Your West Central Voice - March 28, 2022 by yourwestcentral

Saskatchewan Finance Minister reveals 2022-2023 Budget

Saskatchewan’s 2022-23 Budget, tabled last week by Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Donna Harpauer, highlights a growing economy, improving finances and a clear path to balance with significant investments in government services for Saskatchewan people.

“Saskatchewan is back on track,” Harpauer said. “We are seeing strong economic growth and job creation as we come out of the pandemic and as a result, the provincial’s financial outlook has improved significantly.

“The deficit has been reduced by over $2.0 billion. Our economy is growing, with 30,000 new jobs created over the past year and the second highest rate of job growth in Canada so far in 2022.

“Our finances will steadily improve and we are on track to balance as a result of careful management of spending and prudent revenue forecasts.

“This budget makes significant investments that will get important government services back on track as we come out of the pandemic. This budget will fund thousands of surgeries in the first year of a three-year effort to bring the waitlist down to pre-pandemic levels. This budget helps make access to high-quality child care more affordable. This budget invests in our economy, it invests in health, education, important capital projects and it ensures our investments in those priorities are sustainable into the future.”

Strong Finances

The $463 million deficit forecast for 2022-23 is a $2.1 billion improvement from last year’s budget.

Through the next three years, the path to balance shows successively smaller deficits of $384 million in 2023-24, $321 million in 2024-25 and $165 million in 2025-26. A balanced budget is expected in

2026-27.

Revenue of $17.2 billion is forecast in the 2022-23 Budget, up $2.7 billion from last year’s budget. Nonrenewable resource revenue is projected to be $2.9 billion, up $1.6 billion from last year, largely due to higher potash and oil price forecasts because of expected global demand.

“While volatile world events have made commodity prices difficult to forecast, as always our revenue forecasts are based on cautious oil price projections,” Harpauer said. “It’s too soon to tell if oil prices will remain high for an extended period and what impact that could have on revenues. We will continue to monitor the impact on both revenues and affordability and respond as required.”

Expense of $17.6 billion is projected in the 2022-23 Budget, an increase of $531 million, or 3.1 per cent over last year’s budget.

Investing in Health Care

“This budget includes key investments in health care” Harpauer said. “A record $6.8 billion includes funding for thousands of additional surgeries to bring down wait times. It includes increases to hire and retain physicians, to hire and train more nurses, and to hire more paramedics to provide the best possible health care services for Saskatchewan people.”

The 2022-23 Budget provides the Saskatchewan Health Authority with $4.2 billion this year, up more than $277 million, or 7 per cent, compared to last year - also record investment.

An increase of $21.6 million will address the surgical waitlist, and fund thousands of additional surgeries this year, the first year of a three-year plan to deliver on the largest volume of surgical procedures in the history of our province. The aggressive plan targets a return to pre-COVID

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levels in surgical wait times by the end of March 2025.

This budget invests $470 million into mental health and addictions programs and services - over seven per cent of total health care spending - including a targeted investment of $8 million over last year, representing the highest investment ever in Saskatchewan for these programs and services. The increase will fund initiatives that provide effective counselling and treatments and introduce further proactive prevention measures.

A $17.0 million increase in this budget supports our seniors to live safely and comfortably and includes a number of important initiatives, among them:

• $4.8 million for home care services;

• $4.1 million to provide high-dose influenza vaccine to adults 65 and older;

• $1.6 million for operations at the Meadow Lake Northwest Community Lodge; and

• $6.5 million in new funding for an additional 117 continuing care aide positions.

The new care aide workers represent the second year of a three-year, $18.4 million commitment to hire 300 continuing care aides to work in long-term care and expanded home care services. The twoyear total is now 225, and the final 75 will be funded next fiscal year.

This budget establishes a new and independent agency dedicated to recruiting and retaining health care workers. This budget also incudes a $1.5 million increase to support recruitment initiatives including the development of a settlement and relocation incentive program, to recruit 150 health care workers to Saskatchewan from the Philippines. It is the first year of a two-year program aimed at bringing 300 health care workers from the Philippines to Saskatchewan.

There is also $3.5 million in this budget for physician recruitment and retention initiatives, particularly targeting family physicians working in rural areas of the province.

There is $12.5 million in new funding for 11 additional intensive care beds across the province, the first year of a three-year strategy to add 31 ICU beds to bring the total to 110 by 2024-25, up from the current 79.

An increase of $3.0 million will fund 10 new high acuity beds at Regina General Hospital to care for patients with more complex medical needs than a traditional inpatient bed. Acuity beds are important for flexibility and can ease the demand on ICUs.

To enhance Emergency Medical Services in rural and remote areas, a $10.8 million increase in this budget will fund new paramedic positions for ambulance services, Community Para-medicine and the Medical First Responder Program.

Investing in Education

Education spending across govern-

ment is $3.8 billion in this budget, up more than $47.2 million, or 1.3 per cent compared to last year.

Through this budget, the Ministry of Education will support pre-K to Grade 12 students, early learners and school and child care staff with $2.9 billion, up nearly $220 million compared to last year.

Saskatchewan’s 27 school divisions will receive $1.99 billion in operating funding for the 2022 school year - a record level and an increase of $24.9 million over last year.

A new $7.0 million fund in this budget will allow school divisions to hire up to 200 additional, full-time educational assistants to support students and manage increasingly diverse classrooms.

This budget helps make access to high-quality child care more affordable. Funding for child care and early learning is $309.6 million, including funding provided through the Federal-Provincial Early Years agreements.

Of that funding, $4.3 million will create 6,100 new child care spaces, part of government’s goal to create 28,000 new licensed spaces over the next five years.

