A Saskatchewan man is facing a lengthy list of charges after an alleged case of forcible confinement and assault on a First Nation east of Regina.

On May 27, Broadview RCMP received a report that a woman was being confined by an armed man at a home on Kahkewistahaw First Nation.

According to RCMP, officers responded immediately and were able to arrest a suspect at a home on the First Nation.

An investigation found the suspect assaulted and pointed a gun at a woman and refused to let her leave the home. A second man at the house was also threatened by the suspect, and his vehicle was damaged.

It was reported to police the firearm was never fired. Neither victim reported any physical injuries to police.

During a search of the home, officers found and seized a handgun.

As a result, a 44-year-old man from Kahkewistahaw First Nation is facing eight charges, including assault, forcible confinement, mischief over $5,000, uttering threats, pointing a firearm, possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose and unauthorized possession of a weapon.

He made his first appearance in Regina Provincial Court on May 27.

An Alberta man is facing charges following a drug trafficking investigation in Regina.

On Wednesday, members of the Regina Police Street Gang Unit and SWAT Team executed a CDSA search warrant at a home on the 800 block of Retallack Street, according to an update from the Regina Police Service (RPS) on Thursday.

Investigators located various quantities of fentanyl, morphine, and cash, RPS said.

A 43-year-old Alberta man was arrested and charged with two counts of possessing a scheduled substance for the purpose of trafficking and possessing the proceeds of property obtained by crime.

Seven people were arrested on outstanding warrants.

He made his first appearance in Regina Provincial Court on Thursday morning.

A fraud investigation in Saskatoon turned out to have international connections, as a vehicle stolen in the city was eventually found in West Africa.

On Jan. 14, 2025, SPS learned a vehicle had been stolen from a business on the 2300 block of Faithfull Avenue.

According to police, a man from Alberta visited the business and bought a Land Rover. However, it was later learned the vehicle was purchased via identity fraud.

Police investigation found the vehicle had been taken to British Columbia. Days later, with help from Edmonton police and the Canada Border Services Agency, officers learned it was being shipped to Ghana, West Africa.

Officers later confirmed the vehicle was in Ghana.

Police say during the investigation, the service received word that on Feb. 3, 2025, a BMW X5 was fraudulently purchased from a business on the 3100 block of Faithfull Avenue.

According to police, the suspect travelled from Alberta using a Quebec driver’s licence and was later flagged for fraudulent activity. Police say the license had been altered after it was reported lost in Quebec.

The suspect was arrested in Edmonton.

Saskatoon police have charged a 21-year-old man with fraud over $5,000, theft of a motor vehicle, possession of an identity document belonging to another person, fraudulently impersonating another person, using a forged document and breaching court-imposed conditions.

Amnesty International Canada has announced it will make verbal arguments before the Supreme Court of Canada in relation to the constitutional challenge against Saskatchewan’s school pronoun law.

Amnesty International Canada revealed on Thursday it had become one of 22 organizations granted intervenor status in the case.

The policy prevents children under 16 years of age from changing their names or pronouns at school without parental consent.

Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government introduced the rule as policy in 2023, arguing parents should be involved in decisions their children make at school.

Lawyers for the UR Pride Centre for Sexuality and Gender Diversity challenged the rule in court, arguing it violates Charter rights and causes irreparable harm to gender diverse youth.

Following the legal challenge, the province utilized the notwithstanding clause and enshrined the policy legislation in the form of the Parents’ Bill of Rights.

After Saskatchewan’s highest court ruled a legal challenge of the policy could move forward late last year – the province sought leave to appeal at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Intervenors are able to file a written submission of up to 10 pages and can present oral submissions of up to five minutes when the Supreme Court hears the appeal.

Amnesty International Canada previously served as a judicial intervenor when the case was heard by Saskatchewan’s Court of Appeal.

In its submission to that court, the organization argued the interpretation of the notwithstanding clause must align with Canada’s obligations under international law to uphold the right to an effective remedy.

“UR Pride’s challenge to the Saskatchewan government is a powerful example of resistance – and a bright ray of hope – at a moment when hard-won rights are under attack from many sides,” said Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada.

A date for the Supreme Court hearing has not been set.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has approved its 2026-27 budget, focusing on expanding access to care and strengthening services across the province.

