Regina News
It’s time to test your home for radon, Saskatchewan
Radon, an invisible, natural, odorless gas, can be easily overlooked. As people spend more time indoors over the next few months, it's important to test your home.
Categories: Regina News, Saskatchewan News
All occupants safe after mobile home fire in Regina
Regina Fire and Protective Services crews were called to a mobile home fire on Garuik Crescent around 12:35 p.m. Sunday.
Firefighters arrived to find smoke and flames coming from the home. Crews worked to bring the blaze under control while ensuring the area was secure.All occupants had safely exited the home before crews arrived. No injuries were reported.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and officials have not released a damage estimate.
Residents were asked to avoid the area as firefighters and investigators worked on the scene.
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Categories: Regina News
‘They took out 4 innocent people’: National Silver Cross mom reflects on son’s life
OTTAWA — When Nancy Payne's son was killed in Afghanistan in 2006, his superior told the Lansdowne, Ont., mother that her son should never have been there in the first place.
"They knew that they had somebody good. He could have gone a lot, a lot further had he not gone to Afghanistan," Payne recalled.
"Yeah, that's what his boss said: 'I shouldn't have let him go cause he had great potential.'"
Cpl. Randy Joseph Payne was killed in action on April 22, 2006, while serving as a member of the military’s “close protection team” — a unit tasked with safeguarding VIPs, like the prime minister, or chief of defence staff.
Randy had been guarding Brig.-Gen. David Fraser, now retired, at the time he was killed, only three months into his deployment, and two years after he joined the Armed Forces as a military police officer.
"He loved what he was doing," Payne said.
"You know, that was Randy. All the excitement and the adrenalin, yeah, that was him."
Fraser wasn’t with the unit when a roadside bomb struck their armoured vehicle, known as a G-wagon, while they were returning to Kandahar Airfield. Randy was one of four soldiers killed in the explosion.
It was the deadliest attack on Canadian Forces in four years at the time. Randy was the 15th Canadian soldier to be killed at the time.
“General Fraser had left by helicopter the night before. So the next day, Randy and the crew were heading back to the base in Kandahar,” Payne recalled.
“So I think the people that did it, the Taliban, thought that Fraser was in the vehicle that Randy was driving, and Fraser had taken off the night before. So they took out four innocent people.”
On Tuesday, Nancy will lay a wreath at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on behalf of all mothers of Canadian soldiers who have died in combat.
Earlier this month, she was named this year's national Silver Cross Mother by the Royal Canadian Legion. Each year the legion recognizes a mother of a soldier who has died to represent all mothers who have had a child die while serving in the military.
"It's a great, humbling feeling for sure that they entrusted this to me," she said. "It's a great honour for sure."
Along with the wreath-laying, she's had a full schedule in the national capital meeting with dignitaries and attending events.
"I'm not young anymore so it'll be a challenge, for sure," she said, lightheartedly.
Nancy has laid a wreath at a local Remembrance Day ceremony every year since Randy was killed, but this year will be the first in a long while she'll also attend with her husband, as they usually attend different ceremonies in their region.
“We spread ourselves around so we’re not both at the same one, so we’re out and about in the community,” Nancy said.
The Payne family comes from a long line of service to the Canadian Armed Forces. Her husband, David, served 30 years in the CAF infantry, her other son Chris had a 20-year career in the military, and her uncle served in the Second World War.
Even Randy's son is now a combat engineer with the CAF.
When Nancy has laid her wreaths, she said she reflects on what it must have been like for the members of her family to go to war.
"Especially in the last hours, minutes, what they went through," she said.
"And then I think of Randy, of course, what it was like for them."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2025.
Nick Murray, The Canadian Press
Categories: Regina News
Jamie Nye: Riders West Final victory was all about belief
BEL13VE!
The promotional playoff phrase for a generation of Rider Nation was no more prominent than the final minutes of an emotional and heart-stopping finish to the West Final.
“I’m sure there’s people at home going ‘what are you doing?’,” pondered Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris on the reaction to head coach Corey Mace kicking a field goal with under three minutes to go when the team had the ball on the five yard line in need of seven points to tie the game.
