The Kerrobert Chronicle - August 6, 2024

There’s a murder to be solved at Luseland’s Museum

BY JOAN JANZEN

There’s always something new to see at the Luseland Museum, and now there’s also something fun to do at the museum during the month of August. The mystery of “The Empty Handed Thief” is waiting to be solved on Saturday and Sunday afternoons in August. Jean Halliday from the museum explained what visiting detectives can expect.

“The best process is if a group of about six people come to the museum,” she said. “They get their characters and can choose some accessories … hats, canes, scarves, etc.” Once they have their character, they meet at the crime scene (the museum living room). “We read the story to set the stage, and visitors are given a card with all the places in the museum where they will find a clue,” she explained.

The Luseland Museum features various rooms from a homestead house and businesses from “Main Street.” The detectives move throughout the museum, finding clues and compiling notes on their cards. Clues are tucked away in a safety deposit box at the bank, in a policeman’s notebook at the police station, and in many other spots. Everywhere they go, they’ll find a clue while simultaneously enjoying a tour of the museum.

“The idea of the murder mystery is to connect with a different age group, and it seems to be working. We have a group of teenagers booked for an afternoon in August,” Jean said. After the mystery is solved, the museum offers snacks and juice to reward the detectives.

The murder mystery is most suitable for ages 12 and up, as some of the clues are quite challenging. However, last Sunday, Jean said a group of three 10-year-old boys had a good time and, with just a little help, solved the mystery.

“The murder mystery takes the players to every space in the museum where they have to check out all the items in the area. Once they think they have solved the mystery, everyone meets back in the living room to hear the end of the tale,” Jean said.

Lily was one of the characters at the Luseland Museum’s Murder Mystery this past Saturday. SUBMITTED

Colour Run at Eston Riverside Park was a huge success!

BY JOAN JANZEN

A first-time event kicked off at Eston Riverside Regional Park (ERRP) on Saturday afternoon, July 27th. A group of 135 participants gathered at Tyner Hall for the ERRP Colour Run. Organizer Shannon Beckstrand said, “We did our best to deal with the wind, but that’s Saskatchewan!”

Everyone from babies pushed in strollers to seniors came out to walk or run along the 3 km route throughout the park. There were games for the kids waiting for the run to begin and beer gardens for the spectators.

“We tried to keep registration costs as low as possible,” Shannon explained. Registered participants could purchase t-shirts, and all proceeds from the event went to the new slide for the ERRP pool. So far, we have raised approximately $2600.” The estimated cost of the slide will be between $8,000 and $10,000. Thirteen generous sponsors donated $3,775 towards this event, and Central Plains Co-op donated water for the runners.

Six colour stations were set up along the route, manned by volunteer cabin

holders who created a fun atmosphere with decorations and music. “The weather was extremely windy, which made it challenging for decorations and registration, but we made the best of it,” Shannon said.

The event was made possible with the help of 15 volunteers, who helped with set up, take down, registration and running the colour stations.

Shannon and her husband Jason describe themselves as “generational River Rats.” They grew up enjoying cabin life at the park and are present-day cabin holders. “All my four children have worked at ERRP as lifeguards, gate workers, golf course maintenance, and booth shifts,” Shannon said. We understand how precious our park is to future generations.”

Her words explain why she heads up fundraising events like the colour run.

“There’s always a need for funding and volunteers, which is so important to keep our little Oasis in the middle of the Prairies going,” Shannon said.

Everyone who visits the park appreciates the efforts of these dedicated organizers, volunteers, participants and sponsors.

Three Elizabeth School students compete in Sask Summer Games

BY JOAN JANZEN

Three students from Elizabeth Middle School attended the 2024 Sask Summer Games in Lloydminster from July 21 to 27th. Breanna Velasco, Zaya Bothner, and Bentley Atkinson were cheered on by their classmates at home while they participated in the week-long competition. Breanna and Zaya were at the games during the first portion, and Bentley’s event was on Friday.

Twelve-year-old Breanna Velasco played forward/defence on the female Rivers West soccer team, which finished in 8th place. She has been playing soccer for the past two years and said she learned a lot at the summer games. She also enjoyed having fun and meeting new people.

Kindersley’s Zaya Bothner was a female Rivers West softball team member coached by her dad, Winston Bothner. The twelve-year-old played left field, competing in one game on both Monday and Wednesday and two games on Tuesday, finishing 5th in the finals.

Bentley Atkinson appreciated the opportunity to further her discus skills, as Kindersley has limited coaching. For the past two years, 13-year-old Bentley has been honing her skills and placed 8th in the discus final on Friday.

Bentley’s mom Roxanne noted her daughter was fortunate to be accepted since students in athletics are required to be 14 years of age and in high school. There were four athletic coaches there to lend assistance, which was a treat for

Bentley who didn’t have a coach while she was preparing for the event. It was a new experience for the three Kindersley girls, and they made many new friends during the games. “The girls focussed on attending other people’s events and cheering them on,” Roxanne said.

She also attended the closing ceremony, which she described as high-energy and a little emotional as the flag was handed over to the next game hosts. The 2026 games will be held in Meadow Lake.

Way to go, girls!

A total of 135 participants registered for the 2024 ERRP Color Run on July 27th. PHOTO BY SHANNON BECKSTRAND

Breanna Velasco played forward/defence for the Rivers West soccer team.

Bentley Atkinson was a discus competitor at the Summer Games.

Zaya Bothner played left field as a member of the Rivers West softball team.

Vera Schmidt shares 100 years of memories

BY JOAN JANZEN

Can you imagine what it was like to be alive in 1924? Vera Schmidt at Eatonia Oasis Living (EOL) doesn’t have to imagine because she was born on August 14, 1924, at the hospital in Kindersley.

Even though Vera has stored up 100 years of treasured memories, she told the EOL staff she couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to fuss with her story. Her life story began on a farm four miles north and one mile west of Kindersley, along with two brothers and four sisters.

She went to Merrington School, which was located a half mile east of their family farm. It was a one-room school where Vera attended from grades 1 to 10. Now, that school building stands at the Kindersley Museum. Vera remembers walking to school during the Dirty 30s, with the dust blowing and hitting her legs. The tumbleweeds were piled up along the fence line and would catch all the dirt.

“I remember my mother serving us the cod fish they got from eastern Canada and us kids just loved it,” she recalled, but she confessed she no longer likes to eat fish. Since her family had a big garden, they always had lots of potatoes to eat. “I remember we had to weed the potatoes before we could go to sports day,” she said.

Vera’s dad died when she was about seven years old, and during that time, her mother operated the farm along with a hired hand. When World War II began, her two older brothers were called upon to serve.

Her brother Earl served and was stationed in France, but her other brother stayed at home. “My mother got him out of it because she needed him to

help on the farm,” Vera said. However, Earl didn’t come home and died in 1944.

After completing Grade 10, Vera took a hairdressing course in Saskatoon. Her son, Ken explained how his mom and dad met. “She met my dad’s sister, and that’s how they got introduced,” Ken said. His dad, Bill, grew up on a farm eight miles southwest of Kindersley.

The couple married on November 7, 1951, and moved to Bill’s family farm. They had two children, Ken and Arlene. Vera was a stay-at-home mom who worked on the farm. She helped summer-fallow, haul grain during harvest, work in the garden, and help out with the animals. There were lots of animals: cows, sheep, chickens, turkeys, dogs, and cats. Now Ken and his son farm the land.

On August 10, Vera’s children, along with her seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, will hold a tea at EOL to celebrate her 100th birthday. Although her siblings have all passed away, Vera has a sister-in-law in Alberta who plans to attend, and Vera’s oldest grandson is coming from England for the festivities.

Vera moved to EOL just one year ago on her birthday. Prior to that time she had lived at Caleb in Kindersley for seven years.

This centurion’s birthday will be a happy occasion when she celebrates with her family, friends, and everyone at EOL. “I just say thank you, God, for giving me this much time,” Vera said.

Happy Birthday, Vera. All your friends and family are also grateful to God that they can spend this much time with you.

Vera Schmidt visited the museum to see her father’s buggy, which had been restored and donated to the Kindersley Museum earlier this year. PHOTO BY KEN SCHMIDT

Vera Schmidt

EATONIA AGENCIES LTD.

Prepare for hunting season

Hunting season is nearly here, and it’s time to plan and get ready! There are several things hunters can do to prepare themselves for the upcoming season.

Purchase your hunting licences

Big Game Draw and regular licences are available for purchase as of August 1. The quota limited antlerless mule deer licences are available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning August 15.

Hunters have a few options to purchase a licence:

• Online through the Hunting, Angling and Trapping Licence (HAL) system, 24 hours a day.

• In person at a Government of Saskatchewan field office with front counter service or at select provincial park offices.

• In person from any Saskatchewan hunting licence issuer.

• By phone at 1-855-848-4773 (you will require a credit card).

Hunters must provide their HAL identification number, or any other identification number previously added to their HAL account.

