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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2023
Council denies request for straight pride flag to be flown at city hall
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Estevan City Hall’s council chamber was packed for Monday night’s council meeting, thanks to a discussion about a controversial flag and proclamation.
A group known as Concerned Citizens appeared before council, with Myles Fichter serving as their spokesperson. He wanted to know why Estevan city council denied their request to have the straight pride flag flown in front of city hall from July 11-17, and to have a Mom and Dad Week at the same time.
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More than a dozen members of Concerned Citizens were in attendance. Meanwhile, several supporters of the gay pride movement were also present, while a few members of Estevan city council were dressed to support gay pride.
Fichter said Concerned Citizens found the denial “extremely disturbing”, since the city has held activities for Gay Pride Month in the past. While he was uncertain of what happened this year, he pointed out that in the past it has been in co-ordination with Moose Jaw Pride.
A group called Concerned Citizens SK appeared before Estevan city council on Monday night to express their desire to see the straight pride flag flown in Estevan. Myles Fichter was the presenter.
and a proclamation. Then it became a gender-diversity awareness week in 2017 with activities in the community. Events also occurred in 2018 and 2019.
He also pointed out the Estevan Public Library had Pride Month activities this year.
The public promotion of sexual diversity by the City of Estevan, however, we do not,” said Fichter.
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The first event was in 2016 with a flag-raising
“Concerned Citizens fully support the concept of pride and inclusivity, which is essentially enshrouded by the Canadian Charter [of Rights and Freedoms].
“This can and often does, by nature, provide a standing, violated constitutional right of parents to raise and educate their own children. These rights include parents knowing where their children are, who has access to them, and what materials they’re exposed to and whether or not they are safe.”
He recalled that one of the Concerned Citizens SK members has a child at Hillcrest School. The student received a schoolsponsored invitation to a free pizza and bowling event promoting diversity, inclusion and anti-bullying. Fichter said it proved to be an event in which the child was exposed to symbols and literature for pride and sexual diversity.
Concerned Citizens SK had three questions
for council, he said. One is in the new policy that governs flag raisings and proclamations, and why it was used to deny their request.
Estevan Market Mall gears up for facelift
By Ana Bykhovskaia
The Estevan Market Mall is gradually proceeding with major renovations, making the building and the entire property more modern, convenient and welcoming.
It’s been four years since First Aberdeen Properties Ltd. took over the Estevan mall, and a lot of things have changed and continue to change.
continued with Dollarama’s facelift, and now moves over to The Brick area, and finally will get to the food court and brand-new central entrance and mall approach, currently under construction.
The city is working on putting in a new intersection at King Street and Pine Avenue, while the mall is rebuilding its parking infrastructure, approach and landscaping the northeast side.
it will improve the overall mall experience.
“The obvious part is our new entrance,” Blair said. “We’re waiting for the curbing guys right now that will put in the sidewalk and all the curbs. Then after that’s done, we’re not actually doing asphalt, we’re doing concrete, like we did on the south side. Very strong. It’s a little bit more expensive, but it’s permanent.”
ensure everything is in place to start working on the new glass entrance, which will be about 10 feet higher than the existing one and will give the building a new fresh look.
“The next thing that we’ll be doing here in the next month is, this will all be boarded off, enclosed and gone,” Blair said pointing at the central entrance.
it’s getting closer and closer to welcoming its tenants and guests. The hope is to have a sushi place, a coffee shop and some other kind of eatery that’s popular with teenagers, available throughout and outside mall hours.
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“The vision is unfolding,” said Martin Blair, managing director of First Aberdeen Properties Ltd.
Before the end of this year, the east side of the building, as well as the relevant part of the northern parking, should see the completion of works, which started with upgrades to Peavey Mart and its area,
Blair talked to the Mercury about the updates that have been done over the past year and are currently underway. He noted that while some of the work they are doing is obvious, like the northern parking lot or The Brick’s store, there is a lot that the public can’t see yet or at all, but
The new approach will come into Mark’s and will be landscaped to make it more presentable and nicer for pedestrians and drivers alike to come to the mall. The LED lights at the parking lot will be moved closer and will also benefit the modern and more unified appearance.
The mall is currently working with its main architect and contractors to
“And then we would like to have all this done and closed up with the new doors and everything before the snow arrives.”
The south side has seen a patio addition for Global Golf Plus recently. There is also more landscaping work underway.
The work is in full swing inside the building as well. The food court communications are completed and
“The mall can be closed, but this food court and new washrooms can all operate until 11 o’clock at night or whenever,” Blair noted.
The Ardene space is planned to be subdivided to accommodate smaller local tenants.
“It’ll work out that there’ll be two spaces here, one about 2,000 and the other about 2,500, and we’re going to do it kind of village style,” Blair said, adding that they hope to have it completed by fall.
The Brick’s space was subdivided as well, and the furniture store’s new showroom is to accommodate the south side with access from the mall hallway.
“This is all part of our big optimization with The Brick store,” Blair said. He added that with the growth in online sales the store experienced since the beginning of COVID-19, they’ve had a lot of their goods almost channelling through their space, and they realized they didn’t need as big of a showroom anymore.
The hope is to get another big tenant to come into the south part of what The Bricks used to occupy.
The work is underway on the second level as well, where the plan is to have office space available with an elevator installed on the south side of the building.
“This is 10,000 square feet, this is where we are hoping we get like ag tech,
or guys that need offices short term,” Blair said. Also inside, the maintenance storage and staff spaces and entrance in the east part of the mall, as well as other back spaces, have been redone recently allowing for more efficient operations inside the mall.
Blair praised local contractors that have been doing many various jobs around the mall, the mall’s tenants, who’ve been very patient with all the changes, and the city for being co-operative.
“We’re lucky here because we do have really good service,” Blair said.
He noted they are not sure yet what will need to be done with the west side of the mall, as they want to get the centre completed and the food court opened first.
The mall is also starting to get more engaged with the community by providing some services like a free bike repair station,
helping to raise money for St. Joseph’s Hospital through an electric bike raffle they ran recently and more.
Another big change came with the new LB Liquor Store, located on the mall property, holding its grand opening last week. The 9,500-square foot building, formerly occupied by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority liquor store, was
subdivided and will also see another business, potentially an eatery, coming in on the remaining space, approximately 2,600 square feet, with capacity for a raised patio at a later date. For more on The LB Liquor Store see Page A6.
Each council member took time to respond to the concerns. Coun. Rebecca Foord replied that the flag and proclamation policy states that requests will not be approved if it’s considered contentious, controversial or divisive within the community.
“It is my belief that flying the straight flag at city hall will be all three of those things,” said Foord, who was wearing a purple shirt supporting gay pride. “In our country, people who are out or are still finding their place in the LGBTQ2S+ community, [it] is increasingly dangerous and scary. Our world seems to be moving backwards when it comes to being accepting no matter who they are.”
Rejecting the straight pride request would not hurt or harm the Concerned Citizens SK group, but Foord said supporting it would have the potential to harm a group in the community that already has enough to battle, and given the impression Estevan is not a safe and inclusive community.
Coun. Kirsten Walliser, who had attire supporting gay pride, said pride celebrates achievements of the
past to earn basic human rights and freedoms that heterosexual people have always had and have taken for granted.
“Pride is the opportunity to highlight the disparity that continues to this day,” Walliser said. “The lack of access to secure housing and health care, the prevalence of gender-based violence and the ongoing acts of discrimination and hatred. This community remains under-represented and marginalized at the decision-making table to this day.”
Straight pride does not have a shared history of oppression or marginalization, she said, and the straight pride flag has been used by groups to spread division and hatred.
She said she wants to live in a world where everyone is safe to be who they are.
Coun. Lindsay Clark admitted that there was a time when he would have made negative comments towards certain groups like gay people. He’s glad that the younger generations have accepted them.
“This is wrong. Let’s ac-
cept them. This is a great community,” said Clark, who requested the Concerned Citizens SK group to withdraw their request.
Coun. Shelly Veroba said she wanted to keep an open mind and see their vision entering the meeting, but she saw hostility, not from Fichter, whom she thanked for his presentation, but from another member of the group who was seated in the crowd with the straight pride flag they wanted to have flown.
A shouting match ensued between the two, with May-
or Roy Ludwig trying repeatedly to ease the tension.
Coun. Travis Frank, who also had a purple shirt, addressed the questions from Fichter’s group. The city is not currently partnering with pride, he said. Organizations that have received funding from the city, like the Estevan Public Library, have held events, but those organizations are not run by the city and the city does not have control with what they do with the funding.
There is also not a formal gay pride committee in Estevan that he is aware of.
The Estevan Comprehensive School has rounded out its administrative team for the 202324 school year.
“We are thrilled to announce that Mr. Craig Palmer has accepted the position of vice-principal at ECS,” the school said
in a message on its website. “Mr. Palmer will take on this new role in the fall of 2023.
“Mr. Palmer is a longstanding staff member at ECS that brings a wealth of educational experiences to his new position.
“His passion for teach-
Love Mary Ellen, Jim & Tom Goud
ing and working with students, families and the community will continue to make a positive difference in our school community.”
Palmer has spent his entire teaching career at ECS and is one of longest-serving teachers at the school. He started teaching in the fall of 1991.
“I have taught many different science courses over the years,” he said in an email to the Mercury.
“My main focus being biology.”
Palmer moves into the role vacated by James Jones, who will be the school’s new principal for the 2023-24 school year. Jones replaces Nathan Johnson, who has accepted a new job as the superintendent of human resources with the South East Cornerstone Public School Division. The other vice-principal at ECS, Brian Wright, has held the role for a number of years.
As for why straight pride doesn’t fit the city’s definitions for a proclamation and a flag raising and gay pride does, Frank said it’s because Gay Pride is a nationallyrecognized event.
Finally, Frank noted he had the chance to ask his gay uncles about the issue.
“They still get glares when they walk down the street and try to hold hands, and my wife and I don’t, and that is why pride matters and why I’ll continue to support it.”
