The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) says an investigation is underway following the death of a patient at Royal University Hospital after an incident involving protective services officers.

SHA says security guards were called to a patient’s room Friday morning after staff reported a safety concern involving an admitted patient.

During the response, the SHA says a physical altercation occurred between the patient and the guards, and the patient became unresponsive.

SHA says medical staff responded to provide care and pronounced the patient dead.

“The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is committed to accountability and to ensuring a safe care environment for patients, visitors, and staff. The SHA is supporting an investigation into the death of a patient at Royal University Hospital following an incident involving SHA Protective Services Officers. The SHA takes this incident extremely seriously and we extend our sincere condolences to the patient’s family and loved ones,” SHA said in a statement.

The health authority says Saskatoon police have been notified and are conducting an investigation. SHA says it has also launched an internal review and declared the matter a critical incident.

SHA says it’s coordinating with the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) to provide supports to the patient’s family and loved ones and also providing support to staff members impacted by this incident.

The health authority had an unrelated press conference scheduled with the STC Friday morning, but it was cancelled.

SHA says no further details will be released while the investigation continues.

Saskatchewan drivers could see higher vehicle insurance costs starting next year, with owners of half-ton trucks potentially hit the hardest.

The Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) is proposing a 3.75 per cent rate increase in June 2026, with another identical increase planned for June 2027. SGI says the hikes are needed to keep up with inflation and rising repair and replacement costs for newer vehicles.

The NDP claims that including work vehicles like half-ton pickups — will face the largest increases, paying an average of $96 more annually, compared with $51 for most personal or business-use vehicles.

“I drive a Dodge Ram 1500,” said NDP MLA Darcy Warrington.

“These are work trucks. These are trucks that people need to safely get to their jobs,” added NDP Leader Carla Beck.

SGI’s Chief Financial Officer Drew Kendel said the rate adjustments are long overdue.

“We haven’t had a rate increase in over ten years,” he said. “During that time, inflation and vehicle technology costs have risen significantly, and those factors are driving the need for this adjustment.”

SGI says the proposed increases still need approval from the provincial review panel before taking effect.

Shovels were dug into North Central soil on Friday, starting the construction of a new 30,000 square foot building for the All Nations Hope Network.

It’s an essential place for Indigenous people that live in urban areas, says programs and research manager, Miranda Keewatin.

“People who live in First Nation communities, they have access to their elders; they have access to their ceremony and to those lodges,” she said. “So, it’s important for places like All Nations Hope Network to make sure that we have that sustainability for the people who walk amongst these streets,”

With three other locations around the city, the network says it’s been running out of capacity for patients in the last half decade.

“We outgrew the space, and we outgrew the outreach centre. There was more need for more space,” said Lana Holinaty, the director of operations.

“Once COVID-19 hit, the numbers tripled,” said Melanie Kingston, the director of community health. We went from 50 to 70 people per day, to probably to about 300 to 350 people per day.”

Currently, Kingston said they’re holding up to 350 people per day.

Located near the corner of 5th Avenue and Albert Street, the two-storey building will have ceremony rooms on the second level. It will also have a basement, mainly for storage purposes.

The main floor is expected to have a warming shelter, doctor’s office and commercial kitchen. As a notable need, it will also have a pharmacy with western and Indigenous medicine.

“Want to have a traditional pharmacy where we provide those natural herbs and those teas and those remedies, the medicine that we combine together that are supposed to be in our diet, our traditional diet,” Keewatin said.

For the construction of the building, $13 million was funded from the Indigenous Services Canada and Indigenous Collaborative Housing funded the $13 million.

“All nations have some very deep-rooted funding partnerships, throughout their years of operation,” said Dave Ball, the project coordination for all nations hope network. “These funders have really assisted, so we are confident that we will get the funding to finish the building.”

The end of the project is expected to take about two years until the building can be fully open.

The Mackenzie Art Gallery announced a new award they will distributing intended on helping the growth of established artists.

The Thorn Prize is named in honour of Regina-born artist Anthony Thorn.

Those who win the award will receive $50,000 to support a self-directed period of exploration, as well as a solo exhibition at the Mackenzie Art Gallery.

“We hope this can be a life changing award at an important point in someone’s career, and are looking to get themselves established, and brings that recognition to bring them to that next level,” said John G. Hampton, the executive director and CEO of the Mackenzie Art Gallery.

