A 31-year-old man has been arrested after a vehicle rollover on a Saskatchewan highway led to the seizure of drugs and guns.

On Friday, Melville RCMP responded to a report of a single vehicle rollover on Highway 22 near Lemberg, Sask., according to a release from Sask. RCMP.

The driver, who was the only occupant of the vehicle, did not report injuries to officers. According to police, investigation determined that court-ordered conditions prohibited him from driving, and he was arrested.

Officers found a loaded illegally modified firearm, ammunition, a large sum of cash, 22 grams of meth, drug trafficking paraphernalia, an imitation firearm, and soft body armour during a search of the vehicle.

The man is facing 30 charges, which include 12 counts of a weapons possession contrary to an order, three counts of unauthorized possession of a prohibited or restricted weapon, four counts of failure to comply with a release order condition, and several other related charges.

Police said he also received numerous traffic-related tickets.

He is scheduled to appear in Yorkton Provincial Court on Oct. 11.

Lemberg, Sask. is located about 122 kilometres east of Regina.

A 35-year-old Regina man is facing multiple charges after police say he barricaded himself inside a basement suite and set fire to entryways.

According to a Regina police news release, officers were called to the 1500 block of Montague Street around 4:15 Monday afternoon to locate and arrest a person wanted on a warrant.

Regina police said they attempted to contact a man in a basement suite who refused to let officers inside and made an improvised barricade at the door before telling officers he was going to light the place on fire. Officers also received information suggesting the man was in possession of weapons. 

“After an extended period of negotiation attempts, police request for Crisis Negotiation Team was approved, with Regina Fire and Protective Service and EMS on standby. Police set up a perimeter while traffic in the area was shut down and the public was notified,” the release said.

During further negotiations, police say the man poured gasoline and set fire to entryways of the building. Police said Regina Fire immediately put out the fires and the SWAT team was called as the man continued to damage the building. 

Police said the man exited the building shortly before 11 p.m. and was arrested on the outstanding warrant and also charged with arson with disregard for human life, possessing incendiary material and mischief for destruction of property.

The man will make his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon in Regina, police said.

The province’s consumer watchdog is investigating a Saskatoon company selling luxury vacation condos in Mexico.

In a news release on Tuesday, the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan (FCAA) put out a public call for information about the activities of Regal Property Developments Ltd. and Regal Properties De Mexico S. de RL de CV — collectively referred to as Caban Condos.

According to the FCAA, neither the company’s owner Mike Delaire, nor the Caban Condos companies are registered in Saskatchewan to trade in real estate.

Delaire and Caban Condos were the subject of a joint investigation published last month by CTV News Saskatoon and the Investigative Journalism Foundation (IJF) that documented a pattern of complaints about the company’s practices, including high-pressure sales tactics and persistent delays in construction.

The investigative team spoke with 11 groups of buyers from across North America who say they spent their life savings or retirement funds on a Caban condo deposit.

Despite accepting deposits in excess of US$150,000 from buyers, only one of four buildings have been completed to date. Most developments are years behind schedule, and CTV News Saskatoon and the IJF found Caban Condos and its owner Delaire repeatedly failed to return promised money to buyers.

Some jilted customers have turned to the courts, where their allegations have yet to be tested. Others joined growing online communities of dissatisfied customers to share information and warn away others.

When contacted in August, Delaire blamed delays on issues with a primary contractor in Mexico, rising construction costs and the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the company “grew way too fast” but denied he defrauded buyers. He said his company would finish construction on its projects within eight months and would deliver title to all buyers.

Delaire claims dissatisfied customers have spread “conspiracy theories” and “outright lies” about his company.

CTV News has contacted Mike Delaire to respond to the consumer alert and reached out to the FCAA for more information about its investigation.

It’s not yet clear what the investigation means for those who have already paid deposits to the company.

The consumer watchdog is asking anyone with relevant information about Caban Condos or Mike Delaire to contact the FCAA’s Insurance and Real Estate Division.

As a precautionary measure, the FCAA says anyone considering purchasing real estate outside the province should verify it’s registered in Saskatchewan to trade in real estate by checking on the Saskatchewan Real Estate Commission website.

Prospective buyers should carefully read any contract, seek independent legal advice for due diligence, and keep deposits to a minimum to reduce the risk of loss, the FCAA says.

For more information about trading in real estate in Saskatchewan, visit the FCAA website.

The John Howard Society of Saskatchewan will appear in front of the Supreme Court of Canada on Tuesday challenging a regulation that it says lets provincial correctional workers discipline inmates without sufficient proof.

