimes against person

By Ana Bykhovskaia The number of crimes against person committed in Estevan went down in March in comparison to the beginning of the year, but is still higher than last year.

The Estevan Police Service crime statistics were discussed during the latest Estevan board of police commissioners meeting on April 26.

Members of the EPS

Public Notice Rural Municipality of Estevan No.5 Notice of Intent to Amend the Zoning Bylaw Pursuant to Section 207 of The Planning and Development 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 2022-09.

Intent: The proposed text amendment is for accessory buildings or accessory structures in the Agricultural Resource (AR) and Country Residential (CR) Districts shall only be required to obtain a report from a professional engineer if the building or structure is within 15 meters of the crest of a slope greater that 15%.

Reason: The reason for the amendment is to allow for less restrictive conditions for accessory buildings or accessory structures built in the Agricultural Resource (AR) and Country Residential (CR) Districts.

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 holidays. Copies are available at cost.

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 Wednesday, May 25th, 2022 in the Council Chambers of the R.M. of Estevan No. 5, #1-322 4th Street Estevan, Saskatchewan.

Dated at Estevan, Saskatchewan this 4th day of May, 2022.

Michelle Dickie, Administrator

saw eight crimes against person in March as opposed to 14 in March 2021. However, due to the influx in this kind of crime earlier this year, the year-to-date stats are still up 37 per cent (37 cases) in comparison to the same period of time in 2021 (27 cases). There were two sexual crimes and six assaults reported in March.

Estevan Police Chief Richard Lowen commented on the situation.

"The anomaly we had last month in relation to the assaults being high has come down again, we're back to a normal number. But you'll see that the year-to-date stats

for crimes against persons are 37 compared to 27 the year before. And that's because we had high numbers last month," Lowen said.

Altogether, the EPS responded to 560 calls for service and other infractions in March, which is down from the previous year, when over the same 31 days officers responded to 772 calls for service. On a year-to-date basis, the EPS saw a 27 per cent drop in call volumes from 2,042 in 2021 to 1,497 up to date this year.

There were 24 crimes against property in March, with 11 thefts under $5,000, 10 mischief or willful damage

EŽƚŝĐĞ ŽĨ WƌĞƉĂƌĂƚŝŽŶ ŽĨ ƐƐĞƐƐŵĞŶƚ ZŽůů

ZƵƌĂů DƵŶŝĐŝƉĂůŝƚLJ ŽĨ ŽĂůĨŝĞůĚƐ EŽ͘ ϰ

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complaints, two residence break and enters and one theft of a motor vehicle.

The EPS has had 54 crime against property calls for the first three months of this year, led by 23 mischief/ willful damage calls and 22 thefts under $5,000. Last year up to the date there were 56 crime against property calls.

Po l i c e h a n d l e d s i x charges under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act (CDSA) in March, all for trafficking. So far this year, members have had 15 CDSA calls, with 10 for trafficking and five for possession. Last year by the end of March, EPS dealt with 13 such cases.

The EPS had eight Criminal Code traffic violations in March, with four for impaired or exceed related offences, one for impairment by drug and three for dangerous driving and other. In the first three months of the year, there were 17 charges: 10 for impaired or exceed related offences, four impaired by drug and three for dangerous driving and other. In the first three months of 2021, EPS dealt with 21 such situations.

When compared to the five-year average year to date,

all types of crimes were up in the first three months of the year. Crimes against person were up 117.6 per cent from 17 on the five-year average to 37 in 2022; crimes against property were up 42.1 percent from 38 on average to 54; Criminal Code traffic violations were up 1.2 per cent from 16.8 on the fiveyear average to 17 by the end of March; and CDSA violations are up 92.3 per cent from 7.8 on average to 15 so far this year.

Year-to-date calls for service (1,497) are also up in comparison to the five-year average, which were at 1,197.

Also at the meeting, the monthly report from Special Const. Morgan Prentice, the city's bylaw enforcement officer, showed that there were 97 occurrences in March.

Included in that total were 31 parking violations, 16 animal calls, 15 taxi bylaw-related calls, six animal violations, five animal impounds, five unkempt property inspections, five snow removal notices and other calls.

So far this year, bylaw enforcement has had 163 infractions, including 64 for parking violations, 25 animal calls and 21 taxi bylaw calls.

Rural Municipality of Cambria No. 6 Notice is hereby given that the assessment roll for the R.M. of Cambria No. 6 for the year of 2022 has been prepared and is open to inspection, April 29, 2022 to May 30, 2022.

A Bylaw pursuant to section 217 of The Municipalities Act has been passed and the assessment notices have been sent as required.

