The Independent

Never a sunset I did not like . . . With winter well upon us, the sunsets have remained a beautiful way to wrap up the day. We begin 2021 with all the hope of things to come, and we hope you can take time to enjoy the little pleasures of the day!

(Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)

Vol. 112 No. 01

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

16 pages

$1.50

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THURSDAY, 7, 2021

22 -- THE BIGGAR,SK SK THE INDEPENDENT, INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR,

Silly Season continues for hockey

Hockey players continue to practice under COVID restrictions. Masks and limited numbers among other new rules are the order of the day at the Jubilee Stadium, but teams are staggering practice numbers, getting ice times in for players eager to play. No games yet, but we can always hope that those are just ‘round the corner as vaccines slowly roll out.

(Independent Photos by Kevin Brautigam)

THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK - 3

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

Former resident says ‘Thank You’ with donation/challenge Pride in Biggar’s Main Street and its central importance to the town, will take the community well into the future, hopes a former resident, now benefactor.

Wayne Brownlee and

Revitalizing Biggar’s downtown a key to future growth

his wife, Ina Lou (nee Jenkins), both former Biggarites, will be matching town fund raising efforts for a revitalization initiative. The couple will match up to $2.5 million.

Brownlee’s grandfather, William, was Mayor of Biggar from 1933 to 1935, and was a local entrepre-

neur taking over the Marshall Bros store in 1929, the business, a harness maker, shoe repair and clothing store. Wayne Brownlee was the Chief Financial Officer for Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (PCS), and has been doing philanthropic work in the province for

Former Biggar residents, Ina Lou and Wayne Brownlee, seen here at a Wanuskewin event, are matching dollars raised for a downtown Biggar revitalization effort. (Submitted Photo)

many years. He became involved with the Biggar Revitalization on wife, Ina Lou’s urging. The program began after the couple reached out to the town about jump-starting the downtown nearly two years ago.

“My family has a history in Biggar, and we are in a position where we thought it would be a nice time to give back to the community in some way,” Brownlee explained. “Our offer is matching dollarfor-dollar of what the community can generate through fund raising activity, up to $2.5 million. . . We’re hoping to revitalize the main street of Biggar and revitalize the business community, and help give a dose of energy to the town.”

Brownlee, who left Biggar for university in 1971, says he wants no say in the direction of the revitalization - that is solely

up to the community and what they feel is their priority.

“The funds that we would put in are really more of a catalyst for an end result that we hope will be a galvanizing activity for the town and citizens of Biggar.”

Public input for the revitalization of Biggar will take place with a series of open houses this January 22 and 23. Times must be pre-booked due to COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions. Call the Town of Biggar office and D’Shae Bussiere (306948-3317) to book an available time. Check out the Town of Biggar facebook page for D’Shae’s talk with Wayne Brownlee. “[We’re] hoping it causes some excitement in the town, and people band together. . . There are some conceptual drawings that will be put

forward in due course for public consultation and feedback,” Brownlee adds. “Based on that, we would like to see this go ahead. It could be a model for rural revitalization, if you like, that there is a way you could make these communities have a longer and more ambitious life.

“There is a strength from rural Saskatchewan that I think is important to support and protect that is part of a longer term ambition. . . This is really a reinvestment incentive that we hope catches some fire.”

Brownlee hopes it engergizes and galvanizes, and people contribute towards a vision for the downtown’s future.

“It’s a way of saying thank you to the town for our upbringing and a bit of a memorial to our parents.”

Making life more affordable for Saskatchewan people in 2021

A series of new and returning provincial income tax credits and other tax-reduction initiatives will help make life more affordable for Saskatchewan people in the new year.

All Saskatchewan income tax brackets and tax credit amounts will once again be indexed in 2021, saving the province’s taxpayers an estimated $15 million. The level of indexation in

2021 will be 1.0 per cent, matching the national rate of inflation.

“We are pleased to resume the indexation of income tax brackets and tax credit amounts in 2021,” Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Donna Harpauer said. “Indexation protects Saskatchewan taxpayers from bracket creep, and helps keep the tax system fair, competitive and affordable.”

Saskatchewan families with children enrolled in sports, arts and cultural activities will also be able to claim the Active Families Benefit once again on their 2021 taxes.

“Restarting the Active Families Benefit to make children’s activities more affordable was a key election commitment of our government,” Harpauer said. “As promised, the Active Families Benefit will provide a non-

refundable tax credit of $150 per year per child to eligible families. Families of children with a disability will receive an additional $50, for a total tax credit of $200 per year per child.”

The restarting of the Active Families Benefit will be part of the 202122 Budget and will be retroactive to January 1, 2021. Parents who enrol their children in sports, arts and cultural activi-

ties in the new year are therefore reminded to keep their receipts so they may claim the benefit with their 2021 tax filings.

Saskatchewan residents who are planning to renovate their homes may also be able to claim the recently announced Saskatchewan Home Renovation Tax Credit.

Under this non-refundable tax credit, Saskatchewan homeowners may save up to $1,155 in provincial income tax in 2021

by claiming a 10.5 per cent tax credit on up to $11,000 of eligible home renovation expenses incurred between October 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021. A further $945 in savings may be claimed in 2022 in respect of eligible expenses incurred between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022.

Eligible expenses include the cost of permits, contractor labour and professional services, building materials, fixtures, and equipment rentals.

Biggar Fire Department December 2020 Report The Biggar Fire Department responded to five false alarms the month of December.

Statistics for the year are as follows: Motor Vehicle Collisions: 12; Structure Fire:

5; Rescue: 1; Grass Fire: 17; STARS Landing: 4; Vehicle Fire: 4; Investigation Requests: 16; False Alarm: 33.

This totals 92 calls to the Biggar Fire Department for 2020.

Numbers for January 7 Happy Feet . . . Biggar Jubilee Stadium is still hosting skating, and here, the Biggar Skating Club takes to the ice for lessons under COVID rules and restrictions. With vaccines on the horizon, we should see bigger groups and more events throughout the town. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)

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4 - THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

Politicians becoming a liability during Pandemic

If you were like me during these past days of Christmas and New Years, your blood boiled as an ever increasing list of politicians were outed for holidaying out of country, ignoring their own stern admonishments to fellow Canadians to be responsible and stay at home.

Do as I say, not as I do.

“The rules don’t apply to me,” one can here them say.

Now, it wasn’t a law that they broke. Rather, it was of a higher, moral directive. Breaking that principled high-ground during these troubling times means they have lost the right - I would also say, the privilege - to govern.

They have also forgot who in the hell they work for.

Jason Kenney and his Alberta UCP party is stinking up the news with members off to foreign lands, holidaying while everyone else responsibly locks

down. Kenney’s pathetic excuses ring hollow as an ever increasing cry for accountability rings out from an outraged voting public. Here in Saskatchewan, cabinet minister Joe Hargrave is apologizing for his “error in judgement”. Judgement . . . Guess that means he had none. Given the pandemic we are all in, it shouldn’t be that hard to “judge” if travelling to California was a good idea or not.

In Ontario - the centre of the Canadian Universe - finance minister Rod Phillips resigned.

He called his Carribbean vacation a “Dumb, dumb mistake”. I call it ignorant. I would argue he knew before he travelled it was a “Dumb, dumb mistake”. If he didn’t, why would you have him as a finance minister if he can’t even figure a vacation during a pandemic is “Dumb”?

While most have resigned, all are still collecting pay cheques

that will, no doubt, go to more dumb mistakes and errors in judgement.

Cushy pensions will ease the sting.

As I sat and watched the stream of self-centred politicians steam by who have flaunted a moral canon, I’ve decided they need to be told a simple truth: When this is all over - and COVID will be over - so will you be over. You have no right to earn the money we pay you.

I know of one person in my circle who travelled to Texas during the pandemic. She had to.

January 3 she held the hand of her child as she died from brain cancer.

Getting to her dying daughter’s bedside was a frustrating trial for her of red tape laid forth by self-important politicians with nothing better to do than pound their chest in a cloak of self-rightous morality, all the while thinking of the sunny getaway they are about to embark on.

The political idiots of our country don’t deserve any sympathy, they don’t deserve the jobs we’ve given them and all the privileges that come with those positions. Politicians who didn’t holiday abroad,

but sat by knowing their colleagues jetted out of country have also lost the right to govern, and the political opportunists making hay of their opposites folly deserve no support. They are just as guilty; all of them a

part of a system that has forgotten who they work for.

