Alberta RCMP say one man has been charged with wilful promotion of hatred and other offences after officers seized several guns and a flag bearing a swastika from a home.

Mounties say the search at the house in Lloydminster, a city straddling the Alberta-Saskatchewan boundary, came after an investigation into threats of violence toward “identifiable groups of people.”

An RCMP photo shows several long guns, a crossbow and ammunition that were seized, as well as a flag with a swastika and a Confederate flag bearing the words: “The South will rise again.”

The 38-year-old man has also been charged with unauthorized possession of firearms and unsafe storage of firearms.

He has been released on conditions and is slated to appear in court in January.

RCMP Sgt. Christopher Byford says officers take any threats of violence or hate seriously.

The Government of Saskatchewan must offer more guidance in terms of the mental health supports provided to correctional workers, according to the provincial auditor.

In the report released Tuesday, Provincial Auditor Tara Clemett wrote that although the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety has effective processes, clear guidance and proper analysis are needed in certain areas.

In the report released Tuesday, Provincial Auditor Tara Clemett wrote that although the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety has effective processes, certain areas are in need of clear guidance and proper analysis.

As of February 2025, the ministry employed about 1,400 correctional workers at its five-adult secure-custody facilities, including officers and managers who work shifts to operate the facilities 24/7.

At those facilities, which house adult inmates sentenced for a term of less than two years and inmates on remand, workers are exposed to high stress environments that include gang violence, aggressive behaviour, mental illness and possible infectious diseases.

The audit, which took place over an 18-month period ending June 30, 2025, assessed the ministry’s processes to support the mental health of correctional workers.

Over the course of the audit, ministry staff responsible for providing mental health supports were interviewed and a sample of incident files were tested. The audit also used an independent consultant with expertise in the subject to help identify good practices.

The audit found the ministry had appropriate resources available for correctional workers who may need mental health support. Thirteen injury reports filed by correctional workers were tested, with the audit finding that the ministry offered mental health resources where appropriate.

However, the findings from the audit determined the ministry needs to:

• Provide clear guidance on when it deploys its Critical Incident Stress Management Teams (CISM) teams to support workers experiencing mental health issues
• Consistently track, analyze, and report on CISM usage to assess effectiveness
• Establish clear expectations and plans for contacting workers on mental health leaves to better support the improvement of their mental health and returning to work
• Analyze performance measures, targets, and metal health injury data to assess effectiveness of mental health supports, and take action when needed
• Enhance staff surveys used to evaluate mental health supports, such as getting written comments from correctional workers

According to the report, correctional officers accumulated an average of 114 sick leave hours in 2024-25 compared to 104 hours in 2023-24.

In a 2024 survey, 35 per cent of correctional workers who participated agreed that there was adequate awareness and knowledge of psychological health issues.

Agriculture experts are sharing their concerns after U.S. President Donald Trump announced potential tariffs on Canadian potash.

“A lot of it does come in from Canada, and so we’ll end up putting very severe tariffs on that if we have to,” Trump told reporters Monday in Washington, when commenting on how the government plans to bolster domestic fertilizer production in the country.

Despite a significant gap in potash production between the U.S. and Canada, one agriculture expert said the move would have a negative impact on farmers in both countries.

“The U.S. produces about 400,000 tons of potash per year compared to Canada [which produces] around 12, 13 million tons, and we export half of that to the U.S.,” said Stuart Smyth, professor of agriculture and resource economics at the University of Saskatchewan.

“About six million tons a year compared to their 400,000. If this tariff comes into place and it stops the Americans from importing fertilizer, they’d have a deficiency of about 5.5 million tons next year.”

He added consumers would also feel the effects financially.

“If it was really there and it was that economical to be in production, [the U.S.] would be producing it and drawing on their own domestic supplies, rather than going through the higher cost of importing it from Saskatchewan,” Smyth explained.

Aware of Trump’s message, Premier Scott Moe said the province continues to work with other countries in effort to not rely on the U.S. as its sole trading partner.

“When comments like this come, we take a breath, take the president seriously, [but] don’t always take him literally word for word with respect to what he says,” Moe told reporters Tuesday morning in Saskatoon.

“Let’s remember as Canadians what we’re actually trying to negotiate here which is a broader, replacement for, or update to the USMCA and that we can continue trading not only with the U.S. and Mexico, but with other countries around the world. The goal here is for free, fair and open trade. The goal here is not to take the bait, so to speak, on everything that’s mentioned by whatever international leader.”

In a statement to CTV News, the Saskatchewan Mining Association (SMA) said the U.S. heavily relies on potash production from Canada.

“U.S. farmers depend on Canadian potash, and Canadian farmers depend on U.S. phosphate,” the statement read.