“Starting in February 2022, parent child care fees were reduced up to 50 per cent on average in licensed care. This year’s funding will support further reducing parent fees as early as September 2022, making life more affordable for Saskatchewan families,” Harpauer said.

The 2022-23 Budget also includes a $4.9 million increase to expand nurse training by 150 seats. More than $680 million for operating and capital grants to post secondary institutions is included in this budget.

As well, this budget includes $38 million for student supports.

A Strong and Growing Economy

The rise in streaming services means the time is right to attract new investment from the film and television industry to Saskatchewan.

This budget includes an increase of $8.0 million, bringing the total funds available to $10 million, for the Creative Saskatchewan Production Grant Program, for film and television. Only Saskatchewan labour, goods and services are eligible for support under the program, ensuring dollars stay in the province.

“This investment is estimated to generate a $50 million increase in film and television production and millions in annual economic activity, including significant increased spending in the hospitality industry, which has been hit hard by the pandemic,” Harpauer said. “We are going to see a busy sound stage in Regina and today, I am honoured to announce that it will be renamed the John Hopkins Regina Sound Stage, honouring the memory of a strong advocate for our capital city, our province and our economy.”

This budget includes $3.1 million to fully fund the International Trade and In-

vestment Strategy. The strategy advances the province’s economic interests abroad. Funding is used to operate Saskatchewan’s international office network. This year we established offices in the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Mexico and Vietnam, complementing our existing offices in Japan, India, Singapore and China.

The Saskatchewan Value-Added Agriculture incentive has been enhanced, and record agri-food exports of $17.5 billion in 2021 show the province is on track to meeting its goals.

This incentive and others are key to Saskatchewan’s competitiveness, attracting private investment from global companies like BHP, Richardson International, Viterra, Ceres Global Ag, Cargill, Federated Co-Operatives, AGT Foods, Paper Excellence and Red Leaf Pulp.

These companies and others are investing $13.6 billion into Saskatchewan with projects including a new potash mine, new and expanded canola crush facilities, a wheat-based pulp plant, a renewable diesel facility, a lumber mill and others. It is expected that nearly 9,000 thousand jobs in the construction phase and 2,330 permanent jobs will be created.

This budget includes $475,000 to create the Saskatchewan Indigenous Investment Finance Corporation. The corporation will offer up to $75 million in loan guarantees for private sector lending to Indigenous communities and organizations for investments into natural resource and value-added agriculture projects.

Investing in Capital to Build a Better Saskatchewan

There is $3.2 billion for capital projects in the 2022-23 Budget, record investment in Saskatchewan.

This budget includes $156.6 million for health care capital, including $15.2 million for urgent care centres in Regina and Saskatoon, $13.5 million to continue construction at the Prince Albert Victoria Hospital, $6.0 million to continue the project to replace the Weyburn General Hospital, and $6.5 million to continue design and procurement activities for specialized and standard long-term care beds in Regina.

The 2022-23 Budget includes $846.0 million to operate, maintain, build and improve the province’s roads and highways, through the Ministry of Highways.

The budget provides for over 1,100 kilometres of improvements on provincial highways - on track to meet the Growth Plan commitments to upgrade and build 10,000 kilometres of the provincial highway network by 2030.

Upgrades include Highway 3 twinning west of Prince Albert, and Highway 5 corridor improvements east of Saskatoon. Planning and pre-construction for twinning projects on Highways 6 and 39 near Regina and Weyburn are part of this budget.

The 2022-23 Budget includes $168.6 million for school infrastructure. This budget includes $95.2 million to support the ongoing planning and construction of 15 new schools and the renovation of five existing schools, as well as $55.9 million for preventative ad emergency maintenance. An additional $12 million provides for the purchase of relocatable classrooms.

The budget includes a few small revenue measures.

The existing application of PST is being broadened to match the federal GST base for admissions and entertainment events. Effective October 1, 2022, the PST will apply to sporting events, concerts, museums, fairs, movies, gym memberships, green fees - among others. There are exemptions for children’s activities, amateur events and events run by schools and non-profits. This change is projected to add $10.5 million in PST revenue this year, and $21 million annually.

Mill rates for the education portion of property taxes (EPT) are being adjusted slightly, including a decrease to the differential between the highest and lowest EPT mill rates, to improve overall fairness. Slight increases to mill rates, combined with forecasted base growth are expected to total about $20.0 million in 2022-23.

Tobacco taxes are increasing by 2 cents per cigarette and 8 cents per gram and 1.3 cents per stick of heatnot-burn products. Tobacco tax increases are effective midnight on March 23, 2022, and are expected to generate $12.1 million in additional annual revenue.

Total public debt is forecast to be $30 billion at March 31, 2023, a $2.3 billion increase from the public debt forecast in last year’s budget.

A strong Saskatchewan economy and higher revenues have reduced operating debt requirements by $450 million in 2021-22, bringing operating debt to less than $10 billion.

The $450 million lower operating debt requirement carries through to the 2022-23 debt forecast, as well.

“Saskatchewan is back on track and our future is bright,” Harpauer said. “The investments made in this budget will ensure our economy remains strong, important government services continue to improve and our best days are still ahead in Saskatchewan.”

Caleb Village Retirement Community

Recently the newly installed security system at the Martensville Veterinary Hospital kept sounding a false alarm. The culprit was their feisty resident cat, who had been triggering the alarm, causing the Martensville RCMP to show up every time this occurred.

There’s been a few false alarms in Canada recently. We all remember Prime Minister Trudeau making this announce-

OPINION

CHECK IT OUT with Joan Janzen

False alarms cause harm

ment in February, “These illegal blockades are being heavily supported by individuals in the United States and from elsewhere around the world. We see that roughly half of the funding that is flowing to the barricaders here is coming from the United States.”

