Estevan Mercury 20240228

It’s

By Ana Bykhovskaia

Five members of the Estevan Kinettes were in Regina this past weekend helping miracles happen.

TeleMiracle – Saskatchewan’s Charity – wrapped up its 48th edition Sunday.

As of 5 p.m., the final numbers on the video tote board showed a total of $6,112,717 raised. With this year’s result, the total raised by TeleMiracle since 1977 is now over $165.1 million.

“TeleMiracle remains rooted in Saskatchewan and the generosity of Saskatchewan people really shined through once again this weekend,” said TeleMiracle 48 chairman Tyler Hall.

“These donations are going to help so many people across the province.”

With the support from the community, the Estevan Kinette Club was

proud to add $18,000 to TeleMiracle 48’s total.

Delivering the cheque to Regina and also volunteering alongside hundreds of others were this year’s TeleMiracle club rep Krissy Wallman, as well as Kinettes Susan Colbow, Janelle Luddington, Chelsey Istace and Jacinda Drew.

For Wallman, it was the second TeleMiracle she partook in, but her family have been involved with the event for years.

Wallman said the 48th edition was even more special, due to several reasons.

“The experience this year was just amazing. I loved every minute of it,” Wallman said. “I was able to work with my daughter, she is 14, so she was able to volunteer. So, we got to work together at a certain time in the afternoon on Sunday. And the ladies that came, we were able to present our cheque, and we were pretty

proud of it.”

There was also a bequest in honour of Wallman’s late father, who supported and at one point was supported by the TeleMiracle Foundation, which made it even more special for her. “My dad passed away in 2021, and he was a very avid supporter. Every year we’d gather around the TV and made sure we had TeleMiracle on. And it was no surprise that he left TeleMiracle some money in his will. I wasn’t sure how much it was, my mom kept it a surprise for a bit. And it was an honour to be able to give his final wish to TeleMiracle,” an emotional Wallman shared. “It was a memorable year for us. I was able to go up on stage with my mom and my daughter, my sister wasn’t able to make it, and we were able to present that. It was hard when they were asking me questions about it, but it was a great

tribute to him.”

Someone approached Wallman after the announcement to say how special their story and their donation were.

Her mother Joan Wallman also contributed to the Estevan Kinettes’fundraising success and has yet to pay the price.

“Last year, I was Kinette president, and my mom and I made a friendly bet: if my mom and the Town of Nokomis could raise at least $11,000, I would get pied in the face. I ended up getting pied. So this year, my mom made a challenge to me and the Estevan Kinette Club. She said, ‘Well, if you guys can raise $11,000, I will dye my hair a crazy colour, whether it’s pink, blue, green, I don’t know.’’

The challenge was accepted, and since the goal was surpassed with an online auction alone bringing in over $11,000, the price is to be paid after A2 »

By David Willberg

Estevan city council has decided on the direction it wants to take for the Power Dodge Arena this year.

Council approved spending $250,000 on the spectator area and the boards at Estevan’s second rink during Monday night’s meeting. The money was included in the 2024 budget, but back in January, the leisure services management team said it would research the best options for the money.

Leisure services manager Erin Wilson said the department met with the Estevan Minor Hockey Association (EMHA) and the Estevan Figure Skating Club on Jan. 18 and received positive insight on use and future needs.

In a report to council, Wilson said several top priority items were established. First, the PDA ice surface, which measures 80 feet by 185 feet, is too small for some hockey age groups and boards do not meet requirements. As kids get older and body contact becomes part of the game, having

flex in the boards is more important.

Next, players’ boxes are small and need improvement, she said.The boxes are small for many teams and the doors can stick. Coaches have to walk on the ice in order to access the boxes, as do volunteers in the penalty box area. Also, the viewing space is inadequate. The east side of the arena is not accessible to the public and much of the glass is boarded up.

The access to the referee and players’ dressing rooms causes concerns for the wellbeing of players and officials alike, as they are required to walk through fans and parents. The viewing area is tight and fans are often in close proximity to one another. With emotions flaring up in games, this can add to the intensity level. There aren’t enough dressing rooms with the growing number of females on teams.

When ice is being split for younger age groups, leisure services finds the dressing rooms are small, as often more than one team needs to share a dressing room, Wilson said.

“When talking to user groups it was clear that addressing the boards in the PDA was of high importance as it would assist in the success of their programming, however, it will not solve all the additional challenges listed above. From the user group perspective, the only way to address all the concerns and provide a better facility for all ages to use for game play would be to start fresh,” Wilson wrote.

She noted the EMHA voiced concerns that Bienfait’s arena is currently being used as a third ice surface. If that arena were to fail, it would cause added stress on Estevan’s two arenas. This would impact league games and tournament-hosting capabilities, she said, as many games are played using that arena.

As part of the proposed board upgrades, Wilson noted the package includes the players’ boxes, so those concerns would be addressed.

“They will have side access doors, eliminating the need for coaches and volunteers to walk on the ice surface,” she wrote.

Also, the southeast corner will be opened for fan viewing. Glass will be installed and bleachers will be made available for approximately 30 people. The door will be upgraded to allow access for fans interested in watching from that location.

“Fans will need to walk outside the building to access this southeast corner,” Wilson wrote.

She pointed out GlobalSport would be able to complete the boards in late June or early July, and the project should require 10-14 days. Coun. Travis Frank said there is a lot of hope and desire for a new rink, which has been discussed since the Civic Auditorium shut down in the fall of 2017, but it would require a lot of community input and fundraising.

“We’re not at that stage, but I’m glad that we’re able to appease them and find ways to make this rink that we have work the best that we can within our budget,” said Frank.

A2 » CITY

The Oxbow Arts and Cultural Committee,

partnership with the Oxbow Public Library, hosted their first Winter Art Show on Feb. 22.

The library collected and displayed artwork by local artists, and then invited the community over for a cultural night out. There were no rules, and all mediums, experience levels and ages were welcome to participate.

Megan Andersen, the branch librarian and a member of the Oxbow Arts and Cultural Committee, co-ordinated the event.

"It was really good; we were quite happy with the turnout," Andersen said. "Neither the arts and cultural committee

Oxbow hosts successful Winter Art Show Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser

The Coldest Night of the Year Walk for Choose Life Ministry, which was held on Feb. 24, saw significant growth in participation and fundraising.

For the first time, the walk was held in Carnduff, but virtual walks also took place in Estevan and Fort Qu’Appelle. A total of 46 people partook in the event.

“It was beautiful weather, and everybody enjoyed the temperature. We had three different walks going on,” said Choose Life executive director Kimberley Atkinson.

“There’s only supposed to be one walk in one town with 2K and 5K options. But if you were not able to make it to that walk, you’re allowed to walk virtually or where you are. So, our Fort Qu’Appelle store did a walk. And the Estevan store did a walk. Eleven people walked the five kilometres in Carnduff; 17 walked the two kilometres in Carnduff; 12 walked the two kilometres in Estevan and six walked the two kilo -

« A1 Joan is done volunteering at the 2024 Montana’s Brier men’s curling nationals in March.

“Whatever colour it is going to be, it’s going to be weird because I’ve never seen my mom do something like this,” Wallman said with a laugh.

Joan also delivered a cheque for $13,800 raised by the Town of Nokomis for TeleMiracle this year.

Wallman noted that the success of this year’s Estevan Kinettes’ fundraising efforts was possible thanks to the community.

“So many great people donated to us. We had the coin boxes out. And Fired-up Grill ended up giving an additional donation.

“We had our table February 2 at the Bruins’ game, and

« A1 He’s particularly glad to see additional seating can be completed for little money.

nor the library had ever done an art show before, so we were quite happy with the attendance and the amount of art that we were able to put on display."

The show featured mosaics, quilts, acrylic, charcoal, pencil, photography, beadwork and pencil and paper drawings. Artists ranged from eight to over 70 years old. Andersen said they felt there was a lack of visual art engagement in the community, so they decided to try filling that gap.

"We have a lot of artists in our town that have never really been able to feature or highlight their talents locally before. We haven't had an art show in Oxbow, probably, since … about

metres in Fort Qu’Appelle.”

