Vol. 104 No. 26
THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2013
Box 40, 102 3rd Ave West, Biggar, Saskatchewan S0K 0M0
email: tip@sasktel.net
24 pages
Phone: 306-948-3344
$1.25
www.biggarindependent.ca
PET/CT scanner now operating in Sask. S a s k a t c h e wa n ’s f i r s t PET/CT scanner officially opened June 20 at Saskatoon’s Royal
Goofy Grads . . . Using their scrolls for an unintended purpose, two Biggar Central School Kindergarten grads celebrate, mortarboards affixed, during graduation ceremonies, June 21. Celebrating the first of many grads were Kate Buxton, Liam Doyle, Kyson Egert, Dawson
University Hospital. “The investment we have made in this stateof-the-art medical imaging
Ekman, Hailey Flaman, Jailynn Irwin, Arrianna Ives, Haley Mantyka, Kieran Massie, Alara Ormiston, Dacey Robinson-Newell, Connor Schofield, Tyson Silbernagel, Taylor Singer, Rayelle Taylor, Jonathan Trotchie and Kyler Trotchie. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
Prairie Spirit Board passes 2013/14 budget The Prairie Spirit Board of Education passed its budget for the 2013/14 academic year at its regular meeting on Monday, June 17. The budget includes operating expenses of $107 million for the school division’s 45 schools in 28 communities surrounding the City of Saskatoon, of which Perdue School is a member. The 2013/14 school year will mark the eighth consecutive year of enrolment growth in P r a i r i e S p i r i t S ch o o l Division, with a projected enrolment of 10,158 (Pre-K to Grade 12), an increase of 344 students from September 30, 2012. This is the second year of the new provincial education funding model, which is based on the recognition of costs associated with providing e d u c a t i o n a l s e r v i c e s. Transitional funding was provided to some school divisions for 2012/13 in recognition that the
provincial government has not yet finalized all aspects of the funding model. Prairie Spirit received $3.2 million in transitional funding for the current school year but that funding has been reduced substantially to $895,000 for the 2013/14 school year. “This has been a very challenging budget for the board to consider,” said Larry Pavloff, Board Chair. “Throughout our deliberations, our focus has been on doing what is best for students to improve student learning throughout the division, despite our limited funding.” Since amalgamation, the Prairie Spirit Board of Education has prioritized smaller class sizes for improved student learning. Because the government does not recognize smaller class size as a funding cost, Prairie Spirit was allocated instructional funding equivalent to approximately $10,000
service will pay off in better health for our people, increased convenience and less stress from out-
of-province travel, and better access to accurate diagnoses,” Rural and Remote Health Minister Randy Weekes said. “We owe it to our patients to provide the highest quality care and the most effective treatments.” PET/CT (Positron Emission TomographyComputed Tomography) scans are used mainly to determine the treatment required for cancer patients and monitor its effectiveness. Saskatoon Health Region expects to provide service to 1,200 patients from across the province this fiscal year and 1,900 patients annually after that. Cindy Komodowski knows exactly how important it is to have a PET/CT scanner in Saskatchewan. Diagnosed with a rare form of stomach cancer, she has travelled to Vancouver and Edmonton numerous times for scans to monitor the size of tumours. For the first time since 2004, she underwent a scan last month without leaving the province. “It makes such a difference to be able to stay close to home, family and friends,” Komodowski said. “Saskatoon Health Region has committed to an environment where we provide excellent care for our patients and clients,” Saskatoon Regional Health Authority Chair Jim Rhode
said. “This new tool will help people stay closer to home when they need to undergo these tests. Our medical teams now have state-of-the-art medical imaging technology at their fingertips to improve service for patients.” The Government of Saskatchewan provided Saskatoon Health Region with $4 million toward the new medical imaging technology. The Royal University Hospital Foundation raised the remaining $2 million required to renovate the space and install the PET/CT, plus $500,000 for research and education. The province is also providing up to $3.7 million in annual operating funding for the PET/CT. The new PotashCorp PET/CT Centre was made possible by a matching contribution of $1 million from PotashCorp, making this vital piece of technology available to Saskatchewan residents. “At PotashCorp, health care is a key community investment priority and has been throughout our history,” PotashCorp President and CEO Bill Doyle said. “We are very pleased that our partnership with Royal University Hospital continues to bring modern medical technology to our province and improve patient care for everyone …see PET/CT, pg. 18
less per teacher than the division reduced the the provincial average. overall teacher staffing T h e s c h o o l d i v i s i o n levels in schools by a total employs over 600 Full- of just under 11 FTE. With Time Equivalent (FTE) this change in staffing, the system-wide Pupil teachers. “To be clear, Prairie to Teacher Ratio (PTR) Spirit could receive an will increase from 16.3 to additional $6 million in …see Prairie Spirt, pg 18 funding if we were funded at the provincial average,” explained Pavloff. “The board has spoken to the Minister and the Ministry of Education about this funding inequity.” Pavloff added that the direct impact of this provincial funding disparity is that while other growing school divisions were able to increase their staffing levels, Prairie Spirit has had to reduce its staff, despite a comparable growth rate. The board achieved a balanced budget by examining staffing levels at each school in the division. As a result of the Get your Boogie on . . . Runners hit the course Saturday during the first Biggar review and in consultation Boogie. Taking off from the Sandra Schmirler Olympic Gold Park, runners - serious with schools – without and not-so-serious - had great weather for the first event, which raised money for i m p a c t i n g o n g o i n g playground equipment for the town. Check out biggarindependent.ca this Friday for contractual obligations – more on the hugely successful event. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)