Raiders bury Rebels under first period onslaught

Jason Kerr
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Raiders bury Rebels under first period onslaught

The Prince Albert Raiders wasted no time bouncing back from Wednesday’s defeat at the Art Hauser Centre.

The Raiders erupted for three first period goals, including two from Vojtech Budik, on route to a 5-1 win over the Red Deer Rebels at the Enmax Centrium on Friday.

Afterwards, head coach Marc Habscheid said the club’s quick start and ability to stay focused were the keys to victory.

“We got them on their heels and that’s important,” the Raiders bench boss said. “Every game’s important from here on in and I thought we started good and continued strong. The intensity level wasn’t as high as (it was against) Regina or Moose Jaw or Swift Current, but we played well enough to win.”

The Rebels had lost 11 straight games coming into Friday night’s contest, and the Raiders wasted little time adding to their misery.

Budik opened the scoring a mere 1:50 into the game when he hammered a one-timer past rookie Red Deer netminder Ethan Anders. The Czech defenceman added his second of the night roughly 10 minutes later when he cashed in on the power play with a quick wrist shot from the top of the circle.

That made it three goals in the last two games for Budik, who, according to his coach, really benefited from his time at the World Juniors.

“It’s obviously a higher level of competition, so he comes back with more confidence because the pace isn’t quite as fast (in the WHL),” Habscheid explained. “He’s got the confidence (from) playing at that level. Confidence is a big thing, plus he’s a good player.”

Budik’s offensive outburst caused Rebels head coach Brent Sutter to pull Anders in favour of veteran Riley Lamb, but it did little to stop the offensive onslaught.

Jeremy Masella made it 3-0 before the end of the first when his shot deflected off a Red Deer player and past Lamb. The Raiders outshot their opponents 11-6 in the opening frame and controlled the pace for much of the period.

Jordy Stallard made it 4-0 for the Raiders in a penalty filled second period before the home side was able to break the ice. Alexander Alexeyev wrecked Ian Scott’s shutout bid with less than a minute to go the period, making it 4-1 Prince Albert.

Any hope of a Rebel comeback was dashed midway through the third, when Parker Kelly scored a backbreaking shorthanded goal on a great individual effort. Ian Scott slammed the door the rest of the way, making 29 saves in total for his 11th win of the year.

The win puts the Raiders just five points back of the idle Saskatoon Blades for the final conference wildcard spot.

The Raiders continue their Alberta road swing on Saturday when they travel south for a date with the Central Division leading Medicine Hat Tigers. Puck drop is 8:30 CST.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Keeping an eye on crime

Jason Kerr
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Keeping an eye on crime

The first few months of Prince Albert’s neighbourhood watch program have been a pleasant surprise for Peter John.

John, the organization’s president, helped form the group roughly eight months ago after his garage was repeatedly broken into. It’s the first time in more than a decade that Prince Albert has had some type of neighbourhood watch program, and for John, the early success has been a welcome surprise.

“I thought maybe me and a couple of other people would probably hang out and drive around and it would be whatever,” he chuckled. “But the way it’s going, it looks like it’s turning into a little bit more than that.”

Only eight people attended that first meeting, but by their fourth they were up to roughly 30. The meetings led to an increase in neighbourhood cohesion, and their first official patrol, held during the 2017 Prince Albert Exhibition, was a success.

A fundraiser back in October helped the group net about $1,500, which will go towards back alley lighting, and the increased patrols have helped keep some of the less scrupulous elements at bay.

Their efforts haven’t gone unnoticed by Prince Albert City Police (PAPS) either, who welcome the active involvement from the community.

“I think it’s awesome, what they’re doing,” said PAPS inspector Jason Stonechild, who spoke to the group during a meeting on Tuesday. “You look in here and they’re all engaged. They’re asking questions. They care about the community. They care about their relationship with law enforcement. It’s great to see.”

Stonechild said it’s too early to know exactly what kind of effect the neighbourhood watch is having on Prince Albert, although past research has shown the programs are effective at fighting crime when done properly.

A 2009 study by researchers in the United Kingdom showed that more than half of neighbourhood watch programs resulted in a reduction in crime, but the paper’s authors also said more analysis was needed to determine which practices worked the best.

In Prince Albert, Stonechild said the neighbourhood watch can help provide police with “reasonable and probable grounds,” which is necessary for arresting, detaining and obtaining information from suspects. He added that the neighbourhood watch doesn’t just make people feel secure. It also keeps troublemakers on guard.