Read more:
- Jamie Nye: Riders played to win, no matter who played quarterback in Winnipeg
- Jamie Nye: Trevor Harris deserves another year with the Riders, if he wants it
- Jamie Nye: Upon review, the CFL’s replay centre should be overturned
Categories: Regina News
Garden Talk: Tips to help your Christmas cactus bloom
Jill and Rick Van Duyvendyk answer all your gardening questions in Garden Talk on 650 CKOM and 980 CJME every Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Here are some questions and answers from the Nov. 9 show:Read more:
- Garden Talk: Can I plant organic garlic from the grocery store?
- Garden Talk: How to protect your precious potted peonies over winter
- Garden Talk: Last-minute garden activities to take care of this fall
Categories: Regina News
New legislation aims to support mining in Sask. through access to ‘stranded assets’
The Government of Saskatchewan says a new piece of legislation will provide certainty and stability for resource companies and ensure the province remains a very attractive place for investment by opening up new areas for mining.
The Mineral Resources Amendment Act, 2025 was tabled in the Saskatchewan Legislature on Thursday. According to the Ministry of Energy and Resources, the act allows for designated subsurface development areas to be established, enabling companies “to apply for access to mineral resources that would otherwise remain underground.”
Read more:
- Creighton copper mine on track for commercial production for mid-2026
- Sask. govt lays out lithium royalty structure as demand for critical minerals grows
- Saskatchewan is Canada’s most attractive jurisdiction for mining investment: Survey
Categories: Regina News
Saskatchewan’s Jamaican community rallies after Hurricane Melissa
Saskatchewan’s Jamaican community is coming together to help families and hospitals recover after the Category 5 storm Hurricane Melissa killed 32 people and damaged over 100,000 houses when it struck Jamaica on Oct 28.
The Saskatchewan Jamaican Association (SJA) says western Jamaica suffered the worst damage, leaving thousands without homes, power or access to health care.
Read more:
- Regina chef fears for family after Hurricane Melissa hits Jamaica
- No Canadians reported dead from Hurricane Melissa, Ottawa offers to help region
Categories: Regina News
USask Huskies launch 4th quarter rally to stun Regina Rams in 88th Hardy Cup
The Hardy Cup is coming back to Saskatoon as the USask Huskies mounted a late comeback to defeat the Regina Rams and win their 22nd Canada West football title.
Categories: Regina News, Saskatchewan News
Chief judges back court poppy ban after backlash
The heads of Nova Scotia's supreme and provincial courts are expressing their support for judges who ban court staff from pinning poppies to their robes during proceedings after some Canadian politicians called the practice wrong.
Categories: Regina News, Saskatchewan News
Grey Cup spotlight will firmly be on QB Alexander
The Grey Cup spotlight will be on Davis Alexander this week in Winnipeg.
Categories: Regina News, Saskatchewan News
Two men arrested by Sask. RCMP after stolen vehicle runs out of fuel
Wadena RCMP have arrested two people after a truck they say was stolen south of the town on Nov. 5 ran out of fuel.
Saskatchewan RCMP said in a news release on Nov. 8 that officers from the Wadena detachment found the truck “in the early morning hours” with the help of the public and the two people who had gotten out were arrested at the scene.
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Police also said that a search of the area by a police dog found a firearm and quantity of suspected drugs.
The 36-year-old driver of the vehicle from Yellowquill First Nation has been charged with fleeing from police, resisting arrest, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, unauthorized possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle and possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
The 23-year-old passenger, also from Yellowquill First Nation, has been charged with possession of stolen property and resisting arrest.
Both men appeared in Wadena Provincial Court on Nov. 6.
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Categories: Regina News
Trump administration demands states ‘undo’ full SNAP payouts as states warn of ‘catastrophic impact’
President Donald Trump's administration is demanding states “undo” full SNAP benefits paid out under judges' orders last week, now that the U.S. Supreme Court has stayed those rulings, marking the latest swing in a seesawing legal battle over the anti-hunger program used by 42 million Americans.
