Estevan Mercury 20221123

Mercury Christmas Catalogue. Find it inside this week’s paper.

Estevan constituency leaders recognized with Queen’s Platinum Jubilee medals

Kick-off to Christmas. Hospital foundation’s Festival of Trees is opening the season. PAGE A3

Christmas music at Orpheum. Munro and Patrick, Semple and Henderson concert preview. PAGE A6

Thursday night turned into a night of celebration for many local families and the Estevan constituency.

Fifty-five members of the Estevan and surrounding communities were recognized for their contributions during the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medals presentation ceremony.

they tackle challenges headon, and they see problems as opportunities instead of obstacles.”

Estevan MLA Lori Carr and Mayor Roy Ludwig opened the festive ceremony, recognizing people who’ve contributed the most to the communities in the Estevan constituency.

Included in this number are 55 local recipients.

SaskPower Open House. More questions about small modular reactors answered.

PAGE A7

In the absence of a federal platinum jubilee medal program, six provinces have established Jubilee medals of their own – each with the same ribbon, overall design and criteria. The design of the medal was approved by Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor Castle on May 17.

The Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medal is a tangible way for Saskatchewan to honour Her Majesty for her service to Canada, while also recognizing the significant contributions and achievements of Saskatchewan citizens.

Thursday’s ceremony was a joint effort between the Province of Saskatchewan, the City of Estevan and the Estevan Police Service.

“In Saskatchewan, we see the very same qualities our queen has brought to her duties in the action and accomplishments of our people. We’re blessed in this province with special and extraordinary individuals. We know them for who they are – the leaders, the builders and the dreamers who make our province what it is today and what it can be in the future. Some of those special people are with us this evening,” Carr said.

“Tonight, by honouring these individuals, we not only acknowledge what they have done for Saskatchewan, but we also encourage others to emulate them, we inspire others to follow them. The recipients of this medal help form the backbone of our communities, and strong communities are the backbone of strong Saskatchewan and its place in the world,” Carr said.

Ludwig also addressed the recipients and guests.

teering, philanthropy, military, healthcare, protective service, business and commerce, arts, health and fitness, public service, sports, journalism and politics.

Hockey corner.

Estevan Bruins bring home pair of victories from a road trip.

PAGE A11

“Today we are gathered to pay tribute to those who have given up their time and their talents in the service to their communities, our province and our country,” said city manager Jeff Ward, who was the master of ceremony for the night. “Today’s medal recipients lead rather than wait to be led,

“They come from our broad region, they have diverse backgrounds and represent every age group, but they have this much in common. You are here this evening because you have made a significant contribution to your community, to your province and to your nation. What you have done for Saskatchewan is worthy of recognition and respect in honour of the Queen on the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee.”

Carr noted that altogether 7,000 Saskatchewan residents were awarded Queen

“Thank you all so much for coming this evening to support these very worthy recipients that have helped to lead our community over the years and make our community that much better,” Ludwig said. “I would also like to thank all the families of these worthy recipients, because without them, and I’m sure they would agree, they wouldn’t have been able to have the time to dedicate to the work that they’ve done within our community.”

In presence of their loved ones, recipients were invited on stage at the Elks Lodge to accept Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medals and certificates.

The medals were awarded for contributions in different areas, including volun-

Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medals in volunteering services were awarded to Wendy Gustafson, Tyler McMillen, Vernon McLean, Pamela Dechief, Ben Anderson, Art Basalt, Nikki Berg, Gail Chilman, Susan Colbow, Rose Cuddington, Barry Dies, Danielle Fleury, Greg Hoffort, Don Kindopp, Vivian Lindblad, Ruth and Richard Marcotte, Corey Mclean (posthumous), Melodye Pierson, Lynn Trobert, Lionel Wanner and Dennis Zackrisson.

Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medals in philanthropy services were awarded to Josh Biggs, Ray and Doris Frehlick, Dave and Tami Piper, Epamenontas Peter Sereggela, Payton Sernick and Ed Turnbull.

Queen Elizabeth II

Platinum Jubilee medals in military services were awarded to Craig Bird, Angela Durr, Jim Forrest, Lester Hinzman, Troy LeBlanc and Kenneth Turner.

Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medals in healthcare services were awarded to Dr. Allison Christie, Dr. Edward Tsoi and Dr. Khalid Sheikh.

Queen Elizabeth II Plat-

inum Jubilee medals in protective service were awarded to Police Chief Richard Lowen, Estevan Deputy Chief Murray Cowan, Warren Morrical and Danielle Stephany.

Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medals in business and commerce services were awarded to Jeff Pierson, Jackie Wall and Brian Crossman.

A Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medal in arts services was awarded to Gerry Fichtemann.

A Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medal in health and fitness services was awarded to Brady Johnson.

Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medals in public service were awarded to Dennis Moore and Roy Ludwig.

A Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medal in sports services was awarded to Mel Murray.

Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medals in journalism services were awarded to Norm Park, David Willberg and Brian Zinchuk.

A Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medal in politics was awarded to Larry Ward.

The official part was followed by dainties, refreshments and an informal celebration of decorated community members.

Estevan

Thursday night 55 Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medals were presented to Estevan constituency residents and community leaders. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medals for their service to their fellow citizens.

The Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal presentation on Thursday was a milestone for many individuals and organizations in Estevan.

It was a very special night for the Mercury and the local journalism community as well, as three newspaper journalists were recognized for their decades-long services.

Out of 55 Estevan medals, three were for services in journalism. The recipients were the Mercury’s current editor David Willberg, the Mercury’s former editor Norm Park, and Brian Zinchuk, Pipeline News’ former editor, who also for years contributed to the Estevan Mercury newspaper, and who is currently the editor of his own project Pipeline Online, Saskatchewan Energy News.

At this time, these three journalists have 99 years of combined experience (Park with 52, Zinchuk has 25, Willberg 22), most of which they acquired covering the local, regional, federal and international news out of Estevan.

Willberg has spent his entire career as a reporter and editor in southeast Saskatchewan.

He started working for Estevan Lifestyles in September 2000, often serving as the paper’s only full-time reporter. He became the editor in February 2009. The stories he covered for Lifestyles, the people that he met in the community and the people he worked with at the paper all contributed to his decision to make Estevan his home.

In May 2015, the newsrooms and the other departments of the Mercury and

Lifestyles were merged together, and so he became a reporter for the Mercury and the editor for Lifestyles.

When Park retired in February 2017, Willberg was promoted to editor for both papers.

Since April 2020, the Mercury has been the lone paper in Estevan.

He has also contributed sports stories for Weyburn This Week, and also serves as the editor of the Carlyle Observer.

“This is a tremendous honour,” he said. “I want to thank Estevan MLA Lori Carr for nominating me. It’s particularly meaningful to be recognized alongside Norm and Brian. And it’s humbling

to be recognized alongside these other recipients, many of whom I’ve respected and admired for the past 22 years.”

(For Willberg’s thoughts on the award, please see his column on page A5.)

Park began his journalistic career in southern Ontario in 1965 with the tri-weekly Trenton Trentonian, as a reporter and then sports editor in a six-person newsroom.

Three years later he moved to Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, to pursue an editorial consultant role with the Guardian newspaper. That didn’t pan out due to union conflicts, but the visit lasted for a good part of a year.

A return to his home province of Saskatchewan led to a

sports and general reporting gig with the Estevan Mercury in 1969.

Marriage and short-term employment with the daily P.A. Herald as city editor then led to the purchase of two weekly newspapers, the Wynyard Advance and Hi-Way 15 Gazette, and the start-up as a partner in another. After selling these papers seven years later, he returned to the Mercury, where he always felt at home.

Tours as reporter and editor ensued. That included being a four-time winner of the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper (SWNA) Columnist of the Year Award, Best Sports Photo and Top News Story along the way, with several

other individual and Mercury team wins. He wrapped up a 52-year career in 2017.

The career involved onscene coverage of the first major Hercules air crash at the Trenton CFB transport command that claimed six lives. That was a difficult one, Park noted.

“I know I’m name-dropping, but in what other profession can you get the opportunity to visit with five prime ministers, seven premiers plus the likes of Gordie Howe, Ted Williams, Bing Crosby and yep, even the real Col. Sanders of KFC fame, along with many others. Some of whom are still alive,” Park said. “A wonderful ride.”

Zinchuk grew up in Hyas

and Yorkton. He attended the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Engineering, but that didn’t pan out, so he went to work as a pipeliner, eventually becoming an excavator operator. Over the next several years, when he wasn’t pipelining, he worked as a reporter for the Saskatoon Journal, Rosetown Eagle and Battlefords News-Optimist.

After five years with the News-Optimist, Zinchuk was recruited to become the editor of Pipeline News, Saskatchewan’s petroleum monthly newspaper. In 2008, it was reformed to be provincial in scope. During the next 12 years, he wrote about every aspect of the Saskatchewan oilpatch, from drilling to fracking, refineries to pipelines.

He visited nearly every oilpatch community, and either wrote or edited stories about most of the companies within the Saskatchewan oilpatch. Pipeline News stopped publishing when COVID-19 hit, and Zinchuk did some short-term consulting and then spent nine months covering provincial politics as a Local Journalism Initiative reporter.

He left that position in May 2021 to launch Pipeline Online in October 2021.

Pipeline Online is Saskatchewan’s energy news, but in a completely online format. There, Zinchuk has continued to focus on in-depth coverage of energy issues, from oil and gas to lithium and power production.

Zinchuk married Michelle Steciuk in 1999. She is a registered nurse in the St. Joseph’s Hospital emergency room. They have two children, Katrina and Spencer.

Vermeersch the new vice-chair of the Cornerstone board

The South East Cornerstone Public School Division’s board has a familiar face as its chairperson and a new person serving as vice-chairperson for the upcoming year.

At the organizational meeting held on Wednesday in Weyburn in conjunction with the regular public board meeting, Audrey Trombley and Jim Vermeersch were acclaimed as chairperson and

vice-chairperson, respectively, to the applause of fellow board members.

Trombley thanked the board for the confidence they placed in her in providing the opportunity to serve as board chairperson for another year, and expressed gratitude for the board’s support over the past year when circumstances dictated her attendance by virtual means.

As the representative for subdivision 5 (Fillmore, Stoughton, Midale and Macoun), she begins her ninth consecutive year holding the chairperson position and 13th one-year term as chairperson since amalgamation in 2006, having also served two terms as vice-chairperson and three as a regular board member.

Trombley’s background includes serving on various

boards and committees at the local, provincial and federal levels, as well as working in local government administration.

A retired certified general accountant and board member for subdivision 2 (Arcola, Carlyle, Manor, Maryfield and Wawota), Vermeersch will begin his first year in his new role, replacing the late Carol Flynn, who served as

vice-chairperson alongside Trombley for the past eight years and four other years.

Prior to a career in accounting, Vermeersch earned a bachelor’s degree in education and taught for eight years. He was very pleased to accept the vice-chairperson position, remarking that he looks forward to working with board chair Trombley and the rest of the board.

He is currently serving his second term on the board of education.

Vermeersch was initially elected as a trustee for the Estevan subdivision, and became the representative for subdivision 2 after he and his wife Heather moved to the Carlyle area.

During the organizational meeting, the following appointments were approved for 2022-2023:

• Audit committee: Jim Henderson, Jim Vermeersch and Kevin Keating;

• Board budget managers: Audrey Trombley and Jim Vermeersch;

• Saskatchewan School Boards Association public section: Jim Henderson;

• Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association AGM representative: Kevin Keating with Megan Schick to be the alternate;

• Ad hoc committee for Estevan facilities: Kevin Keating, Eric McCrimmon;

• Ad Hoc committee for Carlyle facilities: Jim Vermeersch, Tami Scott;

• Governance/human resources:  Norma HewittLendrum, Tami Scott, Eric McCrimmon; and

• Bargaining appointments (observer status): chairperson or vice-chairperson.

From left, former Mercury editor Norm Park, current Mercury editor David Willberg and former Pipeline News and current Pipeline Online editor Brian Zinchuk were awarded Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medals for their contribution to local journalism.

South East Cornerstone Public School Division chairperson Audrey Trombley, left, and vice-chair Jim Vermeersch

Photo courtesy of South East Cornerstone

Festival of Trees to provide two days of Christmas entertainment, raising money for the hospital

By Ana Bykhovskaia

Estevan will get overwhelmed by the Christmas wave this coming weekend.

Now that the Grey Cup in Regina is in the books, it’s time to pull out festive costumes and get ready for the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation’s 10th annual charitable Festival of Trees – the largest fundraiser of the year for the local hospital. Proceeds from this event support the hospital in purchasing much-needed medical equipment.

