Estevan Mercury 20230111

First baby of 2023

Thank for the best Christmas. Ukrainian family shares gratitude to the community. PAGE A5

It’s the new year and the new chapter. Find mayor’s annual address on PAGE A6

Things are good. Local man talks about experience in Mexico after arrest of El Chapo’s son.

PAGE A8

By Ana Bykhovskaia

The Woodlawn Regional Park wrapped up their annual Festival of Lights on Jan. 7 after three busy weeks.

Getting ready for great curling. All participants announced for Scotties and Tankard.

PAGE A11

The park trails were lit up with over 50 festive displays, and stayed busy throughout the entire season, with thousands of guests visiting the festival. Many participating businesses, organizations and groups were returnees, but a few were new. Many returning members also updated or completely changed their decorations, so there was a lot for the public to see.

Woodlawn business manager Maureen Daoust said

the event went well and the only minor challenges they had were posed by weather, as they had to ensure the festival trails were passable after a large snow dump. They also had a couple of issues with some displays when temperatures were changing.

“We did have a few sites that we were having some power issues with. When the temperature does drop, any time there is any kind of melting, if the cords get buried under the snow and get wet, sometimes it trips the GFCI breaker, which poses a problem. So, we faced a few issues with a couple of sites, but it was fine,” Daoust said.

The first baby for 2023 has been born at St. Joseph’s Hospital. Oaklynn Lynndale Netowaysin was born on Jan. 5 at 7:36 a.m. The proud parents are Kylee Brooks and Raymond Netowaysin of Carnduff. Oaklynn weighed in at seven pounds, four ounces, and measured 19.75 inches. She is a sister for Ryker and Jayda Brooks. Photo courtesy of St. Joseph’s Hospital

Thousands of guests went through over 50 displays at Woodlawn Regional Park during their annual Festival of Lights. Photos by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

Salvation Army’s campaigns exceed goal

By Ana Bykhovskaia

The Christmas season proved to be a success for the Estevan Salvation Army.

Thanks to the generosity of local people, they were able to exceed the $90,000 goal for the kettle and mailout campaigns. The December fundraising efforts brought in about $133,000.

“The campaigns went really well,” said Estevan Salvation Army director of ministry Ronza Reynard. “We’ve exceeded our [goal], and we are very excited about that. We are truly blessed to have a community like Estevan, who supports us, trusts us, sees the need in the community and is willing to help out their neighbours, their friends and co-workers and help us be able to do that.”

Reynard noted that throughout her 12 years with the ministry, most of the time, the total for Christmas campaigns came a little bit above the set number. There were a couple of years when they came really close but didn’t reach it. And she could recall just one time when they came as far over the objective as they did at the end of 2022.

“When we set a goal, we never know how that goal is going to turn out, if we’re going to meet it, not meet it or exceed it like we have this year. And I’m pleasantly surprised that there was so much community support,” Reynard said.

“We’ve all gone to grocery stores. We’ve gone to extracurricular activities. Things are just expensive,” said Reynard.

“Times are tough for

everybody … And I think seeing the prices of everything increase, seeing people struggle in our community for whatever reason, other people were able to step up and say, ‘I gotcha, we’re going to help out our neighbours, and we’re going to help out our friends.’ Other people have had fundraising campaigns, and they’ve met their goals and exceeded them. It just goes to show that Estevan and the surrounding communities really care about their neighbours, and they want to help in whatever way they can.”

The Salvation Army runs several programs to support local people. They serve their

seniors’ lunch twice a month, they work with one of the schools to provide a feeding program, they supply filled backpacks to relieve some stress around the beginning of the school year and they run an income tax program, but their focus is the food bank that currently provides groceries to about 100 families a month.

“Having a Christmas campaign where we can exceed our goal is absolutely fantastic. It is absolutely fantastic that we get that support, and we know that we can help keep our shelves full and be able to meet the needs of the community,” Reynard said.

The kettles were manned really well this year, she added, and they’ve also seen many young people joining them as volunteers. Not only were they able to exceed their monetary fundraising goals, but they also had many businesses stepping forward to run food drives.

“Definitely, way more food drives happened this year than in the last two years. So right now, our shelves are nice and full. And we have a little bit of back stock,” Reynard said. The shelves were full come January, but Reynard said supplies move fast when you have dozens of families relying on that support on a

regular basis with a growing demand. But with the community support, Reynard believes they will be able to continue helping as many people as there are requiring that help.

“I just find Estevan is a very generous community, and they’re all about community. Whatever is happening, and somebody needs help, some group or organization puts out a call, and I find that the city just steps right up and says, ‘Okay, what do you need me to do? How can I help?’” said Reynard.

“We get that support all year long, and at Christmas is just heightened because it

is our biggest fundraiser of the year.”

She added that with some funds in their hands, once they identify further ways that they can help the community, they may look into bringing in some new programs in 2023.

“We are so thankful to the community for supporting us this year and every year. And we look forward to maybe some new things to happen in 2023,” Reynard said.

The Salvation Army is looking forward to supporting the community throughout the year. Reynard also noted that people who may need their help should try to reach out in advance as they are usually pretty busy.

“If somebody is struggling for whatever reason, and they call, and we have to say our next appointment is a week from today, that’s hard. And it’s hard to project what happens,” Reynard explained.

“Sometimes an emergency just happens. We try to help the best we can in that situation, but we’re trying to encourage the people who use the food bank to call, even if you know it’s going to be a couple of days down the road, don’t wait till you have nothing. We’re not the grocery supplier for the whole month, what we give you will not last a month. It’s just there to help you offset maybe some other cost until your paycheque or whatever cheque comes in. So, we are just always encouraging people to be a little proactive on it and call us as soon as you can to get in.”

Thousands of people drove through the park

The Festival of Lights once again saw a lot of interest and participation.

“Yes, it’s work for us as the venue to organize and set up, but without the actual people coming down and setting up their displays we wouldn’t even have an event. And it does take a lot of effort and work for a display,” Daoust said.

Many guests would visit the festival more than once, and often they’d notice something they hadn’t spotted the previous time as displays were detailed and well done. Some represented the businesses or organizations themselves in a festive manner, others were mainly dedicated to holidays.

After two years of a

break, Woodlawn was able to bring their Christmas in the Park kick-off to the Festival of Lights back in December, and Daoust said she received nothing but positive feedback.

“I had some general feedback when you run into people, or the people that were at the event would come back and say, this is so awesome that the park could do this, and what a great winter event to come to. The positive feedback was that they’re happy,” Daoust said.

She also noted that anyone willing to participate in the next Festival of Lights can reach out to her at any time. She collects contact information throughout the year and closer to the holiday season reaches out to everyone interested to arrange for further steps to have another bright, interesting and exciting event.

“It is probably the cheapest form of advertising that people can find because we do have so many visitors that come.

So, it is definitely a good way to be noticed in your community. [And everyone I talk to says] it brings them lots of joy, they’re happy to come down and happy that they can have something to do in the evening,” Daoust shared.

The park had its road counter set up to track the traffic during the event. The data on how many vehicles went through during the festival wasn’t immediately available, but with steady traffic flow throughout all three weeks, it would be

comparable to previous years when the park saw about 3,000 guests coming to see the displays.

Daoust also thanked everyone involved with the latest event.

“A shout out to all the businesses, organizations and groups that do participate. We couldn’t host it without them taking the time to decorate a site. And just thanks for our volunteers and our sponsors for Christmas in the Park and Festival of Lights,” Daoust said.

Local businesses, service clubs, organizations and groups of individuals joined the latest Festival of Lights.

Estevan Salvation Army was at the CP Holiday Train in December collecting donations towards their kettle campaign. File photo

South East Military Museum joined the 2022-23 Festival of Lights at Woodlawn park with a great big festive display.

| Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Community volunteer steps down after 30 years of service, reveals her real name

By Ana Bykhovskaia

A well-known Estevan volunteer, who helped secure 30 festive and happy Christmases for thousands of local families, has announced she will be stepping down from her position.

Char Seeman, whose real name is Charlotte (and not Charlene as many people have been calling her for years), decided to retire from volunteering and leading the Estevan Community Hamper Association and Angel Tree after three decades of service.

“I just thought everything needs a change. It’s time for someone else to take over; it’s good to have new blood. And my kids would really like to have a Christmas,” Seeman shared with a laugh, adding that if it wouldn’t have been for her extended family taking over Christmases for them all these years, their kids wouldn’t have had the holidays.

Her journey and mission of ensuring that every kid in Estevan has a gift to unwrap on Christmas day started many years ago when she decided to join her mom in volunteering with the Angel Tree.

“My mom was actually involved in it,” Seeman recalled. “And when I was off on maternity leave with my daughter, she asked me if I wanted to help them. That’s how I started helping with the Angel Tree.

And then it just grew from there, I decided to help with Angel Tree, and then I took over the Angel Tree. And then when Kevin Smith decided to stop doing the hamper part of it, I took over all of it.”

Heather Woodhouse has co-chaired the committee.

Since then, every December turned into a blur, but the vision that no matter what the circumstances are, every child has to have a gift and everybody has to have a nice meal for Christmas, which kept her in it.

“I’ve been fortunate all my life to never have to be in those circumstances. And it’s just something you never want to see. What’s the first thing kids are asked when they get back to school after Christmas? What did you get for Christmas? What did Santa bring you? And it just broke my heart to think that a child would say they didn’t get anything,” Seeman shared.

“And you don’t want to ever see anybody not have something to eat on Christmas, have something to celebrate. That’s the true meaning of Christmas – being together with your kids and your family and having a meal and thinking of God and those kinds of things.”

The programs have significantly grown since Seeman got involved. She said when she first started, hardly anybody knew they existed.

“I think the very first year I did it, there was like 79 [people on the list]. And the more it got out there, the more publicity it gained [the more people were applying for the programs],” Seeman said.

