1. Drug issues keep local police busy
There were numerous inspiring and heartwarming stories that graced the pages of the Estevan Mercury throughout 2010. However the story that generated the most attention, and is our selection for the top story of the past year, was not one of them.
Drugs have long been an issue in Estevan, as they are in most small communities, but in 2010 the problem seemed to explode and became a huge story both locally and nationally.
In truth, this story stretches back to 2009 as the Estevan Police Service made a big dent in the local drug trade with a bust in December that included over 20 arrests. Although it was noted the bust would perhaps slow the sale of drugs in the city, the public was warned it was only a matter of time before somebody stepped up to take the place of those who were arrested.
That became painfully obvious as the EPS continued to make a number of arrests in 2010, the bulk of them in August when seven people were arrested in three different busts.
While the volume of arrests were worrisome, so too were the quantities and types of drugs that were being seized. It has long been known that marijuana and, to a lesser extent, cocaine were in the city, but the busts confirmed fears that other drugs such as crystal meth and crack cocaine were readily available in the city. EPS Chief Del Block also warned that he was concerned heroin was also in the city, something he admitted could lead to a whole new set of concerns for Estevan.
Block also used the busts as an appeal for more police officers, noting that with the city growing, and incidents of crime increasing, the EPS is in need of more resources.
With Estevan's growth expected to continue into 2011 and beyond, it remains highly likely that drugs will continue to be a big story in the coming months.
2. Health region woes
It was not a banner year for the Sun Country Health Region.
Faced with an increasing shortage of physicians and reduced services, the region fell into a summer of discontent and disconnect that ultimately led to the sudden resignation of the vice-president of finance and administration, Hal Schmidt and, about a month later, the removal of the health region's chief executive officer, Cal Tant.
After it was learned that Schmidt had misrepresented his credentials in applying for positions at other health centres and later granted himself a loan of $75,000 while serving in an administrative position with a hospital in B.C., Schmidt disappeared from Sun Country and within the month, the man who had hired him was also gone, having lost the confidence of the health authority's board of directors that also came into their share of criticism for their lack of oversight.
The shakeup left the health region in a state of flux that led to the hiring of an independent consultancy firm at a cost of $32,000 to try to help them sort out the areas of concern.
As the year end approached, it was revealed that other financial and management missteps had been undertaken at Sun Country that came to light through the provincial auditor's office.
Sun Country is currently operating with an interim CEO and interim financial vice-president and as yet, no move has been made to seek permanent replacements in those two key positions.
Due to all these swirling issues that focused on health administration, Sun Country earned themselves a place in The Mercury's top stories of the year list.
3. Clean coal or not to clean coal
It seemed as if the clean coal issue managed to capture our attention at least once a month throughout 2010. It was one of the two stories on our highlight list that just kept on giving us headlines.
The probability of actually beginning excavation work on a $1.2 billion carbon capture pilot project at Boundary Dam's No. 3 power generating unit crept closer this past year. In the latter part of the year, it was announced that the refurbishment of the 150 megawatt No. 3 unit was going ahead at an estimated cost of $354 million.
SaskPower stated that the project would move forward in such a fashion that if a CO2 capture capability was approved in the near future, it could be included in a near seamless fashion, adding about another $800 million to $900 million to the project but leaving the power plant with a long-range future with the capacity to capture and store carbon dioxide and other noxious gases. The full-blown plan could then be rolled out which would include the use of the CO2 as an oil recovery agent in the nearby oil patches.
By the end of the year, the federal Environment Department had not yet established or announced a firm regulatory regime for thermal powered electrical power plants.
A hint of what could be expected, however, was promised for April 2011.
4. A fight like no other
It's an unfortunate, but true, statement that cancer has become so prevalent in our world that it's almost a commonplace occurrence.
However there has been nothing commonplace about the story of Jeff Lukye and his fight against the dreaded disease. Lukye was first diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2008 and had a large tumour removed at the time. However the cancer returned in August.
With chemotherapy his only option in Saskatchewan, Lukye and his wife Keri travelled to the renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota where doctors there decided a radical surgery, which would include the removal of one leg, was his only chance for survival.
