Estevan Mercury 20231220

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EPS Sgt. Lonsberry is back at work, just weeks after being shot during incident

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Estevan Police Service Sgt. Braden Lonsberry, left, with Police Chief Rich Lowen. Lonsberry is back on duty just weeks after being shot during a Nov. 1 incident.

Festive visit.

CP Holiday Train makes stops at North Portal and Estevan.

More on PAGE A16

Kick-off to the holidays.

Woodlawn hosts Christmas in the Park to open the Festival of Lights.

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By David Willberg Sgt. Braden Lonsberry says it’s good to be back on duty with the Estevan Police Service, and he’s not overly surprised he returned so quickly.

The 17-year member of the local police service had his first shift back with the EPS on Dec. 6, just five weeks after he was shot in the stomach and seriously injured in an incident at the EPS building on Nov. 1. He is back to regular duty with his patrol unit, although he did work a somewhat modified schedule at first, taking only day shifts. He expects to work a night shift for the first time on his next rotation.

“I was ready to be back,” he said in an interview with the Mercury and SaskToday.

Police Chief Rich Lowen said he and other members of the EPS were “pleasantly shocked” with Lonsberry’s recovery and his return to service.

The incident at the police station remains under investigation by the Saskatchewan Incident Response Team (SIRT), so Lonsberry and Lowen can’t yet delve into the specifics of what happened that day until after SIRT’s final report is tabled. The suspect, 19-yearold Justice Guillas of Estevan, was shot by another member of the EPS and later

died in a Regina hospital.

Guillas had been arrested after killing his mother, Karie Ann Guillas, 46, also of Estevan.

Lonsberry is grateful for the level of care he received from his co-workers, colleagues, the Estevan Emergency Medical Services team and the staff at St. Joseph’s Hospital on the day of the incident.

“It was a crazy day for them and it was amazing … because I was awake, just to see everybody there. I’ve told several people that I’ve never felt more cared for,” said Lonsberry.

He was then taken to the trauma room at the Regina General Hospital, where “everybody was amazing”.

Lowen previously paid tribute to the care that Lonsberry received in a letter to the editor in mid-November, saying the emergency service provided by the members of St. Joseph’s Hospital and paramedics was the best he had witnessed in 34 years of policing.

“It was truly amazing just how I was cared for, and not just me but my family. Nina [Lonsberry’s wife] was there, my one daughter was there, too, she came down. It was amazing how well I was treated, but even more so just how my family was treated,” said Lonsberry.

“One of the things that is interesting is you have to recognize how much pressure the hospital was put on that day,” added Lowen. “There was the victim of the … [initial] homicide and then there were the two people from the building here, one with Braden and one with the suspect who was shot as well. All three were in emergency at the same time.”

While Lonsberry was in hospital, he said the Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers was there for his family.

Other services reached out to offer what they could, and other services came to Estevan to provide assistance.

“I was looked after amazingly, but I was touched with the support that Nina and my family had, here and in Regina,” said Lonsberry.

After he was released from the hospital in Regina, Lonsberry stopped at the police station to visit some of the members.

“I didn’t want the office to be a scary place for me, and it’s been fine,” Lonsberry said.

“I can say that the joy of watching him walk through that door was a bit overwhelming, after last seeing him being loaded onto the back of a helicopter,” added Lowen.

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The large Christmas tree was installed on Friday morning.

It's quickly become a popular Christmas tradition in Estevan – the City of Estevan's large Christmas tree at the intersection of King Street, 13th Avenue and Souris Avenue North.

The tree was installed on Friday morning and the

star was placed at the top.

The final decorating for the tree was scheduled to happen on Monday.

This year’s tree was donated by SaskPower, and its set-up and transportation were done by Carey Eagles, owner and operator of TRZ

Tree Care, who will also look after the removal. The City of Estevan's parks and maintenance departments also help make the tree possible.

This is the third time the city has had a tree installed at the busy intersection.

Lonsberry is grateful for community’s support « A2 Lonsberry didn’t have to undergo any special physical rehabilitation before returning to active duty. He was back in the gym within a week and a half. The bigger challenge was on the mental side.

“Nina and I met with a psychologist the next day [Nov. 2] and then we met with another one before we left Regina,” Lonsberry said. “The bigger thing was just going through that and making sure I was ready to get back, not so much physically but emotionally and mentally, and for Nina to be ready for me to come back was a big part of it mentally, too.”

Everyone at the Estevan Police Service has been great. If they’ve had concerns, he’s been able to talk to them, and they’ve been able to help him through it, too.

The community has also been with him throughout the process. He and his wife know a lot of people because he has been an officer for nearly two decades and she is from the area.

“I’m still getting people reaching out and asking how I’m doing. You find out how great it is to be in a small community, and people are reaching out and genuinely concerned about you,” said Lonsberry.

When he stopped to check the mail earlier this week, a couple of cards were waiting for him from people wishing him well.

Lonsberry has also been active in the hockey community over the years and has officiated at different levels of the sport. He has already refereed a couple of Big Six Hockey League games, one in Carlyle on Friday night and the other in Carnduff

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on Saturday. Players that he has coached and officiated came up to him to tell him it’s great to have him back on the ice.

“It was pretty touching, actually, to have the number of players come up and wish you well, and some of the fans after [did the same],” he said.

He hopes to be back on the ice for the Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League or the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League before the end of the season. After the incident, the referee assigners at Hockey Sask reached out to Lonsberry to offer their best wishes and to let him know he’d be welcome back when ready.

Lonsberry said he will continue to have appointments with a psychologist to address his mental health, so he can continue to do as well as he says he is now.

Correction In the Dec. 13 edition of the Mercury, in the article Festival of Trees raised $150,000 for Estevan hospital on PAGE A14, the total raised for 2022 mentioned in the story was not correct. The St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation’s 2022 Festival of Trees net income was $150,000, so the 2023 net income was the same. The foundation was happy to see numbers being on par. While the participation in 2023 was slightly down, so were the expenses. The Mercury apologizes for any inconvenience this might have caused.

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Gifts for kids and supper for families - check

Shelley Dayman, Jolie Bayda and Debbie Wade were organizing the Community Hamper Association's Angel Tree Toy Store ahead of "shopping" days.

By Ana Bykhovskaia It was a busy time, but the Estevan Community Hamper Association, the Angel Tree program, and, of course, the community did it once again.

On Dec. 13 and 14, parents of 410 kids stopped by the Angel Tree's Toy Store to shop for gifts and stocking stuffers for their children ages zero to 16 at no charge. The Toy Store was filled with items donated by local people, businesses and organizations,

or purchased by the association's volunteers with money donated by the community.

Traditionally, gifts for older kids aren't as popular among donors, so volunteers end up hitting local stores to fill the gaps.

"We always struggle with the 10 to 16 age group. It's just easier to buy for younger kids. The presents are bigger, cheaper. So, we always have gaps that we have to fill there. But the monetary donations have been great. So we're able to do it," said Jolie

With community support, the Angel Tree provided gifts and stocking stuffers to over 400 kids ages zero-16 in the area this year.

Bayda, who spearheaded the Christmas hamper campaign this year.

"We never bought anything outside of here; everything came from Estevan. Canadian Tire stayed open late so that we could come and privately shop. And we just were at Walmart today [Dec. 12] and in small businesses."

There were also handmade by Laura Chicoine and not handmade toques, mitts and scarves available for families who needed those for the kids on the Angel Tree list.

Bayda said many groups organized fundraisers on their behalf helping them make sure they can meet the slightly increased demand for support in the southeast around the holidays.

In the days leading to Christmas, Southern Plains Co-op helped the association fill 293 Christmas hampers, packed with everything each family that applied would need for a good holiday meal. Bayda noted that this year they filled about 10 more hampers than last year and had

about 10 fewer kids on their gift list.

Bayda noted that her first year spearheading the project went well, and she was grateful for the work of dedicated volunteers and the support from the community.

"It was a pretty chill year, knock on wood," she said with a laugh.

"Thank you to everybody who had any amount to do with this. It literally takes so many people to pull it off. And we're just so appreciative of everybody, whether they donated $1 or $1,000, anything helps."

Estevan Kinettes doubled the joy of PJs for kids The Estevan Kinettes Club wrapped up another PJ Project, which turned out to be more successful than ever before.

With help from the community, the club collected hundreds of pyjamas for over 400 kids on the Estevan Community Hamper Association’s Angel Tree program’s list. Pyjamas were available for pick up along with gifts for children on Dec. 12 and 13.

“Thank you so much to everyone who donated PJs this year,” said Chelsey Istace, who co-chairs the project along with Kristol Nagy, in her post on The PJ Project Facebook page after the collection was completed. “With your help, we collected over 800 pairs.

“Because of your generosity, every child on the Estevan Community Hamper and Angel Tree list will receive two pairs this year.

“I feel like it’s awesome. I feel like it’s just a little extra warmth over Christmas,” she added in a video.

“So, I just want to say thank you so much for helping us. We really, really appreciate it.”

The main drop-off location was set up at Jenny Joans. Pyjamas could also be dropped off with the project co-chairs and club members, and many groups, businesses and organizations ran different events and fundraisers in support of the project.

“I want to say thank you to everyone who helped us collect all these pyjamas. There are so many pyjamas that were available for pickup along with gifts for children at the Angel Tree Toy Store last week.”

The students and staff of Spruce Ridge School 346 pairs of pyjamas this year, making a big contribution towards the total.

Estevan Kinettes Chelsey Istace, Susan Colbow and Kristol Nagy organized over 800 kids' pyjamas that were donated by the community to ensure every child receives a new set on Christmas. Photo courtesy of Chelsey Istace

Santas on the run Sixteen Estevan Santas, accompanied by a couple of their furry and not-too-furry friends, went on a run, visiting some of the Energy City's senior living facilities Sunday morning. For the second year, the Estevan Road Runners group members put on Santa costumes and headed out for a fivekilometre run/walk. Their route went by the Estevan Regional Nursing Home, St. Joseph's Hospital long-term care and Creighton Lodge. Residents were notified to look out for the festive group. Drivers passing by the running Santas greeted the holiday procession by honking horns and waving.

EDITORIAL A4

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EDITORIAL

What a 'phase out of fossil fuels' means The latest United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP 28, has come to an end.

The big news is this was the first global pact to explicitly mention the need to shift away from every type of fossil fuel. You'd think that would be welcome news to some, but it wasn't, because there's no clear commitment to a fossil fuel phase-out or phasedown.

Want to know when they plan to make this happen? It's not mentioned. Want to know how it's going to be done? Good luck with that.

In other words, it's exactly what you would expect from a United Nations climate conference: a bunch of delegates come together, spend lots of time talking, go into extra time to try to come up with resolutions, and concoct some ideas that are big on talk but short on specifics.

It certainly didn't help that COP was held in the United Arab Emirates, which remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels. You'd think the bright people at the UN would have decided to have the convention in a country where its goals and resolutions would be better received.

We spend big money for these conventions to happen, and many of the delegates contribute to global emissions with their

travels. Meanwhile, these gatherings give detractors of the UN even more ammunition.

Saskatchewan had a presence at COP, and an expensive one at that. When the provincial government announced in the fall throne speech that it would send a delegation to COP, we cheered. Saskatchewan should jump at every chance it gets to promote the technology that we have and the efforts that are being made to gradually curb emissions.

And yes, there are a lot of measures being taken in agriculture, mining, oil and gas, and more.