A light meal was served afterwards in Carnduff.

This is the largest fundraiser of the year for the ministry, which operates the Homestead for Hope, a residential rehabilitation program in southeast Saskatchewan for women ages 18 and up with life-controlling issues.

Atkinson noted that the fundraiser organizers set a goal of $20,000. While the totals weren’t in at press time, the initial numbers were double last year’s total.

“When you join into the Coldest Night, that’s what [$20,000] they put as your minimum for anybody, and you basically try and do as good as you can,” Atkinson explained.

“Saturday, we looked and we were over the $12,000 mark. And now we just need to bring in the support sheets from the different stores, and people were allowed to show up to the walk with pledge sheets and cash, all that has

that went awesome. … We raised $760.25 that day.

“For the movie day that the Royal LePage Dream Realty sponsored on February 19, we had about 176 people come to watch Butterfly Tale … and that event brought in $444.25.

“Spruce Ridge School, their staff and student volunteers put on a lunch auction … and they raised $1,620.

“And the Faris family, seven-year-old Jackson and fouryear-old Olivia, along with their grandma Linda, set up a one-day lemonade stand and bake sale in Estevan and raised $565.85,” Wallman said, listing their major fundraising supporters and initiatives.

“It was amazing to see how the community came together, whether it was for auction donations, or coming out to one

2008," Andersen recalled. "We have lots of musical people on our board, and generally, our arts and cultural committee has put on lots of music events. So, we wanted to do something with a different form of art. And a few of us on our committee are artists who also participated, including myself. So that's how the idea came up."

Some board members contributed to the show. They also reached out to the local art teacher and different artists in town, inviting them to join. Within a month, they were able to attract 11 artists to display their creations.

About 40 to 50 people took the opportunity to enjoy

to be inputted now. So, we’ll see where it comes out in the wash within the next couple of weeks.”

Between $6,000 and $7,000 was raised in 2023 with 24 participants in total.

Atkinson noted that this year, for the first time, they also had a challenge team.

“A challenge team signs in and then challenges other teams, so the southern Alberta realtors had created a challenge and realtors could compete against each other and pick their charities,” Atkinson explained. “Ray Boutin, [real estate agent in Carlyle] challenged other realtors but chose our charity. He had a team of several walkers, and they did very, very well … That was quite fun.”

All funds raised go to Choose Life’s Homestead for Hope program.

The decision to move the main walk from Estevan to Carnduff was based on the participants’ location, and Atkinson said it worked

of our events or giving personal donations. It was a really great year and I loved being the TeleMiracle club rep this year because I’m very passionate about TeleMiracle,” Wallman concluded.

One of the many highlights of this year’s show were the 75 talented Saskatchewan performers, with a number of talents from the southeast. The artists also raised money for the telethon – which was once again matched by Nutrien, who presented their donation of $100,000 just before the end of the broadcast.

All TeleMiracle proceeds stay in Saskatchewan and are granted through the Kinsmen Foundation for specialized medical and mobility equipment, assistance with medical travel, and new and innovative

Coun. Tony Sernick noted he expressed some resitence to the project and still has reservations, but he sees a clear plan moving forward and others have urged him to support it.

local art that night. Guests were also treated to a delicious variety of cheese and crackers with hot apple cider. Andersen said they are probably going to do a fall

art show this year if there is enough interest.

The library and arts and cultural committee have different events and programs for the community. They are

to host a Shake the Winter Blues concert in Alameda on March 14. Follow their social media to learn more about upcoming opportunities.

out well.

“We had a lot of people last year come from Manitoba. And actually, we didn’t have a team from Estevan. So, we all went from Carnduff and Manitoba all the way to Estevan. So that was the reasoning to just have it in Carnduff this year, to make it a little more central

to where the majority of the walkers could come, which I think ended up being good, although Estevan did end up having a team this year, which was fine. They could walk there because we had about double the walkers this year. So, that was still a good decision,” Atkinson said.

“And we had really great

support from the RMs and from the town of Carnduff specifically, so with the RMs and the town being excited to support it and come out, it was just really well received,” she added.

Atkinson noted that people enjoyed the event, and it also attracted attention and support from the community.

health-care equipment. The foundation typically receives over 1,000 applications for assistance annually. Donors who made phone

pledges during the telethon can honour them by mailing their donation to TeleMiracle at Box 83000, Saskatoon, SK, S7K 9S1.

Planning begins shortly for TeleMiracle 49, to take place March 1-2, 2025, in Saskatoon. Details leading up to next year’s show will be posted

Coun. Lindsay Clark wanted to know if there was a plan from minor hockey to help pay for part of the costs of the upgrades, similar to what

has happened with other user groups. Coun. Shelly Veroba recalled that when she was on the minor hockey board, the organization put money into the building, including replacing the lighting.

“They do have an account, and they pick a project, and

they usually do help us within the facilities,” said Veroba. Veroba noted there are small projects minor hockey could complete, and should be acknowledged for its help in the past. Sernick, who sits on the minor hockey board, said there

have been talks of supporting new arena fundraising, and there have been large and small projects discussed. Mayor Roy Ludwig noted that a new arena would likely cost $10 million-$15 million and would need community support.

Oil and acrylic portraits by Jackie Ameel were a part of the Winter Art Show at the Oxbow Public Library on Feb. 22. Photo courtesy of the Oxbow Public Library

Choose Life Ministry organized the Coldest Night of the Year fundraising walk in Carnduff this year. Photos courtesy of Stephanie Barnes

Delivering the cheque to Regina and volunteering alongside hundreds of others were Estevan Kinettes Krissy Wallman Susan Colbow, Krissy’s daughter Tianna Wallman Janelle Luddington Jacinda Drew and Chelsey Istace

Estevan men are among the very few seventhdegree taekwon-do black belts in the world

By Ana Bykhovskaia

For Don Dechief and Wayne Brown of Estevan, taekwon-do has long been more than an interest or martial art. It's grown into a lifestyle, for which they are thankful for adding to their lives, and in which they recently reached a new and very high milestone.

The Estevan Taekwondo Club members, who have dedicated over 35 years to the sport, were recently tested for seventh-degree black belts, which carries a designation of master. They joined only three other Canadians with the Global Taekwon-Do Federation (GTF) distinction, and are among very few people globally holding that level of mastery, skill and commitment to the martial art.

The test was held in Toronto on Feb. 9 in the presence of the only two higher-ranked GTF Taekwon-Do professionals in Canada – grandmaster Vito Palella and Linda Park, who is an honourary grandmaster, the GTF president and the wife the late Park Jung-tae, the GTF founder and a pioneer of that martial art in Canada.

"There was lots of nervousness and anxiety. It was a little different, because we've been through many testings, from colour belts to first degree, second degree, third degree, fourth grade, fifth degree, sixth degree, and there's always nervousness, because you always want to present your best. But this was a little extra nervousness because you're in front of grandmaster Palella and Mrs. Linda Park," Brown shared.

"You train for years and years and years, and you wait for that time, and you've done these patterns and you put in your teaching time and feel good about it. But when you get there, there's that anxiety, that nervousness that kicks in because honourary grandmaster Linda Park was in attendance, along with our grandmaster Vito Palella," Dechief said, echoing Brown's emotions after testing.

"But we had to stay focused, so we got past that and just went into the state of mind doing what we always do. We turned that nervousness around into something we could use, and it worked out well. We were really happy. And Mrs. Park and Grandmaster Palella were really happy with the outcome."

"[Afterwards] it felt totally surreal," Brown added. "It really was. It was, obviously, a relief to have the test over with, but also a surreal and humbling, very humbling experience at that moment."

In taekwon-do, for each of the nine black belt degrees, a person has to wait and practise the amount of years of their current rank. Brown and Dechief received their sixth-degree black belts in 2018, and ever since have been working towards the next one.

"To get to the seventh degree, you have to train, teach and so on for six years before you're able to go for your seventh degree," Dechief explained.

"You have to put in your

time, you have to continue to promote taekwon-do, and I really appreciate what Global Taekwon-Do has instilled as far as not moving from first degree to seventh degree in a few years. It takes commitment," Brown noted.

