Henders welcomes the Centennial Cup and all spectators. See our local artists’ works in store. Henders - your pharmacy away from home.
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More opportunities. Estevan opens an upgraded business hub. PAGE A3
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2022
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A timely goal Welcome to Estevan. Latest EPS hire to join the force this month. PAGE A5
Beautifying the city. Communitywide art project underway. PAGE A6
Estevan Bruins’ forward Kade Runke (18) scored the team’s first goal in the Bruins 6-2 win over the Red Lake Miners Monday night at Affinity Place. The win was the Bruins’ first victory at the 2022 Centennial Cup national junior A hockey championship, sponsored by Tim Hortons. For full coverage of the Bruins’ three games, and a recap of the first five days of the tournament, please see page A8. Photo by David Willberg
Big achievement. CBSA dog handler recognized for her service. PAGE A10
Cheerful news. Mercury’s monthly Senior Living special. PAGE A13
Estevan among the 21 top innovative communities in the world By Ana Bykhovskaia Estevan has been selected as a Smart 21 Community for 2022 by the Intelligent Community Forum. The exciting news was announced during the grand opening of the Southeast Innovation Business Development Centre on May 18. Estevan became the first community in Saskatchewan to make it to the top, and city Coun. Rebecca Foord, who is also a part of the city's innovation council, said they are now trying to make it to the top seven and then hope to be named the No 1 Intelligent Community for 2022. The Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) is a global network of cities and
regions with a think tank at its centre. Its mission is to help communities in the digital age find a new path to economic development and community growth – one that creates inclusive prosperity, tackles social challenges and enriches quality of life. To get the city noticed, the local innovation council had put together a lengthy application, demonstrating how and where Estevan was innovative. "I give kudos to the people in the innovation council who filled it out and took the time to do it," Foord said. "[We had to explain] what are we doing in education in our community, in economic development. It
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factored in a large number of things that are happening in our community. [First, it seemed that] these questions were very hard to answer. But once we sat down and thought about it, these questions were quite easy, because we're doing X, Y and Z in education. And it connects with this and this in economic development. So, once we sat down and thought about it, [we saw that] we’re actually a very well connected, intelligent, smart community in terms of using each other and networking in each of our different areas of expertise in the community.” While innovations are not the first thing that comes to mind when some people think of Estevan, Foord
pointed out that innovations, in sense of new and progressive ways to solve the existing problems, are all around us. Of course, the carbon capture and storage facility at the Boundary Dam Power Station is one of the biggest examples of local innovations recognized worldwide. “It’s one of the best in the world and it has been for quite some time here on an international stage, but we’ve never had the full opportunity to show it off in such a way, we just said, ‘Okay, it’s here, it’s a solution to a problem.’ But it is hugely innovative,” Foord noted. She added that there are many innovations created locally and used in the oilfield globally. Besides, Jeff
Sandquist, one of the vicepresidents of Microsoft, who is originally from Estevan, has been working with the innovation council to develop Estevan as a technology hub, where people would want to start and grow their businesses. On the other hand, some of Estevan’s old-time businesses are incorporating technology and progress into their operations, which also makes Estevan techier in general. As an example, Foord used Jenny Joans, which faced a problem at the beginning of the pandemic and needed to find a solution, so they digitalized their entire store in six months. A2 » APPLICATION
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Staffing in the South East Cornerstone Public School Division will be reduced by a total of 35.26 fulltime equivalent positions, including cutting 23.8 FTE teachers, for the next school year due to insufficient funding from the provincial government. The Cornerstone board of trustees passed their 202223 budget on Wednesday, and cited an operating deficit of $6.3 million as the primary reason for cutting staff. The budget was presented by chief financial officer Shelley Toth, who noted the school division will have revenues of $106.7 million for next year, with expenditures of $113 million, capital spending of $2.3 million and staffing totaling 1,054.52 FTEs. Toth said the funding provided by the provincial government, which sets the rate of property taxes and the level of funding for each school division, are not enough to cover the salaries, benefits and rising inflation. The positions to be cut will mostly be covered by attrition, said director of education Lynn Little. The cuts include 21.8 F TE classroom teachers, plus an early literacy consul-
tant-coach and a curriculum consultant-coach for a total of 23.8 F TE of teaching staff. Non-teaching positions to be cut include 11.46 FTE positions, with 0.2 FTE in payroll; 2.5 FTE community education liaisons; 0.5 FTE educational psychologist; 1.25 FTE information technicians; 2.01 F TE library technicians; one F TE assistant caretaking supervisor; three FTE caretakers; and one FTE carpenter. On the plus side, a restricted grant will allow Cornerstone to add 7.0 F TE education assistants (EAs). “I find it really disappointing the government is not funding education the way they should,” said Weyburn trustee Norma Hewitt-Lendrum. Of the staff total, 515.46 FTE are teaching staff and 539.06 FTE are non-teaching workers. Superintendent Keith Keating pointed out that while the government covered the salary increase for the teachers, they did not cover the salary increases for the non-teaching staff, and for Cornerstone, that is more than half of the staff. The cost of salaries and benefits comprise 72 per cent of the school division’s budget, or $80.8 million, with $24.6 million, or 22 per cent, going to purchase
goods and services; $7 million or six per cent covers the amortization of capital assets; and $600,000, or 0.5 per cent, goes to service the school division’s debt. As a result of the staff reduction, the budget for operating expenditures will be decreased by a little more than $9 million or 1.2 per cent. Those expenses would have gone up by $2.3 million or 2.8 per cent had there been no staff reductions, noted Toth. The school division’s unrestricted accumulated surplus will take a big hit to cover the deficit, said Toth, as the surplus will go from $22. Million as of Aug. 31, 2021, to $14.3 million as of Aug. 31, 2023. Jim Vermeersch, who is the trustee for Subdivision 2, which includes Carlyle, Arcola, Wawota, Maryfield and Manor, pointed out that this accumulated fund is what helps Cornerstone to pay for capital projects that get no funding from the province. The surplus had been at $29,420,516 in 2014-15, then it rose to just over $30 million by 2016-17, but it has declined ever since. Board vice-chair Carol Flynn noted that cost pressures are not decreasing, but are on the way up with the prediction the price of gas will soon $2 a litre and
higher, “and everything that goes with that is going up as well.” Expenses are forecast to hit $113 million, including nearly $24.6 million for goods and services, an increase of more than $1.9 million. Some of the rising expenses include insurance, going up by 36 per cent; fuel, rising by 13 per cent; and bus repairs and maintenance, jumping 20 per cent. Breaking this last item down, the increases include windshields, up 48.6 per cent; shocks up 66.5 per cent; batteries up by 33.8 per cent; oil filters going up 15.7 per cent; air filters up by 16.2 per cent; and tires up by 48.4 per cent. The capital expenditures for this year include $1 million in computer hardware and equipment, which will include equipment for eight schools to be refreshed, with network equipment upgrades; $1 million in new school buses; $100,000 to replace two fleet trucks; and $187,000 for furniture and equipment across the school division. “The school-community councils and schools have all received the list for staffing for their schools,” said Little. “ We are thankful to the SCCs for their understanding and support as we move forward.”
Application is in for top seven « A1 "Innovation is not always creating the next Facebook or Instagram. Innovation is finding a solution to a problem that we're having, it is taking something old and turning it new," Foord said. "If you take an example of Henry Ford, he said, if you ask people what they wanted, they would have said they wanted a faster horse instead of a car. Right? People didn't like that, but it was changed. He found something that he wanted to do and changed it and turned it into what the world is becoming. And I think a lot of places in this community are doing that. They just don't realize it." The innovation council put another application in to compete for making it to the top seven. "There was another application process and it really made me dig even deeper this time. They said take your application and blow it up, even more, basically brag about your community and any innovations that you possibly can. And again, it forced us to sit down and say what are our partners in the community
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doing in this and this, what are our non-profits doing in a digital age to further help people in the community, and what's the education sector doing in order to help educate students in a time where everything is virtual but at the same time you get that great human connection from being taught in person," Foord explained. Fingers crossed, the council hopes for Estevan to be named as a top-seven finalist during the next month or so. And the winner will be announced in the fall. Foord said that making it to the Smart 21 opens endless opportunities for networking, in which communities from across the world get to share their experiences in progressive problem-solving. Besides, it helps to promote the community and get more people to learn about it, potentially opening new opportunities. Foord thanked Sask INC and everyone who has been involved with the process. "It has been a long and rigorous process. It's the first time we've received an award
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Councillor Rebecca Foord announced at the grand opening of the Southeast Innovation Business Development Centre that Estevan has claimed a spot in Smart 21. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia like this and I hope that we continue to receive it over the years … because it's made us want to work harder. I just want to find more opportunities around the world," Foord said. The other communities that made it to Smart 21 of 2022 were Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; Alexandria Lakes Area, Minn., U.S., Belfast, Northern Ireland, U.K.; Binh Duong Smart City, V ietnam; Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil; Durham Re-
gion, Ont.; East Central Region, Minn.; Elefsina, Attica, Greece; redericton, N.B.; Township of Langley, B.C.; Maple Ridge, B.C., Canada; Markham, Ont.; New Taipei City, Taiwan; Philadelphia, Penn.; Prospect, South Australia, Australia; Rochester, N.Y.; Seat Pleasant, Mary.; Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia; Townsville, Queensland, Australia; and Whanganui, New Zealand. Winnipeg won in 2021.
