Estevan

Smoke is in the air in the southeast and the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency is giving an update on wildfires in the province.

As of 8:30 Friday morning, 73 active wildfires are ongoing in Saskatchewan. The provinces categorize eight of those as not contained, five as contained, 42 have an ongoing assessment, and 18 are protecting property. So far this year there have been 480 fires in the province.

Two fires in the province are impacting communities leading to some being evacuated as a precaution.

The proposed wind energy project set to be built around Weyburn has been met with a lot of opposition. Weyburn Big Muddy MLA and minister responsible for SaskPower, Dustin Duncan says he’s not overly surprised. 

“I think that you often see that when these types of projects come to communities. And I certainly know that as the proponent Enbridge is aware of that as well, that's why they have had outreach with members of the community, with the landowners, with some of the neighboring landowners, acreage owners as well, and continue to do so.” 

It's been a busy summer for me in so many ways. Between my photography and our TV series The Moose Whisperer, which is a great series my son Curtis created. Curtis, Betty & I shoot these in various parks around the province. We have been shooting episodes for 2 years now, this summer we spent 5 days in Meadow Lake Provincial Park the first week of June. It's a lot more than just photographing and filming scenery and wildlife. It's about family bonding and spending quality time with each other in a very secluded area.

With the start of harvest season, you’ll likely come across farm equipment on highways and grid roads in Saskatchewan.  

Jeremy Pilon, communications consultant with SGI, reminds motorists to pay attention when they encounter slow-moving machinery on highways. “You come up to that machinery really quickly – especially at highways speeds.” 

The Canadian Entrepreneurs' Incentive program is undergoing some changes, but agriculture groups say that's not enough to help out farmers.

That's meant to help out small business owners with a tax break, but that's been out of reach for many farmers.

Kyle Larkin, the Executive Director at the Grain Growers of Canada, says now that's been changed but it may not be enough.

With strike action looming on the horizon railways in Canada are likely to be stopped next week.

CN and CPKC are both set to lock out workers on the 22nd, the date that a possible strike was set for by the Canada Industrial Relations Board.

Vice president of grain for CN Rail David Przednowec says that the current labour situation is taking up a bulk of the current conversation in the industry.

A significant increase in food bank use has been observed over the past year. To address this rise and meet diverse dietary needs, the food bank has shifted to offering more fresh produce and perishable items in its hampers. This change has been well-received.

“We had 31 new people this month, and year to date we’ve had 198 new people access the food bank, so it continues to be on the rise,” said Community Ministries Director Ronza Reynard. She noted that while fresh items have always been available, dietary restrictions have prompted this adjustment.

The federal government says the Ukrainian army can use military equipment provided by Canada inside Russia.

A spokesperson for National Defence says Canada places no geographic restrictions on military equipment donated to Ukraine.

The statement comes after Ukraine launched a surprise military offensive into Russia earlier this month. 

The attack is unprecedented for its use of Ukrainian military units on Russian soil.

Ottawa has committed $4 billion in military assistance to Ukraine through 2029.

Souris Family Pharmacy celebrates one year in business this month! Pharmacy Operator, Matthew Walliser says it’s been a great year, full of fantastic people supporting them from day one.

“It’s been a really positive experience,” Walliser shares. “People are genuinely interested in knowing how things are going, and wanting to support us.”

The goal at Souris Family Pharmacy is to provide individualized care.

In the most recent Estevan Police Service crime statistics report, Estevan Police Department’s Deputy Chief Warren Morrical explained that the numbers have remained relatively consistent year over year.

Assaults saw a six per cent increase, with the year-to-date (YTD) average rising from 68 to 72 in 2024 compared to the previous year. The monthly total was 12 in July of this year, compared to eight the previous year. The five-year YTD average is 65.20 compared to 72 this year, marking a 10.4 per cent increase.