Estevan

The province is lifting its annual seasonal ban on elm tree pruning with fall here and yardwork coming into focus.

Saskatchewan prohibits the pruning of elm trees during the spring and summer to reduce the risk of Dutch Elm Disease (DED) between trees. That's mainly spread through elm bark beetles, which carry the fundus which causes DED.

Those beetles are most active from April to August, oftentimes attracted to healthy elm trees due to the scent released by them during pruning.

The Liberal government's decision to reel in the temporary foreign worker program after loosening the rules to help businesses find workers after the pandemic is sparking a contentious debate about whether governments should even try to address labour shortages.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that his government is bringing back stricter rules to stem the flow of low-wage temporary foreign workers, and he urged businesses to hire and train Canadian workers.

The chair of Canada Post’s board says the organization’s financial situation is unsustainable.

"The board and senior management recognize that Canada Post is at a critical juncture," said André Hudon at its annual general meeting on Wednesday.

"Significant change is urgently needed to preserve Canada Post's delivery network, which is vital because it's the only delivery network built to serve all Canadians."

A 66-year-old Estevan man has died following a two-vehicle collision on the Highway 39 bypass, east of Highway 47, north of Estevan.

The crash occurred at approximately 7 p.m. on August 30, 2024. Initial investigation determined that a car collided with a semi-truck. The Estevan man was pronounced dead at the scene. The adult male driver of the semi was treated for minor injuries.

Estevan RCMP and the Estevan Police Service responded to the scene. An RCMP collision reconstructionist is continuing to investigate.

With some unusual break-outs in eastern provinces, Dr. David Torr at the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) talked about pertussis, also known as whooping cough or the 100-day cough, and whether the respiratory illness poses any risk in Saskatchewan. 

“I’m one of the Medical Health Officers working under the Department of Public Health and Preventative Medicine,” Torr explained. “I’m also the Area Department Lead for ... the integrated rural area, that’s the south area of Saskatchewan.” 

Saskatchewan students will have a new opportunity to get connected with tourism in the province with a new set of courses being offered by the Saskatchewan Distance Learning Corporation (Sask DLC).

Their tourism courses cover grades 10, 11, and 12 and allow students to work with the tourism industry to get a better insight into it.

Health Canada says a recall has been issued for the dumbbell toy from the Fisher-Price Baby Biceps Gift Set because of a choking hazard.

A kettlebell toy, protein shake bottle and wearable headband that are also part of the set are not included in the recall.

The agency says grey caps on the end of the dumbbell toys can come off, posing a choking hazard to infants.

It says as of Aug. 15, Fisher-Price has received four reports in Canada and seven in the United States of the ends of the dumbbell toy coming off, with no reports of injuries.

A new study says planet-warming emissions from Canada's record-breaking 2023 wildfire season were quadruple the country's fossil emissions for all of the previous year and on par with some of the most high-emitting countries. 

The study penned by researchers at NASA, and published in the journal Nature, says only China, India and the United States release more carbon per year than Canada's 2023 wildfires from May to September. 

While farmers are out in the field harvesting this year's wheat crop, research scientists and breeders involved in the Canadian National Wheat Cluster are working on improving the crops' long-term sustainability in the cropping rotation.

Funding for the work being done by the Wheat Cluster comes through the Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC).

The CWRC is a collaboration of the three producer wheat commissions across Western Canada, the Alberta Wheat Commission, Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission and Manitoba Crop Alliance.

This week's crop report shows farmers have made good progress with the harvest despite scattered storm activity around the province.

Crop Extension Specialist Tyce Masich says the harvest is most advanced in the Southwest where 44 per cent of the crop is now in. That's followed by the southeast with 28 per cent, the east central with 25 per cent, the west-central with 15 per cent, the northeast with 12 per cent and the northwest with seven per cent.