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More help and innovations are here for existing and future businesses in Estevan By Ana Bykhovskaia Estevan keeps generating more resources for existing and future businesses. On May 18, the City of Estevan invited the community to join them at 403A Ninth Avenue to celebrate the grand opening of the new and enhanced Southeast Innovation Business Development Centre. The organization became an umbrella for various business support initiatives, aimed at growing and diversifying Estevan's economy amid the forced changes in the local coal power industry. Councillors and the mayor, representatives of Sask I.N.C. and Innovation Saskatchewan, the Estevan Economic Development Board, members of Estevan and Weyburn chambers of commerce, Southeast Newcomer Services, St. Mary's School students, the Estevan Public Library, local entrepreneurs and residents attended a full-day event to learn more about opportunities Estevan has to offer. "Just as the longest journey begins with a single step, we must take advantage of the ingenious ideas that are being generated and developed one idea at a time," said Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig in his opening remarks. "With environmental restraints on our coal industry, we were being forced to pivot to other areas that will create sustainable, well-paying jobs. One of these areas is tech. We must move, embrace and accept this change in a positive posture, or we will lose opportunities and get left behind. We are very excited to move forward in some of these areas with the intention of creating job opportunities and growth for our community." Councillor Rebecca Foord, who is also the chair of the city's innovation board, said the Southeast Innovation Business Development Centre will be a one-stop shop for the community with the Southeast Business Start-up, Estevan Econom-
Mayor Roy Ludwig and Councillor Rebecca Foord, who is also the chair of the innovation council, cut the ribbon at the Southeast Innovation Business Development Centre. Photos by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia ic Development lead, Community Futures Sunrise and Saskatchewan's very first rural technology hub all under one roof to give businesses all the support they may need. "This centre is going to be crucial for accessing business startup information, finding ways to innovate your current business in this changing age of technology, finding learning opportunities and connecting with some incredibly knowledgeable people. Connecting with such a vast network of information and people is ultimately setting up the centre's users for success," Foord said. "The rural tech hub is a one of a kind in this province. It's attracting tech innovation and entrepreneurs ... It will provide learning opportunities with Microsoft, and other partners will be used in the education sector for young students, wanting to
Mayor Roy Ludwig cut the cake for youth and other guests at the grand-opening ceremony.
learn about technology … and will help Estevan stay competitive in the world of technology," she added. Richard Sadick, the city's coal transition and economic development co-ordinator, explained that the current collaboration between different organizations under the Southeast Innovation Business Development Centre's roof will make many things easier for future and existing businesses. And while each organization now occupying an office at the new hub has its own area of expertise, their common goal is to grow Estevan's economy. "If you're a new startup, and you are wanting advice, you will come to this building, and you can get it all here. You can talk to Jeff Taylor about how do I start a business? How do I get on the website? How do I design a website? etc. … My job is to draw bigger business into town, mostly because of what is happening with the coal-fired power station … And we're getting things that are happening very soon, there will be some announcements that are going to make some big changes, big difference in this city … And then we've got the tech hub, which is something totally different … That's another element where we're trying to get people like Microsoft to come in," Sadick explained. He added that Community Futures Sunrise – experts in funding for small businesses, who are covering the southeast, but are based out of Weyburn – will also be working out of the new space for a few days a week to help the people of Estevan with their business needs. Kari Harvey, CEO of Innovation Saskatchewan, who joined the celebration on behalf of the provincial government, noted that the new hub is a great realization of the provincial plan for growing the tech sector. "What an exciting initiative supporting innovation, entrepreneurship, workforce development and tech job creation in Estevan and the surrounding communities," Har-
vey said. "Our province is driven by innovation and home to a growing technology sector, which includes many startups that have captured national and international attention. Innovation Saskatchewan has a mission to foster this innovation in our province. As a government agency, we act as a catalyst to spur innovation, science, research and technology." Harvey noted the government believes that technology is key to growth in the province, and the plan is to triple the tech sector by 2030. The goal is now underway and the results are noticeable. To give an idea of how much the sector is growing, she pointed out that the province saw about $210 million of venture capital come into Saskatchewan last year compared to $15 million in 2016. "Innovations from Saskatchewan tech companies are being used by research scientists, restaurants, project management companies, hair salons and other diverse clients worldwide. Imagine the jobs that these companies are creating. High-value good-paying jobs and technology. Everyone in this province deserves the opportunity to participate in and benefit from our growing digital economy. And that's why initiatives like the Southeast Innovation Business Development
Centre are so important. They create an environment that is essential to support entrepreneurs while developing their companies," Harvey said. Susan L etsche, CEO and founder of Sask I.N.C. – The Innovation Network Community, talked more about what the rural technology hub that is a part of the Southeast Innovation Business Development Centre will offer. "Rural technology hub is education, it's mentorship, it's support, and probably early ideation, preacceleration, programming. This means if you have an idea, and you come in and say I have an idea, but I'm not sure how to get it started, we could connect you through the colabs program, perhaps the cultivator program, there are other sorts of programming that will connect into and leverage as opposed to recreating anything at this time. And if we end up with six or eight people who want to start off a program, then we'll look at that. But right now, it's about connection into the larger ecosystem that exists already," Letsche explained. St. Mary's Grade 8 students attended the grand opening as well to learn about their future opportunities and also to present their innovation projects to a panel for feedback. Letsche noted that it was important for them to get tech-involved youth to learn about great opportunities they can access right here at home. The Estevan Public Library was also on hand that day to showcase their Makers Space equipment. Branch manager Jason Redshaw said that not only do they use a lot of innovations in the library as part of their programming and services, but they also offer many innovative and often very handy opportunities to the people of Estevan at no charge. They provide anything from free Wi-Fi to button maker, to Cricut Explorer Air 2 for many design projects, to Ozobit Evo, allowing people to program and play, code and more. "I wanted to make this available to the public. So we opened up a Maker Space," Redshaw said. "For example, for the Cricut machine, we've had people make special signs with it. You can also cut and design T-shirt logos with it. There was a person who was doing a business and need a business T-shirt … so they came in and used our Cricut and created a business T-shirt." Library also gives access to thousands of electronic books, audiobooks and magazines, including tech and business-oriented.
St. Mary’s School Grade 8 Innovation Class joined the grand opening of the Southeast Innovation Business Development Centre.
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School divisions deserve proper funding We’ve been hearing the concerns raised from school divisions for a while: they need the proper funding from the provincial government in order to meet the educational needs of Saskatchewan’s children. The government might come to them with measured increases in funding, and tout the increase in their provincial budget, but keep in mind these school divisions have to worry about wage increases for teachers and other employees, along with increases in the cost of doing business. The South East Cornerstone Public School Division’s board passed its budget last week. It includes the loss of 23.8 full-time equivalent teaching positions, and 11.46 FTE non-teaching positions that cover everything from community education liaisons to library technicians, and caretakers to carpenters. The job cuts shouldn’t be a surprise, since we knew that school divisions were concerned about the amount of money they were receiving from the government. But the sheer volume of them likely caught some people off guard. And it’s ultimately going to be the students who face the consequences, because it means there will be fewer teachers in the classroom. Cornerstone says most of the job losses for teachers will be covered by attrition, but what are they going to do when the day comes in which attrition is no longer an option, and
they have to make some really hard decisions about who stays and who goes? Perhaps it’s time for the school divisions to have autonomy restored when it comes to the education portion of property tax. Those involved with education in southeast Saskatchewan likely have a better idea of the needs of this region than those who are based in Regina. You could say the same for every other school division in the province. Of course, school divisions would have to be ready to account for why they’re increasing their share of property taxes. They can’t just say “Well, it was the provincial government’s decision.” Regardless of whether you’re the federal government, provincial government, school board or municipal council, when taxes increase, you have to be prepared to give an answer and give detailed explanation for why it’s happening. This is definitely not a call for us to return to the days of not so long ago, when an obscene 60 per cent of our property taxes went to school division, by far the highest rate in the country. But you should be able to have a system in which school divisions have control over mill rates, and schools aren’t taking an excessive amount of property taxes. Nor is this an effort to pass the buck from the school division to the provincial government. The division has to take a long hard look at what it can do to hold the line on
expenses, but these costs are likely to be high for a while, especially for busing and other transportation expenses. Municipalities have their own autonomy over taxation. Don’t school boards deserve the same? It’s not easy being on the board or the staff for a Saskatchewan school division. Most of them now cover a vast area. Board engagement with the public has suffered in the last 15 years. In the case of public school divisions, we used to have a public and a rural school division for Estevan, each with five trustees and a shared office in Estevan. Now Estevan is part of a massive school division that stretches from Moosomin to Lake Alma, we have two trustees on the board and the head office is in Weyburn. They not only have to think about the needs of Estevan and Weyburn when making a decision, they have to think of other communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has only added to the challenges they have had to encounter. (We’ve written before about the need to support teachers, and the challenges they face). It’s tough to see good people let go and possibly be forced to leave our communities. We can only hope this is the last time for a while that Cornerstone and other school divisions find themselves in this situation.
Five stages of gardening fever It seems that every year I go through the same circle, which I’m thinking now might be just different stages of the same disease. It starts every spring when plants and seeds appear in stores all around town and I want them all. As soon as the world around me adds a notch of green to its pallet, my brain just starts coming up with new gardening projects. I’m not sure if it’s contagious or just seasonally synchronized, but I noticed that both my husband and I get it every year, and so do hundreds of people that can be spotted at gardening sections. Same excitement on their faces and same doubts if they should take that 25th flower or not, same fully-loaded carts, same plant hunger in their eyes. That’s stage one. Stage one is pretty creative. This year for my projects, I pulled out a birdbath and an old wheel, put a metal pyramid into the flower bed, ordered a solar watering pot, found an old wagon and bought an endless amount of all kinds of good stuff for the soil. And that’s just so far. Hubby has been planning on bringing old discers and maybe even an old tractor to build a raised cucumber patch/train. Once all hundreds of seeds and plants make it to the house, soon I get to stage two – a tough one. That’s when I actually have to seed and plant all of my craziness. At stage two every year, I think that I should have never bought so much. Even though now we have two neighbours in the garden, the veggies that our side of the garden produces are still enough to feed a few families. And I don’t even have room for all the flowers that I get myself into. So at stage two, I hang out in the flowerbed and the garden, swearing at myself for being so greedy for no need. Then, once the chores of planting the ocean
Ana Bykhovskaia Twenty Lines About… are in the books, comes stage three. That’s the exciting one. Every morning, with coffee in my hands, I rush outside to see what has changed. Is there anything growing? Is there anything blooming? Any produce yet? Those little sprouts make me so happy. I’d try to describe that delight, but I bet you know exactly what I’m talking about. Watching nature do its magic when the first green sprouts come out of a seed that you just put in the dirt, and then that sprout turns into a tomato tree, is unbelievable. And see my flowers peek through, grow and give it all they have so soon is pure joy for me. But then comes stage four – trouble. There is no single issue that kills me every time. Sometimes they all come at once, and other summers, rarely, it’s just one problem. Last year, grasshoppers turned my flowerbed into a dessert. A few years ago, a hail storm/tornado killed everything in mid-June. Weeds are another insane story. Sometimes it’s heat, other times it’s rain, and every so often it’s an early frost. At that point, after I spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars and endless hours of work to have a nice garden and to beautify the yard, I usually sink into despair. Why? Why did I start it all? How did I get trapped again? I should have known better that all my projects will not turn out the way I want them, because they just never do. Not
when it comes to Mother Nature and her tricks. Stage five comes in fall after we harvest all there’s left of the garden after bunnies, moles, raccoons, deer and bugs get their share of our work; and after I enjoy the few flowers that made it despite the challenges and actually bloomed for me in the half-empty flowerbed. When everything starts turning grey after fields are stripped naked and the air smells like death. That’s when my short-term memory fails. I so want everything to stay green, that I hit the stores to get some peat moss, top soil and who knows what else to enrich my flowerbed for the future. We bring loads of manure and straw from the farm to till it into the garden to feed it. The dirt is black and naked again, and I feel like I’d do anything for it to bring life back. So once all those efforts and money are buried into the ground once again, it almost guarantees that come spring, I will fall for the gardening fever again. Gardening often feels like a weird obsession in this day and age, when it’s easier and maybe even cheaper to buy it all from stores. But we’ve been growing our food for thousands of years, and the last century can’t cancel that historic memory. The same goes for flowers: it’s in humans’ nature to beautify ourselves and the world around us. And even though we can do it through many other means now, we still get subdued by such simple and at the same time endlessly complicated things as flowers. And while my gardening fever makes me laugh at myself every year, I sincerely appreciate that natural connection and all emotions it gives me. Oh, and also the flavour of crunchy, freshof-the-garden cucumbers.
