Larissa McEwen

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) is launching the President’s Awards to recognize achievements in public safety throughout the province.

The SPSA is seeking nominations for both youth and organizations that have demonstrated leadership in emergency preparedness.

The nomination deadline is March 31, 2025, with an awards ceremony set for the spring in Prince Albert. Nominations can be submitted at saskpublicsafety.ca.

Estevan MLA Lori Carr says bringing healthcare services to rural Saskatchewan is a challenge, but one she is fully committed to tackling. Now three months into her role as minister of mental health and addictions, seniors, and rural and remote health, she said she is still adjusting to the position.

“It feels like I’ve been in the portfolio forever, but honestly, it’s only been three months,” Carr said. “So the transition is still truly taking place. It’s a lot to learn.”

The Estevan city council discussed sponsoring Creighton Lodge’s annual spring fundraising event at its latest meeting. The fundraiser will support a kitchen expansion at the assisted living facility.

Creighton Lodge is a Level 1 and 2 assisted living complex owned by five rural municipalities—the R.M. of Estevan, R.M. of Cymri, R.M. of Coalfields, R.M. of Benson, and R.M. of Cambria—with support from the City of Estevan.

The digital display outside the Estevan Leisure Centre has been plagued by recurring failures, often going dark without warning. At Monday night’s council meeting, Marketing and Communications Manager Jacquelyn Massey-Rounds presented a report recommending a replacement, citing outdated technology and ongoing maintenance issues.

The Government of Saskatchewan’s latest Crown oil and natural gas public offering was held Tuesday, bringing in approximately $3.04 million for the province, with the Estevan area generating the most revenue.

A total of 29 parcels were up for sale, with 25 receiving acceptable bids. The sales covered 2,754 hectares.

The Estevan area attracted the most financial interest, generating approximately $2.75 million for 16 leases covering 1,684 hectares.

Saskatchewan’s building construction investment rose by 5.7 per cent in November 2024 compared to October 2024, according to the latest data from Statistics Canada (seasonally adjusted).

The province ranks second among all provinces for month-over-month growth in this sector.

Year-over-year, building construction investment in Saskatchewan increased by 11.8 per cent from November 2023 to November 2024.

Communities, First Nations, schools, and non-profits in Saskatchewan can apply for the annual Community Rink Affordability Grant starting January 6, 2025, with the opportunity to receive $2,500 per indoor ice surface to help offset operating costs.

With a snowfall warning in effect a while now, it’s a good time to brush up on snow shovelling safety tips to avoid injury.

According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), snow shovelling often catches people off guard, leading them to rush through the task, which can result in issues such as cold exposure, fatigue, muscular strains, and even serious injuries, particularly to the lower back.

The intake period for the Targeted Sector Support (TSS) initiative opened today, offering cost-shared grants to encourage municipalities to collaborate on building and growing communities across Saskatchewan.

The TSS initiative provides grants to support municipalities working together on projects aimed at improving municipal service delivery, governance, and administrative capacity. The four funding streams are capacity building, regional cooperation and municipal corporate transitioning, relationship building, and dispute resolution.

The provincial government has introduced legislation to extend the carbon tax exemption on home heating, fulfilling a campaign promise made during the recent Saskatchewan election.

Jeremy Harrison, the minister responsible for SaskEnergy, tabled The SaskEnergy (Carbon Tax Fairness for Families) Amendment Act, 2024 on Monday.