Taking place March 12-18, 2023, Canadian Agricultural Safety Week is an an nual public initiative delivered by the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) to raise awareness about the importance of farm safety.
T his year’s theme, Safety is Our Promise, is part of the three-year safety cam-
paign “Your Farm, Your Family, Your Success.” In 2023, organizers are focusing on practical safety advice and inspiring conversations about farm safety while highlighting the reasons safety is essential for the sustainability of farming operations.
“We all know that farm accidents can have devastating and far-reaching consequences,” says Andrea Lear, CASA’s Chief Executive Officer. “Fortunately, many on-farm incidents are preventable. That’s why we want to ensure Canadian
producers have the resources they need to keep their farms and ranches safe for everyone to live, work, and visit. CASA is once again looking forward to hosting conversations with individuals and organizations across the country as we work together towards a safer agricultural sector.”
For more than a decade, CASA has been raising awareness about the importance of safety on Canadian farms th rough CASW, which takes place every year during the third week of March.
Supply chain disruptions, inflation and labour shortages plague ag sector this spring
BY SHERI MONK
Your Southwest Media Group
Outside of trained economists, most people had never heard of the term “supply chain disruption” before the Covid-19 pandemic. Now it’s become part of the “new normal” – just ask any farmer or rancher looking for replacement parts, a decent used baler or God forbid, a new combine.
“There’s been price increases every quarter it seems. Something is always going up,” said Devrey Sweitzer, co-owner of Owens and Sweitzer, an agricultural equipment dealer in Eston. “We are doing more no-trade deals than trade deals because guys are keeping their machines and they’re confident they could sell them themselves and get good money because there just isn’t anything out there.”
Operations already accustomed to working under the less-is-more philosophy may have been somewhat insulated from the fall-out, but nobody has remained immune. Home appliances can take several months before they’re shipped out and for a large part of 2021 and 2022, car lots were largely empty. Let’s not forget the infamous toilet paper shortage of 2020, or the six-
day blockage of the Suez Canal in 2021. But how did it all happen, and why?
There’s no single answer. As funny in retrospect as the toilet paper shortage is, it offers a glimpse into the massive ripple effect in the markets caused by the pandemic. First, there was sudden and unprecedented demand. Early in the pandemic, before it had really gripped North America, consumers were advised to stock up… and boy, did we ever! Once stock started to get low, people noticed. And then the media noticed. And then more people noticed. The stampede effect had wiped out the rest of the toilet paper.
Demand rose intensely and suppliers could not keep up, panic ensued and people hoarded what remained. That’s easy enough. But a big part of the picture wasn’t quite as intuitive and had more to do with an unaccounted for shift in the consumer base. Were people suddenly pooping far more often, thus needing forests of tooshie tissue? No, but all around the world, people were pooping at home instead of work and that’s really what destabilized the supply. Think about the commercial toilet paper rolls at malls and office buildings. It’s completely different in size, packaging and weight compared to the home format.
more than 120,000 by 2025 unless foreign labour policy changes.
“That’s always a struggle, it always is a struggle especially in a town like Eston – it’s hard to get people interested in coming out here. We’re lucky, we have a really good crew out here right now, knock on wood. That’s always been a battle but especially now. Any dealer you talk to is short guys. It’s a pretty technical job now to be an equipment technician and those people are few and far between,” Sweitzer explained.
Increasing interest rates and inflationary pressures created even more uncertainty. Who wants to commit to buying a combine that may not show up for a year when interest rates are only projected to rise? Who wants to trade in their old combine or sell it when they have no idea if they’ll be able to replace it later? People started keeping everything as back-up, resulting in a massive deficit within the used marketplace too.
“Interest rates haven’t helped us. When interest rates were going up so fast and machines were so far out we couldn’t guarantee anything. It’s a big risk for a guy to buy a tractor that’s a million dollars and not know what he’s going to pay for interest rates,” said Sweitzer.
Once there is a product deficit, it can be increasingly difficult to keep up, as anyone who has become behind on bills can testify to. The rolling economic shut-downs didn’t just create a temporary pause in certain sectors – it completely shuffled them. Workers in the restaurant, hospitality and personal service industries were laid off and many of them simply never came back. Some went back to school, others found new industries to work in, and many who were close to retirement age just peaced out entirely, even from industries unaffected by lay-offs. Workers in older demographics were most at risk for serious outcomes from Covid-19 and many people no longer thought working was worth the potential risk.
“Everything new is so far out that dealers can’t sell their trades until the new stuff comes. There’s just not much available right now so the price is reflecting that too. The price of new went up, but so did the price of used equipment and it’s hard to come by,” he said. “It’s amazing how the customers have adapted. Guys are planning a lot farther ahead than they ever had to for their machinery.”
In 2022, there were some indications the disruptions were getting better, but so far 2023 remains as challenging.
“I wouldn’t say things have gotten better. The companies are better at predicting how long things are going to be now. When this all started we had no idea when anything was going to come and neither did the manufacturers. Now they give us dates and the dates are realistic – they’re just not what we want to see,” said Sweitzer.
Last year, Canada’s economy lost $13 billion thanks to the labour and skill shortage in the manufacturing sector alone. That’s a staggering figure, but it doesn’t come close to addressing the entirety of the complex problem. And nowhere is the problem more complex than in rural Canada, which has long struggled to attract and retain workers across all disciplines. It is estimated Canada is currently short 60,000 agri-business workers, and this number is projected to grow to
The auto sales industry has experienced a massive shift. During the vehicle shortage, sales people left because there was nothing to sell, but there was a shortage of mechanics as people started investing more in their used vehicles. Inventory is starting to be available, but much of the production is earmarked for filling the backlog with dealers serving more as a middleman for factory orders.
The benefit and fun of shopping at a dealer is being able to see, touch and feel the products. With a dearth of display equipment and inventory to compare, customers are coming to town to merely flip through catalogues instead. Some industry insiders worry that this new dynamic will see the industry transition into an online model similar to Amazon, but for agriculture.
“That’s what’s scary right now. The manufacturers are starting to allocate machines so you can no longer hope to have a really good run and sell a bunch of stuff. You’re limited and you know exactly what you’re going to get.”
But if there is anything the Covid-19 pandemic taught us, it’s that relationships and community are precious. If that lesson is remembered, dealerships will persevere into the future.
Kelly Insurance is celebrating its 60th anniversary!
BY JOAN JANZEN Your Southwest Media Group
Kelly Insurance Brokers Ltd. is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2023! Nikki Meschishnick and her staff are passionate about helping their clients and giving back to the community.
“Trust is earned over time by developing a great relationship. Kelly Insurance has been proudly servicing Kindersley and area since 1963, which speaks loudly of our long-time, loyal clients,” Nikki said. “When I took over the brokerage, I knew I had a long line of successors to live up to. I had the privilege to know all of them, except our founder, Kelly Rowland.”
Nikki’s successors include Kelly Rowland, Eric Smith, Bill O’Sullivan and Barb Gray. The founder, Rowland, was born in North Battleford. Before moving to Kindersley, he worked for the CN at Biggar as a brakeman. In 1963 he founded Kelly Agencies Insurance, which he operated until 1967 when he and his family moved to Prince George.
Kelly Agencies was originally located on the first block of Main Street and was later moved to the third block of Main. After that, it was moved to the fourth block of Main and is now operating at 309 Main Street.
Throughout the years, the business grew to become a full-service, customer-oriented independent insurance brokerage. Nikki started working with Kelly Insurance in 2000 and received her CAIB designation in 2003. In July 2008, Nikki left Kelly Insurance to raise her young
family and participate in other business ventures.
In November 2016, she re-entered the insurance industry as Office Manager for Kelly Insurance before purchasing the brokerage two years later.
“I love this town that I have been born and raised in, so it was an easy decision for me to take the reigns of this long-standing, independently owned business - and it was important to keep it that way.” Nikki has two daughters, Korie, who works alongside her at the brokerage, and Sloan.
In 2019 Nikki and her team updated their platform for managing their database to a cloudbased system. “It was a huge undertaking!” Nikki said. The conversion process took about nine months, between getting data ready to convert and training staff while looking after the day-to-day
operations. “Overall, it has provided a better way of managing the business and helping our clients,” she added.
In 1999 the name was changed to Kelly Insurance Brokers Ltd., as the industry began making a move to be recognized as Brokers. Kelly Insurance represents the best interests of its clients. Those clients come from the surrounding area, as far as Prince Albert to the north, Gravelbourg to the south, and across the Alberta border.
The fact that Kelly Insurance has been locally owned and operated for sixty years is significant to Nikki. During those six decades, Nikki said, “Kelly Insurance has given back literally hundreds of thousands of dollars to our community service groups, sports teams, town facilities and town events. Any way you can
help to make your community be more vibrant and successful, just benefits everyone.”
Kelly Insurance is all about having a strong presence in the community while providing trustworthy and professional service.
“Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful, and most noble employment of man,” - George Washington. It is indeed the groundwork of civilization.
THANK YOU TO OUR FARMERS!
RM of Kindersley
Founder of Kelly Insurance, Kelly Rowland and his family.
BY SHERI MONK
Stewardship doesn’t
It’s a weird reason to move, but I migrated to southwest Saskatchewan from Winnipeg for the rattlesnakes. That’s the Coles Notes version but the longer, more truthful version is that I moved because the West felt more like home than home ever had. It wasn’t any one single thing… it was everything.
The rolling hills, the sunsets, the sagebrush, the meadowlarks singing their magical song. It was the thunderstorms and the hot summer nights that you wish could last a lifetime. It was the turkey vultures and the dichotomy between their eternal optimism and what they were hopefully soaring for. The cactus, the smell of the sandy soil when it’s finally being massaged by rain, and it’s how the history never felt far away. Buffalo jumps and tipi rings, echoes of what was but also of travesties that never should have happened. The wildness of it all captured my imagination and my heart and it wasn’t long until the cattle business did too.
There was no denying the connection between agriculture, particularly the cow-calf industry and the health of the land, and I loved how proud-
ly producers would describe themselves as stewards of the land. There was a romance in it that grabbed me and wouldn’t let go and it wasn’t that long before I was using my journalism skills to advocate for the land and the people who lived on it. And it wasn’t just me that was captured by the idea of hardworking men and women nurturing the land and ecosystems that nurtured us – the concept garnered a lot of political and public traction. I could see how effective it was, and I did my part to impart that messaging whenever I could.
We know grasslands are enormous carbon sequesters and that they’re also one of the most endangered ecosystems on the planet. They are biodiverse hotspots, and they will be critical to managing extreme weather events such as season flooding as climate change progresses. Some countries in Europe don’t just pay lip service to the stewards of critical habitat – they pay real money. Sadly, Alberta and Saskatchewan haven’t come to the table yet with any offerings, but I bet insurance companies would be happy if they did. The ecosystem services that intact grasslands offer benefit not just the humans and animals in the im-
mediate vicinity, but the urban centres so often downhill from them.
Some countries have begun directly compensating land owners for how they manage their land. There are roughly 25 different ecosystem services that have been identified, but the ones that receive the most attention are climate change mitigation, watershed services and biodiversity conservation.
The Saskatchewan Stockgrowers Foundation (www.ssgf.ca) is dedicated to protecting and restoring natural grasslands and currently there’s a reverse auction (with money) available for producers who are willing to take land out of production to seed it to native grass and keep it in grass for 30 years. It’s an ambitious project with $2 million in funding, thanks to Environment and Climate Change Canada. And that’s wonderful
– but it’s not enough.
A policy patchwork approach that ebbs and flows with different regimes and ideas may do more harm than good. Inconsistency does not grow trust – it ultimately ends up breeding indifference. We need a consistent, long-term easy-toaccess platform of initiatives and incentives with the right support to engage them. But what is “them”? Well, we have to figure that out, which is impossible until policymakers finally concede that a long-term commitment to and investment in ecosystem services is the right thing to do. And let’s face it – politicians seeking four-year terms aren’t interested in campaigning for 30-year programs the general public wouldn’t understand. The pressure will have to come from the agricultural community, and the Saskatchewan Stockgrowers are doing an admirable job of modeling this for us.
But what about the land that is cultivated and producers who don’t raise beef or have a need for hay? That land may never be reclaimed, and that’s ok – crop production is important too, and our beef industry already relies heavily on export markets without significant expansion. Like politicians,
crop producers are sometimes forced into short-term thinking but instead of four-year-terms, farming is right now and next year. And how the heck do you plan to pay for a multimillion dollar combine which will take 10 years (or longer) to pay off when you’re living in the long shadow of last year’s drought and this year’s fertilizer prices?
There are tools for Canadian producers, sure. The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership launches this year, and there’s $3.5 billion in the kitty to back it. But it’s a five-year program. The three branches of focus are growing trade and expanding markets, innovative and sustainable growth in the sector, and supporting diversity and a dynamic, evolving sector.
Ecosystem services is conspicuously absent from the menu. I wander to the sustainability branch, knowing that’s my best shot at finding what I hope might be there. Instead, I find this, “The government will help support the resiliency and sustainability of the sector, helping farmers adapt to climate change, conserve water and soil resources, and grow their businesses sustainably to meet global food demand sustainably.”
CON’T NEXT PAGE
Your Southwest Media Group
Somebody get that writer a thesaurus, please.
I’ve been an agricultural journalist long enough that I remember when sustainability was just the sparkle in some bureaucrat’s eye. As a concept, I love it. But if it remains a cloudy, undefined idea, it’s worthless. This was realized, and then working groups were formed to figure out what it meant. That took about a decade, largely because the concept of “social licence” was born in the middle of it. Like a new, love-struck couple with unprocessed childhood trauma, the two became hopelessly enmeshed.