After members of council spoke, they were applauded by other councillors and the gay pride supporters present.
Ludwig noted that some communities have said they will only fly municipal, provincial, federal and Indigenous flags because they don’t want the conflict. It’s something council could give consideration to, he said. Coun.
Tony Sernick expressed support for the suggestion, but most members of council said they would agree with flying the pride flag.
Sernick, who attended the meeting remotely from a conference in Saskatoon, said he hated the hostility that he heard in the meeting.
By Ana Bykhovskaia
Ranchers and Rustlers II:
The Big Heist – a musical produced by Randy Apostle and directed by Brad Wiebe – is in its final preparation stages at the Souris Valley Theatre.
The premiere is slated for July 3 and the cast, residing at Woodlawn Regional Park, has been tirelessly rehearsing to ensure the public enjoys the sequel of the beloved show.
“It’s a western, lighthearted, musical comedy, a little bit of an almost Pink Panther-esque or Inspector Gadget – who’s done it, where everybody is looking for the bad person. And they’re not so good at it, so there is a kind of goofiness, they’re not the best detectors. But it gets all sorted out in the end and comes to a happily ever after,” said Wiebe.
“It comes with western music, from classic venturi to a little bit of newer stuff, anywhere from Garth Brooks, Patsy Cline, The Oak Ridge Boys to newer artists like Gretchen Wilson and Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. We have a wide variety of music, a lot of great country music for everybody.”
There will also be a live guitar performance incorporated into the show, as well as a bit of a comedy improvisation, which will make every performance a bit different.
“It is a scripted show, but because we do have a lot of improvisers, it won’t be the same show every day. I
mean, it will be, but there’ll be a few lines changed here and there, a few wacky antics changed because they’re just very happy to play. Also, we have a tickle trunk over there with a bunch of crazy, crazy items and things, so when they pull it out, who knows what’s going to happen,” Wiebe said.
Some of the cast members have been to Estevan before. Director Wiebe and choreographer Pamela Gordon-Wiebe were in Estevan for the 25th-anniversary reboot of the original Ranchers and Rustlers back in 2019. And one of the actresses, Yanin Gillespie, was a part of the play in 2003.
The original plan was to bring Ranchers and Rustlers II: The Big Heist to Estevan in the summer of 2020, but the pandemic put it on pause until this year.
“A few years later now we’re here again,” Wiebe said.
Many things have changed in the theatre during this time, including the sound and acoustics systems and lighting, which is greatly appreciated by the actors.
Involved with the play this year are Camille Beauchamp, Brandon Vink, Brad Zacharias, Amy Wright, Brent Buchanan, Peter Nadolny and Gillespie, as well as stage manager Hope Van
Vliet, who also runs light and sound, and Wiebe and Gordon-Wiebe.
Wiebe noted that the cast is known to each other, as they’ve worked together on numerous occasions over the years, and most of them met through Celebrations Dinner Theatre in Winnipeg.
“Some of us have known each other for almost 30 years, and we’re together off and on. Some are a little newer, but still, maybe 10 years. So we’re a tight-knit group and they’re all close as well, they’ve known and worked together for a long time,” Wiebe shared.
With just under a week left before the premiere, the
cast was very close to being ready to perform and continued rehearsing to ensure the performance goes great.
On the day of the premiere, actors and performance staff will also partake in a wine and cheese meet and greet at the theatre grounds.
Wiebe noted that he and the cast have been enjoying Estevan’s hospitality and the beauty of the park and are looking forward to the days of the play.
“Everything has been excellent. Everybody’s treating us very well, the whole community. The crew is great, we got a great cast. And it’s going to be a fun show.
The Souris Valley Museum celebrated National Indigenous People’s Day on June 21 by hosting a dedication ceremony for its new Red River cart.
The carts were once used by Métis people for the transportation of everything from goods and materials to people. The cart that is located at the museum was crafted by George Fayant, who has made numerous carts over the years, including one that used to be on display at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum.
Marg Friesen, who is the regional director for Eastern Region III with the Métis Nation Saskatchewan, was among the many people at the event, and she spoke to the Mercury about the cart’s significance.
“The Red River Cart, originally, was a form of transportation, and it was actually utilitarian for Métis people to get from Point A to Point B, to get their goods to
trade,” said Friesen, who hails from the Qu’Appelle Valley.
“It was originally pulled by oxen. However, once Métis people moved their way and homesteaded in the Prairie provinces, it was then pulled by horses because horses were easier to come by than oxen.”
She believes this is a great way for people in Estevan to learn more about the Métis people, who homesteaded in the Souris Valley and continue to thrive in this corner of the province.
“The Métis Nation has supported entrepreneurs in this area and … citizens who continue to work and live here in Estevan and area. So, it’s really important that we recognize the efforts of our ancestors who came before us, who homesteaded in this region and made a living and sustained their families in communities here,” said Friesen.
She described Fayant as a proud but humble Métis citizen, and she thinks he did a great job of designing the cart.
“He takes an interest in the original production of Red River carts, so there’s no metal or modern-day equipment used. He still manufactures or produces them in a way that our ancestors did with very primitive tools.”
She praised the City of
Estevan and the museum for making reconciliation an action.
Other speakers during the afternoon included Linda Sopp, who is the president of Métis Nation Saskatchewan Local 25 Estevan; Estevan City Coun.
Rebecca Foord, who is of Métis descent; and Souris Valley Museum board chairwoman Brenda Olson.
Museum director Melanie Memory acted as the MC.
Foord said the cart not only signifies the past, but
“Everybody’s really happy to be here. Everybody we’ve met in town and just everybody we’re working with here has been so welcoming and friendly to everybody. And it’s a breath of fresh air, because a lot of us are city folks, and this is great,” Wiebe said noting that living and working at Woodlawn Regional Park has been like a recharge for the team.
Ranchers and Rustlers II.
The Big Heist will run July 3-7 and 10-14, starting at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee on July 6 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at sourisvalleytheatre.ca and at Henders Drugs.
it represents the present and future, and will be used as a stepping stone to further collaborative efforts with the MNS.
“Please take the time today to reflect on your reconciliation efforts, read about the Métis and Indigenous people in our area, and most importantly, please take the time to speak to some of the wonderfully knowledgeable Indigenous people here today and hear their stories,” said Foord.
Sopp and Olson thanked the crowd for coming, while Memory noted the project was made possible by the City of Estevan, the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan’s Region 3 and the museum.
“It is in commemoration of the Métis citizens, families and leaders, past and present, of our area, who have paved the way to build a stronger, vibrant community in the spirit of reconciliation,” said Memory.
Bannock was served to those in attendance after the dedication.
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We’ve been waiting months for it to arrive, and now summer is finally here.
Granted, some will argue that summer begins somewhere around the Victoria Day long weekend each year, or they’ll say it starts June 1. We’ve already had one summer-esque heat wave this year, but summer officially arrived on June 21, and the last day of classes for the schools is June 28.
It really is the most enjoyable time of the year. The days are long. The evenings are warm. Yes, we get those hot summer days, but when it’s 25 C with only a light breeze, it’s an absolutely perfect day to be outdoors.
We have all sorts of attractions to enjoy over the next two months. We don’t always give ourselves credit for the things that we have to do. Camping, boating, fishing, golfing, exercising – there are lots of great activities for the people of southeast Saskatchewan to enjoy.
If it’s spectator sports that you enjoy, you can take in the Estevan Motor Speedway’s programs. The track is running programs on more weekends, with fewer doubleheaders, so if you’re out of town for the weekend, you don’t have to worry about missing two races.
A highlight for this summer at the
I recently came across a couple that has spent all of their lives in Ontario, with at least some if not most of their time in the Niagara Falls region.
After 60 years in the east, they recently moved to a small community in Saskatchewan to start a new life. And boy, were they impressed with how we do things here.
With genuine surprise and inspiration in his voice, the gentleman told us about the community days they recently witnessed at their new place. And it wasn’t the celebration itself that impressed him so much, it was that community spirit that’s well-known to people in Saskatchewan, but not so much to outsiders.
“They had an auction there for the village,” he said. “And a cooler with beers would go for $2,100, perogies sold for $900.” This community support we all know first-hand here, was something, he said, he’s never seen to this scale in Ontario.
It’s all about the cause here. When it comes to the cause that matters to the community, I think even the greediest Saskatchewan people are generous. People here get their shoulders together and help. Be it a community need or a valuable development project, a personal tragedy or even a dream (iced tea stand fundraisers also see pretty unbelievable support every so often) there is always someone to offer help and others to support the cause.
After talking to that Ontarian couple, I felt a little sad that I don’t have that fresh eye anymore. Even though I still wholeheartedly appreciate life and people in Saskatchewan, I don’t get as surprised.
speedway will be the Dakota Classic Modified Tour, which will be rumbling into Estevan on July 10, bringing top modified and stock car drivers from across the U.S. and southeast Saskatchewan to the Energy City for the first time in four years.
Another spectator attraction, the Souris Valley Theatre, is going to have an active summer this year, with productions and concerts that will be great for fans.
And there are lots of activities for the kids. Numerous organizations will be having summer camps over the next two months. History, arts, theatre, literature, sports, religion – all these interests and more will be covered in these camps. And you don’t have to be there every day during the summer for these camps, so if you can make it work financially, the kids can attend more than one camp.
And then there’s the city’s playpark program. It’s long been a gem in our community, with crafts and activities in the morning, and swimming in the afternoon. It’s free, and there are four parks in the community, so they’re always close by for families.
You can just go for a nice long walk in the area and capitalize on the sidewalks and pathways that connect our community, or visit Fresh Air Fitness. If history is
your thing, then we have a couple of museums for you to tour.
Maybe you just want to sit out on a restaurant patio and enjoy a quality meal and a nice cold drink.
