A Melfort, Sask. man faces a second-degree murder charge following the death of an infant late last month.

Police were called to a home in Melfort on Christmas Eve with a report of an infant in medical distress, according to an RCMP news release.

When they arrived on scene a paramedic was caring for the infant — a child under one-year-old who was unresponsive.

The infant was soon hospitalized, where they died on Dec. 28.

Officers believed the infants injuries were suspicious in nature and turned the case over to investigators from the Saskatchewan RCMP homicide unit and the Prince Albert serious crimes unit.

On Saturday, a 37-year-old Melfort man was arrested in connection with the death. He faces a charge of second-degree murder.

The RCMP says it’s not releasing the name of the infant or accused in case a publication ban is ordered, but confirmed the victim and accused are known to each other.

The accused made his first appearance in Melfort Provincial Court on Monday.

The incident happened at a business on the 2600 block of Victoria Avenue East on Dec. 4, 2025.

At around 11 p.m., an unknown man entered the business and took several items off the wall before leaving through the front door.

The suspect is described as a man wearing a dark blue and orange winter jacket, along with dark pants and dark shoes.

A vehicle used in the robbery appears to be a white Nissan Frontier with a roof rack.

Callers do not have to identify themselves, and calls are not traced or recorded.

If you know any information leading to an arrest call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-tips (8477)

Conexus Credit Union has officially merged with Cornerstone Credit Union and Synergy Credit Union, forming a new entity with 57 locations in 50 communities across Saskatchewan.

The merged credit union keeps the Conexus name and now serves about 200,000 members, representing roughly 40 per cent of the province’s credit union assets, with $16 billion under management.

Bringing together three credit unions and their systems is a complex process, but CEO Celina Philpot has said the transition will be smooth.

“Time is something we’re going to have to keep in mind, but not at the risk of creating an environment where it’s not smooth,” Philpot said. “We have done this before. Conexus is a culmination of many mergers from the past, so we have experience bringing systems together.”

The merger is expected to take 18 months to complete the rebranding of the new financial institution.

Passengers who recently travelled from Regina to Puerto Vallarta are raising concerns after their bags failed to arrive in Mexico.

Gary Brotzel arrived in Mexico with his wife on Jan. 3. However, their two suitcases and two sets of golf clubs failed to make the trip.

“I guess in some ways we should consider ourselves lucky because some people that left from Regina on Jan. 1 are still waiting for their luggage,” Brotzel said.

Brotzel was among 180 passengers on WestJet flight 2380, a direct flight travelling from Regina to Puerto Vallarta on Jan. 3.

Before setting off on their three-month trip in Mexico, Brotzel said he saw luggage being unloaded from their plane. He thinks it was in relation to a separate flight heading to Puerto Vallarta that departed from Regina on New Year’s Day.

“I think that was kind of the start of it. A bunch [of bags] didn’t come on New Year’s Day, and then they try to throw that luggage on the next flight and it gets too heavy where they throw off all those people’s bags and it just continues,” he explained.

When arriving in Puerto Vallarta that same-day, Brotzel claims he saw 20 bags from his flight come off the carousel — none of which were his.

Since then, he has been tracking his missing luggage along with his wife’s, using trackers of his own.

“I threw AirTags in our bags. We had two sets of golf clubs and two suitcases,” Brotzel said. “I almost didn’t because I thought, well, it’s a direct flight, the bags are going to make it. How can they not make it? I’m glad I did.”

As of Monday morning, Brotzel said the AirTags showed his luggage was in three separate locations.

“My [golf] clubs are in Puerto Vallarta at the airport. My wife’s golf club set is sitting in Regina, and her two bags are in Calgary,” he explained.

Since submitting his lost bag claims to WestJet’s website, Brotzel said he has had “zero communication” from the airline.

Another Regina resident on the same flight found himself in a similar situation, as him and his wife have been waiting three-days for their luggage to arrive.

“I’ve got [automatic] confirmation from WestJet that they had received my baggage claim, but we haven’t heard anything from WestJet at all,” Brett McLaughlin explained.

