Canada’s money laundering watchdog has fined the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) nearly $1.2 million for non-compliance with anti-money laundering regulations.

According to the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC), SIGA, which operates seven casinos in Saskatchewan, failed to meet its obligations under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act.

FINTRAC says SIGA failed to submit suspicious transaction reports, failed to report suspicious transactions with the prescribed information, and failed to develop and apply written compliance policies and procedures.

According to FINTRAC, the penalty totalling $1,175,000 was imposed on Aug. 28.

“FINTRAC works with businesses to help them understand and comply with their obligations under the Act. We are also firm in ensuring that businesses continue to do their part and we will take appropriate actions when they are needed,” said Sarah Paquet, director and chief executive officer of FINTRAC.

FINTRAC says as Canada’s financial intelligence unit and anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing supervisor, it ensures businesses comply with anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing regulations.

The agency says it has imposed more than 150 penalties since 2008, including 23 notices of violation totalling over $25 million in 2024-25.

In a statement issued Friday afternoon, SIGA says the penalty is only for administrative reporting requirements and says there are no financial crimes at any of its properties.

“There is no money laundering, terrorist financing, or other financial crimes at SIGA’s properties. FINTRAC is the organization responsible for monitoring and investigating financial transactions to detect and prevent money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes,” the statement read.

It says it does not agree with the violations found by FINTRAC and will be appealing it, along with the penalties assessed to federal court.

A Saskatchewan pastry chef has recently returned from the Philippines after competing in a catering business contest.

Growing up with a passion for culinary art, Emma Compton of Regina said she always wanted to become a chef.

“I’ve loved baking my entire life. I took a lot of classes at Miller High School, and I was really inspired there,” she sh

ared.

Early in her career, the culinary artist and owner of Emma’s Cakes & Patisserie recently took her skills for tasty treats abroad, participating in the SMX Culinary 2025 in Manila, Philippines.

Competing against the country’s top caterers, Compton served as the head pastry chef for her friend’s catering business, Richgold Weddings, where she took part in plating more than 1,000 desserts of panna cotta and macaron with Philippine flavours.

SaskEnergy will be conducting a controlled natural gas flaring in downtown Regina on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

According to a public safety announcement, crews will have two flares on site at a district regulating station near the 2000 block of Hamilton Street between 13th Avenue and Victoria Avenue.

SaskEnergy says those in the area may see a 10-foot flame being emitted from two flare stacks attached to the building, which will be supervised to ensure public safety.

The controlled flare is necessary to perform maintenance work on the natural gas line system in the area, according to SaskEnergy, and ensures safe delivery of natural gas to customers.

The scheduled time is subject to change based on operating requirements, SaskEnergy says.

The union representing Canadian postal workers is moving to end a ban on overtime work and will instead have members stop delivering commercial flyers as it seeks to get Canada Post back to the bargaining table.

The halt to flyer deliveries is set to come into effect Monday, said Canadian Union of Postal Workers president Jan Simpson, who warned of possible escalation ahead.

“Canada Post needs to get back to the table,” she said at a press conference in Ottawa on Friday.

“If Canada Post continues to stall, postal workers will have no choice but to consider stronger actions to move negotiations ahead.”

The warning comes as CUPW says Canada Post is refusing to talk until the union significantly changes its latest offer.

The union in early August voted down what Canada Post said was its final offer, and CUPW responded with its own proposal that the postal service said was a step backwards.

Simpson said the move away from an overtime ban came as the postal service has raised concerns about its impact on operations. She said she hopes the change will help restart talks and secure a deal before the lucrative holiday rush while minimizing the impact on Canadians.

“Our goal is to get collective agreements that are ratifiable before Christmastime,” she said.

Canada Post said the latest move to halt flyer delivery was a disappointment that will affect thousands of Canadian businesses that use the service.

“This latest strike activity will only increase the uncertainty that is having a major impact on the business,” said spokesman Phil Legault in a statement.

Canada Post says the gap between the two sides remains “substantial” after the union’s latest proposal maintained or hardened its positions on many issues.

“We encourage CUPW to come back with workable solutions that reflect our current reality and get the parties closer to a resolution,” said Legault.

Business groups also expressed disappointment in the latest union move.

Canadian Federation of Independent Business president Dan Kelly said there was nothing good in the latest union action as about 20 per cent of members use Canada Post for flyers as a low-cost advertising option.

“This is bad news, but even more than the loss of flyers, this inches us closer to an overall strike or lockout, and we are very close to the critical holiday season once again.”

