The First Nations Health Ombudsperson has tabled her inaugural report to draw attention to healthcare disparities among First Nations people.

“We’re here for you and we’re working hard to elevate your voices in those spaces that have been silenced for far too long,” Diane Lafond said.

Lafond’s office has received roughly 500 complaints since her office opened on July 1, 2023.

The inaugural report details complaints from July 1, 2023, to March 31, 2025 tied to a number of locations and categories.

Eighty per cent of complaints come from adults, with the remaining 20 per cent coming from children.

Top categories include physician complaints (29 per cent), emergency rooms (29 per cent), hospitals (22 per cent), nursing (10 per cent), and accessing healthcare services (10 per cent).

Most complaints come from the north, where members of the Prince Albert Grand Council account for the most reports among tribal councils. Lafond says that area has been identified as a “hotspot” in the data.

Lafond says a lot of complaints trace back to Shellbrook Hospital, which opened in 2013.

“There’s many First Nations around Shellbrook,” Lafond said. “They built that beautiful new hospital, yet people go there, and the doors are closed.”

Another trend present in the report is a rising use of non-disclosure agreements, which the health ombudsperson office finds restrictive to investigations.

“It silences, the victim,” said Heather Bear, the office’s board chair. “And I say victims because they are victims. Our people who are being mistreated.”

Now that the office has established itself and released its first report, Lafond wants to see its presence continue to grow.

She said a working relationship has been formed with the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and its First Nations and Métis Health division. Some complaints from the SHA have been referred to Lafond to advance further.

“We’re seeing steps happening, but with anything, it takes time,” Lafond said. “We want to do it right, but we want inclusion.”

Lafond referenced the SHA’s creation of its Indigenous Hair Cutting Policy after a 54-year-old woman was unable to provide informed consent when a registered nurse shaved her head earlier this year. Her office wasn’t invited to contribute to that policy. But she hopes with more work, her office will be included in those discussions.

Lafond also spoke of the lack of capacity within First Nations communities to adequately address things like home care nursing.

“There’s a lot of barriers that we face as First Nations people and communities,” she said.

A fire at a pulp mill in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan has prompted a full 24 hours of action from fire crews.

The Meadow Lake Fire Department responded to a call for service at 8:30 a.m. on Monday morning, after a log pile on the site caught fire.

“The fire situation has improved considerably, over the course of the evening, and over the last 24 hours there, it’s still an active situation,” said Chris Stoicheff, a spokesperson for Domtar, which owns the mill.

Stoicheff told CTV News on Tuesday afternoon that no injuries were reported and the mill itself is undamaged by the blaze, but the same can’t be said for their stockpile of lumber.

“Unfortunately, the damage to the log piles themselves is significant. So that will be very difficult for the business. And it comes at a difficult time for the sector as a whole,” Stoicheff said.

Dylan Malec spent $10,000 and countless hours installing solar panels on a shed in his backyard to power his home.

After receiving his first SaskPower bill since the installation, he’s questioning if it was worth it.

“I thought I’m probably going to break even [on power usage] this month, and that’s going to be my bill. But then when I got it, it was devastating because it was only 30 bucks cheaper,” Malec said.

“I’m not a millionaire or anything like that, so I have to have something feasible if I’m going to be spending that much money.”

Saskatchewan residents who produce their own power still have to pay for it, in addition to the fees that come along with adding panels to the provincial power grid.

People only save money if they produce excess power, which SaskPower currently credits at 7.5 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh).

These credits are then subtracted from your monthly power bill.

Prior to investing in solar panels, Malec familiarized himself with SaskPower’s Net Metering program. He explained that while he was aware of the math behind the program, the going rate for solar energy is not what he believes it should be.

“If I overproduce and I have, let’s say, $1,000 worth of credits, I’m never going to get a payout for that, which is fine. But just that the payback is just not even there to break even easily,” Malec said.

The 7.5 cents per kWh value that SaskPower gives residents is significantly less than what the company charges residents for the same amount of energy. Malec says this rate is frustrating for those who are trying to go green without breaking the bank.

“I had 428 kWh consumed, and then I put 400 back on the grid. So you think I’d just pay a bit extra more than the basic monthly bill? But that was definitely not the case. How they did their math was absurd,” Malec said.

SaskPower provided CTV news with a statement regarding the program rates.

“Net Metering customers are still reliant on the provincial power grid, both to take excess power from the customer when necessary and to provide power to the customer when solar energy is not available,” SaskPower said.

“We continually review our programs, including the Net Metering Program, to ensure fairness and sustainability for all customers. The 7.5c / kWh rate was extended in 2021 after consultation with the public, and we have seen stable and sustainable growth in program enrolment since then.”