From a prime minister who flaunts the rules, to these holidaying buffoons, we demand and deserve better.

K.B.

Trudeau’s litany of broken promises, and higher carbon taxes

by Aaron Wudrick, Federal Director, and Franco Terrazzano, Alberta Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation Happy New Year taxpayers! Well, maybe not so happy after all.

Courtesy of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, you can now expect higher home heating bills and gas prices.

The Trudeau government recently rolled out new plans to massively increase the carbon tax while layering on top a second carbon tax. This new costly Christmas present from our federal government comes shortly after Ottawa promised it wouldn’t be increasing taxes.

In the lead up to the 2019 federal election, then-environment min-

the

ister Catherine McKenna told Canadians that the Trudeau government had “no intention” of increasing the carbon tax beyond the $50 per tonne tax that was scheduled for 2022.

Trudeau also blatantly lied to us. Only a few months ago, Trudeau dismissed the notion of increasing taxes.

“The last thing Canadians need is to see a rise in taxes right now . . . we are not going to be saddling Canadians with extra costs,” Trudeau said this past August.

It’s hard to square Trudeau’s promise of no tax hikes with his recent announcement of increasing the carbon tax to $170 per tonne by 2030, which represents a 467 per cent hike from today’s carbon tax.

By 2030, every time you go to the pumps, you’ll have to fork over nearly 40 cents more per litre in carbon taxes. Then there’s the sales taxes you’ll have to pay on top of the carbon tax, which could cost taxpayers about $5 billion in 2030.

Clean Energy Canada heralded Trudeau’s climate plan as “brave” and “honest,” but nothing could be further from the truth. Trudeau’s party misled millions of Canadians about its true intentions: to impose a massive tax hike that will soak families for about $30 every time they fill up their minivans.

Federal Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson is trying to sell the carbon tax hike as having “almost zero”

impact on our economy and insists that rebates of collected revenues will actually leave Canadians better off. He should forgive taxpayers for being highly skeptical of both claims after Trudeau and McKenna already lied to us about the carbon tax.

The numbers the Alberta government crunched show that Trudeau’s carbon tax hike could cost the province up to 100,000 jobs. What address should those who lose their jobs send their carbon tax rebate thank you letters to?

Brian Allison, a farmer in Alberta, knows Trudeau’s carbon tax hike will have much more than “almost zero” impact.

“It is death by a thousand cuts,” said Allison.

“I don’t like being put

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out of business by government regulation and taxation.”

It’s bad enough that the feds are increasing the carbon tax during the middle of a severe economic downturn, but Trudeau is adding insult to injury by introducing a second carbon tax.

Trudeau’s second carbon tax was released on a Friday one week before Christmas and buried in so-called clean fuel regulations. The regulations will require producers to reduce the carbon content of their fossil fuels.

But here’s the kicker: if companies can’t meet Trudeau’s requirements, they’ll have to pay his second carbon tax.

Economists have already warned that these costs won’t just hurt the

big guys. The costs will be passed down to families and consumers.

Trudeau’s second carbon tax will “hit lowerincome Canadians” and “means many poor Canadians will face rising food prices,” according to University of Calgary economist Jack Mintz.

The think tank Canadians for Affordable Energy estimates that Trudeau’s second carbon tax will increase the cost of gasoline by 10 to 19 per cent, all on top of the costs of Trudeau’s current carbon tax.

Trudeau told us he wouldn’t be increasing taxes or costs. He lied, and Canadians will pay the price.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

The Incomplete Angler Notable Notes Bob Mason

They tell me, that when some southern people came up to Saskatchewan to do some ice-fishing, they spent the first day chipping away the lake ice trying to get enough water to launch their boat!

Although to many folks, it is a way-of-life, and others almost make it look like a “must do” social thing, to a lot of us, fishing is a kind of relaxing thing, because it takes all of our faculties to do it and we can’t use them to worry about taxes and stuff like that!

Fishing has been part of world history from way, way back (so has work, and we’re sure not going to write a column on it!).

Whereas fishing, at least to me, has a lot more attraction than mowing the lawn!

Although Homer mentions his Ulysses fishing during his 10-year travels, I think our first conceptions of fishing were kind of religious.

We were little boys then, and of course didn’t know very much about what John 21:6 meant.

Some people still think I don’t know very much!

But even the thought of fishing seemed almost like a dream to us!

When Dad first came West, he was managing a lumber yard on the North Saskatchewan River south of Radisson, and often told us that he

was lazily fishing from a scow one day, when a large fish, possibly a sturgeon, yanked his fishing rod right out of his hand!

Except for him telling us about that fish, we didn’t know much about fish in the river until the Great Depression of the 1930’s came along and we had grown up a little.

There were a few hardup people living in shacks down by the river, who relied on their fish-traps to supply some table food now and then.

Because the river came southeast of Battleford, rounded “Great Bend” and flowed Northeast toward P.A., there were far fewer fish on the north side of it than on the south. And rather than sit all day waiting for a catch, a lot of these folks fashioned fish traps from old implement wheels and mink wire, rolled them out into the swift flowing stream, and emptied them every week.

I sure remember as a boy going down and helping John B. unload his onetime. Wow, there were sure some odd looking fish in his trap, even a young sturgeon that almost looked like it had a suit of armour on! There were goldeyes and jackfish and some that didn’t have any scales at all!

I stayed with old John and helped him cut them up, and when his wife fried them they tasted a lot better than Captain Highliner do now!

Apparently it was illegal to fish that way though - the police discouraged it . . . laws don’t care if you starve! I’m not sure about this, but I think that a lot of those traps went out with the June flood in 1948! Mebbe our way of fishing was illegal

also, but as young fellows we went down and did it anyway!

Some years ago Y.T. sent in a piece entitled “Fishing in the River”, telling all about our method, but I’m sure Mr. Isaac Walton isn’t going to verify it!

On the south side of the river, up near the mouth of Eagle Creek, Tracy and I caught quite a few goldeyes years ago, and we haven’t been back in a long time.

Fishing has mebbe changed with the times, I dunno! Every now and then we see an article in the paper by some wellheeled, enthusiastic guy who knows how to do it all and where to go. We even sometimes see fisherman in high-class boats on TV and wonder what they might have thought had they seen us back there in the 1930’s!

Subsistence fishing is kind of passé now anyway!

We went fishing on Sturgeon Lake way back when, and picked up a couple of guys who really seemed to enjoy the trip. We placed blankets around the hole we cut in the ice, put the sleighbox upside down over them, crawled in and really enjoyed ourselves.

I understand that fish taste a lot better when they are caught afar off!

We never caught many fish in the river mind you, but going fishing is sure a nice holiday!

When we wintered in Waalwiyk, Holland during the Second World War, some of the weather was quite mild, and as Y.T. strolled out into the park-like gardens behind the big house where we were billeted. He saw Harry “The Chief” Antone standing there with a

smoking No. 36 grenade in his hand. Those grenades only had a four second fuse, and of course right after that he threw the thing into a nearby fishpond. We both hit the ground right away!

There was a muffled roar, and when we finally got up, there were half a dozen fish floating, bellyup, in the four-foot pond water.

We took those fish down to “Scorchy” Macintosh, our company cook, who (ugh!) boiled them. So we gave them to the starving civilians. A real Canadian move, eh?

Incidentally “The Chief” told me this story himself: Tourist: “What do you people do on the reserve each summer?”

Native: “We fish and make love to our wives!”

Tourist: “So what do you do in the wintertime?”

Native: “We don’t fish!”

Some of the best, and easiest fishing that Y.T. ever did, was up at the rapids on Eagle Creek where, after the spring flood, many fish are trapped in the little pools between the stones. And often he wonders who placed those stones to make those little pools.

St. Gabriel CWL would like to THANK the community of Biggar for your support to the

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Your donations are very much appreciated and allowed us to help those families needing assistance.

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Although Y.T. still has a few problems, he doesn’t go fishing anymore to forget them. At one time he was content to use his retrievers and pull his errant golf balls out of

the water hazard on the local links!

Mebbe this kind of operation doesn’t put any fresh fillets in the pan, but that “fishing” part still has its affects!

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Chef Dez on cooking - How to Choose the Perfect Wok Chef Dez on cooking Chef Dez

Wok cooking is obviously very popular for Asian dishes, but it can also be used for a wide variety of recipes.

One may wonder what makes a wok different from an ordinary pan, and how do I choose the best one?