“All of our toiletries and everything that you can imagine is all in our luggage. We’ve had to go buy some essentials. My prescriptions were in my baggage plus my golf clubs are there. I can’t go golfing until I get my clubs. It’s been kind of a challenge to be honest.”

In a statement to CTV News, WestJet said it is aware luggage from its flights WS2380 not arriving to Puerto Vallarta on Jan 1. and Jan. 3.

“Flight WS2380, on both January 1st and 3rd experienced baggage issues due to the volume of luggage, maximum weight and runway conditions,” the airline’s statement read.

“The luggage is currently being routed to Puerto Vallarta. We sincerely apologize to guests for this inconvenience, guests who experienced luggage delays can visit flight interruptions and passenger rights where they can submit a claim.”

If baggage does not arrive with passengers at their destination, the airline becomes liable for interim expenses needed to replace items for the purpose of their trip, according to Air Passenger Rights.

“If you were going for a wedding, it may mean a suit, tuxedo, dress, shoes. If you were going to a golf club, then it may mean replacing or renting your golfing equipment,” explained Gabor Lukacs, the president of Air Passenger Rights.

“It depends on the circumstances, but the airline cannot limit you to a couple hundred dollars per day while you’re waiting for your baggage.”

Lukacs encourages people to submit their claims to airlines sooner than later, stating flights carry the same weight as a business transaction.

“When you think about, ‘Oh it’s just a couple hundred dollars and a couple thousand dollars, not worth my money or my time,’ think about how your actions and people like you acting the way you do shapes the industry,” he said.

“... If you stand your ground and enforce your rights, and others stand their ground and enforce their rights and make the airline pay for each dollar that you lost because of what they have done to you, then it is going to make it more expensive for the airlines to do this type of things to passengers.”

In a statement to CTV News, the Regina Airport Authority stated people who are experiencing lost, delayed or damaged luggage are encouraged to reach out to the airline they travelled with directly.

“During the busy travel season such as now, the airline’s phone waits can be quite busy. If that is the case, we encourage travellers to submit an inquiry or claim directly to the airline they travelled with on their website or visit the airline baggage kiosk at the arriving airport during operational hours,” the statement read.

Taylor Swift’s six nights in Toronto during the final leg of her “The Eras Tour” cost the city more than $3.6 million, but a report on the spending suggests that the hosting duties delivered “significant value” in return

In a briefing note about the “Swiftonomics” that followed the November 2024 residency, Toronto’s general manager of economic development and culture laid out exactly how much the city spent on hosting the sold-out dates, as well as the money it recouped.

According to the report, which city council requested, the biggest expenditure was policing the events at $2.6 million. That cost included traffic management, and safety and security at pre-concert merchandise sales, as well as the concerts themselves. The Toronto Police Service recovered $680,000 from Rogers Centre for paid duty officers, including two who were stationed at the Ritz-Carlton hotel.

The popstar was provided with a motorcade as she arrived in Toronto before the first and second installments of the concerts.

The report noted that the money spent on policing the events was similar to what it would cost to staff a major playoff game.

Other major costs related to the concerts included $1.7 million for increased TTC service over the six days. The city said TTC revenue during the concerts increased by $588,000 compared to the weeks before the event.

At least $333,000 went to the city’s transportation division, including costs associated with road operations, sign and camera installations, traffic agents, signal adjustments and staffing.

Toronto emergency management staffing costs totalled $134,000, not including the time spent on planning for the concerts.

Another $131,000 went to what the city described as economic and cultural costs, including $59,000 for a volunteer ambassador program to support the rush of fans and visitors, $47,000 for a free poetry activation before the concerts, and $25,000 for marketing the activities.

Government revenue generated by Swift concerts nearly $40 million

Prior to the concerts getting underway, Destination Toronto had predicted that the event would result in $282 million in economic impact, with roughly 240,000 people attending.

The report shows that of the $152 million in direct spending, $141 million is estimated to have come from out-of-town visitors, while $11 million came from local fans.

