A farmer and pilot from southeastern Saskatchewan is battling in hospital after his crop duster crashed earlier this week.

On the morning of July 8, the pilot took off from a private airstrip around 160 kilometres southeast of Regina, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB).

While crop dusting the pilot’s own field, the plane collided with the ground at around 10:40 a.m. It came to rest upside down in a nearby field.

A fire broke out following the crash and the plane, a Piper PA-25-260, was destroyed.

RCMP, in addition to local fire crews and paramedics, responded to the scene located south of the hamlet of Beaubier.

Evan Hansen, who was the sole person inside the plane, was airlifted to hospital by STARS with injuries described as serious, according to RCMP.

In a post to social media, Hansen’s family said the pilot sustained burns on 80 per cent of his body. He is currently receiving care at the University of Alberta Hospital Burn Unit in Edmonton.

Hansen’s family declined an interview with CTV News, saying they are focused on Hansen’s recovery, but expressed appreciation for the support and outreach from the public so far.

A fundraiser launched for Hansen and his family had raised more than $87,000 as of Friday morning.

The TSB has classified the crash as a “Class 5 occurrence,” meaning it will not receive an investigation report.

However, the data compiled on the incident will be recorded for “possible future safety analysis, statistical reporting, or archival purposes.”

Country Thunder campers are preparing for a hot weekend in Craven, with temperatures forecast to reach 30 C on Saturday and Sunday.

Organizers have put measures in place to help festival goers stay cool, including a free water refill station set up in partnership with SaskTel.

“We will actually have a water refill station that we partnered with Sasktel,” Megan Benoit, the digital manager for Country Thunder said. “People can refill for free all weekend long.”

The advice comes as campers settle in for a weekend of sun, music and large crowds at the festival grounds.

Some long-time attendees say finding shade and helping one another is part of the experience.

“The way we set up all of our trailers, the awnings kind of touch each other, we give each other some shade, get some water out, kind of have some fun with some squirt guns and just kind of play around with it and just enjoy it,” said James Runge, who has been going to Craven for almost 30 consecutive years.

Remi David, founder of Tide Cocktail Co, said people should enjoy the weekend responsibly and make sure to keep water nearby.

“We encourage people to enjoy them,” he said. “But also drink responsibly and mix in a water, if you can, to stay cool.”

Organizers are also reminding festival goers to drink plenty of water, wear sunscreen and take breaks in the shade as the heat builds through the weekend.

Country Thunder runs through Sunday in Craven.

Warning: This story contains elements that some readers may find disturbing.

A man has been found guilty of sexual assault in connection with an incident last year at a Regina gas station, despite his arguments that his actions were the result of a joke.

On July 6, Michael Bernhardt was found guilty of simulating a sexual act on one of the station’s attendants.

According to court documents, the incident happened on Oct. 15, 2025. At roughly 10 a.m., Bernhardt arrived at the station in need of fuel for his truck.

The victim, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, assisted him.

The victim testified that Bernhardt was very particular about how he wanted his vehicle to be filled — with the victim interpreting his requests as being centred around not wanting any gas spilled on the ground or the truck.

The victim began to fill the truck, but he turned the nozzle off before leaving to attend to another vehicle that had pulled up in an attempt to comply with Bernhardt’s requests, with the nozzle left in the fuel-filler neck.

After assisting the other customer, the victim returned to Bernhardt’s truck to finish fuelling it.

After Bernhardt returned, he criticized the victim for leaving the nozzle in the fuel-filler neck unattended.

“Mr. Bernhardt appeared upset but said ‘it would be OK’ if (the victim) told him a joke. (The victim) said he did not know any jokes,” the court documents read. “However, Bernhardt persisted that (the victim) needed to tell him a joke. (The victim) acquiesced and told Mr. Bernhardt a joke — something about Jesus and hockey.”

‘Half Nelson’/‘Full Nelson’

Bernhardt responded to this by asking the victim if he could “show” him a joke in return, which the victim agreed to.

Bernhardt told the victim to put one of his arms in the air and then put that hand behind his head, referring to the position as a “Half Nelson,” which is the name of a wrestling move.

Bernhardt then told the victim to do the same with his other hand and arm, so that both arms were in the air behind his back in a “Full Nelson.”

After both of the victim’s hands were behind his head, Bernhardt moved behind him, grabbed him by the waist and thrust his hips into the victim’s buttocks twice.

