The Oyen Echo - March 21, 2023 by yourwestcentral

Badlands camp teaches kids baseball fundamentals

JORDAN PARKER

Spring is rolling around, and the Town of Oyen is readying for another yearly elite baseball training camp.

Known as a haven for talent and athleticism, Oyen is home to a number of players from all around looking to develop their skills and move to the next level. With camps like this, they’re getting kids interested in the sport early.

The academy is offered at South Central High School and is meant to bring players to the next level.

“We are prepping players. Most students go to college in the United States to play ball, and the end goal is to have them go off to new education and continue to play after the academy,” said Head Coach Nolan Rattai.

“We train year-round, and then in the summer, students go home and play ball with summer teams. We get kids ready to compete and make them competitive with ball.”

Rattai says that the sport is huge in Oyen and something that many young folks around try to aspire to excel at.

“The sport is so popular down in the southern States. Lots of kids are pushing for a few spots, and there’s a need to be the best,” he said.

The academy is an annual affair and is meant to both introduce kids to the sport and ignite further passion.

“We promote baseball in the area, and we want to see kids falling in love with it. We have coaches and current high school players run the camp,” said Rattai.

“The camp goes for three hours for two days, and we teach everything we can. We make it as fun as possible so kids learn but also enjoy it. We want them to go forward and

keep playing.”

Oyen is a town where kids move there to play baseball. They get billets, and there’s a push to play professionally. Rattai says 80 percent of graduates go to play baseball in college.

“We have the opportunities available. We have amazing facilities, and players can practice year-round. Baseball is a big, sometimes hard sport. Players really commit to it,” he said.

One of the big things about the camp for kids between four and 14 is they get to see high schoolers running camps, and that can motivate them.

“These high schoolers can be seen as role models. Kids recognize them and see it’s possible to go far in baseball,” said the coach. “Often, our campers like being around the older kids.”

“You can’t force kids to want to spend a bunch of time on a sport. We love teaching kids in the early stages and showing them the

game. We make it enjoyable, so if they do fall in love with the game, they know what’s involved.”

The academy has been around for 12 years in a town that’s big into baseball and hockey.

“Having these developmental academies and camps is so important. Kids can develop skills and always get better. Baseball players are really good here,” he said.

“When our founder started this, we got the facility, we got the school on board, and we did everything we needed to in order to get the top talent. We did all we could to make bringing kids here possible.”

The Badlands Baseball Academy is April 13 and 14, 2023, from 11 a.m. To p.m. Each day. There will be a hot dog intermission both days, and cost is $100.

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Kinder Kollege announces new child care centre

BY JOAN JANZEN

Kinder Kollege child care centre in Kindersley recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. The daycare centre was established in February 2013 by director Liliana Sulikowska-Klebek. It was her dream and vision to have a centre that encourages learning through play.

Liliana and current director Jodi Geddes, all the daycare families and Mayor Rod Perkins celebrated the occasion with a light lunch and cake.

Jodi Geddes has been the director for the past eight and half years, overseeing up to nine employees. Kinder Kollege, located in Westber-

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ry Elementary School, is licenced for 25 children, ages six months to years. An exciting announcement accompanied the daycare’s tenth anniversary.

It was recently announced that another government-licensed child care centre will be built in Kindersley, capable of accommodating 90 children. The approximate size of the facility is estimated to be 11,500 sq ft. and will accommodate children ages six months to six years. Before and after-school programs will also be available.

The new centre will be called “Kids Academy,” and will be a sister centre to Kinder Kollege. The address of the new facil-

ity will be 200 Thomson Drive in Rosedale. According to Geddes, once the property is subdivided, the daycare will take title to the land.

The project is a result of the overwhelmingly high demand for more childcare spaces to assist more families with their childcare needs. The new centre will provide child care for both the Kindersley community, as well as surrounding areas.

“Ideally, we would love to start construction in the spring/summer of 2024, but it will depend on how fundraising goes,” Geddes said.

Fundraising projects

will be important as this new venture moves forward. Geddes is looking for individuals who are willing to join a newly formed fundraising group and plans to conduct a meeting within the next couple of weeks. The group will share ideas and goals to assist in helping our community to get this much-needed and exciting project up and running.

Please contact Jodi Geddes, Director of Kinder Kollege child care centre, at 306-463-5435 or email kinderkollege@ sasktel.net if you can help out. She looks forward to hearing from you.

Director Jodi Geddes (l), past director Liliana Sulikowska-Klebek and Mayor Rod Perkins celebrated the 10th anniversary of Kinder Kollege, along with all the daycare families.

Knights of Columbus Celebrate St Patrick’s Day

Addictions counsellor equips

others with helpful tools

BY JOAN JANZEN

FoodMesh volunteers and other interested guests listened intently to an addictions counsellor speak on Wednesday evening, March 15th, at 800 - 12th Ave. East, Kindersley. Kerri Edgerton, a certiﬁed Drug Alcohol pecialist, helps individuals suffering from addictions.

Kerri’s experience stems from much more than her education and training. he spoke about her own past addictions and her path to recovery, which began years ago. “ don’t have a problem shar ing my story,” she said. he walks others through her personal experiences because of her deep desire to help others become free from addictions.

er path of destruction began very early, at the tender age of 11 years. “I didn’t feel like I had any purpose as a kid. I didn’t trust anyone, and that mistrust grew. That’s why trusted alcohol it gave me a warm feeling,” she e plained.

er mother struggled with health issues, and nothing in Kerri’s young life was making her happy. As a teen, she was bullied, and her dependence worsened. er parents separated, she resented her dad, and her life began to “spiral downward hard and fast,” she said.

As a confused young woman, she entered into one relationship after another, experiencing much physical and mental abuse along the way. A cycle of destruction contin

ued throughout her relationships, ushering her into a dark place. In her brokenness, she succumbed to an ultimatum to try hard drugs but was completely ignorant of the consequences.

he became a mom but didn’t know how to parent. As the stress es of everyday life continued, her addictions increased. Homelessness, an overdose, alienation from family, getting in trouble with the law, and having her children appre hended all became part of her life story.

n , she took the ﬁ rst step toward coming clean, entering a detox centre and participating in a tep rogram. There, she was forced to deal with her debilitating anger and resentment and began forgiving others and herself.

“As the years have gone by, ’ve undergone a lot of trauma counselling, did a lot of hard work,” she said. “ learned how to believe in a power within myself. had to rec ogni e that something bigger than

me had helped me. f it wasn’t for od, wouldn’t be here today.”

ow she concentrates on using her very difﬁcult e periences from yesterday to help individuals with addictions ﬁ nd a better tomorrow. “I love helping people learn the reality of who they are,” she said. “I help plant seeds of communication.”

Communication is one of the keys to help unlock the door of destruction. “It’s not that people didn’t care they ust didn’t know how to communicate with me,” erri recalled. “And didn’t know how to communicate with them.” he has ﬁ rst hand e perience of the importance of teaching people how to communicate, learning how to talk about their life, and deal with their emotions. “The biggest thing is having a conversation, asking if they’re OK, and letting them know they don’t have to be alone,” she advised.

“Trauma can lead to anger and violence, but think it comes down to gaining someone’s trust,” Kerri said. “Trust is a big deal for people with addictions. f you trust and re spect someone, the walls begin to come down.”

Kerri admits there’s not a thing she can do to change her past, but she has dedicated her life to helping others change their future. he provided valuable tools to the vol unteers in her audience so they, too, can help others. “We all have a story, and we all impact people,” she concluded.

