Daniel “Juma” Drie Atem, wanted in connection to a Regina homicide last summer, is now one of Canada’s Top 25 Most Wanted.

Police have been searching for Atem due to his role in a homicide committed on the 2100 block of Broad Street in the early morning hours of July 29, 2023.

Wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for first degree murder – Atem is described as around six feet three inches tall, weighing 140 pounds with a dark complexion and thin build. He has black hair and brown eyes.

A second suspect in the case, 25-year-old Shedrek Samuel, turned himself in to police in British Columbia in late February.

The announcement came in the form of a news conference in Toronto, featuring representatives from the Toronto Police Service, Toronto Crime Stoppers and the Bolo Program.

The Bolo Program is a nation-wide initiative leveraging social media, technology and other forms of engagement to encourage members of the public to be on the lookout for Canada’s most wanted suspects.

After exhausting most all of the investigative avenues in an effort to locate and arrest Atem, we submitted our investigation to the Bolo program for their review and consideration, Investigative Services Superintendent for Regina police Trent Stevely told CTV News.

At the Toronto event, Bolo director Maxime Langlois unveiled $1 million in cash rewards – set to be awarded to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest of several most wanted suspects.

“This money does not cost you a dime. This is not police money. It is not funded by taxpayer dollars. The $1 million on the table before me is from Bolo, an initiative funded by the Stefan Cretier Foundation committed to amplifying most wanted cases in the name of safer communities,” he explained.

“This has never been done and is unprecedented.”

Toronto Crime Stoppers Chair Sean Sportun highlighted that all tips remain anonymous but all rewards have an expiry.

“So if you know where these individuals are, if you have any information that can assist the investigators involved in these cases, be empowered to come forward, speak up, break the code of silence and by doing so you’ll be making your community a safer place,” he asked.

“Let’s choose the difficult right over the easy wrong.”

Atem, who is 14th most wanted, is the second Saskatchewan suspect to make the Top 25 list – following the addition of Jonathan Ouellet-Gendron in September of 2023.

Ouellet-Gendron is currently 13th on the list and is wanted by the Saskatoon Police Service on 14 charges including first-degree murder, drug trafficking and firearms offences.

A reward of $50,000 is being offered for information on Ouellet-Gendrons whereabouts. The reward is available until Dec. 3, 2024.

There is currently no reward offered for Atem.

“So what happens is the program, they start with this as a basic first step and then they reassess, Stevely explained. They might reassess next week, maybe next month, but theyve had success just having these amplification media scrums to begin with and then they’ll assess and eventually there could be a reward for his arrest.

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation said its members are ‘strongly encouraged’ to attend one of two online town hall meetings scheduled to happen prior to a membership vote on a possible deal.

In an online update, the STF said the virtual meetings, scheduled for May 2 at 7:30 p.m. and May 6 at 7 p.m., will give members the chance to “learn more about the GTBC final offer” and hear directly from the [Teachers Bargaining Committee].”

Similar meetings have been held throughout the contract dispute with the province, the last one being held in early April shortly before an announcement that negotiations were set to resume.

The offer on the table is a three-year agreement with an eight per cent salary increase, structured with three per cent raises in years one and two followed by a two per cent raise in year three, expiring in 2025 with retroactive pay to September 2023. It is missing significant movement on class size and complexity, a key issue in the long-running dispute, but does include a line about a Memorandum of Understanding intended to better direct education funding and give teachers more say.

Its the end result of two days of negotiations between teachers and the government committee.

Teachers will vote on the deal May 8 and 9. The STF did agree to put the deal to a vote, but has not pointed its members on how to vote.

STF President Samantha Becotte said Thursday the federation was focused on presenting the facts to members, “allowing them the opportunity to weigh the benefits and consequences or potential risks of voting in favour or voting against and come to an informed decision on their own.”

Pre-registration for the town hall is required through the STF’s internal member website. Teachers can also check their email for a meeting link.

Saskatchewan teachers have been without a contract since August 2023.

The STF represents approximately 13,500 educators in the province.

The provincial NDP is raising questions about the Sask. Party’s involvement with a U.S. rubber recycling company gaining a contract held by a Saskatchewan business.

Shercom Industries, a Saskatchewan business that used to handle tire recycling in the province, lost their contract to an American firm in May of 2023.

After years of negotiations with the provincial non-profit that manages tire recycling fell through, Shercom lost its exclusive contract, which forced the company to shut down its processing plant and lay off more than 60 workers.

