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Your City; Your Newspaper December 21, 2023
Merry Christmas from
Ph. 306.651.7277
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VOLUME NO. 17 - ISSUE 48
'Best Wishes to all this Holiday Season' From the Management and Staff of Crystal Car Wash December 24 9:00am-2:00pm December 25 CLOSED December 26 CLOSED December 31 9:00am-3:00 pm January 1 CLOSED
Locally Owned and Operated Celebrating Fifteen Years of Community
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Let There Be Light A beautiful December sunrise lit up the skies over Lake Vista.
O R F
A&W Martensville
W Martensville
Please note there will be NO PAPER December 28th. Our next edition will be January 4th.
Photo Credit: Courtney Flath
Terry Jenson, MLA Martensville-Warman
Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas. WMBEXA 2017
BUSINESS OF THE YEAR RECIPIENT
WE SERVICE ALL BRANDS
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Page 2 - DECEMBER 21, 2023 - MARTENSVILLE MESSENGER
Snow Removal This Winter – What You Need To Know The Snow removal program aims to reduce hazards in the community, ensure roadways for emergency vehicles, and provide access to goods and services in the community.
Our crews strive to deliver excellent service, however sometimes weather can be unpredictable, and snow and ice control activities may vary. Every reasonable effort will be made to promptly remove snow and ice and create safe driving and walking conditions. There are ways you can help to ensure to keep streets clear and safe - Do not shovel, blow, or push snow from private property onto the street – this causes snow ridges on your driveway when our plow cleans our street. - Do not plow or pile snow on streets or hydrants – this can block access to manholes, water valves, and access to water in case of emergencies. - Clear your driveways in advance of the city’s snow clearing operations - this helps our operators clear your street more efficiently as well as more clearly see driveways to avoid ridging. - Do not park your vehicle in an area where it could obstruct snow removal procedures this hinders our operations and could result in a snow ridge blocking your vehicle in place. - Do not leave large piles of snow at the corners of driveways – this snow can be caught by a raised snow-gate blade and topple over into your driveway or the street. -Prevent snow from piling up on the front of your driveway by moving it near your tree/lawn areas behind your walkway. - Watch for posted areas for Snow Removal - In case of snow and snow removal, crews need to have roads cleared of all vehicles on posted streets. If you are going out of the City over the holidays, please have your vehicles off City streets. Vehicles left on the street per the traffic bylaw are ticketed and towed (to a non-posted area). - Stay Clear of Sanding Trucks - Crews apply a mixture of salt and sand on our streets and intersections to ensure safer driving conditions. If you are near or behind the sanding truck you are reminded to stay back 15m to allow the truck to disperse materials and to prevent materials from potentially hitting your vehicle. Information on general program procedures and the City’s Priority Map is available online at Martensville.ca
Ice Conditions on Neighborhood Ponds
The Martensville Fire Department conducts regular ice measurements of the ponds in Martensville to ensure conditions are safe for recreational use. Measurements will be reported through the Fire Departments and the City of Martensville’s Facebook pages as well as reported on Martensville.ca. Please also watch for signage and postings around ponds for ice conditions. Ice should be avoided that: -looks slushy -has thawed, then froze again -is near moving water -is layered, caused by sudden temperature changes -has structures on it, such as pressure ridges.