Just like standard pots and pans, there are just as many different woks on the market to choose from. The recognizable shape of the wok is

known worldwide, and this unique shape serves an important purpose.

The inner cooking surface, mainly up the sides, traditionally should not be smooth. Having rough and/or a slightly uneven surface helps to hold cooked food while the sauce is finished, or other ingredients are being cooked, in the centre of the pan. Classic original woks are made out of carbon steel and hammered out by hand, and the residual indentations serve as the perfect surface to assist in doing this.

The round bottoms of the wok also aid in deep frying because it takes less oil to create a deep environment than a regular pot or pan. If you have an electric stove, you may

choose to purchase a flatbottomed wok, but even better would be to purchase a metal wok ring that sits over your electric burner and cradles a round bottom.

Unless you’re always cooking for just one or two people, you will get more value out of a larger wok than a smaller one, so buy one slightly larger than you may first think.

A larger wok will help to keep the food contained more easily and can be used for both small dinners as well as large. The other thing to consider, before making your purchase however, would be to ensure that you have ample storage for your new wok. Overhead pot racks are especially handy for this predicament.

I don’t find that non-

stick or electric woks are the best option. Nonstick coatings are almost always smooth, there are health concerns about emitting gases from nonstick coatings over high heat, and they don’t last as long as they should.

Electric woks, I find, don’t heat up enough. For traditional high heat wok cooking, one needs to be aware that many pots and pans on the market will also warp over high heat. Make sure you read the manufacturers use recommendations before purchasing to be certain. This being said, one should take care to never submerse any hot pan into water for the same reason.

Although it may be difficult to find one that is hammered out by hand, I do recommend buying a carbon steel wok and seasoning it to create a natural non-stick surface over time. They may not be as pretty to look at, but usually are of the least expensive options. They heat up very well and will

last you a lifetime if taken care of properly. Always hand wash only (no scouring pads as they will remove the seasoned surface) and dry thoroughly to prevent rusting.

To season your new carbon steel wok, wash with soap and a scrub brush, dry thoroughly, and place the wok over high heat.

When it is very hot and the steel has changed colour, turn the heat to medium-low, add a tablespoon of oil, and use a compacted paper towel held with tongs to coat the entire cooking surface with the oil. Let it sit on the medium low heat for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

Allow the wok to cool and repeat as many as three times. This “seasoning” process is only meant for carbon steel woks, not stainless steel or other types of woks. The downside of a thin carbon steel wok is that they also lose their heat very quickly as well.

My most recently acquired wok is a cast

iron one made by the popular Lodge brand. It is rounded on the inside but still has a flat bottom to sit nice and flat on my induction stovetop.

The inside surface is a bit rough too, so it holds food on the sides very well when I want to make the accompanying sauce in the centre. It came preseasoned and because it is cast iron it holds heat very well. The only downside is that it is really heavy so I wouldn’t recommend hanging it from a pot rack.

Lastly, I want to mention that I host a Zoom Cooking Class Series focusing on making Chinese TakeOut recipes in the comfort of your home. We do one of these every month and all the past recordings are available as well.

Check out my website for more information.

Chef Dez is a Chef, Writer, & Host. Visit him at chefdez.com. or write to him at dez@chefdez.com or P.O. Box 2674, Abbotsford, B.C., V2T 6R4.

Health officials issue warning about traditional raw meat holiday sandwich We’re going to be looking at a peculiar – and some might even call it disgusting holiday tradition. We don’t even need to travel very far, at least no farther than Wisconsin.

Wincosinites have a certain delicacy that at least some of them like to consume around this time of year. It’s called the cannibal sandwich, but some might be more familiar with the moniker tiger meat sandwich.

But both of these names are misleading. There’s neither human nor tiger meat on the bread.

What there is, on the other hand, is raw ground beef. The cannibal sandwich is a fairly simple treat, consisting of a slice of rye bread that’s piled with raw meat, chopped onions, and a dash of salt and pepper to taste.

The dish is at its most common in southeastern Wisconsin, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.

That said, people elsewhere have developed a taste for it too, and it can now be found – although rarely – across the Upper Midwest.

But let’s dial back a bit, and repeat what we said: the sandwich is topped with raw meat. And that doesn’t make health officials very happy, especially with this year’s COVID Christmas.

In fact, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WDHS) has felt the need to express their distaste for the cannibal sandwich publicly. The WDHS said in its “annual reminder” on Facebook that people should probably pass on the sandwich.

“Many Wisconsin families consider [cannibal sandwiches] to be a holiday tradition, but eating them poses a threat for Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Campylobacter, and Listeria bacteria that can make you sick,” the WDHS warned.

“And, no, it doesn’t matter where you buy your beef,” the agency added.

WDHS reminds people that ground beef should always be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit (that’s 71 degrees Celsius). Such a temperature is generally agreed to sterilize beef and kill any pos-

sibly harmful bacteria.

The WDHS is not alone with its concern over cannibalistic bread products.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also warned consumers about the sandwich in a separate statement.

“The dish … is dangerous because it is uncooked, meaning it can still contain harmful bacteria that can cause foodborne illness,” warned the USDA. Perhaps they health agencies are not overreacting. According to the USDA, “hundreds of people” across the Midwest fall ill every holiday season after eating the cannibal sandwich.

The WDHS has more accurate data. According to them, there have been eight significant sickness outbreaks in Wisconsin since 1986 that have been linked to consuming raw meat.

Among them was the large-scale Salmonella outbreak of December 1994, which left more than 150 people ill. This one, too, ultimately began with the cannibal sandwich.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

Agriculture

COVID’s impact on ag continues Agriculture Calvin Daniels

by Calvin Daniels Typically at this time in a new year journalists look back at the year that just passed into history.

This year of course there is only one story whether you are talking news, or sports, or entertainment, or as in this space agriculture, and that is obviously the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact.

Certainly not since the Second World War has anything so permeated the lives of people all around the world.

In fact, given that there were areas where the war did not directly hit, the pandemic may actually be more dramatic.

Of course the death toll is no where near those of the Great War, but as we near two million dead worldwide, they are sig-

nificant.

In some ways the pandemic has shown the best of our world. We have generally come together with a fairly coordinated approach to combating the pandemic, and while results have been varied the general effect of wearing masks, focusing on hand hygiene and limiting gatherings seems to help keep numbers lower.

Of course there are those who ignore the threat, protest masks, and continue to threaten others in their community by their actions, but there are always dissenting voices in our world on everything from the world being round to arguing the moon landing was a hoax.

But, back on the positive side we see what can happen with a concentrated world effort to do something positive, in this case the emergence of vaccines in mere months from the start of the pandemic. It shows what we can accomplish with everyone focused on a singular goal and the money to make it happen.

The creation of vaccines

leaves one wondering what might be accomplished to deal with ocean plastics, the effects of climate change, the issue of homelessness and hunger, if we just focused on those issues as a united world?

And, now moving forward, COVID-19 remains the biggest issue. Even if the vaccines roll out without glitches, it will be months before most of the population has been inoculated, and then there are the anti-vaxxers who are against vaccinations and what their decision may mean in terms of COVID. And, there is also the impact COVID-19 may have on the health of those who were infected and survived. There are at least some indications the impact on health moving forward may be greater than in many diseases, and that is a cloud over the future too.

While all of this may largely be a health issue, the impact for agriculture, for food security and distribution, cannot be discounted either, and will be something to watch as we move through 2021.

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P:306-882-2283 • 306-882-2024 • F: 306-882-3336

Contact the knowledgeable staff at All West Sales

Highway 7 West Rosetown Box 1054 • S0L 2V0

3/30/2020 1:09:21 PM

THIS A 3 COLUMN BY 3 INCH COST $100.00

Ray would like to thank all the families & businesses who put up Christmas decorations to help make our community more holiday festive.

