Ready to horse around ... There is no sweeter creature than a horse, and this wee foal is a standout amongst all its darker brethren, north of Biggar. Standing out amongst the green, the curious but wary horses pose for their picture, making the chance encounter a shining moment in the day. (Independent
Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
The Biggar Aquatic Centre once again takes its spot as the most popular place in town as a full slate of swim lessons, aqusize, lane swim and public and family swimming takes front and centre for the summer. The lazy days of summer haven’t yet been too hot, but for kids well into their school holidays, school is in at the coolest place in town with the latest session of lessons, all to make them safer and more capable while around water. Life is good at the pool, and learning has never been this much fun. Hope you all have a great summer as we now enter the last half of the holiday season!
(Independent Photos by Kevin Brautigam)
by Sgt. Dereck Crozier, Biggar Detachment
This past week Biggar Detachment handled 36 calls for service and eight drivers were spoken to about traffic safety. Further to our rural traffic watch, a report was received on stop sign violators coming off Highway 51 on to Highway 4 south.
Members were out to Perdue to sort out a disturbing the peace issue on an alcohol related argument. In Biggar during the early morning hours while the majority are well into their slumber, a 25-year-old male was located sleeping on the post office bench, he was kicked out of a vehicle on the highway by his so-call friends. Members help him back to his home on Highway 4 north.
Another 28-year-old male was said to be causing a disturbance by a 31-year-old female over at their friend’s house.
Members attended Second Avenue East to assist with sorting out their issues.
Members attended Arelee to assist with a not so neighbourly dispute over a fence line and grass trimming.
An 80-year-old male was stopped from purchasing way too many gift cards to give to fraudsters.
A report of theft from a garage in Springwater where a large amount of power tools were stolen. The investigation remains open for further leads.
A couple of people came to town this week to retrieve their boats from the local small engine, “no repair” shop. Take care out there!
Creature Close-Up offers fun and educational experience
by Kaitlynn Nordal
For those interested, the Saskatoon Zoo Society is offering their Creature Close-Up program to give participants a new, fun, and educational experience.
“A behind-the-scenes type tour or close-up encounter program idea has been floating around for a while, but this is our first year giving it a try,” said Danielle Rivet, the Education Interpreter for the Saskatoon Zoo
Society. “Many other zoos offer a range of programs like these, and we have some great animals and zookeepers here who were interested in offering up their time and participating too.”
The Saskatoon Zoo Society wanted to do the Creature CloseUp program as an educational tool.
“It’s a great way to educate the public a bit more about some of our animals, and it also
helps to provide our animals with a bit of enrichment. It’s a good, safe, enjoyable way to up public engagement with the animals too, and make coming to the zoo a fun learning experience,” said Rivet.
The Saskatoon Zoo Society’s four Creature Close-up programs (Caribou-t the Wild, the Meer-Quill Experience, Kunekune: For Pig’s Sake, and Un-bear-lievable Bears) offer participants
the opportunity to learn more about and get up close and personal with some of the zoo’s most notable animals.
“Not only do you get to see these animals up close and get to interact with them in more of a private setting, but you also get to meet an ambassador animal (maybe a snake, or a ferret, or even a tortoise or lizard), and you get to participate in a fun learning activity as well,” said Rivet.
“You might get access to some behind-thescenes information from our keepers - what the animals’ names are, what they like to eat, where the animals came from, and maybe even some funny stories or anecdotes the keepers may want to share,” continued Rivet.
“Each carefully crafted program is designed to be engaging, informative, and exciting for people of all ages. This is our pilot year for these programs, so we are open to feedback and suggestions about things to add or things we could consider changing.”
The Saskatoon Zoo Society wanted to make sure they could create an engaging program with a relevant activity where people could interact in some way with the animals involved.
“We chose animals where access to “behindthe-scenes” style or close-up encounter was possible and safe for both participants and the animals. Two of our selected animals (caribou and brown bears) are iconic Canadian species, so that definitely played a role as we like to showcase animals like that,” said Rivet.
“Our Kunekune pigs are very friendly, sociable, and thus are ideal participants for a program
like this. And the African crested porcupines and the meerkats are such fun animals with so much personality, and there is a nice private viewing area for program participants to watch them interact with their enrichment items,” continued Rivet. They also kept personality and enclosure in mind when choosing which animals would be part of the program.
“Not every animal enclosure at the zoo has a suitable space for a behind-the-scenes glance, and not every animal has the right personality for close-up encounters with people,” said Rivet. “It’s a careful balance, and we always want to prioritize the safety and comfort of our animals and our participants.”
The Creature CloseUp program is designed to be family-friendly in terms of the activity, the ambassador animal, and the interaction with the main animal the program is about.
Those who are interested in participating can find links to sign up on the Saskatoon Zoo Society (saskatoonzoosociety.ca), with all available dates and programs. There are also QR codes that can be scanned at the zoo with your phone that will take you to the sign-up page.
Bingo Numbers for JULY 31
Playing on a YELLOW Card
Associated Gospel Greenthumbs ... Recently, volunteers from the Biggar Associated Gospel Church were busy weeding the flower beds in front of the hospital. It is through the spirit of volunteerism that we get the great place we all live in! Well done! (Submitted Photo)
The Saskatoon Zoo Society is offering their Creature Close-Up program to give participants a new, fun, and educational experience. (Submitted Photo)
The RCMP used to uphold the law. Now it’s enforcing an ideology
by Marco NavarroGenie, vice-president of research, Frontier Centre for Public Policy
Canada’s national police force is undergoing a dangerous transformation. It is shifting from an institution that upholds the law to one that enforces progressive ideology.