We certainly hope that the carbon capture and storage facility at SaskPower's Boundary Dam Power station was front and centre in the government's efforts.

Could Saskatchewan have been a little more fiscally prudent with its presence? Sure.

Did we need such a big delegation? No. Did we have to have a six-figure advertising bill?

Absolutely not. But at least people were hearing about our story.

As for what this pledge to phase out fossil fuels means for us in the southeast, it likely won't mean anything for a long time to come. It's bureaucratic hot air, kind of like when the G7 nations pledged in 2015 to phase out fossil fuel use by the end of the century. Remember that one? If you do, it means you have a very keen memory, because

most people don't.

We know that changes are coming for the different energy sectors. The day is coming in which we won't need fossil fuels anymore.

But that day isn't happening any time soon. It won't be in this lifetime for many of us.

People can live in a nice dreamworld in which we can convert to renewables tomorrow without any consequences, that hydroelectricity is the answer for all power grids, and that wind and solar power can be baseload power options.

The pragmatic reality is we still need fossil fuels. We need them for electricity, to heat our homes and for transportation.

If people want to drive electric and hybrid vehicles, that's their decision. But we're not at the point in which we could all drive them tomorrow.

And since we still need them, it's incumbent on governments to invest in technologies to make these industries as green as possible to combat climate change.

Net zero isn't as far-fetched as some people like to think. But we can attain this lofty goal while keeping fossil fuels in the mix and taking positive steps for the environment, without having crippling economic consequences.

It's time to immerse, not to impress Christmas and New Year times have always been magical to me.

No matter how old I was, where my finances were or what part of the world I lived in, during those last days of December I always felt different.

The days of celebration shared by many people around feel warm and cozy, promising and inspiring, powerful and calm at the same time. Up to this day, the winter holidays hold a special place in my heart.

Throughout my life, I received very different presents and celebrated the holidays in different places, but the feelings I had never changed.

One year, when I was still little, I received a cute box filled with sunflower seeds. My family was having a hard time making ends meet then, but that box that later was used in so many games, and the treats I really liked at the time were a great excitement when I found them under the tree.

The other time, many years later, when I didn't believe in Ded Moroz* anymore, I got a set of mountain skis. That didn't feel a notch less or more exciting than the seeds. I equally loved them both, just like all other gifts, small or big, my loving "Santas" put under the trees.

Most times I celebrated the new year, which was more important for my family and most people around me, at home. We'd go visit family ahead of midnight on New Year's Eve and then meet with friends afterwards.

Christmas often saw us thawing out our summer cabin. The woodburning stove kept us warm and we were together as we made simple meals, decorated a little tree and listened to dad's stories about Christmas.

Ana Bykhovskaia Twenty Lines About…

But there was a year when a conflict shattered our family, and mom took us kids to grandma's place to celebrate. Even though it was really tough emotionally ahead of that year's holidays, once into the spirit, I still felt that well-known, unique and loved holiday magic.

After I moved to Canada, I had years when I was on my own during holidays, and other years, when I celebrated with friends and then family I met here. And no matter the setting, the emotional cocktail was always the same. Love, gratitude, excitement.

These past few years haven't been nice to many of us. The pandemic, economy and sometimes personal challenges might have left a stamp on how we feel heading into the holiday season.

And it's okay, we say nowadays, it's part of life, too. But to stay sane, we do need to immerse in that okay condition, allow ourselves to let go, relax and for a change slow down and enjoy things around us.

It might be not the prettiest time nor the perfect holidays. Maybe gifts under the tree are not the ones you'd like to have in an ideal situation, or maybe there is no tree or gifts at all. Or you might feel down.

It's okay.

I don't have a tree up and probably won't this year, because I don't like putting

it up without putting love into it, and this year so far, I only have enough love in me for people. And it's okay, too, I told myself.

Throughout my decades I learned that holiday magic is here to cheer us up every year, no matter what. We just need to open our doors and let it in.

We don't need to go into debt trying to show people how much we love them. We can just say it.

We don't have to be around those who hurt us or affect our mental health, be it family or friends. Maybe, they'll understand, maybe not.

We don't need to meet anyone's expectations, be it physical appearance or achieved goals.

I believe the holidays are our break, which every person needs in the middle of darker winter months. And holiday magic is that state of recuperation, when you are surrounded by those you want to be with, doing what you enjoy, what you have energy for and what recharges you.

Happy holidays, and I hope you have a wonderful time. *In some Slavic countries, a f igure akin to Santa Claus in the west named Ded Moroz, or literally Father Frost, traditionally brings presents to children on New Year's Eve. The poor guy was declared "an ally of the priest and kulak" (supposedly reach peasants) following the 1917 revolution and was banned, but then made something of a comeback in the 1930s and onward, though donning a blue coat so as not to be mistaken with the bourgeois Santa Claus or detract from the revolutionary importance of the colour red.

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David Willberg Willberg’s World

Christmas in Canada means ... hockey time The first time I recall paying attention to the World Junior Hockey Championship was when the tournament was held in Saskatoon in 1990-91.

My family was in Saskatchewan for Christmas holidays, and there was a lot of talk about this tournament happening in Regina and Saskatoon. Canada had won the event the year before, and people were hopeful we could win for the second straight year.

I knew about the infamous Punch-Up at Piestany – a bench-clearing brawl between Canada and the U.S.S.R. in Czechoslovakia in 1987 that resulted in both teams being disqualified – but I didn’t know the incident was at the World Juniors, and the tournament name didn’t resonate with me.

I don’t think I’m alone when I speak with reverence for the Saskatoon tournament. It was expected to be a showdown between Canada, led by Eric Lindros, and the Soviets, led by Pavel Bure, for the gold medal. And that’s what happened.

There wasn’t a gold-medal game back then. Just a round robin. The team with the best record wins gold. Canada needed to win to capture gold again. A tie would mean a Soviet championship. And if we lost, we might not win a medal. The tournament was so tight that year.

The game wasn’t just an instant classic, it might be the best hockey game ever played in Saskatchewan.

Canada won 3-2. Defenseman John Slaney, who went on to score 22 goals in 268 career NHL games, was the hero with the game-winning goal with about six minutes to play in the third.

I was hooked. So was much of Canada. I think it was the highest-rated program ever on TSN to that point. And it would remain the top-rated program on TSN for 12 years, until a gold-medal game between, you guessed it, Canada and Russia at the World Juniors in 2003.

When ESPN Classic Canada went off the air earlier this year, the final program it ever showed was the Canada-Soviet Union game at the 1991 World Juniors.

The tournament has become a Christmas tradition for millions of Canadians. Regardless of whether the games are in Canada, the U.S. or Europe, people will be watching. I won’t be up at 5:30 a.m. in B.C. on Boxing Day to watch Canada open this year’s tournament against Finland, but I’m sure many will be awake. (The game starts at 7:30 a.m. in Saskatchewan). If Canada’s in the gold-medal game on Jan. 5, millions will stop what they’re doing, even though the game will be in the middle of the day.

There’s still something beautiful about the tournament.

It’s kids who are typically 18 and 19 years old sacrificing the middle of their junior hockey seasons and the Christmas break to play for their country.

They don’t get paid big money to play for us. I’m guessing they get room, board, travel and equipment. The pressure they face is immense and the expectation is always to win, but we have to remember they’re not 20-something professionals getting big bucks to play.

TSN will hype this tournament as the chance to watch the stars of tomorrow today, and that is a big draw. Anyone who watched it last year marvelled at the greatness of Connor Bedard at age 17, playing against those two years older.

But for me, the wonderful part is often the players for whom the tournament becomes their moment of fame and possibly their one chance to play for Canada. Slaney didn’t become an NHL star, but people remember him for scoring to beat the Soviets in 1991. Martin Gendron, Yanick Dube and Rick Girard were our top scorers in 1994. Justin Pogge was unforgettable for Canada at the 2006 tournament in Vancouver. Matt Halischuk scored the overtime winner for Canada in 2008 in the goldmedal game against Sweden.

Yes, the tournament lost some of its lustre with the sex scandals involving the 2003 and 2018 Canadian junior teams.

Those incidents can’t be swept under the rug.

But when the tournament begins on Boxing Day, we’re going to be treated to some great hockey. And should Canada win for the third straight year, there will be millions of Canadians thrilled with the victory.

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Investigation continues into December 2022 train derailment; some changes already made

The train derailment occurred northwest of Macoun in December 2022. File photo While some measures have been taken in connection with a train derailment that occurred near Macoun last year, an investigation into the incident continues.

Terry Cunha, the manager of media relations with CPKC, said the cause of the derailment was a broken rail. Since this incident, CPKC has completed installation of broken rail technology in this corridor that he said aims to prevent derailments by identifying broken rails using a low-voltage signal sent through the rail.

In an email to the Mercury and SaskToday, Hugo Fontaine, a media relations co-ordinator with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, said

the TSB is still continuing with its investigation. Their work on incidents like this are (is) sometimes complex, he said, and the TSB will take the time necessary to conduct a thorough investigation to advance transportation safety.

The TSB's investigation page for the incident notes that the train was proceeding northward when 38 freight cars went off the tracks in two separate derailments.

The primary incident area comprised a total of 15 freight cars, including two tank cars containing dangerous goods. During the derailment, one car was breached and caught fire, which subsequently ignited a covered hopper car loaded with plastic pellets; the plastic

ignited as it melted and further fuelled the fire.

A secondary derailment occurred approximately 250 metres south of the primary site, resulting in 23 cars going off the tracks.

There were no injuries to the crew or the public as a result of this occurrence. Some residents of the village of Macoun and the Rural Municipality of Cymri were forced to flee their homes, and Highway 39 around the accident scene was closed down.

The TSB said this is a Class 3 investigation. These analyze a small number of safety issues, and might result in recommendations. Class 3 studies are generally completed within 450 days.

By David Willberg

was held in the community so anybody could attend and get some more information. Little Leaper's initial board was formed stemming from that meeting.

"We still do have an ongoing list of people who are interested in it, and I only anticipate further interest as we get more and more announcements out to the community," said Werner. "Up until now, we were just working on getting our proposals submitted to the government in order to get approved.

"Now that we've been approved, we can do more community engagement, and I feel that we'll definitely have a lot more involvement as we go along, once we start engaging more with the community."

A second community needs assessment was completed to submit the application to the government, and it again showed people were interested and in need.

"There are a lot of young families in Lampman and the surrounding rurals that will utilize the space," said Werner.

She has no doubt the childcare centre will fill the 30 spaces.

Little Leaper's is independent of the family centre, she said, but the family centre organized the initial survey along with the members of the town council.

Werner stressed they are still in the initial stages of this project and they have a lot to do before they can open. They have moved on to the next task, which is selecting a location. They are working with the Town of Lampman to help determine a suitable spot.

"That's just the first step. There are lots of steps. There's securing the building, there's getting the staff, but those are all further down the road. Our main focus right now is nailing down that location so we can continue with other items," said Werner.

An ideal site would be easily accessible for parents when they drop off their kids. It would also be large enough to accommodate the kids and offer an outdoor play area. The board met regularly to get its application to the provincial government for approval.

Little Leapers hopes to be done before the end of March 2025.

Werner noted that the centre's name pays homage to a piece of the town's history. A brainstorming session was held at a board meeting, and one person suggested naming the facility after Lampman's leapfrog champions from many years ago. There is a sign in the town that notes the community's achievement.

New daycare proposal for Lampman

A committee looking to bring a new daycare facility to Lampman recently received some encouraging news.

