Feature

Dumontel takes acting dreams west
Caption: Estevan's Ryan Dumontel is moving to Vancouver to pursue an acting career.
By David Willberg
Estevan's Ryan Dumontel is taking his acting aspirations to Vancouver, the hub of Canada's film industry.
Dumontel, the son of Glenn and Brenda Dumontel, will move to the west coast metropolis January 8 to pursue an acting career. He has an agent in the city; now all he needs is some work.
"It's the biggest market in Canada out there," said Dumontel. "They do a lot of American films and television. I got started in Regina, but it's limited in Regina. There's only a certain amount of time where there's really a lot of work going on out there.
"I figure if I want to get more involved, and get more work and experience, I should take off and go out there."
California was the market he targeted originally, but he was told that, as a Canadian, his best starting point is Vancouver. He was instructed to get some experience, work on some projects for U.S. companies, and then move to Los Angeles.
His agent works for one of the top talent agencies in Vancouver. Dumontel said casting directors are looking for a unique look, but it helps to have the "California look" when seeking a part. Dumontel said it's a good thing that he doesn't resemble any of his agent's other clients.
Finding work will be difficult at first, he said, thanks to the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike. The labour spat has put the brakes on the film and television industries.
Dumontel said he enjoys acting because it allows him to be someone completely different. Each role is challenging because each one is unique.
"You have to become that character," said Dumontel. "Even when you're in an audition, you have to prove to the casting director that you can do that. It's a challenge, but it's a fun challenge and it's unique. And it's something that you can never stop getting better at."
Comedy would be a natural for him, he said, but Dumontel said he would like to try a variety of genres.
"If you do the same thing all the time, it just gets boring," said Dumontel.
Film interests him more than television, but he said he would definitely take any television roles that come along.
It's a tough industry to enter, and Dumontel considers himself fortunate to have an agent in Vancouver at this stage of his career. But he isn't intimated by the size of the industry, and the number of people trying to land that coveted big role on the silver screen.
Dumontel has already landed two speaking roles on "Corner Gas" - one in the 2007-08 season premier, and another on an episode that has yet to air. He made a non-speaking appearance on a SaskHealth alcohol awareness advertisement about a year ago.
"I didn't have any lines in that one, but it was my first (acting) job ever, my first audition, actually, and I ended up getting a part in it," said Dumontel. "I learned a lot from that. Even though it's just a commercial, I learned a lot."
He also took a couple classes at the Actor's Academy International in Calgary a couple of years ago. He wants to take more acting classes, but he believes that he can learn more when he's outside of the classroom.
"When you're acting, you always have to be learning," said Dumontel. "I don't think you can ever stop. I think a teacher can only teach you so much, but I will go out there and I'll get a teacher and try to learn some more, and try to get some connections in that way."
Dumontel's father, Glenn, has been an extra on "Corner Gas" several times, and he has appeared as an extra in film projects. Ryan Dumontel credits his father with the opportunity to have a film career. They shared an agent in Regina, and Glenn's experience led to his son entering the film and television industry.
"Because of that, now I get to go to Vancouver and do all of this," said Ryan Dumontel.

News

First baby of 2008
Brad and Colleen Durr of Estevan are the proud parents of the first baby born at St. Joseph's Hospital in Estevan in 2008. Julia Louise Durr was born at 12:11 a.m. on January 3. She measured 19 inches long, and she weighed seven pounds and one-and-a-half ounces. Julia Louise is the first child for Brad and Colleen.