Lori Gervais, the foundation’s executive director, said they are working hard to ensure they put together a great event for the community.

“We are evolving and changing things up slightly for the better,” Gervais said. “We’re excited to be coming back to in-person. And this is our 10th annual, so that’s exciting too. It has been 10 years of this great event, raising money for the hospital and our local healthcare.”

The Estevan Kinettes’ Christmas Marketplace at the Wylie Mitchell Air Cadet Hall and the Estevan Exhibition Hall will run from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and open the fun weekend. With 70 vendors participating, it will provide many oppor-

tunities to get some, or all Christmas shopping done.

One of the biggest Estevan nights out is back this year. The Festival of Trees Country Christmas gala dinner will feature live entertainment, auctions, food and more. The night at Affinity Place is to start with the Jingle and Mingle Happy Hour at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the program.

This year, with no more pandemic restrictions, the foundation decided to get back to popular travel packages for the auction.

Guests will have a chance to compete for getting a dream vacation to Mexico or California, a trip to New York, an adventure in Nashville, a Niagara Falls getaway, an Alaskan cruise and of course a popular staycation in Estevan.

“Now that things feel like they’re opening up a little bit, we did put [international trips] back. We have Canadian trips, too, but we’re opening it up to some more travel,” Gervais noted. “And, of course, one of our regular best sellers in the auction is an Experience Estevan package, that’s pretty fantastic. There are all kinds of events here in Estevan that people can experience, and it really brings awareness to how much we really do have to offer here.”

The night will also see beautiful Christmas trees, sponsored by local businesses, auctioned off. The silent auction will feature over 25 different items of various value, so there will be something for everyone to bid on.

“Some silent auction items are best sellers that people like to see. And then there are also things that we try to be creative with and offer something that we think people maybe haven’t seen before and will be excited to see,” Gervais said. “We always have great, great support from all of the local busi-

nesses offering us those items.”

With the event coming back to an in-person format, table sales have gone “fantastically” with a lot of returning and some new participants joining the gala, Gervais said.

On Sunday, Christmas family events will take over the city as the adults’ night out is to be followed by the Hometown Family Fun Day presented by the Estevan Mercury. This year a collection of events and entertainment grew bigger and better than ever before and absorbed all the best from

traditional and pandemictimes festivals.

“It is kind of new, but we’ve been slowly growing it through COVID. We’ve made some changes that we’re going to stick with because I think we’ve all come to find out that COVID taught us lots of things that could be done differently,” Gervais said.

The Family Fun Day will feature Santa’s workshop with cookie decorating, crafts, face painting, a teddy bear hospital, minions and more at the multipurpose room in the Estevan Leisure Centre (10 a.m.-2 p.m.); Christmas

movies – Arthur’s Christmas (10:30 a.m.) and Elf (1:30 p.m.) at the Orpheum Theatre; a Christmas music family swim at the pool (1-3 p.m.); a play zone at the Church of God with bouncy castles and concession that is new for this year (10 a.m.-2 p.m.); pictures with Santa (10 a.m.-noon) and Santa’s sleigh of gifts at the Affinity Place foyer (10 a.m.-2 p.m.); and the chalet at local McDonald’s with milk and cookies for all kids 10 and under (10 a.m.-2 p.m.).

All events will be an admission by donation.

Gervais pointed out that the event wouldn’t be possible without their amazing volunteers, and if someone wants to join the team there is still room and need.

“We have a fantastic volunteer group that always seems to step up, but I’m always looking for more people to help. So at any time anybody can shoot me an email at info@ sjhf.org and we would be happy to have people come and help us for all kinds of different things,” Gervais said. “There are servers needed at the gala … and then there are all kinds of opportunities for people to help us ... during the Hometown Family Fun Day.”

Local photographer earns provincial accolades

Estevan’s Marleen Vicary has earned accolades from Tourism Saskatchewan for her photography skills.

Vicary received an honourable mention in the People and Places category for this year’s ExploreSask photo contest. Another photo that she took will be in the Tourism Saskatchewan calendar.

Both photos were from the Ocean Man First Nations’ powwow earlier this year.

“I’ve always wanted to go to a powwow, but that was my first one. That was with a few group members from the photo club,” she told the Mercury.

There was some tough competition in the category, and she recognizes the judges had some tough decisions. The photos were selected because they are colourful and they captured the powwow participants during their dances.

Vicary has been into photography for over five years. She is a member of the South Saskatchewan Photo Club, which

meets at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum on the last Monday of the month. People of all skill levels are welcome to join.

“Everybody is actually getting pretty good at photography in that group, but we’re always looking for new members,” said Vicary.

Club members enjoy going out to find great photos.

Photography provides an instant reward for Vicary because she gets to see her work immediately. An avid painter, she noted that it takes a while for her other art forms to take shape.

Vicary said she recently wrapped up a year-long photography challenge in which she committed to taking photos every day. She purchased a new Canon R6 camera a couple of years ago, but found she wasn’t getting enough use of it.

“My husband was saying ‘You’re not using your new camera’, so I thought ‘I’m going to challenge myself’, so I used it every day for a year. So I

was pretty happy to get something out of it,” said Vicary.

She believes she’s much more familiar with the camera now.

“That was a long challenge, but I did finish it. I

finished it in early September. So I was pretty excited to share it. I was posting pictures on my Instagram and my Facebook accounts.”

The Tourism Saskatchewan competition,

launched in June, received over 4,100 entries by the Sept. 15 deadline.

Tourism Saskatchewan said the winning photos and honourable mentions, selected by a panel of external judges, capture the

province’s natural beauty and dynamic spirit. The images feature extraordinary landscapes, winter scenery, diverse experiences, magnificent wildlife and the unique character of Saskatchewan people.

The 2021 St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation’s Festival of Trees had to readjust to meet safety protocols and had its headquarters at the Estevan Market Mall. This year the celebration returns to a more traditional format with many additions. File photo

Marleen Vicary received an honourable mention in the Tourism Saskatchewan

photo contest for the photo on the left, while the photo on the right will be in the Tourism Saskatchewan calendar. Photos courtesy of Marleen Vicary

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EDITORIAL

Support your local businesses

It’s never easy being an entrepreneur. This has been especially true for business owners in the southeast in recent years.

Contact us: (306) 634-2654 68 Souris Avenue N. Estevan, SK S4A 2M3 www.estevanmercury.ca @Estevan_Mercury facebook.com/EstevanMercury

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For a number of years, the challenge was associated with the downturn of the local economy. A slump in the price of oil, coupled with uncertainty over the future of coal-fired power, made it tough for our local merchants and other entrepreneurs.

Two years, ago, COVID-19 restrictions and supply chain issues made for a tough year. Last year, the restrictions were mostly lifted for the retail sector by the time the Christmas shopping season rolled around, but the supply chain issues were even greater than in 2020 for most.

This year, the economy is stronger. We’ve benefitted from a higher price of oil, although the activity hasn’t been as robust as some might like. But we’ve also seen the issues with inflation that bit into spending money for a lot of families, and there is a possible looming recession that is causing uneasiness for some.

But we still need to remember to support our retailers at Christmas.

One thing that unites retailers throughout the region – regardless of location, business size or merchandise – is the reliance on this time of year. And it’s important for us to shop locally as much as possible over the next few weeks.

Estevan is blessed to have the business community that we have. We have excellent

variety. We have several areas to shop. There’s downtown Estevan around Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Street, along with 13th Avenue. You have the Estevan Market Mall, which continues to make positive strides in its efforts to attract more businesses and shoppers. And you have the businesses located in the northeast end of town.

Between these commercial areas, there are a lot of options for us to shop, and a lot of places for us to spend our money.

Events like the Estevan Farmers’ Market Christmas sales and the Estevan Kinette Club’s Christmas market give us a chance to see what some of the other vendors in town have to offer. And we can look forward to the second annual Miracle on Fourth Street on Dec. 10, which will showcase what our downtown merchants have to offer.

Small business is the backbone of a community, whether it be Estevan or anywhere else. They provide local residents with the opportunity to live out a dream as an entrepreneur. They are a source of employment. A lot of the people who work for these businesses are teens. How many of us had our first job at a local small business?

There are a lot of adults who work at these businesses, too.

And they provide a great source of community support. They sponsor our sports teams, community events, cultural facilities, schools, fundraisers and so much more.

They pay property taxes, allowing municipal programs and services to be delivered, or they rent retail space.

Yes, it’s fun to go shopping in Regina, Minot and other communities. But in the end, these businesses get a lot more out of us than our community gets out of them.

With the local businesses, they benefit a lot when we shop there, but we as a community benefit from a thriving business sector.

In this week’s edition of the Mercury, you’ll find our annual Christmas catalogue.

Want to know what you can get for someone in town? Check out the catalogue. This keepsake has become a favourite of ours. Yes, it’s a lot of work, but the end result is worth it.

You’ll find something for everyone inside, and something for all occasions. Looking for gifts for under the tree for family members and other loved ones? You’ll find it. Looking for stocking stuffers? You’ll find them. You’ll even find gifts for your co-workers.

And when you flip through the catalogue, you see just how much variety Estevan has for Christmas shopping.

Note: If you aren’t exchanging Christmas gifts this year, and instead looking to support a charitable organization, there’s no shortage of worthy ones in Estevan.

Christmas can be a wonderful time of the year. And hopefully it will be a wonderful Christmas season for the business owners who do so much for us throughout the year.

Beware of scammers, they evolve

Not that you didn’t know, but scammers are getting more and more creative.

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I almost got scammed recently and since then (just like when you buy a new car and start noticing that every second model on the street is same as yours) I can’t have a day when I don’t hear about another tricky and inventive type of fraud. And most of them are not some kind of high-scale schemes – just mean efforts to rob people of their hard-earned pennies.

In my case, I got lured by a traditional “real good deal.” One evening, about a month ago, I noticed a moving sale ad on one of the local garage sale pages. My alarms should have gotten triggered by prices being on the too-low side, but eh, they are moving, they need to get rid of stuff fast, so it all makes sense, I thought. (It was the first ad of this kind I came across, too). So, I figured I’d try to snap up some cheap appliances.

The person who posted the ad had wedding pictures on their profile, but there was hardly any information. The name wasn’t straightforward either – just two female names. Again, no alarms – maybe the profile is private, and I just can’t see the rest of their posts, I thought. I messaged them.

Turned out they were in Regina and the equipment I had my eye on was still available, but they wanted a 50 per cent deposit to hold it until I can come over. When I asked if they’d take 25 per cent instead, they easily agreed and provided me with an email for an e-transfer.

When I first came to Canada, I had some trust issues. I naturally tend to trust people, but in Russia, I feel most people are raised not to trust anyone. It took me a while here, but eventually, I absorbed the culture and

Ana

Bykhovskaia

Twenty Lines About…

blended into a lifestyle where a lot of things are based on trusting complete strangers.

So nothing rang the bell until I created a new receiver profile for an e-transfer in my online banking, and the name of the receiver came up as a man’s. But I wasn’t ready to give up. I messaged them again, and the person on Facebook, assumingly a woman, said she forgot to mention it was her husband’s email. At this point, some bells started ringing. So I told her I was hesitant to send money without seeing the items, and she right away gave me the address and said to stop by the next day after 5 p.m., but she wouldn’t guarantee the appliances wouldn’t be gone without a deposit.

I looked up the address and turned out that my sister-in-law lives on the same street, so I phoned her. She said there is a for sale sign in front of the house, which quickly legitimized the case in my eyes and I transferred the money, saying that my sister-inlaw will stop by the next day.

The next morning my money came back, so I tried again – and same outcome. I finally stopped and called my bank.

Thanks to them, I didn’t lose any money. Apparently, the email address provided by the “seller” was blocked as fraudulent for a while, and the bank recommended not to try sending any money to those people. Shortly after, my sister-in-law called and said she checked out the listing for the house, and the appliances on the pictures (which were

actually coming with the house) had nothing to do with what was posted on social media. By that time the ad was removed from all groups, and shortly after the profile was deleted.

This time I got off lucky, with no losses and just some experience. But since then, I started noticing very similar “moving sale” ads popping up everywhere – they are up for under 24 hours, there is a sense of rush, deals are good and items look appealing, profiles appear somewhat realistic, “sellers” are willing to show what they sell, just not instantly, and ask for a relatively small deposit. (Out of curiosity I checked with some of them).

