WestCentral

Biggar RCMP had a wide variety of calls inside their first report of May 2025. Police joined fire crews for a few calls, dealt with a collision involving a parked car, and carried out an arrest looking at the list for May 5. 

Grass fires and other unwanted blazes are a main topic with the spring now here. Biggar RCMP members joined a response by the volunteer fire department after a fence was reported on fire in Biggar, at a property on the 100 block of 5 Avenue West.

The Swift Current Legion Branch 56 honoured the heroes who helped liberate the Netherlands 80 years ago on Saturday.

Memorial Park was host to a parade of Legion members, dignitaries, and local members who laid wreaths at the Cenotaph. They were gathered to recognize the sacrifice local military members, and those across Canada, made to ensure the freedom of the Dutch people.

Both the male and female versions of Team Saskatchewan have local ties looking at the rosters for this year's National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in Kamloops, BC.

Mason Bueckert helped bolster the Kindersley Jr. Klippers roster this past season as a trade deadline acquisition, and now the 4-year SJHL player is moving on to the college level as the Klippers announced Bueckert's commitment to Red Deer Polytechnic of the ACAC (Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference).

The Kings hockey program welcomed Bueckert with a post to social media. They called the Saskatoon native a playmaker with grit, after Bueckert had 121 points in 146 career SJHL regular season games, scoring 12 points in 26 points with the Klippers after being acquired.

UPDATE: Tuesday, May 06, 2025, 12:00 PM

Phone lines were not working for RCMP detachments across the province on Tuesday morning. 

The situation was rectified by just before noon on Tuesday morning, as at 11:43 Saskatchewan RCMP Media sent out a release sharing that their phone services were once again fully functional.

911 services remained available, as you can find the original story below.

ORIGINAL: Tuesday, May 06, 2025, 7:30 AM

Alberta RCMP have announced the creation of new Community Response Teams (CRTs) to support frontline officers and partner agencies in tackling illegal drug crimes, particularly the growing threat of fentanyl across the province.

The announcement follows an April 10 meeting between the RCMP and partners in law enforcement, health, and government to address ongoing concerns related to opioid use and trafficking. The initiative is part of the Alberta RCMP’s Data 2 Action (D2A) strategy, which uses data and intelligence to drive crime reduction efforts.

The Saskatchewan NDP spent Question Period asking the Premier if he would support a referendum on separating from Canada, referring to the recent launch of an online petition by the Unified Grassroots organization and its founder, Nadine Ness.

The NDP didn’t get a reply, but not because Scott Moe weaved his way around the question. It was because Deputy Premier Jim Reiter stood to speak in his place.  

Abbey Norek of Gerald is this year's Agriculture Student Scholarship grand-prize $6,000 winner.

Norek's winning video highlighted an urban-rural disconnect when it comes to agriculture. 

She proposed education and advocacy as key solutions to this issue. 

In her video presentation, she talked about her experience building a school garden using recycled materials, leading outreach programs on her family farm, and lobbying for agriculture electives in her school division.  

Southern Alberta farmer has long-standing issues with supply-management system for smaller egg producers like himself.

A southern Alberta egg producer who had been jailed for missing a court date for violating the provincial laws governing egg production has passed a premises inspection by Egg Farmers of Alberta.

Henk Van Essen said an inspector only spent a few minutes inside his operation before coming back out and telling him he was in full compliance.

“They were so sure they were going to find thousands of chickens in this barn,” Van Essen said.

Seeding is kicking off across the province. And whether you're already putting in fertilizer, or still fine-tuning your plan, it’s important to make informed decisions when it comes to your inputs for the season ahead.

New products are everywhere on the market and choosing the right ones can determine profitability and long-term success for your farm. I’m going to talk about one group of products that gets a lot of attention -- micronutrient fertilizers.