The regulations stipulate that when an inmate in provincial jail is accused of a major or minor offence, anything from disruptive behaviour to violent assault, it only needs to be proven more likely than not before actions are taken — a lower standard than the “beyond a reasonable doubt” test used in criminal trials.

The prisoners rights advocate said in a news release it believes inmates should only be disciplined if staff can prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that  rules or regulations were broken — mirroring the current practice in federal prisons. Its arguing using the lower standard of proof violates inmates Charter rights to life, liberty and security.

According to the John Howard Society, when a provincial inmate is accused of breaking a rule, a hearing is held. If they are found guilty based on a balance of probabilities, they could face harsh punishments, including being put into segregation, losing earned credit for good behaviour and having their release date pushed back. 

According to John Howard Society lawyer Pierre Hawkins, this increases the risk that inmates will be punished for infractions they didnt even commit.

“This case is [not just] about whether the government has to prove, with any kind of certainty, that you did something wrong before putting someone in segregation. It is about preventing the arbitrary punishment of people who didn’t break the rules,” said Hawkins.

Hawkins told CTV News in a January interview that it’s the John Howard Society’s position that if jails are accusing an inmate of an offence that could result in them having their already limited freedoms curtailed even further, they ought to be able to prove the allegation beyond a reasonable doubt.

This should be easy to do inside a jail, he says.

“It’s important to note here that we’re dealing with what are some of the most controlled environments on earth, or at least some of the most surveilled environments on earth,” Hawkins said.

“The powers of search within a correctional facility are massive. What happens in public areas or just about anywhere other than a cell is recorded on video. So, the institutions have a tremendous power to prove wrongdoing.”

One common infraction Hawkins sees in his practice is when contraband is found in a cell housing two cellmates.

“Our correctional actors say you’re responsible for everything that’s inside your cell. Both inmates get charged, both inmates get convicted,” he said.

“That approach often sees one person who is innocent get convicted and suffer consequences, and so that scenario becomes a lot harder, or happens much less often when you have a higher standard.”

Arguments before the Supreme Court will begin at 7:30 a.m. CST on Tuesday. Proceedings will continue until the end of the day Wednesday. You can stream the proceedings here.

Hawkins says the case will have an impact on thousands of inmates in Saskatchewan correctional facilities. According to Saskatchewan Ministry of Corrections data submitted to the courts, there were about 6,200 disciplinary charges laid in 2019 across the four provincial correctional centres.

The province declined to comment on the story on Monday, but in a statement to CTV News in January, the Ministry of Corrections argued the Charter issue only applied in a criminal trial, and that the inmate disciplinary process is an administrative one.

In the statement, the ministry said its prepared to defend its rules.

If the court rules in the John Howard Societys favour, Hawkins says it could have a nation-wide impact, as provinces across Canada use the same lower standard of proof in their disciplinary processes.

The John Howard Society of Saskatchewan (JHSS) is a non-profit that provides prevention, intervention, support services and advocacy for individuals who are at risk or are involved in the criminal justice process.

A 36-year-old woman accused of sexually assaulting, physically assaulting and threatening residents at a Saskatchewan care home, was not in court when her matters were spoken to Monday afternoon.

In February, RCMP charged Jaclyn Elias with four counts of assault, three counts of sexual assault, one of sexual assault with a weapon and one count of uttering threats.

Elias was an employee at a care home in Wilkie, a community about 55 kilometres southwest of the Battlefords.

In a news release, the RCMP said the alleged incidents occurred between January 2023 and February 2024 and said at least four residents were affected.

Elias has not worked at the care home since February, according to the RCMP.

She was not present when her case appeared before a North Battleford Provincial Court judge on Monday. A lawyer spoke on her behalf.

The case was originally scheduled for an election — a proceeding to determine whether Elias would be tried at Provincial Court or Court of King’s Bench, and whether it would be a jury or judge-alone trial. But Elias’ matters were adjourned because she is waiting for a letter from legal aid.

Her case is scheduled to be back in court on Oct. 21.

Those in the area of Elphinstone Street and 4th Avenue were witness to an extended police presence on Sunday.

Police officers and fire crews responded to a sudden death call on the 900 block of Elphinstone Street in the early afternoon hours of Sunday, Oct. 6.

In a message to CTV News, Regina police confirmed the nature of the incident and explained that there appears to be no criminal aspect to the investigation at this time.

No other information was provided by police.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is supporting Israels right to defend itself against Iran following last weeks ballistic missile attack, saying that right includes proactively striking Iranian nuclear sites and oil installations to defund the terrorist regime.

