Saskatchewan News

Latest Estevan Coffee Talk brought updates on health-care matters.

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. Read more:

• Sask. RCMP briefs: Occupants of green Jeep sought after First Nation shooting
• Woman charged with second-degree murder after three men shot dead in Turtleford: RCMP
• Boy charged with first-degree murder after man’s death in Whitewood

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. Read more:

• Sask. RCMP briefs: Occupants of green Jeep sought after First Nation shooting
• Woman charged with second-degree murder after three men shot dead in Turtleford: RCMP
• Boy charged with first-degree murder after man’s death in Whitewood

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. Read more:

• 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

The name of the victim has not been released at the request of the family, police said. RPS said on Nov. 9 in a news release that they have charged both the man and woman with being an accessory after the fact to murder. The woman, who cannot be named because of her age, also faces charges of possession of a firearm knowing it’s possession is unauthorized and possession of a firearm contrary to a prohibition order. On Nov. 4, RPS asked people who lived in in the area of Saskatchewan Drive to Victoria Avenue, Montreal Street to Wallace Street to search their properties for the firearm used in the shooting. Police did not say in the release on Sunday if the firearm had been located. The man has been scheduled to appear in Regina Provincial Court on Nov. 10, while the woman is scheduled to appear in Regina Provincial Youth Court also on Nov. 10. Regina murders in 2025 Regina’s first homicide of 2025 was on Feb. 18 when a 46-year-old man was found dead in the 1500 block of 12th Avenue, near Carmichael Outreach. Regina man Dennis Hotomaine, 39, has been charged with first-degree murder. Christopher Seaton, 42, was the victim in Regina’s second homicide of 2025 after his death in a home the 400 block of East College Avenue on April 10. James Dubois, a 36-year-old Regina man, has been charged with first-degree murder and a 42-year-old man and and 38-year old woman, both from Regina, have been charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder in connection to Seaton’s death. In the city’s third homicide of the year, 23-year-old William Campbell was killed in the 800 block of Victoria Avenue on On April 24. Four people have been charged in connection with his death. The city’s fourth homicide happened on May 30 when police found the body of 22-year-old Wahkia Ewalk in Marshall Crescent around 2 a.m. Angus Fox, 32, and Herb Fox, 34, were arrested in Edmonton and charged in connection to the death. When the body of 35-year-old Regina man Aron Lunan was found in a rural area near Grand Coulee on June 10, police named him as the city’s fifth murder victim. A 36-year-old woman was charged with murder after a man was killed in a collision with a vehicle on July 8 the 2200 block of Lindsay Street in the city’s Al Ritchie neighbourhood in the city’s sixth homicide. The seventh homicide of 2025 happened on July 14 when 53-year-old Brando Peji was killed in the 3000 block of 4th Avenue in the North Central neighbourhood. Three people have been charged. Two people were charged in relation to the city’s eighth homicide after a woman was found dead in a home in Regina’s North Central neighbourhood on July 25. A 26-year-old man was charged in Regina’s ninth murder after the death of the unnamed victim on Cameron Street on Oct. 9. There were six homicides in the city in 2024. Read more:

• 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

Think About This: Three companies have declared war on how you use the internet.

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

The Regina Police Service (RPS) has laid charges on an adult and a minor in relation to a Nov. 1 homicide. Read More

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

Work by Julianna Zwierciadlowska-Rhymer featured Nov. 8 to 17 at the Craft Council Gallery.

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. They won the favorable rulings last week, leading to the swift release of benefits to millions in several states. But, even before it won a stay on those rulings through an appeal to the Supreme Court on Friday night, the Trump administration balked at reimbursing states for the initial round of SNAP payments. Wisconsin, for example, loaded benefits onto cards for 700,000 residents, 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 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. That filing arrived as the Department of Agriculture on Saturday told states it would now consider any payments made last week to be “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.” Evers issued a quick response to the Trump administration’s demand. “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." Scott Bauer And Nicholas Riccardi, The Associated Press

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

Boston Tait was an alternate captain for the club, which defeated Team Canada White in the gold medal game.

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

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

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.

Local environmental groups will again appear in court on Monday, Nov. 10.

