He's a Quebec man, cycling across Canada in support of widows in India and Asia.

Rene Holtken passed through Moose Jaw this weekend and you may see him heading east on the Trans Canada highway.

Rene is working with Gospel For Asia to raise money for widows, who don't have the same type of support they would experience in North America.

"The simple fact that I was raised just by my mother, it touched me to think of these women in India," Holtken said as he explained why he took up this cause. "They don't have any social net like my mother.  (My mother) had a trade, she had a job, but these people in India do not have that security."

Holtken says there's also a damaging stigma attached to the widows in India.

"Socially speaking, they are considered to be the ones responsible for the deaths of their husbands," Rene said. 

Holtken is on his way to Halifax and hopes to raise $25,000 by the time his journey is over at the end of August.  He's raised close to $3000 so far.  You can find out more about his journey here. 

Barbara Doyle (L) and Leona King (R)

About 4,000 people have been enjoying some, if not all, of the Saskatchewan Festival Of Words in Moose Jaw this weekend.

Among the out of town crowd are Barbara Doyle and Leona King of Lethbridge, Alberta.  The long-time friends are here for their third consecutive festival, and Barbara says it was Leona's enthusiasm that helped her get hooked on the event.

"We always compare what we're reading. (Leona) is very enthusiastic and passionate about books, so this has been a lovely vacation."

Leona says it was her first experience in 2012 hooked her on the event.

"I came and I just bought passes to individual events, because I wasn't sure what it was all about. When I heard some of the authors speak, and they were some of my favorites, I couldn't resist. I talked Barbra into coming with me the next time, and we've been here ever since."

This is the third consecutive festival for the long-time friends from Lethbridge, Alberta and they both raved about their Moose Jaw experience.

"The restaurants and food are amazing. The theater, I love that theater." said Leona. "Great architecture." added Barbara. "It's very interesting here."

The Festival Of Words wraps up today.

Golden West Business Commentator Paul Martin

The Canadian dollar continues to slide compared to the U-S dollar.

Golden West business commentator Paul Martin says that may not necessarily be a bad thing for the province.

"Saskatchewan is an exporting province so I suppose in the grand scheme of things I suppose it helps."

Martin says the decline was exaggerated by other circumstances.

"We lost a penny initially on our currency. Part of that is because the U-S went up while we went down, widening the gap."

Martin adds that with Saskatchewan being an export province, it may be a good thing.

"Grain, to oil, to potash, anything we pick to export out of the province is likely to see ab bump because of this."

Cyclists Ed Koop and Carol Chennel

You may see them cycling through Moose Jaw today, or you might pass them on the highway.

Ed Koop and Carol Chennel are making their way across the country in support of a good cause.

Jay Dunbar owns the OK Tire in Caronport and explains the event and how they are involved.

"The 2015 Bike Challenge is a Canadian Cancer Society initiative for a fundraiser. Carol Chennel from Quebec has tried to get as many OK Tire owners to sponsor him through fundraising and by riding with him."

Ed Koop works with Dunbar in Caronport and has joined Chennel for this part of the trip across Saskatchewan.

Dunbar says he's happy to participate in support of this cause.

"It's very exciting to participate in this way and support Ed and Carol as well as the Canadian Cancer Society."

Dunbar added that he lost his first wife to cancer 12 years ago.

He explains how you can vote.

"www.bikechallenge.ca and on the top bar there will be a donate button where you'll be taken to a list of all the participants. You can find Ed Koop in that list and click on his name, where you can add to his sponsorship."

Both Koop and Chennel will be coming through Moose Jaw Sunday afternoon.

Members of the Saskatchewan Dragoons have been re-deployed to help in other areas of northern Saskatchewan being threatened by fires.

The local soldiers were supposed to be back Sunday but were needed elsewhere as efforts to gain control of all fires are ramped up.

Another 3000 evacuees were allowed to return home this weekend. Most communities have lifted their evacuation orders but there are still some areas that are directly threatened by fires.