In a news release, the Little Leaper's Early Learning Centre said that in conjunction with the Government of Saskatchewan's list of approved new child-care facilities and expansions, the board for the learning centre has been given the green light for the start of a new 30-space child-care facility in Lampman.

Little Leaper's will be a non-profit, government-subsidized early child-care facility to serve Lampman, the RM of Browning and nearby areas.

Chairwoman Jodi Werner said they first started discussing the concept in the spring of 2022. An initial survey was completed to see if there was sufficient need in the community. The questionnaire was put together by a couple of members of the community and the family centre in Lampman.

"From the results, it was deemed that there was a need for child-care spaces in the town, including surrounding rurals," said Werner.

A lot of people are looking for child care in the area so they can go back to work. After the initial survey, a meeting

NEW YEARS EVE SUNDAY BRUNCH

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New Years Eve Buffet 4pm to 8pm Featuring Chicken Cordon Bleu, Roast beef and all the side choices, plus Shrimp cocktail, Lasagna, fried chicken, fresh vegetables and fresh fruit, huge salad bar, large dessert table with chocolate fountain and more.

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Call 306-636-2323 to book today.

join us for UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX

CHRISTMAS BRUNCH

January 7, 2024 • 10 am - 2 pm

A6 December 20, 2023

www.SASKTODAY.ca

Oxbow rinks in need of new ice plant

By Lori Hoffort The arena and curling rink in Oxbow were built in 1961.

The ice plant was installed in 1963 for the curling rink; in 1986 this plant was replaced with a plant that could produce artificial ice for the skating and curling arenas.

Start-up on the ice plant is hard on the unit. The fall of 2023 has proven to be a particularly hard start up.

The chiller was replaced by insurance this fall. However, numerous leaks have added up to a large bill in repairs.

Each time the condenser leaks, refrigerant must be replaced. This year’s bill for repairs is $47,000 so far. There is no guarantee that there will not be further repairs required.

With that in mind and considering its age, the Town of Oxbow and its recreation division have decided to replace the entire unit.

The new unit is a 70-tonne Thermosyphon Ice

Plant. It runs far more efficiently and uses outdoor temperatures to cool the plant when the weather permits, reducing the monthly costs significantly.

The cost of the new plant is $700,000. The overall savings in operation will help to offset this cost through the years. The Town of Lampman installed a similar unit and appreciates the efficiency and savings.

The town's annual Chase the Ace fundraiser will dedicate the funds raised this year to the ice plant fund. The fundraiser began Sept. 20 and is expected to run until June 19, 2024. Treena Mohrbutter from the town of Oxbow and Lane Nicholls, sports and recreation director, are thrilled to have such a generous commitment to the upgrade. Last year the fundraiser reached $110,000.

Tickets may be purchased online, providing that they are bought within Saskatchewan. They are $10 each

with an e-transfer to oxbowchasetheace@outlook,com.

Wednesdays at 7 p.m. is the cutoff for that week. The draw will be made each Wednesday at 7:45 p.m. and can be watched on Facebook Live on the Oxbow & District Recreation Board's Facebook page.

Nicholls will be heading up a committee of volunteers in the new year. He mentioned that they would work on more fundraising ideas.

He asks that people keep that in mind. Mohrbutter has applied for grants and funding through provincial and federal channels.

Nicholls mentioned that the rinks are kept busy with six different hockey teams, plus Star and Can-Skate programs, rentals by the Glen Ewen 4-H Club, public skating, shootaround time and three-hour skates organized by the Oxbow branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and the Oxbow Lions Club on school holidays. As well, the curling rink hosts senior and junior teams,

Oxbow’s skating rink and curling rink are well used by local and area residents.

Pictured is the U7 team's practice. Photos courtesy of Lane Nicholls school programs, doubles and four-person teams.

“The rink is a social gath-

ering place when the weather is too cool to enjoy outdoor activities. It’s nice to come

down and have a piping hot chocolate and visit a while as you enjoy the rink activities.”

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

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

Mayor’s Message As we approach Christmas may we please reflect the true meaning of Christmas and as we celebrate with family and friends let us remember those less fortunate and give if you can.

MEMBER AT LARGE NEEDED! THE ESTEVAN BOARD OF POLICE COMMISSIONERS The City of Estevan invites interested citizens to sit on The Estevan Board of Police Commissioners.

If you are interested in becoming a Member at Large, please send a letter explaining your qualifications and what past experiences you have that could benefit this board in writing to: Judy Pilloud, City Clerk, City of Estevan 1102, Fourth Street, Estevan, Saskatchewan, S4A 0W7 cityclerk@estevan.ca Criminal Records Check may be required upon request.

What's under your tree?

BUSINESS A7

| Wednesday, December 20, 2023 | www.SASKTODAY.ca

Estevan & Carlyle

Estevan mall starts main entrance construction in January, ready to celebrate 50th anniversary

By Ana Bykhovskaia The Estevan Market Mall will close the central entrance for construction in the first week of January 2024. The construction is expected to last until late summer next year.

During that time, the entrance will be fully rebuilt to allow for a modern appearance and to accommodate a new food court with three or four tenants. The new public washrooms will also be located in the central part of the building.

While the construction continues, all businesses will operate within regular hours, with the two south-side entrances as well as the west entrance located by Sobeys and entrances through retailers open to the public.

The contract for the major renovation was awarded to Westridge Construction out of Regina in the late fall, said Martin Blair, managing director of First Aberdeen Properties Ltd., which purchased the mall in 2019.

"We wanted to make sure we had a good, strong general contractor.This is a sizable project, there's structural changes taking place to allow us to create this new access and the food court. So, we wanted to make sure we had a pretty competent general contractor that could start right away and get it done by the summer so that we minimize disruption as much as possible," Blair said.

The capital project will bring a five-year renovation plan to a conclusion right in time for the Estevan Market Mall's 50th anniversary.

"We've been putting things together for 2024 for quite a while now," Blair said in an interview with the Mercury and SaskToday. "We've done several renovations to the mall, and 2024 is probably going to be our most important year. We

kicked off a five-year renovation program back in 2020, so 2024 is our fifth year and probably our biggest year, and certainly the most noticeable because we'll be constructing the new entrance and of course, the new food court and visitor washrooms all get done at the same time.

"The mall was constructed back in 1974, and so 2024 is our 50-year anniversary. So, we're having fun bringing the major portion of our five-year program to completion during 2024 and concurrently enjoying the 50year anniversary of the mall.

It's going to be a very busy and exciting year."

Plans for the 50th anniversary celebration will be announced in 2024, Blair said.

This year saw major work done at the north-side parking lot, which will be completed in 2024 with Genco Asphalt returning to the project as soon as it's technically possible. While the next year will be disruptive as well, it will bring in good results, Blair said.

"Here's the good news, they start in January, and we anticipate them to be substantially complete by early August.

So, once you get through that period, everything will start to settle down. We'll polish things up on the north side, and we'll be able to get excited about new businesses going forward," Blair said.

He added that once major construction is completed, they will put more effort into attracting new tenants, not only for the food court but throughout the mall.

"First of all, we'll focus on the food court tenants … for the placement in the fall of 2024. The other thing is we want to keep up our pop-up store program, which allows local entrepreneurs to test their retail product a little bit without having to make any kind of financial commitment," Blair

In 2024, the Estevan Market Mall will celebrate its 50th anniversary and also bring five years of renovation projects to a conclusion with the reconstruction of the main entrance, construction of a food court and new public washrooms in its central part. noted. "And then we'll release our leasing guys to start getting really aggressive, start to market [vacant spaces] as we start moving through 2024."

A lot of work has been done leading up to the major renovations of the central area, including structural as well as interior and exterior renovations, parking lot construction and more. With the development of the south-side parking, the mall turned into a more modern and convenient 360-degree approach, which attracted some businesses like Global Golf Plus and allowed the mall to bring a Tesla Supercharger station to Estevan.

"It was a good first step.

And it's only going to help us as we go through this renovation on the north side by having those additional accesses," Blair said.

"The Estevan mall has basically been a fixture for most residents forever," Blair said. "When we bought the mall in 2019, we knew we had to undertake some significant renovations, otherwise the mall was going to struggle.

We wanted to make sure that we completed this five-year renovation program so that the mall had a good chance to be

healthy and move forward for the next 50 years.

"When we look at the next 50 years going forward, one of the things that we want to do with the character of the mall is make it more community orientated. So basically, that means we're not really chasing the big, big tenants as much … we're looking at a lot of those operations, like a hair salon, things that are more local and entrepreneurial. And it'll add to the community character of the mall," Blair said.

"And all the things that we're doing are physically supporting that. The work with the intersection with the city out front was to make it safer for people to use a pedestrian sidewalk system. We spent a lot of money this year putting that sidewalk system from that

intersection down to the front of the mall. And there are all these little things, including the 360-degree access, things so that the community can start to blend in.

"And part of that is to provide some space for smaller retailers, like the 1,000-squarefoot, the 1,500-square-foot kind of retailer that is more boutique, and we want that to be part of our fibre in the mall as we go forward."

Blair thanked the community and businesses for being understanding during the construction and said the mall plans on continuing with development in the years to come.

"The residents and all our visitors over the last four years, and certainly over this year, have been very, very understanding.

We put some pretty big holes

in that parking lot, we changed a lot of stuff, and everybody seems to work around it. And we're very, very thankful and appreciative for that," Blair said.

"In 2025, we're going to continue to be doing improvements to the mall, a lot of it will be on the south side. We still have a bunch of vacant land there, that's going to allow us to do some potential development. And of course, we ultimately want to do that second-floor business centre.

We already started a little preliminary work, but the main thrust of it will start to happen in 2025 and 2026. "So there still will be renovations and improvements, but they won't be as disruptive as what we've experienced during this fiveyear program that's taking us into 2024."

In the first week of January, the main entrance to the mall will be closed for construction, which is expected to last until summer. The mall will continue to operate at regular hours with south-side entrances as well as the west one open for the public.

23123BS0 23123BS1 24012BS0

Infrastructure and dynamics around and inside the then-Estevan Shoppers Mall during its early years in the 1970s were very different from those around the Estevan Market Mall nowadays. Photo courtesy of Martin Blair

WE ARE MOVING!!

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New Year

In the you will find us at our new address 1320 3rd Street.

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3

A8 December 20, 2023

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North Portal artist recognized for stop-motion music video

By Ana Bykhovskaia No r t h Po r t a l a r t i s t Lindsay Arnold was provincially recognized for a stop-motion music video she created for Alexis Normand, a Saskatoon Fransaskoise singer-songwriter.

Arnold won Music Video of the Year at the Saskatchewan Independent Film Awards for her creation of the video for Tous les Matins by Normand, and shortly after that she also claimed Music V ideo of the Year at the SaskMusic Awards. The awards were announced in late November and early December.

"Alexis approached me to create a music video for her album project, and it was so much fun. Stop motion takes a lot of time, but I get a kick out of it," Arnold shared.

"Alexis Normand emailed me and just said, 'Hey, I saw your work,' because I've made some other stop-motion videos as an artist, and she said, 'Would you be interested in creating a video for me?' So, we had a discussion, and she sent me an early demo of her song.

So, I worked from that," Arnold said, recalling the start of her award-winning project.

"She had a beautiful story related to the song, which is about spending time at the family cabin with your large extended family and having lots of kids there. And it's a bit chaotic because you're all squished into one small space. And so, we played around with some ideas and decided to build a storyline around inanimate objects.

