Warman RCMP have arrested two suspects in connection with an assault at a business in Martensville, Saskatchewan, on Friday evening.

Shortly before 10 p.m., officers were called to the 200 block of Centennial Drive North in Martensville, where police say two suspects – an adult male and a male youth – entered the business and got into a physical altercation with two victims, an adult male and a male youth.

In a news release sent Saturday afternoon, the Saskatchewan RCMP said the adult victim suffered stab wounds and was taken to hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The youth victim was physically assaulted and sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

According to RCMP, responding officers provided first aid until EMS arrived.

The suspects were later arrested – the youth suspect was taken into custody at the hospital after being treated for injuries, while the adult suspect was arrested in a home in Martensville.

Police say a third male youth was also arrested but later released without charges.

Police believe the incident was not random in nature and ask anyone with information to contact them.

On Saturday, the Regina Urgent Care Centre (UCC) will have reduced hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

According to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), anyone with a medical emergency while the UCC is not operating, should call 911 or go to the emergency department at the Regina General Hospital or Pasqua Hospital.

Those who need non-emergency medical care are advised to call HealthLine 811, visit a walk-in clinic, or connect with their pharmacy, the SHA says.

The UCC will return to its regular hours of operation on Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for several parts of central and southern Saskatchewan on Saturday, including Moose Jaw and Saskatoon.

According to an alert from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), conditions are favourable for the development of dangerous thunderstorms which may produce strong wind gusts, heavy rain, and damaging hail.

The weather agency advises that some thunderstorms may become severe and advises people to go indoors if they hear thunder.

Wind gusts up to 100 km/h and toonie-sized hail may be possible threats with these storms, ECCC said.

ECCC continues to place more areas under the watch as the thunderstorm moves across the province. Some areas have also been issued a severe thunderstorm warning.

Several parts of southwestern Saskatchewan were also under a severe thunderstorm watch or warning on Friday.

The grand military parade that U.S. President Donald Trump had been wanting for years barreled down Constitution Avenue on Saturday with tanks, troops and a 21-gun salute, playing out against a counterpoint of protests around the country by those who decried the U.S. leader as a dictator and would-be king.

The Republican president, on his 79th birthday, sat on a special viewing stand south of the White House to watch the display of American military might, which began early and moved swiftly as light rain fell and clouds shrouded the Washington Monument. The procession, with more than 6,000 soldiers and 128 Army tanks, was one Trump tried to make happen in his first term after seeing such an event in Paris in 2017, but the plans never came together until the parade was added to an event recognizing the Army’s 250th anniversary.

“Every other country celebrates their victories. It’s about time America did too,” Trump declared in brief remarks at the parade’s end.

The president praised the strength of the military’s fighting forces and said U.S. soldiers “fight, fight fight and they win, win win” -- putting a new twist on a line that Trump regularly delivered during his 2024 campaign rallies after he survived an assassination attempt.

Early in the evening’s pageantry, the Army’s Golden Knights parachute team descended from overcast skies toward the reviewing stand. The team had been scheduled to appear at the end of the parade, but jumped earlier than planned in the drizzly skies above the National Mall.

At times, Trump stood and saluted as troops marched past the reviewing stand. But attendance appeared to fall far short of early predictions that as many as 200,000 people would attend the festival and parade. There were large gaps between viewers near the Washington Monument on a day when steamy weather and the threat of thunderstorms could have dampened turnout.

Hours before the parade started, demonstrators turned out in streets and parks around the nation to sound off against the Republican president. They criticized Trump for using the military to respond to people protesting his deportation efforts and for the muscular military show in the U.S. capital.

Displays of military might

The daylong display of America’s Army came as Trump has shown his willingness to use the nation’s military might in ways other U.S. presidents have typically avoided. In the last week, he has activated the California National Guard over the governor’s objections and dispatched the U.S. Marines to provide security during Los Angeles protests related to immigration raids, prompting a state lawsuit to stop the deployments.

As armored vehicles rolled down the street in front of the president, on the other side of the country, the Marines who Trump deployed to Los Angeles appeared at a demonstration for the first time, standing guard outside a federal building. Dozens of Marines stood shoulder to shoulder in full combat gear beside the National Guard, Homeland Security officers and other law enforcement. Hundreds of protesters facing them jeered in English and Spanish, telling the troops to go home.

A previously calm demonstration in downtown Los Angeles turned chaotic when police on horseback charged at the crowd, striking some with rods and batons as they cleared the street in front of the federal building and fired tear gas and crowd control projectiles.

In Washington, hundreds protesting Trump carried signs with messages that included “Where’s the due process?” and “No to Trump’s fascist military parade” as they marched toward the White House.

A larger-than-life puppet of Trump was wheeled through the crowd, a caricature of the president wearing a crown and sitting on a golden toilet.

