The second half of the year generated many interesting stories in the community, with community events, meetings and celebrations, as well as a few arrests. Here are some of the noteworthy stories from July to December:
Canada officially turned 150 on July 1, and there were many events in the region to mark the milestone. The City of Estevan held its event on June 30 so as not to interfered with the annual Canada Day festivities in Bienfait, which drew the largest crowd seen in years. The annual parade, fireworks and other activities proved to be popular with the public. The annual Canada Day country gospel jamboree was held at the Oungre Memorial Regional Park. The Town of Midale celebrated Canada Day by reopening its swimming pool after it had been closed for nearly two years. And the local Kinsmen and Kinettes Clubs held their annual bash at the Hillside Park.
Leisure services manager Nathan Jesse announced his resignation in early July, as he accepted a job at the University of British Columbia. Rather than hire someone to replace Jesse, the City of Estevan had three other managers in leisure services take Jesse’s responsibilities. Jesse had been in charge of the division since 2013.
A semi-truck collided with a train on July 4 at the railroad crossing for Highway 39 in the Roche Percee valley, and resulted in the closure of a portion of Highway 39 for several hours. The male driver of the semi, who was charged in connection with the incident, received medical treatment at the scene. None of the train’s crew members were injured.
The annual Rotary 4-H Show and Sale was held on July 6 at the Estevan Exhibition Grounds. After two days of judging, awards were handed out, and then 43 cattle were auctioned off, with an average sale price of $3.40 per pound. The grand champion steer was owned Outram-Madigan 4-H Club member Casie Brokenshire.
A water main replacement began on Dieppe Crescent in northwest Estevan. The work was expected to take three weeks, but it wound up lasting for most of the summer. The previous cast iron water main had suffered numerous breaks the previous winter.
Prairie Mines & Royalty ULC, operating as Westmoreland Coal Company, pleaded guilty on July 10 to charges stemming from a workplace that occurred on Aug. 10, 2015, near Estevan. A worker suffered serious injuries after tripping on a footrest inside the cabin of a dragline excavator and falling approximately 20 feet. The company was fined $85,714.29 plus a surcharge of $34,285.71.
The City of Estevan’s audited financial statements for 2016 were released at the July 17 city council meeting. The city finished with a surplus of $4 million in 2016, while the net debt, based on financial assets versus liabilities, stood at $25.9 million, which was down about $2.5 million from 2015.
Dry conditions in the Estevan area forced many municipalities to impose fire bans in mid-July that would remain intermittently for much of the summer and part of the fall. The RMs of Estevan, Cambria and Benson were among those affected by the burning bans. The conditions also resulted in a significant number of grass fires for local firefighters during the second half of the year.
Woodlawn Regional Park hosted the annual Beach Bash at its Boundary Dam Beach Site on July 27 and 28, and it attracted more than 1,600 people. Those who attended enjoyed family activities, building sand castles and playing in the water. Entertainment was offered each day, and nighttime cabarets were well attended.
Bernie Collins was recognized for his many years of service to the community on July 31, when the City of Estevan renamed Woodlawn Avenue Â鶹ÊÓƵ as Collins Road. Collins was a long-time educator and politician in Estevan. He had multiple terms as a city councillor in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, and served as the city’s mayor from 1985 to 1988. He was the member of Parliament for Souris-Moose Mountain from 1993 to 1997. Family, friends and members of Estevan city council were present for the ceremony.