Happy New Year and I look forward to serving you all in 2021

Ray’s Vinyls

GIF CERTIF

Serving theAuthorized community for over 21Date___________________ years by___________________________ Cer 212 Main St., Biggar 306-948-4800

8 - THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK

Meet Our Local Experts at Biggar & District Credit Union Biggar & District Credit Union would like to congratulate Ashley Booker on obtaining her ĞƌƟĮĞĚ &ŝŶĂŶĐŝĂů WůĂŶŶĞƌƐ ĚĞƐŝŐŶĂƟŽŶ͕ &WΠ͘

Ashley Booker, CFP

dŚĞ ĞƌƟĮĞĚ &ŝŶĂŶĐŝĂů WůĂŶŶĞƌΠ ĚĞƐŝŐŶĂƟŽŶ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ĂƐƐƵƌĂŶĐĞ ƚŽ ĂŶĂĚŝĂŶƐ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞ ĚĞƐŝŐŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĮŶĂŶĐŝĂů ĨƵƚƵƌĞ ƌĞƐƚƐ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂů ǁŚŽ ǁŝůů ƉƵƚ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĐůŝĞŶƚƐ͛ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚƐ ĂŚĞĂĚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞŝƌ ŽǁŶ͘ /Ŷ ŽďƚĂŝŶŝŶŐ ŚĞƌ &W͕ ƐŚůĞLJ ĚĞŵŽŶƐƚƌĂƚĞĚ ƚŚĂƚ she ŚĂƐ ƚŚĞ ŬŶŽǁůĞĚŐĞ͕ ƐŬŝůůƐ͕ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĞƚŚŝĐƐ ƚŽ ĞdžĂŵŝŶĞ ŚĞƌ ĐůŝĞŶƚƐ͛ ĞŶƟƌĞ ĮŶĂŶĐŝĂů ƉŝĐƚƵƌĞ͕ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ŚŝŐŚĞƐƚ ůĞǀĞů ŽĨ ĐŽŵƉůĞdžŝƚLJ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞĚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶ͕ ĂŶĚ ǁŽƌŬ ǁŝƚŚ ŚĞƌ ĐůŝĞŶƚƐ ƚŽ ďƵŝůĚ Ă ĮŶĂŶĐŝĂů ƉůĂŶ͘

/Ŷ ŽƌĚĞƌ ƚŽ ďĞĐŽŵĞ Ă &W ƐŚůĞLJ ŚĂĚ ƚŽ ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞ Ă ƌŝŐŽƌŽƵƐ ĞĚƵĐĂƟŽŶ ƉƌŽŐƌĂŵ͕ ƉĂƐƐ Ă ŶĂƟŽŶĂů ĞdžĂŵ ĂŶĚ ĚĞŵŽŶƐƚƌĂƚĞ ƚŚƌĞĞ LJĞĂƌƐ ŽĨ ƋƵĂůŝĨLJŝŶŐ ǁŽƌŬ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ͘ dŽ ŵĂŝŶƚĂŝŶ ĐĞƌƟĮĐĂƟŽŶ͕ &W ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂůƐ ŵƵƐƚ ŬĞĞƉ ƚŚĞŝƌ ŬŶŽǁůĞĚŐĞ ĂŶĚ ƐŬŝůůƐ ĐƵƌƌĞŶƚ ĂŶĚ ĂĚŚĞƌĞ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ &W ĂŶĂĚĂ ^ƚĂŶĚĂƌĚƐ ŽƵŶĐŝůΡ ^ƚĂŶĚĂƌĚƐ ŽĨ WƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂů ZĞƐƉŽŶƐŝďŝůŝƚLJ͕ ŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐ Ă ŽĚĞ ŽĨ ƚŚŝĐƐ ǁŚŝĐŚ ŵĂŶĚĂƚĞƐ ƚŚĂƚ &W ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂůƐ ƉůĂĐĞ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĐůŝĞŶƚƐ͛ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚƐ ĮƌƐƚ͘ dŚĞ ^ƚĂŶĚĂƌĚƐ ŽƵŶĐŝů ǀŝŐŝůĂŶƚůLJ ĞŶĨŽƌĐĞƐ ƚŚĞƐĞ ƐƚĂŶĚĂƌĚƐ͘

Ɛ Ă ĨƵůů ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ƌĞĚĞŶƟĂů ^ĞĐƵƌŝƟĞƐ /ŶǀĞƐƚŵĞŶƚ ĚǀŝƐŽƌ ƐŚůĞLJ͛Ɛ ŐŽĂů ŝƐ ƚŽ ƌĞĐŽŵŵĞŶĚ ƐŽůƵƟŽŶƐ ƚŚĂƚ ĂƌĞ ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ Įƚ ĨŽƌ ŚĞƌ ĐůŝĞŶƚƐ ǁŝƚŚ ŶŽ ďŝĂƐ ƚŽǁĂƌĚ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ͘ ^ŚĞ ƉƌŝĚĞƐ ŚĞƌƐĞůĨ ŽŶ ĚŽŝŶŐ ŽŶůLJ ǁŚĂƚ ƐŚĞ ďĞůŝĞǀĞƐ ŝƐ ŝŶ ŚĞƌ ĐůŝĞŶƚ͛Ɛ ďĞƐƚ ŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚ͘ ƐŚůĞLJ ŚĂƐ Ɛŝdž LJĞĂƌƐ ĐƌĞĚŝƚ ƵŶŝŽŶ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ͘ ^ŚĞ ƐƚĂƌƚĞĚ Ăƚ /ŶŶŽǀĂƟŽŶ ƌĞĚŝƚ hŶŝŽŶ͕ ƚŚĞŶ ŵŽǀĞĚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ >ĂŶĚŝƐ ƌĞĚŝƚ hŶŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ŚĂƐ ďĞĞŶ ĞŵƉůŽLJĞĚ ďLJ ƚŚĞ ŝŐŐĂƌ Θ ŝƐƚƌŝĐƚ ƌĞĚŝƚ hŶŝŽŶ ƐŝŶĐĞ ŽƵƌ ŵĞƌŐĞƌ ǁŝƚŚ >ĂŶĚŝƐ ŝŶ ϮϬϭϵ͘ ƚ ŝŐŐĂƌ Θ ŝƐƚƌŝĐƚ ƌĞĚŝƚ hŶŝŽŶ ǁĞ ĂƌĞ ƉƌŽƵĚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ůĞǀĞů ŽĨ ĞdžƉĞƌƟƐĞ ĂŶĚ ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂůŝƐŵ ŽĨ ŽƵƌ ƐƚĂī͘ KƵƌ ƐƚĂī ŵĞŵďĞƌƐ ĂƌĞ ƚƌƵůLJ ůŽĐĂů ĞdžƉĞƌƚƐ͕ ĐŽŵŵŝƩĞĚ ďƵŝůĚŝŶŐ ďĞƩĞƌ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƟĞƐ͘ DƵƚƵĂů ĨƵŶĚƐ͕ ŽƚŚĞƌ ƐĞĐƵƌŝƟĞƐ ĂŶĚ ƐĞĐƵƌŝƟĞƐ ƌĞůĂƚĞĚ ĮŶĂŶĐŝĂů ƉůĂŶŶŝŶŐ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ĂƌĞ ŽīĞƌĞĚ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ƌĞĚĞŶƟĂů ^ĞĐƵƌŝƟĞƐ͕ Ă ĚŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ ŽĨ ƌĞĚĞŶƟĂů YƚƌĂĚĞ ^ĞĐƵƌŝƟĞƐ /ŶĐ͘ ƌĞĚĞŶƟĂů ^ĞĐƵƌŝƟĞƐ ŝƐ Ă ƌĞŐŝƐƚĞƌĞĚ ŵĂƌŬ ŽǁŶĞĚ ďLJ ǀŝƐŽ tĞĂůƚŚ /ŶĐ

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

The Saskatchewan Traveller

by Trudy and Dale Buxton Our next journey takes us up into Northern Saskatchewan.

When we talk north in Saskatchewan, most folks say that is Prince Albert. However there is a big, bold and beautiful part of Saskatchewan that many folks don’t think about and don’t visit. Northern Saskatchewan gets you out of the grainbelt and into the forest and lakes.

Where the number one industries are mining, tourism, and forestry.

Let’s start in Saskatoon and work our way north on Highway 11, which is a beautiful double lane highway. Did you know that Highway 11 is named the Louis Riel Trail?

The first community worth noting is the City of Warman.

Warman was born when the Canadian Northern Railway running from Humboldt to North Battleford intersected with the Canadian Pacific Railway running from Regina to Prince Albert. This took place in 1904.

The original name of the village was called Diamond, because the crossing of the two railways looked like a diamond. Soon though the named changed to Warman after a journalist who followed and recorded construction.

Warman was first incorporated in 1906 as a village, then grew to town status by 1966. A fire had almost destroyed the whole community in 1910 before being rebuilt.

Warman was one of the fastest growing communities after 2000 and became city status in 2012. It is a vibrate “bedroom” community for Saskatoon with any and all service you could ask for.