Your Southwest Media Group

Kerri Edgerton

OPINION

Saw this witty note the other day: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and the rest was made in China.”

Lately we’re not just seeing ‘made in China’ products on store shelves, but we’re also hearing about China’s increasing inﬂuence on our country. ince it doesn’t appear to directly affect our everyday lives, we may be inclined to ignore the topic, which is exactly what the federal government would like us to do.

“It’s obvious the Liberals are seeking to wait out the scandal, hoping to just get through each day and wait for public attention to turn elsewhere.” Spencer Fernando observed in a March article. Although they may want us to become weary of hearing about hina’s inﬂu ence in our elections, their inﬂuence e tends far beyond that one example.

Andrew Lawton, made the following observation on his show - The Andrew Lawton Show. “This isn’t an isolated occurrence; China is meddling in pretty much every western institution imaginable. You see hina’s hands in scientiﬁc research, over the academic world, in politics, and certainly the media,” Lawton said. He noted anyone raising concerns regarding an MP getting support from China, either directly or indirectly,

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is accused of being a racist. “It’s an effective way for China to neutralize itself from criticism.”

Lawton spoke to his guest, Patricia Adams. Adams is executive director of Probe International. Probe International is an independent advocacy group that ﬁghts to stop ill conceived aid, trade projects, and foreign investments. Adams is the author of numerous books, many of which cover the topic of China. She spoke about China’s endeavours to penetrate a number of Canadian institutions.

“It starts at the international level and goes right down to the municipal levels of various countries (not just Canada),” she said. “They are essentially following a strategy of destabilization so they can wield inﬂuence in countries like an ada. They want to get into parliament, legislatures, and city councils, who will make decisions that are favourable to them.”

Adams described it as a very clever strategy. Rather than being aggressive, they insinuate themselves into a country, and get friendly, especially friendly with elected representatives. They are seeking representatives who will come up with policies that are friendly to China.

“For example in Canada, they wanted Huawei to have the 5G network, invest in critical minerals, have various contracts with the federal government so they can monitor activity; they’ve done very well in Canada,” she explained.

She sited the example, when a year or two ago China was running the visa ofﬁce in ei ing. “ o anyone applying for visas coming from China would be well known to the ei ing police, who were the owners of the company that were providing the visa,” she explained. “So they have a lot of different ways to insinuate themselves, and universities is a very powerful way they can steal technology.”

“The bottom line is if we don’t have control over our elections, we don’t have control of our country. It’s clear that something very, very serious is going on,” Adams concluded.

For the last decade or more, China has been promoting the popularity of smart cities. A January 19, article by Olivia Lai, described smart cities in China. In the article she says, Shanghai’s reputation as one of the top smart cities in the world, largely comes down to the Citizen Cloud. This public service platform is a one-stop point for over different services for city residents, including personal information, medical and health care, transportation,

social security, community life, tourism and leisure. Residents can also use it to store documentation such as ID cards, business and driving licences, residence permits, and marriage certiﬁcates. In another of China’s cities people pay with their faces by scanning a code and face identiﬁcation on their smartphones when they purchase goods and services. The cities also feature unmanned retail outlets and restaurants. All are promoted for their convenience. ut they have one thing in com mon - government control of the population. All money, shopping, travel, entertainment, and carbon footprint are tracked and monitored by a digital ID. Now we are seeing smart cities pop up in Canada.

Canadians consume a wealth of made in hina’ products. ut don’t believe we want our culture and lifestyles to resemble those that are ‘made in China’.

We’re living in an era when it is easy to become weary and disillusioned with the effectiveness of standing up for what we know to be the right course of action. ut history has repeatedly prov en that it’s the people who don’t give up who get positive results.

If you have any comments or suggestions, you can contact me at joanjanzen@yahoo.com

Pop89 Hold My Hand

BY MADONNA HAMEL Your Southwest Media Group

While the gales whip off the ocean, cross the Island where I’m stationed with my sisters, next to a hospital bed, the same grey clouds make their way to Val Marie, SK where snow steadily falls. I look at a picture of the village. It’s unrecognizable, nothing makes sense. And then I think, that’s what my brother says as he recovers from a stroke. “You know how the new cars have those compass bubbles on the dash and they swirl around when you turn a corner?” He says. “My head is always like that.” Or, “Trying to ﬁnd the curser on my computer is like trying to read a needle.” Or, “I can’t comprehend things in time and space. I mean, you can tell me it’s Monday, but I don’t know what that means.” Or, “I didn’t see you when you put that cup down. I still can’t see that cup. And I’ve no idea what’s in it.”

We three nurse sisters, the ones he alternately refers to as guards, have been here since March 5th. And in that time the world has shifted. I would not be doing as well as my brother, with his ability to both ride through his feelings and keep his sense of humour. In fact, it seems as though his brain is alight with even more metaphors, one-liners and poetic insights. And it’s as if a new cast of engaging and world-savvy old-fella characters were set loose on his brain-stage and are improvising like front-line professionals, with the bravery and precision of ancient thespians and cavalry.

When he isn’t making us laugh, Doug ﬁelds his emotions as they arise. And there’s plenty, so it’s important to remind him that this is “normal” for the next phase of the whole stroke process. Confusion, overwhelm, fear, anger, grief, tears, frustration, gratitude, and deep love visit all day long until, mercifully, ex-

haustion brings sleep.

And if all this wasn’t confusing enough, there’s the side effects of all the new medications. Doug brother doesn’t normally take meds, but he is humbled by this blow and knows that blood thinners and blockers will be with him for the rest of his life. Still, the lists of side effects are daunting and can make discernment as to what’s causing his mood swings, dizziness, headaches etc.

Never has the slogan “one day at a time” meant more. A single day is plenty, is overﬂowing with new information. Our job as nurse-guards is to say: Yep, they said that would happen. Yep that’s part of the healing process. Yep, you’re way better today, yesterday you couldn’t see that. Yep, every day you’re further out of the woods. Yep, the doc said sleep is the best medicine right now. Yep, I’ll hold your hand.

A week after the stroke my brother went into Aﬁb. We called the ambulance, held his hands. NOTE: Hand holding lowers heart rate. The paramedics on the island all hold other jobs, so everyone knows everyone else. When they arrived my brother recognized the EMT as his neighbour who sells him meat. We took the ambulance across the water, back to Campbell River and the hospital. It was in emerge where a team of docs realized it was his heart that probably caused the stroke. It wasn’t until later that I understood that when they called Code Blue over the intercom it was for my brother.

And so another three days in the hospital. My sisters and I stayed at the bottom of the hill in a hotel across from the ferry terminal. Our oldest sister sent us money for a couple of hearty dinners. Every night we ate in the restaurant and hobbled back upstairs to bed. I can’t say my sleeps were any better, even though our brother

was in the hospital, we hated to leave him in such a state, with no hand to tether him to earth. Once, forgetting he was patched and wired up to a machine sending his vitals to the nurse’s station, he planned to join us for supper or go with us to buy him a pair of headphones.

At one point when we went for a walk, I conceded to his desire to visit the tiny church across the street from the hospital, and a sweet, hunched man who introduced himself as pastor Don, asked if we could pray together and we all held hands while he asked for Doug’s speedy recovery. When we got back to the hospital the head nurse informed us they’d lost contact with Doug, kind of like when a space shuttle goes behind the moon, I guess. Anyway, after that, she limited the number of sisters in the room to one at a time.