“Potentially imposing tariffs on fertilizer will increase costs for farmers, strain supply chains, and ultimately raise food prices for consumers.”

Because new fertilizer supply cannot be developed quickly, the association said the process could take 10 to 15 years leading to economic stress for both countries.

“Furthermore, not all mineral deposits are created equal – they must be technically and financially economical to access,” the association stated. “The [SMA] will continue to monitor the developments and engage constructively with policymakers to support predictable trade.”

Transat A.T. Inc. says it steered clear of a strike after reaching a tentative deal with its pilots on Tuesday evening.

The travel company, which owns leisure airline Air Transat, had been cancelling flights and winding down operations ahead of the possible work stoppage, affecting thousands of travellers.

Neither the company nor the union representing some 750 Air Transat pilots released details of the tentative agreement.

Annick Guerard, president and CEO of Transat, said the airline “greatly preferred” to avoid the threat of a strike.

“We are aware that this period has created significant uncertainty, and we extend our sincerest apologies to our customers whose flights were disrupted in recent days,” she said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

“Our priority now is to quickly restore our operations and deliver on our commitment to provide service that meets our standards.”

The Air Line Pilots Association was aiming for a new contract that boosts wages, job security and quality of life following big gains for aviators at Air Canada and WestJet over the past two years.

Capt. Bradley Small, chair of the Air Transat ALPA Master Executive Council, said the current pilot contract lags behind industry standards in Canada and North America.

“We believe this new agreement meets the needs of today’s profession, consistent with collective agreements other ALPA-represented pilot groups are signing with their employers,” Small said in a statement.

Union members are expected to vote on the agreement in the coming days.

Transat’s flight schedule was severely disrupted this week after it began to cancel flights in anticipation of a labour standoff.

The showdown came at a particularly fraught time for Transat as it struggles to manage a large debt load, fend off a coup attempt from an activist investor and turn an annual profit for the first time since 2018.

Last week, media mogul Pierre Karl Peladeau, who owns 9.5 per cent of Transat -- its second-biggest shareholder -- demanded a board shakeup and strategic overhaul.

The proposal would see the head of telecommunications giant Quebecor Inc.’s right-hand man there replace Transat chairwoman Susan Kudzman, with Peladeau also gaining a seat at the table.

By Tuesday afternoon, Transat had cancelled more than a dozen flights for that day and the following one.

The cancelled trips included sun destinations in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Peru and Spain as well as London and Paris. All 18 flights were slated to either take off or land in Toronto or Montreal.

Air Transat said it had arranged seven extra flights Monday and Tuesday to ferry some passengers back early from their vacations.

The carrier’s active fleet of nearly 40 planes carries tens of thousands of passengers on more than 500 flights each week.

The Air Line Pilots Association issued a 72-hour strike notice on Sunday.

Transat responded that cancellations would ramp up ahead of a potential strike or lockout, which could have kicked off as early as 3 a.m. ET on Wednesday.

Much of southern Saskatchewan is now under a winter storm watch, as an Alberta Clipper continues to creep towards the province.

According to Environment Canada, a low-pressure system from Alberta will travel through Saskatchewan beginning Tuesday morning and ending early Wednesday morning (Dec. 9-10).

The federal weather service forecasts a large swath of freezing rain extending from the Alberta border west of Kindersley, southeast through Moose Jaw and to the U.S. border southeast of Estevan.

Regina, Yorkton, Weyburn and Maple Creek are just some centres under the storm advisory.

Strong winds are also forecasted to develop Tuesday evening.

“Roads and walkways may be very difficult to navigate. Travel delays and/or cancellations are possible,” the alert for Regina read.

Saskatchewan RCMP are investigating a fatal collision on Highway 11 between Lumsden and Regina on Dec. 7.

Police say a car and a semi-tractor collided. A 29-year-old Regina man, who was the driver of the car, was pronounced dead at the scene by EMS. His family has been notified.

The semi driver did not report any injuries. No other passengers were involved.

Lumsden RCMP continue to investigate with help from an RCMP collision reconstructionist.

RCMP are asking the public to help locate 44-year-old Adam Obey, who also goes by “Adam Sugar.”

He is wanted on a warrant for two counts of assault stemming from incidents in the fall of 2025.

Obey is described as 6-foot-1, about 225 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. He is known to travel to the Regina area, but his current whereabouts are unknown.

Police say the public should not approach him. Anyone who sees him is asked to contact local RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

Southey RCMP continue to investigate.

The City of Regina and Cowessess First Nation are partnering to build the city’s new composting facility.

“This new facility is going to help the City reach its target of diverting 65 per cent of our waste from our landfill,” City director of water, waste and environment Carolyn Kalim said at the announcement Monday. ”The landfill is the City’s largest emitter of methane gas, which is a powerful climate change gas, much stronger than carbon dioxide.”