Another type of scam I came across recently on social media was about a pet or a child (a CHILD!) missing. The ad is asking for help to locate the missing one first, and then, once virally shared, it changes to asking for a money transfer to a particular account or number.

Those guys get creative. It gets more difficult to spot a scam, especially if you haven’t come across and fallen for one. But what’s even worse than potentially losing money to some tricky cheaters, is that it damages our trust system.

Once a person gets scammed or even just notices that scams are everywhere, it becomes more difficult to believe others, which in turn makes life feel more dangerous and stressful. But I believe we still need and should trust each other.

If something seems like it’s too good of a deal, it’s probably fake. Besides, if there is an urgent request for money, better look into the details first, and if even one thing seems off, I’d say just stick to your cash.

Please, beware of scammers, but remember that most people are good.

No shortage of worthy recipients

David Willberg Willberg’s World

There are a lot of people in the Estevan area worthy of recognition. And I can’t imagine trying to come up with a list of a few dozen people.

Last week 55 Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medals were handed out during a celebration at the Estevan Elks Lodge. I was one of those to receive a medal.

It was an incredible honour for which I’m grateful, but I’m still stunned that I was selected.

On the citation, and during the ceremony, it was noted that I was being recognized for contributions and excellent work in journalism. I’d like to think that after 22-plus years in the business, I’ve made a few positive contributions. If not, I should have been fired a long time ago.

I was glad that I wasn’t the only journalist being recognized. Brian Zinchuk, who has made contributions to covering the energy sector for Pipeline News, the Mercury and now Pipeline Online, was also saluted. He knows more about the province’s energy sector than any other reporter or editor in the province.

And Norm Park was also recognized. Brian’s been in the media for about 25 years. I’ve been in the game for 22 years. And Norm has more experience than both of us combined. He was reporting before Brian and I were born. So yeah, there would be lots of outstanding contributions to journalism during his career.

If there’s a Mount Rushmore for community newspaper reporters in Saskatchewan, Norm would belong.

But this event wasn’t just about reporters. There were more than 50 other deserving people recognized.

Every person who received an award deserved it. Many of them are people I’ve known, worked with and admired almost from the moment I arrived in Estevan in September 2000. Some of them are friends, a few of them are close friends.

Others are people that I’ve known for less than 22 years, but I still hold in the highest regard. And there were a few I didn’t really know.

They come from all walks of life. They’re all ages. A lot of them are older people who have been retired for a number of years, but they’re still finding ways to contribute to the community.

Philanthropy, public service, volunteering, business leadership, law enforcement, arts, healthcare, military and sports are just some of the reasons that these people were honoured.

And many of the honourees made considerable contributions in several areas.

At the same time, you reflect on those who didn’t receive a medal, but certainly deserved one. I won’t name names of those not recognized but who I view as worthy. Partly because I don’t want to leave anyone out. And partly because there’s only so much space available in this column. For each category listed, there are a number of people in the community who have made considerable contributions but didn’t receive a medal.

When you receive an award like this, you feel the conflicting emotions of pride and humility. Pride that you were recognized. Pride in the accomplishments that you have had. As for humility, it grows when you reflect on the efforts of the other recipients, and all that they have done for the community you love. Yet someone thought enough of you to submit your name for the recognition.

Feelings of unworthiness are natural. People have told me they were happy for me and that I deserved it, but I know others have been a bigger part of the community than me and have been here longer than me.

The ceremony itself was a classy and dignified event. The recipients were well dressed. They understood the significance of what they were receiving.

Regardless of what you think of the British monarchy, you can’t deny how Queen Elizabeth II conducted herself as monarch during her 70 years on the throne. She was everything you should expect from someone in that role: classy, dignified and a brilliant representative in the public eye. By all accounts, she was the same when the cameras were off The ceremony on Thursday night was a fitting tribute to her.

Prior to her death in September, the Queen had authorized the presentation of these medals. She died before many of them had been presented, and there was speculation about whether the remaining presentations would occur.

I’ll admit I sound biased when I say I’m glad they did. But there are so many deserving people who have earned this recognition, and that is why the presentations should still occur.

Festival of Lights returns with dozens of displays and Christmas in the Park kick-off

By Ana Bykhovskaia

The Woodlawn Regional Park is getting ready for the annual Festival of Lights.

This year it will start with the Christmas in the Park traditional festivities on Dec. 18 from 3:30-6:30 p.m. The park’s kick-off to Christmas was cancelled two years in a row due to the pandemic.

Woodlawn business manager Maureen Daoust said they will have quite a few activities for people to enjoy in and around the park’s Doug Third Building.

“The co-op sponsors free hot dogs and hot chocolate. Santa will be there for photos. And we are hoping to have our horse and wagon rides again,” Daoust shared.

They are also currently working on finding an available hockey team that would come and play road hockey with the guests. The Estevan Art Gallery and Museum is planning to set

up an art corner as well, and the park plans to have a few fire pits going to help guests warm up.

“We’ve always had that free event for the community. And we haven’t been able to have it the last couple of years, so we’re excited to get back into motion,” Daoust said.

The kick-off to Christmas will culminate with fireworks out of the Woodlawn Athletic Park on the north side of the river at about 6:30 p.m.

The light displays will be turned on once the fireworks are over. Lights will come on at dusk each night from Dec. 18-Jan. 7, 2023, and are timed to shut off during the overnight hours.

So far this year, the park has 50-55 businesses and groups registered, which is on par with 2021. A lot of participants are returning. A few couldn’t make it and some new ones are joining the event.

“We have a seasonal group camping site, and

they decorate theirs. And we had a group of three families [put up a display last year], but they’re not sure if they’re coming back .... We have a couple of places of worship … And then we have a few service organizations like Rotary and the Lions. And then we have businesses. And then we also have our essential services – Estevan Fire and Rescue, and MADD, RCMP and Estevan city police do a partnership one. And we have affiliates to the park like Estevan Minor Football, they use our athletic fields, and Estevan Bible Camp that is located also within the park,” Daoust listed examples of groups that participate in the event.

“We are excited. Almost everybody is returning and there’s only a handful that aren’t. And we have a few new people that are interested, primarily businesses.”

Daoust noted that all participants will need to put up displays by Dec.

13, so that the park would have enough time to organize the breakers. If anyone wants to join the event with their display, they have up until that date.

“We can always fit people in last minute and we would definitely find space for them,” Daoust said. Local businesses, service clubs and non-profit organizations, churches, as well as groups of friends and family members are invited to showcase their creativity and set up their unique displays at the park. Daoust noted thousands of people go through the light displays every year. Besides, decorating a light display is a wonderful way to bring joy and the Christmas spirit to the community.

For more information about the Festival of Lights and participation, go to Woodlawn Regional Park Facebook page, their website at woodlawnregionalpark.com or email Daoust at manager@woodlawnregionalpark.com.

It’s back! Estevan Mercury’s Christmas catalogue has what you need for Christmas gift giving

One of our most popular publications of the year can be found in this week’s edition of the Mercury.

The fifth annual Estevan Mercury Christmas Catalogue is a special publication for our readers, and sales manager Pat Pasloski is looking forward to everyone enjoying the 24-page celebration of what local businesses have to offer for Christmas shoppers.

“Before I started working at the Mercury, I enjoyed the catalogue, and it sat on my coffee table for a few weeks so I could browse gift ideas,” said Pasloski. “Shopping locally is important, and it is great to see the many gift items available locally from our Estevan businesses.

Pasloski said she has heard from business owners who had customers come into their stores. Those shoppers say they didn’t know a particular item was available until seeing it in the catalogue.

“There is so much to find in the unique stores and businesses in the southeast,” said Pasloski. “Time is such a luxury these days but taking time to explore these stores is fun and relaxing. This is becoming a busy time of year, but take the time to enjoy and appreciate everything that our community offers.”

A wide variety of businesses and items are included once again this year, so Pasloski said there truly

is something for everyone on your Christmas shopping list. Included in the catalogue again this year is the Christmas Wish List. Readers can fill out the Wish List in the catalogue with the gift item ideas they find in the catalogue from participating businesses. Then they can either drop wish lists off at the Mercury’s office or email a picture of their list to contests@estevanmercury.ca before Dec. 15 for a chance to win one of three gift cards valued at $250 each. The gift cards are redeemable at any of the participating businesses in the catalogue.

The lucky wish lists will be drawn at random and one winner will be an-

nounced on each of Dec. 1, 8 and 15. The Mercury will notify the winners by phone.

“Another benefit to shopping locally,” Pasloski said.

The weeks leading up to Christmas are busy at the Mercury. On Nov. 30, the business will start publishing Letters to Santa. Children can write their letters and submit them. As many letters as possible will be printed. After all, Santa reads the Mercury. South East Eyecare is the sponsor again this year of this very entertaining and fun feature. Watch for Facebook posts and read the Mercury weekly to find out the details. One lucky letter writer will win $100.

Avery (306) 634-6584 mustang69_8@hotmail.com www.avon.ca/boutique/kristaavery

MARILYN HARRIS (306) 461-8160 marilynharris@facmail.com www.fifthavenuecollection.com/marilynharris

In 2021, the Festival of Lights saw the highest number of participants and guests in its history. File photo

Estevan Farmers Market

Estevan Market Mall

Krista

Christmas sales begin

Jake Siemens checks out the items that were available during the Estevan Farmers’ Market’s first Christmas sale Saturday at the Estevan Market Mall. A variety of vendors were set up in the mall’s hallways. They brought items that gave people a chance to tackle their Christmas shopping or find other holiday-related needs. The sales will be held at the mall every Saturday, with the last sale scheduled for Dec. 17. Hours will be 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Acoustic Christmas concert is coming to Orpheum

The Acoustic Sessions Christmas, starring Jack Semple, Chris Henderson, and Munro & Patrick (Heidi Munro and Scott Patrick) is coming to the Orpheum Theatre at the end of November.

On Nov. 27, the four musicians and singers will come together to perform original songs and Christmas classics.

Munro said that the series was born out of the pandemic and over the past few years proved to be popular with the public.

“I actually approached Chris and Jack during the pandemic, [we almost hate to say that word now] because we’re all professionals in the industry, and we’ve all worked together and shared the stage at some point. And we were just really needing to present a show that was a top-quality and upscale performance in a theatre-type setting and still follow guidelines at that time. That’s how the Acoustic Sessions was born,” Munro explained.

“At that time, I had also

approached the province, and media, and arts organizations, and festivals and all kinds of things in the province to try and get a platform for the music industry during the pandemic. And then Jack and Chris actually agreed to sit on that panel with Scott and I and some festival directors and venue directors across the province.

“So, the show itself was born from that. And we’ve been fortunate to play at least two or three times a year throughout that, and we all know each other very well, and it’s a real joy to share our music and some Christmas favourites in a real acoustic stripped-down setting.

“We’re extremely excited to come to the Orpheum Theatre.”

At the Estevan concert, the four performers will be sharing stories and featuring some great Christmas songs as well as some of their favourite originals.

“There will be elements of traditional country music, probably the new coun-

try music. There’ll be a real blues and jazz influence. It will be a real mix that’s really complimentary. Maybe a little bit of Motown thrown in there as well and some really great country sounds,” Munro shared. “We all have had albums out, so sharing our own music is very, very important for us as artists. But then also sharing songs that really resonate with the audience, that they’re familiar with, that they can sing along with and really dig into is important as well.

“It’s kind of a shame that the show can’t go on all night because there’s so

many great songs,” Munro said with a laugh.

The evening will showcase the incredible songwriting, vocals, musicianship and performances of these well-known, multiawarded, working professional Saskatchewan artists, and the concert is to be a soulfully moving celebration of the music arts, such a necessary fabric to the people of Estevan and the area.

The group of four has worked with each other on different occasions before. Munro said she first worked with Semple when she was

15 or 16 years old, and then shared the stage with him quite a few times. Patrick and Henderson worked together a lot in professional country music as well. And after successful solo careers and crossing paths at concerts, awards shows and festivals, and sharing the stage, Munro and Patrick started working as a duo over four years ago.

“We’ve all crossed paths, and we all really respect each other’s work. And we’ve become really great friends through this, too,” Munro said. “Everybody’s styles are really unique in

their own right, but we all really complement each other, vocals and performance, and the musicianship, and the playing of the guys. It’s absolutely fantastic.”

The show format allows musicians to collaborate but also to feature their own pieces.

All musicians have performed in Estevan and the area before. Henderson, originally from Estevan, is a well-known and loved musician. The last time Semple brought a guitar show to Orpheum was in August last year. And Munro & Patrick recently played at a private event at Arts Concepts Custom Framing, and in March of 2021, they brought their show to the Happy Nun Café in Forget. And now they are looking forward to coming back to Estevan.