Police Report
*New Year's Eve proved to be a quiet evening for the Estevan Police Service, with only a couple party-related incidents. Police received a complaint of a noisy party in the Estevan Trailer Court. The host was given a warning. Police assisted another party host with the removal of an unwanted guest.
*Police received a complaint of mischief to a vehicle that could have put the victim's life at risk. A male suspect loosened the lugnuts of the vehicle without the victim's knowledge or consent. The matter is under investigation by police.
*A 36-year-old Estevan male was stopped and arrested for driving while impaired. The male will be in court in late January to answer to the charges.
*Police are investigating a theft of Canadian currency under $5,000 from a local care home.
*A rear window was smashed out of a local business service vehicle in the downtown area during the evening of December 26. The matter is under investigation.
*Police are investigating a mischief under $5,000 complaint. A vehicle was key-scratched in the Estevan Shopper's Mall parking lot during the day of December 24.
*A 17-year-old Estevan male was spotted failing to obey the conditions of his Youth Sentence Order. He was charged with breaching his conditions and he will appear in court in late January.
*A 24-year-old Estevan female was arrested for impaired driving following a traffic stop in the downtown area. She will appear in court in late January.
*A 24-year-old Estevan male was arrested for failing to appear in court. He will answer to the charges in early February.

Armed robbery in Kisbey
Carlyle RCMP are investigating an armed robbery on January 2 at the Kisbey branch of the Stoughton Credit Union.
The suspect entered the credit union at about 12 noon and produced a handgun. He obtained an undisclosed amount of cash. The male suspect was last seen as he fled on foot.
The suspect is described as approximately six feet tall with a slim build. He was wearing a green hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and a balaclava.
This suspect is believed to be armed and should be considered dangerous.
Anyone with any information about this armed robbery, please contact Carlyle RCMP at 453-6707 or Crime Stoppers at 1-306-222-8477.

An update on Becky Kelly
Estevan's Becky Kelly is undergoing umbilical stem cell treatment in China for progressive multiple sclerosis.
Becky Kelly has been in the Asian nation since December, along with her husband and her sister. Kelly has had four stem cell injections so far, and she has one remaining. She has also had a bone marrow transplant and daily acupuncture and therapy.
Kelly's mother, Joyce Schell, said Kelly is doing very well, with the exception of strong headaches after Kelly's last stem cell injection. Those headaches are expected, Schell said. One stem cell injection was done intravenously, to reduce the headaches. The others were done via spinal injection.
There has been progress, Schell said.
"During therapy, she actually walked by herself, with just a little help from her therapist, which is great," said Schell. "Her legs did it all on their own."
The biggest improvements should come once Kelly returns to Estevan, Schell said.
Kelly has been able to do some sightseeing in between treatments, Schell said.
Kelly's final stem cell treatment is January 7. She will return to Estevan January 10. She has a blog on her experiences at http://www.stemcellschina.com/blog/becky.

Merchants pleased with Christmas sales
Local merchants were able to post good sales during the 2007 Christmas shopping season, despite the rising Canadian dollar that sent some local shoppers to the U.S.
Downtown Action Group president Kevin Ross said he has spoken to about 10 or 12 of the 45 business owners in the group. He said they were pleased with their sales in 2007, especially at Christmas time.
"In the beginning of the fall, they thought that sales might be down this year, because of the increase in the awareness of the Canadian dollar, and they felt that in some instances they would be losing sales to the States," said Ross.
Many businesses enjoyed an overall sales increase of about five to 10 per cent in 2007, Ross said. Sales were also stronger in December 2007 compared to December 2006.
The Downtown Action Group did a promotion to keep shopping dollars in Estevan. They gave away three $500 gift certificates, Ross said. Shoppers had to enter at two businesses to be eligible.
"I would like to see some more of those programs to encourage people to shop locally," said Ross.
Estevan's growing population, and the strength of the local economy, also helped, Ross said. There were more people around to shop, and they had more money to spend, he said.
Estevan Shoppers Mall manager Frank Anson said the mall merchants were "pleasantly surprised" with the sales they generated during the 2007 Christmas shopping season.
Sales might be down a little bit compared to 2006, he said. Traffic and sales were down considerably early in the 2007 shopping season, but they picked up as Christmas approached.
"It was kind of strange. It started off slow for some stores, quite a few of them, and then two weeks, or two-and-a-half weeks before Christmas, were big," said Anson.
He doesn't know why business improved so much right before Christmas.
"Everyone was talking about the cross-border shopping and thought that was affecting it," said Anson. "It probably did, but they had a good two-to-three weeks for some stores."
The mall did what they could to attract shoppers. They hosted special events like a breakfast with Santa Claus, a visit from Santa's reindeer, a Child Find clinic and a senior's day. They also had a craft sale and numerous extra vendors in the mall.