January Council Meeting Dates
Please Note: Council Meetings may be attended in person, guests may wear a mask if desired within Council Chambers. Those still wishing to attend but would wish to do so virtually should contact the City Clerk or visit the online agenda for the link to attend. January 9th – Committee of the Whole January 16th – Regular Council All Meetings are located at Martensville City Hall Council Chambers - Martensville City Hall - 37 Centennial Dr. S. All meetings commence at 5 PM. Those wishing to address or do a presentation to Council must be placed on the agenda. To be placed on the agenda please contact the City Clerk’s office at City Hall or visit the website for details. The full Council and Committee of the Whole Schedule can be obtained at martensville.ca
Civic Facility Holiday Season Hours
Martensville Athletic Pavilion December 24th 8AM-3PM December 25th Closed December 26th Closed December 27th 7AM-10PM December 28th 7AM-10PM December 29th 7AM-10PM December 30th 7AM-10PM December 31st 8AM-6PM January 1st Closed
Martensville Library December 25th Closed December 26th Closed December 27th 9:30AM-12PM, 1PM-6PM December 28th 9:30AM-12PM, 1PM-6PM December 29th 9:30AM-12PM, 1PM-6PM December 30th 9:30AM-2PM December 31st Closed January 1st Closed
City Hall December 25th Closed December 26th Closed December 27th 9AM-5PM December 28th 9AM-5PM December 29th 9AM-5PM January 1st Closed
Recreation Program Update
Lakeview Insurance Brokers Winter FunFest 2024 is February 18th Beat the Winter Blues with a day of winter-themed activities and fun for the entire family at the North Ridge Centre. More information will be provided in the new year on the day’s activities. 2024 Winter Program Guide The Program Guide has been distributed and registration for programs is now Open. Registration can be conducted online at Martensville.ca or via phone or at the Martensville Athletic Pavilion. Guides can be picked up at City Hall, the MAP or viewed online under Recreation Activities.
Reminder Property Taxes are Due! - Tax Notices were mailed out on April 28th. If anyone has not received their notice, they should contact City Hall. Ensure all contact information is up to date. - Starting on August 1st, interest penalties on outstanding amounts begin to accrue Ways to Pay - Taxes can be paid by cash, cheque, or debit at City Hall. - Taxes can also be paid online through Banking Bill Payments, or by etransfers; for payments: payments@martensville.ca. Please include address &/or roll number in the comment section along with an indication the payment is for taxes.
‘Tis The Season of Parcel Deliveries – Saskatchewan RCMP Reminds Residents to Keep Them Safe
During the month of December, online shopping increases, and so do the number of parcels that are left unattended on residents’ doorsteps. This creates easy opportunity for thieves. Saskatchewan RCMP urges the public to keep safety top-of-mind and to follow these tips to prevent deliveries from being stolen by thieves: • Schedule deliveries during a timeframe you know you will be at home; • Consider having your packages delivered to your workplace, a relative’s home, or a trusted neighbour’s address; • Redirect your package to a nearby pick-up location; • Request a signature for delivery or for the package to be placed out of sight; and • Consider installing exterior security cameras to monitor your doorstep remotely and capture any suspicious activity. Always report suspicious persons or activity to your local police of jurisdiction. When all crimes are reported to the police, police officers get a clearer picture of the types and numbers of crimes occurring in their area. This information helps them launch future police projects, initiatives and education campaigns within the area and the division. A reminder that you can report thefts to Saskatchewan RCMP through Online Crime Reporting, available at http://report.rcmp.ca. You can use this always-available, simple option if: • There are no witnesses or suspects; • Item(s) lost or stolen are worth less than $5,000; and • There are no items involving personal identity, firearms, license plates or decals. Reports made via Online Crime Reporting are investigated the same as if they were reported any other way.
MARTENSVILLE MESSENGER - DECEMBER 21, 2023 - Page 3
New Art Hive Program Set to Begin in New Year Shanine Sealey, Martensville Messenger
The City of Martensville will be offering a new community based art studio called an Art Hive that invites local residents to attend and bring one of their own art projects to work on, or utilize the materials provided to create something unique. “The art hive welcomes everyone as an artist and was created to promote values of inclusion, respect and learning. It’s a welcoming place to talk, make art, and build communities,” City of Martensville Recreation Program Supervisor Angie Reddekopp stated. The Art Hive will take place the first Friday of the month, beginning January 5th and will run from 6pm8pm at the Heritage Centre in Martensville. Everyone is welcome to attend. There is a $5 drop-in fee and children aged 11 and under must attend with an adult.