With local crops on the verge of being a bust, rain arrived on Friday but now the question is whether or not it's too late to do any good.

23mm of rain fell on the Friendly City to start the weekend and the sunshine that followed for the weekend certainly helped to boost local crops and green space as well.

Now we're in for some heat according to the new forecast.  We'll be flirting with daytime highs in the upper 20's and even the low 30's for the week.

Barbara Doyle and Leona King take a look at the books on offer this weekend

It was a fun weekend for the 4000 people who came out to the 19th annual Festival of Words, but many authors at the four day event also raved about their time spent in Moose Jaw as the event wrapped up Sunday at Mosaic Place. The festival was closed with a panel called, Making the Point with Humour.

Executive Director of Festival of Words Donna Lee Howes says all the authors she spoke with, loved the event.

"They often wait for the chance to come to Moose Jaw and I asked a few of them 'as you're heading home, where there things we could have done better or that we should be sure to repeat?' and they said to do it all the same again."

Howes added that the success of the festival had to be credited to the volunteers who helped put the festival on.

MJHS employee Marissa Wilson with Charlie, one of the rescued dogs from northern Saskatchewan

With a lot of the evacuation orders being lifted and families heading back north, shelters across the province are now trying to determine what to do with the animals that were displaced because of the wild fires this summer.

Executive Director of the Moose Jaw Humane Society, Kristyn McEwen says that hundreds of dogs and cats, many of them community owned, or semi-stray, were evacuated because of the fires, but with no real owners some are now being adopted out.

"The dogs that we brought here were community owned. The Northern Animal Rescue knew that the had no owners so we were able to put them up for adoption."

McEwen explains they took in four dogs during the crisis who now need homes.

"We have one that's out on trial right now and we have three waiting to go home. We have lots of interest in them, but we wanted to make sure they had their vaccinations and had been spayed or neutered before they went out. We have a shepherd cross, a husky cross, and then we have a rottweiler cross."

McEwen explains the good news is that local pet owners helped to raise some funds to help with the rescue efforts.

"We had quite a few people drop off food, we had kennels. We were able to donate $1,500 to the fund that the Pack Project was collecting for."

Many people will be going back home this week as wildfires subside {Photo Credit: Government of Saskatchewan}

Just shy of 3000 people left and all but a few dozen will be home by Wednesday night.  That's the latest from the province when it comes to the wild fire situation in northern Saskatchewan.

The province gave an update on the emergency situation this morning saying they are well on their way to being done with the evacuation orders.  Colin King is the Director of Operations for Emergency Measures and Fire Safety.

"Those home communities have everything in place to receive them and assist them to get back to their homes and settling them back in the community. We're almost over for this portion of the operation. Our firefighters will continue on in their tough role, even after most of the people are back home."

Manager of Information and Emergency Services for Social Services, Karri Kempf says they have just under 3000 people left in their care and explains evacuation centers are being closed around the province as a result of evacuation orders being lifted for almost all communities.

"We anticipate to be under 900 people tomorrow, who will be health priority individuals set to return tomorrow. With every event, we do have individuals who were hospitalized like, new arrivals for families, where mom and baby may still be receiving care."

Executive Director of Wild Fire Manager Steve Roberts says they still have their hands full.

"98 wildfires still burning in the province today. 646 fires this year to date, last year at this date, 235 (wildfires). We have over 1,000 personel on the ground right now, which includes the last 200 of our military partners, and today is their last day."

It is expected that only a handful of people will not be home by the end of the week.

This morning around 9:00 AM, Assiniboia RCMP received a report of a collision involved a bicyclist and a motor vehicle on Highway 43.

Initial investigation has revealed that a delivery truck, driven by a lone adult male and traveling eastbound, hit a 38-year-old female bicyclist traveling eastbound. The female bicyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.

Assiniboia RCMP and Swift Current RCMP Collision Reconstruction continue to investigate.

They should have handled it better and provided clear information to the public and dispatchers, instead of the announcement coming from social media and rumours.