This year the Estevan Community Hamper and Angel Tree supplied Christmas suppers for 279 families and provided 417 kids with gifts, stockings and pyjamas.

The organization itself has

also evolved over the years. Seeman said the concept is still the same, but how things are done has been totally changed.

“It’s in a much, much better place,” Seeman said. “With the privacy laws and those kinds of things, we had to do a lot of changes.”

COVID-19 also strongly affected how they do things and a lot of it was a positive change. They plan on bringing some pre-pandemic practices

back, like having community groups involved, but many things will stay the way they were done during the past few years.

Her time with the organization has been “amazing”, Seeman said, as they’ve always been reaching their main goal by ensuring everyone can have a real Christmas.

“All these years have been just wonderful. You have people that come in and they get their kids toys, and they’re crying and they’re so thankful. And the people when you are giving them their hampers, they’re just so very excited. You have to witness it to see how amazing it actually really is,” Seeman shared.

She also thanked everyone who’s been involved with the organizations throughout the years.

“Just a huge thank you to the community and surrounding areas of Estevan, all the businesses. We don’t fundraise until December. And we have never, ever, ever, ever, ever not had enough money. And that all comes to the community. It’s just amazing what they do for us ... Thank you to the Southern Plains Co-op for the hours they put in at no charge to us every year,” Seeman said.

“And I want to thank my committee and all the volunteers over the many years. It was my pleasure to work with each and every one of them. I

could not have done anything without them.”

Estevan Community Hamper and Angel Tree committee also thanked Seeman for everything she’s done.

“We want to give a huge heartfelt thank you to our leading commander and boss, Char Brandon Seeman. Over the past darn near 30 years, she has helped make sure thousands of kids wake up to presents under their trees every Christmas morning,” they wrote on their Facebook page.

“Organizing the Angel Tree and Christmas Hamper program is basically a full-time job come December, the amount of time that Char put into this over the years is admirable. We hope you all can recognize the impact she has had on the kids of our community and the heart and soul that she put into this program.”

The Estevan Community Hamper and Angel Tree committee will get together for a wrap-up meeting at some point. Tentatively, Jolie Bayda is going to lead the organization with the help of other members. Seeman said she’ll be completely out for a few years, but she is confident the organization will continue with their mission and will do great.

“I know the crew is going to be amazing, and they’re going to do a great job,” Seeman said.

Humane society continues to work on enriching the lives of cats and dogs in their care

By Ana Bykhovskaia

The Estevan Humane Society has been busy with an overflow of cats and dogs since the end of last year.

They had to place the shelter on a full intake freeze in early November, and even though some animals found their forever homes since then, as of the beginning of 2023, the humane society still couldn’t take in any more.

Shelter board president Tayja Lakusta said as they remained on the intake freeze over the holidays, they were happy that the weather wasn’t too tough at the end of the year. They hope the situation will change soon, but for that, they’d need more animals to leave the shelter.

“We’ve seen adoptions; adoptions have been slow and steady. But our numbers are still too high to take our intake freeze off, per se,” Lakusta said.

“We still operate on a caseby-case basis, like medical needs and smaller animals, etc. are a priority on an emergency intake needs basis.”

The shelter can comfortably accommodate about 4050 cats. With the help from their foster families, as of Jan-

uary, they still had about 6570 cats and around 15 dogs in their care.

“Because we have so many foster homes, which is amazing, we’re able to increase that number. But we also have to be cognitive of if the animal has to come back to us, we have to have a space at the shelter for them. So, it’s a juggling act of helping everyone we can, but also managing what we’re capable of keeping as well,” Lakusta explained.

About 10-12 animals were adopted over the last month, and a few other ones are out on trials that haven’t been finalized yet.

With dozens of animals in their care, the shelter constantly needs some supplies. Their greatest day-to-day needs are always bleach, paper towels, rubber gloves, and cat and dog food.

“We use this every day, and we run out of it quicker than other things,” Lakusta said.

But they are also looking into different options to help keep animals entertained.

“We’re starting to look at other ways of enrichment for our animals. So, a few weeks ago, we made a post about needing dog toys for feeding them to wear them out men-

tally instead of physically because it was so cold and they couldn’t be outside for long periods,” Lakusta explained.

They are also planning on renovating their kittens’ rooms, adding climbing walls and acquiring better cat trees that can be more easily disinfected between groups of kittens. And right before Christmas, they saw help coming in for that.

Former Estevan resident Todd Kerns, the multi-talented, international rock star who also has a deep affection for cats, made a donation to his hometown animal shelter.

Todd and Monique Kerns provided bags of their specially blended Yule Rock Christmas Coffee for the shelter to sell with all the proceeds going towards the kittens’ rooms renovations. Lakusta said the coffee went really fast.

They plan on working on their kittens’ rooms in the spring when they will put in some windows for airflow, paint, add kennels, toys and other enrichment items and will build cat walls to keep animals active.

“We basically want to make their stay at the shelter better and more interactive for them while they’re with us,” Lakusta said.

She noted that they’d been talking to Kerns about their needs prior to Christmas and it was nice to see a local person coming back to his roots and helping the shelter.

“I’m excited to build that relationship and see where it can lead us in the future,” Lakusta said.

Kerns said he always had an immense love and respect for all animals and a soft spot for Saskatchewan.

“Estevan is where I was born, and I’ve always longed for a deeper connection with the place. Shortly after I was born my family moved up north to Lynn Lake, Manitoba, where I spent the next 13 years before returning to Saskatchewan, but this time Lanigan. When Estevan came up as a possibility for our cause I jumped at it. My heart will always belong to Saskatchewan,” Kerns said.

“The Prairies is where I come from and where my heart is. Some of the greatest people in the world are from there.”

In January, Kerns also started a GoFundMe campaign with some incentives to motivate people to help the Estevan shelter with their goals. As of Jan. 9, 15 people donated to

fundraising page with a total of $565 out of the $400 goal. All money raised will also go towards kittens’ rooms.

In the meantime, the shelter is also looking for volunteers and a cat groomer who

could come down once a week and brush down all of their cats to help upkeep them.

For any updates on their needs and animals available for adoption, keep an eye on the Estevan Humane Society Facebook page.

Char Seeman who co-chaired the Estevan Community Hamper Association and Angel Tree decided to step down from her role after 30 years with the committee.

Photo sourced from the Estevan Community Hamper & Angel Tree Facebook page

the Estevan Humane Society

Former Estevan resident and international rock star Todd Kerns donated his specially blended coffee to the Estevan Humane Society to sell ahead of Christmas to help them with their kitten rooms. Photo courtesy of Robert Young

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EDITORIAL

Election dates shouldn’t be confusing

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As hard as it is to believe, we’re more than halfway through the current term for both the current provincial and municipal governments.

The most recent provincial election was held in October 2020; the municipal elections were held just two weeks later.

Saskatchewan’s municipalities say that the lack of time between the two votes created confusion for voters. You would hope most people would know the difference between voting for an MLA to represent them in Regina, and picking the mayor or reeve and councillor(s) to guide their municipality.

But it definitely impacted interest in the civic and school board elections. People were focused on the provincial vote, even though the result was seemingly a foregone conclusion in most ridings. Two weeks after the latest Saskatchewan Party landslide victory, they had to vote in another election.

The Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (thankfully no longer referred to as Municipalities of Saskatchewan) has suggested breaking up the 2024 municipal elections. Cities, including Estevan, would go to the polls in May 2025. Towns and villages would have their vote in September of next year.

It’s unlikely that rural municipalities would be following suit with a Septem-

ber election, since that would infringe on harvest in many areas, at least in a normal year. And they likely wouldn’t have a May election either, since that’s seeding time.

So we could be looking at four different elections next year.

If people thought there was confusion associated with the timing of the 2020 elections, this might be even worse.

We’ve said all along that the provincial government should have been the one to shift its election date, not the municipalities. The province could have picked any time it wanted to have an election in 2020; why infringe on the fall date, which had always been the domain of urban and rural municipalities and school boards? It worked out just fine in 2016 when the provincial government had an April election, and then the municipalities and the school boards had their vote in the fall.

Obviously, you have limited windows of opportunity to have an election in Saskatchewan. The first three months of the year should be out due to potential issues associated with winter. There would be a limited chance in April, before seeding starts, but we saw last year that Mother Nature can deliver a massive snow bomb in April.

There would be another chance in

late May and in June, and a final one in October and early November. You don’t want to have an election in the summer when so many people are out of town, and when farmers are gearing up for harvest.

While voter turnout is higher for provincial elections than municipal elections, a municipal election is of the utmost of importance. There are a lot more municipalities than provincial constituencies. You’ll have more candidates, too. You vote for one MLA. But if you live in a town or a small city in Saskatchewan, you’re voting for a mayor and six councillors.

But the provincial government ultimately has the final say when it comes to election dates, and if they decide to muscle in on the civic election, they’re going to do it.

You hope that if the elections are close together again, it won’t result in confusion. You hope it won’t impact public interest. We’re busy people, and there is only so much time we have to dedicate to following politics.

But it’s important that a resolution be found that benefits all the levels of government: provincial, municipal and school board. Based on what SUMA is saying, that didn’t happen in the 2020 vote.

Phenomenon of Estevan’s kindness

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Kindness is one of the first qualities we learn about in childhood.

The Oxford Languages dictionary defines it as the quality of being friendly, generous and considerate. It’s good to be kind – we take it in with mother’s milk. And as we grow older, we often learn more about different acts of kindness and sometimes understand it deeper.

I’ve always thought that it would be hard to surprise me with doing something kind, just because it’s so natural for our society and the quality itself is well comprehended and widespread. We all know what kindness means, and most of us try to be kind throughout our lives (even Grumpy was kind sometimes). So I tended to take kindness as something routine. Apparently, even though it’s something we fortunately witness rather often, it still can be mindblowing.