Other protesters waved pride flags and hoisted signs, some with pointed messages such as “I prefer crushed ICE,” referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Other messages included “The invasion was HERE Jan. 6th, NOT in L.A.” and “Flip me off if you’re a FASCIST.”

“No Kings” rallies unfolded in hundreds of cities, designed to counter what organizers said were Trump’s plans to feed his ego on his 79th birthday and Flag Day. Organizers said they picked the name to support democracy and speak out against what they call the authoritarian actions of the Trump administration.

Veterans, supporters and protesters

Meanwhile, on the National Mall, a display of armored vehicles, helicopters and military-grade equipment was set up to commemorate the Army’s birthday. Vendors outside the Army festival sold gear marking the military milestone. Others hawked Trump-themed merchandise.

Larry Stallard, a retired American Airlines pilot, said he traveled to Washington from Kansas City for the weekend “to see the military and see Trump.”

Stallard, who voted for Trump, said it was “hard to believe” people were upset about the cost of the event when “they blow that in 10 seconds on things that we don’t even need.”

Doug Haynes, a Navy veteran who voted for Trump, attended the daylong festival to celebrate the Army’s 250th birthday, but said the parade “was a little over the top.”

Pointing at a nearby tank, Haynes said that having them roll down the street is a “very bold statement to the world, perhaps.”

The parade was added just two months ago to the long-planned celebration of the Army’s birthday and has drawn criticism for its price tag of up to $45 million and the possibility that the lumbering tanks could tear up city streets. The Army has taken a variety of steps to protect the streets, including laying metal plates along the route.

About 6 in 10 Americans said Saturday’s parade was “not a good use” of government money. The vast majority of people, 78%, said they neither approve nor disapprove of the parade overall, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Kathy Straus traveled from Richmond, Virginia, to attend the parade, carrying a sign criticizing its cost and arguing the money could have been used to feed veterans.

“I thought that it would be more effective to come here than go to a protest with people that think similar to me,” said Straus.

The parade wound down Constitution Avenue, lined with security fencing and barriers. A flyover of military aircraft included World War II-era planes, including a B-25 Mitchell bomber, and Army helicopters flew low over the crowd, below the top of the Washington Monument. Mounted soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division made an appearance -- horses once played a crucial role in warfare, but today they’re mostly used in ceremonial events like today’s parade.

Trump swore in 250 new recruits and returning soldiers into service, with soldiers repeating an oath after him.

“Welcome to the United States Army! And have a great life,” Trump said to them afterward.

Country music singer Warren Zeiders performed, as did “God Bless the U.S.A.” singer Lee Greenwood. The event was capped off by a fireworks show.

Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu says she will exercise her authority to force a vote on Canada Post’s final offers to the mail carriers’ union.

“After 18 months of negotiation, over 200 meetings … 33 days of strike and a lockout in the fall,” a vote is “in the public interest,” Hajdu wrote in an online statement.

Canada Post told CTV News in a statement Thursday morning that it “welcome(d) the Minister’s decision,” saying it would “provide employees with the opportunity to have a voice and vote on a new collective agreement at a critical point in our history.”

Later in the day, Canada Post representative Jon Hamilton pointed to the vote as a path toward the carrier’s next chapter.

“We’re saying: ‘Look, we’re trying to start making changes to fix Canada Post, and ensure that it’s secure for the people that work there and the people that depend on it,’ and that’s important, for employees to have a voice in that,” he told CTV News.

“Ultimately, it’ll be up to them, and it’s their decision.”

Meanwhile, Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) spokesperson Jim Gallant told CTV News Thursday afternoon that the union was “disappointed and a bit pissed off” at the news.

“The minister, again, is tipping the scale of justice towards the employer,” he said.

Canada Post requested Hajdu order the vote at the end of May, days after submitting its final offer.

In early June, the CUPW released a statement describing such a “forced vote” as “an attack on the most basic rights of trade unions to represent their members.

Gallant said Thursday that nothing has really changed in the last two weeks of negotiations, during which time the minister asked the parties back to the bargaining table with the aid of federal mediators, but that a “yes” vote on the offer as it stands would be a “gutting” of the previous collective agreement.

“I can tell you: I get one vote, and my vote will be a ‘no,’ vote, and I know a lot of my friends will be the same,” he said.

Saskatchewan’s highest court has rejected an attempt by a Redvers man with white nationalist ties to have his conviction for impersonating a police officer overturned.

Travis Patron was sentenced to 15 months in jail in December for a July 2023 incident where he approached a woman and her child outside the Delta Bessborough hotel in downtown Saskatoon, identified himself as a peace officer, and accused her of child abduction.

At trial, multiple witnesses confirmed Patron, 32-years-old at the time of the incident, represented himself as law enforcement. The complainant testified she found Patron “threatening and frightening,” and her daughter was unsettled by him.

Patron appealed the conviction and the sentence last month.

In a written decision published on June 5, Justice Meghan McCreary says Patron turned to the appeal court because the trial judge rejected his request for a stay of proceedings.

