For the third time in a month, the Regina Urgent Care Centre will operate with further reduced hours – before being outright closed for a day.

On Friday, July 11, the centre will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Saturday, July 12, hours are further reduced to just four – from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. before being closed completely on Sunday, July 13.

According to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), the “temporary” adjustment is to accommodate “physician availability.”

The health authority said residents who may need urgent care while the centre is closed should call 911 or visit the emergency departments at either Pasqua Hospital or Regina General.

Staffing issues and service outages at the urgent care centre has long been a concern since its opening last July.

The centre was supposed to be open 24/7 by this point. However, the SHA said earlier this week that it feels patient demand is being met between the centre and emergency rooms.

Despite staffing concerns continually being raised by the NDP Opposition – the province plans to move forward with additional urgent care centres in Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert and North Battleford.

Moose Jaw RCMP is seeking tips as police attempt to find a man who has violated his release conditions and failed to appear before a judge.

Gavin Nelson, 27, failed to comply with court-ordered release conditions related to a June 2022 assault investigation and failed to appear in court, according to a news release from the Saskatchewan RCMP on Thursday.

Nelson is described as weighing 160 pounds and stands five feet 11 inches tall, with hazel-coloured eyes and red hair.

RCMP also noted that he has the phrase, ‘brothers until the end’ tattooed on his right wrist.

RCMP advises people not to approach Nelson if they see him and report all sightings or information to local police of Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers.

RCMP said the investigation continues.

Two Ontario men are facing multiple charges after Saskatchewan RCMP seized approximately 4.9 million unstamped cigarettes and 247 grams of opium near Indian Head Monday night.

According to an RCMP news release, members from the Indian Head detachment stopped a tractor trailer unit on Highway 1 travelling from Ontario to B.C. around 9 p.m. near Indian Head.

Officers conducted a search of the trailer and found the opium and unstamped cigarettes.

The driver and passenger were then arrested at the scene.

As a result, a 27-year-old man and 23-year-old man from Ontario were each charged with one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking in addition to four counts related to the unstamped cigarettes.

Both men will make their first court appearances in Indian Head on Oct. 21, RCMP said.

Indian Head, Sask. is about 70 kilometres east of Regina.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says the province is committed to getting people into drug treatment — whether they like it or not.

At a news conference that called on the federal government to reform the bail provisions under the Criminal Code of Canada, Moe suggested it’s time to consider involuntary treatment for vulnerable people facing addictions and mental health struggles.

“To have a serious conversation around ensuring that people are receiving the care that they need, even when they may not be in a position to be able to make those decisions themselves,” Moe said.

Moe said while the province continues to add more urgent care centers, complex needs shelters and treatment spaces to complement a continuum of care, he said the government is also considering what he called “compassionate care.”

On Oct. 6, 2023, the province announced a two-year action plan for a new approach to homelessness, addictions and social services.

As part of the multifaceted plans, the province committed $49.4 million over five years to create 500 new addictions treatment spaces, which was expected to more than double the number of spaces available at the time.

The province also announced $40.2 million in funding over two years to create 155 new supportive housing spaces, 120 new permanent emergency shelter spaces, and 30 new complex needs emergency shelter spaces.

As part of the new approach, the province committed to move away from harm reduction and transition to a “recovery-oriented system of care.”

At the time, the province said its new approach would help patients who need more than the typical 28-day in-patient care offered under a traditional addictions treatment model.

Saskatchewan Health has since cut off funding for needle exchanges and the provision of clean drug supplies like glass pipes, and the province has passed a law declaring syringes and drug pipes “street weapons.”

Now, as the opioid crisis shows no signs of slowing down, Moe says he wants to go further.

“There are situations where, you know, individuals just simply aren’t in a state to make their own health decisions,” Moe said.

Alberta’s Compassionate Intervention Act was passed earlier this year that allows people to be forced into addiction treatment facilities without their consent, if they’re deemed a risk to themselves and others.

British Columbia also opened its first involuntary treatment beds earlier this year.

From Jan. 1, 2025 to May 21, 2025, the Saskatoon Fire Department responded to 1,149 overdoses, compared to 568 in that same span last year.

The jump represents a 102 per cent increase, largely fueled by 509 overdoses in a month where the Ministry of Health issued five of its nine drug alerts related to the spike in overdoses.