Over my years in Estevan, I got used to thinking that almost every communitywide valuable fundraiser that sets a cash goal usually reaches it. Rarely do they come just a notch short, but still they’re pretty close. And most of the time local individuals and/or businesses step forward to push charities and non-profits across that set line to make sure there is enough support for initiatives that make the community better for everybody (like it happened last year with the United Way Estevan Telethon).

Over my years here, I got used to the fact that Estevan is a kind and generous community. But the Energy City had an ace in the hole to amaze me once again.

Ana Bykhovskaia Twenty Lines About…

Ahead of the holiday season, our Salvation Army set a $90,000 goal for their annual kettle and mail-out fundraising campaigns. The money and groceries they attract in December help them support and provide for hundreds of people in the area for months to come. This money helps to ensure that we live in a community where people don’t have to go to bed hungry no matter what situation they are in, which allows for a safer and more successful society.

But outside the Salvation Army’s campaigns, several other valuable organizations were reaching out for support with their initiatives at the end of the year. And with inflation and swollen costs of everything, I was a bit worried that we may see some of them not making it there. Of course, the oil industry had a good year and some of the farmers did as well. Maybe some particular businesses also did better than they’d expected. But I felt it might not be enough to cover the demand among other groups.

Well, I shouldn’t have underestimated the community. The Salvation Army’s total came in at almost $133,000 – almost 1 1/2 times higher than what they asked and hoped for.

I thought it would be a pretty straightforward outcome if it was a boom year and people were sharing extras in case not ev-

eryone was as fortunate. But times from 2020 through the end of 2022 drained a lot of people’s stashes. Gas and grocery prices not only affected people’s immediate holiday plans but also made some put their long-term hopes on pause. It’s been tough for quite a few people lately.

And despite all of that the fundraiser generated one of its highest, if not the highest total, in over a decade, which included Estevan’s booming times. So to me, it felt like a phenomenon.

These holidays, Estevan demonstrated not the easy but the genuine kindness. Looking at the bigger picture I’m assuming that this Christmas most people didn’t donate their extras but shared what they had and could use themselves. However, they chose to give it up to ensure no one is left out, no one feels totally lost, no one is hungry, and everyone has enough resources to keep going. That’s real kindness.

It’s kindness that happens not because it’s nice to be kind, but despite all challenges.

I believe things like that happen in other places too and there are some truly generous people who regularly give thousands and millions of dollars for important causes with no expectations of recognition all over the world. But there is a difference between sharing during prosperous times and during a drought. And if one can equally do both, it tells a lot about them.

In our case, it was an act of true kindness that happened on the community level, which once again reminded me how big of a difference people can make.

Planes, buses and automobiles

David Willberg Willberg’s World

If you travel in Canada during the Christmas season, you know there’s a risk of weather-related problems. If you travel enough times, your plans will eventually be scuttled due to a storm.

But we might have seen a record number of people in Canada experiencing travel challenges late last month.

I was supposed to be landing at the Abbotsford Airport in B.C. on Dec. 23, just in time for supper, visiting with family and a good home-brewed beer. It didn’t happen.

In the early hours of Dec. 23, I received a notification from WestJet, saying there had been a change to my itinerary. My late morning flight from Regina to Calgary was going ahead. The subsequent one from Calgary to Abbotsford was cancelled. No surprise.

Upon arriving at the Regina Airport, I was directed to the priority area. I was told that the next available flight would be at 6 p.m. on Boxing Day. Following a series of questions that this person had likely heard countless times that morning, I agreed to the 6 p.m. flight, only to be told it was now booked, and so the next available flight was at 11:30 p.m. on Boxing Day.

I was also informed I was one of 40,000 people in Canada in this situation. I don’t know if he was exaggerating, but 40,000 didn’t seem like a stretch, given all the travel issues in B.C., Ontario and Quebec that day, and the prior challenges in B.C. earlier in the week after another snowstorm on Dec. 19.

Not only would I not be in B.C. for Christmas Day, I would likely miss the big family supper on Boxing Day.

But at least I could get to Calgary. At least I had a flight to Abbotsford on Boxing Day in case we couldn’t find something sooner. At least I wouldn’t have to go through the re-accommodation process.

Dad started looking at a number of options, and booked me a seat on a bus through Rider Express that would leave at 10 p.m. on Christmas Day and arrive in Abbotsford at 9 a.m. on Boxing Day.

The bus journey was fine, other than my lifelong inability to sleep on a moving vehicle.

I also have family in Calgary. Family I hadn’t seen in a long time, but they opened their doors to me, and provided me a warm bed to sleep in and people to visit with on Dec. 24 and 25.

I consider myself fortunate. I was able to get out of Regina, rather than having to wait for Dec. 26 or Dec. 27 to depart. A lot of people had flights from Regina that were cancelled due to the trickle-down effects of the bad weather elsewhere in the country.

And at least I had family in Calgary to visit with on Christmas. I didn’t have to spend Dec. 24 and 25 in a hotel.

I don’t blame WestJet for spending Christmas in Calgary. The company ran into a situation that might have been unprecedented in its history.

What could be done differently? Bring more people to work in their call centre? You’re going to force them to come in from Dec. 24-26. Add more flights to clear up the backlog? Again, you’ll force them to abandon family and plans on Dec. 24-26. It’s been frustrating, but your expectations have to be realistic.

But people should still be frustrated with how WestJet, Air Canada and other airlines handled this situation. I couldn’t reach out to them on Dec. 26 to tell them I wouldn’t be on the flight from Calgary to Abbotsford, which I kept as an insurance policy in case the bus didn’t work out. When trying to cancel online, I couldn’t cancel that flight without losing my return flight on Jan. 6.

And because I was considered a no-show for the Dec. 26 flight, I was at risk of not being on the flight back to Regina on Jan. 6, and had to call the airline to get placed back on the flights.

There are things they need to address for the next time they encounter this situation.

And at least I wasn’t travelling with Sunwing. That’s become a case study of how an airline shouldn’t handle weather-related problems.

So yes, it was an adventure. It was frustrating at times, but the biggest issue was the uncertainty.

Hopefully if I’m back in B.C. for Christmas this year, the travel goes a little more smoothly, and the foul weather hits at a different time.

Ukrainian newcomer family grateful for great Christmas

Yuliia Andrieieva, whose family consisting of Volodymyr, Violetta and Volodymyr Jr. came to Estevan in 2022 after fleeing Ukraine due to the Russian invasion, said local organizations and the community made their first Christmas in Canada “really great”.

Andrieieva contacted the Mercury to share their gratitude to all the organizations and local people that helped them have a real festive table for the family and many gifts for their two kids to unwrap.

“Many volunteers made this happen, and we are so grateful to everyone. Our holidays were filled with surprises,” Andrieieva wrote. “They helped us and our kids have a really festive Christmas, the kids had many gifts and we had a pleasant night. They helped us with all groceries we needed for the Christmas table.

“I’m not a writer, but I couldn’t leave it without attention because for me what people in Estevan have done for us brings tears to my eyes. I didn’t know a better way to

thank them and wish everyone happy holidays.”

The Andrieiev family received support from Rapid Relief Team (RRT), Estevan Sunflower Network, the Estevan Community Hamper Association and its and Angel

Tree, and through those organizations, from everyone in the community who donated and supported their programs.

The RRT and the hamper association provided them with groceries for Christmas and the following days, and the Angel Tree had gifts, items for stockings and pyjamas for children. Andrieieva said all that support meant so much to them and added that other newcomer Ukrainian families are also very grateful for the help.

“For our kids, this Christmas was the happiest ever,” Andrieieva said. “We didn’t expect anything at all, but they got unusually many gifts and our table was beautiful.

The entire Christmas was very different from how it was in Ukraine. Thanks to Canadians for making this Christmas so great for us.”

She said many things came as pleasant surprises for them.

Outside the generosity and support from the organiza-

tions, other surprises came from the community. For example, their school bus driver stopped by to wish the kids a merry Christmas and give them some gifts. “Our Christmas turned out indeed festive like never before,” Andrieieva said. Andrieieva added that when they went to pick the gifts for kids from the Angel Tree’s Toy Store, Estevan Sunflower invited a woman named Val who has Ukrainian heritage and remembers some Ukrainian to help newcomers who speak no English communicate with volunteers, which made it even more special.

“I wanted to especially thank Val for helping with interpreting. It was really heartful and valuable,” Andrieieva said.

Andrieieva said that they are also very grateful for all the help and support they received from the Estevan Sunflower Network throughout their experience in Estevan.

Registrations now accepted for Estevan’s music festival

The committee for the Estevan and District Music Festival is now accepting registrations for the upcoming showcase of local talent.

People could start signing up on Jan. 7. The deadline to be part of the festival is Jan. 27.

“This is very exciting as it has been a number of years since we have provided a fully live festival,” the festival committee said in an email to the Mercury. “We are hoping students will feel com-

fortable returning to our stage.”

People can register by visiting the Estevan and District Music Festival’s section on the musicfestivalsuite.com website. People must create a profile ID in order to enter.

Students under 18 must have parental permission in the form of an entrant’s parent profile, and also must have their teacher’s and parent’s profile ID numbers in order to enter.

Teachers can enter piece names and class numbers,

as in previous years, once the parent and student profiles are complete. The provincial syllabus can be found online under Syllabus & Regulations on the Saskatchewan Music Festival Association’s website at smfa.ca, with the local addendum found at Estevan-Addendum-2023.pdf.

The festival is scheduled for March 20-30. The piano portion of the festival is tentatively to be held from March 20-24. Vocal and speech arts would follow on March 27 and 28,

and the festival is to wrap up with band on March 29 and 30.

