Saskatchewan is set to table its budget today outlining the province's plans to boost spending on health care, education and crime reduction. 

Premier Scott Moe has said increased investment in those areas is meant to reduce surgical wait times, improve Grade 3 reading levels and make communities safer. 

Moe has also pledged to freeze the education property tax while providing more money to municipalities. 

This is the Saskatchewan Party government's first budget since Moe was re-elected premier last fall.

His platform promised deficits in the first three years to accommodate increased spending and provide broad-based tax relief, which was passed through legislation last year. 

The spending document also comes as U.S. President Donald Trump is considering additional tariffs on Canada while China plans retaliatory levies on canola oil, meal and peas.  

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2025.

A Saskatoon teen driver is staying out of jail after pleading guilty for crashing his dad's car while joyriding and killing his 16-year-old friend.

REGINA – The budget documents are ready and printed and the new shoes are ready to be worn for Finance Minister Jim Reiter’s first Saskatchewan provincial budget on Wednesday.

As is tradition, the printed budget books were delivered to Reiter in the finance minister’s office on Tuesday afternoon, one day before Reiter is set to rise in the Legislative Assembly to deliver the 2025 budget. 

While he remained tight-lipped about the 2025 budget contents, Reiter did provide some glimpse about what the budget will contain. The budget document itself goes by the title “Delivering for You” — an early indication that the budget will focus on delivering of voters during the fall 2024 election.

Reiter confirmed the budget would “deliver on the priority areas… that we heard from people during the election campaign where they expect government to focus.”

But tariff threats looms large over this year’s provincial budget. Reiter told reporters the government was concerned about tariffs from the USA as well as China.

“Obviously the Premier’s called on the federal government to do something,” Reiter said.

“Just know we are concerned.”

He acknowledged the impact tariffs had in terms of preparing the budget. “It was difficult —- it adds so much uncertainty,” said Reiter.

“So what you’re going to see tomorrow in the budget speech first thing out of the gate is discussion on tariffs. You’ll also going to see, as part of the budget, some analysis work done by the Ministry of Finance on that as well.”

Overall, Reiter said he enjoyed working on his first budget in the Finance portfolio.

“I’m a numbers nerd, so I loved it. It was a great experience. I’m very happy, very comfortable with where we landed which I look forward to sharing with you tomorrow.”

One tradition that comes with the budget is the new shoes Reiter will be wearing. He chose the shoes with a nod to “kind of the geopolitical climate that we are in today.”

The colour of the shoes was black — “I’ll let you read into that what you will.” Reiter later noted that the shoe colour goes with the colour of the suit he will be wearing.

As well, Reiter tried to buy shoes that were not from China or the USA, in light of the tariffs from the countries.

“These shoes are manufactured in India, our major trading partner, and their head office is in England,” said Reiter. 

Reiter expressed his hope that the tariff threat would settle down.

“The world needs to get back to free trade or as close to free trade as we can get. We’re an export based economy — that’s to our advantage, and it’s frankly to the whole world’s advantage.”

Maïa Schwinghammer of Saskatoon, Sask., won the bronze medal in the women's moguls competition, at the FIS freestyle world championships in Corviglia, Switzerland.

Average Canadian farmland values continued their more than 30-year streak of increases last year, but Farm Credit Canada says the rate of growth is slowing and trade disruptions could further dent them.

As with tradition, Finance Minister Jim Reiter slipped on a pair of new black shoes that he will wear when delivering Saskatchewan's provincial budget Wednesday afternoon. "I'll let you read into that what you will," he told reporters.

Farmers on the Prairies have canola on their minds as they brace for a geopolitical storm.

The City of Swift Current has awarded the contract for catering the concession at the Stockade Building for 2025. 

Daisy Lane Catering, most well known for their ongoing service at the Swift Current Comprehensive High School cafeteria, will be in charge of the event venue's concession. 

They won the bidding war between five proposals received by the City of Swift Current. 

Nicole Spenst, general manager of community services for the City of Swift Current, revealed that of those five, Daisy Lane Catering scored the highest in the evaluation process.

"And is therefore deemed to be in the best interest of the City," said Spenst. "Daisy Lane Catering has been operating for over 25 years."

The term for this agreement is 16 months, beginning on April 1. It will expire on July 15, 2026, with an option for renewal open to both parties. 