That change was evident in a recent CBC interview with RCMP Staff Sergeant Camille Habel, a trained communications officer. Speaking in her official role, Habel warned that someone shifting from support for “equal gender rights” to “traditional values” may be showing signs of radicalization.
This wasn’t a casual remark or personal opinion. Communications officers don’t freelance. They speak for the institution. That makes her words more than commentarythey’re policy signals.
Habel didn’t define “gender rights” or “traditional values,” but the meaning was clear. She was signalling an adherence to a modern doctrine: that gender is fluid, entirely selfdeclared and must be affirmed through social or medical intervention, regardless of age or biology.
By adopting this view as official position, the RCMP has stepped
beyond impartiality. It is no longer enforcing the law. It is defending a belief system. And dissent from that system is increasingly treated as deviance.
This logic mirrors the structure of religious apostasy. In radical belief systems, apostates - those who abandon the faithare often considered more dangerous than outsiders. Non-believers might be persuaded, but a defector threatens internal cohesion and must be punished.
Canada’s institutional progressivism operates in much the same way. If you never accepted its dogma, you may be dismissed as uninformed. But if you once affirmed it and now question it, you are seen as unstable and potentially dangerous. Progressive ideology insists that history moves only forward, toward greater inclusion, affirmation and fluidity. Any reversal is cast not as reconsideration but regression. That’s why the RCMP would never suggest that someone who once affirmed biological sex but now embraces the idea of 72 genders may be radicalizing. Even when such a shift contradicts biology and common sense, it is celebrated as progress.
What matters is not the reasoning behind
Are Canadians
by Samantha Dagres, communications manager, Montreal
Economic
Institute
Two-thirds of Canadians say they’re paying too much in taxes and getting too little in return
Most Canadians say their tax bill is eroding their quality of life. A new MEI-Ipsos poll shows 67 per cent believe they pay too much income tax, and nearly half say they get poor value in return.
Ottawa’s fiscal path is clearly out of step with the public.
From housing to trade policy, many feel squeezed by a government that has been living large. More than half say Ottawa is spending too much, while only six per cent believe it’s spending too little.
The list of wasteful
federal programs is long.
Between 2007 and 2019, Canadians handed over $352 billion in corporate subsidies at all levels of government (inflationadjusted). These subsidies include tax breaks, grants and direct support for industries Ottawa believes should be boosted. In 2023-24 alone, Ottawa distributed the equivalent of $800 per Canadian in subsidies, with electric vehicle manufacturers among the biggest beneficiaries.
This generosity has gone hand in hand with a ballooning federal bureaucracy. Since 2015, Ottawa has added more than 110,000 employees, three times faster than the population has grown. Most of these positions are in administration and regulatory roles,
the change, but the ideological direction. Public safety is no longer about upholding neutral laws. It’s about protecting an approved narrative.
In place of open debate, we get slogans. “Trans women are women.” “Children can consent to medical transition.” “Gender is a spectrum.” These are not policy proposals. They are mantras. To question them is to risk scrutiny. And in Canada today, scrutiny can bring consequences. Parents who challenge their child’s transition may lose custody. Medical professionals who question puberty blockers or irreversible surgeries face disciplinary action. Journalists, academics and commentators who criticize gender orthodoxy are deplatformed, defunded or publicly discredited. These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a growing institutional reflex to treat dissent not as disagreement but as danger.
After a backlash to Habel’s comments, the RCMP offered a clarification. She didn’t mean traditional values are illegal, they said, only that acting on extreme beliefs could be problematic. But that misses the point.
The concern isn’t what’s criminal. It’s
not front-line services Canadians rely on. The cost of the federal workforce has nearly doubled, from $40.2 billion in 2016 to $69.5 billion today.
After a decade of expensive ribbon-cutting policies with meagre results, Canadians have learned the tax man isn’t a fix-all - he may be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It’s the inevitable outcome of a government convinced it can solve every problem by inserting itself into daily life, from national security to school lunches.
But even if government can do more, the question remains: does it actually have the expertise?
On housing, Canadians are clear: 74 per cent say taxes contribute to unaffordability.
what’s being reframed as suspicious. Once a belief is coded as “pre-radical,” it becomes easier to monitor, isolate and punish. That discretion now lies with institutions that have openly adopted ideological positions. Meanwhile, radical actions carried out in the name of progressivism - placing children on puberty blockers, approving surgeries for minors, silencing dissenting professionals - are not only tolerated, they are subsidized and protected. These interventions are invasive, irreversible and often life-altering, yet institutions like the RCMP do not label any of this dangerous. That
They’re right. Over the past decade, municipal development fees have shot up 33 per cent. These fees, charged by municipalities on new construction projects, are meant to cover infrastructure and planning costs but often drive up the final price of a home.
Meanwhile, Canada ranks behind most OECD countries in the time it takes to get a building permit, thanks to the taxman’s ally, the overregulator.
Rather than reducing these burdens, Ottawa has chosen to double down, pledging billions to act as a housing developer. Like Canada, New Zealand faces a housing affordability crisis. Its government tried a nearly identical
INDEPENDENT
label is reserved for those who step away from orthodoxy.
