WestCentral

SaskTel announced this week that an additional 38 communities in Saskatchewan will gain access to its ultra-fast infiNET service, aimed at providing faster and more reliable internet connectivity for residents and businesses.

The Kindersley Jr Klippers added some strong talent to their prospect pool during Tuesday's 2025 SJHL Draft.

Making a splash before the draft even began, the Klippers completed a trade with Estevan to gain an early pick. After trading their first pick to La Ronge during the season in the Mason Bueckert trade, the Klippers acquired the third overall pick of the 2010 born players round, sending the Bruins the fifth overall pick in the 2009 players' portion.

With their newly minted #3 overall pick, Kindersley selected forward Bronx Becker out of Saskatoon. 

About 7,000 people in and around La Ronge, Sask., will be allowed to return home on Thursday after the lifting of a wildfire evacuation order, the director of the local emergency operation centre said Tuesday.

Lyle Hannan said residents of La Ronge, Air Ronge and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band can start going home on Thursday at 8 a.m.

Those deemed to work in essential services will be allowed to return sooner, he said.

Hannan said rain in the last few days helped crews contain the wildfire near the community.

Ottawa’s efforts to prepare the country for the impacts of climate change have stumbled out of the gate, Canada’s environment commissioner said Tuesday.

In a new report, Jerry DeMarco concluded the National Adaptation Strategy was not effectively designed, did not prioritize Canada’s climate change risks and only established one of its three components since its release in 2023.

The federal government is moving to shore up a historically weak summer job market for students — even as one economist argues tough employment prospects for young people suggest broader softness in the job market.

Statistics Canada shone a light on the difficult employment prospects for students heading back to school this fall in its May jobs report last Friday.

Roughly one in five returning students aged 15 to 24 was unemployed in May, the agency said. The last time the jobless rate for students was this high outside the pandemic was in May 2009.

The Leader Town Council held two regular meetings this spring, on April 22 and May 6, marking important decisions and updates for the community as the season progresses.

At the April 22 meeting, Council began by approving the agenda and minutes from the April 1 regular meeting and April 8 recreation meeting. Dustin Andreas from Leader Minor Ball shared plans for the upcoming season and ongoing projects, while Brian Francis of River Ridge Golf Course outlined exciting plans to build a new clubhouse and discussed fundraising efforts for this capital project.

After migrating thousands of kilometres from the American Southwest and Mexico, Burrowing Owls have returned to Saskatchewan’s prairies, settling in for another critical breeding season.

The endangered birds are now pairing up and choosing nesting sites, a process that experts say is vital to the species’ survival in Canada, where as few as 270 breeding pairs are thought to remain.

Federal organizations failed to follow procurement and security rules when awarding contracts to the company behind the controversial ArriveCan app, the auditor general said Tuesday.

The report on GCStrategies — one of several audits tabled in the House of Commons on Tuesday — says the company was awarded 106 contracts by 31 federal organizations between 2015 and 2024.

The maximum value of those contracts was more than $90 million but only $65 million was paid out.

The Kindersley Jr. Klippers currently have the #3 overall pick of the 2010 born players round entering Tuesday's 2025 SJHL Draft.

Another great year of individual results and accomplishments have come and gone with the 2025 SHSAA Track and Field season now complete after provincials this past weekend.

(Follow town links for individual results)