Saskatoon’s ongoing overdose crisis is causing exhaustion among first responders and putting a strain on resources, according to Medavie Health Services West and Prairie Harm Reduction.

Saskatoon paramedics have recently gone from seeing about 30 overdoses a week to seeing upwards of 200 overdoses a week, according to Kyle Sereda, chief of paramedic services with Medavie Health Services West-Saskatoon.

Sereda said the uptick in overdoses is putting pressure on resources.

“It takes away some of our ability to respond to other calls more quickly than we would like, as these are the highest of equity calls,” he said in an interview with CTV News.

The Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) said it responded to roughly 252 overdose incidents from March 1 to 12. SFD noted those numbers reflect specific incidents, not the number of overdose patients at a call, saying there have been multiple calls with more than one overdose patient.

Saskatchewan RCMP are warning the public to use precaution when it comes to using informal ride services after receiving a report of sexual assault this week.

A woman who arranged a ride to Saskatoon through a Facebook group serving the Fort Qu’Appelle area reported she was sexually assaulted during the trip, RCMP said.

Indian Head RCMP arrested a man in relation to the investigation. He is charged with sexual assault and sexual interference, and RCMP said the matter is still under investigation.

RCMP said they will provide information about the accused if investigation finds that there are additional victims or a risk to public safety.

In light of the incident, RCMP is warning the public to use precautions when it comes to using social media-based informal ride-sharing services.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has asked for a review of Canada’s plan to purchase a fleet of F-35 fighter jets.

The deal with Lockheed Martin and the U.S. government is for 88 planes at a cost of about US$85 million each.

A spokesperson for Defence Minister Bill Blair said Carney has asked Blair to look into whether the F-35 contract is the best investment for Canada, or if there are better options.

“We need to do our homework given the changing environment, and make sure that the contract in its current form is in the best interests of Canadians and the Canadian Armed Forces,” Blair’s press secretary Laurent de Casanove said.

The contract has not been cancelled, and Canada has legally committed to buying the first 16 aircraft, de Casanove said.

Carney became prime minister on Friday, in the midst of a trade war with the United States and threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to annex Canada.

The new fleet is set to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s aging CF-18s, with the first four of the 88 planes expected to be delivered in 2026 and the final 18 in 2032.

In an interview with the CBC Friday, Blair said he will be looking at whether all the jets need to be F-35s, or whether there are other alternatives, “particularly where there may be opportunities” to assemble, support and maintain the jets in Canada.

“The direction I’ve been given by the prime minister is go and look at all of our options to make sure that we make the right decision for Canada,” he said.

Blair said he will consult with the Canadian Air Force, the chief of the defence staff, and the Department of National Defence, as well as allies and partners “to see what is possible.”

A spokesperson for Lockheed Martin referred questions to the Canadian and U.S. governments.

“Lockheed Martin values our strong partnership and history with the Royal Canadian Air Force and looks forward to continuing that partnership into the future,” the company said in a statement.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment Saturday afternoon.

Michael Byers, a professor at the University of British Columbia and co-director of the Outer Space Institute, has previously argued Canada should cancel the contract because the planes are highly computerized, with Lockheed Martin refusing to share the full source code, and Canada would never be able to have full control of them.

He said Saturday the 16 planes that Canada has already paid for are sunk costs, and the country should “cut its losses.”

“We need planes that can operate to their full capacity without U.S.-controlled computer systems,” he said.

Philippe Lagasse, a Carleton University associate professor specializing in defence policy and procurement, said there is currently a “large scale transition underway” from the CF-18s to the F-35s, which doesn’t only include the planes, but also the also the “infrastructure, training, munitions, and operational constructs for North America.”

Lagasse, who also served a member of the independent review panel that looked at the options to replace the CF-18s, said changing all those plans would be a massive undertaking.

“It can all be done, but it will put significant pressure on the RCAF and leave Canada with less capability for some time,” he said.

Opting for a mixed fleet of F-35s and another plane “would be less disruptive, but costly and complex.”

The Parliamentary Budget Officer has said the total cost to buy, fly and maintain the new F-35 fleet would be an estimated $73.9 billion. A 2023 report estimated the acquisition phase would cost $19.8 billion, including $10.7 billion for 88 planes, $2.1 billion for weapons and ammunition and $5.9 billion for elements like design and depot costs, infrastructure and training.

Plans to buy the jets have been in the works for years. In 2010, the Conservative government first committed to buying 65 F-35s without a competition, but concerns about the cost and capabilities forced it to reconsider.

Then in 2015, the Liberals promised to instead launch an open competition to replace the CF-18s and not to buy the F-35s. They cancelled the plan buy 18 Super Hornets after Boeing launched a trade dispute with Montreal aerospace firm Bombardier, launching an open bidding process for the new fleet in July 2019.