"With the Global Taekwon-Do Federation, there's a total of 30 patterns, which are movements that we … learn, to go for our master's degree. We had one pattern left to learn between sixth and seventh [degrees], and that pattern name was TongIl [56 movements]. Once we learn that one, we keep practising, and then, when our time comes for testing, we have to know that one plus all the previous patterns. So that testing day, we had to be ready to perform any one of those 30 patterns, and then we were asked to perform, I believe, 11 of those patterns. And we did it successfully, so we're pretty happy," Dechief shared.

"This is the biggest moment in my career," Brown added.

Brown took an interest in taekwon-do in 1987, and Dechief joined in 1989. Back then, neither of them aimed as high.

"When I started taekwon-do back in 1987, the goal was never to become a master. The goal was to become a black belt, that was the hardest thing to attain," Brown shared. "And then, once it came to black belt, I found out that training just began ... And by then it had

become a way of life. So, I knew I would never leave taekwon-do because it's just who I was becoming.

"Ever since I joined, I was immediately taken aback by it. Obviously, the physical aspect of taekwon-do is quite amazing ... But it was more than even the mental aspect, more than discipline, it was the tenets of taekwon-do – courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit, which really spoke to me. In short order, I've recognized that this is just a way of life. Not only do you display this when you're training, but also in life. And I give a lot of credit to taekwon-do for my success outside of it," he added.

Early on in his taekwon-do journey, Brown travelled all across Canada, participating in tournaments and seminars, and later went to Scotland as a black belt to partake in the international championship. Throughout his journey, Dechief also partook in many tournaments and seminars, as well as two world championships: one in St. Louis, Miss., in 1997; and one in Scotland in 2011, where he earned a gold medal in patterns and a bronze medal in sparring. Dechief said for him taekwon-do is a lifestyle, something that never stops, progressing one step at a time.

"When I first started, my instructor at the time was a third-degree black belt. And I thought, 'That'd

be cool to get to that rank.' I never saw it coming to where I am now, that's for sure. But it's definitely a lifestyle. We've taught for years and years. And we've seen so many students go through our club, black belts, I can't even begin to tell you how many. It's been a journey, and a journey that not going to end either, it will continue," Dechief said.

They've trained thousands of students and promoted numerous black belts over the past three decades. With taekwon-do being an intrinsic part of their lives, the men plan to continue the journey. It takes about seven years to qualify for the next rank, but their tasks will be different now as with a master's designation comes an even stronger emphasis on the promotion of taekwondo globally and instructing rather than personal training.

"When you advance in degrees, your role changes. You participate as an official but more importantly, as an instructor and do seminars and stuff like that. So, my role is to train now," Dechief said. "As masters now, we are [also] required to travel taking the seminars to stay current with all the techniques, with all the grandmasters, because GTF is worldwide, and it's very important for us to do those things. So, I look forward to it."

"From here on in to go to eighth degree or ninth degree is going to be based on your commitment and

dedication to the Global Taekwon-Do Federation … Now our responsibilities have spread from the local or provincial clubs to more of a global capacity," Brown said.

"So, going forward, I continue to be the same person that I always was. I love training. I love teaching. And I will continue to promote Taekwon-Do," he added.

Already in the new roles, they held a seminar in Moose Jaw in mid-February for the Saskatchewan GTF black belts, with 17 training from throughout the province.

Dechief and Brown thanked the Estevan Taekwon-Do executive and others involved for their support.

"I learned so much from our students, and I continue to do so. I can't thank everyone in our Taekwon-Do family enough for helping me to get to where I am. And my wife and my family, without their support and sacrifices ... it wouldn't happen either," Brown said.

"My journey has been filled with so many inspirational individuals and amazing experiences and opportunities. I can't speak enough about the lifelong friendships I've made with so many people along the way, and we still get together on a regular basis. I thank taekwon-do and GTF for that. And my goal right now is to help create opportunities and experiences for other students and instructors to share the same special moments," he added.

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From left, master Don Dechief, grandmaster Vito Palella, honourary Grandmaster and Global Taekwon-Do Federation president Linda Park, and master Wayne Brown after the seventh-degree black belt testing. Photos courtesy of Don Dechief

Masters Don Dechief and Wayne Brown pictured during the test for seventh-degree black belts, which occurred earlier in February.

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The cameras have stopped rolling on another edition of Telemiracle. The set has been taken down and life has returned to a semblance of normalcy for Saskatchewan's Kinsmen and Kinettes, along with anyone else involved in raising such a significant amount of money.

Now the board members of the Kinsmen Telemiracle Foundation get to dole out more than $6 million donated by the people of Saskatchewan for the medical needs of people in Saskatchewan.

When you think about it, Telemiracle has a lot in common with our beloved United Way Estevan Telethon. (And not just because both are telethons that will celebrate their 48th year in 2024).

Of course, Telemiracle is on a much larger scale than the United Way Telethon. But both have a long history of success. Both unite supporters and bring out the best in us.

Telemiracle requires significant time commitments leading up to the event and involves the efforts of many people, not only those involved with the organizing committee and those who appear on screen, but those who work behind the scenes.

Supporters know that when they make a donation, it's going where it's supposed to go. While there will be staff members involved –you can't manage that much money without

I don't know if you've noticed, but a while ago a billboard addressing the rise of syphilis in Canada appeared on Kensington Avenue. Shortly thereafter, similar ads in public washrooms in Estevan also caught my attention.

And from there, I started noticing more and more information about this sexually transmitted infection entering public space. Like before, the new talks about what was once known as "social disease" seem quiet and discreet. Even though the information about the situation and tendencies is not that loud, the news about the rise of syphilis in Canada at first appeared pretty unbelievable in today's day and age.

I don't know about you, but to me, syphilis and some other sexually transmitted infections used to feel like something we largely left in the 20th century. I'm not that young and come from a country where mass sex education was never really introduced. (The first experiments with sex education in Russia occurred in 1994, and there was some progress in the early 2000s, but it never became a part of the school curriculum and was pretty much eradicated over the last decade).

But even my schoolbooks included scary pictures and long talks about why condoms are a must. And I felt that it worked, turning syphilis into an old disease from the books.

But things changed.

Canada has witnessed a notable surge in syphilis diagnoses since 2016, prompting several provinces to declare outbreaks, with Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories reporting the highest incidence rates lately. And the problem seems to be global. In industrialized countries, syphilis in -

having at least an employee or two – the money stays in Saskatchewan. It's not bogged down in a myriad of administrative costs, and you don't have a CEO making big money.

Money raised during Telemiracle not only helps Saskatchewan people with medical expenses, it helps purchase equipment at our health-care facilities.

Of course, Saskatchewan's generosity is not just limited to telethons. We are known for helping out others, whether it be lotteries, fundraising suppers, campaigns and so much more.

We're going to be there for health-care causes, kids' groups, schools, sports teams and organizations, families in need or agencies that help the less fortunate. We see businesses step forward with donations for non-profit organizations all the time.

We're generous with our time, too. Saskatchewan has long been the province that leads the country in hours volunteered on a per-capita basis. Yes, a lot of organizations are facing a shortage of volunteers, a trend that is impacting Saskatchewan, but there are still a lot of people who give many hours to make fundraisers work.

A lot of it can be chalked up to our small-town roots. Those in small towns know that so many things wouldn't happen without volunteers. And people in rural communities are often very generous. There are a lot of people

fections were on a decline until the 1980s and 1990s due to the widespread use of antibiotics. However, since the year 2000, there has been an upward trend in syphilis rates noted in the U.S., Europe and Australia, among others.

The chief public health officer of Canada reported in mid-February that in 2022, Canada documented close to 14,000 instances of infectious syphilis, along with 117 occurrences of early congenital syphilis, wherein the infection is transmitted from a pregnant woman to their baby. (The latest was almost eradicated by the new millennium.) The new statistic shows a twofold surge in infectious syphilis cases and a sixfold escalation in congenital syphilis compared to the data reported in 2018.

So what has happened?

