Webpaper 03

Page 1

Vol. 106 No. 3

THURSDAY, JANUARY Y 15, 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

Armed robbery in Biggar nets jail time Shortly after 9 p.m. on Friday, December 26, Biggar RCMP responded to a complaint of an armed robbery at a business on the 600 block of Main Street. A lone male armed with a knife, masked with a bandana, entered the store and robbed a lone employee. The male suspect fled the scene in a vehicle with an undisclosed amount of cash. No one was physically injured during the incident. Police identified and located the suspect shortly after the incident at a residence in the community of Biggar. An arrest was made without incident. 39-year-old Marc Joseph Renaud from Ontario was charged with armed robbery, section 344 of the Criminal Code. He made an initial appearance in North Battleford Provincial Court on December 27. At a subsequent appearance December 30, he pled guilty and was sentenced to time in a corrections facility.

Phantom Suns . . . Sun dogs paint the sky south of Biggar, Thursday, as the cold temperatures lingered for most of the province. The bitter temperatures - conducive for the formation of the halos - left the area by the

14th, leaving us with a warmer, more pleasant climate. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)

“From the Heart” fund raiser set to help area health services Once again, plans are underway for the Biggar and District Health S e r v i c e s Fo u n d a t i o n dinner, dance and auction t o b e h e l d S a t u r d ay, February 14. The theme this year is “From the Heart”. Not only is this the spirit in which donations are given

to the Foundation, but also the Foundation hopes this sentiment expresses to all their donors, how grateful they are for the continued support. This fund raiser is the Foundation’s premiere event, and the goal is to be able to continue to assist health care services in

accessing top of the line equipment, upgrades to existing equipment and continuing education opportunities as the need arises. The Foundation is looking forward to an enjoyable evening as they warm up the winter with heartfelt thanks.

Donations of items for the silent auction and the live auction, the brown bag ticket table and door prizes will be gratefully accepted. A tax deductible receipt will be issued for any item donated to this event. Louise Singer is the

contact person for the collection of the items for the auction and she can be reached at (306) 948-2934 or louise.singer@hotmail. ca. If you are considering a cash donation, please make cheques payable to the “Biggar and District Health Services Foundation Inc.”

Constituents have confidence in the economy, despite drop in oil: Block by Peggy Hasein of The Independent

The temperatures were chilly but constituents

still came out to greet their Member of Parliament Kelly Block during her tour stop in Biggar

MP Kelly Block, right, greets constituency members January 7 at the Biggar New Horizons. (Independent Photo by Peggy Hasein

on February 7. This year Block chose the month of January to hold open houses rather than during the busy pre-Christmas season. Overall, the response has been favourable. Voters are telling Block they have confidence in the economy. This, despite the recent drop in oil prices and the ripple effect it is having. Constituents are also supportive of efforts by the Harper government in paying down the debt. Everyone agrees this is important. Block points to another program which benefits small communities which sets aside infrastructure funding available only to rural communities. By accessing this grant smaller communities are able to

build projects specific to local needs and not compete for funds with larger urban centres. Municipal or regional governments can use the grant to fund programs for drinking water, wastewater, local and regional airports, short line rail, highways and major roads as examples. As Block points out when it comes to roads Saskatchewan has a lot. There are a number of concerns regarding immigration and labour. One way to fill the vacant help wanted positions is through immigration and the federal government is working to fix the problem areas surrounding immigration. Every four years thoughts turn to election time. Block talked about the fixed elec-

tion date legislation that was put into place. This set the general election to be held the third Monday in October every four years. The first fixed election date will be held in 2015 on October 19. As of the writ being dropped for the next federal election, the election boundaries in Saskatchewan will change. For those in Biggar the new riding will be called Carlton TrailEagle Creek. It is quite a large area and touches the boundaries of six other rural constituencies as well as some urban. All in all Block was pleased with the feedback her constituents are giving her. She continues her hometown tours into the coming weeks.


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