A citizen who quietly shifts from affirmation to doubt is flagged, not for what they’ve done but for what they’ve stopped believing.
That is the real offence: defection from the state’s sanctioned worldview.
This shift reveals something more troubling than a single interview. The RCMP, once expected to apply the law impartially, now behaves as an agent of ideological conformity. It is no longer neutral. It is no longer merely a law enforcement body. It is enforcing belief.
We must take Habel’s statement seriously - not
program in 2018 and, after nearly seven years, delivered just three per cent of its 100,000-unit target - a cautionary tale Canada should heed.
Results like these erode trust. Today, only 46 per cent of Canadians believe Ottawa is effectively allocating funds to the country’s most pressing issues. And by making it costly and complicated to build, politicians also undermine trust in the private sector.
Demonizing the market may be politically useful but it is misguided. The free market works because both sides benefit from voluntary exchange, creating value as each party walks away better off. People want homes; developers want to build them. And they know how.
because it was extreme, but because it was institutional. It shows how dissent is now handled, not through discussion but through suspicion. Where disagreement was once normal in a democratic society, it is now recast as instability. Freedom of belief doesn’t vanish in a single moment. It is reframed as extremism, then gradually excluded from legitimacy. We’ve seen this before - in theocratic regimes, authoritarian states and ideological cults. Now we are watching it happen in Canada. And the RCMP is enforcing it.
Human progress depends on the dispersed knowledge of the market. As Nobel laureate Friedrich Hayek noted, the knowledge we rely on never exists in concentrated form but as countless bits of information held by individuals. Consider the expertise, labour and relationships behind your car, your phone, even your morning coffee. No central planner could replicate that. So if Canadians feel they’re getting a raw deal, who can blame them? Governments promise the sun and the moon. When they fall short, we’re left with a tax bill we can’t afford - and not much to show for it.
Bob Mason Notable Notes
Back there in the 1960’s or so, the education people decided that our country schools should be moved into towns and renovated so they could be used while larger facilities were being built. This was one of the reasons why Y.T. (Yours Truly) started working for the School Units.
Another reason was that he darn well ran out of dough!
Having for years been what I thought was a practical farmer, we started out on a kind of a sad note. T.F. - The Foreman - was one of our neighbours.
“The man with the
by Delta Fay Cruickshank for the Biggar Museum and Gallery
It’s still there! I saw it on my way to visit the Prairie Art Trip July 19. Once again, I was overwhelmed by the number of creatives in our area sharing their talents with us!
Back to Monarch School, which was in the building now known as the Monarch Community Centre. It’s alongside Highway 4 en route to North Battleford. In 1910 a petition by JJ Cox, A. Lingren, and R.W. Anderson went out to the government to build a school. They were successful in their bid and chose Monarch as the name from a list of suggestions presented by the Department of Education.
Mr. Curths built the school in 1911. He had already built a school called Curthshill on a portion of his own land. It opened in August, and the surnames of the first pupils were Cox, Wallins, Hargrave, Graham, Wilson, Kanz, Hunt, Stewart, Bluhm, Bulger, and Lindgren. There were so many students two had to sit in one seat and share one desk!
The school was the place to go for all the community events and for church as well. The attendance of the school stayed high for many years. Having fresh water was a problem though. The well water stank, and often a dead mouse or gopher got pumped up! Apparently
backhoe wants $50 just to do his job!” Remember, this was years ago! Y.T. was younger then and full of whatever young guys are full of.
“Then let me dig that tank out ... I know I can!” I boasted.
“No, no!” says the T.F. “We’ve got to get the hoe - but maybe you could come along and help!”
As it turned out the backhoe fellow couldn’t make it, so I dug the tank out myself anyway!
It took a few hours longer and I guess that is why they paid me the usual $12 per day. However, they would gladly have paid the backhoe operator way over a hundred plus my measly $12 for doing the same lousy job! In this business that kind of manoeuvre might have another name, to me it was just plain sad!
T.F. had a nice new truck, and he loaned it to the Langham lumber yard man to go down to Radisson for some special boards. When John got back, the T.F. says, “How did you like driving my new truck, John?”
“Well, it was pretty
good fresh water was a problem at many rural schools. What we all take for granted now was such an issue for our ancestors.
From the minutes of the 1927 Monarch Annual Trustee meeting, it was passed that school will open March 17 and stay open until January 23, or as long as weather permitted. It makes sense not to open through the winter months as the children were walking to school.
By 1959 the enrolment was so low, and the school buses to Biggar were rolling by the door, the decision was made to close the school.
The Monarch community was very busy, not with just the school and farming, but there was the Monarch-Louvain Ladies Club, a Literary Society, a local paper, dances, pie sales and box socials that were regular events at the school. There was the Monarch Baseball Club, a tennis club, and a curling club. In 1958 Isla Solanik, a teacher at Louvain School, was asked to lead a 4-H club. It was called Monalou C ... ‘Mona’ for Monarch, ‘lou’ for Louvain and ‘C’ for Castlewood and Curthshill. What a busy club, cooking, sewing, woodwork, photography and hunting were part of the activities available, as well as farming and husbandry. It continues to this day as the Monarch 4-H Club.
My information for this article came from
Back to School
nice,” says John, “but on the way back here I drove off of the Borden bridge!”
“Oh no!” says T.F. with a great vision of his nice new vehicle ending up as a pile of junk. “Whatever happened that you did that?”
“Well,” says John, a real joker, “I got halfway across the bridge and I didn’t have any choice but to drive off!”