The plan includes $5.5 billion in operating expenses, a 5.05 per cent increase compared to the previous budget.

The SHA said the investments are designed to ensure healthcare workers have the capacity and resources needed to deliver high quality care throughout Saskatchewan.

According to SHA CEO Andrew Will, expanding team-based primary care remains a top priority.

“What we’re very excited about is the expansion of primary care, integrated team-based care to reach our goal, where every Saskatchewan person will have access to a primary care team by 2028,” Will told CTV News in Yorkton, after the SHA’s public board meeting on Wednesday.

A key focus of the 2026-27 budget is expanding care closer to home. That includes building capacity in hospitals and intensive care units, modernizing diagnostic services, improving access to surgeries, and enhancing emergency medical response.

“This budget is aligned with the Government of Saskatchewan’s Patients First Healthcare plan, which sets a clear direction, one focused on primary access, better outcomes and a more connected, patient-centered system,” Will said in his public remarks.

He said recruitment and retention of healthcare workers were also considered.

“We are also focused on strengthening recruitment, retention and training, including $24.2 million for the Saskatoon City Hospital acute care expansion, and $14.6 million for additional capacity at Royal University Hospital and $4.9 million to add in-patient beds at St. Paul’s Hospital,” he said.

The SHA is also investing in urgent and specialized care, with $9.9 million earmarked for the Saskatoon Urgent Care Centre, $2.5 million for the neonatal intensive care unit at Regina General Hospital, and $5.7 million to increase diagnostic imaging volumes across the province.

Mental health and addiction services are another focus, with $9.4 million dedicated to expanding supports and $2.56 million set aside to enhance continuing care.

The SHA says it is working toward adding more addiction treatment spaces in the coming years.

In response to questions, SHA Chief Operating Officer Derek Miller said the goal is to expand addiction treatment capacity using the allocated $9.4 million.

“We had about 500 beds within Saskatchewan for addictions treatment, and so the action plan is adding an additional 500 beds [by 2028],” Miller said.

He also noted recent efforts to expand virtual access to addiction medicine services in northern communities.

“We’ve also established a navigation service to support the coordination of patients that might be waiting for admission into residential treatment programs,” Miller added.

An additional $596.7 million has been allocated for capital projects to support equipment upgrades and facility improvements.

Major capital projects will continue, including the Prince Albert Victoria Hospital expansion and new long term care developments in several communities, including Regina, Grenfell, and La Ronge.

While SHA senior leadership expressed excitement about a new healthcare facility in Yorkton, they were not able to provide a timeline for the long-awaited project.

“We’re very appreciative of the support that we have from city council here in Yorkton, as well as [The Health Foundation of East Central Saskatchewan] in fundraising for the 10 per cent local share of that project, but also [for] the furnishings, fixtures and equipment that will be required to open the new facility,” Will told CTV News.

The SHA said the overall goal of its new budget is to improve access, reduce pressure on the health system, and make it easier for patients to move through care.

Elementary school students throughout Regina went out for recess this week despite the extreme heat, but changes to guidelines may be coming to Regina Public Schools.

Mark Haarmann, the director and CEO of Regina Public Schools, said student safety is top priority in looking into any possible changes.

“We have actually begun conversations this week around establishing a procedure of how schools will deal with heat going forward,” he said.

“[High temperatures] haven’t really been an issue, but it has been the last year or two, and we are feeling it right now,” he added.

There are many school policies in place for extreme weather temperatures and conditions in Saskatchewan, but few policies addressing hot weather.

Schools 50 years or older are not the best in regulating temperatures during hot days, compared to modern schools equipped with air conditioning.

When high temperatures do happen, schools take steps to help keep students comfortable. This includes bringing in fans, turning lights off and even relocating to cooler areas of the school.

“It’s having an impact in terms of activities indoors and outdoors. Particularly in our older schools and we are conscious of that,” Haarmann explained.

“The safety and health of our kids is paramount. It is very difficult to learn in extreme heat,” he said.

Inner city feeling the heat

Carmichael Outreach is noticing an uptick in water usage and bottled water requests from the population they support.

“We see people coming in with a little bit of heat exhaustion, especially those staying at the encampment beside us,” said Tyler Gelsinger, the executive director of Carmichael Outreach.

“We do see an increase in the morning.”

