Watching the skies

Jason Kerr
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Watching the skies

Professional and amateur astronomers will have a rare treat on Monday, as a solar eclipse makes its way across the North American continent.

Starting at roughly 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 21, viewers in Saskatchewan will be able to see the moon pass between the sun and earth for roughly two-and-a-half hours. The eclipse will be at its height at approximately 11:43 a.m.

The event will be one of the more remarkable solar eclipses seen in Canada in almost four decades.

“The last one that was of the same quality as the one happening this year was … way back in 1979. We’ve had a few since then, but they haven’t been as dramatic as the one coming up this Monday,” said Stan Shadick, an astronomer with the University of Saskatchewan’s Department of Physics and Engineering.

Viewers in Saskatchewan won’t see a total solar eclipse. For that, Shadick recommends residents pack their bags and head to a central U.S. state like Wyoming. However, the view in this province will still be impressive.

“This one is going to cover 75 per cent of the sun’s disc from Saskatoon, and a slightly, slightly smaller percentage from Prince Albert,” Shadick said. “That, I believe, is more than we’ve had in previous partial solar eclipses that have been visible.”

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

First in the race

Jason Kerr
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First in the race

The first Saskatchewan Party leadership candidate has officially entered the ring.

Regina-University MLA and Minister of Social Services Tina Beaudry-Mellor announced on Tuesday that she plans to run for party leader.

“I think it is safe to say that no one will ever fill the shoes of Premier Brad Wall,” she said in a media release. “I will state here that I am not going to try. I prefer high heels anyway.”

Beaudry-Mellor was first elected to the legislature in April 2016. Prior to that she served as a lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Regina, and operated a consulting business called TBM Strategies.

As part of her announcement, Beaudry-Mellor took wasted no time taking aim at any critics who say she doesn’t have enough experience to run for leader.

“People will say that I have not been in elected office long enough. They will be correct. But if this is really about renewal, then I see this as an advantage, not a disadvantage,” she said. “I am smart enough to know what I do not know and I will spend my time engaging in communities to take the pulse of the people in our party.”

If elected leader, Beaudry-Mellor said she would diversify the economy, balance the budget, and continue to oppose the federal carbon tax.

“For me, it is about balance … not just about balanced budgets, but also about balanced government policies,” she said.

Beaudry-Mellor added that for years she’s worked and encouraged women to get involved in politics. She views this leadership race as an opportunity to lead by example.

“(I) have tried to contribute to the conversation about redefining leadership so that it becomes less about gender and more about having a vision and bringing people together to realize that vision,” she said. “Presented with the opportunity to participate in the upcoming leadership race, I cannot watch from the sidelines. I am going to lean in. All the way.”

Beaudry-Mellor will have to step down as Minister of Social Services in order to run for the party’s top job. On Tuesday, the Premier’s office released a statement saying all cabinet ministers will have to resign their positions in order to run.

Wall’s approach still needed: Hargrave

Jason Kerr
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Wall’s approach still needed: Hargrave

News of Premier Brad Wall’s decision to step down came as somewhat of a surprise to Prince Albert Carlton MLA Joe Hargrave.

Like most of his colleagues, Hargrave found out about Wall’s decision during the Saskatchewan Party caucus retreat on Wednesday.

On Thursday he said the news was unexpected, but understandable.

“It’s a tough, tough life,” said Hargrave, who has served as the Minister of Crown Investments Corporation and Saskatchewan Government Insurance under Wall since August 2016. “It’s 24-hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. It’s the fact that he’s done it for 10 years that’s a pretty remarkable feat and he has been involved with everybody.”

Since being elected in 2016, Hargrave said he’s had the chance to get to know Wall personally. He was impressed with how the premier handled his caucus, and how approachable and down to earth he was with voters.

“He’ll go down as one of the best premiers, I believe, this province has ever had,” Hargrave said.

For the rest of this story, please see the Aug. 11 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Wall stepping down

Jason Kerr
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Wall stepping down

After nearly two decades in Saskatchewan politics, and 10 years as leader, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is stepping down.

Wall made the announcement in a short video posted on his Facebook page Thursday morning. In it, he said he discussed the issue with his wife, and agreed it was time to retire after a decade as the province’s leader.

“I always thought that the 10-year mark, should I be so fortunate to serve that long, might be the right time to re-evaluate,” Wall said in the video. “Together with Tami, I have decided that now is the time for renewal, for my party, for the government, for the province. It’s time for me to retire from politics, and so I have asked the Saskatchewan Party to begin the process of electing a new leader who will become the next premier.”

Wall will continue to serve as premier until a new party leader is elected.

In a press conference Thursday morning, Wall said it was an honour to serve as premier, but added that the party and the province would benefit from fresh leadership.

