At the start of the year, we knew that 2016 was going to be a busy and memorable year in the Estevan area.
But we probably couldn’t have imagined just how busy it would truly be.
There were a couple of big events in the community to look forward to. The Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup junior A championship and the 2016 Saskatchewan Summer Games were gaining lots of attention, and promised to be marquee events that would bring lots of people to the city.
They delivered on the hype. The Western Canada Cup brought high-calibre hockey to the city that we haven’t seen in years. Estevan also proved to the other junior hockey leagues that the tournament can be a profitable venture.
The Saskatchewan Summer Games was likely the biggest event the city has seen in many years. It brought out the best in the people of this city, and showed the rest of the province that Estevan is a fantastic community with some top-notch facilities.
Local political aficionados were looking forward to the provincial election in April and the civic election. The provincial election was anti-climatic, both locally and provincially, as Lori Carr was elected to be Estevan’s new MLA in a romp, and the Sask. Party earned another convincing majority government.
As for the civic election, the mayoral election was a romp, but thankfully there was a lot of intrigue in the councillor race that ultimately led to the election of three new councillors.
But there were lots of other great stories in 2016.
We found out what happens when five inches of rain falls on a community in a two-hour span. Not that the end result should have been a surprise, with flooded basements and swamped streets.
But the flood also brought out the best in many, as it showed once again how we help others in the community during times of need.
We learned how a survival story can draw in the attention of people across the continent. A black Labrador dog named Bruno spent 27 days trapped at the bottom of a well. Bruno’s doing great, too, thanks to the care and support he has received since he was discovered in mid-October.
We saw how an incredible sculpture can be created with a chainsaw and a love for the members of Canada’s Forces. The Soldiers’ Tree monument will proudly stand for years to come.
We were reminded that even though the economy is struggling, and people had to contend with Mother Nature’s fury, tremendous generosity still prevails. The United Way Estevan set an off-air fundraising record for its 40th annual telethon, and other organizations had record-setting fundraisers.
We also had countless examples about the generosity of others, the work ethic of people in our community, the resiliency of the local energy sector, and the struggles that many go through on a daily basis.