The great attractions, the fun spectator events, the enjoyable restaurants and the activities for children aren’t just limited to Estevan. It seems like every community in the region has a museum, an organization that is offering activities for children, a restaurant that serves up great food or a campground. Many of them have a golf course.
You’ll find regional parks and a provincial park in the southeast. You can find places to go for boating. You’ll find events that provide entertainment for people in the community. And you’ll find people who are willing to welcome you.
Or you can hop in your car, crank up the air conditioning and go for a long summer drive, and maybe see things you haven’t seen in a very long time.
This is a fun, nifty time of year. So let’s make the most of it. After all, in just a few months from now, it’s going to be cool. We’ll have more darkness than daylight. And while we’ll still have lots to do, it just doesn’t seem to be as much fun, especially when we’re indoors.
you forget it can be any other way. But it indeed is in most other places I’ve been to.
On Sunday I got to be at the Estevan legion for the benefit for Darrel Tessier. A terrible tragedy for the family and the community. Nothing will bring LeighAnn back; hopefully, doctors and time will help Darrel. I can’t imagine how tough it is. But any load may feel a bit lighter when others are there for you to share the burden, be it emotional or financial.
And the community once again did its job – the legion put a call out and got things going, related businesses stepped in with support, and then people got together to help and show that they care. In a short amount of time, the legion managed to put together a supper for almost 300 people with 100 per cent of the proceeds from ticket sales going to Darrel, and it also created an avenue for donations.
It was so well organized that they made it look easy, but I know that events like this are never a piece of cake to put together.
It was a feel-good event, and it was great to be a part of it. But I wasn’t surprised with either it being held, or how successful it turned out. At this point, for me, it was almost expected. It was just a matter of who will be the first one to step forward and how exactly we, as a community, are going to do something to help.
When you live like that long enough,
What we have here is hard to explain to outsiders. A long time ago, before working for the Mercury, I was in Toronto, and in a downtown bar I was trying to explain to a group of curious Ontarians how awesome Saskatchewan was and how proud I was to live in that province. That was before I learned through reporting all I know about the community here now.
They probably thought I was a weird immigrant that hasn’t figured things out yet. Well, I had then as much as I have now, and I was as proud of calling Saskatchewan my new home when broadcasting it in that bar, as I still am.
But without having people down here, letting them into our lives and helping them see what we see, it’s hard to explain where this pride stems from.
(In that sense, I really liked Yellowstone’s line about the California activist getting to learn what ranching in Montana is indeed about.)
I know it’s idealistic, but sometimes I feel that for the east to understand and listen to the west, we’d need to have people come and spend some time down here, especially every one of those running this country, because there is definitely a lot to treasure and to be proud of here. I’m sure they’d understand it, just like those Ontarians that moved here. They’d just need a bit of time.
P.S. I know I’ve probably been too much of a community cheerleader lately, but there were enough valid reasons for that, so be it.
David Willberg Willberg’s World
Canada Day is just a few days away.
It should be a time in which we reflect on our country, our rich history, the things that we have done right and the errors that have been made. (And make no mistake, we have made some blunders over the past 156 years).
It’s a chance to think about all that Canada has accomplished on the international stage and the contributions we have made in everything from sports to the arts, technology to science, medicine to politics, and the military to economics.
And it’s time to reflect on where we are heading as a country, the ways in which we can continue to lead and the ways we can resolve to be better.
I’ve never hidden my pride in being Canadian. I think I hit the jackpot when I was born in this country. Granted, it’s easy for me to say that because I’m from a good family, I’ve lived in good neighbourhoods and I’ve had good opportunities.
But my belief we’ve hit the jackpot extends beyond opportunities. We have a lot of freedoms here.
You might not be a fan of our current prime minister or the current federal government. I’m not. But we can criticize that government. Within reason, of course. We can debate the issues. We can question decisions without having to worry about being arrested. We have the right to protest and the freedom of assembly.
We have the opportunity to vote for the candidate of our choosing without having to worry about reprisal. We don’t have armed soldiers at polling stations, looking to sway your vote towards their preferred candidate or party.
The opportunity to vote is one that billions of people around the world would love to have.
We are able to vote regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation or income. As long as you’re a Canadian citizen and of the requisite age, you can vote.
We live in a majestic country that offers so much stunning scenery. Over the past five years, I’ve been fortunate to spend considerable time in eight of 10 provinces and one territory. It’s been great. Mountains, prairies, dense forests, oceans, lakes – this country has it all.
I know there are people who like to travel to the same location abroad year after year. If that’s your thing, then that’s cool. And when it’s -30 C in January and we still have a couple of months of winter remaining, a trip to Arizona or Mexico or Hawaii sounds pretty wonderful. But many of us are so eager to see other parts of the world that I think we miss out on what we have in the world’s second-largest country.
Last year my Canada Day was spent visiting Halifax, Peggy’s Cove and Lunenberg in Nova Scotia. This year it will be back to more familiar surroundings: Bienfait and Estevan. I had a great time in Nova Scotia last year. But I know I’ll have a great time in the southeast on July 1 this year.
We have a wonderfully diverse nation. Canada’s population just hit 40 million people. In that country, we have people from different nations and cultural backgrounds. Many of us are of European descent. But we have Indigenous people whose ancestors have been here for centuries. We have people of different nationalities and cultures who have come here to follow the opportunities that Canada offers.
The people from other nations have enriched Canada with their music, food and culture, and they have made our communities better.
Yes, there are things in our past that have brought shame and we need to continue to address them. That’s why we need to always resolve to be better.
But when you really think about it, is there anywhere else you’d rather live? Is there a place where you would have it better than you do here in Canada?
If you can think of that place, odds are there is no shortage of people who would gladly swap places with you.
So let’s celebrate Canada Day. Perhaps that celebration is attending an activity or event in your community or a neighbouring area. Maybe it’s finding a place that will have fireworks at night. Or maybe it’s just staying home and giving thanks in quiet prayer for being Canadian.
Regardless, we have a great country and there are many reasons for Canadian pride.
The Rotary Club of Estevan served 705 people during its annual Lobsterfest on Friday, with most people enjoying both freshly-cooked, delicious lobsters and large, juicy grilled steaks.
This year marked a return to the pre-pandemic scale for the event, which is the biggest fundraiser of the year for local Rotarians.
“We were very happy with the way things turned out and the crowd. Everybody had a great time. I circulated and there wasn’t one person that I found who
wouldn’t completely enjoy the meal, the lobster and steak,” said Rotary president Roy Ludwig.
He’s been a Rotarian for six or seven years, he said, and to see such a big crowd again was wonderful.
“It was fantastic. The club was overjoyed. This is one of our main fundraisers along with the ball drop, which is coming up here. And it will allow us to help out with the community in various ways because all of the money that the Rotary Club raises goes back into
the community,” Ludwig said.
For the night, the Rotary Club also made 1,460 cups of melted butter, 800 portions of salad, baked potatoes and dinner rolls to round out the delicious supper.
The total for money raised is still being calculated. Ticket sales generated about $28,000, a 50/50 draw netted almost $2,000, and the silent auction went very well too.
Theresa Williams, a Rotarian who was in charge of decorations this year, paint-
ed four big murals to add to the Lobsterfest atmosphere at Affinity Place. Altogether, there were over 25 Rotarians and other community volunteers that made this event happen.
The club called the event a “huge success”.
“On behalf of the Rotary Club of Estevan, thank you to our community for coming out to support our club once again. We are beyond grateful for the support we receive each and every year,” Rotary said on its Facebook page after the event.
The Estevan Police Service received 789 calls for service in May, according to numbers released at the meeting of the Estevan board of police commissioners on June 20, up from the 608 calls that came in during May 2022.
In the first five months of this year, the EPS has received 3,124 calls for service, a 19.3 per cent increase from the 2,619 calls from Jan. 1-May. 31, 2022.
Calls for service this year remain down by 2.2 per cent from the five-year average of 3,196.
Criminal Code traffic violations and crimes against property are the two areas that saw a noticeable increase when compared to the previous year’s data.
The first five months of the year generated 56 traffic-related charges under Criminal Code versus 37 a year earlier. Impaired driving/exceed-related offences
lead with 44 cases, followed by seven impaired by drug charges and five dangerous driving and other charges.
Ten Criminal Code traffic violations were laid in May as opposed to 11 a year earlier. There were eight charges for impaired/exceed-related offences and two for impairment by drug. It’s also up 19.1 per cent in comparison to 47 for the five-year average.
Crimes against property are at 126, up 31 per cent from 96 the previous year. Thefts under $5,000 (54) and mischief/willful damage (47) cases lead, and are followed by residential break and enters (20) to sum up the bulk of cases in this category in the first five months of 2023.
EPS had a spike in crimes against property in May as well with 42 occurrences as compared to 25 in May 2022, with 17 mischief/willful damage cases, followed by
14 thefts under $5,000, two thefts over $5,000 and one case of a business break and enter.
This category has seen a 12.3 per cent increase from 112.2 in the five-year average.
Last month, the EPS responded to 12 crimes against the person, with seven assaults, three sexual crimes and two assaults causing bodily harm. The number of assaults was down from 15 in May 2022.
In the first five months, there were 58 crimes against the person committed in Estevan, down from 61 a year earlier, with 40 assaults, 16 sexual crimes and two assaults causing bodily harm. However, when compared to the five-year average, this type of crime was up 5.1 per cent from 55.2, with sexual crimes up 56.9 per cent at 16 versus 10.2 on the five-year figure.
Charges under the Con-
trolled Drugs and Substances Act are at 19, down 10 per cent from 21 the previous year. Eleven charges were laid for possession and eight were for trafficking. There was one charge last month under the CDSA, the same as in May 2022. This May the charge was laid for possession.
The five-year-average for CDSA violations is one per cent lower than this year’s.
The bylaw enforcement officer report for Special Const. Anna Volmer showed that she had 106 occurrences last month, led by 28 animal calls, 26 other bylaw calls, 23 parking violations and 11 unkempt property inspections.