Another time it was August and some days were still pretty warm.
“It’s way too hot here,” says the local school caretaker to T.F. “Why don’t you guys come down to my place to watch the World Series on TV? And maybe we can find some freshie! Then you can work in the cool evening!”
We really didn’t think much was askew until we noticed T.F. was watching the TV rather intently, and it hadn’t even been turned on yet!
Sorry! Later we realized that the caretaker’s “freshie” was actually pincherry wine of very high octane content.
So after T.F. sobered up, we were tearing down a brick chimney in an
old teacherage. As usual, we knocked a hole at the chimney base so that the bricks would fall out in the basement when we dropped them in the top.
All went well until the hole plugged up. As Y.T. was in the attic, he hollered down to T.F. of the impending doom.
“Just throw them out of the roof hole and over the eaves,” T.F. hollered back.
“But I’ll hit someone down there because I can’t see!” I yelled.
“We’ll watch out for them coming!” he hollered back.
Y.T. pried some bricks loose and casually threw them down over the eaves when: “Ouch!”
I darn near got fired for that one - one of the inspectors was walking by!
There used to be a school out east of here that the whole surrounding community valued as a picnic place. The education people gave orders to move it, and the decisions wasn’t very well received. A couple of the larger School Unit types were standing around it one day telling us lower-
Monarch School
the Harvest of Memories Volume 1, a constant source of information about the way of life by the early settlers in the Biggar area. So much to learn about how things were done, the families who lived and raised their families here. The hardships they all went through to build their farms; their businesses and their families are just mind-boggling! Thank you to all the people who went out and got the information from the families, the stories, and put it all together to create these volumes of Biggar’s history.
life fellows what to do when one of the locals drove into the yard in his truck.
I think he just wanted to see what we were doing, but as was the style at that time, the driver had a rear window gun rack on his pickup upon which hung a couple of very obvious rifles.
The Unit big-shots never stopped to see his smile at all. They just saw those rifles, jumped into their cars and took off, leaving guess who to face the visitors imaginary wrath.
“Hello, Bob, you old bum! How the heck are ya?”
Y.T. doesn’t keep a diary anymore - he gave that up years ago - but he does mark down the kind of stuff he wants to remember. And on checking the old Life and Times (L&T), finds quite a few entries. Like: “The painted car”. So, some red spray paint from the school roof drifted over to this guy’s yellow car ... was he ever mad when the religious owner of the nearby store didn’t sell Coca-Cola so that he could wash it off!
“Vandalism”: In one old school, every window was broken from the inside, and every page torn from every book ... why?
“Diefenbaker”: A lady rushed up to the school where we were sanding the floor to take a last look at a big purple blot where John Diefenbaker had spilled his ink bottle!
“Explosion”: I remember the guy dumping a bag of oily dust from the floor sander on some live coals. Wow!
“Goats on top of T.F.’s new truck”: Need I say anymore?
“Green wheat burning”: We were burning some dead brome grass when it caught on some driedout wheat which burned and dried ... burned and dried.
There must be thousands of stories about schools, and I suppose a fellow could write more, but why? Maybe we didn’t learn much from them. But over the years one realizes that life - like stories - goes on and on.
A picnic at Alfred Lindgren’s sod house in the Monarch area 1909. Check out the structure of that soddie! Lindgren opened his home for church and for the first school children before the church and school were built. (Photos for The Independent by the Biggar Museum and Gallery)
Christine Ibbotson
Ask The Money Lady
Dear Money Lady
Readers,
There are two kinds of people in business today and in your personal life too. There are: “your people” and “not-yourpeople.”
Your people are the ones that like you immediately, they’re interested in you and ask questions, they
Water in a landscape makes the ordinary - extraordinary!
Somehow water finishes off the lovely ambience we have in our outdoor living spaces. It attracts birds, butterflies and all sorts of other critters as well. However, this time of year
want to help you grow your business, they give you referrals and are pleased to work with you.
“Not-your people” are the complete opposite. These are clients, associates, friends and family that put roadblocks in your way, criticize your efforts, and are never happy. These people don’t want to pay for your services, and it is always painful working with them.
Creating true inner power comes when you focus on yourself - not on others, because, let’s face it, we all know we will never be able to control other people. If you believe you are worth more and that you can bring more value to your work, to your family, and
the world around you, then it is up to you to demonstrate that to your customers, your employer and everyone you meet. And to do that successfully, you should surround yourself with other like-minded people - “your people.”
Many Canadians secretly live in their bubble, hoping someone will come along and rescue them, fix all their problems, pay their bills, create a social life for them, and heal all their deep, dark personal problems.
Well, that isn’t happening - no one’s coming. And, if you’re like most, spending lots of time blaming other people for how you’re feeling or waiting for someone to
give you permission to be included, well that’s a total waste of time too.
The key to true life peace, happiness and your ultimate success, is to stop trying to control the things that are out of your control. That includes your reactions and interactions with other people. You must find “your people” and perhaps, not discard the other “not-your-people,” but rather limit your time with them.
You see, even if you can’t get that dream job you believe you deserve or perhaps keep a friend or romantic partner that seems to not want you anymore - not until you stop trying to control other people and start controlling yourself, will
you truly be successful with every aspect in your life.
Choosing peace in life is not weakness - it’s power. Your true inner power lies in your response to what is happening around you. I know you want to control the narrative and micromanage the situation; but if you try to do that, you’re going to set yourself up for disaster.