Donations for a variety of items are being accepted in order to ensure this program is as successful as possible. Items include; drawing materials, paint/brushes, paper, magazines, stickers, scrapbook supplies, sewing and fabric art supplies, nature materials, general craft supplies, jewelry making supplies, play-doh, glues, scissors, stamps/ink, and clean recycled materials. All materials must be non-toxic and in relatively good condition. If you are interested in donating, or you would like more information about this program, contact at saraskipper@proton.me, or areddekopp@martensville.ca.
ABOVE: The City of Martensville is looking for donations of art supplies for the new Art Hive program that will begin January 5th.
Seniors Turkey Bingo Martensville Fire Department Battled Back- Night Draws Large Crowd The Martensville to-Back Fires New Horizon’s Senior Shanine Sealey, Martensville Messenger
Shanine Sealey, Martensville Messenger
Martensville Fire Department (MFD) Deputy Fire Chief Dean Brooman has spent 28 years with the department; however, on Tuesday, December 12th, Brooman experienced something that he had never seen before; two structure fires back-to-back. The first call came in at approximately 2:40am on December 12th, where the MFD responded to a structure fire at Premium Select Auto Solutions on Centennial Drive South in Martensville. Brooman noted that upon arrival, there were flames already visible. “We rolled up with two pumpers and a tanker and began fighting the fire with heavy water flow, using bigger lines because we already had flames showing from outside the building. We went defensive right away rather than offensive so we could prevent exposures and we worked to get the fire out without going inside the building,” Brooman explained. Mutual aid was called from Warman Fire Rescue, who brought their aerial truck and Dalmeny Fire and Rescue, who arrived with a pumper for additional support. In total, the members on scene worked on the fire for approximately six hours. That fire is currently under investigation, as well as an additional fire to that location, which took place on December 10th at approximately 5:30am. The December 10th fire was located outside the business, and was suspicious in nature, as was the December 12th fire. According to Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers, the December 10th fire was caused due to a trail of fuel from the fence in the alleyway to the back entrance of the building. The fire was extinguished, with no damage to the building. The Martensville RCMP is asking anyone who saw anything suspicious in relation to these incidents to contact the RCMP at 310-RCMP, or Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers with an anonymous tip at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.saskcrimestoppers. com. Upon arriving back at the fire hall following the December 12th fire, at approximately 9:30am, another call came in regarding a residence fire on 5th Street South in Martensville. “We had just gotten back to the hall and we were in the process of putting our trucks back in service, which includes restocking the trucks, filling our tanks and preparing everything for future calls, when the second call came in. We responded with Engines 1 and 2 and called in Warman Fire Rescue again for back-up,” Brooman said. Once again, flames were visible upon arrival and the MFD sprang into action, this time, going interior and battling the blaze from both inside and outside. Approximately three hours were spent on scene. This fire was not suspicious, with the cause being accidental. There were no injuries reported at either fire, and unfortunately, both structures were destroyed. “Our members were fantastic. They worked long hours and they worked hard despite being wet and cold. And then they went and did it all over again. Their dedication to the community really showed in a tremendous way with these two fires,” Brooman added. “It is days like December 12th that shows the importance of the mutual aid agreements that we have in place with surrounding communities. Resources can be stretched and having that extra support can be critical in times like that.” Not only did the MFD respond to two fires on December 12th, but Brooman noted there were additional calls that day as well, one during the second fire regarding smoke alarms going off at another residence, and a couple of medical calls in the afternoon. “It was a busy day for us, but we were able to handle the work-load, make it to all the calls and work with the province investigating the two fires, as well as work with the business owners and renters of the house to ensure their needs were met and help out any way that we could on our end.” TOP RIGHT: The December 12th fire at a business on Centennial Drive South destroyed the building. An investigation is currently underway regarding this blaze. BOTTOM RIGHT: An accidental fire on December 12th destroyed a home on 5th St S in Martensville.