New this year: The Saskatchewan Trappers Guide is now a standalone document, designed to give trappers the specific information they need. Both the Trappers Guide and the Hunters Guide include comprehensive lists of season dates, important information on regulations, licences and fees, and highlights of what is new for 2024, including expanded dark goose hunting opportunities.

Visit saskatchewan.ca/hunting to download a copy of either guide or pick up printed copies at Government of Saskatchewan field offices with front counter service, select retailers and some provincial parks.

Know the rules: permission to hunt on private lands

Approximately 85 per cent of the land in southern Saskatchewan is privately owned or controlled. Consent from the owner is mandatory prior to entering and hunting on any private land:

• Consent can be provided in writing, orally or through signage, or

• it can be sought and provided by any method in-

cluding in person, by telephone and through email.

The following helpful information can be found on the Government of Saskatchewan website to help with every stage of planning a hunting trip:

• The 2023 Hunter Harvest Survey results (as well as results from previous years).

• The 2023-24 CWD Surveillance Program rsults (summary and map), along with other information about CWD testing.

• All the relevant guides and supplements posted in the Publications Centre.

Get in touch if you need more information.

For information on HAL accounts, visit: saskatchewanhal.ca or call 1-888-773-8450.

For more information about hunting and trapping in Saskatchewan or to download the Saskatchewan Hunters Guide and Saskatchewan Trappers Guide, visit: saskatchewan.ca/hunting.

If you have questions about hunting in Saskatchewan, contact the Ministry of Environment’s Inquiry Centre at 1-800-567-4224 or centre.inquiry@gov.sk.ca.

Happy hunting!

It comes just with what ever balls you see in the picture and no cues.

The recipient of the Tender is required to remove the pool table from the property by August 31, 2024. The costs associated with removal are the responsibility of the buyer. The pool table is sold as is.

Anyone interested can drop off a sealed tender package at the: Kerrobert Town Office (located in the courthouse) at 433 Manitoba Ave., Kerrobert, Saskatchewan before 4:00 p.m. on Friday, August 9th, 2024

The tenders will be opened and reviewed by the council at the August 14th, 2024 meeting. The Town of Kerrobert reserves the right to reject any or all tenders.

Tenders can also be mailed to: Town of Kerrobert, Box 558, Kerrobert, SK S0L 1R0 OR email cao@kerrobert.ca

For more information please call the Town Office at 306-834-2361.

Tara Neumeier, CAO

at the spray park, while a gentle breeze kept the mosquitoes away. PHOTO

BY JOAN JANZEN

The spray park in Kindersley is the perfect place for kids and their moms on a warm and sunny day. These moms and tots were enjoying their morning

OPINION:

One in five Canadians use charitable services for essential needs

BY JOAN JANZEN

The doctor told his patient to quit smoking. He advised him to chew on a toothpick whenever he felt like lighting up. A few months later, the patient returned for a checkup. The doctor said he had good news and bad news.

The doctor said, “The good news is that your lungs have started to clear up. The bad news is that you have Dutch Elm Disease.”

Within minutes of waking up every day, people are bombarded with “bad news.” You hear it on your television and while you’re driving down the road. And when you look at your phone or other device, it’s on your latest news feed. People may wonder if there’s any good news happening in the world, but they could miss the good news that’s happening in their own communities.

Did you know there are approximately 85,000 charities across Canada that provide help for Canadians daily? The list includes food banks, women’s shelters, kids’ camps, churches, rehab centres, ministries, and much more. John Pellowe, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities (CCCC), discussed the state of Canada’s charitable sector when interviewed by Faytene Grasseschi.

Statistics reveal that one in five Canadians use charitable services to meet their essential needs. In 2023, one in sev-

Did you know there are approximately 85,000 charities across Canada that provide help for Canadians daily?

en Canadians said it was the first time they had relied on charities for help.

Faytene said the food bank in her area in New Brunswick told her their volume of demand has tripled in the past four years. “We’re in tough economic times, so there’s a lot of people who work, but pick up food to help supplement their needs,” she said.

While I was chatting with a single-income family with two babies, they expressed appreciation for our local food distribution charity. It fills a huge need in their household.

The increasing need may explain survey results showing more than 57 percent of charities cannot meet the current levels of demand. The demand has increased because food prices have increased.

A single mom in the area verified the price increases when she found a grocery receipt from 2022. She went to

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All questions regarding letters to the editor should be directed to: Your Southwest Media Group Attn: Kate Winquist Box 727, Kindersley, Sask. S0L 1S0 e-mail: kate@yourwestcentral.com

the same store and purchased the same items; the total was double what it had been on the 2022 receipt.

That’s the bad news, but the good news is that help is available for people in need. Much of that help is not government-funded but is provided by ministries and churches and funded by the generosity of Canadians.

John from CCCC said an analysis was made on the value charities bring to societies. “They analyze the value the same way they analyze the economic value of a sporting event coming to Canada. They’ve done the same analysis for churches,” he explained. The study showed that every $1 a church spends has a $5 return to the community because of the services they provide. “There’s a tremendous return on your investment. If you take Christian people/organizations out of the equation, we would be very much impoverished in our charities.”

Statistics showed that 82% of Canadians contributed to charitable organizations in 2014, as opposed to 60% contributed in 2023. Although the number of Canadians making charitable donations has been on the decline, an IPS survey showed that those who are giving are giving larger amounts.

John gave an update from CCCC, which reported that the government is implementing an “alternative minimum tax.”

“Currently, if you give a gift of securities, you don’t include any of that as capital gains. It’s an efficient way to give because everything goes to the charity,” he explained. With the inclusion rate, the donor rate will pay tax on the donation. It undermines one of the strongest economic bases for charities.” It is especially harmful to charities that don’t get corporate or government funding and depend on individual donors.

“To be honest other than hearing this from you, I have not heard this message,” Faytene observed.

These combined trends mean some charities that bring so much to our communities are vulnerable. John encouraged Canadians to stay informed and stay in touch with their MPs.

“I think the best thing we can do is to just be our very best selves and be out there helping other people,” he concluded. Good news happens when we continue to help and support those in need.

“That’s why there are concerns about measures the federal government is taking that will actually hurt the charitable sector,” John reported. “The demand for their services has skyrocketed in the past four years. What we have now is major donors who are stepping in to help fund all kinds of charities. They’re giving out of their wealth, not just their income.”

GREG PAULHUS Web/Social Media

BRIAN ZINCHUK Oil & Energy News

JAIDYN WINQUIST Summer Student

Pop89: Home truths

BY MADONNA HAMEL

Why want to be rich and famous? I used to ask my friends in art school. Isn’t that a hindrance to freedom? If you get caught up in what gets attention, what gets sold for big bucks, don’t you start making anticipatory art - a kind of creativity based on popularity and not the dictates of your deeper creative yearnings, the promptings of your soul? Art-making is not a supply and demand profession.

Perhaps we want to be rich and famous because it’s the only way to be seen and heard. Is this our technological-cultural inheritance? The establishment of a new tradition? Now that there’s a computer in every pocket (which is basically what a cell phone is ) billionaires and movie stars establish our world view with their opinions and philosophies and realities as far from our own as the moon from planet earth, which is why I read books. I prefer to form my opinions on information formed by authors who have dedicated their lives to a subject.

Just this morning, I checked out a book on the Enlightenment. The Age of Enlightenment was the precursor to our present age of progressivism. “We are enlightened, let us enlighten you,” pronounced by the likes of Voltaire, Kant, and Descartes. I was struck how similar their words echo the self-proclaimed awakened pronouncement of the “woke” world.

“We are enlightened, let us enlighten you,” pronounced by the likes of Voltaire, Kant, and Descartes. I was struck how similar their words echo the selfproclaimed awakened pronouncement of the “woke” world.

short of relating to the world at large. It was Katrina. I was touring with my ex, a blues musician. We’d just finished a show and were watching the news while we packed our suitcases to head out to our next gig. On the screen came images of cars streaming out of New Orleans. Newscasters in air-conditioned big city studios passed on warnings about an oncoming hurricane, advising people to get in their cars and leave the city. “And go where?” mumbled James. Forget disposable income for hotels; some folks don’t own cars. When I entered journalism through the non-lucrative portal of spoken word performance, I was taken aback by how eager younger reporters were to own their own homes in a tony part of town before they reached the age of thirty. They also owned new cars. God forbid you should sit in a subway car alongside the great unwashed masses. Even though those are the same people we, as journalists, are meant to serve, inform, give voice to. Being out of touch with the public surrounding them was of no concern.

TAX TIPS

But who am I? Well, I am not the guy in the bar repeating the latest 2-minute clip on Fox or CNN and believing I’ve got a handle on the world. As a former broadcaster, I know how to cut a clip. A reporter can change the entire context and meaning of a person’s words by clipping carefully to fit the ideology of the news station. This is not new. What is new is: We have come to count on careful clipping tailored to our opinion so we won’t be forced to consider, contemplate, think about each situation on a case-by-case basis. That’s just too much work. Don’t make me think- just convince me with your talk, which is why the rich and famous get so much air time. They are actors and salesmen; they entertain and convince us at the same time.