Thanks to his background in engineering, Malec was able to do most of his solar panel installation himself, saving around $5,000.

He originally anticipated breaking even on his investment within 10 to 15 years, but after seeing his first bill, that projection is now closer to 20 or 30 years.

“This is one of those things that at least everyone in Saskatchewan can at least try and make a difference in, and try and move faster towards green, if there were better incentives,” Malec said.

According to Malec, SaskPower’s credit of 7.5 cents is half of what they would charge residents for the same amount of power. He says that while residents with solar panels should still be paying to access the power grid, raising the current rate could make a big impact.

“If they make some changes, it can make financial sense for people to pursue more of these projects, which can lead to more jobs being created for many trades industries and more economic growth,” Malec said.

Regina’s Chief of Police, Farooq Sheikh, has been terminated with cause following an investigation into alleged misconduct and inappropriate communications between Sheikh and a former member of the City’s board of police commissioners.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday at Regina Police headquarters, Mayor Chad Bachynski announced Sheikh’s termination.

“The PCC was satisfied that the investigation evidence showed the police chief acted in a manner that is unbecoming of a chief of police, and in a way that is dishonourable to the Regina Police Service,” he said.

Sheikh was removed from active service in April after a complaint was submitted to the Public Complaints Commission (PCC). An investigation into two possible major discipline offences was carried out.

During his remarks, Bachynski did not identify the complainant and noted that it is their decision to be identified publicly.

The first offence was based on two separate allegations.

The complainant alleged that Sheikh used his position as chief to influence them to vote in favour of amendments to his employment contract. Additionally, the complainant alleged Sheikh used his influence to remove the complainant from the police board.

An investigation found the first allegation to be “unsubstantiated” while no evidence was reported that the chief exercised any improper influence in the case of the second allegation.

However, in the case of the second offence, the PCC found evidence of dishonourable conduct.

“The investigation evidence showed that Chief Sheikh engaged in inappropriate private communications with the complainant over several months that demonstrated a significant and continuing lapse in professional judgment and conduct and conduct inconsistent with Regina Police Service core values,” Bachynski explained.

According to the mayor, evidence in this case included communications between the chief and the complainant that were kept from others on the board and from members of the police service.

Sheikh and the complainant also exchanged messages during an in-camera session from which Sheikh was excused, due to possible amendments to his contract being discussed.

Additionally, Chief Sheikh asked the complainant to delete the text messages between them after the discovery of the messages became a risk.

Lastly, Sheikh later characterized the nature of the communications to a member of the police board and to a PCC investigator in a way that seriously offended the RPS’s core values of integrity, transparency and accountability.

“Overall, the chief did not take responsibility for his conduct. Based on the investigation findings, the board has made the decision to terminate Chief Sheikh’s employment contract with cause,” Bachynski added.

In a response to Sheikh’s dismissal, a lawyer representing the complainant shared a statement to CTV News.

Within that statement, the lawyer said the complainant would be reviewing the PCC’s findings and is hopeful for further dialogue with the police board regarding the circumstances of their departure from the organization.

“[The complainant] will be reviewing PCC’s findings and hopes to have open and honest communications with the Regina Board of Police Commissioners about the breach of [their] privacy and the lack of due process in asking for [their] resignation from the board before providing any further comment on this matter,” the statement read.

Lorilee Davies, who has been serving as acting chief, will continue to lead the service in that role for the time being.

In 2024, Sheikh was the second-highest paid City of Regina employee, recording an annual salary of $273,100.

Sheikh was hired as Regina’s chief of police on Nov. 7, 2023, and assumed the role on Dec. 1 of that year.

Before coming to Regina, Sheikh was the chief of the Alberta Sheriff’s Service.

He also held senior leadership roles with the London Metropolitan Police and West Midland Police in the United Kingdom.

Monkeys being transported on a Mississippi highway escaped captivity Tuesday after the truck carrying them overturned, according to law enforcement.

All but one of the escaped monkeys were killed, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department said in a post on Facebook, warning that the monkeys were “aggressive.” It is not clear how many monkeys were originally in the truck.

The truck was carrying Rhesus monkeys, which typically weigh around 16 pounds (7.7 kilograms) and are among the most medically studied animals on the planet. They were being housed at the Tulane University National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, which routinely provides primates to scientific research organizations, according to the university.

It is not clear who was transporting the monkeys or where they were being taken.

Video shows monkeys crawling through tall grass on the side of Interstate 59 just north of Heidelberg, Mississippi, with wooden crates labeled “live animals” crumpled and strewn about.