Centre hosted a Turkey Bingo night on Thursday, December 14th, which saw a large amount of people in attendance. The evening was a big success, with a total of 14 turkeys that were available to win. Regularly scheduled bingo nights will return in the new year and take place every second Thursday and are open to everyone to attend.
RIGHT & BELOW: Turkey bingo was a huge success at the New Horizon’s Senior Centre. (Submitted by Donna Pawluk)
Page 4 - DECEMBER 21, 2023 - MARTENSVILLE MESSENGER
Martensville Residents Step-Up This Holiday Season
Many local sports teams, businesses, schools and individuals came together this holiday season to support the Martensville Fire Department’s annual Christmas Hamper Program by donating a variety of non-perishable food items, hygiene items, monetary donations and more.
ABOVE & RIGHT: The Martensville Marauder U15A Villains canvassed the community for donations to support the Christmas Hamper Program and collected a large donation to be given to the MFD. TOP RIGHT: Staff, students and their families made donations throughout the month to go towards supporting the MFD Christmas Hamper Program. FAR RIGHT: On Tuesday, December 19th, the hampers for the MFD Christmas Hamper Program were organized, with deliveries planned for later this week.
Wishing You A Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year
Jesus Is The Light of the World Have a Blessed Christmas
WishingYou a Peaceful, Joyful Christmas
Congrats Wishing you Health Grads! and Happiness in 2024!
Martensville Pharmacy 306-931-2868
Happy Holidays from
Martensville Advice Centre
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MARTENSVILLE MESSENGER - DECEMBER 21, 2023 - Page 5
Martensville Corner Store Wishing You a Happy Holiday Season and a New Year Filled with Peace & Prosperity
The Ber family & staff Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
ABOVE: A generous donation from Affinity Credit Union in Martensville was made to the local Food Pantry to help support local residents that need a little extra support this holiday season. Christmas dinner food hampers will be available to those that requested them on December 20th and various items are available on the shelfs located within the Martensville Civic Centre hallway. More information about the Martensville Food Pantry is available by contacting (306) 280-1255 or martensvillefoodpantry@gmail.com. QTY
Size
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Rev
1
Yellow Backing plate
306-931-1903 441 Centennial Dr N Sign can with 5” letter edge(black). Silver background and black border in opaque vinyl Turquoises gradient, red and white in translucent vinyl
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Please note once the proof has been approved the client is responsible for all costs associated with any subsequent changes.
We’d Like to Shout It From the Rooftops: “Merry Christmas, Everyone!”
We’d Like to Shout It From the Rooftops: “M wishing you a MERRY We hope your holiday is merry, brigh blessed christmas! We’d Like to Shout It From the “Merry Christmas, Everyone!” Thanks for being great Christmas, neighbours We’dRooftops: Like to Shout It From the Rooftops: “Merry Ev CHA - Exterior
1640 Alberta Ave. Saskatoon, SK | P. 306 384-0356 | F. 306 384-0357
#30292
CSR: Russ
Colour may appear slightly different between monitors and will be printed as supplied.
We hope your holiday is merry, bright and magical. Thanks for being great neighbours and customers!
306-934-6610 Martensville
We hope your holiday is merry, bright and magical. We hope your holiday is merry, bright and magical. 306-934-6610 Thanks for being great neighbours and customers! Martensville Thanks for being great neighbours and customers! Season’s Greetings
We’d Like to Shout It From the Rooftops We’d Like to ShoutFROM It From the Rooftops: “Merry Christmas, Everyone!” We hope your holiday is merry, bright and magical. Thanks for being great neighbours and customers!