On Tuesday, the provincial NDP released documents showing that former Sask. Party Finance Minster Kevin Doherty was hired as a lobbyist by the U.S. company which was later awarded the contract previously held by Shercom.

According to the NDP, Doherty was hired by CRM Tire Processing of Newport Beach California to lobby Premier Scott Moe.

Months later, the company received the contract.

“Handing this contract to an American company when a Saskatchewan company was already doing the work, Well Mr. Speaker, it raises a lot of eyebrows,” NDP Leader Carla Beck said during question period on Tuesday.

Beck asked Premier Scott Moe if he met with Doherty regarding the contract, to which she said he already answered no. She then asked if Moe had any concerns with this deal.

“In this particular case, Mr. Speaker, there was an RFP [request for proposal] as my understanding that the company she’s referring to didn’t bid on it,” he replied.

Speaking to reporters following question period, NDP MLA Meara Conway pointed to the contracts that were awarded to Canadian Surgical Solutions in Calgary for knee and hip surgeries , as well as mammograms .

“We see a concerning pattern of behaviour around these sweetheart deals and the involvement of Mr. Doherty, a former Sask. Party Finance Minister,” she said.

“We’re looking for a little bit of transparency … The Premier said one person bid on this RFP, we’re hearing from the community, the business community, that that RFP was appeared to be tailored to one company.”

The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.

A recent report from Canada’s Competition Bureau concluded that Bunge Ltds $8.2 billion acquistion of Viterra is “likely to result in substantial anti-competitive effects and a significant loss of rivalry” in a number of grain and canola oil markets across Canada.

The bureau pointed to Bunge’s ability to “materially influence the economic behaviour” of G3 Global Holdings – a major competitor to Viterra.

“As a minority shareholder of G3, Bunge has access to G3’s confidential competitively sensitive information,” the report read. “Provid[ing] a channel through which G3’s largest competitor [Viterra] has the ability to access information about G3’s economic and competitive strategies.”

As a result of the proposed merger, the bureau expects a substantial lessening of competition for the purchase of canola between Bunge and Viterra in certain western Canadian markets. The report highlighted the Nipawin and Altona areas where the companies’ market share exceeded 45 per cent and 60 per cent respectively.

“The Proposed Transaction will result in the combination of the company with the most oilseed crushing facilities and the company with the most primary grain elevators in Western Canada,” the report read.

Both G3 and Viterra hold a combined share of 42 per cent of elevator capacity in western Canada.

Additionally, the bureau forecasts anti-competitive effects to the sale of canola oil in eastern Canada to customers who cannot receive oil by rail.

In their analysis, the Commissioner of Competition outlined that an exercise of market power by a merged Viterra-Bunge could not be constrained by competitors. The merger would also pose challenges for other companies looking to enter the market.

“Potential entrants face challenges including limited availability of appropriate sites for an elevator, access to transportation networks to move the grain onward, and high capital costs,” the report read.

The bureau’s assessment included analysis of millions of records, interviews with more than 70 stakeholders and two independent experts specializing in empirical economics and corporate governance.

Bunge’s acquisition of Viterra was first proposed to the Ministry of Transport in August of 2023.

In September, the ministry decided that the proposed merger raised public interest issues related to national transportation. It directed Transport Canada to begin a public interest assessment.

The assessment must be concluded and provided to the Transport Minister by June 2, 2024.

In the 2022-2023 crop year, producers grew over 90 million tonnes of grain across the country.

APAS concerned

The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) said the bureau’s report validated the organization’s longstanding concerns.

“This merger will make it harder for grain producers to be successful,” APAS President Ian Boxall said in a news release Tuesday.

“When you boil it down, it feels like farmers will be the ones subsidizing these huge grain companies if this merger is approved. With less competition, grain companies hold more of the cards—more one-sided, take-it-or-leave it grain contracts, fewer delivery options, lower prices, and less supply chain transparency and data.”

In its message, APAS urged regulatory bodies and the federal government to consider the lasting impact of the proposed merger.

“Our priority remains the well-being and profitability of Saskatchewan and Canadian farmers,” Boxall added. “We seek assurance that their interests will be safeguarded in the face of this proposed monumental industry change.”

Bunge Ltd. is a global agribusiness and food company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Originally incorporated in Switzerland, the company boasts 23,000 employees and a significant presence across North America.