So far this year, among the 560 calls for bylaw, the bulk of the occurrences have been 143 for other bylaw, 132 for parking violations, 84 for animal calls, 76 snow-removal notices and 45 unkempt property inspections.
goofball. My favourite things to do is playing fetch and tug of war. I’m also a big fan of the snow! The staff at the shelter say I’m a good learner, and will thrive with someone who
Brandon Geerts says he is thrilled to have The LB Liquor Store open in Estevan.
The business held its grand opening Thursday night, with a large crowd converging on the celebrations. The event featured samples and tastings from suppliers, discounts and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Beatz Eatz’s food truck was on site.
LB Liquor is located in the former site of the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority’s Estevan store, on the property of the Estevan Market Mall. The SLGA store closed in mid-February as part of the Government of Saskatchewan’s move to exit from the sale of alcohol.
“It feels pretty surreal [to be open],” said Geerts, who is the president of retail operations for LB Liquor. “It’s been a busy three weeks while we’ve taken
possession of this building. We took it on June 1st and it’s been a very, very busy few weeks for us to turn this around into a fullfunctional liquor store in that short amount of time.”
The LB Liquor Store purchased the Estevan retail permit that belonged to the SLGA store back in February, and then the process of getting the store open began. They had to tackle preparation work, get ready for hiring, determine needs for equipment, and arrange for contract work and supplies.
“It’s about 6,000 square feet now, which we feel is the right size for a liquor store in Estevan,” said Geerts. “We had it painted, we refinished the floors. The exterior was refinished. The signage was put on.”
An 800-square-foot walk-in cooler should be ready by the end of summer, he said. It will have ready-to-drink beverages
and all of beer. The beer is on shelves and standup coolers; those coolers, which are located at the entrance to what will be the walk-in cooler, will eventually be removed.
LB Liquor will employ about 10 people.
The old SLGA store oc-
cupied about 9,000 square feet. The remaining space in the building will be used for another business.
Geerts said their approach is to be a competitive player in terms of price and provide good value to the people of Estevan. They’re also looking to offer a good shopping experience, so employees were hired with customer service skills in mind.
“In Estevan, there was an opportunity for us to get a permit here, and the partnership that owns LB Liquor Stores saw this size of community and thought it was a good fit for what we are trying to do.”
The company is excited to be here and looking forward to being part of the community.
As for the name, Geerts said some people realize LB used to be the slang name for the SLGA Liquor Board store.
“We decided we should take a name that has some brand recognition already in the province of Saskatchewan, and we decided to call it LB liquor stores. So that’s where the name comes from.”
During the grand opening, he introduced the members of the team, including manager Danielle Miller and Nicholas
Wawryk, who is the general manager of operations, technology & marketing.
“Danielle and her team moved mountains this week to get us to this point, and I have no doubt the success you’ll see from this store,” said Geerts.
He also thanked his family for being so understanding during the past couple of months.
The Estevan location is the first for The LB Liquor Store in Saskatchewan.
They also purchased the permit for Weyburn, but that store is not open yet. He hopes it will be open before the end of the summer.
By David WillbergOne of the longest-serving employees for the City of Estevan is retiring.
Norm Mack, who has been working in the city’s public works division for 36 years, announced his departure earlier this month. His final day is June 30.
“I think I’ve put my service in for long enough,” Mack told the Mercury. “It’s not a bad thing to have a fresh person in there and some fresh ideas, and I’m at the age where I just want to slow down a bit. That is a very demanding job.”
Mack became the manager of the public works’ roads and drainage division on Jan. 1, 2016, and said he is on call around the clock.
“This particular job, you’re dealing with snowstorms, floods, dust storms and hailstorms,” said Mack. “So you’re dealing with problems all of the
time. You’re always troubleshooting.”
The decision to retire wasn’t a difficult one. When he asked retired people how they knew it was time to move on, they told him he would just know.
“I’ve achieved all that I wanted to do when I started. We had a new management team when I started in the new position, with me and Jeff [city manager Jeff Ward],” said Mack, who also noted Rod March had been hired as the city’s parks manager the previous year.
Mack always worked in public works. He worked in stores for nearly a decade, and then he was an equipment operator for 10 years, a roads and drainage foreman for a few years and finally the manager of roads and drainage.
“Since I became a manager, we have upgraded our equipment. We have come up with some later-model equipment. We added an-
other snowblower to our fleet that speeds up snow removal from, in the past, two to three weeks. In a week, we can do a complete city [snow-removal] job,” he said.
Technology has changed. Now their phones are loaded with apps that help them with their jobs.
“The bottom line is there’s still a lot of physical work and laborious work, and we just made sure that it got done. Our main focus in public works, roads and drainage, is if there was a problem or a complaint, we dealt with it that day, not the next day.”
With the advent of social media, a lot of the city jobs are under the microscope, but Mack said as long as staff members do their job, they don’t have problems.
“The public’s been really supportive. We’ve always had compliments. It’s been a good journey, but it’s a
job that’s demanding. Very demanding,” Mack said. When he started, he didn’t know how long he would last, but he found the city to be a good place to work. They treated Mack well, both as an employee and a manager.
The Southeast College, in conjunction with the Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan, has an-
“I started at the bottom of the city 36 years ago and it was a place where they allowed me to rise to top in management,” he said.
“What else can a person ask for than to work from the bottom up?”
Mack credited Mayor
nounced the expansion of its early childhood education programs, offered through the Canada-Saskatchewan Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement 2021-2026.
Southeast College has received a funding increase to support the addition of one full-time early childhood education diploma program and two additional part-time programs.
The full-time program will be located at the Estevan campus and the two part-time programs will be in Assiniboia and Indian Head. The funding allows students to obtain the first year of their education free of tuition and book expenses.
“Southeast College is very pleased to receive additional funding to assist with attracting, retaining and growing a strong
Roy Ludwig and the previous mayors he worked for, as well as the previous councils and city managers, for allowing him to do what he thought was best.
Mack said the city is in good hands. He called Ward a “strong leader” and in public works, there are a lot of good employees.
Now that he is retiring, Mack will focus on his other business ventures.
He has the Mack Auction Company and Mack Realty, a relatively new company that started last year. It has commercial and agricultural real estate. Brad Wilson is the broker and realtor for the company.
He’s also looking forward to travelling and camping a little bit, and dedicating time to his other passion: yard work.
“I’m a grass and flower guy, and I want to spend time on a bit of that,” said Mack.
workforce of early childhood educators,” said Vicky Roy, president and CEO of Southeast College.
“We are very excited to be able to provide flexible learning opportunities such as these for our students, as this allows for our students to be able to still work if they choose and go to school. It’s a win-win opportunity for everyone.”
Applications for the full-time program will be accepted immediately, with the first year of the program starting in September 2023. For more detailed information, including important application deadlines, please visit the college’s website at www.southeastcollege.org.
Part-time courses will be set up for registration on the Southeast College website once the schedule is finalized.
A battery fire occurred near Stoughton on early Monday afternoon. The fire was located approximately 16 kilometres north and six kilometres east of the town. Large clouds of dark smoke could be seen coming from the battery site. Fire crews were at the scene of the incident.
An Alameda man has pleaded guilty to six charges in connection with an incident involving the Carnduff RCMP that occurred last December.
Theodore Allan Brycks, 67, pleaded guilty on June 19 in Estevan Provincial Court. He was then sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison. A large crowd, including members of the Carnduff RCMP, gathered in the courtroom for the proceedings.
Brycks pleaded guilty to one count each for:
•Possession of a restricted or prohibited firearm;
•Possession of a weapon contrary to an order;
•Use of a firearm while commissioning an offence;
•Resisting arrest.
•Uttering threats; and
•Failing to comply with a probation order.
The 5 1/2-year sentence was a joint submission from the prosecution and the defence. Brycks’ total sentence amounts to 2,008 days. He has spent 195 days on remand in custody since the incident on Dec. 7, which was credited as 292 days
against his sentence, so he will spend 1,716 days in jail after the sentence was handed down.
Arjun Shankar, who was the Crown prosecutor for the matter, said the Carnduff RCMP was called to Brycks’ home last December because Brycks violated the terms of his probation by contacting Bell Media and a CTV News personality.
He was on probation since July 2021 as a result of convictions of harassment against the broadcaster, after he sent a large number of emails on or around Sept. 1, 2020, to the newsperson.
He then sent emails to the news personality on Dec. 6 of last year despite the order.
Two Carnduff RCMP officers went to Brycks’ home on Dec. 7 of last year. Shankar said they asked officers from the Carlyle RCMP to attend in case assistance was needed.
When officers arrived, they told Brycks he was under arrest for violating his probation.
“The accused replied ‘No, I’m not’ and walked in the house,” Shankar said. “Both
constables followed the accused into the house.”
In a low-lit area, Brycks grabbed an object from a cabinet. The officers recognized it as a firearm and took evasive action, Shankar said, opening fire with their service weapons. One officer discharged 11 rounds and the other used 15 rounds.
“Both constables described hearing gunshots, that the accused fired their firearm at them first,” said Shankar.
Brycks might have fired his gun, but there is no evidence of that. Shankar said it is clear Brycks picked up a firearm that was later proven to be prohibited. Brycks later threw his firearm at the officers, said he was done, and was then tackled to the ground and advised he was under arrest.
Nobody was physically injured in the exchange.
“I say that with the caveat that this very nearly could have resulted in multiple deaths. This is a situation of extreme gravity,” said Shankar.
It’s not just the safety of the officers that must be kept in mind, according to
Shankar, it’s also the safety of the people in the community.
The two officers who responded to the scene provided victim-impact statements, explaining how the incident affected their ability to do their jobs and the consequences of the incident on their personal lives. Both needed time off after the incident and have sought psychological treatment. One officer said he has been diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder.
The wife of one officer submitted a statement as well, and the family of the other officer also wrote a letter.
Brycks’ attorney Joelle Graham said her client has suffered from some mental illness, which did influence his decisions and behaviours, particularly when it came to breaking the conditions of his probation.