Social licence, on its own, is also a good concept and it’s frankly impressive that agriculture recognized the threat of cancel culture before Hollywood did. The trouble in marrying the concepts is that you can’t yoke science to culture –they have entirely different foundations. Social licence came at a time when the economy was good enough and food prices were low enough that people had the time and money to care about production. This was the height of the organic sector’s rise to power, right when crunchy, organic moms suddenly had the clout to create a second strawberry shelf at the grocery store that commanded twice the price. Ahhh, the good ole days, before Skip the Dishes and paper straws.
Yes, you could make the connection that the organic movement was a plea for sustainable production practises, and maybe it was in some abstractive, horoscopic way. But the gluten-free craze soon followed, and all of this became entangled in a variety of weird health conspiracies that I see so many lost in today.
It culminated in all-or-nothing, black-and-white thinking. You had the all-chemicals are-bad crowd facing off against the anyone-who-cares-aboutpesticide-use-is-a-marijuana-smoking-hippie and in the middle of it, the producers lost interest and so did the mainstream consumers. Meanwhile
we had the massive floods in 2010 and 2013 in Saskatchewan and Alberta but the big picture was lost as we tripped over sandbags to make sure our bag of Old Dutch potato chips were, indeed, gluten-free.
A few weeks ago, I was at the grocery store marvelling at the price of butter$8.99. It was a small enough store that I could hear the murmurings of the woman shopping for eggs. “NINE-NINTYNINE for a dozen eggs? F*ck those free range chickens,” she exclaimed, grabbing the no-name brand of whiteshelled eggs from presumably unhappy hens. This is why social licence cannot be married to sustainability. One is marketing to constantly-changing consumer whims and the other is an evidence-based foundation to literally keep the Earth alive. Can you imagine David Attenborough co-hosting a nature show with the Kardashians? That’s what we tried to do.
So what should we do? We need to retain our native grasslands, what we have left of it. Thankfully, a lot of it is Crown land which seems reassuring until you remember that the Alberta government recently traded some for mere potatoes. Literally, they sold a native grassland parcel to become a potato farm… but at least they were gluten-free. Now, there was an outcry and it doesn’t happen often, but there shouldn’t be a mechanism for it to happen at all. Native grasslands in Crown land should simply have a permanent easement preventing future development, full-stop. (Aside of course, from wildlife-safe fencing, and responsible grazing and watering practices.)
Deeded land is more complicated, and we need programs in place that keep privately-held grasslands in grass. Whenever the cow-calf sector has a downturn, we lose more. Producers, sick of cows and calving and the disparity between their live prices and consumers’ dead prices are always one bad year or decade away from sending Bessie and all her sisters to town. And while I can’t imagine anyone being
broke enough to sell their cows also being rich enough to start farming, it apparently happens. But whether the land is sold then broken, or broken for hay instead, that’s a massive loss.
There is no question that having native grasslands reduces flooding, resists drought, stores carbon, maintains a healthy soil profile and is the key to biodiversity. We know this. Science knows this. The government knows this. Producers know this. The public, mostly, does not. And that’s fine. We can do the right thing here without worrying about what vegan Kailey in Toronto thinks as she stalks the grocery shelves for organic ghee. But the bottom line is that if we want to weather the environmental storms we know are coming, we have to help producers weather the economic ones. And that’s going to cost some money. For perspective, the 2013 flood in High River exceeded $5 billion in damages.
Back to the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership website, and its three branches. To get more detail, you have to scroll to the information provided by the provinces. Within the framework, they buy into the ideal of the partnership, but the detailed programming is figured out by each province, to tackle regional challenges. Saskatchewan’s offerings were by far the best, directly mentioning climate change and biodiversity but despite that, the information was complicated, there are hoops and caps and so many ineligible expenses. It was a lot to plough through and I get paid to research and in this case, not enough because I stopped reading.
How could we do this better? Identify some simple priorities, using plain language.
1. Preserve all native grasslands.
2. Increase biodiversity on agricultural land.
3. Reduce environmental contamination.
4. Improve soil health.
And let’s be clear here – these four
goals do not mention any economic growth and that’s by design. These goals are overreaching and they benefit everyone from shoes salesmen to organic strawberry growers. They cannot be achieved in five years, and a successful outcome probably couldn’t be determined in 30 years because they support enshrined values and known truths that need to be upheld for the good of society, like clean air and human rights. They can’t be attached to social license or marketing trends or local economic initiatives.
No one producer can do this alone, and we can’t expect them to shoulder the cost. I own a house. I know there are things I could invest in that would make my house greener, but I don’t. And there are a lot of reasons why I don’t. I don’t have the extra cash to turn my roof into a mini solar farm to power my washer and dryer. I’m worrying about the old shingles I have right now that I can’t afford to replace, and if someone from Ottawa told me I was being selfish and I simply had to install a solar roof, there’d be a For Sale sign up faster than you can say, “vote of no confidence.”
Obviously, there’s a lot of deeded land that’s already cultivated and changing practices to increase biodiversity and improve soil health is critical to land health. And some of those measures may ultimately mean less yield, but that loss will have to be absorbed by society, and not by a single individual. We don’t need a carrot and stick approach, we need a carrot and cake approach here folks, with extra icing. If someone told me I could have a new roof installed for free and that they’d throw in the solar part, I’d be an idiot not to. If we truly want to preserve and increase the ecosystem services we get from deeded land, we’re going to have to make it that easy and that obvious. And once we recognize that, we too will truly share not just the reward, but also the burden of being a true steward of the land.
sherimonk@gmail.com
Dougie’s Keepers
BY MADONNA HAMEL Your Southwest Media Group
Ihad just finished dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s on a story about my mother’s funeral when the phone rang. It was my sister in Medicine Hat. My brother had a stroke. It just didn’t compute. Stroke of genius? Stroke of luck? Stroke of insight? Golf stroke? Lightning strike? None of the above all of the above? The whole while my brain tried wrapping my head around the reality of the moment, my body got up and started packing. Sweaters, socks, pants and toothbrush. Then the important stuff: votive candle, sage smudge and tobacco. But which books? My Lenten Reader, “Dumb Dad Jokes” and “The Soul Is Here for Its Own Joy.” I pull on my boots, water the plants, pee, re-pack, change my t-shirt, put on a hat, flush the toilet, gather my library books, abandon my library books, take off my boots, add socks, change shirt, water the plants, put on my glasses, breathe, water my plants, start the car, find matching mitts. I filled the car with gas, then hit the road. I had five rosaries in my pocket but used the vehicular rosary - the nubs on the steering wheel functioning as beads. Hail Mary, Full of Grace ... We’ve been here before, with mom. But now the “gift of aging” is rendering up the “bounty” that comes
with entering the third third of life to us. Ideally, we should be able to cash in all our chips: those hours spent fretting and laughing and celebrating over beers and teas and meals and birthdays, those long dark nights of the soul where we learned, bodily, not just theoretically, what it means to be a fragile animal, a tender-to-the-touch being, a wanderer on this planet.
It turns out we don’t always get to live the ideal; in fact, we never do. Any old-timer would tell you this if you bothered to ask. But we don’t. Because somehow, despite knowing better, we are outside the rules of nature, we are the exception. We will prevail. We will escape. Until we don’t.
I got in my car and drove the three and half hours to Medicine Hat through blowing snow, arriving in time for a family conference call, hooked up to my brother Doug’s hospital room. There is nothing more excruciating than knowing your loved one is alone, waking to wires hooked up to them, their head spinning, eyesight gone and tormented by a blinding headache. And no one is there to hold their hand. I think of all those worst nightmares we don’t like to talk about: victims of violence or overdoses, young men dying on battlefields. Florence Nightingale once wrote that “they all call for their mothers.”
My brother is the bravest man I ever knew, laying there, trying to accept whatever happens to him. Hoping for a message or a vision or an understanding of how to make it through the next moment. Making bargains.
We were spilling with love and tenderness and tears, all the while organizing our rescue mission, asking him to just “hold on.” We hunted for available flights, shuttle busses, connections at last seconds. That was Thursday. We couldn’t get a plane until Sunday. Saturday, our brother-in-law Pete drove down from Port Hardy.
I will say this much: Love lowers blood pressure. Pete held Doug’s hand while he slept. The numbers went down.
Thursday began at 6 am, and we landed at 6 and were picked up and delivered to the Campbell River hospital, where we sat on his bed until 10:30, listening
to his story, watching him sleep, coaxing him to eat, promising our love, giving reassurances, our brother Dougie’s keepers. Though, it was our little brother who was teaching us how to navigate the hard work of making it back from the edge.
I know we walked home that night down a hill that led us to the ocean’s edge, where a full moon reflected off the water. I know I felt the kind of exhaustion I felt when our mother died on the same day, twelve years earlier. I knew we would not let ourselves fall asleep until midnight had passed.
Things moved quickly after that; love did its work. You don’t even know how much love you hold in your body until someone needs it like oxygen, and it pours out of you, doing its enormous, subtle work.
The next day we boarded a ferry bound for Quadra Island and another for the Island of Cortes. One of my brother’s neighbours called to say she’d gone over and lit the fire in his stove for him to warm the place up. Another borrowed a truck to pick us up. Another called to say: meet me at the back gate; I have freshbaked buns and corn chowder for you. Still, another offered to set up a fund site, and another offered to come over and chop wood.
Standing in the drug store, waiting for the pharmacy to dispense his meds, we stood for fifteen minutes in front of a selection of plastic pill cases. “That one’s too busy,” “that one’s got too many compartments,” “that’s nice, but the print’s too small.” We also bought him sunglasses, as the light, we were told, would cause headaches, a natural response to brain trauma. “You can go with either Stevie Wonder or Elton John,” I said, offering up a pair of black wrap-arounds and a pair of large rhomboids, framed in white.
When trying to inject levity into a grave moment, it’s always hard to know how much to use and when. And historically, we have always followed Dougie’s lead. So, I’m happy to report we got our cue this evening when, instead of calling “Nurse!” from his bedroom, he hollered: “Guard!”
“He’s back,” we laughed, knowing we will take this gift, one joke at a time. He’s back. And we’re keeping him and treasuring every precious line.
A young man’s radical acts of kindness
Isaw a poster the other day that said, “Sorry I annoyed you with all my kindness.” The poster is humorous but true; people aren’t accustomed to receiving kindness. An old Beatles song said, “I get by with a little help from my friends; I’m gonna try with a little help from my friends.”
However, I listened to a young man share stories of how he is helping complete strangers. The result is people who have given up on life are trying once again because they’ve received a little help from a stranger.
Jimmy Darts, who is in his 20’s, shared his stories in an online interview with Kris Vallotton. Jimmy is passionate about his kindness campaign, which can only be described as acts of kindness on steroids.
As a kid growing up in Minnesota, he said he was wild with an adventurous spirit, but he also had an incredible need to exercise generosity. “One of the main ways I got started was at Christmas. My parents always gave us $200, $100 to keep, and $100 to give away to someone who had a need,” Jimmy explained. “So I got comfortable interacting with strangers.”
As a teen, he went through a phase where he made party videos just to get attention for himself. When he got old-
Please check which paper you would like to subscribe to. _____ Your West Central Voice _____ The Kerrobert Chronicle _____ The Oyen Echo
er, he went off the internet for about four years, but when he went back on, he decided he wanted to do something worthwhile. He came to realize the power of social media could be used to make content that would help people, and he got the inspiration to do what he felt he was created to do. Here are some of the stories he shared.
While walking on the beach in Miami, he saw a homeless man living in a tent, and he asked him, “Hey, sir, would you like to be friends for the day?” The man said he didn’t see why not since he was just sitting there.
“We went out and played basketball, went rollerblading, had something to eat,” Jimmy said. “On the car ride home, we were stuck in traffic, and the man started to cry.”
The man told Jimmy, “I was actually suicidal until I met you, but just being friends changed everything.” Jimmy asked if the man had a cash app on his phone, and he said he did.
“I made a video and put his cash app on the end of the video. I expected to get a couple hundred bucks.” But the next morning, he had thousands of dollars. Now the man is no longer living on the beach.
The next story Jimmy shared was about a blind man. He had seen a news
story about the man who was blind and partially deaf, who sold brooms on the street. “So I flew to Arizona to find this gentleman,” Jimmy said.
He found the man, bought one of his brooms and got to know him. The man said his wife had cancer, and he had run into a lot of misfortune. He wanted to be a car salesman, but no one would hire him.
Jimmy made a Go Fund Me page for him, and within 24 hours, $100,000 had been raised. The next day Jimmy lined up a bunch of people, giving them money to purchase all of the man’s brooms and merchandise, and then gave the man the remaining funds that had been raised.
“Then I introduced him to a buddy of mine who has a car dealership, and he hired him on the spot,” Jimmy said, adding that the dealership has generated a ton of business as a result of the video. “And they’ll probably give me a car that I can give away,” the young man added.
One of Jimmy’s favourite stories was when he started a campaign where he’d give $500 to the first stranger he met who agreed to give him a hug. He pulled over when he saw a man on a bike wearing paint splattered coveralls. Jimmy told the man he hadn’t seen his family for a while and just needed a hug. The man gave him a hug, and Jimmy handed him $500; the man started to cry.
He said he was an immigrant who hadn’t seen his family for 18 years and was working in the US, sending them money. Jimmy raised $50,000 for the
man, who was then able to move back home, buy a house and start a business, and is successful today. It’s just one of hundreds of stories Jimmy has to share, but he has a vision to do much more.
“One of my visions is I want to end bullying in high schools. I want to create a grant, partner up with the school system, and whatever student is the kindest throughout three years of high school gets that grant,” he explained. The grant wouldn’t just be for college, but to equip the young person for whatever they want to do in the future.”
“I love social media for what we can do and the power of the people. But I say to my followers; you are way more impactful than me. You’re doing this stuff, and no one ever knows,” he said.
Young Jimmy has a wealth of wisdom to share. “You don’t have to have tons of money. You can be generous and buy someone a cup of coffee, open a door for someone. All people need is a little pick me up to rewrite some of those stories when people betrayed them and made them feel like life is dark,” he said.