Now that the meds have been recalibrated we are back on the island with more confidence. Yep, there will still be moments of Afib, but as long as you’re on your blood thinners you’ll be alright, we remind him. Yep, you do all the right things, you have taken care of your body all your adult life. Yep, you were getting check ups, educating yourself, doing your best to listen to your body, believing you could stay on top of it, but, like my ex in Illinois, who was diagnosed with three different ailments in the last year and entered emerge the same day Doug did: I know seventy year olds who’ve never taken a pill and fifty year olds who’ve been on meds most of their adult lives, a lot of this is habits, but a lot is also the equipment we were given by Nature, God and our ancestors.

While he might never get an answer to the question “Why did this happen?” the question “What do I do with this, now?” does come with answers. There’s no shame in being human, humbling as it is. Holding his hand, I am humbled by my brother’s brave humour.

Looking Back: Tasha Kanasevich

The following is an excerpt from the April 3, 2000 edition of the West Central Crossroads. The headline was “Tasha has danced around the world”, and many people in the area are familiar with Tash Kanasevich, who is originally from Eatonia.

Tasha Kanasevich has toured California with the Absolutely Shumka tour and was chosen twice as one of the 14 danc-

ers from the Ukrainian Shumka Dancers to tour Ontario and the U.S. with the Kyiv Ballet of Ukraine, performing The Nutcracker - A Ballet Fantasy.

“I love getting on the stage and performing for people,” she says. “It’s a big pay off for all the hard work - (and) it is a lot of hard work.”

Kanasevich has been teaching dancing in Edmonton for four years

now - 11 in total, throughout Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta - and was the artistic director of the Shumka School of Dance from 1997 to 1999. Nowadays, she’s teaching Ukrainian dancing at the Shumka School, plus R.A.D., ballet, character and national at the Edmonton School of Ballet and Vimy Ridge Academy Dance Program.

“We have a lot of fun together,” she says of her

Tasha Kanasevich, originally from Eatonia toured western Canada performing “Shumka’s Cinderella” in 2000.

and her students.

Currently Kanasevich is taking another slight break from teaching and is touring western Canada with Shumka’s Cinderella production. The tour, which began on March 2, will perform 32 shows in 21 centres to an anticipated audience of more than 60,000.

As for which Kanasevich likes more - teaching or dancing - she says, they’re both fun and go hand in hand.

After this Shumka tour is ﬁnished, she’ll continue to teach in Edmonton, but likes to come home to Eatonia and see her folks as often as she can.

Prairie Crocus Quilt Guild holds Retreat

BY JOAN JANZEN

Your Southwest Media Group

Twenty-four years ago a group of enthusiastic quilters formed a club that is still thriving today. This past weekend, thirteen ladies from the Prairie Crocus Quilt Guild participated in a quilter’s retreat at the Senior’s Hall in Kindersley on March 18th and 19th. It’s the second of three retreats held throughout the year in the months of January, March and November.

Donna Boyd, chair of the group since 2013, said the hall has the capacity to accommodate thirteen quilters and their machines. The quilters arrive at 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning and continue quilting until 9:00 p.m. in the evening. They begin again at 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning, ending the retreat at 4:00 in the afternoon.

“It’s an endurance test,” Donna chuckled. “Everybody brings their own machines and works on their own projects.”

But they do enjoy eating meals, and having coffee breaks together. “Everyone brings something for the meals. Sometimes we do more eating than quilting,” Donna laughed.

The quilters come from Kindersley, Pinkham, Marengo and Eatonia for the weekend event. “It’s a fun group, and it’s non-stop talking. But after lunch we get serious about quilting,” Donna explained. “You learn so much by being around other quilters.”

Quilters like being around their own kind of people. The Kindersley group meets every second Tuesday of the month

from September to May.

“Show and tell is a big thing, when everybody shows the quilts they have made,” Donna said. They also share demonstrations of new techniques.

Donna Boyd as chair, is joined by secretary, Julia Ramos-Strankman, and treasurer, Pat Perkins. Every year the group picks a charity, and it’s up to each member if they want to make a donation of a quilt.

This year they’re proposing quilts be donated to the ﬁ reﬁghters and MT’s, to be used when accidents occur.

Over the years the group has made quilt donations to Royal University Hospital, Kindersley Hospital, Heritage Manor, Ronald McDonald, Crisis Centre, and the Food Bank. They also make placemats for Meals on Wheels, which are distributed at Christmas time.

Throughout the year, the ladies are busy assembling gifts for weddings, baby showers, graduates, grandchildren, and occasionally for themselves.

The guild has twenty members, but has had up to thirty members in the past. “Hiliary Burke, Anne Moen, Joan McLean, Judy McConnell and Audrey Gordon were the ﬁ rst members,” Don na explained. “They met at KCS where Hiliary was employed. When Hiliary changed schools, the group met at Elizabeth School, then Westberry School. Many weekend classes were taught in the school gyms by Hiliary and Anne.”

At that time the club required more space, so they rented the Legion Hall. After a few years there,

they decided they needed a location with no stairs and more plug-ins. “The Pensioners Hall is the perfect place,” Donna concluded.

Every two years the club holds a quilt show at the United Church during Goose Festival, and they’ve enjoyed going on road trips together. “We need to do that again,” Donna suggested.

Donna began quilt-

ing after she retired, and now she can’t seem to get enough. Once a week she quilts with a second group of quilters from Laporte. The group includes sixteen ladies from Laporte and the Leader area.

“Quilters just like being with other quilters,” she said. They love to make something with their hands and give it away from their hearts.

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Telephone: 306-228-2631

Fax: 306-228-4449

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Thirteen ladies brought their sewing machines to the Senior’s Hall in Kindersley where they joined together for a quilting retreat. Below: Donna Boyd

BY BRUCE PENTON Sports Columnist

NHL trades: For better or worse

The National Hockey League’s trade deadline has come and gone, and most teams got what they wanted the good teams improved; the poorer teams with their eyes focused on Connor Bedard got worse.

As if they needed a boost, the Boston Bruins, in the midst of an historic season that will almost certainly see them ﬁ nish with a record set ting team point total, picked up three players in exchange for draft picks. rinding for ward Garnet Hathaway and offensive minded defenceman Dmitry Orlov came over from Washington, while Tyler er tu i, a goal scoring forward with more grit than Z’s in his name, was ac uired from De troit.

The Bruins not winning the Stanley Cup this year would almost be a shock. Coach Jim Montgomery’s team has lost only nine regulation time games this season, and they needed only 15 wins in their ﬁ nal games to surpass the current single season record of , set in by the Mon treal Canadiens.

Carolina Hurricanes, one of the few teams within shouting distance of the Bruins, picked

up a spare part, esse ul u ar vi, from the Oilers, and top four defenceman, hayne os tisbehere from Arizona.

The Coyotes, thick in the hunt for the big draft prize that is edard, a year old egi na Pats superstar, also dumped their best defenceman, Jacob Chychrun, who went to the Ottawa enators. Other bot tom dwellers in the standings, Chicago Blackhawks and San ose harks, were also show ing their eagerness to improve their chances of getting the No. draft pick. The awks trad ed four players away, includ ing their top two scorers, Max Domi and veteran superstar Patrick Kane. The Sharks sent their top scorer, Timo Meier, to New Jersey Devils.

