WestCentral

The Leader RCMP hosted a community barbecue at the beginning of August to honour retired officers for their service to the town.

The event recognized Cst. Ray Hawkins, Cst. Al Lavallee, and Sgt. Ron Toogood, along with their spouses, for their years of dedication to the Leader community.

Approximately 150 residents attended the barbecue, which offered more than just burgers. Visitors toured the RCMP detachment, watched a drone demonstration, and saw Police Dog Duke in action. Children especially enjoyed exploring the jail cell and taking fingerprints.

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.

Update 10:25 p.m.

SaskPower says crews are working on damaged power poles affecting customers in Leader and in the surrounding areas in the north and west.

The Crown corporation says Wednesday night's weather conditions caused the outage that's expected to be restored by 4 a.m. on Thursday.

Original Story 8:22 p.m.

Power lines have been downed, and a severe wind warning is in effect for the Leader area. 

Saskatchewan pharmacists will soon have expanded authority to substitute prescription medications under certain conditions, part of new training being rolled out by the province.

The government says the change will allow patients to access alternative prescription drugs when their original medication is unavailable due to supply disruptions, shortages or other circumstances approved by the Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals (SCPP).

Alberta RCMP is reminding residents to take steps to protect their mail from theft and to consider signing up for the RAVE Mobile Safety notification system.

Police say installing a locking mailbox, collecting mail promptly, and shredding documents with personal information are some of the most effective ways to prevent theft. For packages, the RCMP recommends using secure delivery boxes, requesting signatures on delivery, or arranging for a trusted neighbour to collect parcels.

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.

World Humanitarian Day is designated as day to honour people who risk everything to do good.

Being a humanitarian should be the world’s safest job, instead, it has become one of the most dangerous.

From conflict zones to disaster-stricken regions, aid workers face increasing threats, including violence, abduction, and harassment. According to the Aid Worker Security Database, 265 aid workers have died this year so far increasing the likelihood that 2025 will surpass 2024 as the deadliest year on record (383 deaths) for humanitarian workers.

The Federal Government announced the designated and buffer areas for the 2025 Livestock Tax Deferral Program this week.

The Livestock Tax Deferral provision allows livestock producers in prescribed areas, who are forced to sell all or part of their breeding herd due to drought, excess moisture or flooding, to defer a portion of their income from sales until the following tax year.