‘My way of showing dominance’: Bernhardt

The young man said Bernhardt called the final move the “Father Nelson” as a religious reference.

“(The victim) also testified that Mr. Bernhardt said, ‘This is my way of showing dominance,’ after showing the joke to him. Mr. Bernhardt then released his grip on (the victim’s) waist, walked toward his vehicle, and then drove away from the gas station,” the decision read.

Bernhardt referred to the joke’s name as the “Three Nelsons.”

Although the full incident was not filmed, video footage corroborated the victim’s account of Bernhardt assaulting him, according to the ruling.

The victim stated that he consented to being shown a joke but did not consent to Bernhardt “humping” him from behind or anything else involving his “lower half.”

The young attendant spoke about the incident later that day with his co-worker. The two were also working the next day when Bernhardt returned to the gas station in the afternoon.

While the co-worker was refuelling Bernhardt’s vehicle, he asked her if she knew any jokes before beginning to explain the “Three Nelsons” joke.

“However, prior to telling (the co-worker) the joke, Mr. Bernhardt said that, ‘I would ‘do’ it to you, but you are a girl.’ Mr. Bernhardt then proceeded to tell (the co-worker) the joke in words and through his actions. In doing so, Mr. Bernhardt did not touch or make any physical contact with (the co-worker),” according to court documents.

Victim ‘not being himself’

The co-worker testified that after explaining the joke, Bernhardt saw the victim in the area where they were standing. Bernhardt pointed to him and reportedly said: ‘He knows the ‘Three Nelsons’ joke and that’s why he’s so grumpy.’

The co-worker told the court the victim was “not being himself” on both Oct. 15 and Oct. 16.

After speaking with the victim again, the coworker told him he should speak with their supervisor.

The victim did so after Bernhardt left the gas station, telling his supervisor about the incident from the previous day. The two were able to view a video recording of the incident and determine Bernhardt’s last name from the station’s customer records.

The incident was then reported to police.

During the trial, which took place in June, Bernhardt’s defence argued the victim had consented to the joke as evidenced by him following Bernhardt’s instructions.

However, Judge Steven Schiefner stated that the victim could not have known from context what the next steps were, as the joke relied on misdirection.

Schiefner explained further that “consent to contact of a sexual nature cannot be obtained by subterfuge.”

“There is no dispute that Mr. Bernhardt had physical contact with the gas station attendant. The sexual nature of that contact is not determined subjectively — from Mr. Bernhardt’s perspective,” the judge wrote.

“Rather, the presence or absence of a sexual nature for physical contact is determined objectively — from the perspective of a reasonable observer.”

‘No consent means no touching’

In his conclusion, Schiefner repeated the words of New Brunswick Provincial Judge Brigitte Sivret:

“Touching someone in a way that violates that person’s sexual integrity, without that person’s consent, constitutes a “sexual assault” even though it was done in a context of a joke,” Schiefner wrote.

“No consent means no touching; joking or not!”

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) is pausing the use of three “Bird Dog” aircraft from aerial wildfire suppression activities as a safety precaution.

The trio of planes, Turbo Commander 690, are the same model that was involved in a recent crash which killed three people in the Northwest Territories.

The SPSA said it will proactively conduct a comprehensive safety review on the three aircraft to make sure they are safe to return to full service. Until that time, they will remain suspended from wildfire activities.

“The safety of our pilots, crews and the public is our highest priority,” SPSA President and Fire Commissioner Marlo Pritchard said in an update on Friday. “While these aircraft are critical to our wildfire response operations, we are taking a proactive approach to ensure their continued safety and reliability.”

Four Bird Dog aircraft are still available to support wildfire efforts in the province. The SPSA has also brought in extra aircraft from outside Saskatchewan, noting that more can be requested if needed.

In addition, the safety agency says it has adjusted aircraft groupings and operational assignments to ensure smooth operations, despite the groundings.

Concluding its message, the SPSA noted that the three aircraft will only return to service after all required inspections and necessary follow-ups have been addressed.

Warning: This article contains mentions of suicide

A pilot jumped out of the door of a moving plane to his death, leaving the student he was teaching to fly to land the aircraft by herself.

Flight instructor Leandro Andrés Bertazzo, 42, was found dead following the incident, which took place in Toledo, central Argentina, on Saturday, according to a statement from the country’s public prosecutor, published Tuesday.