Spring runoff is at varying levels across the southwest - with some portions almost concluded.

According to the Water Security Agency's March 14 report, three localized pockets near Maple Creek, Val Marie, and Ponteix have snowmelt runoff nearing completion.

"Maple Creek is almost done spring runoff," WSA spokesperson Patrick Boyle said. "Temperatures moved there pretty quickly so a lot of that moved. Even as you go further south, southeast down to Val Marie, there's kind of a normal pocket and then some areas that spring runoff has already happened."

Above normal spring runoff is expected for areas north of Swift Current and a band from Swift Current down to Eastend and west to the Cypress Hills area. While most of the region south of Swift Current is on track for normal runoff amounts.

"The southwest is kind of a mix of all things of spring runoff," he said. "We looked at our satellite imagery recently and runoff did progress pretty well when temperatures were above zero there the last couple of weeks. It's slowed down a little bit, there's still some snowpack to go. There's probably not a whole lot left there as far as spring runoff goes."

Lake Diefenbaker is about 1.1 metres higher than normal for this time of year, as the WSA monitors its levels closely due to a lack of runoff expected from Alberta.

"We're purposely keeping that high," he said. "Mountain snowpack in the Foothills looks to be below normal, we're doing a lot of accounting for that keeping the reservoir as high as possible. We're targeting certain elevations by May and we're almost there.

"All reservoirs in the southern part of Saskatchewan are at or above normal levels. Water supplies going into the spring here look very strong. Not a lot of concerns there."

The WSA could release a final report in early April depending on how the spring runoff progresses.

Southwest residents and more are hopeful for the potential of lower gas prices with the pause on the consumer carbon levy coming up in a couple of weeks. 

According to GasBuddy, Saskatchewan residents could see gas prices decline by 10 - 15 cents per litre as long as the consumer carbon tax pause goes into effect on April 1.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, noted that prices in Swift Current are down around four cents since last month, despite being up ten cents since this time last year. 

"There's a lot of details we don't know, there's been talk that the impact from consumers could be shifted over to businesses," said De Haan. "So it's only a theoretical decline that we would see, at least for now." 

He highlighted that whether or not the lowered gas prices are sustained will be dependent on parliament's actions.

The pause of the carbon tax was issued this past Friday by Prime Minister Mark Carney and will apply to both users of gasoline and diesel.

"At least for now, we've seen prices inching down, which is rare for this time of year," De Haan added. "We'll have to wait for the outcome of the carbon tax laws, but I would be cautiously optimistic that there may be some lower prices coming down the road and of course, there's still a lot of hurdles to potentially cover, especially between Canadian trade tariffs, the carbon tax, and oil prices struggling as of late."

Ontario universities host both the men's and women's U Sports hockey championship tournaments this week, but teams from New Brunswick and Alberta enter as the top seeds with games set to begin on Thursday.

The Chinook School Division has been encouraged to buy Canadian.

In light of the recent trade dispute with the United States, the Ministry of Education has made the request.

"What they've asked us to do is if we have a project of some kind that we're procuring the services of some company that we review who it is comping from," said Chinook Director of Education Mark Benesh. "If it's coming from a company in the United States or materials in the United States that we look to see if there some Canadian alternative."

That doesn't mean they're forbidden from using American companies when needed.

"There may be no options in some circumstances," Benesh said. "If there's options, they're asking us to choose the Canadian alternative. In some cases that may not be the case. The goal isn't to stop the project. It's to review to take some time and see if there's an alternative."

Benesh noted if they do find they have to make any American purchases they've been asked to report to the Ministry.

He says they occasionally work with American contractors, but the biggest example is they purchase all their busses out of the United-States.

Two people are facing multiple charges after a traffic stop on Island Lake First Nation led to the discovery of stolen IDs, a firearm, and drugs. Loon Lake RCMP say they stopped a vehicle on March 14 and found the driver gave a false name.

Officers later found stolen financial cards , a sawed-off firearm , ammunition, and crystal meth . A 28-year-old man, and a 30 year old woman, from Cold Lake, Alberta, were arrested.

Both face firearm and property crime charges , while the man faces additional weapons and obstruction charges . RCMP say check stops help disrupt criminal activity .

A distinguished Saskatchewan writer and high school teacher will be showcased at the Lyric Theatre's next Write Out Loud coming up on Wednesday evening in Swift Current.

