Ukrainian refugees in Saskatchewan praise the reception they received when they arrived in Canada, but their future is still uncertain as federal rules change.

The province is announcing some support for projects taking place in rural municipalities as part of a cooperative program with SARM. Their Rural Integrated Roads for Growth (RIRG) program will see $12.6 million coming from the province for a variety of road related projects, with $21.7 million coming from the rural municipalities.

Here in the southeast, the RM of Estevan will be doing some road resurfacing to rehabilitate Rafferty Road, with $500,000 coming from the province with a total cost of $1.6 million.

The RM of Eniskillen will also be clay capping a border road to the tune of $400,000, with $200,000 provided by the province, and the RM of Maryfield will put on their own clay cap on Grid Road 600, with a project cost of $756,400 and the province providing $378,200.

SARM President Bill Huber says that he's thankful for the funding which will help out these rural communities.

"We're fortunate and we're glad that there is more funding for the program, which we always need because we've got a lot of bridges that are in dire straits. 80 some percent of them are almost needing repair or beyond repair in some cases, so we're continually requesting funding for that program. That's good news to hear that there's more coming."

32 projects in total are being covered in this announcement, which Huber says is an average number that they'd see in a year.

He hopes to see more progress from the province in the future on this file.

"We're just hoping it continues and we administer that program on behalf of the Department of Highways and we look forward to continuing that relationship. But it's always about money. We need more dollars because of inflation costs, and construction costs continually rising. So we need that, we got a lot of infrastructure that's needed repairing."

SARM is also meeting with some of its local delegates over the next few days as its annual convention gets underway.

The 120th Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities Annual Convention and Trade Show is underway from Saskatoon’s Prairieland Park.

The three-day event officially got underway with opening ceremonies Tuesday afternoon. It unofficially started in the morning with dialogue sessions between SARM delegates and Provincial Cabinet Ministers from the ministries of Government Relations, Environment, Agriculture, Health, Mental Health & Addictions, Seniors, and Rural and Remote Health, and Highways.

This week’s convention will have presentations covering the state of the use of strychnine for gopher control and capital gains tax changes, which were deferred to January 1, 2026. There will be a fireside chat featuring the SARM Board of Directors and the Bear Pit Session with Provincial Cabinet Ministers will take place on Wednesday afternoon.

Premier Scott Moe and NDP Leader Carla Beck will address delegates on Wednesday, along with Conservative MP for Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek Kelly Block, President of Municipal Hail Insurance Jason Friesen, President of the Rural Municipal Administrators’ Association Sheila Keisig, and the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS).

One thing that won’t be happening at the Convention is an election for a President as Bill Huber was acclaimed. Initially, Huber took over on an acting basis after Ray Orb retired last year after serving 10 years in the role. The roles of Vice-President and Directors for districts two, four, and six were also acclaimed.

You can view the entire agenda below.

The Regina Folk Festival (RFF) will not be returning this summer, and will be shutting down after decades of serving the city’s art scene. Despite efforts to restructure and rebuild, festival organizers announced Tuesday that financial constraints and operational challenges have forced them to permanently cancel the event and dissolve the organization.

The verdict date for the Chris Barber and Tamara Lich trial is now April 3rd.

Originally scheduled for tomorrow, the verdict had been indefinitely delayed on February 27th. 

Barber, a Stewart Valley resident, and Lich are co-accused of mischief, intimidation, and counseling people to break the law for their roles in the trucker convoy a 2022 demonstration that blocked Ottawa streets.

Barber posted on X that he and Lich are "ready to stand proudly again."

Lich posted on February 27th when the verdict was originally delayed that it represented a sad state of the justice system in Canada.

The trial wrapped up in August.

Pat King, another convoy organizer, received a three-month conditional sentence and time served when convicted of similar charges.

One of the recipients of the King Charles III Coronation Medal has served not only his community but the Crown directly. 

Andrew Keys is a local business owner with A.M. Delivery, a community pillar with his Haunted Town of Lil-Sur-Mer, and a veteran of Her Majesty's Armed Forces. He was presented the Coronation Medal in recognition of his community efforts and for his service in the British Armed Forces. 

Keys was happy to have had his efforts recognized in this fashion. 

"It's awesome to get, but it's also humbling," said Keys. "There's plenty of other good people working in the community, and they're worthy of getting the same medal."

In total, 19 individuals were presented with the Coronation Medal on Saturday at the Swift Current Legion Branch 56 by MP Jeremy Patzer.

Keys began his military service in the early 80s. He would go on to serve for  15 years, 283 days. He served in England, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Belgium. 

