Carlton rides dominant second half to victory

Jason Kerr
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Carlton rides dominant second half to victory

The Carlton Crusaders are officially in the win column.

The Crusader offence scored 22 unanswered points while the defence produced four second half turnovers on route to a 36-14 victory over the visiting Bedford Road Redhawks on Friday.

The win gives Carlton a 1-3 record on the season, and a boost of confidence heading into the final stretch.

“It wasn’t always how we scripted it at times,” Crusader head coach Lindsay Strachan chuckled after the game. “There’s definitely some things to clean up heading into next week, but it’s definitely nice to get the first one under our belt.”

Friday’s game at Max Clunie Field looked to be over early, when Carlton built a 14-0 lead on the strength of two rushing touchdowns from quarterback Jacques Lavoie. However, Bedford Road rallied for two late first half scores, including a touchdown on the last play of the second quarter, to tie things up heading into halftime.

That would be the lone offensive outburst for the visitors, as the Crusader defence held fast for the rest of the game.

Linebacker Inesh Rai and defensive back Daniel Dupre both recorded interceptions, while Conner Sangret and Owen Davies each recovered a fumble. The turnovers resulted in plenty of prime field position for the Carlton offense, which didn’t hesitate to put it to good use.

For the rest of this story, please see the Oct. 2 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Home sweet home

Jason Kerr
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Home sweet home

It’s been a long time since Mar Taw and Lay Paw have had a place like this to call home.

Mar and Lay, along with their two children, came to Prince Albert as refugees from Burma. On Wednesday, they officially became homeowners thanks to Habitat for Humanity.

“I love the home,” a beaming Lay said shortly after the dedication ceremony.

Mar and Lay are the third family since August 2016 to become Prince Albert homeowners through Habitat for Humanity. The family still has to pay a no-interest mortgage, but the make job of contributing 500 partnership hours of service is already done.

For Habitat for Humanity executive director John Van Leeuwan, Mar and Lay represent a prime example of the type of people the organization hopes to help.

“They’re just a special, special family,” he said. “In their hearts, they’re such a giving family.”

Habitat homes are built through partnerships with the provincial government and local schools like Saskatchewan Polytechnic, whose students built Mar and Lay’s house at the Prince Albert campus.

Van Leeuwan said that local support is vital to keeping the program going.

“We couldn’t do a home build without the community support and Sask. Polytech has been one of those schools that has just been exemplary in the building quality.”

While seeing another family move into their own home is always satisfying for Van Leeuwan, the need for affordable housing is still greater than ever.

Habitat for Humanity already has three more homes under construction, with a fourth scheduled to start up in two to three weeks. However, if the past is any indicator, those homes will have families waiting for them before completion.

The organization handed out 13 application forms at an information night on Sept. 12, and Van Leeuwan anticipates that roughly half of those families will get accepted.

“It is a bit of an uphill battle in a sense because the need is not waning,” he said. “I think it’s growing. When we see the changes that have happened in the CMHC (Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation) structure and the requirements to own a home, it’s increasing the challenges for families, especially (in the) lower-income (bracket.)”

For now, however, they’re just happy to see another home up and running.

Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that provides low-income families with access to affordable homeownership.

The provincial government has invested $9.85 million in the program to build houses in 13 different communities since 2009.

Prince Albert Carlton MLA Joe Hargrave was on hand to represent the government at the opening. He said the homes allow people to become proud, connected members of the community, and thanked Habitat for Humanity and Saskatchewan Polytechnic for their efforts.

“Community partners such as Habitat for Humanity are essential to making our commitment to affordable housing a reality,” he said. “Habitat for Humanity is one of the best possible examples of communities coming together and making good things happen.”

Mayor Greg Dionne was also on hand for the opening. He too lauded Habitat for Humanity for their role in the community.

“The more homes we get, the more revenue we have available to build, and with partners, the government of Saskatchewan giving us extra money, the city writing off land wherever we can, and with all of us coming together, that’s what a community is about.”

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Paving season ends early

Jason Kerr
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Paving season ends early

Prince Albert city council has rejected a plan to get a head start on next spring’s paving projects.

On Monday, representatives from the city’s Department of Public Works brought forward a plan calling for additional work to be done on the Art Hauser Centre south parking lot.

The lot includes 295 stalls and will see heavy use when the city hosts the World Junior Fastball Championships in 2018. The lot is beyond repair, and required a new subbase before paving.

According to a report presented to council, the contractor employed by the city had agreed to complete the work by the end of September and guarantee it for one year.

