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Stars, born in 2023. The Mercury’s annual Babies of the Year special on PAGES A6-7
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2024
READ IT ONLINE AT
Estevan teachers went on strike along with those from the rest of the province Show time. The ECS is ready to present The Little Mermaid Broadway musical. Details on PAGE A3
50
THINGS
TO EXPERIENCE THIS WINTER!
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Bored this winter? Find the 50 Nifty Things to Do in Estevan new list on
Take the family stevan swimming at ndise PAGES A8-9 the Aquatic and Visitor Leisure Centre tion re
p for asses tevan Centre
HENDERS DRUGS
Take the Backroads of Estevan audio tour
A federal perspective. MP Robert Take a drive and on small discouver winterKitchen town pubs and mpingenergy and restaurants in the SE politics from latest Coffee Talk. PAGE A10 Have your dog discover the fun of snow at the off-leash dog park
Nominate local producers. Find more about the Farmers Appreciation banquet on PAGE A12
Close to 250 local teachers, along with representatives of other local unions, were striking in front of Estevan MLA Lori Carr’s office Tuesday morning. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia Estevan teachers went on a one-day strike Tuesday morning, along with thousands of others within the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation (STF). The local strike started with a walk from Power Dodge Curling Centre, up Souris Avenue North to 7/11 and then down 13th Avenue to Fourth Street. The demonstration went to Estevan MLA Lori Carr’s office on Fourth Street. About 250 people were out picketing in -25 C weather Tuesday morning demanding better funding for education sector. Teachers employed with the South East Cornerstone Public School Division, Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division, the Saskatchewan Distance Learning Corporation and the Conseil des Écoles Fransaskoises were also supported by United Mine Workers of America Local 7606, as well as local representatives from SaskPower, CBSA and CUPE unions. Participants were singing and chanting, demanding for more support. They also brought posters, pointing out struggles teachers face in their day-to-day work. “Our classrooms need more support. We’ve been struggling since all the budget cuts for the last few years, and it’s just time to put those supports and funds back into our classrooms. Without funding, our kids are suffering, and our kids are our future,” said Janet Mann,
vice-president of the South East Cornerstone Teachers Association. “We hope they respond after this one-day walkout and they give us something, that they go back to the bargaining table and bargain in good faith.” Drivers passing by honked their horns in support of the teachers during the walk and at Carr’s office. Mann noted they also received a lot of support from local businesses, as Michael’s Coffee Shop and Bakery donated the coffee in the morning, 7/11 on King Street supplied cookies and many other local businesses invited them to stop in to warm up. The walk-out started around 10 a.m. and continued until 2 p.m. Roughly the same number of participants joined strikes in Weyburn and Moosomin. Tuesday morning, STF president Samantha Becotte and Canadian Teachers’ Federation president Heidi Yetman delivered letters to Premier Scott Moe and Minister of Education Jeremy Cockrill at the Saskatchewan Legislative Building. These letters are from teachers and supporters across the province, describing critical issues in the publicly-funded education system, and what the government must do to address them. The STF announced a one-day provincewide strike five days in advance. While the legal requirement for notice of job action is 48 hours, in a press release STF noted that
adding that the five-day countdown should have provided families with advance notice and extra time to prepare, and also give the government an opportunity to change course. Even though the hope was the government would change course and allow its negotiating committee to bargain on critical issues impacting students and raising serious concerns among teachers and parents, it hasn’t happened, the STF said, and teachers hit the streets. “The last thing any teacher wants is for negotiations to impact the school year, so we are exhausting every possible option to get government back to the table,” said Becotte ahead of the strike. Ahead of the strike, Cockrill said in a statement: “We are disappointed that the STF executive continues to work toward a strike while the government trustee bargaining committee (GTBC) remains at the bargaining table, ready to talk. “Outside of that process, we have demonstrated our commitment to addressing classroom complexity with record funding, and two brand new pilot projects announced just this week.” Cockrill said that the GTBC has put forward a fair deal for teachers with a seven per cent raise over three years, ensuring Saskatchewan teachers remain paid above the Western Canadian average.
City to look at needs of Power Dodge Arena By David Willberg An inquiry regarding the need for new boards at the Power Dodge Arena has morphed into discussions about the future of Estevan’s No. 2 ice surface. During the final council meeting of 2023, Coun. Tony Sernick said he had received some concerns about the $250,000 allocated in the 2024 budget for the boards, and he asked for a report on the expense. Leisure services manager Erin Wilson filed the document at the Jan. 8 meeting. She recommended that the leisure services management team meet with user groups, and gather information to make an informed decision on the best possible
solution for addressing any concerns. A report will be created looking at the longevity of the Power Dodge Arena and possible options for future planning. The meeting is expected to happen before the end of January, and would include all ice organizations and Estevan Lacrosse, which uses the arena during the spring and summer months. “This will provide us a better understanding of what is required to best meet the needs of the organizations in the community,” Wilson wrote. Facilities manager Dan Kroeker and arena manager Matt Angell will research and price out options to address needs. Finally, leisure services will revisit the needs of the venue with council in March to decide next possible steps, based on
information collected. In her report, Wilson also detailed the condition of the boards and some of the other issues facing the arena. “Due to usage over the years, the arena boards have taken on an outward lean away from the ice surface, which has caused excessive gaps at the seams of the boards, as well as the glass loosening up in the posts that hold them, causing them to pop out of place when hit,” said Wilson, who included several photos to back up her claims. Also, doors at the players’ benches do not sit flush with boards when closed; the accesses to the referee room and players’ dressing rooms cause concerns for the wellbeing of players and referees A2 » NEW
The coffee’s on at our CStores in Carlyle, Oxbow & our 2 locations in Estevan
Offer valid Jan 11 - 24th