Alisha Mann is the president of this year’s festival committee. If anyone has questions, she can be contacted at 306-421-3352 or via email at estevanmusicfestival@sasktel.net.

“We look forward to a wonderful music festival with hopes that our sponsors and community can continue to support the arts through this learning experience,” the festival said in the email.

The Estevan Community Hamper and Angel Tree Association, as well as RRT, helped the Andieiev family to put together their first Canadian Christmas table.

Despite being thousands of kilometres away from home, Volodymyr and Violetta Adrieiev had a great Christmas and many gifts under the tree these holidays. Photos courtesy of Yuliia Andrieieva

BUSINESS

In keeping with tradition, the first meeting of the year for Estevan city council began with Mayor Roy Ludwig giving the mayor’s address.

Ludwig reflected on accomplishments for both the city and the community during the past 12 months, and also offered a look at the year to come.

From the city’s perspective, long-term debt was further reduced by more than $3 million. The paddling pool at Churchill Playpark was completed after renovations, and a washroom facility is to be finished this year.

The city’s water tower has also been refurbished, allowing it to serve the community for years to come. Additional work continued on the city’s pathways system, and water mains were replaced on Lynd Crescent.

“We also did needed improvements to the streets

and sidewalks,” said Ludwig.

As for the community, the Estevan Bruins won the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League championship for the first time since 1999, and the city hosted the Centennial Cup national junior A hockey championship.

“It was a fantastic event and showcased our community for a week, to rave reviews,” said Ludwig.

The city celebrated the grand opening of the Southeast Innovation Business Development Centre on Ninth Avenue, and Estevan was selected as Smart 21 Community for 2022 by the Intelligent Community Forum for the community’s commitment to innovation.

Estevan hosted the Western Canada Baseball Championships for the U13, U15 and U18 AA divisions in August, and the Estevan TS&M U13 AA Brewers won the title. Masters men’s and wom-

en’s curling provincials were held locally in October.

The city was the Western Canada winner for the Sirius-XM Music Towns competition, and was awarded a concert featuring Canadian country music star Dallas Smith.

The community paid tribute in July to the 21 members of the Royal Canadian Air Force who died in a plane crash south of the city in 1946. A cairn was dedicated during a ceremony.

The Queen’s Diamond

Jubilee Medals were handed out in November.

Ludwig also saluted those who were involved with the success of Kinsmen and Kinettes Telemiracle early in the year, the United Way Estevan Telethon, the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation’s Festival of Trees and the many successful fundraisers in the weeks before Christmas.

City program manager Erin Wilson was named as a new member of the Order of the Canadian Red Cross for her years of service.

Ludwig noted that with 2030 approaching, the city is lobbying for continued usage of coal-fired power for baseload electricity, at least until another option is found for baseload power, such as small modular nuclear reactors.

The city is also pleased to see the upgrades happening at the Estevan

CF Sunrise hands out YouthBiz awards

Winners of this year’s YouthBiz competition have been announced by CF Sunrise, and a total of $2,100 in prize money was presented to students in southeast Saskatchewan for their efforts in describing their business ideas, developing their digital knowledge and building their financial literacy skills.

This year, 237 students from 13 schools in the region participated in the youth contest. YouthBiz is a youth entrepreneurship program offered by CF Sunrise.

In the Grade 6-8 category,

The Warm Welcome Kitchen hasn’t given up hope on being able to serve hot meals and good fellowship to people in the Estevan area this season.

The non-profit organiza-

first place and $500 in prize money was awarded to Kaybree Fettes and Lydia Becker from Radville for their aquatic learning centre, The Explorium.

Second place and $300 went to Alexis Schaeffer of Weyburn for her existing craft business, Xis Crafts. Third place and $150 was awarded to Gabriel Avery and Dakota Anderson of Midale for their baking business, Bake Your Day.

In the Grade 9-12 category, first place and $500 went to the Entrepreneurship 30

class at Weyburn Comprehensive School for describing the operations of their Junior Achievement business, Cloud 9 Blanket Co.

Haylee Scrupps from Midale Central School earned second place and a prize of $300 for her bookstore Explore the Books. Third place and $150 was awarded to Ava Anderson and Kaydence Stephens from Midale for their sporting goods store, Ballz Fore Days.

“Once again, we’ve had tremendous response to this long-running youth business

program. These young people have worked very hard to build financial and digital literacy skills, develop their knowledge of the business world and explore entrepreneurship. Many have said that this taste of business ownership makes them hungry for more. And that’s great news for southeast Saskatchewan,” said CF Sunrise general manager Andria Brady.

“This is the 16th year for YouthBiz and over the years we’ve seen over 3,050 young people in southeast Saskatchewan discover the world of

small business. Pretty incredible results.”

The YouthBiz Program encourages students to explore the business world by developing skills needed to be an entrepreneur. They write about a business idea that they’ve imagined or already operated, and evaluate the potential profitability of their venture.

This year, the program focused on the digital world and students were required to develop a business website as part of their YouthBiz entry materials.

Additional achievement

Market Mall, with more to come.

Ludwig also extended a welcome to new residents to the community from other nations, and saluted all those who are helping them get settled.

In 2023, the city is looking at replacing HVAC rooftop units and roof membrane for the Estevan Leisure Centre, with support from the provincial government.

The new score clock for Affinity Place, which is the legacy project from the Centennial Cup, is to be installed in the spring.

Work is also continuing to bring a new regional nursing home in Estevan.

The city is looking forward to hosting the Viterra Scotties Tournament of Hearts women’s curling provincials and the SaskTel Tankard men’s provincials in January and February.

awards were given to students whose entries displayed outstanding qualities worthy of special recognition. Students from Midale Central School earned an award for their detailed income sheets. The award for engaging audio commercials went to the Grade 6 class at Carievale School.

Aisley Ball from Carnduff Education Complex baked samples of her Tiny Bites food creations and won an award for product prototypes. Alexis Schaeffer won an award for Xis Craft’s Social Media Sales.

tion has traditionally served meals to people on Tuesdays and Thursdays from the early fall to the middle of spring. But it has not been operating this year because it does not have a kitchen co-ordinator.

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The previous co-ordinator stepped down after the 202122 season’s conclusion.

Wendy Godfrey, who is the chairperson of the kitchen committee, said that when they first started looking for a new person, she didn’t anticipate it would take this long.

“I thought we might miss a few meals, but then we would get back in the swing of things rather quickly. It’s turned out to be a rather tough position to fill,” said Godfrey.

It’s a volunteer job with an honorarium, and she recognizes the expectations of the job.

“It takes a special person to do all of the things that need to be done,” she said.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, the co-ordinator would have to shop for what’s needed for the meal. Then the person would go to the location in the

afternoon and put the meal together and serve it alongside the kitchen’s volunteers.

An honorarium covers the co-ordinator’s time. The meal is covered by the kitchen program separately.

“It’s hard to find someone who has that much time to give. We have a lot of volunteers who give their time Tuesdays and Thursdays in the afternoon or evening for serving, but when you need time to actually go to the grocery store and buy the food and that kind of thing [it’s a lot],” said Godfrey.

The kitchen program was “spoiled” to have its previous co-ordinators, said Godfrey. Some people came forward to express interest in the job, but had to back away.

The board members all have full-time jobs, she said.

“You have to find a special

person who can pull a meal together for 70-90 people,” said Godfrey.

They have volunteers in place who are ready to go and serve meals once somebody is hired.

“We’ve had volunteers get in touch with us throughout the season, right from September, saying ‘Hey, as soon as the suppers are back, we’d like to volunteer. Put us on a list.’”

If they get someone in place soon, they hope to be able to serve meals again within a week or two.

Several people have approached her to ask what is happening with the kitchen program.

Once they start up again, the Warm Welcome Kitchen will have sit-down meals, which they haven’t been able to offer since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The kitchen wants to be a place that offers both a great meal and a place to visit.

“It’s not just for people who are maybe short money and are hungry. Some people are hungry for connectivity with other people and communication. There are people who are just lonely. A night out to eat supper with people, rather than eating by themselves, is what they require,” said Godfrey.

While the meals might seem complex, they’re actually fairly straightforward, she said. The last two cooks were used to cooking for large groups, so they knew what they were doing. Each meal would have meat, vegetables, breads and more.

Warm Welcome Kitchen in need of co-ordinator for its meals; still hopes to have a season

All downhill from here

Young Carnduff rodeo stars thrive at Vegas event

Two young rodeo competitors from Carnduff had great showings at the recent Mike and Sherrylynn Johnson Vegas Tuffest Jr. World Championships in Las Vegas.

Piper Bigney and her brother Hayden were entered in the event. Piper ended up in 18th in the 15-and-under girls’ breakaway roping out of 87 competitors. Hayden was 32nd out of 69 boys in the 19-and-under boys’ tiedown roping.

Piper said seeing the competition proved to be a great experience. She had to stay calm and prevent her nerves from getting the best of her.

“The girls were roping really fast. The American girls, I will say, they’re tougher … because they get to practise more. It was some tough competition,” said Piper.

She compared breakaway to tie-down roping, except you don’t get off your horse and tie a calf. The object is to rope the calf, stop the horse and once the rope

breaks off the saddle horn, the time stops. She had two attempts, with a time of 2.8 seconds the first time and 3.9 seconds on the second effort, but she broke the barrier on her start for the second run, so she was assessed a 10-second penalty. The foul kept her from advancing to the next round, which was for the top 15 competitors.

“The older girls, they’ve been roping 1.9 [seconds] and are extremely fast,” said Piper.

Piper said breakaway is her favourite rodeo event and it is her best, along with team roping.

She still might be able to compete in the under-15 division again next year, depending on when she qualifies next year. If there is a competition before she turns 16, she would be able to remain in U15.

self to be better and not let the nerves get to me,” said Piper.