However, the benefits were not enough for some city councillors, who were concerned that other city projects would suffer.

“I just cannot support this coming out of that fund,” said Ward 1 Coun. Charlene Miller, who was the most vocal opponent of the motion. “What are we not doing, for paving, in front of people’s houses? What are we not doing because of this (project)?”

Miller also expressed concerns about reports from the contractor, which advised the city to let the new base must sit for a year before paving.

For the rest of this story, please see the Sept. 27 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Going to the pound

Jason Kerr
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Going to the pound

Changes could be coming to impound lot fees as the City of Prince Albert weighs the pro’s and con’s of creating an impound to program.

On Monday, city councillors approved a motion calling for the implementation and development of such a program. It must receive formal approval at a future city council meeting.

Currently, vehicles towed for parking infractions are stored in a fenced lot at the airport. The Prince Albert Police Service also has a contract with a private contractor to tow all PAPS vehicles and house them at an impound lot south of the city.

The program would be based on the Prince Albert Police Department’s impound lot program, and could generate between $375,000 and $500,000 a year in revenue.

“We looked at the numbers in the police budget (and) this private contractor has been paying the police $6,500 a month,” said Steve Brown, the city’s director of financial services. “One asks what kind of revenue that private contractor was generating if they can fork out, to the city, almost $80,000 a year?”

Brown told councillors most of the infrastructure is already in place to start the program. The costs would run up to $15,000 annually, along with a one-time capital expenditure of $50,000.

As part of the program, the city’s traffic bylaw would be amended to increase the impounded vehicle fee from $10 per day to $25 per day. Residents currently pay $40 per day for vehicles impounded with the police department’s private contractor.

The city could also apply to become an authorized garage keeper under SGI’s impound lot program, which would further increase revenue.

The motion received little pushback from city councillors, with some even asking if it was too good to be true.

“This is a big win-win,” Ward 7 Coun. Dennis Nowoselsky said during the meeting. “The city makes a lot of extra money, so we can afford to pave streets and parking lots.”

Ward 2 Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp was one of only two councillors to express reservations about the program. Although voted in favour of it, Lennox-Zepp was hesitant to raise impound fees to $25 per day.

“I’m going to support the motion, including (raising impound fees) at this time, however it might be something we want to revisit in the future,” she said.

The motion will now head to a regular council meeting for formal approval. If ratified, the program will begin operations on Jan. 1, 2018.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Forests front and centre

Jason Kerr
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Forests front and centre

Forestry and conservation were front and centre on Monday as the Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF) and Ministry of Environment kicked off National Forest Week on Monday.

The annual celebration of Canada’s woodlands launched at the Prince Albert Forest Centre with a kick-off barbeque and open house.

Organizers say northern Saskatchewan’s forests are a precious commodity the country is lucky to have. Ideally, National Forest Week will help residents learn about and embrace them.

“There are multiple users of the forest, traditionally, culturally and economically,” said April Lesko, the CIF’s Saskatchewan chair. “It’s a balancing of the environmental, social and economical parts of forestry, and trying to make sure that everybody has what they need out of it.”

For the rest of this story, please see the Sept. 26 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Free-roaming buffalo a lifelong dream

Jason Kerr
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Free-roaming buffalo a lifelong dream

Leroy Little Bear has dedicated almost a decade of his life to something he might not ever see.

It was roughly 10 years ago that Little Bear, the founder of the Native American Studies Department at the University of Lethbridge, first began meeting with students and Aboriginal leaders about bringing back the Buffalo.

He describes those early years as lonely ones, but on days like Monday when Mistawasis First Nations officially signed on to the Buffalo Treaty, the loneliness seems worth it.

“It’s kind of like a family reunion happening,” he chuckles. “Every time somebody signs on, the extended family is growing.”

Little Bear wants to see free-roaming buffalo return to the prairies, but the process has been slow. Environmental groups have been conducting base-line studies to make sure land in areas near the Canadian and U.S. border is suitable for buffalo, which could see the animals start roaming across international boundaries once again.

For the rest of this story, please see the Sept. 20 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Bringing back the buffalo

Jason Kerr
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Bringing back the buffalo

After almost a year of discussion, the Buffalo Treaty has another signatory.

On Monday, Chief Daryl Watson officially signed the treaty on behalf of Mistawasis First Nation, agreeing to help re-introduce and maintain a healthy free-roaming buffalo population.

Watson said signing the treaty is a big responsibility for the community, but one they look forward to embracing.

