Estevan

The leaders of the top three federal parties were campaigning Tuesday in Western Canada, where Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promised to crack down on offshore tax loopholes by appointing a tax task force.

The Conservatives said the task force would be asked to make the rules simpler and more fair and would ensure large companies can't "stash their money in offshore tax havens."

There has been a steady rise in the number of people seeking asylum at a major border crossing south of Montreal, border officials said Tuesday amid concerns that Trump administration policies could drive another massive influx of migrants to Canada.

The rise in would-be refugees at the St-Bernard-de-Lacolle crossing coincides with the looming expiration of the temporary status of hundreds of thousands of migrants in the United States.

While education is in a better place in Saskatchewan now that a binding arbitration agreement has been reached by the province and the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF), not everything is totally clear for the schools.

The province initially set out a number of budget items back when that was revealed in March, which would impact education. Because of the ongoing arbitration, administrators like Southeast Cornerstone Public School Division's Director of Education, Keith Keating, weren't fully sure where they stood.

The Estevan Comprehensive School table tennis team has returned home from provincials with a championship title.

“It was very exciting. You should have heard them when we were announced,” said coach Lindsay Collins. “They all played really well. They represented ECS well, and I’m really proud of them.”

The team competed at the provincial tournament over the weekend and walked away with the top title after earning the highest number of points across multiple divisions.

According to Food Banks Canada's HungerCount report for 2024, Saskatchewan's food bank use has risen 42% since 2019. Just shy of 53,000 people had to turn to a food bank last year -- with 21,000 of them being children. About 2.1 million people across the country accessed a local food bank last year. 

The need to help our local food bank is there. The Salvation Army Food Bank in Estevan has served the community for years, providing meals for those who need the help. 

Estevan City Council reviewed several land development items at their regular meeting Monday, including two subdivision proposals and associated zoning changes. While most passed without issue, one—a proposed subdivision on Drader Street—prompted concerns from a nearby resident regarding the decision-making process.

Council approved a motion to hold a public hearing on a land designation change for the MryGlod subdivision. This change would allow a spur line connecting to the CPR railway to be constructed across a municipal reserve lot. The motion passed without opposition.

The southeast is definitely moving out of winter with some warmth coming in this week after the occasional snowfall left that hanging on into April. Temperatures are expected to be summer-like by the end of the week, a big change from the previous months. Environment Canada Meteorologist Danielle Desjardins explains that the temperatures are due to less snow sticking around in the area. 

The annual Wash-A-Thon is back this April at Suds Zone in Estevan, raising money in support of the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation and its mission to bring an MRI machine to the community.

UPDATE: Leslie "Bill" Bell has been located deceased. His next of kin have been notified.

Preliminary investigation indicates that his death is not believed to be suspicious in nature. The RCMP would like to thank the public for their assistance during this time.
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The Saskatchewan RCMP are sending out an advisory that they are searching for a missing man who may be in the southeast.

Lisa McCullough has been interested in writing since she was a child. When she was in grade 6, a teacher complimented her on her writing ability and that was the encouragement she needed to continue with it. Poetry was where she started and then things just took off from there. Lisa worked with a couple local papers in Carlyle and Carnduff which kept her writing active and growing.