Hayden said it was also a great experience to go to Nevada. They have been to the National Finals Rodeo before, so they know what the competition is like, but it was cool to be at the event for younger competitors.

The one they were at was well organized with lights, sounds and other efforts to add to the experience.

In the first round, he finished with a time of roughly 19 seconds, and in the second, he was just over 18 seconds.

“I do wish that I was a little bit faster, but I am glad that I still got to rope,” said Hayden.

The kids who won posted times of nine, 10 or 11 seconds for each of their runs.

Tie-down is his favourite, event, along with steer wrestling, he said. Hayden said he likes how tie-down roping always provides a different challenge.

The international event was an eye-opener to see how good he has to be to compete with the top kids.

He hopes that they can make it back to the event next year. He would still be competing in under-19 boys.

Piper believes the experience will be beneficial.

“It will build my courage, knowing that I’m able to compete against them and … knowing how good I am, how much I can push my-

“They all come from Texas, Nevada and places like that, and it’s cowboy shirt weather down there all year … so they get the opportunity to rope more than we do.”

“I always get an adrenaline rush from it, getting off the horse to tie down a calf,” he said.

Hayden noted that he and Piper shared the same horse at the event.

“I have done better … I do have faster times that I have had, but just being able to rope for the first year, and hopefully be able to make it back next year, and come back stronger and be able to compete better [will be great],” said Hayden.

Estevan police remained busy to start the year

Members of the Estevan Police Service handled a number of calls to start 2023.

Members stopped a vehicle that was heading into Estevan on Highway 39 on Jan. 1. Police were attempting to arrest the individual when he fled the scene at a high rate of speed.

Officers deployed a tire deflation device but were not successful in stopping the vehicle. Due to public safety concerns, the EPS did not pursue the vehicle into or through the city.

It was last seen on Fourth Street at the intersection with 16th Avenue.

Dustin Clarke-Rusnack, 32, of Pilot Butte is wanted for multiple criminal charges including flight from police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and obstructing a police officer.

According to the EPS,

Clarke-Rusnack was located and arrested on his outstanding warrants over the weekend by the Yorkton RCMP, and was to appear in provincial court to answer to the charges.

Also on Jan. 1, police received a report of uttering threats. The victim is in Estevan and the individual making the threats was believed to be in another community. The matter is still under investigation.

The EPS conducted a traffic stop on Jan. 4 with a 22-year-old Estevan man for driving while suspended.

The patrol vehicle had an automatic licence plate reader and it indicated that the registered owner was a suspended driver. The motorist was issued a ticket under the Traffic Safety Act and the vehicle was impounded for 30 days.

Police received a report Jan. 6 of a hit-and-run collision involving a vehicle. Upon review, police determined it was a mischief to property incident. The matter is still under investigation.

Police received a report Jan. 7 of criminal harassment by telephone. The matter is still under investigation.

A driving complaint regarding a vehicle failing to halt at a stop sign was received. A licence plate number was obtained and the matter is being looked into.

Late in 2022, the Estevan Police Service and the Estevan RCMP arrested a 34-year-old Regina man on

a Canada-wide arrest warrant.

Police received information that the man was staying at a residence in the downtown core. Upon further investigation, officers were able to confirm this information.

Members attended and Billie Bertram was apprehended on Dec. 27 without incident. He was wanted for being unlawfully at large regarding a parole violation. There were no safety concerns for the public.

Also, the Estevan RCMP is investigating a break-in at an oilfield site.

Sometime between the afternoon of Dec. 23, 2022,

and Jan. 3, culprits entered a rural oilfield site south of Torquay and broke into an enclosed trailer on the property. Items stolen include a Case 6500-watt generator,

propane tanks and antifreeze.

If you have information related to this advisory please call 310-RCMP for immediate response, or you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

NOTICE FOR COLLECTION OF PROPERTY

TO: RAYMOND MONTEYNE of the Benson District of Saskatchewan:

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Failure to remove the Combine or make suitable arrangements within the 14-day period will result in your property being deemed abandoned, and further action to dispose of the property may be taken.

The Bigneys were among the 840 contestants from Canada and the U.S. at the Vegas Tuffest Jr. World Championship. The event happened from Dec. 1-5, during the first weekend of the National Finals Rodeo. The Town

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Amy and Eva Gignac were among the people who enjoyed some tobogganing at the Westview hill on Sunday. It was a perfect day to be outdoors in Estevan, thanks to the sunshine, the above-average temperatures and lack of wind. And it was the last day of Christmas holidays, so many families were eager to enjoy an activity. Other recreation areas in the city were also busy that day. Photo by David Willberg

Hayden Bigney was entered in boys’ tie-down roping.

Piper Bigney competed in the breakaway roping event. Photos courtesy of Barbara Bigney

Estevan man feels safe in Mexico

By Lisa Joy, SASKTODAY.CA

An Estevan man says he and his wife have been safe amid the violence that has occurred in Mexico recently.

Reg Stephen, who has spent winters in Mazatlán for 23 years and is married to Veronica Osuna Lejarza, said they weren’t afraid and didn’t notice any violence in the resort area.

“I would like to clarify that there has been no gun violence or block-

ades within the city of Mazatlán, contrary to other media posts,” he told SASKTODAY.ca Saturday.

“We were out last night for dinner as we do every Friday. I walk on the boardwalk every morning and haven’t missed a day in spite of the events that took place in Culiacán.

“We spent the afternoon in our house in a local Mexican neighbourhood, which is not in the tourist areas. Things here were normal

with the exception of less traffic.”

Stephen said businesses were shutdown because public transit was stopped and workers had no way to and from work.

“In Culiacán the cartel was using buses to blockade the streets so Mazatlán stopped the buses as a precaution.”

Gunfire erupted in the Mexican state of Sinaloa on Thursday after the Mexican government arrested Ovidio GuzmánLópez, the son of Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán,

but many Saskatchewan residents in Mexico said they feel safe.

Thirty-two-yearold Ovidio GuzmanLópez – who allegedly leads one of the world’s largest and most dangerous cartels – was flown to Mexico City following his arrest Jan. 5 in Sinaloa’s capital of Culiacán Rosales. The arrest prompted the Canadian government to urge Canadians in Mexico’s Sinaloa state to limit their movements and shelter in place.

Estevan Snowmobile Club excited to have snow

The snow that Estevan received last month was warmly greeted by some, including members of the Estevan Snowmobile Club.

The club now has about 80 per cent of its trails groomed, according to board member Darcy Yergens.

“We got that early snow, of course, in December, so we were able to get the groomer out and just pioneer the trails, as we call it, just to pack them down a bit, and then we got the stakes up,” said Yergens.

When the region gets

enough snow to have trails ready by the end of December, it means a good winter for the club, he said.

The main trail runs north of Estevan, ties in with Lampman and allows them to connect with the Moose Mountain Snowmobile Club’s network.

The trails are in great shape, Yergens said. They could still use a few more centimetres of snow, but they’re able to pack and groom the snow, creating a solid base.

“We have about 280 kilometres of trails. It’s a lot for the one [groom-

ing] machine, but we keep it running almost around the clock when it needs to. We do a pretty good job of it.”

There are a couple trails that aren’t finished, but only because they ran out of marking stakes. One is near Outram and the other is in northeast Estevan. The club has been waiting for more stakes to arrive.

Yergens noted that the club has approval for riders to operate snowmobiles in select areas within city limits. One is in the northeast that takes users to the Black Grasshopper Pub, hotels and other services. Other designated areas are the Royal Heights Esso and the Shell service station in the south end.

“Those three places are approved staging areas. So, you can unload your snowmobile there and ride from there. Other than that, you’re not supposed

to ride within city limits unless it’s on the trails.”

Yergens noted these “staging areas” encourage people to come to Estevan for snowmobiling.

The club also has a few shelters. Their main structure, which they called the 361, is just west of the Junction of Highways 47 and 361. A new shack was constructed for this year, and it is approximately twice the size of its predecessor.

“There’s always chopped firewood there. We have a new cookstove in there, so you can bring your hotdogs and sausage and cook them right there. It’s a really nice, brand new cabin with benches and places to hang and dry your clothes and warm up.”

Thanks to 12-volt LED lighting, it will be lit up at night and a covered deck is illuminated, too. The shelter also has a wind-

break, an outdoor fire pit and an outhouse.

“We’re talking about having some family evening rides up there,” said Yergens.

They have two other buildings in the area. One is the Eagle’s Nest Shack west of Benson and north of Macoun, and the other is the Lord’s Grove shelter south of Outram.

“We have a nice loop … so you can hit all three of them in one day, easily, with groomed trails,” said Yergens.

Each shelter has firewood and benches, and they provide a place for people to socialize while out of the cold.

“For that week in between Christmas and New Year’s, all of our shacks were just steady. I don’t think there was any time in which there wasn’t anybody there during the day.”

They also share the Blue Line shelter near Lamp-

man with the Moose Mountain Club.

The Estevan Snowmobile Club has discussed having events this year, such as a poker rally that would take participants to the different shelters. They haven’t booked anything yet. They don’t want to compete with other events in the area, such as the Arcola Optimist Club’s annual fundraising snowmobile derby, and they need the weather to co-operate with any events they host.

Yergens encourages people to ride with a friend, especially on colder days, in case of a breakdown. And he asks people to not drink and ride.

He noted that a snowmobile licence includes a trail permit that allows them to ride on any groomed trail in Saskatchewan, and he expressed gratitude to landowners who allow snowmobilers to access their lands.

RCMP arrests man near Carlyle who was wanted for an assault

The RCMP has announced the arrest of an individual wanted in connection with an incident near Langenburg.

According to the Saskatchewan RCMP, officers located the suspect and a stolen vehicle at a residence near Carlyle on Jan. 4. The man was arrested and taken into

custody without incident.

