A group of citizens and environmental advocates in Saskatchewan have filed a request for appeal in their legal challenge against the provincial government’s decision to extend the life of its coal-fired power plants.

The Saskatchewan Environmental Society (SES) and its co-applicants filed their notice of appeal on Feb. 5. The appeal follows a decision from the Court of King’s Bench to strike the case down on procedural grounds.

According to the group, the court did not review evidence or decide whether the province’s decision on June 28, 2025, to extend coal-fired power generation was “lawful, justified, or in the public interest.”

The group went on to say the court ruled the decision was a matter of government policy and therefore not subject to judicial review.

“The Court of King’s Bench dismissed the case without allowing the full legal arguments to be heard,” Margret Asmuss, SES president said in a news release. “We are asking the Court of Appeal to allow the case to proceed to a full hearing.”

The Saskatchewan government announced in June 2025 it would extend the lifetimes of coal plants as a ‘bridge’ to nuclear baseload power generation. Under the extension, they could remain in operation until as late as 2050, despite a federal shutdown mandate on coal in 2030.

The province plans to reach its goal of operating a net-zero power grid by 2050.

In the months following the province’s decision, the SES and Citizens for Justice launched its legal challenge over the plan.

Renewing their previous comments, the groups said the court’s ruling does not change the scientific facts about the pollution caused by coal and the “urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the country.”

“Coal use is declining throughout the developed world, and every other province in Canada has already phased out its coal-fired power stations or is committed to doing so by 2030. Saskatchewan is the outlier,” SES noted.

“Coal is the most polluting way to generate electricity and extending its use contradicts clear scientific evidence, the direction of modern electricity systems, and our national commitments.”

SaskPower currently operates three coal power plants in the Boundary Dam and Shand Power Stations near Estevan and the Poplar River Power Station near Coronach.

According to data from SaskPower, coal power accounts for 23 per cent or 1,528 megawatts of Saskatchewan’s net power generation capacity. Natural gas provides the most capacity at 2,486 megawatts through 11 plants across the province, while hydroelectric comes in third with a 863 megawatts in generating potential.

WestJet will continue to offer direct flights to from Saskatchewan’s two major centres to Canada’s Atlantic coast.

Following a successful inaugural run in the summer of 2025, WestJet will again operate direct flights twice a week from Regina and Saskatoon to Halifax.

The route will run from April 26 to Oct. 4 in Regina and April 27 to Oct. 5 in Saskatoon.

“Due to popular demand, WestJet is pleased to return and expand service between Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia,” WestJet senior manager of airport affairs Mike Perkins said in the announcement.

“This expanded service strengthens Saskatchewan’s air connectivity while supporting tourism, business travel and family connections between the Prairies and Atlantic Canada.”

The return of the routes was one part of a larger announcement on Monday, with the Calgary-based airline vowing to strengthen connectivity between Western and Eastern Canada.

Other elements of the announcement included direct flights between Calgary, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay and Campbell River.

Both the Sault Ste. Marie and North Bay flights will run twice weekly and begin in mid-June — while the Campbell River route will be offered daily and is set to begin May 15.

A bi-weekly flight between Edmonton and Terrace will also begin May 19.

A quarrel between two drivers led to a police intervention last week, according to the Weyburn Police Service (WPS).

In its weekly criminal incident report released on Monday, WPS said its officers responded to a fight near the Weyburn Police Station on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

An investigation determined the incident stemmed from a road rage dispute that escalated after both drivers pulled over and began to physically fight.

Both men suffered minor injuries and were charged under the City of Weyburn Fighting By-Law, each receiving a $500 fine.

In a separate section of the report, WPS reported that on Feb. 5, officers received a complaint that an accused individual had been sending messages offering money in exchange for a victim not testifying in court.

According to WPS, a warrant has been issued for the arrest of a male suspect, who will face charges of attempting to obstruct justice once he is found.

A man and a woman are facing criminal charges after allegedly fleeing Regina police in a stolen vehicle late last week.

The Regina Police Service (RPS) say officers were patrolling near Winnipeg Street and 6th Avenue around 8:30 p.m. on Friday Feb. 6, when they spotted a stolen vehicle with two people inside.