“The perception that they’re out there and they’re visible makes the residents feel safe,” he explained. “It makes people who don’t belong there feel unwelcome, and that in itself reduces crime.”

So far, patrols are limited to Ward 3, but organizers like John hope to generate interest from across the rest of the city. There are two other wards that have already set meeting dates to discuss expanding the program to their area, while a third is showing initial signs of interest.

The issue has also drawn some support from city council members who see it as a proactive way of keeping Prince Albert safe.

“We’re obviously ahead of the curve in a way, but I’d like to see a convergence of those communities and subdivision where we can collaborate rather than everybody doing it in isolation,” said Ward 3 Coun. Evert Botha, who also attended Tuesday’s meeting. “I think there’s a lot of energy that we can harness and together we can achieve a lot more.”

Regardless of whether or not it expands across the city, John said the program has already been a success. He said it’s brought the people of Midtown Prince Albert closer together, and fostered a tight-knit sense of community that’s already paying dividends.

“We’ve really gotten to know our neighbours. I’ve gotten to know more people in the community in the last eight months than I could have ever imagined. I’m sure lots of other people could probably say the same thing too.”

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Pats power play sinks Raiders

Jason Kerr
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Pats power play sinks Raiders

The Regina Pats are proving to be a tough nut to crack for the Prince Albert Raiders.

The Pats won 4-3 in a Wednesday match-up at the Art Hauser Centre, giving the Memorial Cup hosts five straight wins against the Raiders.

Despite the loss, Raiders coach Marc Habscheid credited his team for their mental toughness and focused on the positive aspects of their play.

“We had a couple of chances late to tie it up and we almost did tie it,” he said following the game. “Our guys never gave up and they played hard. It was a ferocious game tonight.”

Those sentiments extended to the Raider roster, which remained irritated, but encouraged, with Wednesday’s effort.

“Honestly, I thought we played a really good game today,” team captain Curtis Miske said. “I thought we were the better team. We took some penalties we didn’t want to take in the third period, which might have cost us, but I think we played them really well. Yes, at the end of the day we didn’t get the two points, but there are a lot of positives to take away.”

“We battled hard right from the start,” added Regan Nagy, who had two assists on the night. “I think we’ve just got to play that (way) all the way through, play the full 60, and it will be a different outcome for us.”

The chances came early and often in Wednesday’s contest, with goaltenders Curtis Meger and Ryan Kubic making some key saves in the opening frame. Kubic stopped Cole Fonstad on a penalty shot less than two minutes into the game, while Meger denied Cameron Hebig and Jesse Gabrielle on back-to-back breakaways.

The Raiders kept pressing and were rewarded with a power play goal shortly after the five-minute mark. Vojtech Budik hammered home a one-timer for his fourth goal of the season, giving Prince Albert an early 1-0 lead.

Budik’s goal looked like it was going to be the only one of the period, but Jake Leschyshyn’s goal with 4.7 seconds left in the frame sent both teams into the intermission tied at one.

The Raiders retook the lead in the second, when Curtis Miske’s shot found it’s way underneath Kubic’s pad and into the net. It was a fortunate bounce for the Raider captain, but one he was more than happy to take.

“I just walked over the line and just tried to shoot it far pad for a rebound for Stally (Jordy Stallard) and it ended up going in,” he chuckled. “I’ll take them as they come.”

However the lead was short lived. Regina’s Matt Bradley scored his first of two on the night just 25 seconds later, sending both teams into the final frame tied yet again.

Special teams proved to be the difference in the third, as the Raiders failed to capitalize on a five-on-three power play, while the Pats scored back-to-back goals with the man advantage to take a 4-2 lead.

“We got into penalty trouble in the third period and they’ve got a lot of firepower on their power play,” Habscheid said. “They cashed in and that was the difference.”

“We moved the puck around good. We just have to find a way to score on our power play,” Miske added. “That’s probably the turning point and they got momentum out of that, which is unfortunate, but we’ll keep practicing and find a way.”

Jordy Stallard made things tight with a smooth backhand shot over a falling Kubic during a breakaway at 15:07, but that was as close as the home side got. The Pats shut the door the rest of the way, and left town with a 4-3 win.

The victory puts Regina five points up on the Saskatoon Blades and firmly in the driver’s seat in the Eastern Conference playoff race with 52 points. The loss means the Raiders fail to gain ground on the idle Saskatoon Blades, who hold the conference’s final playoff spot. The Blades sit five points behind the Past and seven points up on the Raiders, although Prince Albert has two games in hand.