Minimum wage increases
Saskatchewan's minimum wage will increase from $7.95 per hour to $8.25 per hour effective January 1.
The increase is the first of three stages that will see the minimum wage increase to $8.60 per hour on May 1 and to $9.25 per hour on May 1, 2009. The minimum call-out pay, which is three times the level of the minimum wage, will also increase accordingly.
There are approximately 12,400 minimum wage earners in Saskatchewan.
The increase in the minimum wage follows a review by the Minimum Wage Board. The Board is required by legislation to review the minimum wage at least every two years.

Record year for building activity
Caption: This development in the west end of the RM of Estevan is one of many projects underway in both the City and the RM.
The City of Estevan and the RM of Estevan both issued a record-breaking number of building permits in 2007.
The City awarded 142 permits worth about $20.7 million. Land Development Services manager Rob Denys said the permit value was only rivaled by 1990, when permits were awarded for construction of the new St. Joseph's Hospital.
"The development sector right now is fairly hot," said Denys. "We have the oil patch activity high right now, and a lot of businesses are looking to expand in Estevan from the industrial side."
Commercial developers have acquired land and are trying to capitalize on the local economic conditions, Denys said.
Much of the record-breaking pace has come from single-family and multi-family residential construction, Denys said. About $7.2 million in single-family residential permits were awarded.
Based on population growth and conversations with developers, Denys expects the pace to continue in 2008.
The RM of Estevan awarded 49 permits in 2007. Thirty-seven permits were for residential properties; the remaining 12 were for commercial and industrial construction. Total value was $9.4 million: $3.5 million in residential and $5.9 million is commercial and industrial.
Administrator Greg Hoffort is anticipating another strong year in 2008. Commercial and industrial developments have started in both the east and the west ends of the RM, and more developments are expected.
"We have a lot in the fire," said Hoffort. "We're going to have another exceptional year. We're looking forward to see if we can't break this record."
Ray Mellom, a sales agent from RE-Max in Estevan, said some people have put their existing home on the market so they can build a new home.
"There have been a few who have sold their previous home, and built a new one. There's always somebody upgrading and building new, and getting a new price for the home they own."
But there is still a shortage of listings. Starter homes are in short supply, as are middle of the road homes - houses that would have, for example, three bedrooms, a garage and a finished basement.
Dennis Moe, a sales agent with Century 21 Border Real Estate, said 2008 should be even better than in 2007, with new residential developments.
"The pressure on the commercial industrial sector just brings more people to town," said Moe. "There are more companies relocating to town every month which means more people who need places to live."
Moe said building costs will be about 10 per cent higher in 2008.

More than 150 hampers filled
Estevan's Community Hamper Association filled more than 150 hampers prior to Christmas in 2007.
There had been 150 hamper requests as of December 21. Association president Barbara Dodd said that more requests came in between December 22 and Christmas Day.
The number of hampers filled will be down from past years. The normal number of hamper requests is around the 200 mark.
Dodd said a decline in the number of hampers being filled is a good thing. She attributed the drop to the strength of the local economy.
"I think it has to do with the job situation," said Dodd.
About 10 of the hampers were filled by school students and service groups in Estevan. The rest were filled by the hamper association.
Hamper recipients with a child or children receive a toy for their hamper through the Angel Tree. Dodd didn't have an exact number of toys donated through the Angel Tree project, but she said they had enough toys donated to meet the demand.

African choir to perform in Estevan
The African Children's Choir will perform at the Estevan Alliance Church on Wednesday, January 16, starting at 7 p.m.
The choir features 26 children from Kenya and Uganda - 14 girls and 12 boys. Seven adults chaperone the choir. The children go to class during the day as part of a schooling program that's offered through the choir.
A free will offering will be taken at the door. Support for the choir has helped build schools and deliver education throughout Africa in Uganda, Rwanda, Sudan, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.
The choir is currently touring through the mid-west U.S. Estevan will be the first performance in western Canada.