After trying to stop the vehicle, the driver ran a red light and reached speeds of more than 100 km/h before the vehicle was found abandoned on Wallace Street. An investigation revealed the occupants had been picked up by another vehicle and left the scene.

Shortly before 9:30 p.m., officers located the suspects in a different vehicle on Arcola Avenue East. The four people inside were taken into custody, and a firearm was visible in the back seat, according to RPS

Police confirmed the two back-seat passengers were the suspects who abandoned the stolen vehicle earlier in the night.

The first suspect, a 22-year-old man, is charged with operating a conveyance dangerous to the public, possessing a weapon and possessing property obtained by crime under $5,000.

The second suspect, a 24-year-old woman, was also charged with possessing property obtained by crime under $5,000.

Both are scheduled to appear in Regina Provincial Court on Feb. 19.

Ukrainians living in Saskatchewan are calling on the provincial government to reverse some recent changes to its immigration program.

At the start of the year, the province changed conditions of the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program following reduced allocations from the federal government.

As part of the changes, the province implemented sector caps to ensure the limited number of spots are distributed strategically.

The capped sectors for the year are trucking, accommodations, retail trade, and food services — four areas the province said “have historically filled the majority of SINP nominations.”

Now, immigrants working in those sectors seeking permanent residency may only apply to the program once there are six months or less remaining on their existing permit.

“It makes me feel upset,” Bohdan Dumenko said. “You will not gamble on that, because six months is a pretty (small) amount.”

Dumenko works as a delivery driver and finds himself stuck between federal and provincial policies that leave little flexibility for his situation.

Dumenko is in Canada on a Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) permit. The CUAET permit is a temporary program created in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

One major difference between CUAET and applying for permanent residency is the timeframes.

Ukrainians are able to extend the open work permit for up to three years at a time. Dumenko and other Ukrainians like him don’t want to risk deportation and their legal status in Canada to apply for a limited number of nominations, so he recently renewed his CUAET, which makes him ineligible to apply for permanent residency for two and a half more years.

After making a home in Saskatoon, he fears he could be sent back to Ukraine as he works to become compliant with immigration policies.

“I’m not planning to go anywhere else, and if I am forced to, it’s going to be a huge pressure, huge (difficulty) for me,” he said.

For Vladislav Chonka, the emotional burden of these changes is becoming more than he can handle. He left his family in Vynohradiv in western Ukraine when his daughter was three months old.

His now five-year-old daughter only knows her dad through occasional calls, which are becoming more difficult given Ukraine’s widespread power outages because of Russian attacks.

Without permanent residency, Chonka is unable to freely move between both countries and bring his wife and child to Saskatoon.

“Almost four years is too hard for me, because I try [submitting a] new document like three times and they cancel for me,” Chonka said.

“It’s very hard for me to be really talking about this.”

Chonka also recently renewed his status in Canada, meaning he may not be able to see his daughter again until she is nearly seven years old unless changes are made to the nomination program.

“I think that’s part of the unfairness is by not consulting with people. People moved to Saskatchewan and got jobs and bought houses and so on with the notion that they would have a pathway to permanent residency here,” Saskatchewan NDP MLA Keith Jorgenson said.

“So it seems quite unfair to sort of change that when somebody is partway through that process, and has already sort of put down roots and now they’re not sure when and if they’ll be able to get permanent residency.”

The province said it understands the anxiety and challenges that many Ukrainian newcomers are experiencing as their work permit expiration dates near and they work toward permanent residency.

To review as many applications as possible, the province has multiple intake periods throughout the year to create fair opportunities for candidates whose work permits expire at different times.

“The changes made to the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) in 2026 do not favour one group of newcomers over another. While immigration remains a shared federal-provincial responsibility, the Government of Saskatchewan is committed to maximizing provincial flexibility to support Ukrainian newcomers within our jurisdiction,” a statement from the province said.

With many Ukrainians arrived in Canada shortly after the Russian invasion, the three-year CUAET permit could potentially be expiring for the more than 8,000 Ukrainians who landed in Saskatchewan.

Jorgenson said nearly all of them would have renewed it in recent months, not knowing changes at the provincial level would impact them like this.