As for Jimmy, he plans to keep doing his radical acts of kindness. “It’s fun; people love it. Deep down, everyone has a desire to live like Jesus lived, no matter what you believe. People want to get involved. Everyone has something specific they can do,” he concluded.
Jimmy is a breath of fresh air amidst an often-times negative world. Hopefully, he inspires you to have a positive impact on those around you.
What
do we have to do
to get the SHA to care about our community?
Dear Hon Paul Merriman, Everett Hindley, Tracey Smith, Ken Francis, Randy Weekes, the College of Physicians & Surgeons & the SHA
My name is Karen Kornelson. I have lived my whole life in Saskatchewan and have farmed for over 43 yrs near Kindersley.
We have a problem here, as many towns across Canada also have. I understand that most Dr.s want to live in larger communities and that Kindersley is a stepping stone for many. But when we get good Dr.s that WANT to LIVE & serve in Kindersley, they are forced to leave by the SHA or whomever.
Dr. Nanda loved it here & told me this to my face. His wife, I believe is a professional counsellor was not allowed to work here. We are short of counsellors, and I know someone who has been waiting over 3 years to see one.
Dr. Issah told many that he liked Kindersley & his wife wanted to live HERE. She is a Pediatrician & WANTED to Live Here — the SHA or whoever said NO.
Rose City Memorials Ltd.
Family Owned with Pride since 1961
They immediately got jobs in Alberta. If Alberta can hire them, why can’t we?
Does it not make more sense to equip a hospital 2 hrs away from a city to deliver babies, do testing & minor surgeries than to plug up the already pluggedup city hospitals?
Both farming & the oil industry jobs are very dangerous. They are also very critical to our provincial economy.
What do we have to do to get the SHA to care about our community?
Do we need to deny the rest of the province food & fuel like they deny us Healthcare?
Email: ministerrrhe@gov.sk.ca or everettmla@sasktel.net
Sponsored
(1972)
Office
CHRISTEL HANKEWICH Memorial Specialist 306-463-9191
We are short of doctors here. A pediatrician would be amazing for our town of 5000 with surrounding communities of 10-20 thousand, and her presence alone would bring other professionals with young families to our town.
What is going on in the SHA?
Christel has helped families with their monument needs for over 30 years.
We don’t have the services in Kindersley, which is 2 hrs from Saskatoon, that we desperately need. For example, we recently travelled to Saskatoon for my husband to get an ultrasound to see if he had any blood clots. Blood clots are very serious. I don’t drive in the city and my husband cannot drive anymore. This was an issue for us.
Granite Monument Specialists Dedicated to Quality Craftsmanship and Service
Why are there EMS & Nursing issues here? Kindersley Hospital is a shell of a place than it used to be. Rooms have turned into more offices & storage.
The following lands shall be sold by tender on behalf of Sperle’s Seed Ltd. and Bentley and Jody Sperle Unity, Saskatchewan
Land Description NE 27-37-24 W3
NW 32-37-23 W3 in the RM of Grass Lake No. 381 and NW 5-40-22 W3 NE 6-40-22 W3 in the RM of Round Valley No. 410
Conditions of Sale:
1. Highest or any bid not necessarily accepted.
2. Tenders may be for single or multiple quarters.
3. Only tenders submitted in sealed envelopes marked “Sports Tender” will be accepted.
4. Successful bidder to provide a 10% non-refundable deposit by certified cheque, money order, bank draft, or solicitor’s trust cheque within 5 days of notice of bid acceptance.
ALL TENDERS to be submitted on or before NOON on March 27, 2023 in sealed envelopes addressed to:
Anwar & Riou Law Office
P.O. Box 1900, 210 Main Street Unity, SK S0K 4L0
Phone: 306-228-3778
Fax: 306-228-4228
Email: general@rioulawoffice
Kindersley RCMP Hosting Town Hall Meeting
Wanting to set policing priorities for the communities they serve, Kindersley RCMP Detachment Commander Kevin Peterson is inviting the public to contribute to the conversation on March 22nd, 2023. Starting at 7:00 pm at the Kindersley Legion, Kindersley Detachment will host a presentation to discuss the current work done in the communities we serve, as well as invite input from the public on what their current public safety concerns are.
‘Our mission within the province is to help keep Saskatchewan communities safe,’ stated Staff Sergeant Peterson. ‘This meeting
will give people the opportunity to have a voice in the concerns that are specific to our communities and assist with this goal.’
Between February 27th to March 5th, Kindersley RCMP responded to 11 calls for service*. These calls included, but were not limited to, 1 break and enter, 1 traffic collision and 1 suspicious vehicle report.
Want to assist your local RCMP with ongoing investigations and help keep your community safe? Voluntarily register your business or home security camera at: saskcapturecw.ca.
*For more information on the calls to service please contact the Kindersley RCMP detachment.
Fuel thefts up 70% in 2022
In 2022, Saskatchewan RCMP received approximately 818 reports of thefts of fuel (diesel
LAND FOR SALE BY TENDER
R.M. OF NEWCOMBE NO. 260
NE 35-25-24 W3 Surface Parcel #103558833
SE 35-25-24 W3 Surface Parcel #103558811
313 acres cultivated
Conditions of Sale:
1. Highest or any bid not necessarily accepted.
2. Property “as is’”.
3. Offers must exclude GST or any other levies which may be payable by the purchaser.
4. Purchasers must rely on their own research and inspection of the property.
5. 5% of Purchase price must accompany tender, which will be returned if not accepted.
Closing date for Tenders is 4:00 p.m., March 31, 2023. Forward Tender to: Sheppard & Millar Law Office 113 - 1st Avenue East • Box 1510, Kindersley, SK S0L 1S0 Attention: Monte Sheppard
Please include file 23-6634 when submitting tender.
FOR SALE BY TENDER
Tenders will be accepted on the following parcel of land located in the R.M. of Grass Lake No. 381, approximately 14 miles West and 6 miles South of Unity, SK:
SW 14-39-25 W3rd
(municipal assessment - $98,800.00)
- 43 cultivated acres
- 50 acres pasture-natural grass, fenced - 2022 Crop - Canola - four oil wells - $9,665.00 per year
5% non-refundable deposit will be required on accepted Tender 10 days after closing.
Tenders will be received by the undersigned on or before 12:00 o’clock noon on WEDNESDAY, THE 22ND DAY OF MARCH, 2023.
More information available upon request. Not necessarily the highest or any tender accepted.
COOPER NEIL LAW FIRM
Solicitor for Ken O’Neal
Telephone: 306-228-2631
Fax: 306-228-4449
Email: unityoffice@cooperneil.ca
P.O. Box 600 Unity, SK S0K 4L0
and/or gas), an increase of approximately 70% as compared to 2021.
These reports were received from all across the province and include:
• 510 reports of someone fuelling up a vehicle at a service station, then leaving without paying. (Note: this excludes reports where investigation determined the person left without paying due to misunderstanding or oversight.)
• 117 of reports of theft from large fuel tanks or heavy machinery, either by siphoning or drilling the tank.
• 106 reports of theft from bulk fuel tanks at businesses, farms, or rural municipalities.
• The remainder in-
FOR
SALE BY TENDER
Tenders will be accepted on the following parcel of land located in the R.M. of Mariposa No. 350, approximately 6 miles North and 7 miles East of Kerrobert, SK: NE 17-35-21 W3rd
(municipal assessment - $124,900.00)
- 65 cultivated acres - 30 pasture acres - fenced with dugout - 2022 seeded to cereal crop
5% non-refundable deposit will be required on accepted Tender 10 days after closing.
Tenders will be received by the undersigned on or before 12:00 o’clock noon on WEDNESDAY, THE 15TH DAY OF MARCH, 2023.
More information available upon request. Not necessarily the highest or any tender accepted.
COOPER NEIL LAW FIRM
Solicitor for Ken O’Neal
Telephone: 306-228-2631
Fax: 306-228-4449
Email: unityoffice@cooperneil.ca
P.O. Box 600 Unity, SK S0K 4L0
clude reports including thefts of jerry cans and similar containers.
Saskatchewan RCMP received reports of fuel thefts from across the province. The detachments with the highest number of reports are Battlefords (61), Saskatoon (58), Shellbrook (46) and Swift Current (39). Reports of fuel thefts have continued in 2023, including two incidents of gas tank drilling reported to Punnichy RCMP on February 27.
Saskatchewan RCMP offers the following tips to help prevent fuel theft:
• Lock privately-owned fuel tanks and ensure the area they are located is well lit.
• Set up video or pho -
to surveillance in areas where you have a privately-owned fuel tank.
• If possible, park vehicles in a locked garage or outbuilding or park in a well-lit, frequently-travelled location.
• Park with your fuel door facing a frequently-travelled road.
• If possible, don’t park in one area, or leave a vehicle unattended to, for an extended period of time.
• If your vehicle has an alarm, activate it when you leave your vehicle unattended.
• Report suspicious activity to police: even if it does not involve your own vehicle, if you see suspicious activity occurring, report it.
SASKATCHEWAN RCMP
Eatonia resident is helping veterans with Purple Heart Project
BY JOAN JANZEN
Your Southwest Media Group
An Eatonia man is helping with a unique non-profit endeavour called the Purple Heart Project. Brett Becker explained the project helps veterans deal with physical or mental injuries by teaching them traditional hand-tool woodworking and providing them with the necessary tools and workbench. That’s where Brett comes into the picture.
The project is part of the Bench Brigade, which conducts a non-profit woodworking workshop for veterans. Two years ago, they put out a notice looking for people in Western Canada who would build workbenches, and Brett sent them an email.
He talked to Rob Cosman, a furniture builder based out of Nova Scotia, who runs the project. “Rob has been a woodworker for years and wanted to do something for veterans,” Brett said. Rob began putting on woodworking tutorials on YouTube, and he noticed woodworking helped vets with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
“Working with their hands gives them a mental break as they focus on something,” Brett said. Rob began asking for donations to conduct workshops for the vets and provide them with the necessary tools and workbench.
Although there are quite a few volunteers in the United States who build benches, there are only three volunteers in western Canada. “I’ve been doing it for two years,” Brett said. “I’ve built
two benches so far. We alternate building benches between the three of us in western Canada.”
Brett receives a call telling him about a vet who is taking the course.
“I had about a month and a half notice to build the last one, but last time I got less notice because someone who was supposed to build the bench had injured his shoulder,” he explained. The project coordinators want a bench ready for the veterans when they arrive home from their course so they can begin building and using their new skills.
“When I get the call, I buy the material, and Rob sends a vice to go on the bench. I donate the lumber, time and deliver the bench personally to the veteran,” he said. He estimated it took him approximately 48 hours to finish completing a workbench. “They send the plans, as we want them all built the same way.”
It’s the responsibility of the builder to either buy the lumber or get donations for the lumber.
The veterans are flown to Nova Scotia for a week, where a group of fourteen attend the classes. “The next class has three people from western Canada, and the rest come from all over the world,” Brett said. The project just keeps on growing in size and impact.
Participants in the classes learn how to make wood projects using hand tools. “It’s the old-school way of doing things,” Brett said. “They make whatever they’re interested in. The idea is to get their minds off of stuff.”
Volunteering his time and skills is a rewarding experience for the Eatonia resident. “The experience is pretty much unmatched by anything I’ve ever done before. You deliver it, and they’re very appreciative,” he said. “They say taking the course has been life changing because after leaving the military, they are left floundering for a bit. The two guys I met tell you their stories. As a civilian, it’s hard to listen to their stories,
let alone go through it personally.”
The Purple Heart Project enables volunteers to help Canadian veterans while doing something they love. Other Canadian individuals and groups are encouraged to get involved; it’s a fulfilling activity for the volunteers. If anyone is interested in helping or donating, they can visit the robcosman. com website.
Eatonia Huskies beat out by Greyhounds in White Mud final
BY JORDAN PARKER
Your Southwest Media Group
The Eatonia Huskies lost the White Mud Hockey League final to the Gull Lake Greyhounds, despite flourishing all season.
The team was swept three games to none in the series, as the formidable Greyhounds dominated for most of the series. Eatonia was beaten 5-2 in the final game in Gull Lake.
“It was a tough series for us. We knew it was going to be though. They have a great team, and they came to play,” said Eatonia coach Ryan Adams. “They were just the better team, when it comes down to it.”
Despite the losses – two of which were respective 10-1 and 10-2 blowouts – Adams and the team are happy at what they accomplished this year.
“We played well, they just got it done. We battled and they came out on top,” said Adams, who has been in awe of his team this year.
“We were happy with our year. I’m actually just really proud of the guys. The biggest thing is that we’re happy with our effort.”
He said the Greyhounds quickly became difficult to defend against, and are a team whose physicality is a threat.
“They have big, strong guys on their squad. So do we, and we came to play every shift. But it was a big match-up, especially given it was our first year in the league,” he said. “Both teams just
kept pushing at the end of the day, and the Greyhounds beat us.”
Given it was their first taste of the White Mud league, Adams is happy to see how the team adapted to adversity.
“We had an amazing season for our first year in the league, and we learned from every game. We didn’t even know what the teams would be like,” he said.
“There are some huge takeaways for us from the year and our final series, and they will make next year even better.”
Despite a heartbreaking loss in in the finals, Adams said they told the team to be proud of everything they’ve managed.
“To be in the finals after having no idea what to expect is amazing. The community was always behind us, and the way the players bought in and became a team so quickly was astounding,” he said. “We just remained happy all year, and helped in the community on-and-off the ice.”
He hasn’t had too many concrete conversations, but does believe the all-local Eatonia Huskies players will mostly be back next year.
“We’re hoping it’s most of the same guys. It’s too early to tell exactly what can come, but everyone seems interested in coming back,” he said.
“To feel what it was like in that dressing room was awesome. Everyone was so tight, and I hope we can repeat that feeling next year.”