“Mr. Patron took the position that the proceedings should have been stayed because he had made a “freedom of information” request for copies of any and all criminal complaints that were used by the Attorney General of Saskatchewan [AG] to support a warrant for his arrest in January of 2021 [FOI request],” McCreary wrote.

“That arrest, and the conviction that followed, were unrelated to the present matter.”

The FOI in question relates to a separate criminal conviction from October 2022, when Patron was found guilty of hate speech in connection with an anti-Semitic video he posted online. He has also been convicted of assaulting two Regina teachers.

Patron argued that, for the trial over his impersonation of a peace officer to be fair, his request for documents related to his arrest for hate speech needed to be resolved.

“He contended that he required the information from his FOI request to make full answer and defence to the charge of personating a police officer because that information would demonstrate that there was no basis for the warrant for his arrest in 2021 and, therefore, that he should not have been in custody,” McCreary said.

Since he was in custody, Patron told court he was unable to maintain the registered status of the Canadian Nationalist Party. He argued if he had been able to maintain registered party status, as leader of the party, he would be eligible to be appointed as a “designated ‘public officer.’”

McCreary described Patron’s arguments in the trial and appeal as “irrelevant to the charges.”

“The issues for trial were whether Mr. Patron was a peace officer at the date of the alleged offences and whether he had been impersonating a peace officer, not whether under different circumstances he might have been designated as a peace officer.”

Patron also alleged the Crown failed to prove at trial that the complainant was actually the child’s mother.

Again, McCreary rejected his line of reasoning.

“The status and parentage of the child was not an element of either the offences at issue,” she wrote.

“The uncontroverted evidence at trial was that the complainant was the child’s mother. Despite what Mr. Patron argues, no corroboration was necessary on that point.”

McCreary upheld Patron’s convictions and sentence of 15 months in provincial jail for criminal harassment, and 300 days concurrent for personating a peace officer, followed by 12 months of probation during which he’s required to attend counselling and anger management programming.

Evacuees from more than 30 communities across Saskatchewan’s north have returned or are in the process of returning home, according to the province.

Thursday saw residents from the following communities return home:

Air Ronge/La Ronge, Brabant Lake, Clam Crossing, Eagle Point, English Bay, Hall Lake, Jan Lake, Lac La Ronge Indian Band, Lamp Lake, Napatak, Nemeiben Lake, Potato Lake, Rabbit Creek, Sikachu, Sucker River and Wadin Bay.

Additionally, repatriation efforts for the resort subdivision of Ramsey Bay are scheduled for Friday, June 13.

As of 3 p.m. Thursday, the emergency department of the La Ronge Health Centre reopened, after being closed due to the mandatory evacuation.

According to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), acute and long-term care patients will begin returning to the facility on Monday, June 16. Mental health supports will also become available starting Monday.

As of Thursday afternoon, there were 23 active wildfires in the province. Three are contained, six are not contained, 12 are ongoing assessment while two are listed as protecting values.

So far this year, 258 wildfires have been reported – well above the five-year average of 147.

Of the fires, approximately 44 have been caused by lightning. The remaining are human caused and are divided into several categories.

• Recreation – Caused by recreational activities such as fishing, picnicking, hiking or quadding.
• Resident – Accidental fire caused by people or machines related to agriculture or related to normal living in a forested area.
• Industry – Caused by land clearing, harvesting or power distribution.
• Incendiary – Arson, a device is used to cause a wildfire for the “purpose of mischief.”

The province noted that many human-caused fires are accidental – with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) believing 30 fires have been intentionally set – including the Ditch02 Fire near Weyakwin.

A total of 290 values (structures, other types of property) have been lost due to wildfires. The SPSA expects this figure to increase to over 400 as damage continues to be assessed by teams in the field.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is eliminating 26 senior out-of-scope leadership positions to direct resources to patient care and improve financial stewardship.

The SHA says the move is part of a series of leadership changes, including administrative role restructuring that has generated $10.4 million in efficiencies.

The changes also include adding 27 new clinical manager positions and enhancing 20 existing ones in 45 rural and northern communities, including Prince Albert, as well as introducing a new senior physician leadership model.

“These changes are an important part of the province’s work to build a more efficient and integrated health system—one that puts patients first and ensures our health-care professionals have the support they need to deliver the best possible care,” Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said in a news release.

Of the $10.4 million in annual administrative efficiencies, the SHA will redirect $6.2 million to support patient care priorities and reinvest $4.2 million in local clinical leadership in rural and northern communities, with no impact on in-scope positions.

The SHA is also introducing a new senior physician leadership structure, establishing six deputy chief medical officers (DCMOs) to improve role clarity, physician engagement, and accountability.

Recruitment for the DCMO positions will begin May 23, with the new roles taking effect July 14.

According to SHA, over 45,000 health professionals and over 2,700 physicians are providing care across the province.

🎉 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