“Sometimes people use time in custody to get some things straightened out for them that they weren’t able to get straightened out on their own,” she said. “So perhaps this will be an opportunity for Mr. Brycks to
ed guilty in Carlyle Provincial Court on June 14 to one violation of The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 1996.
The company was fined for contravening clause 12(c) of “being an employ-
er, failing to comply with the duties of an employer at a place of employment, including the provision of any information, instruction, training and supervision that is necessary to protect the health and safety of workers at work,
resulting in the serious injury of a worker.” One additional charge was withdrawn.
As a result, the court imposed a fine of $107,142.90 with a $42,857.10 surcharge, for a total amount of $150,000.
The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred near Kisbey on July 19, 2019, when a worker suffered serious injuries while attempting to diagnose a hydraulic line that was leaking hydraulic oil.
Hidden
get … into a better state of mind.”
In her dealings with him, Graham said Brycks has been nothing but polite and respectful. He has been remorseful for the harm he has caused officers and their families.
Brycks worked as a mechanic and purchased a house in Alameda in 2008. Graham said he has no intention to ever return to Alameda, and Graham asked that he serve his sentence at a penitentiary in Manitoba.
In accepting the joint submission, Judge Michelle Brass said she could see the “profound” impact that the incident had on the officers and their families.
“To be faced with a loaded weapon is quite a terrifying experience which has led to lasting impacts,” said Brass. Among the conditions for Brycks will be a lifetime firearms prohibition and a permanent ban from contacting Bell Media and its employees. He cannot contact the officers involved.
Brycks was initially charged with attempted murder in connection with the incident. Those charges were withdrawn earlier this year, and replaced with 11 new charges. The second set of charges was withdrawn and replaced with the six new offences.
By Jeannette Betteridge
Hill View Manor had a lot of activities planned for residents in June.
Father’s Day was June 18, and we had a special lunch for the dads here at the home, followed by an outing to the South East Military Museum at the Royal Canadian Legion in Estevan.
We requested a letter from each family, telling us what they thought was special about their dad. We read the letters from each family member to their father right after they finished lunch. The letters were then given to the dads as a special keepsake.
The gardens and flowers have been planted, adding beautiful colours to our yard.
Other activities for the month are daily Bingo, exer-
cises four times per week to help us stay fit, card games, movies, crokinole, bowling, bean bag toss, Yahtzee and shuffleboard.
We will also be having an ice cream social. This is loved by all the residents and very yummy to say the least.
Shared read is a group activity we do for anyone who might be visually impaired or maybe just wants to listen to the short stories.
The last Friday of the month is loonie Bingo, followed by wine and cheese or fruit juice for anyone not wanting wine.
Outings this month were to Black Beard’s Restaurant for lunch and Walmart. We went to the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Course for lunch and cart rides. This is always a very nice outing.
June 8 was a trip to the Energy City Ex to enjoy the fair and rodeo.
On June 25 we had a family fun day, which was a fun time for all. Entertainment was provided by Laurie Fornwald. Bugsy the pony made an appearance, and there were games for anyone wishing to play them.
We had two birthdays to celebrate in June as Henry L. is 94 and Ed F. is 86. Happy birthday to both.
We have a couple here in the home, Bob and Ivadelle G., that will be celebrating
Forgetting what is behind
Generalizations are helpful because they show a pattern that is normally true. However, they are also dangerous because they ignore the exceptions to the rule.
Here is my generalization: it is a quality of the strong to be able to forget the past and move on.
The apostle Paul summarizes this idea when he states, “One thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on to-
ward the goal to win the prize for which God had called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
Too often, we trip over things that are behind us.
Tim Pippus of the Estevan Church of Christ
We remember and nurse old hurts. We rehearse mistakes that no one else recalls. In doing so, we pull the past into the present and allow it to dictate how we feel right now.
In these cases, we would be better off “forgetting what is behind”. No matter how many times we replay the incidents in our minds, we cannot go back and alter their outcomes. All we can do is live today and move forward from where we are now.
Incidentally, it is not just our past mistakes that cause us trouble. Dwelling too much on our former success can cause us to be discontented with our current circumstances. Too
their 72nd wedding anniversary. Congratulations to them. They are new to the manor. We would like to welcome a few other new residents: Bruce B., Shirley A. and Lucille W.
much looking back may make us long for the good old days when we were younger, healthier, and full of potential.
Again, the effect is that we become discouraged with our current life because it is not full of amazing or fulfilling circumstances like those we remember.
Now, here is the exception to this rule: if there is something from your past that you need to deal with, please get the help you need to do so. Stuffing your
feelings down or pretending that nothing happened is not a healthy way to deal with actual harm or loss. That strategy will backfire every time. The issue is that we cannot allow ourselves to be trapped by the past, whether good or bad. We must continue living in this moment and not spend our days yearning for or regretting what went before. It is a quality of the strong to be able to move on.
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Hill View Manor has had plenty to do for residents this month. File photo Retirement Living Community Trinity Tower • Full Kitchens • Emergency Response System • Hair Salon
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The Royal Canadian Legion’s Estevan branch invited the community to come to support Darrel Tessier, who was badly injured in a motorcycle crash in North Dakota last month.
His wife Leigh-Ann Tessier was killed in the crash.
The benefit – a fundraising steak supper – was held Sunday, raising approximately $20,000 as donations kept coming in as of Monday, said legion treasurer Leonard Grube. The legion was able to sell 284 tickets at $50 each, with 100 per cent of proceeds going to Darrel.
The Southern Plains Co-op, where Leigh-Ann worked for nearly two decades, supplied the food at their cost, and Estevan Motors, where Darrel works, said they’d provide another donation to go towards the food. The legion handled organizing the supper, prepar-
ing everything and absorbing any remaining costs.
Leigh-Ann’s parents, Sandra and the late Vince McGillicky, were life members at the legion, and LeighAnn and Darrel themselves also used to be involved with the organization.
“Darrel and Leigh-Ann both were members up until COVID and probably would have joined again when things got going,” Grube said, explaining why the legion did their best to support the family.
“Not only that, but we also just thought that it was the right thing to do as a community organization. They are members of this community and Leigh-Ann and Darrell are both well known by all of us here at the Legion in particular.”
The legion received a lot of support and positive feedback on the supper and how well the event was organized,
Many people came to the Royal Canadian Legion’s Estevan branch on Sunday for the benefit supporting Darrel Tessier, who was badly injured in a motorcycle crash in North Dakota in which his wife Leigh-Ann Tessier was killed.
and they were also grateful for the community support.
“We would like to thank the community for their support through meal tickets
and through any donations that were given. And a special thanks to all of our volunteers that helped organize the event day,” Grube said.
As we approach Canada’s birthday let us celebrate the fact that we live
About 20 people helped make the event happen on Sunday.
Leigh-Ann Tessier, 43, was killed and her 42-year-
old husband Darrel was seriously injured on May 28 in North Dakota when the motorcycle they were riding was struck by a pick-up truck east of Fortuna. Both Tessiers were wearing helmets when the collision occurred.
Darrel Tessier has been receiving care at Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, N.D. Grube said as of Monday, Darrel was still in the hospital, being treated for his injuries, and another operation was planned for him before he could be moved to Canada.
Leigh-Ann is remembered for her enjoyment of being around people and her desire to live life to the fullest. The incident remains under investigation by the North Dakota State Highway Patrol, and charges against the pick-up truck driver are pending.
2023 Property Tax Notices were mailed out Thursday, June 8, 2023. Please contact City Hall if you did not receive your property tax notice or need to update your mailing / contact information.
2023 Taxes are due: July 31, 2023
Penalties are accumulative, applied the 1st of each month starting August 1, 2023 as follows: August .5%, September 1%, October 1.5%, November 2.5%, December 3.5%
Arrears Penalty of 10% will be added to all outstanding amounts on January 1, 2024
Payment Options:
• In person at City Hall, Open Monday through Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm
➢ Payments accepted by Cash, Cheque or Debit
• Mail to: 1102 Fourth Street, Estevan, SK S4A 0W7
• City Hall Drop Box – located at main entrance at City Hall. Cheques only please.
• Payment can also be made on-line / or at your financial institution.
• Pay via credit card through a third-party service provider called Plastiq.
Customers using this service will be charged a 2.5% service fee per transaction by the provider.
o To pay via Plastiq please visit their website at www.plastiq.com you will need a credit card as well as the 12 digit roll number (don’t include the decimal, but use all the numbers) that is found on the top right hand portion of your Notice of Property Tax Levies
Interested in pre-paying your taxes monthly?
The City of Estevan offers (TIPPS) tax installment payment plan service. TIPPS allows property owners to pre-pay their property tax bill in 12 monthly installments making budgeting easier with no added fees or penalties. Monthly withdrawals are made on the first banking day of each month.
TIPPS applications forms are available at City Hall or by visiting our website at www.estevan.ca
The best time to start would be August 1, 2023 to prepay for 2024. Contact City Hall 306-634-1800 for more information.
The City of Estevan is undertaking construction for the Watermain replacement. The affected area includes all of Mcleod Avenue.
Property access and parking restrictions are to occur. This work will commence June 5, 2023 and will take approximately eight (8) weeks to complete (subject to weather) City of Estevan will perform this work within the current Bylaw regulations and specifications.
Safety Construction site could be dangerous. If you have children, please ask them to keep a safe distance from the site. We will take every precaution to ensure public safety, but we need your assistance to constrain the natural curiosity of younger children. Please DO NOT attempt to go close to areas affected.
Theft or Vandalism
If you see any act of vandalism, theft or anyone suspiciously tampering with equipment, signage or barricades, please contact 306-634-1800, or after hours call Police.
Questions and Concerns
The City of Estevan, Engineering Services apologize for any inconveniences that this work may cause.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation and patience. If you have any question or concerns, please call at 634-1800 or approach the supervisor or foreman on site.