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Charting a path towards extinction Sometimes I’ve wondered if the CFL has been intent on charting a path towards its own demise. I’m old enough to remember the struggles of our league in the late 1980s and most of the 1990s, when each season opened with questions as to whether this would be the last. Not only did the CFL survive, but for most of the next 20 years, starting in about 1998, the league had some of its most prosperous seasons. Ten years ago, when the 100th Grey Cup was played in Toronto, nobody was wondering how much longer the CFL would last. But the combination of an aging fan base, dwindling attendance and ratings, a product that isn’t as entertaining as it once was, and the lost season due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in doubts about the league’s future being raised again. It was to the point in which there was speculation that the league was considering a merger with the re-resurrected XFL, which would have meant certain death for the CFL. The only benefit for the CFL would have brought the social media following of XFL co-owner and celebrity Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, who was a CFL cast-off in the mid-1990s. Last year the on-field product for the CFL bottomed out. The wildly entertaining game I knew for the better part of 30 years was gone. People talked about the entertainment of last year’s Grey Cup, but it was marred by turnovers. The game itself ended on an interception. Last year the league’s focus should have been on playing the most entertaining brand of football possible. After the lost season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CFL needed to capture the fans’ imagination once again. Instead, on too many nights, our imaginations drifted to what once was. How many games had at least 60 points and were decided by less than a touchdown? Few. These games used to be the hallmark of the CFL. The CFL needed a team like the 1991 B.C. Lions. The average point total for the two teams in Lions’ games in 1991 was nearly 70. B.C. was 11-7 that year. And they often played in front of more than 40,000 fans per game. The CFL’s latest effort to shoot itself in the foot came is with a players’ strike. It appeared it would last just a few days, as there was a tentative agreement reached last week, but the players union has rejected the deal. These measures have only further alienated the fan base. When people asked me in the past why I favoured the CFL over the NFL, I cited a few reasons. The NFL had the better players, but the CFL had the better, more entertaining game. Until about 10-15 years ago, the NFL would often struggle to hit 40 points per game. The CFL would be around 50-55 points a night, the games were thrilling to watch, they were wildly unpredictable, it wasn’t bogged down by a 40-second play clock, and you had special teams excitement the NFL couldn’t match. The league’s offences have become predictable. Teams are so focused on these short passes. The big field, which created so much offence for so long, is not being used properly. It has become like watching hockey on the big international ice surface: there is a lot of unused space out there. Let the quarterbacks run again. Get the running game back involved. Bring back the long pass. Enough with the cookie-cutter play calling. The CFL is also our game. It’s a league with Canadianborn talent that gives good, home-grown players a chance to play and showcase their skills on a much larger stage. It’s still the No. 2 football league on the planet. (Note: when I say football, I’m not counting soccer). It’s a league that has given Canadians across the country so many great memories. Apparently the Canadian ratio is part of the reason the players rejected the deal. I want to see as many Canadians on the field as possible. But the players should have never gone on strike to begin with, especially now. It was a tonedeaf move. The CFL has a lot of work to do to regain fans and attract new ones, especially in the younger demographics and in larger markets. Making the game fun again would help. And having as many Canadians as possible would help.
Seven awards is quite a feat The editor: Congratulations to the Estevan Mercury team for capturing a couple of all-around awards as well as to Anastasiia Bykhovskaia and David Willberg for the capture of several individual reportage and photography awards. These are well-deserved titles that are only awarded by the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association to
those papers willing and able to go the extra mile. Your Mercury newspaper is the keeper of the local and regional history and is dedicated to representing the thoughts and activities of the community … its past, present and yes, future. I’m hoping the Mercury crew will take a brief moment to bask a bit in the sunshine of success and then, as all good
reporters, editors, production employees and administration people do in that world, they’ll just get back to that vital work that they do. Well done. Now get back to work! Norm Park Estevan Editor’s note: Park is a former editor of the Mercury
New constable is to join Estevan Police Service forces at end of May Const. Jordan Ross will arrive at Estevan at the end of this month and will start working the streets shortly. Ross is the third new hire who joined the Estevan Police Service recently to replace officers that left the service earlier. He will become a part of the team along with Cole Hoover and Vaughn Golden, whose stories the Mercury shared recently. Unlike the other two new EPS members, who moved to Estevan from Alberta, Ross is from Saskatchewan. Born in the small town of Kronau, he said he had a traditional Saskatchewan childhood. “ I g re w u p p l ay i n g hockey, like all other Sask. kids. Went to Reno High School in Balgonie, Saskatchewan, and played hockey throughout my childhood until a couple of years ago,” Ross shared. Hockey remained a big part of his life from 2013 through 2020, and still is. He played in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with Yorkton Terriers for several seasons, including when they won the national championship in the 201314 season. He also played for Prince George Cougars in the Western Hockey League and for the University of Ontario Institute of Technology through the Ontario University Athletics Association. H i s b ro t h e r Ta y l o r spent a season playing with the Estevan Bruins in the 2014-15 season. Ross said he, to a point, grew up in the Estevan area playing hockey. Besides, his older brother is a police officer in Weyburn, and Ross himself had experience
working for the WPS as a communications civilian. He was familiar with the area even before he was hired by the EPS, and now he is looking forward to getting to know people here better. “I’m excited to get going down there. I know it’s a beautiful little city,” Ross said. Estevan Police Chief Rich Lowen said that Ross’s knowledge of the southeast and family history of service were among other assets that played a role in their decision. Ross noted that for him, Estevan offers a great opportunity to start a career in policing. On the one hand, the EPS settings will allow him to learn at a bit of a slower pace than in big cities. But on the other hand, the local service has all kinds of areas to explore. “It offers all the big things that you need like a canine unit and drug unit, stuff like that. So that’s always a good thing for someone new coming in … That was kind of something that drove me towards Estevan,” Ross explained. “It’s a great small city that offers a bunch so I’m looking forward to getting going.” Ross said he always envisioned himself being a part of the policing world. Not only does it run in his family, but he said he has also always liked problem-solving. “It’s always been a goal of mine. I might sound cliché, but my dad was a police officer for 26 years [with the Regina Police Service]. I got to grow up watching what he’s done within the community and how the community grows through policing, and
Jordan Ross is graduating from the Police Academy in Regina at the end of May and will start working the streets in Estevan right after that. Photo courtesy of Jordan Ross all that fun stuff, and also with my brother being a police officer in Weyburn. So it’s always been in the family and I can’t see myself sitting behind a desk doing a nine to five job,” Ross said, adding that policing, with many different jobs it consists of, always intrigued him and was something that he strives towards. He said that his goal right now is to get through college. Further down the line, he’d be interested in learning more about working with a canine, and eventually, his big aspiration is to join the tactical unit. But for now, he is just looking forward to making Estevan his home. “Within the next few years, I just want to find a home in Estevan and settle
down and make everything my own and just get to know the community and get to become a part of the community in the next one or two years just starting off. So I’m looking forward to that,” Ross said. He added that he still plays a lot of hockey and hopes to get involved with hockey in Estevan. And he also likes golf and has big plans for Estevan’s golf courses this summer. Ross is graduating May 27, and after that, he will proceed with field training, in which he will be paired with an experienced EPS officer for six months. “I’m super excited to get down there so I can get my field training underway,” Ross said.
Tickets still available for Trews concert Tickets can still be purchased for the upcoming concert featuring The Trews at the Orpheum Theatre in Estevan. The prominent Canadian music act will perform on May 26 starting at 8 p.m. as part of their I Wanna Play tour. Joining The Trews will be special guests #W3apons. The Trews have been a leading Canadian rock group since their formation
in 1997. They have had numerous songs reach the top 10 of the Canadian rock music charts, including Not Ready to Go, Tired of Waiting, So She’s Leaving, Yearning, Poor Ol’ Broken Hearted Me, Hold me in Your Arms and What’s Fair is Fair, among others. Their latest album, Wanderer, was released in 2021. Jocelyn Dougherty with the Or-
pheum Theatre noted that the concert is happening during the day off for the Centennial Cup national junior A hockey championship, presented by Tim Hortons. Not only does she think that those who live in the Estevan area will enjoy the show, but she also hopes people who are in town for the tournament will jump at the opportunity to see the concert in the venerable 108-year-old theatre.
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Estevan to see more murals and beautiful benches; artists wanted for the project By Ana Bykhvskaia Summer is almost here, and a new beautification project for Estevan is now underway. The first couple of colourful art benches already appeared at two locations. One with sunflowers was created by local artist Brenda Blackburn and is installed by Fas Gas on Main Street. The second one, depicting a sunrise, was made by Gale Tytlandsvik and can be seen on Souris Avenue North by the intersection with Eva Street. Tytlandsvik, an Estevan artist and green thumb, is working with the Estevan Arts Council and in coordination with the city to further beautify Estevan. She said the idea of decorating benches was born in her backyard. “I was a realtor, and my husband brought my sign home from one of the benches and hung it in the backyard. And I felt like, it had to go. And then my daughter said, ‘Can you paint something else on it?’ And I said, ‘Hey, you know, what? W hy don’t we see if we can put it on a bench? We can re-cover it and use it on it. So I talked to a city councillor and made a proposal, and they said, go for it. So I got permission to do three benches,” Tytlandsvik shared.
