Natasha Wiebe

With winter comes lower temperatures and fewer hours of daylight which is attributed to a decrease in mental health. Lisa Hallberg is a manager with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) Mental Health and Addiction Services team. She explains the way people respond to seasonal mental health challenges depends on personal stressors and coping mechanisms.  

The Government of Saskatchewan announced the introduction of a Saskatchewan Border Security Plan (SBSP) to enhance border security between the province and the United States. Tim McLeod, Saskatchewan Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety, says while border security is the jurisdiction of the federal government, the SBSP is designed to align with efforts already being applied. 

The Government of Saskatchewan announced the introduction of a Saskatchewan Border Security Plan (SBSP) to enhance border security between the province and the United States. Tim McLeod, Saskatchewan Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety, says while border security is the jurisdiction of the federal government, the SBSP is designed to align with efforts already being applied. 

Temperatures are expected to warm up to plus one before the end of the week presenting the possibility of ice and slush. Slippery and uneven road conditions can often lead to vehicles becoming stuck on the side of the road or in the ditch. Sergeant Warner Ignatiuk is the detachment Commander for the Weyburn, Radville, Fillmore RCMP. He says the key thing to know in these situations, is to stay with the vehicle.  

The town of Kipling is set to face a significant loss in healthcare services as they will be down to one physician by the end of January. Three doctors arrived in the community after the implementation of a virtual physician program. Two of those three are now resigning.  

“Two of our doctors who arrived in the latter part of summer and into early fall have paid out their contracts, apparently, and will be leaving at the end of January,” says Mayor Pat Jackson. “They had only been here since, well, one of them since August. So, yeah, that is concerning.” 

A cold snap brought temperatures in the area down to the minus thirties with windchills in the minus forties, now temperatures are beginning to go up to the negative single digits. Christy Climenhaga, Scientist with Environment Canada, explains the fluctuating temperatures are due to arctic air competing with warm air from the south. 

An incident in Mossbank prompted a conversation about taxidermy laws when the Ministry of Corrections completed a routine inspection of a taxidermist in the area and found 144 untagged wildlife exhibits alongside the taxidermist being unable to provide a taxidermy license.  

“It began as a routine inspection by two officers out of Assiniboia and then they quickly realized it was probably more than a two-man job” says Sergeant Grant Robinson with the Conservation Officer Service and Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety.  

An incident in Mossbank prompted a conversation about taxidermy laws when the Ministry of Corrections completed a routine inspection of a taxidermist in the area and found 144 untagged wildlife exhibits alongside the taxidermist being unable to provide a taxidermy license.  

“It began as a routine inspection by two officers out of Assiniboia and then they quickly realized it was probably more than a two-man job” says Sergeant Grant Robinson with the Conservation Officer Service and Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety.  

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) sent a statement regarding the frequent closure of the Radville Marian Health Centre ER due to a physician shortage. There have been six closures since December when it was announced that a Virtual Physician Program would be implemented in the community to mitigate closures. 

The statement begins stating every jurisdiction in Canada is seeing an increased demand for healthcare services.  

The Midale Senior Mustangs team recently announced a new addition to their roster: former NHL defenseman Keaton Ellerby. Midale Mustangs head Coach and Team Manager, Dustin Graham, says they recruited Ellerby in the summer. 

“All through the off season we do a lot of recruiting. We know quite a few guys and that kind of rabbit holes into meeting more guys and we stumbled across a guy who was buddies with Keaton and he was looking to play some senior hockey. We got to him first and he agreed to come.”