“We’re really excited to bring this show together there,” Munro said.

The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $45, taxes included, and are available at Henders Drugs and the Orpheum Theatre over the phone at 306-634-3409.

Merchandise will be available at the concert, and singers will visit with guests after the show.

From left, Jack Semple, Heidi Munro and Scott Patrick, and Chris Henderson in the back are coming to Estevan’s Orpheum Theatre to perform on Nov. 27. Photo courtesy of the Orpheum Theatre

Public engagement session allows people to learn more about small modular reactors

By David Willberg

The concept of small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear technology was the focal point of a public engagement session on Nov. 16 at the Estevan Elks Lodge.

Joel Cherry, who is a media relations and issue management consultant with SaskPower, and Alexis Doyle, a consultant for public engagement, were present to answer questions from the public during afternoon and evening sessions.

More than 40 people were in attendance.

“There was a variety of people,” said Cherry. “There was some local elected officials present. The mayor was in attendance, for example.”

Students from a high school physics class dropped by to learn more about the technology. Cherry said “it’s not common” to have a school class attend a public engagement event or an open house.

“Obviously nuclear power would be of interest there, and I think the novelty of it

and that Estevan could very well potentially host a nuclear facility in the not-too-distant future would be of interest to high school students in the area,” said Cherry.

SaskPower has been discussing the potential for SMRs for several years. Earlier this year, the Crown corporation revealed the southeast was one of two finalists for a facility, with Boundary Dam, Rafferty Dam and Grant Devine Lake being potential candidates.

“We’re looking at any location that could potentially meet our technical specifications in our search,” said Cherry.

The Elbow area, located on the shores of Lake Diefenbaker, would be the other possible option.

“You need to have water to operate any thermal facility, but for nuclear facilities, absolutely [you need it],” said Cherry.

SaskPower is tentatively scheduled to announce the preferred site 2024, but it’s not expected to make a final decision on whether to

proceed until 2029. The first SMR isn’t expected to be operating until 2034, at the earliest.

“It might be further out than people realize, but it’s different, for example, than another natural gas facility, because there’s all sorts of regulations … and standards that we have to meet before we can do it, just because the nuclear industry is much more highly regulated,” said Cherry.

Engagement sessions were held in Oxbow and Alameda on Nov. 15 and Lampman the day after the Estevan event. Cherry said there was

a lot of interest in those communities as well.

People were very interested in a variety of issues, including SaskPower’s potential solutions for baseload power if conventional coalfired power won’t be an option. Estevan has a long history of providing electricity to the province, he said.

“The federal government has mandated that we have to replace [conventional] coal by 2030, and we’re going to have to replace that with something,” said Cherry. “It’s still a pretty important part of our generation mix, especially since it is baseload power.”

Others were asking questions about nuclear waste associated with the project, land use, potential impacts on water and the nature of the project.

“It is a new thing for Saskatchewan, and even though we’re early in the process, now is the time to get out and engage people on it,” said Cherry.

SMRs don’t resemble traditional nuclear facilities, he said. Conceptual drawings available at the open house showed how the SMR facility would look when it’s complete.

“It’s not what you see at a

conventional site, with large cooling towers, for example, so the scale and size of it is different from what most people think of when they think of nuclear power historically,” said Cherry.

Nuclear power would be new for Saskatchewan, and small modular reactors are new for power production in general.

SaskPower is looking to add two reactors capable of producing 350 megawatts each. Cherry said the Conference Board of Canada’s feasibility report estimated 1,700 jobs would be created per year during the construction phase, and about 185 full-time employees would support the operation of each reactor.

SaskPower wants to ensure it has a willing and engaged host community when the time comes to make a decision for its host site, Cherry said. Based on what he heard last week, he believes there are a lot of people in the Estevan area who want to have this technology.

City of Estevan joins Voyent notification system

The City of Estevan has signed on with an alert app system to inform the public about various situations in the community.

The city is now part of the Voyent Alert notification system. Citizens can download the app and receive notifications. Those that don’t have a mobile device can sign up through the City of Estevan’s website and receive a telephone call that will read the alert.

“The alert app is fairly simple in the sense its job is

to get the information out to the citizens. The alert app, once downloaded, allows you to add locations to points of interest that you would like to have, whether it’s your house, a family member, workplace, etc.,” said James Lainton, the city’s information-technology manager.

Lainton made a presentation along with Jacquelyn Massey-Rounds, the manager of marketing and communication for the city, during Estevan city council on Nov. 14.

Alerts will be generated by

different departments – such as roads and drainage, water, and marketing and tourism – and will pop up based on whether the GPS location is pertinent, or if it’s a city-wide alert, Lainton said.

The notifications could be used in the event of an emergency, or for a general alert such as street sanding in the winter. Or the city could issue a more centralized alert such as a road closure. There would also be instructions for potential start and end times.

Another potential resource

would be events the city is holding for the community.

“It is designed to be very simple and easy. Any revisions to these alerts come through as an update, so you could see a progression if there’s new information after an alert’s been out,” said Lainton.

The app does not require information from citizens, said Lainton. It is free for people to use.

All Sask. Alert notifications for the City of Estevan automatically flow through this system.

City seeking funding through Investing in Canada program

The City of Estevan is going to apply for significant funding through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), which would help remedy a long-standing problem in south Estevan.

In a report to Estevan city council for the Nov. 14 meeting, city engineer Kiflom Weldeab wrote that the city wants to separate the sanitary system network from storm system in the Westview and Central areas.

Weldeab said it would optimize the current sanitary system; improve the existing wastewater treatment plant by diverting storm water runoff from the sanitary waste stream; design and install a new storm water collection system for the area; replace existing cast-iron water mains with PVC pipe for better water flow; and replace existing lead water services with copper/poly service.

All surface works for roads and concrete would be completed as the work progresses.

The project has a total es-

timated cost of more than $18.1 million, to be spread out from 2023-2028. The federal and provincial governments would cover most of the cost.

City manager Jeff Ward noted that this is a “green” stream for ICIP that includes water servicing. The City applied for funding four or five times in the past, as it believes this project fits the criteria.

If the city were to receive the funding, it would likely turn to borrowing for the municipal share of the project.

Councillor Rebecca Foord pointed out that in a recent water security report, the issue in the Westview area was flagged because the lines are crossed.

“We are on people’s radar that it needs to be replaced,” she said.

Councillor Shelly Veroba pointed out that this has been discussed since she joined council six years ago, and she is confident it would have been discussed prior to 2016.

Councillor Lindsay Clark said he lives in the area and

he sees the underground work that constantly occurs in the subdivisions.

“It’s a continual fix and replacement in that area, so I do believe this would solve all

of those long-term problems, and put us on a good footing in a large area of this city,” said Clark.

The due date for the application is Nov. 29.

“You could potentially use this app and receive the Sask Alert apps all on the same

screen. When those alerts are cleared, they will also be cleared in the system,” said Lainton.

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The conceptual design for the small modular reactor that SaskPower is studying. Photo courtesy of SaskPower

Students gather to learn about veterans

By David Willberg

Elyse Mantei’s ongoing effort to educate young people about the sacrifices of Canada’s veterans continued on Thursday.

The No Stone Left Alone program held a ceremony at the Estevan City Cemetery. Students from Pleasantdale School and St. Mary’s School gathered to place poppies at the tombs of members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Young people braved frigid temperatures to participate.

The ceremony was supposed to happen on Nov. 7, but was postponed due to adverse weather conditions that gripped much of the province that day.

Mantei’s father, John Wilkinson of Moose Jaw, brought the No Stone Left Alone initiative to Saskatchewan and runs it for the province.

“It’s just a way of thanking the veterans for their service, showing them that we’ll never leave them forgotten, and their stones will never be left alone,” Mantei said.

The event began with words from Mantei and local military historian Craig

Bird, who spoke to the youths about the Dieppe Raid in France in 1942. He told them about the number of casualties for the South Saskatchewan Regiment during the ill-fated battle.

Nine soldiers from Estevan, 12 from Weyburn and 25 others from southeast Saskatchewan died during Dieppe. Many others were injured or taken as prisoners of war.

“So, 522 men from the South Saskatchewan Regiment went in for what was supposed to be a day-long raid. By lunchtime, out of that 522 men that went in, 84 died and another 89 became prisoners of war for the remainder of the war, until 1945 when they were released.”

Bird described it as quite a tragic day, and most of the towns and villages in the southeast suffered some kind of loss due to the raid.

No Stone Left Alone not only pays tribute to those who died in the war and have their names on the cenotaph, but it honours those who came back to Estevan after the war, Bird said.

“They were teachers, they were businesspeople, they

were farmers and probably some of your grandparents or great-grandparents,” said Bird.

Students read poems during the ceremony. The Last Post was played, followed by two minutes of silence and Reveille. A special wreath was laid that was previously placed in Europe where Canadian soldiers fought in the Second World War.

“He [John Wilkinson] was picked as one of the

recipients of one of the wreaths,” said Mantei.

Wilkinson was supposed to be at the service on Nov. 7 but couldn’t attend, nor could he make it on Nov. 17. He said he started No Stone Left Alone because he thought the young people were starting to lose touch with Remembrance Day.

“It’s based on getting the kids out and getting them to remember,” said Wilkinson. Their grandparents or

great-grandparents might have served their country at some point. Wilkinson’s father fought in the Second World War, and a cousin also served.

“I had direct knowledge of it, whereas kids nowadays, with the exception of Afghanistan and maybe a couple of other UN missions, they really haven’t had any knowledge of wars or what the soldiers went through or sailors or air personnel,” said Wilkinson. “So I just think it’s good that they get out and realize all these graves are there for their freedom.”

He wants the kids to remember the soldiers who went overseas during the First and Second World Wars were mostly young men. Many who died were in their late teens or early 20s. He also wants people to remember those who don’t have a headstone because they died on ships that were sunk, on planes that were shot down or while trying to get to a beach as part of a mission.

Wilkinson saw the world and visited 34 different countries during his career. He spent four years in Germany and had two active missions,

one in Haiti and the other in the naval blockade for Afghanistan. He was part of a team that carried out a drug bust on the HMCS Qu’Appelle, and went after pirates in the Philippines.

“When a military member goes away, their family is in Canada. When that member goes to sleep every night, he or she knows that they [the family members] are fine. Their family doesn’t always know.”

Mantei said the military was a big part of her childhood.

“Remembering veterans and showing my support and thanks for them is a big part of my life,” she said. A total of 14 ceremonies were held for No Stone Left Alone in Saskatchewan this year.

Mantei noted last year they had a few people show up for the ceremony at the Souris Valley Memorial Gardens. Others have read about it in the Mercury and have stopped her to thank her for bringing the initiative to the Energy City.

“It’s been really good the last couple of years and I’m hoping it just keeps getting bigger,” said Mantei.

St. Mary’s staff attends deep learning conference

By Greg Nikkel of the Weyburn Review

Two staff members from St. Mary’s School in Estevan were able to spend two very packed days with their counterparts in Ottawa to see what they do for deep learning, and what they could bring home for use in the Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division.

Principal Ryan Jutras and teacher Agnes Garrioch spoke to the board of Holy

Family trustees via Zoom on Nov. 16 regarding their experience with the much-larger Ottawa Catholic School Board.

Both school boards are part of the New Pedagogies for Deep Learning (NPDL) organization. Jutras and Garrioch were able to share what they do regarding Deep Learning, and they observed how four Ottawaarea schools have integrated deep learning into their daily operations.

The delegates from St. Mary’s were the only representatives from Saskatchewan to attend.

On their first day, they had a tour of an elementary school and a high school, and they saw two more on their second day, with student leads taking them around on both days, said Jutras.

He noted the division has 80,000 students in 90 schools, with a leadership team of some 200 staff, compared to Holy Family’s 1,300

students in five schools, and 11 members of the leadership team.

“What I thought was most impressive, regardless of the size difference, is we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them with everything that they do in deep learning, and with the success we have with NPDL,” said Jutras.

He noted that the students’ voice in their schools is a key component in good teaching and good learning.

One example they saw was a Grade 1 class that partnered up with a local entrepreneur, and they learned about how to develop and operate a business from the entrepreneur while the teacher observed.

Jutras noted one Grade 1 student came out and asked, “why are we even doing this?”, and without hesitation, the entrepreneur explained the purpose of what they were doing and why

giving was important. The class also had a discussion about where they should donate the money they earned from their venture.