His first visit to Canada was when he was 17, as a young enlisted man. He quickly fell in love with the country and knew it was where he wanted to stay. After he completed his service, he and his wife returned to Canada, which is where they remain. 

"I was talking to my son because he is actually serving currently in the British Army," said Keys. "He's done 17 years now, and I was talking to him about (the Coronation Medal)."

Keys elaborated that while in the British Armed Forces, individuals receive the jubilee or coronation medals in recognition of their active service. 

"So to me, I think it means more in civilian life than it would if I had received it as an active military member," said Keys. "Because you're recognized for things you're doing in the community. I don't do stuff in the community to get awards or medals. I do it because I like to, and it's a fun thing to do when we're giving away money from the Haunted Town. It just feels good."

Keys regularly donates to causes in Southwest Saskatchewan with the proceeds from the Haunted Town of Lil-Sur-Mer. He and the 11 other board members work to select causes they believe need the support, and that otherwise may not get the support. 

The City of Swift Current Parks Department is working on some spring cleaning. 

The annual tree pruning has begun, and crews can be seen around the city cleaning up branches, shrubbery, and other arbour-related matters. 

During this time, there may be single-lane traffic disruptions as work vehicles stop to work on road adjacent trees. Motorists are asked to use caution when passing these vehicles and to watch for debris or workers in the immediate area. 

This work is slated to continue for the next while, as weather permits. 

Five local brothers will go straight from seeding to setting off on an exciting tour that will take them across Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia. 

Saskatchewan Music Award nominated band, the Hunter Brothers, will kick off their Homegrown Nights Tour on May 31 at Medicine Hat's Co-op Place. 

Ty Hunter, a member of the Shaunavon-based group, highlighted that the first leg of the Homegrown Nights Tour features shows at half a dozen locations.

"We're already in rehearsal mode, that's always exciting because you get to craft your show and present songs in new and exciting ways," he shared. "Live performance is one of my favourite parts of the career."

In addition to the six shows, the Hunter Brothers will headline Craven's Country Thunder this year and will also perform at the Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose.

"It's exciting and we look forward to seeing people out," added Hunter.

Anyone interested in purchasing tickets for one of the shows can head to hunterbrothers.com/tour. 

Motorists are being warned of poor highway conditions on Highway 363.

According to the Highway Hotline, there is an icy patch that is particularly bad between Hallonquist and Hodgeville. 

This is being caused by melting snowbanks, which have begun to refreeze with this week's cooler temperatures. 

Travellers in the area are asked to proceed with caution. Updates for all of Saskatchewan's roadways can be found on the Highway Hotline. 

Finding a job is one of the first things on the todo list of many newcomers to Saskatchewan, and it can be challenging. Jolene Watson, a professional speaker, trainer and networking expert, shared some tips for job seekers with CBC Radio's The Morning Edition.

REGINA – For the umpteenth day in a row I am writing about tariffs, and this time I’m doing it on a day when the American stock market is tanking again.

The Dow Jones dropped almost 900 points Monday due to recession fears. All the talk on the financial news down there in the USA is about fears of an economic downturn and even stagflation.

Why am I not surprised? Really, what do you expect when you have a half-crazed President Donald Trump in the White House, hitting countries around the world with massive tariffs — including the USA’s two closest neighbours Canada and Mexico. Never mind all this 51st State crazy talk on top of that. You’d think if Trump were so concerned with “America First” that he’d be interested in a stable trading relationship with his next door neighbours, with whom so many American companies do their business. 

But no, Trump has insisted on hitting them with tariffs, a move that is completely unpopular with the US stock market. Every time Trump hits Canada with tariffs, the stock market tanks. And then he has to reverse course and provide a one-month extension, only to try again a month later, only for the same thing to happen.

“Whiplash” is the word that keeps on being uttered north of the border about the reaction to Trump’s tariffs. Canadian politicians are so fed up that they are leaving in place their counter-tariffs and their bans on the US liquor sales until Trump puts a stop to this yo-yo act.

The new incoming Canadian prime minister Mark Carney says the counter tariffs will stay on until Canada gets respect. That could be a long time.

What’s most frustrating about this is that Trump is not being consistent in what he is asking for. His officials keep insisting the 25 per cent tariffs are about fighting fentanyl. So Canada announces $1.3 billion in measures to combat fentanyl and Trump grants a reprieve. Then a month passes, and Trump declares that Canada hasn’t done enough, and hits the country with tariffs anyway.

No wonder Canadians are fed up. We do exactly what Trump says he wants done, only to get hit anyway. And there there are the 51st State insults to top that.