Brett Becker presents a workbench to Canadian vet, Fred Dumas (right).
Ag news from 25 years ago
A headline of a March 11, 1998 article in The Clarion read: Area farmers band together to show rail line is needed. Here are some excerpts from the article.
Farmers from across West Central Saskatchewan gathered in Eatonia and Laporte to send a message to the grain companies and railways.
One day late, Canadian National finally brought in 60 cars to the Eatonia area to unload local elevators and granaries.
Through their own efforts, and in conjunction with West Central Road and Rail, farmers along rail line 47.02 (which runs through Mantario, Laporte, and Eatonia) loaded approximately 33 producer cars on Friday.
The tiny community of Laporte was bustling with activity as 18 grain cars, as well as some of the six cars originally scheduled to be loaded in neighbouring Mantario, were loaded by farmers from across the district.
Some producers traveled almost 100 miles to Laporte in their grain trucks to help their fellow farmers load the producer cars.
“The bottom line is that we want to save our rail line,” explained Kirk Ritalin, a farmer who came from Elrose to help out. “The object is to get the grain off the road and on to the track.”
“It’s pretty evident that the grain companies and the railroads aren’t going to provide us with the service,” added Plato area farmer Doug Bone who
was one of the other 40 farmers who came from the Eston area to help out.
“There’s a real spirit of cooperation here today and I think that will be important when we want to obtain the line for ourselves.”
TOWN OF EATONIA PUBLIC NOTICE
Public notice is hereby given that the Council of the Town of Eatonia intends to adopt a bylaw under The Planning and Development Act, 2007 to amend Bylaw No. 5/16, known as the Zoning Bylaw.
INTENT
The proposed bylaw amendment will:
• add “personal service trades” as a principal discretionary use within the R1 residential district;
• add specific development standards for personal service trades within the R1 residential district.
REASON
The reasons for the amendment are to: increase clarity within the bylaw; and, accommodate residential style personal service trades within the Town of Eatonia.
PUBLIC INSPECTION
Any person may inspect the bylaw at the Town Office, located at 202 Main Street, Eatonia SK, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays. Copies of the proposed bylaw are available at the Town Office at cost.
PUBLIC HEARING
Council will hold a public hearing on April 11, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. in the Town of Eatonia Council Chambers, 202 Main Street, Eatonia, SK to hear any person or group who wishes to comment on the proposed bylaw. Written submissions must be received by April 6, 2023 by 5:00 p.m. either by email or deposited into the mail slot at the Town Office.
Issued at the Town of Eatonia this 7th day of March, 2023.
Cheryl Bailey, Administrator
Meanwhile local farmers said they were overwhelmed by the support in the community.
“We decided to do this to make a point to the railroads and the grain companies,” explained Laporte area farmer Paul Stevens whose family farm loaded four producer cars. “But it would have taken forever to do this ourselves. The help from people we don’t even know is amazing.”
“In small towns everyone sticks together and is willing to help out,” explained Eatonia area farmer Derek Nunweiler while helping a friend unload a car in Eatonia. “This is just another example of that.”
Laporte area farmer Ray Cooper said the manual loading of producer cars in the community proved the viability of the rail line.
West Central Road and Rail, a coalition of local farmers and business people concerned about the loss of the rail line, said the importance of Friday’s event was the strong message it sent.
“The message is as much to ourselves, as to the governments, grain companies, and railroads, that this line is important,” explained Bill Woods, an Eston area farmer and WCRR’s secretary.
BY BRIAN ZINCHUK
Vermilion sells 5,500 boepd in southeast Saskatchewan around Arcola and Queensdale in $225 million deal
Vermilion Energy Inc. announced the sale of approximately 5,500 boepd of light oil production in southeast Saskatchewan on March 8.
That’s roughly half of its production in Saskatchewan. For 2022, Vermillion averaged 11,777 barrels of oil per day.
The announcement came as part of the company’s 2022 year-end financials. The Saskatchewan sale in a way paired up with an acquisition in Ireland as well as gas development in British Columbia.
In the release, Vermilion said, “Subsequent to yearend, we signed an agreement to sell certain assets in southeast Saskatchewan. The assets are comprised of approximately 5,500 boepd of non-core light oil production spread across the greater Arcola and Queensdale areas of southeast Saskatchewan. Total cash consideration is $225 million, before closing adjustments. Following our entry into the Montney, these mature assets were unlikely to attract capital. The divestment was part of our strategy to re-position Vermilion for long term success by high-grading our North American inventory, reducing unit cost and accelerating the timeline of achieving our debt reduction targets. The transaction has an effective date of September 1, 2022 and is expected to close in March 2023. The net proceeds will be used to pay down our revolving credit facility.”
The purchaser was not disclosed.
In the message to shareholders, Vermillion said, “In 2022, we delivered on our strategic priorities and continued to re-position Vermilion for long term success. Due to the robust free cash flow generation of our international and diversified assets, we reduced net debt by $300 million and completed $500 million of strategic acquisitions, despite incurring $406 million of realized hedging losses and $223 million of temporary windfall taxes.
“To increase our exposure to premium priced European gas, we progressed the high rate of return Irish Corrib consolidation deal, which we plan to close on March 31, 2023. In Canada, our Montney acquisition increased the depth and quality of our North American inventory. With lower debt and an even stronger asset base, we announced our return of capital framework and returned over $100 million to our sharehold-
ers with the reinstatement of a quarterly dividend in Q1 2022 and commencement of a share buyback program in Q3 2022.
“We exited the year with net debt of $1.3 billion, or 0.8 times trailing FFO, which is less than half the leverage ratio from the prior year. These results translated into a total shareholder return in excess of 50 per cent including share price appreciation and dividends. We remain committed to reducing debt even further, which will allow for increasing return of capital to our shareholders in the future. Our next debt target remains $1.0 billion of net debt, which we anticipate achieving by the end of 2023 or early 2024, depending on commodity prices.”
The company’s production remained largely flat year-over-year. Production in Q4 2022 averaged 85,450 boepd, representing a one per cent increase over Q3 2022. Annual average production was 85,187 boepd, which is consistent with 2021 production levels.
During the fourth quarter, Vermilion’s production was impacted by unplanned downtime in Australia, cold weather and third-party downtime in North America, and the delayed startup of its six-well Montney pad in Alberta.
Outlook and Guidance Update
The Corrib acquisition in Ireland has a planned close on March 31, 2023. Vermilion estimates a net cash payment of approximately $200 million at close and expect the acquisition to payout in approximately one year, based on forward commodity prices. This acquisition is expected to add approximately 7,000 boepd of European gas production, which was reflected from March 31, 2023 onwards in the company’s original production guidance of 87,000 to 91,000 boepd. Taking into account the southeast Saskatchewan asset sale and Australia downtime, Vermilion is revising its 2023 production guidance to 82,000 to 86,000 boepd. The company’s 2023 capital budget remains unchanged at $570 million as there was minimal capital allocated to the assets being sold.
“Our Q1 2023 drilling program is off to a strong start and is expected to deliver higher production in Canada during the first quarter, however extended maintenance downtime in Australia will result in low-
CONTINUED NEXT PAGE
MOBILE WELDING
er corporate production in Q1 2023,” the company said. “As a result of the Australia downtime and the southeast Saskatchewan asset sale, Q1 2023 corporate production is expected to be in the range of 80,000 to 82,000 boepd.” Q4 2022 Operations Review – North America
Production from Vermilion’s North American operations averaged 58,499 boepd in Q4 2022, an increase of 2 per cent from the prior quarter primarily due to new well production from its Montney assets in Canada and a full quarter contribution from its 2022 drilling program in the United States.
Vermilion said, “In Saskatchewan, we drilled seven (5.5 net) wells, completed ten (6.9 net) wells, and brought on production twelve (6.7 net) wells in southeast Saskatchewan. No drilling or completion activity occurred in the United States in the fourth quarter as the team focused on preparation for the 2023 drilling program which will commence in Q2 2023.”
“In Alberta, we drilled twelve (10.6 net), completed ten (8.2 net), and brought on production seven (6.9 net) Mannville liquids rich gas wells, while at Mica we drilled one (1.0 net) well and brought on production the six (6.0 net) wells from our first Montney pad. The six well Montney pad was brought on production in late November and saw rates increase through the balance of the year as the wells cleaned up. Total production from our Montney assets averaged 7,500 boe/d during the month of December. In December, drilling commenced on a follow up three-well pad in Alberta which is expected to be completed and tied in during the first half of 2023. During the fourth quarter of 2022 we received three permits in British Columbia, including one of the permits to construct a 16,000 boe/d battery and to drill a multi-well pad in British Columbia. We also signed agreements to acquire 11 sections of adjacent land at Mica, further consolidating our contiguous land base and increasing our Tier 1 inventory.”
Now is the perfect time to save big on quality Kubota tractors, utility vehicles, mowers, implements, attachments and more at our fall event.
Independent Grain and Special Crops Market Analysis
Twenty years ago, I was first introduced to the term ‘information democratization’ while reading Thomas Freidman’s book, The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization. My sister had recently returned to Canada after living in Malaysia and, although it was never confirmed, she seemed eager to share with me the impact of globalization on our everyday lives. Her world travels had exposed her to experiences and perspectives that were unavailable to me as an older brother living in rural Saskatchewan
Friedman shared how the internet allows for Information Democratization providing the same information to everyone in the world. At that time, I was already astounded by the vast amount of information available on the internet and spent a lot of time researching different crops to grow and export opportunities, as well as exploring the abundance of conspiracy theories. Yes, I was one of them. It was part of my journey.
The evolution of the internet from message boards to what is today is quite remarkable. I particularly enjoy experiencing audiobooks and podcasts while walking my dog or driving. The opportunities to learn have been democratized, which I enjoy.
I recently listened to the audio version of Rick Rubin’s, The Creative Act. Rick is an American record executive and record producer who has been called “the most important producer of the past 20 years” and named on the New York Times list of the “100 Most Influential People in the World”.
Rick discusses how opportunities are abundant and readily available to all of us when we are ready to ‘see’ them. This concept resonates with me, supported by the timely introduction to Rick via a podcast and purchase of this. Rick Rubin’s insight and his audiobook, produced in January, contain messages that are essential to this point of my journey.
Perhaps the description and summary of The Creative Act below are timely for your journey and inspire the reader to develop their creative process.
The book is a collection of insights and reflections on creativity based on Rick Rubin’s decades-long career as a music producer and entrepreneur. Its short chapters focus on specific aspects of the creative process.
Among the key ideas are that creativity is a skill that can be developed through practice and discipline; that being present in the moment and letting go of preconceived ideas are crucial for generating new ideas; that collaboration and building a supportive, creative community are important for fostering creativity; that embracing failure and learning from it are essential for growth and creativity; and that honesty and vulnerability are important qualities for artists to create authentic and meaningful work.
The book also emphasizes that constraints and limitations can stimulate creativity and push boundaries,and that the creative process is a journey that should be enjoyed rather than solely focusing on the end result.
Additionally, Rubin suggests that creativity can be applied to any field and that it’s important to find ways to express oneself creatively regardless of one’s profession.
Listening is also emphasized as an important part of the creative process, both in terms of listening to feedback and listening to the world around us.
The Creative Act is an inspiring and thought-provoking guide for anyone seeking to unlock their own creativity and bring their ideas to life.
Life is good.
Trent Klarenbach, BSA AgEc, publishes the Klarenbach Grain Report and the Klarenbach Special Crops Report, found at https://www.klarenbach.ca/
The Klarenbach Report is sponsored by Kindersley & District Co-op
Brody is a brave little boy!
BY JOAN JANZEN
An Oyen resident is hoping to raise awareness of a genetic disorder called Dechenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Kelli Smigelski’s 9-yearold son Brody was diagnosed with DMD when he was just five years old. One in every 3500 boys is afflicted with the disorder, which is characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness.
Brody and his mom live on their grain farm near Oyen, along with Brody’s dad and younger sister. “Brody adores his dad. Any time he gets to ride on the tractor, he’s there!” Kelli said. “He has a mechanical mind and likes anything that has to do with motors.”
Brody’s parents didn’t know anything about DMD at the time of his diagnosis. It was shocking to hear there is, as yet, no cure, which is why they want to raise awareness. Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC), a non-profit organization, raises funds for research.
Although there are online support groups that give Brody’s parents a sense of community, there are not many people who know about the disease. It primarily affects boys and, in rare cases, girls, with symptoms becoming evident in early childhood, as early as age two or three. Initially, muscles close to the core of the body are affected, which later spreads to the extremities. The affected child might have difficulty jumping, running and walking. The disease can be both physical and cognitive, as the lack of dystrophin can also affect the brain.
Additional symptoms that may occur are enlargement of the calves, a waddling gait, and an in-
9-year-old Brody Smigelski from Oyen is hanging out with his dog Cooper. Brody was diagnosed with Dechenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) when he was 5 years old.
ward curve of the spine. Later on, the heart and respiratory muscles are affected.
Brody sees a specialist in Calgary semi-annually, but the treatment only serves to delay the progression. He attends Assumption Catholic School in Oyen, where he is in Grade 4. While at school, he uses a power wheelchair, which gives him a lot of independence, and the ability to do more things.
“He’s ambulatory and can walk short distances, but there’s all kinds of challenges,” his mom said. “It affects pretty much everything we do.” Even though Brody has undergone many medical tests, his mom says her son is pretty resilient.
Until the 1980s, little was known about DMD. At that time, it was discovered a particular gene on the X chromosome, when flawed, leads to DMD. In 1987, the protein associated with this gene was identified and named dystrophin. The lack of dystrophin protein in muscle cells causes them to be fragile and easily damaged. Thanks to advances in cardiac and respiratory care,
it’s become common for survivors to reach their mid-30s. Researchers are actively pursuing strategies such as gene therapy, gene repair, and FDA-approved drugs.