CBC Radio, who claim to be “Canada’s most trusted audio newscast”, reported that GoFundMe ended a fundraiser for the protesters over ques-

tionable donations to the group. Two CBC News website stories claimed hundreds of donations appeared to be from abroad, and at least onethird of the donations were made by donors with fictitious names.

CBC TV had reported on Jan. 28 that “there is concern that Russian actors could be continuing to fuel things, as this protest grows, or perhaps even instigating it from the outside”.

However, on March 3, a representative from GoFundMe said, “We commenced a review of where donations were coming from. Our records show that 88% of donated funds originated in Canada, and 86% of donors were from Canada.” Their records found no donations by terrorist groups or criminals.

GiveSendGo also verified these were false allegations. GiveSendGo is the second online fundraising platform the convoy turned to after GoFundMe froze convoy donations.

ered as terrorism funding as a large portion came from abroad. Precautions were also taken to ensure the safety of CBC journalists. An online Ottawa news source (Blacklock’s Reporter) noted it was company policy that no CBC news person could go near the protests without being accompanied by their hired security guard.

Not many people were aware that CBC TV corrected their Jan. 28 story, adding a clarification note on Feb. 3, or that the website stories had been retracted. And it’s not known how many people read the Toronto Sun article informing the public of CBC Radio’s error in reporting.

Nevertheless the false alarm had sounded loudly throughout the world, and Prime Minister Trudeau publicly announced his strategy to put out the fire. “Invoking the Emergencies Act has been necessary ... it prevented foreign money to continue to fund illegal blockades,” the PM said. Trudeau followed up by freezing the accounts of numerous Canadians by evoking the Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financing Act, claiming the funds should be consid-

But the entire world has heard about Prime Minister Trudeau invoking the Emergency Act and freezing accounts. Those who had their accounts frozen are acutely aware of the harm it caused. What Canadians and the world have not heard is Justin Trudeau admitting his accusations were false.

The entire world heard Canada’s false alarm blaring, but the world is not hearing about our nation’s debt alarm. Our federal debt has reached $1 trillion and is going up by $4500 every single second. At the same time our payroll taxes are going up yet again, and the government is proposing an annual guaranteed income that would cost taxpayers $90 billion dollars every single year. Now that’s an alarm that needs to be taken seriously! Unfortunately, we’re not hearing much about it, and the Prime Minister is not responding to this legitimate alarm.

to P.O. Box 727 Kindersley, Sask S0L 1S0

When looking for solace in the subtle land.

We all have the earth in common. The land called the settlers to her, away from the noisy industrialized cities, writes Sheri Mitchell in Sacred Instructions. “The newcomers believed it as manifest destiny. But they were mistaken. It was something much deeper calling them to these lands, an ancient impulse was guiding them back to what they had lost.” The settler was not meant to conquer but to “seek healing” from the deeply entrenched “illusion of separation. They had lost their connection to the impulse of life and their understanding of the web that ties all life together.”

North Americans, from the beginning and all the way back beyond the smokes stacks of the early American Empire to the rusty chassis of Michigan to the crusty alkaline sloughs of Saskatchewan, had a chance to live a life of harmony with all creation. They were shown early, through the example of the Iroquois Confederacy, the ways of democracy. But it decided to go solo.

Today we think the web that ties all life together is the worldwide web, the internet. Writers like Robert Macfarlane (Underland) and Richard Powers (Overstory) prefer the term Wood Wide Web to redirect us into our longing for a connection to nature. The term

was coined by Canadian forest ecologist Suzanne Simard, leader of the Mother Tree Project. She’s helping the world understand how trees communicate and cooperate through a subterranean network of fungi. She’s shifted the way we understand the web that literally, not virtually, ties us together.

The glacial pace of sunset as I stare down into the valley is another way to get back to subtlety. People who call the prairie bleak and bald have never spent time here. They speed through Manitoba and Saskatchewan and don’t slow down until they get to the Rockies. They are oblivious to the clouds that dominate nine-tenths of the view, in their constant state of change, now a whale, now a continent, now a feather headdress, now a feather boa. Clouds are an ongoing Rorschach test.

A friend visiting says it’s all fine, but he prefers the ocean. But this is the ocean, I say, you’re looking at it. Just without the water. It’s the bottom of the Bear Paw Sea.

A child, let loose out a car, under this sky, will make a break for it. That’s what happened to my neighbour who moved here from Ontario as soon as she left home. As a kid, on holiday from Toronto with her family, she demanded her father stop the car somewhere after Regina, and she bolted. She laughed as

she recounted the story. I ran laughing and laughing, she said. Until my parents laughed too.

The blues singer Colin James was born out here. In an interview I did with him about a song that was derived from a bus trip with his mom across the Prairies, in the days when cross-country trips on buses still were a thing. If you’re not moved by a prairie sky, you have no soul, he said.

It’s misleading and dangerous to think there is nothing going on out here. Once, heading south, on my way home from Swift Current, passing through Cadillac, a big dog lumbered onto the road from behind the Husky station. He stood in front of my car and would not budge. He didn’t bark. He didn’t wag his tail. He just looked at me, like a tired doorman at a club. I smiled at him. I’m in no hurry, either, I thought. A tumbleweed blew by. Then another gust of wind blew dust around the car.

Ok, pal, time to move, I decided after a few minutes. That’s when, out of nowhere, came a train. Out of nowhere, I say, because there are no lights, no lowered barrier in Cadillac. And in my eight years here, it’s the first time anything ever came down that track. So I never look. I would never have noticed it edging along.

The train passes through Cadillac. The

RURAL MUNICIPALITY KINDERSLEY NO. 290 PUBLIC NOTICE

Public notice is hereby given that the Council of the Rural Municipality of Kindersley No. 290 intends to adopt a bylaw under The Planning and Development Act, 2007 to amend Bylaw No. 02-21, known as the Zoning Bylaw.