“I think, if you’re going to have a different individual, or a different man or a different women involved in this job, there’s going to be a different perspective, and that will be healthy.”

Wall added that he wants to see the government continue to focus on economic growth, which he called their “north star.” He also wants to see more done for Saskatchewan’s First Nations population, especially in the areas of growth or employment.

“There have been improvements, but I’d say that’s fair (to say), that there has not been enough progress that I could point to with satisfaction,” Wall said. “There is more work that needs to be done.”

As for his future, Wall clarified that he’s retiring from politics in general, not just in Saskatchewan. He has some ideas about what to do next, but nothing concrete.

“I don’t have immediate prospects, but there are some things I’d be interested in doing. I’ll keep my own council on those for now.”

Wall was born and raised in Swift Current, and was first elected to the legislature in 1999. He replaced Elwin Hermanson as leader of the Saskatchewan Party in 2004, and was elected premier in 2007. Under Wall’s leadership, the party won majority governments in 2007, 2011 and 2016. He was constantly ranked as one of Canada’s most popular premiers.

During his time in office, Saskatchewan’s population hit the 1 million mark for the first time since 1986. That growth and retention is something Wall says he’s most proud of about his time as premier. He also said he’s proud of the province’s higher credit rating, improved GDP-to-debt ration and increased trade relations.

However, the Wall government also hit some rough waters, most recently surrounding the last budget. The Saskatchewan Party was criticized for ending STC bus service, and for cutting funds to the province’s libraries. The government eventually reversed the library cuts decision.

When asked about the financial condition he’s leaving the province in, Wall dismissed comparisons to the Grant Divine government and said he’s confident things are better now than they were 10 years ago.

“Do I wish the budget was balanced, yes, of course, and we’re going to get there. You’re going to hear from the finance minister that our three year plan to get back to balance is on track, and that will be very important for me,” Wall explained. “I’ll know, when that happens, that the plan started when I was still part of the team, and I’ll be grateful for that.”

Messages from Wall’s fellow politicians poured in following his decision to step down.

Prime Minster Justin Trudeau tweeted “Thanks … for your years of service and work for the province and people of Saskatchewan. All the best in your retirement.”

Federal Conservative leader Andrew Scheer also thanked Wall for his service, and called the departing premier a “powerful voice for Saskatchewan (and) a leader on the national stage.”

Saskatchewan NDP interim leader Nicole Sarauer tweeted, “I want to thank Premier Wall for his decades of service to Saskatchewan. Politics aside, it’s a tough job.”

Electing a new leader

Premier Brad Wall says he will stay on until a new leader is chosen, and that process is set to begin in the next few weeks.

According to a media release sent on Thursday, the Saskatchewan Party provincial council will meet within the next 30 days to decide on a convention date and location, nomination filing fees, membership sales deadlines and campaign expense limits. Further leadership campaign rules and the name of the campaign’s chief electoral officer will be publicly released afterwards.

The new leader will be chosen in a one-member, one-vote election.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Kruisin’ Prince Albert

Jason Kerr
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Kruisin’ Prince Albert

“The biggest thing you’ll find with car people is that they’re very good people,” Sheldon Novak says. “They’ll do anything to help you.”

Novak knows what he’s talking about. The long-time member and current president of the Klassic Kruisers Kar Klub has travelled across North America on the car show circuit.

He even helped found Klassic Kruisers back in 1988, and in the time, working with car owners has become just as enjoyable as working on and showing the cars themselves.

“It’s a great fraternity,” Novak says. “If you see somebody broken down on the side of the road with an old car, automatically you’ll see a car guy pull over and try to help or see what he can do…. I’ve seen it so many times.”

For classic car owners like Novak, the vehicles they work on are a gateway to the past. Stripping and rebuilding a car can take more than 1,000 hours of labour, but the finished product brings back a lot of positive memories, as do the car shows.

“It kind of brings out the youth in us,” Novak chuckles. “Back in our high school days we couldn’t afford the cars. Now we can afford the cars and we’re enjoying them, and going to different car shows throughout North America.”

Rebuilding a car is one thing. Keeping it maintained is another. While owners love showing off their creations, over eager viewers can cause headaches. Sometimes all it takes is a few moments of carelessness or absentmindedness to scratch up a car, and the repairs can be expensive.

“We get people who lean in (to view inside) and their belt buckles scrape the paint,” Novak says. “An average paint job nowadays for a vehicle is anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000, just for a paint job.”

Overall, however, Novak says most visitors are careful and courteous. He asks that they not touch the cars or lean inside an open driver or passenger side window to get a better look, but otherwise they’re welcome to look and enjoy.

Car lovers will have plenty of opportunities to do that on Friday, when the 19th annual Kruise Night Car Show kicks off at the Northern Lights Casino parking lot.