Today, try to change your own destiny. Create your own success by surrounding yourself with those people that support you, people that like you, and people that see your potential and can help you achieve more. Build a team of “professionalyour-people” that can help you improve your financial life, get you out
of debt and help build the life you deserve. Then build a team of “personalyour-people.”
We all deserve good social relationships with like-minded friends, sharing common interests, enjoying leisure time together and engaging in hobbies, sports and milestones with people you enjoy and value.
Good luck and best wishes!
Written by Christine Ibbotson, author, finance writer, syndicated national radio host, and now on BNN Bloomberg News, and CTV News. Send your money questions (answered free) through her website at info@askthemoneylady. ca
Controlling Algae in Ponds
the crystal clear ponds are often more like a rendition of pea soup! Read on to learn more about controlling algae in your ponds. Algae are very primitive plants that do not have the regular plant parts like leaves, stems or roots. They reproduce by spores, cell division and fragmentation and just like land plants they need light, water, nutrients, carbon dioxide and oxygen in order to live. Knowing this is key to controlling algae as it is usually light and nutrients that will limit the growth. The simplest method to control algae is to limit light and nutrients. Hav-
Gartner
ing plants cover a good part of the surface of the pond will aid in reducing algae growth. Limiting the amount of nutrients in the water will also help. Avoid using fertilizer around the pond as it is a great source of nutrients for the algae. It is important to have a balance between the size of the pond, the plant material and the number of fish. Do not overfeed fish as this is one of the fastest ways to increase algae growth. Rain, pollen and falling foliage will also create a surplus of nutrients that is ideal for increasing algae growth. There are a number of forms of algae you may experience. Suspended or planktonic algae are very common and can quickly turn your clear pond into pea soup. Algae feed on the nutrients in the water and reproduce rapidly. When the nutrient level decreases, so will the algae population and the water will clear. When large amounts of algae die, it depletes the oxygen supply in the water
which can also potentially kill fish or other animal life in the pond. It is also this anaerobic (without oxygen) water which can be rather foul smelling. Bacteria play an important role in keeping your pond in balance. They actually feed on nutrients that are in the water caused by decomposing leaves and leftover fish food. They will also help to decrease the sediment often found in the bottom of the pond and will also help to eliminate odours.
As in most aspects of lifejust a little balance is the answer. Ensure that floating plants like duckweed or hyacinths cover 50 to 70 per cent of the pond surface. Submerged plants or oxygenators will help keep the water smelling fresh. These plants will also help remove dissolved nutrients giving the algae less available food. If you have fish in your pond and you
feed those fish, it is sometimes as simple as limiting the amount of food you feed as this is a great additive for algae. I have a large pond which has a waterfall and a pool skimmer to help ensure any debris is removed from the water prior to rotting thus reducing the amount of “food” for algae. However, when there is a lot of vegetative material, the pond quickly takes on a green hue. Unfortunately, the only place in my landscape where I could dig in a large pond is beneath a very beautiful and very old but self-pruning willow tree. Needless to say in spring, when the willow flowers, the pollen and catkins are instant algae food, thus requiring extra care when my tree is shedding! As always there are a number of chemical solutions on the market that state your pond will become
pristine if you purchase and use their product, but keep in mind that any of these “quick fixes” are not long-term solutions. Ensure you read the labels carefully and follow the manufacturer directions. Once you have an algae bloom, it takes a couple of weeks to get that ecosystem back in balance. Patience is required in order to achieve a good natural balance.
Happy summer!
Patricia Hanbidge is the Lead Horticulturist with Orchid Horticulture. Find us at orchidhort.com; by e-mail at growyourfuture@gmail.com; on facebook @orchidhort and on instagram at #orchidhort Tune into GROW Live on our Facebook page facebook.com/orchidhort or check out the Youtube channel GROW youtube. com/channel/UCzkiUpkvyv2e2HCQlFl0JyQ?
Patricia Hanbidge
Orchid Horiculture
Gainer may be popular, but gophers are not a farm fave
Calvin Daniels Agriculture
by
Calvin Daniels Richardson’s ground squirrels are fertile little critters, and they have a tendency to dig their burrows as populations grow in the most inconvenient places - farmer fields and pastures.
by Frank Cox
In the shadowy depths of a rain-drenched alley, where the smell of old whiskey and gunpowder hung heavy in the air, a slick-talking gadfly named Louie the Lizard waltzed into the lair of the hard-boiled detective known only as the Raven.
Nestled between a speakeasy and a joint that peddled knockoff designer shoes, the Raven’s office was adorned with a hodgepodge of mugshots, yellowed newspaper clippings, and a lone framed photo of the Raven with a grinning mayor who’d been long gone. A tattered green armchair, sprouting springs and stuffing, served as the detective’s throne. The desk, a sturdy oak monstrosity, was littered with discarded cigar butts, empty coffee cups, and more case files than a cat has fur.
Louie, with his oily hair slicked back and his sharp suit, looked like a snake slithering into a den of lions. He carried an overstuffed briefcase, the contents of which he hoped would entice the Raven into parting with his hard-earned cash.
“Ah, Mr. Raven, master of dark arts,” Louie purred, tipping his hat to the detective as he entered the office. “I’ve heard tell of your exploits, and I can’t help but think you’re a man who could use a little protection.”
The Raven grunted, his eyes never leaving the detective novel he was reading.
