It’s another weekend, and another day of reduced hours for the Regina Urgent Care Centre (UCC).

The centre typically runs from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., but Friday’s hours were cut from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., which is the third time operation hours have been shortened in the span of a week.

In a release on Thursday, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) says that “the adjustments are due to physician availability and to proactively ensure the availability of services for patients.”

Originally, the centre was intended to be a 24/7 operation but has failed to complete that task since opening in July 2024.

“The government has tried to bring in urgent care centres as a solution, but the fact is that they can’t staff them,” NDP MLA Jared Clarke said on Friday. “But we’re going in the opposite direction where they can’t even keep them open, with reduced hours. This is a government that is driving nurses and doctors out of the province, it’s very concerning.”

The Government of Saskatchewan says that they are recruiting the next wave of physicians internationally. Minister of Health Jeremy Cockrill said on Wednesday that the United Kingdom and Ireland have been recruitment hotspots so far.

“You’re going to see investments being made by this government in the future, in terms of really targeting specific training opportunities for urgent care services so that we can attract new physicians into that space,” he said.

Pointing to an Angus Reid Institute poll, the NDP says that Saskatchewan residents have the hardest time acquiring a family doctor.

Released in early February, the poll shows 22 per cent of people in the province do not have a family doctor, and 41 per cent reported difficulties in acquiring one.

“When I first became an MLA, the number that was presented was 200,000 people in the province who don’t have access to a family doctor,” Clarke said. “Using the Angus Reid polling, that number seems to have increased by almost 300,000 people, so I think we seem to be going in the wrong direction.”

To combat the shortage of physicians, the Government of Saskatchewan invested $17.1 million dollars to the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine to add more specialty residency seats and full-time academic physician positions.

“There’s still more work to do there, in terms of really firming up what our contracts look like with the doctors, providing coverage at the urgent care centre,” Cockrill said. “That work is underway and will continue over the next couple of months to try and get us to a better spot.”

Earlier this week on a NASA livestream aboard the Artemis II, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen spoke about his perspective that as humans, our purpose is to find joy in creating solutions together.

That could be somewhat of a metaphor for the cooperation between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency in reference to the Artemis II’s mission which features three American astronauts along with Hansen.

Hansen is also a Colonel with the Royal Canadian Air Force and has a connection with a few current members of the 15 Wing Moose Jaw Air Force Base.

That includes Lt.-Col Matt Fullerton, who, when he was a flight instructor in Portage Le Prairie, Man., designed an informal helicopter training course for Hansen.

“It definitely blows me away, the progress he has made. It was purely by accident that I had that opportunity to be able to do that. And he’s such an incredible, humble and professional individual, and he’s always looking to interact. And he’s still a great ambassador for the Canadian Armed Forces,” Fullerton said.

Captain Jason Leuschen, from Humboldt, wants to one day follow in the footsteps of Hansen and make his own mark in space.

“It’s like the engineer’s dream, right? I grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan, I had a technical background, I had an engineering degree from the University of Saskatchewan. And space is just the idea; it’s the final frontier.

Leuschen has also interacted with Hansen back in 2017 when he made it to the final part of the selection process for the Canadian Space Agency that year.

Leuschen made it to the final eight candidates before it was eventually whittled down to just two.

“So, he was really there to represent the life to you and tell you, this is what you can expect if you are selected,” said Leuschen.

So, there was a lot of interactions. His wife was involved in it so that our spouses could kind of see what they potentially would be signing up for. And it was also very motivational to meet him as well because, the selection process did take upwards of eight months.

The exciting culmination of a historic 10 day mission to the moon and back happened on Friday night as the Orion capsule successfully did a splashdown landing just off the coast of California.

Saskatchewan RCMP is continuing to ask the public for help, ten years after the disappearance of Mekayla Bali.

Bali, who was 16 at the time, was last seen on April 12, 2016, shortly after 1 p.m. at the Yorkton bus depot on 1st Avenue North. Investigators later determined she did not board a bus that day.

Since her disappearance, Saskatchewan RCMP says it has received and investigated more than 1,000 tips.

Officers with the service’s historical case unit continue to investigate Bali’s disappearance and follow up on any new information.

In a statement shared by RCMP, Bali’s family says their lives have been “put on hold” over the past decade and are again urging the public to come forward with any information that could help solve the case.

“For the sake of our family’s healing, we ask anyone with even the smallest piece of information to contact the RCMP,” the statement read.

“If you know anything at all, please find the courage to come forward. It is never too late to do the right thing. Mekayla Bali is loved beyond measure and missed beyond words.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 310-RCMP. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers.

“It’s never too late to come forward. Information from the public can still make a difference,” said Insp. Ashley St. Germaine of the Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes Branch.

“Even details that may have seemed insignificant 10 years ago could help investigators piece together vital information and provide answers to Mekayla’s family and loved ones, who continue to seek closure.”

High speed wireless internet is now an option for more places in Saskatchewan, thanks to a new partnership between SaskTel and Starlink.