The trading frenzy certainly improved the playoff hopes of the ruins, the Devils and Dal las Stars. Canadian teams were fairly quiet, making a couple of deals, none of which could be called earth shattering. trug gling Winnipeg picked up Nino Niederreiter from Nashville and Vladislav Namestinkov from an ose, Toronto ac uired yan O’ eilly from the Blues, and the Oilers acquired Nick Bjugstad rom the odd’ ﬁle comes the deal between Arizona and

Farm Real Estate Specialist

Calgary Flames, who swapped four players two of whom were the itchie brothers. rett itchie was dispatched to Ar izona while his brother Nick went north to Calgary.

n the ne t two plus months, hockey fans will ﬁ nd out the winners of the two big prizes up for grabs tanley and on nor.

Steve Simmons of un media, on the Winnipeg Jets activity at the NHL’s trade deadline “The ets went con servative and picked up Nino Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov at the deadline. The team is no better on the ice but they are harder to spell.”

Joel Beall of Golf Digest: “Every (Jordan) Spieth post shot reaction seems like he’s

just been told his identity’s been hacked and he’s gonna have to cancel all his credit cards.”

Comedy guy Torben Rolfsen of ancouver on defence man Jacob Chychrun being traded from Ari ona to Otta wa: “He’s truly experiencing climate change.”

Bob Molinaro of piloton line.com (Hampton, Va.): “The actual March Madness is the iants giving a four year million deal to Daniel Jones , who threw only 15 touchdown passes last season. Who were the Giants bidding against?”

Mike Bianchi of the Or lando Sentinel: “Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling for President Biden to allow tennis super star Novak Djokovic into the U.S. to play in the upcoming Miami Open even though he’s unvaccinated. epublican re sponse: Wouldn’t it be easier if Djokovic just went to Mexico and walked across the border?”

Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg : “Is anyone else sick of hair bun boy, Aaron Rodgers ’s annual ‘Golly, I don’t know who I am going to play for’ drama odgers is like the high school ﬂirt who has told about guys she is thinking about going to the prom with them. Just pick somebody and shut up.”

Spring

EVENT

Jack Finarelli of sportscurmudgeon.com, thought a CBS headline about a top swimmer was not e act ly accurate: “Katie Ledecky ’s nine year winning streak on U.S. soil snapped by Summer McIntosh .”

RJ Currie of sportsdeke. com: “In honour of the Brier (the Canadian men’s curling championship), the top eight Beatles curling hits: 8. Hello, good lie . Tick t to ight . Please Freeze Me; 5. Paperback Slider; 4. A Guard Day’s Night; . ack in the . You’re Going to Lose That Curl; 1. I Should Have Thrown Better.”

Headline at fark.com: “Workers watching NCAA tournament cost businesses billion, says study put out by Centre for Pulling Numbers Out of (the air).”

Former Tiger Woods ’ mistress Rachel Uchitel , who hosts a podcast, asking more recent Woods’ girlfriend Erica Herman to appear as a guest. Both were required by Woods to sign on Disclosure Agree ments “We can both sit in si lence for minutes courtesy of Tiger Woods .”

Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca

Oyen Eagles face o in

ECSHL ﬁnals action

BY JORDAN PARKER

The Oyen agles ﬁ nd themselves battling against rovost in ﬁ nals action, and rookie Kyle Dorowicz can’t believe how far the team has come.

They ﬁ nished atop the league in the regular season with a 13-1-1-1 record and 27 points. They now face second-place ﬁ nisher the rovost ombines.

The ﬁ rst two games of the series have gone the Combines way, winning 7-5 on Friday, March 17 in Oyen and 7-4 in Provost on Saturday, March 18. Dorowicz got thrown in the deep end in the series.

“I probably know that team the least. I missed a handful of games this season, and two were against them. I hadn’t seen them once this year, or ever for that matter,” he said.

“My teammates said they have great players, and some really talented guys. This series will deﬁ nitely be a test.”

It’s a formidable match-up, as previous to the series against Oyen, Provost had gone 5-0-0-0 in playoff action, sweeping all competitors. Meanwhile, Oyen traded blows to beat the Sedgewick Sabres most recently.

“That team just turned out to be a well-oiled machine. They ended up being 2-0 against us in the series. In the ﬁ rst game, we gave up a short handed goal with a minute left, and lost homeice advantage,” he said.

“Then we laid an egg game two. It was do-or-die for three games, and they came down-to-the-wire, but we pulled the series out.”

He says it was lucky the Eagles found their stride exactly when they needed to.

“We got our swagger back. We were snake bit for the ﬁ rst few games, and had

ﬁgure out how to beat edgewick. We saw it go to game ﬁve and come down to one goal, but it was great to come back and win,” he said.

“They were a team that could frustrate you. They blocked a lot of shots and their goaltending was great all series. They were a great test for us, but we pushed when our backs were against the ropes.”

Dorowicz recently moved to Oyen with his wife and kids. The Kindersley, Sk. Native already knew a lot of his teammates.

“I played with plenty of them in Eatonia for senior, and this was an easy shift and transition,” he said. “I have a farm just outside of town and three young boys. We needed the space, and moved here from Olds, Alberta in the fall.”

He’s one of the oldest players on the team, and sees the irony of this being his rookie season.

“I’ve played senior hockey for 10 years. It’s just funny age-wise to be a rookie. I’ve known a lot of these guys a long time,” he said.

“The adjustment has been fun, and a lot of the guys are tight-knit. It’s been easy to get things going, and I love that small-town spirit.”

One big thing he’s noticed in Oyen is how everyone has rallied behind the team.

“The crowds are always great. It was standing room only for game ﬁve and the town was buzzing. They had tunes cranking, fans were going nuts and airhorns were going,” he said.

“To see the community behind us and pulling for us is amazing. I’m happy we just get to keep playing.”

Game three is on Monday, March 20, 2023, at 8:30 p.m. in Oyen.

Hello everyone! Welcome to March. We can’t wait for March to bring us spring weather with sunshine and warmer days!

While we are waiting for that, we have been busy inside the lodge from games to exercises and parties we are staying active.

Last Friday we were fortunate to celebrate World Day of Prayer here at the Lodge. We want to

By Sara Heath

thank Catherine Holland for her excellent service and to the Broadheads for performing the music! Thank you to the community members for bringing snacks.

Thursday we celebrated our birthdays for the month with ice cream cake and tea and coffee. The residents are enjoying their walking club and are so excited for the ice to melt and the sun to shine so they can get even more steps in!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week and a super happy start to March!

This week we have been celebrating International Women’s Day. On Wednesday, we held a tea party celebrating women from history to our own women we look up to in our lives. Thank you to Connie Heath and The Clay Cup for the wonderful cinnamon buns they were delicious!

Fans have been out in full support of the Eagles all season. | FACEBOOK PHOTO

Counting on another oil boom to balance Alberta’s future budgets is like count ing on winning the lottery to pay your mortgage.

Being able to write a budget shopping list with a $12.3 billion surplus is a fortunate blessing bestowed by Alberta’s natural resources.

We need a plan so we don’t “piss it away again,” as the famous bumper stick er says.

Premier Danielle Smith’s government is smart to focus on balanced budgets, paying down debt, limiting spending hikes and saving for the future.

Alberta’s Budget 202324 is an election budget and it has boosted spending in vote-shiny areas such as healthcare and education. More spending from a pro vincial government with a track record of splurging should give us pause, but there’s lots for ta payers to be happy about in this year’s budget.

Alberta doesn’t have a provincial fuel ta right now and that saves ta payers cents per litre of diesel and gasoline. That means we save about $15 every time

we ﬁll up our pickup trucks.

