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Issue 12

SERVING THE ENERGY CITY SINCE 1903

Mailing No. 10769 | Publication No. 40069240

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

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Is a second cannabis retailer coming? By David Willberg dwillberg@estevanmercury.ca

Estevan city council has decided to begin the process of bringing a second cannabis retailer to the city. Council approved a request during Monday night’s meeting to have the second retailer. The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority still has to approve the request. Estevan was originally allocated two cannabis retailer permits by the provincial government last year, but council decided the city should have just one retailer initially, after a recommendation from Estevan Police Chief Paul Ladouceur and the Estevan board of police commissioners. Mayor Roy Ludwig said city council now feels comfortable with having the second retailer. Ladouceur said he still believes it was the right decision to go with one vendor instead of two, because legalization was new to everyone and there were a lot of unanswered questions. “There have been no problems brought to our attention, as a police service, with regards to the current cannabis shop,” said Ladouceur. “In fact, we’re quite surprised that there’s been no complaints.” Ludwig echoed Ladouceur’s beliefs that it was the right move to have one retailer.

Councillor Travis Frank said he was surprised at how seamless it was to have a cannabis shop in the community. But he also wanted to know if legalization has caused problems for the police service. Ladouceur said he believes there is just one provincial cannabis-related offence before the courts, and that was for a youth who was in possession of the drug. But he also stressed that

it’s too soon to gage the impact of legalized cannabis from a policing perspective. He says more time will be needed to evaluate how many marijuana-related calls they have received. “We’re still working out some kinks with how we go about prosecuting those types of offences, whether our own office will prosecute or whether the province will look after prosecuting. Obviously our preference is that the province should be prosecuting these offences.” There also hasn’t been a large increase in the number of cases of impaired driving by drug. But Ladouceur still anticipates there will be a jump eventually. Ludwig said there is some confusion regarding the next step in securing a second vendor, because the way in which the lottery was conducted last year to award the first batch of cannabis permits likely won’t be repeated. Estevan wasn’t the only community in the province to opt against having its full quota of permits. “My understanding is they’re not going to do it the same way (they did) initially,” said Ludwig. The mayor is confident that Estevan will be awarded a second retailer. “It’s my understanding that those two spots are still there. We just told them at the time that we wanted to take one and give us the opportunity with our police to monitor, and see what we would have for issues, for problems, before we jumped in and had two right away,” said Ludwig. Prairie Sky Cannabis was the winner of the lottery to have Estevan’s cannabis permit last year. The Estevan store opened late last year under the name of Jimmy’s Cannabis Shop, about two months after cannabis was legalized in Canada. The store is located in a strip mall off of Kensington Avenue. The delay in opening occurred because Prairie Sky Cannabis had to secure enough inventory for the store. It’s an issue that has faced many retailers. Prairie Sky Cannabis has since been sold to Fire & Flower.

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Superheroes pancake breakfast If you heard the sirens or saw the police and fire trucks’ lights around the Churchill Playpark Thursday morning don’t worry, there was no accident, fire or drug bust. It’s the City of Estevan playparks program making sure that the community is having fun during summer. The city threw a free superheroes pancake breakfast with a lot of games and prizes for kids. Front, Harper and Kendal Bakke along with Lilee and Willow Vansickle really enjoyed the treat. Despite the cloudy weather a lot of people enjoyed the opportunity to socialize and spend great time out in the community. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

Judges impressed with what they saw from Estevan By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

Estevan had a few things to impress Sheila and Roger Nordick, the Communities in Bloom judges who came from Humboldt to evaluate the Energy City on Monday. Every year it’s a different set of judges that comes to tour every city or town. But prior to their visits, they research the community and know what to look for. “The thing that we were really looking forward to was the median that was all redone,” said Roger. The judges also knew that Estevan received a significant amount of rain in the past few days, so they understood that keeping lawns nice and short would be impossible. Nevertheless, the grass was mentioned as one of the areas that needed more work. Fortunately, the city had many other areas to impress the judges. “I liked the parks. The park we went out to was … the Royal Heights (Veterans Memorial) Park, and the new A2 » PARKS

This year’s Communities in Bloom judges who visited Estevan were Sheila and Roger Nordick from Humboldt. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia

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New recreation report released to public The City of Estevan’s long-awaited recreational needs assessment is now available for the public to view. Estevan city council approved the release of the comprehensive 70-page report to the public during Monday night ’s meeting. Atlwest Communications from Saskatoon was tasked with handling the survey and compiling the information. “I think they did an extremely comprehensive survey. There is some really good data in here,” said Rod March, the city’s manager of parks and facilities. About 700 surveys were completed and returned to the city. The document includes 10 key recommendations: Work with the community to increase awareness of city-sponsored programming and convenience of programming scheduling; Prioritize improving and maintaining existing infrastructure; • Work with the community to establish an interactive feedback process on recreation evaluation; • Explore opportunities to increase older adult programming to accommodate aging and retiring residents; • Prioritize active trans-

portation and integrate trails, sidewalks and pathways into the fabric of all future recreation considerations; • Any new recreational facility undertaken by the city in the future should be multi-purpose in nature and serve the needs of multiple user groups; • Develop a framework for decision-making around recreational facility development; • Continue to explore further opportunities with regional partners, including Woodlawn Regional Park; • Formalize management and engagement with volunteers and promote volunteerism; and • Continue to prioritize affordable and inclusive access to recreation for all. The report cites many strengths for recreation in the community, including the diversity of activities to choose from, the many activities for children and youth, a high quality of life, an indoor running track, the strength of volunteers, the generous business community that supports sports teams and organizations, the abundance and quality of the parks, and the residents interest in recreation as strengths. Areas to improve include the lack of dedicated youth

The leader of the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) is coming to Estevan on July 30. Maxime Bernier will be speaking at an event at the Beefeater Plaza. Doors will

open at 5 p.m. Supper will be served, and then Bernier will speak. The cost per ticket is $50, and the funds raised will be split between the Souris-Moose Mountain

centres, fragmented trail and walking paths, an inadequate multi-purposed space, inadequate scheduling and access to facilities, inconvenient scheduling times, a lack of space for sports teams to practice in the offseason, a high demand for ice sheets, gaps in programming and program funding for adults, and the need for extended hours for facility use. March didn’t see many surprises in the findings of the report. The recommendations vary in their complexity,

but many of them are administrative in nature, such as communication with users and program delivery. “If we’re going to consider long-term facilities, then we need to talk to the people and do a feasibility study, and then talk to the people to see what multi-uses the facility will have, because a lot of people will want the third ice surface back again.” Citizens also told the city that it’s not just an ice facility they’re concerned about. If something is built, it needs

to be for multiple user groups. Atlwest sent out more than 6,400 invites to complete a survey. The city hosted open houses and had the survey posted online for a couple of months. “We’re getting a really wide spectrum from not only user groups, but the citizens as well as stakeholders from the city,” said March. He believes the needs assessment is a tool that can be used by council, by strategic planning and the economic development board.

“There are a lot of things in here which aligned with the Our Estevan initiative, which means look after what you have, maintain what you have, keep it in good shape, and expand your pathway systems.” Many of the survey respondents said they would favour a small increase in taxes for a future facility, but also only if a feasibility study is done that says a new facility would be needed. March noted the city has already started to move forward on the recommendations, particularly when it comes to communication. City program manager Erin Wilson has scheduled a meeting with the ice user groups on July 25. They’ll discuss some of the improvements being made to the Power Dodge Ice Centre and look at ways to improve schedulling. Meetings will also be held with the other user groups. March was satisfied with the number of people who did respond, and was pleased that most user groups participated. “The data is separated from user groups as well as citizens. The demographics are separated. There’s some really good information in there.”

electoral district association for the PPC, and the Estevan Comprehensive School Elecs football program. “I am in politics to defend ideas, real conservative ideas, because I passionately care about Canada’s future, because I know that the free-market conser vative philosophy has the best solu-

tions to ensure our society is more prosperous, secure, and peaceful,” Bernier said in a news release. Bernier was elected as a member of Parliament for the Conservative Party back in 2006, and has held a number of cabinet posts. He formed the PPC last year after leaving the

Conservative Party. Phil Zajac of Estevan has been announced as the party’s candidate in SourisMoose Mountain in the next federal election. In a press release for the event, Zajac said the PPC is the only federal party committed to removing Canada from the Paris Accord, which he said puts unrealistic goals

on carbon reduction for Canada and especially Saskatchewan. The party would also scrap the carbon tax imposed by the federal government on Saskatchewan and other provinces. Tickets will be available at the Days Inn and other locations to be announced, or by contacting Zajac.

Parks and facilities manager Rod March discussed the recreation needs assessment at Monday’s meeting.

Maxime Bernier will speak in Estevan

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Parks and carvings were a hit « A1 (compound) that they have on the ground and all the different equipment. And I like the fact that there is a washroom in there for kids,” said Sheila. She also outlined that she liked the new spray park project that the city plans to start building this summer in Centennial Park. “They are going to incorporate something different, a quiet area for children and adults that are autistic and need a quiet area,” added Sheila. Rod March, the manager of parks and facilities for the City of Estevan, and Shannon Wanner, who is the horticulturalist for the City of Estevan, were the judges’ tour guides. Roger noted that with such leadership from the city, Estevan is “in good hands.” “They have a lot of experience and lots of forethought. You have to think well ahead to stay modern and well equipped for your citizens. And Royal Heights Park is definitely a prime example of good leadership in the community,” said Roger. The judges also noticed that there is more work, as it was mentioned to them, in the line of heritage and conservation. They also had a chance to see some of the new tree carving works, created by Darren Jones to celebrate the Estevan’s industries and sports. Sheila and Roger both carve, so the idea of beautifying the community with these sculptures was dear to them. “Carving is a great thing,

and there is a lot of opportunities,” said Roger, noting that there are always old trees that need to be removed which can become great material for art. Talking about something that needs to be improved, Roger pointed out that he didn’t see any big problems, but there were lots of little things that will require some work in the future. There are six categories for the judges, including urban forestry, landscapes, floral arrangements, heritage conversation, environmental awareness and tidiness. They also will do observations and recommendations on these categories. And while working on that part of their reports, they always try to make budget-wise suggestions. “Through our travels we learn a lot of different things that are going on and we try to incorporate those into our evaluation,” explained Roger. “And I’m always looking at the dollar as well, so we are always looking for good ideas. And there are a lot of good ideas that cost little to nothing.” Both judges enjoyed their stay in Estevan, saying that people around them were very friendly and informative. “What I really like to see is that the citizens of Estevan get behind this program. It doesn’t take much to beautify your own yard, and it’s something you should be doing all the time anyway. But it makes the world of difference. Not just to those people, but for the people coming into this community … the whole community and the businesses,” said Roger. Sheila added that for new gardeners and people who want to know more about how to make their yards look good, the city organizes free workshops and the managers can advise on the schedule. “That’s one other thing that I noticed in this community. There is a lot more courses and training events (in Estevan) than we sometimes see in other places,” said Roger.

