A drug/overdose alert was sent out by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health on Thursday morning following an overdose in Regina.

A sample from the incident was tested at the Newo-Yotina Friendship Centre and contained dangerous levels of fentanyl and benzodiazepines. Six doses of naloxone and transport to the hospital were required.

The alert indicated that sufficient naloxone will reduce the effects of fentanyl and other opioids, but will not reverse the effects of benzodiazepines.

This combination of opioids may be smoked, swallowed, sniffed and/or injected. Using these substances carries a high risk of overdose and death. The combined substances look like pinkish purple chunks and is being sold as fentanyl.

Use of illegally acquired drugs poses health risks, including overdose and death. Some risks can be reduced, but not eliminated, by:

• Getting a Take Home Naloxone Kit. Call HealthLine 811 to find locations.
• Calling the National Overdose Response Service at 1-888-688-NORS (6677) if you are alone.
• The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act protects individuals who seek emergency help during an overdose or who witness an overdose.
• Finding where to access drug checking supplies and/or services through www.saskatchewan.ca/overdose.
• Sharing this alert and displaying the attached poster.
• For information on overdoses and additional resources, go to www.saskatchewan.ca/overdose.
• Signing up for Sask Drug Alerts by texting JOIN to 1-833-352-7233

The Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) is calling for answers after a video circulated online of a man in a vulnerable state lying outside in the snow.

Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte says the incident was concerning.

“Winter. You know, it doesn’t matter if it’s a mild weather, a person could still die from the exposure of the cold weather.”

The video was posted on Facebook and shows an individual lying in the snow. A separate video attached to the post shows security officers with an individual.

Police verified the post in question was related to an incident last week.

Prince Albert Police say shortly before 11 p.m. on Dec. 11 officers were called to the 2300 block of 10th Avenue West and found an intoxicated man lying in the snow.

The police service said it ensured he received medical evaluation, adding that it was discovered he had been evicted from a property before officers got there.

Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte says the man had been kicked out of Victoria Hospital by security.

He wants the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) to assess the actions of security staff during the incident.

“That shouldn’t happen in this day and age,” said Hardlotte. “Especially in the hospital setting. So, concerning. So, things we’re going to ask for changes. We’re hoping that the Saskatchewan Health Authority works with us on this one.”

The SHA said it has met with PAGC, continues to collaborate with police, and is completing an internal review.

The Saskatchewan RCMP says its officers have responded to 82 collisions across the province since late Wednesday afternoon.

The latest figure is in addition to 25 different weather and traffic-related reports from 4 p.m. on Dec. 17 to 7 a.m. on Dec. 18.

Previously, the service had received 29 reports of weather-related calls for service from 12 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Dec. 17.

The Regina Police Service reported that it responded to 24 collisions over the course of the storm. Three of the crashes resulted in minor injuries.

The “potent” Alberta clipper that was slated to deliver 10-20 centimetres of snow across Saskatchewan has now exited the province.

The storm system saw Saskatoon and much of the Yellowhead Highway receive a day-long tirade of blizzard-like conditions, while much of the south, including Regina and the majority of the Trans-Canada Highway, received freezing rain for much of the day before receiving snow during the evening.

Environment and Climate Change Canada is expected to release snowfall totals Thursday.

Snow routes have been declared in Regina while Saskatoon has declared a snow event, mobilizing City resources for a systemic cleanup of the city’s streets.

A collision near Broadview on Wednesday resulted in one man being declared deceased at the scene.

At 2:25 p.m., Broadview RCMP received a report of a collision two kilometres east of Broadview near the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 201.

Officers, along with Emergency Medical Services, responded to the report. The initial investigation indicated that two semi-trailers had collided with a third semi having left the roadway. Investigators are determining whether the third semi was involved in the initial collision or left the roadway in an evasive action to avoid it.

The deceased is a 33-year-old man from Winnipeg. His family has been notified.

EMS transported the driver and passenger of the second semi involved in the collision to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of third semi did not report any injuries to police.

Highway 1 was initially closed but has since reopened.

Broadview RCMP continues to investigate with assistance from a Saskatchewan RCMP collision reconstructionist.

Broadview is 150 kilometres east of Regina.

Saskatchewan’s privacy commissioner has found the Regina Police Service’s (RPS) disciplinary measures are “wholly inadequate” in the case of an officer who misused the police database to spy on citizens over the course of several years.

An investigation by the service’s professional standards branch found that Cst. Clinton Duquette had accessed the personal information of six people a total of 67 times without a legitimate need.