As we approach Canada’s birthday let us celebrate the fact that we live in the greatest country on Earth!!!
The Estevan Playparks and Paddling Pools, a long-time summer tradition in Estevan, is going to begin in early July.
Four playparks will be open this year: Hillcrest, Churchill, Hillside and Rusty Duce. The latter is in the Pleasantdale area. Each has an assigned play leader: Rachel Knoll (Hillcrest), Katie Milbrandt (Churchill), Jersey Hirkala (Hillside) and Madison Flaman (Rusty Duce).
Parks will be open for crafts, activities and games from 10:30 a.m. to noon and swimming from 1-5 p.m., from Monday to Friday, except for holidays. There will also be occasional night swims and Saturday swims at the paddling pools on an alternating basis during the season, while a giant slip and slide will be at Royal Heights Veterans’ Memorial Park a handful of times in July and August.
This year will mark the first time since 2019 that the Churchill paddling pool will be open for the full season. It reopened midway through last year’s season after being
shut down due to a restoration project.
Each week will have a different theme: Bugs and Butterflies (July 3-7), Around the World (July 10-14), Superhero Training (July 1721), Dinosaurs (July 24-28), Tropical Paradise (July 31-Aug. 4), Bubbles (Aug. 8-11), Down on the Farm (Aug. 14-18) and Mystery Week (Aug. 21-25).
A pancake breakfast is slated for July 20 at Churchill Park from 10 a.m.-noon.
The playpark program is open to all children under the age of 11. Children six years or under must be accompanied by a supervisor over the age of 15.
Paddling pools are for children ages zero to 11. No running is allowed on the pool
deck, and diving, swearing and horseplay are also not permitted.
Children are asked to clean off sand before entering a pool. No food or drinks are allowed on the pool deck, and glass containers cannot be around the pool area. Misuse of toys will not be allowed, and harassment or bullying will not be tolerated.
pool, waterslides and wibit at the Estevan Leisure Centre
Join Tourism Estevan for a guided Historical Walking Tour
Visit Mainprize Regional Park –see their website for special events www.mainprizepark.com
Watch “Ranchers and Rustlers II – The Big Heist” at Souris Valley Theatre www.sourisvalleytheatre.ca
Dance the night away at Estevan’s Best Event, The DBA’s Street Dance on July 22 in the Tower Café parking lot
Attend the Estevan Car Club’s Show & Shine events at the corner of 5th St & 13th Ave the 3rd Friday each month
Try the famous SIGA Burger at Growlers Restaurant at Bear Claw Casino & Hotel www.bearclawcasino.ca
Bring the whole family for a fun-filled day at the Beach Bash at Woodlawn Boundary Beach on August 11th
Watch the “A.R. Cash Show: A Tribute to Johnny & June” presented by Affinity Credit Union at Frehlick Hall in Woodlawn Park
Explore the stunning Roche Percee rock formations in the nearby town of Roche Percee
Bring your blanket, snacks, and a friend for a memorable outdoor movie night on the beach at Boundary Stage
Downtown Estevan is the place to be August 26th for the Street Fair
Enter the Tourism Estevan & Bass Battles Angling Tournament www.bassbattles.ca 36
Take your fur baby to the dog park at Woodlawn and enjoy some quality time together 37
38 39
Eat lunch while enjoying the Garden on 4th Street
#FindYourSummerAtCoop with a Cool Slush or Cold Drink from Southern Plains Co-op C-Stores
Borrow a Park Pass from your Library for free entry to any Saskatchewan Regional Park www.southeastlibrary.ca 40
The Carnduff Education Complex is celebrating its 2023 graduates.
Thirty-one students will be graduating from the school this year.
After a few years of changes and challenges, the graduates were able to enjoy a normal school year where they had their education routine as well as all
sports and other extracurricular activities.
“Students have had an excellent year,” said principal Ryan Nichols.
“We had a very good year athletically. We received the sportsmanship banner for 3A girls’ volleyball. And we also had our first provincial track championship in the
quad. Carter Beck won a provincial track championship.
“And our kids have been in activities within school and outside as well.”
The Carnduff Education Complex graduation ceremony and the following grad parade take place June 28, with the ceremony starting at 6 p.m. at the
school gym, followed by a parade through Carnduff
The traditional ceremony will recognize the graduates and scholarship winners and will also see an address by the valedictorian.
The grad parade tradition was born out of the pandemic and became really popular with the community. Graduates and
The Estevan Thunder U15 softball team came home with a second-place finish at the Borderline League playoffs in Redvers on June 18. The Thunder’s path to the final pitted them against the top three teams in the Borderline League. The Thunder started the day with a 16-9 win against third-place Kipling. They then defeated a team from Carlyle 8-4 in the semifinal. In the final, the Thunder were up against the top team in the league, the Carlyle Cardinals. The Thunder took a 6-1 lead into the third inning but ultimately fell 15-9.
their escorts have decorated platforms set up on flat-deck trailers, which go through town to allow all residents to become a part of the celebration.
“Parades allow people who don’t come to the ceremonies a chance to recognize and have a look at this year’s graduates,” Nichols said.
The Carnduff Education Complex and its staff wish the graduating class all the best in their next chapters
“We have an excellent graduating class,” said Nichols.
“And we’d like to recognize our graduates and wish them all the best on behalf of our school administration and staff.”
The Estevan Public Youth Centre is hosting its firstever EPYC Olympics in July.
The series of fun sportslike events will start July 4 and will run through July 8.
“We decided that we wanted to expand our summer programming a little bit with our new executive director that we hired this year. He has been trying to incorporate some new ideas, trying to take a look at what the needs are in the community, and as well, he’s been working with a core group of student leaders, and they wanted to do something that is a little more fun, something different than they’re doing during the day,” said EPYC board member Patrick Fisher.
“They’re trying to get used to feeling more apt to come into the centre, trying to do things outside.”
There are five days of various fun Olympic events on the agenda. Participants don’t have to partake in all of them and can choose what they are more interested in.
The event is open to current EPYC patrons as well as any youth interested in joining.
“We are consistently getting new youths who have never visited the centre be-
fore, which is good. It’s also an opportunity for those that aren’t familiar with the centre or haven’t been there to try it out,” Fisher said.
“Now with the change in grades, there’s a lot of earlier grades getting excited that they can start coming to the youth centre over the summer.”
Fisher noted that EPYC is trying to find the right balance between various types of activities for their youth.
“We’re trying to have a balance between all different activities to give youths reasons to come in every day based on what they’re most comfortable with. If they are more interested in board games, there are board games. If they are into something more physical, we’re trying to get back to renting the [leisure cen-
tre’s] multi-purpose room and renting out the pool to be able to provide programming on that side. It’s all about trying to find balance in everything. And with summer when the weather’s nice, we definitely want to try and do more things outside,” Fisher said.
Olympics is one of the options to get the physical game component added to their days.
The week of the Olympics will go as follows:
July 4 will see the Floor is Lava Relay Race for teams of two.
In this game, there will be a series of objects and furniture to use and jump around in order to make it through to pass an item onto the next person. If a player touches the ground, they go back to the start.
Then it will go into Ultimate Hopscotch. In this game, individuals will play in a giant hopscotch game where balance is key.
The next day, participants will compete in Just Dance Dance-Off – a bracket tournament to determine the best possible Just Dance dancer.
Yeatball for teams of two will follow. Skeeball meets cornhole in this even larger challenge. Players will alternate back and forth throwing a ball at a large board with different holes that are each worth different amounts of points.
July 6 will start with the Fill Your Bucket Speed Race for teams of two. Teammate A will hold the legs of teammate B while teammate B will walk on their hands.
While holding the handle of a small bucket in their mouth teammate B will use their hands to pick up all the items along a path to the finish line.
The same day will be Sharp-Shooter, in which using a Nerf gun, participants must hit as many targets in two minutes as they can.
On July 7, Olympics contestants are invited to partake in Name that Flavour. For this game participants will be tasting various hotdogs all boiled in various liquids.
Later that day will be Crab Soccer for teams of two, in which kids play soccer while moving around like a crab.
Finally, July 8 will see the Limbo Relay Race for teams of two. The first person on a team will limbo through,
then pass an item to their teammate, who will then limbo through the course, passing the item back to their teammate goes through a second time with the limbo bars being lowered.
The same day will be the Jump Rope Race, for which participants will have to race while jumping a rope.
If anyone wishes to sign up, they can come into the centre and register for any games. Five of the games require a teammate.
EPYC is also seeking new board members as well as volunteers to keep their operations going smoothly and to keep local youths engaged.
“We’re looking to try to have people who are invested in wanting to see the youth centre continue on to join our board,” Fisher said.
“Volunteers are also in need. It’s not a huge commitment. It requires a criminal record check. And basically, you can come whenever you’re able to. It’s a really good chance to interact with youth. It is a lot of fun. And we’ve started to get a couple of new volunteers, which is good, but having more is always nice.”
For more details, phone the centre at 306-421-3134.
The Estevan U18 AA Brewers finished their weekend games on a high note with a 9-4 win over the North Battleford Beavers Sunday afternoon at Lynn Prime Park.
Jayden Kuchinka led the way offensively for the Brewers with a run, a hit and two runs batted in. Estevan scored six times in the second inning.
Tanyan Strudwick started and allowed just one run and struck out six in 4 2/3 innings. Sam Bendickson came on in relief and didn’t give up an earned run in 2 1/3 innings.
The win came after three losses on the weekend. Estevan fell 5-2 to the Beavers in the first game of the doubleheader.
Jacob Mayer went the distance on the mound, giving up five runs, four of them earned, and striking out six.
The day before, the Brewers lost 5-4 and 9-3 to the Parkland Expos. The Brewers scored three times in the fourth to lead 5-4, but gave up one in the fifth and two in the sixth. Michael Meshke had a run, a hit and two RBIs.
Starter Justin Linthicum gave up three runs in five innings.
