Estevan

Southeast Saskatchewan was rocked by a severe storm system Friday night, leaving behind a trail of destruction across communities including Estevan, Weyburn, Moose Jaw, and Saskatoon. Environment Canada issued multiple warnings throughout the day, including tornado alerts and severe thunderstorm watches, as the region braced for intense weather activity.

Estevan Motor Speedway fans will have to wait a little longer for their next dose of high-speed action, as tonight’s races were officially cancelled due to persistent rainfall and saturated track conditions.

Young female hockey players in southeast Saskatchewan got the chance to learn from one of their own this week, as Lampman’s Robin Ulrich returned to coach at the All Girls Hockey Camp in Estevan.

For Ulrich, now a skills development coach with the University of Saskatchewan’s Huskies women’s program, it was more than just another coaching assignment. It was a homecoming on the same ice where she once laced up her skates.

For the last few months, the community has been watching the progress of the upcoming Pebbles to Rocks Childcare Centre, which is under construction on Wellock Road. With a $3.1 million fundraising goal on the line, the team has been hard at work, as they inch closer and closer to the end. Yesterday, in partnership with Southern Plains Co-op, they held a barbecue fundraiser. Attendees paid $5 for either a hot dog or a burger and a drink, with all of the proceeds going back to the daycare. Megan Charlton, the chairman of the board for the daycare, was excited to see a large turnout. 

Canada's 2025 wildfire season is now the second-worst on record.

The latest figures posted by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre suggest the fires have torn through 72,000 square kilometres, an area roughly the size of New Brunswick.

That surpasses the next worst season in 1989 and is about half the area burned during the record-setting 2023 season, according to a federal database of wildfire seasons dating back to 1972.

Ottawa is hiking entry-level pay for Canadian Armed Forces privates by 20 per cent for the regular force and 13 per cent for reservists, Prime Minister Mark Carney said at CFB Trenton on Friday.

That means the annual salary for a new recruit will go from $43,368 to $52,044.

Other military members will also receive pay raises, with smaller increases for higher ranks — part of a broader plan to boost recruitment and operational readiness. The new pay hikes will be retroactive to April 1 of this year.

Original alert from SaskAlert below.

Environment Canada meteorologists are tracking a severe thunderstorm.

At 4:55 PM CST Doppler RADAR indicated that this severe thunderstorm was located about 10 km east of Tribune and was moving toward the northeast at 30 km/h.

The main threats from this severe thunderstorm will be:
- hail to the size of baseballs
- wind gusts to 110 km/h

At 4:39 PM CST spotters reported tennis ball sized hail with this thunderstorm.

This is a dangerous thunderstorm with very large hail!

Organizers have announced that Summer Fun Fest, originally scheduled for tomorrow at Boundary Dam, will be postponed due to an unfavourable weather forecast.

The decision was made Thursday afternoon after reviewing conditions and consulting with community groups involved in the event. Efforts are now underway to determine if the festival can be rescheduled for later in August.

“We had to make a call this afternoon just to say we will postpone it,” organizers said, noting that updates will be shared on social media and emailed to seasonal campers.

The smell of sizzling burgers and the sound of laughter filled the air as CUPE Local 726, in partnership with CUPE Saskatchewan, hosted a free community BBQ to shine a spotlight on the unsung heroes who keep Estevan running smoothly every day.

Rhonda Gillespie, a proud member of Local 726, shared the purpose behind the event, “We’re here to bring awareness to what Local 726 does for the community. We’re the municipal workers, the ones maintaining water and sewer systems, patching roads, keeping leisure facilities clean, and ensuring our parks and pools are safe and welcoming.”

The weekend is here, and for those looking to enjoy some summer activities, they may want to keep an eye on the sky as thunderstorms are rolling through. Already, a severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for much of the southeast, with other areas already seeing major storms.

Environment and Climate Change Canada Scientist Christy Climenhaga says that the risk is mounting for our region.