In sharing what his takeaway was, he noted as a principal, academics are extremely important to him, but he said that in deep learning, “it can’t just focus on academics. It’s important but it will not carry the day.”

Garrioch added that her takeaway from the two days is that schools are largely doing a reset and reimagining their goals since emerging from the past two years of the pandemic.

She also pointed out that Holy Family was able to submit an exemplar to the conference on teacher collaborative discussions on deep learning, and noted they are connecting to other teachers and schools across Canada through the organization.

Mayor Roy Ludwig and Kersey Willis placed a special wreath during the No Stone Left Alone ceremony at the Estevan City Cemetery.

Bruins win twice over division foes

By David Willberg

The Estevan Bruins went on the road this past weekend and returned with a pair of victories over division rivals.

Up first was a 3-2 win over the Melville Millionaires on Friday night. Melville’s Colby Ball opened the scoring with 2:09 to play in the first period, and Matt Kjemhus doubled the lead 6:41 into the second.

The Bruins would get all of the offence they needed in just over five minutes of the middle frame. Logan Ziegler put the Bruins on the board 2:05 after Kjemhus’ goal. Then Owen Barrow scored on a power play 2:08 later to tie the game.

Then 2:59 later, Sam McPeak scored his first goal in the SJHL to give the Bruins the lead. Neither team scored in the final 20 minutes.

Cam Hrdlicka stopped 22 of the 24 shots he faced for Estevan. Clement Labillois made 19 saves for Melville.

The following night, the Bruins defeated the Yorkton Terriers 3-2. Tijs Vreys opened the scoring for Yorkton just 3:49 into the first

period, but 1:40 later, Evan Forrest tied the game for the Bruins.

Alex Blanchard’s goal 35 seconds into the second period put the Bruins up 2-1. The marker came on a twoman Bruin advantage.

Greg Nelson tied the game for Yorkton in the third. A few minutes later, it appeared Forrest scored to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead, but the officials ruled the

puck hit the crossbar when it actually hit the bar at the back of the net.

A short time later, Salvatore Collora scored the winner with 6:15 to play in the third.

Hrdlicka stopped 21 of the 23 shots he faced for the Bruins, while Caleb Allen made 20 saves on 23 shots for the Terriers.

“In Melville, we had a really slow start and got

down 2-0, and I thought we responded very well and played really good in the second and third periods,” said head coach and general manager Jason Tatarnic. “In Yorkton, I thought we got off to a really good start and I thought we played well for the majority of the game.

“For me, it’s just the work ethic right now. We have to learn to work hard in all three zones and especially

on the defensive side of the puck. Allowing only two goals was a really good start.”

The Bruins played both games without Cody Davis.

A fourth-year forward from Alameda who is one of their alternate captains this season, Davis was injured during the first period of the Bruins’ 6-1 loss to the Melfort Mustangs on Nov. 12.

He suffered a broken ankle when he slid into the net and boards after being slashed on a breakaway by Mustangs’ defenceman Leyton Holoien. Davis is expected to be out until after Christmas.

“I want to thank everyone for the support, concern and well wishes. I’ll be back before you know it,” Davis said in a news release.

Holoien was assessed a five-minute major for slashing and was later suspended for two games.

Tatarnic was pleased with how the team responded to Davis’ absence. They also made a couple of acquisitions.

Forward Gabriel Filion was acquired from the Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League as the future considerations in the Caelan Fitzpatrick trade.

Also, forward Ilia Chmelevski was acquired from Alberta’s Whitecourt Wolverines for a player development fee.

“Filion adds a speed element, and they’re both very solid, and they make us better. When you lose a guy and you can add two pretty good players, that helps,” said Tatarnic.

Estevan also acquired forward Daniel O’Neill from Manitoba’s Steinbach Pistons for a player development fee.

Tatarnic said the trades were not a response to the back-to-back losses against the Melfort Mustangs earlier this month.

The Bruins (15-13) will be back on the ice on Nov. 25 when they visit the Weyburn Red Wings. The club has reached the halfway point in their season.

“I think a lot of people expected us be in rebuild mode this year, but we’re up in the standings. I know we’ve played a few more games than other people, but with those games in hand, you have to win those games. If you don’t, it doesn’t really matter how may games in hand you have,” said Tatarnic.

Lampman Grizzlies win silver at provincials

The Lampman Grizzlies had an outstanding showing at the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association’s 1A girls’ volleyball tournament in Rose Valley, bringing home a silver medal.

Lampman went 4-0 in the round robin, losing only one of the nine sets they played. They opened with a 2-1 (2512, 19-25, 15-12) win over Rose Valley, and then won 2-0 (25-10, 25-17) over Vanguard, 2-0 (25-9, 25-15) over Bellevue and 2-0 (25-19, 2516) over Leoville.

In the quarter-finals, Lampman won 2-0 (25-16, 25-6) over Wawota Parkland School, avenging a loss to Wawota during regional playdowns in Lampman the previous weekend. And Lampman won 2-0 (25-22, 25-23) in the semifinal over Bellevue.

The Grizzlies fell 2-0 (25-

13, 25-22) to Rose Valley in the provincial final in a rematch of their round-robin opener.

As for Wawota, they went 2-2 in the round robin, winning 2-0 (25-16, 25-19) over Kyle and 2-0 (25-19, 25-19) over Edam, but losing 2-0 (25-22, 25-14) to Plenty and 2-1 (25-21, 13-25, 15-11) to LeRoy.

At the 2A girls’ provincials in Gull Lake, Arcola School went 2-2 in the round robin, defeating St. Walburg 2-0 (25-23, 25-9) and the host Gull Lake team 2-0 (25-10, 25-22), but losing to Wakaw 2-0 (25-16, 26-24) and to Davidson 2-0 (25-16, 2520). Their tournament came to an end in a 2-0 (25-23, 25-13) loss to Rocanville.

The Carnduff Education Complex, Oxbow Prairie Horizons School and Kipling School were all at 3A girls’ provincials in Macklin.

Kipling had the best showing, winning the bronze medal with a 2-0 (25-17, 25-18) win over Dalmeny.

Kipling went 3-1 in the round robin, winning 2-0 (25-22, 25-12) over Dalmeny, 2-0 (25-9, 25-21) over Watrous, and 2-0 (25-15, 25-18) against Oxbow, but losing 2-0 (25-19, 25-20) to Unity.

Kipling knocked off host Macklin 2-0 (25-19, 2516) in the quarter-final, lost to the eventual provincial champions from Lanigan 2-0 (25-23, 25-19) but recovered to beat Dalmeny in the bronze medal game.

Carnduff started with a 2-0 (25-24, 25-13) win over Maple Creek, a 2-1 (24-26, 25-22, 15-5) victory over Macklin, and a 2-1 (25-27, 25-13, 15-9) victory over Briercrest Christian Academy, but lost 2-0 (25-13,

25-18) to Lanigan to close out the round robin, and then fell 2-0 (25-22, 25-23) to Dalmeny in the quarterfinal.

Oxbow went 1-3 at pro-

vincials, opening with a 2-1 (20-25, 26-24, 15-13) win over Unity, but losing 2-1 to Watrous (26-24, 20-25, 158), 2-0 to Dalmeny (25-22, 25-14) and 2-0 to Kipling.

The 5A girls’ provincials will be Nov. 25 and 26 in Balgonie. The Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs senior girls qualified for the tournament.

Redvers and Carnduff among winners in Big Six

The Wawota Flyers finally opened their season on Friday night, and they came away with a victory.

The Flyers defeated the host Kipling-Windthorst Oil Kings 6-4. Devin Stewart and Jesse Gabrielle scored in the third period to lift the Flyers to the victory. It was the second goal of the night for each player.

Jordan Fox and Brady Dinwoodie also scored for the Flyers.

Dan Loffler had two goals for the Oil Kings. Luc

Englot and Drew Czerwonka also scored.

Kye Steinke was in goal for Wawota, while Dylan Dedecker was the netminder for Kipling-Windthorst.

Three games were played on Saturday. The Carnduff Red Devils continued to roll with a 7-2 victory on home ice over the Midale Mustangs. Brad Tomiski scored twice in the opening 3:13 of the game to give the Mustangs a 2-0 advantage.

But goals by Kyle Garagan, Nico Anderson and

Kelby Minshull put Carnduff ahead after the first period, and then Ben Hiltz scored twice and Ty Stovin and Mark Moriarty tallied in the second for the fivegoal margin.

Mason Plews (Carnduff ) and Talen King (Midale) were the goalies. The Redvers Rockets shelled the visiting Bienfait Coalers 13-1, thanks to a six-goal first period and five more in the second.

Kevin Mann had two goals in the Rockets’ first-period

barrage, and Travis Poirier, John Potapinski, Drew Hoff and Oliver Poirier also scored. Braeden Magotiaux had two goals in the second, while Hoff, Potapinski and Bradey Fidierchuk also scored in that frame for Redvers. Todd Gervais had two goals in 10 seconds in the third.

Kaelan Holt had Bienfait’s lone goal.

Zack Miller was the Coalers’ goalie, while Thomas Bauche was in goal for Redvers.

The Moosomin Rang-

ers doubled up the Oil Kings 6-3 in Kipling. Bud Holloway and Dawson Springer each scored twice for the Rangers, while Justin Lamontagne and Dallyn Holmstrom also scored.

Czerwonka had two goals for Kipling-Windthorst and Loffler notched the other.

Kyler Beckett was in goal for Moosomin and DeDecker was the KiplingWindthorst goalie.

A busy weekend is scheduled for Nov. 25-27. Games on Nov. 25 are the Arcola-

Kisbey Combines at the Flyers, the Rockets at the Oil Kings, the Red Devils at the Carlyle Cougars and the Rangers at the Coalers.

Four more games are set for Nov. 26: the Yellow Grass Wheat Kings at the Flyers, the Oil Kings at the Mustangs, the Rockets at the Combines and the Red Devils at the Rangers.

The Cougars will visit the Coalers for the only game on Nov. 27.

All games will start at 8 p.m.

Bruin defenceman Owen Miley (27) skates with the puck behind the Bruins’ goal in Saturday’s game in Yorkton. Photo by Calvin Daniels with Yorkton This Week

The Lampman Grizzlies players show off their silver medals at the provincial 1A volleyball championships in Rose Valley. Photo sourced from Lampman School Facebook page.

The Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs senior boys’ volleyball team made it to the playoff round at the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association’s 5A provincial championship in Swift Current on Friday and Saturday.

Estevan opened the tournament on Friday with a 2-0 (25-16, 2517) loss to the host Swift Current Comprehensive High School team, who went on to win provincials. The Elecs’ next game was a 2-0 (25-23, 25-22) defeat against Regina’s Martin Collegiate.

The Elecs recovered to defeat Saskatoon’s Holy Cross High School 2-1 (23-25, 25-15, 15-8) for their lone win of the weekend. Estevan finished round-robin play with a 2-1 (25-21, 25-27, 15-9) defeat to Prince Albert’s

Carlton Comprehensive Public High School.

The win over Saskatoon Holy Cross pushed Estevan into the quarterfinals, where they faced the top team from the other pool, Saskatoon Centennial Collegiate. Centennial won 2-0 (2519, 25-12).

It was Estevan’s first time at the provincial tournament since 2016.

•••

Regionals in the other boys’ divisions were held during the weekend.

The 3A boys’ tournament was held at the Carnduff Education Complex, and the host team had a perfect weekend to win.

Carnduff went 3-0 in the round robin, defeating Oxbow 2-0 (25-11, 25-15), Moosomin 2-0 (25-9, 25-13) and Kipling 2-0 (25-10, 25-14).

Up next, they defeated the Regina Christian School 2-1 (25-15, 1525, 15-11) in the semifinal, and Esterhazy 2-1 (25-12, 24-26, 15-13) in the final. Both teams advanced to provincials, as did Regina Christian, who knocked off Kipling

2-0 (25-18, 25-14) in the third-place game.

Kipling went 2-1 in the round robin, defeating Moosomin 2-0 (2511, 25-18) and Oxbow 2-0 (25-20, 25-21) but losing to Carnduff, and then losing 2-1 (25-18, 17-25, 15-9) to Ester-

hazy in the semifinal and Regina Christian in the third-place contest.

Oxbow went 1-2. Their lone win was 2-0 (26-24, 25-15) over Moosomin.

Gordon F. Kells High School in Carlyle was in the other pool at 3A boys. They went 1-2, winning

2-1 (20-25, 25-22, 157) over Fort Qu’Appelle, but losing 2-0 (25-8, 2517) to Regina Christian and 2-0 (25-15, 25-13) to Esterhazy.