In 2024, the fire department responded to a total of 1,281 overdoses. By May 31, 2025, there had been 1,217 overdoses.

As the province looks to punish people trafficking drugs in Saskatchewan, it also wants to keep encouraging addicted drug users to get treatment.

“If your challenge is mental health, if it is unfortunately addictions to those poisonous substances like fentanyl and crystal meth, we want you in a recovery center, and we want you to be able to live a recovered life,” he said.

A large wildfire in northwestern Saskatchewan has reached the community of Beauval.

Beauval Mayor Rick Laliberte said the community evacuated essential workers and remaining residents around 3 p.m. Thursday. He said flames from the Muskeg Fire reached the village just before 5:30 p.m.

Firefighters are on the ground protecting homes.

“It’s just heartbreaking. We couldn’t stop it. This wind is just relentless these last four days. The fire front was just too big,” Laliberte told CTV News.

According to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, as of 11 a.m. Thursday, the Muskeg fire covered 33,967 hectares — nearly double the size of Regina.

Beauval, Sask. is located around 450 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.

As the federal government undergoes a spending review, Prime Minister Mark Carney is aiming to find $25 billion in savings over the next three years, according to a senior government source who spoke to CTV News.

News of the target figure comes after Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, along with Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali, issued letters to Carney’s cabinet on Monday, asking them to present plans by the end of summer to find “ambitious” savings ahead of this fall’s budget.

According to a spokesperson from Champagne’s office, ministers must find 7.5 per cent savings for the 2026-27 fiscal year that begins on April 1, 2026, followed by 10 per cent in 2027-28 and 15 per cent in 2028-29 – with the goal of finding “long-term savings.”

The Toronto Star was first to report the $25 billion savings target.

In a new video posted to X on Thursday, Carney reiterated his promise to “spend less, invest more,” which he first pledged to do during the federal election.

“We’ll spend what we need to, with the money we already have,” Carney said in the video.

During the federal election campaign, Carney also committed to balancing the federal government’s operating budget by 2028, and to divide the budget into two new categories – operating costs and capital investments. He also pledged to cap – and not cut – the public service.

Speaking to CTV News, Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada President Sean O’Reilly, who represents as many as 70,000 public service members, called the $25 billion savings target “a very surprising number” given it’s so “large.”

“I have major concerns for how it will affect my members and their employment,” O’Reilly said, adding he is also worried about how potential job cuts could impact services and “affect everyday Canadians and their ways of life.”

Earlier this week, unions received a briefing from the federal government outlining the current expenditure review, but O’Reilly said conversations have “been very lacking.”

While O’Reilly also conceded there are “potential places we could find to reduce spending,” he also said he is concerned potential job losses could go beyond attrition.

Sahir Khan, who is the executive vice-president of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy, says he believes the review is about reallocating money to reach new spending commitments, like a middle-class tax cut and a $9.3 billion boost to meet NATO’s defence spending target of two per cent of GDP by this fiscal year.

“I don’t think the cuts of the public service are kind of the first priority. I think the first objective here is to create a pool of opportunities that they could look at for reallocation,” Khan said.

Khan also said Canadians should not expect to see the public service grow and instead see workers “go where the money is,” referring to departments like National Defence and the Canada Border Services Agency, which are getting more emphasis under the current government.

Statistics released by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat in the spring show 357,965 people worked for the federal government as of March 31, down from 367,772 people in 2024.

Asked on Thursday how she will find 7.5 per cent of savings for her department in the next fiscal year, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand would not specify but said “there is work to do.”

“This is a time where we need to focus on reducing our expenditures on the one hand but continuing to offer the key programs that our citizens rely on,” Anand said while speaking to reporters from Malaysia, adding social programs like the Canada Child Benefit and $10-a-day childcare will not be impacted by the review.

Two years ago, Anand asked her cabinet colleagues to find $15.4 billion in government spending cuts by 2028 when she served as Treasury Board President under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

On top of the expenditure review, the federal government also announced on Wednesday that it is launching a “red tape review” of regulations across all federal departments and agencies with regulatory responsibilities in a bid to cut “unnecessary red tape.” Ministers will have 60 days to review regulatory responsibilities and report back on their organizations’ progress and next steps.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday the U.S. will charge a 35 per cent tariff on Canadian imports starting Aug. 1.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney that was posted on Truth Social, Trump wrote “if for any reason you decide to raise your Tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 35% that we charge.”

