WestCentral

The Saskatchewan government quietly provided an additional $800,000 in funding to the Lumsden Treatment Centre over the summer, despite the facility remaining non-operational, newly obtained government emails reveal.

The funding, which was not publicly disclosed, brings taxpayers' known contributions to the privately owned addiction treatment centre to at least $1.5 million in startup costs alone. The Saskatchewan Party government has redacted the total cost of the project.

Human trafficking isn’t limited to large urban centres — it happens in communities across Saskatchewan.

Ahead of National Human Trafficking Awareness Day on Feb. 22, Saskatchewan RCMP is reminding the public that recognizing and reporting the signs of trafficking is key to holding perpetrators accountable.

This time of year is often associated with a decline in mental wellbeing. 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 Saskatchewan Rush are back on the west-coast Friday night, playing another all-Canadian matchup against the Vancouver Warriors after picking up two wins last weekend.

Last Friday the Rush went to Calgary and defeated the Roughnecks 16-13, following up that performance with a 17-9 win over the Rochester Knighthawks at home Saturday. 

Two people are facing charges after a stolen vehicle incident in Lloydminster led to a police confrontation and gunfire.

Lloydminster RCMP said officers located a stolen vehicle around 1 p.m. on Feb. 20. During their interaction with the occupants, a confrontation occurred, prompting an officer to discharge their firearm. The vehicle then fled the scene before crashing into a residence a short time later.

The federal government is making it easier for Canadian families to plan for their children's post-secondary education by introducing automatic enrolment for the Canada Learning Bond (CLB), a program designed to help students from low-income families save for future studies.

It's a busy month for the Kyle Elks.

They start provincials this weekend while still in the midst of the Sask Valley Hockey League playoffs.

(Connor McDavid) ... the golden goal!

THERE IT IS! THE GAME WINNER! THE TOURNAMENT WINNER! 😱😱😱

CONNOR MCDAVID HAS WON IT FOR CANADA!!! #4Nations pic.twitter.com/nDneA2e26K

The Sask Valley Hockey League is idle this weekend, but not after a few excellent playoff games took place during the week.

The Kyle Elks and Dinsmore Dynamos got their series started Monday night in Kyle, the Elks winning big 7-3. The series returned to Dinsmore on Thursday night as the Elks opening the scoring for a 1-0 lead after one period. Dinsmore scored two in the second, and added another in the third, but two goals in response from the Elks sent the game to overtime.

Canada's Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Lawrence MacAulay, and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister, Daryl Harrison, have announced continued funding and commitment through the 2025 Crop Insurance Program, administered by the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC).

"Our business risk management programs are a producer's first line of defense when it comes to protecting their operation," MacAulay said. "Our government is pleased to partner with Saskatchewan to make sure producers have access to the support they need, when they need it."