The Raiders are back in action again on Friday when they travel to the Enmax Centrium in Red Deer for a tilt with the struggling Rebels, who haven’t won since Dec. 15. Puck drop is 8 p.m.

The next Raiders’ home game is on Friday, Jan. 26 when they welcome the Prince George Cougars to the Art Hauser Centre. Game time is 7 p.m.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Communication lines open

Jason Kerr
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Communication lines open

For the foreseeable future, Kelvin Pankiw plans on doing a lot of listening.

The longtime businessman finished his first day as the new Prince Albert and District Chamber of Commerce CEO on Monday. Pankiw, who recently completed his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Fredericton, said there’s going to be a little bit of a learning curve as he takes over from Larry Fladager. However, that’s a challenge he’s eager to accept.

“I’m excited about the opportunities,” Pankiw said during an interview on Monday. “There are a lot of challenges facing businesses going forward, but there are also a lot of wonderful opportunities.”

Revitalization is at the top of Pankiw’s to-do list as 2018 gets underway. He said many businesses, especially retail outlets, are entering a new phase of development due to changes in consumer activity, like increased online shopping.

Prince Albert’s downtown and the city’s two malls are some of the areas he’ll be keeping an eye on. However, despite difficulties like the closure of the city’s Sears location, Pankiw is confident that the future remains bright.

For the rest of this story, please see the Jan. 16 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Getting out of the cold

Jason Kerr
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Getting out of the cold

Brian Howell shivers, even though he’s not outside.

The interior of the River Bank Development Corporation office isn’t nearly as cold as the exterior, where pedestrians brave -27 C temperatures and cars sputter and groan when starting. Still, you can feel a pinch of cold even with thick walls separating the great outdoors from the River Bank board room.

“I can’t imagine being homeless today,” Howell says.

As River Bank’s executive director, he’s used to imagining the unbelievable. Since 1998 the organization has helped construct 35 new rental units for low-income families in Prince Albert, while purchasing and renovating another 55.

However, Howell emphasizes that the organization never could have been successful without strong community partners. Now, they’re looking to strengthen those bonds both inside and outside Prince Albert as part of their goal to eradicate homeless.

“It’s a big issue in all (Saskatchewan) cities,” Howell says. “There’s just generally a feeling that efforts against it have been piecemeal and uncoordinated and could (use) a bit of a combined effort.”

The ball is already rolling on a provincial strategy, or at least more provincial cooperation. Groups from Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina all met recently with the provincial government to try and find some common ground on an issue that never seems to go away.

Howell says that provincial conversation can’t just be limited to non-profits and service groups either. It needs to include municipal leaders too.

With that in mind, Howell arrive at the city’s most recent executive committee meeting to keep councillors up to date on what’s happening in the community in hopes that they’ll lend their voice to an important cause.

“They see homelessness as an issue in Prince Albert (and) they’re supportive of affordable housing initiatives,” Howell says of the city’s political representatives. “We just need more affordable units. There’s a lot of housing in Prince Albert, but it’s out of the reach of many people. The costs are high and it’s market level housing that’s not necessarily directed towards people with serious issues.”

More involvement from municipal leaders would be welcome sign for most of Prince Albert’s non-profits.

The YWCA’s Homeward Bound program has been one of the most successful programs in the city, largely thanks to strong cooperation with the city’s landlords and property owners, as well as organizations like the Prince Albert Police Service.

Program manager Dave Hobden says it’s one of the city’s great strengths, and he’s hopeful city council will add even more weight to the cause.

“The police agency is phenomenal with us, but I’d like to see city council get on board and just say, ‘this is working, and how can we support ending homelessness in this community,’” he says.

Like Howell, Hobden also wants to see stronger communication across the province. As money gets tighter, he says programs like Homeward Bound have to get more bang for their buck, and the only way to do that is through stronger partnerships. That’s something that didn’t always happen 25 or 30 years ago. Now, it’s becoming a necessity.

“There’s no question that you’ve got to be innovative,” Hobden says. “Even before the money crunch, we had to focus on what we do best and then seek out services from other agencies.”

Innovation is key for Howell and River Bank Development Corp. too. He says the next two years will bring lots of change, and that’s going to take some outside the box thinking.

“More money would be helpful, but realistically we’ll probably have to work with what’s out there,” he says. “It’s just how to work better together.”