If golfing is your thing Warman has one of the best in the area called The Legends.

Continuing north we travel trough the community of Osler.

Osler was another community built along the rail lines. Osler has a population of around 1,300 and mainly an agriculture town.

Next up is the Hamlet of Neuanlage.

Neuanlage was first formed in 1895 by Mennonite immigrants from southern Manitoba and obtained land in the Hague-Osler area.

Today’s population is around 500, mainly a agriculture community with deep roots in the Mennonite faith.

Next up, the Town of Hague.

Also rich in the Mennonite heritage, Hague was settled in the early 1900’s.

It became a town in 1991 and has a population of around 1,000.

Hague is conveniently located between major centres with all

amenities of historical and recreation. It is a recreational community offering one of the best sporting complexes in the Valley area.

One of Hague’s major attribute’s is that the cost of living is far less than larger centres, which is a factor in the growing numbers.

If you like historical things, check out the railway water tower, which is one of the few left standing.

Hague’s main industry is farming.

Next up in our adventures brings us to the Town of Rosthern.

Rosthern is conveniently located between Saskatoon and Prince Albert.

Rosthern boasts small town charm with big city amenities and is home to one of the largest corn mazes in Saskatchewan which is absolute fun for the whole family.

Rosthern has a beautiful Regional Park with a fantastic golf course . . . a must in the summer time. If your looking for a great place to eat, try the Sixth and Railway Grill. Sixth and Railway Grill has a great selection of food at reasonable prices and you need not worry about leaving hungry.

Stay tuned for more adventures.

The historical Railway Water Tower located in Hague, Saskatchewan.

Rosetown-Elrose Constituency 215 Main Street, Rosetown Monday – Friday, 9:00 – 5:00 Tel: 306-882-4105 Fax: 306-882-4108 THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK - 9 Toll free; 1-855-762-2233 E-mail: jimreitermla@sasktel.net Box 278, Rosetown SK S0L 2V0 Please call with questions or concerns

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

0$,1 675((7 81,7 526(72:1 6. 6 / 9 .(//< %/2&.Ÿ3$5/ *& &$ Ï .(//<%/2&.03 &$ Ï Ō Ō

Jim Reiter, MLA

Rosetown-Elrose Constituency 215 Main Street, Rosetown Monday â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Friday, 9:00 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5:00 Tel: 306-882-4105 Fax: 306-882-4108 Toll free; 1-855-762-2233 E-mail: jimreitermla@sasktel.net Box 278, Rosetown SK S0L 2V0 Please call with questions or concerns

That new Zamboni smell . . . Town of Biggar employee, Josip Knezivic, dismounts his new ride, a brand new Zamboni for the Jubilee Stadium. The new ride replaces the well-worn ice surfacing machine, and comes in at $114,210 plus taxes. Hopefully, very soon, it will be putting in regular duty instead of the COVID-reduced work it currently is seeing. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)

The Mexican men who dug tunnels for love

I would do anything for love, sang Meatloaf, â&#x20AC;&#x153;except thatâ&#x20AC;?. He never told us what â&#x20AC;&#x153;thatâ&#x20AC;? is, but we can assume he was ready to go pretty far.

A Mexican man called Alberto has clearly taken a page out of Meatloafâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s songbook, since he too went to some pretty absurd lengths for some loving. No, he did not do â&#x20AC;&#x153;thatâ&#x20AC;?, but he did move the Earth â&#x20AC;&#x201C; literally.

Several tons of it, in fact. You see, Alberto â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a bricklayer from Tijuana â&#x20AC;&#x201C; had met the woman of his dreams, and her name was Pamela.

There was just one itsybitsy little obstacle in the way of their romance.

Pamela is (or was) married.

That said, the forbidden lovers werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to let such things as legally binding marriages stand in their way. The two decided to start an affair.

But the thing about affairs is that if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re having one, you usually want to keep it hidden.

And having a strange man pop over to her house on a regular basis mightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve raised some suspicions in Pamelaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s husband.

So, what was Alberto to do? Well the answer was simple â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at least to him.

And it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just any little hole in the ground.

Alberto poured all his professional expertise into the project and created a comfortable, safe passageway he could use to sneak into Pamelaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home.

The plan worked like a dream. Whenever Pamelaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s husband Jorge was away on his security job, Alberto would take the tunnel and come over for some illicit loving.

Yes, it worked like a dream, but every dream must eventually end with a wakeup to reality. And so it was with Alberto and Pamela.

As these kinds of stories usually go, one day Jorge came home from work early. Realizing the jig was up, Alberto ran off and hid himself.

While Pamela slept, Jorge rummaged through the house in search for her lover boy. Eventually, Jorge noticed movement behind their couch.

But when he pulled the piece of furniture away from the wall, Alberto was not there. All Jorge found was the gaping mouth of Albertoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tunnel.

Jorge plunged himself into the hole and eventually emerged in Albertoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home. There, his wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s secret lover begged Jorge to get out of his house and not tell Pamela that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d found out about their plot.

Jorge did leave, but he â&#x20AC;&#x201C; quite understandably â&#x20AC;&#x201C; didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hold up his end of the bargain. He confronted his wife, things escalated, and Alberto and Jorge ended up in a fistfight.

Local news sources reported that while no one was arrested, cops were eventually called to calm down the situation.

They ended up leaving with Alberto in tow so that the two men didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tear each other to shreds.

But Alberto is not the only man in Mexico ready to burrow through soil for his love. Cesar Arnoldo Gomez, 50, from the coastal town of Puerto PeĂąasco, had a similar idea.

But in Gomezâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; case, he wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sneaking into a secret loverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house. His purposes were arguably much more nefarious.

Gomez had recently been dumped by his girlfriend of 14 years, Griselda Santillan. She ended their relationship because she thought Gomez was just too jealous for her to put up with.

While a breakup can

be difficult on anyone â&#x20AC;&#x201C; man or woman â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Gomez dealt with it a bit worse than most. In a move that proves that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s totally not jealous or creepy at all, he decided to dig a tunnel under her house so he could spy on his exgirlfriend.

Gomez, however, clearly wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as handy as Alberto. Lucky for Santillan but not for him, Gomezâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tunnel caved in before he could really start observing his ex.

This was especially unfortunate for Gomez because he was inside the tunnel when it collapsed.

And just like that, he was trapped underground.

We might be having a much more grim story if it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for Santillan.

One day she started hearing unusual noises from outside her home.

She initially dismissed the sounds as stray animals. But the noises soon started sounding so desperate that she decided to go and investigate.

Santillan found the mouth of the collapsed tunnel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I asked a neighbor to look inside and they said there was nothing there, but then I noticed some shoes, tools and water.

I shouted at him to get out, but he did not do anything,â&#x20AC;? Santillan told local news according to LadBible.

Staff from a local firestation and Red Cross chapter had to dig Gomez out. According to them, he had been trapped for some 24 hours and was severely dehydrated.

Despite that, Gomez didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to leave his tunnel. The rescuers had to drag him out by force.

Local news sources reported that Gomez had violated a restraining order forbidding him from approaching Santillan by digging the tunnel. How could such an

upstanding citizen have ended up with a restraining order in the first place?

Perhaps weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never know. Or maybe it was because heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a man who thought digging a tunnel to spy on his ex sounded like a grand idea.

Working with the local communities, Mid-Sask helps address the needs of local business through: â&#x20AC;˘ A combination of localized long range strategic planning â&#x20AC;˘ Counseling and business development â&#x20AC;˘ Financial assistance up to $150,000 to small, medium sized business and entrepreneurs Mid-Sask Community Futures 500 Progress Avenue, Box 176 Outlook, SK S0L 2N0 P: 306-867-9566 Fax: 306-867-9559 https://cfsask.ca/mid-sask

21012bs1

10-THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

Meet the Wealth Management Team at Biggar and District Credit Union Biggar and District Credit Union is very proud of the professionalism and depth of knowledge of our local experts.

The members of our Wealth Team are a perfect example. No matter your investing experience or life stage, our expert advisors can help you put together a savings and investment strategy that gets you to your goals faster. Our team is right here in your community and ready to help with a wide variety of services, products and advice.

Lyndsey Poole and Cheri Steeg are dually employed with Biggar and District Credit Union and Credential Asset Management Inc. They are here to help you reach your goals and answer

questions you may have regarding your financial future. They can open up new accounts and help you choose investments that are best suited for you including but not limited to savings accounts, term deposits, RRSPs and TFSAs. They can also offer Mutual Fund Investments through Credential Asset Management Inc. to further diversify your portfolio.