With the surgery lined up for December, an unexpected roadblock came up when the family learned in November that Jeff's surgery, estimated to cost between $200,000 to $300,000, might not be covered by the provincial government. That uncertainty prompted the family to go public with their story and after some red tape was cleared, the government announced all medical expenses would be covered.
Shortly after learning the expenses would be covered, Lukye and his family made their way to Minnesota. He endured his first surgery, which was largely an exploratory procedure, Dec. 17. That led to the second surgery, which began on Monday and carried on for a gruelling 27 hours.
The 30-year-old is now recovering in Minnesota and will require one more surgery before he can return home.
While the remarkable courage and strength Lukye has shown is beyond words, the support shown to the family by the community has also been inspiring.
A cabaret in November was a smashing success raising over $130,000 for the family's non-medical related expenses, of which there will be many. A breakfast at local business TS&M also raised over $10,000.
People have also thrown their support behind the "Fight Like a Lukye" fundraiser, snapping up hundreds of T-shirts and hooded sweaters.
5. Looking for docs
If there was one subject that captured the collective minds of the Estevan community over the past year, it was the continual struggle to obtain enough doctors to serve the city and surrounding area effectively.
The Sun Country Health Region has struggled to find physicians to fill more rural postings in the past, but they were also plagued by the ongoing problem of transitional doctors in Estevan, in particular. The low point was reached this past spring when local hospital administration had to plead with the public to ease up their demands on the emergency room visits since the city only had seven physicians available for the medical rotation.
Officials have stated that a city the size of Estevan with the immediate surrounding population would be best served with a minimum of 14 doctors.
The shortage was partially addressed this fall with the arrival of two more doctors while another is completing a clinic certification in Weyburn with the intention of returning to Estevan. Since then, however, one local physician has announced his impending departure in early 2011, so the challenge to reach a full complement of doctors in Estevan may continue well into the new year.
6. Highways and byways
The other story gift that just wouldn't quit giving last year was the ongoing struggle to obtain a truck bypass around the city and the twinning of Highway 39 and Highway 6 south, the main commodities corridor between the United States, southern Saskatchewan, Regina and points north.
After nearly a decade of lobbying and cajoling, local officials managed to get a truck bypass promise from the provincial government with assistance from the federal government due to the fact that there were international trade corridor implications involved in the original plans.
Since then there have been a couple of false starts on the project pertaining to access and merger lanes so the bypass is back on the drawing board with no firm start-up date in sight.
A local lobbying group is also attempting to persuade provincial Highways and Infrastructure decision-makers that it is imperative to have the very busy and dangerous Highway 39 and Highway 6 (south) twinned from the U.S./Canada border at North Portal through Estevan, Weyburn and into Regina.
The effort has attracted a good deal of media attention including The Mercury, and has caught the attention of some elected personnel, but it too, rests on a back burner along with the bypass project.
7. Rainy days and rainy nights
The weather is always a big story in Saskatchewan but there was good reason for that in 2010.
Although we will have to wait to hear if any records were set, 2010 certainly was one of the wettest years in a long time. It's not uncommon to see a wet spring in the province but that wet spring turned into a wet summer and for a while it seemed as though it would never stop raining.
Â鶹ÊÓƵeast Saskatchewan was spared from the devastation seen in areas such as Maple Creek, Yorkton and North Battleford but the area did not get away unscathed. Acres of farmland were unusable due to the wet conditions while work in the oilfield was slowed as crews were unable to make their way through the muck.
In Estevan, the rain also proved to be a major headache for the City. The water caused all manner of issues at the Spectra Place construction project, pushing the opening date back by at least two months. A number of other City projects were either delayed or pushed to 2011.
There are also fears that water issues will continue in 2011. Many of the area reservoirs are already at, or near, capacity and with a high runoff expected in the spring there are concerns about flooding and other problems.
8. Miracle by the lake
It's not terribly often that the stories which appear in a newspaper have a happy ending.
Perhaps that is why the story of Kate Johnston generated so much attention throughout Saskatchewan.