Meanwhile, the Smigelski family is busy renovating their home.
“We’re in the process of making our home wheelchair accessible and making our vehicle wheelchair accessible. We’re trying to do that by this summer so Brody can use the wheelchair at home,” Kelli explained.
Brody’s mom says her son is quite inquisitive, always asking questions.
“He’s a pretty brave little boy,” she said. He may be brave, but he’s just like every other kid who enjoys hanging out with friends, building with lego and playing video games.
As the search for a cure continues, an organization called Defeat Duchenne Canada works alongside MDC to provide leadership in research, advocacy and support as patients and their families wait for treatments to be approved in Canada.
Your Southwest Media Group
Crossroads Beef Expo Pen & Youth Show Winners
Pen show Winners - February 18
Yearling Bulls:
Cattle
2nd place - Camden Cattle Co.
Commercial Heifers
1st place - Niwa Ranching Ltd.
2nd - Clarbyrn Farms Ltd.
People’s Choice Pen Show Winners: Yearling Bulls - Wildflower Angus
2 year-old Bulls - Desertland Cattle Co.
Purebred Heifers - Camden Cattle Co.
Commercial Heifers - Ray Penner
Youth Show Winners - February 19
Grand Champion Steer - London Matthews
Reserve Champion - Keagan Jacobson
3rd place - Salem Saucier
Grand Champion Heifer - Dakota Noble
Reserve Champion - Shae Noble
3rd place - Ethan Yaremko
Showmanship winners: Juniors:
1st place Myra Murray
2nd place Gracy Hadwin
Intermediate:
1st place: Jess Murray
2nd place: Ethan Yaremko
Senior:
1st place: Keagan Jacobson
2nd place: Hannah Wagstaff
Yearling Bulls winner Camden Cattle Co.
2 year-old Bulls winner Snake Valley Farms
Purebred Heifers winner Haylee Wagstaff
Commercial Heifers winner Niwa Ranching
Grand Champion Steer - London Matthews
Grand Champion Heifer exhibited by Dakota Noble
It’s the month of meetings!
BY BOBBI HEBRON Kerrobert Recreation Director
Clubs and organizations are wrapping up, gearing up or holding their annual general meetings. Minor Ball is holding their registration this month and we expect Kerrobert Minor Hockey to hold their annual meeting soon. Well organized meetings with agenda’s, goals, time frames and commitment to stick to the topic at hand are important ways to ensure organizations can be successful at their meetings. While it isn’t enjoyable to attend long meetings, committing to goals and solving problems is the best way forward. It was recently posted in the Chronicle and on Facebook that a Kinette Club will once again be starting in Kerrobert with plenty of interest already. Thank you to those who are bringing that back to our community. That club has done a lot of great things for Kerrobert and of course, across Canada.
The Kerrobert Curling Club had a successful Curling Bonspiel this past weekend with 10 teams. The volunteers kept busy serving two great meals which were enjoyed by curlers and many members of the community. The Friday supper raised $781 and was donated back to the facility to assist with operational costs. The Double Take out Lounge stayed busy and all funds raised were donated back to the Kerrobert Memorial Arena.
The Club intends to continue curling the next few weeks as the plant remains on. While there are new members interested in getting involved, the Club is always looking for people to help with programming as well as assisting with all the projects that the volunteers take on to ensure a future of curling in Kerrobert. Ice technicians John and Darlene Gillies have been training Town
staff on ice care but we continue to look for others to get involved. If you or someone you know is interested in taking a paid position at the Curling Rink next season, please call the Rec Office at 834-2344.
The skating rink always slows down in March with average rentals bringing in approximately $5000 to the arena. The months bringing in the most revenue are usually November and January. The rink is slated to close March 31. It’s been a great season getting to know all the coaches and managers from across the west central region. We are always better when we work together and their willingness to do so makes for a better season for everyone.
The Rec Board will be finalizing plans for arena maintenance for 2023. The big ticket items include 2 major projects including board repair and replacement, as well there is major maintenance and repairs to be done on the ice compressor. These projects will be financed through our reserves and our regular operating budget.
Communities in Bloom has not yet met to discuss the 2023 season. A meeting will be held March 22 to discuss plans for the spring and summer season. They welcome new members! Communities in Bloom Canada has declared 2023 Color of the year to be purple. Purple has a variety of effects on the mind and body, including uplifting spirits, calming the mind, enhanced feelings of spirituality and encouraging imagination and creativity. From lilacs to coneflowers, from coast to coast, they encourage us to paint the country purple!
Applications for summer season jobs in Kerrobert closed on March 3 however, we will continue to accept applications until all positions are filled. To date we have 12 applications for lifeguards, summer stu-
dents, swim instructors and museum students. We are thrilled with the applicants and although this is high number, not all lifeguards are available full time. We typically open the first Friday of June, this year that would be June 2. The Rec Board will be reviewing our options and availability of staff to determine the pool start date, open hours, swimming lessons dates and whether or not we have staff to offer June lessons or open weekends.
The PCC saw a record number of rentals in 2022 and 2023 is gearing up to be very busy as well. If you view the online calendar you will see we already have 17 rentals in 2023 and 3 in 2024. Following a meeting on Feb. 27, the Prairieland Players have notified us that they will be holding their Dinner Theater on June 2 and 3. Watch for more information and be sure to check them out on Facebook if you wish to get involved.
Kerrobert Rec Board annual general meeting has changed and will be held March 27, 2023. Our board consists of 9 members; 3 appointed members from the RM’s of Mariposa, Oakdale and Progress; 1 appointed member from the Town Council of Kerrobert and 5 volunteers who are representatives of the Curling Rink, Arena and Library, Fairgrounds, Pool and PCC. If you are interested in being on the Board, please reach call the Rec office at 834-2344. It’s a wonderful group to work with, our meetings include healthy debates and always the intent to improve and serve the communities culture and recreational needs while staying fiscally responsible. I thank them for their support and for their commitment to ensuring a future for our culture and recreation facilities and programs offered through the Town of Kerrobert.
Alberts
Bahm Thiessen
Kissick
Lee
Caitlynn Alberts
Brad Murphy
Quenton Murphy
Jon Shepherd
Dylan MacKinnon
Dustin Oikor
James Semilet
Dylan Beaudoin
Who let the dogs out? Conner Family Sled Dog Tours!
Chelsea Kissick
BY JOAN JANZEN
Your Southwest Media Group
What’s your favourite thing to do when it’s -30°C degrees outside with the wind chill? If you said, ‘go on a dog sled ride,’ you’re absolutely right!
On Thursday, March 9th, Prairie Branches Enterprises Inc. in Kerrobert hosted the Connor Family Sled Dog Tours at the Kerrobert reservoir. Those in attendance had the opportunity to enjoy a free ride on a dog sled. Rides were booked on a first-come, first-served basis. Kerrobert Wildlife Association, a major contributing sponsor and a half dozen additional sponsors helped make the event possible.
Wyatt Knorr
noon on Thursday. Many of the clients enjoyed it so much that they wanted to go for a second ride. As soon as the dogs were hitched up to the sled, they began yelping and were ready to go! These dogs are the original breed used by the Peter Ballantine Cree Nation. The dogs are big, strong, smart, protective, fast and friendly.
Cindy Ternes, Program Coordinator at Prairie Branches, said, “Kerrobert has been such a great business partner with our organization, so we just wanted to give something back. And I love thinking of something different to do.”
Inviting Charlie Connor and his twenty dogs and sleds from Loon Lake was just what she was looking for.
Prairie Branches clients from Unity, Biggar and Kerrobert enjoyed the dog sled rides before
LUSELAND VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
Back row (Left to Right)
Garrett Flueny, Jayden Olfert
bert Winter Festival, entering the 10-dog, 4-dog and 1-dog races. And now they’re also offering school tours, educating the public on the care and history of sled dogs, which goes back multiple generations.
Matthew Siwak (Lieutenant)
Steven Meissner, Brenden Obrigewitch
Devon Townsend
“I wanted to find something local,” Cindy said. Charlie Connor’s family has been racing and conducting tours out of Loon Lake, Sask. He grew up with dogs in northern communities, and their mission is to provide education, proper dog care, and respect for animals, the environment, nature, and their heritage.
Front Row (Left to Right)
Nick Anderson Brad Galbraith (Captain)
Matthew Rumohr (Chief)
Missing:
Randy Gottfried, Brian Gottfried
Matthew Thrun, Garret Walford
According to Charlie, sled dogs are faster but more work to look after. The estimated cost to maintain a dog kennel for 30-40 dogs amounts to $20,000 per year, plus thousands for equipment, truck, dog sleds, harness, chains, travel, and helpers. But Charlie and his family are grateful to have the resources to bring the dog teams to schools and help keep the tradition alive.
Christopher Brost, Kevin Sloboda
Before Thursday’s event in Kerrobert, the Connor Family Sled Dog Tours were in Biggar and area. “What a great educational tool!” Cindy said. It also offered a unique experience that people with special needs could enjoy. Students and the public participated in the rides later that afternoon.
Austin Gleave, Adam Franko
Neil Kennedy, Koby Reiber
Keagan Bazylinski , Kirk Meyer
Shane Bardick
Charlie said they begin training the dogs in the summer but need to be careful that the dogs don’t get too hot. They take the dogs on short runs and lengthen the runs as the weather gets cooler. Charlie’s sons are closely involved in raising the dogs.
DODSLAND VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
Charlie, his wife, Tanya, and their three young sons love racing their dogs; it’s a family sport.
Charlie and his boys won the Sask. Championships at the Prince Al-
• Cars • Trucks • Boats • RVs
From left to right
“The Canadian north has a great history with dogs. They’ve had dogs for thousands of years, and that’s a history we need to celebrate. That’s our goal,” Charlie concluded.
Fire Chief Vic Sittler, Shane Kruesel, Jarret Johnson, Deputy Chief Grant Sittler, Deputy Chief Grant Christison, Michael Bowden.
Missing:
B.COMM, Executive Financial Consultant craig.paetz@igpwm.ca 403-664-8311 “Having investments” isn’t the same thing as financial planning. We believe a real financial plan adapts and grows alongside your life - and includes
Steven McMillan, Caleb MacDonald, Cory Turk, Dean Ellis, Devon Lovenuk, Jordan Halter, Kaid Hoffman, Patrick McGrath, Ryan Neumeier, Trent Nienaber, Travis Kennon
Tyler Srigley, Ryan Webber
In spite of the wind and cold, Charlie Connor kept on smiling while giving sled dog rides all day on Thursday, March 9th at the Kerrobert Reservoir.
| PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN
A dog sled passenger’s view. | PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN
BY BRUCE PENTON Sports Columnist
Ready, set, pitch ... and hurry up!
Get ready for a wild and wacky Major League Baseball season in 2023.
‘Pitch clock’ was trending on Twitter after just two days of the pre-season schedules in Florida and Arizona, as MLB’s new rules to speed up play were enacted.
Worried that baseball games were dragging on too long and that fans were either abandoning the sport, or just falling asleep, the powers-that-be in baseball decided that a pitch clock in every MLB park would speed things up.
Early returns say it’s working, but it’s also causing a bit of chaos.
On Day 2 of pre-season action, a game between Atlanta and Boston ended with a Braves’ batter being called out for not being ready (in his batting stance and facing the pitcher) with eight seconds left on the pitch clock. The umpire called an automatic strike, a third strike, against the batter, and a 3-2 count, bases-loaded situation with the game tied came to a rather quiet conclusion. Spring training games don’t go into extra innings and this one ended 6-6.
Did the fans go home happy? No. They booed, but at least they were on time for their dinner reservations.
“I don’t think this (rule) was intended for a game to end like that. … It’s a good thing that we’re starting (to use the rules in spring) because you never know what might happen,” Braves’ manager Brian Snitker told USA Today after the game. “That instance right there, it kind of shows you what could happen.”
On Day 2 of spring training games, the longest contest went three hours and six minutes; the shortest was a Usain-Boltian 2:15.
The rules call for 15 seconds between pitches, with bases empty. Twenty seconds between pitches are allowed when runners are on base. The batter has to be facing the pitcher and ready to hit with eight seconds left. A violation by the pitcher calls for an automatic ball; if the hitter breaks the timing rule, an automatic strike is called.
Another new rule bans infield shifting — the overstocking of defensive players on a particular side of the field to attempt to foil a hitter with a proclivity for hitting the ball a certain way. In theory, more
base hits because of a ban on infield shifts will lead to more rallies, more runs and … longer games?
At least these potentially longer games could be fan-friendly 9-8 or 14-11 contests rather than 2-1 or 1-0 snoozefests.
So, in 2023, we’ll have faster-paced games, more offence and probably more drawn-out arguments between managers and umpires. At least it won’t be dull, which is the adjective MLB is trying to eliminate from its game descriptions.
• Comedy guy Steve Burgess of Vancouver: “Baseball is back, with new rules. Going to take awhile to get used to the Benny Hill theme playing between pitches.”
• Comedy writer Gary Bachman: “A 7-year-old baseball umpire seeks Guinness record as world’s youngest. His strike zone is from the knees to the shoe tops.”
• Comedy writer Brad Dickson of Omaha, after Gov. Jim Pillen said Nebraska is the greatest place in the world to live, and has the greatest people: “If he’d said this when he was playing football he would’ve been diagnosed with a concussion.”
• Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg: “The frisbee dog at the halftime of the University of Louisville basketball game took a big No. 2 on the court. He got the idea from watching the Los Angeles Lakers play.”
• And from fark.com, on the same event: “Dog invited at halftime of game to catch frisbees delivers an unmistakable metaphor for entire Louisville season.”
• Another one from Kaseberg: “A video shows Donald Trump driving his golf cart on the green. In pool this would be the equivalent of taking a shot while standing on the table.”
