Steven Wilson

Across the border between Canada and the United States, officers from the U.S. Border Patrol apprehended nearly 2,000 people who were crossing illegally from Canada into the United States in April. Most of those were people crossing the border in the eastern part of the nation.  

A much-needed facility in the village of Fillmore is getting closer to reality, thanks in part to a large donation from Cargill.  

While the show is over for the next two years, the impacts from the 2024 edition of the Saskatchewan Oil & Gas Show will continue to be felt for weeks, and months, to come. With attendees coming from across North America, the show is being heralded as a success.  

“We had just about 3,200 people attend the show over the two days, so that is up from last year, and so we’re really happy with the outcome,” said Monica Osborn, the show manager. 

Last week, the provincial government announced there would be 27 new nurse practitioner positions opening throughout Saskatchewan, with one of those positions coming to Estevan and another to Weyburn.  

Environment Canada issued a wind warning for Estevan and the surrounding areas just before 9:00 a.m., as an updated forecast called for winds to gust up to 90 kilometres an hour out of the northwest, and sustained winds were expected to be around 70 kilometres an hour throughout the day. 

In April, SGI and law enforcement across the province put an emphasis on the provincial, administrative penalties for alcohol and drugs when it comes to drivers. For new drivers, there is zero tolerance for both, while for experienced drivers, the limit is .04 blood alcohol content and zero tolerance for drugs. The numbers that came out confirmed what SGI had stated when they first announced this would be the focus for the month – new drivers make up a disproportionate amount of the suspensions handed out.  

The voting is now underway for the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation on the tentative agreement reached earlier this month with the provincial government. The agreement, which includes pay raises of three percent, three percent and two percent over the life of the contract, as well as language concerning the start of a process to address classroom size and complexity, was reached after an initial offer from the government was soundly rejected by the membership of the STF.  

The voting is now underway for the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation on the tentative agreement reached earlier this month with the provincial government. The agreement, which includes pay raises of three percent, three percent and two percent over the life of the contract, as well as language concerning the start of a process to address classroom size and complexity, was reached after an initial offer from the government was soundly rejected by the membership of the STF.  

With the close of the spring session of the provincial legislature, the campaign season for the upcoming general election has unofficially begun. The next vote in Saskatchewan is scheduled to be held before October 28th, which means the chances of the legislature officially reconvening in the next five months are relatively slim.

The past session was a lively one, with plenty of debate, and controversy. For the leader of the official opposition, Carla Beck, it was a session that which she was proud of what her caucus did.

The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan wrapped up the final session before the next provincial election, expected in the spring, in a fiery fashion as the Speaker of the Assembly, Randy Weekes, spoke at the end of the session, laying out a number of allegations as he addressed the Assembly before it adjourned.