She invited Blackburn on board to create a design, which was enlarged and wrapped on the back piece, and later mounted onto a bench. Tytlandsvik noted that they approached the design strategically, and placed a more detailed sunflower painting by the intersection, giving people something to look at while waiting for the lights. The other bench is at a drive-by location, so it adds colours to the landscape but doesn’t take drivers’ attention away. Tytlandsvik first had three benches to decorate, but they eventually became just the beginning of a bigger beautification project. “At the council meeting lately, I got permission to do a few more. Two or three more, so I’ll have another three or four benches that I can do,” Tytlandsvik said. For the three remaining benches, Tytlandsvik is putting a call out for art. “Hopefully, I will get submissions,” Tytlandsvik said. She added that for the benches, art doesn’t need to be big, as long as it’s scaled for the bench back, as it will be processed and transferred onto the vinyl wrap. Tytlandsvik will also have to paint the benches so that bottoms co-ordinate with the art, and complete repairs if needed. The new back pieces should last for
about 10 years, she said, and as long as they are not damaged, they can be re-wrapped with another art when the time comes. While benches became an exciting project, they weren’t the end of Tytlandsvik’s plans for making Estevan prettier this summer. She also is putting a call out for artists to help her with creating art for the lift station on King Street, as well as three murals on the side of Pharmasave, and one on the front of TD Bank. On top of that, she has five more locations where businesses agreed to let artists place murals. And another one on Fourth Street, the brick strip between Jenny Joan’s and House of Stationery, that she is going to try and accomplish this summer along with the other locations. “The murals on the side of Pharmasave and on the front of the TD are not in good shape. They’ve lasted a long time, but they’re done. I have to talk to the other two artists just to let them know what’s going on, because, truly, they cannot be repaired, they’re peeling and they need to go … So those are my priority along with the benches. I really want to see those done this year,” Tytlandsvik said. She added that the murals were created in the late 2000s and reached their lifespan now. For the new murals, she wants them to turn out well, be “energizing” and “cool”, as they will be a part of the city landscape for many years. “ We want cool, fun, beautiful ideas for making our city awesome. I would love for everyone to smile when they see our new mural art. Let’s amaze and delight people. Let’s change the way we see our city.” What murals will look
This art by Gale Tytlandsvik was placed on a bench located at Souris Avenue North.
A bench painted by Brenda Blackburn recently appeared by Fas Gas on Main Street. like, will be determined further down the line and a lot will depend on artists’ submissions, but some things are set already. For example, Tytlandsvik said they agreed that Estevan doesn’t need another pumpjack, as it already has art reflecting its Energy City nature. Historic murals are also not in the plans. “I, personally, I do not lean toward historic, and since I’m on the committee, we probably will not have historic. Historic is
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wonderful. I love history. Love it. But again, Moose Jaw got historic, Saskatoon has historic, everybody has historic murals. And I think we should try something different.” Tytlandsvik added that she is really looking forward to having many submissions so they could have some great local art happening. “I’m really hoping that we get a lot of interest, especially for easy things like the benches.” Tytlandsvik noted that the mural that is currently being created above the General Store on Fourth Street is not a part of the project and rather is a solo accomplishment by BJ Zieger of Lucky Buddha Tattoo in Estevan. But she hopes he might be interested in taking on some
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of the murals. “He’s agreed to come on the arts council and work with me. He’s done several murals in Regina. He’s done a couple bigger murals,” Tytlandsvik said. The project is done with the support of the Estevan Arts Council. They don’t plan on fundraising for any of the art pieces for the time being. Tytlandsvik said it is something that they might consider later, but for now, they also will pursue grants and other additional funding. The deadline for submissions is mid-June, for projects to ideally be completed by the end of July. Artists interested in getting involved with benches and/ or murals can contact Tytlandsvik at estevanartscouncil@sasktel.net.
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| Wednesday, May 25, 2022 | www.SASKTODAY.ca
North Portal CBSA officer earns provincial award By David Willberg Sherese Tardif-Cress is proud to be a woman in law enforcement, working as a detector dog handler for the Canada Border Services Agency. And she is also proud to work as a mentor. Now she has been recognized for her efforts. Tardif-Cress, who works out of the North Portal border crossing, was the recipient of the Saskatchewan Women in Policing’s Mentoring and Leadership Award. SWIP, along with the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety, announced award winners for 2022 last week. She said the award came as a surprise, and she was shocked just to learn she had been nominated. “It is a delight … to receive this recognition, especially from such a great organization and such a strong group of women,” said Tardif-Cress. A co-worker in the CBSA nominated her. At the ceremony, the information in the nomination package was read out, so Tardif-Cress heard all sorts of kind words. “What it boils down to is the work that I do as a detector dog handler, but also a border services officer, with helping out newer officers start their career, and training them about how to work with the dog,” said Tardif-Cress. She was the first female dog handler for the CBSA
in Saskatchewan, which she believes was a factor in her receiving the award. Tardif-Cress started her career with the CBSA in 2007 and came to Saskatchewan in 2009. Her initial focus was on immigration, so she dealt with complex cases. She became an instructor for a course in which she taught other officers how to handle such cases as deportation and removing people from Canada who aren’t supposed to be here. “When I became the detector dog handler, I actually created a training program that I go through with all of the new recruits coming into the area, where I teach them how to work with the dog and what the detector dog program brings to assist them,” said Tardif-Cress. CBSA later secured funding to get a second detector dog because of the work that was happening in Saskatchewan. A woman was hired to be the handler of that canine. “We went from never having a female dog handler in Saskatchewan, to me being the first one in Saskatchewan, to them having two female dog handlers in the province,” said Tardif-Cress. Each day means she gets to work with her dog Chase, which she believes is the best job in the agency. “They’re just wonderful creatures, and getting to work with my partner Chase is really, just in itself … rewarding,” said
Sherese Tardif-Cress is an officer with the CBSA who is based out of North Portal. Photo courtesy of the CBSA’s Prairie region. Sherese Tardif-Cress with her partner, detector dog Chase. Tardif-Cress, who is an officer with the Canada Border Services Agency, was recently selected for a provincial award. Photo courtesy of the CBSA’s Prairie region. Tardif-Cress. Chase is a black Labrador who is nearly five years old. The two have been a team for four years. While they work out of North Portal, they can be deployed to any CBSA land crossing in Saskatchewan, and they also tend to the airports in Saskatoon and Regina. Detector dogs can make officers’ job more efficient. She can run Chase around a vehicle in a matter of minutes, where if an officer has to do it, it could take hours or even more.
“And besides that, it’s frankly just fun. To be able to work with the dog, everything we do is positive reinforcement only.” Their job is to find drugs and guns, and then he gets rewarded. It’s also a special feeling to be recognized by SWIP, which has worked tirelessly to get established. “It’s just amazing to see how these women of all different levels in law enforcement can come together, and to see the work that they accomplish,
it’s nothing short of a grand feat,” she said. “Just to know that we have that community here of women wanting to empower other women or people who identify as women, it’s just so important,” said Tardif-Cress. And she was thankful to hear the praise of women in law enforcement from Christine Tell, who is the Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety. Women working in law enforcement remain the minority, so to know they have each other’s support is vital to Tardif-Cress. The award came at an important time for Tardif-Cress, because she is 37 weeks pregnant. The barriers that women
still face in law enforcement are real, she said, and it doesn’t need to be that way, because women can do amazing things and bring abilities, talents and qualities to law enforcement. An awards ceremony was held on May 12 to congratulate Tardif-Cress and the other winners: Caitline Lee, a conservation officer with the Provincial Protective Services Branch, received the Officer of the Year Award; Robin Petkau, a constable with Regina Police Service, earned the Lifesaving or Critical Incident Award; and Monica Deters, a supervisor of intelligence analysts with the RCMP’s "F" Division, was presented with the SWIP Civilian Mentoring and Leadership Award.
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Bruins dropped two early games at the Centennial Cup, but staved off elimination with a big win on Monday By David Willberg The Estevan Bruins kept their playoff hopes alive at the Centennial Cup national junior A hockey championship, presented by Tim Hortons, by defeating the Red Lake Miners 6-2 Monday night at Affinity Place. Captain Eric Houk had a hat trick for Estevan and Eric Pearce added three assists in the victory. Kade Runke gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead six minutes into the first period, and Caelan Fitzpatrick doubled the advantage seven minutes later. Red Lake would get on the board with less than five minutes to play in the period on a goal by Jordan Baranesky. The teams traded goals to start the second period, with Mark Rumsey scoring less than two minutes into the frame for Estevan, but Ryan Hunter responded with a power play goal for Red Lake. Bruins' captain Eric Houk then scored two quick power-play goals for Estevan to give the host team a threegoal cushion. “He’s been good all year and he was really good for us in the playoffs,” said Bruins head coach and general manager Jason Tatarnic. “He’s a good leader and I thought he played extremely well.” Houk was pleased with the team’s ability to get players in front of the net against Red Lake. “We moved the puck around. We weren’t really trying to force things too much and not skip steps. I think that helped, and a couple of lucky bounces led to an open net,” said Houk.
