Vol. 104 No. 51
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2013
Box 40, 102 3rd Ave West, Biggar, Saskatchewan S0K 0M0
email: tip@sasktel.net
28 pages
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Long-term care funding to improve seniors’ care Province allocates Urgent Issues Action Fund R e s i d e n t s o f Saskatchewan’s long-term care facilities will benefit from improved quality of
care and quality of life. Health Minister Dustin Duncan, December 6, announced the allocation
of the Urgent Issues Action Fund to address priority issues identified by health regions stemming from
CEO tours of long-term care facilities earlier this year. “We are committed to making improvements that place the needs of our longterm care residents first,” Duncan said. “Today we are providing funding to the health regions to address issues that improve quality of care for seniors. This is an important step in the transformation of our longterm care system.” The initial October commitment of $10 million has been bolstered. Regions have received $10.04 million to address urgent issues, as well as $3.8 million to address ongoing p r e s s u r e s. E x a m p l e s include: • Purchasing priority equipment including lifts, tubs, electric beds and pressure supports to improve care for residents, while allowing staff more
time to spend on direct client care; • Training staff in the Gentle Persuasion Approach which helps front-line staff better care for residents with dementia; • Improving quality of life through improved dietary services and programming opportunities; and • Implementing electronic charting and point-of-care technologies that allow staff to spend more time with residents. This week, more than 100 health system leaders, long-term care providers, families and other stakeholders from across Saskatchewan will take part in an engagement session, to focus on quality and appropriate models of care in long-term care settings, as well as the broader continuum of care.
Vandals hit vehicles Not naughty, just misunderstood . . . St. Gabriel School student Kaleb Little puts on a bit of a frown, Friday, as Santa poses the “naughty or nice” query. We suspect Kaleb was just a wee bit miffed at having
his picture taken, just when he finally gets some alone time with St. Nicholas. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)
Trans-Pacific partnership negotiations continue in Singapore The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International T r a d e, D e c e m b e r 1 0 , highlighted progress made at a successful meeting with trade ministers from the countries of the TransPacific Partnership (TPP). The TPP Ministerial Meeting was held December 7 to 10 in Singapore, in the wake of the successful WTO Ministerial held in Bali, Indonesia. “Our government is committed to opening new markets throughout the Asia-Pacific region to help Canadian exporters expand and succeed, which creates jobs and opportunities across Canada,” said Fast. “To achieve this goal, our focus through the TPP is to continue to promote and advance Canada’s key interests. We look forward to working closely with all members toward an agreement that benefits all TPP countries.”
TPP ministers made good progress in Singapore, identifying potential outcomes for key outstanding areas of the text and agreeing to continue work to conclude market access negotiations. On the Prairies, the agriculture sector is a key component of Western C a n a d a ’ s e c o n o m y, employing almost 172,000 people in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. Agriculture is also one o f We s t e r n C a n a d a ’s largest export sectors. In 2012, Saskatchewan alone accounted for exports totalling $11.1 billion. Significant export commodities include grains, beef and pork products, wheat, oils and other food products. Among the TPP member c o u n t r i e s, t a r i f f s o n agricultural goods are wide-ranging. For example, Japan maintains average
most-favoured nation (MFN) applied tariffs of 23 per cent on agricultural goods; Malaysia maintains average MFN applied tariffs of almost 11 per cent; Vietnam’s average applied MFN tariff is 17 per cent; and Peru maintains an average MFN applied tariff of four per cent on agricultural goods. Canada’s agriculture and agri-food exports to TPP members include oilseeds and oils (such as canola), pork, beef, grains, pulses, fruits and vegetables, maple syrup and processed agricultural products. Eliminating tariff barriers could help support sales of Western Canada’s worldclass agricultural products in the lucrative TPP market of 792 million consumers. Enhanced access to this market would directly benefit hardworking Canadians in Western Canada through more jobs,
higher wages and greater long-term prosperity. Twelve countries are currently participating in the TPP negotiations: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia,
Biggar RCMP are looking for person(s) responsible for property damage in the Town of Biggar. On December 7, between 2 and 8 a.m., unknown person(s) spray painted and punctured all the tires on two trucks parked at 216 Fourth Avenue West in Biggar. If you have any information, please contact the Biggar RCMP, 948-6600. Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam. The TPP market represents more than 792 million people and a combined GDP of $27.5
trillion - more than 38 per cent of the world’s economy. A TPP agreement is expected to generate significant broad-based benefits across all sectors and regions of Canada.
Snow’s a blown’ . . . Cold, frigid temperatures are the normal for the area, and Friday the snow came calling. A few days later, warmer temperatures hit the area. (Independent Photo by Kevin Brautigam)