“The word that I’ve heard used several times is the word betrayal. People feel that they’ve been kind of betrayed,” Jorgenson said.

Dumenko’s brother Mykhailo, a plumber in Saskatoon, was hoping he would be facing a different circumstance after roughly four years in Canada.

“I hope something changes for Ukrainian people,” he said.

The Chief of Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation will face a trial after a judge’s decision Monday.

Scott Eashappie was arrested on March 5, 2025 in relation to an “ongoing financial crime investigation,” by the File Hills Police Service.

He was charged with fraud over $5,000, theft over $5,000, money laundering and breach of trust.

During Monday’s proceedings, Judge Lane Wiegers decided Eashappie will stand trial for the fraud charge. However, the breach of trust offence has been dismissed and the Chief will instead face one count of breach of trust by a public official under Section 122 of the Criminal Code.

The theft and money laundering charges were adjourned to be decided by the Court of King’s Bench.

Monday’s decision followed a preliminary hearing at Regina Provincial Court.

A preliminary inquiry is a judicial hearing used in serious criminal cases to determine whether the evidence assembled by the Crown against an accused person is sufficient to proceed to trial.

While the testimony provided during the hearing was given under oath, details and evidence are protected by a publication ban.

Judge Wiegers ruled there was sufficient evidence to proceed.

The court’s decision does not account to either innocence or guilt, only that a rightly charged jury could reasonably find a verdict on the basis of the evidence presented during trial.

Eashappie is set to make his next court appearance on March 20 for pre-trial matters.

Lindsey Vonn said she has no regrets over her decision to compete in the Winter Olympics after sustaining a “completely ruptured” ACL one day after crashing during a race and severely breaking her leg.

“Yesterday my Olympic dream did not finish the way I dreamt it would. It wasn’t a story book ending or a fairy tail (sic), it was just life. I dared to dream and had worked so hard to achieve it. Because in Downhill ski racing the difference between a strategic line and a catastrophic injury can be as small as 5 inches,” she wrote on Instagram.

“I was simply 5 inches too tight on my line when my right arm hooked inside of the gate, twisting me and resulted in my crash. My ACL and past injuries had nothing to do with my crash whatsoever.

“Unfortunately, I sustained a complex tibia fracture that is currently stable but will require multiple surgeries to fix properly.”

Officials said Vonn was in “stable condition” after undergoing two operations to treat a serious fracture in her left leg following her crash in the downhill final on Sunday. The American burst out of the start in Sunday’s final but caught a gate with her right arm after just 13 seconds, sending her tumbling down the slope to a halt.

The 41-year-old was then airlifted off the Olimpia delle Tofane piste as the crowd stood to applaud her.

“While yesterday did not end the way I had hoped, and despite the intense physical pain it caused, I have no regrets. Standing in the starting gate yesterday was an incredible feeling that I will never forget,” she wrote.

“Knowing I stood there having a chance to win was a victory in and of itself. I also knew that racing was a risk. It always was and always will be an incredibly dangerous sport.”

“And similar to ski racing, we take risks in life. We dream. We love. We jump. And sometimes we fall. Sometimes our hearts are broken. Sometimes we don’t achieve the dreams we know we could have. But that is the also the beauty of life; we can try.”

“I tried. I dreamt. I jumped. I hope if you take away anything from my journey it’s that you all have the courage to dare greatly. Life is too short not to take chances on yourself. Because the only failure in life is not trying. I believe in you, just as you believed in me.”

Earlier in the day, International Ski Federation (FIS) president Johan Eliasch defended Vonn’s decision to compete.

Amid questions from commentators and the public that the FIS perhaps had a duty of care to intervene in Vonn’s competing in the Olympics, given the risks involved, Eliasch, who has known Vonn for over 20 years, was resolute that it was no one’s decision to make but her own.

“That should definitely be the athlete’s job to decide for themselves on the day, and I mean, most of the athletes have injuries of some kind – it’s just ski racing, you live with it, you push through the pain, and you compete,” he told CNN.

“And in this case, I don’t think the injury that she sustained a week earlier had anything whatsoever to do with this. She was definitely fit to race, and what happened (catching and getting stuck on the gate) was just very bad luck.”