“The responsibility for us now as First Nations people is to look at the environment from a different perspective, not only as a place where we hunt and gather and perform ceremonies,” he explained. “Now, how do we in today’s context, relay that message to our younger people.”

Watson called the treaty a “renewal” of knowledge and understanding for First Nations people, and that renewal of will begin with the community’s youth. The community held Youth for Bison Day in June, and with Mistawasis officially signing on, more educational programs are sure to come.

“Young people are challenged with every day aspects of trying to maintain some type of optimism moving forward. I think as First Nations people, a lot of our ceremonies, our practices, have fallen to the wayside, so with this Buffalo Treaty, it’s a renewal of the knowledge and understanding that we have.”

More than 20 Canadian and American tribes have signed the treaty since it was first introduced in 2014, but none were located in north or central Saskatchewan. Introducing the treaty into the area was a proud moment for one of its founding members, academic and Alberta Order of Excellence recipient Leroy Little Bear.

For the rest of this story, please see the Sept. 20 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Council votes down flood plain bylaw

Jason Kerr
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Council votes down flood plain bylaw

Obsolete science has doomed Prince Albert’s flood plain bylaw.

City councillors rejected the 10 new regulations proposed by city administrators by a 6-3 margin during Monday’s council meeting, citing a lack of updated scientific data as the main reason.

The decision was welcome news for vocal flood plain opponents like Ward 4 Coun. Don Cody, who said he was glad to see it delayed.

“I’m very pleased that we were able to stop it for a period of time, until we (can) look into the science one more time and say, ‘are we really doing the right thing?’” Cody said. “We started this issue 50 years ago. Surely things change in 50 years.”

With council voting it down, Mayor Greg Dionne will have to approach the government to discuss ways to update the flood plain information. There is no timetable for how long this will take.

Despite being one of only three representatives to vote in favour of the bill, Dionne vowed to follow council’s direction and seek updated information from the province.

“I’m going to ask (the province) to get that information and we’ll bring it back, but at the end of the day, nothing changes,” he said. “Anyone who wants to develop in that area, they still have to qualify for one-in-500. There’s no forgiveness.”

After the meeting, Dionne remained optimistic that this vote was just a short-term set back. He said he will instruct the planning department to start implementing the 10 regulations to help people who wanted to build or renovate their houses in the flats in anticipation of future approval.

“It was obvious at the last meeting that (the flood plain) hasn’t affected house sales in the last four years, and we have people building new places, so we’ll move forward,” he said.

Flood Plain Bylaw 24 of 2017 would have introduced new tools allowing city planners to regulate development among the roughly 2,000 properties affected by the one-in-500 flood plain. Council needed to approve the bylaw as part of the city’s official community plan. The original government deadline to pass the motion was pushed back once from Dec. 31, 2016 to give councillors more time to debate the issue.

As one of three councillors representing wards touching the North Saskatchewan River, Cody expressed skepticism about any fallout from not passing the new regulations.

“Let’s be honest about it. They (the provincial government) have a hard enough time getting enough staff now to do all the developments that they have to do, and they’ve got a myriad of things to do.” Cody told councillors. “They’ve got subdivisions to do in little communities…. You mean to tell me know they’re going to take over (planning) a city like ours? Not a chance.”

Ward 2 Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp, joined Cody in voting down the motion. She expressed skepticism about the city’s priorities and suggested flood mitigation measures were more important.

“I am in vast agreement that it makes much more sense for the city to focus on mitigation measures for our neighbourhoods at large, rather than downloading liabilities onto individual property owners,” she said.

Councillors Charlene Miller, Blake Edwards, Dennis Ogrodnick and Ted Zurakowski also voted against the bylaw, with many of the dissenters expressing frustration with the lack of updated data.

“We’ve spent time in this chamber looking for the science,” Zurakowski said during the meeting. “We’ve asked for it. There is no science. There’s no justification and there’s certainly no funding for the city or for the residents to accommodate what some would call punitive, in some cases, restrictions.”

“If somebody is imposing or suggesting or demanding that we do the one-in-500, then help us get the current data so we can make an informed decision,” Ogrodnick added. “I don’t think we can make an informed decision based on that presentation (at Riverside School on Sept. 6).”

Of the three councillors representing residents living in the flood plain, Ward 3 Coun. Evert Botha was the only one to vote in favour of the motion. Botha wanted to pass the bylaw for now, while still pursuing additional updated information and moving forward with stronger flood mitigation plans.

He also expressed concerns about the large amount of misinformation surrounding the issue, and urged his fellow councillors to place more trust the Water Security Agency, who presented on Sept. 6.