They're dancing, and they come to life.

"Throughout the song, she talks about things like her dad going to pick up cinnamon buns and of course, everybody's fighting over the butter; it was just really playful. And for me, it meant a lot because my parents also have a cabin that we spend time at every summer so I could really relate to the song."

Arnold worked on the project in the summer of 2022 and completed the final details in 2023.

Not only was the work joyful, but it also brought some recognition for the artists.

"Much to my surprise, I won both. Unfortunately, I didn't attend either one of the award ceremonies, we were actually performing. For the Saskatchewan Independent Film Awards, we were performing at a fundraiser in North Portal as Last Birds.

Lindsay Arnold recently received SaskMusic’s music video award as well as music video of the year at the Saskatchewan Independent Film Awards.

Photo by Mike Davis So, it was a surprise, when we got home that evening, and I got a message from Alexis saying that the video has won," Arnold shared.

Arnold is a part of the folk/Americana family duet Last Birds along with her husband Mike Davis. The North Sask Music Zine

(NSMZ) magazine recently named the band as the 2023 Folk/Roots Artist of the Year.

"We appreciate the kind words about our album and our live shows. Thank you so much for supporting our work," the Last Birds wrote on their social media.

"That was a nice honour,

and unexpected. It's one that they just choose. For a lot of awards, you have to send in a submission. With NSMZ, the writers just get together and decide who they felt was Artist of the Year for different categories. So that was quite an honour," Arnold added.

The band released their latest album, Endless Turn of Day into Night, in October, and it's been well received, Arnold said. Among other achievements, they were number two on October's Top Albums picked by the American Highways music blog.

Arnold is an all-round artist and she often has various art projects on the go.

"I always got my hand in different things.

Sometimes your focus is, of course, a little bit more on certain parts. We just wrapped up our recording project with Last Birds, we released the album, and I do feel I would be ready to do another large project. I love making stop-motion videos, so if the opportunity came along, I would definitely entertain it," Arnold said.

"I would like to work on some projects that are art-focused but also have to do with Last Birds. One thing I'd like to do is get a t-shirt designed for Last Birds. Maybe work on some imagery and another video for Last Birds, but none of that is written in stone yet.

So, I feel like I'm at the beginning of the next phase of my creative projects, whatever that may be," she added.

Don’t drink and drive Don’t text and drive Don’t do drugs and drive

E V I ARR VE ALI

Avoid driving under the influence this season Celebrations at Christmas and New Year’s frequently involve entertaining guests or heading out for nights on the town to enjoy the company of others.

Often food and beverages are part of the fun, and that includes alcoholic beverages, which may flow a little more readily during festive occasions.

The numbers continue to grow. Driving under the influence-related fatalities were 23 percent higher in 2021 than 2016.

It’s perfectly alright to have fun in social situations.

However, that fun should involve responsible behaviour, particularly when consuming alcohol. Here’s how to enjoy celebrations while also play-

ing it safe.

•Take driving off the table. When planning social occasions, remove the need to drive entirely. Ensure the party location is within walking distance for guests, or at a convenient spot or an accessible area. Hosts can encourage guests to utilize taxis or rideshare services so everyone can leave their cars at home.

•Take the emphasis off of alcohol. Plan events that do not necessarily need to be drinking-heavy. Experiential events, such as escape rooms, crafting sessions, culinary demonstrations and others can shift the focus away from drinking.

•Serve alcohol early. If alcoholic beverages will be

PLAN AHEAD DON’T DRIVE IMPAIRED

served, have a cut-off time when these drinks no longer will be served. This way guests will have a chance to recover and sober up before leaving.

•Provide drink vouchers.

Limit how much guests drink by setting a quota. Work with an establishment so that each party-goer only gets a set number of drink tokens or tickets. When they’re used up, then they no longer will be served.

•Make food a priority.

Shift the focus from drinks to food. Those who have filled up on plenty of snacks or a big meal may be less likely to over-indulge.

•Change your venue. A gathering at a bar may set the tone that drinking will be prioritized. Look for party

Impaired driving could result in an arrest and worse consequences. Photo by Nes / Moment / Getty Images venues where drinking may not be allowed, such as church or school party rooms, or not as accessible, such as a BYOB restaurant.

•Always have a sober

chaperone. At each event, one or more people should make the pledge to stay sober so they can ensure the safety of guests. This may mean driving them home or arranging for transportation.

Festivities may include alcohol, but hosts and party planners should take steps to reduce the likelihood that guests will drive while under the influence.

You can hand over your keys or your life.

MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE.

Dr. Robert Kitchen MP Souris-Moose Mountain

1-866-249-4697 • www.drrobertkitchen.ca

DON’T WRECK THE HOLIDAYS

Even One Is One Too Many.

Please Don’t Drink and Drive.

Don’t let one bad decision ruin the rest of your life. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs impairs your judgement and reaction time and increases your risk of causing an accident.

Look out for yourself and others during the season of celebrating and all year. Stay sober behind the wheel, or plan ahead for a safe ride home.

DRIVE SAFE THIS Holiday Season

601 - 5th Street, Estevan (306) 634-7101

PLEASE PLAN A SAFE RIDE HOME

ENERGY A9

| Wednesday, December 20, 2023 | www.SASKTODAY.ca

• Bulk Fuel • Cardlocks • Bulk Lubricants & Grease • Lubrication Storage & Equipment Solutions • Bulk DEF Solutions • Bottle Propane

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Carnduff legion accepts donation The Carnduff branch of the Royal Canadian Legion received a donation for $30,000 from Kingtson Midstream for the upgrading of the legion's heating system.

Pictured are, from left, Dena Bachorcik and Richard Kirby with Kingston Midstream and Carnduff legion president Jeff Young.

Twelve transformers damaged in vandalism incidents The Carlyle RCMP is seeking the public’s assistance with a recent vandalism incident that knocked out power to some area residents.

The detachment received a report at approximately 9:20 a.m. on Dec. 13 of vandalism that occurred in a rural area south of Carlyle/ Manor.

An investigation determined an unknown individual or individuals discharged a firearm, striking and damaging eight power transformers along Range Road 70. Police believe the vandalism occurred in the evening of Dec. 12 or the

early-morning of Dec. 13.

On Dec.13 at approximately 11:20 p.m., the Carlyle RCMP received a report of a second vandalism incident. Investigation determined an unknown individual or individuals discharged a firearm along Highway 603, south of Manor, striking and damaging four additional transformers. The investigators believe this vandalism occurred in the evening hours of Dec.13.

Power supply to some customers in the vicinity was disrupted as a result of these acts of vandalism.

In an email to the Mer-

cury, SaskPower said 400 customers lost power in one area for about 40 minutes, and six customers lost electricity for about 4 1/2 hours in another sector.

The Car lyle RCMP continues to investigate.

Anyone with information about these incidents, or who saw suspicious activity in these areas, should call the Carlyle RCMP at 306453-6707.

Information can also be submitted anonymously by contacting Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-TIPS (8477) or www. saskcrimestoppers.com.

The incident was not connected to the widespread power failure that occurred in southeast Saskatchewan on Dec. 13. SaskPower reported about 17,000 customers were without power.

The source of the issue, according to the Crown corporation, was a “large transmission outage”.

The lights went out shortly after 8:30 a.m., and power was restored to most of the region about an hour later. A couple of areas were still without power for a brief period of time.

The outage area stretched from south of

The Mercury celebrating Babies of 2023

Did you welcome a baby into the world in 2023? If so, you’re encouraged to submit your baby photo for the Estevan Mercury’s Babies of 2023 special.

One of our favourite promotions of the year, this Babies of 2023 will be published on Jan. 17, 2024 and feature dozens of joyous photos of babies and, in many cases, their family members.

There is no cost to run a baby photo.

Every year we ask parents to send to us pictures of their brand-new bundles of joy.

All submissions need to include the baby’s name, date of birth and the parents’ names.

Local businesses and organizations are eager to support the promotion as well by advertising.

People can submit their baby photos, and businesses can advertise by emailing contests@estevanmercury. ca or kball@estevanmercury. ca. Baby photos can also be dropped off at the Mercury office at 68 Souris Avenue North.

The deadline to submit a baby photo is Jan. 12, 2024.

ONE STOP SHOP FOR TOOLS EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN ONE PLACE. Having the right tools is crucial for all contractors.

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Le�ers to Santa

A10 December 20, 2023

www.SASKTODAY.ca

Sponsored by:

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December 20, 2023 A11

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A12 December 20, 2023

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Drewitz students receive jazz and tap exam results Students from the Drewitz School of Dance, under the direction of Lorie-Gay Drewitz-Gallaway and her assistant teacher Kayla Lafrentz, were examined in tap and jazz badges and medal tests.

The Canadian Dance Teachers’Examinations is a pro-

fessional dance syllabus taught by certified teachers across Canada. Children are evaluated in presentation, musicality and strong technical criteria.

Exams took place Nov. 20 and 21 with examiner Jacquie Huck from Regina. Recently received results were as follows:

Tap badges and medals: Preliminary Tap Badge: Successful: Madelyn Grobbink, Brinley Wilson, Rylee Gallaway, Willow Van Sickle, Mackenzie Mann, Taylor Curtis, Eva Gedak, Lexey Lievaart, Alice Mowchenko and Emma Salkeld.

Pre-bronze Medal: Honours: Sofia Carritt, Silver Gardiner, Rowan Grimes and Keira Kessler.

Highly Commended: Zélie Roy-Cennon, Grace Hall, Aubree Marchuk, Summer Petersen and Madison Zukewich.

Bronze Tap Medal: Honours: Payton Sernick.

Highly Commended: Sophia Deitz and Cana Marsh.

Commended: Ava Mann and Sierra Mantei.

Jazz badges and medals: Preliminary Jazz Badge: Successful: Brinley Wilson, Ellise Mayuk, Norah Graham, Ferriday Ciepliski, Emma

Grobbink, Lakyn Markoski, Addison Melle, Aylah Nordin, Lilee Van Sickle and Sawyer Zahn.

Pre-Bronze Jazz Medal: Honours: Natalie Currie, Eva Gedak, Alice Mowchenko, Emma Salkeld, Harper Eskra, Silver Gardiner and Sofia Carritt.

Highly commended: Zélie Roy-Cennon, Lexey Lievaart, Grace Hall, Rowan Grimes, Keira Kessler, Paris Irwin and Madison Zukewich.

Commended: Sofia Erana-Schmegelsky, Ivy Eskra, Delaney Tamblyn and Brooklyn Morissette.

Pass plus: Taylor Curtis.

Bronze Jazz Medal: Honours: Payton Sernick and Brooke Dzeryk.

Highly Commended: Sydney Lainton and Elliana Wiebe.

Commended: Mckenna Sullivan and Emma Morhart.

Silver Jazz Medal: Honours: Marley Nashiem, Sydney Ross, Tyann Babyak, Layla Kitz, Sophia Fleck and Rowyn Siever.

Highly commended: Lindsay Mack, Aurora McCutcheon and Peyton Irwin.

Commended: Rya Strilaeff.

From left, Lindsay Mack, examiner Jackie Huck and Marley Nashiem during the exams. Photo courtesy of Lorie-Gay Drewitz-Gallaway

FROM THE TEAM AT THE ESTEVAN MERCURY

From my family to yours, wishing you joy and peace this holiday season. Trusting the New Year brings hope of promising days ahead.

