Refined Canadian Army Commander Addresses Chamber ⇢A3
Welcome OTS Curlers
⇢B9-12
Wed., March 26, 2014
Mailing No. 10769
Twinning of Highway 39 will move forward By Chad Saxon editor@estevanmercury.ca
To many, the delivery of the 2014 budget was a somewhat lacklustre event as the provincial government largely held the line on spending as it deals with decreasing revenues. For the residents of southeast Saskatchewan however, the 2014 budget will be one to remember as it confirmed Premier Brad Wall’s pledge to make the twinning of Highway 39 a priority for his Sask. Party government. Delivered Thursday in the provincial legislature, the budget included money to begin pre-construction planning for twinning Highways 39 and 6 from Estevan to Regina as well as the eight-kilometre stretch of Highway 39 from Estevan to Bienfait. News that twinning was moving to the planning stage has been received warmly throughout the southeast. The Time to Twin Highway 39 Committee has been the most vocal proponent and began lobbying the provincial government a number of years ago. Chairwoman Marge Young said they were pleased to hear the government’s announcement.
“That means it must be on a priority list and if it gets to a planning and design stage, that means they’re ready to start a land procurement process,” Young said. “They’re ready to start on it, that makes it official and knowing there is already a move being made to twin that piece
MLA Doreen Eagles from the Bienfait turnoff to Estevan, means we’re getting there.” Along with the twinning announcement, Young said the group was also pleased to learn that Highway 39 will be repaved from Estevan to Macoun and that some intersections will be reconfigured along that route. “We understand that will include much better turning lanes at Hitchcock and Macoun as well as at Breeze Street and Sister Roddy Road in Estevan.
That will make a big difference on the safety side,” she said. The City of Estevan has also been among the many groups calling for twinning and Mayor Roy Ludwig said he, too, was pleased with Thursday’s announcement. “They are having the right discussions around (twinning) from Bienfait to Estevan and then thereafter from Estevan to Regina,” Ludwig said. “We are very excited about that coming to fruition at long last. We realize it will be a few years before we see progress.” As MLA for the Estevan Constituency, Doreen Eagles has spent many days travelling from her Macoun area home to Regina and seen firsthand as the volume of traffic has increased on the highway. She has been among the many lobbying the Ministry of Highways and was very happy to see it make the budget. “When I was first elected and I would go to Regina, I would count the semis and there would be 40 semis back in 1999. Last week when I came home there were 183 semis that I met,” Eagles said. “The traffic on there has really increased and when you have an economy the way ours is → A2 Location
Beach Bash to return In its short existence, Beach Bash has become one of the highlights of the summer calendar. Tourism Estevan has announced the event is returning for a third year. Beach Bash 2014 will be held on Aug. 16 at Woodlawn Regional Park’s Boundary Dam Beach. “Beach Bash has been an outstanding event in the last two summers and we’re excited to be hosting it again this year,” said Michel Cyrenne, executive director of Tourism Estevan. “We’ve got a great recreational area within Woodlawn Regional Park and this is an excellent opportunity to showcase that area and also provide our residents with a fun weekend to celebrate summer in Estevan.” “We will be bringing back a few bands
again this year, Third Degree Burnz being one of them,” said Rebecca Howie, marketing and events co-ordinator. “The planning stages are underway right now, we are looking for more activities on the beach this year and planning on adding a children’s entertainer to the lineup.” Howie said organizers learned a lot from feedback from the crowd, one being the lineups for the food were too long. They are working to alleviate that problem and invite local vendors to contact them about being part of Beach Bash. Tourism Estevan is also looking for organizations or clubs that would like to make the event better or add to it in one form or another. Interested parties may call Howie at 306-637-2190.
Issue 46
SERVING THE ENERGY CITY FOR 111 YEARS
www.estevanmercury.ca
Estevan seen as attractive market for casino By Chad Saxon editor@estevanmercury.ca
The group interested in building a casino in Estevan is expected to meet with the provincial government in the near future to discuss their wish to open two casinos in Saskatchewan, one here and another in Lloydminster. As The Mercury reported last week, the Little Pine First Nation approached the City of Estevan earlier this year with a proposal to build a casino/hotel complex. The information was made public when Mayor Roy Ludwig made a motion at a March 17 meeting to ask voters whether or not they would like to see a gaming facility built in Estevan. The non-binding question will be included on the ballot for the April 23 council byelection. In interviews Monday, officials from Little Pine, which is located in northwest Saskatchewan near North Battleford, spoke at length about their proposal and why they chose Estevan as a potential site. Chief Wayne Semaganis said Estevan, much like Lloydminster, is a good location for a casino, citing the city’s location, young population and prosperous economy as attractive features. Semaganis added that both Little Pine and the Sas-
Little Pine First Nation Chief Wayne Semaganis katchewan Indian Gaming Association have identified the Energy City as one of the province’s last viable markets for a casino. Since SIGA has not made any overtures towards Estevan, Semaganis said Little Pine is looking to seize the moment. “I’m trying to run a business for my people, the community of Little Pine,” he said. “I want to jump on these opportunities. I talked about it previously at a chief’s assembly that was held in Prince Albert and I didn’t do anything about it because I was coming up for re-election. “A year later nobody had made any kind of move on it, I got back in as chief and I am making a move on it.” The Little Pine proposal is somewhat unique in that they do not want to be affiliated with SIGA, which currently owns and operates
six casinos in the province. Their potential casino in Lloydminster would be wholly owned by Little Pine. If the Estevan venture gets off the ground it would be owned by a number of First Nations and possibly non-First Nations groups, and Little Pine would maintain a small stake. Little Pine has spoken to the nearby White Bear Reserve, which already has a casino in operation, and offered them a chance to invest in their project. “For me, it’s straight business. SIGA is not for profit, and I want to get into a business where we own everything. I encourage investment and the way SIGA is right now, because you are a First Nations band, you automatically have a seat and a voice and that is not how business is,” he said. “For me, I want to keep things as business as possible so politics does not interfere in things that we do.” On the gaming side, the proposal for Estevan calls for roughly 300 slot machines, with the possibility of adding more, as well as the usual table games. Little Pine is also looking into the possibility of opening a sports book, which would allow patrons to be on individual games and events. Given Estevan’s proximity → A2 Meetings
“This is a venture that is going to benefit not just my First Nation but also the city that we plan to open businesses in. It’s the hotels, the shops, the restaurants, the grocery stores, the car dealerships … bringing in a bunch of new customers to all those businesses is going to impact everybody.” – Wayne Semaganis
Senchuk
Ford Sales Ltd.
118 Souris Ave. N., Estevan 306-634-3696 www.senchukford.ca