The Smith government has also scrapped bracket creep, which will save ta payers about $300 apiece in income ta es. racket creep happens when we automatically get knocked into higher ta brackets with a cost of living pay raise even though we’re no further ahead. nde ing ta brackets to inﬂation means no more sneaky ta hikes.

The Smith government is also going to make bal anced budgets the law of the land. That means the government will need to balance the budget unless there’s a big emergency. What counts as a big emer gency ikely the price of oil bottoming out or aliens landing in acombe, but the ﬁ ne print will surface when the new law is tabled in the legislature.

The debt is back on the radar too. When Alberta has a surplus, at least half of the cash will be earmarked for the debt. The rest has to go to more debt repayment, put into the Heritage Fund or be used for one time spending. ack in , then pre mier Ralph Klein vowed to use per cent of the sur

plus toward paying down the debt. That rule kept his government from blowing the surplus each year and made Alberta debt free. Following Klein’s lead is a strong showing that the Smith government is committed to debt repayment too.

n , the provincial debt was billion. After a big payment last year, the debt is now down to appro imately $78.3 billion.

But there will still be some pain. With a lot of debt and rising interest rates, ta payers are still paying the price, to the tune of . billion in debt inter est costs per year. Previous mismanagement costs ta payers today.

The Alberta government has also promised to limit operating spending increases to inﬂation plus popula tion growth. The Canadian Ta payers ederation has been pushing for this kind of spending restraint since the s, because it mir rors the common-sense approach to spending that many households use.

The government is also promising to prioritize saving for the future.

Sibbald News

Friday’s storm and wind has brought lots more snow into yards and ﬁelds as folks dugout on Saturday. You can really feel the heat from the sun now though. Spring is coming. Everyone survive the time change? I’m happy we are all back to one time. Calves are starting to arrive. opefully everyone, cow calf pairs and ranchers, are healthy.

District speak offs were held earlier in March. Local youth did amazing!

Reported by Lee Switzer - March 12, 2023

ameri orris placed fi rst in Juniors with a speech called, Walter, the scape Artist. Dylan Woods took fi rst place at the nterme diate evel, with a speech named Oh Deer. Olivia Mundt took fi rst place in Seniors with a speech entitled, Dystopias. Danica Woods placed third in e niors as well. The fi rst place winners will continue to egionals, in anna, on March 26.

Dance Festivals have be-

ight now, Alberta has about $18.6 billion in the Heritage Fund. Smith announced $2 billion is being added into it because of the surpluses of the past two years.

f Alberta had saved money like Alaska has with its natural resource revenue ermanent und, Alber ta would have more than $234 billion saved in it by now. That would translate into paying out dividends of about , per Albertan per year, according to the Fraser Institute.

This budget doesn’t hit the brakes on spending, so mith must be careful to detour away from wasteful spending habits practised by previous governments.

The guardrails in this budget are a good start and they could protect ta payers for years to come.

With promises of bal anced budgets, strict spend ing rules, paying down the debt and saving for the fu ture, the mith government deserves a thumbs up for this year’s budget.

Kris Sims is the Alberta Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

gun too. Olivia Mundt, with Wilson chool of Dance, took three golds in tap, a , and hip hop duet dances at the Leader Dance Festival this past weekend. Olivia will be competing in Stettler and Olds at Festivals too. Brianna and Macy Lyster dance with reaking Ground Studio. They will compete in two Festivals in amrose, one in Medicine at and one in ed Deer, before the dance year will wind down.

Tuesday, April 4, 2023 at 7:00 PM at the Curling Rink Members are encouraged to attend.

HANNA VISION CENTRE

BY BRIAN ZINCHUK

SaskPower to hold Estevan open house on 650 MW powerline interconnect with US

SaskPower announced last summer that it would be substantially increasing its transmission line interconnect with the American Southwest Power Pool (SPP). This would allow the Crown power utility to increase its ability to buy and sell power from the current 150 megawatts to 650 megawatts, or a bit more than the capacity of Boundary Dam Power Station.

Now it’s time to start doing consultations on the project. SaskPower will be holding an open house in Estevan at the Days Inn on March 23, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., and again on March 24, from to 11 a.m.

SaskPower’s web page provides these reasons for the open house:

To increase Saskatchewan’s power capacity, we’re building: new power lines to the United States (US) new switching station near the City of Estevan rerouted power line between the new switching station and Boundary Dam Power Station

We signed a 20-year agreement with the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) in 2022. The agreement will allow us to send and receive power from our neighbours in the US by 650 megawatts (MW). The agreement starts in 2027.

Canada and the US will need new power facilities to support this project. SPP selected Basin Electric Power Cooperative (BEPC) to complete the work on the US side of the border. We’ll co-ordinate with BEPC to create a connection point at the Canada/US border. We’ll

oversee the work on the Canadian side of the border.

SaskPower said it needs to secure the land to build a new switching station and power lines. The initial consultation is ongoing, with a follow-up on the power lines expected in late 2023. Regulatory requirements are ongoing. Construction completion and power-up is anticipated by 2027.

As the project crosses an international boundary, the Canadian Energy Regulator is the governing body.

SaskPower said, “Increasing our connections to neighbours benefit everyone in the province askatch ewan. ome of these benefits include making our grid more fle ible, reliable and resil ient.

helping to bring more power to homes and businesses when and where it’s needed increasing our ability to add more renewable power to the power grid

gaining ﬁnancial beneﬁts through selling power to the rest of North America and avoiding carbon taxes”

The Southwest Power pool runs from the 49th parallel all the way down to northern Texas. Depending on the day, power generation in the SPP varies from 15 per cent coal to around 44 per cent. The largest variable is wind production, whose fraction of power generation changes tremendously. At midnight last night, wind made up 70.9 per cent, and coal 15.9 per cent. But just after midnight on Jan. 20, 2023, that mix was 45.3 per cent coal, with wind producing just 18.6 per cent.

The transmission line running along the waterway is the current existing 150 megawatt interconnect between SaskPower and the Southwest Power Pool. The horizon is North Dakota, 10 kilometres due south.

Right)

Networking forum features valuable resources

BY JOAN JANZEN

Your Southwest Media Group

An informative networking forum kicked off on Tuesday morning, March 14th, thanks to the efforts of Ang Malcolm from West Central Play-Mobile, and the Community Inclusive Support Services Program. The morning and afternoon event took place at Clearview Church in Kindersley.

A wide variety of community service organizations and programs were represented, and each gave a short presentation detailing their mandates, programs and services offered. Not only did everyone in attendance become informed about the roles of each group, but they were also able to communicate with each other later in the afternoon, building new relationships.

YOUR SMILE GUARANTEED

• Alberta Seniors Program Accepted • Complete & Partial Dentures

Crystal Storey from the West Central Literacy Committee, said she was taking notes throughout the morning, listing groups she would be contacting for future references. Rev. Poitr Strzelecki, representing the Ministerial Association, said people are starting to recognize each other. “After multiple gatherings together, we’ll remember those people,” he concluded.

• So Liners • Relining & Repairs • Emergency Service Professional Quality at Saskatchewan Prices!

Kindersley Denture Clinic

David J. Anderson D.D. & Caitlin Geiger D.D. 109 - 1st Ave. West, Kindersley, SK

The forty-six individuals who attended the forum became equipped with new ways to serve our communities and their families. Unfortunately, due to winter road conditions, a few representatives were unable to attend.

1-306-463-4124

Call today for an appointment.