Bruin captain Eric Houk celebrates after scoring against Collège Français de Longueuil Friday night. Red Lake had a glorious chance to score late in the second, but Bruins' goaltender Boston Bilous made a sensational glove save off of Hunter. His Bruin teammates gathered around him after the stop to thank him. “That was a great save. He’s made a bunch of them for us this year. That one’s up there, but he’s done it all year for us,” said Tatarnic. Bilous said that was a save he needed to make for the team. “We’ve had two rougher games, and we just wanted to win tonight. I could care less about how great that save was,” he said. Estevan had a fiveminute power play in the third period after Carter Albrecht hit Bruins’ defenceman Alex Von Sprecken from behind, but couldn't covert. It remained a 5-2 game until Houk scored into an empty
net in the final minute. Bilous finished with 23 saves on the night, while Kiev Kineshanko made 33 saves for Red Lake. Bilous thought the Bruins were working harder and playing a simpler game against Red Lake. Estevan and Red Lake were both 0-2 to start the tournament, and need a win to remain in contention for the tournament’s medal round. Red Lake has now been eliminated from playoff contention. The Bruins had twogoal leads in their first two games, only to come up short both times. The Bruins dropped a 5-3 decision Friday night to Collège Français de Longueuil in their opening game. Von Sprecken, an Estevan hockey product, had the Bruins’ first goal of the tournament 86 seconds into
Zachary Burns (22) is surrounded by Pickering Panthers’ defenders in front of the Pickering goal during Saturday’s game.
the first period, much to the delight of the large crowd at Affinity Place. “I just turned and shot it, and didn’t really look,” said Von Sprecken. Nolan Jones doubled the lead with a power-play goal 5 1/2 minutes later. Longueuil cut the lead in half when Vincent Bernier scored a power-play marker of their own with 7:02 to play in the first period. The goal came moments after the Bruins had a couple of great scoring chances while short-handed. Houk would score with 2:34 to play in the first period to restore the two-goal lead. Estevan had chances to extend the lead in the second. Dayton Deics hit the post less than five minutes into the stanza. And then Estevan had a two-man advantage for two minutes, thanks to a four-minute double mi-
nor for kneeing assessed to Longueuil, followed by a two-minute minor about a minute later. But the Bruins couldn't convert, and it would by Longueui's Maxime Gagne who would score a short-handed goal late in the Bruins' power play. Early in the final frame, Longueuil’s Owen Stammer scored to tie the game. The Quebec representatives had a four-minute power play of their own midway through the third, but didn't convert. Estevan then had some opportunities to score of their own, but against the flow of the play, Gagne would get a breakaway and score with five minutes remaining in the third. He would add one more into an empty net to finish the scoring. Longueuil outshot Estevan 33-31 on the night. Bilous (Estevan) and Simon Berube (Longueuil) were in goal. The Bruins gave up seven straight goals to the Pickering Panthers in a 10-5 loss on Saturday night. The teams traded goals in a highly entertaining first period. Olivier Pouliot, Jones and Rumsey scored for Estevan. Dustin Hutton and Ian Martin had Pickering's markers. Pouliot notched his second of the game while the Bruins were short-handed to get the Black and Gold a two-goal lead, but Lucas Littlejohn responded for Pickering a short time later. Deics’ power-play goal restored Estevan's two-goal advantage, but Pickering had quick goals by Ethan Doyle and Hutton to tie the game after 40 minutes.
The wheels fell off for Estevan in the third. Jacob Partridge and Ian Martin scored early in the period for a 7-5 edge. Estevan did have opportunities to pull within one, including a power play midway through the third. Then Pickering scored three times in the final five minutes of the game, with goals by Doyle, Hutton and Brett Henderson. Hutton, Martin and Partridge each had three assists for Pickering. Pickering outshot Estevan 36-31. Boston Bilous (Estevan) and Andrew Ballantyne (Pickering) were the goalies. Jones was assessed a fiveminute major for a check to the head of a Pickering opponent in the final seconds. He has since been suspended for three games. Tatarnic said the club made a lot of mental mistakes in the first two games. “That’s not very common for us,” said Tatarnic. “We touched base on the mental [side]. We were better tonight mentally but we still have to be better.” Estevan will close out the round robin Wednesday night against the top-ranked Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. “We need to come out with a game like we played in the [SJHL] playoffs in Game 7 [against the Flin Flon Bombers]. We just have to play mistake-free hockey. Obviously they have tons of firepower,” said Houk. “We know who to watch for on their team and play a really strong defensive game.” O ur provincial news hub, www.sasktoday.ca, will have coverage throughout the game against Brooks.
Olivier Pouliot (8) cuts in on the Pickering goal during Saturday’s game.
Centennial Cup round robin kept fans entertained By David Willberg The first five days generated lots of goals, great plays and even a little history during the Centennial Cup national junior A hockey championship, presented by Tim Hortons. The tournament opened Thursday with the Pickering Panthers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League winning 9-2 over the Superior International Junior Hockey League`s Red Lake Miners. Pickering scored five times in the first period to put the game out of reach early. The Flin Flon Bombers then routed the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League`s Soo Thunderbirds 6-1. Flin Flon qualified as the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League representative after losing the SJHL final to the host Estevan Bruins. The Thunderbirds are based out of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. The final game of the opening day saw the Alberta Junior Hockey League`s Brooks Bandits win 5-2 over Collège Français de Longueuil, who won the Ligue de Hockey Junior AAA du Quebec. Brooks won the Centen-
nial Cup when it was last held in 2019, and they were the top-ranked team in Canada for most of the 2021-22 season. Day 2 started with the first close game of the competition, as the Manitoba Junior Hockey League`s Dauphin Kings edged the Central Canadian Hockey League`s Ottawa Junior A Senators. Dauphin scored twice in the second period to take the lead, and held on in the third. The second game of the day saw the Maritime Hockey League`s Summerside Western Capitals knock off the Thunderbirds 4-1. Saturday started off with a little history as Brooks trounced Red Lake 11-4. It was a 6-4 game entering the third period, but Brooks scored five times to pull away. Brooks tied the tournament record for most goals in a game by one team in a single game. The last time a team had 11 was in 2010, when the Brockville Braves turned the trick against the Oakville Blades. The second game was the first overtime contest of the tournament, as the Flin Flon Bombers edged the Senators 3-2. Flin Flon tied the game with six minutes to play in
A member of the Summerside Western Capitals dishes out a hit against the Soo Thunderbirds on Thursday. the third, and then Xavier Lapointe added the winner in extra time. Two games were played on Sunday. The Dauphin Kings scored four times in the final five minutes of the second period to break open a 1-0 game and went on to beat Summerside 7-1. The other game was much closer, as Pickering edged Longueuil 3-2 in overtime. Dustin Hutton scored the tying goal midway through the third, and then Ian Mar-
tin notched the winner on a breakaway in the extra frame. Monday`s games saw the Senators blank the Thunderbirds 4-0 for the first shutout of the tournament. Ottawa had just a 1-0 lead after two periods, but then pulled away with three in the third. The Thunderbirds became the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention. The Bombers suffered their first loss of the tournament in a 4-1 defeat against the Capitals. Summerside
Players from the Flin Flon Bombers salute the fans after winning in overtime against the Ottawa Junior A Senators. broke open a 1-1 game with a goal late in the first and two more early in the second. Three games were slated for Tuesday: Brooks versus Pickering, Flin Flon against Dauphin and L ongueuil versus Red Lake. (Results from Tuesday`s games were not available at press time). The round robin will
wrap up Wednesday with Summerside facing Ottawa at noon, the Thunderbirds playing Dauphin at 4 p.m. and Estevan meeting Brooks at 7:30 p.m. Be sure to check our provincial news hub, www. sasktoday.ca, for photos and daily recaps of the tournament.
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Estevan’s Harris a hockey champion in Slovakia An Este van hoc key product has found both team and individual success in Slovakia. Brant Harris, who played minor and junior hockey in Estevan, won a Slovak league championship with HC Slovan Bratislava in the top league in the European nation. He was also the team’s top scorer, and second overall in the league, with 21 goals and 38 assists in 49 games. Harris has spent two seasons with HC Slovan Bratislava, and is set to be back with the team next season. “It was the first championship of my professional career, so it was awesome. It was really exciting. Especially with the year we had. We were first, so there was a lot of pressure, and it was good to make sure we won that thing,” said Harris. It was the first championship he has won since capturing a league title with the Estevan U18 AA Bruins
program in 2007. HC Slovan Bratislava had a lot of depth. When injuries occurred, they had players who could capably fill in. “Our goaltending was key. We had two import goalies, which I would say a lot of teams don’t, so that was nice to swap back and forth, whoever was the hotter goalie. We were, all-round, a pretty solid team.” Harris played his minor hockey in Estevan, and spent 2 1/2 seasons with the junior A Bruins until he was dealt to the Melfort Mustangs midway through his final season of junior hockey in 2009-10. He then spent four seasons with the University of Connecticut Huskies, where he remains the all-time leading scorer with 106 points in 141 games. From there, he played in the American Hockey League, the East Coast Hockey League, and in Austria and Sweden before landing
in Slovakia. His first season in Slovakia was hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was still a good experience, although they lost out in the
Jace Carlisle was able to showcase his golf talents at a national level in the U.S. this month. The Estevan-born and raised golfer, who plays for the Post University men's golf team in Connecticut, competed at the NCAA Division II Championship in Dearborn, Mich., from May 16-18 at the TPC of Michigan golf course. Carlisle finished the three-round tournament with a 25-over par 241 (76-85-80), which left him 93rd. “It was a good experience,” said Carlisle. “I didn’t play my best golf, but it was a good experience to see some of the best players in Division 2 playing, and it was motivating to practise more and get my game to that level so I can hopefully make it there again.”