Of that money, government revenue totalled $39.7 million in direct and indirect spending. However, the city will only see 20 per cent of that windfall ($8 million), and the provincial and federal governments will pick up the rest, which the report notes “underscores the challenges that cities face in fully capturing the financial benefits of hosting major events.”

The city noted that hotel and short-term rental stays and spending on dining and clothes were key drivers of that economic injection during what is typically a “slower season” in late November.

It said occupancy at Toronto hotels across the city reached 80.5 per cent, which is 9.6 per cent higher compared to the same time in 2023. Short-term rental demand increased by 163 per cent over the same period city-wide.

Clothing store sales were up 49 per cent when Swift was in town and restaurant spending spike by 57 per cent week-over-week, according to data pulled from Moneris.

Was it worth it?

The report acknowledges that while its initiatives in hosting the concerts incurred costs, they also delivered “significant value by driving economic activity, promoting the city’s reputation on a global stage and by laying the groundwork for improved delivery of future events.”

As such, the city believes hosting the Taylor Swift concerts in 2024 provided it with strategic insights to host other global events, such as the FIFA World Cup this summer.

“The lessons learned from hosting the Eras Tour have laid the groundwork for Toronto to refine and enhance its approach to large-scale event planning and will serve as a valuable foundation for future events such as FIFA 2026.”

U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for Greenland to become part of the United States drew international condemnation on Monday, with the autonomous Danish territory’s prime minister warning: “That’s enough now.”

Washington’s military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears about Greenland, the mineral-rich Arctic territory which Trump has repeatedly said he wants to annex.

“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One late on Sunday.

The island has untapped rare earth minerals and could be a vital player as the polar ice melts and new shipping routes emerge.

Greenland is also on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States, and Washington already has a military base there.

“We’ll worry about Greenland in about two months,” continued Trump. “Let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days.”

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen took to social media to tell the U.S. leader: “That’s enough now. No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation.”

“We are open to dialogue,” he said. “But this must happen through the proper channels and with respect for international law.”

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also said over the weekend the United States should stop threatening its NATO ally, and on Monday several European countries and the EU rushed to the support of Copenhagen.

‘China threat’

Trump rattled European leaders by attacking Caracas and seizing Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, who is now being detained in New York.

Trump has said the United States will “run” Venezuela indefinitely and tap its huge oil reserves.

The U.S. leader has been similarly ramping up pressure on Greenland for months, saying in December that Russian and Chinese ships were “all over” the territory’s coast.

The foreign ministry in Beijing hit back on Monday, urging Washington to “stop using the so-called China threat as an excuse to seek personal gain”.

Aaja Chemnitz, an MP who represents Greenland in the Danish parliament, accused Trump of “spreading lies about Chinese and Russian warships.”

“The people of Greenland should go into preparation mode,” she told AFP, adding that Greenlanders needed to start taking Trump much more seriously.

On the streets of Copenhagen, locals expressed bewilderment at Trump’s threats.

“I think it’s a little crazy that he can say those things,” said Frederik Olsen, 56.

“He has all the access he wants for the troops,” said Christian Harpsoe, 46, adding: “I see no need. You cannot compare this to Venezuela.”

‘Disrespectful’

The controversy drew a slew of supporting statements from around Europe, with EU foreign policy spokesperson Anitta Hipper telling reporters the bloc was committed to defending the territorial integrity of its members.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said “only Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark” could decide the territory’s future -- sentiments reflected in statements from the leaders of Finland, Sweden and Norway.

France’s foreign ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux told local TV that “borders cannot be changed by force” and added that his country felt “solidarity” with Denmark.

The latest flare-up came after a weekend of high tension sparked on Saturday by former Trump aide Katie Miller, who posted online an image of Greenland in the colours of the US flag with the caption “SOON”.

Nielsen labelled the post “disrespectful” and Frederiksen on Sunday called on Washington to stop “threatening its historical ally” and called U.S. claims on Greenland “absurd.”

Katie Miller is the wife of Trump adviser Stephen Miller, who is widely seen as the architect of many of Trump’s policies, guiding the president’s hard-line immigration policies and domestic agenda.