Angie Counios, author of the Counios & Gane series, will be sharing her latest book, My List, My Rules: The Year a Checklist Changed my Life, which was a finalist for the Whistler Independent Book Awards.

The Regina-based writer highlighted that while her other novels are mysteries, My List, My Rules is a thrilling memoir that touches on her experience as a woman in today's society and a first-generation Greek immigrant.

"It's about the year I did 101 things and all the lessons I learned from those things," she shared. "I have a tendency to jump into life with both feet and don't do a lot of thinking, and this book is a 300-page example of that."

Counios noted that My List, My Rules is a book geared towards adults and women and is relatable to many folks living on the prairies. 

She has won more than half a dozen writing awards including the Moonbeam Children's Book Award on three separate occasions and is currently working on the final installment of the Counios & Gane series. 

"I'm excited about Write Out Loud and seeing what the southwest corner of our province has," Counios

The Lyric Theatre will open the doors for Write Out Loud at 6:30 p.m. and the event will begin shortly after the musical entertainment at 7:00 p.m. 

Anyone looking for more information about Angie Counios can visit her on social media, stop by major bookstores to check out her books or pick up a signed copy at the event.

The Regina Fringe Festival has cancelled its 2025 edition, but promised a return in July 2026. The festival shared the news on its website alongside an image of three sad clowns.

The Saskatchewan government announced Tuesday that SaskPower is buying thousands of tons of steel amid U.S. tariffs.

Saskatchewan’s finance minister says tomorrow’s budget includes a focus on tariffs squeezing the province from two sides. 

Jim Reiter (RYE’-ter) says while levies imposed by the United States have made lots of noise, the planned measures from China will have a huge impact on Saskatchewan.

He says the budget will include an analysis looking at the effects of those tariffs.  

U-S President Donald Trump has imposed 25 per cent levies on Canadian steel and aluminum and is considering additional measures next month. 

Meanwhile, China plans to hit Canada with retaliatory tariffs of 100 per cent on canola oil, meal and peas later this week.

Saskatchewan produces more than half of the canola that is grown in the country, and the province has warned the Chinese tariffs would cause job losses.

Reiter also says the budget will focus on priorities laid out during last fall’s election campaign, including additional dollars for health care, education and crime reduction. 

The province also plans to freeze the education property tax while providing municipalities more money.

Another $5000 towards the Southwest Facility Foundation after a fundraiser with the Swift Current Broncos last week.

"The Broncos approached us after we had done a fundraising night with the (Swift Current home Hardware) Legionnaires," said Director of the SFF board Caitlin Mann. "The Broncos have always been quite supportive of our initiative, but they wanted to do a fundraiser night with us. We worked with them to put together some fun things, raise awareness, and get people over to our booth."

On March 12th the SFF held a raffle for a TV donated by Voth's that raised approximately $900 and then the Broncos topped up their fundraiser to $5000 with proceeds from the game itself.

"It means a lot," Mann said. "Especially when organizations like that approach us. They have a lot going on as is. It just shows that they realize it's important to build new rec facilities in Swift Current for them, their fanbase, their community, and their business. It reaches their whole fanbase and allows us to share our message."

She thanks the fans and the community for being so supportive of the foundation's work.

REGINA – Premier Scott Moe opened Canada’s Farm Show in Regina on Tuesday, but it was clear that looming tariffs were very much on his mind.

In remarks to those attending the “Thank You Farmers Breakfast” event Tuesday, and in speaking to reporters afterwards, Moe was clearly concerned about the impact of tariffs from the United States and even more so from China.

“Second to the U.S. tariffs, likely the most urgent and impactful tariff from Saskatchewan’s perspective is the 100 per cent Chinese tariff on canola oil and meal,” Moe told reporters.

“That is one that we are going to feel immediately here in this province in the next number of weeks. That’s why I’ve asked the new Prime Minister to reach out to President Xi in China before he calls an election to offer a plan on how we’re going to chart a path forward and that tariff can be removed. Because by the time even an election rip period is over federally, we’ll be facing substantial job loss, not only in Saskatchewan, but across Western Canada.”

Moe called that tariff “a Western Canadian expense at the benefit of a non-existent EV auto industry in Eastern Canada.“

The China tariffs are due to take effect Thursday. As for the tariffs coming from President Donald Trump, Moe noted that “things just change so, so rapidly. And often, you know, whether it’s myself or others, I will learn of the President’s decisions at the same time as everyone else does.”