And yet, the majority of North Americans have more in common with each other than they do with the rich and famous. We never rub elbows with highly paid CEOs, Silicon Valley millionaires, media broadcasters, tenured professors, Hollywood actors, tele-evangelists and politicians. The rich and famous live in worlds so hived off, so radically different and separate from the pay-check-to-pay-check world, that they are able to maintain the illusion that they actually DO connect with, understand, represent, portray, and care for us. When Covid hit, we witnessed stars bragging about washing their own dishes, cooking their own meals, and styling their own hair. It became evident that “home” and “home life” were radically different for them than they were for us. In fact, most of them have more than one home, while some of us rent one-room apartments.

I recall another catastrophe when the press fell

I was surprised, also, how, fresh out of J School, they expected fame any time now. It wasn’t their ambition that bothered me, but that fame was an end goal. A thirst for celebrity moves motivation from “What story needs to be told?” to “What story gets attention and makes headlines?” In the performing arts, I witnessed this thinking repeatedly manifested in young women looking for new ways of exposing more of their bodies in stranger and more “shocking,” “edgy,” and “transgressive” ways. Decade after decade, new troops adopt the age-old postures of temptress or masochist or dominatrix or nubile virgin. And every time, the salivating press assures them they’re doing something new. Something ground-breaking and radical. It’s a surefire attention grabber until you get fat or sick and, eventually, old.

The rich and famous are so out of touch with the rest of the world that they constantly insult us without knowing it. Recently, I watched an interview with the actors in Oppenheimer, the Oscar-clinching movie about the man who invented the atomic bomb. One of the actors joked about how they had to stay in the Holiday Inn Express, as if families didn’t save all year to afford a few nights there. The joke went on for some time - you’d think they were forced to sleep in tents at the local campground.

So, who do we trust to give us insight into the world? Who are our guides? To whom do we turn to put First Things First and practice Sober Second Thought? Are we the elders - elders’ cranky grandfathers hooked on porn and grandmas whining about the neighbour’s lawn? Where are the wise ones closer to home?

Canada’s athletic reputation stained once again

BY BRUCE PENTON

Canada, primarily because of our comparatively small population, is not one of the heavyweights in the global sports picture, unless we’re talking about hockey, where we dominate. But at an event like the Summer Olympics, Canada is usually one of the unheralded nations. In fact, through the years, Canada ranks 13th in total medals (while placing third overall in Winter Olympics).

BY BRUCE PENTON Sports Columnist

But ask any sports fan outside of Canada what comes to mind when they mesh the words ‘Canada’ and ‘Olympics’ and the answer will invariably be ‘cheating.’

Canada, with an otherwise spotless worldwide reputation as fair, kind, honourable and polite — cheaters. Aaaghh! Say it ain’t so, Justin.

Thirty-six years ago, Ben Johnson brought shame to Canada when he tested positive for steroids in the aftermath of one of the biggest events of the 1988 Seoul Olympics: The 100-metre sprint final featuring Johnson and the United States star, Carl Lewis. The hype and buildup for the final was enormous and when Johnson crossed the finish line first in a world record time of 9.79 seconds, Canadians from coast to coast rejoiced.

For one day, anyway. Johnson’s use of the banned substance stanozolol, which was discovered in his system following a post-race drug test, had him stripped of the gold. The story made worldwide headlines and Johnson went from hero to zero in Canadian sports history.

Now, our country’s making headlines around the

SPORTS TALK

world for another reason — and it’s not the swimming exploits of Summer McIntosh, or the basketball team led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or the sprinting prowess of Andre DeGrasse. It’s another cheating scandal and because it’s centred around soccer, the sport played in more countries in the world than any other, the shame has spread to all corners of the globe.

Prior to the start of this year’s Olympics, a drone operated by representatives of the Canadian team was discovered taking video of a practice session of New Zealand, their first opponent (Canada won the game 2-1). Head coach Bev Priestman was suspended for the rest of the Olympic tournament and two others, an assistant coach and an analyst, were sent home from Paris before the opening ceremonies. “By no means did I direct the individuals,” Priestman said.

Initial reporting by Rick Westhead of TSN indicated that use of drones to spy on Canadian opponents’ practices has been commonplace. Questions were asked whether John Herdman, who guided the Canadian women’s soccer team to a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, authorized similar spying tactics while he was the women’s coach, and whether he’s authorized similar underhanded tactics in his current role as Canada’s men’s team coach. He said no to all such suggestions.

The Canadian Olympic story in Paris will obviously be brighter as the Games move toward their Aug. 11 conclusion. It couldn’t have got off to a worse start and no matter how many medals our country wins, the ‘cheating’ black cloud will hang over our country in the eyes of the rest of the athletic world.

• Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: “Golf is just an adult version of an Easter Egg hunt.”

• Medicine Hat News’ CFL columnist Graham Kelly, detailing the recent sad history of Edmonton coach Chris Jones: “Jones’ major talent turns out to be burning bridges.”

• Another one from Kelly, on the CFL matchup be-

tween struggling Edmonton and Hamilton: “Edmonton hosts Hamilton in the Misery Loves Company bowl.”

• Comedy guy Torben Rolfsen of Vancouver: “Cleveland Guardians drafted Travis Bazzana first in the MLB draft. I hope at some point he gets to play for the Savannah Bananas. That would be awesome.”

• Funny guy Brad Dickson of Omaha: “As some of you undoubtedly heard I qualified for the Paris Olympic Games in both the decathlon and the heptathlon. However, I’ve decided to forego the competition and stay home and spend my time reading social media posts about the upcoming U.S. presidential election.”

• Vancouver author and humour columnist Steve Burgess: “Canada’s Celine Dion will return to the stage in the Olympic opening ceremonies. Plans for drone footage have been cancelled.”

• Phil Mushnick of the New York Post: “NBC’s genuine Olympics spirit can soon be seen on bills. Just before the Games were scheduled to begin, it raised the cost of Peacock by two bucks per month.”

• Jack Finarelli on his website sportscurmudgeon. com, quotes from a note he received from a reader named Barry: “Reminder that the term ‘Home Run’ is incredibly offensive to homeless people, people in wheelchairs and especially homeless people in wheelchairs.”

• RJ Currie of sportsdeke.com: “Reuters reports a Belgian town made a giant omelet of 10,000 eggs. I’m taking the high road on this and not cracking any yokes.”

• Headline at the onion.com: “MLB Loses Millions of Stats In Warehouse Fire”

• Headline at fark.com: “Why do athletes bite their medals at the Olympics? Because one in every 25 contains a delicious chocolate centre.”

Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca

Olympics are never without controversy

BY GREG BUCHANAN

The Olympics are never short on controversy and scandal, and Paris was no different. From opening ceremony shenanigans to polluted water, drone-spying and hijab bans, here are the stories stealing the headlines at the 2024 Paris Olympics for all the wrong reasons.

We saw the organizers’ worst fears come to light as City of Paris representatives and World Triathlon officials were forced to postpone the men’s triathlon event because the water quality in the Seine River is still awful.

Paris’ Seine River is still unfit for competition despite the $1.5 billion spent ahead of these Olympics to clean and treat the water for the triathlon and marathon swimming. Heavy downpours over the weeks and days ahead of the 2024 Games have caused bacteria

levels to spike once again. The swim portion of Monday’s Olympic triathlon training session was cancelled for the second consecutive day because of the ongoing water-quality issues in the river.

Paris 2024 and the World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes. The tests carried out in the Seine revealed water quality levels that did not provide sufficient guarantees for the event to be held.

If it goes ahead as planned, the swimming portion of the triathlon will mark the first time athletes have competed in the channel since the 1900 Paris Games—yes, 1900.

The biggest sports-related controversy in Paris went down before the 2024 Games even began, with the Canadian women’s soccer team at the centre of a drone-spying scandal that stole the headlines early on.

A Canadian analyst was caught flying a drone over a closed New Zealand training session ahead of their Olympic opening match. The staffer in question was detained and eventually sent home

from the Olympics after police raided the staffer’s hotel room and recovered the footage.

FIFA investigations followed and eventually resulted in heavy punishments for the Canadian side, including a massive fine for Canada Soccer, oneyear bans for three of Canada’s coaches, including head coach Bev Priestman, and a six-point deduction to be implemented during the group stage of this Olympic women’s soccer competition.

The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Soccer—the nation’s governing body for the sport—officially appealed FIFA’s six-point penalty.

At the end of the day, the controversy behind the Games in Paris still captured our attention, and many of us spent hours watching many sports that we would never get a chance to watch outside of the Olympic games.

753-3430 Cell: (306) 753-7541 Macklin, SK

ROSETOWN AND KYLE RCMP REPORT

Rosetown man charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle

• Rosetown RCMP attended a wellness request check in Rosetown, SK.