The groups and organizations represented offered a wide variety of services for children, adults, families, as well as people with disabilities. Food distribution services, kids camp, churches, physiotherapy, herbal wellness, literacy, and early childhood intervention were just some of the services hi-lighted throughout the day. Although the groups were all different, they had one obvious trait in common; they all cover and serve a very large area. It was noted by one of the participants that the groups work along side one another, rather than compete with one another.

YOUR SMILE GUARANTEED

• Professional Quality • Complete & Partial Dentures

• So Liners • Relining & Repairs • Emergency Service Teeth don’t have to be an embarrassment.

Kindersley Denture Clinic

David J. Anderson D.D. & Caitlin Geiger D.D.

Ang Malcolm, who played a major role in organizing the event, expressed a desire to continue hosting these types of events in the future, with the possibility of rotating the venue in different communities. She was also responsible for providing a complimentary gift to each person in attendance.

109 - 1st Ave. West, Kindersley, SK 1-306-463-4124

Call today for an appointment.

Marge Bailey from the Better Together group said, “A connected community is a healthy community. There’s so many people here who care, and we’re so thankful to work with you.”

imply atisﬁed catering served delicious snacks and a lunch at noon. An evaluation survey was handed out to participants, which asked how likely they would be to attend a future networking forum. The twenty-three organizations, which were represented, provided a valuable list of resources which our communities can access.

Kindersley Citizens On Patrol

Nick Anderson Brad Galbraith (Captain)

Matthew Rumohr (Chief)

Trent Nienaber, Travis Kennon Tyler Srigley, Ryan Webber

TREE MULCHER

Representatives from a wide variety of organizations had an opportunity to connect with one another later in the afternoon at the networking forum held on Monday, March 14th in Kindersley. |

PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN

Southern Alberta RCMP warn public of jewellery and electronics scam

SOUTHERN ALBERTA Southern Alberta RCMP are warning the public of groups who are travelling throughout Southern Alberta conducting gold jewellery and electronic scams.

Stewart Valley School Rebuild Receives Ministry Approval

School severely damaged in ﬁre after series of lightning strikes last August

A trip down memory lane ...

Figure skating champions

While on a trip down memory lane, we discovered a photo of these beautiful ladies published in the March 2nd, 1983 edition of The Clarion. The senior and junior snow queens participated

‘Spirit

with

Suspects have approached people in parking lots, gas stations, or other public locations. The suspects typically offer fake gold jewellery for sale, as gifts, or offer to trade for gas. The jewellery is not genuine and is offered at very low prices. The suspects often provide a story such as having a broken or lost bank card and are unable to access funds to continue their trip. Suspects are typically driving newer rental vehicles and sometimes have children with them. There have also been reported incidents were the suspects are selling electronics.

activities at Kindersley Composite School, which wound up at the end of the school

Music was supplied by ‘The Frantics’. Anyone remember them?

These incidents have occurred between March and 14, 2023. These types of incidents can be considered fraud or false pretences and are criminal offences.

Alberta RCMP are advising the public to report similar incidents and to remain aware of ever-changing fraudulent scams.

We are excited to announce that the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education has joined Chinook School Division in approving the Stewart Valley School rebuild to move ahead using insurance proceeds. e ministry has stipulated that they will not provide the division with any additional funding for the rebuild project. e division is ready to move forward with next steps. We are sending out an RFP for an architect and their process will include a consultation with the school community. More information about the consultative process and the interim school attendance options for the 2023-24 school year will be provided to Stewart Valley families in the coming weeks.

program of ice men’s figure skating the first half of the Winter Games, trailing Sitting in second the long program, Tessier was surprised he could a knee injury suffered weeks prior to the and aggravated by

“It was totally adrenaline,” sier said of getting pain in his long program. at the end, on the last really feel it.”

Classiﬁeds

AGRICULTURE

Antiques, Militaria, Collections, Estates, Single Items for Auction, or Possible Purchase: Toll-Free 1-800-694-2609, Email Us @ sales@switzersauction.com or Visit Us @www.switzersauction. com.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

COMINGEVENTS

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.

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.

FIREARMS WANTED FOR OUR 2023 AUCA i es Shotguns, Handguns,

licence and safe food and handling ticket. Send resume and work references to: Bryden Construction and Transport Co. Inc.

o Ar orﬁeld S S A Fax: 306-769-8844 mail brydenconstruct@ xplornet.ca www. brydenconstruction andtransport.ca

HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATORS: needed this winter for dozers, excavators, rock trucks: near Carrot River, Sk. Camp/R & B provided. Competitive wages. Valid drivers license req’d.

Send resume and work references to: Bryden Construction and Transport Co. Inc.

o Ar orﬁeld S S0E 0A0; Fax: 306-769-8844 mail brydenconstruct@ lornet ca www. brydenconstruction andtransport.ca

ROCKY MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT IS HIRING: Parts Technicians, Agriculture & Heavy Equipment Techs - Journeyman, Apprentices, CVIP/ Truck Techs and RAP

Students, Shop and Field positions available. View Open Roles www.rockymtn.com/careers. Possible Relocation and Signing onus ered

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AgPro Seeds bids: agproseeds.com, Email: sales@agproseeds.com

FINANCIAL SERVICES

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

FOR RENT

INDEPENDENT ADULT LIVING apartments in Martensville, SK. Spend your retirement years in a community close to family/friends in the Saskatoon area that has large city services and small town safety and charm. 2 bedroom suites available. More information at www.chateauvilla.ca, 306-281-4475 or chateauvilla@sasktel.net

FOR SALE BY TENDER WEST CENTRAL PELLETING LTD IS ACCEPTINGBIDSFOR THEFOLLOWING:

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WE BUY DAMAGED GRAIN - Heated, Mixed, Tough, Light, Bugs, Spring Thrashed....Barley, Wheat, Oats, Peas, Flax, Canola. “On Farm Pickup”. Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252.

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.

AGPRO SEEDS LTD. BUYING HEATED, DAMAGED OFFGRADE CANOLA & FEED GRAINS. #1 buyer on the prairies, top price paid! Call/text: 306-873-0481,

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 o er not necessarily accepted

CLOSINGDATEFOR BIDSIS: MARCH 31, 2023 Bids can be submitted to danwcp@sasktel. net For more info contact Dan at 306-918-7908

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.

Find QUALIFIED, LOCAL EMPLOYEES, using the strength of community newspapers! Visit www. swna.com or call 306to ﬁnd out ho

SERVICES

CRIMINAL RECORD? hy su er em loyment 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.

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WANTED OLD ADVERTISING: Dealership signs, service station, gas pumps, globes, oil cans, Red Indian, White ose u alo usky Ford, GM, Dodge, Tire signs, Coke, Pepsi, etc. Call 306-221-5908.

HEALTH

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

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LAND FOR SALE

4 QUARTERS of LAND FOR SALE by Owner R.M. #76

NE 10-07-10W3

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2022 Tax Ass $89,320 YARDSITE ON HOME 1/4 NE 14-07-10 Consists of house, quanset, corrals, garage & bins Contact Ritchie Pilgrim 306-620-9831 or pilgrimritchie @gmail.com

3” wide version

Posting Date March 13, 2023

1. MOVIES: What is the name of Scarlett and Rhett’s daughter in “Gone with the Wind”?

2. GEOGRAPHY: What body of water lies between Australia and New Zealand?

3. TELEVISION: Eric Camden is a minister on which TV dramedy?

4. CHEMISTRY: Which element has the Latin name stannum (Sn)?

5. LITERATURE: Which book is first written in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series?

6. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What is the name of the bird logo on Twitter?

