麻豆视频

1. The SMRs are coming

If a small modular reactor (SMR) is to be built in Saskatchewan, it will be constructed in the Estevan area.

That was the announcement made by Premier Scott Moe during an appearance at the Estevan Chamber of Commerce's 120th anniversary celebration at the end of May.

Moe had hinted that the first SMR for Saskatchewan would be built in the southeast during an event in Regina earlier in the month, and then he erased any doubt while he was in Estevan. The Elbow area, along Lake Diefenbaker, was also in contention.

Moe's announcement ended years of speculation about SMRs and rewarded extensive lobbying efforts by people in the Estevan area, who viewed SMRs as a big part of the solution to the city's future with the future of coal-fired power in doubt.

Dustin Duncan, the former minister responsible for SaskPower, said the Estevan area was selected due to its skilled workforce already in place and the presence of transmission lines in the area.

An exact location in the Estevan area has yet to be announced, but it would be on either Boundary Dam or Rafferty Dam.

From there, a regulatory review process is expected to last for several years. A final decision on whether the project would proceed is expected in 2029.

Approximately 1,000 people are expected to be in the Estevan area during the construction period. Duncan noted that a second SMR unit could be built as construction wraps up on the first.

Meanwhile, a 100-megawatt solar power project for the Estevan area continues to move forward. Iyuhána Solar LP — a partnership between Greenwood Sustainable Infrastructure (GSI), Saturn Power and Ocean Man First Nation – has been selected as the independent power producer. The solar power facility, which would be the largest in Saskatchewan is expected to be online in late 2026.

2. We're getting an MRI

 For the second straight year, bringing an MRI scanner to St. Joseph's Hospital is our No. 2 story of the year.

In 2023, the talk was about the push to bring an MRI to Estevan after Elaine Walkom announced a $2 million donation in memory of her late husband Grant. The provincial government denied her request, sparking considerable outcry from the community and reigniting the campaign to bring the technology to St. Joe's. 

The community's dedication was rewarded in March's provincial budget when the government announced it was giving the St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation the green light to start fundraising for the project. The foundation has to raise the $6.5 million required to purchase and install the scanner, renovate the diagnostic imaging area of the hospital and more, but it had the $2 million head start thanks to Walkom's generosity.

As of Dec. 11, the total stood at more than $4.492 million.

Support from the community has been excellent since the MRI was given the green light. The foundation has received donations from businesses, individuals, organizations and municipalities.

The Radiothon for Life in June had its greatest support ever at more than $191,000, and the Festival of Trees fundraiser in November brought in $153,500.

Also in June, during the Estevan Exhibition Association's Energy City Ex., Jaycee Ross auctioned off his 4-H steer for the MRI. The animal was sold several times and raised more than $53,000 for the MRI.

3. A new look for downtown

It was a story that was at the forefront throughout the year: the downtown revitalization project in the 1100 and 1200 blocks of Fourth Street.

It started when the Concerned Citizens Estevan SK group uploaded a YouTube video, claiming the project could cost $40 million-$50 million. On Feb. 29, the city was informed that it was receiving $7.75 million from the Canada Coal Transition Fund for the downtown project; the city had stated previously the downtown work wouldn't proceed without fed money.

As part of the project, the city committed to replacing the water mains beneath Fourth Street, a project it said was going to have to happen eventually.

Work on the downtown project began in the early spring, but while the initial efforts were proceeding, the Concerned Citizens launched a petition in an effort to get a referendum on the project. Their efforts generated 1,491 signatures, more than the 1,085 needed to trigger a vote on the project, but the city's legal department vetted the document, with several hundred signatures disqualified for reasons ranging from legibility to signee eligibility to improper signature dates, among others, leaving the petition with 1,006 signatures, falling below the 1,085 threshold, which is 10 per cent of the city's population. The Concerned Citizens appealed the decision, but it was rejected.

Construction on the two blocks of Fourth Street hit roadblocks ranging from weather to soil contamination during the water main work. There were also cost overruns that resulted in a number of components being delayed to next year or held off entirely. 

Some work will have to wait for 2025 due to the onset of winter weather.

The 1100 and 1200 blocks of Fourth Street are open again. They have been resurfaced and the angle parking is in place. The city said during the consultation meetings a couple of years ago that downtown projects have boosted economic development in other communities.

4. A new mayor for Estevan

Entering 2024, the only thing people knew about the year's civic election was that Estevan would have a new mayor. Roy Ludwig, who had held the role since 2012 and had been on city council since 1994, had already confirmed he would not seek re-election.

