Estevan

The Estevan campus of Southeast College wrapped up a lively summer of College for Kids camps, welcoming 106 young campers to explore creativity, science, and community.

Southeast Saskatchewan is getting a double dose of music this month as singer-songwriter JJ Voss hits the stage for a series of community events. Known for his heartfelt performances, Voss will be performing at fundraisers in Burgers Beat, the Coal Creek Festival in Rasporcy, and the Barn Dance at Cave Creek Ranch just outside Estevan.

“It’s my way of trying to give back,” Voss said, reflecting on his long career in music. “Anytime I can contribute by performing for an event and trying to do some good and raise some funds, that’s my way of contributing.”

The government of Saskatchewan has put out some reminders for people to recognize so they can know the best practices for calling 911 in the case of an emergency.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency's Sask911 operations help connect people to emergency call takers. This service is currently available from landlines and payphones in the province and from cellphones and wireless devices which are in range of a cell tower.

Estevan’s Power Tech Industries recently became the target of a copper theft, underscoring concerns about rising rural crime in southeast Saskatchewan. According to company President Scott Schoff, thieves struck in the middle of the night, taking advantage of a vulnerable yard.

“The first one of my employees usually unlocks the gate every morning,” Schoff said. “But when he arrived, the gate was actually already open, and nothing was noticed at that time.”

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is meeting in Saskatoon today with Federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald and Cody Blois, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, along with representatives from the canola sector. The focus: responding to China’s steep tariffs on Canadian canola products.

Last week, China announced a 75.8% tariff on Canadian canola seed, adding to the 100% tariffs placed in March on canola meal and oil. 

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is set to meet today with federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald, along with industry groups, to discuss the steep Chinese tariff on Canadian canola seed. 

Kody Blois, the parliamentary secretary for Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison are also to attend the meeting in Saskatoon.

A press conference is scheduled following the discussion. 

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is set to have her first official meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington today amid ongoing tensions in the bilateral relationship.

Anand and Rubio have previously spoken by phone, including in June ahead of the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis.

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc cycled through Washington in July looking for a tariff offramp but instead U.S. President Donald Trump boosted duties on Canada to 35 per cent.

At the most recent Board of Police Commissioners meeting in Estevan, a discussion was held about the provincial government's The Safe Public Spaces (Street Weapons) Act. The act focuses on giving municipal police members expanded powers to deal with breaches of public safety.

Estevan City Councillor Tom Mauss raised the question as to whether they should adopt the act, with Estevan Police Chief Jamie Blunden giving his opinion on the act.

Estevan Diversified Services welcomed the community this weekend for its annual garage sale and BBQ, a popular fundraising event that has become a local tradition. Now in its third year, the event provides an opportunity for community members to support local programming while enjoying a day of shopping, food, and fellowship.

Agriculture Canada modelling expects above average yields for most crops

 Agriculture Canada is predicting solid yields for most crops on the Prairies, based on computer modelling that was done at the end of July.

“At the national level, the CCYF (Canadian Crop Yield Forecaster) model predicts above-average yields per unit area for 11 of the 12 spring-planted crops compared to the average yields of 2020-24,” says an executive summary of the Agriculture Canada predictions, published on a website called Canadian Crop Metrics.