Estevan

Saskatchewan is dealing with some more smoke streaming down from the northern wildfires, as Environment Canada has issued an air quality warning for the area. That came through this morning, with smoke expected to last further into the week.

Meteorologist Crawford Luke details the system bringing all of the smoke to us.

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. 

June has officially been proclaimed Pride Month in Estevan, following a declaration made at Monday night’s city council meeting.

In his statement, Mayor Tony Sernick acknowledged the challenges that LGBTQIA+ individuals continue to face, including threats to their rights, freedoms and safety. He said Pride Month is about human rights and empowering people to celebrate their existence and perseverance in public spaces where they are often excluded, whether directly or indirectly.

While there were fewer calls over the last week for Estevan Fire Rescue, they did have a couple of serious calls come through.

On June 5th at 12:03 p.m., a crew from EFR was dispatched to a single-vehicle rollover east of Estevan. When the crew arrived on the scene, they assisted the Estevan EMS and RCMP. EFR says that there were injuries as a result of the incident, with significant damage to the vehicle.

The southeast was well represented over the weekend as local athletes took part in the Special Olympics Saskatchewan Summer Games swimming events in Swift Current.

One swimmer from Estevan and two from Weyburn made the trek and returned home with medals.

“It was absolutely amazing. We had so much fun,” said coach Carrie Curtis.

After arriving in Swift Current, the athletes enjoyed a game of mini-golf and some ice cream before resting up for the competition.

Mark and Karin Elford of Wood Mountain ranch near the Saskatchewan/Montana border, and have been named the Saskatchewan Stock Growers 2025 TESA winners.

Since 1996, TESA, or The Environmental Stewardship Award, has recognized producers who go above and beyond standard industry conservation practices and set positive examples for other cattle producers and the general public.

The Liberal plan to give first-time homebuyers a tax break on a newly built home could have substantial impacts on housing affordability — with a few caveats — a new analysis finds.

The Liberal government introduced legislation on June 5 to eliminate the GST portion from new home sales of up to $1 million for first-time buyers, which works out to as much as $50,000 off the cost of a new build or a substantially renovated unit.

For homes sold above $1 million, the GST relief is phased out as the price tag nears $1.5 million.

A government push to steer Canada Post and the union representing 55,000 mail workers toward common ground hit a big pothole Monday.

As an increasingly acrimonious impasse drags on, Canada Post rejected a framework put forward by the union for a binding arbitration process, which Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu asked the parties to work toward just five days earlier.

A stroke of luck for the firefighters fighting against the wildfires up north over the weekend, as a bit of rain fell over the area. Those fires have been raging in more northern areas over the last month, with the drier conditions helping to spread the blaze.

On Sunday's public safety briefing, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Association's Executive Director of Land Operations, Bryan Chartrand, talked about what some areas received.

"24 millimetres of rain was reported in the community of La Ronge."

Estevan police responded to a range of incidents over the weekend, including a stolen vehicle investigation, impaired driving, domestic disturbances, and a damaged rail crossing.

On Friday, June 6, a 25-year-old man from Rockwood, Man., was arrested and charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. The arrest stems from an investigation into a stolen vehicle reported on Jan. 26. Evidence found in the vehicle was processed by the Estevan Police Service’s forensic identification officer, and subsequent DNA analysis positively identified the suspect.