At the 2A regional tournament in Montmartre, Redvers School went 0-2, losing 2-0 (2514, 25-10) to Sturgis and 2-1 (21-25, 25-18, 1511) to the host Montmartre team.

Stoughton Central School was the site of the 1A boys’ regional, and Stoughton and Lampman Schools had teams entered. Stoughton went 0-2, with a 2-1 (19-25, 25-21, 15-6) loss to Englefeld and a 2-0 (25-16, 25-19) defeat against Yellow Grass.

Lampman also went 0-2, losing 2-0 (25-20, 25-10) to Rouleau and 2-0 (25-7, 25-19) to Muenster.

Hamisi Kassanga and Dorian Sifton were among the big winners at this year’s Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs football team awards.

The two athletes shared the club’s Most Valuable Player Award during the ceremony held Monday night. Sifton played three positions this season: quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back.

He was also one of the recipients of the other prestigious award on the night, the Who Are We/ Bryan Illerbrun Memorial Award. Other recipients of the award were Thomas Harrison, Tristan

Tober, Jayren Schulz and Brayden Mehler.

As for Kassanga, he also played defensive end and kicker for ECS. His other awards were the Defensive MVP and Special Teams MVP.

Schulz, who played defensive back on the Elecs, also took home the Players’ Choice Award.

Other award winners were:

•Offensive MVP: running back/receiver Khalifa Elshein;

•Rookie of the Year: defensive back Indy Froese; and •Lineman of the Year: left guard Mike Schroeder.

Estevan Bears beat Warman for the first time

The Estevan Steelhaus U18 AAA Bears split another weekend home-andhome against a team from the North Division in Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League play.

This time it was the Warman Wildcats the Bears faced. They won 6-3 on Saturday, their first-ever win in five lifetime meetings with their expansion cousins.

Carter Skarbon opened the scoring in the first period of Saturday’s game. Teigan Semchyshen, Marc Belanger and Kole Keen scored in the second; the goals for Belanger and

Keen came in the final five minutes of the frame.

It remained a 4-2 lead until late in the third, when goals by Keen and Josh Heistad sandwiched a Warman goal.

Kaden Perron stopped 35 shots for Estevan.

The following day, the Wildcats blanked Estevan 4-0. Two of Warman’s goals came in the final 30 seconds. Riley Deck made 24 saves in the loss.

Estevan (6-10-0-3) will visit the Moose Jaw Warriors on Nov. 24.

The Estevan Apex U18 AA Bruins suffered a rare

loss Friday in a 4-2 defeat against the Regina Rangers.

Jordan Marcotte and Spencer Copeland scored for Estevan, who gave up two goals in the final five minutes of the loss.

Ty Fehrenbach made 30 saves for Estevan.

The Bruins responded with a 5-4 victory Sunday night against the Yorkton Terriers. Ryker Mathison, Spencer Copeland and Carter Beck scored in the opening 11:04 of the first period, and then Emmett McCarthy scored in the second period and Beck added another in the third.

The Terriers scored twice in the final 2 1/2 minutes to inject some suspense into the closing moments.

Keagan Carley made 40 saves for the victory.

Estevan (12-3-1) will visit the Notre Dame Argos on Nov. 24. •••

The Estevan TS&M U15 AA Bruins dropped both games they played on the weekend, 4-2 at home against the Moose Jaw Warriors on Saturday and 7-2 at the Yorkton Terriers on Sunday.

Gunner Moore opened the scoring in the first period for Estevan Friday

against Moose Jaw, and Tristan Brownridge also scored.

Jaxon Kuchinka made 37 saves for Estevan.

The following day, Porter Crossman and Brownridge had the Estevan goals. Kuchinka stopped 31 of the 38 shots he faced.

Estevan (2-7-1-1) will have their next action in league play when they host the Melville Millionaires on Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. and the Martensville Marauders the following day at 11 a.m. Both games will be at Affinity Place. •••

The Estevan Meter U13

AA Bruins won their lone game of the weekend, beating the Regina Tigers 6-3 on Saturday at the Power Dodge Arena.

Marek Wilhelm scored three times, and Mason Schmidt, Owen Light and Cooper Hale had the Bruins’ other goals. Estevan led 4-1 at one point in the second period, but the Tigers pulled to within one in the third. Estevan then pulled away again.

Easton Pushie stopped 23 shots to get the win.

The Bruins will host the Regina Mustangs on Nov. 26, starting at 1 p.m. at the Power Dodge Arena.

South East Gold Wings double up Prince Albert

The South East Aaron Well Servicing U18 AA Goldwings defeated the Prince Albert Foxes 6-3 Saturday in Weyburn.

Jada Naviaux and Victoria Mann scored in the opening two minutes of the game for the Wings, and Katelyn Thackeray also scored in the first period to give them a 3-0 lead.

Naviaux and Thackeray

scored again in the second, and Megan Reid added a goal in the third.

Ivey Grant was in goal for the Wings.

The Gold Wings (5-2) next league games will be at the Warman Wildcats on Dec. 3 and the Saskatoon Comet Legends the following day.

The South East White-

cap Resources U15 AA Gold Wings went 1-1 in games at the Warman Wildcats.

Up first was a 12-4 loss on Saturday, a game that saw the Wildcats score six times in the final 10 minutes of the second period to pull away. Ella Schenher scored twice, and Julia Durr and Payton Roth had the other goals.

Kiera Barker was in goal for the Wings.

The Wings avenged the loss with a 5-4 win on Sunday. Schenher and Kinley Dammann scored in the first to give the Wings a 2-0 lead, and Presley Hollingshead scored in the second. Schrener notched the winner with 3:58 to play in the third.

Barker was in goal for the win.

The Wings will visit the Saskatoon Comet Legends on Dec. 2 and 3.

The Estevan IG Wealth Management U13 AA Bearcats dropped a pair of lopsided games against the Western Prairie Thunder, 10-0 on Saturday at Affinity Place and 15-0 Sunday at the Power Dodge Arena.

Taylor Short was in goal

for Saturday’s game and Baya Summers started on Sunday.

The Bearcats will host the Weyburn Gold Wings on Nov. 25 at 6:30 p.m. at the Power Dodge Arena. Then they head out on the road, as they will visit the Northwest Sharks on Nov. 26 in North Battleford and the Warman Wildcats the following day.

19th Annual Dickens Village Festival Dickens Festival

• Horse Drawn Wagon -Carriage Rides • Horse Drawn Var iety of Activities to Enjoy Variety of Activities to

Dorian Sifton, Thomas Harrison, Tristan Tober and Jayren Schulz with their Bryan Illerbrun Memorial Awards. Missing is Brayden Mehler. Photo by Tia Thacker

The Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs senior boys’ volleyball team finished 1-4 at provincials. Photo courtesy of Neal Linthicum

AGPRO SEEDS: BUYING HEATED, DAMAGED CANOLA. On farm pickup, prompt payment! TOP PRICES PAID IN SASK. Phone: 306-873-3006 or Visit AGPRO website for bids: agproseeds.com

WANTED: Old advertising dealership signs, gas pumps, globes, pop machines, light ups. White Rose, Red Indian, Buffalo, North Star, Case Eagles. etc. Collector paying TOP PRICES. 306-2215908

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PROVINCE-WIDE CLASSIFIEDS. 51 local community newspapers, distributing to over 450 communities, including 14 cities. Reach over 550,000 readers weekly. Call 306649-1405 or visit www.swna.com for details.

*K’AWAT’SI CONSTRUCTION

COMPANY IS NOW HIRING*Red Seal Carpenters ($39.00$43.00/hr plus relocation bonus) –Third and fourth-year apprentices ($31-$38/hr plus relocation bonus). If you are interested in this great career opportunity, please send your resume at hrcoordinator@kedc.ca or call us at 250-2304264 for questions.

Carol Ann Thiel 1958 - 2022

It is with sadness, the family of Carol Anne Thiel announce her passing on Sunday, November 13, 2022 in Regina, SK. We would like to give a special thanks to her friends Arnie, Elaine, Penny, Lana and Darby for all of the help and friendship.

A funeral service will be held at a later date. Online messages of condolence may be left at paragonfuneralservices.com.

Henry J. Peters 1930 - 2022

Henry passed away peacefully with his daughters, Pat and Kathy, by his side on Thursday, November 17, 2022 at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Estevan, SK at the age of 92 years. The Celebration of Life will be held at a later date in 2023.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan (designate Allan Blair Cancer Center), 200 - 4545 Parliament Ave, Regina, SK S4W 0G3 or online at cancerfoundationsask.ca in

memory of Henry. Hall Funeral Services in Estevan is caring for Henry’s familyYvonne Clark, Funeral Director.

Margaret A. Baniulis 1958 - 2022 Margaret Ann Baniulis (nee Perkins) was called to Heaven on Thursday, November 10th in Estevan, Saskatchewan with her precious family at her side. “Maggie” was the loving Mom of two grown sons, Logan and Kyle Baniulis. Her grandchildren, Maria, Kristian, Hayden and Bella meant the world to her. Margaret was married for 41 years to Gene Baniulis, the man she adored. They created an amazing life together filled with hard work and adventure. Over the past several years, they remained the very best of friends and enjoyed retirement together as they travelled the world and spent time at the farm in North Portal and at their beach home in Belize. Family and friends remained so important to Margaret. She was overcome by illness in the past many months and her journey ended peacefully at the age of 64. Gene, Kyle, Logan and her grandchildren are heart-broken. She will be with them in spirit, always.

Margaret was born to parents Vernon Perkins and Margaret (nee Storey). Sadly, baby Margaret would never have a chance to know her Mother. Vernon was widowed and left alone with an infant daughter and two young sons. Maggie had a special bond with her Aunty Florence and Uncle Bert Hall, who accepted her in their home and helped raise her.

Later, Margaret’s family grew to include Vernon’s second wife, Bernice Perkins and five more siblings. In 1981, she married the love of her life and became Mrs. Baniulis. She cherished her role as wife and Mother and devoted community member of North Portal. She and Gene raised Logan and Kyle on the farm and were always busy balancing work and home life. Margaret always had time for friends and for family. She loved to laugh and made friends wherever she went. She was generous and caring and made an impact on anyone who knew her. She will be missed beyond measure.

Margaret is resting in peace with her Mother now. She has been reunited with her dear Mother in-law, Betty and Father-in-law, Joe Baniulis and her very special Uncle Bert Hall. Undoubtedly, she holds her infant granddaughter Amery in her Angel arms. Margaret was also predeceased by her grandparents, Frank and Clara Storey and Norman and Louise Perkins; Gene’s brothers, Reggie and Daryl (Cheryl) Baniulis.

Margaret leaves behind a family in mourning. Margaret is survived by her loving husband Gene and their sons, Logan and Kyle and grandchildren, Maria, Kristian, Hayden and Bella; father Vernon Perkins (Bernice), her siblings, Don (Evelyn), Duane (Janet), Keith (JoAnne), Kelly (Roxy), Kathy McKelkie (John), Kevin (Richelle) and Kurt (Chelsea); Baniulis brothers-in-law, Wendell, Lori (Bonnie) and Barry (Rosemary) and sister-in-law Faye Baniulis. Margaret has many close friends and extended family that will miss her dearly.

The Celebration of Margaret’s Life will be held on Friday, November 25, 2022 at 1:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s United Church, Estevan, SK with Sandy Dalziel officiating. The inurnment will take place at the Estevan City Cemetery Columbarium following the service. Gene and his family would like everyone to join them for the luncheon in the church auditorium to share stories and remember Margaret. Please visit Margaret’s tribute page at www.hallfuneralservices.ca for live stream details. The live stream will be available for the next 90 days following the service.

If friends so desire, memorial donations may be made to Creighton Lodge, 1028 Hillcrest Drive, Estevan, SK S4A 1Y7 in memory of Margaret.

Cornerstone board receives year-end financial report

It’s been a year of challenges for the South East Cornerstone Public School Division, including the financial side of the picture.

Illustrating those challenges, actions and solutions was the job for Shelley Toth, the division’s chief financial officer, who presented the package to the board members during their Nov. 16

open business meeting held in Weyburn.

Toth informed the board members that SECPSD is exiting the 2021-22 fiscal year with a net operating deficit of $5.6 million which is $4 million lower than the earlier budgeted deficit of $9.6 million.

