Giving a little more

Jason Kerr
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Giving a little more

Edward Korzenoski wasn’t entirely sure what he was supporting, but that didn’t stop him from offering a donation.

Korzenoski was one of hundreds of Prince Albert residents who gave to the Victoria Hospital Foundation during Give a Little Life Day Radiothon on Friday. Although he wasn’t certain what area he was supporting, just knowing it will help the hospital is enough.

“We always donate,” he chuckled. “Rain or shine, I know the hospital needs it.”

Like many backers, Korzenoski said he feels a responsibility to support Victoria Hospital, the only regional hospital within the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region. Although he jokes about not knowing the ins and outs of the fundraising campaign, Korzenoski is serious about being a loyal patron.

“It’s a community affair,” he said. “Everybody uses the hospital.”

For the last 11 years, the annual Give a Little Life Radiothon has helped raise a combined $4.5 million dollars for the hospital, largely thanks to donors like Korzenoski.

Sherry Buckler, the Victoria Hospital Foundation’s executive director, said it’s encouraging to see that continued support, especially since it’s been such a tough year across Saskatchewan.

“It’s a time of uncertainty in our province right now. We all know that,” she said. “This just goes to show healthcare is extremely important to our community and that even in times of uncertainty, we have a very philanthropic, giving, generous and caring community.”

It wasn’t just individual residents stepping up to the plate either. Canadian Tire stepped forward and promised to match $50,000 in contributions. That inspired the Peter Ballyntyne Group of Companies to provide a $10,000 donation of their own, and things began to snowball from there.

By the end of the day, other companies like Athabasca Basin Development, the Northern Lights Community Development Corporation and Prince Albert Northern Lights Casino had joined for a combined donation of $96,000 between the five organizations.

Friday’s total of $351,589 and counting (as of press time, the final number was not available) will be put to good use. The hospital needs an automated upgrade to its pharmacy, which ideally will help free pharmacists up for more pressing duties. The automated pill packaging system includes a software program with a verification safety check system and costs around $400,000

Buckler said the support was heartwarming, and added that it shows people are passionate about maintaining a high level of local healthcare.

“The more we do not have to travel to Saskatoon to have tests or surgeries or examinations the better. It’s less stress on the families and then it’s less expensive.”

New legislation paves road for rideshare service

Jason Kerr
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New legislation paves road for rideshare service

The provincial government has moved one step closer to allowing ridesharing services like Uber in Saskatchewan after introducing new legislation on Thursday.

Prince Albert Carlton MLA Joe Hargrave, the Minister responsible for Saskatchewan Government Service, formally brought forward the Vehicles for Hire Act, which sets out a framework for how these services can operate.

According to the legislation, and rideshare service providers must file written evidence of a minimum $1 million motor vehicle liability insurance policy, and insure every vehicle providing service. The legislation also makes criminal record checks mandatory, and modernizes a prescribed driver’s licence class to include ridesharing service providers.

Although the legislation focuses on bringing a new service to the province, Hargrave instead touted its role in reducing impaired driving rates.

“What we’re looking at with ridesharing is another tool in the toolbox to battle impaired driving, and the more opportunity there is to make that right decision, not to drive after they’ve been drinking, that’s what they’ve been looking for,” he said.

Hargrave added that the provincial government has already met with cities to discuss changes brought about by allowing Uber and other services into the province. In August, the organization made a formal request to the provincial government to allow ap-based ridesharing services to hit the streets.

The Vehicles for Hire acts will give cities like Prince Albert leeway to govern all other aspects of the service as used in their communities.

“It will take the municipalities a little bit of time to get all their things right in order and companies to make that application to them,” Hargrave said. “But, if they know it’s all going to be there, even if it’s not this (year), even if it’s not until first thing in the spring, then at least they’ll know and they can get all their applications and everything ready to go ahead of time.”

The province looked to different areas to help craft the act, particularly with the $1 million motor vehicle liability insurance policy. Hargrave said other jurisdictions have gone with the $1 million figure, so the Saskatchewan government decided to follow suit.

Drivers can have a far smaller liability on a regular licence, but Hargrave said that wasn’t adequate.

“That’s just not enough if you’re hauling other people,” he said. “You have to have that good liability insurance.”

Uber already operates ridesharing services in 16 Canadian cities, only four of which are in Western Canada.

California based Lyft also entered the rideshare market in November, when they established their first international office in Toronto. According to the Globe and Mail, the organization expects to begin offering rides sometime in December.

