Government unveils early marijuana retail plans

Jason Kerr
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Government unveils early marijuana retail plans

The Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) will issue roughly 60 retail permits to sell marijuana in up to 40 communities, according to an announcement from the provincial government on Monday.

An independent third party will assist the SLGA in the two-phase process used to select permit recipients. Initially, permits will be limited to communities with a minimum of 2,500 people, with all communities having the option to opt out of having retail marijuana stores entirely.

Future details, such as application fees and deadlines, will be revealed at a future date.

Regina MLA Gene Makowsky, the Minister Responsible for SLGA, said they preferred private vendors to a government run operation because the startup costs would run too high.

“Those tens of millions of dollars would be required up front,” Makwosky said. “I’d rather see those go to schools and highways and roads in our province.”

Retail marijuana store operators would be required to be standalone outlets, meaning they could only sell marijuana, marijuana accessories and ancillary items. Sellers must also be able to track and report their inventory, and would be required to meet “good character” criteria to be eligible for a permit.

Jim Engel, the SLGA’s vice president of corporate services, said the good character requirement is a common one that’s already used by the government in areas like selling liquor licences.

“The criteria will be fairly similar, but they might not be exactly the same,” Engel explained during a media scrum on Monday. “It does go beyond looking strictly a criminal record check to consider other factors such as associates of the person, or people, involved in the business.”

Prince Albert is eligible for two of the province’s 60 permits, but that number could rise depending on how many communities opt out. It also could fall to zero if Prince Albert city council decides against hosting any retail outlets. A number of First Nations are also eligible for permits, including Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation.

Makowsky said giving municipal governments the final say in this area was “the respectful way to go,” but added the role out announced on Monday was an initial offering, meaning things could change in the future.

“SLGA has spent a lot of time on this, and cabinet as well,” he said. “We’re working as quickly as we can. We want to be diligent. We want to get it right. There’s only one chance to get it right the first time.”

The initial 60 permits will cover roughly 70 per cent of the province’s population. Makowsky said that if all goes well, more permits will become available to fill in the gaps.

The government’s announcement on Monday caught a few people off guard, one of which was Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne.

Dionne said none of the proposals were discussed with municipalities before they were released to the media. The SLGA plans to speak with various municipal governments throughout the rest of the week, but Dionne said that’s something that should have been done first.

“It would have been nice to have the discussion in advance,” he said.

Dionne added the city’s two biggest concerns are how the proceeds from permit sales will be divided and whether local businesses will be given preference in Prince Albert.

Right now he knows of at least five applicants to operate marijuana retail outlets in the city, but there is no guarantee any of the five would be selected. According to the rules laid down on Monday, any applicants who pass the first phase of the screening process will be entered into a lottery to determine if they’ll get a permit.

As for whether Prince Albert city council will even allow marijuana retail outlets, Dionne said it’s too early to tell. However, he added that no major objections have come up so far.

In April 2017 the provincial government introduced the proposed Cannabis Act, which was originally intended to come into force no later than July 2018.

Saskatchewan joins Manitoba and Alberta as provinces that have decided to allow private retailers to sell marijuana. Others, like Ontario and Quebec, will have provincial government owned sellers.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Council to debate Cornerstone land transfer agreement

Jason Kerr
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Council to debate Cornerstone land transfer agreement

Prince Albert City Council is set to vote on a land transfer agreement that will clear up ownership of a few lots in the Cornerstone development near 15th Street and 10th Avenue East.

The plot in question is Surface Parcel #203243071, which includes more than six acres of land located along the development’s southern perimeter. The land has been held in trust by the city for roughly three years.

“We’ve been dealing with this for a number of months,” City Manager Jim Toye said. “We kind of got caught up with lawyers and finally it’s coming to fruition. Really what it does is put to bed the ownership on all the land of the south side of that particular parcel.”