During this time of year, and always... we would like to say thank you.

THANK you TO OUR READERS

Thank you for trusting us as your source for local news. We take great pride in keeping you informed and telling your stories

THANK you TO OUR ADVERTISERS

Thank you for choosing our platform (print and online) to reach your audience. Our audience is large, engaged and local.

Merry Christmas!

Dr. Robert Kitchen

THANK you TO OUR CARRIERS

Thank you for delivering the Estevan Mercury every week, in all weather conditions

THANK you TO ESTEVAN WEB PRINTING

Thank you for printing and putting together the paper every week.

1-866-249-4697 www.drrobertkitchen.ca

THANK you TO OUR staff

Thank you to our small and mighty team. They meet the challenges to provide you with a quality product every day.

From our families to yours wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season

www.SASKTODAY.ca

December 20, 2023 A13

You’re a tall one, Mr. Grinch Motorists who drive down Arthur Avenue in Estevan have had quite a surprise this Christmas season. A towering Grinch, dressed in a Santa Claus outfit, stands tall over many of the houses.

It's one of the many memorable decorations to be found in Estevan this Christmas season.

Water is being released from southeast reservoirs The Water S ecurit y Agency (WSA) provided an update on reservoir depth and water releases for the southeast in its 2023 Conditions at Freeze-up Report.

It shows lakes and reservoirs in the Souris River basin are expected to be at near-normal levels prior to the spring runoff in 2024.

Gr ant De vine L ake and Rafferty Reservoir are being drawn down to meet their Feb. 1 target elevations of 561 metres and 549.5 metres, respectively. Grant Devine currently has a release of 0.5 cubic metres per second, which is expected to continue into mid-January.

Rafferty Reservoir currently has a release nearly two cubic metres per second that is expected to last until late January.

According to the WSA, beginning Feb. 1, 2024, spring runoff forecasts for the Souris River Basin will be prepared in consultation with partners in the U.S. for both reservoirs on a semimonthly basis. The reservoirs may be drawn down

further in advance of spring runoff if warranted by these forecasts, in accordance with the 1989 Canada-US Agreement on Water Supply and Flood Control in the Souris River Basin.

An early snowfall event occurred across much of southern and east-central Saskatchewan, including the southeast. This snowfall was followed by below-normal temperatures, leaving a lot of these areas snow covered.

The WSA say s t wo runoff scenarios could emerge next year because of this precipitation, increased soil moisture or higher runoff flows. Snow surveys in Februar y 2024 will help determine if the moisture will infiltrate into the soil or run off toward reservoirs.

The most recent precipitation, seen as both rain and snow, in early November is not captured in this report.

Hot and dry conditions throughout the summer and fall have led to most areas heading into the winter, with below to well-below-

normal soil moisture. While some areas of the province experienced higher than normal spring runoff events due to an unusually fast spring thaw, the last half of the summer and early fall was drier than normal.

At this time, there are no areas where WSA believes that there is a heightened risk of above normal spring runoff in 2024. There is, however, concern of surface water supply issues in the southwest if winter snowfall is below average. In some cases, an above normal snowpack would be required to stave off extremely dry conditions.

The WSA issues the Conditions at Freeze up Report during the late fall/early winter period. Freeze-up conditions, in combination with the winter snowpack, becomes the initial base for the spring snowmelt runoff forecast. This report gives an early indication of areas that are more vulnerable to potentially above or below normal runoff in the spring.

It is not a spring runoff

forecast, as winter snow accumulation is an integral

component in the runoff yield during the melt and is

impossible to predict at this juncture.

Proud to provide funding in support of the Spruce Ridge Amphitheater to increase participation in the visual and performing arts.

The Estevan Mercury presents

On behalf of the Board of Governors, Management, Staff and Students of Southeast College, we would like to wish you a very

our abies B 3 2 0 2 “ ” r a e Y of the ection s

Merry Christmas and a safe and

Happy New Year!

All Southeast College campus locations are closed starting Dec 22 and re-open Jan 2

This is your chance to put your baby announcement in the local newspaper for free!

Please email your high resolution photo along with this information.

Baby Name: ____________________ Birth Date: _____________________ Parents: _______________________ Email to contests@estevanmercury.ca or Kball@estevanmercury.ca or drop off at 68 Souris Avenue.

Deadline: January 12, 2024

A14 December 20, 2023

www.SASKTODAY.ca

Find your Home for the

Holidays

Are YOUR decorations up?

Enjoy your twinkle tour! #makingmemories

Are you ready, Estevan??

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AGRI NEWS A15 | Wednesday, December 20, 2023 | www.SASKTODAY.ca

Glenlees Farm celebrates big wins at Agribition

By Stephanie Zoer Corey Lees is a born and raised farm boy, who lives on the original homestead of the farm of his grandparents Archie and Alma Lees. The farm is located northwest of Arcola.

The homestead was built in 1882, and the original brickhouse, where Lees’ parents George and Annette Lees now reside, was built in 1904.

Lees is married to Tasha, and they have three daughters, Emma, Ky la and Becca. They also have the family dog Bobby, who guards the farm.

Glenlees Farm has a herd of 170 cows, with 125 of them purebred registered polled Herefords and the other 35 commercial stock.

The purebred stock is serviced by four or five purebred bulls, while the commercial stock has a red angus bull in with the herd.

When Lees was nine years old, he joined 4-H, and followed in his father’s footsteps with showing cattle.

As Lees grew older, he became more involved in the show ring and has continued with his passion.

The farm is a family affair, and no hired hand is on the site. All of the work is done by father and son.

His daughters are also involved in 4-H, and Emma won the Arcola steer show this summer. Emma has shown across Canada, while Kyla and Becca have done so from Ontario to B.C. O ver the years, this family farm has built a very reputable name with selling cattle across Canada.

In the spring, when the calves are born, some are selected to be in the show ring.

In 2021, a bull calf was picked, but at the time they had no idea what this calf would bring them.

Glenlees AXA Evolve ET 112J is owned by the Lees, AXA Farms from New Brunswick and River Valley Farm in Ontario. Evolve remained on the Lees farm until his showing career was over.

Evolve had an excellent top line, great feet and a gentle disposition. In 2021 he won the Junior Bull Calf Championship at the Canadian Western Agribition.

The following year, they returned to Agribition with Evolve as a yearling bull.

Corey Lees took home the CN Supreme Championship with his two-year-old bull, Glenlees AXA Evolve ET 112J. Photo by Show Champions.

Once again Lees went home with a win, this time as the Yearling Championship Bull and the overall Reserve Bull.

Evolve was a two-yearold bull this year and in his last year in the show ring. First they travelled to Toronto to take part in the Royal Winter Fair.

On Nov. 4, they entered the show ring with top-notch competition. Evolve once again led the show by taking home the two-year-old Championship Bull and Reserve Bull overall.

Returning home, it was

time to prepare for Agribition.

“These are big shows, and the competition is tough,” said Lees.

It would be all hands on deck to get ready. At times five or six people are grooming Evolve.

“Tasha is always in the back keeping everyone together,” said Lees. “It is a family event.”

Once again Lees would take his bull Evolve into the show ring, and this time he was named Champion Polled Hereford Bull, which quali-

fied him for the CN Supreme Class.

Ner ves were beginning to run high as this was against 37 other bulls of all breeds from across Canada.

As the judge walked around the ring and passed

by Lees, he returned and slapped Lees on the back, which is the signal for the win. Lees and Evolve were now the CN Supreme Championship Bull.

Evolve was undefeated in his showing career. He will now return to the farm and move to Ontario to do his job

as a herd sire.

Not only did their bull win, but they also won the Cow/Calf Championship Polled Hereford and were in the top 10 of the supreme finalist.

Glenlees 27C Daisy 40F is owned by Glenlees, but her calf, MHPH GL 240J Daisy 115L, is partly owned

by Medonte Highlands Farm in Ontario.

W ith the year completed, Lees plans to have some downtime before he thinks of the next prospect that may enter the ring.

Argyle Fire Department receives a grant

By Stephanie Zoer The Gainsborough and Carievale Fire Departments were once on their own, carrying their own names, but in 2021 they became the Argyle Fire Department.

These two communities go way back in history.

To this day they both have fire halls.

In 2016, the two fire departments each received a new fire truck, but they kept their 1977 fire trucks in working condition.

The departments are now considered one, yet each town still has an active fire hall. The communities are 15 kilometres apart.

The R.M. of Arg yle surrounds Gainsborough and Carievale and they have 26 members on their call list.

Kingston Midstream gave them a grant in 2021 for upgrades to the Carievale Fire Hall, which replaced the doors and windows.

On Nov. 23 at the Carievale Christmas tree lighting, the announcement was made that Gainsborough would receive a grant for $22,000 to upgrade the fire hall.

The grant came from the Farm Credit Canada (FCC) Ag Spirit Fund. To qualify for this grant, it had to be a rural area. The funds

will be used to upgrade the windows and doors and complete any maintenance that is needed.

R.M. of Argyle Reeve John Ryckman had a few comments at the tree lighting, thanking the FCC and all the members of the fire department.

Santa Claus also made his presence at the festive occasion, travelling around on the Carievale fire truck.

Kids were excited to see him while he handed out treats to the children and, of course, asked them what they would like for Christmas.

The Argyle department responds to five to 20 calls in any given year. According to Capt. Jared Phair, it can all

depend on the dryness of the season.

At present Jace Brown is the fire chief, and his deputy chiefs are Brad Wang and Brad Meyers.

To g e t h e r t h e y a r e thankful for the grant so they can apply the muchneeded upgrades to the fire hall.and Evolve were now the CN Supreme Championship Bull.

Evolve was undefeated in his showing career. He will now return to the farm and move to Ontario to do his job as a herd sire.

Not only did their bull win, but they also won the Cow/Calf Championship Polled Hereford and were in the top 10 of the supreme

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finalist.

Glenlees 27C Daisy 40F is owned by Glenlees, but her calf, MHPH GL

240J Daisy 115L, is partly owned by Medonte Highlands Farm in Ontario.

W ith the year com-

pleted, Lees plans to have some downtime before he thinks of the next prospect that may enter the ring.

4H KID OF MONTH presented by

4-H Member of the Month: Charlie Hayes

Name: Charlie Hayes Club: Benson Beef 4-H Club Age: 14 Age group: Intermediate Years in 4-H: Seven Charlie Hayes is keeping the tradition alive of 4-H membership in his family.

Charlie is a 14-year-old intermediate member of the Benson Beef 4-H Club. Now in his seventh year in 4-H, he joined because his mother Kerri was a member and his grandfather Wes has long been an avid supporter.

Even though he lives in Estevan, Charlie and his sister Ellie are involved in the Benson club and take an active role. He continues to enjoy the experience.

“I like making new friends, and learning more about the cattle industry and livestock,” said Charlie.

He has learned a lot, too, including when to feed and how to clean them properly, and how to track their weight. And he’s learned a lot more about interacting with people. He has visited businesses

in the community to promote the regional show and sale and to encourage entrepreneurs to purchase a steer.

His father Brian noted Charlie was a very shy child when Charlie joined 4-H, but he has “come out of his shell”, building self-esteem and communication skills.

Charlie has had the reserve champion steer for the Benson club on a couple of occasions, and has also been recognized for grooming and showmanship.

He is the club’s treasurer this year.