• Rosetown RCMP received a complaint of an erratic driver on Highway 7 near McGee, SK. Members located the vehicle and a warning was given to the driver.

• Kyle RCMP received a report of a suspicious vehicle in Rosetown, SK. Members patrolled but found no suspicious activity.

• Rosetown RCMP received a report of an erratic driver on Highway 7. Members were unable to locate the vehicle.

• Rosetown RCMP are investigating a stolen flat-deck trailer from Harris, SK.

• Kyle RCMP acted as mediators in a neighbour dispute in Wiseton, SK.

• Rosetown RCMP received a complaint of an abandoned vehicle on Highway 7 near McGee. Members attended and contacted the registered owner.

• Rosetown RCMP are investigating theft of fuel from a local business in Rosetown, SK.

• Rosetown RCMP received a traffic complaint on Highway 7 near Tessier, SK. Members located the vehicle and spoke to vehicle driver.

• Rosetown RCMP received a complaint of an erratic driver in Rosetown, SK. Members located the vehicle and charged a 35 year-old male from Rosetown, SK with Impaired operation of a motor vehicle.

• Rosetown RCMP received a report of a family dispute near Milden, SK. Members charged a 69 yearold male with assault and released for court.

• Kyle RCMP received a complaint of an erratic driver

on Highway 7. Members were unable to locate the vehicle.

• Rosetown RCMP received a noise complaint in Wiseton, SK. The complainant declined to proceed. There were 69 Traffic related charges issued, one 911 mis-dial call and 4 false alarm calls.

Police are asking anyone with information about these or any other crime(s) to please contact the Rosetown RCMP at 306-882-5700, Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

“The hard days are best, because that’s where champions are made.“

Gabby Douglas

Little ones ages 3 to 6 look forward to story time every Tuesday morning at the Kindersley Library. This week the story and craft was all about families. Story teller Jayne MacDiarmid from Synergy Credit Union, captured the children’s attention on July 30th. PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN

Young entrepreneurs at work

BY JOAN JANZEN

Young entrepreneurs showcased their work and products at the Sandhills Marketplace in Leader on August 1. Local patrons came out early, eager to choose from the wide selection of items available.

Two Hutterite girls were busy selling baking and homemade soaps. On the opposite end of the outdoor market stalls, Jane Dietrich and her granddaughter quickly depleted their supply of homemade baking.

Rylan Cocks featured his Make Space Art Studio, which operates in the basement of the hall on 2nd Street West. It’s a space where people of all ages can create and have fun.

“The best part is working with all ages,” Ryan said. He offers everything from day camps for kids to teen camps, paint night and art classes for adults, community mural projects, and workshops. And he doesn’t just confine himself to his studio. He’s held art classes for Estuary Colony students and seniors at Eatonia Oasis Living. “It’s very rewarding,” he said.

There were two more entrepreneurs at the market. Eleven-year-old Ilke Krugel and her 8-year-old sister Kadi were selling earrings, key chains and crocheted items. Just one year ago, the girls moved to Leader with their family from South Africa. Ilke taught herself to crochet. When she wasn’t helping customers, her crochet needles were clicking away.

Be a Good Neighbour! HELP CLEAN UP GRASS, WEEDS & BACK ALLEYS

This has been a challenging summer with rain and heat and keeping up our yards. There are a number of properties that have an abundance of noxious weeds. We ask that everyone do their best to spray or pull your weeds in both your front and back yards and keep your yard mowed and trimmed. This fall the Town is launching an initiative to clean up backyards and alleys, focussing on dragging, leveling and drainage issues. This is an excellent opportunity to tidy up your back yard and remove any obstructions in the back alley to help facilitate their work. Be a good neighbour! Keeping areas clean not only enhances appearances, but also helps prevent issues with harbouring rats and mice.

Ilke Krugel (left) and her sister Kadi were busy selling their homemade keychains and crocheting at the marketplace at Leader on August 1.

Rylan Cocks showcased the day camps and workshops he offers at his Make Space Art Studio in Leader.

Jane Dietrich and her granddaughter were busy selling homemade baking at the Leader market on August 1.

Prairie towns offer summer fun!

BY JOAN JANZEN

The past few weeks have been hot! However, there’s an abundance of small towns on the prairies that offer fun ways for people to cool down.

On a hot afternoon in Leader, families enjoyed the water slide and a cool dip in the town’s outdoor pool. After they dried off, they could ven-

ture over to the newly opened ice cream shop and choose from a large selection of ice cream treats.

Another cool place to visit is the Leader Library. There, kids can join the Summer Reading Club, which runs until the end of August. It may be hot outside, but small towns on the prairies offer plenty of cool things to do.

“Will that be one scoop of sprinkles or two?” Of course, this youngster opted for two scoops as he held on to his milkshake from Sassy Scoops Ice Cream Shoppe in Leader.

drivingruralprosperity.ca

Driving Rural Prosperity

Notice of Special Meeting of Members

September 4, 2024 10 am

To register, visit pccu.ca/partnership or scan code

Deadline to register September 2

PRAIRIE CENTRE CREDIT UNION

(2006) LTD.

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF MEMBERS

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a special meeting of the members of Prairie Centre Credit Union (2006) Ltd. will be held online at https://www.pccu.ca/partnership from the Town of Rosetown, in the Province of Saskatchewan, on September 4, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. to consider, and if thought fit, to approve and adopt by special resolution an agreement providing for the amalgamation of Prairie Centre Credit Union (2006) Ltd., Diamond North Credit Union, and Cypress Credit Union Limited. The effective date of the proposed amalgamation is January 1, 2025.

Members may participate online at the meeting on September 4, 2024, and may vote either by in-person electronic ballot at any service location or online at https://www.pccu.ca/partnership from September 4, 2024 at 12:00 noon until September 10, 2024 at 6:00 p.m

DATED at the Town of Rosetown, in the Province of Saskatchewan, this 1st day of August, 2024.

A summary of the Amalgamation Agreement is included with this Notice.

Copies of the Amalgamation Agreement, Articles of Amalgamation and Bylaws for the Amalgamated Credit Union are available at the Credit Union upon request.

The Amalgamation Agreement in summary states:

1. Prairie Centre Credit Union (2006) Ltd., Diamond North Credit Union, and Cypress Credit Union Limited, the Amalgamating Credit Unions, agree to amalgamate as one new Amalgamated Credit Union. 2. Each member shall become a member of the Amalgamated Credit Union on the date of amalgamation and receive the privileges thereof. 3. The Amalgamated Credit Union shall become the owner of all assets, rights and things and be subject to all of the liabilities and obligations of each of the Amalgamating Credit Unions. 4. The Amalgamated Credit Union shall maintain a complete record of all assets, rights and things owned by it and all liabilities and obligations owned as a result of the amalgamation. 5. The name of the Amalgamated Credit Union will be determined by the Boards of the Amalgamating Credit Unions prior to December 31, 2024. 6. Each of the Amalgamating Credit Unions will provide full disclosure of its assets and liabilities. 7. From the date of agreement until the amalgamation date the Amalgamating Credit Unions shall consult with each other with regard to business operations and extraordinary expenses. 8. The Amalgamation Agreement includes proposed Articles of Amalgamation (Schedule A) and bylaws (Schedule B) for the Amalgamated Credit Union. 9. The first directors of the Amalgamated Credit Union are named as part of the Amalgamation Agreement. 10. The auditors for the Amalgamated Credit Union will be MNP LLP. 11. The effective date of the amalgamation shall be the 1st day of January, 2025. 12. That if the membership of Prairie Centre Credit Union (2006) Ltd. approve the amalgamation, but one of either Diamond North Credit Union or Cypress Credit Union do not approve the amalgamation, Prairie Centre Credit Union (2006) Ltd. and the other approving credit union may amalgamate notwithstanding the withdrawal of the non-approving credit union.

Scan to register

A dive into Leader’s outdoor pool is a great way to cool off on a hot day. PHOTOS BY JOAN JANZEN

DO YOU OR ANYONE YOU KNOW NEED FOOD?

BY BRIAN ZINCHUK

It’s taken years to get here, but there’s a new trend in Canada’s pipeline industry, and it couldn’t come soon enough. That’s because the path we’ve been on until now has been one to ruin.

On July 30, TC Energy announced it was in the process of selling 5.34 per cent of its Nova Gas Transmission Ltd. (NGTL) System and the Foothills Pipeline assets for a gross purchase price of $1 billion. “The Agreement is backed by the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC) and was negotiated by a consortium committee (Consortium) representing specific Indigenous Communities (Communities) across Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. This results in an implied enterprise value of approximately $1.65 billion, inclusive of the proportionate share of the Partnership Assets’ collective debt,” TC Energy said.

This comes a few months after its March 14 announcement to sell “all outstanding shares in Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Holdings Ltd. and the limited partnership interests in Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Limited Partnership (collectively, PRGT). PRGT is a wholly owned subsidiary of TC Energy and the developer of a natural gas pipeline project in British Columbia and potential delivery corridor that would further unlock Canada as a secure, affordable and sustainable source of LNG.”