The demand from the U.S. Department of Agriculture came as more than two dozen states warned of “catastrophic operational disruptions” if the Trump administration does not reimburse them for those SNAP benefits they authorized before the Supreme Court's stay.
Nonprofits and Democratic attorneys general sued to force the Trump administration to maintain the program in November despite the ongoing government shutdown. They won the favorable rulings last week, leading to the swift release of benefits to millions in several states, and the Trump administration belatedly said the program could continue.
On Friday night, however, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson temporarily paused the two rulings ordering the SNAP disbursement while the nation's highest court considered the Trump administration's appeal. That led the Department of Agriculture on Saturday to write state SNAP directors to warn them it now considers payments under the prior orders “unauthorized.”
“To the extent States sent full SNAP payment files for November 2025, this was unauthorized,” Patrick Penn, deputy undersecretary of Agriculture, wrote to state SNAP directors. “Accordingly, States must immediately undo any steps taken to issue full SNAP benefits for November 2025.”
Penn warned that states could face penalties if they did not comply. It was unclear if the directive applies to states that used their own funds to keep the program alive or to ones relying on federal money entirely. The Department of Agriculture did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a Republican, on Sunday called the directive “shocking” if it applies to states, like hers, that used their own money to prop up the program.
"It’s one thing if the federal government is going to continue its level of appeal through the courts to say, no, this can’t be done,” Murkowski said. “But when you are telling the states that have said this is a significant enough issue in our state, we’re going to find resources, backfill or front load, whatever term you want, to help our people, those states should not be penalized.”
Democratic Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts said SNAP benefits were processed and placed on EBT cards before the U.S. Supreme Court order Friday night, in line with the previous guidance from the USDA. She said that if Trump attempts to claw back the money, “we will see him in court.”
“Massachusetts residents with funds on their cards should continue to spend it on food,” she said in a statement Sunday. “President Trump should be focusing on reopening the government that he controls instead of repeatedly fighting to take away food from American families.”
Democrats have hammered Trump for targeting the anti-hunger program during the government shutdown, contending the administration could have maintained it even with other parts of the government idle. More than two-dozen states represented by Democratic attorneys general on Saturday warned in a court filing that, even before the Supreme Court put the rulings on hold, the Trump administration was refusing to reimburse them for legally-ordered SNAP payments.
Wisconsin, for example, loaded benefits onto cards for 700,000 residents once a judge in Rhode Island ordered the restoration of benefits last week, but after the U.S. Treasury froze its reimbursements to the state, it anticipates running out of money by Monday, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' administration warned in a lengthy statement on Sunday.
The lack of money could leave vendors unpaid and trigger escalating legal claims, the states warned. “States could face demands to return hundreds of millions of dollars in the aggregate,” the states' filing at the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals says.
That situation "would risk catastrophic operational disruptions for the States, with a consequent cascade of harms for their residents,” the filing concludes.
Evers issued a quick response to the Trump administration’s demand to undo the payments. “No,” the governor said in a statement.
“Pursuant to and consistent with an active court order, Wisconsin legally loaded benefits to cards, ensuring nearly 700,000 Wisconsinites, including nearly 270,000 kids, had access to basic food and groceries," Evers said. “After we did so, the Trump Administration assured Wisconsin and other states that they were actively working to implement full SNAP benefits for November and would ‘complete the processes necessary to make funds available.’ They have failed to do so to date."
Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland said in an interview on CBS on Sunday that “in the past six days, we've received four different measures of guidance” from the Trump administration. He fumed over the latest that threatened to punish states that paid the full benefits.
“There is a chaos, and it is an intentional chaos, that we are seeing from this administration,” Moore said.
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Riccardi reported from Denver and Bauer from Madison, Wisconsin. John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas, and Lisa Mascaro in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
Scott Bauer And Nicholas Riccardi, The Associated Press
Categories: Regina News
Two people charged in ongoing investigation into Regina’s 10th murder
A 44-year-old man and a 17-year-old woman are facing charges after the death of a man a home in the 1000 block of 12th Avenue on Nov. 1.