INTENT

The proposed Zoning Bylaw amendment will: Change the development standards for Single Detached Dwellings, as a principal use, within the A - Agricultural District from Discretionary to Permitted.

REASON

To facilitate the subdivision of a country residential site.

PUBLIC INSPECTION

Any person may inspect the bylaw at the Rural Municipal Office, located at 409 Main Street, Kindersley, SK, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays. Copies of the proposed bylaw are available at the Rural Municipal Office for individuals at cost.

PUBLIC HEARING

Council will hold a public hearing on April 12, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. in the Council Chambers at the Rural Municipal Office, 409 Main Street, Kindersley, SK - Box 1210, S0L 1S0, to hear any person or group that wishes to comment on the proposed bylaw. Council will also consider written comments received at the hearing or delivered to the undersigned at the municipal office before the hearing.

Issued at the RM of Kindersley this 28th day of March, 2022.

Glenda Giles, Municipal Administrator

The Subtle World

By Madonna Hamel • madonnahamel@hotmail.com

dog lumbers back home. Not only have I never seen the dog since. The old guys around here are not prone to believing in supernatural occurrences. They believe all pets are meant to live outdoors, in the extremes of prairie weather, minus 51 or plus 42. But they all say: Yep, that dog was looking out for you. Animals have their ear to the ground. They pick up on subtle cues.

People come here to time travel back into the silence and the darkness. People learn to take forever to tell a story. Of course, the silence is not total silence - it’s the silence that courts owls and coyotes and deafening thunder and howling wind and the dam racket of birds at 3 am in the summer. And the darkness is not darkness but a sky full of a frightening eternity of stars and a giant rising moon.

Slow is doing things with attention so that it doesn’t have to be done over and over and so that

you don’t have to turn back and get the things you forgot. Slowest is fastest, in the end. We used to sell a -shirt at the museum that said: We may not have wifi, but we guarantee an even better connection. Won’t be re-ordering any more of those, I mumbled when hi-speed internet hit the village.

With all that’s happening in the world I spend too much time on the internet. But with Spring finally here and the birds starting to form another seasonal choir and the owls calling back and forth, I spend more time in the golden light of the longer days. Because

I’m not helping anyone by watching hour after hour of damage done by bombing raids. My measured steps, one foot after the other landing on the ground, reciting repeated prayers may be subtle, but surely it’s better than adding to all the fear in the world.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Town of Kindersley Job Posting

Engineering & Public Works

Summer Students

The Town of Kindersley is seeking Summer Students for the Transportation & Environmental Services Department.

Engineering Planning and Development

Responsibilities Include:

• Performing various surveying tasks, including data collection

• Producing drawings related to municipal civil works and infrastructure projects

• Performing site visits for various infrastructure projects

• Other duties as assigned

Public Works Responsibilities Include:

• Painting, including line, curb and hydrants and sign posts painting

• Crack sealing roadways

• Other duties as assigned

Please submit a detailed resume and cover letter to:

Town of Kindersley - Engineering Summer Student Application Box 1269, Kindersley, SK S0L 1S0

Email: kim.v@kindersleyca • Fax: 306-463-4577

We would like to thank all applicants for their interest in this position; however only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Rural Municipality of Prairiedale No. 321 GRAVEL SPREAD TENDER

Tenders will be accepted by the Rural Municipality No. 321 for the RM’s 2022 gravel spread contract. This is an on demand contract. All tenders must be received by Monday, April 11, 2022 at 4:00 p.m., local time.

Tenders may be submitted by the following means:

Sealed with the words “Gravel Spreading” to the Rural Municipality of Prairiedale No. 321, Box 160, Major, Sask. S0L 2H0.

Faxed with a cover page stating “Gravel Spreading” to 306-834-1202.

E-mailed with the subject line stating “Gravel Spreading” to administrator@rmofprairiedale.ca

For details about this tender please contact Administrator Charlotte Helfrich at 306-834-1201.

Kerrobert Library receives $2500 grant

JOAN JANZEN Your Southwest Media Group

The Kerrobert Wheatland Regional Library is excited to announce they have been awarded a $2500 grant from Macro Properties through the Saskatoon Community Foundation. Macro

Properties, a privately held real estate company, believes its future depends on the success and vibrancy of the communities in which it does business.

Notice is hereby given under The

The grant helps increase programming for the Parent and Tot Program and focuses on early childhood education programs, which promote academic success, and support early learning and child development. Staci Hall, librarian at the Kerrobert Wheatland Library, oversees the Parent and Tot Program.

“This money will be stretched as far as it can to do as much as possible this year,” Staci said.

Kindersley RCMP excecute search warrant

In the early morning hours of March 22, Kindersley RCMP executed a search warrant at a residence on 3rd Avenue West in Kindersley with the assistance of additional Saskatchewan RCMP units.

The search warrant was executed in relation to an ongoing investigation and no additional details can be released. There is no concern for public safety.

“This year, we already have two children’s authors lined up for April and May.”

Attendance at the tot’s program varies from up to six children, Staci explained. “There is no commitment required, and it’s a way to get out and interact with other families who you may not know.” The children enjoy listening as Sta-

ci reads them a story, or they may participate in a storybook trail outdoors in the summertime. Parents and tots meet on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month, at 3:00 p.m., for an hour or two. The funds will also help purchase supplies and provide funding for additional staff.

Sask

Canola seeding steps to reduce flea beetle risk

The history of Eatonia’s printing press

In 1920, just after the village of Eatonia was incorporated, a weekly newspaper called the Eatonia Enterprise went to print. According to information obtained from the book entitled “A Past To Cherish” depicting Eatonia’s history, The Enterprise’s building was located on lot 3, block 4 on Main Street, nestled between a butcher shop and a drug store, where Mr. T. Atkinson set up his press and equipment.