The snooping occurred over a period of three years, three months and 15 days from October 2021 to June 2024, according to Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner Grace Hession David’s report, which was published Dec. 11.

RPS Chief Lorilee Davies spoke on the report’s findings at a press conference on Thursday. She said she issued the disciplinary actions and said it was appropriate according to the Police Act.

“I have to rely on case law, precedence within the policing community, not just in Regina but within the country in terms of what are similar punishments,” she explained.

“This was meant, I believe to send a strong message to our organization and others in the province that this type of conduct won’t be condoned,” she added.

The commissioner found that RPS took minimal steps in containing the privacy breach and determined that the penalties imposed on Duquette were significantly inadequate, given the scope and length of the breach.

“The disciplinary measures adopted by RPS in this case are wholly inadequate and will not restore public faith in the RPS,” the report read.

Those disciplinary measures included one day without pay, the re-taking of a one-hour privacy training course and the re-signing of the RPS confidentiality protocol. Additionally, Duquette would be subject to random audits of the IEIS database for a period of two years.

“RPS must commit to a culture that reflects zero tolerance for inappropriate access of personal information. The RPS should consider severe consequences when violations are deliberate as in this case,” the report read.

“The public deserves to know that the RPS guards their privacy and protects their safety — the two concepts go hand in hand.”

In addition to inadequate penalties, the report noted RPS did not send letters to the affected individuals in a timely fashion.

The letters included details of the breach, a notification that the police officer had been disciplined, an apology, contact information of the RPS manager of access and privacy, as well as contact information for the Office of the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner.

“The fact it took RPS three months to notify the affected individuals is concerning,” the report read. “Notification of affected individuals in a privacy breach should be given immediate priority given that a snooper may use the personal information for questionable purposes.”

The report also outlined the importance of preventing future breaches, as both the public interest and law demand that commitment from a police force.

“I deeply understand that the police have a great responsibility to the public, and the expectations of the public rightfully include a higher standard of conduct for us. This officer in doing this, failed to not only meet our expectations, but those of our community,” Davies said.

In March of 2025, Sgt. Robert Eric Semenchuck was charged with breach of trust by a public officer and unauthorized use of a computer, a matter the report said stands as “an unfortunate backdrop” for the service in the face of Duquette’s violations of privacy laws.

To prevent future breaches, the report said the RPS should prioritize implementing measures to get rid of any possibility of normalized snooping among employees, including enhancing safeguards, providing additional training, and regular monitoring of systems and system users.

In its findings, the commissioner noted it would be referring the matter to Saskatchewan’s Attorney General for prosecution under the province’s privacy act or LA FOIP.

The commissioner also recommended that Duquette’s access to the Integrated Electronic Information System or IEIS be permanently revoked.

“We will review the recommended recommendations included in this report and will respond to the office of the access and privacy commissioner within 30 days,” Davies said.

An Alberta Clipper storm system whipped through much of southern and central Saskatchewan on Wednesday, with freezing rain, howling winds, and blowing snow.

The blizzard conditions left many in rural communities like Gull Lake, Maple Creek, and Climax without power through the night.

“It can definitely get cold for sure. Luckily, our furnace was on up until about seven, so our house stayed pretty warm. My mother in law’s place, her power was completely out. That’s why we went and got her, because it does get really cold really fast out here,” said Kat Thomas, Climax administrative assistant.

Thomas said her power was restored when she woke up on Thursday around 6 a.m.

Scott McGregor, SaskPower media relations consultant, told CTV News that in communities like Climax, the high winds, blowing snow, poor visibility, and impassable road conditions forced many workers to wait until morning to make repairs.

“The conditions just weren’t safe for our crews to work and to get power restored. And so, a lot of them had to stand down and wait until the conditions had improved. Which is why we were out around four this morning to start getting to work.”

McGregor also said that houses in Saskatchewan should be equipped with an emergency kit year-round in case of power outages and should be prepared with the provisions to go without power for a 72-hour period, as a baseline.

The south of Saskatchewan saw freezing rain, making highway travel in some areas of the province hazardous.

Saskatchewan RCMP received 82 reports of collisions and 25 weather-related reports, from late Wednesday afternoon to early Thursday morning.

That included a fatal collision near Broadview at the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 201 on Wednesday afternoon.

“It involved three semis. The driver of one of those semis was pronounced deceased at the scene. There were injuries. We’re working to gather some details,” said Saskatchewan RCMP spokesperson Keely Grasser.