A blood pressure medication mix-up has led to a nationwide recall.

According to Health Canada, two lots of MAR-Amlodipine 5 mg tablets are being recalled as some bottles may contain the wrong drug.

MAR-Amlodipine is typically used to treat high blood pressure and chest pain. Health Canada says manufacturer Marcan Pharmaceuticals Inc. inadvertently put medication to treat low pressure in some MAR-Amlodipine bottles.

Finding out if you’ve been given the wrong medication is simple. The correct MAR-Amlodipine tablets have eight sides, are white to off-white and have the numbers “210” and “5” printed on them.

Midodrine 2.5 mg tablets, which were mistakenly put in the bottles, are round in shape and are marked with “M2.”

If you have high blood pressure, Health Canada warns that unintentionally taking midodrine could lead to serious side effects such as a dangerous increase in blood pressure, dizziness, fainting and even organ damage.

If your bottle of MAR-Amlodipine contains any round or unusual tablets, do not take them and return them to your pharmacy.

If you accidentally took the wrong medication, see a health-care professional or call 911 if you feel dizzy, have unusually high blood pressure or a slow heartbeat. Also seek immediate medical attention if you are experiencing chest pain, a sudden headache, impaired speech or are unable to move or feel part of your body.

EVO Radio Network – Scheduled Maintenance Notice

EVO Radio will be conducting a network-wide server migration and infrastructure update beginning Saturday, January 17, 2026 at 3:00 AM, with work expected to be completed by Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 8:00 PM.

During this maintenance window, the following services may be temporarily offline or intermittently inaccessible at various points:

Websites

• https://z1035.evoradio.ca/

• https://979thecowboy.evoradio.ca/

• https://101therockhound.evoradio.ca/

• https://887thegoat.evoradio.ca/

• https://advertiseraccess.evoradio.ca/

• https://vipclub.evoradio.ca/

• https://evomcorp.com/

• https://djspinderella.evomcorp.com/

Live Broadcasting

• Z103.5

• 979 The Cowboy

• 101 The Rockhound

• Classic 88.7 The Goat

Stream Relay Network

• All Stream Relay services will be unavailable during the migration.

Because this update involves server transfers, database installations, and name server changes, exact downtime periods cannot be guaranteed. Individual service interruptions may vary, with some components taking up to several hours to complete.

Our support and technical teams will work to keep all stations and websites online for as long as possible and will restore services immediately as each system becomes available. Broadcast services and station websites will be prioritized, followed by additional network services.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we complete these upgrades, which are designed to improve performance, reliability, and long-term stability across the EVO Radio Network.

Thank you for your continued support,
EVO Radio Network

🎉 Update Completed Successfully! 🎉

We are thrilled to announce that our scheduled network update has been completed without any issues! 🚀 All our broadcast stations, streams, and websites are now fully operational and running better than ever.

What’s New?

Here’s what you can expect from this update:
✅ Improved Audio Player – No more interruptions or cutting off! Enjoy seamless streaming on our websites.
✅ Enhanced Stream Stability – Our radio streams are now more reliable than ever.
✅ Upgraded Security & Quality – Improved protection and enhanced broadcast quality for an unmatched listening experience.

Fully Operational Services:

🎵 Stations:

• Z103.5 – https://z1035.evoradio.ca/
• 979 The Cowboy – https://979thecowboy.evoradio.ca/
• 101 The Rockhound – https://101therockhound.evoradio.ca/
• Classic 88.7 The Goat – https://887thegoat.evoradio.ca/

🌐 Websites:

• EVO Radio Advertiser Access – https://advertiseraccess.evoradio.ca/
• EVO Media Corporation – https://evomcorp.com/
• DJ Spinderella – https://djspinderella.evomcorp.com/

Experiencing Issues?

While everything is running smoothly on our end, we’re here to help if you encounter any issues. If you’re having trouble with our broadcasts or websites, please report the issue to us immediately so we can address it.

📧 Contact Us:

If you have having any issues please reach out to us on our websites!

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this process. We’re committed to providing you with the best listening experience possible and appreciate your support!

🎧 Happy Listening!
The EVO Radio & EVO Media Corporation Team