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Up in smoke

Jason Kerr
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Up in smoke

The city’s proposed Smoking in Public Places Bylaw is heading to a regular city council meeting for final consideration after a rocky ride through executive committee on Monday.

Council members ultimately voted to pass the motion, which was based on feedback from a citywide survey and recommendations from the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), but only after more than 20 minutes of debate.

While most councilors were in favour of the bylaw, there were questions about the health effects of hookah lounges, safe distances for smoking outside of hockey rinks and whether or not outdoor facilities like Little Red River Park should be included in the ban.

Canadian Cancer Society spokesperson Donna Pasiechnik was on hand to present the case against hookah lounges. She said the CCS was pleased with the majority of the proposed bylaw, but were concerned there was a lack of information around the hookah water pipe issue.

Pasiechnik said shisha, the tobacco used in hookah pipes, is more widely available than ever thanks to the Internet, which has lead to an increase in the number of youth trying it.

According to a Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey conducted roughly four years ago, eight per cent of youth ages 15 to 19 had tried using a hookah pipe. That number jumped to 29 per cent for young adults from 20 to 24 years of age.

“Go to the internet and you will find hundreds and hundred of tutorials on how to use a water pipe, which have helped to brand hookah as a modern trendy cousin to the way it was originally used,” she explained.

Pasiechnik found some support from Mayor Greg Dionne, who wants to see an age limit on hookah lounges. However, he added that smoking in general is not illegal, and Canadians have the right to smoke if they wish.

There is only one licensed hookah lounge operating in the City of Prince Albert, and Dionne said he has plans to meet with the owner next week to discuss the issue.

Despite being used for centuries in countries like India and Pakistan, the effects of using hookah pipes are not widely known. According to researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, hookah smoking contains many of the same dangers as regular cigarettes, but with the added risk that an uncleaned pipe may spread infectious diseases.

Still, researchers at the clinic say there is much to learn.

“While research about hookah smoking is still emerging, evidence shows that it poses many dangers,” reads a short segment on the clinic’s website.

Hookah smoking remains popular in rural areas of many Middle Eastern and Asian countries. However, some cities, like Delhi, India, have voted to ban it.

Roughly 900 people responded to the city’s smoking ban survey that was used to create the bylaw. More than two-thirds of the respondents were female, 75 per cent had lived in Prince Albert for 10 years or longer.

Nearly 600 people said they were in favour of regulating hookah lounges, while roughly 200 opposed it. Another 110 said they were not sure.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@pherald.sk.ca

Country residential debate heats up

Jason Kerr
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Country residential debate heats up

Builders in Nordale could see their taxes fall as the City of Prince Albert tries to spur development north of the river.

On Monday, Prince Albert council approved a motion that would see any new country residential construction in the area taxed at the same general mill rate as the Rural Municipality of Buckland. Currently, the average mill rate in the R.M. is 6.09, while the city residential mill rate sits at 7.74.

The decision could also see the city implement a new annual abatement for country residential property owners north of the river. The abatement would be funded by general mill rate taxes levied on new developments in the area.

The motion passed by a slim 4-3 margin during Monday’s executive committee meeting, and will still have to be finalized at a regular city council session.

Mayor Greg Dionne was the motion’s most passionate supporter. Dionne, who represented the area as Ward 2 councillor for two terms before running for mayor, said the move would help move things along in an area ripe for development.

“People are looking for acreages,” he said. “We have hundreds of acres. We own all the way to the mill, so let’s take an opportunity and start developing it and keep people in our city who want to live on three or four or five acres. They have that right, and I believe we should be helping them.”

Financial services director Steve Brown told council that any benefits from the new tax policy would take a while to materialize if development is slow. However, Dionne remained confident the plan was a good one.

“It’s not that we’re even downloading the money,” he said. “They have to build, and I believe we’ll be able to sell those lots in Nordale.”

Not all city councillors shared the mayor’s enthusiasm. Ward 5 Coun. Dennis Ogrodnick worried Prince Albert residents were already subsidizing rural residents through things like allowing them to use city facilities. The thought of giving country residential residents further incentives was something he couldn’t support.

“I don’t think we should be giving these people who border the R.M.’s a tax break,” Ogrodnick said. “They’re getting all the services we’re getting. We’re paying extra for sanitation, for water, for sewer, everything. We’re paying extra. Garbage pickup, we’re all paying extra for that, and so therefore, I don’t think we should reduce (taxes) to be honest.”