Ashley Booker and Pam Eaton are also dually employed with Biggar and District Credit Union and Credential Securities.

They specialize in building wealth for their clients and eventually transitioning that wealth into retirement income. Their goal is to recommend solutions that are the

best fit for their clients.

As full service Financial Advisors they have no bias toward products.

They pride themselves on doing only what they believe is in their client’s best interest. Some of the products that they offer are stocks, bonds, mutual funds, as well as GIC’s.

In addition to the services listed above, Ashley, Lyndsey and Pam are able to provide full financial plans.

Mutual funds are offered through Credential Asset Management Inc. Mutual funds and other securities are offered through

Credential Securities, a division of Credential Qtrade Securities Inc. Credential Securities is a registered mark owned

by Aviso Wealth Inc. Unless otherwise stated, mutual funds, other securities and cash balances are not covered by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation or by any other government deposit insurer that insures deposits in credit unions. The information contained herein was obtained from sources believe to be reliable; however, the accuracy is not guaranteed.

Ashley Booker

Pam Eaton

Lyndsey Poole

Cheri Steeg

Happy Retirement Tips to improve Wi-Fi around the house

Speedy, reliable internet is something people have quickly grown accustomed to. That’s no doubt why dropped Wi-Fi signals can be so frustrating.

Various things can contribute to slow or interrupted Wi-Fi. As a result, there’s no one-size-fitsall solution to address under-performing Wi-Fi. But that’s good news, as it means there’s an assortment of strategies that consumers can try to improve the Wi-Fi in their homes.

• Upgrade your router.

Many people rent their routers from their Internet service providers, but it may surprise some to learn that they can buy their own. Buying your own router can be beneficial in various ways, not the least of which is it can save money. Router rental fees vary, but they typically cost between $10 and $15 per month. Consumers will save money in the long run by buying their own router rather than renting one from their ISP. When buying their own routers, consumers also can pick from a host of options, including routers with strong performance ratings that may contribute to better Wi-Fi performance.

• Set up automatic firm-

ware updates. It’s easy to forget a router after it’s been plugged in and internet service starts working.

However, manufacturers routinely issue firmware updates to improve router performance. Turning on automatic updates may improve Wi-Fi performance, and such updates also can provide a host of additional benefits, including added security measures.

• Relocate the router.

The location of the router can affect Wi-Fi performance. If possible, locate the router in the centre of the home so it can easily reach all parts of the house. Locating wireless routers away from walls and other obstructions also may improve performance.

• Switch frequencies.

Switching frequencies can help wireless consumers whose service might be adversely affected by congestion.

Wireless congestion can affect Wi-Fi performance in apartment buildings and densely populated neighbourhoods. In such instances, consumers can check their routers to see if they’re running on the 2.4 GHz frequency band.

If so, switching them to the 5 GHz band, which has more channels and is likely to be less congested, may improve Wi-Fi performance.

Slow and/or interrupted Wi-Fi signals can be very frustrating. Thankfully, various strategies can help consumers quickly remedy such issues.

There’s an assortment of strategies that consumers can try to improve the Wi-Fi in their homes.

This acknowledgement is a little late, but better late than never.

Mom, after 36 years of working your butt off cooking at the Diamond Lodge in Biggar, you deserve every moment of your retirement days because you’ve earned it.

Replace all those hours worked into hours of relaxation and freedom to do as you please, when you please, how you please. I could’t be more proud of this milestone in your life.

May retirement bring you an abundance of happiness and fullfillment and long relaxing days spent at the lake.

Love You!!

Love: Brett, Lindsay, Haley and Steph

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

Sports

THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK - 11

Pondering sports developments in 2021

Penton on sports Bruce Penton

Twenty-one questions to ponder as we enter 2021, the year after most of us experienced the worst year of our lives.

- Will fans entering sports stadiums this year have to produce a valid ticket as well as proof of vaccination?

- Will the Canadian Football League rebound from its stint in the ICU and return to its former glory?

- And if the CFL bounces back, will the happiest people north of the 49th parallel be football fans or the bean counters in the accounting offices at TSN? - Will outdoor games in the National Hockey League go from an occasional showcase to a near necessity?

- Will the Milwaukee Bucks win a National Basketball Association title before or after the average American fan can both spell and pronounce the surname of Giannis

Antetokounmpo?

- Is there any doubt Connor McDavid is the best player in the National Hockey League?

- Is it possible the Kansas City Chiefs might run off . . . say . . . five or six Super Bowl titles in a row?

- If Winnipeg Jets added a stud or two to their blue line, would they be an instant Stanley Cup contender, considering they have the best goalie in the league, and better than average offence up front?

- Is it possible that a Canadian (Milos Raonic, Denis Shapovalov or Félix Auger-Aliassime) could shock the world by preventing one of the big three - Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer - from winning a Grand Slam pro tennis event in 2021?

- Can the Western Hockey League somehow find a path through the coronavirus to play some sort of a season?

- Will the new Seattle Kraken NHL team really have ‘Krak House’ as its arena nickname?

- Is it appropriate to say ‘poor Mike Trout’ in reference to the Angels never winning a playoff series considering he has a contract guaranteeing him $426 million over 12 years?

- Does a TV network exist to carry games from the National Women’s Hockey League, or is streaming games via Twitch their only hope for broadcast

exposure?

- Can Canada’s Brooke Henderson overcome the Asian dominance on the LPGA Tour to get to No. 1 on the Rolex world rankings list?

- Can NHL fans handle another late summer playoff run?

- Best American NHLer - Patrick Kane, Auston Matthews or Jack Eichel?

- Considering last year’s reduced schedule and this year’s tentative 56-game slate, how close will 35-year-old Alex Ovechkin - currently 166 in arrears - come to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 goals?

- Will the Tokyo Olympics really happen in July?

- How many years will it take for the stink over Houston Astros’ cheating scandal to fade away?

- Will Steve Bartman be among those pardoned

by President Trump?

- Will we hear health officials in 2021 declare ‘COVID-19 is over’?

• The late Peter Allis, who died in early December, on Tiger Woods shooting 81 in an Open Championship round in 2002: ‘’It’s like turning up to hear Pavarotti sing and finding out he has laryngitis.’’

• English pro golfer Eddie Pepperell, on Twitter, prior to a December tournament in Dubai: “I’m trialing a 48-inch driver this week so if you’re the owner of any property at Jumeirah, board it up.”

• RJ Currie of Sportsdeke.com, on a Mariners chrome wine stopper included among 2020’s holiday-gift offerings: “Which is odd, because people who watch the Mariners are usually driven to finish the bottle.”

• Fox commentator Troy Aikman, after the Raiders’ A.J. Cole shanked a 19-yard punt out of bounds against the Chargers: “I gave up golf for that reason.”

• RJ Currie again: “Clemson coach Dabo Swinney called receiver Ajou Ajou from Brooks, Alberta, an uber talent. Make that uber uber talent talent.”

• fark.com, on Jaromir Jagr continuing to play pro hockey: “Ageless wonder returns for 33rd pro season. Let that sink in, Ripkin, you lazy slacker.”

• Comedy writer Brad Dickson of Omaha: “Nebraska deciding not to play in a bowl game is a little bit like the New York Jets announcing they’ve decided to pass on playing in the Super Bowl.”

• At @NOTSportsCenter: “BREAKING: The Jets have fired Adam Gase for violating team rules by actually winning a game.”

• Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: Houston’s NBA opener had to be postponed because James Harden paid a maskless visit to a strip club and got

Let’s Revisit the Balloon Boy During This Season of Pardons The president of the United States issued a flurry of pardons around the holidays, raising some international eyebrows regarding their legality and morality.

On the local level, some pardons just brought back memories of a simpler, pre-2020 time.

Back when some people’s greatest aspiration was their very own reality TV show. Those heady preTikTok aughts, before you could parlay followers of one-minute videos into profitable YouTube subscribers.

Two days before Christmas this year, the governor of Colorado pardoned Richard and Mayumi Heene, the parents convicted for masterminding the ‘balloon boy’ hoax back in 2009. If you’re fuzzy on the details, let’s take a trip to way back when.