7. ANIMAL KINGDOM: How long does it take a sloth to digest food?

8. PSYCHOLOGY: What is the irrational fear represented by coulrophobia?

9. MYTHOLOGY: Which Greek god stared at his own reflection until he died?

10. INVENTIONS: What did Alessandro Volta invent?

Trivia Test Answerst

Bonnie Blue Butler.; 2. Tasman Sea.; 3. “7th Heaven.”; 4. Tin.; 5. “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.”; 6. Larry.; 7. An average of 16 days, and up to

days.;

Fear of clowns.; 9. Narcissus.; 10. The electric battery.

SNIDEMAN,David Hall

March 16th,1941 March 9th, 2023

David Snideman, beloved husband of Bunny (Lillian) Snideman (nee Hayhurst), passed away peacefully at the Cowichan District Hospital on March 9th, 2023. David will be lovingly remembered by his children: Diana Watson (Bouke), Alisa Dayman (Fred), Kristina Thompson (Mark), Rosemarie Fleury (Frank); his sisters: Wendy Doell (Les) and Cheryl Reynolds; his grandchildren: Chris Venner (Heather), Jennifer Mandziak (Jordan), Danielle Snideman (Ryan); great-grandchildren, nephews, his travelling companion Rene; as well as many other cherished friends and loved ones.

David was predeceased by his wife Bunny (2010), his mother Maisie Snideman (2002), his father Elbert Snideman (1978), and his brother-in-law John Reynolds (2021).

David was born in Seaford, East Sussex, England. He traveled with his mother to Innisfail, AB after WW II. In Canada he was adopted by his mother’s new husband Elbert Snideman.

David met his wife Bunny in Oyen, AB, when they both worked at Buster’s Grocery Store. They were married April 16th,1960 in Oyen by Bunny’s father, Rev. John Hayhurst the local Anglican minister. In 1962 David co-founded the Oyen Echo newspaper, which is still published today. In 1969 he moved his family to Drumheller, AB to manage Bill Cross Men’s Shop. In the ensuing years David and his wife owned and operated a number of businesses including, Bill Cross Men’s Shop, The New Look Nook, The White Elephant, and Bunny’s Flea Market. David and Bunny retired to Duncan, BC in 2007 where they lived in Silver Park. In December 2022 David moved to Abbeyﬁeld ouse, where he made wonderful new friendships with the residents and staff.

David was an avid community supporter and volunteer through-

out his life. Most recently volunteering for the Lion’s Club at their Sassy Lion Thrift Store in Duncan, BC. Over the years in Drumheller, AB he was a member of the Kinsmen Club, Rotary Club, and the Masons. David spent years on the Drumheller City Council. He was a member on the Recycling Assoc. board, the hospital board, as well as many others. He participated in the activities of slow pitch baseball and swimming, and loved to camp and ﬁsh. David also attended and served in the St. Magloire’s Anglican Church in Drumheller, as well as St. John’s Anglican Church in Duncan.

David will be greatly missed. For his friends and family in BC, a Memorial Service was held on Saturday, March 18, 2023 at St. John the Baptist Anglican Church in Duncan, BC. For friends and family in AB, David’s Memorial Service and Interment in Drumheller will be announced at a later date.

n lieu of ﬂowers, donations can be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation or to the Canadian Cancer Society.

To express condolences, share memories and photos, please visit: www.sandsduncan.ca

Sands of Duncan 250-746-5212

Letter to the Editor: Recent opinion pieces contradictory

Re: Opinion

I want to say that I like the Voice and the content showcasing our community and surrounding areas. Since the inception of your newspaper, we have had a subscription.

Growing up, I was often told that it was general-

ly best to keep your opinions to yourself, especially on the subjects of politics and religion. In 1982, the Charter of Rights was passed, giving us the right to freedom of speech and press - freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression. This was obvi-

ously something we needed in our country. Still, when we are exposed to only one person’s opinion, we often lose sight that there obviously is another side of the story. We also gained rights that protect our personal autonomy and bodily integrity. We have laws that protect our conﬁdential medical in formation. We also had a law revoked that was in direct conﬂict with our new Charter. This has been a bone of contention.

Recently, two Opinion articles published, February 14th and 28th, caused me to write this letter. Not only was it contradictory to post articles proclaiming how often our rights and freedoms have been violated, but it condoned an allegation by a whis-

tle-blower who broke the law. Yes, the allegation was very shocking, but why was it published? Of course, it encourages us to lobby for a new law. Break the law so that we can make another law. Does this make sense? Does violating a person’s right to medical confidentiality not really matter? When we start making laws and breaking laws that relate only to our own personal agendas and those of social media influencers, we may fi nd that democracy is a thing of the past.

If the wish is to have a law that would take women’s rights back 100 years, maybe one would prefer moving to Texas.

This is my opinion.

Thank you, Nancy

Schwanbeck

Dollie Yvonne (Gardiner) Grimes 1932 2023 (age 90)

Dollie Yvonne Grimes, years, of Jubilee Lodge, Eston, SK, passed away on Friday, January 27th, 2023.

Dollie was born Sept.12, to Charles and Mildred Gardiner, she was the ninth child of thirteen. There were seven boys and six girls. Dollie and her younger brother Stanley are the two surviving members. They were raised on a farm and schooling was down the road in Richlea, SK.

Dollie married Gordon Grimes, Sept. 1, 1951. They had three kids, Donna, Loretta and Harold. As of today, Dollie has eight grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and ﬁve step greats. Her daily life revolved around family, taking care of the meals, laundry, ironing and mending. And don’t forget the

PICHE - It is with great love and sadness that the family of Charles Piche announce his passing at Unity and District Health Centre on February 17, 2023.

Charles Julien Piche was born the eldest of children in the small town of Willow Bunch in southern Saskatchewan. He attended elementary school in Gravelbourg and completed grades through 10 in Willow Bunch.

food! Preserving food for winter, baking cookies, cakes and loaves often, and bread, buns, and pies every weekend. Much baking was done for the Eston Hospital Auxiliary fundraisers too. She also enjoyed knitting and crocheting, many newborns received little sweaters, booties and hats. Most family members have an Afghan made by grandma. She liked to coffee with friends and often was winding curlers into their hair or giving them the “Toni” home perm. Many Sundays were spent at the Gardiner farm with her siblings and all those children they produced. And rarely did Dollie miss a week of Sing-Song at the Jubilee Lodge. Summers she packed picnic lunches for the ball tournaments Gordon played in and in winters the family became “Rink Rats”. Gordie loved to curl and as the years passed, she followed him from Prince George, BC to Peterborough, ON pursuing the provincial title from Brier thru Seniors and Masters. They also travelled to Rome, Canary Islands, Marakesh, Orlando, San Diego and Vegas…courtesy of Massey Ferguson thru Owens and Sweitzer Ltd.

The summer holiday was a trip North to small lakes with cabins, for a week of ﬁshing, swim ming and waterskiing, although Dollie had a fear of water. Eventually there was a cabin at Coteau Beach on Lake Diefenbaker so now here was a ﬁsh feed every pos sible weekend for friends, family and whoever else showed up.

When she wasn’t following Gordon, she enjoyed jigsaw puzzles, cards and boardgames, word ﬁnd, curling in women’s bonspiels, and actually won awards for her volunteering and bowling! One of her proudest accomplishments was saving up enough “tip $$$” working at the “P P” Motel restaurant to buy her ﬁrst automatic washer and dryer.