Thanks to 4-H, Charlie has seen an autopsy performed on a cow, he has had a lot of volunteer experience at club fundraisers and he helped out at the long-term care ward at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Charlie has entered the 4-H public speaking competition, and was second in the club last year.

He expects that what he has learned will help him in the future.

“Benson is a great club for little ones starting out and for new families,” said Charlie.

A16 December 20, 2023

www.SASKTODAY.ca

Holiday train rolled through the southeast

Dallas Smith and Mackenzie Porter entertained the crowd from the CPKC Holiday Train stage in Estevan on Sunday.

The CPKC Holiday Train rolled through southeast Saskatchewan on Sunday, with stops in North Portal, Estevan and Weyburn.

The colourful, lit-up symbol of the holidays, the six-car Holiday express train that entertained the southeast was the U.S. version, which crossed into Canada from the U.S. at North Portal on Sunday.

Country music singers Dallas Smith and Mackenzie

Porter were the performers this year. Smith is wellknown to Estevan fans, as he played before thousands of people at Affinity Place in September 2022 after Estevan won the SiriusXM Music Towns competition.

Smith and Porter played Christmas carols and their own hits for several hundred people who gathered at the Estevan location. Many brought non-perishable food and monetar y donations

for the Estevan Salvation Army's food bank, which was on location supplying guests with hot chocolate. The Salvation Army collected 585 pounds of food and raised $553 in donations.

Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig and Souris-Moose Mountain MP Robert Kitchen addressed the crowd during the event, wishing everyone a happy holiday and encouraging people to support local food banks.

The CPKC Holiday Train presented a $4,500 cheque to the Estevan Salvation Army’s food bank.

CP KC also made a $4,500 donation to the Estevan Salvation Army's food bank during the concert.

They donate to local food shelves at each community.

The train pulled into Estevan at 3 p.m., with a performance from 3:15-3:45 p.m. The show was east of the CPKC station off of Seventh Street with the train's entertainment stage facing north.

The train also stopped in North Portal earlier on Sun-

day. The show was followed by a community potluck in the village community hall.

After stopping in Estevan, the train arrived at Weyburn for another 30-minute performance.

Since its inception in 1999, the CPKC Holiday

Train has raised more than $22.5 million and collected more than five million pounds of food for community food banks across North America.

This year was the 25th anniversary of the traditional Christmas train tour.

Ho-Ho-Hope It’s Happy!

WE WISH YOU A

Lori Carr, MLA Estevan Constituency Office 306.634.7311

We’re all revved up to wish you a merry Christmas powered by faith, family, friendship and joy.

Big thanks to all of our valued customers for your trust in us.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

loricarrmla@sasktel.net

Thank you for dining with us this year

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Wishing you a wonderful Holiday Season.

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Thank you for your continued support.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Many people brought monetary and non-perishable food donations to the local food bank.

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Merry Christmas May the peace and blessings of Christmas be yours; And may the coming year be filled with happiness.

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PO Box 1829, Stn. M, Estevan, SK S4A 2X8. 306-461-4611 Sarcan’s Drop & Go Fundraiser • prolifeestevan@gmail.com Pregnant call 1-306-757-3344 • Birthright of Regina 1-800-550-4900 Sask Pro Life Association - www.saskprolife.com Find us on Facebook at Pro-Life Estevan and Area • www.prolifeestevan.com

www.SASKTODAY.ca

December 20, 2023 A17

Christmas in the Park kicks off Festival of Lights

By Ana Bykhovskaia Fun and festive, Christmas in the Park attracted many families to the Doug Third building on Sunday.

Once again, ahead of the holiday season, Woodlawn Regional Park put together a great community event, which offered something to do for everyone.

Outside, kids could play road hockey with the Estevan Bears, and families lined up to enjoy horse and wagon rides led by Stan Milford through the park trails. A fire pit was organized onsite for people to warm up while watching kids play.

Inside, Southern Plains Co-op was serving free hotdogs and hot chocolate so nobody would leave the event cold or hungry.

Santa stopped by to listen to kids' Christmas wishes and Wanda Harron was taking pictures as they visited. The Estevan Art Gallery and Museum also

entertained young guests with Christmas crafts.

Park business manager Maureen Daoust said Christmas in the Park went really well.

"It's awesome, we have a good turnout. The wind could go away a little bit, but other than that we are doing good," Daoust said.

"We have lots of the same groups or organizations that either come back and volunteer or they're paid services, so everything goes smooth."

Following the event was the fireworks at dusk, which kicked off the Festival of Lights at the Woodlawn's main campground.

Forty-nine businesses, organizations and groups took part in the Festival of Lights this year, which started on Dec. 17 and will continue until Jan. 1, 2024.

People can drive through displays any evening. All of the displays are on timers, so they come on once it gets sufficiently dark and run for

five to six hours.

New this year is Christmas music the park added to the event. They purchased an FM transmitter, so when guests drive into the park, they can tune into the 88.9 FM station on their radio, which will be playing Christmas music, as well as greetings and gratitudes from the park.

Daoust said this is the first time they are trying it out.

They hope to offer their participants the opportunity to record greetings as well moving forward. The park also will be able to use the technology throughout the year for such events as their outdoor movie nights and more.

Daoust thanked everyone involved with Christmas in the Park and the Festival of Lights, as it wouldn't be possible without the support and participation of the community, and wished everyone a happy holidays.

Santa carefully listened to Charlotte and Quade Mathison's Christmas wishes.

Photos by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

Stan Milford and his crew offered traditional horse and wagon rides during Christmas in the Park.

The Estevan Art Gallery and Museum entertained kids with holiday crafts.

WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY

Merry Christmas AND ALL THE BEST IN 2024!

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The Estevan Bears were on site by the Doug Third building, playing road hockey with little guests.

Merry

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A18 December 20, 2023

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Lampman Community Theatre has dedicated members playing in Night at the Lamp

The Lampman Community Theatre had a great turnout for Night at the Lamp. Photo by Maureen Ulrich

By Stephanie Zoer Like many communities in the area, Lampman had a community theatre production this year, with shows happening Dec. 7, 8 and 9 at the Royal Canadian Legion's Lampman branch.

The play, called Night at the Lamp, was penned and organized by Maureen Ulrich, and this play was well received by the area.

The original script, which was called Night at the Lamp, Five Ghosts, included references to Gord Downie, Chris-

tine McVie, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and John Lennon.

It was a tribute to rock and roll.

Cast members ranged from 11-76 years of age, with over 25 actors taking to the stage, making the crowd eager to see the next part of the play.

The Lampman Community Theatre had its first play in 1997 called The Eagle’s Nest. Two members of the cast, Diane Fornwald and Cherilyn Gress, have been in every production.

“Now that’s dedication,” said Ulrich.

It takes a lot of work to

put a play together, and this one had 13 rehearsals that took place over several weeks with 26 hours of preparation time.

This is the biggest fundraiser for Lampman's legion, and it helps to keep their doors open.

The first two evenings had near-capacity crowds, and the final night offered a dinner theatre and it was a sold-out event.

The performers had a wonderful time these evenings, as they felt it was a fantastic way to have fun and some camaraderie backstage, with jokes keeping everyone’s

nerves down.

A 50/50 draw was held on the last night, which was won by Blair Fornwald, but he in turn donated the $545 back to the legion, for which they are grateful.

Ulrich is proud of the cast members and said they rocked the performance.

The event raised $8,500, making it a win-win-win for the performers, the legion, and the audience.

Ulrich is thankful to everyone who made this play such a success and to help raise funds for the Lampman legion.

Estevan Police Service continue to investigate theft of boat The Estevan Police Service continues its investigation into the theft of a 2013 Harris Flotebote Grand Mariner 250, taken from a business located in the 400-block of Fourth Street in Estevan.

The incident was reported

on Dec. 2, and the stolen boat has since been recovered and returned to its owner. The EPS said on Dec. 14 that it has surveillance video of the vehicle involved in the theft and they hope a member of the public can provide information that

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Grieving During the Holidays The holiday season is filled with joy, gatherings, and celebrations.

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Holidays without your loved one can be hard. Really hard.

leads to an arrest.

Anyone with information on this or other crimes is encouraged to contact the EPS at 306-634-4767 or Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-2228477. The EPS appreciates the assistance from the community in providing any relevant details that might aid in the investigation.

In other recent police news, officers received a complaint on Dec. 12 involving a property dispute. Police have been attempting to mediate a resolution with the two parties involved.

Police received a complaint of a male loitering around a business. Members attended

and located an intoxicated male.

He was walking and trying to find his hotel. The man was given a ride to his hotel.

The EPS dealt with 51 occurrences between Dec. 1517. Calls for service included investigations into a theft under $5,000, several breaches of release conditions and a reported occurrence of criminal harassment.

On Dec. 16, the EPS conducted several high visibility check stops around the city, looking to detect and deter impaired drivers. Over 200 vehicles were checked, and 14 mandatory roadside screening tests were conducted with no impaired drivers found.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year BBERT ERT BBAXTER AXTER TTRANSPORT RANSPORT LTD. LTD. 301 Kensington Ave., Estevan, SK 306-634-3616 • www.bbaxtertransport.ca

WE WISH YOU A

Merry Christmas

There is no right or wrong way to grieve through the holidays. Do what you are comfortable with and do what you can.

Give yourself the time and grace you need this holiday season.

Merry Christmas

Wishing you peace, and all the very best that this special time of year has to offer

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! May the season’s message of peace on earth and goodwill toward all mankind, reach every corner of the world.

Thank you for your generous support and friendship.

We wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

Dustin & Team

Estevan - Redvers A caring team you trust, providing modern service with traditional dignity.

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CLASSIFIEDS A19 | Wednesday, December 20, 2023 | www.SASKTODAY.ca

Flashback – Dec. 15, 2004

Obituaries Sandra Rivard 1961-2023 Sandra Marie Rivard, late of Estevan, SK passed away at her home on Friday, December 1, 2023 at the age of 62 years.

Sandra was preceded in death by her father Louis Rivard and brother Mitchell Rivard.

She is survived by her mother Fran Rivard; sister Nedra (Gerald) Clark; nephews, Ryan (Stacy) Clark and their children Duncan, Hazel and Winston, Rhett (Azeret) Clark and son Matteo and Gregory (Kelly) Clark and children Avrey, Hannah and Hunter. Sandra will also be missed by aunts, Jo Wollner and Josey Wollner and numerous cousins.

Funeral Mass was held on Thursday, December 14, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. at the Chapel of St. Joseph’s Hospital with Rev. Thuy Nguyen presiding.

Interment followed at the Souris Valley Memorial Gardens, Estevan, SK. Those wishing to pay tribute to Sandra via a donation in her name may do so directly to St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation (designate to Long Term Care), 1176 Nicholson Rd., Estevan, SK S4A 0H3.

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

Frank Hansen 1929-2023 Frank Hansen, late of Oxbow, SK passed away at the Redvers & District Community Health Centre on Monday, December 11, 2023 at the age of 94 years.

Frank was the second of three sons born to Helga and Kristian Hansen; elder brother Knud and younger brother Karl.

Frank married Majorie Wiggins and had two sons, Edgar and Dennis.

Frank was predeceased by his ‘right hand man’ son Dennis Hansen; daughter-in-law Helen Needham and his older brother Knud; sister-in-law Lucy and his parents, Helga and Kristian.