It's hard to name the precise reasons. Maybe we let our guards down, feeling that once deathly, and now mostly just dangerous, sexually transmitted infections became a notion of the past. Maybe the popularity of alternative birth-control options also lessened the focus on the need for barrier protection. The advent of highly effective HIV treatment and prevention methods might have contributed to a decline in old-style protection as well.

The other advances of today's world, such as online dating platforms which offer increased accessibility to sexual encounters, also reshaped the landscape, where casual sex

in the cities who hail from towns, villages and RMs, and who never forgot the importance of giving back.

Getting back to Telemiracle, it really is a wonderful event. You have people converging from throughout the province. Businesses, organizations and individuals are allowed to make a presentation on stage, regardless of the amount. A bequest for hundreds of thousands of dollars?

It's broadcast on air. A kid raises some cash through a lemonade stand? It's announced on air.

When they say that every donation counts, they mean it.

New for this year was a "Miracle Map", which showed all of the communities where Telemiracle helped somebody with a medical need. There were about 200 of them. If somebody was on the fence about whether to support Telemiracle, something like the Miracle Map might help tip the scales. There's a very good chance that you know somebody who has benefitted from the Kinsmen Telemiracle Foundation, even if you don't know it.

Telemiracle has become one of the highlights on the calendar each year for the people of Saskatchewan and is one of those things that everyone should experience at least once. And it reinforces our belief regarding the generosity of the people of Saskatchewan.

has become more common. Drugs might have a role to play as well. I feel that mistrust in the health-care system, more widespread among particular groups of the population, as well as disparities in health care are other big parts of the trend we are seeing (and not just in this particular case).

In sum, changing sex practices and the lack of access to proper health care and information, especially for particular groups of people, create a positive environment for sexually transmitted infections. And when the numbers start growing within some groups, it's just a matter of time before the disease starts spilling over to others.

While in its core the problem is very intimate and personal, to be resolved it needs a systematic approach. Addressing these multifaceted factors is crucial to developing effective strategies for syphilis prevention, surveillance and overall public health.

But it's also important to remember that what seemed to be out of the picture is now back again, and even if it still feels surreal, it is real. So, two things: first, the good old methods of preventing the bacterial sexually transmitted infection combined with the advanced medical options are more important than ever. And second, regular screening can change a lot. Syphilis, if diagnosed, is largely preventable, treatable and curable. Unfortunately, access to testing and treatment is impeded by many barriers like stigma and discrimination, socioeconomic factors such as income disparities and educational gaps, and a deficiency in culturally safe care. So, there is work to be done on many levels, but it all starts with simple awareness.

Orpheum hosts concert, preparing for a Sask. debut

The Orpheum Theatre was packed on Feb. 17 for Saskatchewan musician Jack Semple’s tribute concert to Canadian music icon Gordon Lightfoot.

Semple and a band played many of Lightfoot’s most popular songs to the delight of the fans. Lightfoot, a famed Canadian musician and songwriter, died last year at the age of 84.

Estevan musicians

Daniel Espelien and his son Mavrik served as the opening act and drew large

applause, especially for Mavrik’s drum solo. The next marquee event at the Orpheum Theatre will be the Saskatchewan debut of the movie Mother of All Shows. The film will be shown for a matinee on March 10 at 2 p.m. Star Melissa D’Agostino and co-director Matt Campagna will be attending to introduce the film and answer questions afterwards. The Orpheum will be part of a nationwide road show for the movie.

The movie also stars Wendie Malick, known for her roles in Just Shoot Me, Shrinking, Hot in Cleveland, Young Sheldon and more.

Mother of All Shows tells the story of Liza (D’Agostino), who is trying to cope with the impending death of her estranged mother Rosa (Malick). She creates a 1970s-style variety show in her mind in which the all-powerful host is her mother, who leads a cast of people from Liza’s past and present.

Oxbow celebrates Family Day

The community of Oxbow came together for some fun on Feb. 19 during the Family Day Winter Fest. Activities included a learn-to-curl workshop at the Oxbow Curling Club, a scavenger hunt, public skating, open curling, crafts, shinny that pitted young people and the Oxbow Huskies’ senior hockey club, and a macramé rainbow keychain workshop. Hotdogs were available, the kitchen and the Oxbow Lions Club’s Lions’ den were open, and Just Bread had waffle dogs and crepes.

The winter festival was made possible through support from the Grow Your Community grant offered by South East Sport, Culture & Recreation District Inc.

In addition to the organizations and businesses mentioned above, groups involved were the Youth Drop-In Centre – Oxbow, the Oxbow Public Library, the Ada Staples Library, Oxbow/Enniskillen Fire & Rescue, and AlyJ Macramé.

Basics of financial literacy

Personal finances can be vulnerable to forces that shape both local and global economies, but individuals are not helpless against such variables.

Financial literacy is a term that can be defined in various ways, but is perhaps most usefully characterized as an individual’s ability to utilize various financial skills. Budgeting, investing and sound borrowing strategies each fall under the umbrella of financial literacy, and understanding how can help people better prepare for what’s to come.

Budgeting is one of the foundations of financial literacy and its value is not unrecognized. Seventy-four per cent of more than 2,000 adults surveyed indicated they have a monthly budget. However, 84 per cent who have a budget admitted they exceed it. This area of financial literacy is most useful when individuals not

only recognize the need to budget, but also the benefits of living within a budget once it’s established.

One of the more notable lessons of the pandemic is just how quickly inflation can affect cost of living and quality of life. The cost of store-bought food increased by 23.5 per cent between February 2020 and May 2023. While that was an extraordinarily high increase for such a short period of time, inflation affects the value of a dollar, and financially literate individuals recognize that a dollar saved today will be less valuable 20 years from now.

Investing helps individuals grow their money so they can meet all of their future expenses. The average stock market return is about 10 per cent per year, which shows just how vital sound investing is to securing your financial future.

Borrowing money is not

bad, even though it’s often discussed through the lens of credit card debt. Credit card debt is a significant issue. But borrowing to buy consumer goods and borrowing to finance an education or home purchase are two wildly different things.

Numerous studies have shown that lifetime earnings are significantly higher among college-educated adults than individuals whose formal education ended with high school.

In relation to financial literacy, borrowing to fund an education and/or purchase a home is a far more effective long-term financial strategy than borrowing to purchase consumer goods.

Financial literacy can help individuals lay a sound financial foundation that can make them less vulnerable to unforeseen variables that threaten the stability of local and global economies.

Daniel Espelien and his son Mavrik served as the warm-up act during a concert at the Orpheum Theatre on Feb. 17. Photo courtesy of the Orpheum Theatre

Autumn Weinrauch was among the young people who enjoyed the activities in Oxbow. Photo courtesy of Oxbow Economic Development

PINK SHIRT BE KIND

Challenge Day at ECS will promote acceptance among students, and community support is making it happen

The first Challenge Day to come to the Estevan Comprehensive School since 2014 is fast approaching, with the school and its community council getting into the final stages of preparation.

Challenge Day is slated for March 12 and 13. All Grade 9 students will be divided into two groups of about 100 people, and each group will have a full one-day experience.

When the return of the transformational, experiential workshop was announced in November 2023, the goal was to raise $20,000 to cover the cost of bringing the event to Estevan, as well as to find volunteers and sponsors for lunches. As of Feb. 26, most goals have been reached, thanks to the community support, said ECS principal James Jones and school community council (SCC) representative Kelly McConnell.

"We're on track to have a really great two-day event coming up here in March, so we're super excited for it," Jones said.

"We've done lots of fundraising, we've got lots of donations in. We're having a Burger for a Cause [on Feb. 27 at the Days Inn] and that'll be our last big fundraiser. And then we'll see where we're at. But we're very

close to reaching our fundraising goal, so we should be good," McConnell added.

Their main fundraiser was a cash calendar and it was successful. The ECS student representative council (SRC) also helped sell tickets during one of the Estevan Bruins games and at the Estevan Market Mall, and also assisted with Burgers for a Cause. A letter campaign also helped, and they received a number of donations from local businesses. Local service clubs support ECS as well.

"Local service clubs and organizations have met us either with monetary donations or with volunteers. There's been an overwhelming response from adult volunteers in the community," Jones noted. "We need to have a minimum of 25 adult volunteers each day. And I would say that we've met that goal and probably surpassed it. We've got lots of organizations, businesses and people that are behind it."