Mintos ride four-goal first period to victory

Jason Kerr
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Mintos ride four-goal first period to victory

After a difficult loss on Saturday, Prince Albert Mintos coach Ken Morrison challenged his team to raise their intensity levels.

He wasn’t disappointed.

Less than 24 hours after dropping a 5-2 decision to the league leading Regina Pat Canadians, the Mintos came roaring back with a 4-2 victory of their own over the Swift Current Legionnaires on Sunday.

The win gives the Mintos a 15-4-2 record on the year, and a happy ending to their weekend homestand.

“We talked to the leadership group and said, ‘you guys have got to think of some things to get everybody ready to play. Think about what you need to be doing before the game and then try and execute,’ and they did a good job of that today,” Morrison said afterwards.

Josh Pillar, Dylan Scriven, Kade McMillen and Austin Lamotte all scored for the Mintos, who struck early and often at the Art Hauser Centre.

Pillar’s goal, which opened the scoring less than five minutes in, was his third of the weekend, and set the tone for a free-wheeling first period.

“It was something we didn’t do (on Sunday),” said Morrison when asked about the quick start. “I think the guys really got jacked up for the start of this game and it really paid off.”

Scriven made it 2-0 a minute later when he slammed home a rebound during a goalmouth scramble. McMillen and Lamotte added one power play goal a piece in the latter half of the period, giving the home side a 4-0 lead.

Mac Gross got the visitors on the board in the last minute of the first period. Gross corralled a loose puck in the slot and fired it past Prince Albert goalie Carter Woodside, but the damage was already done. Woodside was rock solid against his old team, stopping 28 shots and keeping the Legionnaires quiet until a power play goal with 1:12 left in the game.

“I thought he did really well,” Morrison said of the Minto netminder. “That’s his old team so he was pumped to play them. He was solid. He was square to the puck, made a lot of good saves and was battling all game. It was good to see.”

The 4-2 win helps the Mintos keep pace in a frantic race for the SMAAAHL’s top spot. As of Sunday, the club sits in fourth place, just one point behind the Tisdale Trojans, and three points behind the red-hot Notre Dame Hounds.

The club has a chance to close that gap on Wednesday, when they travel to the Tisdale RECplex to take on the Trojans. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m. They then travel to Swift Current for a rematch with the Legionnaires on Dec. 10.

The Mintos’ next home game is on Tuesday, Dec. 12, when they host the Beardy’s Blackhawks at the Art Hauser Centre. Game time is 7 p.m.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

League leaders power past Mintos

Jason Kerr
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League leaders power past Mintos

The Regina Pat Canadians jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, downing the Prince Albert Mintos 5-2 at the Art Hauser Centre on Saturday.

Jaydon Dureau had a hat-trick for Pat Canadians, who improved their league-leading record to 17-2-3.

Josh Pillar had both goals for the Mintos, who fall to 14-4-2 on the year.

The visitors took the lead less than four minutes into the first period when Payton Jerome’s point shot deflected past Prince Albert netminder Cale Elder. Regina made it 2-0 roughly a minute later, when Dureau slapped home a rebound sitting at the edge of the crease.

Dureau added his second and third goals of the game in the second period before Pillar got Prince Albert on the board. His quick wrist-shot beat Regina goalie Nathan Moore glove side, and made the score 4-1 heading into the third.

Pillar stuck again on the power play, tipping home Kade McMillen’s point shot to make it 4-2, but that was as close as they got.

Matthew Culling cemented Regina’s lead with a breakaway goal that just tickled passed Elder, giving the Pat Canadains a 5-2 win.

Elder stopped 22 shots for the Mintos, while Nathan Moore made 19 saves for the Pat Canadians.

Prince Albert is back in action on Sunday when they welcome the Swift Current Legionnaires to the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drop is 1:30 p.m.

Council dives into pool debate

Jason Kerr
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Council dives into pool debate

Mayor Greg Dionne said residents don’t need to worry about Marion Aquatics Pool closing its doors any time soon.

The future of the facility, one of only two indoor pools in Prince Albert, was one of the major subjects of debate at Monday’s city council meeting.

Roughly 40 to 50 people turned out due to concerns the pool will close its doors over the next few years as the current operators, the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, wind down their involvement.

However, Dionne said residents are reading too much into the situation.

“We’re putting all options on the table,” he said following Monday’s meeting. “The goal is to try and keep it open.”

City administrators are already meeting with a private developer to talk about the future of the pool, with a report set to come back to council some time early in the New Year.