Mayor Deb Higgins is responding to the news that local fire dispatchers have been laid off, in favour of the provincial 9-1-1 program based in Prince Albert. The decision was made public last Friday when the fire department made a post to social media that spread across the community leaving more questions than answers.

Mayor Higgins stresses that this has nothing to do with the budget or cost cutting.

"We want to make this a clear improvement for fire service." said Higgins. "We're not taking money out of the fire service. What we're doing is enhancing the service that they will be able to provide to the residents of Moose Jaw."

Any cost savings will be used to buy new technology or enhance training according to the Mayor.

Higgins says right now, our 9-1-1 calls already go to Prince Albert, our information is taken then sent to Moose Jaw's dispatch centre and then to firefighters. The new system has the info go right from Prince Albert to the firefighters, cutting out a step according to Higgins.

While Higgins says discussions with the fire hall have been going on for weeks, the Moose Jaw Firefighters Association is telling us that they were blind sided by the news last week.

President Gord Hewitt says they had to take the bull by the horns. "We actually approached administration before about is this going to happen, what's going on here and it's always been that we don't have any direction so when this was announced, it was the first that we actually heard about it."

Hewitt says the members of the fire department were not happy with the way things were handled in the lead up to the layoffs.

When you hit the lake, do you take the life vest?  When you're at the beach, do you stay on the blanket or stay by your toddler?

Things to keep in mind as we focus on Drowning Prevention Week. Recreation Program Supervisor Shelly Howe says the biggest focus is on the pool.

"We still encourage everyone to swim with a buddy, come with someone and make sure that you're checking in with them. The rules are in place for everyone's safety and so we encourage everyone to follow the basic pool rules like doing laps before going in the deep and walking while on the slippery pool deck."

Lifesaving demonstrations are being held all week at both the Phyllis Dewar and the Kinsmen Pool.

A terrible accident on Echo Lake last night has left one man with serious injuries after being run over by a boat and hit by the propeller.

RCMP say they were called just before 11 last night and rushed to the scene.  They found a 21 year old man suffering serious injuries after being struck while out swimming. He was air lifted by STARS to Regina but there's no update on his condition today.

RCMP continue to investigate.

Members of the Saskatchewan Dragoons platoon

They're back from fighting the fires and while it's a tragic situation, the experience was one that at least member of the Saskatchewan Dragoons is proud of.

Corporal Rowan Smith was one of the local soldiers deployed over a week ago to help with the more than 100 wild fires.  While there are still fires burning, officials say the majority of communities that were threatened, are now safe and almost all residents have returned home.

His job was to find hot spots or smaller fires and put them out.

"The main danger of forest fires is that they're going to spear across the land. What that does is that it stops them from spreading by being able to spread their embers and then start major burns beyond the burn lines. I was taught while walking through the forest as a small child to not break a twig because it's part of the forest and now see all the area that's been decimated."

Smith says it was quite the experience.

"I was pretty amazed how well the system worked and how well organized it was as well as how hard everyone worked. I worked as part of a platoon carrying a shovel, a pulaski, which is like an axe, or a backpack with water. We would go out and try to patrol the burn area to find small fires, then put them out as a team."

He says he was happy to help out.

"It's pretty amazing to be able to help out and after joining the military about 5 years ago. It's fantastic to be able to do something that affects Canadians lives and really helps out with the effort."

Traffic backed up on the #1 Highway

The flow of cars and trucks has resumed, but traffic on the #1 highway was backed up an estimated 3km on Tuesday afternoon just west of Moose Jaw.  The blockage brought things to a stand still in both of the east bound lanes, starting around the Weyburn turn off.

It was said that a trailer moving part of an modular apartment had it's frame stuck in the road.  The photo below shows what caused the problems.  

Drivers are reminded to leave extra time and drive with due care during the busy summer season.

There is a severe thunderstorm watch in effect for the better part of Southern Saskatchewan.

Conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms that may be capable of producing strong wind gusts, large hail and heavy rain.