There was plenty of interest in the civic election in Estevan, with three candidates for mayor – Anthony Sernick, Rebecca Foord and Zacch Vandenhurk – and 10 more for councillor.

Sernick became Estevan's mayor, finishing with 1,254 votes, ahead of Foord's 1,108 and Vandenhurk's 317. Sernick and Foord were councillors during the previous term from 2020-2024, while Vandenhurk was vying for a role on council for the first time.

Incumbents Shelly Veroba and Kirsten Walliser were re-elected as councillors, and were joined by Brian Johnson, who was a councillor from 2000-2016, and newcomers Tom Mauss, Dave Elliott and Mathew Dubowski.

A non-binding plebiscite was held on the construction of a new third arena for Estevan, and it was defeated, with 1,538 voting no and 1,046 in favour.

The city of Estevan wasn't the only one to have an election. Towns and villages in the region had voted to decide their mayor and councillors for the next four years. Rural municipalities went through the process for reeve and councillor in Divisions 1, 3 and 5.

In the RM of Estevan, Jason LeBlanc was acclaimed to a first full term as reeve, while Suzanne McNabb (Division 1), Kevin Daoust (Division 3) and Ramona Dukart (Division 5) were also acclaimed.

School board elections were also held in the 麻豆视频 East Cornerstone and the Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Divisions.

5. Tragic incidents

Homicides are rare in the southeast, but the region was rocked by two separate incidents in 2024.

The first came in late April with the death of 28-year-old Briana Hayes of Oxbow. The Carlyle RCMP was notified of a potential homicide on April 24, and there was an increased police presence in the town. Hayes was found deceased in a rural location in the RM of Moose Mountain the following day.

Taylor Japp from Oxbow was charged with second-degree murder. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Japp on June 2, 2025. He has been released from custody with conditions.  

A co-accused, Tyler Neil Shaw of Gainsborough, has been charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder. His matters remain before the court; his most recent appearance was Dec. 16.

The other homicide occurred on Dec. 3 at the White Bear First Nations. The Carlyle RCMP was called to a report of an injured person; upon arrival, they located a deceased man identified as Talon Lonethunder, a 33-year-old man from Coronach who was originally from White Bear.

The Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes unit identified and charged two men in relation to Lonethunder's death. 

Jeremy Whitebear, age 22, from White Bear First Nations, was charged with one count of second-degree murder. Dwayne Maxie, 26, also from White Bear, was charged with one count of manslaughter.

Whitebear was arrested on Dec. 7 and Maxie was apprehended a week later. Both have since appeared in court.

6. Estevan on alert

Tensions were high in Estevan on April 8 after a shooting and a police pursuit.

The Estevan Police Service (EPS) said that at approximately 8:23 p.m. that night, they received a report that an individual had been shot in the 1600-block of Third Street and the armed male suspect had fled the scene. Immediate response to the occurrence included the deployment of several police units from Estevan and elsewhere, as well as the Estevan Fire Rescue Service and Estevan EMS.

Approximately 40 officers were deployed to Estevan during the various stages of the response.

While containing the scene and searching for the suspect, the EPS said they determined he had barricaded himself in a residence in the 1700-block of Third Street, where the EPS said he refused to communicate or comply with direction from members to surrender.

The EPS said an RCMP Emergency Response Team (ERT) unit was subsequently deployed to the scene, where a tactical armoured vehicle and chemical agent were used to successfully arrest the suspect.

The 1600 and 1700 blocks of Third Street were closed during the response, as was Highway 39 from 16th Avenue to Sister Roddy Road.

The victim received medical care stemming from a single gunshot wound.

William Joshua Curtis was charged with one count each of attempted murder by discharging a firearm; pointing a firearm; discharging a firearm; aggravated assault; possession of a weapon for the purpose of committing an offence; uttering threats; manufacture of ammunition while unauthorized; and possession of a firearm while prohibited. He is also charged with two counts of manufacture of a firearm while unauthorized.

Curtis has been deemed unfit to stand trial and is being held at the Saskatchewan Hospital psychiatric facility in North Battleford.

7. A large drug bust

In one of the largest drug busts in recent memory in Estevan, four people were facing numerous charges and more than $150,000 in drugs were seized.

The Estevan Police Service (EPS) executed search warrants Aug. 9 at five locations in Estevan, with the assistance of the Joint Tactical Support Team (JTST), RCMP International Border Enforcement Team (IBET) and the Weyburn Police Service (WPS).  

According to the EPS, the warrants stemmed from an investigation led by the EPS Drug Unit and resulted in four people being arrested. Police seized one kilogram of cocaine, 50 grams of methamphetamine, two rifles, a Ford F150 that the EPS said is offence-related property, and approximately $8,000 in Canadian currency. 