The Nova system sale is significant. It’s the principal natural gas gathering system throughout Alberta and a bit into B.C. In addition to supplying Alberta with its gas needs, Nova, in turn, feeds the TC Energy Mainline. It also supplies Saskatchewan via Many Islands Pipe Lines and TransGas, both subsidiaries of SaskEnergy. And since Saskatchewan’s domestic gas production keeps falling, we now rely heavily on Alberta gas to keep our furnaces lit and our new gas-fired power plants turning, keeping the lights on. When you look at the Nova map, it’s basically the map of Alberta.

Some of the most significant difficulties in getting major pipeline projects built in this country over the last 16 years has been Indigenous opposition. One of the first stories I wrote about with Pipeline News during the summer of 2008 was a First Nations protest on the Enbridge right of way at Kerrobert, complete with a teepee. That was for the Alberta Clipper project, but it was relatively quickly resolved.

Then there was Enbridge’s Northern Gateway project, which was approved by the Conservative federal government but halted by the courts because of insufficient Indigenous consultation. It was ultimately killed very early into the Trudeau-led Liberal administration, when he said, “The Great Bear Rainforest was no place for a pipeline, a crude pipeline.”

Northern Gateway would have terminated at Kitimat. Yet, curiously enough, that same forest had to be crossed to built the TC Energy Coastal GasLink project. It went grossly overbudget in no small part due to delays and resistance in every manner possible from

the Wet’suweten in northern B.C. As Canadian Press reported on Dec. 11, 2023, “By the time the pipeline was finished, its estimated construction cost had ballooned from $6.6 billion to $14.5 billion.”

All brands of tires for everything on wheels!

And then there was Trans Mountain Expansion. It had opposition from the BC government, City of Burnaby, and everyone who could apply a Sharpie marker to a Bristol board. But Indigenous opposition was a major factor. As Pipeline Online reported via the Canadian Press, “The project’s $34-billion price tag has ballooned from a 2017 estimate of $7.4 billion, with Trans Mountain Corp. blaming the increase on “extraordinary” factors including evolving compliance requirements, Indigenous accommodations, stakeholder engagement, extreme weather and the COVID-19 pandemic.”

433 Hwy. 21 North, Leader, SK 306-628-3231 • 1-877-333-6818

Owner: Thane Feiffer • feiffertire@sasktel.net

By this spring, the number was $34 billion, and I anticipate its final cost will be higher still.

Maturing

There’s been a big change in recent years, not just in pipelines, but in other energy industries like wind and solar. That change had gone from consultation to jobs to equity investment.

The word used almost always is “reconciliation.” That can be a loaded word in many ways, Some feel it will heal wounds, and right past wrongs, or at least try to. Others would say it’s a form of extortion. And some take issue with racial overtones. But here’s something I heard this week that makes a lot of sense:

“Meaningful Indigenous participation in our resource economy is maturing. At first, First Nations used to ask for compensation, the jobs, and then for the contracts that created those jobs, Now they seek purchase equity in the project itself. Soon they will create the project and seek others to invest in it. Then they will have real economic power.”

That’s what Steve Halabura, professional geologist, told me. And he would know, since he’s been working with First Nations on this economic development front.

And you see that in the timeline I laid out. The 2008 protests were very much about compensation and

Eatonia is home to a heritage park

BY JOAN JANZEN

If you happen to drive through Eatonia and have some free time, you could pull in to see Eatonia’s Heritage Park. Hayden Beaupre is a capable guide who gives summertime tours every afternoon.

The Eaton House is a cool escape from the heat and the mosquitoes.

The two-storey wood frame house was constructed by a local family in 1917 and was relocated to the heritage park. It’s located near the Heritage Park’s train caboose. The “pattern-book” house, was purchased from a T. Eaton Company mail-order catalogue, which was a common practice in the early 1900s. Typical features from that period include a

front verandah, rear porch, shake shingles and clapboard siding.

The interior holds the original heating and lighting fixtures, plaster and lath walls and ceilings and original floor plan. Hayden is there to answer all your questions about the history of the heritage home and the train station.

The combination freight and passenger two-storey wood station was built in 1924 and is a valuable addition to Eatonia’s Heritage Park. The town’s library is housed in the former freight room. The station is one of the few survivors of its kind in Saskatchewan remaining on its original location.

It’s definitely a worthwhile visit for anyone who stops in for a visit.

jobs. Trans Mountain Expansion saw significant First Nations’ owned and operated firms awarded contracts. And now, they’re buying equity positions.

You know what? If First Nations bands, and people, do indeed become owners in these resource companies and infrastructure, if it helps pay for housing and water treatment plants, if it means meaningful work and paycheques, are they likely to fight the next project tooth and nail? Or will they want to be a part of it?

And think of it this way – if we could have gotten to this point ten years ago, maybe these projects might have gone much more smoothly. Maybe their final costs wouldn’t have been double, or quadruple, the original budget. When you think of it in that perspective – if a billion dollar equity stake meant Coastal GasLink could have cost $5 billion less, would it have been worth it to bring First Nations in as equity partners?

Some will say that’s extortion. Others would say it’s justice, or reconciliation. But maybe, just maybe,

this is how we move forward, and everyone in the end wins. And maybe then Canada can, once again, build great things.

Brian Zinchuk is editor and owner of Pipeline Online and occasional contributor to the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. He can be reached at brian.zinchuk@pipelineonline.ca.

NGTL and Foothills pipeline systems. TC Energy

Hayden gives tours of Eatonia’s Heritage Park every afternoon. Here, he is standing in the kitchen of the Eaton House. PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN

Mullock

Loggerhead Shrikes: The Songbird that Thinks it’s a Hawk

Hearing a ruckus in your yard? The loud shrieking coming from the bush or shelterbelt may be a nest full of shrikes waiting for their fresh meal! These migratory songbirds are a threatened species, and Saskatchewan is an important part of their breeding range. They return to the Canadian prairies each spring from their wintering grounds in southern Texas and Mexico; and in July, their young are starting to leave the nest!

There can be up to seven young in the nest waiting with hungry mouths to be fed by their overworked parents. Look for nests about chest high in shrubs around your yard, preferably near something prickly. “July is a busy time for the Loggerhead Shrike, explains Emily Putz, Habitat Stewardship Coordinator of Shrubs for Shrikes with Nature Saskatchewan. “the adults are out hunting constantly to try to provide enough food for their nestlings, and soon those young will be fledging and venturing out of the nest to learn to hunt for themselves.”

Shrikes are predatory songbirds; they are opportunistic hunters that will catch anything they can carry. They share many of the same hunting practices as larger birds of prey, such as a hawk, but they have

Mary Lou Retton

dainty songbird feet that lack the powerful talons of other predatory birds, meaning they can’t hold down the prey to tear pieces off. To get around this they will hang their prey on thorns or barbed wire, and use their sharp beak to rip off the edible pieces. Shrikes make excellent pest control since their main food sources are insects such as grasshoppers, mice, voles, and even snakes.

“This is a great time to hunt, but can also be a dangerous time for the young,” Putz continues,” as road mortality is one of their biggest threats.” Watch for shrikes by the roadside, especially near shelterbelts, as they are attracted to insects on the road. The fledglings will not be able to move out of the way of a moving vehicle, so slow down if it looks like there’s a bird on the road.

Nature Saskatchewan runs a voluntary stewardship program, Shrubs for Shrikes, that works with rural landholders to conserve and monitor this species at risk. They are asking anyone who sees a Loggerhead Shrike, or impaled prey, to call their toll free line at 1-800-667-4668 or email outreach@naturesask.ca. Personal information is never shared without permission and every sighting helps this species’ recovery!

Juvenile. PHOTO BY M.YASKOWICH

Juvenile. PHOTO BY M.YASKOWICH

Juvenile. PHOTO BY VAL THOMAS

& Arlene Hankewich

“The Best Little Drycleaners Close To Home” Mike & Arlene Hankewich

quantities

SILVER. 999+ bullion, ALL sizes, ALL brands, bars, rounds, ingots, coins, sterling, silverware, pre-1968 SASQUATCH

Classifieds

Girl Guides from the past. Check out these young Alsask Girl Guides from 1979.