Businesses in rural areas now have the choice to get a connection to Starlink through SaskTel.

Greg Jacobs is an external communications manager at SaskTel. He said this option is effective for businesses without a broadband connection.

“The Starlink solution is an excellent solution that provides a similar experience you are going to have in an urban environment like Regina,” he said.

The Starlink service involves thousands of satellites orbiting Earth. The bandwidth comes from this connection. Because the signal is vertical, this option is good for many areas and elevations.

Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation is now in its fourth year of using Starlink. They reached out to SpaceX in 2022 to see if it would be the right internet option.

“Bringing SpaceX to Muscowpetung contributed to the improvement of our quality of life,” said Myke Agecoutay, a headman from Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation.

“Most of our communities are situated in rural centres. We don’t have that fiber optic connection. Starlink, they serve that immediate remedy,” he added.

When installing, the speed connection was gauged. Before, homes were getting an eight mbps connection. With Starlink, the connection jumped to 220 mbps.

Every home and building on the community now has a Starlink antenna. Each antenna is able to accommodate up to 20 devices at a time.

Throughout the pandemic, this wireless connection helped nation members work from home, attend school and several other tasks.

“It opened up an avenue to make a lot of services that were harder for us to access. Being in a rural area [Starlink] made it easier with that access,” said Tristan Cappo, an executive assistant for Muscowpetung Chief & Council.

There are roughly 34,000 farms in Saskatchewan. Many farms are incorporated businesses. These businesses can access Starlink.

“It’s not just a big farm operating or a small mom and pop shop outside an urban development. Our farms, producers all across the province that might benefit from this relationship,” Jacobs said.

Those who already using Starlink can transfer over to SaskTel over the phone. SaskTel says they will be offering service and support for Starlink.

Ten years after 16-year-old Mekayla Bali vanished from her hometown of Yorkton, Sask., her family continues to search for her.

Paula Bali was standing on Betts Avenue in Yorkton on Friday. Beside her was a poster of her daughter, Mekayla.

“Ten years ago, on April 12, my daughter Mekayla Bali went missing,” she said.

Both Mekayla’s mother and her best friend told CTV News shortly after her disappearance that nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

“On the 11th we went for lunch and stuff, and on the way back to the school we were just talking about normal things, gossiping about our parents,” Mekayla’s friend Shelby Hanchuk.

The next day, on Tuesday, Bali was driven to school by her grandmother.

Surveillance footage shows her entering Sacred Heart High School at around 8:20 a.m. but leaving shortly after. Approximately half an hour later, she entered Terry’s Pawn and Bargain shop on 3rd Avenue North. After being unsuccessful at pawning a silver ring, she went to a nearby TD Bank, and then to a Tim Horton’s on Yorkton’s Broadway Avenue East.

Surveillance footage shows her entering and leaving Tim Horton’s several times. Inside, she appeared to take apart and reassemble her cellphone, as well as make phone calls. Her telephone provider, Telus, had no records of those calls.

In 2019, Bali’s friend Amy Liang told CTV News that Bali was using a messaging app called Kik, which does not track conversations like most phone carriers and only identifies users through a username.

“We do feel that it has affected the investigation and the information that we can obtain,” Donna Zawislak, an investigator from the RCMP’s Historical Case Unit, told CTV News in 2019. “How we have to obtain information from the people who own the rights to those apps is very challenging, because a lot of those come from the United States.”

At 10:45 a.m., Tim Horton’s security camera captured Bali approaching a woman who later told the RCMP that Bali was looking for help renting a hotel room. The woman declined.

After leaving Tim Horton’s for the last time, the RCMP was able to track her movements with the exception of one hour, between 10:45 a.m. and 11:55 a.m.

Bali eventually returned to her high school just before noon for a few minutes. She then went to the STC bus depot in Yorkton. The RCMP later determined that Bali did not board a bus, and that the depot is where she was last seen, at 1:45 p.m. on April 12, 2016.

Over the years, the search for the missing teen has taken the family to Vancouver, B.C., the United States, and overseas.

Today marks the 10th anniversary of Bali’s disappearance, but her family has not given up.

“Mekayla is not forgotten,” her mother told CTV News on Friday. “Our intention as a family is to continue to search for her and to try and find answers.”

She said that Bali’s siblings have been incredibly affected by their sister’s disappearance.

“Sometimes you’d think over time it will get easier, but it doesn’t seem to be the case,” Paula said, fighting back tears. “Hope is hard.”

As for what keeps her hope alive, Paula said it’s her motherly love.

“It never stops for your child, no matter what the situation may be. And so for me, I don’t think I’ll ever stop looking for her. And I don’t know how you can stop [looking for her] either,” she said.

Authorities have not given up on the case either.

In a press release issued Friday, the Saskatchewan RCMP said their Historical Case Unit say they continue to investigate Mekayla’s disappearance and follow up on all tips and information received about her whereabouts.

They have received more than 1,000 tips from the public since 2016.