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Theatre’s Act III features young Estevan stars

By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

Estevan’s undoubtedly got talent, and Friday’s Act III performance at the Souris Valley Theatre’s Frehlick Hall once again proved it. The oldest group of the theatre’s summer camp participants put on the Act III Divas and Dudes play. And according to the summer students and one of the camp directors, Abby Hanna, the performance was great. “It went excellently! The kids definitely knocked it out of the park,” said Hanna. The play, written by Lampman’s Maureen Ulrich, told a story of a girl band travelling the country and running into adventures. “There is a girl band Gloria and the Grifters, and they are just tired of their tour schedule and they decide to go on vacation, but their vacation ends up a little more stressful than their tour schedule ever was,” explained Hanna. The students only had eight full days to read the script, memorize their lines, transform into their characters and put an hour-long play together. “Sometimes it was a little stressful, but it all came together very well,” said Levi Stepp, who is the other camp director. There were 15 students participating in the camp,

Dances, songs and mysteries. The first Souris Valley Theatre summer camp participants performed a musical on Friday. Photo by Anastasiia Bykhovskaia with two of them choosing to do lights and stage management, and others performing on stage. “The way that the cast was made that Maureen made for us, it actually worked out really perfectly with the group of kids that we had,” said Stepp. Hilarious and talented, young actors charmed the audience. They were excited about their parts and got to know their characters quite well. Brianna Fleck described the heroine she chose to play

as “sarcastic,” while Waneeke Baptiste’s character was “very over the top, very energetic, happy and very optimistic, a bit of a child.” Kiarra Biette’s Gloria was “very overdramatic about every single thing.” Both the play and camp were a lot of fun. Addison Shiels, who played Maren, talked about her long-term camp experience. “I think it’s good. I’ve been here ever since 2012 actually, so I’ve been here for a long time and I really like it. It feels like home to me,”

said Shiels. For Fleck, it was just the second time at this camp, and she “really enjoyed it.” A lot of spectators had to put in quite a few kilometres to see the play. Thus, Biette’s family and friends were coming from Weyburn, Moose Jaw and even Alberta. And the directors enjoyed their time at the camp no less than the students. As Hanna noted, their general experience with the camp was great, all thanks to the young actors. “It’s a really good group

of kids. There is a lot of energy. It wasn’t a struggle to get them to perform on stage. It’s been really good,” said Hanna. “If you tell them, ‘Hey, I think you guys could do better,’ they will do it.” And Stepp added that participants “were all very eager to learn more about acting and singing for the play that they were putting on.” Hanna compared this experience with her previous work in high school. “I directed a play that was all high school kids. And

it’s funny because these kids came and gave it their all from day one. And with the high school, it isn’t always the case. But they were giving it their all. They needed a little more guidance, but there is tonnes to work with. You didn’t have to get any of them out of their shell, they were just ready to go from day one,” shared Hanna. “And also sometimes with high school kids, they won’t want to pick up on it right away. They are like, ‘Oh, we’ll leave that.’ But all these kids being younger, they are all ready to go, ready to learn new things. So it ’s really good,” added Stepp. It was the first time Hanna and Stepp worked at the camp. But prior to this experience, they spent a lot of time working together when Hanna was co-directing the 937 play at the ECS, which Stepp was a part of. So it was easy for them to guide the group together, splitting the work and assisting each other. “We may have something planned and then just being that day it ends up changing so we always are thinking on the fly and it works well because we know each other well,” said Stepp. Hanna has two more camps ahead of her with Act II and Act I coming up this summer, which she will be co-directing with Kelsey Driedger.

The 2020 Estevan Fair will be full of surprises For all of those who felt that two days of the Estevan Fair this year weren’t enough, the Estevan Exhibition Association (EEA) has great news. The Estevan Fair 2020 will be not only three, but four days. “It will begin on Thursday, June 4, and will continue on through the 6th and 7th,” said EEA president Tamera Huber. “That’s what they (the West Coast Amusements) presented to us this year, so we accepted the offer and that’s what we are going to move into next year.” Not only it will be a much longer fair, but part of it also will fall on a weekend. That will be happening for the first time in more than 20 years. “We wanted a weekend fair back in Estevan for many years now, and they finally gave it to us. And we are thrilled about it,” said Huber. One of the biggest successes of this year, the Estevan Sings competition, will be a part of the entertaining program again. “We were hearing for the last couple of years that

people wanted to see it back. And those stands were filled, so … we are going to bring it back next year. That is one of the pieces of entertainment that I can assure you that will be there. Thank you to Travis Frank for bringing that back for us,” said Huber. She also thanked the participants and noted that they hope to get as many performers this year. However, with four days of fair the format of the event may be somewhat changed. The board has already started discussing some other attractions and events that they hope to bring to Estevan next year. “We are really excited about it. We had our July board meeting the other night and there are some fantastic ideas happening out there. And it’s definitely going to be more than the midway. We just can’t confirm exactly what it’s going to be there next year,” said Huber. Huber said that there is a chance that next year the community will have a chance to

try out “a pretty wild” new ride at the Estevan fairgrounds. “There is a small possibility there may be a new ride, one of the bigger rides. West Coast Amusements was telling us about some other rides that they have and what’s going on with them,” said Huber. In the meantime, while the next Estevan Fair is still almost a year away, there are more great events coming up this summer. “Estevan Exhibition Association CCA Rodeo is Friday, August 23. The parade will kick us off with that. And then Saturday, the 24th, there is the CCA rodeo. And then on Sunday, August 25, is ranch rodeo and kids rodeo,” said Huber, adding that a mud run will also take place on August 24. Besides, very soon the Estevan Sings winners will have to start practising their skills to once again perform for the Estevan community, as they will be part of the big attraction of this summer, the Rafferty Rumble, on July 26-28.

There is a possibility that the 2020 Estevan Fair will see an attraction bigger than the Ferris wheel. File photo

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Published weekly by Prairie Newspaper Group Limited Partnership, 68 Souris Avenue N., Estevan, SK S4A 2M3.The Estevan Mercury is owned and operated by Prairie Newspaper Group Limited Partnership, a subsidiary of Glacier Media Inc. Advertising rates are available upon request and are subject to change without notice. Conditions of editorial and advertising content: The Estevan Mercury attempts to be accurate in Editorial and Advertising content; however, no guarantee is given or implied. The Estevan Mercury reserves the right to revise or reject any or all editorial and advertising content as the newspaper’s principals see fit. The Estevan Mercury will not be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion of an advertisement, and is not responsible for errors in advertisements except for the space occupied by such errors. The Estevan Mercury will not be responsible for manuscripts, photographs, negatives and other related material that may be submitted for possible publication. All of the Estevan Mercury’s content is protected by Canadian Copyright laws. Reviews and similar mention of material in this newspaper is granted on the provision that The Estevan Mercury receives credit. Otherwise, any reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. Advertisers purchase space and circulation only. Rights to any advertisement produced by The Estevan Mercury, including artwork, typography, photos, etc., remain the property of this newspaper. Advertisements or parts thereof may not be reproduced or assigned without the consent of the publisher. We acknowledge financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.

Surge in impaired driving is concerning Estevan had enjoyed a lot of progress in the past 12 months in its fight against impaired driving. A check of the monthly police stats, released at the Estevan board of police commissioners meetings, showed that the number of cases of impaired driving was down significantly compared with the previous year. We were still seeing a few cases of impaired driving each month, but it was a marked improvement from a few years ago, when we often had a few each week. You can cite any reason you want for that reduction – increased enforcement, high-visibility check stops, fewer transient workers in the community, the new Mothers Against Drunk Driving chapter, the names of impaired drivers appearing in the Mercury – but the bottom line is that the Estevan Police Service (EPS) has been arresting fewer people for impaired driving than in previous years. At least until recently. The EPS apprehended six people for impaired driving-related charges in the first two weeks of July.That’s three people each week.There have been months this year in which the EPS hasn’t had to arrest six people for impaired driving. Perhaps we should expect to have more cases of impaired driving this year, and we shouldn’t be startled by the recent spike in impaired driving cases. After all, cannabis possession for recreational purposes has been legal in Canada for

almost a year. You knew that once cannabis became legal, the number of people using the drug would go up, which meant the number of people driving while high would also increase. Most people who are using marijuana aren’t going to climb behind the wheel, just like most people who have a few drinks aren’t going to be driving. But you’re still going to get some who are irresponsible and will drive while impaired, regardless of whether that impairment is by alcohol or drug. A couple of impaired driving cases this month have been for people impaired by drug rather than impaired by alcohol. But it’s still frustrating to see the number of impaired driving cases on the rise in Estevan. The Estevan Police Service has taken a zerotolerance approach to impaired driving in recent years. Those who have been in Estevan for a few years will remember when the EPS decided to take a very hard line against the issue in October 2015, when there were a number of high-profile impaired driving-related cases. In that first weekend of the crackdown, it would have been pretty difficult to drive while impaired. Some of the largest check stops in the city’s history occurred in that fall of 2015. While the EPS never wavered in its desire to take impaired drivers off the road, the efforts were

ramped up further about 18 months ago with an impaired driving summit in the city, when they talked about starting the MADD chapter, releasing the names of impaired drivers to the media working more closely with licensed establishment owners and reinforcing the notion that impaired driving won’t be tolerated in the community. The numbers are evidence that the efforts have been working, at least until recently. It’s hard to say why we’re seeing a sudden resurgence in the number of cases, whether it’s due to more instances of impaired driving due to drug, the message now starting to fall on deaf ears, or the onset of summer, when people are out and about more often. Or it could be a fluke, a short-term rise in the numbers that will be accompanied by a return to the number of arrests seen in recent months. We hope the message hasn’t fallen on deaf ears; there’s too much on the line with public safety for people to ignore the warnings about the threats of impaired driving. But it might be time for the police to send out a message to the public, reminding them of the potential consequences of driving while drunk. In the meantime, it means signs will be moved to indicate where impaired drivers have been caught in the community, and more names of alleged impaired drivers will be appearing in the paper. It’s just too bad that some people still think it’s acceptable to drive while impaired.

Denunciate, then, deprive them their livelihood A few months ago, Pipeline News started to carry political cartoons from a new cartoonist, Michael de Adder of Halifax. I liked his style, his cutting wit and his extremely topical cartoons. We usually carry Malcolm Mayes from Edmonton. Mayes usually has cartoons applicable to an oilpatch newspaper, but not always, so I wanted another option. Thus I reached out to de Adder to see if we could buy his cartoons from time to time. It took a few attempts to get through to him, likely because of what I expect is a daily bombardment of texts, chats, comments, tweets and emails from admirers and demonizers he has to deal with. But eventually we connected, negotiated a price, and have used his pieces twice. Then on June 26, there was something amiss on his Facebook feed. He had done a cartoon showing Donald Trump beside his golf cart near the reeds of what looks like a water hazard. But lying in the water are the face-down bodies of a man and his tiny little girl. It was an homage to a recent photograph of Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his daughter, Valeria, who had died trying to cross the Rio Grande into the United States. Trump asks the dead father and daughter, “Do you mind if I play through?” It was one of the most hard-hitting political cartoons I’d seen in a long time. And apparently it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. De Adder, who had freelanced for a number of New Brunswick newspapers for 17 years, was cashiered by that group, Brunswick News Inc. (He’s originally from New Brunswick, too.) Being in the media, it wasn’t long before his sacking was national news, and rightly so. Not only had a political cartoonist been turfed due to his satire, I should add it was a Canadian cartoonist, producing work for Canadian newspapers, who was punted for satirizing an American president on an American topic.

From the Top of the Pile BRIAN ZINCHUK On July 14, NBC News posted an opinion piece de Adder wrote about the affair entitled, “My editorial cartoon satirizing Trump and the border crisis went viral. Then I lost my job.” In it he describes how the company had been making moves to cut him in short order anyhow, but this piece made it immediate. “Social media thinks I was fired for that cartoon. My former employers have continued to insist it wasn’t. I’ve said repeatedly that cartoon was simply the final nail in the coffin and hastened my demise. The process to replace me was already in the works,” de Adder wrote for NBC. He goes on, “In my opinion, and given past experiences, I think it’s likely I wasn’t let go for one Trump cartoon. It’s more likely I was let go for all my Trump cartoons. But does this matter? Editorial cartoonists are losing jobs for a host of excuses these days, Donald Trump is just one of these excuses.” Beyond the fact I’ve used his pieces, this is where the de Adder affair affects me. When you’ve been writing a weekly opinion column for over 27 years, as I have, eventually you are going to piss off everybody. What happens when, some day, someone calls for my head, because they didn’t like what I wrote in an opinion piece? If you think that day isn’t coming, it already has. A few months ago, someone posted a comment on Facebook calling for me to be fired because I write a right wing column, in their words. I was even more astonished when someone I knew, and had even done some photography work for many years ago, agreed.