Columnists

WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT
By Linda Wegner
We're over the holiday celebrations and in terms of my eating habits, I'm right back on track. Since July I've been diligent and can now rejoice in a good number of pounds that are missing. Based on past experience, though, I know they could be re-discovered in a hurry. It reminds me of a cartoon: a gal was lying on her back, legs straight up in the air, balancing a bathroom scale on the soles of her feet. The caption simply read, How to Weigh Yourself after the Holidays. If only!
Early in December I made a conscious act to allow myself a moderate amount of frivolous food. Moderate was the operative word and I am happy to report that I stuck to that mandate. Now, in a slightly more difficult but still conscious decision, the "good stuff" is on hold until next year. As tempting as it is to continue cheating, the thought of my hard work and the resulting weight loss is stronger than the lure of desserts and turkey stuffing. What tips the scales (there we go again!) in favour of wisdom is the end result. Frankly, I really like getting into clothes I haven't worn for too long and having to replace the things I sent to the thrift shop is fine with me.
When you think about it, that's how it is with the really important things in life. While there are those few who seem to scoot by effortlessly, the reality is that only by making conscious choices can we achieve meaningful goals. Looking back over 2007 I can't help but think of those friends, business colleagues and a few strangers whose choices have influenced me to serve God and others more faithfully. Thanks! In return, I pray that I might do the same for you.
Happy New Year!

GARDEN NOTES
By Gerry Fichtemann
NEW SEEDS FOR 2008
Spring is getting closer day by day. I can tell by the arrival of spring garden catalogues I'm getting in the mail. Some of the seed catalogues have graduated from a black and white listing to full blown color catalogues with as many as 150 pages.
Every year the botanists and plant breeders are coming up with new and interesting seed which are sometimes surprising. Many of these are improvements over previously introduced seed while others can be more of a novelty.
Thompson & Morgan's new seed catalog boasts a new Echinacea called Pink Parasol...you guessed right. It's a pink color with a contrasting orange cone in the centre. Blossoms are 3-4 inches in diameter compared to other varieties which are smaller. These plants are perennial so they will return year after year.
T&M's 2008 catalog also lists a new trailing petunia called 'Salmon Velvet' which is an Fl hybrid. They claim to out-perform any other trailing petunias producing trailing stems up to 3 ft. Not only a showstopper in hanging baskets but it makes a great groundcover.
Jung Quality Seeds are introducing a new Echinacea also which is called Green Envy which is totally different and nothing short of spectacular. The lime green flowers grow 30 inches tall and they are perennial. In the vegetable department, Jung's have a new carrot called Yellowstone. They're pure yellow which is a new
de1icasy for the veggie tray or dinner plate. They grow 9 -11 inches long and should make for much talk at the dinner table. How about a purple cauliflower... called Graffiti. These make a nice conversation piece, also retaining their purple colour when cooked.
When it comes to Stokes Seed Catalog, I always get excited as this is my personal favourite seed house. When it comes to hot peppers, Stokes have a large variety with many degrees of hotness Most people are aware of the Habanero pepper being the hottest and has a 'scoville' rating of 300,000.Now that is hot! Well, hold on to your tongues as we have seed available called Caribbean Red.
These burners are scoville rated as 400,000.That is even hotter than the Habanero. These peppers must be handled with care. You must use gloves when picking, cleaning and cutting.
Stokes have a new tomato which is the grape-cluster size. It's called Sweet Mojo. They have extra long clusters of 20 fruits and a high sugar flavor. More on 2008 Garden Seeds next week!