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Page 6 - DECEMBER 21, 2023 - MARTENSVILLE MESSENGER
SPORTS
Former Martensville Marauder to Take the Ice in 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship Shanine Sealey, Martensville Messenger
ABOVE: The Valley Soccer Association (VSA) held a Christmas Food Drive to help support local families this holidays season and thanks to the donations of VSA families, were able to collect a wide array of items to be donated. (Facebook)
classifieds FEED AND SEED
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FARMLAND WANTED ANNOUNCEMENTS UNIQUE ETCHED WOODEN ORNAMENTS. $105/set of four including postage and FREE draw for chainsaw carvings. Fundraiser for Alberta Political Solutions. See Facebook Page. Inquire at OperationRescue@protonmail.com
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Former Martensville Marauder Brayden Yager has been making quite the name for himself, with the most recent announcement seeing Yager on the roster for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship with Team Canada. Yager, who was born in Saskatoon, played with the Martensville Marauders U15AA team for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. From there Yager moved on to play with the Saskatoon Contacts U18 AAA team from 20192021 before going on to play on the Moose Jaw Warriors, where he is still playing. So far into the 2023-24 season, Yager has played 28 games, with 17 goals, 24 assists for a total of 41 points. The young forward, who was drafted in the 2023 round 1 #14 overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins, will be joined in the World Junior Championship with his teammate Moose Jaw Warriors captain Denton Mateychuk; however, Yager will be the only Saskatchewan-born player to take the ice for Team Canada’s 2024 roster. The 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship will be taking place in Gothenburg, Sweden from December 26th – January 5th.
WANTED
ABOVE: Saskatoon-born Brayden Yager, along with his Moose Jaw Warriors teammate captain Denton Mateychuk, will be part of the roster for Team Canada in the 2024 IIHF Championship. (www.chl.ca)
ANNOUNCEMENTS Advertisements and statements contained herein are the sole responsibility of the persons or entities that post the advertisement, and the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association and membership do not make any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or reliability of such advertisements. For greater information on advertising conditions, please consult the Association’s Blanket Advertising Conditions on our website at www.swna.com. PROVINCE-WIDE CLASSIFIEDS. 49 local community newspapers, distributing to over 450 communities, including 14 cities. Reach over 550,000 readers weekly. Call 306-649.1405 or visit www.swna.com for details. Find QUALIFIED, LOCAL EMPLOYEES, using the strength of community newspapers! Visit www. swna.com or call 306-6491405 to find out how!
MARTENSVILLE MESSENGER - DECEMBER 21, 2023 - Page 7
More Ambulances and Paramedics For Saskatoon
Fall Sitting Shows We Aren’t Adapting to a Changing World
It was a fall sitting at legislature all about a Saskatchewan Party government wanting to hold on to its past and the province’s past. That may sound more negative than it is. We are all tempted to do what’s worked in the past and in the recent past in this province some things the Sask. Party government has done worked rather well. In the last two decades; 16 years of which have under Sask. Party rule; has seen a province that couldn’t quite break the one-million people barrier soar by 200,000 in what has been a new 21st century wave of immigration. Maybe we are still losing our children born here to Alberta. But we have more people working here than we ever did and job growth in November, year-over-year, was spectacular. We also have the lowest unemployment rate in the country. So one supposes it’s legitimate to ask: Why should we change? What’s so bad about holding on to the past? Well, maybe it’s not all bad, but those running government need to realize there’s a reason why we call them the bygone days. The world is constantly changing and the mistake of past governments; a mistake that is seemingly being repeated by this administration; is an unwillingness to recognize that change and adapt. Or at least, there seems to be an unwillingness to recognize change that doesn’t quite fit the government’s beliefs and agenda. It is no small irony that Premier Scott Moe spent the waning days of the fall sitting at the world environmental summit in Dubai to emphasize trade over the conference’s stated goals which are to reduce Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Again, many will rightly argue that there’s nothing wrong with a trade-dependent province to go wherever it needs to go to sell trade opportunities. Some will further and rightly argue that