There is a lot of behindthe-scenes work to bring the Challenge Day to a school, but the event organizers have "an in-depth planning portal," said Jones, which guides the schools with where they need to be when. For the ECS now, it's mainly some

fine-tuning that's left to be done before the date.

"We have to get the gymnasium ready and different things like that, but facilities at ECS will take

care of that. We have a hardworking caretaking team. Curtis Hack and commercial cooking class are going to be responsible for feeding Grade 9 students. We've had

two generous donors come forward who are going to sponsor the lunches for the two days, so students won't need to leave," said Jones.

"Everything's on track and looks good. We are excited to host this event," McConnell added. "I can't wait to see how this turns out, and hopefully, we'll host it again next year."

Grade 9 students heard of the exciting opportunity at the end of last year, and Jones said they are looking forward to the new experience. "Prior to the Christmas break, we brought all of the Grade 9 students into the cafeteria, and we were able to showcase a couple of different videos of Challenge Day in the past. We also had Hannah Battersby from Estevan who participated in Challenge Day back in 2014. Hannah gave a personal testimony about her own experience with Challenge Day, how it shaped her and impacted her life. And I think that was very well received by the students, lots of positive feedback from that," Jones shared. "I think the student body is excited."

The day-long experiential workshop will allow the participating students to

experience powerful love and belonging, connect across lines of difference and move towards creating the culture they want in their school, says the event's description. The Challenge Day activities are centred around core competencies that help to support social-emotional learning, including self-management, self-awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making.

Challenge Day is appropriate for Grade 7-12 students, however, ECS has historically offered it to its Grade 9s since they are new to the school and would carry that knowledge and attitude into their future years in high school and then into their adult lives.

Jones thanked the community for getting behind the event and supporting them.

"We've been very pleased with the community support. If it wasn't for the generous, supportive businesses and individuals in this community, events like this wouldn't happen. So just a big thanks to everybody who's got behind this cause and sees the value in it, and we hope that it has a positive impact on the student body here at ECS," Jones said.

Burgers

Challenge Day has been a moving experience when it has been held at ECS in the past. File photo

The Government of Saskatchewan is voicing its opposition to the federal government's proposed oil and gas emissions cap and draft methane regulations.

The government says its submissions to Environment and Climate Change Canada on the Oil and Gas Emissions Cap and Methane 75 regulations highlight the negative impacts both policies would have on the province and the energy sector. The measures were announced by the federal government late last year and the province issued its response on Thursday.

Initial analysis, according to the provincial government, suggests that compliance with the emissions cap would cost Saskatchewan's oil and gas sector between $7 billion and $9 billion by 2030.

"These two policies have the potential to be devastating for our economy," Energy

The Saskatchewan Water Security Agency’s preliminary runoff report, released Thursday, shows spring runoff is expected to be well below normal in most of the province and below average in the southeast.

In the southwest and southeast corners of the province, heavier rainfall in the fall resulted in nearnormal soil moisture conditions going into freeze-up. Across the remainder of the province, topsoil moisture conditions were generally below to well-below normal. An early snowfall event in late October occurred across much of southern and eastcentral Saskatchewan.This snowfall was followed by below-normal temperatures, leaving a lot of these areas snow-covered; however, thawing temperatures in November and into December melted a large portion of the snowpack.

The early snowfall could result in two outcomes, according to the WSA. One is there is the potential in areas where the early snowfall melted for reduced infiltration capacity come spring

and Resources Minister Jim Reiter said. "Both amount to a production cap by default, and represent further instances of the federal government infringing on Saskatchewan's constitutionally-protected right to develop our natural resources."

According to Saskatchewan's preliminary economic analysis, the impact of the emissions cap, alongside Methane 75, suggests that 20-30 per cent of Saskatchewan's total production is at risk by 2030. The government says this would negatively impact communities across the province and significantly reduce employment, gross domestic product, and royalties and other tax revenues that fund critical public services.

The provincial government says its federal counterpart has also indicated there are no plans to apply similar treatment to imported energy products. The result

because the topsoil will be frozen and sealed off.

The other is the early, heavy snow received could insulate the soil and reduce frost penetration, which would result in more infiltration in the spring, reducing the runoff in spring 2024. Snow surveys in February will help ascertain which scenario is likely to develop.

Unseasonably warm temperatures throughout November and December, as well as late in January across the province, have caused lots of the snowpack that was present to be lost to sublimation (when water from the snowpack returns to the atmosphere instead of melting first) and even the complete melting of snow in areas of the southwest.

In the southeast region, the WSA has achieved the regular Feb. 1 drawdown elevations for Rafferty Reservoir and Grant Devine Lake. With near-normal conditions at freeze-up in 2023 and what is currently projected to be a below to well-below-normal snowpack, the snowmelt runoff response is expected to be below average above the three

would be increased reliance on oil and gas imported from countries that do not have strong environmental records, at the expense of domestic production and the associated economic benefits.

"We urge the federal government to scrap both policies, and instead focus on practical solutions that reduce emissions while supporting the oil and gas sector," Reiter said.

The government says Saskatchewan's upstream oil and gas industry has made significant progress in reducing emissions and, guided by policies and programs already in place, will continue to achieve results. From 2015-2022, the provincial government says greenhouse gas emissions in Saskatchewan from venting and flaring at upstream oil facilities are down 64 per cent and methane emissions are down 70 per cent.

reservoirs, and below normal below the reservoirs. With the dry conditions in the basin, no additional releases will be required. As of Feb. 1, the WSA says only Boundary Reservoir has a potential of filling this spring. Any excess water from Boundary would be diverted to Rafferty. Currently, Rafferty Reservoir is expected to be in the normal operating range.

Detailed forecasts for the Souris River Basin are developed on or near the 1st and 15th of each month, beginning in February, up until the snowmelt runoff event. These forecasts can be found on wsask.ca.

As for the rest of the province, the WSA says most of Saskatchewan experienced below-normal precipitation in 2023, leading to dry conditions before freeze-up, especially in the west-central region from Leader to Lloydminster.

The current snowpack ranges from below to wellbelow normal. If belownormal conditions persist, this could result in drierthan-normal conditions and localized water supply short-

ages, especially in the western region.

Despite dry conditions, the WSA says major water supply reservoirs in southern Saskatchewan are mostly at or above normal levels, except for Avonlea and some in the southwest that may face surface water supply concerns due to depleted snowpack.

Long-range forecasts predict near-normal precipitation and warmer temperatures than usual across Saskatchewan from February to April, with the southern areas experiencing the highest temperature increases.

The WSA says indicators suggest that there is a higher risk of agricultural and hydrological drought this year. The Water Security Agency will monitor landscape conditions and water supply reservoirs closely to allow for timely response to dry conditions. The agency will also continue to work internally and across government to identify opportunities and programming to support communities and residents in times of drought. The next forecast will be released in early March.

NOTICE OF ASSESSMENT

TOWN OF LAMPMAN

Notice is hereby given that the assessment roll for the Town of Lampman for the year of 2024 has been prepared and is open to inspection in the office at 303 Main Street of the assessor from 8:00am -12:00pm and 1:00pm-4:00pm on the following days, Monday to Friday, February 21, 2024 to March 28, 2024.

A Bylaw pursuant to section 214 of The Municipalities Act has been passed and the assessment notices have been sent as required. Any person who wishes to appeal against their assessment is required to file his or her notice of appeal, accompanied by a $150.00 fee per parcel of property with: Marlene Hassard Secretary, The Board of Revision, Box 149, Meota, Saskatchewan, S0M 1X0, by the 28th day of March, 2024.

Dated this 21st day of February, 2024

Teresa Dyck, Assessor

The Government of Saskatchewan is critical of the federal government’s plan to cap oil and gas emissions.

Photo by Greg Nikkel of the Weyburn Review

Estevan Arts Council brings back winter camps

By Ana Bykhovskaia

After four years of a break, the Estevan Arts Council brought its winter arts camp back to the delight of many local families.