The drama started way back in 1997 when the Heenes met in acting school. A relevant detail because the aughts drove

most “actors” to reality TV. They worked producing reels for other, working actors to fund Richard’s love of storm chasing and UFO searches. The family appeared twice on Wife Swap, giving them a taste of reality fame, and that’s when they started cooking up the plan.

Heene was pitching a UFO detective show around, and rumours remain that something was in development with the producers of Wife Swap in the run-up to the balloon boy. To be on the precipice of moderate fortune and fame would drive anyone to desperate, nationally televised measures.

That brings us to the morning of October 15.

Heene had made a flying-saucer shaped balloon prototype to allow commuters to float above traffic on their way to work. A home video shows Heene releasing the saucer in their Fort Collins home’s front yard, expecting it’s tethered in

place. Instead, the saucer floats away from the yard, while Heene overacts to the camera, “You didn’t put the fucking tether down.”

Distraught, the parents first call the local news station to send out a helicopter to track the saucer’s movements. Then they called emergency services. Over the next two hours, the balloon traveled 60 miles before touching down north of Denver’s airport. Surprise, surprise; Falcon wasn’t inside. Thus began a search for his body along the balloon’s path, and the big reveal by the Heene’s that Falcon had been in the garage the whole time.

The incident captured the national imagination for a few hours.

Larry King Live rushed the Heenes on air that same night, where Wolf Blitzer asked the guileless Falcon why he hid, “You guys said that we did this for the show.” Oops. The next day on The Today

Show, he threw up when asked the same question.

The cost for the search and rescue effort passed $2 million. Authorities charged Richard and Mayumi with attempting to influence a public figure and false reporting.

They served 90 and 20 days in jail, respectively and paid $36,000 in restitution.

I’d wager that most people had forgotten about the whole thing, and the incarcerations hardly disrupted the Heenes’ lives– Mayumi served hers in two-day stints on the weekends after Richard’s released.

But for whatever reason, Governor Polis was compelled to pardon the crimes, saying, “We are all ready to move past the spectacle from a decade ago.” We already had, given the epic amount of spectacle we’ve encountered in the last year alone.

himself DQ’d for violating COVID protocols, dropping the Rockets’ roster below the minimum eight players. It’s believed to be the first time a game was called on account of make-it-rain.”

• Gary Bachman, via Facebook, after Anthony Davis spent part of the Lakers’ final preseason game trimming his toenails on the bench: “Perhaps he should be traded

to the Clippers.”

• Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic, via Twitter, on critics who say the Cardinals’ DeAndre Hopkins sits out too many practices: “A WR who gets 1,300 yards and 10 TDs a year could show up to my practice with a lounge chair and a pitcher of pina coladas.”

Care to comment? E-mail brucepenton2003@ yahoo.ca.

Anytime there’s a story about a small furry animal going after a person, the answer’s always rabies.

What else would make a creature take on someone so much bigger who has opposable thumbs?

This story out of the New york’s Queens is a friendly reminder that victory against wild animals is never assured. A group of squirrels decided they’re sick of their place on the food chain and are going after people in the Rego Park neighbourhood.

The furry brutes have been attacking people for weeks at this point. It sounds straight-up adorable until you see the local TV station’s footage that aired along with the story. It’s graphic. The latest victim was Michelin Frederick, who fended off a squirrel on the stoop of her home.

Frederick wasn’t the first resident on 65th Drive the squirrels attacked. They’ve been rushing and pouncing outside several homes, but the neighborhood, so far, had been able to “shoo” them away. This time, the people weren’t so lucky, and Frederick didn’t survive the fight unscathed. Blood covers the snow in front of her New York home, and her hand sustained many puncture wounds from the little guy.

“We’re wrestling in the snow, and there’s blood everywhere and my fingers getting chewed, and it won’t let go,” Frederick Said. “Eventually it just stopped, and there I was a big bloody mess.”

Given that New York, like the rest of the world, is dealing with COVID, it seems like they’re not terribly concerned about homicidal squirrels. They advised the neighbourhood to hire a trapper on their own. But these squirrels aren’t just mean, they’re clever, and the traps remain empty.

The squirrels have also attacked Frederick’s neighbours. Licia Wang lives nearby; a squirrel attacked her as she walked up to her home. It jumped on her back before launching an assault on her arm, “I was screaming,” she said.“Crazy!”

The Vingh family lives next door to Frederick and were recording a video of the squirrel on their mailbox when it attacked. The first time they disengaged peacefully from the animal. The second time, it made a rush to get into their house, presumably intent on carrying out its murderous plot. They thwarted that attack as well.

Apparently, squirrels rarely get rabies and even less frequently transmit it to people. Worth noting, while you’re deciding which wild animals to interact with, feral cats are among the most significant sources of rabies transmission to people.

Frederick is still getting treated for rabies just in case because it’s a terrifying disease; 60,000 people die from it every year, although just two of those happen in the U.S. Still, if you get bit by a wild animal, get the rabies vaccine within 24 hours.

Maniac squirrels terrorize Queens neighbourhood

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THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK-13

LIBRA – Sept 23/ Oct 23

CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20

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Capricorn, you are generous with your time, and now many people are asking for help. You may start to feel burdened. Learn how to say “no” with tact.

SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22

AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18

Scorpio, temptation is around every corner. Figure out a way to stay grounded and on a successful track.

Friends and family are ready and willing to help.

Aquarius, check in with a friend if you have an emotional issue that needs working through. It won’t be helpful to keep your feelings bottled up inside for too long.

SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21

PISCES – Feb 19/ Mar 20

An issue that has to be addressed this week, Sagittarius, even though you would rather it just disappear. Focus on a plan and then get others to back you.

Being in a relationship is a balance of give and take, Pisces. You may feel uncomfortable asking for what you need, but you shouldn’t.

14 - THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK

REFLECTIONS

Are you ready for the unknowns of 2021?

by Doug Motz, Biggar Associated Gospel When the middle of March 2020 rolled around, we were all thrown into a squall of confusion, chaos, uncertainty, and everything in between with governmental, and health organizations also being thrown into a quandary of what to do next due to this pandemic that’s come upon us!

However, here we are, January 7, 2021, not thinking we’d ever see 2021!

Most of us would welcome almost anything to get us back to living life as we once knew as normal pre-March 2020!

But, what if the normal we once knew is about to change into a new uncertain normal? What are you and I doing to prepare for the unknowns of tomorrow, the unknowns of a possible looming storm building on the horizon? What if this looming storm would throw us into a deeper quandary than what we’ve already been through? To what or to whom will we turn to when and if this storm comes upon us even as early as 2021? Where do we go from here?

Now before we throw up our hands or bury our heads in the sand and call it quits, let me offer some good news of hope!

King Solomon wrote in Proverbs thousands of years ago the following words of wisdom: (Proverbs 3:5 – 7): “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. 7) Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. (MacArthur NKJV Study Bible).

You see, dear folks, when all hope is seemingly gone and we think we can’t go on anymore, the best and only person we must turn to is the Lord God of Heaven who created everything, and holds everything securely in His hands!

The question is, who are you really trusting in today? Who is going to take you & I through the unknowns of 2021?

I repeat, when this looming storm intensifies, whom then will you turn to? Humanity doesn’t have the answers, or the solutions to take us through what everyone around the world is experiencing right now! A person can be the richest in the world, or think they possess the greatest amount of power to throw their feeble weight around, and force everyone to do what they want them to do, but that doesn’t change the fact that God has the final say, and is ultimately in control of everything!!

King David in Psalm 34 piggy backs on what King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3. This is what David wrote: (Psalm 34:2 – 9); “2) My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. 3) Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. 4) I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. 5) They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed. 6) This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 7) The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. 8.Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man (woman) who trusts in Him! 9) Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is not want to those who fear Him!” (MacArthur NKJV Study Bible).

So according to the promises in God’s Word, I urge us all to turn our focus from fearing this pandemic to fearing God! Dear folks, its important that we heed this warning; repent of sin, and pride and turn our hearts and minds to God. Ask Jesus to cleanse us of our sin, and come live in our lives.

When Jesus comes to live within our hearts we are then born again of His Spirit, and we become His child, and are reconciled to a right relationship with Him! That’s when we can know His peace in the storm, and trust him like never before.

This will be the beginning of turning our trust from man, toward God which is greatly needed as we face the unknowns of 2021!

This is the Good News of Hope needed in these troubling days!

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Presbyterians, Anglicans and Lutherans will be suspending in person worship for December and January due to the rise in COVID cases. For more information/pastoral services, phone Cindy Hoppe at 948-2947 or John Bennett at 948-2852.

