WestCentral

Mark and Karin Elford of Wood Mountain ranch near the Saskatchewan/Montana border, and have been named the Saskatchewan Stock Growers 2025 TESA winners.

Since 1996, TESA, or The Environmental Stewardship Award, has recognized producers who go above and beyond standard industry conservation practices and set positive examples for other cattle producers and the general public.

The Liberal plan to give first-time homebuyers a tax break on a newly built home could have substantial impacts on housing affordability — with a few caveats — a new analysis finds.

The Liberal government introduced legislation on June 5 to eliminate the GST portion from new home sales of up to $1 million for first-time buyers, which works out to as much as $50,000 off the cost of a new build or a substantially renovated unit.

For homes sold above $1 million, the GST relief is phased out as the price tag nears $1.5 million.

A government push to steer Canada Post and the union representing 55,000 mail workers toward common ground hit a big pothole Monday.

As an increasingly acrimonious impasse drags on, Canada Post rejected a framework put forward by the union for a binding arbitration process, which Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu asked the parties to work toward just five days earlier.

The Leader and District Arts Council is still accepting entries for the Wild West Daze parade, set to take place on June 14.

The parade will begin at 10 a.m. at the G3 Iceplex and follow a loop through town.

Participation is free and open to anyone with an antique vehicle, horses, bikes, or anything creative to walk or ride down Main Street. This year’s theme is Field of Dreams.

Categories include commercial, corporate, organizational, antique, horse, bike, and kids’ entries.

Saskatchewan continues to have some of the lowest rental prices in the country, despite a recent uptick in asking rates.

The average rent in Saskatchewan in May was $1,386, well below the national average of $2,129, according to data released this month. The province had the lowest average among western provinces, with Manitoba at $1,624 and Alberta at $1,745.

Manitoba is urging tourists to reconsider visiting as it works to find shelter for a flood of wildfire evacuees now reaching 21,000.

“This is one of the largest evacuations in our province’s history,” Lisa Naylor, the Manitoba minister in charge of emergency management, said Monday.

“The government anticipates there may be a need for more hotel rooms as the wildfire season continues. For that reason, we are urging Manitobans and Canadians to reconsider non-essential travel and event plans within Manitoba."

Alice Schmidt Obituary

1928 ~ 2025 (age 97)

Alice Schmidt Announcement

In loving memory of Alice Schmidt (nee Renz) of Kindersley, SK who passed away on June 6, 2025 at the age of 97.

A graveside burial service will be held on Thursday June 12, 2025 at 1:30pm at the Kindersley Cemetery with Rev. Scott Kopperud officiating. A memorial service will be held at St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Kindersley on August 13, 2025 @ 2pm, a place she loved, cared for and was very active in for many years.

A Hazlet man will be spending the next two years in a provincial correctional centre after his sentencing last week on a trio of weapons charges stemming from a substantial methamphetamine and weapons bust last fall.

Alexander Lindquist appeared in Swift Current Provincial Court last Wednesday, where he pleaded guilty to and was sentenced on the following charges;

With wildfires continuing to displace thousands across northern Saskatchewan, the Canadian Red Cross is providing vital support to those forced from their homes, in partnership with Indigenous Services Canada and community leadership.

As of June 6, more than 10,200 people from over 3,600 households have registered with the Red Cross after being evacuated due to the wildfires. Many evacuees are from the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and Lac La Ronge Indian Band communities.

BIGGAR, Sask. — The sound of polkas, waltzes and fiddles filled the streets of Biggar this past weekend, as the town played host to the inaugural Biggar Old Time Music Festival — a celebration aimed at reviving and preserving Saskatchewan’s fading folk music and dance traditions.