Sports

Bruins drop two more to Weyburn
Caption: Weyburn goalie AJ Whiffen makes the save with Bruins Kyle Garagan (6) and Kyle Stroh (24) in the vicinity.
The Estevan Bruins returned from the Christmas break, and lost two more times to their top rivals, the Weyburn Red Wings.
Estevan lost 3-1 in Weyburn December 29, and 3-2 in Estevan on New Year's Day. Weyburn has defeated Estevan in five straight contests. Estevan's only win against Weyburn came in their first meeting of the year.
"Last year, I think we were 7-3, and this year, we're 1-5," said head coach/GM Karry Biette. "It's just one of those things. I thought that in the five games we lost, we outplayed them in four games, but we just haven't put the puck in the net."
Biette said Estevan controlled the play in the last two games against Weyburn, but Weyburn's goalie, AJ Whiffen, was excellent.
The game December 29 in Weyburn was scoreless after two periods. Weyburn pulled away in the third. Chad Filteau scored the lone goal for the Bruins.
Estevan outshot the Wings 46-23 in the New Year's Day game in Estevan, but Whiffen was nearly unbeatable. Estevan only managed a late first period power play goal by Kyle Stroh, and a goal in the final minute of the third by Kyle Garagan.
Coupled with consecutive losses prior to the Christmas break, the Bruins have now lost four straight.
Estevan hosts the Melville Millionaires January 5 and the Melfort Mustangs on the 9th. The SJHL's final trade deadline is January 10.
Biette expects the trade deadline to be quiet across the SJHL. Most of the significant trades occurred prior to Christmas, Biette said.
"As I've said before, this is kind of the dinosaur deadline," said Biette. "If you haven't done anything by the 10th, you're kind of grasping at straws. As far as bringing in impact players, there aren't many left. Ninety per cent of the teams in Canada make the playoffs now. You have 10 per cent of the teams dumping players, but a lot of those are dumped in December or November."
Defence is still a priority at the deadline. The Bruins currently have six defencemen on their roster.
"I'm always looking," said Biette. "It's going to be tough at this time of the year to add an impact guy, but we'll see what we can do."

Atoms split in Yorkton
The Estevan Canetic Atom AA Bruins earned a split in Yorkton prior to Christmas.
Estevan defeated Yorkton 5-4 December 22. Kyle Salaway paced the Bruins with two goals. Talys Halabuza, Ryan Smith and Kyle Seipp also scored for Estevan.
Jordan Hoffos got the win for Estevan.
Salaway scored the Bruins' lone goal in a 6-1 loss to Yorkton on the 23rd. Seipp had the assist on Salaway's goal. Landon Audet was in net for the Bruins.

Mustangs perfect record ends
The Midale Mustangs have finally lost a Big Six game, and they have lost their grip on top spot, too.
The Bienfait Coalers upset the Mustangs 1-0 December 29. Midale won their first 11 games of the season, including a 3-1 win over Bienfait December 28, but couldn't solve Bienfait's goaltending in the game on the 29th.
Midale (11-1) also fell out of first place in the West Division and the league's overall standings. The Carlyle Cougars (11-1-1) moved into top spot with a 6-4 win over the Carnduff Red Devils on the 29th. Midale does have a game in hand on Carlyle.
The Wawota Flyers (4-8) and the Arcola-Kisbey Combines (3-6-1-1) are tied for third in the west. Arcola-Kisbey has a game in hand. The White Bear Redhawks (0-12) are last in the division and in the Big Six standings.
The Oxbow Huskies are still in first place in the East Division with a 7-2-3 record and 17 points. They are three points ahead of the Redvers Rockets (7-5) and the Bienfait Coalers (5-5-2-2). Oxbow and Redvers have three games in hand on Bienfait.
The defending champion Red Devils are fourth in the division with a 5-5 record. The Pierson Bruins (2-7-1) remain in last place.