As a result of an investigation into an assault that occurred on Jan. 3 near Langenburg, the RCMP says 37-year-old Aaron Kenneth Olney has been charged with the following offences:

•Assault with a weapon;

•Committing an assault while carrying a weapon;

•Uttering threats to cause death;

•Possession of a firearm while prohibited;

•Using a firearm while committing an indictable offence;

•Pointing a firearm; •Possession of a weap-

on for the purpose of committing an offence;

•Possession of a firearm knowing it was obtained by the commission of an offence;

•Possession of a firearm knowing it was obtained by the commission of an offence;

•Theft under $5,000; and

•Theft of a motor vehicle.

All charges are under the Criminal Code.

According to the RCMP, Olney is from Stoughton.

Olney was scheduled to appear in court in Yorkton on Jan. 5. None of the charges have been proven in court.

An advisory was issued on Jan. 3 after Esterhazy RCMP received the report of an assault at a residence north of Langenburg earlier in the day. Officers responded immediately. Initial investigation determined the vehicle was stolen following what the RCMP called a violent offence.

The RCMP asked the public not to approach the vehicle if it was seen, and to call the RCMP immediately.

Officers from Esterhazy, Carnduff and Carlyle RCMP detachments were investigating.

Reg Stephen from Estevan with his wife Veronica Osuna Lejarza in Sinaloa, Mexico. Photo courtesy of Reg Stephen

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Anne Bozak 1918 - 2022

Anne (Elchyson) Bozak passed away at the St. Joseph’s Special Care Home, Estevan, Sask. on December 21, 2022, on the day before her 104th birthday.

Anne was predeceased by her parents, her husband Dan, two brothers, three sisters and her two sons, Ed and Donn. She is survived by her niece Kay Erdman, two nephews, Barrie Elchyson and Jim Fowler, and many good friends.

Interment will take place at a later date.

Hall Funeral Services in Estevan is caring for Anne’s familyDustin Hall, Funeral Director.

David John Donachie 1941 - 2022 David John Donachie was born on April 21, 1941 in Lynn, Massachusetts and passed away at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Estevan, Saskatchewan on the morning of December 25, 2022.

He joins his parents, Archibald and Dorothea; brother Charles (Chuck) and nephew Charles (Chuck) Donachie, as well as inlaws, Joseph, Josephine, Aloise, Arnold, Shawn, Tim Rissling, and Michael Wynn in God’s gracious and loving care.

David will be lovingly remembered by his wife Cecilia (Cec); children, Lenore Fahlman (Curtis) and Bruce Fahlman (Stacey); grandchildren, Katie (L J) and Brett Fister, Jillian and Jessica Fahlman, and great granddaughter Lennon Lockert. He will also be missed by his American family, sister Linda (Pete) and their sons, Scott (Gayle), John (Judy) and Mark (Debbie) McKenna; niece Mary Beth; nephews, John, David and Kevin Donachie, and their families.

Special thanks to Dr. Prasad, and the St. Joseph’s Hospital staff, Dr. Adeboye, Dr. Sheikh and the Unit A nurses for their care and kindness.

A very special thank you to Dave’s Dialysis nurses who after many years became his hospital family.

A celebration of Dave’s life will be held on a later date.

If desired, donations in Dave’s memory may be made to the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation (please designate to the Renal Dialysis Unit), 1176 Nicholson Road, Estevan, SK S4A 0H3.

Hall Funeral Services in Estevan is caring for David’s familyDustin Hall, Funeral Director.

Mayer

Donald H.

1944 - 2022

With grieving hearts the family wishes to announce that Donald H. Mayer late of Estevan, Sask. passed away after a very long and courageous battle with cancer at the St. Joseph’s Special Care Home in Estevan on Sunday, December 25, 2022 at the age of 78 years.

Don will be forever loved and remembered by his family: son Randy (Krista) Mayer and granddaughter Kayla; daughter Christina (Dave) Yano and grandchildren: Melissa Mayer-Loutit (Ryan) (great grandchildren: Dylan, Hailey, Emily, and Eli); Sara Mayer-Loutit (Davis) (great granddaughter Ember); Kylie Mayer-Loutit (Jagger), and Jordan Yano; son Rick Mayer and granddaughters: Jenny (Carter) George (great grandchildren: Haven, Amora, and Theo), and Basia Mayer; daughter Cheryl (Brian) Brandow and grandsons: Tyler Weger (Siri), Tanner Weger-Brandow, and Jayden Brandow. Donald will also be greatly missed by his dear sister Shirley (Ray) Stobbe; brothers: Edward (Elaine) Mayer, Darwin (Carol) Mayer, and Gordie (Gwen) Mayer; sister-in-law Sheila (Terry) Collins, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Donald was predeceased by his wife Shirley; parents: Rudy & Freda; sisters: Donna (Cameron) Hedin, and Margaret (Melvin) Grimes; brother-in-law Harry LaChapelle, and nephew Clinton Grimes.

A Memorial Service was held on Saturday, December 31, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Estevan, Sask.

Donations in Donald’s memory may be made through donate.jw.org.

Hall Funeral Services in Estevan provided care to the Mayer family - Dustin Hall, Funeral Director.

Lambert Mathias Friedrich 1938-2023

It is with great sadness and broken hearts that the family wishes to announce the passing of Lambert Friedrich at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Estevan, SK on Sunday, January 1, 2023 at the age of 84 years.

Lambert is survived by his son Kevin (Diana) of Medicine Hat, AB and daughter Lana (Ron) of Estevan,SK. Left with precious memories are grandchildren, Jade (Justin) Fichter, Sydney (Ricardo) Scott, Brett (Josh) Smith, Aaron (Denise) Michel and Gregory (Amanda) Michel; great grandchildren, Kolby, Karter and Kason Fichter, Lennix Scott and Landon Michel. Lambert also leaves behind his sisters-in-law Mildred and Joyce Friedrich and numerous nieces and nephews.

Lambert was predeceased by his wife Jean; son Mark; parents, Mathias and Julianna Friedrich; brothers, John and Tony Friedrich; sisters Emily (Alex) Yakimenko and Rose (Norv) Maley; nephew Durwood Friedrich and great nephew Tyler Fedyk.

Cremation has taken place and a Memorial Service will be held in May, 2023.

Those so wishing may make donations in memory of Lambert to St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation, Box 1176 Nicholson Rd., Estevan, SK S4A 0H3.

Hall Funeral Services in Estevan is caring for Lambert’s family - Deb Heidinger, Funeral Director.

The family would like to thank Dr. Tsoi and the nursing staff at St. Joseph’s Hospital for the outstanding care and compassion they gave to our Dad. Thank you to Kelsey and Jennifer for all your help and care you provided to our Dad, he enjoyed your in home visits. Also a thank you to Thelma and Lawrence for always including Dad on all your coffee outings, it meant the world to him and he enjoyed your company. A huge thank you to the Dairy Queen girls for all your kindness to Dad over the years, you girls brightened his days.

Kevin, Lana and families.

School board met with MLAs

Repairs to the gymnasium floor could be in the works at the Carievale School, according to information at the South East Cornerstone Public School Division’s board meeting Dec. 21 in Weyburn.

A recent fundraising event in that community raised $40,000 in one fell swoop. Subdivision 3 trustee Jim Henderson delivered that good news.

During opening round table discussions, information was received that the board members have had an opportunity to meet with southeast Saskatchewan MLAs Darryl Harrison, Lori Carr and Dustin Duncan recently.

The main message relayed to the MLAs was the difficulty the board had in establishing budgets under the current setup and how difficult it was to make longer range plans. It is noted that Duncan is the current minister of Education.

Board members were informed and entertained with the presentation of two short videos from McNaughton High School in Moosomin and Stoughton Central School.

The videos included positive student and educator testimonials about the opportunities and adventures to be found within and beyond the school

facility itself and how they embraced their overall communities.

Some focus was placed on academic as well as arts, music and athletic adventures and the work of the school community councils.

Stoughton included some of the values they picked up by being engaged in First Nations events at the Ocean Man First Nations) events that supported a land-based culture and a tradition learning section in their curriculum.

In Moosomin, it was noted they embraced the idea that the school with 400 students is “big enough for opportunity and small enough for connection”, with their town and region with a variety of traditional academic courses as well as practical and applied arts.

The financial update to the end of November, delivered by the Marilyn Yurkiw, manager of finance and payroll, was brief and to the point, as she noted that in the first quarter of the new fiscal year, with an expected revenue stream of just over $108 million, the division was currently on track to meet requirements.

The board will be holding their next open business session on Jan. 18, 2023 starting at 1 p.m. in the division head office in Weyburn.

Ed is survived by his loving family, brother James “Jim” Robinson; niece Lois Benneweis; nephew Gregory (Lisa) Benneweis; brother-in-law Douglas Benneweis; great niece Rachel Benneweis and great nephew Carter Benneweis; special cousin Garnet (Gerry) Robinson and numerous extended family members.

Ed was preceded in death by his parents, Merton and Peggy Robinson; sister Sheila Benneweis and nephew Russell Benneweis.

A Memorial Service was held at Hall Funeral Services, Estevan, SK on Friday, December 16, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. with Shirley Petterson officiating. A lunch followed the service at the Royal Canadian Legion, Estevan branch, small hall.

For those that were not able to attend, a recording of the service is available for viewing on Edward’s Tribute page at www.hallfuneralservices.ca.

Those so wishing may make donations to the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan (Designate Allan Blair), 200-4545 Parliament Ave., Regina, SK S4W 0G3.

Hall Funeral Services in Estevan is caring for the Robinson family - Deb Heidinger, Funeral Director.

In Loving Memory of Ralph Paul Walliser May 12,1922 - January 2,

Edward Robinson 1930 - 2022 Edward Robinson, late of Weyburn, SK and formerly of Estevan, SK passed away at Tatagwa View on Saturday, December 10, 2022 at the age of 92 years.