Carlisle qualified for nationals after his performance at regionals. Two individual spots were available for golfers whose teams didn’t reach the national event. He was tied for fourth, and those who finished ahead of him were on teams that made it to the championship, so Carlisle advanced on his own. “I wasn’t really worried about the individual spot, I wanted to get there with my team. Once it all came down to it, coming off the 18th green, I didn’t even realize I was going to be in contention for an individual spot.” He didn’t swing a golf club for five months, either. He suffered a pinched nerve injury in his elbow in October, underwent surgery in January and didn’t swing a
club again until March. “I struggled a bit when I came back and started playing, but I knew where my game was at and I knew I could play well, so it felt really good to get there and have that experience,” said Carlisle. Watching the other players helped him learn what it will take to get better. The first day he said he hit a lot of fairways and greens in regulation. The wind picked up the second and third days, and he admits he didn’t play well in the second round. “I feel like my short game really helped me out a lot. I was making a lot of ups and downs, and keeping myself out of trouble around the greens, which is key at that golf course, because it’s not the easiest golf course to
Brant Harris celebrates after winning a championship in Slovakia’s top league. Photo submitted semifinal round. “ B o u n c i n g b e t we e n leagues, every league is different, so some leagues fit you better, and some leagues don’t so much. Once I got comfort-
able in that [Slovak] league and figured it out, I was able to do well.” The Slovakian hockey players typically play a grittier style of game, and Harris said that helps his style of play as a bigger and more physical player. “The Swedish league was highly skilled, and so I think I brought that skill back into Slovakia. I developed a little bit, played a little bit of centre, and switched back to centre when I played in Slovakia.” It’s a high-calibre league, too, although it’s a different style because they play on a larger ice surface than in North America. The imports in the league have typically played in the American Hockey League at some point. The league championship means Harris and the Slovak club might compete in the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland, during the Christmas holidays. The tournament, which is televised
on TSN each year, features European league champions, the host Davos team and a team of Canadian players competing overseas. Harris and HC Slovan Bratislava were supposed to compete in the 2021-22 Spengler Cup, but it was cancelled due to COVID-19. They also made it to the Champions’ League European tournament this year, advancing to the semifinal. “It’s funny when people over here, especially friends and family, can watch games that I’m playing over there,” said Harris. Harris is grateful to Estevan’s hockey programs for helping find the love of the game and helping him develop as a player. “I moved up from defence to forward … my second-last year of midget, and that fit me really well, and I went down to college and played there, and here we are today,” said Harris.
pretty good and they’ve had a lot of success,” said Carlisle. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he didn’t lose his first two years of eligibility, so technically he is considered a freshman and has three more years of eligibility. Post has been a great experience, and he has made good friends on the golf team. Carlisle hopes to spend the summer practising and getting ready for the upcom-
ing season. He’ll work at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Course, and he has three events on his schedule, including a competition in the first weekend of June in Nipawin and the Saskatchewan Men’s Amateur in Prince Albert July 12-15. He hopes to get a spot for Team Saskatchewan for the Canadian Men’s Amateur, but if not, he’ll be competing at the Frametech Classic at Woodlawn in August.
Carlisle competes at NCAA Division 2 golf championship
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play,” he said. Carlisle transferred to Post University in 2020 after spending a year at Lake Superior State University in Michigan. “Everything was going OK, but I didn’t see myself being there for four years, so I got myself a transfer portal, and Post coach [Steve] Sokol reached out to me. I thought it was going to be a good fit because their golf program is
Estevan gymnasts impress at provincials Four members of the Estevan Gymnastics Club competed at the provincial competition in Yorkton from May 13-15. Lila Hale, Bergen Kersey, Haley Murphy and Carsyn MacDonald were the athletes who qualified. Hale was third on the floor to win a bronze medal. She also placed seventh on the beam and bars, and wound up seventh overall. Kersey placed
seventh on the floor and Murphy was fifth on the vault. To make it to provincials, athletes needed to attain the requisite scores at two meets they attend throughout the competitive season. “The girls fared well at provincials,” said competitive team coach Rebecca Fedyk. “This season we had an athlete competing at our club’s highest level ever. She ended up with a bronze medal on floor.
“The athletes have all come so far this season and we’re so happy to finally get back to in-person competitions after COVID had shut them down for the past 2 1/2 seasons.” Provincials were their last meet of the season, but the gymnasts still continue to practise until the end of May. Then some will sign up for spring and summer practices as well.
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A10 May 25, 2022
Young volunteer recognized with provincial award Estevan’s Rebecca Duncan has always been involved with the community, and her volunteer efforts have recently been recognized at a higher level. The Literacy Awards of Merit were held at Government House on May 11, hosted by Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan Russ Mirasty and his wife Donna
Mirasty. Duncan became the recipient of the provincial Youth Volunteer Ser vice Award for her time and efforts given to the Estevan Area Literacy Group over the years. Duncan spoke with the Mercury after receiving the award. “It was amazing there and especially hearing oth-
Rebecca Duncan has been volunteering with the Estevan Area Literacy Group since she was 11 years old. Photo courtesy of Margaret Duncan
er people’s stories, what’s they’ve been doing around their communities to receive the other awards as well,” Duncan shared. Not only was D uncan recognized for years of her volunteer work, but the award was actually inspired by her work and dedication three years ago. Back then Duncan was nominated to be recognized, but the Saskatchewan Literacy Network didn’t have a youth volunteer award. “I didn’t actually receive the award; they made the award that year. Before no one was nominated as a youth volunteer, no one younger or around my age was ever nominated. So, they made that award kind of in dedication to me,” Duncan explained. The new award inspired by Duncan’s work is dedicated to young people under the age of 24 who have volunteered their time to support literacy in their community. Youth volunteers are recognized for being role models for other young people, and for influencing other young people to volunteer. The Saskatchewan Literacy Network said that the
creation of this award was inspired by the dedication of Duncan, who has volunteered since the age of 11, as a program volunteer to inspire and assist other children in literacy programs after participating in them herself. While the award was created in 2019, it hasn’t been handed out to anyone over the past two years due to the pandemic. And from now on, other Saskatchewan youth will be recognized on the annual basis for their volunteer work to promote literacy in their communities. This year, Grace Caputo with the Estevan Area Literacy Group nominated Duncan, and she was the first one to be recognized province-wide by this award. Duncan said volunteering came into her life very naturally. “I thought I’d just help out around in the community. So, it started out in Nature Smarts with the Estevan Area Literacy Group. I started with that [as a participant], and I really liked the activities. And then I got a little bit older, and I was like, ‘Maybe I’ll let the little kids try it out for themselves, so I’ll hop around a little bit.’
Rebecca Duncan received the Youth Volunteer Service Award from Saskatchewan Lieutenant Governor Russ Mirasty. Photo courtesy of Margaret Duncan And then I really enjoyed helping little kids and seeing them learn and come a long way, especially from where they started to where they are now,” Duncan shared. She is also involved in many other community activities and currently dedicates a lot of time to volunteering for synchronized swimming, umpiring girls’
softball and playing softball. Duncan is graduating this summer and plans to move to Saskatoon to attend the University of Saskatchewan in the field of kinesiology. She said she plans to continue volunteering throughout the summer and then hopes to find some new opportunities, as she’s always enjoyed it.
Wildland and vehicle fires occur in Estevan, no injuries Estevan Fire Rescue Service members responded to several emergencies lately. Fire crews rushed to the area west of Estevan, where dry vegetation caught on fire on May 18 at about 11 a.m. The fire, started by a passing train, occurred in the ditch on the side of the railway. A rail crew was dispatched to that location as well, and they were able to keep the fire at bay upon the firefighters’ arrival. EFRS members were able to extinguish the fire without incident. There were no injuries or loss of property as a result of the fire. “In this case, the source of the ignition would have been a hot rock or some hot metal
that’s come off the railway engine itself,” said Estevan Fire Chief Dale Feser. “Just a gentle reminder that even though we are receiving some moisture, the wind does dry off the vegetation quite quickly, and ground fires, wildland fires and crop fires are still very much a real possibility at all times.” The same day at about 4:30 p.m., fire crews responded to a commercial fire alarm that went off in the southcentral area of the city. It was quickly found that it was a cooking-related incident. There wasn’t enough smoke remaining in the building for ventilation efforts, and crews returned to the station.
At about 7 p.m., the firefighters’ service was again required. This time a vehicle caught on fire at the Rafferty Dam Road. “Crews did respond to the location and found that the driver had safely exited the vehicle without any injuries. Crews were able to suppress the fire and extinguish it without incident. The cause of the fire has been deemed a malfunction of the vehicle ... The scene was then turned over to RCMP services to wait for towing company to recover the vehicle,” Feser said. Another commercial fire alarm went off in a hotel in northeast Estevan at about 3 p.m.
on May 19. It was found upon firefighters’ arrival that contractors were cleaning out some ductwork at the location and didn’t notify the monitoring agency. The dust mimicked smoke and set off the alarm. “We were relieved to find that there’s no emergency occurring at that location. We took corrective actions and steps with the workers on site to ensure proper notification procedures are in place and turned the scene back over to them,” Feser said. This week the EFRS also had their firetruck maintenance company down to fully test out the engine.
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| Wednesday, May 25, 2022 | www.SASKTODAY.ca
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Obituaries William Leslie “Les” Kvamme 1934 – 2022 Les Kvamme, late of Estevan, SK passed away with his wife Eileen by his side on Friday, May 13, 2022, at the Galloway Health Centre, Oxbow, SK at the age of 87 years. Les is survived by his wife Eileen of 64 years; five children, Debbie, Terry (Pam), Kevin (Nancy), Darcy (Cathy) and Kathy (Lincoln); ten grandchildren, Christopher Hamel (Sherry), Adam Jocelyn (Trinda), Veronica Edelman (Sean), Sarah Bujold (Michael), Brandon Adams (Tiffany), Victoria Mayer (Curtis), Alexander Kvamme (Vienna), Emily (Chris), Haley and Aaron Kvamme; step-grandchildren, Jessica, Andrea, Aaliyah; sixteen great grandchildren, Zackary, Jaiden, Gabrielle, Lana, Kieran, Elizabeth, Jeremy, Colton, Davyn, Cru, Michael, Hunter, Briar-Rose, Jack, Wyatt, Corbin and one great great grandson Jasper. Les is also survived by one brother John (Brenda); three sisters, Joyce Dodd, Gloria Miller, Margaret (John) Green; brotherin-law Clifford May (Mim); sister-in-law Jean May; brother-in-law Ken Mehler (Barb); sister-inlaw Cheryl (Rick) and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Les was predeceased by his parents, Alfred and Elva Kvamme; mother-in-law Hazel May; one daughter Lorie Hamel; two sisters, Karen Mehler and Marilyn Briltz; one brother Robert; two brothers-in-law Darrell Miller and Raymond Briltz; two step grandsons, Jayson Adams and Brent Adams; three nephews, David Kvamme, Jamie Mehler and Mark Briltz and one niece MichelAnne Pyle-Schulz. The Memorial Service for Les was held on Thursday, May 19, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. at the Chapel of Hall Funeral Services, Estevan, SK with Sandy Dalziel officiating. The interment took place at Souris Valley Memorial Gardens, Estevan, SK with the luncheon held at the Royal Canadian Legion. In memory of Les, memorial donations may be made to the New Estevan Regional Nursing Home, 1201 – 2nd St., Estevan, SK S4A 0M1 or to a charity of one’s choice. Hall Funeral Services in Estevan provided care to Les’s family – Yvonne Clark, Funeral Director.