But here’s why I’m fed up: it seems like Trump is not even listening to people in his own country. I know Canada has tried mightily to lobby American politicians and business leaders in an all-out effort to try and talk sense into this administration. But really, the strongest message is coming right now from Wall Street and from investors across the USA. 

The markets have made it loud and clear that they think this trade war is a one-way ticket to another Great Depression, and that they think Trump ought to dial back the “tariff” stuff. Investors clearly aren’t buying Trump’s line of bull that tariffs are going to “make America rich again,” especially with all the concerning economic data coming out of the USA at the moment. 

I dunno how many times Trump is going to tank his own stock market before he gets the message. Who knows, maybe it is having an impact — he keeps on granting his stupid one-month reprieves to Canada.

Really, though, no one is winning in this trade war scenario. The USA is being handed their lunch right now due to their own self-inflicted tariffs, and the White House is embarrassing itself on a monthly basis.

Meanwhile, Canadians are very gung-ho about fighting a trade war with the Americans, with a “rah-rah, let’s fight the Americans” message from politicians and our media, without really understanding what this all entails.

For one thing, there seems to be this wide impression out there in Canada that imposing counter-tariffs on the Americans is something that will only impact the Americans. But you know who’s going to be hurt the most by counter-tariffs? Ourselves! 

It’s Canadians who will be getting hit by higher prices — not so much from the USA, but from the various counter-tariffs and counter-measures being imposed by various levels of our own Canadian governments on the US goods coming onto our store shelves. Those are putting the price of all US-made products up. 

This can’t go on. This ridiculousness on both sides of the border had to end sooner rather than later — but how?

The question people need to be asking is what is the “off-ramp.” That’s exactly the question I posed to Premier Scott Moe last week, and he seemed to concur when I suggested maybe the upcoming USMCA negotiation might do that. In any event, there needs to be some negotiating done in the near future, that seems the most logical way out. 

Here’s the off-ramp involving the USMCA as far as I can tell. From a Canada perspective, start negotiations early. The demand should be all of these new tariffs get removed and stay off. To address American concerns, commit to stepped up efforts to fight fentanyl and towards an increased commitment from Canada’s military. Craft a final deal that will both address the USA’s trade deficit concerns, but also result in increased trade for Canada in the end.

Make it a win-win scenario for all sides. While that deal gets done, Canada needs get on with improving their trade to the rest of the world so we don’t have to rely on the Americans ever again, which includes removing inter-provincial trade barriers, and building more pipelines.

That’s the way out of this mess, if folks on either side of the border can get out of their own way.

Amongst a host of peers, John Griffin was presented one of 19 King Charles III Coronation Medals. 

These medals have been awarded to individuals who have been nominated for their efforts in their community and specialized field. For Griffin, it was presented to him in honour of his work in preserving Saskatchewan history, and his work with the Local Legion Branch 56 in promoting veterans affairs.  

"I guess I'm at a loss for words," said Griffin. "It certainly was unexpected. I am honoured and humbled to be a recipient of this award, and it means a lot."

These medals were presented on Saturday at the Local Legion Branch 56 in Swift Current. Handing out the medals on behalf of His Majesty was MP for Cypress Hills Grasslands Jeremy Patzer. 

The other recipients of this award include:

-Michael McLeod
-Royce Pettyjohn
-Glenn Alexander
-Tanner Willshaw
-Ross Pollock
-Claire Pollock
-Travis Rushinko
-Donald Taylor
-Jeff Soveran
-Louis Cherpin
-Mitchel Hope
-Shaun Hanna
-Peter L'Heureux
-Andrew Keys
-John Watson
-Steve Stanford
-Terence Bittles
-Perry Avinou

Exhaustion is setting in at Fire Station #1, along with frustration over a seemingly insurmountable addiction crisis, said Saskatoon firefighter Jayden Poirier in an interview with Saskatoon Morning.

A Regina mother who was one of the first ALS patients to test a new treatment is now celebrating its accelerated approval in Canada for adults with an ultra-rare form of the disease.

"It was time to change." 

2015 Cypress Hills-Grasslands Liberal candidate Marvin Wiens felt the federal party needed new leadership as Mark Carney takes over the top job from Justin Trudeau.

"Justin had been there probably a little too long," Wiens said. "Especially from the perspective of people in western Canada. From what I understand and the little bit I know of Mark Carney he should be a very good replacement."

The former President of the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool ran for the Liberals during the same election when Trudeau's party first formed government.

"He got elected with some good ideas and did some positive things," Wiens noted. "I'm not sure he handled the carbon tax issue very well. Is it really helping the environment? The government hasn't explained that very well and that's why there's such an anti-carbon tax feeling in western Canada.

"I hope Mr. Carney can help people either understand that or do away with it and use some other method to protect the environment."