That sent a shiver down my spine. Who was this person? I have never met them. I didn’t know who they were. But I soon found out that getting into a tangle with them would not be advisable. No good would come of it. I even got an unexpected phone call from someone much smarter than I telling me exactly that. I soon determined that person seems to be generally mad at the world, and I was simply the person in their sights that day. But yet here was the implicit threat: in today’s society, if you don’t like someone’s stance on something, or their politics, or, really, anything, you can denounce them. Call for their head! Someone should fire them! Do these people realize the implications of such calls? If that one person doesn’t like what I wrote that week, does that mean I shouldn’t be able to feed my family anymore? That perhaps the only job I pursue in the future should be cleaning out corrals, or picking garbage? Or that maybe I shouldn’t be able to secure a job at all anymore? I’m currently working my way through the three volumes of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s The Gulag Archipelago, which tells the story of how the Soviet Union oppressed its people, and their freedoms, through the use of terror, secret police, and prison camps. What strikes me is that this sort of denunciation is precisely what the communists did under Lenin and then Stalin. First, denunciate. Then, take away their jobs. Soon, it’s a rap on the door at 2 a.m., and a train to a camp, if not a bullet behind the ear in the forest. That’s what happened there, for decades, and to millions. In a manner, they’ve already come for de Adder. Will they, whomever they may be, come for me, next? Brian Zinchuk is editor of Pipeline News. He can be reached at brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net.

Op-Ed A5

Delivering the Gold Standard in real estate

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Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Ana Bykhovskaia Twenty Lines About…

Each office is independently owned and operated.

Drug-impaired drivers can’t hope for miraculous escape

Do horses need to die? The yelling, drums and trumpets, singing, music and laughs were heard all over downtown Calgary on July 5 as the Stampede Parade flooded the streets of Cowtown. The city was celebrating the upcoming 10 days of fun, competition, human power and family fun. But just a few days later sad news started to come out. The first horse collapsed and died on July 8. Authorities explained that as medical conditions. Two days later vets put another animal down after it broke a leg competing in a race. The next day more sad news came out causing a tide of a protest among the animal rights activists. Authorities determined that one of the drivers accidentally impeded another driver, which caused the second rig to veer into the track inner rail. The collision resulted in another euthanasia due to a severe leg injury. Finally, three more horses were put down following the last night of races after the right lead horse on one of the wagons broke a bone in a hind leg. The other two were a part of the same team and suffered severe injuries. The last episode started somewhat of a roar across the country, with Stampede authorities promising to investigate all cases and take some measures. Thus, the total count for horse fatalities at this year’s Rangeland Derby came up to six. Six horses died or were put down in seven days! Most animals were hurt during the chuckwagon races. I feel that there is no need to say anything else. One time might be an accident, two – a coincidence, but three is a consistent pattern. Six dead horses mean that something isn’t working right. The experts have altered the chuckwagon races back in 2011 to improve the safety of the animals, but the current statistics suggest that the changes weren’t enough. Wonderful writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, whose Little Prince influenced me and probably most of you in the early days of life, said, “you become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.” When I was a kid, I took that phrase as guidance on my responsibilities for my pets. But as I was growing, this idea spread further over to the relationship between people and animals around us in general. I believe that humans are responsible for living beings we took out of the wild and domesticated. Being creatures that have the ability to learn, preserve knowledge and develop we are accountable for animals whose natural patterns we break. Be it cows or pets, hamsters, bunnies or bears raised in captivity, geese that quit migrating and now live at the Boundary Dam or squirrels, raccoons or seagulls feeding on our garbage. We over smart nature, so any repercussions of our decisions are on us. I never could understand or take in the concept of corridas (bullfights). Once went to a Portuguese one, where matadors just somewhat poke bulls, and other participants of this “dance” surround and secure animals until they are subdued. In that type of bullfighting, animals were provoked and injured, but not killed in the end. I was a kid then and even though the bull with mad eyes looked really scary, I couldn’t understand the concept of hurting him more and more. For the show? For people to feel almighty? To once again prove that we are tough as a shell? But we are the ones who already domesticated them and raised them in captivity. Who do we need to prove anything to? I still don’t understand bullfighting (well, I don’t get any fighting), but after all, at corridas animals’ death or injuries is the concept of the show. It’s not at the Stampede. So do horses really need to die there? I know chuckwagon races are a tradition and cowboys used to race like that in their real wagons after cattle round-up back in days. (But did they actually? Another version suggests that this type of Stampede competition was created purely for fun about 100 years ago). I know it’s a sport. But I also know that owners usually bond with their horses (maybe even more than we bond with dogs) and it often really hurts them. So I’m pretty sure there must be a way of having fun without injuring or killing anything. The bottom line, the gladiator games once also were a norm, but not no more. And yes, the horses are bred to race and as professional athletes they need it, but there are other ways to let them race without going down like flies sprayed with Raid. So with six horses dead, it feels that it is the time to change something at the Stampede.

The Estevan Police Service started using the mobile drug-testing device early in 2019. File photo The Estevan Police Service (EPS) has recently experienced some problems with its government-approved roadside drug testing device, which they started exploiting in early 2019. The piece of equipment failed a couple of times and had to be sent away. “We had some technical issues with our roadside drug testing device. That instrument has been sent off to be repaired and inspected to make sure that it’s working appropriately,” explained Police Chief Paul Ladouceur. There is a number of checks that have to go in place when it comes to assessing the driver’s condition, and the police don’t rely solely on the instrument. There are safety checks that go along with the process of doing a saliva testing. Besides, the EPS always have a drug-recognition expert on duty, who can corroborate the findings of the instrument and who as well can determine if the device is functioning properly or not prior to using it on the streets.

Therefore, even before the drug testing device was sent off, it wouldn’t affect the results of the roadside checks. Ladouceur noted that it was quite a regular situation with high-tech equipment. Sometimes the EPS need to send off their road-side testing devices for alcohol to have them recertified or repaired as well, but they usually have spare equipment on hand. The situation with the drug-testing device was a bit different, however, it didn’t prevent the EPS from fulfilling their job. “ W hen we require a spare we can contact other agencies in the province or the company themselves and they supply us with the spare when the other one is being repaired. That’s the case that is going on right now,” said Ladouceur. As far as the chief knows, other agencies didn’t have problems with this type of drug testing device, so for this year, the EPS isn’t planning on getting a new one. “I don’t think it’s a great concern with the instrument

itself. I think it’s just the case this one has had some difficulties with it, and they’ve got to subsequently repair it,” said Ladouceur. “If we saw that several of them weren’t working properly or having some technical issues across the province, that would be more of a discussion on why is this occurring and things like that.” When functioning, the device itself was working well. It is one of the first types of instruments that the police are using for drug testing, so there is not too many options available yet. “We want to just wait a little while to see what else is out there, what is coming. Cannabis is new as far as legalization goes… and as a result of that the federal government is also looking at what other devices may be approved in the future for use,” said Ladouceur. If it comes to replacement, there is funding available for drug-testing equipment through the govern-

ment. But as of now, they tend to stick with the one they have. “Right now we feel that the device we have is working for what we need. And if we find that there is some more practical device that comes out that we’d like to explore then that might be something that’s sought after in the next years’ budget.” The EPS members are trained in using the roadside drug-testing device, and while the local piece of equipment is getting fixed they will continue using a similar one, loaned from a different agency. “There is not an officer there on the road right now that isn’t trained in how to use the saliva testing equipment. And we have four drugrecognition experts that are on duty… We also have several of our members that are trained in standardized field sobriety testing. So it’s pretty hard to get away driving in this community under the influence of drugs in present day,” said Ladouceur.

Guilty plea for child porn case An individual charged in a child pornography case earlier this spring has pleaded guilty to two of the three charges he was facing. Brian Christopher Leibel pleaded guilty Monday to possession of child pornography and accessing child pornography in Estevan Provincial Court on Monday. A third charge, of transmission of child pornography, was stayed. Leibel was present in court. His lawyer David Hickie entered the pleas on Leibel’s behalf.

The Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit announced in April it had charged Leibel with child pornography offences regarding two complaints in December involving a user sharing child pornography through a popular social media application. Members of the Saskatchewan ICE Unit and the Estevan Police Service (EPS) executed a search warrant at a residence in Estevan on Feb. 14, and found what they described as child pornography. A cellular phone and other

computer devices were seized for further forensic analysis. Leibel was arrested at the residence, charged and

later released on numerous conditions. Sentencing will occur on Aug. 19.

Your opinion matters The Estevan Mercury welcomes your opinions through our Letters to the Editor section. Do you have thoughts on an article that appears in this week’s paper, or on another issue in the community or in our world? You can share your thoughts by submitting a letter. Please submit a letter by visiting www.estevanmercury.ca or by emailing it to editor@estevanmercury.ca.

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CHOICE REAL ESTATE

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Each office independently owned and operated

New co-op liquor stores now open

After months of waiting for both staff members and customers, the new liquor stores for the Southern Plains Co-op in Estevan and Oxbow are now open. B o t h s t o re s s t a r t e d serving customers for the first time on Friday morning. The Estevan liquor store is located in an area inside the grocery store on Fourth Street. Renovations were needed to accommodate the outlet. Meanwhile, the Oxbow liquor store is part of the coop’s convenience store at the east edge of the town. The store was expanded as part of the project. “We are very, very excited,” said Carol McKay, who is the co-op’s manager of human resources. The Estevan location is about 2,100 square feet. It has a walk-in cooler with refrigerated beer and coolers, offering lots of selection. “People can walk in, into the cooler, and pick their brand and kind of beverage, and come out,” said McKay.

Also in the Estevan location is a growler bar that will have Saskatchewan beer on tap for customers to fill their growlers, which are 64-ounce beer containers, or howlers, which are 32 ounces. The co-op employees who work in the liquor store are trained to fill the growlers. The Oxbow location, meanwhile, fills about 1,500 square feet. All of the beer and coolers are in a refrigerated area, so that customers will purchase cold products. “It has more variety than what was in … the Oxbow area,” said McKay. The public should be very pleased with the look and the style of the Oxbow store. Both locations will have plent y of S askatche wan brands, and even some of the co-op branded alcohol such as beer and wine. Coop spirits will be coming as well. McKay noted there is a lot of variety for the Saskatchewan products.

The new liquor store at the Southern Plains Co-op’s Estevan grocery store outlet opened on Friday, along with the new liquor store in Oxbow that is part of the co-op’s convenience store. Photo submtted “I was very surprised, when we were stalking the shelves, at just how many

different things that are coming in,” she said. The wine area has a

A trip to the market

variety of different labels and countries represented. Getting the liquor stores open has taken some time. They have had a lot of work come up during the process, which proved to be a good learning experience. The co-op has six new employees in each location, and a new manager working with the product. “We had to get our facilities updated, because we have to have locked locations for the … liquor product, we have to have locked storage in our warehouses,” she said. “So there have been some major things that had to happen in order to get our licence.” The Estevan store underwent renovations, as they took an area that was used for groceries and offices. The offices were relocated, and some other adjustments were made to the grocery store, to create a closed-in location for the store. As for the Oxbow store, they had to add new walls,

which McKay said was likely more extensive. The co-op received the final stamp of approval from the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority last Wednesday. “ The last two weeks h a ve b e e n d r a i n i n g f o r the crew involved, but we are ready. The shelves are stocked and the coolers are up.” Customers have been “constantly” asking the coop’s staff about when the new stores would be ready. Now that the stores are open, the shoppers have been excited. The co-op will offer patronage dividends for the alcohol products. With the new liquor stores, the co-op is expanding the services they offer the communities, adding new staff and investing in the communities they serve. For a video tour of the new Estevan liquor store, please visit www.estevanmercury.ca.

