Vol. 106 No. 2
THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2014
Box 40, 122 Main Street, Biggar, Saskatchewan S0K 0M0
email: tip@sasktel.net
16 pages
Phone: 306-948-3344
$1.25
www.biggarindependent.ca
Health Centre construction nears completion Construction on the new Biggar and District Health Centre is in the final stage. Issues with the flooring
have slowed progress, h o w e v e r, H e a r t l a n d Health Region officials say those issues have been resolved. Flooring repairs
are underway and were expected to be complete by the New Year. Deficiencies that have been noted are also
being completed before the health region takes possession. Final cleaning by the contractors has to be completed after this
work is done. Once the building is turned over to Heartland, the health region has about four to five weeks of prep work to do to prepare the staff and building for movein. This phase includes hospital cleaning, furniture delivery, stocking, training all staff on the building systems, and then the final move. Heartland is working on a plan for the final move-in. That final date for move-in has yet to be determined. Heartland was aware of the holiday season past, as well as the well-being of the people to be moved. Once dates have been finalized, Heartland will be sending notification of tours for the public.
Lean contract to end early
Here’s pie in yer eye . . . Biggar Central School’s Dalton Whiteford is really into pie, December 19, as students and staff had a little fun on the
final day before the Christmas break. See Page 2 for more pictures of the merrymaking. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health is ending its contract with John Black and Associates (JBA) to support the implementation of Lean across the provincial health system. Collectively, the province’s health regions and health care organizations have acquired sufficient knowledge and training … Lean Contract, pg 15
Province’s books exceptional for 2014 With 2014 at an end, Saskatchewan’s economy will likely set records for population growth, jobs created, manufacturing sales and wholesale trade. “There were major forces at work in 2014 that impacted economies all over the world,” Economy Minister Bill Boyd said. “In spite of those pressures, several economic indicators surpassed 2013 levels as a result of our diversified and resilient economy.” Saskatchewan’s population hit a record 1,129,899 on October 1, 2014, up 1.63 per cent over October 2013, which is the second highest growth rate among the provinces. The unemployment rate in the province remained low at 3.4 per cent in November 2014.
Saskatchewan has had the lowest unemployment rate among the provinces for 24 consecutive months. In the January-November period, Regina had the lowest unemployment rate (3.4 per cent) among major Canadian cities, while Saskatoon had the second lowest rate (4.1 per cent). S a s k a t c h e w a n ’s j o b growth remains positive, with November 2014 recording 15,300 new jobs held when compared to November 2013, an increase of 2.8 per cent - more than triple the national average. This was the trend for the year with the first 11 months of 2014 recording an increase in employment of 10,500 people in the province, up 1.9 per cent over the same time period in 2013. Saskatchewan had the
second fastest rate of job growth among the provinces. “Job growth continued to be strong in 2014,” Minister responsible for Immigration, Jobs, Skills and Training Jeremy Harrison said. “We made significant investment into Adult Basic Education programming as well as training and apprenticeships to ensure our work force remains strong.” Manufacturing sales totalled a record $14.0 billion in the first 10 months of 2014, a 5.9 per cent increase over the same period last year. Wholesale trade totals for the first 10 months of 2014 were a record $21.6 billion, up by 4.0 per cent over the first 10 months of 2013. “Looking back at 2014, it
was a fairly good year for Saskatchewan,” Boyd said. “As for 2015, forecasters
predict the price of oil and our economy will bounce back – and we’ll return
as one of the top economic performing provinces in Canada.”
Nats drop one at home, win on road . . . Biggar Nationals Keaton Silvernagle looks to bust around a visiting Eatonia Huskie, January 2. Nats fell 6-3 to the Dogs, but turned it around on the road in Kindersley the following night, dumping the Red Lions 5-3. (Independent Photo by Daryl Hasein)