Israel must be able to prevent Iran from using nuclear weapons, if necessary, Poilievre said Monday night at a commemoration event marking the one-year anniversary of Hamas Oct. 7 attack against Israel.

The debate over the scale of Israels retribution comes after Iran struck Israel with 181 ballistic missiles  last Tuesday. That attack was in retaliation for Israels recent killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, with both militant groups backed by Iran. Since Hamas attack last year, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have also steadily increased.

However, the federal government has a different position to Poilievre. While it is not endorsing Irans nuclear sites as targets, the countrys oil infrastructure could be on the table.

I think its appropriate, Defence Minister Bill Blair said to reporters on Monday when asked if it would be suitable for Israel to hit oil production facilities in Iran.

When we talk about (Israels) ability to defend themselves, certainly that would include missile launch sites, military installations, airfields from which these attacks are being launched, but Israel has a right to defend itself against such attacks and diminish Irans capabilities of attacking.

Blairs response on Monday differs from comments he made in an interview with CTV Power Play host Vassy Kapelos last Thursday .

In that interview, Blair said Israel has a right to knock those missiles down from the sky and target the source of those missiles.

But when asked by Kapelos if those targets include Irans oil infrastructure or nuclear facilities, Blair said no.

Frankly, were not endorsing and supporting retaliation against other targets, Blair said last week. Only at those targets that might be necessary for Israel to defend itself against further attack.

U.S. President Joe Biden has suggested that Israel should refrain from attacking Iranian oil facilities.

If I were in their shoes, Id be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields, Biden said during a rare appearance at the White House daily press briefing on Friday.

A day prior, Biden also said he opposed Israel targeting Iranian nuclear sites.

Floridas storm-battered Gulf Coast raced against a Category 5 hurricane Monday as workers sprinted to pick up heaps of appliances and other street debris left over from Helene two weeks ago and highways were clogged with people fleeing ahead of the storm.

The centre of Hurricane Milton could come ashore Wednesday in the Tampa Bay region, which has not endured a direct hit by a major hurricane in more than a century. Scientists expect the system to weaken slightly before landfall, though it could retain hurricane strength as it churns across central Florida toward the Atlantic Ocean. That would largely spare other states ravaged by Helene, which killed at least 230 people on its path from Florida to the Carolinas.

This is the real deal here with Milton, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told a news conference. If you want to take on Mother Nature, she wins 100 per cent of the time.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that it was imperative for debris from Helene to be cleared ahead of Miltons arrival so the pieces cannot become projectiles.

As evacuation orders were issued, forecasters warned of a possible eight- to 12-foot storm surge (2.4 to 3.6 metres) in Tampa Bay. Thats the highest ever predicted for the region and nearly double the levels reached two weeks ago during Helene, said National Hurricane Center spokeswoman Maria Torres.

The storm could also bring widespread flooding. Five to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimetres) of rain was forecast for mainland Florida and the Keys, with as much as 15 inches (38 centimetres) expected in some places.

The Tampa metro area has a population of more than 3.3 million people.

Its a huge population. Its very exposed, very inexperienced, and thats a losing proposition, Massachusetts Institute of Technology meteorology professor Kerry Emanuel said. I always thought Tampa would be the city to worry about most.

Much of Floridas west coast was under hurricane and storm surge warnings. A hurricane warning was also issued for parts of Mexicos Yucatan state, which expected to get sideswiped.

Milton intensified quickly Monday over the eastern Gulf of Mexico. It had maximum sustained winds of 180 m.p.h. (285 km/h), the National Hurricane Center said. The storms centre was about 675 miles (1085 kilometres) southwest of Tampa by late afternoon, moving east-southeast at 10 m.p.h. (17 km/h).

The Tampa Bay area is still rebounding from Helene and its powerful surge. Twelve people died there, with the worst damage along a string of barrier islands from St. Petersburg to Clearwater.

Its going to be flying missiles

Lifeguards in Pinellas County, on the peninsula that forms Tampa Bay, removed beach chairs and other items that could take flight in strong winds. Elsewhere, stoves, chairs, refrigerators and kitchen tables waited in heaps to be picked up.

Sarah Steslicki, who lives in Belleair Beach, said she was frustrated that more debris had not been collected sooner.

Theyve screwed around and havent picked the debris up, and now theyre scrambling to get it picked up, Steslicki said Monday. If this one does hit, its going to be flying missiles. Stuffs going to be floating and flying in the air.

Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, ordered evacuations for areas adjacent to Tampa Bay and for all mobile and manufactured homes by Tuesday night.