Camps for ages six to seven and eight to 12 attracted a total of 23 kids. Vicki Graham, the arts council's new administrator, who oversaw the camps, said she started putting things together and communicating with other local organizations in January. The efforts resulted in two active and arts-oriented camps.

The four-day camps took place from Feb. 20-23 in the different areas of the Estevan Leisure Centre, where kids had many opportunities to work on different art projects and also enjoy some physical activities.

"They've done mosa -

ics, pointillism, clay, like plasticine art. We did water bottles and tote bags … they got to design them. … They did these really cute trolls. I cut them out of cardboard and left a little slit at the top. And they did yarn hair, did their bellies up with little jewels. They loved the trolls," Graham said, naming some of the many art activities kids got to try during the camp days.

"I like a little bit of structure, but also allow them to be creative and add a touch to things," she added.

The younger group tried many different arts and crafts as well. Participants also had an opportunity to go swimming, have a fitness class with Megan LeBlanc, play laser tag and even experience an escape room and a scavenger hunt.

Graham said, depend -

ing on funding, they might consider offering some more programming opportunities further down the line for younger residents.

"Working with kids, I think you have an opportunity to pour into them. They're our future, we need to nurture these abilities and talents. [And create more opportunities for] kids who may just want to explore, learn and just play around, to see what art stuff that they might be interested in," Graham said.

About two years ago, Graham and her family moved from Orangeville, Ont., a town north of Toronto, to Alameda, where she established the Meraki art studio. She has a background in teaching, visual arts and music. She started with the Estevan Arts Council last October.

EPYC support

The Estevan Public Youth Centre (EPYC) has received a $5,000 donation from the Access Communications Children's Fund. The money will be directed towards programming the youth centre has offered. From left, EPYC board member Krissy Wallman and treasurer Michelle Walsh accepted a cheque for $5,000 from Brandon Rosengren

Access Communications.

with

Missing is board member Heidi Hesselink

The younger group had their own art activities during the arts council’s winter camp.

24031SS1

Flashback – March 6, 1985

Elevator rescue, accident and more on agenda for firefighters

The Estevan Fire Rescue Service’s crews responded to a number of calls in mid-February. Firefighters were called to conduct an odour investigation in a building in northwest Estevan on Feb. 17. Crews went through the building but didn’t pick up any readings and couldn’t find anything causing any odd odours.

A call for an elevator rescue came on Feb. 18. A hockey team overloaded an elevator in a building on the east side of the city, which caused it to be

stuck. Crews were able to open the elevator and let everybody out without any incidents.

On Feb. 20, a commercial fire alarm went off on the south side of the city. Responding crews soon found that there was no emergency occurring, and the alarm was caused by contractors working on the site.

Firefighters were called to investigate the smell of smoke in northwest Estevan on Feb. 21. Nothing was found upon arrival, and the responders con -

cluded there was an issue with a furnace, so they advised the homeowners to call a plumber.

The next day, the crews were called out to a report of a gas leak on the north side of the city. No gas was found in the building. SaskEnergy attended the scene, and it was turned over to them for further investigation.

A single-vehicle accident occurred on Feb. 24 on Souris Avenue. Crews responded, cleaned up debris and disabled the vehicle battery.

Marijuana-positive test results in driver’s licence suspension

A traffic stop, initiated in central Estevan on Feb. 24, resulted in the male driver failing a THC test for marijuana.

His licence was suspended for 60 days and his vehicle was impounded for three days. He was also served violation tickets as a result of driving with only a Class 7 licence.

The same day, members attended to various retail locations and other establishments on reports of an unwanted male inside. He was spoken to about all occasions and sent on his way

without further issue. Members attended to a north-central establishment on the report of a female refusing to leave when asked. She was spoken to upon police arrival and left without further issue.

In other recent police news, Estevan Police Service members attended a central Estevan retail location on Feb. 21 to assist with asking a male to leave the store. He was found and arrested for theft and breaching his conditions. He was transported back to the EPS where he was later released with further conditions.

The same day, officers were asked to attend a north Estevan residence to assist in removing an unwanted male who was causing issues. The male, who had already left, was spoken to outside of the residence upon police arrival. He returned later in the day and was warned of possible charges if he continued his behaviour.

A scam was reported in which the caller advised of a locked bank account and to

phone a caller provided. No information was provided, and the involved financial institution was called for advice.

On Feb. 22, police received a report of a male causing a disturbance at a local restaurant/lounge. Members located the male a short time later. He was lodged in cells for being intoxicated in a public place. He was charged for failing to pay for services from a local taxi company. Officers also attended to a north Estevan location on the report of two people driving a vehicle while drinking alcohol with two children inside. Extensive patrols were made but the vehicle was not located.

On Feb. 23, police received two separate reports of thefts, one from a gas station and the other from a grocery store. Video surveillance was obtained, and both matters are under investigation.

Police also received a report of a criminal harassment matter which has

resulted in further investigation.

Officers received a report of a fraud over $5,000. Further investigation determined that the issue was civil in nature and not a police matter.

The same day, members were dispatched to a central Estevan convenience store on the report of a possible assault that had taken place. An individual was spoken to, and it was determined that no assault actually occurred. The intoxicated male was transported to the police station where he was lodged in cells until sober.

Members, accompanied by the EPS Police and Crisis Team (PACT), attended a northcentral Estevan residence on the report of a female in distress. She was spoken to and found to be okay.

A report was received in which an intimate image was sent to an individual and a sum of money was then demanded, or the image would be shared online. This matter is being looked into.

Students who passed the SWF hunter safety course received their certificate at the awards banquet early March 1985. The recipients were, front row, from left, Terry Sernick, Sheldon Jahn, Geoffrey Dyer, Jason MacMillan Shaun Johnson Ken Hoste Kelly Pastachack and Calvin Shurygalo. Back row, Scott Dryden Glen Irwin Robert Fenwick Doug Smart Tonya Hockley Tony Fedyk Jan Holmgren Kyle Whitman and Richard Tessier. At the back are instructors, Harvey Hackney, left, and Collin Clayton

Woman shaves head to support grandson with cancer

By Stephanie Zoer

All families hate to hear that a loved one has cancer, and this was no different for Betty Jack when she heard this dreadful disease had hit her family.

Travis Benner of Manor is a 36-year-old family man. He is married to Tiarah Benner, who is Betty Jack’s granddaughter. They have three children. Their sons are Huxton, age three, and Kove, 2, and they have a sixweek-old daughter Layklen.

Early in 2023, Travis Benner was having some health issues but did not seek medical attention as he

did not want to miss work or worry his family. Soon it became apparent that he needed to see a doctor as the situation became worse.

The first doctor felt he had Crohn’s or colitis, but the family was not satisfied with this answer, so they sought a second opinion. Further testing was done with an ultrasound, CT scan and more blood work. Within a few days they received the news that Benner had stage 4 cancer in his lungs, liver and colon. A whole different journey was soon to begin for the young family.

He was diagnosed in May 2023 and shortly afterwards Benner and his wife found out she was pregnant with their third child.

Benner began his chemotherapy every other week, travelling to Estevan from their home.

During the weeks of his treatment, he must first go for blood work and then treatment the following day. He is then sent home, with what is called a baby bottle attached. When this is empty, he needs to go to Arcola and have it removed. Benner then has one week off before it starts all over again. This treatment will continue for an exceedingly long time.

It was not and is not an easy task with three young children, but Benner, through all of this, did not want to ask for help or let others think that help was needed.

Friends and family set up a GoFundMe account for the family that raised $10,000, but this drained quickly with the many trips to Estevan.

Tiarah’s grandmother, Betty Jack from Carlyle, was out visiting the family when she overheard them talking about expenses. She simply says that Travis is her grandson and a big part of the family.

They do receive small financial assistance, but this does not cover costs such as insurance, taxes or anything extra.

The family wants to be able to make memories with the kids, but this is an extra cost, so when the funds are available, they try to get away to enjoy life, in

between treatments.

Jack has had her own struggles in life and knows firsthand how difficult it can be.

Jack was committed to shaving her head when she raised $1,000 for her grandson and family. The fundraising began on Jan. 19 and by Jan. 23 she had raised $2,720.