Moe pointed to his and his government’s engagement efforts with the USA. He said his government was “having our conversations and meeting with all of the folks that we can that may be in the room to ensure that the President and his administration understand the true impacts of what some of those tariffs mean for American families, what they mean for North American food and energy security.

“And they’re detrimental. They increase inflation, reduce jobs, and are just not in tune with building a stronger North America.”

On the looming China tariff threat, Premier Moe was asked if he had spoken yet to the new Prime Minister Mark Carney. Moe replied he had not, however he did express plans to reach out. Moe said there had been some talk of putting together a First Minister’s meeting for this week, but added he was limited in his ability to attend given it is budget week in Saskatchewan.

There has been rampant speculation Carney might call a federal election in the coming days and Moe said he seee that “quite likely happening.” But Moe stressed how critical it was for Carney to reach out to China on the canola tariffs before any election call. 

“Prime Minister Carney determines when the election will be called, unless he faces a vote of non-confidence in the House. He should use this time to reach out to the President of China and to offer that if he is to form the Canadian government, that we will chart a path forward, he would chart a path forward to ensure that these tariffs are not in place. This is the most urgent and pressing issue to the Canadian economy and to the Western Canadian economy is 100 per cent tariffs on canola oil and canola meal. There will be jobs that will be lost by the time the Prime Minister comes out the other end of that election campaign.”

Moe said if Carney did not reach out to the Chinese government, “and we do see job loss in the canola crush industry and farm gate price dropping for Canadian canola producers, that will be the legacy of the Liberal Party.” He said

As for the country’s response to tariffs from the USA and China, Moe quoted former prime minister Jean Chrétien whi said you ‘can’t be smart and angry at the same time.’

“We as Canadians, and certainly in Saskatchewan, need to be very, very smart in our approach to how we’re dealing with the United States of America and how we’re dealing with the government of China. And those approaches will be different and need to be different, understanding the different relationships that we have with those two countries.”

Budget also looms

Moe’s appearance at Canada’s Farm Show took place one day in advance of the provincial budget, which is scheduled to be presented Wednesday afternoon by Finance Minister Jim Reiter. 

There has been plenty of talk about whether the budget would have relief measures to address the impact of the tariffs. When Moe was asked if any were included, he pointed to the province’s export value as having risen from $17 billion to $50 billion in the years they formed government. 

“You aren’t going to buy your way out of the challenges that we have seen.”

Moe said they needed to “look at things a little differently —- how do we utilize the strength of the Saskatchewan economy to actually support one another?” He hinted there would be announcements and examples of this within “the next couple of hours.”

Not long after at around 10:30 a.m., the government did make an announcement at Evraz Steel that the province’s Crown corporations would be buying Saskatchewan steel to support local jobs. 

Crown Investments Corporation Minister Jeremy Harrison said in a statement that by prioritizing purchasing of local steel for SaskPower and SaskEnergy infrastructure projects, “we are helping to keep over 400 hardworking Saskatchewan people on the job right here in Regina.”

Moe also commented on the talk about whether there would be a contingency in the Saskatchewan budget put in place. Moe pointed out that any province that has put in place a contingency used deficit financing.

He added that whether there was a contingency or not, “it doesn’t in any way say that or indicate that you aren’t going to in some ways support Canadian or Saskatchewan workers. We most certainly will be there if required, if this is drawn out in any way that we can. And working alongside whoever our federal government is as well.”

Beck responds

Opposition Leader Carla Beck was also at the Farm Show Tuesday morning along with several other NDP MLAs. Beck also shared the concerns about the Chinese tariff on canola. 

“Canola is such an important crop when it comes to this province. You know, this is a must-do for this government and for the federal government.”

On Moe’s calls for the federal government to do something about China tariffs, Beck reminded reporters that “this didn’t just happen. These tariffs were threatened back last August.

“I would ask, where has the Premier been making that case to Ottawa before now? This is not about, as I said, picking a fight. This is about getting to the table and making sure that those who are negotiating or talking with the Chinese understand what this will mean to producers here in this province, not just producers…this should have been something that was front of mind. This should have been something that the Premier was dealing with before today.

Beck also pointed to the importance of having a contingency included in the provincial budget to deal with tariff job losses.