U.S. President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida, and U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor said 7,000 federal workers were called on to help in one of the largest mobilizations of federal personnel in history.

Reluctance to evacuate

Miltons approach stirred memories of 2017s Hurricane Irma, when about 7 million people were urged to evacuate Florida in an exodus that jammed freeways and clogged gas stations. Some people who left vowed never to evacuate again.

By Monday morning, some gas stations in the Fort Myers and Tampa areas had already run out of gas. Fuel continued to arrive in Florida, and the state had amassed hundreds of thousands of gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel, with much more on the way, DeSantis said.

A steady stream of vehicles headed north toward the Florida Panhandle on Interstate 75, the main highway on the west side of the peninsula, as residents heeded evacuation orders. Traffic clogged the southbound lanes of the highway for miles as other residents headed for the relative safety of Fort Lauderdale and Miami on the other side of the state.

Candice Briggs, her husband, their three young kids and their dog planned to head to a hotel north of Jacksonville less than two weeks after Helene sent a foot and a half of water into her familys home in the in the Tampa Bay community of Seminole. The family had just settled into their temporary lodgings at an extended family members home when they had to evacuate again before even finishing their post-Helene loads of laundry.

“Most of the tears I’ve cried have been out of exhaustion or gratitude. Just that we’re safe and that we followed our instincts to evacuate,” Briggs said. “Mostly I am grateful. But I am overwhelmed and I am exhausted.

Briggs was worried about her storm-damaged house, where workers have already torn out feet of sodden drywall, leaving behind exposed beams she fears will be even more vulnerable to the towering wall of water that forecasters say Milton could lash against the flood-prone stretch of the Gulf Coast.

Even though Tanya Marunchak’s Belleair Beach home was flooded with more than 4 feet (1.2 meters) of water from Helene, she and her husband were unsure if they should evacuate. She wanted to leave, but her husband thought their three-story home was sturdy enough to withstand Milton.

“We lost all our cars, all our furniture. The first floor was completely destroyed,” Marunchak said. “This is the oddest weather predicament that there has ever been.”

Why did Milton intensify so fast?

Miltons wind speed increased by 92 m.p.h. (148 km/h) in 24 hours -- a pace that trails only those of Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and Hurricane Felix in 2007. One reason Milton strengthened so rapidly is its small pinhole eye, just like Wilmas, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

The storm will likely go through whats called an eye wall replacement cycle, a natural process that forms a new eye and expands the storm in size but weakens its wind speeds, Klotzbach said.

The Gulf of Mexico is unusually warm right now, so the fuel is just there, and Milton probably went over an extra-warm eddy that helped goose it further, said University of Albany hurricane scientist Kristen Corbosiero.

The last hurricane to be a Category 5 at landfall in the mainland U.S. was Michael in 2018.

Widespread cancellations in Florida and Mexico

With the storm approaching, schools in Pinellas County, home to St. Petersburg, were being converted into shelters. Officials in Tampa made city garages available to residents hoping to protect their cars from flooding.

Airports in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Orlando planned to close. Walt Disney World said it was operating normally for the time being.

In Mexico, Yucatan state Gov. Joaquin Diaz ordered the cancellation of all non-essential activities except for grocery stores, hospitals, pharmacies and gas stations starting Monday, and Mexican officials organized buses to evacuate residents from the coastal city of Progreso.

It has been two decades since so many storms crisscrossed Florida in such a short period of time. In 2004, an unprecedented five storms struck Florida within six weeks, including three hurricanes that pummeled central Florida.

Just 100 feet (30.5 metres) from the water on Fort Myers Beach, Don Girard was preparing his three-storey home for Milton. The home got flooded by Helene two weeks ago and by Debby in August. Two years ago, Hurricane Ian sent waves crashing into the second floor.

Its been difficult. Im not going to lie to you, Girard said. The last couple years have been pretty bad.

Notice of Broadcast Disruption – July 3, 2024

On July 3, 2024, at 10:49 PM, Broadcast Center 01 experienced a power outage due to a passing thunderstorm. To safeguard our equipment from potential power surges, we decided to temporarily suspend our broadcasts. This interruption affected Z103.5, 979 The Cowboy, and 101 The Rockhound.

Additionally, our Live To Air Broadcast from Union Nightclub on Z103.5 encountered an issue, resulting in no audio being transmitted.

We are pleased to report that Broadcast Center 02, which transmits Classic 88.7 The Goat, was not affected by this outage.

All broadcasts have now resumed and are operating normally. If you experience any issues, please report them on our website.

Thank you for your understanding, 

EVO Radio