Bertazzo was on board the Cessna 150 aircraft with a 22-year-old student named Rosario, CNN affiliate TN reported.

The student said Bertazzo told her, “You know what you have to do, carry on,” before taking off his headset and seatbelt, opening the door and jumping out of the plane, TN reported.

Eduardo Álvarez, director of the Flying Parrot Córdoba flying school where Bertazzo worked, told TN that there were no signs that the pilot was planning to throw himself from the plane.

Bertazzo had gone on a flight with another student earlier that day, Álvarez said.

“He made this tragic decision on board an aircraft with another person by his side,” he said. “It’s impossible to think about it or understand it, but the human mind is so complex.”

Bertazzo was “a beautiful person with a great smile,” said Álvarez. “We are surprised that this has happened.”

Opening the door of a plane in mid-air is extremely difficult, explained Álvarez, who compared it to trying to open the door of a car traveling at 200 kilometres an hour (124 miles per hour).

Rosario, the student, managed to land the plane safely despite being in “complete shock,” he added. The plane was undamaged, Álvarez said.

Bertazzo was highly experienced and had also worked as a flight instructor in neighboring Chile, TN reported.

Prosecutors will now investigate the exact details of the incident that led to Bertazzo’s death.

If you or someone you know is in crisis or struggling with mental illness, here are some resources that are available in Canada:

Canada Suicide Crisis Helpline (Call or text 988 or visit 988.ca)

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (1-800-463-2338)

Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868)

If you need immediate assistance call 911 or go to the nearest hospital.

Ontario Provincial Police are reminding residents not to bring weapons and explosives, such as a Second World War grenade, to police stations after a resident brought one to the Ottawa detachment for disposal on Friday.

Const. Michael Fathi posted a picture of the grenade on social media, with a warning that these items must be disposed of properly.

“The OPP would like to remind the public that if you find such items, please do not transport them to your local police station,” he said. “This could obviously prove extremely dangerous to the person bringing the item and others around.”

Fathi told CTV News Ottawa the grenade remained outside the detachment until the explosives experts were contacted. It was then stored in a safe and approved manner while members of CFB Petawawa were called in to safely collect and dispose of the device.

The OPP says if you find something like an old explosive device in your home or elsewhere, leave it alone and call your local police.

“The police will arrange for their Explosives Disposal Unit to attend to safely discard the item,” Fathi said.

Allegations of price-fixing beef in Canada has led to a proposed $8-million class-action lawsuit settlement.

The two companies in question might not be household names, but their red meat products are found in fridges from homes to butcher shops to grocery-store markets across the country.

JBS USA Company, Swift Beef Company, JBS Packerland Inc., JBS Canada ULC (known collectively as “JBS”) and the National Beef Packing Company have been accused of working together to fix the price of red meat, which has in part driven costs higher.

Inside Ellas Meat Market in Toronto’s east end, owner George Laganas carries a box of JBS sirloin into his meat locker. The second-generation butcher shares that the cuts he orders from JBS for his customers are top of the line. He has also watched with bewilderment as the price of beef has soared.

“My fear is once it goes up, it will never come back down again,” Laganas says.

He admits the news that one of his suppliers is tied to an alleged price-fixing scandal has been difficult for his customers to stomach.

“It leaves a bad taste in customers’ mouths because we’ve seen a large increase in prices so quickly. We do our best at Ellas to keep our prices the same, but our margins have been shrinking big time,” Laganas says.

While not an admission of guilt, JBS has agreed to pay nearly $7.5 million. National Beef has agreed to pay $495,000. The amount individual Canadians can expect to receive from the lawsuit has not been determined.

Restaurants will not be able to cash in on the settlement, though Canadian consumers who purchased beef for personal use and shops like Ellas Meat Market will be allowed to register and join the lawsuit.

Even though JBS has agreed to the multi-million dollar payout, an email from a company spokesperson says “we believe the claims are without merit, and the agreement was entered into solely to avoid the expense and uncertainty of prolonged litigation.”

Laganas says the lawsuit might make people happy in the short term, but he would rather see more regulations limiting the wholesale price of red meat.

“The suppliers are going to pay out millions, great everyone’s going to be happy, where’s that going to come from? Laganas asks. “It’s eventually going to come from the customer’s pocket, it’s just a vicious circle.”