Back row (L-R): Lynette

CLASSIFIED AD RATES (20 words or less). $10.00 plus GST. Additional words are 20¢ each. Deadline is Friday noon. 306-463-2211

MCDOUGALLAUCTION. COM. 1-800-263-4193

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LAND WANTED

ESTON LIONS CLUB TRIP OF THE MONTH

July Winners

$1200 Pick a Trip: Brad & Kera Knight, Eston

$150 CASH: Sandra Martch, Saskatoon

1 Bedroom Suite in Kindersley. $60000 No pets. Phone Robert at 306-430-1050 AUCTIONS

MCDOUGALL

AUCTIONEERS. Online Equipment Auction. POLUS COMMUNICATIONS

DISPERSAL -Aug. 15. Bid on a Fleet of Hydrovac Trucks, Directional Drills & more. Emerald Park, SK

Lots of work all season. Camp/R & B provided. Competitive wages. Valid drivers license req’d. Send resume and work references to: Bryden Construction and Transport Co. Inc. Box 100, Arborfield, SK S0E 0A0; Fax: 306-769-8844 Email: brydenconstruct@ xplornet.ca www. brydenconstruction andtransport.ca

Love hunting? Come work full time outdoors this fall with Highland Outfitters as a hunting guide. Great tips $$$! Email your resume to: highlandoutfitters@gmail.com

FEED AND SEED

AGPRO SEEDS - BUYING HEATED CANOLA, FEED BARLEY & FEED GRAIN. #1 buyer on the prairies, top price paid! For Bids Call/Text: 306-873-0481, Email: sales@agproseeds.com

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Private mortgage lender. All real estate types considered. No credit checks done. Deal direct with lender and get quick approval. Toll free 1-866-4051228 www. firstandsecondmortgages.ca

FOR SALE

Selling 3 collector vehicles. 1999 Pontiac GTP Nascar Pace Car. Rare model with sunroof. 1998 Cadillac Eldorado. Last series of the Eldorado. 1928 International truck. All drive great and car show ready. 403-994-2609.

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FARMLAND WANTED

I am currently PURCHASING single to large blocks of land. NO FEES OR COMMISSIONS Saskatchewan born and raised, I know farming and farmland and can help you every step of the way. Doug Rue, for further information 306-716-2671 saskfarms@shaw.ca www.sellyourfarm land.com

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community newspapers, distributing to over 450 communities, including 14 cities. Reach over 550,000 readers weekly. Call 306649.1405 or visit www.swna. com for details.

Find QUALIFIED, LOCAL EMPLOYEES, using the strength of community newspapers! Visit www.swna.com or call 306649-1405 to find out how!

WANTED

SELLING MY RETIREMENT HOUSE with river and mountain views on 3.93 acres along the Red Deer River and adjoining 200+ acres of environmental reserve. Buy 4 acres and enjoy the use of 204 acres. 1312 sq. ft. on the main level that was designed for aging in place & 1300 sq. ft. in the full developed walk-out basement that could be a separate suite. Second septic system for RV sewage and a separate grey water dump. For more information and pictures, please see MLS listing #A2148481.

MISCELLANEOUS

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. 49 local

Schaefer, Michelle Ross, Kim Peters, Elena Thomas, Catherine Schaefer, Dawn Dooley. Front row: Cathy James, Donna Dansereau, Jackie Lindel, Karen Christman and Lee Horton.

PHOTO KINDERSLEY CLARION, AUGUST 1979

Crop Report for week ending July 29

The continued heat and lack of moisture has accelerated crop advancement throughout the province. With the current conditions crops throughout many regions are stressed, causing yield potential to further decline this week. Producers are hoping for moisture to help with head and pod filling on later seeded crops but for many advanced crops, any moisture received would have little impact on yield at this stage. Additionally, it is unlikely that a second cut of hay will be possible in most areas of the province due to the lack of moisture. In the southern parts of the province, pulses are being desiccated with many just starting to be harvested. Cereals are also being harvested for feed in the southern region. Producers indicate there will likely be an increase in the amount of cereal crops that are harvested for feed given the concerns over yield potential under the current conditions. Many other areas of the province are preparing for harvest operations as the hot and dry conditions continue to quickly ripen crops.

Hot temperatures and lack of moisture persisted this week with many areas across the province receiving only trace amounts of rainfall or none at all. The highest rainfall recorded fell in the Hafford area at 15 mm, followed by the St. Walburg area at 14 mm. The Aneroid area received 11 mm over the past week.

Topsoil moisture continued to decline this week. Provincially, cropland topsoil moisture is rated as 41 per cent adequate, 49 per cent short and 10 per cent very short. Hayland topsoil moisture is reported at 40 per cent adequate, 49 per cent short and 11 per cent very short. Pasture topsoil moisture is 37 per cent adequate, 47 per cent short and 16 per cent very short.

Pastures are starting to be impacted by the lack of rainfall. Currently, four per cent of pastures are rated as excellent condition, 37 per cent good, 42 per cent

fair, 15 per cent poor and two per cent as very poor condition.

Lack of moisture, heat, lodging due to wind, grasshoppers and aphids continued to take a toll on crops over the past week. If producers are taking control measures for pests, they are reminded to read product labels and follow pre-harvest intervals as crops are quickly advancing throughout the province.

As producers prepare for harvest, they are reminded to take safety precautions and preventative fire measures when they can. The Farm Stress Line is available to provide support to producers toll free at 1-800-667-4442.

Province Provides $2 Million to Food Banks of Saskatchewan

The Government of Saskatchewan is providing $2 million over the next two years to Food Banks of Saskatchewan to help Saskatchewan families and food banks with high food costs.

“Saskatchewan continues to be one of the most affordable places in Canada to live, work and raise a family,” Social Services Minister Gene Makowsky said. “Since the provincial budget was announced in March, the cost of food has continued to increase. This funding to Food Banks of Saskatchewan is an additional affordability measure from our government to help families and individuals manage rising daily living costs due to inflation.”

Food Banks of Saskatchewan will receive a $1 million grant in August, and another $1 million grant in 2025-26. The Ministry of Social Services is partnering with Food Banks of Saskatchewan to distribute the funding to agencies based on the population and average food bank usage of the communities they serve.

“Saskatchewan Food Banks have had their busiest year yet, making it challenging to build up sufficient food reserves,” Food Banks of Saskatchewan Executive Director Michael Kincade said. “Inflation continues to accelerate, seriously impacting hunger and food insecurity, not only with low-income households, but even those in higher income brackets. With demand increasing and donations decreasing, this help comes at a critical time to help us feed our friends, neighbours, and families.”

This additional $2 million investment follows affordability measures delivered in the 2024-25 Provincial Budget that are already helping low-income families and individuals.

Author gives ranch women a voice

BY JOAN JANZEN

A born and raised southern Albertan has given a voice to unsung heroines of Canada’s ranching industry. Dorothy Louise Beasley is the author of her new book “Voices from the Prairies: The Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary Ranch Women.”

Coming from a long line of livestock ranchers, Louise birthed this book, fulfilling a 30-year-long desire to give voice to the challenges, triumphs and everyday realities faced by generations of ranch women. Those stories came from women in the Swift Current and Elkwater areas, Bindloss, Maple Creek, Bassano, Med-

icine Hat, Cessford and Patricia communities.

“I have stories of women from the late 1920s to 1950s in this book,” the author said. “This first book was important for me to get out as soon as possible as most of the women are alive and well, able to read their own stories with their families.”

The book is a collection of stories from women who felt they were an integral part of the livestock ranching industry. Through interviews and first-hand accounts about courage, determination, resilience, sacrifice, love, joy, relationships, and self-sufficiency are poured out on the pages of Louise’s book.

When rural women share their journeys, it often

resonates with their rural neighbours. The Bassano Memorial Library added Voices from the Prairies to their collection, prioritizing local patrons who place a hold on the book. Since many of the stories are from Bassano and area, the book will be a popular choice among the library’s patrons.

Louise hopes the book will help “spread the word that as women we are far more capable of being role models for our children, grandchildren and other women than we ever imagined.”

“Voices from the Prairies: The Extraordinary Stories of Ordinary Ranch Women” is available on Amazon.

Resident Care Aide:

• 12-hour shifts, days and nights

• Responsible for Resident Care of up to 24 residents, including medication administration.

• Continuing Care Aide certificate or equivalent required

• Medication Administration education and training will be provided.

• First Aid/CPR, Safe Food Handling, WHMIS2015 are also requirements of employment.

• Wages in accordance with CUPE Collective Agreement.

Dietary (Cook):

• 12-hour shifts.

• Responsible for preparing, cooking and serving meals for up to 24 residents.

• Safe Food Handling required, along with First Aid/CPR and WHMIS2015.

• Wages in accordance with CUPE Collective Agreement. For more information or to apply, call or email Eatonia Oasis Living 306-967-2447 eol@sasktel.net

Dorothy Louise Beasley

Harvest is underway near Liebenthal.

PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN

UNITY, WILKIE AND MACKLIN

The Cereal Mud Bog saw a significant increase in participation this year, with 32 trucks taking part compared to 23 in the previous year. The event, which featured a variety of truck classes including stock, super stock, pro stock, modified, super modified, and open, attracted a total of 64 entries as some drivers doubled or tripled up in multiple classes.

A total of almost 200 passes were made in the mud throughout the day, with $7400 in prize money paid out to the winners. Trophies for first place in each class were generously donated by the Cereal Hotel, while the Cereal Athletic Association provided hats, license plates, and cash to all winners.