“Budgets should reflect the reality of the people that live in this province,” said Beck. “If we don’t see some contingency in that budget, I think the government will have missed the moment. Obviously, I can have empathy with the uncertainty, but there has to be some contingency. There has to be some ability to be able to protect those who are going to be devastated if we see these tariffs come in on the second, those who have already been impacted already because of all of the uncertainty.”

A 62-year-old man from the Keeseekoose First Nation is now charged with manslaughter after a fatal collision in August 2024 on a nearby First Nation.

Regina city council sat for a second day of budget delibrerations on Tuesday, continuing to question the police force's budget request and proposing an additional reduction to REAL's budget.

Saskatchewan’s first measles case of 2025 has health experts urging residents to ensure their vaccinations are up to date.

The City of Swift Current has once again been swarmed with applications for the Saskatchewan Lotteries Community Support Grant. 

A total of 65 applications were received for the City of Swift Current on the grant. The total financial request altogether was for over $197,000. The City only has $122,000 to split between all the applicants, which it plans to do. 

The reason the City only has received that much from the grant program is because it's based on population. The fact that Swift Current has a higher-than-predicted demand based on its population is a good thing, according to Swift Current city councillor, Ryan Plewis. 

"We're about $75,000 short of what people are requesting," said Plewis. "Which in one way is great, because we are able to find homes for all the funds we are able to get."

The City plans to disperse its available funds to all 65 applicants. This means that some will not be receiving the full amount they requested, instead only partially filling that request. 

The way the grant funding works is that it is first provided to priority applicants. A minimum of 50 per cent of the total funding must go to target populations, comprised of Indigenous people, seniors, women, youth at risk, the economically disadvantaged, identifiable minorities, persons with a disability, and single-parent families. 

The remaining funding is open to those who don't fall into those categories. 

Priority is given to community programs that break barriers via low-cost initiatives, filling programming gaps, and community programs that target the stated target audiences. 

A southwest teenager who was tragically lost in a fatal collision in 2015 will be honoured at the upcoming CassKenn Memorial Volleyball Tournament.

The annual tournament will pay homage to the memory of Cabri's Cassidy Kennedy this coming weekend at the Cabri School with some friendly competition, food, fun, and beer gardens. 

Jade Telke, an organizer of the CassKenn Memorial Volleyball Tournament, highlighted that she coached Cassidy's volleyball team in addition to being a friend of the family.

"We started the tournament after Cassidy had passed away, she loved volleyball so we started a memorial tournament," she said. 

Each year, all the proceeds raised from the tournament support local groups, community projects, or non-profits.

Telke noted that in previous years, proceeds from the tournament have been donated to the Cabri Minor Ball team and the Senior Ball team.

"It's a good event for families, there's people playing volleyball all the way from ages 16 to adult are playing, and it's a fun day for everybody gathered," she added. 

Interested parties can still register a team for $150 per team by calling Jade Telke at (306) 587 - 7849.

One person has died following a three-vehicle collision on Highway 7, approximately 11 kilometres west of Kindersley, on the night of March 17, RCMP have confirmed.

Emergency crews responded to the crash at 8:55 p.m., temporarily closing the highway while Kindersley RCMP, local fire services, and EMS worked at the scene. Two individuals sustained injuries and were transported to hospital, where they remain in stable condition.

According to RCMP, the collision occurred when a car struck a truck that had broken down on the side of the highway. The driver of the truck, an 81-year-old man from Alberta, was outside the vehicle at the time of the crash and was pronounced deceased at the scene. A second car, driven by a female occupant, then struck the initial collision.

Police have confirmed that no criminal charges are pending. The highway was reopened after the scene was cleared at approximately 3:30 a.m. on March 18.

No further details about the victims have been released.

The Saskatchewan government says Crown corporations are supporting the province’s steelworkers by buying local steel.

It says SaskPower, the electrical utility, has negotiated with Evraz North America to purchase 10,000 tons of steel from the company’s mill in Regina. 

The steel is to be used for the construction of transmission structures and other infrastructure.

SaskEnergy, the gas utility, has also purchased 125 kilometres of steel pipe for a new power plant near Lanigan, southeast of Saskatoon. 

The province says in the first three fiscal quarters of last year, Crown corporations have awarded $1.2 billion to Saskatchewan suppliers for projects.