As someone who now spends parts of his winters in the United States, Wiens will be watching to see if Prime Minister-designate Carney can make a difference in the relationship with American President Donald Trump.

"My little bit of understanding about (Carney) is he brings common sense to the table," Wiens said. "What we're having to deal with from the U.S. is scary and I'm hoping Mark Carney can deal with that quickly."

Acting fast limited the damage of a fire in a senior living structure in Swift Current.

The Swift Current Fire Department attended to a fire put out a fire on Sunday afternoon at a facility on the 100 block of McIntosh Street.

"Had the fire out in fairly short order," said Swift Current Fire Department Deputy Chief Dean Diguer. "Quite a bit of salvage and overhaul pulling down some of the ceiling and whatnot to make sure the fire hadn't spread to any of the adjoining buildings."

Diguer credited alert occupant for limited the potential damage. 

"It was quick notification by the occupants of the building which made a big difference," he said. "It certainly could have been a lot bigger than it was."

The cause is still under investigation.

"I have a suspicion, but nothing confirmed quite yet," Diguer said. "We have to consult some outside agencies to go through some of the details."

He noted no one was injured in the incident.

Three vehicles responded to the incident, with ten personnel on the scene.

The RCMP, Emergency Medical Services, SaskEnergy, SaskPower and City Light & Power all sent people to the scene of the fire.

Southwest skaters of all ages have been preparing all winter for the annual Skating Carnival ice show coming up in just a couple of weeks.

The Swift Current Skating Club's year-end event will feature a Disney theme this year with vibrant costumes and popular Disney songs from various movies. 

Stephanie Steinley, treasurer for the Swift Current Skating Club, noted that the Skating Carnival is set for Sunday, March 23 beginning at 2:00 p.m. 

"We'll be hosting our yearly ice show, our skaters from ages three all the way up to adults have been practicing all year," she said. 

Everyone is welcome to stop by and support the skaters, admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children, and ages two and under are free. 

Steinley highlighted that this year the club has four graduating figure skaters who will each be showcased in a final solo before they head off to college or other aspirations. 

"The Disney theme is one that we went with in the past, we did the Disney theme I think about nine years ago," she added. "It's really fun, there's such good music, the costumes are fantastic, and lots for us to work with."

For more information about the Swift Current Skating Club, visit swiftcurrentskatingclub.ca or email [email protected]. 

Southwest land owners, nature lovers, residents, and more are recognizing the ninth annual Prairie's Got The Goods Week. 

The Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan is hosting a series of five educational webinars and two Coffee Table Conversations with experienced ranch owners from March 10 to March 14.

Caitlin Mroz-Sailer, stewardship coordinator with Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan, highlighted that the first webinar took place on Monday and featured two Métis guardians for an Indigenous outlook of the prairies.

"It's a week to raise awareness about the importance of the ecosystem, to showcase that there are so many things happening around the province," she said. "We're going to be talking about all these different services that you don't learn about in school, but they're essential."

Today's webinar will feature Jordan Phelps from Pollinator Partnership Canada who will speak about the role of pollinators and how to support them beginning at noon. The other webinars highlight wetlands, the Nature Conservancy of Canada's Grasslands Action Plan, grassland carbon storage, and more.

The Coffee Table Conversations will include Art McElroy from the Frontier area on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. and Lynn Grant from Val Marie on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. 

"There's seven options for people to choose from and if somebody can't make it, we'll also record and upload them to our YouTube channel," shared Mroz-Sailer.

She noted that the webinars and online conversations are free to attend, although registration for each one is required.

"We want to foster an appreciation of an undervalued ecosystem," Mroz-Sailer added. "In Saskatchewan, a lot of people don't realize that we have less than 13 per cent of native prairie remaining, we should protect them and this week is all about why we should protect them."

Anyone interested in more information or signing up for the webinars can head to pcap-sk.org.

The federal government will be providing $15.8 million over three years for school food programs in Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan daycare operators say they're frustrated with the province for not yet signing on to extend the $10-a-day child-care deal set to expire next year.

Saskatchewan is getting about $700 million as part of a settlement that will see three big tobacco companies pay out billions in compensation to provinces, territories and former smokers across the country.

Influenza season is far from over.

That's the message from the Saskatchewan Health Authority as cases are surging this time of year.

"This season has been somewhat different in that influenza came much later in this season," said Dr. David Torr, Medical Health Officer with the Saskatchewan Health Authority and Area Department Lead for the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine for the Integrated Rural Area "We are actually at the peak of the influenza season. There is a real continued increase in influenza cases."

Dr. Torr noted that while influenza cases are up, the number of COVD-19 cases is down.