For Canadians who want to add their names to the class-action lawsuit, the courts are expected to approve a registration and payment process in the months ahead.

After weeks of delays and public criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, the Gordie Howe International Bridge is set to open at the end of the month, but Canada is set to forego more revenue than initially agreed upon.

Housing, Communities and Infrastructure Canada confirmed the long-awaited opening in a statement late Friday.

“Canada and Michigan have agreed to open the Gordie Howe International Bridge on July 27, with the support of the United States Government,” the statement reads in part.

“The bridge will be a major economic driver in the region and will also provide options for commuters, tourists, and businesses.”

The new crossing between Windsor, Ont. and Detroit, Mich. is expected to significantly ease congestion at the nearby Ambassador Bridge and streamline cross-border trade.

In Friday’s statement, the federal government says Canada and the U.S. have agreed to “a series of cooperative measures focused on toll governance and transparency” and the “establishment of a 15-year economic development fund tied to a portion of profits from bridge operations.”

The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority will also work with the U.S. on an agreement for “certain non-market related toll changes.”

According to a senior government source, Canada will get 50 per cent of the bridge’s toll profits in the first 15 years, with the other 50 per cent going into that economic development fund announced on Friday. But who runs that fund has yet to be determined.

The source also tells CTV News that both countries agreed that the U.S. will need to be on board if Canada wants to increase bridge tolls by more than 10 per cent or lower them below compared regional averages.

Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers, meanwhile, posted on social media Friday that he spoke with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about the bridge. He also confirmed a “financial deal” where he said the U.S. will see “up to half the revenue.”

The toll change is a major shift in the agreement first signed in 2012 as part of the Canada-Michigan Crossing Agreement. In that deal, Canada agreed to front the full construction costs, which grew to $6.4 billion, and later collect 100 per cent of toll profits until it recouped its investment.

The agreement estimated that recoupment would take at least fifty years after which Canada and Michigan would equally split toll revenues.

Plans to open bridge postponed in June

The bridge has been ready for months, and there was expectation it would open last month after Prime Minister Mark Carney appeared to confirm reporting from U.S. media outlets.

But days later, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the opening was put on hold with Carney insisting at the time that there was “no big drama.”

When asked on Thursday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia if he’d be open to renegotiating the terms to open the bridge, Carney said “I think we’re willing to clarify aspects of the current arrangements.”

Earlier this year, CTV News reported that both sides were trying to quietly negotiate an opening date after Trump complained in February that Canada was not treating the U.S. fairly on trade. Trump went on a lengthy tirade that included the construction of the bridge as part of his grievance.

The New York Times had also previously reported that Matthew Moroun, who is the owner of the nearby Ambassador Bridge and a Trump donor, met with Lutnick hours before Trump’s post in February.

But in an interview with Global News last week, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra denied donations from the Moroun family were behind the delayed opening of the bridge.

Construction on the bridge began in 2018. The cable-stayed bridge will have three Canadian-bound and three U.S.-bound lanes and will be among the top five longest bridges in North America.

EVO Radio Network – Scheduled Maintenance Notice

EVO Radio will be conducting a network-wide server migration and infrastructure update beginning Saturday, January 17, 2026 at 3:00 AM, with work expected to be completed by Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 8:00 PM.

During this maintenance window, the following services may be temporarily offline or intermittently inaccessible at various points:

Websites

• https://z1035.evoradio.ca/

• https://979thecowboy.evoradio.ca/

• https://101therockhound.evoradio.ca/

• https://887thegoat.evoradio.ca/

• https://advertiseraccess.evoradio.ca/

• https://vipclub.evoradio.ca/

• https://evomcorp.com/

• https://djspinderella.evomcorp.com/

Live Broadcasting

• Z103.5

• 979 The Cowboy

• 101 The Rockhound

• Classic 88.7 The Goat

Stream Relay Network

• All Stream Relay services will be unavailable during the migration.

Because this update involves server transfers, database installations, and name server changes, exact downtime periods cannot be guaranteed. Individual service interruptions may vary, with some components taking up to several hours to complete.

Our support and technical teams will work to keep all stations and websites online for as long as possible and will restore services immediately as each system becomes available. Broadcast services and station websites will be prioritized, followed by additional network services.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we complete these upgrades, which are designed to improve performance, reliability, and long-term stability across the EVO Radio Network.

Thank you for your continued support,
EVO Radio Network

🎉 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