Estevan then lost 9-3 to the Parkland Expos. Kuchinka was the starting pitcher and went five innings.
The Brewers (16-5-1) will be at a tournament during the Canada Day weekend.
Two Estevan teams in the Regina Baseball League have wrapped up their regular seasons.
The Estevan U15 AA Brewers (12-6-2) crunched the Regina Expos 11-1 Sunday. Aidan Turner started on the pitcher’s mound for Estevan and went four innings, allowing one run on one hit and striking out three.
Kristopher Phillips and Ayden McKenzie each had two hits for the Brewers, and the team stole nine bases.
The win over the Expos came after two losses to the Regina White Sox, as Estevan fell 8-5 and 9-5.
The game was tied at five in the fifth, but the White Sox pulled away.
Turner and Broden Henry both had two hits for the Brewers.
Phillips was on the pitcher’s mound for the Brewers. He lasted 3 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and five runs while striking out six. Tanner
Gillespie threw 3 2/3 innings in relief.
In the second game, the teams were tied at 4-4 in the fifth when the White Sox pulled away. Estevan lost despite outhitting Regina 6-2.
Quintin Sliva started the game for Estevan, lasting three innings, allowing zero hits and two runs while striking out one.
Logan Kolenz went 2-for-2 at the plate to lead Estevan Brewers’ offence.
Earlier in the week, Estevan recovered from surrendering five runs in the first inning to win 8-7 over the Weyburn Beavers last Wednesday.
Phillips, Gillespie, Henry, Sliva and Turner all had one hit to lead the offence. Estevan also stole nine bases.
The Estevan U13 AA Brewers finished their season with a 19-1 record, after defeating the Lumsden Cubs 13-9 and 15-9 on Saturday.
A Facebook post said the Brewers had their toughest competition to date from the Cubs. Both games were close until the final innings.
The Brewers came
through with hitting, pitching and a double play during one of the games.
•••
The Estevan U11 AA Brewers went 3-1 during the weekend.
First, they split games against the Davidson Cardinals on Saturday, losing 10-8 but recovering to win 6-3.
In the first game, they were down eight runs in the second inning, but scored six times in the fifth to make the game interesting.
Kane Massier had a home run in the game.
Ripyn Brown threw three
innings of scoreless baseball in relief.
In the second game, the Brewers took the lead for good with five runs in the fourth inning. Dane Johnson hit a solo home run in the frame.
Starting pitcher Nash Cameron went five innings, allowing two runs on six hits and striking out 11.
Then the Brewers picked up two convincing wins over the Regina Yankees on Sunday, winning 12-2 and 18-8. Estevan scored six times in the fourth inning of Game 1, with five different players
getting RBIs. Cameron had a home run in the first inning.
Hunter Nicholson was the starting pitcher, surrendering two runs on three hits over four innings.
In the next game, the Brewers overcame six runs by the Yankees in the second inning. Estevan, meanwhile, had six runs of their own in each of the second and third innings.
Six players had RBIs in the second stanza.
The Brewers (22-2) will wrap up their regular season on July 3 with games at the Moose Jaw Canucks.
It was a great weekend for the Estevan Storm’s softball teams.
The Highway 39 League Tournament finals were held Friday and
Saturday at the Pleasantdale Softball Diamonds in Estevan, with games happening in both the under-11 and U13 age groups.
In the U11 division, the Storm beat the Radville Red Sox 13-5 in the gold-medal contest. The Weyburn Blue Sox edged the Estevan Tornados 11-
10 in the bronze-medal matchup.
As for the U13 division, the Storm defeated the Estevan Tornados 12-6 to win the gold medal. The
39
Weyburn Oilwomen defeated the Weyburn YF Wives 18-8 in the bronze medal game.
There were seven teams entered in each tourna-
ment. The U11 Storm were the fifth-ranked team in their competition, while the U13 Storm were the fourth-seeded entry in their division.
For the second straight year, talented softball players from the Prairie provinces will flock to Estevan for the Energy City Exposure Showcase at the Pleasantdale Softball Diamonds.
Event spokesperson Morgan Walter said this event is designed to provide athletes who play softball competitively, as well as players who are looking to advance to the collegiate level, the chance to play in front of coaches from universities within the U.S. and Canada.
This year the showcase
has doubled in size with 10 teams in attendance from across Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta. The three-day event will begin on June 30 with numerous skills camps hosted by Michael Mook, who is a college coach from West Texas A&M University.
The day will wrap up with player metric testing to provide the college coaches with the most up-to-date statistics for each player in attendance.
July 1 will offer a youth skills camp in the morning
with Mook, and the tournament play will start at noon. Games will run throughout that afternoon and all day on July 2.
Walter said there will be coaches present, looking to recruit players for their teams in the coming years.
The inaugural Energy City Exposure was held last year with the intent to provide talented softball players from the Prairie provinces an opportunity to play in front of college coaches. Hosting this event again provides a great opportunity to contin-
ue to build the sport of softball in the province and to bring support to businesses in Estevan, she said.
“This will be a great opportunity for the city of Estevan to get involved and show their support to the youth athletes who will be participating,” Walter said. “We will have a fullystocked concession open all weekend with also a 50-50 draw each day. We encourage the community to come out to support.”
Two local softball teams will be participating in this
event. The U15 and U17 South East Sun Devils will play four games each over the weekend.
The U15 Sun Devils will play July 1 against the Westman Magic from Manitoba at 4 p.m. and the Lumsden Cubs at 7:30 p.m. Then they play the Magic at 8:30 a.m. and the Cubs at 3:30 p.m. the following day.
The U17 Sun Devils face the Central Alberta Selects at 4 p.m. and Edmonton’s Rivercity Hornets Forsberg at 7:30 p.m. on July 1. Then on July 2 they play the
Rivercity Hornets Labonte at noon and the Westman Magic at 3:30 p.m.
Walter said the Estevan Softball Association wants to thank the local businesses who helped bring this event to Estevan for another year. Their support contributes directly to the athletes participating and helps the organizers make this event run smoothly.
“We hope to make this event one to remember and plan to continue to host Energy City Exposure for years to come,” she said.
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Estevan had a variety of emergencies requiring first responders’ assistance last week, including accidents, elevator entrapment, and fire alarms. And the Estevan Fire Rescue Service crews were where the community needed them the most.
On June 21 at about 7:30 a.m., a call came from the north-central area of the city, where a commercial fire alarm went off. Firefighters responded, but quickly determined that the alarm was triggered by maintenance work on site and their assistance wasn’t required.
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Shortly after that, at about 8:15 a.m., another call for service saw crews heading to southeast Estevan to perform an elevator rescue. Firefighters assisted in safely removing a number of occupants from an elevator at the location. Estevan
Fire Chief Rick Davies said it was a malfunction with the elevator that didn’t allow for the doors to open, so crews had to zero out the whole system and manually open it.
Later that evening at around 7:30 p.m., crews were dispatched for another fire alarm in central Estevan. It was quickly determined that the alarm was accidentally triggered, so they assisted with resetting it.
The next call for service came in on June 23 at 6:30 p.m., when crews were dispatched for another commercial fire alarm activation in the south-central area. It was soon found the alarm was also accidentally triggered and firefighters’ assistance wasn’t required.
On June 24 at about 9:20 a.m., crews responded to a vehicle versus pedestrian accident in west Estevan. Estevan EMS was already on scene helping one person with injuries, so firefighters returned to the station.
Firefighters were called to another accident involving a motorcycle on the east side of Estevan on June 25 just before 3 p.m. Firefighters responded and assisted EMS and Estevan Police Service at the scene.
LIGHT
BUGS... TOUGH
MIXED GRAIN
SPRING THRASHED
WHEAT... OATS
PEAS... BARLEY
CANOLA... FLAX
“ON FARM PICKUP”
With heavy hearts, we, the family of Donald James Pawson, announce his passing on June 7, 2023. A Celebration of Life will be held at Hall Funeral Services, Estevan, Saskatchewan on August 14, 2023 at 1:00 p.m.
Remember Your Loved Ones with a Memorial Tribute in The Mercury
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TAX
Notice is hereby given under The Tax Enforcement Act that unless the arrears and costs appearing opposite the land described in the following list are fully paid before the 21st day of August, 2023, a tax lien will be registered against the land.
Dated at Midale, this 21st day of June, 2023. Sarah Leck Administrator Part of Lot Lot Blk. Parcel Plan Title No. Total Arrears Part of Section Section Twp Range Meridian and Costs A 67R24005 Ext 0 2 128584064 $ 133.87 A 67R24005 Ext 0 2 128584086 133.87 B Plan 101369594 Ext 17 2 145937469 2,105.23 NE 16 5 10 Ext 0 2 148184781 1,886.99 NE 18 5 11 Ext 6 2 148830587 955.66 A Plan 101507420 Ext 68 2 153896552 661.15 A Plan 101507420 Ext 68 2 153896563 661.15 A Plan 101507420 Ext 68 2 153896574 661.15 B Plan 102214684 Ext 0 2 156187581 2,452.42
Estevan Junior High held its annual awards night in June 1995 and shown here are some of the students who were major winners. Front row, from left, Brian Schmuland, Theresa Friess, Ryan Anderson, Robert Potoma and Alison Memory Back row, Douglas Sholter, James Potoma, Taso Barous and Jennifer Deren
Members of the Estevan Police Service made an arrest following what it called a “firearms-related incident” in the city.
At approximately 6:35 a.m. June 21, members received a call of a man walking with a firearm in the Pleasantdale area. A description was provided, and police were able to locate the suspect at his residence.
Deputy Police Chief Murray Cowan said officers weren’t certain of what they were dealing with, but these types of incidents are taken very seriously.
Cowan said investigating members were able to determine the suspect had discharged a firearm, which Cowan described as a “high-speed pellet gun”, in the city and shot two “small game animals”. The pellet gun met the definition of a firearm, he said, and is powerful enough to kill small game and cause injury to a human.
The small game animals were a bird and a squirrel, Cowan said.
