Estevan

Estevan has seen a harsh weekend as the last of the extreme cold warning will see the area set a few cold weather records.

With temperatures being reported at -39 today and wind chill bumping that even higher, the whole southeast is getting absolutely battered.

Even on the world stage, Estevan is seeing a lot of cold weather, with it listed among the top coldest places on Earth according to a report from Weather Now.

Canada's annual inflation rate ticked back up in January to 1.9 per cent, Statistics Canada reported on Tuesday. 

Prices got a full month-long effect of the federal government’s tax break but a spike in gas prices to start the year offset the government’s relief, with underlying inflation accelerating.

The agency reported prices at the pump jumped 8.6 per cent year-over-year, in large part because of a 25.9 per cent spike in Manitoba, with the province reintroducing its provincial gas tax after a temporary suspension through 2024.

At the latest Board of Police Commissioners meeting, the Estevan Police Service Presented some of their statistics for activity in January.

Their Crime Statistics Report covered a number of areas, including crimes against persons, crimes against property, and more.

EPS Chief Jamie Blunden talks about some areas that saw improvements.

More than a dozen people were injured but no one died when a Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis crashed and flipped over on the tarmac at Toronto's Pearson International Airport on Monday afternoon.

Paramedics said out of 80 people aboard Delta Air Lines flight 4819, at least three people, including a child, were sent to hospital with critical but non-life-threatening injuries. Others were reported to have minor injuries. 

A legal challenge to the results of the mayoral election in Stoughton was dismissed by the Court of King’s Bench in Weyburn last week. In a written decision issued Thursday, Justice J. Morris dismissed the case due to not being filed by the deadline set out in the Local Government Elections Act. However, he did take the time to examine the merits of the case, and found the alleged irregularities in the case, even if proven, would have been within the scope of what are considered permissible errors by the Local Government Elections Act.  

The Estevan city council discussed sponsoring Creighton Lodge’s annual spring fundraising event at its latest meeting. The fundraiser will support a kitchen expansion at the assisted living facility.

Creighton Lodge is a Level 1 and 2 assisted living complex owned by five rural municipalities—the R.M. of Estevan, R.M. of Cymri, R.M. of Coalfields, R.M. of Benson, and R.M. of Cambria—with support from the City of Estevan.

With the cold weather experienced over the last couple of weeks, it’s a good time to brush up on bus cancellations procedures. 

According to Andre Verhage, transportation supervisor for SE Cornerstone Public School Division, several conditions can lead to bus cancellations.

“The first thing would be temperature,” he said. “If it’s below –40°C ambient or –45°C with the wind chill, we would be cancelling.”

Road conditions and visibility are also factors in the decision.

A good number of wildlife, deer in particular, are likely to make their way into city limits during winter.

Wildlife ecologist with the Government of Saskatchewan, Leanne Heisler explains the strange behaviors often observed in wildlife in the winter, saying while winter can be tough, some animals thrive. 

An internal government report warned a year ago that allowing "the trend of negative rhetoric" about the security of the Canada-U.S. border could lead to a thickening of the 49th parallel, adversely affecting trade and travel.

The report, written by a diplomat at Canada's embassy in Washington, said that failing to refute U.S. claims about a "crisis at the northern border" would lead to the erosion of Canada's image as a secure neighbour.

A local contributor to the fight against Cystic Fibrosis received an award for their work in helping with awareness and fundraising for efforts against the disease.

Kasey McIntyre was awarded the Mila Mulroney Award for Western Canada, which goes to a person who helps to raise awareness and has seen the impacts of CF in their own family.