“I don’t need your protection, Lizard. I’ve got a .45 and that’s good
That presents problems from dirt mounds going into machinery, busted and bent gear if it bounced into a large burrow, or livestock injuries from an ill-placed hoof. So, it’s not surprising many farmers would like the rodents gone. Typically through the years that has meant putting out strychnine and letting the ground squirrels consume the poison and die. It’s not a particularly nice thought, a population of little critters dying of poison ingestion, but it is a relatively effective/low cost way
enough for me.”
Louie chuckled, his grin as cold as a grave.
“That may be so, old man, but even a tough detective like you can’t dodge the reaper forever. And when your time comes, wouldn’t you like to know that your loved ones will be taken care of?”
The Raven sat up in his chair, snorted and slammed his book shut.
“I got no loved ones, Lizard. I don’t have nothing but what I can carry on my back. So why should I waste my money on some fancy life insurance? Scram, lowlife, or I’ll give you a kick in the pants.”
Louie leaned forward, his eyes gleaming like a shark’s.
“But, my friend, even the toughest of us need a safety net. And with my insurance, you can rest easy knowing that your loved ones will be able to pay for your final sendoff, and maybe even buy a decent headstone.”
The Raven grunted. Louie could tell he was getting under the detective’s skin, and he pressed his advantage.
“Think about it, Raven. When you’re lying in a box six feet under, you won’t be able to earn a dime. But with my insurance, your loved ones will receive a generous payout, enough to keep them living high on the hog.”
The detective jumped out of his chair and paced back and forth, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. He had tried to reason with Louie the Lizard, to explain that he didn’t need his expensive life insurance, but the slick-talking salesman just wouldn’t take no for an answer and he was getting close to boiling over.
“Come on, Raven, don’t be stubborn,” Louie cajoled, his eyes gleaming like a shark’s. “Everybody needs a safety net, even a tough old bird like
of dealing with the pests which the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan suggests is causing some $9 million in farm damage in a year. However, strychnine use has not been allowed for some time. APAS is suggesting the ban needs to be lifted, wanting strychnine reinstated under emergency use provisions. The group has asked the federal agriculture and health ministers to consider the request.
The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities wants the same thing. It
suggests Saskatchewan landowners have struggled dealing with the growing population of Richardson’s ground squirrels after the federal ban on strychnine in March of 2024. SARM has suggested strychnine is a crucial tool used by farmers to control growing gopher populations in rural municipalities.
In my younger days on the farm I dealt with gophers, typically with a .22, so I hold an appreciation they are a pest in the wrong place. But, put them in a city lot near a railroad track and they can be cute and
fun to watch too, which may suggest I am more urbanized in my views today.
And, in that regard I must admit I wonder would happens to coyotes and foxes, hawks and owls and the like - the typical natural controls on ground squirrel populations, which happen to grab a nice lunch which happens to have a strychnine-filled belly?
One also wonders are ground squirrels the only consumers of the poison, or do other rodents and even songbirds become poisoned?
Life Insurance
you. What if something happens to you out there on the streets? Who’s gonna take care of your loved ones?”
The Raven snarled, his lips curling back from his teeth.
“I got no loved ones, I told you! I don’t need your fancy insurance, and I don’t need your pushy sales tactics!”
Louie just kept talking, undaunted by the detective’s anger.
“Come on, Raven, give it a think. With my insurance, you can rest easy knowing that your family will be taken care of. And with the kind of danger you face out there on the streets, wouldn’t you want that peace of mind?”
The Raven had heard enough. His eyes flashed with fire and he lunged at Louie, fists flying. But the salesman was quick, and he dodged the detective’s blows with ease. He continued to talk, to sell, even as the Raven’s punches rained down on him.
The Raven was a man possessed, fuelled by a white-hot rage. He couldn’t believe that this slimy salesman would dare to try to sell him something, to take advantage of him like this. He swing wildly, but his punches never found their mark. The guy was slippery as an eel. And Louie kept talking, kept pushing.
Finally, exhausted from trying to drive the man out of his office, the Raven collapsed to the floor, panting and sweating. Louie stood over him, a smirk on his face.
“I guess you’re not quite ready to sign up yet, old man,” he said, his voice dripping with mock sympathy. “But don’t worry, I’ll be back. And next time, I’ll bring a bigger and better safety net.”
The Raven glared up at him, his eyes blazing with hate.
“Get out of my office,”
he snarled, his voice barely audible. As the door to the Raven’s office creaked shut behind Louie the Lizard, the detective slowly climbed to his feet. He ran a hand through his greying hair, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. He had been fighting the good
fight for as long as he could remember, and it seemed like the battle was never-ending.
The Raven sighed. He would have to be more careful, more vigilant, in the future. He couldn’t let a pushy life insurance salesman get the better of him, not when there were still so many bad guys out
Imagine for a minute that ground squirrels are digging holes in a neighbourhood park in a community and out goes strychnine. Would dog and cat owners be happy with that decision?
It is ultimately a very old debate, where the line between farmers being able to go about their business without interference from animals, and how one protects what overall I a dwindling animal population. It just so happens it’s a gopher in the middle of this battlefield.
there to take down.
For the Raven, the fight was far from over. But he was determined to win, to protect the city he loved with every fibre of his being. And he would stop at nothing to see justice served, even if it meant going up against the likes of Louis the Lizard.