22052SC0 22052SC1

local news & stories

Any person who wishes to appeal against their assessment is required to file their notice of appeal by the 30th day of May, 2022 with: The Secretary of the Board of Revision Western Municipal Consulting Box 149 Meota, SK S0M 1X0

SOUTHERN PLAINS CO-OP

CALL FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS To be elected at the May 31, 2022 Annual General Meeting The Southern Plains Co-operative Limited. invites nominations for the position of Director.

The 3 year terms for the following directors have expired: James Lainton • Darcy Calder • Rhonda Huish Nominees must meet the qualifications and requirements specified in the Co-op’s Bylaws. Details on the qualifications and requirements can be picked up at the Administration Office.

Nominations must be submitted in writing, no later than 5:00 p.m. May 17, 2022 to: 826 4th Street, Estevan, Sask. S4A 0W1

Questions Can be directed to the Nominating Committee:

Linda Thauberger-Smith 306-529-4438 Richard Ruetz 306-483-2121 • Lynne Hewitt 306-577-9590

www.SASKTODAY.ca

May 4, 2022 A15

Book sale at the library Tina Kolano was among the shoppers at the Estevan Public Library's spring book sale on Friday.

The sale started Thursday and continued until Sunday. Shoppers were eager to capitalize on the deals for hard-cover and paperback books, magazines, audio books, CDs and DVDs. The sale wrapped up Sunday, with people able to fill a Southeast Regional Library tote bag for $5.

Council awards tender for residential resurfacing Estevan city council awarded the tender for the resurfacing of a few residential roads during the meeting held on April 26.

Genco Asphalt Inc. was awarded the contract for $602,800.The resurfacing of Smith Street, Hastings Place and Yardley Place will be completed. Genco will shave existing asphalt, and supply and install levelling course, asphalt primer and asphalt.

This year marks the first for a new residential road resurfacing program in the community that is expected to last several years.

In making the motion, Coun.

Lindsay Clark said this needs to happen. The project is to start on June 6 and wrap up on July 24.

• • • Council approved the purchase of a corporate table for the Estevan Bruins’ Sportsman’s Dinner on May 26 at the Power Dodge Curling Centre.

The dinner will be held as part of the Centennial Cup national Junior A hockey championship, presented by Tim Hortons.

Speakers will include former Bruins Joe Watson and Mike Butters,

as well as TSN hockey analyst Craig Button. Broadcaster Rod Pedersen will be the host.

There will also be live and silent auctions.

• • • Council gave second and third readings to a bylaw that will allow emergency services to use all-terrain vehicles within the community. The Estevan Police Service recently received provincial government funding for an equipped all-terrain vehicle that will be used when responding to calls on Estevan’s new pathway system.

Fire services emergency all-terrain vehicles will also be allowed.

• • • During the inquiries portion of the meeting, Clark noted that he had been informed the adult exercise and swimming programs at the Estevan Leisure Centre’s pool need to have enough commitments for the summer, or they will be put on hold. He encouraged people who want to use the programs to reach out to leisure services and tell them those services are needed and wanted in the community.

Councillor Kirsten Walliser said

some people were concerned that they did not receive advanced notice about snow removal, and they were surprised to see snow piled around their vehicle.

She said the city has a couple of social media accounts that people can access to find out where snow removal will be happening next.

Councillor Tony Sernick suggested placing a sky camera at the top of the water tower during the refurbishment of the structure that is underway. He compared it to the cameras that are used for the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure’s Highway Hotline.

Centennial Cup committee eager to get the community involved with some special events The 2022 Centennial Cup committee is looking at ways they can increase community participation and spirit during the national junior A hockey championship, presented by Tim Hortons, set for May 1929 in Estevan.

Josh LeBlanc has struck a committee that will be in close contact with businesses over the next few weeks to ensure they can see businesses participate, and receive the most economic benefits possible throughout the tournament.

“This is an amazing opportunity for us to showcase Estevan once again on a national stage, and our committee is hard at work coming up with ideas that will encourage visitors to explore our retail, food and service establishments,” said LeBlanc.

The committee would like to see all the businesses welcome teams and visitors by using store window fronts and signage.

“We encourage everyone to change their signs to wel-

coming teams and visitors to town,” he said.

The committee has spoken with a couple local sign companies, and they are also willing to help with any needs a business may have. From posters to vinyl solutions, there is an array of options for businesses to choose from.

There are also talks with some local artists that businesses could reach out to if they would like to have their windows painted.

The best-decorated business will receive tickets to a game and free snacks at Affinity Place.

The Downtown Business Association will hold its annual street fair on May 21 from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. in the 1200-block of Fourth Street.

The day will start off with a pancake breakfast, sponsored

by Coldwell Banker Choice Real Estate and the Tower Café.

There will be a live stage featuring many Saskatchewan musicians and bouncy castles, and talks are still in the works for

50 years later . . . still smilin' . . . still lovin'!