If approved, the land will be turned over to Springwood Developments via transfer agreement. In return, the city will receive the sum equivalent of taxes that would have been levied in 2015, 2016 and 2017. According a report written by Toye, that will amount to an additional $98,927.64 for the city’s coffers.

For the rest of this story, please see the Jan. 6 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Election saga nears resolution

Jason Kerr
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Election saga nears resolution

Montreal Lake Cree Nation will hold a formal appeals tribunal hearing on Jan. 5 in an effort to break the community’s political deadlock.

On Thursday, the community sent notice of a hearing at the band office in Montreal Lake to help determine a future course of action after disagreements over the legitimacy of a November by-election.

The process has the support of the two men at the centre of the dispute: incumbent chief Ed Henderson, and Frank Roberts, who was elected chief by acclamation in a controversial November by-election.

“It will bring closure to all the uncertainties that are out there,” Roberts said. “It’s the band members who (are) uncertain as to what’s going on and hopefully this will bring closure to the questions that a lot of people are asking.”

“I am confident that this is the best way to go about it,” Henderson said. “The best way to deal with it is to put it back in the membership’s hands.”

The appeals tribunal will be asked to rule on two items. The first is the final eligibility of the candidates in the original March 2017 election, the results of which were tossed out after a different tribunal ruled that Roberts was erroneously prevented from running. The second is the “requirement for a second by-election,” which would be held on Jan. 30.

Henderson called for a second by-election back in December, arguing the community should solve its own problems rather than settle the matter through the Canadian court system.

When reach by telephone on Thursday, Henderson reiterated his support for holding another by-election, and remained optimistic the tribunal would send voters back to the polls.

“I hope it will recognize me as chief (on Friday) and also that we’ll continue on with our general election that will be called for January,” he said.

Roberts was less optimistic than Henderson. He told the Daily Herald he’s not going to assume anything when it comes to the appeals ruling. He did, however, say the process would provide a clear path for the community to move forward and pledged to abide by whatever decision was made.

“Should things go my way (or) should it not go my way, whatever the tribunal decides, I’ll abide by their decision.”

The Montreal Lake election dispute dates back to Sept 11, 2017 when a different appeals tribunal ruled Roberts should have been allowed to run for chief during regular elections earlier in the year. The tribunal added that Roberts could ask for a second by-election, but disagreements developed over whether a 10-day appeal deadline was met in time.

Electoral officer Clifford Bird declared Roberts chief by acclamation after two other candidates pulled out of the by-election. Henderson did not file nomination papers.

The election results were challenged in federal court, and Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) declined to recognize the election results until the court had ruled. While neither party ruled out legal action during this period, both expressed a desire to resolve the matter without using the court system.

The appeals tribunal is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Jan. 5 in Montreal Lake.

A chat with Jake the Snake

Jason Kerr
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A chat with Jake the Snake

Ed. Note – the following interview contains some coarse language and has been edited for length and clarity

Jake “the Snake” Roberts is a professional wrestling legend, and not just for his accomplishments in the ring. The WWE Hall-of-Famer has used his profile and his own public battle with addictions to reach out to others struggling with similar problems. In 2015 he was the subject of an award-winning documentary called, “The Resurrection of Jake the Snake,” by Steve Yu, which chronicled those struggles. Although he’s in his early 60s, Roberts still gets into the ring from time to time, as he did during a show with Canadian Wrestling’s Elite (CWE) on Dec. 30 in Prince Albert. Following the show, Roberts sat down with the Daily Herald to talk about life, addictions, inventing the DDT and his love for the original Snake, Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler.

DH: First off, apologies for the weather. It’s not normally this cold in Prince Albert. I saw video of you getting off the plane in Winnipeg and I thought, he’s really not going to like it up here.

Roberts: (Chuckling.) It’s winter. I used to live in Calgary, so I’ve felt the cold before and I don’t like it one bit.

DH: When people look back on your career they think of two things: snakes and the DDT. How did you come up with that move?

