Weyburn

Statistics Canada released the police-reported crime statistics for 2023 Thursday morning.  

One of the biggest parts of the data is what is called the crime severity index. It looks at the number and the severity of crimes to help provide a context of a community. However, it doesn’t factor in demographics into the number, just the data. For this reason, Statistics Canada advised in the release the crime severity index is one piece of the much larger puzzle that helps Canadians better understand the country.  

The 2024 annual Tatagwa Tree Day is happening August 10th. The City of Weyburn is looking for fifty volunteers to help plant one hundred and forty trees along the Signal Hill Trail System. 

The species of trees being planted include Colorado blue spruce, poplar prairie sky, buffalo berry shrub, and Manitoba maple tree.   

The parks manager for the City of Weyburn, Curtis Block, says all ages are welcome to participate.  

A big day is coming up at Nickle Lake Regional Park on August 3rd. Nickle Lake Day will feature something for everyone, beginning with a free pancake breakfast and capping off the night with live music.

"There is lots of stuff to come out for, for the parents and the kids," said Office Supervisor Nikki McFadden. "In the morning we have a free pancake breakfast from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. We have our Show and Shine [Car Show] coming out from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Same with the Market that we have every long weekend."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on social media that Ottawa has approved Alberta’s request for federal assistance after a fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday.

The park's social media account says the fire has caused significant loss within the townsite, but the specific locations or neighbourhoods affected are not being reported.

On the social media platform X, the account for Fairmont's Jasper Park Lodge says the flames have reached the hotel's grounds, but the extent of damage, if any, is not yet known.

The first half of the Saskatchewan Summer Games wrapped up in Lloydminster yesterday, and Team Southeast came home with a few medals.  

The first medal of the day was on the soccer pitch. The male soccer team would beat Regina 3-2 in the bronze medal game. Then, on the archery range, a pair of bronze medals. The first was in the male recurve, where Hunter Kirby would finish in third place. Then, in female recurse, Kenzie Bayliss would finish on the podium with a bronze.  

The Weyburn Beavers held the lead for most of the game last night against the Okotoks Dawgs, but errors would give the Dawgs an opening in the later innings. Over the final three innings, the visitors would score six runs to jump out to a 9-3 win over the Beavers.  

With wildfire season in full swing and smoke from northern Alberta, British Columbia, and northern Saskatchewan blanketing the southeast in a thick haze, the smoke isn't clearing quickly thanks to temperatures in the mid-30s. 

Brian Proctor, a Meteorologist with Environment Canada said this is thanks to the same weather system. 

Weyburn Care-A-Van Society, a non-profit dedicated to ensuring accessible transportation for those who need it in our community, held its Annual General Meeting on Tuesday, with eight members in attendance via Zoom.

The highlight from 2023 was replacing their previous Care-A-Van with a 2022 Chrysler Grand Caravan STX with a BraunAbility commercial rear-entry manual folding ramp, which can be rented at a flat rate by community members who need it, and can be driven by anyone who has a valid driver's license. Anyone who needs to book a trip can phone 306-861-2219.

The Grain Growers of Canada executive director Kyle Larkin has been on the road this week driving from Winnipeg to Calgary as part of the GGC's Summer Tour.

The tour kicked off on Monday, when he visited Doug Martin's farm at East Selkirk, Manitoba with MP Kevin Lamoureux.

"We discussed a number of issues, including the Capital Gains Tax increase, the carbon tax, potential rail strike. You know, there's a lot of issues out there right now impacting grain farmers and we're just here to raise awareness of them over the summer."

One of two raging, wind-whipped wildfires bearing down on the historic Jasper townsite reached its southern outskirts early Wednesday night as a last-ditch attempt to reroute it failed.

Around the same time, all first responders were ordered out of Jasper National Park for their safety and to give fire crews more room to operate.

Firefighters remained in the town to douse spot fires and maintain sprinkler lines. Everyone else was reminded to get out.