Estevan

Southeast Saskatchewan is the largest oil producer in Saskatchewan and a new report has the province concerned about the impact federal regulations could have on that industry.

The provincial government is using a Saskatchewan Economic Impact Assessment Tribunal report as evidence to oppose federal oil and gas emissions caps and methane 75 regulations.

While leaves are changing colour, temperatures won't be very fall-like as the summer heat is expected to come back in a major way today.

That includes a daytime temperature today of 30 degrees, far above the seasonal temperatures expected for the end of September.

Environment Canada Meteorologist Terri Lang says that summer isn't quite gone from the southeast yet as this system looks very similar to the usual summer heatwaves.

Now that the merger of the SaskCanola and Sask Flax Commissions is official, work on setting up the new Board of Directors is underway.

The two organization officially became a single organization in August, when they opened the call for individuals with leadership experience to sit at the board table as they move through this transition.

The SaskOilseeds Board will be comprised of eight farmer-elected directors including Jon Fehr from Herschel, Anthony Eliason from Outlook, Margaret Rigetti from Moose Jaw and Ed Schafer from Makwa.

The province is hoping a new Big Game Management Extended Hunt program will help agricultural producers who have been dealing with an abnormally high volume of damage from wildlife.

Saskatchewan is implementing the new pilot program to help producers deal with abnormally high wildlife damage to agricultural products.

The Ministry of Environment and the SCIC receive requests from producers on a regular basis for wildlife damage compensation caused by deer and elk ruining their feedstock and products.

A pair of proposals were brought forward to the Estevan City Council as they look at getting a couple of new daycares in the city.

Both daycares will be located on Wellock Road, with both looking for development approval from the city

During the last council meeting, the daycare to be established at 1505 Wellock Road, which would service 90 clients, was brought to the council.

The City of Estevan is responding positively to $5 million which is headed to the Municipal Coal Transition Committee from the provincial government.

In a release made earlier this week, the province announced that $5 million would go towards the area to help them further transition their economies as coal power is being shuttered by 2030. A similar $5 million went out to the Coronach area to help them.

Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig voiced his approval for the funding and what it could bring to the community.

As Suicide Prevention Month comes to an end, Laura Melle, Director of Operations at Envision Counselling and Support Centre, stresses the importance of maintaining year-long open dialogue on suicide, a topic that many still find difficult due to the stigma attached.

"This month gives us the opportunity to talk about suicide, which a lot of people have difficulty talking about," Melle said. "But it also allows us to be a little bit more open with what our concerns are in the community."

Fresh off their win for Alternative Country Album of the Year at the Saskatchewan Country Music Awards and exciting performances at the SaskTel Jazz Festival in Saskatoon and the Gateway Festival in Bengough, Last Birds are preparing to embark on their October Moon Tour. The folk duo from North Portal, consisting of Mike Davis and Lindsay Arnold, will take their music across Western Canada and Ontario before wrapping up the tour with a special performance in Arcola, Sask.

Representatives of the agriculture, food and science sector gathered yesterday at Innovation Place in Saskatoon to celebrate the milestone.

The organization mandate when it was created back in September of 2014 is the same today as it was then, to build public trust in Saskatchewan-produced food and to help consumers make connections between the food they eat and the farms that grow it.

Executive Director Clinton Monchuk says that message is more important today than it was then, as less than two percent of people today have a direct connection to the farm.

The City of Estevan has released a letter from Associated Engineering (AE) detailing the costs of the Downtown Revitalization Project and the reasons for an increase in budget.

Michael Walker, the manager of regional infrastructure for AE, sent a letter to City Manager Jeff Ward discussing the increase.