A 39-year-old Estevan resident was arrested and later released with two charges under the Wildlife Act. One was for unlawfully hunting and the other was for hunting within 500 metres of occupied buildings.
“The Wildlife Act charges carry fairly substantial fines, so com-
bined with those two, you’re looking at just over the $3,000 mark in fines,” said Cowan.
An investigation is ongoing, and officers are looking into the bylaw regarding discharging a firearm within city limits. The firearm and game animals have been recovered.
Local conservation officers assisted with the investigation, as Cowan said they are the experts in these situations.
Also last week, a multiagency Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) blitz, was conducted in Estevan. The event that took place June 20 and 21 resulted in 85 summary offence tickets being issued.
There were 21 charges for vehicle equipment regulation offences. Sixteen were for using an electronic communications device while driving.
Fifteen charges were for failing to stop at a stop sign or traffic light, and 10 were for exceeding the posted speed limit.
Five tickets were for failing to wear a seat belt. One charge was for possession of unmarked tobacco, and one driver’s licence suspension and vehicle seizure occurred due to drug impairment.
Sixteen other charges were laid under the Traffic Safety Act.
Four mandatory breath samples were provided on
approved screening devices, but those motorists were found not to be impaired.
Eighty-nine inspection tickets or warnings were issued under the Vehicle Equipment Regulations Act. Thirteen child car seats were inspected, and four new seats were given away to motorists in need of a replacement. Seventeen commercial vehicles were inspected, with four passing inspection, six requiring attention and seven being taken out of service.
On June 22, police arrested a 22-year-old individual from Estevan as a result of a theft under $5,000 investigation. The individual was later released and will appear in court in August to speak to the charge.
The next day, members responded to a report of criminal harassment. The complainant was being harassed by repeated telephone calls from a business. The matter is under investigation.
Police also arrested an Estevan man for failing to comply with his release conditions. He was charged for failing to comply and released with a court date of July 31.
Officers received a driving complaint in relation to a semi-tractor unit’s driving. The matter is still under investigation.
On June 24, police attempted to stop a vehicle for several traffic-related offences. The vehicle failed to stop. Officers later located the vehicle and the driver. They attempted to arrest the 19-yearold Regina man, but he resisted and escaped from lawful custody. He ran on foot from police and was arrested a short distance away by pursuing officers. He was lodged in cells in Estevan. The man has outstanding warrants from the RCMP for theft under $5,000, uttering threats, and robbery. He was held in custody to appear in Estevan Provincial Court on Monday morning on charges of failing to stop for police, resisting arrest and escaping lawful custody.
Officers responded to a report of mischief to a vehicle. The individual has suffered several mischiefs to his vehicle, was frustrated and finally reported it to the police. The matter is still under investigation. Police remind the public to report incidents at the time they are detected.
Members received two telephone calls the same day reporting a man walking in downtown Estevan yelling and screaming. Police attended, located and identified the man. He is a U.S. citizen working in Canada. He was having an argument with a family member in
the U.S. He was warned for his behaviour and sent on his way.
Officers received a report of a male walking around a trailer park and appeared to be intoxicated. Police then received a report of the male possibly being kidnapped in a blue Dodge truck. Attempts to locate him were unsuccessful. The RCMP reported that they had located the male and he was being transported to the police station with charges of obstruction of justice, willful amage and uttering threats. Matter remains under investigation.
Police were called to a residence in the Pleasantdale area for a report of a domestic. The matter remains under investigation
Police received another report of mischief to a vehicle. Matter remains under investigation.
On June 25, police were called to a singlevehicle accident with injuries on the east end of the city. The operator of a motorcycle was transported to the hospital by EMS.
An Estevan individual was remanded in custody on June 25 to appear in court the following day for breaching his conditional sentence order, uttering threats to police, obstruction of justice and wilful damage to a police car.
Another individual from Estevan was remanded in custody to ap-
pear in Estevan court for an assault.
Police also received a report of mischief at a residence in the Pleasantdale area. The matter remains under investigation.
From Friday through Sunday, police responded to 54 occurrences. Ten occurrences were in relation to traffic stops that resulted in various charges under the Traffic Safety Act.
The Carnduff RCMP is asking the public for tips after a white Dodge Ram 3500 Crewcab flatbed truck was stolen from the Alameda Gas Plant sometime Saturday night.
Police say they suspect the truck drove through the metal gate and has damage to the front headlights and the front bumper.
Const. Dani Zaya from the RCMP says the truck and the keys were stolen sometime between 7 p.m. on June 24 and 7 a.m. on June 25.
The license plate is Saskatchewan 457 LNS. The flatbed truck is unique and has metal head rack with Steel Reef logos on the rack, and has a spare tire mounted on top of the cab.
If you have information related to this advisory, please call 310-RCMP for immediate response, sor you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
There will be no shortage of events to choose from in southeast Saskatchewan when Canada Day arrives on July 1.
The community of Bienfait will have an abundance of activities to mark Canada’s 156th birthday. It will start with a pancake breakfast, served by the Southern Plains Co-op, at the Bienfait Memorial Arena at 7 a.m.
One of the annual highlights, the parade, will begin at 10:30 a.m. It will follow the same route as 2022, starting at the Bienfait Weldon School and then working its way down Weldon Road, Railway Avenue and Carbon Avenue before returning to the school.
Activities will happen throughout the afternoon, with Bingo at the Bienfait branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, a dunk tank, birthday cake, a house-decorating contest, the annual softball game pitting the firefighters versus the farmers, and a mini-firefighters rodeo.
A cabaret will be held at the Bienfait rink at 6 p.m. to support the Bienfait Fire Department. Music will be provided by DJ Ruck and Roll.
The annual fireworks display will begin at dusk.
The Estevan Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs will host their annual Canada Day festivities starting at noon at the Kin Hillside Playpark. The event will feature swimming, activities, a petting zoo, hot dogs,
cotton candy, popcorn, birthday cake and all-Canadian music by Victory Music.
The Town of Oxbow has two days of activities planned. June 30 will be multiculturalism day at Bow Valley Park, with food vendors and trucks starting at 6 p.m. Carnival games and a bouncy castle begin at 6:30 p.m., and fireworks will occur at dusk.
Spectators are encouraged to tune into 106.9 FM for choreographed music.
Activities on Canada Day will include a pancake breakfast at 8 a.m. at the Oxbow legion, and a parade at 10:30 a.m. starting at the Memorial Hall.
Most of Oxbow’s July 1 activities will also be at Bow Valley Park. Starting at 11:30 a.m. will be bouncy castles, face painting, a petting zoo, carnival games, a dunk tank and a fire truck display. Yoga will happen at 1 p.m. Kayaking and canoeing will occur on the Souris River at 1 p.m. courtesy of the Adventure Club. The Ralph Allen Museum will be open at 1 p.m.
The Red Dragon Kemp Karate group will have a demonstration by the gazebo.
Music will begin at 4:30 p.m. on the stage, courtesy of Erin Brown and Kathy Kyle, Mari and Todd Greenwood, and C. Hill and the Gang. Several food vendors will be on site and there will be a beer garden.
As for other communities in the area, the Town of Arcola will serve cupcakes and ice cream cones at 8 p.m. at Ed Hanna Park, and fireworks will follow.
In Carnduff, there will be an antique tractor pull at the fairgrounds, with the weighin starting at 10 a.m., a kids’ pull at 1 p.m. and the adult pulls starting at 2:30 p.m. Seven different weight classes will be offered.
The community of Redvers will have a Knights of Columbus pancake breakfast at 8 a.m., a firefighters’ rodeo at the rink at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., a parade in the town at 1 p.m., swimming at the Redvers pool at 1 p.m., a bouncy castle for kids at the log cabin at 2 p.m., a children’s craft at 3 p.m., a slowpitch tournament and concession throughout the day, and fireworks at dusk.
In Stoughton, a barbecue will be held by the town’s Li-
ons Club at Taylor Park from 4:30-6:30 p.m. There will be live music as well. At dusk, the fireworks will begin at the Stoughton rodeo grounds.
Mainprize Regional Park has a full slate of activities.
On July 1, the Midale Plus One Club will host a farmers’ market in Pederson Place at 10 a.m., with multiple vendors selling items. A cart parade and a boat parade will happen at 2 p.m.
Fun will be had on the beach for kids starting at 10 a.m. A variety of activities and games will be there for the whole family. The Estevan Bible Camp will have its climbing wall at noon, and a sand castle competition and bouncy castles will be at 3 p.m. A hot dog roast on the beach will begin at 4 p.m.
A cabaret in Pederson Place will run from 7 p.m.-1 a.m., with music by the Lone Rambler followed by DJ Randy Bakaluk.
Fireworks will begin at dusk.
A free pancake breakfast will be served in Pederson Place at 8 a.m. on July 2.
The Oungre Memorial Regional Park will have a pancake breakfast at 8 a.m., a show and shine and antique tractor display at 10 a.m., a cornhole tournament at 10:30 a.m., bouncy houses at 10 a.m., a parade at 1:30 p.m., a scavenger hunt and tattoos at 2 p.m., a longest drive competition at 3 p.m., a taco-in-a-bag supper and dessert at 7 p.m., a best-decorated campsite contest, and fireworks slated for 10 p.m.
A country gospel jamboree will start at 2 p.m. and feature the Daae Family and an evening cabaret at 8 p.m. will have music by Kelly Gill.
Regular rates and hours for the park’s amenities will be offered.
The White Bear Lake
Resort will celebrate Canada Day. There will be a fouron-four youth beach volley-
ball tournament at noon. A barbecue will be served at 2 p.m. A three-on-three beach
volleyball tournament will begin with registration at 2 p.m. and games at 4 p.m.
The loud noises and bright lights of fireworks can be very scary and overwhelming for pets. It's best to keep them inside during any fireworks displays and provide comfort and reassurance if they seem agitated. We hope you and your pet enjoy a happy and safe holiday!