Roberts: It was an accident. I was working a front face-lock on a guy, and he went to push me into a corner but he stepped on my foot and we fell back. That’s when I came up with it and I worked on it and came up with the name. I picked up a newspaper one morning and the government was talking about outlawing DDT because of poison in the food system and I thought, ‘perfect name.’

DH: What about snakes? Where did that idea come from?

Roberts: I hate snakes. I can’t stand them. I was just a big fan of Kenny Stabler, who used to play for the Oakland Raiders and he was the original Snake. I was drinking beer and smoking pot and I came up with that idea. Trust me, if I’d have been sober I wouldn’t have come up with it because I’m scared of snakes, but when the McMahon’s offered me a contract that had some extra zeros on it, I got over my snake stuff.

DH: You’ve got a chance with Canadian Wrestling’s Elite to mentor some younger wrestlers. How important is that in the wrestling business?

Roberts: To me it’s an obligation that I share with the people who taught me, who took the time to teach me to make a better product. The whole bottom line for me is to do the very best in that ring, you know, something I can be proud of, so I can stand tall at the end of the day and say ‘man, that was damn good and I’m glad these guys are working.’ Not only do I talk to them about in the ring, I talk to them about outside the ring. I went through some really bad times, fought addiction for years, and failed miserably for years. Around six-and-a-half years ago I finally got sober and clean. I’ve been that way since and my life is so friggin awesome man. I can’t believe I waited this long to do it.

Since I did the movie, “The Resurrection of Jake the Snake,” it is such a joy for me to run into somebody that it’s helped, and not only does it help the addict, but the movie’s also helped the people who’ve had to deal with the addict, because they see the other side. We took time in the movie to explain what was causing the problem, and how frustrating it was for the addict. Trust me, people who are addicts, they’re not enjoying it anymore. You quit enjoying it once you become an addict, because there is no end. There’s no ‘call it an evening.’ It just keeps going and going and the day never stops.

DH: During those dark days, did you ever thing you’d be where you are today?

Roberts: Absolutely not. No. I was trying to die. I had already given up. I’d been to several rehabs and failed miserably. The only thing that kept me from committing suicide was that I didn’t want to hurt my family more than I already had and believe me, there were times where I was thinking, ‘I should just go ahead and do it.’ I wanted to die. I really wanted to die and for some reason, I didn’t. Diamond Dallas Page, a good friend of mine, a guy I’d helped early in his career … he came back and returned what I’d given him and it was quite a journey.

DH: Wrestling can be hard on the performers. Do you think the demands are too great?

Roberts: Nobody makes you do drugs. Nobody makes you do that shit. The worst thing about wrestling, and I think this is where all the deaths come in, is it’s not a sport, a real sport. It’s entertainment, and therefore you could be the very best there is, but just because some guy in a suit doesn’t pick you, you don’t have a job. I know a lot of guys who died had been guys who had been there, to the top, but the writers got bored with writing for them and just tossed them to the side. If you worked 20 or 30 years to hone your craft and to get to that point of having everything absolutely perfect, and you get told, ‘we can’t think of anything to do with you,’ that seems like I should fire you, not me, (but) guys get tossed to the side. All of a sudden, after 20 years of fighting for something, it’s taken away from you and you can’t get it back, no matter how hard you try and so you’re sitting at home thinking, ‘what the fuck, man?’ My chosen profession has been taken away from me because somebody doesn’t like me, and that’s personal.

DH: What advice would you give to someone struggling with addictions right now?

Roberts: Never give up. That’s the bottom line. Never give up. The first thing they have to do is they’ve got to change their friends and the places they go. You can’t hang out with the same people anymore, because they’re partying. Just never give up. Keep reaching out. Do whatever you’ve got to do. Trust me, some things work for some people. Some things work for other people. Yoga helped me because it got me to keep my mind off of (stuff) and it made me start thinking of my body saying, ‘get healthy again.’ That was hope. It gave me hope back, so you’ve got to find something that gives you hope.