Card of Thanks
Obituaries
Thank You The families of Margaret Mack and Louis Mathieu would like to thank all who attended the service for Joanne (Mack) Mathieu. Thanks to Connie Wheeler for the wonderful service. Thanks goes to Yvonne Clark and Shirley Petterson from Hall Funeral Home. Thanks to the Long term care staff at St. Joseph's Hospital for the good care given to Joanne. Thanks for the cards, donations of food, flowers and phone calls. And thanks to the Legion for the lovely lunch.
In MeMorIaM
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motor scrapers, dozers, excavators, graders, rock trucks. Lots of work all season. Camp job; R & B provided. Competitive wages. Valid drivers license req’d. 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
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TENDER Tenders will be received by SaskPower for the sale of hay. The successful bidder will be required to cut, bale, and remove bales by 2022 September 01. There will be one cutting only, and it must be completed by 2022 August 15. Several parcels of land are included, mainly located southwest of Boundary Dam Power Station. Two lots are southeast of Boundary Dam Reservoir. Bids will be lump sum for each parcel. Prints showing the lot numbers and their extent are available from the guardhouse at Shand Power Station. For further details, contact Louise Schnare at (306) 637-4259. Written tenders contained in a sealed envelope marked HAY TENDER on the outside will be received until 4:00 p.m., Thursday, June 16, 2022, c/o Louise Schnare, Shand Power Station, Box 1310, Estevan, S4A 2K9.
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Highest or any tender will not necessarily be accepted. Payment terms: Receipt by SaskPower of certified cheque within 5 working days of bid acceptance by SaskPower.
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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
Join us in celebrating Myrt's life on Saturday, May 28th, 11 AM at Grace United Church. 210 3rd Street NE, Weyburn. Sharon Elliot officiating. In lieu of flowers or cards, please make a donation to a charity of your choice.
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.
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MYRTLE L. THORSON February 13, 1933 - December 16, 2020
FARMLAND WANTED
ESTATE SALE
FORAGE SEED FOR SALE: Orga n i c & c o nve n t i o n a l : Sw e e t C l o v e r, A l fa l fa , R e d C l o v e r, Smooth Brome, Meadow Brome, Crested Wheatgrass, Timothy, etc. Star City, SK. Birch Rose Acres Ltd. 306-921-9942.
Notices / NomiNatioNs
In Loving Memory of Jean Ann Matchett August 1, 1932 May 26, 2012. Sadly missed along life's way Quietly remembered every day No longer in our lives to share But in our hearts your always there. Remembered and loved each day by - Husband Dave and children Brenda (Marvin) Olson, Robert (Joan) Matchett, Richard (Janice) Matchett: Grandchildren Heather Olson, Ryan (Lise) Olson, Alison (Brad) Seipp, Ashley Olson, Caitlin and Riley Matchett, Luke and James Matchett. Great grandchildren Clara Jean Seipp, Chace Olson, Emmerly Olson, Emmett Robin Seipp, Liam Olson
1A TRUCK DRIVERS WANTED:
LAND/PASTURE FOR RENT
LAND FOR SALE
Note 1. SaskPower does not guarantee any tendered hay to be free of noxious weeds or poisonous plants and is not responsible for any damage caused by insects or other wildlife.
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Note 2. The bidder shall ensure that they operate with due consideration for the condition of the property and not enter or run equipment if field conditions are such ServingtoEstevan that damage the land&will occur (i.e. wet or soft field SE Sask for 30 years. conditions). Put Note 3.the knowledge and experience to work for you! Bales still on the ground after 2022 November 01 will be Text/Talk To Terry for all of your assessed fee ofneeds. 50¢ per bale per month, payable in real aestate advance.
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A12 May 25, 2022
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Flashback – May 24, 1995 Young skippers from Hillcrest School were preparing for the Jump Rope for Heart event by organizing their various team stations and limbering up for the two-hour skipping marathon. The team consisted of Chelsea Dekok and Chantal Bobowski, back, left to right, along with Pamela McClelland, Jenna Harris, Tiffany Densley and Lindsey Vicary, front. The school raised over $3,000 in pledges for the foundation in the process.
EPS sees drop in calls for service thus far in 2022, but still above five-year average Estevan Police Service received fewer calls in April in comparison to a year before, and also in the first four months of 2022. However, the total for calls for service remains significantly above the five-year average. The number of calls for service for Estevan police last month was 488, down from 766 in April 2021. On a yearto-date basis, the EPS has also seen a 28.7 per cent drop in activity, with calls going from 2,808 in 2021 to 2,001 for the first four months of this year. The five-year average sits at 1,197 calls on a year-to-date basis, which means that so far 2022 has been 67 per cent busier than on average. Crimes against the person, on a monthly basis, went down in April. There were eight crimes of this kind committed in Estevan in the month, with seven assaults and one assault causing bodily harm. To compare, in April 2021 there were
16 crimes against the person. Yet, due to a sharp increase in this kind of crime earlier this year, to date, there is still a slight increase with a total of 46 crimes against person in 2022, as opposed to 43 in 2021. The five-year average shows that Estevan has had a much higher number of assaults with 37 so far in 2022, and 11.2 on average in the first four months of the five previous years. Crimes against property are slightly down on a yearto-date basis, but almost on par when compared to last April. Last month, 18 crimes against property were reported in Estevan, with three residential break and enters, one theft of motor vehicle, four thefts under $5,000 and 10 mischief/willful damage cases. In April 2021, 17 crimes against property were investigated. Up to this point, there were 71 crimes against property committed in Estevan this year, as compared
to 73 over the same period last year, which is a three per cent decrease. Five charges were laid under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act in April, with four for trafficking and one for possession, which is exactly on par with April 2021. On a year-to-date basis, 20 charges were laid under the CDSA in 2022, versus 18 up to this time in 2021, which is an 11 per cent increase. Yet, the five-year average demonstrates that there is a significant change in trafficking statistics with 14 charges laid to date in 2022 and only
1.8 such charges on average. Estevan Police Chief Richard Lowen noted that this fluctuation in statistics occurred because the EPS allocated more resources to fighting trafficking. There were nine Criminal Code traffic violations in April 2022, all for impaired driving/ exceeding-related charges. There were 15 such crimes committed in April 2021. On a year-to-date basis, there were 26 cases reported in this section in 2022, and 36 over the same period of time in 2021, which is a 28 per cent decrease. The report for bylaw
enforcement officer Monica Prentice showed that there were 62 monthly occurrences last month. The majority of April's activities were parking violations at 13. There were also 11 parking complaints, 11 taxi bylaw-related calls, nine animal calls and a few other calls. Lowen noted that they still have only one bylaw enforcement officer, and even though in April she was on sick leave and in training for some time, she still kept the work up to speed. The board also looked through the budget and ques-
tioned if it will be enough to cover the growing gas prices. Lowen said that so far, they should be able to remain within the budget, but they probably would need to look at some potential reductions in other expenses to cover the fuel costs. Board member and City Councillor Shelly Veroba suggested that they reach out to the provincial or federal governments to ask them for help with fuel costs for emergency services. Board chair and Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig said that they would look into the matter and would make a request.
A former resident of Estevan has made substantial progress from the injuries he suffered in a serious motorcycle accident in Janu-
ary in Arizona. Lindsey Roy, who now resides at Saskatchewan Beach near Lumsden with h i s w i f e B o n n i e, s p e n t months in hospital in Arizona and Regina after the accident. His friend, Brad Dutton, said Lindsey Roy is physically healed and has now been admitted to the Wasc ana Rehabilitation Centre in Regina for therapy for the brain injury he suffered. Roy also sustained bro-
ken ribs and a shoulder injury in the accident. Dutton noted that Roy’s long-term memory is fine, but his short-term memory is a challenge. Roy has been eating solid food for the first time in four months, which Dutton called “an incredible development.” His motor skills are as good as they ever were and Roy is able to communicate effectively. Until about two weeks ago, he had feeding tubes following the accident. It’s a process and will
take time, Dutton said, but the prognosis is Roy will fully recover. A GoFundMe campaign was created for Roy shortly after the accident. It has received $54,485 in donations to help with expenses incurred due to the accident; the goal was $150,000. There was also a fundraising raffle during the Estevan Strippers’ Spring Bust Recreation Hockey Tournament last month that raised $6,270.
Former Estevan resident makes progress in recovery from accident
South East Cornerstone Public School Division No. 209 invites expressions of interest to serve as an
AUDIT COMMITTEE PUBLIC REPRESENTATIVE The Board of Education of South East Cornerstone Public School Division No. 209 is inviting expressions of interest from the public to serve on its Audit Committee. One public position is available to work together with three board members on the audit committee. This position requires audit and financial expertise typically gained through the attainment of a professional accounting designation and work providing audit services. This member shall be independent to the Division and the Board and shall not have a relationship to the audit firm appointed by the Board. The Committee will meet a minimum of twice per year, leading the external audit function and acting as a conduit between the Auditor and the Board. Responsibilities of the audit committee can be found in Policy 8 of the Board Policy Handbook located on the Division’s website: www.secpsd.ca (under Board – Policies). Compensation will be provided to the public appointee. If you are interested in working on the Audit Committee, please send a letter expressing your interest and describing your experience relevant to the position. Letters of interest should be submitted to the Chairperson of the Audit Committee by August 1, 2022. Questions may be directed to the Chairperson at 306-421-2372. Jim Vermeersch, Audit Committee Chairperson South East Cornerstone Public School Division No. 209 80A-18th Street N.E., Weyburn, SK S4H 2W4
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2022 Estevan Legion, Small Hall Meeting at 7:00 pm
Division Office Phone: (306) 848-0080 Division Office Fax: (306) 848-4747 Website: www.secpsd.ca E-mail: contactus@secpsd.ca
Drewitz School of Dance
Spotlight on the Stars 39th Annual Recital
nts
se Pre
Spotlight Into The
Saturday
May 28th, 2022
Directed By Lorie-Gay Drewitz-Gallaway, A.R.A.D.