• Jack Finarelli quoting from the Official Dictionary of Sarcasm: “Baseball:
A spectator sport known as ‘the great American pastime’ largely because so much time passes while waiting for each game to end.”
• RJ Currie of sportsdeke.com: “I’m not saying the Winnipeg Jets’ Stanley Cup championship hopes seem to be going down the drain. But lately the cushions selling in their gift shop are shaped like toilet seats.”
• Another one from Currie: “Satellite-imaging shows Greenland’s retreating Jakobshavn Glacier moves at a speed of 12 feet per hour. It recently gained consideration as earth’s slowest moving body — after the retirement of Tom Brady.”
• fark.com headline after L.A. Kings’ goalie Jonathon Quick was traded twice in two days — first to Columbus and then to Vegas the next day: “Quick moved quickly.”
• fark.com again: “Bob Richards, three-time Olympian and first athlete to ever be featured on a Wheaties’ cereal box, pole vaults into the great beyond at 97.”
Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca
Community Update on Big Country Hospital
The following is an update provided by AHS Community Engagement . If you want to connect with them, here is the email: Community.Engagement@ahs.ca.
Good day,
As promised at the January 12 community conversation regarding the temporary closure of the Big Country Hospital in Oyen, we would like to provide the community with this update.
While the temporary closure is still in place, positive progress has been made.
Recruitment
We are very pleased to share that Shelaine Woods has accepted the position for the Site Manager, Oyen Health Centre – Big Country Hospital, effective February 27, 2023. Shelaine is a Registered Nurse who has worked at the Big Country Hospital for nearly 20 years. She is rural practitioner who brings a strong vision for quality healthcare and a family-centred approach.
Our recruitment efforts for the Oyen Big County Hospital are ongoing. AHS continues to actively seek Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), and a Healthcare Aide (HCA) for the Oyen
ANNUAL MEETING
Thursday, March 30, 2023 1:00 p.m.
Dry Country Gas Co-op Ltd. Back Shop
Big County Hospital. You can find the postings here. While we are working to fill the outstanding roles, we have extended the agency nurse contracts to bridge the gap. An additional two agency RNs will be joining the team starting on March 21 and April 1.
EMS/Physician On-Call
Our current interim approach to patient transport to Oyen hospital ED (between the hours of 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) involving the EMS staff and local Oyen physicians has been working smoothly. We greatly appreciate local physicians support, and the dedication of our EMS paramedics.
Housing
One of the concerns that was raised by the community was the lack of housing for staff. AHS has been working with the Acadia Foundation Seniors Housing to develop two suites for out-of-town staff. We would also like to acknowledge that the Special Areas, MD of Acadia #34 and the Town of Oyen have generously provided funding for the furnishings. We are very grateful for these partnerships and are happy to report that those suites are currently housing agency nurses.
Relationship with the community
Since our session, AHS has been meeting biweekly with municipal leaders. We continue to work diligently with community leaders to secure the staffing needed to fully reopen the emergency department and acute care beds as soon as possible, and to have them remain open for many years to come. Our thanks to municipal leaders from the Town of Oyen, the Special Areas and the MD of Acadia #34 for their partnership and continued support.
Thank you again for your continued commitment to healthcare. As always, please feel free to connect with us at any time via email at Community.Engagement@ahs.ca.
Sincerely,
Sent by Community Engagement on behalf of: Linda Iwasiw Chief Zone Officer, South Zone Dr. Aaron Low Zone Medical Director, South Zone
Safety Reminder: Inspect equipment before it leaves the shop for anything that could put you at risk or needs addressing in the future.
Leader Skating Club Annual Achievement Day was hosted Sunday March 5th at 3pm in the Leader G3 Arena. 52 local skaters took to the ice treating onlookers to a variety of individual and group performances. The theme for this year’s events was ‘Out of this World! (Space)’ Coach Bobbi Haggat-Sitter was excited to have 22 star skaters in the club. In January the club was represented by 10 star skaters who competed in Regional Skating Competition in Moose Jaw. The season concluded Wed Mar. 8th with Skate Canada testing. A great season was had by all!
Kerrobert Kinette Club is back in action!
BY JOAN JANZEN
Your Southwest Media Group
The Kinette Club of Kerrobert is back in action, thanks to a group of ambitious ladies who got together on Wednesday evening, March 8th at the Kinsmen Hall. To prevent any confusion with the existing Kinsmen Club of Kerrobert, they will be marketed as a Kinette Club.
Club member, Dakota Price, said they are currently in the process of getting chartered. “After our most recent meeting, we will have 18 members registered in the club,” she said. Their invitation extended to the public resulted in several new members attending the meeting, and wanting to get involved.
The executive of the club is made up of a group of talented women. President is Kerri Tetzlaff; Vice President - Monika Knorr; Treasurer - Stefanie Olesen; Secretary - Meredith Mack; Risk Management - Brie Grimard; Registrar and Marketing - Hayden Murphy.
“At our first initial gathering, we ended up having pages of ideas of things to bring to the community,” Dakota said. As a result, at their most recent meeting, they worked on setting up committees which will enable the club to begin planning upcoming events. They also finalized all the steps necessary to become chartered.
“We are currently starting to plan our first
EATONIA AGENCIES LTD.
event, a Cinco de Mayo themed party on May 5th,” Dakota said. The members of the club are excited and can’t wait to get started!
“We intend on working with the Kinsmen Club to put on a few larger events throughout the year, and every few months there will be events that are targeted towards specific groups in the community. This will include activities for moms and babies, fami lies and women.”
The Kerrobert club’s primary goal is to provide events to the community that allow everyone to get involved - women, children and families. “We want to provide a space for women to come together and create a place
that is inclusive and welcoming,” Dakota explained.
The ladies want to give back to the community and host events that are fun for everyone, and bring everybody together. They’re hoping to have something for everyone to enjoy in the months and years to come.
& Grooming for your Dog or Cat!
306-463-3361
Just 2 kms north of Kindersley McDonalds “The Kennel That Cares”
Although they’re pleased to have 18 members join the club, anyone is more than welcome to attend their regular meetings, held every second and fourth Wednesday of each month at the Kinsmen Hall. Anyone who is not able to fully commit, is welcome to help volunteer at an event.
2 kms north of Kindersley McDonalds
• Are
• Do you want to take advantage of the
• Thinking about Retirement or career change?
Spring is coming and it’s time to lose that extra winter weight
Truckers are advised to closely monitor their loads when using secondary highways in Saskatchewan.
This is the time of year when truckers must reduce the weight of their loads, since all secondary highways revert back to regulation weights. This prevents damaging important roads in the spring.
“It’s imperative we protect our road network at this time of year by reducing the weights trucks are allowed to carry,” Highways Minister Jeremy Cockrill said. “On different occasions throughout the year, we
adjust allowable weights to ensure the efficient movement of goods while protecting our highway infrastructure.”
Winter weights are being removed effective Wednesday, March 15, 2023 at midnight (12:01 a.m.). Any existing winter weights will be removed and revert back to regulation weight. Spring road restrictions will begin soon. These road bans reduce allowable weights on RM roads and secondary weight provincial highways by 10 to 15 per cent and typically last about six weeks. Road bans typically begin in March
and run for six weeks, ending in late April to early May. The bans only impact secondary weight highways and not primary highways such as 1, 11 or 16.
Truckers are advised to monitor their loads and watch for restrictions during this period.
To check which highways are impacted by weight restrictions, please visit truck weight classifications and restrictions at saskatchewan.ca/truckingweights. Commercial truckers and shippers are encouraged to check the status regularly.
Information is also available by contacting
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Broadbill Energy Inc. is a dynamic growing oil and gas infrastructure company with operations extending from SE Saskatchewan to NW Alberta. We offer competitive compensation and benefits in an exciting and rewarding environment. At Broadbill Energy, we have a team of industry leaders who take on a collaborative approach and work closely with our producer partners to provide flexible and innovative solutions to our customers.
Broadbill Energy Inc. is immediately looking for a full time Terminal Operator in the Eston/Kindersley area.
Supporting the operations team, the Terminal Operator will manage all operations pertaining to the truck off-loading terminal. They will assist the other operators in managing the truck off-loads and the volume management of the crude oil tanks onsite.
Responsibilities Include:
• Provide labor support to operations • Operate equipment on worksites
• Assist with preventative maintenance on equipment • All other duties as required
Qualifications and Skills:
• Previous experience in an oil field battery or truck terminal environment is preferred but not necessary
• Field safety tickets including; First Aid, H2S, Fall Protection, and Ground Disturbance
• Keen attention to detail • Flexible work schedule • Strong work ethic, integrity & trustworthy character
• Ability to problem solve • Class 5 driver’s license • Excellent judgement and safety conscious
• Comfortable working both independently or as part of a small team
Job Type: • Full-time Benefits: • Dental care • Life insurance • Paid time off • Tuition reimbursement • Vision care Schedule:
Please
be contacted directly for an interview.
Whitecap Resources Inc. (WCSK area) is currently seeking Full-time Contract Field Operators. The Operator will monitor and test oil wells as well as operate all associated facilities and assist with operational and engineering strategies to optimize production. The successful candidate will have proven success in the ability to be flexible and adapt to change.
Whitecap’s positive work environment contributes to its success as an energy producer and a steward of the environment with a focus on safe and responsible operations.
We are looking for candidates with the following qualifications and training but are also willing to train the chosen applicant.
5-15 years of relevant industry experience with strong preference given towards oil operations, specifically oil wells, compressors and batteries
Driver’s license and clean driver’s abstract
H2S ticket
First Aid ticket
A disciplined work ethic
Capable of working in both a team and individual environment
Proven and demonstrated commitment to HSE expectations and requirements, software experience in field data capture (ProdMan), and electronic flow measurement and monitoring systems as well as the ability to coach and mentor others.
This position is available immediately; please email a cover letter and resume to:
Kayla Flanagan – Kayla.Flanagan@wcap.ca
the Highway Hotline at www.saskatchewan.ca/ highwayhotline or dialing 511.
Technical and regulatory information is available by calling 1-866933-5290, while truckers outside of Saskatchewan call: 306-933-5290. The line operates weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except statutory holidays.
We thank all interested candidates who apply, however only those being considered will be contacted directly for an interview.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Chief
Administrative Officer Acadia Foundation
Job Description
Acadia Foundation is looking for a dynamic, friendly, outgoing professional who is passionate about seniors housing, to become our next Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). The successful candidate must be an energetic team player who leads by example.The CAO is the senior administrative officer who works with the Board of Directors and a four-person management and administrative team to manage and run three seniors lodges in Oyen, Consort and Hanna. The CAO is directly accountable to the Board of Directors. Travel is required between the three lodges.
The success candidate will have a good understanding of financial management, as well as extensive experience and knowledge of senior’s healthcare and housing, legislation, standards and policies. The candidate should have experience in working with a non-profit Board of Directors.
Key competencies the candidate must demonstrate are:
- leadership & teamwork
- strong commitment to service and accountability
- communication
- resource and fiscal management
- experience with the ADP payroll system
- experience and knowledge of Senior’s Housing and Supportive Care
- broad knowledge and base of experience in most functions of human resources
- experience working with a non-profit board
- medical background
- Site Manager’s certificate through ASCHA/RDP or will agree to complete at their own expense
Only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. Successful candidate must live in or be willing to relocate (at their own expense) to one of the following areas: Special Areas #2, 3, 4, MD of Acadia, Town of Hanna or Oyen, Villages of Consort, Youngstown, Veteran or Empress. Successful applicants will be required to obtain a criminal background check and provide proof of all required immunizations.
Salary range $90,000 - $115,000/year. Benefit package available. How to Apply: to prafa1@netago.ca before March 24, 2023.
Improving farm safety with new technologies
CANADIAN AGRICULTURAL SAFETY WEEK
Farm safety means good business
Agriculture is a big business in Canada. Recent statistics show that Canada’s agriculture and agri-food system employs around 2 million people and generates about $140 billion annually, more than 7 per cent of the country’s GDP.
Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (CASW) raises awareness of farm safety on the third week of March of every year. Since farming is one of Canada’s most hazardous occupations, decision-makers in agriculture must account for health and safety in planning and budgeting.
In addition to the financial impacts, the Canadian Agriculture Safety Association (CASA) has identified three other areas where businesses are afected by worker health and safety.
1. COMMODITY LOSS
When a worker is injured, the remaining staf may take on increased work, which puts them at a higher risk of making dangerous mistakes. Even if
a replacement worker is hired, the new person needs training and time to get “up to speed.” The result of the farming operation is a loss in productivity.
2. LITIGATION EFFECTS
Workplace accidents make businesses vulnerable to legal action at three levels. They’re liable to regulators like the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. They may also be sued in civil court or tried under criminal law. Beyond the legal costs, the outcomes of such actions can have long-term ramifications for businesses.
3. HUMAN IMPACT
Every year in Canada, more than 100 people, including some children, are lost to agricultural fatalities. The injured person is only the beginning of these impacts because injury and loss of life afect entire families and communities. In addition, a workplace injury impacts morale and quality of life for everyone working and living on that farm.
Farm workers cover a lot of ground on any given day, exposing themselves to harsh weather and challenging landscapes. They also work long hours and operate dangerous equipment, often while fatigued. Fortunately, new technological innovations are reducing farm safety risks.
• Onboard tractor systems. Seat-mounted consoles like Data Screen Manager provide driving guidance and information about the tractor’s condition. Drivers get support while operating the tractor, and the device lets you know when it’s time for servicing or a part replacement.
• Drones. Thermal drones and high-definition cameras enable farm personnel to track cattle and inspect crops in real-time. Workers don’t have to risk rugged terrain and bad weather to collect the necessary data. It also saves labour hours that would otherwise be lost to travelling.
• Remote sensing technology. Wireless systems can remotely measure grain temperature and moisture, providing the metrics farmers need to gauge the health of their crops. These systems can be placed inside grain bins or in fields, enabling farmers to receive data remotely and reducing the risk of grain entrapment.