there is nothing wrong with being in Dubai for this purpose if what you are selling is cleaner potash and oil production or better farming techniques like zero-tillage that reduce carbon footprints. Perhaps there’s also justification in going to Dubai to promote new opportunities Saskatchewan has in lithium or helium. It is hard to suggest this is living in the past, but when a government convinces itself this is enough and that you can keep doing the same things in a changing world and expect the same results, maybe it is living in the past. We simply can’t ignore outcome and pat ourselves on the back for the great job we’re doing. Yet the waning days of sessions were spent announcing ways to preserve coal mining in Coronach? But there is another more immediate way in which the changing world hits home. Two weeks ago, we saw the biggest mid-year budget negative turnaround from a billion-dollar surplus predicted when the 2023-24 budget was presented in March to a quarter-billion deficit with half a year to go. Why did this happen? Well, Finance Minister Donna Harpauer attributed it to higher crop insurance costs and forest fire costs. Both of these can be linked to a changing climate. Whatever the reason, it still requires budget adjustments. But often seems such change is the furthest thing from the minds of Sask. Party government. Notwithstanding a plethora of problems like having to sense women to Calgary to a private clinic for mammograms at a cost of ten times as much of the government’s time and energy this fall was policies resisting change. It began with the pronoun bill that seems unnecessary. We saw legislation to secure our right to wear poppies. And then there was the endless squabbling Ottawa over environmental issues. Some of this may have been necessary, but far too often this seemed about appeasing voters less accepting of change. Unfortunately, governing is all about change.
The Government of Saskatchewan is investing $700,000 in 2023-24 and $2.6 million annually to provide support for additional resources to help address growing demands for emergency medical services (EMS) in Saskatoon. Saskatoon will receive two additional ambulances staffed 24 hours a day/seven days a week, as well as an additional community paramedic 12 hours a day/seven days a week. “We are committed to ensuring Saskatchewan patients have the access they need to emergency medical services in health crisis situations,” Health Minister Everett Hindley said. “This increase in ambulance and paramedic capacity for the Saskatoon area will improve response times to 911 calls and better balance the workload for our paramedics.” Over the past five years, Saskatoon has experienced a 33 per cent increase in EMS call volumes. This has periodically resulted in longer response times. The additional ambulances will help relieve pressure on current EMS resources, improve response times to calls and help support rural EMS services waiting to transfer patients into Saskatoon. Medavie Health Services West is contracted by the Saskatchewan Health Authority to provide EMS services for Saskatoon and surrounding areas and will start recruitment for the additional staff resources immediately. “Medavie Health Services West Saskatoon is proud of our continued partnership with the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the Ministry of Health,” Chief Operating Officer and Regional Director, Medavie Health Services – West Gerry Schriemer said. “As a health solutions partner, receiving these increased resources will continue to provide the residents of Saskatoon with timely and appropriate high-quality care. Our operations teams are finalizing their deployment plans to ensure these resources are effectively utilized to make the biggest impact to the citizens we serve. We expect the first resources to start as soon as early January.” Community paramedics provide support to primary health care, people living in personal care homes, cancer patients and the seniors first program. The community paramedic program in Saskatoon has demonstrated high success rates in treating less urgent (lower acuity) patients within the community. An example of a community paramedics duties include performing dressing changes, administering IV antibiotics, collecting blood, providing medication assistance or treating patients with flu like symptoms. Community paramedics can also assist with patient flow and early emergency department discharge by providing supports to patients while waiting to get connected to supports within the community (e.g., home care). The province has invested in additional training seats and bursaries for paramedics as part of Saskatchewan's Health Human Resources Action Plan to recruit, train, incentivize and retain more health care professionals. The bursary program had a high uptake with nearly 95 bursaries awarded to paramedics who committed to work for EMS providers across the province.