Approximately 250 adults and 150 children attended the event, with sponsors Halfway Conve-

nience and the Cereal Athletic Association offering free monster truck rides for the kids. Participants traveled from as far as Smoky Lake, Medicine Hat, Rimbey, and Saskatoon to take part in the competition.

The event also featured a kids’ train ride from the museum, with the rain providing a refreshing break from the heat. Despite slightly lower numbers in the stands, the competitors embraced the wet conditions and enjoyed a full day of racing that extended into the night at the beer gardens.

“We are thrilled with the turnout and the level of competition at this year’s mud bog event,” said event organizer Tim Kolkman. “It was a fantastic day for drivers, spectators, and sponsors alike, and we can’t wait to see what next year will bring.”

PHOTO BY TRACY HUDSON - REMEMBER WHEN PHOTOGRAPHY

Ding Dong Ditch, flower pot collision and abandoned kittens

UNITY RCMP

• RCMP received a complaint of theft but there was insufficient evidence to proceed.

• Police received a report of criminal harassment but it was unfounded.

• Members are investigating two complaints of vandalism in a rural area near Unity.

• RCMP received a complaint of fraud but there was insufficient evidence to proceed.

• Police spoke to an individual with a child welfare concern.

• RCMP received a report of a suspicious male at a business. Members spoke to the subject of complaint.

• Police received a Mental Health Act complaint. Members spoke to the subject of complaint.

• Members received a report of a missing person. The individual was located.

• CN Police reported a railway crossing malfunction in Scott. Reported for information purposes.

• RCMP received a complaint of theft. The matter is still under investigation.

• Police received a Mental Health Act complaint. Members spoke to the subject of complaint.

• Members received a complaint of an individual ringing a residence doorbell and running away late at night but there was insufficient evidence to proceed.

• RCMP received a report of criminal harassment. Members located the subjects of complaint and issued a verbal warning.

• Police received a report of suspicious individuals in a residence yard. Members attended but there was insufficient evidence to proceed.

• Members received a report of theft from two oilfield sites near Senlac. Insufficient evidence to proceed.

• RCMP received a complaint of theft but it was unfounded.

• Police received a complaint of an intoxicated individual at a residence damaging property. The subject of complaint was transported to cells to remain until sober. The complainant requested no further action be taken.

• Members received a complaint of harassing communications but there was insufficient evidence to proceed.

• CN Police reported a railway crossing malfunction in Unity. Reported for information purposes.

• RCMP received a complaint of individuals knocking on a residence door and running away late at night but there was insufficient evidence to proceed.

• Members attended the sudden death of an 86-year-old Unity female. The death was not suspicious in nature.

• Police received a complaint of fraud. This matter is still under investigation.

• There were also ten traffic complaints and five false 911 complaints.

WILKIE RCMP

• RCMP spoke to an individual regarding a disagreement with a tenant.

• Members investigated a report of an individual hearing a sound of a gunshot. The origin of the sound was not located.

• Police received a report of an unwanted individual at a residence. This matter is still under investigation.

• RCMP received a complaint of fraud but there was insufficient evidence to proceed.

• Police received a complaint of criminal harassment. Members spoke to the subjects of complaint.

• Members received another com-

plaint of criminal harassment. The complainant declined to proceed.

• RCMP received a report of a single vehicle collision near Wilkie. The vehicle passenger sustained minor injuries and the vehicle driver was transported to Saskatoon via STARS Air Ambulance. No charges laid.

• A 41-year-old male from Wilkie was charged with Assault, Uttering Threats and Mischief and a 41-yearold female from Wilkie was charged with Assault after Members received a complaint of assault.

• Police received a report of a vehicle collision with a concrete flower pot. This matter is still under investigation.

• Members received a request from Emergency Medical Services to assist with a patient.

• RCMP acted as mediators between two adults.

• Police received a report of dogs on the highway near Wilkie. Members patrolled but could not locate the animals.

• RCMP received a complaint of an individual trespassing in a residence yard. Members attended but could not locate the subject of complaint.

• Police received a report of three stray dogs in Wilkie. Members made a referral to the Town of Wilkie.

• Members received a request to dispose of needles located on the ground at Wilkie Regional Park.

• RCMP received a complaint of a stolen bicycle but there was insufficient evidence to proceed.

• CN Police reported a railway crossing malfunction near Wilkie. Reported for information purposes.

• Members are investigating a complaint of theft.

• Police received a complaint of an individual not complying with release order conditions. This matter is still under investigation.

• There was also one traffic complaint and one false alarm.

MACKLIN RCMP

• RCMP received a complaint of an individual failing to comply with an undertaking condition but there was insufficient evidence to proceed.

• Members spoke to an individual regarding a Mental Health Act concern.

• Police received a complaint of disturbing the peace. The complainant declined to proceed.

• Members spoke to an individual regarding a child welfare concern.

• RCMP received a complaint of theft. This matter is still under investigation.

• Police received a complaint of an abandoned kitten. The kitten had been retrieved by the owner.

• Members received a complaint of theft but there was insufficient evidence to proceed.

• RCMP issued a 72-hour roadside suspension during a traffic stop.

• There were also five traffic complaints.

Persons with information about crimes being committed in the Unity / Wilkie/ Macklin areas are urged to call the Unity RCMP detachment at (306)228-6300; the Wilkie RCMP at (306) 843-3480; or the Macklin RCMP at (306) 753-2171. If you wish to remain anonymous, you may also call Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, or *8477 on the SaskTel Mobility Network. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $2000.00 for information which leads to the arrest of person(s) responsible for any serious crime. Crime Stoppers is anonymous and does not subscribe to call display, nor are your calls traced or recorded.

You can also submit a tip online at www.saskcrimestoppers.com

The Treasure Box

by Judith Silverthorne

Nickel’s Worth Publishing REVIEW BY SHELLEY A. LEEDAHL

The Treasure Box is the fourth Judith Silverthorne novel I’ve read during my decades as a book reviewer, and again, this Regina-based writer has mesmerized me. I reviewed Silverthorne’s middle years’ novel, Convictions, in 2016, and must reiterate what I wrote about that novel, as it absolutely also applies to The Treasure Box: “This is extremely competent writing, and what’s more, it’s a story that’s hard to put down.”

Silverthorne’s credible and likeable ten-year-old narrator, Augustus Ludwig (aka Gus), has just reluctantly moved from Calgary to Regina after his parents’ split. Now Gus, sister Hannah and Mom have moved in with Grandad, who is suffering from intermittent memory loss, and will soon be transitioning into a seniors’ home. It’s a lot, but there’s more. At school Gus becomes the target of “serious bonehead” Connor and his gang of “top dogs,” who mock his name and make school miserable, but their teacher, Mrs. Redmar, has given the class a family history assignment that may change everything for empathetic Gus … his curiosity about his own ancestors, his acceptance of the move, and even his thoughts about his unusual name.

en drop-leaf desk,” he uncovers a carved wooden box—the treasure box. The disparate items inside, ie: a “snippet of faded blue ribbon,” a coin, and a scrap of a map possess the ability to transport him back to World War II, and even much further back, to the 1600s. Each time he dares handle the objects in the treasure box, he is briefly but viscerally transported to life-and-death scenes involving his ancestors. But who were these people, and how were they connected to the yellowed, German baptism certificate from 1944 that only cookie-baking Mrs. Kramer (“Vhat do you vant?’”) down the street can translate?

There are numerous topical threads in this novel, and I hope the book’s incorporated into classrooms across the country. There’s multiculturalism and racism (Gus befriends Yussuf, whose family fled Syria, and First Nations’ Issac, who shares his lunch with a classmate who’s often hungry); aging; divorce; and war. The fascinating historical elements include The Thirty Years War and the Great Frost of 1709, when birds froze “like tiny marble statues” in trees and in mid-air. Silverthorne evokes both a prairie homestead (“A clump of tall aspens grew out of the foundation of the collapsing, greyand-weathered barn”) and WW2 trenches (that “heaved with rats”) with equal success.

Though history’s a major element, the author consistently keeps us current, as well. Grandad says the war his father fought in (for the Germans) was “More real than video games,” and expressions like “No can do” and “Sounds like a plan” maintain the novel’s present feel.

Initially Gus feels that his family history will be “lame,” as Grandad’s the only relative he knows, but in the first chapter he finds himself in the attic, where “The bare dim bulb cast spooky shadows across the slope-ceilinged space” and inside a “scarred, wood-

And the conclusion: mastery. Congratulations, Judith Silverthorne. You’ve slayed it again.

This book is available at your local bookstore or from www.skbooks.com

A cheque for $1,480.00 was presented to FoodMesh Kindersley on Wednesday afternoon, July 31. The funds were raised at Kindersley Co-op’s community lunch on Tuesday, July 23rd. The assistance of everyone who helped out and attended the taco in a bag luncheon was appreciated. A big shout out to the Co-op for organizing these weekly lunches to help out local non-profits. Joan Janzen accepted the donation on behalf of FoodMesh Kindersley. L-R: Kris Hiebert, Operations Manager, Joan Janzen, Blair Ferner, General Manager. PHOTO BY

CO-OP STAFF

Kindersley RM bids farewell to

Glenda Giles was honoured at a farewell at the RM of Kindersley’s spacious new location on Thursday afternoon, July 25. Everyone was invited to bid farewell to the long-time Administrator and express best wishes for her retirement. Reeve Lionel Story was on hand to extend well wishes to Glenda and welcome the incoming Administrator, Ryan Domotor.

