Estevan

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) held its annual lobby day in Ottawa on Oct. 22., 2024.

CFA President Keith Currie was pleased with the result.

"We obtained just over 40 meetings with elected Senate office staff, ministerial staff. It was, we felt, a very successful lobby day and then we copped it off at the end of the day with a reception. We had nearly 250 people attending, elected, and people from the Senate and industry stakeholders. All in all a very good day."

Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay also provided remarks.

It was a sombre day at the Estevan Comprehensive School, as it was the site of the yearly Remembrance Day service. Community members filled the stands and the seats inside the gym to remember the men and women who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

"It's a day to reflect -- to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, so we have the freedom to do this thanks to them and it's important we never forget that," shared Estevan Legion President Frosty Forrest.

An echoing peal of cannon fire signalled the start of a moment of silence in St. John's, N.L., and throngs of people along the city's two main downtown streets fell quiet and bowed their heads.

Canadians gathered Monday in cities and towns across the country to honour the sacrifice of men and women in uniform who gave their lives in service of the country's values and principles.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Gen. Mary Simon paid their respects in a Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. 

Former B.C. judge Randall (Bud) Wong remembers getting out of bed early one morning when he was five to greet his uncle at the train station in Vancouver at the end of the Second World War in 1945.

His uncle Delbert Yen Chow was returning from India after years of service as an infantryman.

“I remember very vividly my uncle coming off the train, and he was wearing his army uniform and knapsack,” said Wong, 83. 

“We were so happy to see him that we took him home, and then he came to live with us.”

Canadian Army veterans are healing their psychological wounds with some help from equine friends.

Since starting equine therapy last June, Christian has regularly visited Mirabel's Equi-Sens stable, about 33 kilometres north of Montreal, to see the horse that has helped him “to be at peace.”

Applause erupted over and over at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg Sunday as the son of Murray Sinclair, a former judge, senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into residential schools, spoke about his father.

Niigaan Sinclair said his dad "was a first" in every room he walked into.

"It was impossible to go through a mall without 17 people, two of them he'd sentenced to jail at one point, coming up to him and saying how much they appreciated him," Niigaan Sinclair said.

A labour dispute continues to paralyze cargo shipping at British Columbia ports, and the union for locked-out workers is accusing employers of abruptly ending contract talks early.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Local 514 says the BC Maritime Employers Association ended federally mandated talks with a mediator less than an hour after they began late Saturday afternoon.

The employers association said in an evening statement each side met separately with a mediator in Vancouver, but that there was "no progress made."

British Columbia's Ministry of Health says the first suspected human case of bird flu contracted in Canada has been detected in B.C. 

A statement from the office of the provincial health officer says a teenager in the region covered by Fraser Health tested positive for bird flu, and the teen is currently getting treatment at BC Children's Hospital. 

The statement says the positive test was done by the BC Centre for Disease Control, and samples are on their way to Winnipeg's national microbiology lab for confirmatory testing.

The ongoing Downtown Revitalization Project in Estevan has raised concerns among residents throughout the construction process. This issue was addressed at the All Candidates Forum, where a community member asked the potential councillors about the transparency and cost of the project.

During the forum, the ten candidates were split into two groups of five. Dave Elliot, Kirsten Walliser, Stephen Daniel, Rhyan Hagel, and Tom Mauss were part of the second group.

As Estevan approaches the upcoming election, residents will be asked whether they support adding a third ice surface in the city. While the result will be non-binding, there is significant interest in where potential councillors stand on this issue, which was raised during a recent all-candidates forum.

The 10 candidates were divided into two groups of five for the councillor portion. Group one included Kevin Andrews, Matthew Dubowski, Robin Wog, Brian Johnson, and Shelley Veroba.