Dionne said it’s not feasible for the city to take on responsibility by themselves, even if it’s just short term. Since much of the pool’s user base comes from outside the city, he wants to see a partnership between Prince Albert and the two nearby rural municipalities.

Despite his concerns, he said he has a soft spot for the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, and remains hopeful the can find a solution. It will just take some time.

However, not all city councillors share his optimism. Ward 3 Coun. Evert Botha said the issue has been sitting on the back burner since before he was elected to council last year. He’s concerned it isn’t getting the attention it deserves.

“If there’s so much concern about the future of the facility, and the letters that came through were quite alarming in my humble opinion, then it’s obviously something that needs to be looked at,” he said.

Botha agreed with Dionne, saying there needs to be a partnership with local rural municipalities to make the project feasible, but rejected concerns that he was jumping the gun.

“From the calls that I’ve taken in recent weeks, this facility is much needed,” he said. “It’s much needed, and I hope that we can partner with the Community Services Department to keep the doors open, should we get to a date where the sisters can no longer keep the doors and the lights on.”

Marion Aquatics Pool patrons don’t share Dionne’s optimism either.

Cynthia Stahl, who was one of three people to present a letter on behalf of the facility’s users, said she’s concerned the city doesn’t realize how important the aquatic centre is. If nobody steps forward to operate the pool, she’s concerned it will be too expensive to bring it back.

“A don’t think the city realizes the traffic,” she said. “I don’t they the know the number of people who go through Marion Aquatics, daily, weekly, monthly, because they’re never had to deal with those figures before. It’s always been run by the nuns.”

Stahl and others, like Tammie Kuzma, said Prince Albert’s other indoor facility, the Frank Dunn Pool, won’t be able to accommodate the surge in users if Marion closes its doors.

“I just think we compliment each other,” said Kuzma, who has worked at Marion Aquatics Centre for 16 years. “You need to have both pools.”

Stahl and Kuzma aren’t waiting for the city to bring forward a report. Both say they’re going to circulate a petition to help keep the centre open, and start sending letters to local R.M.’s asking for more financial support.

A total of 1,479 swimmers have taken lessons at the aquatics centre this year, with an additional 667 coming for additional programs like Aquasize classes. The facility also houses competitive sports clubs like the Prince Albert Pikes, and provides rental services for Hope’s Home, Ranch Ehrlo and the Lifesaving Society.

This year, the facility has accumulated a $119,202.57 deficit through the first 10 months. Last year, the deficit was nearly $125,000.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Fab photos

Jason Kerr
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Fab photos

Duane Krip found himself in the right place at the right time, and made the most of it.

Krip’s photo of his son and other local minor ball players at Prime Minister’s Park took home the $500 grand prize in the City of Prince Albert’s Meeting Place Photo Contest. He beat out more than 300 other entrants to win the competition, but Krip said he was just pleased to get a good photo.

“It was a beautiful evening, a warm October evening,” Krip remembered. “It was just too picturesque…. It was just one of those moments.”

Krip was one of nine different winners recognized for their photos during a special ceremony at City Hall on Tuesday. Rick Orr took home second and third place with two of his many entries, while Jean Laurent Fournier, Donald Meiklejohn and Tara Braun were given honourable mentions. Special event prizes were also awarded to Orr, Donna Tiels, Melissa Poulin, Lisa Lester and Lorraine Brokop.

The city originally created the contest as part of the Prince Albert Municipal Culture Action Plan to promote the people and places that are unique to Prince Albert.

Kiley Bear, the city’s communications manager, said the contest easily achieved that goal thanks to so many strong submissions.

“We really wanted to get those local faces, and we definitely got that,” she said.

Bear added that they to use the photos on the city website and through social media to help promote Prince Albert.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Not your average jar of dirt

Jason Kerr
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Not your average jar of dirt

A bit of Canadian history will soon be on the wall of the ANAVETS Club in Prince Albert.

Thanks to students from the Kistahpinanihk Youth Travel Club, members of Unit 222 of the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans of Prince Albert are now in possession of a ceremonial coin and a jar of dirt from Juno Beach.

The gift springs from a trip to Europe last April, when students were able to visit a number of historical military sites, including Juno Beach and Vimy Ridge.

Teacher Victor Thunderchild made the presentation on behalf of Kistahpinanihk on Remembrance Day.

For Prince Albert ANAVETS, the gift was an unexpected, but welcome, surprise.

“To realize that perhaps this sand was where somebody had died, a Canadian veteran … it’s very sobering (and) very touching,” ANAVETS club member Marcel Dagenais said. “We’re so pleased that Victor brought this to us and presented it to us.”