In a statement, Conservative defence critic James Bezan accused the Liberals of playing politics with the process to replace the CF-18s, saying the Royal Canadian Air Force “should have had new fighter jets by now.”

But Bezan said if the U.S. “continues to demonstrate that it is an unreliable partner and ally, then Canada will need to look for other options when it comes to defence purchases for the Canadian Armed Forces.”

After a dozen days being shuffled between detention centres in the U.S., Jasmine Mooney has made it back to Vancouver.

The Canadian entrepreneur, who was detained after applying for a visa at the U.S.-Mexico border on March 3, touched down at Vancouver International Airport shortly after midnight Saturday morning.

“I’m still, to be honest, really processing everything,” Mooney told reporters who were waiting for her at YVR’s international arrivals area.

“I haven’t slept in a while and haven’t eaten proper food in a while, so I’m just really going through the motions.”

The Saskatchewan government has announced a list of fee changes coming this year, including a doubling of the cost to register electric vehicles.

The government says the fee is to increase from $150 to $300 per vehicle and will go towards fixing roads.

It says it wants to ensure electric vehicle owners are contributing a comparable amount to those with gas vehicles, who pay for road maintenance through the provincial gas tax.

Saskatchewan is also increasing park administrative fees, including lease applications and renewals, building permits and shore maintenance.

Saskatchewan RCMP is advising the public to avoid the area of Highway 10 near Edgeley and Fort Qu’Appelle as officers respond to a multi-vehicle collision.

According to a release from RCMP on Friday afternoon, the road is completely blocked off while officers with Fort Qu’Appelle RCMP respond to the scene around five kilometres west of Edgeley.

RCMP said the event is unfolding and don’t have any further details to share. However, RCMP note visibility is extremely poor on Highway 10 between Balgonie and Fort Qu’Appelle.

A power outage caused by weather damage continues to affect the City of Regina and surrounding areas on Friday.

The power outage affected 18 Regina neighborhoods Friday afternoon, with parts of southeast Saskatchewan also experiencing issues.

At 4:30 p.m., SaskPower said 16 of those neighbourhoods had their power restored, but were unable to provide a restoration time for Regina Harbour Landing and Albert Park south.

In another update at 5:10 p.m., SaskPower said all power has been restored to the neighbourhoods affected in Regina.

However, at 5:25 p.m., an update from SaskPower said crews were dispatched and determining the cause and repair time for Fairways West, Rosemont, Westhill, Dieppe, Westerra, Normanview, Lakeview River Heights, the West part Harbour Landing, and Cathedral.

Pense, Grand Coulee and surrounding areas were also included in that update.

Overcrowding at the Regina General Hospital on Thursday forced staff to operate in a similar manner to when a mass casualty strategy is in place, according to the provincial NDP.

Known as Code Orange, the strategy referred to triggers a specific plan to manage a significant and sudden influx of patients by calling in all available hospital staff.

Saskatchewan’s NDP said that according to sources, available staff were called in, patients were placed in recliner chairs and temporary beds were set up in hallways due to a lack of available beds in the emergency department.

Transferring or directing patients to rural and primary healthcare centres was also considered to help take the pressure off.

NDP MLA Vicki Mowat said it’s an example of the ongoing need for more doctors, nurses and lab techs in the province.

“Our province used to lead the nation in healthcare. Now we’re in last place. We need a plan to address the crisis in our healthcare and build it back up for the future. “All the Sask. Party has done is beef up the bureaucracy and put band-aid solutions on problems,” Mowat said in a news release.

It’s believed the surge in patients was the result of spring influenza cases.

Mowat said that despite the Sask. Party promising its Capacity Pressure Action Plan would alleviate issues at Regina’s hospitals, ongoing problems have only gotten worse.

Code Orange never activated

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) stressed that at no time was a Code Orange officially called at Regina’s General Hospital on Thursday.

In a statement emailed to CTV News the SHA said the following:

“Providing safe, quality care is of the utmost importance to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA).

Regina hospital Emergency Departments saw a combined 350 people seek care on Thursday March 13, 2025, making it one of the city’s busiest days. In response, the Regina General Hospital activated additional overcapacity protocols to deal with high volume of patients. These measures helped to address emergent care needs and to alleviate the pressure on SHA Emergency Departments in the city. The SHA is grateful to everyone for their tremendous work in responding to this situation.

At no time was a Code Orange, meant for mass casualty events, called.

The SHA acknowledges that ongoing hospital capacity pressures in Regina may create a difficult environment for patients who are seeking care in our Emergency Departments, and for staff, physicians and paramedics who have continued to provide excellent care.

We continue to see a late season respiratory surge in our Emergency Departments and encourage all Saskatchewan residents to get vaccinated for flu and COVID-19 as soon as they are able. Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and others, including your family and loved ones, from illness and hospital visits.”

🎉 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.

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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:
  • 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