Viterra is an international agri-business that was formed in 2007 when the iconic Saskatchewan Wheat Pool merged with Agricore United. It handles and markets grain, along with other agricultural products and is headquartered in Regina.

The village of Weldon has been a little bit darker since the community lost Wes Petterson.

“He was a huge part of the community,” said Weldon resident Chelsey Erickson.

Petterson, 78, was one of 11 victims during Myles Sanderson’s deadly attacks on Sept. 4, 2022 in James Smith Cree Nation (JSCN) and Weldon.

“It’s still hard knowing that he’s gone, and how he went. He definitely didn’t deserve it,” Erickson said.

She knew Petterson her whole life, and remembers him as a kind and selfless man.

Erickson is co-director of the “Weldon Playground Project” committee, which plans to build a park in Petterson’s honour.

“He liked to see the kids outside playing, and we know this is something he would have wanted,” she said.

Weldon resident Jeanette Dubois hopes the Wes Petterson Memorial Park will bring new life to the community.

“We need more people to get together and do stuff because that has stopped. The community doesn’t get together anymore like they used to,” she said.

The committee plans to build the park on the field next to the community’s care home, where children currently play.

“We have fun games, but we’re constantly playing them over and over again. I think if we had a playground maybe we’d have more fun, and have different options to explore,” Katie Petire said.

“I’m excited for the park, because then I don’t need to go to Kinistino for a park,” Evander Fearn said.

The committee needs about $150,000 for the project, but it’s already two-thirds of the way there after a donation from James Smith Cree Nation.

“It’s part of reconciliation … on both parties,” said Gerald Whitehead, a member of JSCN.

“Because both communities felt the tragedy of loss.”

James Smith donated $116,000 to the cause.

“The support we’ve had from everybody, just doing this, has been over the moon and amazing,” said Jamie Petire, committee co-director.

The committee will continue to fundraise through pancake breakfasts and bottle drives, with a goal of holding a grand opening for the park in September.

A Conservative member of Parliament says he isnt seeking re-election because his party is not allowing an open nomination in a new riding.

Gary Vidal cites the partys response to changing electoral boundaries in his announcement that he wont run.

Vidal was elected in 2019 to represent the sprawling Saskatchewan riding of Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River in the provinces far north.

Vidal says the riding boundaries are changing drastically and he will no longer reside in the electoral district he serves, but rather in the new riding of Battlefords-Lloydminster-Meadow Lake.

He says the party has decided there will be no open nomination to choose the candidate in that new riding, which he says is not the expected outcome I anticipated.

A spokeswoman for the party says Vidal was given the chance to run in his current riding.

Sarah Fischer says the party respects his decision not to seek re-election.

The redrawn version of Vidals current riding is still home to most of his current constituents, but its losing the community of Meadow Lake, where he says he was born and raised.

Vidals decision follows an announcement in February that he was stepping away from his role as the Tories critic in Parliament for Indigenous services.

The new federal riding boundaries took effect on Monday.

People in Saskatchewan will keep getting Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite an ongoing feud between Ottawa and the provincial government.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made that declaration Tuesday at a stop in Saskatoon to highlight new spending initiatives as part of last weeks federal budget reveal, but Trudeaus relationship with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe quickly became the focus.

Despite the disagreement with the provincial government here in Saskatchewan, on them not wanting to pay the federal government what is owed, the Canada Carbon Rebate cheques going to families in Saskatchewan will not be impacted by the Government of Saskatchewan decision, he told the crowd at Saskatoon’s Wanuskewin heritage park Tuesday morning.

Were going to continue to deliver the Canada Carbon Rebate to families right across Saskatchewan, despite the fact that Premier Moe is not sending that money to Ottawa right now.

Moe and Trudeau have been at odds about the carbon tax for years, with the province even challenging it in the Supreme Court of Canada in 2021.

Last fall, Moe said Saskatchewan would stop collecting the fuel charge from residents. Then in late February, the province said it would no longer remit the carbon price on natural gas to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), but Trudeau said he isn’t worried about the CRA being out any money.

The Canada Revenue Agency has ways of ensuring that that money that is owed to them is eventually collected, and we have faith in the rigorous quasi-judicial proceedings that the Canada Revenue Agency uses.

During his stop in Saskatoon, Trudeau highlighted $21 million in funding for a virtual health hub being launched in Whitecap Dakota First Nation and led by the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies to improve access to healthcare for residents living in remote communities.