The initiative was made possible through the generous support of Thorn’s sister, Lyn Goldman, who understands the career of an artist can have its unique challenges.

“[Artists] need recognition, they need an agent or a gallery, and it isn’t easy,” she said.

“I think it is very important for someone along the way to recognize what they are doing and give them that hope the world is interested in what they are doing,” she concluded.

Thorn was born in 1927 and was a part of the first generation of Saskatchewan artists to experiment with abstraction in the 1950’s.

His career would span over six decades, and his work would become known across Canada and around the world

The artist would also teach the arts throughout Canada.

“This is a great opportunity to celebrate national artists here in Saskatchewan. To continue the tradition of Saskatchewan playing a central role in Canadian identity,” Hampton said.

The Thorn prize will be awarded every two years, over the next 10 years.

The winner will be picked through a nomination process, with the inaugural award recipient being planned for February 2027.

Regina’s Team Campbell will wear the green jackets at the 2026 Scotties Tournament of Hearts after bringing home gold at the Bungee Prairie Pinnacle in Melville, Sask.

Led by skip Jolene Campbell, the Highland rink defeated fellow Regina curler Jana Tisdale in Sunday’s final 4-3.

It is Campbell’s second provincial title as a skip after winning the 2016 Pinnacle, but fifth Scotties after making three previous appearances as an alternate with Amber Holland. Campbell was also the third for Chelsea Carey’s rink in 2022 as a wild card team.

“It’s been ten years since I won that game,” the skip told reporters after the win. “That is a long damn time, so it feels really good.”

After blanking the first end, Tisdale was able to force Campbell to a single point in the second end.

Tisdale would add two after a couple of miscues from Team Campbell in the fourth.

Holding the final stone in the fifth end, Campbell attempted to split to score three. The rock sitting above the house would not catch the rings and she would settle for two but regain the lead.

Both teams would settle for blanks for three-straight ends before Tisdale would break through in the ninth.

With the hammer against three Campbell stones, Tisdale would draw to the button, tapping the yellow stone just far enough to tie the game at two heading into the final end.

“It’s a tough game and we went into that game wanting to be tied up with hammer coming home,” Campbell explained. “That was the plan. That’s where we thought we would be and we maneuvered the scoreboard to make it happen and it worked out.”

Needing just a single to win with hammer in the 10th, Campbell wouldn’t even have to throw her final stone after Tisdale ticked her own rock to give Campbell the victory.

“You’re obviously always ready,” Campbell said. “And it feels good to make that last one, I’ve had to do that before. But to not have to throw it sounds just as good.”

Team Campbell finished with the second-best record through round robin play before handing Ashley Thevenot her first loss of the bonspiel in the 1-2 playoff game Saturday to earn a berth to Sunday’s championship.

Campbell says she knew going into the week her team had a good shot to lift the trophy at the end.

“We’ve had a good season and we’ve all been in this big final game before,” she said. “We know what it takes to get there. We know how to put yourself in the position that you’re in. Playoffs. So we felt really confident that we were going to be there.”

She is joined by third Robyn Silvernagle, second Rachel Big Eagle and lead Dayna Demmans.

“We work really, really well together,” third Robyn Silvernagle said. “[Jolene] is a great leader and we play off of her energy. All of us just worked really well as a unit and did our jobs really well and just played like a team.”

Silvernagle has three previous Scotties appearances (2019, 2020, 2023). Big Eagle has attended the national women’s curling championships twice in 2021 and 2022, both as an alternate.

Demmans has never appeared in a Scotties before.

The vice-skip says the gameplan at nationals will be same as it was here.

“One rock at a time, one game at a time,” Silvernagle said. “Do your process and the outcome is none of our business.”

“It’s just a game – a really important game – but it’s just something I’ve always been grounded with,” Campbell added. “It is still a curling game. It’s very meaningful to us but we feel like we do have a really good shot going in there.”

The 2026 Scotties Tournament of Hearts is slated to run from Jan. 23 Feb. 1, 2026 in Mississauga, Ont.

Tankard Final

Yet to be decided is the men’s provincial champion in the SaskTel Tankard.

Team Kleiter will take on Team Knapp for a chance to represent Saskatchewan at the 2026 Montana’s Brier. Kleiter is looking to defend his 2025 Tankard win while Knapp last won in 2023.