Beloved wife of the late Gordon Grimes; mother of Donna Shea, Loretta (Wes) Carlson, and Harold (Janet) Grimes.

n lieu of ﬂowers me morial donations in Dollie’s name may be made to Eston Caring Hands.

There will be a Celebration of Life held for Dollie on Saturday, April 8, 2023. Internment at 1:00 PM at Eston Cemetery and Service at 2:00 PM Eston United Church.

Anna Jensen (nee Semcheshen)

Anna Jean Jensen passed away peacefully at the Kindersley Hospital on March 11, 2023 at the age of 90 after a brief illness. Anna was born in Kincaid, SK on December 1, 1932 to John and Violet Semcheshen, the eldest of three children. Anna’s father was a CPR trackman and the family lived in various Saskatchewan communities including Kincaid, Mossbank, Ermine, Kerrobert and Keeler. The High School in Keeler closed so Anna completed her Grade 12 at Central Collegiate in Moose Jaw, continuing to Normal School for her Teacher’s training.

er ﬁ rst teaching po sition was in Tompkins, SK where she met Lynn Jensen. They were married on August 6, 1954 in Moose Jaw. They subsequently moved to Dankin, SK where Lynn was employed by the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool. In 1955, they were bless-

ed with twin boys, Jerry and Larry and in 1956, a daughter, Karen. Anna stayed at home to raise her children until Karen was in Grade at which time she took a teaching position in Eatonia, SK. Anna had a passion for teaching which was appreciated by students and parents. She was highly respected and admired for her caring and dedication. In 1967, the family moved to LaPorte, SK where Lynn managed the Sask Wheat Pool elevators and Anna continued to teach. After the children had all graduated Anna and Lynn moved to Eatonia. Sadly, Lynn passed suddenly on May 22, 1994 just prior to his planned retirement.

Anna remained in Eatonia during which time she opened “Hobby Harbour”, taught paper tole to adults, became a picture framer, engaged in ﬂower and plant ar rangements for homes and events. She took years of University art classes and painted many wonderful pieces which she shared with friends and family. Anna also enjoyed working in her garden and yard spending countless hours to ensure things were just right.

In May 2010, Anna moved to Kindersley continuing her interest in painting, gardening

and doing puzzle books.

In February 2021, Anna moved to Eatonia Oasis Living as a resident until the time of her passing. Anna is survived by her brother, Edwin, her children, Jerry (Cindy) Jensen, Larry (Colleen) Jensen and Karen Jensen, her four grandchildren, Ashley (Mike) Fox, Mark (Michelle) Jensen, Kevin Jensen, Camille Jensen ordan owie and ﬁve great grandchildren, Abigail and Lachlyn Fox, Lowen, Fitz and Luna Jensen. Anna was predeceased by her husband, Lynn (1994), her parents, John (1975) and Violet (2002) her brother Walter 2010), brother in law, Harold 1973) and sister in law, Violet 2022).

Anna’s family would like to thank Cora and the staff at Eatonia Oasis Living and the doctors and staff at Kindersley Hospital for their compassionate care over the years.

Funeral service will be held at Eatonia United Church on Friday, March 17, 2023 2:00 p.m. with Rev. Ron Baker presiding. Lunch to follow. In lieu of ﬂowers, donations to: KAWS Animal Rescue, Box 1505, Kindersley, SK. S0L 1S0 or to Eatonia Oasis Living, 205 2nd Ave. W., Eatonia, SK. S0L 0Y0 would be appreciated.

As a young man growing up on a farm, Charlie enjoyed many outdoor activities with family and cousins including hunting, riding motorcycles and tinkering with his cars. In his younger years, Charlie worked in construction as well as operating equipment for the Department of Highways before settling in to his lifelong career as a grain buyer.

il, for the ﬁ nal stretch of his 33 year career with the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool.

In the spring of 1965 Charlie met Dorothy Gilchrist and by the summer of 1966 they were married in Assiniboia. They went on to have four beautiful children and lived in a few different small towns in rural Saskatchewan. ife was ﬁlled with in credible friendships and adventures, including Charlie obtaining his pilot’s license and ﬂying his crew from here to there, visiting friends and family. Many fond memories would be made in that Cessna 150. In the 1980s, the Piches made their move northward to Den-

As a young father, Charlie enjoyed taking part in activities such as bowling, curling and disking. Being a loving family man, he was often found swimming with his children, and was always the last one out of the pool. Family vacations included camping every summer, a tradition that has continued through the generations. Everyone, including his beloved Cleo, looked forward to those camping trips. And let’s not forget that very memorable Christmas road trip to Disneyland, a once in a lifetime event that the whole family worked hard to achieve.

Around the house and yard, Charlie’s diverse skills in carpentry, electrical, plumbing and welding always kept everything in tip top shape;

not to mention perfectly straight and level. You may have seen him on his Minneapolis, baling hay in the ditches to feed the horses and he was very thrilled to see this same tractor competing in the Denzil tractor pulls recently. Through his wisdom, Papa passed down so many valuable lessons to his children; whether it was on projects in the back yard or just hanging out with him at the elevator.

Ever the home body, you may have never seen Charlie in the coffee shop. However, he had always been available for that evening or weekend moisture test, so that you could keep on combining. Or, carefully cooking and carving you a slice of his famous roast beef. If you were one of the lucky one’s, you may have been a part of one of the amazing musical jam sessions in their home, accompa-

nied by Charlie and his guitar.

All of us are going to miss the subtle and quiet teasing that came with having Papa Charlie around. From tickling your ear with a twig while sitting around the camp ﬁ re, to tossing pebbles at you while you were trying to nap in a lounge chair. He always made sure everyone knew they were loved in his own mischievous way.

I know for certain that we never lose the people

we love, even to death. They continue to participate in every act, thought and decision we make. They leave an everlasting imprint on our memories, and remain a part of who we are.

A celebration of life was held for Charlie at the Denzil Sacred Heart Church on March 7, 2023 with many friends, family and community in attendance to send him off with much love and support.

Lawrence Hanson used his skid-steer with chains to get a narrow trail cleared out

on CTV Calgary 6 p.m. News on March 15 when he snapped

the

for support on the

ACADIA VALLEY

Yoga in The Valley Thursdays from 7:00 8:00 PM in the Hall. Call/text Jamie 403548-5146 for more info.

CEREAL

MONDAYS Cereal Board of Trade BINGO. Doors open 6:30 PM. Bingo starts 7:30 PM at the CJ Peacock Centre.

TUESDAYS Cereal Cottages Weekly Coffee Time 9:30 AM

WEDNESDAYS Cereal Quilting Club meet at the CJ Peacock Centre. Call Joan Pennett for more info.

OYEN

FRIDAY, MARCH 24

• Fun Night at the Oyen Seniors Centre. Games and socializing. B.Y.O.B. and snacks. 7:00 PM Midnight. Call Lynda Grudecki 403-664-0908 or Jessie Battrum 403-664-2515 for more information.

TUESDAY, APRIL

• Oyen and District Curling Club AGM 7:00 PM at the Curling Rink. Members are encouraged to attend.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL

• Regular Pot Luck Supper and Meeting for Oyen District Seniors at the Seniors Centre.

JULY 14 15

• The Big Country Agricultural Society (BCAS) is hosting the Oyen Indoor Rodeo. Oyen Town Council meet 2nd Tuesday of every month 7:00-9:00 PM in Town Council Chambers.