Grasser, and Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways Dan Palmer, went onto say that this is just the beginning of Saskatchewan winter weather and that motorists should be prepared to postpone or cancel plans if travel is not recommended on highways.

TikTok has signed agreements with three major investors — Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX — to form a new TikTok U.S. joint venture, ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States.

The deal is expected to close on Jan. 22, according to an internal memo seen by The Associated Press. In the communication, CEO Shou Zi Chew confirmed to employees that ByteDance and TikTok signed the binding agreements with the consortium.

“I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued dedication and tireless work. Your efforts keep us operating at the highest level and will ensure that TikTok continues to grow and thrive in the U.S. and around the world,” Chew wrote in the memo to employees.

“With these agreements in place, our focus must stay where it’s always been—firmly on delivering for our users, creators, businesses and the global TikTok community.”

Half of the new TikTok U.S. joint venture will be owned by a group of investors — among them Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX, who will each hold a 15 per cent share. 19.9 per cent of the new app will be held by ByteDance itself, and another 30.1 per cent will be held by affiliates of existing ByteDance investors, according to the memo. The memo did not say who the other investors are and both TikTok and the White House declined to comment.

The U.S. venture will have a new, seven-member majority-American board of directors, the memo said. It will also be subject to terms that “protect Americans’ data and U.S. national security.”

U.S. user data will be stored locally in a system run by Oracle. The memo said U.S. users will continue “enjoying the same experience as today” and advertisers will continue to serve global audiences with no impact from the deal.

TikTok’s algorithm — the secret sauce that powers its addictive video feed — will be retrained on U.S. user data to “ensure the content feed is free from outside manipulation,” the memo said. The U.S. venture will also oversee content moderation and policies within the country.

American officials have previously warned that ByteDance’s algorithm is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect.

The algorithm has been a central issue in the security debate over TikTok. China previously maintained the algorithm must remain under Chinese control by law. But the U.S. regulation passed with bipartisan support said any divestment of TikTok must mean the platform cuts ties — specifically the algorithm — with ByteDance.

The deal marks the end of years of uncertainty about the fate of the popular video-sharing platform in the United States. After wide bipartisan majorities in Congress passed — and U.S. President Joe Biden signed — a law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if it did not find a new owner in the place of China’s ByteDance, the platform was set to go dark on the law’s January 2025 deadline.

For a several hours, it did. But on his first day in office, U .S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep it running while his administration tries to reach an agreement for the sale of the company.

Three more executive orders followed, as Trump, without a clear legal basis, continued to extend the deadline for a TikTok deal. The second was in April, when White House officials believed they were nearing a deal to spin off TikTok into a new company with U.S. ownership that fell apart after China backed out following Trump’s tariff announcement. The third came in June, then another in September, which Trump said would allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States in a way that meets national security concerns.

TikTok has more than 170 million users in the U.S. About 43 per cent of U.S. adults under the age of 30 say they regularly get news from TikTok, higher than any other social media app including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, according to a Pew Research Center report published this fall.

Shares of Oracle jumped $9.07, or five per cent, to $189.10 in after-hours trading.

A Vancouver Island grocery store has agreed to pay $750,000 to settle a voyeurism class-action lawsuit brought by women who were secretly filmed in the bathroom by a former employee who uploaded the images to a Russian porn site.

The case was brought by former store employees Jennifer Burke and Mallory Colter against Red Barn Market and Matthew Schwabe, the former assistant manager who was convicted of voyeurism charges in 2021.

The ruling from the B.C. Supreme Court in Victoria dated Dec. 8 also orders Schwabe to hand over all recordings of the plaintiffs to them, and declares all “copyright worldwide” over the material is assigned to them.

In 2016, police began investigating the allegations of voyeurism that took place in the washroom of the Saanich, B.C., market, and Schwabe was charged in 2019.

He later pleaded guilty to unlawfully observing and recording eight young women and unlawfully publishing intimate images of nine women, and was sentenced to 15 months in custody followed by two years of probation.

Red Barn at Mattick’s Ltd. was ordered to pay $750,000 within 14 days, including $85,000 each for five women whose intimate images were distributed online, $25,000 for a woman whose images were not distributed, and a further $15,000 to both Burke and Colter as the representative plaintiffs.

The rest goes to legal fees, which will be reduced by $25,000 for payments to each additional victim who is identified as having been filmed without the images being published.

The plaintiffs are donating a portion of their settlements to a charity in recognition of unidentified victims of Schwabe who filed for bankruptcy in 2018.

🎉 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