Regina Police Service (RPS) is conducting an ongoing investigation of the city’s 10th homicide of the year after a 19-year-old man was shot dead just before 1 a.m.
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- Financial fraud cases in Regina up by 78 per cent in 2025: Police
- Man charged with impaired driving after allegedly hitting pedestrian on Eighth Ave
Categories: Regina News
Animal sanctuary staff in Summerland, B.C., ‘devastated’ by avian flu case
VICTORIA — An animal sanctuary in B.C.'s interior says it is facing a "heart-breaking" experience after discovering a positive case of H5N1, also known as avian flu.
Critteraid based in Summerland B.C. says in a social media post dated Nov. 7 that its team and volunteers are "devastated" following the discovery because their animals are at the centre of everything, and "the emotional weight of this moment is immense."
Critteraid says on its website that it provides a home for a variety of rescue animals with 54 animals listed on its website.
They include house pets, barnyard animals such as pigs, goats and cows, as well as ducks and chickens.
The post says that the situation has required "immediate action" and "coordination" with Interior Health, veterinary professionals and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and the organization promises to handle the situation with transparency and accuracy.
The post goes on to say that staff and volunteers are "simply consumed with this horror" and that the "situation is still active and regulated."
The announcement comes shortly after the cull and disposal of what CFIA says were 314 ostriches at Universal Ostrich farm near Edgewood, B.C.
Neither CFIA nor Critteraid were immediately available to comment on the case, but Critteraid says in its post that it might not be able to respond to questions right now, because its full attention is on the sanctuary and the animals.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9. 2025.
Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press
Categories: Regina News
Regina police charge two in city’s 10th homicide
The Regina Police Service (RPS) has laid charges on an adult and a minor in relation to a Nov. 1 homicide. Read More
Categories: Regina News, Saskatchewan News
Davis: Roughriders overcome Corey Mace's unorthodox strategy to earn Grey Cup berth
Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Mace hates Gatorade showers, so you know his players will certainly douse him if they win Sunday's 112th Grey Cup game against the Montreal Alouettes. Read More
Categories: Regina News, Saskatchewan News
Sol Zanetti elected co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire, notes ‘steep slope’ ahead
Sol Zanetti won his bid this weekend to succeed Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois as co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire, and acknowledged the "steep slope" ahead for the leftist party.
A fervent separatist, the representative for the Jean-Lesage riding triumphed Saturday over his Taschereau colleague, Etienne Grandmont, as well as former party candidate Yv Bonnier Viger, garnering 50.4 per cent of the vote in the first round. He will share the leadership role with Ruba Ghazal.
Zanetti was supported during the campaign by several former legislators from his party but not by current members of his caucus, who preferred Grandmont.
Zanetti, an erstwhile philosophy professor, told some 400 activists at his victory speech in Quebec City that the threat of authoritarianism around the globe makes action all the more urgent.
He also stressed the need to reconnect with what he called Quebec's "heritage as dreamers," including his vision of seeing the province become a country.
Québec solidaire is lagging in the polls as it seeks to revive its political fortunes ahead of a provincial election next year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2025.
The Canadian Press
Categories: Regina News
Montreal-area councillor to be chosen by lottery after a tie vote
MONTREAL — This year, one Montreal-area city councillor will be chosen by an effective flip of the coin.
In the on-island suburb of Montréal-Est, a pair of candidates in the recent municipal election battled it out to a tie, meaning the winner must now be determined by draw.
Candidates Audrey Bordeleau and Julie Larivée each won 81 votes in the Nov. 2 election, with fewer than a third of the 517 registered voters in the district participating.
The municipality says a judicial recount on Friday confirmed the tie, which saw 10 ballots rejected.
The winner is slated to be selected in a lottery in line with provincial law, with the event taking place at the local city hall and open to the public.
The Montreal area saw several tight contests last weekend, with at least three candidates winning by fewer than a dozen votes.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2025.
