Estevan Mercury

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Local Children Give Thanks

⇢ B17 - 19

Single Vehicle Accident

⇢ A3

October 9, 2013

EHS Focusing On Animal Safety

WEDNESDAY

The Estevan Police Service was called to a single vehicle accident Thursday night on 13th Avenue. The vehicle struck a light standard, shearing it off, and also collided with a cement flower planter located on the boulevard. The Estevan Fire Rescue Service was also called upon to deal with the leaking oil from the vehicle.

Estevan Among Finalists For Summer Games

www.estevanmercury.ca

⇢ B1

Issue 23

Long-term care review completed The review of long-term care facilities across the province has been completed, and in response, a $10 million Urgent Issues Action Fund has been allocated to address the most immediate and pressing problems facing those who are caring for clients in long-term care situations. Health Minister Dustin Duncan thanked healthcare staff for their work and noted the results of the reviews varied greatly, but overall, there was a clear indication that things had to be done better, especially with regards to care of vulnerable seniors. The facility tours were carried out earlier this year with CEOs and senior staffers assigned to perform the reviews. In the Sun Country Health Region, CEO Marga Cugnet and vice-president of health facilities Murray Goeres carried out the visitations over a period of about 45 days. They visited approximately 18 long-term care facilities. The long-term-care wing at St. Joseph’s Hospital, which is an affiliated facility, was reviewed by

Elecs Drop Thriller To Moose Jaw

⇢ B1

a senior member of their administrative team, Mary Ann Veroba. The positive and negative aspects of each facility and the care provided were included in the reviews. The CEOs noted a constructive impact of the establishment of Resident and Family Councils in each facility. They also noted beneficial impacts of resident-centred recreation programs and the positive roles played by volunteers. Some challenges focused on food quality and variety as well as timing and management of care, including safety issues. “We are committed to making improvements that address these issues and improve quality of care and life for seniors,” Duncan said while releasing the results of the review. “That is why our response includes designating $10 million to address urgent issues identified in these reports and also why I view this as only an initial step in transforming our long-term care system.” Cugnet, in speaking with The Mercury a few days after the report was released, said the

visits she conducted indicated a general positive response from long-term care residents and families regarding their associations with staff, and on a general scale, they felt the food was good. “But there was a definite suggestion for improvements on getting fresh fruits and vegetables on the menu. Others said the food was just great,” said Cugnet. On the activities side, the Sun Country residents echoed their counterparts across the province in praising the passion and energy brought to their facilities by activity volunteers, but they also felt the weekends in particular were just too quiet. “Other than church services, we found too many of them were simply bored on the weekends because activities seem to focus on weekday action and very little on the weekends. We have to acknowledge the new culture. If we can have seven-day-a-week shopping at all hours, maybe we could have more for our seniors on the Report ⇢ A2

City housing document released

WEATHER & INDEX Thursday

Friday

High 14º Low 1º

High 12º Low 7º

High 11º Low 1º

High 10º Low 1º

Careers .......B13-16 Church Dir........ B12 Classifieds ....B9-12 Obituaries ...B12 & 14 Perspective........ A6

Business .......... A12 Energy ........A13-14 Services Dir. .... B13 Sports .......... B1 - 4 Community ....... B6

Saturday

Sunday

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A report compiled on Estevan’s housing needs expects that the current high demand will continue to grow into the future. The City of Estevan Housing Business Plan was put together by the Saskatchewan branch of the Canadian Homebuilders Association and is designed to help the City overcome the current housing challenges. The lengthy document, which was released to the public at the Sept. 30 regular meeting of city council, took into account a variety of

factors such as population projections, demographics and affordability to come up with a series of recommendations. The CHBA also held a meeting earlier this year with local groups, businesses and individuals that was part of the report as well. “We agree with the report in general,” said Mayor Roy Ludwig in a recent interview. “I think (the CHBA) recognizes that we are working with developers in all of the areas.” Among the highlights

of the report are projections on how many housing units may be needed to address future growth in Estevan. The CHBA said Estevan needs to ensure there is a supply of available land and feel that it could be a critical issue based on the projections laid out in the report. Using their population projections, which conservatively estimate that Estevan will reach 17,000 residents by 2025, the report contends that if the city experiences a low growth pattern it will need just over 800

new housing units by 2025. If the city has a moderate growth pattern over that period it’s projected that just over 1,800 units will be needed. Based on a high growth rate, Estevan is projected to need just shy of 2,600 units. The report also suggests the City implement a two to five-year rolling land servicing plan that would help the economy “adjust to supply side housing pressures in a more efficient manner. Since the number of serviced lots will always exceed the av-

erage number of housing units being produced on an annual basis, it allows room for fairly large fluctuations in housing production year to year. “Enabling developers to react in a timely manner to changes in the economy is a key element to the success of a well-functioning housing market and the reason why a five-year plan rolling land servicing represents a crucial step towards stabilizing Estevan’s housing market.” Recommendations ⇢ A2

Ford Sales Ltd. 118 Souris Ave. N., Estevan 306-634-3696 Parts: 306-634-5653 E-mail: sales@senchuk.com www.senchuk.com

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