Thunderstorms are expected to develop throughout the afternoon, which may become severe as the afternoon progresses.

We are also being reminded that severe thunderstorms can produce tornadoes.

Crop development is suffering because of the lack of moisture but cattle producers are reporting a lack of hay as well

He says they'll take a look at the situation and talk with the provinces first before making any decisions on drought assistance for prairie producers hit by the drought this year. Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz is taking a lot of questions on the drought this week.

While we're getting rain now, it's too late for some areas as Maple Creek has already submitted a request for disaster assistance along with four Alberta Rural Municipalities.

The Stock Growers Association here in Saskatchewan is asking for the feds to consider tax deferral for producers who are being forced to sell of their herds because they can't produce enough feed, saying hay yields are 70% below normal.

It was a big announcement from the federal government that has families across the country making financial plans. The $3 billion lump-sum payment was made for the enhanced universal child-care benefit, which is said to help families and also stimulate the economy without hurting the projected budget surplus.

Palliser Member of Parliament Ray Boughen says it's a good announcement for Canadians. "The lump sum for each child is $520 for each child six (years of age) and under and then $420 for those up to age 17."

"Then the monthly payments will continue for each child at $160 for children under six and $60 for children 6-17."

But, Aaron Ruston of Purposed Financial Corporation says you need to be careful with what you do with that additional money because there's a chance you might end up owing money instead of benefiting.

"In some cases, if families are borderline between income tax brackets it may well take them into the next tax bracket and the gain that they had will diminish because of the increased tax load."

Ruston suggests the best course of action is to put the money towards RESP's or reducing your debt.

Regina, Lumsden, Lake Center MP Tom Lukiwski making the announcement Wednesday morning

Change is on the way at 15 Wing today after a big announcement this morning.

The Ministry of Defense has been rolling out infrastructure packages this week for training bases across the country and it was 15 Wing's turn Wednesday morning.

Regina, Lumsden, Lake Center MP Tom Lukiwski announced where the first part of the money will go.

"To benefit the men and women in uniform as well as their families, we will be investing $6,000,000 into military housing renovations. This upgrade is something most people here are happy to see, since most of the housing units on military bases across Canada were created between 1940 and 1960, so they need constant improvement."

He explains what that money will help them do towards the houses.

"The upgrades will include everything from exterior retrofits, major kitchen renovations and bathroom renovations. The ones who need it most will receive complete make-overs from new plumbing, new heating, as well as upgrades to floor plans for more modern lifestyles. These renovations are an important quality of life issue for the people who work and live here. High quality housing should be an expectation for all the men and women who work here."

Lukiwski explained what the second part of the announcement would entail.

"The second part of the investment is in regards to rehabilitating some critical infrastructure here at 15 Wing. Mainly Air Field repairs. A comprehensive assessment of the Air Field drainage system will be undertaken and addressing maintenance of the system going forward. It's estimated that this work will cost approximately $1,760,000."

The two projects at 15 Wing are expected to be completed over the course of the next two years.

One of the creations from Brickspo 2014

It combines memories of your childhood with some amazing artwork.

Brickspo is a display coming to the Western Development this weekend, where everything is make from Lego.

The showcase is done by members of the Saskatchewan Lego users group to show off their creations.

Kathy Fitton from the Western Development Museum says it's a very interesting display.

"It's really amazing, almost all these ideas are original, there are no kits. These people are building these from scratch and you think about the math involved as well as trying to get everything pieced together and get it to look like what you want. It's very cool stuff."

Fitton says kids of all ages love the display.

"We've all played with Lego, then you go in there and see (the displays), and you think, 'Wow, I wonder if I could do that?'. The kids really seem to like it but so do the adults."

She says that kids will have an opportunity to make their own creations afterwards.

"There are some things for kids to participate in. There are some workshops on Saturday and Sunday, but they need to sign up at the museum before. It's an opportunity to play with Lego."

You can come and see the display over the weekend between their regular hours from 9:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M.