A business directory from 1925 listed eighteen businesses in the village. In 1929, failing health forced Atkinson to try and sell his business. When no buyer came forward, Atkinson packed up his printing equipment, planning to ship it to a location where he could find a buyer. However, before he was able to load it onto a boxcar, Andrew Graham came

forward with an offer to purchase. One year after Atkinson had printed his last edition, Graham resumed publishing on November 30, 1930.

Andrew Graham was born in Ontario and was described as having “printer’s ink for blood.”

Mastering the trade as a young man, he moved from one town to another, successfully establishing at least fourteen weekly newspapers along the way.

In 1923, at the age of 67, Graham experienced a sad turn of events. That was the year his wife died, and he lost his life’s savings in the collapse of the Home Bank. He proceeded to wander from town to town, employed in towns in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, before settling in Eatonia in 1930. By this time, Graham was 74 years old. His expertise enabled him to bring the Enterprise back to life, and his editori-

als were often reprinted in city papers across the country. Alfred Lloyd, Graham’s long-time friend, worked along side him at the Enterprise. Lloyd had previously worked for Graham in Ontario, Manitoba and Canora, Sask.

Andrew Graham died at the age of 81 years in 1937. By this point in time, the harsh economic conditions of the depression had brought the Enterprise close to financial ruin. Alfred Lloyd carried on with the printing business but was forced to suspend publication in 1942. Alfred and his wife Mary lived out their lives in Eatonia; both are buried in the Eatonia Cemetery. They had one daughter.

A few years later, J.C. Adair revived the Enterprise, publishing a special Golden Jubilee edition in 1955.

Meet Helen! Helen moved to EOL in 2021 from Oyen. She has 2 daughters & 2 sons and many grandchildren and great grandchildren! She absolutely loves music-singing and playing the piano! It’s her dream to have a choir at EOL so I will see what I can do. Favourite food: Roast beef & gravy Favourite colour: Blue Advice for living a good life: “Mind your own business” LOL

By Keith Gabert

Canola growers can take steps before or at seeding to improve crop competition against flea beetles. These include:

Residue management: Standing stubble protects soil from erosion and collects more snow. Stubble also improves flea beetle management by providing shelter from wind. With direct seeding, the remaining stubble can keep flea beetles feeding on leaves – and not down on the stems. A few bites on a leaf are far less damaging than a few bites on the stem.

Seed decisions: If growers have some wiggle room on last minute seed treatment decisions, they may upgrade their seed treatment. Enhanced insecticide seed treatments will improve flea beetle protection, especially when used in combination with the following management practices. Arrange a check strip comparison if you have two seed treatments on the same variety.

Aim for five to eight plants per square foot: This target is good for yield, and more plants mean fewer flea beetles per plant and more seed treatment per acre.

Take steps for fast emergence and more vigour: Rapid emergence and vigorous early-season growth can extend seed treatment protection until the four-leaf stage, which is generally considered to be the end of the flea beetle risk period. To achieve these objectives, seed shallow, at a reduced speed, into

a warm, moist seedbed. Use only safe rates of seed-placed fertilizer. Our best recommendation is to use only phosphorus in the seed row and no more than 20 lb./ac. of actual phosphate. Higher rates of seed-placed fertilizer can add more stress, slow the pace of growth and reduce the plant stand.

Once the crop has emerged

Even with all of these steps, flea beetle damage can still reach the economic threshold of 25 per cent leaf area loss across the field. If feeding is a concern, scout frequently, especially in warm, dry conditions that are ideal for flea beetles.

Flea beetles become active with the first extended period of warm weather in April and May. Striped flea beetles emerge from winter rest one to four weeks before the crucifer flea beetles, and it may take three weeks for all overwintering adults to emerge.

Canola Watch has good tips on the spray decision and tips to improve results. Please go to canolawatch.org/ fundamentals, click on the Insects section and read “The flea beetle spray decision: 8 steps” and “How to assess leaf area loss from flea beetles”.

Keith Gabert is a Canola Council of Canada agronomy specialist and a contributor to Canola Watch. Subscribe for the timely agronomy emails at canolawatch.org/signup.

JOAN JANZEN

Your Southwest Media Group

Flea beetles become active with the first extended period of warm weather in April and May. Striped flea beetles (shown) emerge from winter rest one to four weeks before the all-black crucifer flea beetles. | Canola Council of Canada

Photo (from A Past To Cherish) Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Lloyd, Jeanette Rosher and Cissy Phillips, granddaughter. Alfred Lloyd worked at the Eatonia Enterprise from 1930-1942.

Leader Girls Gone Gazelle Run Club 2022 is Leading the Way

MALLORY CAWTHRA Your Southwest Media Group

The 2nd year of the Girls Gone Gazelle (GGG) Run Club gets underway on May 6th in the Town of Leader. The All-Girls Running and Confidence Club is an eight-week program for female athletes, ranging in ages from 9 to 12 years old. The GGG Run Club is part of the Sole Sisters Women’s Race Series, originating from Nova Scotia and founded by running enthusiast and Head Coach/Race Director Stacy Chesnutt.

In 2021 during the pandemic, Coach Laura Henderson first brought the GGG Run Club to the Town of Leader. The program ran from the beginning of May until the end of June, and was comprised of 8 local female coaches and 21 female athletes, capping off with a successful 5-kilometre graduation event. Coach Laura explained that, “After running a few virtual races of Coach Stacy’s and learning of the Girls Gone Gazelle Running Club, I was focused. I was drawn to her drive and excitement and she had some shiny bling, which was the icing on the cake. I was very interested in how to bring this Club to our province, and more specifically, our small-town community. Not only do I have a passion for running, but being able to share my passion while introducing running to young female athletes was really exciting.”