Sylvia Kankiewicz and Gloria Gingras discuss the options that were available from Janice Harris’ booth during the Estevan Farmers Market sale Saturday at the Estevan Shoppers’ Mall’s parking lot. The calm, warm weather conditions made it a perfect day for vendors to be out with their products, and for customers to purchase items.

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Notice of Call for Nominations Rural Municipality of Coalfields No. 4 PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that nominations of candidates for the offices of: Councillor: Rural Municipality of Coalfields No. 4 Division 3 will be received by the undersigned on the 7th day of August, 2019, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at The R.M. of Coalfields No. 4 Office, and during regular business hours on July 17th to August 6th, 2019, at The of R.M. of Coalfields No. 4 Office. Nomination forms may be obtained at the following location: Rural Municipality of Coalfields No. 4 Office, 423 Main St. Bienfait SK Criminal record check is mandatory. Dated this 17th day of July, 2019. Holley Odgers Returning Officer

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Energy

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Well into summer, Saskatchewan’s drilling rig count is noticeably sluggish

Betts Drilling Rig 1 has been active, but many rigs still are not. Photo by Michelle Zinchuk

By Brian Zinchuk brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net

With oil prices roughly US$10 lower than what they were a year ago, the active drilling rig count across Western Canada is showing a sluggish pace. Not only are the numbers off compared to the same time last year, when oil was US$70 per barrel, but they’re even lower than 2017, when oil was US$45 a barrel. Saskatchewan had 40 out of 110 drilling rigs working as of July 15, according to Rig Locator (riglocator. ca), putting our fleet at a utilization rate of 36 per cent. That’s down considerably from 2018, when there were 58 rigs working on July 12, and 2017, when there were 51 rigs working. Indeed, the rig count is down markedly for the previous three weeks, compared to the last two years. But it’s still considerably better than Alberta, whose 21 per cent utilization rate meant only 80 out of 303 rigs were working. That province’s rig count has almost flatlined, floating roughly 30 rigs above the level it hit during breakup. British Columbia had 14 of 34 rigs going, making a 29 per cent utilization rate. And in a remarkable turn, its rig count is even lower now that it was during breakup. It’s a little more than half of the 2017 number of 23, but just below the 2018 number of 16 for the same week. In Manitoba, three of five rigs were turning to the right, for a 60 per cent utilization rate. Several companies working in Saskatchewan were on the top 10 active op-

erators list, but truth be told, it was a very low threshold to make it on that list. You only needed three rigs going to be in a three-way tie for eighth place. The top operator, as usual, was Crescent Point Energy Corp., with 10 rigs. While this was the leading position, it was less than half the number of rigs Crescent Point has usually operated in July in recent years, when at times 26 rigs was a common number. All but one of Crescent Point’s rigs were working in Saskatchewan. That included one at Coyote Lake, one at Griffin, and three at Oungre in southeast Saskatchewan. At Rapdan there was one rig and Clintonville

had two rigs in southwest Saskatchewan. The last rig was at Plato in west central Saskatchewan. W hitecap Resources was next, with seven rigs, with five working in Saskatchewan. One was west of Swift Current at Seward, the second was south of Gull Lake. In west central Saskatchewan they had a rig each at Eagle Lake, Whiteside and Court. In a three-way tie for third was Baytex Energy Corp., with six rigs, four in west central Saskatchewan. They were at Prairiedale, Coleville, Dodsland and Elsoe. In a three-way tie for eighth, Teine Energy Ltd. had three rigs, working at

Plenty and Plato (two rigs). R o u n d i n g o u t we s t central Saskatchewan, Ish Energy Ltd. had one rig at Prairiedale. In northwest Saskatchewan there were four rigs working north of the North Saskatchewan River, but curiously, none were for Husky Energy. Serafina Energy had one rig at Meota, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. had one rig north of Maidstone at Golden Lake, Rife Resources had one north of Lashburn, and West Lake Energy Corp. was making hole with one rig at Celtic. Other rigs working in southeast Saskatchewan include three for Vermillion Energy Inc, at Steelman, 19073MM1 19072MM2

Cantal and Winmore. NAL Resources Ltd. had one rig at Nottingham. Adonai Resources II Corporation had one rig at Carievale. Ridgeback Resources Inc. was drilling with one rig south of Kisbey. Highrock Resources had one rig at Benson. Burgess Creek Exploration Inc. kept punching holes in its core area near Highway 47, near the Lampman turnoff. Torc Oil & Gas had one rig northeast of Midale. Canadian Natural Resources had

a rig working at Lost Horse Hill, north of Stoughton. Outliers included two rigs working in the Regina area. One was just north of the city, drilling for SaskEnergy. The next was south of Kronau, for Western Potash Corp. As usual, Mosaic Canada ULC had one rig reporting at Esterhazy. North American Helium seems to have moved over to the east from its usual stomping grounds, with a rig working at Rapdan.

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THE ESTEVAN MERCURY DRILLING REPORT DRILLING LICENSES

5 new licenses issued to Monday, July 15 129841 129308 129937 129851 129964

Crescent Point Energy Hz ................................................................................................... 1-14-1-14 Villanova Energy Hz .............................................................................................................. 8-23-6-6 Fire Sky Energy Hz............................................................................................................ 12-35-2-31 Crescent Point Energy Hz ................................................................................................. 16-33-7-10 Vermilion Energy Hz ........................................................................................................... 3-13-6-15 Rig Report

124003 117744 122235 121590 115599 120758

Horizon Drilling.............................. Ridgeback Resources .................................................. 12-29-7-5 Stampede Drilling ...................... Spectrum Resource Group .................................................. 6-9-6-6 Precision Drilling ......................Canadian Natural Resources ........................................... 12-12-10-8 Precision Drilling ...........................Crescent Point Energy.................................................. 15-1-8-11 Horizon Drilling.............................. Ridgeback Resources ................................................ 16-33-10-6 Precision Drilling ......................Canadian Natural Resources ............................................... 6-4-10-8

123196 124847 125768 128318 118203 128738 129791 115392 116956 123647 125442 127468 124561 129231 129440 128375

Horizon Drilling.............................. Ridgeback Resources .................................................. 12-29-7-5 Trinidad Drilling .............................Crescent Point Energy.................................................. 3-14-3-12 Alliance Drilling................................ Midale Petroleums .................................................... 11-3-4-34 Vermilion Energy ...............................Vermilion Energy.................................................... 10-27-6-34 Horizon Drilling..............................Crescent Point Energy................................................ 14-20-1-13 Trinidad Drilling .............................Crescent Point Energy.................................................... 1-7-1-11 Panther Drilling..................................Vermilion Energy.......................................................... 9-5-4-6 Precision Drilling ...........................Crescent Point Energy.................................................. 1-29-11-6 Stampede Drilling ................................Torc Oil & Gas ............................................................ 8-6-3-4 Ensigns Drilling ...................................Torc Oil & Gas ........................................................ 3-35-6-10 Precision Drilling ...........................Crescent Point Energy................................................ 13-33-10-6 Horizon Drilling..................................Vermilion Energy...................................................... 1-17-6-14 Akita Drilling ..................................Western Potash Corp. .............................................. 12-20-14-17 Panther Drilling..................................Vermilion Energy...................................................... 6-23-1-31 Tempco Drilling .................................Vermilion Energy...................................................... 4-29-5-33 Betts Drilling .............................. Burgess Creek Exploration .............................................. 13-35-4-8

A8 July 17, 2019 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

Message From

Public Notice THE CITY OF ESTEVAN WILL BE IMPLEMENTING THE FOLLOWING TRAFFIC SIGNAGE TO ELIMINATE UNCONTROLLED INTERSECTIONS AND HELP PREVENT TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS. FOR MORE DETAILS PLEASE CONSULT THE CITY WEBSITE WWW.ESTEVAN.CA

The Mayor Get your tickets for Rafferty Rumble. raffertyrumble.com

Sanitary Sewer Main and Storm Sewer Flushing Program BEGINNING WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2019 AND CONTINUING TO FRIDAY, AUGUST 30,2019, THE WATER AND WASTEWATER DIVISION WILL BE CARRYING OUT SANITARY SEWER MAIN FLUSHING AND STORM SEWER FLUSHING, BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 8:00 A.M. AND 4:30 P.M. DURING THE PERIODS OF JETTING, RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES ARE ADVISED TO SECURELY CAP BASEMENT FLOOR DRAINS. YOU MAY SMELL AN ODOR IN YOUR HOME, THIS CAN BE RESOLVED BY SIMPLY OPENING WINDOWS FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AND RUNNING WATER TO ENSURE ALL TRAPS ARE FULL OF WATER. STORM SEWER WILL HAVE NO EFFECT ON HOMES AND BUSINESSES. 2019 PROGRAM AREA WILL ENCOMPASS ALL STREETS SOUTH OF KING STREET, AND WEST OF SOURIS AVE WITHIN CITY LIMITS INCLUDING: SOURIS AVENUE - VALLEY STREET - 1ST STREET -2ND STREET - 2ND STREET A - 3RD STREET - 4TH STREET - 5TH STREET -6TH STREET - 7TH STREET - 8TH STREET - 9TH STREET - YOUNG STREET - 10TH AVENUE - 11TH AVENUE - 12TH AVENUE - 13TH AVENUE - 14TH AVENUE - 15TH AVENUE - 16TH AVENUE - 17TH AVENUE - 18TH AVENUE - 19TH AVENUE - WESTVIEW PLACE - RATTRAY PLACE

CITY OF ESTEVAN STOP SIGN ALLOCATION 1) TEDFORD AND WELLOCK ROAD –SOUTH BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

TRAFFIC TO STOP

2) GIBBS AND WELLOCK ROAD NORTH -REPLACE YIELD SIGN – NORTH BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

21) ORLOWSKI AVE. AND MILNE CRES.- (SOUTH) -SOUTH BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

3) NICHOLSON ROAD AND DIEPPE EAST – EAST BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

22) CLASKY DR. AND BROOKS RD. ( NORTH)- WEST BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

4) VICTORIA AVE. AND EDWARD ST.- EAST AND WEST BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

23) CLASKY DR. AND BROOKS RD.(SOUTH)- EAST AND WEST BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

5) ALEXANDRA AVE. AND EDWARD ST./ EDWARD PL.- EAST AND WEST TRAFFIC TO STOP

24) BROOKS RD. AND BROOKS RD. (AT ABBOTT BAY)- NORTH BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

6) VICTORIA AVE. AND ISABELLE ST.- NORTH AND SOUTH BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

25) PETTERSON DR. AND WALKER AVE.- NORTH BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

7) ALEXANDRA AVE. AND ISABELLE ST.- EAST AND WEST BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

26) MOSS AVE. AND SILLERS ST.- SOUTH BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

8) ARTHUR AVE. AND ISABELLE ST.- EAST AND WEST BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP 9) VICTORIA AVE. AND EVA ST.- EAST AND WEST BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

27) TROUT AVE. AND SILLERS ST.- SOUTH BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

2019 Property Tax Notices were mailed out Wednesday, June 12, 2019. Please contact City Hall if you do not receive your property tax notice or need to update your mailing / contact information.