On average, property owners in the R.M. pay significantly less in property taxes than their Prince Albert country residential counterparts. According to a report from the city’s financial services department, Buckland residents would pay $1,922.49 in taxes on a $315,680 property. That number would jump by nearly $1,000 if the property was located in Nordale.

In addition to the higher taxes, country residential property owners do not receive water or sewer service from the city. However, the level of police and fire service received by residents in Nordale is noticeably different from those in Buckland.

In total, the city owns about 600 acres of undeveloped land north of Prince Albert, which amounts to roughly 20 five-acre lots.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Young rink looks to bring excitement to Scotties

Jason Kerr
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Young rink looks to bring excitement to Scotties

For Karlee Korchinski and twin sisters Kourtney and Krista Fesser, the thought of curling on one of Canada’s biggest stages so early in their careers is a little surreal.

A mere two years ago, all three were representing Saskatchewan at the Canadian Junior Women’s Championships in Stratford, Ont. Now, they’re headed to the 2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts with veteran skip Sherry Anderson after a victory at provincial play downs in Melfort.

Just qualifying for the national tournament was an amazing experience for the young group, but even more so given their age.

“It’s something that a lot of people work towards for a really long time,” said Korchinski shortly after their final victory on Sunday. “For us to be achieving this at 22 and 23 … it’s pretty amazing.”

“It’s surreal,” added Krista. “We knew that we had a lot of tough games ahead of us. It was a really good field and to just pull it out in this last game is an amazing feeling.”

All three will be among the youngest competitors when the 2018 Scotties kick off in Penticton, B.C. later this month. While the temptation to get star struck on the big stage is always there, Anderson said she’s not too concerned about how her team will react.

“For being so young, they’ve very seasoned,” said the veteran skip, who made her first appearance at the Scotties in 1994, when she curled out of the Prince Albert Golf and Curling Club. “They’ve been to national juniors and national mixed (tournaments), so it’s just (about) trying to keep them loose.”

Staying loose in high-pressure situations is something the rink got a lot of practice at during the provincial finals. The team won a series of close matches to emerge victorious, including a 7-6 extra ends win in final contest.

Anderson said her young team pulled through when they had to in Melfort, and that showing is a sign of things to come in Penticton.

“Their performance here today showed that they can compete with the best of them,” she said. “We’ll just try to continue on from that.”

For Anderson’s three teammates, staying loose during the lead up to the Scotties is their top priority, and they’re willing to help their veteran skip anyway they can.

“We’re going to keep her young, maybe give her a new look for the event,” Krista chuckled. “She’ll bring the experience. We’ll bring the excitement.”

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Contingency plan in place?

Jason Kerr
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Contingency plan in place?

A motion that would allow Prince Albert’s city manager to approve limited city project cost overruns has barely passed through executive committee and could face an even rougher ride at the next regular council meeting.

On Monday, city councillors voted by a narrow 4-3 margin to approve a project budget contingencies plan. The plan would allow the city manager to approve up to $100,000 per project in contingency spending without heading back to council to approval. The motion also allows the city’s eight department directors to approve up to $50,000 per project in spending, as well as up to $25,000 for senior managers and up to $10,000 for regular managers.

The motion requires one more hearing at a regular city council meeting to receive formal approval.

City manager Jim Toye said the move would help avoid unnecessary delays when unforeseen problems cause a project to go over budget. The current system requires all departments to bring these requests before council, no matter how small.

Toye added that city administrators were more than capable making smaller decisions, and would still come back to council for projects significantly over budget.

“We’re not here to have a card game or gamble with the city’s tax dollars,” he said. “Every time we have a project, we question the contractor (and) the managers I have on site to make sure we’re getting the best bang for our buck.”

Toye added that he worried their was a misconception that too many city projects were over budget. In the past year, city council has approved $320,000 in additional spending due to a variety of changes, delays and unforeseen circumstances. However, Toye maintained that the number of projects running over budget was quite small when compared to the total number of annual projects completed.

“If we get that tender and that project, we do our best to make sure it’s on budget, our very, very best,” he said. “If we’re not on, then I get to stand before city council and in front of all the taxpayers in this city and say, ‘we did not hit the mark.’”

Toye’s words, and a presentation from capital projects manager Wes Hicks, received a mixed reception from city council. Ward 6 Coun. Blake Edwards was the strongest supporter of the motion, telling those assembled that many of the contractors he talked to were surprised the city had no budget contingency plans in place.