Grandpa Frank is survived by and will be lovingly remembered by granddaughters, Trisha (Kelly) Schulhauser and Tara (Craig) Gusikoski (and their mother, Patti Hansen); great grandchildren, Brooke, Kolton & Alivia Schulhauser and Garett & Carsen Ford (and their Dad Pat Ford); nephews, Allan (Leanne) Hansen & family and Danny Hansen. Frank will also be missed by his family of the heart Barb Arnold (Dale) and many friends in and around Oxbow.

In keeping with Frank’s wishes, cremation has taken place and a Graveside Service will be held at a later date.

Hall Funeral Services in Redvers is caring for Frank’s family Deb Heidinger, Funeral Director.

Card of Thanks Thank You The family of the late Elma Becker would like to extend a special thank-you to our friends and family for the calls, messages of condolence, flowers, food and every act of kindness and concern that was shown during our time of bereavement.

We are expressing heartfelt appreciation to Dustin Hall and staff at Hall Funeral Services, and to our Officiant, Sandy Dalziel for their dedication and compassion. It was very comforting to know that in our time of need there are special people like you to help at such a difficult time.

We are so very grateful for the support and love shown to us.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Wendy, Willadell, Wilma and families.

Obituaries

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Shirley D. Jennings On December 6, 2023, Shirley D. Jennings of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan passed away at St. Paul’s Hospital surrounded by the love of her family. A graveside Celebration of Life will take place in the spring of 2024. Condolences may be left for the family by visiting www. hillcrestmemorial.ca.

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Members of the Estevan Taekwon-Do Association attended a tournament in Swift Current in December 2004.

Attending the competition were, back row, from left, Joshua Pele, Brody Mayer, Samantha Holsteine, Shawn Daoust and Mariah Hildebrand. Front row, Tanner Tytlandsvik, Austin Kuchinka, Dusty Mayer and instructor Charles Olsen.

Seeing through eyes of grace As I walked through the kitchen of the church building, I noticed some dirty dishes in the sink, so I decided to wash them.

W hen I was done, I went to the tea towel drawer and pulled out the most threadbare, worn-out piece of cloth that I had ever seen.

This towel had a hole in the middle of it and I could see through the rest of it. It was so fragile that it tore as I unfolded it.

Holding that dish towel, I had two thoughts. First, we can do better than this.

There is likely room in the budget for a towel that is not more air than towel.

Second, I want to be friends

Tim Pippus of the Estevan Church of Christ with whoever put this towel in the drawer. Someone, at some point, washed that tea towel, saw the holes and how thin it was getting and then said, “We better keep this. There is still some good left in it."

You want a friend like that, right? You want people in your life who can see your faults and your shortcomings

and still say, “There is a lot of good there yet". We need people who do not just look at the facts as they are, but who can see what could be.

We need those who recognize how much struggle and effort it took to get to where we are now even if we still have some work to do. We need people with gracious eyes, not judgmental ones.

The bigger challenge is to be that type of person for others.

If you were to come to my office, you would find a see-through tea towel with holes in it sitting on my desk.

I am keeping it as a reminder of what kind of person I want to be. I want to be someone who sees potential and thinks in terms of hope.

What about you?

“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word ” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

Mobile MRI to be deployed in Regina Saskatchewan patients needing medical imaging procedures will benefit from a new mobile MRI scanner that will be temporarily deployed in Regina in 2024 for a 24-month period, while more permanent plans are underway.

The Government of SasHealtH ServiceS

katchewan is investing $2.4 million to install and lease the mobile MRI to increase capacity by approximately 5,000 patients over the next two years.

A request for proposals (RFP) process will be initiated in early 2024 to determine a vendor for the unit.

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

Farm ServiceS Announcements

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The unit will be temporarily installed at the Regina General Hospital (RGH) and then relocated to the Pasqua Hospital once the infrastructure to house the unit is in place, providing short-term relief and greater efficiency in Regina.

“We are committed to reducing wait times for MRI scans that are needed to determine next steps for patients’ diagnosis and treatment,” Health Minister Everett Hindley said.

“With the increase in capacity, we ensure patients are receiving timely health care interventions. Work is ongoing to permanently increase medical imaging volumes provincially, to sustain these efficiencies long term.”

With the implementation of the mobile MRI unit, the Pasqua Hospital will be able to perform hospital-based MRI scans typically sent to the RGH, as well as provide more options for referrals from the southern half of the province. The province says it has seen success in Saskatoon with shortened wait times for MRI

patients, and this additional capacity in Regina will ensure patients in that community and southern Saskatchewan benefit from the additional capacity.

“Having another MRI in Regina will allow the Saskatchewan Health Authority to see more patients from southern Saskatchewan and address the increasing demand for this important service at our other facilities,” Saskatchewan Health Authority provincial clinical and support services vice-president Bryan Witt said.

“Using an MRI is becoming increasingly important in the diagnosis and assessment of many different conditions including stroke, breast cancer, and cardiac function among many others. Having an MRI located directly in our hospitals also provides more access to MRI for our inpatients who increasingly rely on this imaging as part of their hospital journey.”

The mobile unit is expected to be operational by summer 2024 to provide hospital-based MRI scans.

Barristers & Solicitors

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

Carnduff: Thursday p.m.

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

A20 December 20, 2023

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Charity appeal winners From left, Estevan Knights of Columbus member Kim Skjonsby, charity appeal winners Warren Waldegger and Bruce Firth, and Knights of Columbus member Curtis LeBlanc participate in prize presentations. The Knights of Columbus held its annual Saskatchewan Charity Appeal earlier this year, and Estevan had a couple of big winners, with Waldegger winning $5,000 and Firth $1,500. Close to 15,000 tickets were sold locally, and the money raised will support local initiatives for youths, such as sports, music camps and Christmas hampers.

Redvers Winterfest brought many to the town The Redvers Winterfest remains a popular preChristmas event with people in the southeast region.

The annual festival was held in the town Dec. 9. Organizing committee member Jena Cowan said she and the other committee members thought this was the best edition ever.

“We’ve added so many things to our timeline, and

we tried to add events from all age ranges. I would say the most successful new addition this year would be our mascots,” said Cowan.

Their new snowman Chilly was a hit with the kids and was involved with the Santa photos, she said.

Also new for this year was a Christmas bake-off.

“A few of our students from the home ec. class in

Sending Out Our Best Wishes

the high school, as well as some community members, got to enter their baking, win a trophy and some Redvers bucks to spend locally.”

Bouncers in the Redvers Curling Rink were a big hit, she said. The parents could sit at tables and socialize while the kids ran around, jumped in the bouncers, played with each other and had some fun.

The Memorial Tree was lit in the late afternoon. It’s a poignant tribute to those who have passed away. Music was provided by Colby Raymond and Valen Keating at this year’s ceremony.

The evening lighted pa-

rade was likely the biggest one they have had in quite a few years, Cowan said.

“We were surprised by the effort put in by all of our businesses when they are making their floats, so we were very, very happy with it,” said Cowan.

Early in the day, SpiderMan and Wonder Woman dropped by the Redvers School gymnasium for the How to be a Superhero presentation. They talked about all the positive things kids can do. The duo also set up an obstacle course. Santa Claus dropped by for photos with children.

We wish you a joyous and festive holiday season.

Hope it’s merry, bright and filled with good friends, good times and good fortune!

Thanks for choosing us!

Our connection to this community is something we really appreciate.

1254 7th Street, Estevan • (306) 634-9994

116 Hwy 47 S, Estevan SK, (306) 634-6114

NOTICE OF PRACTICE CLOSING Dear Valued Patients, This is to inform you that I will be relocating my practice in March 31, 2024.

I would like to thank you all for giving me the opportunity to be a part of your health care team. I hope this notice will give you time for any follow up appointments.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please call my office at 306-634-6444.

Sincerely, Dr. S. Chhabra

Santa Claus and Chilly the Snowman visited with children. Photo courtesy of Jena Cowan T h e n t h e ac t i v i t i e s spread out into the town. The Golden Age Centre became the Winterfest headquarters, where people could watch the bake-off, make hair tinsel, participate in a cribbage tournament and work on crafts.

“It was a central location for everyone to come and warm up and see what is happening,” said Cowan.

The Redvers branch of the Royal Canadian Legion boasted a trade show with about 20-30 vendors. Purity Relaxation and Beauty Spa offered a spot where people could warm up and watch movies on a 70-inch television supplied by Today ’s

Electronics.

A scavenger hunt allowed children to go out in the community, find different things and upon completion, receive a coupon for a free drink at the Redvers Rockets’ Big Six Hockey League game that night. There was also a skate with the Rockets prior to the game.

Cowan said it was hard to gauge how many people attended. Highway conditions kept a lot of people from coming in from out of town, but she believes hundreds of people still showed up.

The event had been organized by Kendra Miller, Megan Ellison and Kayleen Gaudet in recent years. Cowan and Sam Purvis were new to the organizing committee this year. They looked after all of the businesses and activities to ensure everyone had something going on that day.

Cowan belie ves the Redvers Winterfest is a great way for people to get in the Christmas spirit. The town also tried something different with its Christmas lights, stringing them across Main Street and up power poles so the holiday season feels a little more festive.

“We just like that community gathering, get something for the kids to do, get out of the house, and we’re just really attached to it,” said Cowan.

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601 - 5th St. • Estevan, SK

Bruins drop final games before the Christmas break

By David Willberg The Estevan Bruins closed out the pre-Christmas portion of their schedule by dropping games against a couple of the lower-ranked teams in the SJHL. The Bruins fell 5-2 against the Yorkton Terriers last Wednesday. Yorkton snapped an eight-game losing streak by beating Estevan. Then on Friday, the Bruins lost 4-2 to the Notre Dame Hounds in a neutralsite game at Midale’s Harry ‘O Memorial Arena. The Hounds have the fewest wins (eight) and points (19) in the league.

The Terriers set the tone early when Anthony Domina scored 36 seconds into the game.

“It’s tough when you get scored [on early],” said head coach and general manager Jason Tatarnic. “We’ve done that a few times now. I don’t know if it’s not being ready, or just mentally not preparing yourself for that first shift.”

Estevan tied the game less than seven minutes when Cade Kennedy notched his first as a Bruin. The Black and Gold acquired Kennedy on Dec. 10 in a trade with Yorkton. Kennedy said it was strange feeling playing against his former teammates right away.

“There was a lot of emotion going around because I spent three years with that team. It was a little bit weird,

but I battled through it and used it as a little bit of motivation.”

Tatarnic said Kennedy was one of the few players who worked hard against the Terriers.

Yorkton regained the lead midway through the frame on a goal by Dylan Ruptash, and they extended the advantage in the second when Tyson Perkins scored.

Ilia Chmelevski pulled the Bruins to within one on a power play before the halfway point in the frame.

The Bruins had few quality chances to tie the game from there. Domina notched his second of the game with 3:11 remaining in the third period to put the game away, and Cooper Algejar added the final goal into an empty net 53 seconds later.

Jeff Hammond assisted on three of Yorkton’s goals.

Cam Hrdlicka stopped 35 shots for the Bruins, including a few big stops when it was still a 3-2 game, while Ethan Farrow made 29 saves for Yorkton. Tatarnic said he thought Hrdlicka played well but didn’t receive much help from his teammates.

“I don’t know what it is about playing at home.

We’re a much better team away from Affinity Place for some strange reason, and I don’t know if they think they have to be flashier in this rink, but I’m not sure what the issue is. They seem to not play simple hockey like they

do on the road.”