In response to Katie Miller’s post, Denmark’s ambassador to Washington, Jesper Moeller Soerensen, said his country was already working with Washington to boost security in the Arctic.

“We are close allies and should continue to work together as such,” Soerensen wrote.

Canadian comedian Colin Mochrie is postponing several upcoming shows due to a medical emergency.

According to a notice posted on social media, the “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” star underwent emergency surgery for a detached retina on Friday.

“His medical team is optimistic about his full recovery, but he needs time to rest and heal,” a note posted on Mochrie’s Instagram page explained. “We are currently working on rescheduling the shows, and all tickets will be honoured for the new dates.”

Mochrie is currently participating in a pair of comedy tours. His Hyprov tour features hypnotized audience members participating in improvised sketches with the help of hypnotist Asad Mecci. A pair of Hyprov shows in Niagara Falls, Ont. on Jan. 2 and 3 have already been postponed. The Hyprov tour was previously scheduled to run until the end of April, with stops in the U.S., New Zealand and Australia.

Anyone unable to attend the rescheduled performances will be eligible for a refund.

Mochrie is also on an improv comedy tour alongside his “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” co-star Brad Sherwood, with the next show scheduled for Jan. 9 in Walnut Creek, Calif.

Mochrie and Sherwood’s “Asking For Trouble” tour was planned to run until mid-October. Cancellations for the Asking For Trouble tour have not yet been announced.

Born in Scotland in 1957, Mochrie moved to Canada with his family when he was seven years old. The actor and comedian rose to prominence in the ’90s as a cast member of both the U.K. and American versions of the improv sketch comedy show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”

Retinal detachment occurs when the thin layer of tissue at the back of the eye is pulled away from its normal position, separating the retina from blood vessels that provide oxygen to the eye. If left untreated, a detached retina can result in permanent vision loss.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, it can take four to six weeks for vision to improve after surgery. Those recovering from surgery need wear an eye patch and be less active for several weeks.

“Colin is incredibly grateful for your support and well wishes,” the Instagram note said. “He looks forward to being back on stage and sharing many more laughs with all of you in the near future.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the American capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro underlines the urgency of building oil pipelines to export Canadian oil to new markets.

U.S. President Donald Trump sent political shock waves around the world with the weekend military raid, saying Washington aimed to seize the South American country’s oil reserves for American companies to exploit.

“Recent events surrounding Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro emphasize the importance that we expedite the development of pipelines to diversify our oil export markets,” said Smith in a Monday statement.

That includes a new pipeline to British Columbia’s West Coast to reach markets in Asia, she said.

In November, Smith signed an agreement with Prime Minister Mark Carney paving the way to a potential Indigenous co-owned bitumen pipeline and to claw back environmental policies standing in the way, including the B.C. tanker ban.

The deal aims for Alberta and Ottawa to agree on an industrial carbon price by April 1 and sets a July 1 deadline for a pipeline proposal to Ottawa’s Major Projects Office.

Smith said her government is continuing its work to submit that application and expects the federal government to move forward “with urgency.”

“Alberta supports building pipelines in all directions to get our product to market and we look forward to continuing to work with provincial and federal partners to advance these projects,” Smith said.

The premier’s comments echo that of many commentators and industry experts who argued Trump’s military strike bolsters Alberta’s case for building more export capacity with a pipeline to the Pacific.

On Monday, shares in Canada’s biggest oilsands producers came under pressure, with the TSX energy subindex down more than three per cent.

🎉 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.
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✅ Upgraded Security & Quality – Improved protection and enhanced broadcast quality for an unmatched listening experience.

Fully Operational Services:

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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.
• 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:
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    • 979 The Cowboy – https://979thecowboy.evoradio.ca/
    • 101 The Rockhound – https://101therockhound.evoradio.ca/
    • Classic 88.7 The Goat – https://887thegoat.evoradio.ca/
  • Websites:
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    • 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.

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We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding as we work to improve our services.

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