“Most of them said, ‘there’s always going to be unforeseen conditions on every job,’” Edwards explained. “All of them said that (and) that opened my eyes a little bit.”

However, Mayor Greg Dionne proved to be less enthusiastic. Dionne objected to any idea that city council did not trust administrators, but remained skeptical of contractors. In particular, he was upset with cost overruns in the project to repair the riverbanks in Little Red River Park.

Dionne voted against the motion, saying he wanted city council to have the final say.

“If you don’t think that contractors play little games trying to get at those contingency funds, then you don’t live in the real world,” he said. “We’re the keeper of the taxpayer’s money, so when we overspend that kind of money, I think we have the right to ask questions.”

According to a report presented by Hicks at Monday’s executive committee meeting, both Moose Jaw and Regina allow administration full authority to sign off on contingency expenses that amount to 10 per cent on any project. The City of Saskatoon has a more complicated formula where administrators have full authority unless a project exceeds its budget by 25 per cent.

Hicks’ report adds that due to the 11 day pre-council deadline for report submissions, projects can be delayed for more than 32 days for expenses as small as $1,000.

Council approved Monday’s motion by one vote margin, with two councillors absent for the session due to previous commitments.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Down the pipe

Jason Kerr
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Down the pipe

City council is looking to Saskatoon for options on how to replace the hundreds of lead service connectors used in Prince Albert’s water distribution system.

According to a report presented to council on Monday, there is an estimated 750 such connectors still owned by the city, but the real challenge comes from the unknown number of private ones.

In February 2017, the City of Saskatoon began the Lead and Water Main Pipe Replacement Program with the goal of replacing all lead service connectors within a decade. Now, city officials in Prince Albert are looking at doing something similar, the only question is whether it will be mandatory for Prince Albert residents.

Jeff Da Silva, the city’s engineering services manager, said there is a lot of research showing that partial replacements actually increase corrosion, and cost of footing the bill for all of Prince Albert’s property owners comes with some problems.

“There is currently no requirement or funding for the replacement of the privately owned portion of the service,” he said. “When dealing with lead services, the administration faces a few challenges.”

Lead service connectors link municipal and commercial properties to the city’s main water network. Property owners are responsible for maintaining those connectors right up to the property line, and just a partial replacement can cost the city anywhere from $12,000 to $20,000.

In the past, residents were offered a $2,000 incentive to complete the work on their own property, however Da Silva said that measure ended in 2010.

Council has not made any final decisions on whether the replacement program will be optional, but there was still some debate on the subject during Monday’s executive committee meeting.

Ward 8 Coun. Ted Zurakowski came out strongly against the idea of forcing property owners to get the work done. Instead, he wants administrators to explore other options, since owners should have the final say in what happens on their side of the property line.

“I’m certainly not in favour of any mandatory work,” he said. “The city’s not going to come on to my property to tell me what to do (with it.)”

While not completely in favour of a mandatory program, Ward 2 Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp did express some support for it. She said if the city has already spent money digging up streets to work on water mains and publicly owned lead connectors, it just makes since to work on private connectors too.

“It’s a bigger issue for the community, and if we’ve already done the work of opening up the street, it may make a lot of sense to make it mandatory,” she explained.

There are other options to replacing the lead pipes, but city administrators say those measures are only temporary. It is possible to add phosphate to Prince Albert’s drinking water, which would inhibit corrosion and leaching. Filters could also be used to minimize the impact, however, Da Silva and water treatment plant manager Andy Busse emphasized that both options were not advisable long-term.

Da Silva added that the North Saskatchewan River is not a source of lead, nor is the city’s water treatment centre. According to Health Canada, the maximum acceptable concentration of lead in water is 0.010 mg/L.

Administrators are struggling to find out just how many privately owned lead connectors the city has. Their efforts have been hampered by an incomplete database, which stretches more than 100 years and contains considerable gaps as to where upgrades were made.

“As lead services have been replaced over the years, there hasn’t been accurate tracking of what’s still in the ground on the private side,” Da Silva explained.

Typically the city replaces between 10 and 40 publicly owned lead service connectors per year. To replace all public connectors at once would cost about $12 million.

In 2016 the federal government budgeted $2 billion for the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund (CWWF) with the intention of accelerating short-term municipal investment in water infrastructure. The City of Saskatoon was able to draw $15.8 million from the CWWF for their 2017 project, along with $7.9 million from the provincial government. Replacing lead connectors was just one aspect of the $31.6 million project.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

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