Flashback –Wednesday, Jan. 18, 1995

Estevan firefighters have a busy holiday season

The Estevan Fire Rescue Service had a steadily busy end to 2022 and a quieter beginning to 2023.

The EFRS responded to a two-vehicle collision on the west end of Estevan on Dec. 20. Estevan police and EMS were already on scene. The incident appeared to be a minor collision with minor injuries to one of the drivers. EPS took care of cleaning up the scene, so firefighters stood down.

The next day saw fire crews responding to three calls for service. At about 7 a.m. they were called to a residential fire alarm going off in a townhouse area in east Estevan. The alarm was triggered in a vacant, up-for-sale suite.

“We worked with the EPS to gain access to that suite. Crews went in and

inspected for any smoke, fire or carbon monoxide issues. Nothing was found so we determined that it was probably a faulty alarm there,” explained Estevan Fire Chief Rick Davies.

The next call came at about 3 p.m. when crews were alerted to a possible vehicle fire on the east side of the city. Neither firefighters nor police could find any vehicles on fire, so crews were stood down.

As they were returning to the station, a residential fire alarm went off in the same area. The homeowner met firefighters at the scene, and it was quickly determined that the alarm was malfunctioning.

On Dec. 23, crews were dispatched to another alarm, going off in an apartment complex on

the south side of the city. The system for the entire building was activated, but an investigation showed there was no emergency occurring. The panel was reset, and crews stood down.

The next day at about 8:30 p.m., crews were dispatched to a commercial fire alarm in the northcentral part of the city. When they arrived, they found a water leak in the building that caused the alarm to go off. The building maintenance staff was contacted to try to fix that issue.

Christmas Day at about 7 a.m., firefighters responded to a commercial fire alarm in central Estevan. Once they gained access to the building, they found a broken sprinkler leaking water that trig-

gered the alarm. Crews managed to get all that tied up and cleaned up, and they notified building management before clearing the scene.

A carbon monoxide

alarm went off in a residence on the north side of Estevan on Dec. 27.

Crews responded and assisted in identifying what the issue was and instructed the homeowner to con-

tact a contractor to fix the problem.

The new year started with three minor calls on Jan. 3-4, which were almost instantly cleared as they didn’t require the EFRS’s assistance.

A gift for the new year

“Let your gentleness be evident to all” (Philippians 4:5).

Sara has set up personalized ringtones on her phone. Without even checking, we know immediately who is calling because the sound of the ring identifies them.

The verse quoted above suggests that an attitude of gentleness should play a similar role in the life of a Christian. Gentleness is the quality that should identify us. We ought to be known as gentle people. Every interaction with every person ought to be bathed in this attitude.

The good news is that this is something that we

can do. Everyone acts and reacts in a gentle way once in a while. The challenge is to make that the starting point every time, in all situations with everyone we meet.

In a world where quick tempers and harsh criticisms seem to be on the rise, a gentle approach is more effective than ever.

Gentleness changes the

Tim Pippus of the Estevan Church of Christ

tone of conversations and the outcome of relationships. After all, grace and gentleness are hallmarks of God’s approach to us. Can we make gentleness our ringtone? Can that be the quality that defines us?

This one little thought could have an enormous impact on the coming year.

A rink skipped by Brenda Malaryk of Estevan captured the championship of the annual women’s bonspiel at the Estevan Curling Club. They defeated Helen Hislop of Estevan in the A event final. From left, Malaryk, Audrey Dubiel, Kathy Gedak and Lenora Symons

Bruins drop two to Weyburn after Christmas

The Estevan Bruins returned to the ice following the Christmas break and lost two straight games to the Weyburn Red Wings.

The first game was a 4-3 overtime loss Friday night at Affinity Place. After a scoreless first period, goals by Kade Runke and Garett Zasitko in the second gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead.

Ty Mason – who played for the Estevan Steelhaus U18 AAA Bears and is the son of former Bruin Willy Mason – scored for Weyburn before the period was out.

Owen Barrow’s goal midway through the third period restored the Bruins’ two-goal lead, but Weyburn scored twice late in the third to tie the game, with goals coming from Jackson Hassman and Jakob Kalin.

Jordan Edwards had the overtime winner for Weyburn.

The game marked First Responders’ Night in Estevan, as members of the Es-

tevan Police Service, Estevan RCMP, Estevan Fire Rescue Service, the Estevan Emergency Medical Services and the Weyburn Police Service performed the ceremonial opening faceoff

The Wings carried over the momentum to Saturday night’s game, as they scored three times in the first and twice early in the second for a 6-1 victory.

Ryley Morgan, Ian Maier and Mason scored in the first period for Weyburn, and Elijah Anderson and Lucas Jeffreys tallied in the second.

Barrow’s goal midway through the second was the Bruins’ lone marker.

Mason scored into an empty net for the only goal of the third.

Cam Hrdlicka was in goal for Estevan in Friday’s game, and Jackson Miller was the Bruins’ goalie on Saturday. Dazza Mitchell was the Weyburn goalie both nights.

The Bruins pulled Miller on numerous occasions dur-

ing Saturday’s game. They scored their lone goal with Miller out of the net, and created other scoring chances with the extra skater on the ice.

The Bruins, meanwhile, will host the Yorkton Terriers on Jan. 11, the Notre Dame Hounds on Jan. 13 and the Battlefords North Stars on Jan. 14.

The Bruins have also announced that defenceman Alex Blanchard has joined the McGill University Redbirds of Canadian U-Sports, starting after the Christmas break.

Blanchard was third in scoring on the Bruins with 10 goals and 27 points in 36 games. He was also tied for second among SJHL de-

fencemen in points, trailing only teammate Aleksa Babic.

“To the community of Estevan, the SJHL and especially my teammates, coaches [Jason] Tatarnic, [Phil] Fife and [Aren] Miller, and the entire Bruins staff: words can’t describe how thankful I am for my hockey experience in Estevan,” said Blanchard. “I also had the

Teams decided for Scotties and Tankard

The teams that will compete at the upcoming Viterra Scotties Tournament of Hearts provincial women’s curling championship and the SaskTel Tankard men’s provincial tournament, which will be held in Estevan this winter, have been decided.

Last chance qualifiers were held for the women in North Battleford and Tisdale for the men from Jan. 5-8, with four teams advancing from each event.

Former Estevan resident Cindy Ricci, competing out of the Power Dodge Curling Centre in Estevan, was one of four teams to advance. Also on the Ricci rink were Kristy Johnson, Natalie Bloomfield and Tamara Kapell.

The Ricci rink opened the tournament with a 10-0 victory over Team Barber, thanks to steals of two in the fourth end, five in the fifth and three

in the sixth. Then she lost 8-4 to Team Tisdale, and 7-6 to Team Silvernagle.

Knowing they would be eliminated with one more loss, Ricci responded with four straight wins, defeating Team Miskiman 10-3, Team Podedli 7-0, Team Orsted 8-4 and Team Tidslae 9-4. The win over Tisdale, which occurred in nine ends, punched Ricci’s ticket for provincials.

Ricci scored three in each of the third and ninth ends.

Team Orsted was skipped by former Estevan resident Sherrilee Orsted. They opened with back-to-back losses, dropping a 7-2 decision to Team Kleiter and a 12-4 game to Pomedli.

Orsted responded with two straight victories, defeating Team Blais 9-7 and Barber 9-3, but then lost to Ricci 8-4 in the C event semifinal.

Another former Estevan

resident, Chelsey Emberley, went 0-3 at the competition. She lost 9-5 to Team Ellingson, 11-7 to Silvernagle nd (and) 6-2 to Team Kessel.

In addition to the Ricci rink, teams that advanced to provincials were Ashley Howard through the A event, Robyn Silvernagle through the B event and Madison Kleiter in the C division.

The Viterra Scotties provincial tournament will be held from Jan. 25-29 at Affinity Place.

As for the last-chance event, the Brent Gedak rink posted a 3-3 record. They opened with a 5-2 loss to the J. Heidt rink, but then rattled off three straight wins in the B event: 7-1 over Team Joyce, 7-6 over Team Drewitz and 9-2 over Team Miller.

The Gedak rink lost 13-5 to Team Muyres and 7-6 to Team Kalthoff, ending their

hope for qualifying for provincials.

Qualifying for provincials were the Logan Ede rink in the A event, Josh Heidt in the B event, and Dallan Muyres

and Dustin Kalthoff in the C event.

The Tankard will run from Feb. 1-5, also at Affinity Place.

The list of curlers for each team at the last-chance events

privilege to live and learn from my billet mom Mel [Melodye Pierson] whom I miss daily.

“The opportunity to play for the Bruins opened the door to be asked to join my brother Max and play for the McGill Redbirds and start my university studies in January. I am grateful to be ending my junior hockey as a Bruin, with experiences and memories to last a lifetime.”

“It was a pleasure for our staff to coach Alex,” said Bruins head coach and general manager Jason Tatarnic. “He was a first-class player and person. We want to wish him all the best at McGill in the second half. Moving players onto the next level is very important to us and Alex will be playing for a great program.”

The SJHL trade deadline was Jan. 10. An update on any Bruin transactions can be found on our provincial news hub at www.sasktoday. ca.

was not available on the CurlSask website.

The other eight teams for each of the men’s and women’s events were announced prior to Christmas.

Apex U18 AA Bruins score 11 goals in one game

The Estevan Apex U18 AA Bruins filled the net in their first game of 2023.

Eleven players each had a goal as Estevan trounced the Moose Jaw Warriors 11-1 Saturday at Affinity Place. Ironically, Moose Jaw opened the scoring on a power play midway through the first period, but then Spencer Copeland, Kobe Wotta and Landon Marcotte scored before the period was out for a 3-1 Estevan advantage.