Moe said he wished he could have been part of Tuesdays announcement, saying the province is providing one-third of the funding. However, hes used to the cool reception he receives from the Prime Ministers Office.

My perspective is that its a disappointing relationship. We have a federal government that is coming in to a province, making an announcement for two-thirds of a project, of which the province is the other third, and we were given no advanced notice, Moe said.

Trudeau says his office gave warning as it always does, and the province wasnt able to organize a meeting during the prime ministers brief stay.

Tuesdays exchange is yet another highlight of the deteriorating relationship between Moe and Trudeau, but Moe says the Prime Minister has plenty of work to do outside provincial borders, as a number of other premiers are also repeating calls for a meeting about the carbon tax and possible alternatives.

We need to do better, and I would say the federal government needs to do better, as well as they attempt to have a much more productive relationship with not just the province of Saskatchewan, but I would say many other provinces across the nation, Moe said.

And if they choose not to, we will be in a situation in Canada where they will be replaced and there will be an administration that will choose to. 

Regina city councillors are set to consider lowering the speed limit in the Cathedral neighbourhood to 30 kilometres per hour on Wednesday.

Five delegations, representing SGI, the University of Regina and the Cathedral Village Community Association are set to speak, along with two other citizens, one for, one against.

“High speed traffic has long been a concern in the Cathedral community,” said Jonathan Lorenc in a submission for the community association. “Even 40 years ago as part of the 1986 Cathedral Area Parking and Traffic Study, neighbours endorsed the need ‘to moderate or reduce the volume and speed of traffic through the neighbourhood where possible.’”

Lorenc goes on to describe the 40 businesses that line 13th Ave. along with a library branch, two parks, several churches and more, noting that all of these amenities create “vibrancy” and attract tons of foot traffic.

“For that vibrancy to continue sustainably, residents must feel safe and comfortable enjoying those amenities,” Lorenc said.

The proposal is being brought forward as a ‘Vision Zero’ policy, a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, originally developed in Sweden in the 1990s.

Regina’s specific goal with the policy is to reduce fatal and major injury traffic collisions by a minimum of 10 per cent within five years.

Despite being one of Regina’s busier pedestrian neighbourhoods, Cathedral is not immune to the risk vehicles can pose. The policy will face a council vote one year, plus a day, since a 16-year-old boy crossing 13th Ave. was hit and killed by vehicle in the early the morning of April 23, 2023.

Dendrae Thunder Lonechild  was a Grade 10 student at Sheldon Williams Collegiate.

It’s one of many similar stories in the city. According to data collected for a report included in the council packet, there were 384 collisions between vehicles and pedestrians involving injuries or fatalities between 2015 and 2019.

There were also 211 crashes involving cycling that resulted in death or bodily harm during the same time period.

“These two groupings are considered vulnerable road users given their high risk of injury or death when involved in a collision with a motor vehicle,” said Vanessa Mathews, an associate professor of Geography and Environmental studies at the U of R. “It is clear that lowering the speed limit to 30km/h will lower the potential for major injury and death.”

If passed, the city plans to invest $23.5 million in the initiative over a five-year period.

One Regina resident who wants to see the policy deferred is Denise Stevens, who would rather see the money invested into sidewalks along Saskatchewan Drive among other projects.

“Some seem to be in denial that we are still very much a car-based culture in Regina, due to many factors including an ailing transit system and inclement weather for six months of the year,” Stevens said in her submission. “It appears that pedestrians and cyclists are not being asked to make any changes to their behaviour, it is all falling to vehicular traffic.”

According to city data, research has indicated that lowering the speed limit to 30 kilometres per hour will add approximately 77 seconds to a commuter’s driving time.

“I would suggest that my life, or the life of my son, or any pedestrian’s life, is worth 77 seconds of additional time in a vehicle,” said Nicole Strandlund, a neighbourhood resident. “I would also note here that Cathedral is not simply a thoroughfare, it is our home.”

SGI’s Director of Traffic Safety Community Outreach Troy Corbett said he commends the City of Regina for their efforts to enhance roadway safety.

“SGI shares the vision statement that no loss of life or major injury is acceptable within Reginas transportation network,” said in his submission. “The vision is a high-level aspirational one, but attainable.”

The executive committee has recommended that city council pass the Vision Zero approach for Cathedral.

Council will discuss the proposal among other agenda items starting 1 p.m. Wednesday.