• Livestock health monitoring. Farmers can now attach wearable “fitness” trackers to their cattle to monitor vital signs, activity and behaviour. Farmers get real-time, remote data about the health and safety of their animals without having to endure hazardous environments.
Any innovation that reduces workload has the potential to lower worker stress and physical fatigue. By increasing efficiencies, these innovations are making farms safer places to work.
Alberta’s government is following through on a commitment to introduce an Alberta Firearms Act
Once passed, the Alberta Firearms Act will strengthen Alberta’s ability to regulate, administer, and advocate on behalf of firearms owners.
The act will clarify the role of the Chief Firearms Officer (CFO) within provincial legislation to provide the CFO with a stronger, clearer role and require the CFO to issue an annual report in order to enhance public accountability.
“Once passed, the Alberta Firearms Act will be the most comprehensive provincial firearms framework in the country. By establishing in legislation the role of Alberta Chief Firearms Officer, this legislation will elevate the responsibilities and legal mandate of the office to the fullest extent of the law. Alberta stands unequivocally with hunters, farmers, sport shooters, and Indigenous peoples, all of whom understand the importance of responsible firearm ownership to Alberta’s heritage and culture.”
- Tyler Shandro, Minister of Justice and Attorney General
Alberta Firearms Act introduced The act will also introduce the ability to make regulations that would allow for the licensing of seizure agents; develop a Firearms Compensation Committee to set out Alberta’s expectation that owners receive fair compensation for their firearm; the creation of requirements for forensic and ballistic testing of all confiscated firearms when deemed necessary; and the requirement that municipalities and municipal police services meet regulatory requirements before entering into any firearms-related funding agreements with the federal government.
“An Alberta Firearms Act will provide stronger support to the law-abiding firearms community whose activities are essential to the economic vibrancy and cultural heritage of our province.”
- Teri Bryant, chief firearms officer
“As the owner one of over 650 firearms businesses in Alberta I am happy to see the Alberta government stepping in and standing up for legal firearms owners. I believe an Alberta Firearms Act is a sorely needed piece of legislation to provide clarity on firearm use and ownership for our diverse community of hunters, farmers and sport shooters.”
- J.R. Cox, CEO, The Edge Group
Government working together to provide the best firearms education programs available, contributes to safer streets and safer communities and we are proud to collaborate in this cause!”
- Robert Gruszecki, president, The Alberta Hunter Education Instructors’ Association
Quick facts
TAX TIPS
“The Alberta Hunter Education Instructors Association (AHEIA) is happy to see the Alberta Government taking a positive stand for our hunting community. Hunters make up a treasured part of our provinces culture and it is important that these traditions can continue for generations to come. As an educator and a hunter, I applaud the Alberta Government’s work to ensure that responsible, law-abiding firearms owners can continue to use their tools to provide for their loved ones and for all those who benefit from their harvest. Additionally, AHEIA and the Alberta
The Alberta Firearms Act builds upon steps taken in Bill 211, Municipal Government (Firearms) Amendment Act, 2020 which amended the Municipal Government Act to prevent municipalities from passing firearms bylaws unless authorized by the province.
British Columbia and Québec both have legislation that regulates firearms outside of wildlife and hunting legislation. Saskatchewan recently introduced legislation to regulate firearms.
NEWEST BARGAIN STORE
Posting Date March 6, 2023
1. FOOD & DRINK: Which U.S. city is known for its square pizzas with crunchy corners?
2. TELEVISION: Which character became a fugitive in the final season of “The Office”?
3. GEOGRAPHY: Which of the Great Lakes lies entirely within the United States?
4. LITERATURE: Which famous novelist wrote his last book in crayon due to poor eyesight?
5. GAMES: What are the two most valuable letters in Scrabble?
6. MOVIES: Which movie series features a character named Ellen Ripley?
7. LANGUAGE: What is a “schwa”?
8. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Which nation is credited for being the top beer-drinking country in the world?
ONLINE AUCTION FOR THE SASKATCHEWAN MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE CROWN LAND SALE
Online Bidding ends Over TwO ClOsing daTes Tuesday, March 21 & Thursday, March 23, 2023
The spring 2023 sale consists of 56 parcels of land, or 7,329 acres split into 40 lots. Land parcels located in RM #001 through #350 will be scheduled to close on March 21. Parcels located in the RM #351 and higher will be scheduled to close on March 23 online auction.
Contact Our Real Estate Department To Request Your Sale Catalogue Visit Our
more information. Or you can download the brochure at www.forttradeshow.com
61st DRAGGINS CAR SHOW - April 7 and 8 at Prairieland Park, Saskatoon. Check out the “Battle of the Automotive Technicians”!. Draggins Rod & Custom Car Club. Visit our website; Draggins.com.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
REQUIRED IMMEDIATELY:
Person to COOK & CLEAN for heavy construction camp this winter with possibility of year round. Winter location: Arborfield, SK. Must have valid driver’s licence and safe food and handling ticket.
Send resume and work references to: Bryden Construction and Transport Co. Inc. Box 100, Arborfield, SK S0E 0A0; Fax: 306-769-8844
ANNOUNCEMENTS
CANADIAN LORD’S DAY
ASSOCIATION - For the purpose of preserving the sanctity of the Lord’s Day (Ex. 20:8-11) Obedient to Thy summons, Lord, We to Thy sanctuary come; Thy gracious presence here-afford, And send Thy people joyful home; Of Thee our King O may we sing, And none with such a theme be dumb! YOUNG PEOPLE’S HYMNAL C.L.D.A. Box 1369 Picture Butte TOK 1V0.
COMING EVENTS
SATURDAY, MARCH 25, the public is invited to join the residents of ESTON HERITAGE MANOR and MUSEUM VOLUNTEERS, from 2:00 - 4:00 PM for an afternoon of visiting and pie and refreshments at the Manor. Everyone welcome.
EDMONTON STAMP CLUB STAMP SHOW.
March 25-26, 2023. Saturday 10-5 pm, Sunday 10-4 pm. Central Lion’s Rec Centre. 113 Street & 111 Avenue. Stamps for sale, Evaluations, Door Prizes, Jr Table. OUR THEME: Edmonton’s Hockey History. Free Admission, collecting for Food Bank. www.edmontonstampclub.ca.
Looking for Vendors! Fort Qu’Appelle Spring Trade Show, April 22nd and 23rd, 2023. Please contact Tammy at 306728-5690 or accounts@ grasslandsnews.ca for
AGPRO SEEDS LTD. BUYING HEATED, DAMAGED OFFGRADE
CANOLA & FEED
GRAINS. #1 buyer on the prairies, top price paid! Call/text: 306-873-0481, AgPro Seeds bids: agproseeds.com, Email: sales@agproseeds.com
MORE ROLHEISER BOOKS Ken Rolheiser releases SEVENTH book MORE LETTERS FROM THE LITTLE PENCIL OF A LOVING GOD. Amazon - paperback and kindle. See https://www. amazon.com/author/krolhie1005
HEALTH
MISCELLANEOUS
Advertisements and statements contained herein are the sole responsibility of the persons or entities that post theadvertisement, 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.
HIP/KNEE
Replacement?
Other medical conditions causing TROUBLE WALKING or DRESSING?
The Disability Tax Credit allows for $2,500 yearly tax credit and up to $30,000 Lump sum refund
ALBERTA FEED GRAIN: Buying Oats, Barley, Wheat, Canola, Peas, Screenings, Mixed Grains. Dry, Wet, Heated, or Spring Thresh. Prompt Payment. In House Trucks, In House Excreta Cleaning. Vac Rental. 1-888-483-8789.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Private mortgage lender. All real estate types considered. No credit checks done. Deal direct with lender and get quick approval. Toll free 1-866405-1228. www.firstandsecondmortgages.ca
FOR SALE
FOR SALE BY TENDER West Central Pelleting ltd is aCCePting bids for the folloWing:
1998 TEREX TB85 SELF PROPELLED MANLIFT
Located at 100 Bruce Saunders Way, Wolseley, SK. Unit will be sold as is where is Successful bidder will be responsible for all costs and arrangements for the removal from property.
Highest or any offer not necessarily accepted
Closing date for bids is: MarCh 31, 2023
Bids can be submitted to danwcp@sasktel. net For more info contact Dan at 306-918-7908
1/4 NE 14-07-10 Consists of house, quanset, corrals, garage & bins Contact Ritchie Pilgrim 306-620-9831 or pilgrimritchie @gmail.com
I am currently PURCHASING single to large blocks of land. NO FEES OR COMMISSIONS
Saskatchewan born and raised, I know land, 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
SERVICES
CRIMINAL RECORD? Why suffer employment/ licensing loss? Travel/ business opportunities? Be embarrassed? Think: Criminal Pardon. US entry waiver. Record purge. File destruction. Free consultation. 1-800-3472540. www.accesslegalmjf.com.
GET BACK ON TRACK! Bad credit? Bills? Unemployed? Need Money? We Lend! If you own your own home - you qualify. Pioneer Acceptance Corp. Member BBB. 1-877-987-1420. www. pioneerwest.com.
PROVINCE-WIDE CLASSIFIEDS. 51 local community newspapers, distributing to over 450 communities, including 14 cities. Reach over 550,000 readers weekly. Call 306-649.1405 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!
BLANKET THE PROVINCE with a classified ad. Only $269/wk (based on 25 words or less). Reach almost 90 weekly newspapers. Call NOW for details. 1-800-282-6903 Ext 225; www.awna.com.
WANTED
BUY SELL TRADE GOLD, SILVER & PLATINUM! Bullion, Coins, Bars, Jewelry, Nuggets, Sterling +. Also purchasing complete coin collections, old money, Royal Canadian Mint, Gold, Silver +++ Todd 250-8643521.
Preliminary runoff outlook spells dry times for Maple Creek
Below average rainfall last year in Saskatchewan had producers carefully checking their Farmers Almanacs for the winter forecast. On March 1, the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency (WSA) released an updated forecast and map.
“Moisture conditions across southern Saskatchewan were generally dry at freeze-up in 2022, particularly on the west side of the province where drought conditions were prevalent,” said the March 9 WSA press release. “Winter snowfall has ranged from below normal over much of southwestern Saskatchewan (other than a small pocket in the extreme southwest south of the Cypress Hills where the snowpack is well above normal), to well above normal through much of central Saskatchewan.”
Ordinarily Paul Heglund, a Consul-area farmer, envies producers on the north side of the Hills, but not this year.
“I’ve received 23 inches between March 1 and March 11. Most of it dry and fluffy,” he said.
Maple Creek is often the province’s hot spot during the coldest winter months thanks to the chinooks that visit courtesy of the adiabatic heating from the Cypress Hills. But too many warm days combined with low snowfall mean the snow disappears, leaving very little
for the spring temperatures to melt.
W hat happens with the runoff in the drier parts of the province will depend considerably on how fast or slow the snow melts. If it melts quickly, more run-off is likely thereby replenishing surface water sources. A slower melt
will allow the soil to absorb more, replenishing the soil column.
“In areas where below or well below normal snowmelt runoff is expected, some water supply concerns may emerge or i ntensify. For instance, irrigation water supply in the Bigstick Lake Ba-
sin near Maple Creek is expected to experience a third consecutive year of shortages,” according to the WSA release.
The Kindersley region is anticipated to have above normal or near normal runoff. The next runoff report will be released i n early April.
Along with so many in the community, Kindersley Legion Branch #57 also mourns the loss of Pauline Ament. Pauline came to Canada after the Second World War as a war bride, marrying Lloyd “Sparky” Ament, who upon his return to the Kindersley Area served for decades as our Legion Branch’s Sergeant of Arms.
In time, as she became an integral part of our community, Pauline assumed the roll of our Branch’s Silver Cross mother, an honourary position in which she laid a wreath every Remembrance Day on behalf of all mothers of our community who have lost a son or a daughter in military service in Canada. Both Pauline and Lloyd Ament’s portraits hang on our Legion Branch’s Wall of Honour, for their lasting contributions to our branch and our community.
As a Branch, we want to express our profound appreciation of Pauline Ament, and our deepest condolences to the family as they mourn her passing and celebrate her life.”
and women
Mervin Miller
June 25, 1932 - March 5, 2023
It is with great love the family of Mervin Miller announce his passing on March 5, 2023 at the age of 90 years.
Mervin’s life will forever be cherished by his loving wife of 64 years
Adeline, their three sons and their families; Brad (Doreen) Miller - Alisa, Travis (Kayla) and their children Kylie and Hayden. Son Wesley (Brenda) Miller - Billie-Lynn (Cody) Todd and their children Theran and Ellis, Dustin and son Brooks. Son Blair
(Tamye) Miller - Taylor (Stephane) Taillon and their children Isaac, Joel and Danielle, Amanda (Reagan) King and child Gabriel.
He is survived by 1 sister Merle (Brian) Short, 3 sister in-laws; Linda Schlaht, Violet Bauder, Irene Mertin as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
Mervin is predeceased by his parents Jake and Annie (Holstein) Miller, parent’s in-law Fred and Hertha (Ausmus) Mertin, brother’s in-law; Harvey Mertin, Fred Mertin, Lorne Schlaht and Bob Bauder, grandson Mitchell Miller, great grandson Samuel Todd and nephew Quentin Schlaht.
Mervin was born June 25, 1932 to Jake and Annie (Holstein) Miller on the homestead 4 miles south, 3 miles west of Leader. In 1940 at the age of 8 he moved into Leader with his parents.
Mervin attended school until grade 6, at which time he started
farming with his dad.
Besides farming, Mervin’s top interests were hockey and baseball until one day at a sports day at Burstall, Mervin met the love of his life Adeline Mertin. They were married June 7, 1958. What a rock and cheerleader Adeline turned out to be in Mervin’s life.
Together they enjoyed many years making friendships while travelling to sports days, entertaining teams for suppers, team socials, and bus trips for hockey.