A strike and lockout lasted more than a month in November and December last fall, ending only after then-labour minister Steven MacKinnon declared an impasse in the talks and asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order an end to the work stoppage.

While many might not be bothered by the loss of flyers, the Retail Council of Canada said it was very concerned by the move, especially as seniors and those in rural or underserved communities still use them to learn about potential savings.

“Canadians should not be caught in the middle of this dispute,” said Kim Furlong, head of the Retail Council, in a statement.

The impasse between the union and postal service comes as workers demand higher wages and other work improvements, while the Crown corporation has posted cumulative losses of more than $5 billion since 2018.

Kelly at the CFIB said that at some point the government will need to push through major reforms to make what is still a vital service for many Canadians and businesses a sustainable operation.

“They need to rip the Band-Aid off and get the major reforms made, and order the workers back on the job until such time as that is over.”

Simpson at CUPW said she was worried the government would indeed step in again as it did before in the Canada Post dispute and in many other times including for Air Canada, port and rail strikes.

“I’ve never seen more people on picket lines in my life, and this is because this government is enabling these employers to know they don’t have to come to the table and bargain collective agreements.”

A 22-year-old Utah man who was arrested and booked on murder charges in the assassination of Charlie Kirk held deep disdain for the conservative activist’s provocative viewpoints and indicated to a family member that he was responsible for the shooting, authorities said Friday.

The arrest marked a major break in a case that shocked the country and raised fresh alarms about political violence in a deeply polarized United States.

Tyler Robinson had become “more political” in the run-up to the shooting and mentioned during a dinner with family that Kirk would be visiting Utah, Gov. Spencer Cox said at a news conference. The Republican governor cited as evidence engravings on bullet casings found in the rifle that authorities believe was used in the attack, as well as chat app messages attributed to the suspect that a roommate shared with law enforcement.

The governor credited Robinson’s family with helping turn him over to authorities.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we got him,” Cox said soon after the arrest was first heralded by President Donald Trump on the Fox News show “Fox & Friends.”

Robinson is believed to have acted alone, and the investigation is ongoing, Cox said. He was arrested on suspicion of capital murder, weapons and obstruction offenses. He was expected to be formally charged Tuesday ahead of an initial court appearance.

Robinson’s arrest late Thursday capped a frenetic day-and-a-half search that just hours earlier seemed stuck when authorities pleaded for tips and leads from the public. The assassination while Kirk was speaking at Utah Valley University reverberated across the country because of his outsize influence in conservative circles, his close connections with Trump and because of the questions it raised about the escalating toll of political violence that has spanned the ideological spectrum.

“This is our moment: Do we escalate or do we find an off-ramp?” Cox asked, making an impassioned plea for young people to bridge differences through common ground rather than violence. “It’s a choice.”

New details on evidence

Authorities, who have yet to reveal a motive, described evidence they said shed potential light on the slaying.

Ammunition found with the weapon was engraved with taunting, anti-fascist and meme culture messages, including one bullet casing that said, “Hey, fascist! Catch!” Cox said.

In addition, a roommate shared with authorities messages from the chatting app Discord that involved a contact named Tyler and discussed a rifle wrapped in a towel, engraved bullets and a scope, the governor said. A Mauser .30-caliber, bolt-action rifle was found in a towel in a wooded area along the path investigators believe Robinson took after firing a single shot from a distant roof and then fleeing.

The clothes the suspect wore when confronted by law enforcement late Thursday matched what he had on when he arrived on campus, and a family member confirmed he drove a gray Dodge Challenger like the one seen in surveillance video that recorded Robinson driving to the university the day of the shooting, Cox said.

Robinson’s father recognized him from the photos released by the FBI and told him to turn himself in. Robinson refused at first, but then changed his mind, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. His father contacted their youth pastor, who also occasionally works with the U.S. Marshals and called the agency so Robinson could turn himself in.

James Stonechild has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2024 murder of his common-law partner, 32-year-old Amanda Keewatin.

The 40-year-old from Okanese First Nation received his sentence at Regina’s Court of King’s Bench on Wednesday. Stonechild previously pled guilty to a single count of second-degree murder in August.

Justice Catherine Dawson accepted a joint submission that will see Stonechild serve 10 years in prison before being eligible for parole.

Stonechild is prohibited from contacting members of Keewatin’s family during his time in prison and must also provide a DNA sample for forensic purposes.

Additionally, he is subject to a lifetime ban from owning firearms.

