Ball Tournament Being Held to Support Local Family

Shanine Sealey, Martensville Messenger

On Saturday, May 27th, there will be a fundraiser ball tournament held in Martensville to help provide financial support to a local family going through a health crisis. All proceeds raised through the tournament will go to the Smith family, to help bring Mike Smith home from the hospital, where he has been undergoing treatments since February.

Currently, the Smith family is working on preparing their home in hopes that Mike will be able to return home soon. To learn more about Mike, visit the ‘Mike’s Story’ Facebook page.

The tournament is currently already full with 16 teams registered, and two teams on the waiting list.

Donations for raffle items, silent auction items and cash are being accepted and can be made by contacting angieskates@ hotmail.com.

“If people do not want to play, they can just come hang out. We will have a concession, beer gardens, 50/50, raffle table and silent auction items starting at 9am. Come help Hit Mike Home,” event organizer Angie Reddekopp said.

ABOVE: A-Side winners. (Submitted)

ABOVE: B-Side winners. (Submitted)

ABOVE: C-Side winners. (Submitted)

ABOVE: D-Side winners. (Submitted)

Less Ottawa Fighting More Problem Solving

It really is time we got on with the business of governing this province. One can argue, as the Saskatchewan Party consistently has, that things are not as bad as the NDP Opposition makes them out to be.

We continue to create jobs and experience population growth. The numbers clearly indicate we aren’t doing either at the rate other provinces clearly are. In fact, we aren’t doing either at the rate we were 10 or 15 years ago.

One example is this month’s announcement that Yorkton’s Louis Dreyfus operation will double its canola crushing capacity to more than two million tonnes. It represents continued and modest growth, but even modest growth has to be smartly managed. We can’t just assume doctors, nurses, teachers or others will flock here where there are more lucrative options in what many see as a more favourable location and there are big problems here.

Coming out of the pandemic, Saskatchewan’s 4.9-per-cent inflation rate is second highest in the nation. If you are a nurse or a doctor considering moving here, that is a tangible disincentive that would likely go into your consideration. It adds to other disincentives like the work climate and work environment. It is for these reasons that the Saskatchewan Party government must keep its eye on the ball.

Stories and concerns about nurses or other health care workers being told not to talk to touring opposition politicians about problems in the health system - as seemed to be the case when NDP MLAs toured Lanigan - are exceedingly unhelpful. Why would you want to move here and work in the health system if there is a perception that you cannot speak frankly about the problems when asked?

The government has chalked all this up to a communication misunderstanding. Unfortunately, perhaps the biggest communication misunderstanding in the province right now is that bashing the federal Liberal government is the primary job of this Saskatchewan Party government.

The real problem is both the perception and the reality that the Sask. Party government is far too focused on politics rather than real problems.

Premier Scott Moe simply needs to refocus his government’s attention on addressing those critical days to day problems in this province. Maybe he and his strategists are beginning to recognize this need.

At last week’s Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association convention in Saskatoon, the premier explained to mayors and councillors why he didn’t take the opportunity to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when he was in the province two weeks ago because was only offered what the premier said was five minutes.

That was not enough time to address critical issues like the infrastructure fund, clean electricity standards and the Natural Resources Transfer Agreement that recently caused a massive uproar.

In no small irony, now was an excellent time for Moe to meet Trudeau, because the Saskatchewan premier is on high ground.

It would have come after Federal Justice Minister David Lametti told First Nations leaders he would take a look at the 1930 Natural Resources Transfer that constitutionally guarantees provincial control over natural resource development.

Of all the fights with Ottawa, this is one worth fighting. The problem, however, is the Sask. Party government agenda is cluttered with less significant fights over plastics in landfills or federal officials taking water quality samples.

“Contrary to what some in this room may think, I don’t get up in the morning and the first thought through my mind is ‘I wonder how I can disagree with the prime minister and the federal government today,” Moe said in his speech to SUMA delegates. “And that might surprise a few of you.”

But whether he goes looking for fights with Ottawa, there is one thing that’s clear: We have many problems at home and solving them has to be Moe’s focus.