Minor hockey teams continue to thrive
Estevan's entries in the South Saskatchewan Minor Hockey League continue to thrive, as the league enters the second half of the season and the playoffs.
The Midget AA Apex Bruins are in a three-way tie for second with a 13-3-4 record and 30 points. Melville and Swift Current also have 30 points. Melville has played two fewer games than Estevan; Swift Current has played three more than the Bruins.
Lumsden-Bethune leads the league with 31 points. Estevan has a game in-hand on Lumsden-Bethune. The top six teams in the league are separated by two points.
Estevan's first league game after the break is January 5 in Weyburn.
The TS&M Bantam AA Bruins are tied with Melville for fourth with a 10-4-1 record. Melville has a game in hand. The Notre Dame Hounds lead the league with a perfect 17-0 record.
The Bantam Bruins don't have a league game scheduled until January 18 in Moose Jaw.
The Prairie Mines and Royalty Peewee AA Bruins are fourth in their league with a 7-6 record. They trail the third place Moose Mountain Wild, based out of Carlyle, by three points. Estevan has played four fewer games than the Wild.
The Peewee Bruins return from the Christmas break with home games against Swift Current January 5 and 6.

From the Sidelines
Patriots go 16-0
By Kyle Kapiczowski
The New England Patriots have done the Impossible. The Patriots went undefeated through the NFL's regular season. They beat the New York Giants 38-35 in a come from behind game. Several NFL season records were broken. Quarterback Tom Brady passed Payton Manning on the touchdown pass list with 50, while wide receiver Randy Moss passed Jerry Rice with 23 touchdown catches. The Patriots also set the record for most points scored in a season as they passed the 1999 Minnesota Vikings. The Pats now join the 1934 Chicago Bears and the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only teams to go undefeated. This gives New England a first-round bye in the playoffs. I hope the Patriots win it all and make it a season to remember.
The Minnesota Vikings finished their season at 8-8. Running Back Adrian Peterson finished with 1,341 career rushing yards, finishing behind LaDainian Tomlinson of the Chargers. I think Peterson could do better next year.
In the AFC wild card games Jacksonville will play Pittsburgh, and in the other game, Tennessee will play San Diego. In the NFC, Washington will play Seattle and the New York Giants will play Tampa Bay in the other game.
I hope it is the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XLII this year.
In other NFL news, the Baltimore Ravens have fired head coach Brian Billick after the Ravens went 5-11 this season. Marv Levy has stepped down as the Buffalo Bills general manager and the Miami Dolphins have fired general manager Randy Mueller.
Team Canada has won the Spangler Cup. Canada beat Russia Salavat Yulaev Uafa 2-1 in the gold medal game. Canada went a perfect 4-0 at the tournament. Canada has won the Cup 11 times. I hope they win it again next year.
In the English Premier League, Manchester United beat west Ham United 2-1. Manchester's record is 14 wins, three losses and three ties.
That's all folks!

Viewpoints

Editorial
Tea Time
Don't Worry About Those That Don't Worry About You
By Dani Stobbs
So New Year's went off with quite a hoot. Three hours of playing Catchphrase - which consisted of arms flaying around the room, and raised tempers at what was meant to be 'just a game'. For some people it is never 'just a game'. But for me, it is only ever just a game. I am not that competitive really. I have never been the sporty type and so the competitive streak didn't really attach itself.
Maybe sisterly rivalry has been the closest I have gotten to competition. Things like "mum, she has more than me", or "her present is bigger than mine". Thankfully it's not too bad these days, and I have been enjoying my sister returning to Estevan for a few days over the new year.
With my sister coming back to town and watching her with friends that she still gets along with and others that don't really have a place in her life right now, I started to wonder upon the seasons of relationships with people that we have.
One of the hardest things that I found about moving away is that there will be friendships that will be tested and will pass with flying colours, and others that just fade out, and the effort just isn't there. But that's ok. I have realised as I have got older that that is what seasons of friendship is all about.
Some people are in our lives for a certain purpose in time, and then we go our separate ways and move on. Others you know will be forever.
My best friends and I don't speak to each other that often. We both lead separate lives in different countries but we know that we can always call on each other and it will be like it always has been. Going back to England was a breath of fresh air, learning that those friends you invested in are still concerned for you and excited to see you and that it feels like you have never been away.
There are those that just move on, and for that split second it feels hurtful that they decided to walk away from you and petty issues meant that a friendship couldn't go on, but then you realise that they were there for that moment in time, and now you move on.
Don't worry about the ones that walk away from you because they probably were never really there! Worry about the people that are in your life, that do care about you enough. Enough to say they are sorry when they are wrong, enough to say how much they love you.
I want to learn that we spend too much time worrying about those that don't worry about us. I want to learn that the most fulfilling thoughts are about those who think about you back.
Thinking of you Estevan…