It’s an event Novak says everyone looks forward to.

“The majority of the work is done by the owner himself, and that probably gives him a lot more pride in putting it all together and driving it. Naturally, when you do something like that, you treat it better. It’s your baby.”

The 19th annual Kruise Night Car Show begins at 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 11. Register for a free t-shirt, dash plaque and a chance to win a barbeque. Food vendours will be on site, and a drive-in movie will be shown at 9 p.m.

A drive in movie will also be shown the night before, also at 9 p.m.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

What? Kruise Night Car Show

When? Aug. 11 at 3 p.m.

Where: Northern Lights Casino parking lot

Drive-in movies will also be shown at 9 p.m. on Thursday and Friday night.

Thursday: The Secret Life of Pets

Friday: Fast Five

Finding common ground

Jason Kerr
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Finding common ground

Victor Thunderchild is badly out-numbered.

On one side of the gym, the local teacher is busy setting up a presentation full of slides and videos showcasing a range of Indigenous culture. A few other adults are helping him.

On the other side are dozens of kids and almost all of them are in the middle of running, jumping, laughing and shouting, or some combination of all four.

“This is going to be the very first one,” Thunderchild says during a quick interview before he starts his presentation. “It’s a ground-breaker for me and I’m actually very excited about this.”

As an elementary and high school educator, Thunderchild is no stranger to talking to youth about First Nations culture. However, this talk is different. Instead of speaking solely to kids who were born and raised in Canada, half his audience consists of children who recently arrived as immigrants with their parents.

For the next week, they’ll have the chance to do everything from Indigenous drumming to learning a few words of Cree. Thunderchild is one of several facilitators overseeing the process, and he says it’s instrumental in creating a strong community.

“It’s really important that they learn where First Nations people come from, their historical background (and) why things are the way they are,” he says.

Thunderchild didn’t fully realize how important the issue was until last fall, when he started teaching the children of a few newly landed immigrants.

Many of those students didn’t understand the treaty system or the relationship between Indigenous people and the government.

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

Lending a helping hand

Jason Kerr
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Lending a helping hand

When the Prince Albert Firefighters Association was looking for causes in need of support, one kept popping up over and over: fires in First Nations communities.

After watching incidents like the 2014 house fire in Aktahkakoop First Nation, which killed two people, the association wanted to help volunteer fire departments responding to fires on reserve.

This past spring, they offered to purchase FLIR K2 thermal imaging cameras for any volunteer fire department that served a Saskatchewan First Nation community.

The response was nearly overwhelming. On Friday, representatives from 13 different departments gathered in Prince Albert to receive their new cameras, courtesy of the Prince Albert Firefighters Association Charity.

“It’s something that was tangible, that we could give these volunteer departments which they could use on a day-to-day basis,” association president Christ Bourdon said. “It was also something we could give them that they could have immediate use of. It’s not something where they’re going to have a big learning curve.”

The multi-use cameras help fire departments do everything from search and rescue operations to identifying possible hotspots after a fire is almost out. The purchase cost the charity roughly $20,000, but Bourdon says they’re more than worth the price.

“The technology is getting better and better every day and the costs are coming down, which is good too because you’re trying to stretch your dollar,” he said.

Bourdon added that First Nations communities are particularly vulnerable to fire largely owing to a lack of fire protection. He noted that a recent Canada-wide audit, showed 53 First Nations communities lacked adequate fire protection, 13 of which were in Saskatchewan. Since 2010, 16 people have died in fires in Saskatchewan First Nations communities, 10 of which were children under the age of 12.

Prince Albert firefighters did everything from calling bingo games to working car washes to help pay of the cameras. It’s a big change from their regular line of work, but Bourdon said they were more than happy to do it.

“We really enjoy our jobs and we love to get back to the community and this is just one of those ways that we can do that in Prince Albert and area.”

Representatives from the 13 fire departments were more than happy to receive the help. Ahtahkakoop fire chief Wilson Masuskapoe said they had very little in the way of equipment back in 2014. That’s started to change, but they’re still happy to get that extra boost.

“I think it will make a big difference,” he said when asked about the new cameras. “We had a few debts a while back, and couldn’t really do anything at the time. We didn’t have any equipment set up or anything. At least now, we have a bit of a fighting chance.”

Masuskapoe said the 2014 fire was hard for the community, especially since the fire department was undermanned and poorly equipped. Now the department has a crew of 20 firefighters, and their equipment is getting better and better.

“We want our community to be a little more secure, to give them that assurance that we’re there for them, if anything should happen,” he said.

