Weyburn

A new poll suggests 44 per cent of Canadians want to see the temporary foreign worker program scrapped as the country grapples with high unemployment, especially among young people.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre recently proposed eliminating the program in response to high youth unemployment. The unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 24 hit 14.6 per cent nationally in July, according to Statistics Canada data.

Federal, provincial, and territorial agriculture ministers are gathered in Manitoba this week for critical discussions on the future of Canadian agriculture. The meetings, which wrap up Tuesday, come at a time when global trade disruptions, domestic infrastructure needs, and food security are top of mind for producers and policymakers alike.

Federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Heath MacDonald says the meetings are an opportunity to listen to regional concerns and collaborate on national solutions.

As federal, provincial, and territorial agriculture ministers are meeting in Winnipeg this week, the future of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is drawing renewed attention. While the Conservative Party has proposed eliminating the broader program, both farm leaders and Conservative MPs are emphasizing that agriculture will remain exempt.

Keith Currie, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), stressed the importance of the program to the sector.

Conservative Agriculture Critic John Barlow and Canadian Federation of Agriculture President Keith Currie are calling on the federal Liberal government to approve the emergency use of strychnine as a way to deal with the increased number of gophers or Richardson’s ground squirrels (RGS) across the Prairies.

Children ages five to 25 who are looking to enjoy a variety of activities, especially in the Great Outdoors, will be happy to hear that registration for the 5th Weyburn Scouts is open for the 2025-2026 year.  

Drivers filling up in Weyburn are enjoying a significant discount at the pumps compared to those in nearby cities. As of Monday morning, the price for a litre of regular gasoline in Weyburn was $1.299. That’s 14 cents cheaper than in Regina, where prices were sitting at $1.439, and five cents less than in Estevan at $1.349. 

It was a busy weekend of football, with the WCS Eagles playing under the lights at home Friday, and the U14 Young Fellow Falcons in Estevan Saturday. 

Friday night, the Eagles would face the Yorkton Raiders at Brent Allin Field. There, they came away with a 13-11 win to improve to 1-1 on the season.  

Weyburn's Alex Clarke is training for a performance peak in February, when she will be working as a Hockey Official refereeing at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano-Cortina. However, she said she just resumed her ice time last week.

"I try to stay off the ice in the summertime, just because you get burnt out from nine months on the ice, but [I did] a lot of off-ice conditioning, a lot of fun things with the kids, just to mentally reset."

The Weyburn Independent Riders held the annual Toy Run for the Weyburn Salvation Army on Saturday, with 41 bikers in all carrying donated toys on their bikes as well as in a Santa-style sleigh, from Legacy Park Elementary School to River Park.

The City of Weyburn is advising local commuters of a road closure slated to last throughout the week. Due to the installation of a new traffic light, the intersection of Fifth Street and First Avenue northeast will be closed until Friday. 

Drivers are advised to allow for extra travel time if their route includes this intersection. Local detours will be in place, but drivers are asked to use alternate routes whenever possible. Vehicles will be directed to 16th Street for access to Highway 13 and Highway 39.