Dealing with the heat

Jason Kerr
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Dealing with the heat

In the wrestling business, no wrestler, no matter how well trained, is immune to injury.
Like countless others who’ve come before him, Danny Warren, aka Hotshot Danny Dugan, a three time Canadian Wrestling’s Elite (CWE) champion, is on the shelf.
It’s Dec. 30, and much of the CWE roster is in action at Prince Albert’s Midtown Hall. Duggan, however, is walking around the venue in street clothes after tearing a bicep during a previous show. Like most wrestlers, he’d rather be in the ring, but when a wrestling legend like Jake “the Snake” Roberts tells you to get some rest and go in for surgery, there’s really no other option.
“He was like, ‘go get that surgery taken care of,’” Warren remembered. “He’s had many injuries that he put off (rehabbing) when he should have gotten it taken care of early and a lot of circumstances that could have been avoided if he’d taken care of it quickly. He was very adamant … even though it’s my nature to jump back into the ring.”

For the rest of this story, please see the Jan. 3 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Police charge 14-year-old with impaired driving

Jason Kerr
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Police charge 14-year-old with impaired driving

Police have charged a 14-year-old boy from Prince Albert with impaired driving following an incident early in the morning of Jan. 2.

At roughly 2:30 a.m., police received a complaint that a grey Ford truck was swerving all over the road while heading east on 22nd Street East. The 14-year-old driver eventually pulled over at the intersection of 12th Avenue and Seventh Street East where he was arrested for exceeding the blood alcohol concentration legal limit of .08.

He was released to his family and will make his first appearance in Prince Albert Provincial Court on Feb. 2.

The boy was one of five people charged with impaired driving in the city over the long weekend after police deployed extra resources in an attempt to crack down on drinking and driving.

The list includes a 37-year-old man from Denare Beach who hit a parked car while travelling along Fourth Street East around 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 30. The man was released from police custody and will make his first court appearance on Jan. 11.

Police also charged a 35-year-old woman from Prince Albert who hit a parked car in the early morning of Dec. 30. Officers arrived at the 3600 Block of Second Avenue West around 3:40 a.m. after the woman struck a parked car while parking her own vehicle. She is charged with impaired driving and will make her first court appearance on Jan. 8.

The final two incidents occurred on New Year’s Day. A 26-year-old woman was charged with impaired driving and exceeding the blood alcohol concentration legal limit after officers observed her vehicle swerving along the 2100 block of Central Avenue. She will make her first court appearance on Feb. 13.

A 31-year-old driver has also been charged with impaired driving after police observed him hit a parked car while trying to park along the 1000 Block of Branion Drive. After hitting the car, the suspect then drove away. He was also charged with failing to remain at the scene of an accident. His first court date is scheduled for Jan. 29.

Firearms, personal cheques, prescription pads among stolen goods found during police search

Jason Kerr
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Firearms, personal cheques, prescription pads among stolen goods found during police search

Prince Albert police have charged three people after seizing a mixture of stolen goods while executing a search warrant on a residence in the 1000 block of 18th Street West.

Among the stolen goods were firearms, electronics, personal cheques, prescription pads and a vehicle. Police also found 6.2 grams of marijuana.

Members of the Integrated Street Enforcement Team (ISET) and the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) conducted the search following an investigation on Dec. 29.

A 45-year-old woman and 44-year-old man, both from Prince Albert, along wit ha 25-year-old man from Sturgeon Lake face more than 30 combined charges in connection with the incident. All three made their first appearances in provincial court on Jan. 2.

An eye for detail

Jason Kerr
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An eye for detail

Curtis Matwishyn’s first official foray into photography didn’t go the way he’d planned.

The long-time Prince Albert resident began dabbling in the medium after high school, and he liked it enough to make it one of his electives while enrolled at the University of Saskatchewan. The experience was … surprising.

“I thought that it was going to be a marks-booster course for me,” Matwishyn said while chuckling at the memory. “My first assignment that I handed in was three prints and I got a 53 per cent, a 56 per cent and a 57 per cent, so that kind of brought me down to earth. I realized that I had a lot to learn.”