The afternoon offered an opportunity for everyone present to meet and chat with incoming Administrator, Ryan. More importantly it was a relaxing time of sharing stories, laughter and conversation. Glenda was all smiles as she kept busy chatting and hugging all her friends who came for her special day.

Glenda planned to be at work until the end of the month. “I have a few more things to clean up and finish. I told Ryan when I came to this position there was no Glenda to help me out,” she chuckled. “But he’ll do just fine!”

Ryan appreciates all of her help and said he’s looking forward to having some time with Glenda while

she’s at the office for a few more days. The grill was on, and refreshments and salads were available to all the guests. Everyone extended heartfelt wishes to Glenda for a long and happy retirement.

BY JOAN JANZEN

Glenda Giles

Glenda Giles. PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN

Published by Your

EATONIA

THURSDAY, AUGUST 8

- Mexican Fiesta 6:00-8:00 PM at the Pool. Taco in a Bag Supper. Proceeds going to the Pool Liner and other Pool projects.

- Every Thursday from 11:30 AM -1:30 PM come to the Eatonia Library for puzzles, visiting and grab your books for the week!

- Check out our TOPS Chapter … it’s free to try! Every Wednesday. Weigh in: 5:45 PM. Meeting: 6:00 PM at the EOL Meeting Room. Contact Mila 306-480-2035.

- Aquafit Monday & Wednesday mornings 8:00-8:45 AM.

- Aquafit Monday & Wednesday evenings 6:00-7:00 PM.

- Lane Swim Tuesday & Thursday evenings 6:00-7:00 PM.

ESTON AUGUST 19-22

• Summer Sports Camp (Ages 5-7 and 8-10). Limit 20 kids per group. $60/child. KidSport Funding available. Registration deadline: August 6. Register at eston.ca/summer-programming

- Eston Wheatland Centre Chase the Ace - Draws every Wednesday at the Centre. Ticket sales 4-7 PM. Draw at 7:30 PM. See our Facebook page for details. Lic#LR23-0068.

- Wheatland Centre Potluck Supper fourth Friday of each month 6:00 PM. $5.00. Bring your own utensils. Coffee & tea provided.

- Wheatland Centre Bingo - 1st & 3rd Thursday of the month 7:00 PM. Regular Bingo plus Bonanza, 50/50 Draw. Must be 14 years of age. Call 306-962-7117 (ask for Linda) for more info.

HOOSIER

- Sunday Service Hoosier Community Church 10:30 am at the Community Hall. Contact Joel Hamm 306-460-7056 or Curtis Kornelson 306-460-7327.

KERROBERT

THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 29

• Farmers Market at the Seniors Hall (541 Atlantic Avenue) from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Lunch served from 11:00 AM1:00 PM.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 16

• Country in the Courtyard: Leon Ochs One-Man Band! 6:00 PM in the Courtyard of the Kerrobert Integrated Health Care Facility. Hotdogs, ice cream treats and pop will be sold. The event is a fundraiser in support of programming for the Activity/Recreational Department.

- Kerrobert Courtroom Gallery featuring Marilyn Kennedy & Nicole Kennedy “Textures of Life: within the Matrilineal Circle.” Show runs until August 31. Gallery Hours: Weekdays 8:30 AM - 4:40 PM.

- Kerrobert Library Summer Reading Program runs until August 31. Return your reading logs by September 4 to be eligible to win a prize.

KINDERSLEY

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7

• Kindersley Museum Jam Night 6:00-8:00 PM.

MONDAY, AUGUST 12

• Kindersley Museum Painting Night 6:00 PM. Free Entry! All canvases and paint will be supplied. Children under age 12 must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the evening. Call the tourism office to register 306-463-6620. Sponsored by Apex Distribution.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 13

• Kindersley Composite School Volleyball Camp (Grade 7-9) 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Admission: $30. Fee due in cash at time of camp. Boys & Girls welcome to attend.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14

• Kindersley Composite School Volleyball Camp (Grade 1012) 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Admission: $30. Fee due in cash at time of camp. Boys & Girls welcome to attend.

AUGUST 19-23

• Vacation Bible School 9:00 AM-5:00 PM (ages 4-12). Register at kcfhope.com or on the KCF Hope App. For more info contact Chantal at kids@kcfhope.com 306-430-8222. $20 / day / child. You can sponsor a child, too!

SATURDAY. AUGUST 24

• The Kindersley & District Chamber of Commerce is hosting the 2024 Golf Invitational. Registration at 10:00 AM. Tee Off at 11:00 AM. To register your team, please contact Nikki at 306-460-8384 or email: nikki.c@kellyinsurancebrokers.ca

AUGUST 26-30

• Klippers Hockey School is back!

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28

- Grade 9 New student welcome 7:00 PM at KCS. Meet the staff. Find your classrooms.

- Welcome Back BBQ & Meet the Teacher at Westberry School 4:30 PM. $5 Hamburger, chips & Drink. BBQ run by Kindersley Klippers. Drop off your school supplies!

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

• Kindersley Community Connections presents: “Meet A Machine” - a FREE family-friendly event showcasing many different machines and the heroes that operate them! 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM at the Kindersley & District Plains Museum. For more info contact Ang at 306-430-8869.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20

• Music Trivia Night! 7:30 PM start (doors open at 7:00) Norman Ritchie Centre. Advance tickets $10 each or $15 at the door. Engage in a multi-round music trivia showdown featuring hits from the 60s to the 2010s. Max 6 per team. Teams of 5-6 players. Message @Kindersleytrivianights on Facebook to reserve. Proceeds to the Norman Ritchie Centre.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

• Donations wanted for United Church Garage Sale 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. NO clothes please. Drop off ites on stage in upper hall. Open Tuesday-Friday 11:00-3:00. For more info call 306-463-6508 or 306-460-7450.

- Parkinson’s Support Group Meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month 1:30 PM at 401 - 4th Ave West (New

Life Church). Everyone welcome! For more info call Nancy at 306-463-4514.

- Monday Night Jam Sessions at the Norman Ritchie Community Centre. Doors open at 6:30 to set-up, then the fun begins at 7-11 PM. Call Keith 306-460-8633.

- Interested in a support group for weight management? TOPS meetings; every Monday at 6:00 PM in the Kindersley Senior Centre OR contact Jill at 306-463-4210.

- PickleBall Outdoor Season meets Monday & Wednesday evenings 6:30 PM and Friday mornings 10 AM at the WCEC outdoor rink. Cost is $50 for the season or $5 drop in. More info call Barry 306-460-8356.

- Fit Fighter Group Class. Helping individuals with Parkinson Disease, Fibromyalgia, MS, Arthritis and mobility issues. Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:00 AM at Anytime Fitness. Call Karen 463-3607 for more info.

- Kindersley Library Make & Play every Wednesday until August 28th from 2:00-3:00 PM (ages 7-12).

- Kindersley Library Books and Bits every Tuesday at 10:30 AM until August 27th. For ages 0-6.

LUSELAND

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

• Luseland Harvest Festival. The day includes a variety of activities including Chilli Cookoff, Veggie Car Races, Food Booths, Bingo at the Pioneer Club, variety of vendors. Roast Beef Supper at Bell Acres followed by an outdoor movie!

- Luseland & District Museum is now open Saturday afternoons from 1:30-4:00 PM. Sunday 2:00-4:00 PM or by request. Come check out our new sports display!

- Murder Mystery at the Luseland Museum throughout the month of August. Come with a group of friends or as a family to solve the mystery of “The Empty Handed Thief.” We are happy to do special requests, including a snack along with the mystery! Give us a call/text 306-372-7367.

Recurring events at The Luseland Pioneers Club: PUBLIC

- Every Monday 2:00-4:00 PM Coffee

- Last Monday of the month 2:00-4:00 PM Pie ’n Ice Cream MEMBERS

- Monday-Saturday 8:30 AM - Noon, Coffee, Pool, Cards, Visiting

- Tuesday 1:00-4:00 PM Cards

- Tuesday 7:00-10:00 PM Games

- Wednesday 1:00-4:00 PM Cards

- Thursday 1:00-4:00 PM Cards

- Third Friday of the month Birthday Lunch at noon.

SCEPTRE

THURSDAY & FRIDAY, AUGUST 22 & 23

• Great Sandhills Museum presents Artist Days. Come stop in and see some great local talented artists and during your visit take a moment to enjoy viewing the many varieties of unique historical Canadian collections that the museum has to offer. 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Admission: Adults $5; Students: $3. For more details please contact Brenda call/text 306628-8030.