Trump, who one day earlier announced the U.S. will place a 50 per cent tariff on copper imports effective Aug. 1, wrote that tariffs were originally imposed on Canada due to the U.S. fentanyl crisis, which the president claimed was partly due to “Canada’s failure to stop the drugs from pouring into our country.”

“If Canada works with me to stop the flow of Fentanyl, we will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter,” Trump wrote. “These Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your Country.”

Trump closed the letter with: “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Trump has repeatedly cited fentanyl as one of the justifications for launching a trade war against Canada. However, a July 1 report from The Manhattan Institute found that large Canadian-border seizures were “relatively rare,” with only one per cent of fentanyl pills, capsules or tablets seized coming from the northern border.

Trump also wrote that “there will be no Tariff if Canada, or companies within your Country, decide to build or manufacture product within the United States and, in fact, we will do everything possible to get approvals quickly, professionally, and routinely – In other words, in a matter of weeks.”

The president added there were other issues the U.S. had with Canada, including “unsustainable” trade deficits and Canada’s dairy sector, which he has falsely claimed numerous times that Canada imposes anywhere between 250 and 400 per cent tariffs on U.S. dairy products.

Canada-U.S. trade deadline approaches

Last month at the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis, Alta., Canada set a 30-day trade deal deadline of July 21 with the U.S. However, the two sides appear to have cooled off that date.

The U.S. temporarily ended trade talks in late June over Canada’s digital services tax, but the federal government moved to drop the tax just days later and negotiations resumed. Carney said the move to drop the tax was part of a “bigger negotiation” for a final deal with the U.S.

Last week, Pete Hoekstra, the American ambassador to Canada, refused to commit to that date during an interview with CTV News. He also said that an eventual deal, whenever it may come, would be “good” for Canada and the U.S.

Speaking with reporters at the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said the federal government is “still hopeful” an agreement can be reached by July 21, despite the “complex negotiation.”

“Our teams are working extremely hard behind closed doors,” Anand said. “This is an effort that we are putting all our weight behind.”

David MacNaughton, Canada’s former ambassador to the U.S., said in an interview with CTV News the July 21 deadline was “not realistic at the present moment.”

“I don’t think that we’re going to reach anything of a significant breakthrough by the 21st,” MacNaughton said. “I think one can always hope for the best, but I think that’s not realistic at the present moment, because I think what we’ve got right now is (U.S.) President Trump is feeling pretty confident of his own position, not just with Canada, but elsewhere.”

Health Canada is warning consumers about the “serious health risks” potentially posed by some kinds of hormonal supplements for mood and stress.

Published Tuesday, the advisory identifies the supplement Natrol DHEA Mood & Stress, sold online and at two Alberta retail stores, as an “unauthorized product.”

“Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a controlled substance that may pose serious health risks,” the notice reads. “Unauthorized health products have not been approved by Health Canada, which means that they have not been assessed for safety, effectiveness and quality.”

The department notes that DHEA can cause abnormally high levels of male and female hormones in the body and increased risk of fertility issues, acne and abnormal hair growth, as well as the risk of life-threatening conditions such as prostate and breast cancer.

People with prior issues affecting their heart’s rhythm, blood clotting and liver function should especially avoid DHEA, as well as those who are currently pregnant or breastfeeding, Health Canada says. DHEA may also interact with certain psychiatric medications, intensify some mental health conditions and increase the risk of mania among people with mood disorders.

According to Health Canada, the retailer, Retail Revolt, has halted sales and surrendered its inventory of the supplements, what the agency calls an “illegal product.”

What to do with unauthorized products

Health Canada is directing those who have purchased the supplements not to use them, and to consult a health-care provider with any concerns about previous use. Any side effects should be reported promptly to the department .

As well, consumers in possession of the supplements should return the product to their pharmacy for safe disposal, and beware of purchasing unauthorized health products.

“Read product labels to verify that health products have been authorized for sale by Health Canada,” the notice warns. “Authorized health products have an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN), Natural Product Number (NPN) or Homeopathic Drug Number (DIN-HM). You can also check whether products have been authorized for sale by searching Health Canada’s Drug Product Database and Licensed Natural Health Product Database.

🎉 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