Editorial
Optimism abounds for 2008
Estevan residents are used to sporting sunglasses, thanks to the city's distinction as Canada's sunshine capital.
But there could be another reason to wear shades in 2008, as the city's immediate future might be bright enough to require protective eyewear.
Even though the provincial government said "no" to clean coal, 2007 had a lot of high points for Estevan, and not many low ones.
Estevan celebrated its 50th anniversary as a city in 2007, and this might be the most exciting time to be in the city since 1957.
Record oil prices have created an economic boom for both the city and the province. As the hub for Saskatchewan's oil industry, Estevan has been a catalyst for that economic boom. Oil prices have resulted in more jobs in Estevan, and more people moving to the city.
From a provincial perspective, Saskatchewan's population has topped one million people for the first time since 2001. The province is growing faster than any other in Canada. And Estevan is one of the communities that has seen its population grow.
The City and the RM of Estevan issued a record number of building permits in 2007. 2008 could be another record-breaking year. The City is planning additional residential subdivisions in 2008, while the RM has several commercial projects on the go, or ready to begin.
Half of Fourth Street in Estevan was resurfaced in 2007. The other half will be finished in 2008. Half of Kensington Avenue will be completed in 2008, too.
Plans have started on a much-needed new arena. Construction will hopefully begin this year, but not until a naming rights sale and fundraising campaign reaches the $6 million mark. More than $4 million has been collected thus far. If construction starts this spring, the arena could be finished in time for the 2009-10 hockey season.
The government opted for natural gas over clean coal for their next power supply option. Clean coal will get another look in 2009. A committee has been struck to lobby the provincial and federal governments on clean coal.
It was a great year for Estevan. 2008 could be even better.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR ...
Dear Editor,
My first letter of 2008 speaks to the horrors of life in Kenya, a country in east Africa. Tensions have been rising recently and following controversial presidential election results the country is on the verge of civil war.
Media reports from around the world tell the story of recent events following contested elections last Thursday. The charred bodies of up to 50 people, most of whom were women and children, were found lying among the remains of a church blaze that had been ignited this week by a crazed and angry mob. Over 200 people, displaced from their homes, had sought refuge in the Assemblies of God church in Eldoret, which is located around 300 kilometres northwest of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. As these poor people ran from the burning church they were attacked by members of the mob and killed or injured as they were beaten and attacked with machetes. A police spokesperson reported that it is the first time in history that any group has attacked a church.
These are sad events and if you take the time to read and learn what is happening to innocent people around the world like in Kenya you can't help feeling both blessed to live in Canada and angered that these events go mostly unchallenged by the world powers. The US is questionably deeply involved in Iraq and Canada is questionably deeply involved in Afghanistan. What, if anything, will the US and Canada do to protect innocent civilians in Kenya? How do we decide where to become involved? Why is Afghanistan so important and Kenya apparently is not? Kenyan Canadians must be concerned and distraught.
I don't know the answers to any of these questions, but I know I am saddened by reports of human suffering around the world. It hurts even more when you realize how powerless you are as an individual to help in any way. The truth is I struggle just to earn the respect of my teenage sons who haven't a clue how fortunate they are to live in Canada. I am left to pray that God will protect my family and me and will protect those around the world whom are not so fortunate to live in a country like Canada.
Yours truly,
Larry Birkbeck, Regina, SK

What's Happening

Vacation on ice

(L-R) Cordell Fenwick, Ryan Curzon and Clayton Fenwick hit the ice at the Westview playpark arena January 2.
Young people of all ages were skating or playing pick-up hockey at outdoor rinks in the city during the Christmas holiday.

Many young people in Estevan spent their Christmas holidays at outdoor rinks, including the rink at the Rusty Duce Park in Pleasantdale. They worked on their skating and shooting, or scrimmaged against their friends.