Because of the unusually hot weather, Carmichael Outreach has decided to leave a water fountain on overnight for those in the area.

The non-profit has also altered their menu to cooler food options and have cooled drinks on hand for those in need of a drink.

“We have had individuals come in and use our shower program to cool down, after being out there all afternoon,” Gelsinger said.

Carmichael Outreach welcomes donations of water bottles and iced treats.

How far would you go to find that special someone?

Spencer Griffin-Beale is single and looking for love. At least, that’s what the billboards he spent thousands of dollars on are advertising across Edmonton.

“Marriage is very important to me, and I’m looking for a life partner, a wife,” the 40-year-old oilfield and construction worker said.

The solitary and male-centred nature of his job, however, hasn’t lended itself well to dating opportunities.

He still tries his luck with the traditional blind dates, hitting up the bars, speed-dating events or the apps. The billboard ads, however, are meant to set him apart from other eligible bachelors.

“I know my method is quite unconventional, but I had to think outside the box and think of a way that I can stick out more than all the online profiles,” he said.

“I’m one of the last people in my extended family and friend circles to have been married yet, so it kind of hits hard that way, and I always wanted to meet somebody, and I thought it would happen by now.”

His new inspiration comes from trends dating back decades of putting personal ads in the paper.

“But a lot of people don’t read the newspaper in 2026, so I thought, what’s the way I can get myself out there that a lot of single women would see it?”

The public ads direct prospective singles to his personal website, wherein he lists his credentials and interests: A metalhead with a non-smoking, non-drinking lifestyle who enjoys travel, photography and film.

Griffin-Beale’s efforts have so far gotten him encouragement, one date, and one “troll” who made fun of him.

“I was expecting a lot more,” he said of the online hate. He’s not deterred.

How has our pursuit of love changed in 2026?

In a modern dating world of automated swipes and hyper-online personalization, matchmaker Megan Tyschuk commends Griffin-Beale for his unique approach.

“If you’re going to be intentional about it, why not?” she told CTV News Edmonton.

She says she’s seen clients using business cards, QR codes or even toting customized stamps to the bars to grab people’s attention.

“It’s a way to essentially say, ‘Hey, I’m interested in you, but you can do whatever you want with that information,’” she said.

University of Alberta tech and media professor Nicolette Little says our growing reliance on online dating platforms may be less valuable to us as it makes more money for shareholders – a process sometimes referred to as ‘enshittification.’

“Algorithms will decide what we see or not, who we see, and we know that is shaped by profit motives for different companies that run these dating apps,” she said. “It makes the companies a lot more money if we’re kept swiping longer, so we’re not necessarily being shown the best matches.”

The other factor to consider is AI-generated dating profiles, bots or catfish schemes.

“We get a lot of issues with deep fakes … lots of concerns of bad actors or maybe dishonest users, and enhanced digital tools to facilitate people not putting their real selves forward,” Little said.

“We’re also in a society where there are escalating rates of gender-based violence, and not only that, but I think people want to get out after lockdowns … there’s been a resurgence in speed-dating.”

Little, much like Tyschuk, wishes Griffin-Beale luck and love in his grand pursuit of a partner.

Griffin-Beale hopes continued coverage widens his playing field.

“Don’t be afraid to reach out. My pictures on the site may look mean, but I’m not mean.”

Canada has dropped to 19th on a new best countries ranking list, one position behind the U.S.

The results, U.S. News Best Countries ranking, appears dramatic when compared with Canada’s previous placements – fourth in 2024 and second in 2023 – but the rankings themselves have changed significantly, according to U.S. News.

Rather than relying primarily on perception surveys, the new model evaluates countries using 100 statistical indicators grouped into eight broader categories to evaluate 100 countries.

The measures draw on data provided by international organizations such as the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

“There’s been a lot of significant movement compared to past years and we would certainly encourage people not to compare them,” U.S. News & World Report managing editor Eric Litke said in a Zoom interview with CTVNews.ca Tuesday.

Litke says Canada’s shift should not be viewed as a decline. “We built the methodology from the ground up this year.”

Litke described the shift as moving from “reputation to reality.”

“The idea is to give stakeholders across the board the ability to see where countries are actually at - essentially creating a national progress report,” he said.

The results reveal where Canada continues to perform well and where the nation needs to fill the cracks.