Happy

Anniversary!

May 6, 1972

arts and crafts, face painting, a petting zoo and carnival games.

The Shoot to Save initiative is one that will provide local businesses with the opportunity to provide coupons which can only be used during the Centennial Cup. Participants will shoot at a net which will have a board covering it and slots with different coupon denominations of $5, $10 and $20. If they make it

through one of the slots, they can draw for a coupon for that denomination from participating businesses.

“The idea is that we are able to get people through the doors in between games and have people experience our amazing local businesses and hospitality.”

This promotion will happen at Affinity Place throughout the tournament.

Finally, the Taste of the Centennial Cup will have participating restaurants create a special dish throughout the tournament that the committee will promote.

Diners will have the ability to vote for the best dish and drink that was created and have the chance to be known as the best dish and drink of the tournament.

“If … an industry … has

been hit hard over the past couple of years, it is the hospitality industry. It is our hope that we will be able to help fill their establishments and have a friendly competition along the way,” LeBlanc said.

Talks are still in the works with the Estevan Market Mall, Shop Estevan committee and the Estevan Chamber of Commerce to have more events throughout the week.

The importance of seeing well When Nadia Popovici decided to attend the firstever home game for the NHL’s Seattle Kraken last year, she did not understand how lifechanging that event would be for her and a complete stranger.

Popovici was seated behind the Vancouver Canucks’ bench and, while she thoroughly enjoyed the game, she was also distracted by a mole on the neck of one of the Canucks’ staff members. Unsure what to do, Popovici waited until the end of the game and then went over to where Brian Hamilton was standing. She banged on the glass to get his attention and, when he looked, she held her phone up so that he could see a message that said, “The mole on the back of your neck is cancer.”

Hamilton shrugged and went on with his duties, not giving it much more thought.

However, when he got home the next morning, he mentioned the incident to his wife who insisted he get checked out by the team doctor immediately. As it turned out, Nadia was right. Not only was the mole cancerous, but it was stage two malignant melanoma, which, if left undetected, would have been life-threatening.

Hamilton had the mole removed and, because they caught it in time, his doctors told him that he was cancerfree. In January, Hamilton and Popovici met so that he could thank her and present her with some money from the Canucks and the Kraken to help her go to medical school.

Tim Pippus of the Estevan Church of Christ How did Nadia Popovici notice this cancerous mole when everyone else in Hamilton’s life missed it? Simply, Nadia was trained to see it.

Nadia wants to be a doctor, so she had spent time volunteering at a cancer ward.

"I saw his [mole] and I was like, wow, that is a pictureperfect example of what a melanoma looks like,'' she said.

Properly trained eyes always see what others miss.

The apostle Paul recognized this need for eyes that see differently when he said, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:18-19).

May we have eyes that are trained to see our blessings.

Because MOm deserves it MR MIKES ESTEVAN IS OPEN ON MOTHERS DAY!

Keith & Jan from Estevan The Gross Clan - Lane & Tamara (Dawsyn, Paige, Peyton) Nolan & Dawn (Jaidyn, Hunter, Hailey) Joan (sister) & Ken Barnstable

Unit 1 - 415 Kensington Ave. Estevan, SK

• Collision Repair • Frame Repair • Glass Repair • Glass Replacement • Custom Paint • Sikkens Paint • Camper/RV Repair • Complete Autobody Repair & Painting • Courtesy Cars Available • Journeymen Technicians

You Bend ‘Em, We Mend ‘Em Lance Mack & Yansey Hagel

1010 6th Street, Estevan Phone: 306-634-6060

A16 May 4, 2022

www.SASKTODAY.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

MAYOR’S MESSAGE: Centennial Cup tickets are selling fast - please purchase your tickets now so you won’t be disappointed!

Sale by Tender 1. Under the provision of the Tax Enforcement Act the City of Estevan offers for sale the following properties: Civic Address

Legal Land Description

522 FIRST STREET 310 FOURTH STREET 717 THIRD STREET 1118 SECOND STREET 737 FOURTH STREET

LOT: 5; BLOCK: 90; PLAN: C3929 LOT: 6, 7, 8; BLOCK 103, PLAN: C3929 LOT: 15; BLOCK: 31; PLAN: AG4740 LOT: 26; BLOCK: 60A; PLAN: 102248557 LOT: 20; BLOCK: 32; PLAN: AG4740

2. A tender must be submitted in a sealed envelope marked “Property Tender” addressed to the City of Estevan.

Address: 1102 4th Street Estevan, SK S4A 0W7 3. Tenders must be received by 4:30 p.m. on May 13, 2022 4. A certified cheque to the municipality for 25% of the amount of the tender must accompany the tender. Tenders submitted without certified funds will not be considered.

