ESTEVAN — The City of Estevan has shown its support for the Estevan Great North U18 AAA Bears’ bid to bring the 2026 Telus Cup West Regional to the community.
Estevan city council approved the Bears’ request for the facility rental to be waived for the tournament. If the Bears are awarded the competition, which would happen in April 2026 and bring three other teams to Estevan to join the host Bears, then the city would receive multiple recognitions throughout the tournament and the upcoming regular season in exchange for waiving the fees, which amount to $11,541.
Robert Godfrey from Lemon Wedge Marketing and Bears’ governor Blake Jamieson appeared before council at the Aug. 11 council meeting. Godfrey said the bid will be submitted before the end of the month, and the club is working on the financial logistics. The city’s rent approval will help make the tournament a success and reduce the burden on local businesses, as the Bears will be seeking sponsorship from the community.
“As we have seen, Estevan has done an amazing job of hosting really large-scale sporting tournaments and championships, and this is going to be no different,” said Godfrey.
The event will bring teams, their families, fans, officials and others to Estevan, benefiting local hotels, restaurants and stores.
If Estevan isn’t awarded the tournament, Godfrey said the Bears would still recognize the city throughout the season.
Coun. Tom Mauss wanted to know about a precedent if council approves the request. Mayor Tony Sernick and Coun. Shelly Veroba replied fees have been waived for other marquee events by previous councils; Veroba added it’s not a cash donation for this year, it’s a request to support a potential event next year.
Coun. Dave Elliott said he believes the city is already “heavily subsidizing” the hockey community, and he doesn’t expect the city would ever want to charge hockey for the services they receive. He anticipates the tournament would be very labour intensive for the city and suggested a discount for the organization, but voted against waiving rent.
Seventy per cent of any surplus money from the tournament will be directed to the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation’s effort to bring an MRI scanner to Estevan. Twenty per cent would go to the United Way Estevan’s 2026 telethon, and the remaining 10 per cent would go to upgrades at the Bears’ dressing room.
The winner of the West Regional will advance to the 2026 Telus Cup nationals.
Council approved three tax title tenders. The first was from Nguyen Minh Pham for $10,390 for a property at 1132 Fifth Street. The second was from SE Sask Lock Services for $12,000 for a property at 1127 Fifth Street, and the third was from Greg Griffin for $86,500 for 1233 Second Street.
The tenders awarded for all three properties were the top bids submitted.
Council approved a new food and beverage policy.
City manager Jeff Ward said the document finalizes the process in place with the vendor, who has the first right of refusal before submissions to bring in other food services for the building. He added it’s how the city has been operating with food services.
Coun. Kirsten Walliser asked about dietary restrictions or specific cultural meals. Ward responded he suspects that if the current vendor cannot meet requirements, then the company would not be able to supersede if other food is brought into the facility.
In her report, leisure services manager Erin Wilson wrote the former food and beverage policy was adopted in January 2014 and provided guidance on the services in the leisure centre since that time.
The water quality report showed that in July, the water treatment plant processed 163,587,900 litres of water. Of this, 158,434,700 litres were distributed into the municipal water system. The bulk water fill station dispensed 1,180,190 litres.
There were no operational upsets at the plant, according to water and wastewater services manager Matt Angell, and all regulatory parameters for drinking water quality were met in compliance with provincial standards.
Four building permits worth $190,000 were issued in July, bringing the total for the year to 26 permits worth more than $4.9 million. One permit was listed as single-family residential, and the other three were classified as miscellaneous.
Council approved an extension for a single-family property to be built on Hawkes Bay. Land development services manager Richard Neufeld told council the landowner has been working on designs and was ready to start construction on a house this summer, but their contractor became ill. Neufeld said he doesn’t want to see a basement hole dug and left throughout the winter.
Council also approved a lease proposal for a property on Howard Street in southeast Estevan. Neufeld noted there is a 40-acre parcel of land owned by the city, and the applicant asked to lease a small portion of land as transportation access onto their property. Neufeld noted another business wanted to lease the remainder of the property and might even want to work out an arrangement with the city to clean out the mess left by the previous owner.
An extension was also granted for the proposed biomass project in northeast Estevan. Neufeld noted the zoning is in place and the time extensions are for the subdivision. He added the company is waiting for approval from the provincial government.
During the inquiries portion of the meeting, Coun. Shelly Veroba encouraged people to call bylaw enforcement if there are homes and properties that aren’t being maintained. People have also reached out to her about concerns with panhandling, which is illegal in the city.
Coun. Brian Johnson asked for weeds to be picked at the new tree standards in the 1100-block of Fourth Street. Johnson noted some people have asked if those weeds are the new trees, a statement that drew laughter from those gathered in council chambers. He also asked to have areas for people to place garbage downtown.