28) 18TH AVE. AND 2ND ST.- NORTH AND SOUTH BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

2019 Taxes are due: July 31, 2019

29) 18TH AVE. AND 2ND A ST.- EAST BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

Penalties are accumulative, applied the 1st of each month starting August 1, 2019 as follows:

30) 17TH AVE. AND 2ND ST.- EAST AND WEST BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

10) ALEXANDRA AVE. AND EVA ST.- NORTH AND SOUTH BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

31) 16TH AVE. AND YOUNG ST.- WEST BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

11) ARTHUR AVE. AND EVA. ST.- FOUR WAY STOP

32) 15TH AVE. AND 2ND ST.- FOUR WAY STOP

12) DUFFERIN AVE. AND EVA ST.- WEST BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

33) 10TH AVE. AND 2ND ST.- NORTH BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

13) ALEXANDRA AVE. AND HENRY ST.- FOUR WAY STOP

34) 10TH AVE. AND VALLEY ST.- SOUTH BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

14) PINE AVE. AND HENRY ST.- THREE WAY STOP

35) 9TH AVE. AND 1ST ST.- SOUTH BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

15) POPLAR BAY (WEST) AND HENRY ST.- NORTH BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

36) 8TH AVE. AND 1ST ST.- EAST BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

16) POPLAR BAY (EAST) AND HENRY ST.- NORTH BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

38) 7TH AVE. AND 2ND ST.- SOUTH BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

17) ALEXANDRA AVE. AND GEORGE ST.- NORTH AND SOUTH BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

August 1st .5% September 1 1%, October 1 1.5%, November 1 2.5%, December 1 3.5% Arrears Penalty of 10% will be added to all outstanding amounts on January 1, 2020

37) 7TH AVE. AND 3RD ST.- FOUR WAY STOP 39) 6TH AVE. AND 2ND ST.- FOUR WAY STOP 40) 5TH AVE. AND 2ND ST.- FOUR WAY STOP

18) ARTHUR AVE. AND GEORGE ST.- EAST AND WEST BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

41) 5TH AVE. AND 1ST ST.- EAST AND WEST BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

19) DUFFERIN AVE. AND GEORGE ST.- FOUR WAY STOP

43) 3RD AVE. AND 3RD ST.- EAST AND WEST BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

PLAY PARKS JULY 2019 PLAY PARKS

2019 Property Tax Notices

42) 4TH AVE. AND 2ND ST.- EAST BOUND TRAFFIC TO STOP

20) ORLOWSKI AVE. AND MILNE CRES.- (NORTH) – NORTH BOUND

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Monday

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Payment Options: • In person at City Hall, Open Monday through Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm • Payments accepted by Cash, Cheque or Debit • Mail to: 1102 Fourth Street, Estevan, SK S4A 0W7 • City Hall Drop Box – located at main entrance at City Hall. Cheques only please. • Payment can also be made on-line / or at your financial institution • Pay via credit card through a third party service provider called Plastiq. Customers using this service will be charged a 2.5% service fee per transaction by the provider. • To pay via Plastiq please visit their website at www.plastiq.com you will need a credit card as well as the 12 digit roll number (don’t include the decimal, but use all the numbers) that is found on the top right hand portion of your Notice of Property Tax Levies Interested in pre-paying your taxes monthly? The City of Estevan offers (TIPPS) tax installment payment plan service. TIPPS allows property owners to pre-pay their property tax bill in 12 monthly installments making budgeting easier with no added fees or penalties. Monthly withdrawals are made on the first banking day of each month. TIPPS applications forms are available at City Hall or by visiting our website at www.estevan.ca >> The best time to start would be August 1st to prepay for 2020. Contact City Hall 306-634-1800 for more information.

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ESTEVAN’S SOURCE FOR LOCAL & REGIONAL NEWS

July 17, 2019 A9

21th ANNUAL OTS

GOLF TOURNAMENT JULY 19, 2019

Estevan Oilwomen’s golf tournament is July 19 A fun event for women employed in the oilpatch is happening soon. The Estevan Oilfield Technical Society’s (OTS) 21st annual Oilwomen's golf tournament will be July 19 at the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Course. The tournament will be an 18-hole Texas scramble with a shotgun start at 10:30 a.m. A supper will follow at the golf course’s clubhouse. Golfers must be pre-registered before 9:30 a.m. There will be putting and hole-in-one contests. Eligibility is restricted to oilwomen or recently retired oilwomen, whose primary occupation or income is from an oil and gas exploration, production, or service company. Oilwives are also welcome to golf, but must be registered with a team of four, of which the other three team members are oilwomen. This year’s tournament has a sports theme of Janes in Jerseys. Participants are encouraged to wear their favourite team jersey.

From left, Glenda Kallis, Brenda Mosley, Sandra Dutton and Shelley Naka comprised a foursome in last year’s tournament. File photo

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Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Jace Carlisle wins provincial junior golf title

One of Jace Carlisle’s final junior golf tournaments before heading off to university also proved to be one of his best. The Estevan golfer won the Saskatchewan Golf Association’s junior men’s provincial title, which was contested from July 9-11 at the Evergreen Golf and Country Club in Nipawin. Carlisle, competing out of the TS&M Woodlawn Golf Club, shot a 2-underpar 70 in the third and final round, and finished with a three-round total of 221, which was 5-over-par. He wound up six strokes better than Saskatoon’s Steven Duchscher and Kindersley’s Cort Tunall. “It feels awesome to finally get this one (winning provincials) off the table and to move on and put this one behind me and focus on what’s next,” Carlisle told the Mercury. He said he was feeling a little nervous in the second round, and he didn’t hit the ball well, which contributed to a score of 83. But many of the other contenders also struggled in the middle round.

Carlisle couldn’t explain why, because conditions were ideal that day. “Overall my putting was really good this week,” he said. “I was really good on the greens and didn’t really leave myself a lot of hard putts, and I just made easy two-putts, or one-putts for birdie, and didn’t have a lot of threeputts.” He believes he made five birdies in the first round alone. Other Estevan golfers had strong showings at the tournament. Chase Gedak finished sixth with a threeround total of 232 (16-overpar); his best round was a 73 in the opening round. Jayden Dudas finished tied for ninth with a 235 (19over). He entered the final round just one stroke back of Carlisle after shooting backto-back rounds of 76, but struggled in the third round. Also competing were Ryan Chernoff, who finished with a 254, Logan Chernoff, who wound up with a 261, Hudson Chernoff, who had a total of 277, and Jayden Chernoff, who finished with a 281. Jayden Chernoff was the winner of the tournament’s

Golf Sask president Delbert Betnar, left, presents the championship trophy to Estevan’s Jace Carlisle after Carlisle won the provincial junior men’s golf tournament. Photo submitted under-13 division. “Everybody from Estevan did really well this week,” said Carlisle. “We got lots of young guys still coming up here. It’ll be pretty good. Estevan should be a pretty good name by the end of this stretch of young golfers we have coming.”

Carlisle believes the success of the junior golf program is partially due to the work of Amanda Minchin, who is the golf course’s head pro and general manager. “She does so much for them and for the game. Everybody loves it out there. We have such a great facility for

bowling centre here in Estevan at least three or four times a week, practising, and they have been doing that consistently since we started bowling in competitions together.” They’ve been improving at a faster rate than most people do, he said, and the results have been coming quickly. To qualify for nationals, the team first had to win an in-house tournament at Estevan Bowl, and then take the provincial tournament. Provincials were held at Estevan Bowl in April, with teams from across the province entered. The Bowl Canada Cup is a handicapped tournament, and each player enters the tournament with an average score from their league play. “The higher your league average, the less handicap you have,” said Rosenbaum. “The lower your league average, the more handicap you have. So that pretty much puts

everyone on a fair playing level, basically, throughout the tournament.” All four bowlers on the team were over their average for the tournament, and three of the players had just a couple of games under average. The other bowler was above their average every game. “The more pins over average you are, the better you’re going to do,” said Rosenbaum. Rosenbaum has won individual national titles in the past, but this was his first national title in a team event, and he believes it is the first team national championship for Estevan Bowl. He said it’s a great feeling to win a team national title. “It’s completely different to bowl teams. If one of us throws a bad shot, we immediately pick the other person up, and nobody ever really got down the entire tournament. We support each other with every shot.”

everybody to play golf at and to practice at. I think that’s why everybody to come out of there is so good now.” Autumn Neiszner of Regina won the junior women’s division with a threeround total of 230, which was 4-over-par. Carlisle is now going to

advance to the national tournament in New Brunswick from Aug. 12-16, where he will captain a three-person team that also includes Duchscher and Tunall. It should be another great experience in his journey. “I’ve never been to a national tournament before, so I’m really looking forward to it,” Carlisle said. “Just to be the No. 1 guy, that will be even better. It will be a big learning experience and it will be fun.” Duchscher was part of last year’s team, and should bring a lot of experience. Tunnall is only 15 or 16, and should be a big part of the team. Brody Istace, also of Kindersley, is the team’s alternate in case one of the team members can’t make it. Nationals will be Carlisle’s last marquee tournament before he heads off to Lake Superior State University in the fall on a golf scholarship. “I think it will help tremendously, just as I’ll be going off to school after nationals, and hopefully I’ll have a good showing there,” said Carlisle. “My game has been going good all year.”

Estevan team wins national bowling title A team competing out of Estevan Bowl has won a national championship. Levi Rosenbaum, Johnny Eberle, Craig Yoner and Taylor Kickley won the Bowl Canada Cup tournament that was held in Mississauga, Ont., in the first weekend of July. “We all bowl league together on Thursday nights here in Estevan,” said Rosenbaum. Nationals started with a round robin, in which the local team, competing as Team Saskatchewan, faced the other seven teams entered. The Estevan squad went 7-0. Then they were split into conferences based on geography, with Saskatchewan bowling once against teams from B.C., Alberta, and Manitoba. Team Saskatchewan won all three games to advance to the final round. Thanks to their perfect 10-0 record, Saskatchewan was the top seed for the playoffs, and had a bye to the

final. Northern Ontario beat Alberta to advance to the final. Saskatchewan only needed to beat Northern Ontario once to win gold, while Northern Ontario would have had to beat Saskatchewan twice. Ultimately Saskatchewan won the game and finished with a perfect 11-0 record. “Our one bowler, Johnny Eberle, had his highest game of the tournament in the final,” said Rosenbaum. He pointed out that this is the second straight year Saskatchewan has gone undefeated to win gold. Last year a team from Saskatoon turned the trick. Rosenbaum also noted that this was just the second year in a league for Eberle and Yoner, while Kickley was in her first year of league play. “You can tell they’re athletes, for sure. I coached them quite a bit, too … but these guys have to go out and throw their shots. They’re in the KIDS NIGHT! JULY 20TH presented by

Johnny Eberle, Craig Yoner, Taylor Kickley and Levi Rosenbaum were part of the Estevan Bowl that won the Bowl Canada Cup tournament. Photo submitted

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July 17, 2019 A11

Golden Eels dominant at home swim meet The Estevan Golden Eels swim club was the undisputed class of their home meet Saturday at the RM of Estevan Aquatic Centre. Estevan finished first with 772 points, more than double the second place Regina Piranhas, who had 295 points. The Weyburn Silver Seals were third with 281 points. “I expected them to do really well, which they did, and I was still really proud of them, obviously,” head coach Colin Sutter said in an interview with the Mercury. “We do have a lot of strong swimmers and a lot of well-prepared swimmers.” The swimmers have shown improvement at each of the swim meets they have been to, and they have finished first at back-to-back meets. “I expected more improvement because the kids take it seriously and they enjoy something, so they are really easy to coach.” But he didn’t expect they would win by nearly 500 points. Fifty-three members of the Golden Eels competed at the meet. A few team members weren’t able to swim Saturday for a variety of reasons. Numerous Eels finished in the top three overall in their respective age groups. They were: • Seven and eight girls: Isabelle Pyra, second place; • Seven and eight boys: Carter Yunick, second, and Liam Kwochka, third; • Nine and 10 girls: Rachel Duncan, second; • Nine and 10 boys: Karson Mvula, third; • Eleven and 12 girls: Jordyn Tarnes, second; • Thirteen and 14 girls: Emily Tarnes, first, and Alex

Members of the Estevan Golden Eels swim club gather for a group photo after taking top spot at their annual home meet on Saturday. Photo submitted Andrist, second; • Thirteen and 14 boys: Tristan Threinen, first, and Ethan Elliot, second; • Fifteen to 17 girls: Teaghan Hack, first, and Mikayla Hack, third; • Fifteen to 17 boys: Dylan Pryznyk, second, and Chris Sutter, third; and • Eighteen and over girls: Emily Marshall, first. Sutter also paid tribute to the volunteers who ensure the meet will be a success. “I think all the meets I’ve been to so far have been struggling with the volunteers, and it’s definitely hard, especially when it’s hot like in Estevan

(on Saturday),” he said. “It’s really humid. “To have all of the timers have to sit there all day, it’s definitely a hard task, but it’s essential. You can’t swim the meet if you don’t have all of the judges and the timers and the stroke guys and all of the people behind the scenes.” Without the volunteers, the meet would have gone until very late in the day. The next meet for the Eels will be the south finals competition in Assiniboia next Saturday. Forty-nine members of the Golden Eels are expected to compete. “We’re definitely going to

Twins drop two games The Southeast Performance Pump midget AAA Twins dropped a pair of games to the Saskatoon Cubs last week. The Twins lost 7-4 in the first game and 8-5 in the second, leaving the club with a 12-14 record in league play. After opening the scoring with a run in the first inning of the first game, the Twins gave up four runs in the first and three in the third to fall behind 7-1. They responded with three of their own in the fourth to make a game of it, but couldn’t draw any closer. Burke Lyons and Rhett Krafchuck each had three hits to lead the Twins attack.