The sheriff’s department initially said the monkeys were carrying diseases including herpes, but Tulane University said in a statement that the monkeys “are not infectious.” The sheriff’s department responded by saying the driver of the truck told law enforcement the monkeys were dangerous and needed to be handled using personal protective equipment.

Tulane University said it is working with law enforcement. Mississippi Wildlife and Fisheries was also on site.

The crash happened about 100 miles (160 kilometres) from the state capital of Jackson. It is not clear what caused the truck to overturn.

Canada Post has laid off dozens of managers amid its restructuring plan and ongoing labour dispute with employees, a source confirmed to CTV News.

“These changes are a continuation of our corporate-wide restructuring efforts to better align our management team with the future needs of the organization,” wrote Canada Post president and CEO Doug Ettinger in a memo to employees obtained by CTV News. “While these decisions are sometimes necessary, they are never taken lightly.”

Canada Post also confirmed the layoffs in a statement to CTV News, saying the company “made the difficult decision to eliminate some positions,” but wouldn’t provide specifics on how many employees were impacted.

The development was first reported by the Toronto Star.

Late last month, Government Transformation Minister Joel Lightbound announced major changes to Canada Post to address the “existential” challenges facing the corporation, calling it “effectively insolvent.”

These changes included delivery standards for letter mail, lifting the moratorium on community mailbox conversions and lifting the moratorium on rural post offices.

The government also asked Canada Post to reduce its management and overhead costs by at least 15 per cent.

In response, the union — which represents about 55,000 members — announced an immediate nationwide strike, while a protracted labour dispute was already ongoing.

The union shifted to rotating strikes on Oct. 9. The Crown corporation and the union, meanwhile, are set to return to the bargaining table later this week, according to The Canadian Press.

“We need to ensure our costs better align to our financial realities, which means our organization will be leaner at all levels going forward,” Ettinger also wrote in the memo. “To minimize the impact on our teams, we will continue to manage our workforce first through attrition while we maintain our external hiring freeze.”

In an interview on CTV Power Play with Vassy Kapelos last month, Lightbound said the changes to Canada Post would take place over time, but that it was for the heads of the corporation to implement the directives.

“It takes political courage, but I think given the numbers, given that Canadians have had to inject a billion dollars this year just to keep the lights on at Canada Post, I think it’s expected from Canadians that will make the tough decisions to preserve Canada Post, make sure that it’s on a viable financial path, and that’s exactly what we’re doing today,” he said.

Canada Post, meanwhile, says the corporation “will be sharing our plan with the government in the next few weeks” and that the company “must take decisive action to deliver the services Canadians need in a way that is financially sustainable.”

Since 2018, Canada Post has lost more than $5 billion and is expected to lose $1.5 billion in 2025.

Now a Category 4 storm, Melissa is expected to cross into the island nation entering near St. Elizabeth parish in the south and exiting at St. Ann parish in the north.

The storm will then head towards Cuba.

Jamaicans in the GTA concerned for loved ones on island

GTA residents with roots in Jamaica are thinking and praying for their loved ones back home as Hurricane Melissa made landfall on the island on Tuesday.

Dubbed Jamaica’s “storm of the century” by the World Meteorological Association, Melissa is expected to cause significant and widespread damage on the island nation.

Many in the GTA, which has roughly 250,000 people of Jamaican descent, have come together to support those with relatives in Jamaica and are already planning fundraisers to help them in the disaster’s aftermath.

Melissa moves towards eastern Cuba

In a post shared on social media, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said conditions are expected to deteriorate rapidly over the next several hours, as Hurricane Melissa moves toward eastern Cuba.

New danger for hurricane-hit Jamaica: wandering crocodiles

Jamaican health authorities on Tuesday urged residents across the island to be vigilant for crocodiles displaced by Hurricane Melissa.

“Rising water levels in rivers, gullies, and swamps could cause crocodiles to move into residential areas,” posted the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) in a public service announcement on social media.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says he’s sorry for not visiting sooner a northern village ravaged by wildfire earlier this summer.

Moe made the apology while speaking in the legislative assembly.

He says he was not there for those in Denare Beach soon after the fire burned down more than half the community in June.

The apology came after the Opposition NDP asked Moe to respond to concerns raised by residents about the province being ill-prepared to fight the fire.

Moe’s government has been criticized for a lack of firefighting equipment while nearly half of the water bomber fleet was grounded during the worst of wildfire season.

Moe had visited Denare Beach in September, in a move that surprised local officials who had said they wished the premier came sooner.

🎉 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.

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Here’s what you can expect from this update:
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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.
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• 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).
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  • Third-Party Apps: Any apps relying on our live broadcasts will also be affected.

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