Revenue for the sprawling school division that encompasses 8,300 students in south-

LAND FOR SALE

Offers are invited for the purchase of the following farmland: NW 3-3-31-W1st

The highest or any offer will not necessarily be accepted. Offers should be submitted to Billesberger Law Firm, 1017 Third Street, Estevan, Saskatchewan, S4A OR4, together with a cheque payable to the law firm for 5% of the tender price.

Offers are to be submitted by December 9th, 2022.

Notice to Creditors

In the estate of Evelyn Georgia Catherine Svorkdal, late of Estevan, Saskatchewan, deceased.

declaration and with particulars and valuation of security held, if any, must be sent to the undersigned before the 14th of December, 2022.

Bridges & Company LLP 1329 Third Street Estevan, SK S4A 0S1 Solicitors for the Executors

TAX ENFORCEMENT LIST

TOWN OF BIENFAIT PROVINCE OF SASKATCHEWAN

Notice is hereby given under The Tax Enforcement Act that unless the arrears and costs appearing opposite the land and title number described in the following list are fully paid before January 23, 2023, an interest based on a tax lien will be registered against the land.

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

DESCRIPTION

LOT 7-BLK/PAR 6-PLAN S1574 EXT 0 1035997931,150.49360.00 1,510.49

LOT 9-BLK/PAR 7-PLAN S1574 EXT 5

LOT 10-BLK/PAR 7-PLAN S1574 EXT 0 145117829 145117863 2,207.03360.00 2,567.03

LOT 1-BLK/PAR 10-PLAN AA6460 EXT 0 1366980033,080.29360.00 3,440.29

LOT 6-BLK/PAR 13-PLAN AC6017 EXT 0 1344256381,830.19360.00 2,190.19

LOT 4-BLK/PAR 18-PLAN 69R38973 EXT 01553881902,045.86360.00 2,405.86

* On January 1, 2023 the 2022 taxes will become arrears and be added to the amount required to remove the property from tax enforcement proceedings. Penalty is calculated to the date of the Notice and will continue to accrue as applicable.

Dated this 17th day of November, 2022

Jessica Franklin, Administrator

Paul Elash Q.C. Aaron Ludwig, B.Sc., LL.B. Genevieve Schrader, B. Mgt., J.D. Gainsborough: Thursday a.m. Carnduff: Thursday p.m. 1312- 4th Street, Estevan, SK S4A 0X2 P. 306-634-3631

east Saskatchewan totalled $106.8 million while expenses registered at $112.4 million.

The revenue received was $4.2 million (4.1 per cent) higher than budget with the bulk of that coming from an additional provincial grant of $3.4 million.

“Total ministry operating grants were $2.1 million higher than budget. There was $794,000 in grant money to recognize increased enrolments,” Toth said.

Another $837,000 was recognized as revenue for expenses paid on behalf of Cornerstone by the Ministry of Education and a further $330,000 for a variety of additional grants unknown at the time the budget was set. There was a further $99,000 assigned for preventative maintenance and renewal.

“Capital grants were $1.3 million higher than budget as the ministry authorized additional funding for the demolition of Haig and Souris Schools,” she said. “Both of these Weyburn schools were closed when the new Legacy Park Elementary School opened in September 2021.”

Tuition and related fees were $207,000 higher than budget due to a hike in enrolment, she explained, while school generated funds were nearly $1 million under budget, reflecting the impact COVID-19 had on extracurricular activities and school fundraising efforts.

External services revenue was $570,000 higher than budget since grants were received for the Estevan Early Years Family Resource Centre ($331,000) and Jordan’s Principle activities ($137,000). These were unknown at the time the budget was set. Other revenue was $102,000 higher than budget from increased cafeteria sales and teacherage rental revenue as well as the gain from the sale of a teacherage in Bienfait.

Other revenue increases came in the form of $720,000 from insurance reimbursements for roof damages from windstorms and a water line break, and $109,000 from the sale of the school bus garages in Radville and Weyburn. Rebates and reimbursements were either higher than budget or unknown at the time the budget was being prepared.

“Total operating expenses were only $251,000 higher than budget, however there were still some areas of significant variances,” Toth noted.

The governance (board) expenses were just $97,000, almost 22 per cent under budget.

Board member professional development was $24,000 under budget while administration expenses were $115,000 higher than what was budgeted.

Toth added that salaries, benefits and supplies were generally higher due to the pandemic when additional staff was hired to support contract tracing, testing and other related activities.

Instructional expenses were only $481,000 under budget (less than one per cent). This was brought about by the fact not all positions were filled and professional development and student-related expenses and travel were restricted due to COVID.

Instructional aids costs were higher than budget as the budget for computer supplies was in capital, however, not all items met the dollar threshold for capitalization and therefore are expensed here.

Hall Funeral Services in Estevan is caring for Margaret’s familyYvonne Clark, Funeral Director.

One of the two incoming city council members for the Estevan board of police commissioners was sworn in at the Nov. 16 meeting.

Councillor Rebecca Foord took the oath of office at the start of the session. The other incoming member, Councillor Tony Sernick, was unable to attend and will be sworn in at a future meeting.

They will begin serving their two-year terms on the police board in January 2023.

Councillors Shelly Veroba and Lindsay Clark, who joined in January 2021, are coming to the end of their time on the board.

The members at large, Bernadette Wright and Roberta DeRosier, had two-year terms that started on Jan. 1, 2022. The new system prevents all members from having time expire on the board at the same time.

Mayor Roy Ludwig is automatically part of the police board. •••

The Estevan Police Service

received 590 calls for service last month, according to numbers released at the meeting. The total is down from the 623 calls that came in during October 2021. In the first 10 months of this year, the EPS has received 5,590 calls for service, a 31.2 per cent decline from the 8,127 calls from Jan. 1-Oct. 31, 2021.

Calls for service this year are also down 19.2 per cent from the five-year average of 6,917 for the first 10 months of the year.

The total number of Criminal Code charges is at 533 for the year, up 31 for the same time in 2021. The EPS had 126 crimes against the person in the first 10 months of this year, a 19 per cent increase from the 106 they had for the same time period a year ago.

Crimes against property are at 293, up 14 per cent from 258 the previous year. Charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act are at 25, down 11 per cent from 28 the previous

year. And Criminal Code traffic violations are at 91, down 19 per cent from 112 last year.

Last month, the EPS responded to 12 crimes against the person, with 10 assaults and two assaults causing bodily harm. Police Chief Rich Lowen noted the number of assaults was up from three in October 2021, but there doesn’t appear to be

a connection between last month’s incidents.

In the first 10 months of this year, out of the 126 crimes against the person, there were 97 assaults, 20 sexual crimes, eight assaults causing bodily harm and one robbery.

For crimes against property in October, the EPS had 26, with seven for residential break and enters, two business break-ins, two thefts of

a motor vehicle, seven thefts under $5,000 and eight mischief/willful damage complaints.

So far this year, out of the 293 crimes against property, 134 were for theft under $5,000, 108 were for mischief or willful damage, 25 were for residential break and enters, six were business break-ins, three were other break-ins, 13 were thefts of vehicles and four were thefts over $5,000.

There were no charges last month under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, compared to just one in October 2021. So far this year, there have been 17 trafficking charges and eight for possession.

Fifteen Criminal Code traffic violations were laid, the same as last year. Twelve charges were for impaired/ exceed-related offences and three were for impairment by drug.

The first 10 months of the year generated 71 charges for impaired/exceed-related of-

fences, 13 for impairment by drug and seven for dangerous driving and other.

DeRosier asked about the reduction in the number of impaired driving charges. Lowen said he believes it’s due to enforcement and public engagement sessions that have happened. He noted the community is entering the “celebration season”, so officers will ramp up enforcement in the coming weeks.

The bylaw enforcement officer report for Special Const. Anna Volmer showed that she had 117 occurrences last month, led by 38 unkempt property violations, 20 animal calls, 12 taxi bylaw inspections and 18 under other bylaw.

So far this year, among the 1,205 calls for bylaw, 578 of the occurrences have been for unkempt property inspections. There were 205 for parking violations, 130 for animal calls, 76 for other bylaw, 61 for taxi inspections and 58 for parking complaints.

FOREMAN

FOREMAN

environment with competitive wages, and an attractive

For more information or to apply, please contact Darren Swanson at: darrenswanson@sasktel.net

Councillor Rebecca Foord was sworn in by city clerk Judy Pilloud during the Nov. 16 police board meeting.

Flashback –Wednesday, Nov. 19, 1997

Dickens Village Festival to fill Carlyle with magic

The Dickens Village Festival is returning to Carlyle on Dec. 2 and 3.

For three days, the town will transform into an old-time Victorian village, filled with magic and Christmas spirit.

During the weekend, Fezziwig’s Pub will offer live entertainment and good cheer. An incredible lighted parade will occur in the evening on both Dec. 2 and 3. Other festival activities include a high tea, an English market and a Festival of Trees. Many of Carlyle’s retailers will offer special deals over the weekend and food carts with delicious treats will line Main Street.

A highlight of the festival is the Twenty-Three Scrooge Doo Christmas play put on by the Cornerstone Theatre Inc. The performances will take place on Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m., and on Dec. 3 and 4 at 2 p.m. at the Carlyle Memorial Hall. The organizers also expect to have a dress rehearsal the Wednesday before the weekend of the show.

This year’s production is set in the roaring ’20s – Prohibition Era. Ebeneezer Scrooge is the owner of Scrooge & Marley’s Speakeasy. In a hostile takeover, he moves in on the Cratchit & Son Speakeasy, which is across

the street. He will keep Bob Cratchit in place for a brief period until he can get everything set up, at which time he is going to fire Bob.

Tickets for the play are to be purchased in advance through Fengche Flowers or by phone at 306-4530222.

Shelley Slykhuis, the chairperson of the festival committee, said the organizers are gearing up, going through decorations, looking for last-minute sponsors for the activities and getting ready to transform the community for the 19th edition of the festival.

“The week leading up to Dickens will be our busiest week of getting all decorations done, putting everything in place, putting cards out for vendors and then just gearing up for the weekend,” Slykhuis said.

Carlyle had to skip 2020, and in 2021 they had a scaled-back festival, so the 2022 event being almost back to normal promises to bring traditional joy to the community. Slykhuis noted that there will be only one big difference –they won’t have turkey legs, which were really popular with guests before.

Unfortunately, due to shortages, they weren’t able to get the supplies this year, but there will be a lot

of other Dickens-style and traditional food options available throughout the days of the festival.

On the other hand, several activities such as high tea and the Chowder Shack will make a return this year.

The goal of the Dickens Village Festival is to showcase Carlyle and all the great amenities the town has so that people would come back again. Slykhuis said they get a lot of support from within the community, including volunteers and local businesses, and a lot of interest from people in the area.

“It showcases the area, it puts people in the Christmas spirit, and with the many organizations that benefit from the Dickens weekend, it’s still popular,” Slykhuis said. “I think because of the lighted parade, because of the play there on the evenings, it just brings it all together. And people always enjoy those things. It just gets us into the Christmas spirit.”

There are about 17 different groups that benefit financially from the festival, and Slykhuis said they are glad to accept anyone willing to participate, as long as there are no doubles.

To help cover the expenses for the Carlyle Dickens Village Festival,

every year organizers run two thrift sales – one in May and another in October. Slykhaus said the latest one was pretty popular with people.

Usually, there are up to 800 people signing the Carlyle Dickens Village Festival guestbook at the information booth

at the hall every year, and Slykhuis said that’s about what they expect this time.

“We’ve had anywhere between 500-800 people sign that guest book over two days ... Some are local people and a lot of visitors, but a lot of people don’t sign it,” Slykhuis explained. “So we’re [ex-

pecting] around 700-800 people, which is a good turnout because it becomes a very busy weekend.

“Very busy, but very enjoyable. And it gets everyone in the Christmas spirit early on … People are geared into it the first weekend in December and then continue on.”

The formal launching of the Estevan Community Access Program centre was held in November 1997 at the Estevan Public Library. Taking part in ribbon cutting were, from left, Heather Sarsons, Meagan Fieber, Lee Symons, Ashley Hilkewich and Jesse Lester

Every year, Carlyle’s Dickens Village Festival turns the town into a picturesque and fairy tale community. File photo

Homeschooled students showcased their talents

The Estevan Church of God was transformed into an entrepreneurship showcase on Nov. 15 for the Estevan Homeschool Collective’s Handmade Market.

Local youths who are homeschooled created their own products and sold items for customers to view. Twelve different businesses participated.