Lyons had two doubles, and he also scored twice and knocked in a run. Jayke Smolinski surrendered seven runs, all earned, and struck out two in three innings of work. Hudson Neuberger came on in relief and didn’t allow a run while striking out four in three innings. In the second game, the Twins scored twice in the second to lead 2-0, but gave up five in the third. A two-run fifth inning pulled them to within one, but then they surrendered three in the bottom of the fifth. The Twins would get just one more run in the seventh inning.

Tyren Dorrance went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI; one of his hits was a triple. Thomas Husband gave up eight runs, five of them unearned, in 4 2/3 innings. Rylan Erb came on in relief and blanked the Cubs in 1 1/3 innings of work. The Twins have four games remaining in the regular season. They will visit the Regina Wolfpack for a game on July 17, and then play two at the Saskatoon Diamondbacks the following day. Their final game is July 19 at home against the Regina Athletics in a game that will be played in Weyburn.

be working on our breaststroke. I definitely feel like we still have some room for improvement there. Our dives and our turns, we can always shave some time off by working on those, and getting them to be just a little

bit faster.” For those who did get disqualified in their races in Estevan, the Eels will check the reasons for the foul, and work hard to reduce the chance of those mistakes happening again.

Sutter expects the Eels will have lots of kids moving on from southerns to provincials in Rosetown the following weekend, as the Eels will seek to win their fifth championship.

The organizers trying to bring junior football to southeast Saskatchewan are having a meeting this month to recruit players and sponsors. The session will take place July 22 at the Western Star Hotel in Estevan at 7 p.m. Jason Bresciani, who is organizing the initiative along with Frank DeBruyn, said they want to discuss the direction they’re taking and gage the interest level of the players. “It would be nice to have a good turnout so that we know where we’re at,” said Bresciani. The team would be known as the Southeast Roughnecks. A meeting in June did not attract a lot of people, so they’re holding another meeting.

Regardless of attendance at July’s meeting, the junior Roughnecks will start holding practices on Aug. 11 at the practice field south of the Estevan Comprehensive School. There will be weekly Sunday practices to help the players get in shape and become familiar with the playbooks. “We are working, trying to get an exhibition game this fall, to see where we’re at with this league,” said Bresciani. Even if they don’t have a good turnout, they’ll still practice, and work towards next season. “The whole idea is to get the community to see that there are young men outside playing tackle football,” said Bresciani. The team is asking play-

ers to pay $150 to register. Players are also asked to go out into the community and recruit potential teammates and sponsors, allowing them to get more equipment and practice jerseys. The Roughnecks are also still in need of board members. Bresciani and DeBruyn announced their intention earlier this season to start the Roughnecks, giving football players the chance to compete after high school. They would play in the Manitoba Major Junior Football League, which is for ages 18-22. It’s the same age range as the Canadian Junior Football League. The Roughnecks would boast players from throughout the southeast region.

Another meeting for junior football

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CFL all-star helps young players learn the game Local youth football players had the opportunity to learn from one of the CFL’s most accomplished receivers on Thursday. Saskatchewan Roughriders wide receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux was at the Woodlawn Athletic Field to lead a camp offered by Penta Completions Estevan Minor Football. Arceneaux is currently recovering from a knee injury, but that didn’t stop him from demonstrating techniques and

offering lessons to the young players on how to improve their agility and their fundamentals. “(We’ll be working on) Starting stance and just the footwork and getting in and out of breaks,” said Arceneaux. He was expecting that he would be talking to bantam and high school-aged football players, but upon arriving in Estevan, he realized there were a lot of young football players at the camp. Arceneaux quickly adapted what he would discuss with the young players.

Emmanuel Arceneaux was in Estevan on Thursday to help lead a football clinic offered by Penta Completions Estevan Minor Football.

This is Arceneaux’s first season with the Green and White, after spending eight seasons with the B.C. Lions. Twice he was named a CFL all-star. During his tenure with B.C., he spent a lot of time instructing football camps, and he also hosts camps in Dallas, where he resides in the offseason. “It just be fun to get out there and interact with the kids,” said Arceneaux. “It’s just getting them to understand that I’m not the Manny from the Manny Show on game day, it’s coach Manny. Many of the kids are in awe to have him as an instructor, but it’s usually fun to get out and interact with the kids, he said. The shift from B.C. to Saskatchewan has brought him to a market where there is a much greater interest in the CFL. There’s a great history with support for the team, which means there are more people who recognize him and want to speak with him when he’s out in the community. “From preseason to now, the Roughrider green runs deep throughout the whole province,” said Arceneaux.

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A12 July 17, 2019

Humane Society marks quarter century of service

Angela Prette and Serenity Steinke with the 25th anniversary birthday cake.

PROTECT THE WORKERS WHO PROTECT US

When people are willing to put their lives on the line to protect us, it seems only right that we do everything we can to protect them. But here in Saskatchewan, recent government changes mean the brave emergency service workers who fight and manage wildfires and environmental disasters, like flooding, are losing the existing benefits and job security they count on.

The Estevan Humane Society celebrated its commitment to helping people and animals alike during the organization’s 25th anniversary bash Sunday at the animal shelter. Highlights included a large garage sale with lots of items, a carnival with games and activities for children, a taco in a bag lunch, bake sale, birthday cake and cupcakes, and tours of the animal shelter. “ We’re taking people throughout the shelter and letting them know what each area is,” said Angela Prette with the EHS. “They get to see all of our animals and hopefully we get some adopted.” The Estevan Police Service and the Estevan Emergency Medical Services were at the event with their vehicles for children to tour. While this year’s festivities marked a quarter century of being in Estevan, the Estevan Humane Society has held anniversary celebrations the past few years. This year

was probably the best turnout they have had, as there were lots of people. “There’s a lot going on this weekend, too, so it’s nice to see so many people coming out to support us,” said manager Elizabeth MurphyDryden. Due to the heat outside, many of the people present were eager to take the shelter tour, not only to meet the animals available for adoption, but to enjoy the air conditioning inside the building. Activities on Sunday were designed to create awareness of the services provided by the humane society, and to raise funds for the shelter, with about $1,300 being generated through the festivities. Murphy-Dryden was a young person when the humane society opened, and had its shelter at the city yard. They had a small building at that time, and about 15 years ago, moved into their present home in the southeast corner of the city. “We’ve come a long ways

in that amount of time,” Murphy-Dryden said. “We’re in a big facility now, and we’re a no-kill shelter. We have lots of kitten rooms. We have a nice big cat room. We have lots of areas for dogs, and two big yards. As far as humane societies go, it’s a pretty nice one.” Prette said it ’s hard to measure just how many animals they have cared for over the years, and MurphyDryden estimates about 300 animals are adopted each year. “If people have lost their pet, we help them post it and find it,” said Prette. “One of our major things that we do is getting animals back to their owners when they’re lost,” added MurphyDryden. The dog numbers at the shelter are pretty manageable, Murphy-Dryden said, but the cat count is high. The number of stray cats that they have taken in has been higher than in previous years. “We’re at capacities for cats, but not quite for dogs,” said Murphy-Dryden.

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S E RV I C E Jaxon Williams, left, and Nicole Williams were shopping at the humane society’s garage sale.

People A13

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Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Community garden remains a valuable asset

The Estevan Community Garden continues to be a place where people who normally wouldn’t be able to have a garden can grow their own fresh fruits and vegetables. The organization celebrated its fifth anniversary on Saturday afternoon at the garden site on Lynd Crescent. Children’s activities and games were offered to keep young people busy, and snacks and refreshments were served. Visitors could also tour the site and see what is growing this year. “As a community, we’re out visiting and enjoying the weather,” said Barb Wright, who has been part of the community garden since its inception. Wright joined the community garden through her work at the former Sun Country Health Region (now part of the Saskatchewan Health Authority). Wright is one of three people remaining from the garden when it first started. She gave a brief speech at the start of Saturday’s activities, highlighting the history of the community garden and how it has benefitted people in the city. “It was in 2013 that we started the conversation of having a garden and we started the planting in May of 2014,” Wright told the Mercury. “We are in five good, full years, and we have a fantastic garden growing this year, with

Members of the Estevan Community Garden gather around one of the raised garden beds during Saturday’s fifth anniversary celebration. Photo submitted all of the water and the sun, and we’re just celebrating the opportunity to be part of a community.” Gardening is a great outlet for physical activity, she said, and harvesting fruits and vegetables is great for heart health. A garden also helps to create a sense of community for those who are involved. “You know that you have friends and you’re part of a connected environment,” she

said. “The other benefit of the garden is it can help to make the community a prettier place.” In the case of the community garden, the area it occupies was previously a vacant lot. Thanks to the 18 raised garden beds and the other beautification efforts that have taken place on the site, it now looks beautiful. All 18 beds are in use this year. Most of them belong to individuals or families, but the

Southeast Newcomer Services (SNS) also has a couple of them for the agency’s annual gardening competition. In previous years, SNS have had a contest pitting younger and older gardeners, but this year, the competition is between SNS and the Settlement Workers in Schools program. “It improves the connection of many different population groups” said Wright. A couple of the original

garden bed owners are still involved with the community garden. “We have many new people that have come … but we have a lot of younger families with young children, which is fantastic, because it does teach the children the importance to care for the environment, and where their food comes from,” said Wright. A community garden can also help to reduce the amount of crime in an area.

Wright has a hard time believing the garden has been in Estevan for five years already. It dawned on her when she was reflecting on how far the garden has come since its inception. The fruits and vegetables that are growing in the garden beds look great, Wright said. She pointed out that one of them has a large pumpkin that is growing, but there are also some green plants that look terrific.

Salvation Army helps to pack backpacks for school By Ana Bykhovskaia abykhovskaia@estevanmercury.ca

Starting Monday the Salvation Army is accepting applications for their yearly backpack program. “This program is to help offset the costs for parents in lower income families at this time of the year,” said Jane Anne Ireland, who is responsible for community family services with the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army cannot provide all school supplies that the students will need during the year, but they do their best to make sure that all kids have at least the necessities. “A backpack and many other items will be provided in those backpacks ready for pickup on a designated day,” said Ireland. Those who will fill out the application can expect to receive a backpack with loose leaf paper, one or twoinch binders, white erasers, rulers, pencils, pens, crayon,

markers, doutangs, exercise books, dividers, glue sticks and a pencil case. The items may vary depending on the grade of an applicant. “It’s a basic supply list… It’s a start. It’s not the whole list that they will need at each school. Different schools, different teachers may have a different list. So the reason why we have a basic list that we put in to the backpacks is in order to help the parents to have a start for their school supply shopping,” said Ireland. Donations of school supplies, as well as monetary

donations, allow the organization to make sure that they help as many people as they can each year. S ince the S al vation Army will need some time to get all supplies in, get everything organized prior to the beginning of the school year, and also allow parents some time to finish filling up the backpacks, they will stop accepting applications in the middle of August. “We have the deadline of August 16, the Friday, so that way we can take a count for numbers and figure out how much we need of the

Depending on the year the Salvation Army provides 30-60 backpacks to families with lower incomes. Photo submitted

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variety of different supplies that we do purchase if we haven’t received them as a donation or otherwise,” explained Ireland. The program is devel-

oped for kindergarten-Grade 12 kids from lower income families. Parents will need to have their application in by the deadline. The application can be filled in and dropped

off Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.4:30 p.m. People who applied will be informed about the details of when to pick up their backpacks later in time.