Saskatchewan’s support for the sector comes after U.S. President Donald Trump recently imposed 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.  

The next step in rebuilding Stewart Valley School is going to court.

The Chinook School Division released a statement recently on the legal action they're taking as efforts to fund the rebuild have run into issues with insurers.

"Due to the ongoing delays encountered with the insurers, the Chinook Board of Education has decided to pursue legal action in an effort to advance the rebuilding of Stewart Valley School. The Chinook Board has filed a Statement of Claim with the Court of King’s Bench against the various insurers regarding the Stewart Valley School rebuild project. 

"As this is now a legal matter, Chinook Board members and employees are not able to discuss any details regarding the project or Statement of Claim. Project updates with the Stewart Valley School community will be paused until the legal proceedings are concluded. The Board will provide an update when it is appropriate regarding the outcome and the plans to move the project forward. Your ongoing patience is appreciated."

The school division reiterated their intention to make sure the school is rebuilt. 

"The school division has been committed since day one," said Director of Education Mark Benesh. "This process, which I can't really comment on, is part of hoping to move that forward as soon as possible."

At a recent event hosted by the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, Stewart Valley Fire Chief Dan Barber expressed frustration with the lack of progress since a lightning strike caused a destructive fire at their school in the summer of 2022.

“We have kids right now that are on buses for an hour on gravel,” Barber said. “And if we don’t get our school back, we’re going to lose our community.

“If you lost your school in your town, what would you have left? We need someone to step forward and build us a school."

Also at SARM, Saskatchewan Minister of Education Everett Hindley responded to questions about the status of the school.

“First off, the school in Stewart Valley will be rebuilt, full stop. There is no doubt about that,” Hindley said. “I’m in the process of sending a letter to the Chinook School Division offering the assistance of myself as minister and of our ministry team, if there’s any assistance that we can provide to make sure that we expedite this project, to make sure we get it done.”

Benesh confirmed he had that conversation with Hindley and received their letter of support.

"When we started the process the board reviewed all angles of the project," Benesh said. "(We) made the firm decision to move forward and build the school. We had full intentions of having the building up by this time. Unfortunately, it's not. The board is committed to this project and thus have taken the steps forward recently."

The school division had updated Swift Current Online on their discussions with insurers in October.

"Our insurers are doing an evaluation of the costs that came in through the tender," said Chinook Manager of Transportation & Facilities Kevin Jones said in October 2024. "They're doing their background work on it to verify numbers and to try to come up with a comprehensive plan. From our angle, we feel we've done that, but now they want to do their analysis internally, and then they'll get back to us with what their findings were."

The school division had worked with a consultant who valued the replacement at approximately $6 million.

Benesh couldn't say how long the new legal process could take. 

-with files from Roman Hayter of CJME

Swift Current RCMP are asking for information on a theft that occurred in Cabri.

Four radiators were stolen from a property in the town, out of four separate vehicles. 

This incident occurred between February 14 and February 17, 2025. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact 310-RCMP or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Rebecca Strong, a singer from Prince Albert, Sask., was crowned the champion of Canada's Got Talent in 2024. CBC Radio's The Morning Edition checked in with her one year after receiving the $1 million prize.

After June Jordan

I SAID I KNOW WHO I AM AND I WANT
THE WAR ON GAZA TO STOP

I SAID I WANT THE BOMBING TO STOP STOP
HEARTS TO BURST THIS HORROR STOP

I SAID I WANT CEASEFIRE 416 DAYS AGO
76 YEARS AGO STOP

I WANT
TO HAVE BEEN WRONG OCTOBER 7

I WANT TO HAVE BEEN WRONG WHEN
I KNEW BLOODSHED AND GASLIGHTING WOULD ENSUE

I WANT TO HAVE NOT
KNOWN MY MOTHER’S HOMELAND WOULD BE NEXT

I WANT WANT
RAGE TO SPEW FROM EVERYONE I’VE MET NEVER MET

I WANT TO HAVE STOOD UP
SOONER LOUDER PROUDER

I WANT TO NOT
BE THIS TOKEN ARAB IN THIS SMALL TOWN

I WANT TO NOT
BE THE ACTIVIST IN THIS FOREST

THE GRIEF POET IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
I WANT TO LIVE
IN A WORLD WHERE THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED
NEVER WOULD HAVE ESCALATED THIS LONG THIS WRONG

                                                   *

YOU SAY, “I’M SPEAKING!”
I SAY, “I’M SPEAKING!”