The ceremonial coin and jar of dirt will be on display at the ANAVETS club after a second presentation next year. Thunderchild and some of the Kistahpinanihk students will present the second coin during Decoration Day in June.

Dagenais said it was awesome to see Prince Albert youth take the initiative to learn about an important part of Canadian history. To receive a token from their trip makes it even more special.

Thunderchild, who was one of two teachers accompanying students on the trip, said everyone wants to bring back mementos from a trip abroad. They thought bringing home a jar of dirt would be a nice touch for Canadian veterans, many of whom haven’t had a chance to return to France since the war.

“This is just a piece of history for them,” Thunderchild explained. “We want to bring this back for them, just to honour what they did for us, for some of the things they have gone through.”

Thunderchild said it’s amazing to see Canadian flags flying throughout France and Belgium, honouring the sacrifice of Canadian soldiers. He added that it’s important for students to see this, since some things just can’t be learned in a textbook.

“(Travel) is the best teacher, where the kids can actually go to where these events occurred,” Thunderchild said.

The effect wasn’t lost on the students either. Grade 12 Carlton student Haley Paul said it was an emotional trip that gave her a new appreciation for the sacrifice Canadian soldiers made.

“It’s still really impactful and it gives you a new view of things and a new perspective,” she said.

Prince Albert connection

Kistahpinanihk students had another mission while in Europe, tracking down a memorial to two Indigenous veterans from Northern Saskatchewan who fought at Vimy Ridge.

John Bird from Montreal Lake and Joseph Halkett from Lac La Ronge were two of the nearly 4,000 aboriginal members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Both enlisted in Prince Albert, with Halkett walking roughly 240 km to do so.

Both served in the 107th Pioneer Battalion, and both served and returned to Canada.

Thunderchild first heard about Bird and Halkett during the Canada 150 celebrations, and thought it would make a great learning experience for local youth.

“I thought that was really interesting, and I wanted to show the kids, because … I want to teach First Nations kids that some of their own people went off and fought in the war, and then returned,” Thunderchild said. “That hit the nail on the head.”

Bird and Halkett are listed on a memorial in the Vimy Ridge Interpretive Centre Museum, which houses the names of those who survived. According to the inscription, Bird was discharged in Winnipeg in 1919, while Halkett returned to Lac La Ronge.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

“We’ve got some work to do”

Jason Kerr
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“We’ve got some work to do”

FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron wants to change the way northern communities talk about suicide, and it begins with stressing the hope instead of the despair.

Cameron, who was in Prince Albert on Thursday to address the mayors and councillors from Northern Saskatchewan as part of the New North fall gathering, said there’s too much focus on the negative. Moving forward, he wants to see leaders talk about “hope and opportunity,” and not suicide.

“It’s the word suicide,” Cameron said during an interview following his remarks. “It’s just so negative and it pulls our youth in … and then they start thinking, ‘what is that?’ Or, ‘maybe I should try that?’ That word, we want to get way from that.”

Instead of focusing on suicide all the time, Cameron wants more efforts directed into health and wellness programs. Those programs include sports and recreation, as well as traditional cultural programs like hunting, trapping and fishing.

He said suicide is an issue that affects all communities in northern Saskatchewan, and he applauded them for doing the necessary work to help struggling youth.

However, he added that the work is only beginning, and if northern communities want to be successful, they need to emphasize what’s working instead of focusing on what’s going wrong.

Overall, he’s optimistic progress is being made. He cites a multi-million dollar mental wellness centre, currently under construction by the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, as evidence that things are improving. He just wants to see the pace pick up.

“We’re getting some movement. Were getting some commitment,” he said. “We’re hoping to see that completed, and we’ve got some work to do.”

Mental health wasn’t the only area Cameron took aim at during his speech. The FSIN chief also wants urged northern communities to get more involved in wildfire fighting, especially when it comes to lobbying against the provincial government’s “Let it Burn” policy.

The policy reportedly instructed crews to only fight fires within a 20-km radium of a community. However, during the 2015 wildfire season the Ministry of Environment repeatedly denied such a policy existed.

Cameron said the province’s strategy is flawed, regardless of what they want to call it. He said northern communities have a lot to offer when it comes to fighting fires, and he wants them to make their voices heard at the provincial and federal level.

“You have to have First Nations inclusion,” he said. “They’re the experts on the land. They know the layout on the land, and we’ve been fighting fires long before any provincial government was established in Saskatchewan. I mean, the experts are there, right.”