Despite the rocky start, his skill improved, and what began as a fun diversion turned into a much-loved passion. In the years since then he’s held a number of exhibits, with the most recent starting on Dec. 23 in Prince Albert.

His photography focuses on another passion: the outdoors. As a trained wildland fire fighter, Matwishyn has developed a love and appreciation for the Canadian landscape, and that love shows up in his work.

“It’s taken me to a lot of amazing places,” he explained. “I’ve travelled to New Zealand, Iceland, Australia and India, and photography was a big part of that. I find that it gives me inspiration and motivation to go and see new things.”

For the rest of this story, please see the Dec. 29 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Twice is nice for COTY recipients

Jason Kerr
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Twice is nice for COTY recipients

It’s going to be tough to top 2017 for Ron and Shelley Horn.

The Prince Albert couple began the year by winning the 2016 Chamber of Commerce Legacy Award and ended with a bang on Thursday when they were named co-recipients of the Prince Albert Citizen of the Year award.

The decision came as a shock for the longtime Prince Albert business owners, who first moved to the city in 1979, but it was still a welcome piece of news.

“It just means so much,” Shelley said shortly after wiping away a few tears. “It’s just such an honour. I feel totally blessed.”

“I just said to Shelley, ‘it’s 2017, 17 is our lucky number,’ and this year has been phenomenal with the accolades that have been heaped on our family and ourselves,” Ron added. “It’s just so gratifying and satisfying.”

There have been nearly 60 Prince Albert Citizen of the Year award recipients since businessman P.W. Mahon received the first one in 1958, but 2017 marks an unusual occasion. For only the second time, the award will be shared by co-winners, which supporters like Lyle Karasiuk thought was the only appropriate way to go.

“Their names kept coming up, but you couldn’t nominate one without the other,” said Karasiuk, who was one of roughly a dozen Prince Albert residents to nominate the couple. “They’re so intertwined in the community.”

As a nominator and former citizen of the year himself, Karasiuk said it was important to look for someone who gave back to the community. The Horns, with their extensive involvement in Prince Albert’s sports scene and non-profit events like the Relay for Life, were a perfect fit.

“You look at someone like the Horns who give back to the community, and it’s not just one area,” Karasiuk said. “It’s not just cycling in Prince Albert or the skate park or sports. It’s everything, and it’s not only giving (money), it’s giving time and talents.”

Whether it was taking tickets or sitting on planning committees, the Horns have been most active in Prince Albert sports. The couple played important roles when the city hosted the 1999 Western Canada Summer Games, 2002 Canadian Special Olympics Summer Games and 2014 Saskatchewan Winter Games. They also helped build a number of local events like the Pine Needle Mountain Bike and Music Festival, which started in 2011.

Fellow volunteers like Karasiuk were always impressed with the couple’s work ethic and dedication.

“You ask (for help) and it’s never a no,” he said. “It’s always ‘how can we help? How can we do this?’”

Ron and Shelley didn’t limit their activities to sports either. Ron was a member of the Kinsmen Club of Prince Albert and remains active in the Downtown Business Improvement District. Shelley joined the Kinettes and has spent long hours volunteering for the Canadian Cancer Society.

She says their volunteer support is a reflection of their time spent growing up in small-town Saskatchewan, where helping your neighbour is a way of life.

“That’s just what you do. You get involved,” she said. “Our boys were involved in skiing, so I got involved in skiing. It’s just something that you do.”

Thursday’s award announcement was particularly special for Ron, who joined the Kinsmen on the advice of a friend shortly after moving to Prince Albert. Kinsmen Club members were on hand to unveil the surprise Thursday morning, which brought back more than a few fond memories.

“I can remember working the bingos in the smoke-filled halls and Shelley joined the Kinettes,” Ron remembered. “It’s kind of interesting that today the Kinsmen are a part of this award. It’s starts there, with giving back to the community that you live in, and that’s rewarding.”