The Canadian Press
Categories: Regina News
N.S. chief justices supports individual judges banning poppies in court
HALIFAX — The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia and the Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia support individual judges who choose to ban the wearing of poppies in their courtrooms.
In a statement released today, Chief Justice Deborah K. Smith and Chief Judge Perry F. Borden said that judges have an obligation to ensure the courtroom is unbiased and impartial.
The statement says banning a symbol such as the poppy is not intended to undermine veterans but to ensure everyone knows they are in a neutral space.
The judges gave an example of a non-veteran charged with assault of a veteran walking into a courtroom where officers are wearing poppies, suggesting it could make the accused doubt the neutrality of the process.
Earlier this week, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston posted on social media that he was shocked to find out that staff in the provincial court system need permission from the presiding judge before wearing a poppy in the courtroom.
Houston called the practice wrong and disgusting, and said he may introduce legislation enshrining the right to wear a poppy in the workplace.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2025.
Emily Baron Cadloff, The Canadian Press
Categories: Regina News
Rider Nation braves the cold and drama to see team earn Grey Cup berth
It was a night only Rider Nation could love — cold, snowy, and unforgettable. Fans packed Mosaic Stadium through sub-zero temperatures Saturday night, refusing to leave until the final whistle as Saskatchewan pulled off a dramatic last-second win over the B.C. Lions to claim the Western Final.
The victory sent the Roughriders to their first Grey Cup in 11 years, and the stands erupted with cheers, snow flying as fans hugged, shouted, and waved green flags in the icy wind.
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Swift Current fan Jared Clark (second from right) celebrates with friends near Mosaic Stadium after the Riders clinched their first Grey Cup berth since 2013 on Saturday. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)
Swift Current fan Jared Clark said the win proved doubters wrong.
“Everybody said this is not a Grey Cup team,” Clark said. “Well, guess what? Our Week Five team is back, plus (wide receiver Kian) Schaffer-Baker. We dropped a couple of balls tonight, but we pulled it together and got a win. This is a Grey Cup team. The 2025 Riders are winning the Grey Cup.”
Clark said he layered up in winter gear and credited “a lot of green and a lot of alcohol” for staying warm. He plans to watch next week’s championship from home as the Riders face the Montreal Alouettes in Winnipeg.
Another diehard fan, Tyrieque Brown, was still buzzing long after the game ended.
“I was in three sections at a time, hopping up and down, going crazy,” Brown said, laughing. “If there was any Rider fan the loudest in that stadium, it might have been me, or the guy with the flag beside me.”
Brown said he believed from kickoff that the Riders would find a way to win.
“We always have faith — it’s the 13th man for a reason,” he said. “We could be down 20 points and Rider fans always got each other, always got the boys’ backs.”
When the game-winning touchdown sealed it, Brown celebrated in full Rider fashion.
“I took my cowboy hat off and chucked it,” he said. “Then I threw both gloves, one each way, yelling ‘we’re going to the Grey Cup’.”
Brown said he plans to travel to Winnipeg for Grey Cup weekend, joining his parents who already have tickets. Until then, he’s keeping his green gear close.
Fans Zach Gamble (left) and Noah McKay celebrate Saskatchewan’s comeback win in the Western Final on a cold Saturday night in Regina. (Jacob Bamhour/980 CJME)
Fans Zach Gamble and Noah McKay said they never stopped believing, even as the game came down to the wire.
“Once I saw that big catch from Schaffer-Baker, I was hopeful,” Gamble said. “And when that passing touchdown hit, golly, that was crazy,” McKay said.
McKay said his adrenaline erased the cold.
“The team left us down until the last two minutes,” he said. “Then the adrenaline kicked in. Last two minutes, I was standing there, just feeling good.”
The pair were just seven and eight years old during the Riders’ 2013 championship run. McKay said his stepdad carried him on his shoulders during the victory parade back then, and this time he plans to celebrate on his own two feet.
As Saskatchewan prepares for the 112th Grey Cup, Rider Nation is already planning another green-and-white takeover in Winnipeg.
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Categories: Regina News