YOU AMPLIFY YOUR LIES AND ENSURE MY SILENCE
I MAGNIFY YOUR FEARS AND REVEAL YOUR VIOLENCE

AND I HAVE BEGUN
I BEGIN TO BELIEVE MAYBE

MAYBE MAYBE
THIS IS NOT A WARNING
BUT AN INVITATION
AN INCANTATION

MAYBE MAYBE
MY LIFE WAS LEADING ME TO THIS MOMENT
WHEN I BEGAN TO BECOME
WHO I ALWAYS WAS

MAYBE MAYBE
THE SUFFERING BROUGHT THE LIGHT
THE HEARTBREAK MADE THE MOON
THE SUNSET PUSHED THE DAY

SO I COULD BECOME
BECOME MY MOTHER’S ARAB DAUGHTER
SO I COULD BECOME
WHO I WAS ALWAYS TOO AFRAID TO BE

I AM ROCKING MYSELF
IN THE ARMS OF JUSTICE

I AM TASTING MYSELF
IN THE MOUTH OF THE FALL

*Italics are from June Jordan’s Intifada Incantation: Poem #8 for b.b.L

*This poem was the winner of the poetry category of our 14th annual Writing in the Margins contest, judged by Natalie Wee. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Regina Public Interest Research Group (RPIRG) for this year’s contest. 

A handful of southwest residents will experience an emergency power outage today in the Town of Herbert. 

Around 44 customers will be impacted by an outage beginning at 10:00 a.m. while faulty equipment is replaced, including the rebuilding of a three-phase transmission pole. 

Joel Cherry, spokesperson for SaskPower, noted that all even house numbers on the 200-500 block of Herbert's Dennis Street will be affected, along with odd house numbers on Thompson Street.

"We try to give people as much notice as we can, we need to get this work done as soon as possible in order to prevent an unplanned outage later and in some cases we do have to undertake these emergency outages," shared Cherry. "It's not ideal but it's something we have to do from time to time, and we appreciate our customers' patience."
The emergency outage is set to last until 3:30 p.m., although customers north of Bison Avenue will only be affected by a one-hour outage until 11:00 a.m. 

For updates, information, and a full map of outages across the province, head to saskpower.com.

REGINA – There has been an increase number of phone scams in the last few weeks, according to the Regina Police Service (RPS).

These scams “will claim the victims’ computers are being compromised, and they are facing charges if funds are not secured to prove their identity,” they said.

The scammers will get the victims to call a phone number which they believe belongs to their bank. The victim is then asked to withdraw money from their bank and send it to a third party to verify their identity.

With these ongoing scams, the RPS is reminding citizens of the following:

• Your bank will never ask you to withdraw all of your money. They will inquire about large withdrawals for your protection. 
• Organizations such as police, Microsoft, banks, governments (CRA) will never ask you to withdraw money to resolve “trouble”.
• If you’re asked to call your bank, always verify the phone number by checking the one on the back of your card or on your bank’s official website.
• Never share personal information during an unsolicited call and do not be afraid to say no and hang up.
• Avoid sending money to anyone you do not know. 

Anyone who believes they’re being scammed is asked to call 306-777-6500 or 911 in case of an emergency.

SASKATCHEWAN – The Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit is investigating the highest number of reports of child sexual abuse material it has ever received.

These files include investigating crimes involving the abuse and/or exploitation of infants, children and teens on the Internet.

During the 2021-2022 year*, the unit had 853 new files come in. By 2022-2023, they were up to 931. The 2023-2024 year saw an even larger number of new files at 1,003 and investigators are currently on pace to reach 1,317 new files this year. (*March- April fiscal year.)

“Surpassing last year’s number of files isn’t just a statistic, it’s a testament to the growing challenges we as ICE investigators face,” says Saskatoon Police S/Sgt. Tim Failler, Coordinator of the Saskatchewan ICE Unit.

ICE executed 58 search warrants across the province last fiscal year. As of March 13, 2025, they have already carried out 86.

As technology evolves and more people have access to the Internet, children are at greater risk than ever.

“Technology makes acquiring child sexual assault material easy for offenders, it’s no longer in the shadows. You can get it within seconds and with very little effort,” says S/Sgt. Tim Failler. “You don’t need to have any special technological training to be an offender, your phone is the pathway.” 