The GGG website explains that the purpose of the program is to “give girls an opportunity to participate in a non-competitive running group that creates a love of physical activity. We believe that joining Girls Gone Gazelle Run Club will not only create memorable childhood experiences and life-long friendships, but also develop self confidence and effective stress management techniques while connecting with positive role models in the form of adult female runners and guest speakers.”

Coach Laura added that in 2021, “Many local individual sponsors and businesses came on board so we were able to provide water, snacks, and prizes for the Gazelle’s hard work and consistency. The community as a whole really came together to support the Gazelles.”

The registration deadline has passed for this year, with the 2022 Leader GGG Run Club having expanded to include 12 local female coaches and 37 female athletes. The athletes are organized into two age groups this year, with the 6-8 year olds training towards a three-kilometre graduation event, and the 9-12 year olds training towards a five-kilometre graduation event. Coach Laura explained that the GGG Run Club will meet for an hour every Friday to train, and additionally, the female athletes will be expected to complete two runs on their own time between meets.

Not only is Head Coach Stacy and Sole Sisters Women’s Race Series subsidizing the costs of the program this year, but Head Coach Stacy has already booked her flight to come to Leader and be a part of the Graduation Day Event on June 25th. Graduation Day is sure to be a fun and positively rewarding experience for the female athletes and everyone involved.

OUTREACH SERVICES

We now have established Satellite Offices in two surrounding communities. On Tuesday, there is a counsellor in Kerrobert and on Wednesday, there is a counsellor in Eston

Photos from last years’ Girls Gone Gazelle. The coaching team is in yellow. op photo is the Gazelle female athletes and coaches.

Sports with Bruce Penton

Offering services for Norman’s tour

Greg Norman LIV Golf Investments

Saudi Arabia

Dear Greg:

Congratulations on overcoming the Phil Mickelson setback and getting your new golf tour off the ground. Golf fans around the world were excited to hear the announcement of your eight-tournament schedule between June and October that each features $25 million in prize money. There were gasps of astonishment when the PGA Tour’s Players Championship, the flagship event of the PGA Tour, announced a $20 million purse for its recently completed tournament, and then you turn around and one-up them big time with your events offering $25 million each.

Still waiting to hear about a TV contract, or sponsor affiliations, but I’m sure the Saudi backers of your tour aren’t too concerned about a return on their $200 million investment. Their money pit is reportedly rather deep.

Of course, the biggest concern is who will tee it up in your tournaments? Who will risk their professional reputation on what could be a fly-bynight operation, even if the pi-

lots of the flying machine are made of money? Mickelson will presumably be on hand, and a couple of Korn Ferry Tour players will be lured by the cash you’re offering, but if you’re waiting for the biggest names in the world of golf to sign up, your blond hair might turn grey before that happens.

Here’s where I can help. I’ll be willing to sign the appropriate documents to turn professional, giving up my chance for glory at amateur events in Canada, in order to help you fill your fields. I understand last-place money is $92,000, with no cut and only 54 holes. I’ve been a single-digit handicap player most of my life, and I’m sure I could break 100 on the courses you’ve picked. No doubt my game is second-, third-, or even 14th-tier, but that ability level describes most of the other players you might attract, so I might fit in nicely.

There would be nothing more embarrassing for you to advertise 48-player fields and then get Phil and only a couple of dozen others offer their services to play. A few guys like me might be needed to make sure you get 48 players in a tournament. See my bank information below to make

sure the $92,000 last-place money is deposited into the proper account.

Oh, and one more thing: I can’t hit the ball too far anymore. Could you make sure I get to play the forward tees?

I’ll accept a 10-per-cent reduction of my prize money for your trouble.

Yours in golf, Bruce

• Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “Mikey Williams, a 6-foot-2 high-school junior basketball star in North Carolina, has landed a multiyear footwear and apparel endorsement deal with Puma. Heck, when we were 17 we thought having a paper route

was cool.”

• Golf journalist Jason Sobel: “Viktor Hovland on once struggling to splurge for added guacamole and now playing for a $20 million purse: ‘That’s a lot of guac and double meat.’”

• Scott Hanson, on Twitter: “How’d ya like to be the guy who just bought Brady’s ‘last NFL TD ball’ at auction for $500,000?”

• Club Pro Guy, on Twitter: “That bogey/double bogey finish saved Keegan Bradley almost $800k in federal income taxes. There’s no better feeling.”

• Bob Molinaro of pilotonline.com (Hampton, Va.): “After learning that New Mexico State guard Teddy Allen has played for his fifth school in five seasons, some might wonder about his academic major. I’m guessing geography.”

• Molinaro again: “You know gas prices are high when even Tom Brady has to go back to work.”

• Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., on Toronto’s chances this year (via Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi on Twitter): “Last year was the trailer. Now you guys are going to see the movie.”

• Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg: “Yale has qualified

for the NCAA tournament. Although Yale could use some work on their trash talking: ‘Your matriarch is an unrepentant Wordle cheater.’”

• Jack Finarelli at sportscurmudgeon.com, imagining a potential March Madness matchup: “We might see the Miami Hurricanes facing the Iowa State Cyclones in a battle of the natural disasters.”

• RJ Currie of sportsdeke. com: “Tom Brady decided to return and quarterback the Buccaneers just 40 days after he retired. That’s right, he unretired — what Brett Favre called the option play.”

• Headline at the onion. com: “Report: Secretly Watching March Madness During Work Way Less Fun Working Remotely”

• Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com, via Twitter, after the Dodgers paid $162 million for Freddie Freeman and the Rockies $182 million for Kris Bryant: “Yeah, I can see why MLB needed to lock out players because the owners couldn’t afford to stay in business otherwise.”

Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca

BY BRIAN ZINCHUK

Sask Budget 2023: Rising resource revenue has big impact

REGINA – In the years after the oil downturn hit in late 2014, the deficit hole in the Saskatchewan budget was typically almost exactly the equal to the decline from previous oil revenues. And now that hole is closing.

That’s apparent in the 2022-23 budget tabled by Finance Minister Donna Harpauer on March 23, entitled “Back on Track.”

Oil and potash are back, and the two non-renewable resources are having a big impact not only on the upcoming budget, but the closing out fiscal year. Oil and natural gas revenue is forecast to be $383.7 million higher than budgeted last year.

First off: The Ministry of Finance is using conservative estimates for its forecasts in oil prices and potash.

For the West Texas Intermediate benchmark, the forecast is US$75.75 per barrel WTI. That’s just 75 cents more than the forecast of what will have been received for the current fiscal year ending March 31.

That number is also considerably larger than what was budgeted last year, when the province expected oil prices to average US$42.43 per barrel.

As Saskatchewan’s natural gas production has fallen considerably in recent years, the province no longer includes the natural gas price estimate in media briefing documents. You have to dig into the budget to find the 2022 forecast price of C$3.9 per gigajoule, and $3.4 per gigajoule for 2023.

The light to heavy oil differential, the bane of provincial finances for several years, has also dramatically reduced. At times during the seven-year downturn the differential was over US$40 per barrel. Next year’s budget is putting it at 14.5 per cent of WTI. That’s down from 16.9 per cent forecast in last year’s budget, but a little worse than the 13.7 per cent forecast to have been the actual number for the current fiscal year about to end.

“Oil and natural gas royalties are budgeted at $867.5 million in 2022-23, a decrease of $21.3 million from the 202122 forecast. The decrease is primarily due to a wider lightheavy oil price differential, partially offset by higher West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil prices and a slight increase in oil production,” the budget document stated.

Oil production is anticipated to increase very slightly. Last year’s budget pegged oil production at 152.5 million barrels for the year (417,808 barrels per day), but the budget forecast is showing that number to be 163.5 million barrels actualized (447,945 bpd). The new budget is expecting nearly identical production to 2021-22, with 163.7 million barrels forecast (448,493 bpd).

The budget states, “At present, new well drilling is still well below historical norms as industry focuses on paying down debt incurred in the 2020 downturn and returning capital to shareholders.”

The wellhead price is budgeted at C$74.19 per barrel, down slightly from the 2021-22 forecast of C$74.62 per barrel. Last year’s budget had pegged a wellhead price of C$36.54 per barrel.

All these budgeted price numbers are considerably lower than what is happening on the market. Oil has seen a tremendous spike since Russia, one of the top oil exporters in the world, invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. That also happened to be the week that the Ministry of Energy and Resources locked in its estimates for the Ministry of Finance.

According to Bloomberg, at 1 p.m. on budget day, WTI was trading for US$114.98 per barrel, while Western Canadian Select (WCS) was trading for US$102.28 per barrel. That made for a differential of US$12.70 per barrel, or 11 per cent.

And explanation is found in the budget document, stating, “While the current WTI forecast may appear low compared to recent market prices, and WTI has been increasing throughout the 2021-22 fiscal year (from daily prices below US$60 per barrel in April, to highs of over US$95 in February), the current forecast assumes that these price spikes are temporary and reflect brief supply and demand imbalances. It is anticipated that if WTI oil prices remain elevated for an extended period, it will bring U.S. crude production back online and OPEC will look to retain market share and make production adjustments to prevent this from happening. The current major risk to world oil markets is the continued uncertainty surrounding the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 and the geopolitical tensions in eastern Europe.”

And this is where the volatility in the markets can have a direct impact on Saskatchewan’s finances. The Ministry of Finance is saying that for every U.S. dollar oil goes up or down, it will either improve or lessen our revenue by C$14 million. But if the Canadian dollar rises in value against the U.S. dollar, the value drops in an inverse manner. For natural resources combined, the difference is C$39 million for every cent change against the American dollar.

If the dollar remains the same, and if WTI oil averaged US$110 for the year, in the increased oil revenue alone would come in around $479.5 million, in excess of the projected deficit of $463 million. CONTINUED

And none of that factors in what’s been happening in potash, which is seeing its best prices in years. Russia, and its ally Belarus, are the third and second largest potash producers in the world after Canada, and economic sanctions, along with the war, is threatening that supply. In 2022-23, potash is budgeted to bring in $1.451 billion, up over a billion dollars compared to what was budgeted a year ago for 2021-22. The forecasted revenue from potash for the closing fiscal year is now expected to be $1.031 billion, an increase of $599 million over what was budgeted.

Finance minister speaks

In an embargoed briefing on budget morning, Pipeline Online asked Harpauer about that volatility and the government’s projects on oil price. She replied, “We use industry to give us their projections on what they think it will be, on average, throughout the entire year. Right now, a moment in time, and obviously, unusual circumstances oil is as high as it is. But there are some expectations it’s going to be higher than it was last year, and we have built that with the average forecasters $75.75. Only time will tell. It’s a volatile. The challenge with resource revenue is it’s volatile.”

Asked by reporters about the increased resource revenues and how they factored into consideration for this budget, Harpauer said, “It was actually a positive experience because revenues are strengthening that we didn’t anticipate, obviously, a year ago, when we were in the heat of the pandemic and the economy has taken a huge sigh. But it was very much around, ‘Let’s go into the trap that we’ve been in the past, which is to become totally reliant on resource revenues.’