“The kids have made absolutely all of the products,” said Monique Willms, who is a local homeschool teacher. “They have come up with business names, the cost of doing business and priced all of their items.”

Students sold such merchandise as fishing lures, wall décor, artwork, jewelry, hot beverages, baked goods, popcorn treats, Christmas gifts, crafts, plants, produce and spa materials. Many of the businesses had creative names connected to the merchandise.

Revenues from the goods purchased went to the students.

“They’ve put in a ton of work and had to pay for all of their supplies, so they’re selling it as anyone else would at a market. Anything’s for sale and the kids make a profit on whatever they sell,” said Willms.

The market had steady traffic throughout the afternoon.

The homeschool collective holds different events during the school year. Willms planned this one and was pleased with the response.

Previous activities included nature hikes, a theatre production and tours of such facilities as the Estevan Public Library and the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum. They also enjoy weekly gym time at the church.

Highway 47 North service road to be renamed Dryden Road

The service road that is adjacent to Highway 47 North in Estevan is going to be named after Estevan’s first police officer.

The service road, which runs from Wellock Road to the north boundary of the city, will now be named Dryden Road. In a letter to Estevan city council at the Nov. 14 meeting, land development services manager Richard Neufeld said it has been very difficult to deliver for addresses along the service road.

A notice was sent out to the property owners along the service road, asking them for feedback on a possible address change. The two landowners who replied were supportive.

Currently those south of Drader Street have a Souris Avenue North address and those north of Drader Street are on Highway 47 North.

According to the Estevan Police Service history, S. Dryden was the first police officer back in 1906. He also worked as a liquor licence inspector. Mayor Roy Ludwig noted that Dryden’s name was on the list to honour people with street names. •••

Estevan city council denied a request from the Estevan Bruins to waive ice rental fees for a game against

the Melfort Mustangs on Nov. 11.

The Bruins have not paid ice rental for Affinity Place since the events centre opened in 2011, but they do have a cost for home games on statutory holidays. The cost for the Remembrance Day game amounted to $952.38.

Councillor Tony Sernick, who is the council representative on the Bruin board, said the game had to be played because of the condensed Affinity Place schedule for this year.

Affinity won’t be accessible for hockey for more than three weeks in January and February due to the Viterra Scotties Tournament of Hearts provincial women’s curling championship and the SaskTel Tankard men’s provincial championship.

Councillor Lindsay Clark voiced support for the request, saying the city caused the problem of the challenging ice schedule.

Councillor Rebecca Foord wanted to know why the Bruins brought the request forward after the game, even though the club knew this would be a problem. Sernick said he didn’t know why.

Councillor Shelly Veroba, meanwhile, cited concern with precedent.

“If we reimburse the Bruins, we’re going to have mi-

nor hockey (Estevan Minor Hockey Association) and any other organization that played in the rink that day looking for a refund as well,” said Veroba.

Clark and Sernick voted in favour of the motion.

Council also tabled a motion to grant the Bruins access to land near the airport for a crop fundraiser. Similar efforts supported the Centennial Cup and the ScottiesTankard.

Mayor Roy Ludwig noted the city had many costs covered to make the fundraiser a success. It was great that it happened, the mayor said, and those partners might be able to come together again. But the earliest the fundraiser would occur would be 2025.

•••

Council denied a request for a tax abatement from the West Valley Village subdivision in southwest Estevan. City manager Jeff Ward said this is an area that has been trying to sell units and transfer title for a couple of years. There appears to be interest in one unit, and to help move them, there was a request to reduce the amount owing by $50,000. The balance owing on Nov. 10 was $139,837.25.

A report states foreclosure proceedings are also in place on 60 of the 72 units in West Valley Village.

Councillor Travis Frank said council hasn’t granted abatements in the past, and this would create a precedent if they did.

•••

No building permits were issued in October. So far this year, 38 permits worth just shy of $6 million have been issued.

•••

The United Mine Workers of America Local 7606 has committed to purchasing joint recycling and garbage cans for Affinity Place’s concourse level.

Mel Murray with the UMWA requested that the bins have a UMWA wrap in exchange for the purchase.

There are presently several separate garbage cans and recycling bins on the concourse. The new ones would be together, with different compartments for trash and recyclable materials. •••

Council gave second and third readings to its new zoning bylaw. The comprehensive document was first brought forward earlier this year, before first reading was given several weeks ago. Neufeld noted work on the document started back in 2018.

The bylaw will be sent to the province and Neufeld hopes it will be fully in place next year.

Rotary Club seeking entries for Carol Festival

A long-time Christmas tradition in Estevan is set to make its return.

The Rotary Club of Estevan will host its annual Christmas Carol Festival on Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. at St. Paul’s United Church.

The event hasn’t been able to happen the previous two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Individuals, duets, groups, choirs and instrumentalists will be part of the event. For details on

how to perform, contact Allison Holzer at 306421-3020.

Those who aren’t performers are encouraged to come and enjoy the music throughout the evening.

There will also be a com-

munity carol sing during the night.

Admission will be by donation. Proceeds from the carol festival will be directed toward school music programs in the community.

Amberlyn, Margaret, Waylon, Dallas and Tiffany Bergen were among those selling items at the Handmade Market.

The City of Estevan had its first minor battle with snow in early November, and the protocols and some of the equipment that was utilized proved to be working well.

Norm Mack, roads and drainage manager with the City of Estevan’s public works division, said the city kept its snow removal procedures in place for the 2022-23 winter season, as they’ve been working well before.

“Our snow removal protocol remains as is. Priority 1 will be first [all the main streets], two will be our collector streets, and three – residential. So that all stayed the same as far as snow removal this year,” Mack said. “As far as our snow removal policy, we probably have a top-notch policy with one of the best snow removal [programs] around.”

According to the city’s winter road maintenance

protocol, published on their website, in a minor snow event, priority 1, 2 and 3 roads will be sanded and cleaned where areas are troublesome. Sidewalks will be kept clean as required. In a major snow event, priority 1 and 2 roads will have snow pushed to the sides where possible, and graded and windrowed and hauled away to designated dump sites.

Priority 3 roads will have snow pushed to a windrow and loaded and hauled away. Priority sidewalks will be kept clear.

The street and sidewalk priority maps can be found at estevan.ca/winterroadmaintenance.

Mack also noted that when it comes to snow removal, their priorities may change throughout the day depending on weather and wind conditions.

The first snowfall of the season didn’t require most of the city’s equipment,

but Mack said they regularly maintain it so when the need comes, it’s ready.

“Our equipment is always serviced and ready to go at any moment. We do a very high maintenance program on all our snow equipment,” Mack said.

“The equipment is good, but we haven’t brought the blowers out yet, and we’ve done just a small amount of grading, so it hasn’t been tested yet [this season].”

With a minor snowfall, the snow removal budget remains in good shape, Mack added.

“We’ve spent very little of our budget up to date, except some of the days when it was icy and we put down a lot of salt and liquid salt. That’s as far as it’s gone for snow removal. We’ve gotten away lucky so far. The city of Estevan got way less snow than Regina and other points westward.”

The city is also still in negotiations with the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure about the maintenance of por-

Club DJ resumes in Torquay

Club DJ, a Bible-based, weekly club for children, has started its 11th season at Trinity Lutheran Church in Torquay. The club runs every Monday after school, with most children coming directly off the school bus. Children participate in crafts, games and Bible-time in 90-minute sessions. Cindy Daae, who is the club director and Bible teacher, says the it couldn’t run as well as it does without all the leaders and helpers. She said she is also thankful for the chance to teach the Bible to children in the area. The theme of the club is Hearts that Desire to Please God.

tions of highways that fall within city limits, but Mack said the decisions will be coming out shortly. In the meantime,

both parties agreed that snow on the highways in question will be removed by one of them on all occasions.

Estevan received a dose of snow in early November, testing the city’s snow removal protocols and some equipment for the first time this season.

The Estevan area was once again very generous with its support for the Operation Christmas Child campaign this year.

A total of 461 shoeboxes were collected. While the number of donations was lower than in previous years, the numbers were still positive for Jillian Ursu, who is the drop-off team lead for the Estevan area.

Businesses, organizations, churches, families and individuals all filled boxes this year.

Sunday was the deadline to drop off a shoebox at the Estevan Alliance Church. Members of the Estevan Bruins helped pack the boxes into a truck, which then took all of the shoeboxes to the central drop-off location in Regina. From there, the boxes then go to the processing centre in Calgary.

They will be delivered to children in locations around the world. For many of the children, it’s the first Christmas gift they will ever receive.

“A lot of kids will be super excited to receive their shoeboxes,” she said.

Ursu noted there has been a shift to online shoebox packing in recent years, and more people are opting to make a cash donation to the campaign rather than fill a shoebox. Ursu said they won’t find out online donation numbers for the Estevan area until later.

Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse International.

The Estevan Police Service arrested two people in a drug bust last week.

Following an investigation by the Estevan Police Service drug intelligence and criminal investigation units, search warrants were executed at two separate residences on Nov. 17 by the joint tactical support team, who were deployed to the Hillside and city central neighbourhoods.

Two Estevan residents were arrested and charged for the following offences under

the Criminal Code and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act:

•Possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking;

•Trafficking methamphetamine; and

•Possession of proceeds of crime not exceeding $5,000.

This investigation is ongoing, and as a result, the EPS says the names of the involved individuals will not be released.

The EPS has also an-

nounced that charges have been laid in connection with a serious impaired driving-related collision earlier this year.

A 38-year-old Argyle man who was involved in the single-vehicle collision in north-central Estevan on Oct. 8 has been charged with impaired driving and mischief. The matter remains under investigation.

According to an EPS news release from last month, the collision occurred when a southbound vehicle struck a

tree, then crossed a boulevard before entering an intersection. It then struck a fence as well as another tree on the opposite side of the same intersection.

The driver was transported to hospital with injuries. The vehicle sustained very heavy damage and was towed from the scene.

Also, the EPS received a report Nov. 14 of an impaired driver in northeast Estevan. The vehicle was found and stopped by members a short

time later, which resulted in a 30-year-old Estevan woman being arrested and charged for impaired driving. She will make her first appearance in Estevan Provincial Court on Dec. 19.

Members were dispatched to a domestic dispute in north-central Estevan. Occupants of the residence were spoken to upon police arrival and the matter was resolved without further issue.

The EPS apprehended a 29-year-old Alberta man for

impaired driving Nov. 16 after a traffic stop in the downtown core. The man recorded a fail on a roadside screening device and was transported to the police station, where he provided samples of breath with the results over .08.

He was released for court in January to answer to the charges of impaired operation and driving while over .08. His driver’s licence was suspended indefinitely and his vehicle was impounded for 30 days.

Traffic Bylaw 2016-1963

Depositing Substances

53. (1) No person shall deposit any natural substances on any highway, public sidewalk, boulevard or ditch within the City of Estevan

The occupier of property in the City of Estevan shall remove any snow, ice or other obstruction from the public sidewalk adjacent to such property within twenty-four (24) hours of the time such snow, ice or other obstruction appears on such public sidewalk.

* In the event that this subsection is not complied with, the City may remove such snow, ice or other obstructions at the expense of such occupants or owner, and in the event of the non-payment of such expense, such expense may be charges against the property as a special assessment to be recovered in like manner as and with the taxes.

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Council of the City of Estevan pursuant to the Cities Act that the Council of the City of Estevan, gives notice of its intention to implement a bylaw to establish Fees for Service rates and statutory authority of the City of Estevan

On November 14, 2022 meeting the first reading of the Service Fees Bylaw was passed and the final readings is expected to be on November 28, 2022.

The proposed Bylaws 2022-2063 may be inspected by any person in the City Clerk’s Office, on the main level of City Hall, between the hours of 9 am and 4 pm, Monday to Friday.

Dated this 15th day of November, 2022.

Judy Pilloud

1102 4th Street Estevan, SK S4A 0W7

PUBLIC NOTICE

The Council of the City of Estevan pursuant to the Cities Act that the Council of the City of Estevan, gives notice of its intention to implement a bylaw to Regulate and Control Traffic and statutory authority of the City of Estevan

On November 14, 2022 meeting the first reading of the Traffic Bylaw was passed and the final readings is expected to be on November 28, 2022.

The proposed Bylaws 2022-2064 may be inspected by any person in the City Clerk’s Office, on the main level of City Hall, between the hours of 9 am and 4 pm, Monday to Friday.

Dated this 15th day of November, 2022.

Judy Pilloud 1102 4th Street Estevan, SK S4A 0W7

Jillian Ursu was the drop-off team lead for Estevan once again this year.