“The Water Security Agency has said that they’re very happy with the data, and if we pass this today, we can still explore opportunities for funding,” Botha said. “There are some funding programs available for us to get additional data as far as our flood plain is concerned.”

While bylaw opponents like Cody aren’t worried about the fallout, Dionne said the decision could affect the city’s coffers. Provincial funding is conditional on having an outstanding community plan, he explained, which in turn is conditional on approving the new flood plain regulations.

“We’ll see where it goes from here, but it affects funding, and I have no issue standing up and saying why we didn’t get it,” Dionne explained. “That’s why I asked for a recorded vote.”

While he understood the desire to have more up to date information, Dionne said many councillors were making a mountain out of a molehill. He also worried some were playing politics when they should be looking out for the city. Despite his concerns, Dionne vowed to follow council’s instructions and lobby the province for more information.

“It’s sad that we politicize some discussions, and that’s one of them,” Dionne said. “It’s clear from comments it’s us against the government, but I’ll speak with the government on how we can continue to move this forward and see what information we can get.”

For his part, Cody said he’s only doing what the residents in his ward elected him to do. He wants the regulations done right, but ultimately believes the government will reconsider the one-in-500 flood plain altogether if they see new data.

“The science has not been looked at for 50 years and I think it needs to be looked at. Once we get that changed, I think you’re going to find that the government will say, ‘well, yes, you have a point there.’”

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Mintos sink Contacts with offensive outburst

Jason Kerr
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Mintos sink Contacts with offensive outburst

Goaltenders Cale Elder and Carter Woodside combined for 21 saves and Austin Lamotte had a three point night as the Prince Albert Mintos downed the Saskatoon Contacts 5-1 on Sunday.

The Contacts never trailed during the contest, building up a 4-0 lead before the visitors broke the shutout.

Brandon Von Hagen opened the scoring for the Mintos midway through the first period, with assists to Tanner Robin and Noah Barlage. Alex Moar then made it 2-0 with a shorthanded marker seven minutes into the second.

Goals from Hunter Schnell and Logan Rawlyk made it 4-1 Mintos before Jordan Bairos scored on a strange bouncer that ricocheted into the net during a goalmouth scramble.

Lamotte restored Prince Albert’s four-goal lead when he converted a cross-ice pass from Von Hagen with less than one minute to play.

The Mintos are back in action on Tuesday when they take on the Beardy’s Blackhawks at the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drop is 7 p.m.

Pats beat Raiders to close out WHL pre-season

Jason Kerr
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Pats beat Raiders to close out WHL pre-season

The Regina Pats gained a measure of revenge for losing the first half of their home-and-home exhibition series with the Prince Albert Raiders.

The Pats scored early and often on route to a 5-1 victory over the Raiders at the Art Hauser Centre on Saturday.

The visitors overwhelmed Prince Albert at points in the game, smothering breakout attempts and scoring chances alike.

“They just worked way harder than we did,” said overage centre Devon Skoleski, who scored the Raiders’ lone goal. “I think our compete level has to be better and we’ve got to stick to our game plan.”

The Pats struck five minutes into the opening frame when Logan Nijhoff fired a quick shot over the shoulder of Raider netminder Nicholas Sanders.

Skoleski tied the game a mere 42 seconds later on a breakaway after receiving a nice feed from Carson Miller.

“I saw Millsy had some time in our zone (and) I saw some open ice in the middle so I cut there,” Skoleski said. “Millsy made a nice tape-to-tape pass, and I had a breakaway.”

However it was all Pats from that point on. Duncan Pierce gave the club their second lead of the game less than two minutes later, making it 2-1 after 20 minutes.

Goals from Liam Schioler and Rayman Bassi made it 4-1 in the second, and Tristen Robins converted a nice cross-ice feed to make it 5-1 in the third.

Sanders and Curtis Meger combined to stop 21 shots for the Raiders while Max Paddock and Jacob Wassermann made 19 saves for the Pats.

The loss gives the Raiders a 2-3-0 record as the pre-season winds down. Even though it didn’t end the way he wanted, Skoleski said he’s seen plenty of positives during that time.

“I think we’ve got a good team here. I think we can do really well this season and make a good playoff run, but we’ve got to compete (hard) first.”

Prince Albert opens the regular season with a trip to Moose Jaw to face the Warriors on Sept. 22. The two teams meet again on Sept. 23 at the Art Hauser Centre for Prince Albert’s home opener. Both games start at 7 p.m.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

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