Estevan

The U18 AAA Estevan Bears are gearing up for a challenging weekend with back-to-back road games against the Moose Jaw Winmar Warriors. The team is coming off a hard-fought 4-2 loss to the Regina Pat Canadians on Thursday night.

Bears head coach Ryan Pilon said he was pleased with how his team performed, considering the circumstances.

“We went in with a depleted lineup because of injuries, and it was coming off a pretty emotional weekend here in Estevan after a big character win on Saturday,” Pilon said. “Given all that, I thought we handled it well.”

The Kenya Ice Lions have hit the big league, and the Canadian who helped make it happen says now may be the time to hang up his whistle.

Head coach Tim Colby says it's been impressive to watch the ice hockey team in Nairobi, Kenya, go from a few newbies to a large group that's received international recognition.

In October, the Ice Lions were accepted into the International Ice Hockey Federation, allowing them to pair up with larger teams in Africa and grow their training program.

Premier Scott Moe says Canada retaliating with broad-based, dollar-for-dollar tariffs against the U.S. if they come to fruition is not the answer, because it hurts Canadians and the general economy. He says his government is not supportive of broad-based tariffs on anything Canadians produce. Instead, the Premier would like to see targeted tariffs which would affect certain American policy makers in their regions. He explains that there would be a small batch of tariffs targeting where U.S. policy makers are, so the people making the decisions are most affected.

The Saskatchewan RCMp's Saskatchewan Enforcement Response Teams (SERT) have had a busy year, with statistics being released to the public summing up their work.

SERT, which is made up of the Crime Reduction Teams (CRT), the Human Trafficking and Counter Exploitation Unit (HTCEU), the Offender Management Unit (OMU), the Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Teams (STRT) and the Warrant Enforcement and Suppression Teams (WEST), is made up of 108 RCMP officers and 31 civilian support staff, with different teams located in 10 Saskatchewan communities

With a moose spotted in Midale on Thursday night, some may be wondering what they should do if they come across out-of-place wildlife.

Wildlife Ecologist with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, Leanne Heisler said it depends on whether the animal is a threat or needs help.
 
"You can report sick deer and wildlife that are becoming a nuisance,  to the general inquiry line for the Ministry of Environment. Any wildlife that is you think is a public safety concern, like cougars in town, or moose in urban centres, you can call the TIPP line."

The Estevan Police Service (EPS) responded to several calls and incidents this week leading to multiple investigations and arrests.

On Jan. 20, police received a report of a male breaching the conditions of a peace bond. A statement was obtained from the victim, and the matter remains under investigation. Officers later attended to a vehicle stopped near the railway tracks on the west side of Estevan. The vehicle was removed without incident.

The provincial government announced Thursday that all school divisions must develop change-room policies with local input. These policies must be implemented and made publicly available to uphold the privacy, dignity and comfort of all students.

This weekend the Big Six hockey league will be back in action with a good few teams looking to get their final points of January.

Tonight the Carnduff Red Devils head to Moosomin to face the Rangers, a battle between two teams in the top half of the standings.

Southeast College announced the opening of its Reconciliation Education Centre in Weyburn earlier this week. The new space is designed for students, staff and the community to gather and learn about Indigenous culture, teachings, and ways of knowing and being.

Located on the main floor of the Weyburn campus in Room 134, the centre features a spacious environment with large windows that bring nature into the space. Live-edged tables serve as hubs for gatherings and projects.

Businesses are buckling down as a proposed date of February 1st has been set for 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods by the US.

The move is predicted to have big effects on Canadian businesses, especially those who rely on business from their southern neighbours.

Estevan Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Merissa Scarlett says we'll see a flurry of activity in the coming week as a response to that.