ICE began tracking the number of files they were requested to assist with at Saskatchewan RCMP detachments because they were getting so many. In ten months, they had over 150 requests for assistance.
 

“Many people in Saskatchewan see Internet crimes as just a big city concern, but the truth is, they can, and do, happen right here all across our province,” says S/Sgt. Failler. “Just look around, almost everyone has access to a phone. These crimes can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Perhaps it’s not you specifically – but victims could be your loved ones or friends.”
 

Understanding the Challenges

In addition to the concerning number of files coming in, most ICE investigations are extremely complex. Technological advancements, such as encryption and anonymity tools, have made it easier for offenders to operate undetected by parents and police. Investigators are also dealing with extensive files and larger data seizures.
 

“Generally, when we are investigating files, we search phones, computers, tablets and hard drives extensively to verify whether there is further criminality taking place. It could take weeks to examine, depending on the amount of data that is seized and the complexity of the encryption,” said S/Sgt. Failler.
 

S/Sgt. Failler acknowledged this work’s psychological toll on investigators, who often are exposed to explicit images and videos files. Each file, each request for assistance, adds weight to an already heavy workload.
 

“Our ICE investigators are dedicated to helping keep children of Saskatchewan safe. It’s a complex task and they work on difficult files, but they approach each file with professionalism and compassion,” said S/Sgt. Failler.
 

Teaching kids about online safety

Kids can be safe online, but parents/guardians need to be vigilant and aware of potential risks.
 

“You don’t tell a child to walk across the street without telling them to look both ways. The Internet is no different: both require caution, education and awareness to navigate safely,” said S/Sgt. Failler.
 

Public education is another aspect of ICE’s work. ICE officers educate families and schools on what to do when a child discloses potential abuse, starting with receiving the information calmly, carefully and without judgement. Last year, they did 46 presentations at various locations across the province.
 

“We want people to know that the police are here to support them. It’s our job to investigate the reports we receive and find ways to bring education and awareness to the community to help protect children from being victimized,” says S/Sgt. Failler.

Here are some ways you can help keep your kids safe online:
 

• Talk to your kids! Make sure they feel comfortable talking to a trusted adult if they come across inappropriate content.
• Remind them that people online may not be who they say they are and to only accept friend requests from people they confirm they know.
• Ask them how the social media app they’re using works, have them show you and ask them questions about it.
• Never share personal information such as address, phone number, school name or location with anyone.
• Try searching “how does the app work?” or “hidden features of the app” in your favourite search engine.
• Learn chat slang, abbreviations, acronyms and altered meanings.
• Keep the computer or phones in busy family areas, like the kitchen, where the screen can always be seen.
• Educate your kids about how the photos and messages they send can be saved via screenshots or recordings by someone else. Explain that once something is posted, it’s impossible to remove.

If you or your child have been targeted or are a victim of crime online, please do the following:

• Report it to your local police or online via cybertip.ca.
• Immediately stop all communication with the suspect.
• Ensure that you and/or your child do not comply with the threat.
• Screenshot and keep any correspondence between you or your child and the suspect.
• Remember that you are not alone – seek assistance/support from your local police.

“Parents and guardians can’t be everywhere at once. We need to do everything in our power as police officers, parents and guardians to help youth make informed decisions while navigating the ever-changing digital world,” says S/Sgt. Failler.

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The budget for Swift Current is fast approaching completion. 

That's according to Swift Current Mayor, Al Bridal. He expects an announcement for the budget to be made later in March, possibly next week. 

"We've been working on the budget very, very hard for months and months," said Bridal. "Council has had it for approximately the last month, and it is going well."

Bridal predicts the final tweaks and fixes to be finished by the end of the week or possibly the next. 

He did share an insight as to how tariffs have affected budget planning. 

"It's definitely shaken us up trying to plan because we don't know what to plan for," said Bridal. "We are planning for what we can see. Our staff and our Council are steady as she goes."

The Mayor also attributed most of the harship to that of American President, Donald Trump's, inconsistency with the tariffs. 

"Or maybe I should call him Premier Trump of the 11th province," Bridal laughed. "All the shenanigans happening the last while have been praying on all our minds."

Swift Current Online will provide coverage for the budget once it has been announced, and again when it is released.