NOTICE OF JUDICIAL SALE PURSUANT to a Court Order in the legal proceedings known as Q.B. No. 184 of 2018 in the Judicial Centre of Estevan, there will be offered for sale by tender under the direction of the law firm, Bridges and Company LLP, Barristers and Solicitors, 1329 Third Street, Estevan, Saskatchewan, S4A 0S1, certain lands and premises described as follows: Condominium legally described as: Unit #8 in Condo Plan #102160819 with 714 / 10000 shares of common property in Condominium Parcel #202975577, Reference Condo Description Condo Plan No 102160819 Extension 0, and civically described as #8-200 Ruckle Road, Carlyle, SK, S0C 0R0 (the said land and premises hereinafter referred to as the “Condo”). 1. The Condo will be sold subject to encumbrances that don’t affect marketability of the Condos including but not limited to the following: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h)

Interest Register # 102118205 (SaskPower Easement); Interest Register # 100848168 (SaskTel Easement); Interest Register # 100848179 (SaskTel Easement); Interest Register # 115176326 (Govt. of SK Planning & Development Act Caveat); Interest Register # 115176337 (Govt. of SK Planning & Development Act Caveat); Interest Register # 119727681 (SaskPower and SaskTel Joint Use Utility Easement; Interest Register # 119799365 (SaskEnergy Easement); Interest Register # 120213155 (HWZ Developments Ltd. Condominium Property Act – Endorsed Declaration); and i) Interest Register # 120214741 (Condominium Property Act – Parking Designation). 2. The Condo will be sold on an as-is and where-is basis with no representations or warranties of any kind whatsoever with respect to the Condo. 3. The title to the Condo shall be registered in the purchaser’s name or names, or the names of his/her nominees, free and clear of encumbrances, save and except as aforesaid. 4. Any sale is subject to confirmation and approval of the sale by the Court of Queen’s Bench for Saskatchewan on subsequent application. 5. The date and time for closing of the tender process is 12 o’clock noon on August 15, 2019 (the “Tender Deadline”). TERMS OF SALE. A minimum of 10% of the bid amount must accompany each tender bid as a deposit. The deposit shall be in the form of cash or bank draft payable to the said law firm at the time of the submission of the tender. The balance of the purchase price shall be paid to the said law firm by cash or bank draft within three (3) weeks of the Tender Deadline, with transfer of title to the purchased Condo to be confirmed thereafter by an Order of the Court of Queen’s Bench for Saskatchewan. In the event that the balance of the purchase price is not paid to the said law firm, the deposit shall be forfeited. In the event that the sale is not approved by the Court of Queen’s Bench, the deposit and all other moneys shall be returned to the bidder. The said law firm is not required to accept the highest or any particular tender bid(s) for the purchase of the Condo and the Condo may not be sold through this process. All tenders shall be sealed and not opened until after the Tender Deadline. TENDER BIDS MUST BE SUBMITTED to Bridges & Company LLP, at the address below, by registered mail or personal delivery on the following conditions: (a) Each tender bid must be received by the said law firm in writing before 12 o’clock noon on the Tender Deadline. (b) Each tender bid must be accompanied by cash or bank draft in the minimum amount of 10% of the bid. If the tender bid is unsuccessful the said deposit shall be returned to the bidder; (c) Tender bids received after the close of the tenders as aforesaid shall not be accepted and shall be returned to the bidder; (d) All tenders shall be in writing in the form available from the Selling Officer. All tenders must be in a sealed envelope marked “Tender – HWZ Developments Ltd. Condo.” addressed to Bridges & Company LLP, attention Rob Nicolay, and received at the said Office before the Tender Deadline. Tenders which are not in such form may be rejected. Tenders may not be submitted by facsimile transmission; (e) Each tender shall be irrevocable and the bidder shall not be entitled to retract, withdraw, revoke, vary or countermand a tender prior to the Tender Deadline; (f) THE HIGHEST OR ANY TENDER WILL NOT NECESSARILY BE ACCEPTED; FURTHER PARTICULARS may be obtained from Rob Nicolay, c/o Bridges & Company LLP, (306) 634-6334 or at the address below. Bridges & Company LLP, Barristers and Solicitors 1329 Third Street, Estevan, Saskatchewan S4A 0S1 Attention: Rob Nicolay • Email: rnicolay@bridgeslaw.ca

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Wednesday, July 17, 2019

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Heavy humidity kept Estevan firefighters awake Estevan’s firefighters didn’t get much sleep in one recent night as they were Career OppOrtunities SOBEYS IN OLDS, ALBERTA is seeking a full-time Meat Cutter. Includes benefits and vacation accrued. Please email resume to: sby5436olds@sobeys.com, Attn. Rob.

called out on two separate occasions. The fire alarm system went off at 12:30 a.m. and then at 2 a.m. on July 15 in a multiapartment building in the central part of Estevan. After the investigation, the crews came up to a conclusion that in both cases alarms were false. Deputy Fire Chief Rick

Obituaries Asbjorn Breisnes 1951 – 2019 Asbjorn passed away peacefully with family by his side on Friday, July 5, 2019 at St. Joseph’s Long Term Care, Estevan, SK at the age of 68 years. Asbjorn will be lovingly remembered by his family; mom Anna Breisnes; children, Jonathan (Beth) Breisnes and Jessica (Kelly) Breisnes; grandchildren, Kasper Breisnes and Nyssa Breisnes; siblings, Richard (Marj) Breisnes and

Susanne (Deane) Jacobson. Asbjorn was predeceased by his father Odd Breisnes. In keeping with Asbjorn’s wishes there will be no service. In memory of Asbjorn, memorial donations may be made to the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan Inc. (designate to the Allan Blair Cancer Centre), 4545 Parliament Avenue Regina, SK, S4W 0G3. Yvonne Clark at Hall Funeral Services, Estevan assisted Asbjorn’s family.

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Phillips, Gerald Smith 1927 – 2019 With heavy hearts the family wishes to announce the passing of Gerald Smith Phillips, late of Estevan, SK at the St. Joseph’s Long Term Care, Estevan, SK on Tuesday, July 9, 2019 at the age of 92 years. Gerald will be lovingly remembered by his son Joe (Bonnie) Phillips and daughter Barbara (Brian) Fornwald. Fond memories will be forever cherished by grandchildren, Richard, Kerri (Robb), Kevin (Cindy), Bryce (Meagan), Meghann, Nicholas (Kaitlyn), Kelly and Emily. Gerald will be sorely missed by his great grandchildren, Madison, Jaxon, Caitlin, Jakob, Harlow, Piper, Kaydence, Brenden, Cayden, Kayn, Alexa, Brianne and Sophia; as well as his dear friend, Ken Johnson. Gerald was predeceased by his parents; the love of his life, Mimi and his brother Budd. A Memorial Service was held at the Chapel of Hall Funeral Services, Estevan, SK on Tuesday, July 16, 2019 at 1:30 p.m. with Pastor Geoff Thiessen officiating. A luncheon was held at the Royal Canadian Legion, Estevan Branch following the service. Donations in memory of Gerald may be made to the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation – Long Term Care, 1176 Nicholson Rd., Estevan, SK S4A 0H3. Deb Heidinger with Hall Funeral Services, Estevan is assisting Gerald’s family. John Edmund Pylychaty 1954 – 2019

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Ed Pylychaty, late of Bienfait, SK passed away on Friday, July 5, 2019 with family by his side at the Estevan Regional Nursing Home, Estevan, SK at the age of 64 years. Ed’s memory will forever be cherished by his mother, Audrey (nee Mayer) Pylychaty; wife Betty-Jean (nee Allen) Pylychaty; son Corey Pylychaty; daughter Amanda (Tom) Moffatt and their children, Parker and Lucas; and son Bradley (Brittany) Pylychaty and their son Blaze. Ed will also be deeply missed by his sister Carolyn (Dale) Curtis and 3 brothers, David (Lorna) Pylychaty, Jim (Treena) Pylychaty and Clifford (Rhonda) Pylychaty; brother in-law Ron Allen; sister in-law Doreen Falcon as well as numerous nieces, nephews, family and friends. Ed was predeceased by his father Paul Pylychaty; mother and father in-law, Florence (nee Paul) and Fred Allen and brother inlaw Doug Falcon. The family and friends had a BBQ in honor of Ed. In lieu of flowers, the family would like memorial donations to be made to the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan Inc. (designate to the Allan Blair Cancer Centre), 4545 Parliament Avenue Regina, SK, S4W 0G3., or to the Sask Patient Transfer Service, PO Box 31127 Normanview PO, Regina, SK, S4R 8R6 or to the Estevan Regional Nursing Home Auxiliary, 1921 Wellock Road, Estevan, Sask., S4A 2B5. Yvonne Clark at Hall Funeral Services, Estevan assisted the Pylychaty family.

Thank you

Thank you to all our friends and family for the cards, flowers, condolences and calls of support we received during this difficult time. . We would like to acknowledge the excellent care provided by all the doctors, nurses and support staff that Ed received at St. Joseph’s Hospital and the Estevan Regional Nursing Home. Many Thanks to his coworkers and friends that came out to the BBQ to celebrate Ed’s life with us. You all mean so much to us. A special Thank you to Yvonne Clark and the staff of Hall Funeral Services for guiding us every step of the way.

Davies believes that it was the heavy humidity that set off the system. “The detectors may sense a little bit different, maybe when you have heavy humidity it does trigger it,” said Davies. He noted that the system was functioning the way it’s supposed to for the most part, and it was not one individual that set it off. Which means there won’t be any repercussions for anybody because of the second consecutive false alarm. Firefighters were also dispatched to fire and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in different parts of the city on July 14. “Approximately 4 p.m. we were called to a commercial building on the east part of the city, turned out to be a false alarm. And then at approximately 11:30 p.m. we were called to a residence in the west part of the city for a CO alarm. Nothing was found there,” said Davies. On July 12, at around lunchtime firefighters were called to occupancy in the middle part of the city for an elevator rescue, which was due

to malfunction with the elevator system. People were quickly removed. In other recent fire department news, on July 8 the fire crew attended the Estevan Motor Speedway for the Dakota Classic Modified Tour. “The races went pretty clean that night. There were no reports of them (fire crew) having to respond to anything,” said Davies. On July 9, the regular evening training took place at the station. The next day a group of firefighters went to the Estevan campus of the Southeast College to participate in the Superheroes Day. And on July 11, a crew joined the pancake breakfast at the Churchill Park. Their fire truck was one of the biggest attractions for the kids, as they were allowed to get inside and ask questions about it. A lot of children took advantage of the opportunity. “For the time that we were there we were pretty steady with kids, there were quite a few that came through and had a look at the truck,” said Davies.