Tickets Available @ Henders Drugs
May 6th, 2022
Estevan Comprehensive School Cafetorium
SOUTHERN PLAINS CO-OP LIMITED
2pm & 7pm
Tickets: Adults $18 Students & Seniors $16 Children (12 and under) $12 PreSchool Free
Cell Phone Recording, Digital & Flash Cameras Not Allowed During The Recital
• Auditor’s Report • Election of Directors • Review of Operations • Door Prizes Existing Bylaw Approval of Membership 3.02 No person may become a member of the Co-operative unless that person has submitted a written application for membership, and until the said application has been approved by the Board. Share Purchase Requirements 3.03 Members and applicants for membership are required, as a condition of membership, to subscribe for (10) $1.00 Common shares in the Co-operative. All (10) $1.00 common shares must be paid for in cash at the time of application. Proposed Bylaw Replacement Approval of Membership 3.02 A person may become a member of the Co-operative by: i) Submitting a written application for membership or, ii) Completing an online membership application, utilitzing a check box consent for signature and submitted via Southern Plains Co-op website, iii) And the said application has been approved by the Board of Directors Share Purchase Requirements 3.03 Members and applicants for membership are required, as a condition of membership, to subscribe for (10) $1.00 Common shares in the Co-operative. All (10) $1.00 common shares must be transacted at the time of application for membership.
SENIOR LIVING A13 | Wednesday, May 25 2022 | www.SASKTODAY.ca
Happy Estevan orchid has been blooming since February One gorgeous plant filled Debbie Anderson’s house with beauty and set a unique and entertaining precedent. A light-purple orchid started blooming in early February and by mid-May, it had almost 50 flowers. Not one petal has fallen off yet, Anderson said, and more buds are coming. Usually, orchids bloom once a year for about six to 10 weeks. Anderson’s little plant must have been so happy, that it’s been opening more and more beautiful flowers for over 15 weeks now and still shows no signs of finishing its gorgeous mission. Anderson said a friend gave her the orchid when she was moving away a couple of years ago. The first year it had just a few flowers. The next year, Anderson decided to give it another try. She transplanted the orchid, but did nothing special to enhance its blooming abilities, she said. “I thought, we’ll see what
comes of it and then it started coming again,” Anderson said. “It says to feed it ice cubes, and not once I did that. All I do is give it about a quarter of a cup, maybe once a week.” She bought a slightly bigger pot and used potting soil from a dollar store. And in February the orchid started cheering her with the first flowers of the season. And while Anderson didn’t feed the flower or do anything with the dirt, what may have made a big difference for the plant is the humidity in her house. Anderson’s big hobby is fish. In her house, she has big aquariums and big tubs for different kinds of fish. With a lot of light, a warmer temperature and high humidity, the orchid probably felt a bit like the tropics and gave it all it had. Anderson said every morning she checks her orchid to see if there are any new flowers and buds coming. And it’s been bringing nothing but joy.
An orchid in Debbie Anderson’s house had almost 50 flowers as of mid-May. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia
The orchid has been growing new flowers for over 15 weeks, without dropping any.
Hill View Manor resident Albert Hale celebrates 102nd birthday A resident of Hill View Manor in Estevan recently celebrated his 102nd birthday. John Albert Hale was born on May 8, 1920, at a farm south of Kisbey. He grew up there and attended classes at Morrisview School. In an email from Hill View Manor, it was noted that Hale remembers that era as being the best time. During the difficult days of the 1930s, he learned to make do with what was available when he was a young boy and a teenager. As he became older, he ventured off to find employment where he could, which took him from Manitoba to southwest Saskatchewan. Hale joined the Royal Canadian Army in 1942 and was stationed at various locations in Canada. He finished his training and was stationed in Jamaica in the spring of 1946
as the war was ending, and he returned home. He married Velma McLeod in July 1946. They began their own farm life and raised three children. Hale retired to Kisbey in 1982. They also lived in Weyburn for a short time. His wife of 70 years passed away in December 2016, so he then moved back to Kisbey and lived there independently until suffering a stroke in 2021 at the age of 101. After spending some time in hospital and respite, he moved to Hill View Manor, where he is enjoying the social activities and pampering. Hale has always been positive and optimistic, and at the age of 102, Hill View Manor says his ability to adapt to adventures is remarkable. When asked what helped him live a long life he said, “It is hard to say. School, good
parents, hard work, living good.” He never regretted anything and has had a good life. Hill View Manor described Hale as a very charismatic person who is very humble and always very positive. He loves visiting and entertainment, especially old-time music. Many other activities have been happening at the manor in May, including a Mother’s Day tea, Bingo, card games, bowling, bean bag toss, Upwards, Scrabble, Crossword, and Snakes and Ladders, to mention a few. Live entertainment will be courtesy of the Caragana Ramblers, Susan Moser, the Szakac’s Family, Wilma and Val, and Keith and Gary. Other birthdays in the building for May include Genevieve Jannsen, who turned 79 on May 1; Clara Craigen was 89 on May 21, and Theresa Dukart was 93 on May 30.
Feel Safe In Your Bathroom Bath Mats • Toilet Seats • Shower Seats • Hand Rails
Albert Hale recently celebrated his 102nd birthday. Photo courtesy of Chris Sali
CHOOSE PICK-UP OR DELIVERY*
GROCERY SHOP ONLINE WITH SHOP.CRS.
*DELIVERY AVAILABLE AT PARTICIPATING LOCATIONS
BUILD YOUR BASKET
HENDERS DRUGS 1220 4th Street, Estevan 306-634-3666
WE’LL DO THE REST
Mon. - Fri. 9am-9pm Sat. 9am-6pm Sun. & Holidays 12pm-4pm
Assisted
LIVING CARE
For a tour of our home, or for more information, please call Paige at 306-637-2600 ext 5.
We have single suites available in the comfortable surroundings of our assisted living home. Our dedicated team of healthcare professionals and aides are kind, courteous and committed to making each resident feel at home here. • Assisted living single suites available • Laundry Services • Housekeeping service • Meals
Hillview Manor 1401 1st Street Estevan
• Social activities & entertainment
Your LocaL Hearing impaired Hearing SpeciaLiSt
Landon Woodruff Full Hearing Tests Hearing Aids And Repairs
Batteries And Assistive Listening Devices Third Party Billing
60 Day Trial Period
Wax Removals 1-306-634-0193
#130-1175 Nicholson Road • dunlophearing@gmail.com
Your local news & stories. In your mailbox weekly & online every day.
A14 May 25, 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
(3) Monday - Friday June 20-24
MAYOR’S MESSAGE: What an exciting time to be in Estevan for the Centennial Cup! Welcome to our many visitors! Please take the opportunity to enjoy our wonderful community and watch some amazing hockey.
CITY OF ESTEVAN – 2022 WATERMAIN FLUSHING SCHEDULE 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)
Street Sweeping Schedule can be seen on our website at: http://estevan.ca/ street-sweeping-schedule/
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) (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
LEISURE CENTRE SCHEDULE SUNDAY
FITNESS
Mississippian Drive Devonian Street Escana Street Imperial Avenue Pacific Street Superior Avenue
May 16 - June 25, 2022
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
LANE SWIM 6am-9am
LANE SWIM 6am-9am
LANE SWIM 6am-9am
LANE SWIM 6am-9am
AQUAFIT 9am-9:45am
AQUAFIT 9am-9:45am
AQUAFIT 9am-9:45am
AQUAFIT 9am-9:45am
AQUAFIT 9am-9:45am
LESSONS 10am-12pm
LESSONS 10am-12pm
LESSONS 10am-12pm
LESSONS 10am-12pm
LESSONS 10am-12pm
LANE SWIM 12pm-1pm
LANE SWIM 12pm-1pm
LANE SWIM 12pm-1pm
LANE SWIM 12pm-1pm
LANE SWIM 12pm-1pm
LANE SWIM 12pm-1pm
FAMILY SWIM 1pm-3pm
LESSONS 1pm-3pm
LESSONS 1pm-3pm
LESSONS 1pm-3pm
LESSONS 1pm-3pm
LESSONS 1pm-3pm
PUBLIC SWIM 3pm-5pm
SURF & SWIM 3pm-3:45pm
SURF & SWIM 3pm-3:45pm
SURF & SWIM 3pm-3:45pm
SURF & SWIM 3pm-3:45pm
SURF & SWIM 3pm-3:45pm
LANE SWIM 5pm-6pm
GOLDEN EELS 4pm-6pm
GOLDEN EELS 4pm-6pm
GOLDEN EELS 4pm-6pm
GOLDEN EELS 4pm-6pm
GOLDEN EELS 4pm-6pm
LANE SWIM 5pm-6pm
LESSONS 6pm-8pm
LESSONS 6pm-8pm
LESSONS 6pm-8pm
LESSONS 6pm-8pm
LESSONS 6pm-8pm
LANE SWIM 6pm-6:45pm (No May 27th)
FAMILY SWIM 6pm-7pm
DEEP WATER POWER 8pm-8:45pm
LANE SWIM 8pm-8:45pm
LANE SWIM 8pm-8:45pm
LANE SWIM 8pm-8:45pm
LANE SWIM 8pm-8:45pm
PUBLIC SWIM 7pm-9pm (No May 27th)
PUBLIC SWIM 7pm-9pm
7am-9pm
LANE SWIM 9pm9:45pm WEIGHT ROOM SQUASH COURTS WALKING TRACK
6th Avenue 7th Avenue 8th Avenue 9th Avenue 10th Avenue Souris Avenue South Sun Valley Drive Park Drive Sunset Bay
LANE SWIM 6am-9am PROGRAM RENTAL
POOL
1st Street 2nd Street 3rd Street 4th Street 5th Street 6th Street 2nd Avenue 3rd Avenue 4th Avenue 5th Avenue
7am-9pm
SPIN 9:10am-9:50am
SATURDAY PROGRAM RENTAL
LANE SWIM 12pm-1pm PUBLIC SWIM 1pm-5pm
LANE SWIM 9pm-9:45pm
6am-10pm
6am-10pm
6am-10pm
6am-10pm
6am-10pm
SPIN 6:10am-6:50am
SPIN 6:10am-6:50am
GRIT 6:10am-6:50am
SPIN 6:10am-6:50am
GRIT 6:10am-6:50am
STRONG 9:10am-9:50am
SPINERGY 9:10am-9:50am
BARRE 360 9:10am-10:15am
SPINERGY 9:10am-9:50am
STRONG 9:10am-9:50am
EASY STRETCH 10:10am-10:50am
SPIN 5:30pm-6:10pm
SPIN 5:30pm-6:10pm
EASY STRETCH 10:10am-10:50am
Schedule is subject to change. Please visit www.estevan.ca for updates on closures and cancellations. Proper footwear, exercise wear and swimwear is required to participate. *On May 31st, June 1st-3rd Aquafit will be at 10-10:45am