“It breaks my heart to see them go through this,”

said Jack. “Besides, I needed a haircut.”

Jack recently drove to the Benner home in Manor and had her grandson shave her head. He would not shave her bald and left a little length. When Benner received the funds, they were pretty happy.

Benner’s grandmother

Edna is very thankful for all the support this young fam -

Hill View crowns Valentine’s King and Queen

By Jeannette Betteridge

February was a great month at Hill View Manor.

The Valentine’s King and Queen were crowned. This year’s queen was Pauline Benko and the king was Ken Geisel. Both were chosen through votes from residents, families and staff.

A very special thank you to the businesses that came together and donated carnations for Valentine’s Day for the residents. The flowers were very much loved and appreciated by the residents. They brought big smiles to their faces.

Many activities happened in February. In addition to the Valentine’s party

for the residents, there was an ice cream social, exercises, Bingo, card games, crokinole, bowling, bean bag toss, crafts and various board games, to list a few.

The last Friday of the month was loonie bingo, followed by a wine and cheese social. Fruit juice was for anyone not wanting wine.

Outings in February

were to Make Music with Friends, which is an all-time favourite. We also went to Black Beard’s for lunch and Walmart.

In February we had three birthdays: Alan Davis (94), Irene McKinny (86) and Grace Carlson (99). Happy birthday to all. Entertainment this month included the Caragana

Ramblers, Maggie, the Szakacs Family, Susan Shepard, Wilma and Val, and Keith and Gary. They are slated to perform in March as well. Welcome to our new residents, Ron and Pauline Edwards. March will be a great month as well. March 15 is to be our annual coin hunt for St. Patrick’s Day. A prize

ily has received, and grateful to those who have helped them out, as she said, every little bit helps.

Anyone who wishes to help this family through this challenging time can contact Betty Jack and she will make sure the funds go to the family.

Jack is thankful for all those who donated to help her raise this much money and help her family.

will be given to the resident who finds the most hidden green coins. This brings lots of excitement for all the participants and it is great fun for all.

We will have one birthday. Janet Ternes celebrates her 82nd birthday. A happy birthday to her. Also, a happy Easter to all from our home to yours.

Pauline Benko, left, and

Back left, Tiarah Benner Layklen Benner Betty Jack and Travis Benner. Front left, Kove and Huxten Benner were on hand when Betty Jack shaved her head. Photo courtesy of Betty Jack

From left, Betty Jack has her head shaved by her grandson, Travis Benner, to support him in his journey with cancer. Photo courtesy of Betty Jack

SPORTS

Carnduff rink wins provincial 4-H title A11 | Wednesday, February 28, 2024 | www.SASKTODAY.ca

The Carnduff and Area Beef 4-H Club is home to the provincial junior 4-H curling champions.

The club won the title in Prince Albert on Feb. 16 and 17, defeating their archrivals from Springside in the final. There were seven teams entered in the junior division, and Carnduff and Springside were the southeast representatives.

Carnduff entered provincials as the second-ranked team from the southeast, with Springside the top team from the region. Denise Allum, who is the Carnduff club leader and a coach alongside Chelsie Shier, noted Springside defeated Carnduff at regionals and during meetings in previous years.

Springside defeated Carnduff early on at provincials, forcing Carnduff to go through the B event to reach the final, where they met Springside again. Carnduff defeated Springside in an extra end, but since it was a doubleknockout elimination event

and Springside hadn’t lost, the Carnduff club had to beat their rivals a second time. They did so in another close game.

Allum said the players were nervous about playing Springside in the final. “I said ‘Just go play a game, and don’t worry about who it is,’ and they did,” recalled Allum. “They came out with the first win … and knew they could do it, and I told them they just had to do it one more time. They went out there and played their game one more time, and we changed a few things.”

Allum noted Carnduff is very good with draws and Springside was very good at hitting, so they tried to limit Springside’s opportunities for hits.

Carnduff won their other games at provincials, she said, with some of the games being called early. The 4-H provincial games have six ends.

Allum was pleased with how the curlers represented the club and the town at provincials. They had to

The Estevan Great North U18 AAA Bears are heading to the playoffs.

The Bears defeated the host Swift Current Legionnaires 7-2 on Sunday afternoon in the regular season finale for both teams to clinch a playoff spot for the first time in franchise history. Estevan (18-19-7, 43 points) needed to win to make postseason; if they would have lost, the Saskatoon Contacts (19-21-4, 42 points) would have qualified for the playoffs.

“I’m just proud of the kids,” said head coach Ryan Pilon after Sunday’s game. “It took all of 44 [games] this season, but to go out how we did today, after obviously a rough weekend last weekend [against Moose Jaw] and not our best game

From left, coach Chelsie Shier, Dane Tober, Damion Seymour, Declynn Allum, Fallyn Shier, Bryler Franken and coach Denise Allum were part of Carnduff 4-H’s championship-winning team. Photo courtesy of Denise Allum

travel eight hours to get to the tournament, and winning helped make the long drive worthwhile.

“4-H is amazing, because these kids learn that they have

yesterday [against Swift Current] … to do what we did and overcome … I’m proud of them.”

The win also snapped the Bears’ five-game losing skid.

Estevan came out firing on Sunday, with Gunner Moore scoring the first two goals of the game and Marc Belanger adding to the lead late in the stanza.

Pilon said he stressed the importance of belief heading into the game.

“Right from our goalie on out, all 20 guys were going. They believed and that’s what it eventually came down to,” said Pilon. Swift Current struck twice in the second to pull within a goal, but Jase McNichol scored for Estevan late in the period.

to represent their club and the community and be spokespeople for youth and sports and agriculture,” said Allum. Team members were Bryler Franken (skip), Fallyn

Estevan erased any doubt about the outcome in the third, thanks to goals by Kobe Wotta, Carter Onrait and Cooper Flath.

Kaden Perron made 35 saves for Estevan, including 29 in the final two periods.

The night before, Estevan lost 4-1 to the Legionnaires. Belanger scored the Bears’ lone goal less than four minutes into the first period.

The game was tied at 1-1 entering the third period, but Swift Current scored three times to pull away. The last goal was into an empty net.

Perron and Cole Ivey shared the goaltending duties for Estevan.

This season was the fourth for the Bears in the Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League. Their first season, in 2020-21, was limited to just

Figure skaters win medals and

The Estevan Figure Skating Club sent six members to the Assiniboia Invitational Competition on Feb. 17.

Juri Kim skated in Star 2 and received a bronze ribbon in the free skate and a silver ribbon in elements.

Keomi Mazo also competed in Star 2 and received a bronze ribbon in her free skate routine and a silver ribbon for elements.

Sofia Crana-Schmegelsky was entered in Star 3 and received a silver ribbon for her free skate and a gold ribbon in elements.

Madison Neilson competed in Star 3 and received a gold ribbon in both elements and the free skate.

Meeka Gedak competed in Star 4 and ranked first for both her elements and free skate performances.

Janiyah Laforga was in Star 4 and ranked second in elements and fourth in the free skate.

It was the final competition of the season for all six of the skaters.

Shier (third), Declynn Allum (second) and Damion Seymour (lead). Dane Tober from the Alameda 4-H Beef Club joined the team as a spare.

Allum noted the Carn-

a few games due to restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic. Onrait and Perron are the only two players to have been with the Bears for three full seasons.

“With Carter Onrait, obviously a hometown kid, it [making the playoffs] means everything for him. He’s given three years of his life to this program, and with the season he’s put up and the game he put up today, it shows that he wants it and it shows that he doesn’t want his minor hockey career to be done just yet,” said Pilon.

“With Perron, he played … the last six or seven games in a row, and he came up big when he needed to.”

Estevan will now play the topranked Saskatoon Blazers (34-7-3, 71 points) in a best-of-five series to open the playoffs. Dates for the series

ribbons

duff rink had a relatively young team, and all will be eligible to return at the junior level next year, so they should be strong again as they try to defend their title.

have not been set. Saskatoon won three of four meetings between the two teams during the regular season, with Estevan winning a game in Saskatoon in December.

