Steven Wilson

The Saskatchewan government is ramping up its support for short line railways, announcing $1 million in infrastructure funding through the Short Line Railway Improvement Program. This amount represents an 88 percent increase from last year’s budget. 

As wildfires continue to impact communities in northern Saskatchewan, some evacuees temporarily housed in Weyburn are raising concerns about access to essential resources and financial support. 

One evacuee from Denare Beach, who requested anonymity, said they have struggled to access food vouchers, travel assistance, and support for infant care supplies while staying at a hotel in Weyburn. 

A groundbreaking Saskatchewan-based carbon storage initiative has earned international recognition. The Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC) has been awarded the Suzanne West Environmental Excellence Award for its Aquistore project, located near Estevan’s Boundary Dam, at the Global Energy Show in Calgary. 

The Saskatchewan Health Authority is restructuring its leadership in a move aimed at strengthening health care delivery in rural and northern communities, increasing frontline support, and improving the integration of physician leadership throughout the province. 

In the wake of sharp criticism from Saskatchewan’s Ombudsman about delays and deficiencies in the government’s wildfire evacuation response, Premier Scott Moe announced new supports for displaced residents on Wednesday, while acknowledging the province must do more to help affected families. 

With 24 wildfires currently burning across Saskatchewan and 18 communities evacuated, including La Ronge, Air Ronge, Denare Beach, and Creighton, Ombudsman Sharon Pratchler issued an urgent public call to the provincial government to address widespread complaints from evacuees who say they are being left without food, shelter, or timely communication. 

The latest job numbers from Statistics Canada were released Friday morning, and southeast Saskatchewan again saw a drop in the unemployment rate. The unemployment rate for the Regina-Moose Mountain Economic Region, which includes Estevan, was 4.8 per cent in May, down from 5.1 per cent in April. This was the third consecutive month the unemployment rate declined in the region.  

Access to emergency medical care in Arcola is getting a boost thanks to the expansion of the Saskatchewan Health Authority’s Virtual Physician Program.

The SHA confirmed that Arcola is the latest rural community to implement the program, which uses remote technology to connect emergency department physicians with local health-care teams when in-person doctors are temporarily unavailable. The program is part of the provincial government's ongoing efforts to support health care in rural and remote areas while recruitment for permanent physicians continues.

The number of inactive oil wells in Saskatchewan has fallen for the second year in a row, thanks to the province's Inactive Liability Reduction Program (ILRP), according to the Ministry of Energy and Resources. 

Last week, the provincial government, in collaboration with the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, announced the launch of a new Young Entrepreneur Bursary program, which will provide bursaries of up to $5,000 to 57 young entrepreneurs across the province.