By CHIEF ROB DUTTCHEN, Corman Park Police Service
The month of April was Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the Corman Park Police Service (CPPS) was actively targeting drivers who use electronic devices while driving. Police issued 28 offence notices for distracted driving throughout the month. With April now behind us, enforcement will continue — police will be watching for all moving violations, including drivers who choose to drive distracted. It is worth remembering that safely operating a motor vehicle requires the same mental and physical engagement as reading a text message, composing a reply, and typing it out — none of which belong behind the wheel. Police remind the public that safe driving means keeping your mind on the road and your hands on the wheel.
Shortly after 9:00 pm on the evening of April 28, CPPS officers were patrolling in the vicinity of Highway 219 and Cartwright Street when a vehicle was observed travelling at a visibly high rate of speed. The vehicle was clocked at 86 km/h in a posted 60 km/h zone using a speed timing device. At the roadside, a demand for a breath sample was made. The driver provided a sample into an Approved Screening Device (ASD), which returned an “Alert” reading. The driver was issued a 72-hour licence suspension and vehicle impoundment.
On the afternoon of April 30, CPPS responded to a report of a grass fire in the vicinity of Range Road 3044 and Township Road 374. Upon arrival, officers located the landowner, who had initiated a controlled burn that had gotten out of control. The landowner had failed to take the necessary precautions and did not have the required implements or water on hand to manage the fire. As a result, the Saskatoon Fire Department was called to assist.
With spring conditions in full swing, the Corman Park Police Service reminds residents that fire ban status in the RM can change quickly and should be verified before any controlled burn is undertaken. The RM of Corman Park’s Alert Centre at rmcormanpark.ca is the primary source for current ban information, and the provincial SPSA fire ban map at saskpublicsafety.ca should also be consulted, as both municipal and provincial bans may apply simultaneously.
Any resident planning a controlled burn is reminded that all burns — regardless of size — must be reported to the provincial hotline at 1-866-404-4911 prior to lighting. Callers will be asked to provide their legal land description, RM number, what is being burned, and an estimated duration. A follow-up call to the same number is required once the burn is fully extinguished. This notification system exists to prevent unnecessary deployment of firefighting resources and does not constitute permission to burn.
Residents are also reminded that under the Prairie and Forest Fires Act, 1982, the person who starts a fire is legally responsible for it. If a fire escapes — or is likely to escape — that individual is liable for all associated firefighting costs, regardless of whether a report was made. Fire guards must be established before lighting, equipment and water must be on-site, and the burn must be supervised continuously until fully extinguished. Anyone with questions about burn conditions or restrictions is encouraged to contact the RM office at 306-242-9303 or the Corman Park Police Service.
Later that same afternoon, CPPS officers patrolling the area of Township Road 382 near Highway 12 observed a vehicle being operated in an erratic manner. A traffic stop was initiated, and officers formed the opinion that the driver was operating the vehicle while impaired by a controlled substance. A demand for an oral fluid sample was made, which returned a positive indication for THC. The driver was issued a 72-hour licence suspension and vehicle impoundment for the same period.
Around the dinner hour that same day, officers conducted a spot check of a male who was observed walking on Highway 11 contrary to the Traffic Safety Act (TSA). A query of the individual on the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) system revealed he was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) for breach of probation. At the direction of PAPS, the subject was processed and released with a court date to appear in Prince Albert.
On May 1 at approximately 1:00 pm, CPPS responded to a grass fire report received from Saskatoon Fire Department, located north of Township Road 360 adjacent to Range Road 3050. The fire was once again a controlled burn that had gotten out of control, ultimately burning approximately 20 acres. Fortunately, no injuries were reported and no structures were damaged.
On the afternoon of May 2, officers were conducting speed enforcement near 2nd Avenue South in Dalmeny and Range Road 3062 when a vehicle was flagged for a visibly high rate of speed. At the roadside, obvious indicators of drug impairment were observed, and the driver was screened using an oral fluid instrument. The instrument returned a positive result for THC. The driver received a 72-hour licence suspension and vehicle impoundment for the same period.
Later that same evening, CPPS responded to a report of multiple shots fired in an area northwest of Valley Road and Highway 60. Officers attended and deployed the CPPS drone, which quickly located six individuals shooting paper targets on private property with proper safety precautions in place. No further response was required. This is another example of the operational value of the drone — its rapid deployment provided immediate situational awareness, confirmed no threat existed, and pre-empted the unnecessary mobilisation of multiple responding units.
In the early evening hours of May 3, CPPS responded to a report of livestock at large in the vicinity of Highway 219 and Grasswood Road. On arrival, officers encountered three white goats who had made good their escape from a nearby farmyard pen. The mischievous mammals had taken their adventure to the roadway, where they were posing a hazard to passing vehicles. After a brief standoff, CPPS located the goats and assisted the owner in returning the wayward escape artists to their enclosure. The owner was issued a charge under the RM’s animal control by-law for allowing animals to be at large. The goats declined comment on the incident.
Later that same evening, a CPPS unit was transiting through Saskatoon on Idlwyld Drive near the Highway 16 overpass when two males were observed walking on the highway contrary to the TSA. The individuals were identified, and it was determined that one was the subject of multiple arrest warrants related to failure to appear, breach of probation, and failure to comply with a release order on Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) charges. The suspect was processed and released with a court date at the direction of SPS.
At approximately the same time, a second CPPS member was investigating a report of a suspicious vehicle parked in the vicinity of Range Road 3045 and Township Road 374. The member located a truck in the area, occupied by a male who appeared to be residing in his vehicle. The individual was determined to be the subject of multiple arrest warrants originating from both SPS and the University of Saskatchewan Protective Services. After securing instructions from the originating agencies, the male was provided with appearance dates to answer to charges from both.