“This is a really big move to have that out of the landfill, as well it aligns with our goal to be completely renewable as per the Energy and Standard Sustainability framework by 2050,” she added.

Awasis Organic Ltd., which is owned by the First Nation, will build and operate the new food and yard waste processing plant approximately three kilometres east of Regina along Highway 33 on land also owned by Cowessess.

“This partnership demonstrates what economic reconciliation looks like in practice, co-ownership, not consultation; shared prosperity, not one-time transactions; long-term environmental responsibility, not short-term fixes by diverting Regina’s residential food yard waste from landfills,” said Rebecca Acikahte, Cowessess Ventures’ business development manager.

“This agreement reflects the City’s dedication to finding innovative and sustainable solutions for residential food and yard waste while honouring Indigenous stewardship,” the City’s operations manager Kurtis Doney said in a statement. “After months of careful collaboration and planning, we’re pleased to move forward with a solution that meets the needs of the community and supports a more sustainable future.”

Awasis and the City hope to begin construction in the spring and have the facility operational by the fall of 2026.

Shifting focus

The announcement comes after the City was forced to terminate a previous contract in January it signed in 2023 which sought to build the facility near Pilot Butte – a project which drew much criticism.

That facility was to be built and operated by EverGen.

At the time, the town and its residents argued there would be severe odour concerns, leading the R.M. of Edenwold shut down the plans.

Cowessess believes this facility will not release any odour from the materials in the facility.

“There will be no smell, no emissions at all,” Acikahte said. “It immediately goes into the hopper, so it won’t be sitting there getting stagnant or anything like that.”

The City is hopeful this new facility will be at the cutting edge in the industry.

“The City went through our standard procurement process,” Kalim said. “Through that we were unable to find a contract that made sense. We also became aware of some interests Awasis had in putting a biotech facility together. We’ve had many conversations with lots of different food yard waste processors, lots of different technologies.”

“This proposal was incredibly strong and the City is very excited to go down this path,” she added.

How it works

The new facility will convert food and yard waste into what is known as ‘biochar,’ a substance that can be added to soil to improve moisture and nutrient retention.

”There is no combustion process anywhere within the system,” director of Awasis Alistair Haughton explained. “You’re not burning anything. You’re literally baking it.”

Over time, the charcoal assists with “negative emissions,” which refers to practices and substances that help remove greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the atmosphere.

“We lock that gas component into the charcoal and it will not be released for hundreds, if not thousands of years,” Haughton added. “Once it comes out of the process, it is not locked in. It could be used as a soil amendment and, on average, will save 15 to 25 per cent water usage.”

Haughton says the byproduct will have significant industrial applications, including in agriculture, landscaping and more.

“This is not new technology,” he said. “It mitigates the use of commercial fertilizers, which do have a lot of chemical compounds. Our focus is to offset the use of the commercial fertilizer by using a more natural, regenerative products, such as biochar.”

The contract

The City says it has signed an eight-year contract with Cowessess with an option to extend it to 10 years.

Within the 2025 budget, $1.8 million has been earmarked for its construction.

Cowessess says there will be little additional costs to its nation and expects initial revenue generation from the site to be nearly $1 million.

“In the first year, around $900,000 to start with,” Acikahte said. “And five-per-cent royalties on the biochar [Awasis sells].”

🎉 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

We’re committed to providing our audience with a listening experience like no other! To maintain this standard, we’re excited to announce a major update to our Broadcast Network.

What’s New?

This update will bring:

• A Better Audio Player: Improved performance on our websites to resolve issues with streams cutting off.
• Enhanced Session Operations: Ensuring error-free radio streams.
• Upgraded Security & Quality: Improved protection and overall broadcast quality.

Downtime Details:

• Expected Downtime: 1 hour (we’ve allocated up to 4 hours for any unforeseen circumstances).
• Impacted Services:
  • Live Broadcasts & Website Access for these 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/
  • Third-Party Apps: Any apps relying on our live broadcasts will also be affected.

Commitment to Excellence:
During the downtime, our team will work diligently to complete the update and monitor the network to ensure peak performance. We’re committed to enhancing your listening experience to the highest standards.

Stay Updated:
Follow us on Facebook or check our websites for real-time updates:

• EVO Media Corporation: https://www.facebook.com/EVOMediaCorporation/
• Z103.5: https://www.facebook.com/YourPartyStationZ103.5
• 979 The Cowboy: https://www.facebook.com/979thecowboy/
• 101 The Rockhound: https://www.facebook.com/101TheRockhound/
• Classic 88.7 The Goat: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093402861183

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding as we work to improve our services.

Thank you for your continued support,

The EVO Radio & EVO Media Corporation Team