Mervin’s top priorities in life were sports related- mainly baseball and hockey.
Mervin was a member of the Leader Barons baseball team (1961-1983) that was inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame on August 20, 2016.
Mervin was involved with the Senior Leader Flyers hockey team his whole life, playing goalie for years, at the time when there was no goalie equipment or goalie masks.
For the Leader Senior Flyers hockey team Mervin played many roles; player, coach, trainer, stick carrier, beer man and occasionally doctor stitching up the old hockey wound. In 2004, Mervin’s hockey jersey #23 was retired.
Mervin instilled his
love of sports onto his 3 sons. This is something that has been carried on through to his grand-children and great grand-children.
Mervin and Adeline also enjoyed camping and fishing. They spent many summer days down at the campsite by the river.
Mervin and Adeline cherished two great longtime friends and travel partners, Margaret and Gordon Miller.
In Mervin’s senior years, Mervin discovered his faith in Jesus and was baptised and confirmed in the Lutheran church.
In later years on Saturday mornings at 11:00 a.m. Mervin enjoyed the “Old Mans Club” where he would meet the “Guys” for a drink and to play the machines.
Mervin’s other favourite hang out was down at the Miller Ford garage for coffee. We laughed that he didn’t pay any attention to coffee news, but was going down for the treats.
Celebration of Mervin’s life was held Saturday, March 11, 2023 @ 1:00 pm at Leader Trinity Lutheran Church.
As an expression of sympathy in lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Town of Leader – Zamboni fund.
Condolences may be offered to the family at www.binkleysfuneralservice.com
Farmers work hard year-round to provide nourishment for our families, communities, and the world. We’re taking time to celebrate them, and look forward to serving you throughout the year.
We
THANK YOU TO OUR
from Joe, Victoria & staff
Thank you for all your
Frances (Heck) Schmunk
Frances Schmunk, age 96, passed away on February 2, 2023 in Medicine Hat, Alberta.
She was born on September 9, 1926 to John and Mary (Selinger) Heck at the family farm east of Liebenthal, Saskatchewan. Frances was the fifth of six daughters – Elizabeth (Betty) Bischoff, Monica (Minnie) McConnell, Barbara Wagner, Lydia Getz, and Erma Wagner.
Frances married Dave Schmunk Jr. on July 5, 1952. Together they raised four children –Dalton (Tesha), Donna Zubot, David (Deirdre), and Douglas (Terri).
Family was very important to Francie. She was actively involved in their children’s activities including hockey, softball and 4-H. She took pleasure visiting her sisters and their families, and Dave’s siblings and fami-
lies, whether it be to celebrate an event or to help out on the farm. Food played a huge role in family meals and gatherings, keeping traditions alive through special dishes like strudels, kuchen, cream chicken, pickled ribs, sauerkraut, fresh bread and more.
Grandchildren meant the world to Francie; they were treated to quality time and spoiled as much as possible. She was so proud of their many accomplishments and attended their events whenever possible.
Faith was a guiding force in Francie’s life. She regularly attended and participated in mass. She was a charter member of Leader’s Catholic Women’s League (CWL) when it began in 1959. She held seven positions during 40 of her 64 years as a member. Ever a faithful servant, she never missed a function.
Francie took pride in farming with Dave; she drove the swather for many years and delivered meals to the field during busy seasons. In later years, she especially enjoyed crop tours with Dave.
Together, they planted a large garden out at the farm, as well as over 100 spruce trees, and fruit trees/shrubs of all kinds. Many hours were spent tending the garden, picking and processing
Christel has helped families with their monument needs for over 30 years.
Granite Monument Specialists Dedicated to Quality Craftsmanship and Service
the harvest to be enjoyed through the winter. A favorite was chokecherry jam and syrup.
Francie’s real passion was flowers; her flowerbeds and baskets flourished with blooms beautifying their yard in town every year. In her later years, she willingly helped to establish and tend to the flower beds on the boulevards of Main Street. Perhaps her second passion, a love of pretty things, was apparent in how impeccably she was turned out in the latest fashions and footwear.
There was always time for friends. Dave and Francie were part of a couples’ Sunday-night bridge group; she was an integral member of a ladies’ bridge group as well. (Houses polished, fancy food prepared, ladies dressed up and cocktails served – bridge was NEVER cancelled.) She and a group of friends participated in a Christmas cookie exchange for 30 years.
The Friendship Centre provided a gathering place for visiting, cards, and events. Francie was a long-time member, sitting on the executive and leading programs such as seniors’ exercises. She will be remembered for dressing up as a clown for the Wild West Days parades, and helping serve the famed Grebble – a tradition that continues to this day.
Francie was an avid curler, taking part in numerous ladies and mixed bonspiels. She and Dave especially enjoyed cheering on the Toronto Blue Jays from the comfort of their living room.
In addition to family responsibilities, Francie worked as a nurse’s aide at Prelate Hospital and the first Leader Hospital for a time. Volunteering was just something she
did her entire life; organizations included the library, the recreation department, and the Western Senior Citizens’ Home.
In the fall of 2014, Francie made the move to Medicine Hat, living at the Masterpiece River Ridge Seniors Village, and then the Good Samaritan South Ridge Village.
Francie will be fondly remembered by her children and their partners; her grandchildren – Justin and Stephen Schmunk, Jesse (Siku) Zubot, Josh Zubot, Theresa (Adam) Baker, Braeden (Julia) Schmunk, Michaela (Joe) Clarke, Trevin Schmunk, Sierra and Sawyer Schmunk; her great-grandchildren – Klee Zubot, Abigael and McKinley Baker, and Harlow Clarke; and many special nieces and nephews.
She was the last surviving member of her immediate family, as well as Dave’s. Francie was also predeceased by her sonin-law Orville Zubot, and daughter-in-law Sherry Schmunk.
The funeral mass will be held in Leader’s Little Flower Catholic Church on Tuesday, March 21 at 1 p.m. with Fr. Prince Owusu Sarpong celebrant. Interment will follow the lunch in a private family graveside service. Condolences may be offered to the family at www.binkleysfuneralservice.com.
Donations may be made to the Leader Cemetery Fund, c/o Town of Leader, Box 39, Leader, SK S0N 1H0. You’re invited to further honor Francie by performing a Random Act of Kindness (RAK), or by becoming an organ donor at www. givelifesask.ca.
Condolences may be offered to the family at www.binkleysfuneralservice.com
THURSDAY, MARCH 16
• Skate Brock presents “Skating the Red Carpet” 6:00 PM. Silver collection at the door.
DODSLAND
SATURDAY, APRIL 22
• Dodsland Plenty Minor Ball will be hosting a Softball Pitching Clinic on April 22. Lauren Pollard who pitches for the University of Saskatchewan is coming out to help the softball players with their pitching skills.
EATONIA
MARCH 24-26
• Eatonia & District Recreation Board Open Funspiel.
SATURDAY, JUNE 24
• Eatonia Show & Shine 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM on Main Street. Call 306-460-7767 for more info.
ESTON SATURDAY, MARCH 25
• The public is invited to join the residents of Eston Heritage Manor and Museum volunteers from 2:00 - 4:00 PM for an afternoon of visiting, pie and refreshments at the Manor. Everyone welcome.
FRIDAY, APRIL 7
• Walk of the Cross beginning at the Eston Full Gospel Church 9:30 AM. Brief stop at Eston Jubilee Lodge. Proceeding to Sacred Heart Catholic Church for the recitation of the Staions of the Cross. Everyone welcome to walk or just come to do the Stations at approx. 10:10 AM. Sponsored by Eston Ministerial.
THURSDAY, MAY 18
• Purple Pansies fundraiser for Pancreatic Cancer pick-up date 2:00 PM at DT’s parking lot. Call Lee 306-402-7170 or 306-962-3221. 4-pack for $6. Pre-Order today!
* 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
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15
• Pie Day 2:00 - 4:00 PM at the Kerrobert Seniors Hall
THURSDAY, MARCH 16
• Artist Reception for The Chapel Gallery exhibition 7:00 PM at the Courthouse Gallery
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22
• Communities in Bloom Meeting 7:00 PM
MONDAY, MARCH 27
• Annual Recreation Board Meeting 6:30 PM
FRIDAY, MARCH 31
• Kerrobert Memorial Arena closes for the season
UNTIL APRIL 15
• The Chapel Gallery Members Exhibition. This group of artists is based out of North Battleford. Located in the Historic Courthouse. Open weekdays from 8:30 AM - 4:3 PM.
SATURDAY, APRIL 1
• Kerrobert Spring Market at the PCC
• Kinsmen Comedy Night at the PCC
SATURDAY, APRIL 22
• Gord Bamford Canadian Dirt Tour at the PCC SATURDAY, MAY 6
• Sieben’s School of Dance Recital at the PCC
* Weekly Walk this Way at the P.C.C. 9:30 - 11:00 AM. Every Tuesday & Thursday.
* Weekly Shuffle Club at the P.C.C. 1:30 PM. Every Monday.
* Weekly Open Curling at the Curling Rink 7:30 PM. Every Tuesday.
KINDERSLEY
TUESDAY, MARCH 14
• Kindersley Bellydance is offering a Bellydance for Beginners class every Tuesday until March 28 from 5:30-6:45 PM. Held at St. Paul’s United Church (Glidden Room). Try before you buy - try the first class with no obligation. Bring a yoga mat or a blanket. Call Evelyn Faubert 306-463-7191 for more information or email: kindersleybellydance@gmail.com
• Lego Club at the Kindersley Library. Ages 8-14 3:45-4:45 PM. Every Tuesday until May 30. Lego is provided. Contact Michelle Yates at 306-463-4141 or email: kindersley. library@wheatland.sk.ca for more info.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15
• AWANA Boys and Girls Club 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm at the Kindersley Alliance Church, 74 West Rd. Stories, Songs, Games and Learning about God’s Word! For everyone in grade K-6. Call 306-463-6568 or email: kacoffice7@gmail. com
• PickleBall 7:00-9:00 PM at Elizabeth School (200 5th Ave. East). South west entrance. Adults of all ages are invited. There is a $50 fee for entire season. Season runs all year. Call Barry Ditson for more info 306-460-8356.
THURSDAY, MARCH 16
• Adult Volleyball 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm at Kindersley Composite School, 606 3 St E. Adults of all ages are welcome, and there is a fee of $20 to pay for the season which will run all fall and winter long. Contact Doug Longtin (306) 463-8448.
MARCH 17 - MARCH 18
• Kindersley Curling Club Men’s Bonspiel. Entry fee: $280/ team. Saturday night Steak Supper included with registration. To register, contact Richard at 306-460-6258 or sign up at the curling rink.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22
• RCMP Town Hall 7:00 PM at the Kindersley Legion Hall. Everyone welcome.
• Kindersley Soccer AGM 7:00 PM at the KCS Library. Please attend if your child wants to play soccer in the spring.
SATURDAY, MARCH 25
• Kindersley Screen Arts presents “Tar” 4:00 PM Sunset Theatre. $10 at the door.
MARCH 22-26
• SK Provincial Curling Club Championships. Call 306-4632522, email: kindersleycurlingclub@gmail.com for more information.
MARCH 30 - APRIL 2
• West Central Oilmen’s Association 2023 Almost Annual Bonspiel.
FRIDAY, APRIL 7
• Kindersley Community Choir Easter Concert 7:00 PM at St. Paul’s United Church. Free-will offering accepted.
• Light Up The Night “Jelly Bean Dance” at the Royal Canadian Legion 6:00-9:30 PM. Ages 2 - Teen. $5 per child (under 2 free). Under 7 requires parent supervision. All proceeds towards Women’s and Children’s Shelter. Message Stephanie 306-430-9093 for more info.
THURSDAY, MAY 18
• Purple Pansies fundraiser for Pancreatic Cancer pick-up date 11:30 AM at Western Pizza parking lot. Call Pam 306463-8362. 4-pack for $6. Pre-Order today!
* Prairie Crocus Quilt Guild meet 2nd Tuesday of the month September to May at the Pensioner’s Hall (3rd Ave. E.) 7:00 pm. Contact Donna 306-463-4785 for more info.
* 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.
* Dart Night every Thursday at the Royal Canadian Legion from until May 25 at 7:00 PM. Contact Devin Brown for more info 306-378-1206. No charge!
* Monday Night Jam Sessions at the Norman Ritchie Community Centre. Doors open at 6:30 to set-up, then the fun begins at 7:00-11:00 PM. Call Keith 306-460-8633 for more info.
LEADER
SATURDAY, MAY 6
• 2023 Donut Dash - fundraising for the Leader Walking Trail. 5K Walk/Run 10:00 AM. Meet at the Leader Community Centre. Cost $35 a person or register as a team of 4 for $125. (Includes a T-Shirt). Deadline for registration March 28. Pledge sheets and registration at the Town Office.
* Community Badminton Sundays from 6:00-8:00 PM at the LCS Gym. $2.00. Children under 12 must come with an adult.
* Adult Volleyball Monday evening at LCS Gym.
LUSELAND
TUESDAY, MARCH 21
Adult Programming “DIY Junk Journal” at the Luseland Library. Age 18+. Make journals with re-positionable pages. No sewing required. Space is limited.
APRIL 17-19
• The Prairie Sunset Music Festival will be held at the Alliance Church. Sessions include: Piano, Instrumental, Vocal and Speech. More details to follow.
MAJOR
SUNDAY, APRIL 9
• Community Easter Egg Hunt
SATURDAY, APRIL 15
• Major Rec Board Steak Shoot
SATURDAY, APRIL 29
• Pre-School Graduation
SATURDAY, JUNE 10
• Community BBQ
PLENTY
SATURDAY, MARCH 25
• Plenty CROP presents Brayden King at the Plenty Hall. $30/ticket. Contact Shelby 306-460-9885 or Helena 306831-0007 for tickets.