The then 10-month old was buried under a wall of sand June 19 after a cliff collapsed onto her, and her mother Danielle, knocking Kate to the ground and burying her under the sand.
The day started out innocently enough as Danielle decided to join some relatives for a walk at Rafferty Dam. The group then decided to cool themselves off by dipping their feet in the water.
Shortly after stepping onto the shoreline, all hell broke loose.
"The force of the sand hitting me knocked Kate out of my hands," said Danielle who was also accompanied by her seven-year-old son. "I looked down and she was completely engulfed by the sand I started digging and I screamed at my cousin to come and he didn't really know what happened but he saw me digging so he started digging too."
Danielle's and pleas for help also drew the attention of Jeff Adams, a Mainprize Park resident who was out fishing with a friend. By luck Adams just happened to turn his boat motor off and heard the frantic mother.
" The first thing I thought was somebody fell off the top because this place where she was, the wall goes up for 10 or 12 feet.
"We packed up our stuff and headed over there to see what happened and as soon as we got close she was screaming 'help me dig, help me dig, my baby's buried.' She was digging frantically and I just jumped out and started digging right beside her where she was digging."
Adams said he and Johnston dug down roughly one and a half feet but were finding nothing but buffalo bones. At the urging of Adams' fishing partner they moved their search closer to the edge of the water, a move that was crucial.
"It turned out the baby was right under where I was kneeling. I dug about a foot and a half down, I found the top of the baby's skull. I couldn't believe how small a person it was that we were looking for."
Adams said Kate was completely lifeless when they pulled her from the sand, but Danielle quickly went to work and resuscitated her daughter.
"I just cleared the debris from her mouth and gave her CPR and she began to puke up a bit of sand and started to cry and it was like Hallelujah," said Johnston.
The group quickly bundled Kate up and headed for the Mainprize marina where an ambulance was waiting to take the infant to the hospital in Weyburn.
Despite the frightening ordeal she came out with nary a scratch.
"The doctors tested Kate and neurologically she is all right," said her mother. "She didn't even skip a beat. She's perfectly fine, not a thing wrong a couple mosquito bites. If you were to see her now, you wouldn't believe this ever happened to this little girl."
9. Creighton Lodge question resolved
One story that did have a final chapter and a satisfying ending in 2010 was the purchase and revival of Creighton Lodge in Estevan.
The seniors' housing unit located in the Pleasantdale area of the city, had been without a proper owner for over a decade, having been operated and managed first by the Â鶹ÊÓƵ East Health District with the first round of health area amalgamations, and then by the Sun Country Health Region, following the second round.
The larger health regions had no mandate to administer low level senior housing projects, but since no outside agency appeared interested in Creighton Lodge, the facility managed to stay operational. With no firm commitment being expressed by anyone, residency rates dropped, but by the spring of 2010 is was learned that there were now at least two groups that were interested in purchasing and operating the facility. One was a church-based organization with a history of successful management of seniors' housing and the other was a consortium of six local rural municipalities.
In mid-summer the transfer of ownership took place with the RM group winning the approval of the Sun Country board.
Since then some major renovations have been carried out at the lodge including the return of full in-house kitchen and dining services. Creighton Lodge is now fully occupied.
10. Patiently waiting
Our story of the year is one that has been ongoing for much of the past three years. But the progress of Estevan's new arena has continued to be one of the city's biggest stories, for better or for worse.
On the negative side, the seemingly endless rain that deluged Saskatchewan in 2010, caused major troubles for construction crews who were unable to access all of the site and complete important work such as the lobby. The delays pushed back the opening of the facility by at least two months. However crews have been hard at work in recent weeks and there is confidence the arena will be open in March.
On the positive side, there were a handful of milestones throughout 2010. Perhaps the biggest was that the place finally got a name. After months of being called the new arena, new civic or some combination of the two, it was officially christened as Spectra Place over the summer by Spectra Credit Union who earned the right to name the facility through their contribution of $1 million.
It was also announced late in the year that two Canadian rock icons had been signed for the April 15 grand opening concert. Tom Cochrane and Red Rider will head the double bill which also includes Kim Mitchell.