BIGGAR ASSOCIATED GOSPEL CHURCH Sunday Worship at 10:30 a.m.

312 - 8th Ave.W. and corner of Quebec St., Biggar

BIGGAR UNITED CHURCH 907 Quebec St./corner Turnbull Ave., Biggar

No services January 3 Services resume January 10 Services 11 a.m. Covid 19 Guidelines Apply

Masks Required

INQUIRIES CALL CHURCH OFFICE 306-948-2280 LEAVE MESSAGE

Seventh-Day Adventist Church

SATURDAY SERVICES

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Protect yourself with media literacy in 4 simple steps.

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Seeking professional drivers with Class 1 – 5 license to transport RV's throughout North America. We have company driver spots available in Double Haul, Triple Haul and Semi fleets and O/O spots available in Single (1 ton) and Double Haul fleets. For more information on each fleet, please visit roadexservices.com. Subsidized health and dental insurance, monthly bonus available for company drivers. Must have valid passport and be able to cross the border. To apply please email resume and a current driver's abstract to recruiting@roadexservices.com.

NOTICES 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. Reach over 550,000 readers weekly. Call this newspaper NOW or 306-649.1405 for details.

Contact: 306-948-2481 www.amazingfacts.org

Church Service…11 a.m.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

BIGGAR INDEPENDENT ONLINE

www.biggarindependent.ca

OBITUARIES

Donna (Kochorek) Eaton August 4, 1934 – December 23, 2020

It is with great sadness that Donna’s family announces her passing on December 23, 2020 - - beloved mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, and friend.

Donna was born in Lake Lenore, SK as the eldest child of four to August and Mae (Hopfner) Kochorek August 4, 1934 and grew up on the farm near Jansen, SK. She attended St. Ursaline Academy at Bruno, SK and went on to attend Teachers College in Saskatoon. She then moved to the village of Kinley, SK where she taught Grades 1 to 8 in a one-room schoolhouse. In Kinley she met Murray Eaton and they married in October 1956. She was a hard worker and devoted her time to her family and her community while staying home to raise their four children and actively work alongside Murray in every aspect of the farm. In addition, she maintained an immaculate household, a beautiful yard, grew an extensive garden, and continued to cater to the busy lives of their children throughout the years.

Donna was an avid curler, well-known on the Saskatchewan bonspiel circuit, a skilled golfer, and later in life enjoyed bowling in Perdue, at which she also excelled! She had a zest for life and such a great love for her family and her friends.

Two years after Murray passed in 2012, Donna moved to Central Park Place in Biggar where she lived the next six years to the fullest. There she made many friends, the closest being Shirley Schoeler, with whom she shared so very much, and expressed many times how fortunate she was to have found such a dear friend. Donna also developed many close friendships in Australia where she travelled frequently over the years and she continued a close relationship with her three siblings in BC via phone and Facetime, right up to her final days. We all find great peace that she is now at rest with Murray, her parents, and everyone she has loved and lost throughout her life.

Donna’s leaving is mourned by her sister Doris Mackenzie, her brothers Bob (Mary) Kochorek, and Lorne (Diane) Kochorek, her children Rhonda Eaton (Ron Fish), Grant (Shelly) Eaton, Cheryl Eaton, and Valerie (Stewart) Elliot, her grandchildren Sandra, Brad, Heather, Rhiannon, Miranda, Taylor, Kyle, Travis, Samara, and Skylar, her great-grandchildren Emma, Adeline, Henry, Mason, Benson, and Isabella, and many, many special nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Mom - - we love you so much and you will be forever and dearly missed - - until we meet again.

Due to the pandemic, there will be no funeral service at this time. Donna’s ashes will ultimately be laid to rest with Murray at Wheatfield Cemetery, Kinley, SK.

MEMORIAM

THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK - 15

EMPLOYMENT Glen Joseph Germsheid Jan 21 1937 - Dec 30 2020

On December 30, 2020 our dad Glen passed away quietly. He will be dearly remembered and greatly missed by his six children: Laurie, Karen (Steve), Janice, Jack (Rebecca), Kathy, Troy (Maria), and his ten grandchildren Jakoby, Desirae, Dylan, Sydney, Grayson, Seth, Kyle, Tori, Nate and Maks.

Glen grew up on the family farm in Handel, Saskatchewan with his ten siblings. He enjoyed sharing stories of them all growing up and over the years kept in touch with many trips to visit.

As a young man Glen served in the RCAF before starting his family and eventually moving to Alberta and settling in Lacombe. He tried his hand at many things before starting a commercial painting company which he operated until his retirement.

Another aspect of this company was tree trimming and removal. Glen and his crew (which through the years included his kids) could often be seen in Lacombe. Never afraid to take on the “Big Job” his business was quite successful and he was most often called by referral for either service.

Glen was an energetic man with a bright personality who could strike a conversation with anyone, anywhere. Glen was very passionate about any project he took on, which always showed in the scale and craftsmanship, whether it was model trains, pet canaries or woodworking. He was always on the go, and if there was no work to be done, a project was always there to keep him busy. He will be fondly remembered for his wit and storytelling, and always whistling a tune, especially when working.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Glen may be made to The Alzheimer’s society of Alberta: giving@alzheimer.ab.ca A memorial service will be held at a future date

Stanley Ouellette

August 9,1945 – December 15, 2020 It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of my beloved husband and father at the age of 75. He is survived by his wife Elaine, son Trevor (Shauna), daughter Melody (Tim), granddaughter Kaycee and grandsons Kody, Dylan and Shayton. Stan was born in Willowfield, SK and later moved to Asquith where he worked for the town of Asquith for 30 years. Stan cut meat for 15 years and coached the Asquith-Harris Peewee D team to a provincial hockey title in 1981. Stan’s love for hockey went from playing with the Estevan Bruins to refereeing and eventually coaching for 15 years. He is survived by his brother Louis, sisters Caroline, Margie, Yvonne, Lena and Linda. He was predeceased by his father Edward, mother Madariu, brothers Larry and Dale and sister Alice. Stan loved hanging out with family and friends or hiding behind a video camera to capture all those special moments. At this time of uncertainty and social distancing, he wanted family and friends to know he felt the love that was sent his way. A Memorial Service will be held in the summer of 2021. Arrangements in care of Aimé Laventure – Mourning Glory Funeral Services (306) 978-5200.

Heavy Duty Mechanics required: Late model, clean CAT, JD equip; winch, dump, gravel trucks, and trailers. Both camp and shop locations; R & B provided Wage negotiable.

Clean drivers abstract a must.

Send resume and work references to: Bryden Construction )V_ (YIVYÄLSK :R : , ( " Fax: 306-769-8844 ,THPS! brydenconstruct@ xplornet.ca www. brydenconstruction andtransport.ca

Labourers Wanted: Duties inc, in part: pressure washing heavy equipment, trucks and trailers. Cleaning shops. Assisting where required. Heavy lifting involved.

Mechanical aptitude an asset; must be safety conscious and able to work around heavy equipment.

Must have a clean driver’s abstract.

Position located in (YIVYÄLSK :R *HTW HJJVTTVKH[PVU WYV]PKLK PM ULJLZZHY`

:LUK YLZ\TL HUK ^VYR YLMLYLUJLZ [V! Bryden Construction )V_ (YIVYÄLSK :R : , ( " Fax: 306-769-8844 ,THPS! brydenconstruct@ xplornet.ca www. brydenconstruction andtransport.ca

FEED & SEED

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For Rent Central Park Place

has apartments for seniors available in Biggar.

Call 948-3901 or 948-7824

Charter/ Sherwood Apartments in BIGGAR

1 or 2 bedroom, heat and water supplied, wired for cable TV and satellite systems, laundry facilities, appliances, some suites with dishwahers, air conditioning, parking with plug-ins.

For more information call: Risa Management at 306-665-2300 or Andre at 306831-4430

REAL ESTATE

Primrose Chateau Residents of Primrose Chateau continue living independently; doing the things they love, while we provide the support to make it possible.

During this time of isolation being in a safe environment with full services such as meals and social activities is very important for your health and well being.

Please call to discover how our home can become your home.

Atria Retirement Canada Dale 204-291-5891 www.primrosechateau.ca

16 - THE INDEPENDENT, BIGGAR, SK

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

If we all do one random act of kindness daily, we just might set the

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