As for Friday’s game, Alexander Hollands opened the scoring for the Hounds 84 seconds into the middle frame, and Vincent Palmarin tallied for the Hounds with less than two minutes to play in the second. Both Hounds’ goals were on the power play.

Jacob Lundeen added to the Hounds’ advantage in the third. Estevan’s offence woke up when Owen Barrow and Kennedy scored 69 seconds apart with less than five minutes to play in the third, pulling the Bruins to within one, but Cyprus Smith-Davis’ empty-net goal with five seconds remaining wrapped up the Hounds’ victory.

Jackson Miller stopped 26 shots for the Bruins, while Johann Tremblay-Kau made 33 saves for Notre Dame.

The announced crowd for the game was 456 spectators.

While it wasn’t the start to his time with the Bruins that Kennedy wanted, he is still happy to be in Estevan.

“I gelled with the guys really quick, which is a great bonus. Obviously, it’s such a great organization, a great room, and the guys are awesome. They brought me in just like family,” said Kennedy.

Defenceman Jules Delepoulle, who was acquired from the Grand Falls Rapids of the Maritime Hockey League for a player development fee, did not play in either game. He will join the

Figure skating club attends Melville meet

From left, Alicja Jedrezejowska, Madzia Szlapacka, Rachel Duncan and Sydney Brooks show the medals they won on Dec. 9. Photos courtesy of Ashley Piper Members of the Estevan Figure Skating Club travelled to Melville on Dec. 9 and 10 for the STARSkate (Skill, test, achievement, recognition) Invitational – the club’s first meet of the year.

In the STARSkate 5 free skate on Dec. 9, Alicja Jedrezejowska won a gold medal and Madzia Szlapacka brought home silver. Later that night in the STARSkate 8 free skate, Rachel Duncan won a gold

medal and Sydney Brooks won silver.

In the STARSkate 9 short program, Duncan captured gold and McKenna Bohn won silver.

The club will be attending four more competitions this season, including one in Estevan on Feb 3 and 4.

Just over 30 skaters are in the STARSkate program, ranging from STAR 1-9. In an email to the Mercury, the club

noted it has had many skaters move up levels since last year, and close to 15 new skaters have joined.

Their next competition is in Regina on Jan. 20 and 21.

The club is also running a CanSkate program this year and has brought back its preCanSkate initiative that skaters can join as young as three. Both programs offer half season registration with ice starting in early January.

Gabriel Filion (11) manoeuvres around a Yorkton defender during the Dec. 13 game at Affinity Place.

Bruins after the Christmas break.

The Bruins will be back

on the ice on Jan. 5, 2024, when they visit the Weyburn Red Wings. Then they will

host the Battlefords North Stars the following night at 7 p.m.

Red Devils sweep weekend games with Huskies The Carnduff Red Devils defeated the Oxbow Huskies 5-2 on Friday night and 4-3 on Saturday to sweep a weekend home-and-home between the Highway 18 rivals in the Big Six Hockey League.

Ben Hiltz had three goals in a 9:10 span of the third period of Friday night’s game to blow open what was a 2-1 game.

Matthew Plews and Ty Stovin also scored.

Hiltz assisted on Carnduff ’s other two goals to finish with a five-point game, while Stovin and Matthew Audetette each had three helpers.

Liam Rutten and Cody Davis notched Oxbow’s goals.

Mason Plews (Carnduff ) and Cody Levesque (Oxbow) were the goalies.

As for Saturday’s game, the Red Devils rallied from a 3-1, second-period deficit to get the win. Audette scored the winner with 36 seconds to play in the third. Nico Anderson, Justin Hollinger and Mark Moriarty had Carnduff ’s other goals.

Alex Von Sprecken, Ty Paton and Rutten scored for Oxbow.

Levesque was in net for Oxbow and Cody Dumaine was the Carnduff goaltender.

Three other games were played on the weekend. The Carlyle Cougars picked up another convincing victory, defeating the Midale Mustangs 12-3 on Friday night.

After the Mustangs scored twice less than a minute apart in the first period, the Cougars erupted for nine unanswered goals.

Ben Johnstone and Josh Romany each had three goals and an assist for Carlyle. Nikita Kovalenko, Jon Gaudet, Dakota Rose, Marc Shaw, Valdez Bear and Adrien Riddle also scored.

The Carnduff Red Devils held their Teddy Bear Toss game on Saturday night against Oxbow. Photo by Rachelle Apperley Koby Morrisseau assisted on six of the Cougars’ goals.

Nate Ferris was the Cougars’ goaltender.

Sterling Bear scored twice for Midale and Tyler Spencer also scored. Zac Eaton and Graham Schmidt shared the Mustangs’ goaltending duties.

Also on Friday, the Redvers Rockets knocked off the Kipling-Windthorst Oil Kings 5-2. Travis Poirier, Jordon Miller, Declyn Henderson, Drew Hoff and Preston Kopeck had the Rockets’ goals. Hoff added three assists to finish with four points.

Austin Fleck and Wyatt Balogh tallied for the Oil Kings.

Cody Matthewson (Redvers) and Dylan Dedecker (Kipling-Windthorst) were in goal.

One other game was played Saturday. The Midale Mustangs picked up their first victory of the season with a 7-5 win over the Wawota Flyers.

Brayden Bjorndal and

Brad Tomiski each had a goal and two assists for Midale, while Braxton Dukart scored twice.

Tony Kinistino, Jonas Thomson and Devon Johnson were the other Mustangs’ scorers.

Ayden Lawless and Brady Dinwoodie had a goal and two assists each for Wawota, while Wyatt Nixon, Phil Fath and Nolan Murray also tallied for the Flyers.

Winston Grayson (Wawota) and Drayden Ramage (Midale) were in goal.

Kipling-Windthorst is now the only winless team remaining in the league.

Three games are scheduled for Dec. 22. The Bienfait Coalers will be at Carlyle, starting at 7 p.m. Carnduff will visit Oxbow again, while Redvers will visit the Moosomin Rangers in a clash of the top two teams in the league so far this season.

Those games start at 8 p.m.

The Oil Kings will visit the Flyers and the Rangers will be at the Coalers on Dec. 23 at 7 p.m.

A22 December 20, 2023

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On target

The Estevan Top Torque Cubs faced the Yorkton Terriers Saturday during the Estevan Minor Hockey Association's annual U9 tournament. Seventeen teams from Saskatchewan and Manitoba entered the competition. Games were played at Affinity Place and the Power Dodge Arena from Friday to Sunday. The squads were divided into three pools, and the winner of each pool plus a wildcard team advanced to the playoffs. The Milestone Flyers won the gold medal, the Estevan Murray GM Cubs silver and the Midale Mustangs bronze. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

Estevan Bears surpass last year’s win total, defeat the champs The Estevan Great North U18 AAA Bears picked up a big 5-3 win Thursday night over the host Saskatoon Blazers, who are the reigning Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League champions.

The Bears held a 2-1 lead after the first period, with Cameron Al-

lard and Evhan Allan scoring for Estevan. After a scoreless second period, both teams’ offences ignited early in the third.

Taye Shukin scored a shorthanded goal 96 seconds into the third to put the Bears up by two. But the Blazers scored power-play goals

23 seconds apart to tie the game by the three-minute mark of the third.

Thirty seconds after the Blazers’ third goal, Gunner Moore scored to put the Bears ahead again, and Carter Onrait gave the visitors some insurance, thanks to a power-play goal with 3:15 to play.

Kaden Perron stopped 29 shots to backstop the Bears to the win.

The win was the Bears’ 13th victory of the season in their 29th game. Last season they won 12 times in 44 games. They are one win shy of the franchise record of 14 victories, set in 2021-22.

It was also just the fourth loss in regulation for the Blazers this season.

The Bears (13-13-3) will close out the pre-Christmas portion of their schedule when they host the Regina Pat Canadians on Dec. 22 at Affinity Place, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Southeast curlers compete at Last Chance provincial qualifier There were a couple of teams for southeast Saskatchewan curling fans to cheer for at the CurlSask Last Chance qualifying bonspiel in Assiniboia from Friday to Sunday.

The Cindy Ricci rink, competing out of the Weyburn Curling Club, went 3-3 on the weekend and lost in one of the C finals. Other members of the team were lead Kristy Johnson, second Becca Anderson and third Chelsey Emberley. The team

was coached by Bob Doerr.

The Ricci rink started strong, defeating Brooklyn Stevenson 8-6 and former national champion Amber Holland 5-4 on Friday.

Ricci scored three in the eighth end to break open an 8-5 game versus Stevenson, and then Ricci withstood a late rally by Holland after Ricci built a 5-1 lead through seven ends.

Then she lost 7-5 in the A final to Jana Tisdale. Ricci was down 6-3 after seven

ends, pulled to within one after nine but gave up the final point in the 10th.

Ricci recovered to double up Amélie Blais 12-6 in seven ends in the B event.

After giving up two in the first, Ricci countered with five in the second. It was 8-6 midway through the game after Blais scored four in the fifth, but Ricci countered with one in the sixth and three in the seventh.

Ricci dropped a 10-4, six-end game against Ste-

venson in the B final. All of Ricci’s points came in the third end. Then she lost 6-5 to Selzer in the C event.

Ricci had a 5-4 advantage after eight ends, but surrendered one in the ninth and a steal of one in the 10th.

Last year the Ricci rink curled out of the Estevan Curling Club when the Viterra Scotties Tournament of Hearts provincial women’s curling championship was held in Estevan.

But there will still be 23124CC0

Carnduff, SK • 306-482-3244 www.fasttruckingservice.com

Thank you for your continued support & business this past year.

Wishing everyone a safe and Merry Christmas & all the best in the New Year!

a southeast Saskatchewan presence at the Scotties.

Jade Bloor, who resides in southeast Saskatchewan, is part of the Tisdale rink that won the A final. Bloor is the third on the team, which curls out of the Highland Curling Club in Regina.

While they won the A event, all three games were close. Tisdale opened with a 9-7 victory over Sherry Just after scoring two points in an extra end. Then they edged Selzer’s rink 8-7 after running Selzer out of rocks in the 10th end, and they held on to beat Ricci 7-5 in the A final.

One team with southeast connections qualified

for provincials before the Last Chance event. A team skipped by Sherrilee Orsted of Estevan punched their ticket by finishing fourth among Saskatchewan curlers in the Curling Canada tour standings. Competing out of the Moose Jaw Curling Centre, other team members are third Candace Newkirk, second Shalon Fleming and lead Jasmine Kerr.

The top four Saskatchewan teams in the Curling Canada tour standings qualify, as do the top four teams in the Saskatchewan Curling Tour Standings.

The Scotties will be held in Tisdale from Jan. 17-21, 2024.

Merry Christmas Hope your holiday sparkles and shines, bringing joy and contentment to your heart and home.

With Our Sincere Thanks,

306-634-4797 • CEDA.com

403 Kensington Ave Box 1518, Estevan, SK

Tel: (306) 634-8655 Fax: (306) 634-8028

to our clients the past 20 years From your Flaman Rental dealer in Estevan Johnson Bros. Equipment Rental Ltd Box 81 | 120 Breeze Street | Estevan, Sk 1-306-461-3604 | johnsonbrosltd@gmail.com

Thank You to all our Employees, loyal Customers and Suppliers

P.O. Box 490 477 Devonian Street Estevan, SK Canada S4A 2A5 306.634.2336 • 24 Hours www.independentwellservicing.com

hristmas C y r r e M e! to everyon

Wishing you a joyous holiday season with peace and cheer in the new year!

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