"With the test positivity rates we've moved up from January at around 5%... now we are close to 30% of the tests that are done show influenza is circulating," he said. "COVID is showing only about 3 to 5% of those tests being positive."

That rise in influenza cases comes as the rate of immunization has continued to decrease.

"We have much lower rates of immunization especially in the under-65 years of age," Dr. Torr noted. "Interestingly the admissions we are noting in both hospital and ICU units the age groups are more in the 20 to 59-year-olds where much fewer are immunized in that age group."

Dr. Torr added the influenza immunization is still available and he is encouraging anyone who doesn't have it to seek it out.

Opposition New Democrats stood alongside childcare providers, parents and advocates on Monday in calling for the province to sign the extension of $10 a day childcare.

Opposition critic Joan Pratchler pointed out Saskatchewan was one of two provinces to not sign on to an extension of the deal with the federal government. Pratchler said this put “childcare and families and communities in a precarious uncertainty.”

“There’s so much at stake right now if we don’t get this signed,” Pratchler said. “Parents will face higher fees, childcare spaces will disappear, centres like Prairie Lily and others will have to close. Hundreds of jobs, especially in rural areas, will be lost, sending a chilling ripple effect through industries in our rural economies and our urban centres as well. This is a provincial powder keg, and I hear it ticking.”

Pratchler said the agreement “should have been signed weeks ago,” and said families “need certainty during an affordability crisis.”

“Don’t leave money on the table. Get this deal signed. Save these jobs. Protect the public service. And set up our little ones for a bright future.”

Breanne Arnold, a teacher and a parent whose newest child has a cochlear implant, said that because of the $10 a day childcare, “life in general has been more affordable. I, as a woman, could return to the workforce to a career I worked so hard to have.”

“We are at a crucial point in time where they have the opportunity to sign an extension taking us to 2031 with affordable, accessible, inclusive childcare. At a time when things are so unsure politically, we need to be able to count on our elected representatives. I want to count on our elected representatives to put families in Saskatchewan and children first and to stand up and protect a program that means so much to so many.”Nicole Wall, an early childhood educator at Play and Discover Early Learning Centre, said a reliable, equitable funding model needed to happen.

“We still don’t have a provincial wage grid. Beyond recent increases to wage enhancements, my colleagues and I had not received a wage increase in four years.”

Cara Werner, representing the Southeast Saskatchewan Directors Association, said they were needing “answers as to why the government hasn’t signed a new federal child care agreement that would guarantee funding for the child care industry for the next five years.”

“Most of our centres run exclusively on grants. Between inflation and the rising demand of high quality child care, many centres are just trying to keep their doors open and their heads above water. Significant numbers of centres have posted deficits in the last fiscal year because they can’t make ends meet.”

Luanne Furner, speaking for Prairie Playhouse Early Learning Centre, spoke of the need to bring child care into rural communities. 

“And we’re just about to open, and now we’re really stuck here and facing this opportunity that we might not even be able to open anymore because we’re not going to be able to afford to open our doors. And so then all the parents, all the jobs, the livelihood of rural Saskatchewan is really at stake here if this funding doesn’t go through for us. And we’ll be forced to close as well.”

Megan Moore, director of child care at the YWCA in Regina, spoke of the need for $10-a-day affordable child care.

“We have seen a significant increase in our wait lists. The YWCA operates five child care centers, four in the city and one rurally. We have approximately 300 families currently sitting on our active wait lists. This increase is a measure of need…We know that with our limited spots, we can’t serve all families, but I do think it’s important to note that this increase in wait lists is a clear indicator of the need for affordable child care in this province.”

In response to the NDP media availability, the Sask Party government issued their response in which they said the negotiation of an extention should include discussions on things such as inclusion of terms from other Provincial ELCC agreements, and flexibility to address before/after school programs.

“We remain ready to negotiate in good faith before the expiration of the current agreement on March 31, 2026,” the province stated.

The City of Melville and the union representing its workers have reached a tentative agreement after about a year of negotiations. The deal has been ratified by union members but must still pass through city council.

The husband of a daycare owner, which operated the facility at their home, has been convicted of several sex crimes.

Monday's hearing was almost immediately derailed as Justice Catherine Dawson was informed that Alena Pastuch had fired her lawyers.

Swift Current Rural RCMP responded to a report of a break and enter near the Village of Pennant on January 27.

The call was received around 11:50 p.m. and police investigated the scene.

RCMP determined that an unidentified individual, or individuals, broke into a worksite where they stole copper wire and caused significant damage to the site.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call 310 - RCMP or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at saskcrimestoppers.com or by calling +1 (800) 222 - TIPS.