5. Highest, or any tender, not necessarily accepted.

ESTEVAN POLICE SERVICE 6

6. Successful bidder will have fourteen (14) days to provide the balance of cash to complete the purchase. The deposit will be forfeited if the successful bidder does not finalize the agreement for sale within the required time.

SALE BY PUBLIC TENDER

7. All legal costs, title transfer fees and applicable taxes are the responsibility of the purchaser and are in addition to the bid price.

8. Tender information packages can be found on our website: www.estevan.ca Dated the 13th day of April 2022 Trina Sieben, Tax Assessor, City of Estevan

CITY OF ESTEVAN – 2022 WATERMAIN FLUSHING SCHEDULE 6

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The City of Estevan will be flushing water mains to ensure good water quality for all users of City water. This work includes the turning of main water valves around the City and flushing large quantities of water from various hydrants in each area. During this process you may notice a substantial drop in pressure, this will be brief. As well, discoloured water is possible during the days your area is scheduled for this work (see schedule below), please run a faucet, (bathtub is best), for a few minutes until the water is clear again. Please contact City Hall at 634-1800 if issues persist. Thank you for your understanding during this important maintenance!

(1) Thursday, and Friday June 9-10 Area bounded by Perkins Street and Luscar Park on the North, Water Treatment Plant on the South, Woodlawn Ave on the West, and Hwy 47S Service Road on the East (Includes Luscar Park, City of Estevan Public Works yards, and businesses on Hwy 47S Service Road) (2) Monday - Friday June 13-17 Area bounded by 6th Street on the North, Valley Street, 1st Street, and Westview Place on the South, Alice Road and Woodlawn Avenue on the West, and Souris Avenue on the East (includes Westview, Central, and downtown regions) (3 Monday - Friday June 20-24 Area bounded by 6th street on the North, McDonald Road and Perkins Street on the South, Souris Avenue on the West, and Kensington Ave on the East (includes the Eastend, Bay Meadows, and Valley view regions, and Jubilee Place) (4) Monday - Friday June 27-30 Area Bounded by City Cemetery on the North, King Street on the South, Sister Roddy Road on the West (formerly Woodlawn Avenue), and Souris Road (Hwy 47N) on the East (includes Dominion Heights, Pleasantdale, and Royal Heights regions, as well as Cundall Drive, Woodend Place, Chinook Bay and Hwy 47N Service Road) (5) Monday - Friday July 4-8 Area bounded by Spruce Drive and Princess Street on the North, King Street on the South, Souris Avenue on the West, and Kensington on the East (includes Hillside and Scotsburn regions)

MAY 9-15, 2022

MAY 14 th

May 9 & 10 - City crews clean sweeping May 11 - Organic Waste ( North Side) May 12 - Organic Waste ( South Side ) May 13 to 15 - FREE LANDFILL WEEKEND HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION DAY 9am to 3pm at GFL Environmental, 500 Bourquin Road

For more information go to:

www.estevan.ca/operationcleansweep

Leisure Centre Pool will be shut down for maintenance until May 16, 2022. Please check our social media posts for upcoming scheduling.

(6) Monday - Friday July 11-15 Area bounded by King Street on the North, CPR Railroad on the South, 14th Ave on the West, and Kensington on the East (includes 7th Street, 8th Street, 9th Street, Centennial, Trojan, and Soo Industrial regions) (7) Monday - Friday July 18-22 Area bounded by Kensington on the West, Sawyer Road on the East, North and South City Limits (includes Glen Peterson Industrial Park, East Industrial, Southeast Industrial regions, and properties along Hwy 39E Service Road)

Sanitary Sewer Main and Storm Sewer Jetting Program Beginning Monday May 2, 2022, and continuing to Friday, August 26,2022 the Water and wastewater Division will be carrying out Sanitary Sewer Main jetting, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. During the periods of jetting, residents and businesses are advised to securely cap basement floor drains. You may smell an odor in your home, this can be resolved by simply opening windows for a short period of time and running water to ensure all traps are full of water. Storm sewer will have no effect on homes and business’ and will commence August 29,2022 2022 Program Area will encompass all streets South of Railroad Tracks, and East of Souris Ave within City limits including: Jubilee Place Murray Street Duncan Road McDonald Road McLeod Ave Galloway Street Rooks Ave Perry Crescent Perkins Street 1st Street A

1st Street 2nd Street 3rd Street 4th Street 5th Street 6th Street 2nd Avenue 3rd Avenue 4th Avenue 5th Avenue

6th Avenue 7th Avenue 8th Avenue 9th Avenue 10th Avenue Souris Avenue South Sun Valley Drive Park Drive Sunset Bay

Mississippian Drive Devonian Street Escana Street Imperial Avenue Pacific Street Superior Avenue