Canada strongest in culture and tourism

Canada’s highest ranking came in culture and tourism, where it placed eighth globally. The category examines factors such as creative influence, heritage, tourism appeal, and linguistic diversity.

Litke said Canada and the U.S. shares similarities in this area because of their international presence.

“In both cases we have countries that have significant international influence,” he said.

According to the U.S. News’ country profile on Canada, the country’s multicultural framework, first adopted in 1971, continues to shape Canada’s identity and immigration approach.

Recent reporting around federal immigration adjustments has highlighted efforts to tighten immigration rules and accept fewer new residents, students and temporary workers in 2026. According to the federal government, these measures are meant to reduce Canada’s unemployment rate, address housing affordability and ease pressures on public services like health care.

According to Litke, Canada’s results show a country with broad strengths rather than one dominant characteristic.

Canada gets credit for stability

Canada ranked 18th in governance, one of the most heavily weighted categories in the new methodology. Governance measures factors linked to institutional effectiveness and national stability.

In this category, public trust in institutions intersect with issues that affect everyday life from housing and health care access to public services and economic confidence.

Meanwhile, the U.S., which finished one spot ahead of Canada overall, performed unevenly across categories despite strong economic development and culture rankings. The U.S. struggled in areas such as health and infrastructure. Here’s how the U.S. ranked:

• No. 1 in culture and tourism
• No. 2 in economic development
• No. 15 in opportunity
• No. 17 in governance
• No. 33 in health
• No. 39 in infrastructure
• No. 41 in civic health
• No. 72 in natural environment

Opportunity and economic development

Canada placed 18th in opportunity and 21st in economic development.

These categories spotlight Canadians facing persistent affordability concerns. While Canada maintained relatively balanced results across multiple categories, it did not place among the top tier in areas connected to economic performance.

Recent housing outlooks suggest affordability challenges continue extending beyond major cities like Toronto and Vancouver into places once considered accessible including Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.

Housing forecasts also suggest slower construction activity and weaker market demand may continue in some regions despite persistent affordability pressures.

Infrastructure and health

Canada placed 20th in infrastructure and 27th in health. It also landed at 27th in the civic health ranking.

For Canadians, these categories touch some of the country’s most visible domestic debates – health care access, transit systems, population growth and the capacity of public services.

Litke said a category looked beyond whether health care coverage exists.

“In health, for example, we’re looking at not only coverage and cost, but also access and availability,” he said.

Canada scored particularly stronger in some measures.

“Universal health coverage got 100 out of 100,” Litke said. “It was 90 or higher in life expectancy.”

But other indicators lowered the overall score, including hospital beds per capita and physicians per capita.

“There are spots where access can be a struggle but the outcomes are very solid,” Litke said.

Environment result may raise eyebrows

Canada’s weakest category was natural environment, where it ranked 63rd globally. The category measures efforts tied to protecting natural resources and environmental conditions such as air quality and biodiversity.

Litke said the category extends beyond scenic landscapes or natural resources alone.

“Canada rates very highly, for example, for air quality or light pollution but much lower for species richness,” he said.

The category also includes factors such as carbon emissions, urban green space and sustainable trade.

“We try to take a holistic view of natural environment,” Litke said. “It’s not only what are the natural resources in terms of land and water but what types of protections are in place.”

Litke emphasized the rankings take into account measurable indicators rather than perception – meaning a country’s reputation no longer translates into a stronger score.

‘Europe-heavy’

“Our ranking was overall pretty Europe-heavy,” Litke said with Switzerland placing first, Sweden ranking third and Norway at sixth overall.

According to Litke, those countries tended to perform consistently across multiple categories rather than relying on one or two exceptionally high scores.

The broader message, he said, is that the rankings are designed less as a popularity contest and more of a data snapshot.

“Go digging,” Litke said. “If you’re interested in a certain country and governance or health, go see at the individual data set level how those countries scored.”

Here are the top 20 best countries, according to U.S. News:

1. Switzerland
2. Denmark
3. Sweden
4. Germany
5. Netherlands
6. Norway
7. United Kingdom
8. Finland
9. Luxembourg
10. Austria
11. Belgium
12. France
13. Ireland
14. Australia
15. Iceland
16. Singapore
17. Japan
18. United States
19. Canada
20. South Korea

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