Changes to employment standards in Saskatchewan kick in today, affecting workers who collect tips or call in sick.

The new rules prevent employers from deducting or withholding tips from employees.

The province says workers who’ve had their tips held back can file complaints to the director of employment standards, who can force an employer to pay what’s owed.

The regulations also restrict employers from asking for a sick note unless an employee has been away for five consecutive working days.

The government says long-term sick leave has been extended to 27 weeks to align with federal rules.

Those who have experienced a pregnancy loss are also eligible for maternity leave, and a new 16-week unpaid leave is available for people who’ve experienced interpersonal violence.

One person has been taken to hospital following a house fire in North Central Regina on New Year’s Day.

Regina Fire crews responded to the blaze at the 1000 block of Athol Street around 3:38 p.m. to find flames from the house on arrival, according to a post on X.

Crews were able to make entry and removed one trapped occupant who was taken to hospital by EMS.

According to Regina Fire, there was fire damage to one exposure house, and said an inspector was on the way.

Two suspects in a deadly shooting on Big Island Lake Cree Nation remain at large after a man was killed and three others were injured on Dec. 30.

In an update sent Friday morning, Saskatchewan RCMP said major crimes investigators are “actively working” to identify and locate the suspects.

“Investigators continue to identify, gather and process evidence, including video surveillance in the area,” a Saskatchewan RCMP spokesperson told CTV News.

Big Island Lake Cree Nation is located about 100 kilometres northwest of Meadow Lake. The community was placed under lockdown for nearly eight hours on the day of the shooting before a dangerous persons alert was lifted later that afternoon.

Larry Wahpistikwan confirmed his 31-year-old son, Neil Wahpistikwan, was the man who died.

RCMP is asking anyone with information to report it immediately or submit tips anonymously to Crime Stoppers.

RCMP say updates will be provided when available.

As the cost of living continues to increase across Canada, it is unlikely that prices will drop in 2026.

“Unfortunately, it looks like once we’re moving into that new year, there’s going to be increased costs for everyone around the province,” said Gage Haubrich, prairie director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

Haubrich shared that one of the biggest factors impacting the cost of living is evident when taxes are filed.

“Forty-two per cent of a family’s budget goes towards taxes of different levels of government. That’s more than a family pays for clothing, food or shelter combined. And those are really important things. The biggest thing that families are paying, the biggest expense that they face every single year is their tax bill,” Haubrich said.

The prairie director noted that while governments aren’t solely responsible for increasing expenses, they do play a significant part.

“When it comes to general inflation and those types of cost...we’ve been seeing that for the last number of years all across the board. So I think governments can’t be fully blamed for that scenario, but they can be blamed for not doing enough to help reduce the cost of living in other areas,” Haubrich said.

The Provincial Government told CTV that Saskatchewan remains the most affordable province in Canada.

“Saskatchewan’s population, employment and exports have grown significantly under our government which requires investment in public infrastructure like highways, waterworks, energy systems, hospitals, schools and long-term care facilities,” a provincial spokesperson said.

“At the same time, our government continues to look for opportunities to reduce the tax burden, like in the 2025-26 Budget that brought in the largest personal income tax reduction since 2008 and cut all property tax mill rates.”

For Haubrich, he feels that the province’s debt is an issue that grows larger each day.

“At the end of the day, once the government keeps wasting all this money on those debt interest payments, that means there’s less money, left to be spent on those core government services, like health care, like roads, like the police,” Haubrich said.

Adding that while these services are a top priority for the provincial government, the money to pay off Saskatchewan’s debt still has to come from somewhere.

“If it gets to a certain point where the government doesn’t have enough money to spend those things, it’s going to look for other places to find money. And usually that ends up being in taxpayer pockets, and that means tax hikes,” Haubrich said.

Haubrich advised those who are frustrated with their tax bills to contact their local representatives.

“It’s so important, the governments understand that this isn’t just some sort of cost of living crisis created out of the blue, when a family’s biggest bills that they have to pay every year is taxes,” Haubrich said.

The Saskatchewan Coroners Service has issued an overdose alert for Regina after three recent deaths.