“It’s a whole new season,” said Pilon. “They’re obviously a great team. They’ve shown they’re a great team all season, but playoffs are a new beast and we’re ready for the challenge.”

Saskatoon won the league title last season.

Pilon said he hopes to see a big crowd for the postseason action in Estevan.

“The support has been tremendous this year, and now, with a taste of playoff hockey at home, we’re expecting a big crowd and we hope that the city of Estevan can support it.”

The Estevan Basketballers provided some fun during the Family Day long weekend by hosting winter tournaments in both basketball and volleyball.

The basketball competition was held at the Estevan Comprehensive School's gymnasium on Feb. 17 and 18. The Estevan Flamethrowers emerged as the tournament champions, defeating Chef Manny Restobar's entry out of Weyburn. Dustin Wilson of Estevan was named the tournament's MVP.

Care & Cole and Ofelz finished third. JS Truckmart, Sunlife Financial and Gerry's Freezer Meats had teams entered, and there were also squads from Estevan, Oxbow and Carlyle.

As for the volleyball tournament, it was held Feb. 19. The Estevan Stingers took top spot. Cheevough was second, the Believers were third and the Sirens came in fourth.

Jeffrey Lorenzo was named the volleyball MVP.

The Estevan Basketballers committee is comprised of volunteers from the Filipino-Canadian community. They want to provide recreational sports events for Estevan and the southeast region.

The Estevan Stingers won a volleyball tournament organized by the Estevan Basketballers. Photo courtesy of Gerardo Cabasa

From left, Janiyah Laforga, Keomi Mazo, Juri Kim, Meeka Gedak, Madison Neilson and Sofia Crana-Schmegelsky competed in Assiniboia. Photo courtesy of Ashley Piper

Tournaments create lots of fun on the courts

Bruins defeat Yorkton after losing to Nipawin

The Estevan Bruins inched closer to securing a playoff spot Saturday with a 5-2 road win over the Yorkton Terriers.

Estevan’s first three goals were on the power play. Ilia Chmelevski scored on a man advantage with 6 1/2 minutes remaining in the first period. Then Keagon Little and Owen Barrow added power-play goals in the second; Little’s goal was 92 seconds into the frame.

Estevan also had a five-minute power play in the third that included a two-man advantage for two minutes, but couldn’t convert despite several excellent scoring chances.

Yorkton made it interesting with power-play goals of their own by Anthony McIntosh and David Coyle in the third period. Barrow dashed any hopes of a Yorkton comeback when he notched his second of the game shortly after Coyle’s goal, and Raine Hodge finished the scoring for Estevan with an empty-net goal in the final minute.

Jackson Miller stopped 17 shots for Estevan, while Ethan Farrow made 20 saves for Yorkton.

The win came a night after a 5-4 loss to the Nipawin Hawks on Friday night in Estevan. The game had a listless start, as Nipawin outshot the host Bruins 9-2, and Estevan didn’t register a shot on goal

until after the 15-minute mark of the first. Miller made some big saves for the Bruins in the frame.

The teams traded goals in the second. Barrow opened the scoring on a break 2:04 into the period, but Alex Bernauer tied the game a few minutes later. Owen Simmons’ goal 9:03 into the frame put the Bruins back in front, but Chase Visser knotted up the game 36 seconds later.

Cade Kennedy scored on a long shot with 5:15 to play in the frame, but Nipawin’s Liam McInnis tied the game eight seconds later on a fluke goal.

Goals by Maguire Ratzlaff and Jacob Michelson put Nipawin ahead by two six minutes into the third. A pinching Simmons scored with 4:37 to play in the third to wrap up the scoring.

Miller finished the night with 21 saves, while Tyson Endall had 24 saves for Nipawin.

The Bruins played both games without goaltender Cam Hrdlicka due to injury. Head coach and general manager Jason Tatarnic said Hrdlicka is out day to day, and they won’t know until this week when the veteran goaltender will be back.

Estevan has a 23-22-2-2 record and 50 points with seven games remaining. They currently sit tied with the Kindersley for the sixth

Bruins' forward Alex Papaspyropoulos (18) cuts in past a Nipawin defender on Friday night.

seed; the Bruins have a game in hand. The Melville Millionaires are fifth with 51 points and eight games left, and the Weyburn Red Wings

are eighth with 46 points and nine games to play. The top eight teams make the playoffs.

Nipawin is ninth with 42

Semifinal matchups are set in the Big Six

The semifinals matchups have been finalized in the Big Six Hockey League's playoffs.

The top-ranked Redvers Rockets will face the No. 4 Carnduff Red Devils in one series, while the No. 2 Carlyle Cougars will play the No. 3 Moosomin Rangers in the other.

Redvers advanced by sweeping the No. 8 Midale Mustangs in their best-of-five matchup, finishing the sweep on Feb. 18. Carnduff needed four games to dispose of the No. 5 Bienfait Coalers.

Carnduff defeated Bienfait 5-2 on Feb. 20 in Carnduff and wrapped up the series with a 10-4 win on Feb. 23 in Bienfait. It was the third

straight year the two teams had met in the first round of the playoffs. Game 1 was set for Feb. 27 in Redvers. (Results were not available at press time). Game 2 is Feb. 29 in Carnduff at 8 p.m. Dates for the remaining games have not been finalized.

Carlyle swept the No. 7 Wawota Flyers in three straight to advance to the semis, finishing off the Flyers with an 8-5 win on Feb. 22 in Carlyle.

Moosomin knocked off the No. 6 Oxbow Huskies 7-1 Sunday night in Oxbow to win the bestof-five series in four games. Oxbow had forced Game 4 by defeating

Moosomin 5-4 in overtime on Friday night.

As for provincials, the Cougars defeated Round Lake 7-4 Sunday in Ochapowace to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three Hockey Sask senior A south semifinal series.

(The game sheet for the contest was not immediately available).

Game 2 is set for March 2 in Carlyle at 8 p.m. and Game 3, if necessary, would be the following night, also in Carlyle, at 6:30 p.m.

The winner of the series will play Balcarres or Lumsden in the south final.

Also in provincial play, Carnduff edged Langenburg 5-4 on

Saturday night in Carnduff to win the best-of-three Senior C south semifinal in two straight. Mark Moriarty's third goal of the game with less than a minute to play in the third period was the winner. Ben Hiltz had the other two Carnduff goals.

Mason Plews was in goal for the Red Devils. Langenburg had a 4-1 lead at one point in the second period. Carnduff will play Kyle in the south final. Dates for the series have not been announced, but according to the Big Six Hockey League's website, Game 1 would be in Carnduff, while Game 2, and, if

points and seven games to play. Estevan will visit the Melfort Mustangs on Feb. 28, and the Flin Flon Bombers on March 1 and 2.

necessary, Game 3, would be in Kyle. In the senior D south semifinal, Redvers trounced Craik 8-1 on Saturday to take a 1-0 advantage in that best-of-three battle. Kenton Miller scored twice for Redvers, while Braeden Magotiaux, Bradey Fidierchuk, Jordon Miller, Daylin Smallchild, Brett Hope and Oliver Poirier also scored. Cody Matthewson was in goal. Game 2 would be March 2 in Craik and Game 3, if needed, would be the next night.

For regular updates on the Big Six playoffs and Hockey Sask provincials, you can visit our provincial news hub at SaskToday.ca

With this week being Anti-Bullying week, please reflect on the fact that bullying is still an on going issue. Let’s try to work together to stop this toxic behaviour.

For Public Safety

53.

(a)

(d) On 12th Avenue from 3rd Street to 6th Street where the building is abutting the property line;

(e) On 13th Avenue from the north side of 4th Street North 40 meters.

(2) No person shall dump any substance on any highway, public sidewalk, boulevard or ditch within the City of Estevan.

(3) The occupier of property in the City of Estevan shall remove any snow, ice or other obstruction from the public sidewalk adjacent to such property within twenty-four (24) hours of the time such snow, ice or other obstruction appears on such public sidewalk. In the event that this subsection is not complied with, the City may remove such snow, ice or other obstructions at the expense of such occupants or owner, and in the event of the nonpayment of such expense, such expense may be charges against the property as a special assessment to be recovered in like manner as and with the taxes.

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