“Right now, those resource revenues are extremely high. We don’t know how long that will last. There are a number of factors driving these prices, and they’re not going to hold forever. So, the discussion very much was around we need to increase, we need to increase our investment in a number of areas. But let’s be mindful that we’re doing it with the economic growth in mind that is stable and ongoing year over year.”

She added, “I do think that people do want to see a stable base to their govern-

Town of Kindersley works on plan to support Ukrainian nationals

JOAN JANZEN

Your Southwest Media Group

Ukrainians are coming to Canada to escape the crisis in their country. When they arrive, many will be seeking employment, and Rod Perkins, Mayor of Kindersley, and his staff are working on a plan to help in that endeavour.

employees.

ment budgets going forward and that we’re not knee jerk reacting to the price of oil each and every year.”

Regarding volatility in commodity prices and possible windfalls, she said this past fiscal year Saskatchewan “did experience a bit of a windfall. We used it to write down the operating debt by $450 million in this particular fiscal year.”

Harpauer continued, “It’s very hard to project what will happen in the next fiscal year. We’re not even in this budget yet. And so, you’re projecting what the average will be over the year. Should the product, in particular, potash and oil prices, be much stronger than we’re projecting? That will be future discussions as what would be a wise decision on how that money will be spent. What I really don’t think we’re going to do is fall in the trap of putting it into ongoing year-overyear operating costs, because we fell in that trap before, and it does not bode well for the province.”

Asked about the Ukraine War, as well as ongoing COVID-19, she said there was an additional $95 million for pandemic pressures for health care, but the real risk is inflation. “The risk definitely in the budget and for all of us going forward is going to be how high will inflation go due to circumstances both with the pressures and ending through the pandemic, as well as the global issues. There’s no doubt that the political climate, due to what’s happening in Ukraine, is a risk. Disruptions to the supply chain which was already there is being even more accelerated due to the war.”

The budget forecasts deficits for the next several years, but Harpauer said, “I’m optimistic that we can maybe not have the debt deficit as much as projected, but we’ll see how that goes.”

She pointed to significant unprecedented private sector investment, particular in canola crushing and forestry. Indeed, there is so much planned in Saskatchewan for this year, the government purposely did not announce large capital projects in this budget, instead choosing to finish off projects in the works. Harpauer expressed concern about there being enough labour to go around if the province added to the capital mix at this time.

Mayor Perkins said, as he’s watched the situation over the last month, he thought our community could help in some way. “I saw what was going on, and it’s getting worse,” he said. “We had many refugees who came over here in the 1920s and settled in various areas of Saskatchewan, making it successful.” Now, he felt it was an excellent opportunity to help employ refugees fleeing from a harmful situation.

He reviewed the process employers would go through in order to apply and realized businesses in Kindersley that are in need of workers would be able to help out some of these families and, in return, gain long-term

“Every time I talk to businessmen in town, everyone is having trouble getting employees. So, it’s a pretty good fit; Ukraine has a lot of agriculture which is exactly what Saskatchewan has,” Mayor Perkins said. “We’re trying to get it out there, regarding how to get people here, but it’s not as simple as one would think.”

The Government of Canada Job Bank offers assistance for employers who want to support Ukrainian nationals in Canada with a job. The employer creates an employer file and then creates and saves a job posting before submitting it to the Job Bank. Ukrainians let the Job Bank know that they are a Ukrainian national looking for a job in Canada.

“On one hand, we can help people,” Mayor Perkins said. “On the other hand, as a community, we can be a winner in attracting workers to town. It’s a win-win situation, but it won’t be easy. It

will probably be one family at a time.”

He also noted the possibility of a language barrier, although the younger generation seem to know some English. He also stressed that this would be a community effort, as many refugees have very few possessions.

The best way for employers to proceed is to apply directly on Canada’s Job Bank. So far, more than 9,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada since January, after their applications were expedited. Canada is allowing an unlimited number of approved Ukrainians to find refuge in Canada for three years while they decide their next steps.

“It won’t be easy, but if we don’t try, we won’t get anywhere,” Mayor Perkins concluded. If you’re not an employer but wish to help in some way, a list of organizations that will send support to Ukraine is available online at ucc. sk.ca

Brian Zinchuk is editor and owner of Pipeline Online. Articles are used with permission.

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FUTURE ENGINEERS!

In Science, the Grade 3 students from Eston Composite School are learning about structures. Their task last Wednesday was to build the tallest free-standing structure with selected materials. | Eston Composite School

TOWN OF ESTON PUBLIC NOTICE

Public notice is hereby given that the Council of the Town of Eston intends to adopt a bylaw under The Planning and Development Act, 2007 to amend Bylaw No. 2017/12 known as the Zoning Bylaw.

INTENT

It is proposed that the Zoning Bylaw amendment will rezone Lot 2, Block 7, Plan AK3267, Surface Parcel No. 103446985 from C1 - Town Centre Commercial District to R1 - Residential single Dwelling District as shown on the attached Map “A” below.

Map “A”

Eston announces their Summer Kickoff 2022

JOAN JANZEN

Your Southwest Media Group

The Town of Eston is excited about hosting their Summer Kickoff 2022 event from June 10th to 12th. The weekend of packed events begins on Friday with a slo-pitch tournament, which continues on Saturday, with finals on Sunday. Bret Howe, Recreation Director at the Town of Eston, said they’re expecting ten teams to join in the tournament at the Eston Fairgrounds.

While enjoying the ball games on Saturday, spectators will be able to enjoy delicious food at the food trucks. Kids will love jumping in Apollo Jump’s bouncy castles, sponsored by the Eston Co-op, and visiting Erin Pope’s petting zoo, sponsored by the Legion. Or they can go for a toonie swim at the Eston pool.

The Eston Senior Ramblers Hockey Club and executive members