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. Read more:

• Cyclones roll past Wildcats 51-8 to win 5A provincial football title
• Saskatoon Holy Cross beat Regina Miller 21-16 in 6A football final
• U of S Huskies complete comeback over Regina Rams to win Hardy Cup

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. Read more:

• Cyclones roll past Wildcats 51-8 to win 5A provincial football title
• Saskatoon Holy Cross beat Regina Miller 21-16 in 6A football final
• U of S Huskies complete comeback over Regina Rams to win Hardy Cup

The Regina Urgent Care Centre has reduced its hours for Sunday and Monday due to physician availability. Hours of operation will now run from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and the centre will return to its regular operating hours of 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

MONTREAL — Thousands of protesters are expected at Montreal's Bell Centre today to demand the suspension of a new law that changes how doctors in the province are paid. Organized by four medical federations, the demonstration targets a bill that Premier François Legault forced through the national assembly late last month. Known as Bill 2, it ties part of physicians' remuneration to performance targets and threatens steep fines for those who use pressure tactics to boycott the changes. Doctors argue it muzzles them and could drive physicians out of Quebec, with medical associations opting to challenge it in court. In response to the discontent, Health Minister Christian Dubé announced Tuesday he was suspending a pair of provisions in the bill. The protest is slated to kick off downtown at 2 p.m., following up on a protest in Quebec City last weekend. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2025. The Canadian Press

MONTREAL — Thousands of protesters are expected at Montreal's Bell Centre today to demand the suspension of a new law that changes how doctors in the province are paid.

For the third time in Canada West history, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and University of Regina Rams lined up against each other in the Hardy Cup Final at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon on Saturday. The all Saskatchewan matchup was bound to be an instant classic looked back on for generations and the 88th Biosteel Hardy Cup did not disappoint, with the Huskies winning winning 25-24 after last taking the championship when they beat UBC Thunderbirds 23-8 in 2022. The Rams were looking to repeat as Canada West Champions after they beat the Huskies 19-14 in 2024. Read more:

• ‘The play you dream about’: Tommy Nield’s late touchdown sends Riders to Grey Cup
• Cyclones roll past Wildcats 51-8 to win 5A provincial football title
• Saskatoon Holy Cross beat Regina Miller 21-16 in 6A football final

The first quarter was a defensive clinic, with a Lukas Scott 31 yard field goal giving the Huskies an early 3-0 lead. Scott also started off the second quarter the same way before Rams quarterback Owen Sieben found the end zone twice and a filed goal from Ty Gorniak brought the score to 17-6. The Huskies managed one more field goal, making it 17-9 at halftime. The Huskies offence wasn’t able to get anything cooking in third quarter either, and an errant snap recovered by Rams linebacker Brandon Wong gave the Rams a 24-9 lead going into the fourth. The momentum shifted after Huskies quarterback Jake Farrell found receiver Liam Piccinin to make it 24-16, and a Rams fumble on a Huskies punt led to Farrell airing one out to receiver Mason Grabowski, bringing the score to 24-22 after a failed two-point conversion. With 25 seconds left in the game Scott hit his fourth field goal for the 25-24 final score, completing the comeback. “(We) got super close (and) I just knew I got to hit this one for the boys,” said Scott. “Earlier this year I ended up missing a game winner and I was just thinking back to that and I really wanted to be able to lift up the boys, and that’s exactly what I did.” “I believe in the kid,” said Huskies head coach Scott Flory.  “We knew with the game on the line we were going to go to him and just knew he could make the play.” Rams head coach Mark McConkey said the loss will sting for a bit. “There’s nothing I can say to them that would cheer them up,” he said. “It’s a gut-wrenching loss — there’s two good teams, there’s a good football game (and) unfortunately they just made more plays than we did near the stretch.” McConkey said despite the result a new standard has been set for the Rams organization. “The foundation is being built and this is a program that wants to be in this game every single year,” he said. “That’s the goal. We just got to keep moving forward.” Flory said he’s really proud of his group for what they overcame in the game. “(They’re) a resilient group, I’ve been saying that all year,” he said. “We made it hard on ourselves with a few turnovers, a couple of missed plays here and there, but at the end of the day you got to make the plays when the plays are needed.” He said it’s important that the team enjoys and embraces the moment. “We’re one of four teams that still gets to play football in this country, so that’s pretty cool.” The Huskies will now host Queen’s University in the Mitchell Bowl on Nov. 15 at 2:15 p.m. — with files from CKOM News Read more:

• ‘The play you dream about’: Tommy Nield’s late touchdown sends Riders to Grey Cup
• Cyclones roll past Wildcats 51-8 to win 5A provincial football title
• Saskatoon Holy Cross beat Regina Miller 21-16 in 6A football final