As a result of this investigation, Cody Blaine Klyne, Devon William Martell, Brennan Stephen McKeen and Jessica Louise Rutter-McKeen, all from Estevan, were each charged with the following possession of a schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking – cocaine; possession of a schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking – methamphetamine; trafficking a schedule I substance – cocaine; trafficking a schedule I substance – methamphetamine; and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

Klyne is also charged with violating the conditions of his release order, stemming from a prior offence.

All four were released with conditions the following week. They have made several appearances in court since then, and a preliminary hearing is slated for Aug. 25 and 26 to determine if there is enough evidence to proceed to trial.

8. Opportunities through technology

It's a story that was in the forefront for the community throughout the year: the impact that technology and innovation will play in Estevan's future.

The 麻豆视频east TechHub and the 麻豆视频east College, with its centre of sustainable innovation, were heavily involved in the discussions.

The biggest showcase came during the inaugural Innovation Conference for Economic Development in Rural Areas (ICED Rural) at the college. For three days, nearly 150 people flocked to the college to listen to an array of speakers.

Among the highlights was a homecoming for former Estevan resident Jeff Sandquist, who discussed his roots growing up in the Energy City, and his accomplishments with such firms as Microsoft, Twitter and Automattic, the company that owned WordPress.com.

But there were other efforts throughout the year. TechHub executive director Gordon More has been working on coal to hydrogen and coal to graphite projects, which, if they proceed, would extend the life of Estevan's coal mines beyond the potential shutdown of conventional coal-fired power in 2030.

There has also been talk of such concepts as a data centre that would employ a couple hundred people.

The TechHub and the 麻豆视频east College have also been involved with other events, including

Innovation Conservations that focused on the potential of technology. Among them was former Estevan resident Andrew Wahba, who is involved with a couple of tech companies. He returned home in July to deliver a speech, From Estevan to the World: Global Career Building with Local Roots.

Also, Our Energy, Our Story, a three-year proposal, was presented at the 麻豆视频east College in March. More noted investments could bring billions of dollars to Estevan and create hundreds of jobs.

9. Wild weather

麻豆视频east Saskatchewan is known for its bizarre weather, and this year was no exception, but a couple of storms in particular left their mark.

The first was June 23, when a powerful summer storm brought strong winds, heavy rain and even golf ball-sized hail to the city. The conditions damaged buildings, vehicles and trees, smashed windows, and knocked out electricity.

The intersection of Fifth Street and 12th Avenue was closed for much of the following day after debris from a building was scattered across the downtown roads. Pillars were damaged, the chimney was destroyed and the roof was basically ripped off.

Tenants in several upstairs suites were fine but were forced to relocate.

Varsteel Ltd.'s location in the east end of Estevan was also damaged, as the roof of a large shop was gone.

Meanwhile, SGI said its response was an all-hands-on-deck situation. From June 24 to Aug. 1, it had approximately 6,500 claims for vehicles related to the storm, and about 650, or roughly 10 per cent, had been written off. As for property claims, the total claims for the Estevan area were at 300.

A severe thunderstorm then rolled through Estevan on Aug. 21 and 22. The 1200-block of Fourth Street, dug up for a water main replacement as part of the downtown revitalization project, was hit hard. Several businesses had their basements flooded. The venerable Orpheum Theatre was forced to shut down due to the storm.

The Orpheum does not yet have a date for when it will fully open, although it is expected to happen in early in 2025. It is slated to host a performance by Saskatchewan YouTube star Quick Dick McDick on Jan. 24, 2025.

10. More money for coal transition

The Government of Saskatchewan announced on Sept. 23 it was contributing $5 million to each of the Estevan and Coronach regions to help build new economic opportunities and support their coal transition efforts.

The money, revealed at an event in Coronach, is in addition to the $10 million from the provincial government in February 2020 for the coal transition in the areas. Estevan received $8 million of that pledge nearly five years ago. 

The $5 million for the Estevan area will go to the Municipal Coal Transition Committee, comprised of representatives from the City of Estevan, the Town of Bienfait, and the RMs of Estevan and Coalfields.

Some of the projects that have benefited from the $8 million in government funding were small ones, while larger ones include working on the proposed coal-to-graphite project and the potential hydrogen hub project that would convert Estevan lignite coal to hydrogen.

According to a government news release, as Saskatchewan continues its own plan to build out grid capacity to support growth, retaining and developing a skilled workforce and expertise through business opportunities in Estevan, Coronach and areas need to facilitate the energy transition.