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

On the road to Best in Show

Jason Kerr
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On the road to Best in Show

Pat Lanctot has been on her feet almost all day, with a few more hours of standing still left to come.

Despite her fatigue, she’s graciously agreed to sacrifice one of her rare breaks to sit down for an interview. It’s all part of her mantra as a dog show judge: be pleasant.

“You have to be consistent and you have to be fair and you have to be pleasant,” Lanctot says. “At the end of the day, you’ve been standing up for seven or eight hours. The dog who came into the ring last, it’s not his fault he’s scheduled to be last. You have to have the same amount of patience and friendliness with that dog as you did with the dog that came in at 8:30 in the morning.”

Patience is a word to describe Lanctot’s career as a dog show judge. It started 23 years ago, with her husband back in Cornwall, Ont. They bred Labrador Retrievers, and won so many competitions people kept coming to them for advice. With they’re track record of success, they stepped out of the competitors booth and into the judges circle.

“One thing led to another and we judged a sanctioned match, which is where puppies practice and judges practice,” Lanctot remembers. “We enjoyed it, so we decided to jump through the hoops that the Canadian Kennel Club has … and the rest is history.”

Most judges follow a similar path. In Canada, the Canadian Dog Judges Association and Canadian Kennel Club specify that applicants must have 15 years of documented dog show experience. What’s more, they also must have won a certain amount of championships during their years of competition.

Dog shows are unique in that desire and a willingness to learn aren’t the only necessary qualifications for becoming a judge. It’s like if the NHL refused to hire referees who hadn’t won a certain amount of Stanley Cups.

As a former handler herself, Lanctot has strong opinions on what constitutes a good dog. She’s rarely surprised by what she sees, but when she does see something she likes, it’s more than worth the wait.

“There aren’t a lot of wow dogs,” she explains. “There are a lot of dogs where you say, ‘oh this is really nice,’ but when you hit that dog where you say ‘wow,’ then that whole time was worth it.”

Judging dog shows is fairly straightforward. Each dog is judged against what’s considered the standard for the breed. It’s a 100-point checklist that includes everything from the condition of their coat to the shape of their shoulders.

However, there are a few extra aspects that can decide close contests: training, presentation, showmanship and of course personal taste.

Sometimes the competition can get intense.

“You want to make sure the judges see the best of your dog, and some people have little tricks,” says Liana Maloney, a handler from the Prince Albert Kennel and Obedience Club and organizer of their recent three-day show. “They’ll step in front of you or make noises or do things to put your dog off. That’s a little bit of the underhanded part of the dog show world, but you learn to go with it, right.”

Fortunately, underhanded tricks are few and far between. Maloney said the community is incredibly tight-knit, and as much as everyone wants to win, nobody wants to see a deserving dog go home without a championship.

“You’re always hoping the best dog wins,” Maloney explains. “ At the end of the day, most of us can go for dinner, have a glass of wine and say, ‘wow, that was a fund time,’ but it gets really intense there.”

“The dog show world is very competitive,” Lanctot agrees. “Everyone wants to win. That’s why they’re here. It’s good for their breeding program. It’s good for the breed that they’re representing … but when something happens in the dog show world, it’s a very tight knit family. Everybody is there to support everybody.”

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Upstage Productions brings the ‘40s to life

Jason Kerr
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Upstage Productions brings the ‘40s to life

Upstage Productions is looking to add a bit of fun to a haunting experience.

The St. Mary High School drama group brings the 1940s to life in “Blithe Spirit,” a dark comedy about a novelist haunted by the ghost of his deceased first wife.

The story gave students a chance to dive into the past and revive the sights, sounds, costumes and music that characterized the era. It was an opportunity they eagerly embraced.

“I love the 1940s,” said cast member and Grade 12 student Jacelyn Perret. “I love the style, and of course the music, so it was really exciting for me.”

“It’s definitely always interesting to play a character that lived in a different time period, because it allows you to learn more about it, and that’s always an interesting experience,” added fellow cast member Mallory Norfield.

Norfield, Perret and co-stars Daniel Everitt, Tessa Hrynuik, Nicolas Tytula, Julianne Langlois and Aimee Grenier, bring “Blithe Spirit” to life starting on Nov. 29.

They hope attendees will enjoy their take on the hit comedy, which set records for longest running non-musical British play when it debuted in 1941.

“I really hope that most people actually get a really good laugh out of it, because personally I find it really funny in some parts,” said stage manager Alyx Roske. “It’s hilarious. I really hope that (attendees) walk away and realize that … we are really good at what we do.”

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

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