Estevan

Strong interest in lithium around Estevan helped drive Saskatchewan’s first mineral rights offering of the year past the $1 million mark, led by a major bid from Millennium Land Ltd.

Four of 11 available permits were acquired in the July offering, which brought in just over $1 million in revenue. The permits covered a total area of 22,911 hectares and are all considered prospective for lithium-bearing formation water.

The overall cost of living in Saskatchewan didn’t change too much in June, according to data released Tuesday by Statistics Canada. However, while there wasn’t much of a change to the overall inflation rate, there were some substantial changes.  

You might have noticed that Rafferty Dam was closed for a few weeks, as crews got to work on resurfacing the entire stretch, end to end. Now, the road is open for all motorists again, but the RM of Estevan says more work can be expected down the line. 

Reeve Jason Leblanc shared that the work began due to the road on top of the dam, which he said was in poor condition.

A spokesperson for Manitoba Agriculture says it remains to be seen what sort of damage was felt on fields from last week's hail.

Hail was reported in numerous locations across the province, and Oilseed Specialist Sonia Wilson says producers will typically leave those crops for five to seven days, just to see how they rebound, before assessing them for hail damage. 

A man charged with hijacking a light plane at Victoria International Airport and flying it to Vancouver had an "ideological motive to disrupt airspace" and seized control of the aircraft after threatening a flight instructor, RCMP said Wednesday.

A spokeswoman for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada said a charge of hijacking had been filed in Richmond, B.C., constituting a "terrorist activity" and a "terrorist offence" under two sections of the Criminal Code.

RCMP said Shaheer Cassim, 39, is set to appear in court next Tuesday.

Unionized Canada Post workers will get a chance to vote directly on the employer's offers for a new collective agreement starting on Monday.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board will run the vote between July 21 and Aug. 1.

A simple majority vote will decide whether the proposal is accepted or rejected.

Canada Post is at an impasse with the union representing roughly 55,000 postal service workers after 19 months of talks.

Blanche Keating
1917 - 2025

Blanche Marie Florence Keating (Vandendriessche) died peacefully at the Estevan Regional Nursing Home on July 11, 2025 at the ripe old age of 107.

The Weyburn RCMP have issued a crime watch following thefts in the communities of Ceylon, Pangman and Gladmar.

Over the weekend and early this week, these communities have reported thefts of various small items from unlocked vehicles, as well as the theft of a white 2017 GMC Sierra 2500 with the license plate 727LQP and a Remington 22 Rifle.

The RCMP have provided images taken from video footage.

The Weyburn RCMP has issued a crime watch advisory after an increase in thefts in the Stoughton area. According to a release issued by the RCMP, these thefts are targeted at oil well sites and equipment.

Videos from the most recent theft of diesel and tools have been provided by the RCMP.

Anyone with information related to this advisory is asked to contact the RCMP at 310-RCMP or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

It’s been a chilly week in the southeast so far with recent daily highs peaking in the high teens or low twenties. Environment and Climate Change Canada Meteorologist Crawford Luke explains the cooler temperatures are thanks to an upper trough lingering over the region.