Frank Cox Humble Opinion
Jim Reiter, MLA
Rosetown-Delisle Constituency
215 Main Street, Rosetown
Monday - Friday, 9:00 - 5:00
Tel: 306-882-4105
Fax: 306-882-4108
Toll Free: 1-855-762-2233
The Saskatchewan Traveller
by Trudy and Dale Buxton
This summer our goals have been to seek out some small-town bar and grills, and there are plenty around in Saskatchewan, you just have to know where to look.
bedroom community for the City of Saskatoon. The village was incorporated as a town in 1983.
Please call with questions or concerns
The day started with a little rain in the late morning but turned into a magnificent day in the afternoon with our destination being Laird which is just off Highway 312. It’s the getting there that makes it interesting.
E-mail: jimreitermla@sasktel.net Box 278, Rosetown SK S0L 2V0
Starting from Biggar we head east on Highway 14, and once we get to Saskatoon we head north on the Dalmeny road which is Highway 684. We decided to take a little trip into Dalmeny and see what is going on, and Dalmeny is one of those small bedroom communities that you don’t really visit unless you have a reason.
A community of around 1,800 people, Dalmeny was originally developed in 1904 with the arrival of the Canadian National Railway. Soon there was a post office along with a grain elevator and a general store. The community received its name after the Town of Dalmeny in Scotland.
The early settlers of this community were mainly Mennonites who developed the area into a good farming area.
Population growth was really slow in the first 70 years until the townsite became known as a quiet
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Back in the 1970’s and 1980’s, Dalmeny was offering lots at $1 apiece which led to the population more than doubling almost overnight. Today Dalmeny is a thriving community with all the modern services that you can have in a community.
Did you know Dalmeny also has it’s own police force, consisting of three police officers that work closely with the RCMP and the Corman Park Police Service.
From Dalmeny we take Highway 305 to the east until we get to Highway 12. We hang a left and head north, coming to the community of Hepburn, a small community of around 560 people.
The sole purpose for the existence of Hepburn was the need of a trading point in the area. It was just far enough away from everyone that when the railway came through, the need for a trading area arose. It was a man by the name of Gordon Hepburn that donated 40 acres of land for the development of a townsite and trading point for the settlers in the area. The town was named after Mr. Hepburn for his generosity.
At one time there was close to 900 people in the town, but the 1930’s and the Great Depression had many people move on to look for work in other areas. Hepburn was
reduced to under 300 people.
During the 1940’s Hepburn contributed over 60 men in the war effort for the Second World War.
After that conflict, Hepburn began the process of rebuilding the community until the railway closed which saw the grain elevators closetwo were torn down while
one remained and became a museum. Hepburn is today a community based on agriculture. Today, it still operates the Hepburn School which is believed to be the oldest running school in Saskatchewan. Stay tuned next week as we continue with our summer ride to Laird.
Museum of Wheat in Hepburn, Sk
Town Office in Dalmeny, Sk
SUDOKU
GAMES PAGE …
ARIES –
Mar 21/Apr 20
You’re on fire this week, Aries. Ideas are sparking left and right. Don’t forget to slow down before you burn out. You want to showcase energy without creating chaos.
TAURUS –
Apr 21/May 21
This week is ideal for treating yourself to something great, Taurus. Money and love are both flowing in a way that is to your liking. The universe delivers for you right now.
GEMINI –
May 22/Jun 21
Gemini, your words have power this week, so use them wisely or go wild. It’s a great time to network, flirt or finally send that romantic text you’ve been thinking about.
CANCER –
Jun 22/Jul 22
It’s not a bad thing to have so many emotions flowing right now, Cancer. This week is ideal for reconnecting with your intuition or redecorating your space.
LEO –
Jul 23/Aug 23
Get ready to shine again, Leo. You could be the center of attention and those around you love the show. You may also enjoy some career wins this week.
VIRGO –
Aug 24/Sept 22
Virgo, you’re crushing your to-do list this week while others seem to be snoozing. Midweek brings you a curveball, but you can handle it with signature grace and organization.
–
Sept 23/Oct 23
Your charm is turned up to 100 percent right now, Libra. A chance encounter could ignite something sweet this week. Weigh your options regarding which path to pursue.
SCORPIO –
Oct 24/Nov 22
Scorpio, this week you’re serving up mysterious mastermind energy. People want your attention, but you are playing it really cool. Money or career secrets may come to light.
SAGITTARIUS –
Nov 23/Dec 21
Adventure doesn’t have to translate to a far-off trip, Sagittarius. It could mean a new idea or even a flirty conversation. If you’re in the mood to explore, bring someone along.
CAPRICORN –Dec 22/Jan 20
Capricorn, you might be plotting your next power move, and this week the stars are backing you. You could be giving off boss energy, but don’t forget to take care of yourself, too.
AQUARIUS –Jan 21/Feb 18
You’re cool, quirky and full of surprises this week, Aquarius. Others are finally catching on to your appeal instead of trying to go up against you. A collaboration could spark genius.
PISCES –Feb 19/Mar 20
Listen closely to your dreams this week, Pisces,. They are trying to tell you something. A creative streak could hit hard and it might lead to something truly magical.
independent 122 Main Street, Biggar, Sask. tip@sasktel.net
LIBRA
Business & Professional …
Veteran Banner Program
Program in it’s
Please contact:
for this year is September 30, 2025
by Marjorie Fortney,
We are travelling to Banff with family. Never does one see the majesty of God more than in these mountains. It really puts into perspective who we are and who God is. The huge waterfall just before Banff, cascading down the mountain, I’m sure a thousand feet, speaks loudly of the everlasting supply of that living water spoken of in John chapter four.