Legion Lager now available in Estevan The Estevan branch of the Royal Canadian Legion is now carrying a special beer that was created to support veterans. An event was held at the legion’s club room on Friday night to launch Legion Lager. Brewed by Whitewater Brewing Company in Cobden, Ont., it has been available for a few years, but only recently arrived in Saskatchewan. Five per cent of the sales for Legion Lager are directed to the Legion’s Dominion Command, and that money will be disbursed through the provinces for initiatives that support veterans. “This is something that this company wanted to do to try to help veterans, and at the same time sell their product. We were pretty excited when we heard about it, and said we need to get this into our club room and offer it simply

for the fact that it does assist veterans,” said Forrest. During the tasting on Friday night, Jim Spenst had the honour of enjoying the first can. Spenst served in the Second World War with the Canadian Army, and has been an active member of the legion for more than 65 years. He gave it his stamp of approval. “Other folks were there and sampled it, and felt it was a pretty nice beer,” said Forrest. The can is 16 ounces instead of the traditional 12. The legion is encouraging people to come down to the club room and have a Legion Lager to support veterans. Forrest hopes that Legion Lager can eventually be stocked in liquor stores in the province, so that even more Saskatchewan residents can enjoy the beer.

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July 17, 2019 A15

Police arrested several impaired drivers last week Members of the Estevan Police Service (EPS) apprehended several impaired drivers during the past week. Police checked a vehicle in the city’s west end on July 8. The driver was found to have been drinking and was checked for sobriety. The motorist failed the roadside test and was taken back to the police station where the 26-year-old Ontario man was charged with driving while over .08. He will appear in Estevan Court in early September to answer to the charges. Members initiated a traffic stop for a reported impaired driver on July 10, which resulted in a 42-yearold Lampman man being arrested for impaired driving. He was also charged under the Alcohol and Gaming Regulations Act for having open alcohol in his vehicle, and for driving a vehicle without an appropriate driver’s licence under the Traffic Safety Act. His vehicle was impounded for 60 days. He

was transported to the police station, where he was lodged in cells due to the level of his intoxication. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance in Estevan Provincial Court on Aug. 19. EPS members arrested a 63-year-old Estevan woman July 12. She is facing charges of impaired driving, driving while over .08 and driving while prohibited, and was remanded for court July 15 in Estevan. She was also on a temporary correctional centre release, which has now been revoked. After court she will be transported back to the correctional centre. Po l i c e a r re s t e d a 50-year-old man from Newfoundland July 13 after he made a left turn off of King Street to travel southbound in the northbound lane of 13th Avenue. He was subsequently arrested and has been charged with impaired driving and driving while over .08. In other recent police news, members attended a north Estevan residence for

a reported domestic disturbance July 8. The matter was defused with one of the family members agreeing to leave the residence until things calmed down. The same day, a 28-yearold Estevan man was arrested in Estevan Provincial Court after being identified by members as having an arrest warrant for not being at a court matter that he was subpoenaed to attend. The male was charged under the Criminal Code and released. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Aug. 12 in Estevan. The EPS received a report of a suspicious male in a homeowner’s backyard in central Estevan. The male knocked on the back door before leaving the property. He was described as having a beard, wearing a white ball cap and riding a black mountain bike. He was not located in the area when police arrived. A report of the STARS Air Ambulance lottery scam

came in. No information was given. Another scam was reported where the unknown caller attempted to tell the homeowner that there were unauthorized charges against their credit card. The account holder checked their account to find that no unauthorized charges were made. No information was provided. A 23-year-old Estevan man was arrested and charged July 9 for breaching his curfew conditions as well as a condition to abstain from the possession of drugs. He was found to have methamphetamines. The man was also charged with using counterfeit currency at a central Estevan gas station. He was remanded into custody and appeared in Estevan Provincial Court on July 11. The rain that fell on July 9 kept EPS members busy throughout the day. Some streets required barricades to prevent vehicular traffic due to street flooding. Officers had to deal with a weather-related problem

with the traffic lights at the intersection of Fourth Street and Kensington Avenue, and a driving complaint regarding high vehicle speeds through standing water. Members were dispatched to south-central Estevan July 10 for a report of a window being broken by a distraught female who had left the area. The female was located and spoken to. The matter remains under investigation. EPS members stopped a motor vehicle on July 12 and charged a 16-year-old female for being a youth in possession of cannabis marijuana. She was released to an adult guardian. Police responded to a disturbance near Grundeen Crescent and Nicholson Road. The report was of three males assaulting another male. Upon police arrival, all involved had fled the area. A short time later, one of the suspects returned and was intoxicated. He was arrested after the homeowner

wanted him removed from the property. The individual was lodged in cells until he was sober. Officers did several curfew checks and one person was not at home. Police are investigating and charges are pending against an Estevan female. Members arrested an 18-year-old woman July 13 who was wanted for outstanding charges. Police executed the warrant and released her for an August court date. Po l i c e a r re s t e d a 31-year-old Estevan woman on July 14 for being intoxicated in a public place and causing a disturbance, after a complaint from the 800-block of Fifth Street. She was lodged in cells until sober and is not facing charges at this time. Police arrested a Regina female on outstanding warrants from that community. She was released in front of a justice of the peace with a new court date.

By Brian Zinchuk

Gedak driving erratically in the Beefeater parking lot before turning eastbound on King Street. Following him, they saw him stop abruptly several times, and cross over the snow into the other lane. He stopped two blocks later. Police observed slurred speech and the smell of alcohol from Gedak. Crumley noted Gedak admitted to having consumed “five drinks and some shots” before driving. Once in the police cruiser, he climbed through the partition window to the front seat and exited the front door. He was caught and taken into custody. Gedak got an incarcera-

tion sentence of 34 days such that he could take part in a 28-day treatment program in Prince Albert starting this Friday. His lawyer, Susan Wurtz, said, “He knows he needs to address his drinking. He wanted to do the treatment.” He netted a $1,000 fine and a one-year driving prohibition. Judge Michelle Brass gave him 10 months to pay the fine. ••• Alvin Holinaty, pleaded guilty to a .08 charge after he drove his semi into a ditch on March 9. Estevan Police Service got a complaint of a vehicle in a ditch, and the person

who called in was Holinaty’s employer. Holinaty had gotten stuck in a ditch previously, and the employer pulled him out. He got stuck a second time, and this time the employer wouldn’t pull him out. This time he called the police. Judge Brass asked Crumley, “He was driving a semi?” “Yes,” the prosecutor replied. The semi tractor was on the road, and the trailer was in the ditch when police arrived. They smelled alcohol, and observed a paper bag from a liquor store on the floor of the semi. Holinaty blew ,150 and

.130, in excess of the legal blood alcohol limit of .08. Crumley said, “This is a very large vehicle, and presents a significant risk to the safety of the public.” He called for a higher fine of $1,800 instead of $1,500, in addition to a oneyear driving prohibition. Wurtz said Holinaty was 51 years old, with no prior criminal record or prior alcohol abuse. He had been a commercial trucker for 20-25 years, but he has been unemployed since the incident. He

is collecting disability, but it’s not a lot compared to his bills. She asked for the minimum fine of $1,500, as well as the ability to ask for an ignition interlock after three months. She also asked for 12 months to pay the fine. “My biggest concern here is that it was a semi truck you were driving,” Brass told Holinaty. She imposed a $1,600 fine and a one-year driving prohibition, but the ability to ask for an ignition interlock after three months.

Two impaired drivers sentenced in court

brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net

Two men pleaded guilty to .08 charges in Estevan Provincial Court on Monday. In each case, the men charged specifically, “has, within two hours after ceasing to operate a conveyance, a blood alcohol concentration that is equal to or exceeds 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.” This is commonly referred to as .08 blood alcohol content. Cameron D. Gedak, 30, was first up, and pleaded guilty to a .08 charge. Crown prosecutor Mitch Crumley said that on March 6, police observed

Judge: “Well, this is Saskatchewan, and we’ve all fired at gophers” By Brian Zinchuk brian.zinchuk@sasktel.net

“Well, this is Saskatchewan, and we’ve all fired at gophers.” That was one of Judge Michelle Brass’s concluding statements in an odd case before her in Estevan Provincial Court on Monday. It involved an inherited rifle, a ricochet, an “expired” gopher and a SaskTel crew. Calvin Annetts, 58, of Alida, represented himself while facing one charge of possessing a firearm without a licence. He pleaded guilty. Crown prosecutor Mitch Crumley laid out the case. A SaskTel crew of three were working on a tower at Alida when they heard some shooting nearby. “One felt there was a ricochet,” Crumley said, referring to a bullet that has bounced off of something. Annetts was on his own property, and carrying a firearm. There were words exchanged, but not angry or

violent ones, Crumley noted. They were more along the lines of “We’re here, what are you doing?” No one was struck by the ricochet, he said. Police were called, and they found Annetts to be very polite. He explained to them he had been shooting at a gopher, and it was not in line with the tower. Rather, he was firing in a different direction. “He fired three rounds at the gopher. He managed to hit it and the gopher expired,” Crumley said, noting he showed police the gopher. The firearm was from Annetts’ father’s estate, he added. Annetts did not have a licence. When asked by Brass if that was how it happened, Annetts agreed. “I was just hunting gophers on my own property. I was shooting this way, the tower’s that way,” he said. The judge asked when the firearm was obtained. “In the 80s,” he replied. “Well, this is Saskatch-

ewan, and we’ve all fired at gophers,” Brass said. She chose not to impose a firearms prohibition, but by law had to order a forfeiture of the rifle. She asked if the

gun would be destroyed, and Crumley expected it would be. Brass imposed a $200 fine, to which Annetts said, “I’ll pay it today.”

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No Problem! One call does it all! • Bucket Truck • Stump Grinding • Hedge Trimming • Tree Removal • Custom Chipping • All Overhead Work (yard lights) Registered & Insured FREE ESTIMATES

A16 July 17, 2019

Happy flyers From left, Richard Reetz gave a free airplane ride to Mariah Miller, Emma Shutt and Travis Miller Saturday afternoon, during an event hosted by the Estevan Flying Club at the Estevan Regional Airport. The day started with a barbecue lunch for families to enjoy. Local pilots offered free airplane rides for children, giving them the opportunity to see the southeast Saskatchewan landscape from a completely different vantage point.

Present Pre P rese sent the

N I W O T N I P PO CONTEST BRAND NEW FIAT POP CAR PLAY STRUCTURE

WEBER BBQ

QUEEN BED IN A BOX

POWER RECLINER

JOHNSON

PLUMBING & HEATING LTD.

Enter to win these prizes by POPPING IN TO WIN

at these participating businesses:

Josh LeBlanc

HENDERS DRUGS

JOHNSON

PLUMBING & HEATING LTD.

WATCH THE ESTEVAN MERCURY FACEBOOK PAGE DAILY FOR WHERE TO FIND THE CAR AND TO ENTER!

HOW IT WORKS:

• People will enter a ballot at participating businesses • Every week The Estevan Mercury will randomly pick a finalist from every box and publish them in the Mercury, Lifestyles & www.estevanmercury.ca • All finalists are invited to the Power Dodge Curling Centre on July 31, 2019 for the final draw • Finalists must be present to win. • Ballots are non-transferable.

Please go to www.estevanmercury.ca to view the complete list of finalists. *entrants must by 19 years of age and have a valid Saskatchewan drivers license.

FINAL WEEK TO ENTER!!! Draw is July 31, 2019!

WEEK 8 FINALISTS:

Jeff Carr Larry Dornian Phil Bazley Selena Thompson Deloris Cutler Eleanor Kickley Terry Brock Randy Parker Heather Cyr Roy Olson Bridget Bittman Bruce Duncan Heidi Lavallee Ed Garton Debby Barker Megan Venderkuur Darcy Tetrault the WIN WEDNESDAY with

SOUTHERN PLAINS COOP

Tania Hlohosvksy Randy Seeman Morgan Foster Nathan Ferguson Chris Wright Alex Kish Lonnie Haux Arion Metz Mary Ellen Benjamin Shirley Kish Theresa SanCartier Murray Ludtke Frances Risto Irene Bonokoski Noreen Brady Carol Cundall Watch the Estevan Mercury Facebook page Wednesdays to win prizes from the Southern Plains Co-Op!