Keewatin, who was from Peepeekisis Cree Nation, died in the early morning hours of Sept. 24, 2024.

File Hills Police responded to Stonechild’s home on Okanese First Nation at around 4:40 a.m. after he called emergency services and told them that Keewatin was badly hurt.

Keewatin’s cause of death was eventually found to be multiple stab wounds.

The officer who arrived at the scene asked Stonechild where Keewatin was – to which he replied: “She’s gone, and I guess you need to take me in for murder.”

The court heard that Stonechild asked police to make sure the couple’s two children didn’t see their mother’s body.

A publication ban is currently in place to protect the identities of the children.

The victim’s friends and family were present for Stonechild’s guilty plea in August – and provided victim impact statements.

Officers with the Saskatchewan RCMP have laid a charge in connection to a case of carbon monoxide poisoning at a business in Canora in 2023.

RCMP say in May 2024, the service’s detachment in Canora received a report claiming a minor had been the victim of carbon monoxide poisoning at a business on Norway Road in the community.

Police immediately began investigating, determining the incident occurred on October 23, 2023.

On that date, police say a 14-year-old employee was exposed to carbon monoxide while employed and on shift at the business. A person of authority had asked the employee to use a gas-powered device, meant for use outdoors, inside the business.

The 14-year-old was taken to hospital in Canora and was later transported to a facility in Alberta to be treated for exposure to carbon monoxide.

On Aug. 28, 2025, after an RCMP investigation and consultation with crown prosecutors, Kyle Kaiser, of Canora, Sask. was arrested and charged with one court of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

He has since been released. Kaiser’s next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 2 in Canora.

Canora is located approximately 230 kilometres northeast of Regina.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s announcement of the first batch of potential nation-building projects to be fast tracked did not inspire much faith with the provincial government – despite one of those projects being based in Saskatchewan.

The McIlvenna Bay Foran Copper Mine Project in east-central Saskatchewan was one of five projects highlighted by the Prime Minister on Thursday. According to the province, the mine – which is located west of Creighton – includes an underground copper, zinc, gold and silver mine accompanied by an above-ground processing facility.

The facility will have a processing capacity of 4,900 tonnes per day over its initial 18-year life. The project represents a total capital investment of over $1 billion and is expected to begin commercial production in mid-2026.

The other four projects highlighted by Carney include the Darlington New Nuclear Project in Ontario, a major expansion to the Port of Montreal, LNG Canada Phase 2 based in Kitimat, B.C. and the Red Chris Mine expansion – also in B.C.

In a response to the federal announcement, Saskatchewan’s Deputy Premier Jim Reiter stated that the provincial government is concerned about the omission of uranium and pipeline projects from Ottawa’s shortlist – pointing to the fact that three uranium-related projects in the province are ready to move forward in the near term.

“We have asked the federal government to correct this immediately. The lack of any approved pipeline projects also highlights the uncertainty caused by the current regulatory system and the reluctance of companies to move forward given that uncertainty,” Reiter explained.

Reiter went on to argue that the federal “Major Projects Office” is only necessary because of “unworkable federal regulations” with the deputy premier singling out the federal Impact Assessment Act.

“Saskatchewan’s position remains the same - our country needs all economic projects to go forward if Canada wants to be the strongest economy in the G7 — not just the projects selected by politicians in Ottawa,” the statement read.

“That can only happen through true regulatory reform at the federal level which Premier Moe will raise with the Prime Minister the next time they speak.”

As for the omission of pipelines as part of the first phase – no private company has come forward so far to develop one.

Carney also identified other projects in the early stages of planning – stating that the federal government wants to see further development before committing to them. They range from Pathways Plus, an Alberta-based carbon capture, utilization and storage project to Port of Churchill Plus, which will upgrade the Port of Churchill in Manitoba.

Speaking to reporters in Calgary on Wednesday, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she was not concerned if a pipeline did not make the initial list.

“The list is going to be an evergreening list,” Smith said, adding “it’s not, ‘oh my gosh, this is it, nothing else can be added.’”

The Major Projects Office (MPO), which is being led by former CEO and chair of the board of directors of the Trans Mountain Corporation Dawn Farrell, will now move ahead to streamline and fast-track regulatory approval for the projects.

The MPO was established under Bill C-5 — dubbed the Building Canada Act by the Liberals — aimed at giving government sweeping new powers to approve major projects of national interest. Bill C-5 passed Parliament in June.

🎉 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