“Someone who may not have wanted to speak at the time might feel ready to do so now. It’s never too late to come forward. Information from the public can still make a difference,” said Insp. Ashley St. Germaine, senior investigative officer with the Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes Branch.

To encourage anyone with information about Bali’s whereabouts, the family has raised $100,000 through the community, offering it as a reward for her safe return.

Mekayla Bali’s disappearance has also sparked multiple investigations by private individuals across the globe, with many sharing findings and theories on social media. On Reddit, the case has its own subreddit, which remains active 10 years later.

At the time of her disappearance, Bali was described as five feet two inches tall and 115 pounds. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and sometimes wore glasses. She was known to dye her hair other colours and also went by her grandmother’s last name, Niebergall.

Mekayla Bali would now be 26-years-old.

Saskatchewan home prices are seeing an upward pressure due to supply constraints.

Homes for sale in Weyburn, Estevan, and Swift Current, along with other smaller cities -- all reported year-over-year gains in March, according to a report by Saskatchewan Realtors Association (SRA).

The average benchmark of a home in Saskatchewan reached an all-time high of $374,100 last month, up from February’s $363,800.

“That record price that we’re seeing, at that benchmark record price, is primarily being driven by continued low supply in pretty much every market across the province,” explained Tyler Hudy, VP of public affairs and communications of SRA.

With a shortage of residences for sale across the province, Hudy said houses are continuing to sell for far above their initial asking price.

“In communities like Estevan, Weyburn, Swift Current, Melville, Yorkton, we’re seeing double digit benchmark price increases,” he said.

“Anywhere from 10 to 15 per cent increases in benchmark pricing. That trend has been consistent over the last number of months and it looks like that trend is going to continue as we enter into spring.”

Weyburn is one of many markets experiencing low inventory. Yet, it’s benefitting from the upward pressure on the market.

“We’ve seen a strong market, mostly stable,” said Erik Anderson, broker and owner of Century 21 Hometown.

Anderson said homes continue to sell fast and for higher prices than usual in the southeastern city.

“We’re still sitting at about a $250,000 average price for a house in Weyburn but, the better quality homes - between about $300,000 and $450,000 - have started to see, in the last five years, an upward push on their market value,” Anderson said.

“Those houses, like your family houses that are finished and done, they sell very quickly and they’re selling at better prices than they ever have.”

Demand for more homes

Although the spring market could possibly reduce the increasing pressure of higher home prices, inventory for housing remains “below historical norms”, with supply levels more than 50 per cent below normal levels for this time of year.

“That pressure is being predominantly felt in Regina and Saskatoon, but we have jurisdictions in Saskatchewan who have a month or maybe more of supply which means if no new homes go on the market in 32 days, there are going to be no homes,” Hudy said.

Supports for housing have been announced by the federal government, but Hudy stressed that new housing supply is needed for Saskatchewan specifically on top of local initiatives.

“At the federal level we did see a signal last week with that $1.7 billion coming down to provinces to help increase supply, which signals that they do understand that there is a supply shortage,” he said.

“But when you contrast what’s happening in Saskatchewan to other markets, we are still seeing the demand for houses. We just don’t have the supply and that is a very big contradiction to what we’re seeing in Ontario or what we’re seeing in British Columbia, where the demand also isn’t there, which is dropping the prices.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet in Ottawa this week with Finland’s President Alexander Stubb.

Their visit will mark the first official bilateral meeting between the two leaders.

Carney’s office says Stubb will be in Ottawa on Tuesday and Wednesday, where they will work to deepen trade and defence ties.

Carney says Canada and Finland have an “immensely strong and growing relationship,” and that he looks forward to hosting Stubb.

The prime minister met last month with leaders of Nordic countries, including Stubb, where they pledged to work together to defend the Arctic and their economies.

Carney’s office says the country’s relationship is “dynamic and growing,” and that in an “increasingly dangerous and uncertain world, Canada is focused on attracting investments and deepening ties with “reliable partners.”

An RCMP detachment in B.C. is warning the public against showing up at a local police station if they have firearms they want to relinquish under the federal buyback program.

The Upper Fraser Valley detachment issued the reminder Sunday, after “several individuals” sought to turn in their weapons in recent days.

“While we appreciate the public’s efforts to comply with this program, we would like to remind firearm owners that arriving at a detachment with unsecured or unregistered firearms is a criminal offence,” the statement from Mounties said.

“Individual firearm owners who have declared participation in the program will receive direct instructions on how to schedule a collection appointment.”

The deadline for individuals to register was March 31, according to the federal government, which has released data saying 15,600 firearms were declared in B.C.

Those who missed the deadline but wish to turn in their weapons are urged to call the non-emergency line of their local police department for guidance.

Since May 2020, Ottawa has outlawed about 2,500 types of firearms, including the AR-15 and Ruger Mini-14, on the basis they belong only on the battlefield.

Prohibited firearms and devices must be disposed of or deactivated by the end of an amnesty period on Oct. 30, regardless of whether gun owners take part in the compensation program.

According to a list from the federal government, compensation ranges from $150 to nearly $10,000—depending on the type of weapon.

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