On Friday, the service reported that three deaths in Regina had occurred between Dec. 30 and Dec. 31.

All three deaths are suspected to be the result of toxic drug overdoses.

Very little information was available regarding the drugs used in the suspected overdoses. However, the service did reveal that the substance may look like crystal-like rocks and may contain crystal meth.

The drug may be smoked, swallowed, sniffed or injected.

The service noted that naloxone will counter the effects of opioids, but not other substances like benzodiazepines – and that multiple doses of naloxone may be required.

The alert will be in effect until Jan. 9 at 11:59 p.m.

Both SaskPower and SGI are requesting rate increases, with the provincial Crown corporations proposing bumps totalling nearly eight per cent over the next two years.

Both organizations announced their proposals in news releases published Friday afternoon. SaskPower is seeking a 3.9 per cent rate increase in 2026 and 2027.

Similarly, SGI is seeking a 3.75 per cent rate increase in 2026 and 2027.

The average residential customer will see an increase of $5 a month in both 2026 and 2027, while the average farm customer will see an $11 increase a month over the same period.

SaskPower’s most recent rate increases were in 2022 and 2023 at four per cent. Previous to those increases, the Crown’s rates had not risen for four years.

According to SGI, about 98 per cent of Saskatchewan vehicles will experience rate increases, averaging $38 annually, while approximately one per cent of vehicles will experience rate decreases averaging $8.

“Inflation and advanced technology in newer vehicles have caused a sharp rise in the cost of vehicle repairs, and the Auto Fund is no longer taking in enough revenue to cover the cost of claims,” SGI president and CEO Penny McCune said in the announcement.

“The Saskatchewan Auto Fund operates on a break-even basis over time, but premiums haven’t been enough to cover costs in recent years.”

According to SGI, the average cost for vehicle repairs has increased 25 per cent from $4,880 per claim in 2019-20 to $6,101 per claim in 2024-25.

Both Crowns intend to move forward with rate applications to the Saskatchewan Rate Review Panel.

The rate increases will be implemented on an interim basis in February for SaskPower and June in the case of SGI.

Drake is facing another legal battle in 2026.

The Toronto rapper has been named as part of a proposed U.S. class action lawsuit that alleges he, and other individuals, used proceeds from a gambling website to “obscure transmissions of money,” which were then used to artificially inflate his streaming music play counts.

The suit centres around Stake.us, the name of the American website for the Curaçao-based online casino operator Stake, which Drake often promotes on his social media profiles.

Among the claims, the suit says Drake, born Aubrey Graham, was “at the heart of the scheme,” working with social media influencer Adin Ross. Both, it says, were paid to promote the platform by gambling with virtual currencies that are “surreptitiously” provided by Stake.

None of the allegations have been proven in court, and representatives for Drake and Stake did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The plaintiff’s lawyers are demanding a jury trial and are seeking at least $5 million in damages and legal fees.

The suit was filed on Dec. 31, 2025, in a Virginia court on behalf of LaShawnna Ridley, Tiffany Hines and it names all users of Stake.us as plaintiffs. It also names George Nguyen as another defendant, suggesting that he served as a facilitator and operational broker.

The statement of claim alleges that Stake.us is “an illegal online gambling platform” that was created to bypass restrictions after Stake.com was banned from operating in the United States. It says the site was promoted as a “social casino” that doesn’t gamble “real money.”

However, the suit says, the website uses “Stake Cash,” which can be redeemed for cryptocurrency or digital gift cards, effectively making it real money.

The plaintiffs also allege that Drake, Ross and Nguyen use the “tipping” function of the casino to transfer money “between and among themselves,” with some of the funds used to manipulate streaming platforms, such as Spotify.

The documents say the trio’s efforts were used “to create fraudulent streams of Drake’s music” which fabricated his popularity, distorted streaming playlists and “calibrated to mislead royalty and recommendation engines.”

As a consequence, the suit alleges their actions “suppressed authentic artists and narrowed consumers’ access to legitimate content by undermining the integrity of curated (streaming music) experiences.”

🎉 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