Nature is God’s second book. Even the scripture that says, “... be still and know that I am God was a current experience today as I stood and gazed at the amazing Three Sisters towering above the clouds.”
Take time this week to thank God for nature. The mountains, the Prairie sunsets, the variety of flora and fauna that brings joy to all humanity.
To: Biggar Ambulance, R.U.H., Biggar Hospital, Kindersley Manor, St.Pauls Hospital, All Doctors, Nurses and Staff for the care given to my mom, Joyce Colbert during her short illness. A heartfelt thank you for all the condolences!! My mom was the best mom ever! Rhonda Smith Colbert Ed Colbert
#138
Bruce Penton
Penton on Sports
Scottie Scheffler doesn’t wear red shirts on Sundays and is still 11 major championships in arrears, but Scheffler comparisons to Tiger Woods’ domination of the world of professional golf are getting louder, more frequent and quite legitimate.
Scheffler, a 29-yearold Texan, has been No. 1 on the Official World Golf Rankings for more than 100 weeks and it’s becoming more apparent
You’re in good hands.
Scheffler showing Tiger-like dominance
every day that he’ll likely stay there for another couple of hundred weeks.
The quiet, modest family man won his fourth major championship in July at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, beating a stacked field with a 17-under-par 267. He won by four shots and those left in his wake were quick to let the world know they were completely outclassed.
“I don’t think we thought the golfing world would see someone as dominant as Tiger come through so soon, and here’s Scottie sort of taking that throne of dominance,” said Xander Schauffele, who’s No. 2 in the world ranking but needs a telescope to see the throne on which Scheffler sits.
Said Harris English,
who finished second at Portrush: “There’s no stat that he’s bad in. It’s like, how do you beat this guy?” Rory McIlroy, generally regarded as Scheffler’s chief rival, said “you could argue that there’s only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run, the one that Scottie’s been on here for the last 24 to 36 months.”
It’s tough to win major championshipsScheffler has four in 21 starts, plus an Olympic gold medal - but he is so steady, his game so devoid of round-killing mistakes, that he is a pretournament favourite every time he tees it up. He has made 59 cuts in a row and were he to miss a cut somewhere along the way, that would be the tournament’s lead story. His game shows no weaknesses. His rather unorthodox footwork and booming swing delivers a gentle left-to-right shot from the tee and his iron shots are incredibly close to the proper distance. His putting, once the weakest part of his game, has improved dramatically.
Scheffler got a later start on the PGA Tour
Feature of the Week
than did Woods, who won his first tournament, the Las Vegas Invitational, at age 20. Scheffler didn’t turn pro until he was 22, in 2020, the year he won Rookie-of-the-Year honours. His first pro win came in 2022, in his 71th start. the Phoenix Open. Since then, he’s been Woods-like in his victory runs - 17 in his next 76. At that torrid pace (22.3 per cent), he would win four to five tournaments a year. With at least 10 to 15 years left in his playing career, Scheffler may threaten Woods’ all-time victory total of 82.
As good as Woods? Better than Woods? The low-key Scheffler, who says faith and family are his two top priorities - not golf - says any comparisons to Tiger are “silly.”
“I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf.”
What’s truly silly is discounting the possibility of Scheffler becoming the all-time No. 1.
• Columnist Norman Chad, on the NHL regular season expanding from 82 to 84 games: “We need two more Columbus Blue Jackets games every year like Elon Musk needs two more children every
September.”
• Vancouver comedy guy Torben Rolfsen: “Water on Mars has been 100 per cent confirmed, with year-round ice. Get ready for Bettman to start sniffing round.”
• Rolfsen again: “Pirates’ Jacob Misiorowski was named to the all-star team after only five major league games. That’s only five more than I’ve played.”
• Norman Chad again: “After a rough (poker) stretch in Vegas, I set out to punish myself with a 275-mile walk in 107-degree heat. I made it three miles before calling it quits - and rewarded myself with a $1.50 hot dog.”
• Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: “WNBA players sent a message to the league for bigger salaries and better benefits by wearing T-shirts before the allstar game that said, ‘Pay Us What You Owe Us.’ Actually, what the T-shirts should have said was, ‘Pay Caitlin Clark What You Owe Her.’”
• Bianchi again: “President Trump is threatening to block the construction of a new football stadium in the nation’s capital unless
the NFL’s Washington Commanders change their nickname back to Redskins. Because nothing says ‘I care about the people’ more than holding a city hostage over a racially insensitive nickname.”
• RJ Currie of sportsdeke. com : “According to the website Medical Daily, U.S. scientists consider marijuana beer potentially life-threatening. Snowboarders consider it a time-saver.”
• Headline at fark.com: “Kraken sign Kaapo Kakko to three-year kontrakt.”
• Another fark.com headline after the Mets acquired lefthanded pitcher Gregory Soto from Baltimore: “Mets decide two Sotos are better than Juan.”
• Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: “Kevin Gausman didn’t major in geography at LSU but give him credit for his honesty: Tweeted Gausman recently: ‘Not gonna lie. I had no idea how close Detroit was to Canada. I was shocked we had so many Blue Jays fans there.’”
• Care to comment? E-mail brucepenton2003@ yahoo.ca