Goals by Sutter Baily, Carter Beck, Jordan Marcotte, Declyn Henderson and Strahn Douglas in the second period padded the lead. Emmett McCarthy,

Lucas Campbell and Conrad Hase had goals in the third.

Keagan Carley made 10 saves in the game.

Estevan was also slated to visit the Prairie Storm Monday night in Balgonie. (Results were not immediately available).

Estevan will host the Notre Dame Hounds on Jan. 15 at 7 p.m., and the Weyburn Wings on Jan. 16 at 7:45 p.m. The Weyburn game will be played at the Fast Centennial Arena in Carnduff

The Estevan TS&M U15 AA Bruins split their games on the weekend.

Estevan lost 6-4 to the Yorkton Terriers on Saturday afternoon. Nathan Gardiner had two goals for Estevan, while Boston Tait and Kail Hilstrom also scored.

Jaxon Kuchinka stopped 14 shots for Estevan.

The following day, Estevan defeated the North East Wolfpack 9-6 – a game that Estevan led 3-2 after two periods. Nathan Gardiner notched four goals and two assists for Estevan, while Gunner Moore had three goals and three helpers. Boston Tait and Tristan Brownridge also scored.

Quinton Sliva stopped 38 shots for Estevan.

The Bruins (4-11-2) will host the Regina Monarchs on Jan. 14 at 3:30 p.m. •••

The Estevan Meter U13 AA Bruins dropped the two games they played on the weekend.

Up first was an 8-4 loss to the Regina Royals on Saturday at the Power Dodge Arena. Ma-

son Schmidt opened the scoring and finished with two goals on the night, and Spencer Skuce and Cooper Hale also scored.

Nathan Quennelle made 26 saves for Estevan.

The following day, the Bruins lost 5-3 to the LumsdenBethune Lions at Affinity Place. Logan Hunt opened the scoring for Estevan, and goals by Knox Valentine and Schmidt

left the game tied at 3-3 early in the third. But Lumsden Bethune would get two in the third for the win.

Easton Pushie made 15 saves.

Estevan (2-15) will visit the Moose Jaw Warriors on Jan. 14 and host the Melville Millionaires on Jan. 15. The game against Melville will be at 4:15 p.m. at Affinity Place.

Bruins’ forward Mitch Kohner (17) takes a shot in tight at Red Wings’ goaltender Dazza Mitchell Saturday night in Weyburn. Photo by Greg Nikkel of the Weyburn Review

Cindy Ricci, Kristy Johnson, Natalie Bloomfield and Tamara Kapell will compete at the Viterra Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Photo courtesy of Kristy Johnsons

Estevan U9 tournament attracts 16 teams

Sixteen teams were entered in the Estevan Minor Hockey Association’s annual U9 tournament on the weekend.

In the A event, the Yorkton Terriers defeated the Moosomin Rangers in the final. The Estevan Jets beat the Estevan Oilers to win the B event.

The tournament featured games throughout the weekend at Affinity Place and the Power Dodge Arena. Dividers were in place at Affinity, allowing two games to be played at once.

Six of the teams were from Estevan. In addition to the Oilers and the Jets, the local teams were the Canucks, Hawks, Knights and Flames.

Other teams came from throughout southern and central Saskatchewan to compete.

Big Six schedule resumes with full slate of games

The Christmas break is over in the Big Six Hockey League, and teams were busy on the weekend with a total of 10 games.

The Oxbow Huskies had a great weekend with two victories, the first being a 6-3 win over the Carnduff Red Devils in a clash of two of the league’s top teams. Liam Rutten scored twice, and Colton Schell, Blake Brooks, Derek Cooney and Jordan Cooney also had goals for Oxbow.

Matthew Plews, Kyle Garagan and Brandon Trask had the Carnduff goals.

Cody Levesque was the Oxbow goalie, while Cody Dumaine was in goal for Carnduff

Also on Friday, the Bienfait Coalers edged the KiplingWindthorst Oil Kings 6-5 in

the first of two weekend wins for Bienfait. Erik McKersie had two goals for Bienfait, and Kyle Salaway, Derian Pratt, Kaelan Holt and Ryan Curzon had the Coalers’ other goals. Zack Miller was in goal for Bienfait.

Drew Czerwonka had two goals for the Oil Kings. Dan Loffler had a goal and three assists, and Luc Englot and Brandon Munro also scored.

Dylan Dedecker was the Oil Kings’ goalie.

The Redvers Rockets rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to knock off the Midale Mustangs 8-5, and pick up the first of two wins on the weekend.

Braeden Magotiaux had three goals and an assist for Redvers, and Jordon Miller scored twice and added four assists. Oliver Poirier, Presten

Kopeck and Drew Hoff had the other Redvers goals.

Steven Lindenbach had two goals and two assists for Redvers, while Zach Holzer, Terran Holzer and Alex Bechtold also scored.

Thomas Bauche (Redvers) and Talen King (Midale) were the goalies.

The Moosomin Rangers doubled up the Yellow Grass Wheat Kings 4-2. Carter Sawchuck, Dawson Springer, Bud Holloway and Jacob Piller had the Moosomin goals.

Dylan Frey and Conor Lafoy had the Yellow Grass markers.

Kyler Beckett was the Moosomin goalie, while Tanner Erickson was in goal for Yellow Grass.

The following day, the Huskies upended the Arcola-

Kisbey Combines 6-2. Schell had two goals, and Jordan Cooney, Joey Meredith, Trey Mathison and Blake Brooks had the other goals.

Austin Fleck had both goals for the Combines.

Drew Fenwick was in goal for Oxbow, while Keegan Mitchell was the Combines’ goalie.

The Rockets, meanwhile, scored six times in the third period and trounced the Rangers 8-1. Drew Hoff had three goals and a helper, while Kopeck had two goals and three assists. Miller scored twice and Magotiaux also scored.

Holloway had the lone Moosomin goal.

Cody Matthewson (Redvers) and Levi Horn (Moosomin) were the goalies.

The Carlyle Cougars de-

feated the Wheat Kings 4-2. Nathan Deck had two goals for Carlyle, and Jon Gaudet and Derek Fleck also scored.

Landon Audet was the Cougars’ goalie.

Zach Douglas and Kyle Mryglod scored for Yellow Grass. Tanner Erickson was in goal for the Wheat Kings.

In Saturday’s other game, the Mustangs routed the Wawota Flyers 10-4.

Lindenbach had two goals and two assists, while Kendall Oliver also scored twice.

Braxton Dukart, Logan King, Matt Geske, Brad Tomiski, Holzer and Tayler Thompson also scored. Thompson added five assists.

Aron Bourgon, Devin Stewart, Jesse Gabrielle and Walker Porter had Wawota’s markers.

Co-op Youth Bonspiel showcases curling skill

Talented young curlers were on the ice at the Power Dodge Curling Centre on the weekend for the annual Co-op Youth Bonspiel.

Curlers in the U18 division competed Friday and

Saturday, while games in the U15 division were played Saturday.

In the U18 division, Team Fradette, Team Johnson and Team Willock all finished in a tie for first at 2-1. Fradette

City Hall: 1102 4th Street 8 am to 4:30 pm | (306) 634-1800

Leisure Office: 701 Souris Avenue 8 am to 4:30 pm | (306) 634-1880

Mayor’s Message:

As we turn the page to the new year may we continue to work together with optimism, and a positive attitude to move our City forward together.

GUARD/MATRON

The Estevan Police Service is seeking applications for a casual Guard/Matron position.

Guard/Matrons provide constant observation of persons held in custody at the Estevan Police Service Detention Center. Hours of work can vary and will include night shifts. Length of shifts vary from three to eight hours to a maximum of 40 hours per week. Successful applicants may also be called upon on short notice. Training will be provided.

Application packages can be picked up in person or downloaded from our website at www.estevanpolice.ca

Completed packages are to be forwarded to the attention of;

Murray Cowan

Deputy Chief of Police Estevan Police Service 301-11th Avenue Estevan, Saskatchewan S4A 1C7 306-634-4767

finished first based on a laststone draw.

Team Carlyle, which was the other team entered, went 0-3.

In the U15 division, the Ring Leaders out of Car-

lyle finished first with a 3-0 record. The Hot Shots were second at 2-1, Curl Power was third at 1-2 and the Cool Shots finished fourth at 0-3.

The U18 division featured conventional play with

four-player teams. The U15 tournament had the triples format that includes a revamped scoring format and three-player teams in which curlers alternate roles during the game.

Talen King was in goal for Midale, and Zach Lees was the Flyers’ goalie.

The Coalers edged the Flyers 4-3 on Sunday night.

Taysen Holt scored twice, including the winner midway through the third period. Wyatt Garagan also had two goals. Stewart, Bourgon and Parker Sweeting had Wawota’s goals.

Miller (Bienfait) and Kye Steinke (Wawota) were in goal.

The Carnduff Red Devils blanked the Combines 9-0. Plews, Garagan, Trask, Matthew Audette, Jackson O’Brien, Cole Berreth, Devon Carriere, Mark Moriarty and Justin Smith had the Carnduff goals.

Mason Plews earned the shutout for Carnduff, while Zac Eaton was in goal for Arcola-Kisbey.

Redvers (11-1) and Oxbow (11-1) are tied for first in the standings, with Carnduff (104) in third and Moosomin (9-3) fourth. Carlyle (6-5-1) sits fifth, followed by Bienfait (6-5), Midale (5-7-1), Yellow Grass (4-6-1), Wawota (4-71), Kipling-Windthorst (2-12) and Arcola-Kisbey (0-13).

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 (3) 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.

Lincoln Meyers and the Estevan Oilers faced Brae Wolensky and the Estevan Jets in the B final of the Estevan novice hockey tournament.