Pharmacists Able To Prescribe For More Minor Health Conditions
Saskatchewan is expanding the list of health conditions for which pharmacists can see patients. This is part of ongoing work to ensure that pharmacists, as highly educated health care professionals, are empowered to utilize all of their knowledge and skills for Saskatchewan patients. Under this new expanded scope of practice, pharmacists will now be able to prescribe medications to treat nausea and vomiting in pregnancy and recurrent genital herpes for both men and women. “Pharmacists prescribing in specific circumstances provides patients with improved access to health care services,” Health Minister Everett Hindley said. “Pharmacists are valuable members of our health care team and these expansions allow them to maximize the use of their skill set for Saskatchewan patients.” Pharmacists are required to take training and meet competency requirements as established by the Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals and follow mandatory prescribing guidelines. “It's exciting to see a growing list of minor ailments for which pharmacists can prescribe medications,” Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy Professionals registrar Jeana Wendel said. “It’s a big step in keeping the public safe while easing pressures on the health system.” Saskatchewan pharmacists were first granted the authority to prescribe for four minor ailments in 2011. Since that time, the list has expanded to 30 conditions, including the two new conditions. The full list of conditions is available at https://saskpharm.ca/site/forthepublic/healthcareservices?nav=sidebar There are approximately 1,220 practicing pharmacists in more than 425 licensed community pharmacies in Saskatchewan. Since 2007, that is an increase of nearly 340, or 38 per cent, more pharmacists across Saskatchewan communities delivering care.
Saskatchewan Continues to Grow at Fastest Pace in More Than a Century
Saskatchewan's population grew by 9,869 people in the third quarter of 2023 to a new all-time high of 1,218,976 people as of October 1. Saskatchewan has grown by 31,369 people over the past year - the largest population growth in a single year in more than a century. The population growth in the third quarter consisted of net international migration of 11,021 people and a natural increase (births minus deaths) of 766 offset by net interprovincial outmigration of 1,918 people. Saskatchewan has grown by over 200,000 people since the current government took office in 2007 and is on track to reach the government's Growth Plan goal of 1.4 million people by 2030.
Letter to the Editor
The Martensville Messenger welcomes letters to the editor for publication. Letters must be signed and a phone number and/or email address included so the writer’s identity can be verified. ALL letters are the opinion of the writer and NOT the Martensville Messenger. We reserve the right to edit letters for length, clarity or compliance with the current standards of public taste. Submit your letter to news@martensvillemessenger.ca or mail to Box 333 - Martensville, SK S0K 2T0.
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Page 8 - DECEMBER 21, 2023 - MARTENSVILLE MESSENGER
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Martensville SK 306-244-4950
Council Holds Final Meeting of 2023 Shanine Sealey, Martensville Messenger
The final Martensville City Council meeting of 2023 took place on Tuesday, December 19th, and began with two delegations from community service groups. The first delegation came from Steve Smith of the Martensville & District Kinsmen Club regarding a lift for the Martensville Sports Centre, looking for financial support from the City. This will be brought back to Council for ABOVE: Arena seating was being completed in the Martensville budget consideration in the Community Recreation Centre the week of December 4th. New Year. The second delegation was for the Martensville & District Lions Club, who were looking for Council to approve an exception to a bylaw regarding the height of signage installation within City limits for a sign that they are looking to install within Lion’s Park. The sign would include logos of everyone involved in the construction of the Martensville & District Lions and Lions International Foundation Mobility Playground that was completed earlier this year. City administration provided updates on each department to Council, with City Manager, Tanya Garost noting that construction for the Martensville Community Recreation Centre is still on schedule and the climbing walls, door keying, railings and other design features are currently being finalized. Arena seating was completed the week of December 4th, and last week, meetings were held between Nustadia, staff and stakeholders to begin the pre-operating work that will be done by Nustadia. Within the Water & Sewer Department, it was noted that administration met with the City of Saskatoon on November 20th to discuss the joint water and wastewater project. The report explained that further work will be required 23124CC0 administratively to establish more details in regards to pricing and operational considerations, with a meeting tentatively scheduled for the project design teams in the first week of January. The next Council meeting will take place on January 9th at 5pm in Council Chambers at City Hall.