The couple joins a long list of past Prince Albert Citizen of the Year winners, including the most recent winner, Sheryl Kimbley. They said it’s very humbling to be included on that list with so many people who have accomplished so much.

“There are so many people, so many families, who have given their time and their money and their efforts to make Prince Albert a better place to be and a place of opportunity for a lot of people,” Ron said. “It’s just really good to be a part of that, and go down in the books as contributing to a better Prince Albert.”

A date has not been officially set for the 2017 Citizen of the Year Gala, however tickets will go on sale in January.

The annual award is handed out by a selection committee that includes members of the Prince Albert Daily Herald and Kinsmen Club from Prince Albert.

Prior to 2017 the only co-winners of the Prince Albert Citizen of the Year award were Bill and Jean Neil, who were recognized in 1976.

Past Prince Albert Citizen of the Year winners

2016 – Sheryl Kimbley

2015- Duane Hayunga

2014 – Jeannette Eddolls

2013 – Lyle Karasiuk

2012 – Harris May

2011 – Dale McFee

2010 – Frank Moore

2009 – Donna Christopherson

2008 – Art Hauser

2007 – Dr. Lalita Malhotra

2006 – Malcolm Jenkins

2005 – Bill Smiley

2004 – Molly Cowie

2003 – Mitch Holash

2002 – Bernice Sayese

2001 – Maurice Casgrain

2000 – Marge Nainaar

1999 – Howard Gange

1998 – Ed Glynn

1997 – James Wilm

1996 – Jack Matheson

1995 – Fern Lloyd

1994 – Myrna Nagy

1993 – Eugene Arcand

1992 – Ajay Krishan

1991 – Larry Zatlyn

1990 – Alma Newman

1989 – Jim Bristowe

1988 – Dr. Orville Hjertaas

1987 – Naomi Tucker

1986 – Jim Scarrow

1985 – Stan Danbrook

1984 – Cec Corrigal

1983 – Val Longworth

1982 – Herschel Davidner

1981 – George Slater

1980 – Eileen Lillico

1979 – Percy Hiltz

1978 – Kris Eggum

1977 – Marjorie Wettergreen

1976 – Bill and Jean Neil

1975 – Alma Jeanneau

1974 – R.J. Casey

1973 – J.J. Cennon

1972 – Archdeacon W.F. Payton

1971 – Leafie McDonald

1970 – Reg Brooman

1969 – Wilf Beaton

1968 – Major Arthur Shadgett

1967 – Orville Erickson

1966 – Maurice Longpre

1965 – Tillie Kawula

1964 – Margo Fournier

1963 – Dave Dalziel

1962 – Rowena McLellan

1961 – Andy Zwack

1960 – Marion Sherman

1959 – Margaret Hasseltine

1958 – P.W. Mahon

The cost of broken windows

Jason Kerr
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The cost of broken windows

Gregg Rustulka’s Sunday morning routine is a little bit different from the average pastor.

When he arrives at the Open Door Community Church of the Nazarene that he’s led for roughly 15 years, the first thing he does is check for broken windows. If he finds one, then it’s on to search number two: looking in every corner of the church for the man responsible.

“It gets to be a little old after a while,” Rustulka says.

Open Door Church sits on 18th Street East, just south of Prince Albert’s downtown core. Given their location, Rustulka explains, theft and break-ins are inevitable. They’ve had everything from laptops to musical instruments stolen out of their church, sometimes with staff members still in the building. But these current break-in trends are a bit different.

Rustulka says the same individual is targeting them, and worries the courts aren’t doing enough to stop it.

“The judge has ordered him to stay away, from what we understand, but he doesn’t,” the long-time pastor says. “He shows up, he’ll sneak in the building or break a window to get in and that’s where he’ll hunker down for a weekend until somebody finds him.”

For the rest of this story, please see the Dec. 22 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

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