Estevan

An upcoming plebiscite is looking to gauge the community's opinions on a new ice surface, with one community organization looking to make its voice known.

The Estevan Minor Hockey Association sent out a release voicing their support for a new ice surface here in Estevan. President Stephen Truman says that they hope to let people know just how badly another surface is needed.

At Wednesday night’s Estevan mayoral forum, candidates shared their views on managing tax increases and city finances amid rising costs, with two questions coming from the public on this topic.

The first question asked whether candidates supported incremental tax increases to offset rising costs, such as the carbon tax.

Zacch Vandenhurk voiced frustration with tax increases, particularly the carbon tax, and said he would be committed to preventing further hikes in the city.

Applications opened Thursday for a $1-billion federal program to help municipalities and Indigenous communities build critical infrastructure.

The government set aside $1 billion through the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund in direct funding to communities to build or improve infrastructure to support drinking water, wastewater, stormwater and solid waste.

Applications are available online for municipalities and Indigenous communities. Those applicants will need to demonstrate how their proposals will support the building of more homes.

Estevan Comprehensive School's career fair saw a number of displays set up to help students decide where they wanted to end up in their future.

67 displays were laid out over the ECS gymnasium, ranging from post-secondary schools to local businesses.

Officer Ward with the Canada Border Services Agency says that they saw a lot of interest.

"Everyone's been very interested, looking around or I think they're figuring out where everybody is first, and then they're gonna figure out what they want."

The countdown is on.

Estevan's residents will be voting for a new mayor and six council members in six days time. Since the call for nominations were announced back in September 25, residents have been chiming in with their opinions as to what the next City Council should focus on after the election. Outside of candidates canvassing various homes and businesses, voters have had two chances to hear from all 13 candidates as to what they're running for.

The Saskatchewan Party has announced their new cabinet for the upcoming term, with some new and old faces making up the roster.

Premier Scott Moe said in the announcement they'll be running a smaller cabinet this term.

"This is a new beginning - a new government with a new mandate from Saskatchewan voters, and today we have a new cabinet," Moe said. "I know every minister is looking forward to taking on their new responsibilities, addressing the opportunities and challenges that face Saskatchewan."

Drivers travelling east of Estevan may have seen a crash that caught their eye, with RCMP giving an update on the situation.

They say that on November 4, at approximately 6:50 p.m., Estevan RCMP received a report of a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Highway #18 and Highway #9, near Estevan.

Local officers responded with assistance from the Estevan Police Service, local fire, and EMS.  An investigation determined that two trucks collided with no physical injuries reported to police.

The Estevan RCMP continues to investigate.

The Estevan Market Mall celebrated its 50th anniversary last night, which coincided with the unveiling of its long-worked-on food court.

The event saw mall merchants and city representatives come out to take a look at the new addition and celebrate Estevan's long-standing mall.

Martin Blair, managing director of the Estevan Market Mall, says that the road to upgrading the mall had been full of work.

The Oxbow Public Library is marking Remembrance Day this week with programming focused on the symbol of the poppy.

Head librarian Megan Anderson shared details about the crafts, reading selections, and displays aimed at educating the community on the significance of Remembrance Day.

“Every week we have a different learning theme, and this one we are learning about poppies,” Anderson said. “Today is our first activity. We’re making a craft out of tissue paper, buttons, and a black-and-white photo, so it’ll look like someone is holding a poppy in their hands.”

Saskatchewan stepped up once again, as the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Radiothon raised $1,010,204 to improve care at Saskatchewan’s only children’s hospital. 

Broadcasting on 32 radio stations across the province on Tuesday and Wednesday, the radiothon aimed to raise funds for the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation to purchase state-of-the-art cardiac and respiratory equipment.