Volunteer fire departments from Loon Lake, Morin Lake, Sucker River, Ahtahkakoop, Duck Lake, Wadena, Kerrobert, Buckland, Churchbridge, Beauval, Canora, Kelvington and the R.M. of Swift Current each received one camera. All departments are either primary or secondary fire departments for at least one First Nations community in Saskatchewan.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Public notice recommendations under consideration

Jason Kerr
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Public notice recommendations under consideration

Changes could be coming to how the city provides public notice on controversial closures, developments and amendments.

At Monday’s executive committee meeting, city councillors approved four recommendations governing the way walkway changes, Discretionary Use Development Permits and zoning bylaw amendments are considered.

The items still need to receive formal approval at the next city council meeting.

The changes would mean the city’s planning and development services director would be able to approve public meetings at walkway sites slated for closure. It would also allow controversial Discretionary Use Development Permits and zoning bylaw amendments discussed at public meetings before council formally considers them. The meetings will include the applicant, as well as city representatives.

According to a report presented to the executive committee on Monday, council already has the authority to request additional public notice time. However, the report calls the bylaw useful, but not completely adequate.

“By the time controversial matters reach a city council meeting, the issues have been blown out of proportion or rumours relating to any specific permit have been started,” the report reads. “In this sense, taking a pro-active approach to these types of applications will be beneficial. Diffusing issues prior to city council meetings is our priority.”

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

The changing world of Hepatitis C

Jason Kerr
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The changing world of Hepatitis C

It’s nearly lunchtime, and Dr. Morris Markentin is busy testing a volunteer patient for Hepatitis C at Access Place.

He’s using what’s called a Fibro-Scan, a “non-invasive ultrasound machine” that checks the liver for disease or scar tissue. The entire process is efficient, painless and over in a matter of minutes, but it wasn’t always that way.

“Five years ago, we’d actually have to send people to the hospital and they would actually take a liver biopsy,” Markentin says after he finishes the test. “Imagine having a needle stuck in your liver and a chunk taken out. This is so much easier.”

The testing changes show just how far the medical understanding and treatment of Hepatitis C has come. Originally discovered in 1986, the virus was incurable in its early stages. Infected patients were told they would have it for the rest of their lives. That view, just like the testing process, has changed.

“We can now cure a disease that 15 years ago we couldn’t,” Markentin says. “The previous treatment that we had 10 years ago was awful. The new treatment has minimal side effects and a great chance of a cure.”

Markentin estimates that more than 300,000 people in Canada are living with Hepatitis C, and roughly 80 per cent of them may not even know it. It doesn’t take much to contract the disease. A mere pinhead-sized drop of blood is enough for it to spread.

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

Special activities for World Hepatitis Day

Date: Thursday, July 27

Location: Access Place, located at 101 15th Street East, Prince Albert

Time: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Route changes under consideration

Jason Kerr
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Route changes under consideration

The City of Prince Albert’s transportation department head is recommending that 26 new bus stops be added and five removed to better serve the city’s transit users.

On Monday, Prince Albert transportation and traffic manager Keri Sapsford presented findings and recommendations from the city’s public transit consultation process to city council.

Those recommendations include adding 10 new stops in the West Hill area, as well as another three in the East Flat, two in the West Flat, one in East Hill, three on the All Day Route and seven in the former 15th Street Shuttle Route, which will be renamed the Post-Secondary Special.

Sapsford said adding stops will decrease the overall speed of the service, but added that all routes should still run on a 30-minute loop.

“Most of the locations where we added stops were routes where we have a little bit of extra time already,” she explained. “Adding an extra stop, hopefully, won’t cause delays, and if they do or they’re not used, then we’ll remove them.”

Of the five bus stops slated for removal, the most controversial was the Muzzy Drive, 28th Street and 22nd Street portion of the 15th Street Shuttle Route.

Ward 5 Coun. Dennis Ogrodnick strongly objected to the proposal, saying it would eliminate service to a large area of the city.

Sapsford recommended discontinuing that portion of the loop because it only had an average of 10 riders, and added that cutting it would help prevent that route from running behind schedule.

That portion of the route is primarily used by students travelling to and from St. Mary High School. It only runs during rush hour.

Route changes weren’t the only issue up for contention. Councillors also debated payment options for the extended running hours trial period, which is set to begin in September.

The city has applied for a Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) grant to help pay the estimated $91,000 it will cost during the three-month trial period. However, a motion to dip into the Fiscal Stabilization Fund should the grant be rejected was met with disapproval from Ward 8 Coun. Ted Zurakowski, who called the decision “inappropriate,” and from Ward 4 Coun. Don Cody.

“Fiscal stabilization, there’s lots of money in there, but if we whittle away at it, is that how we budget? Is that how we operate?” Cody said. “I don’t think that’s how we should operate.”

Both Cody and Zurakowski said they would like to see the extended hours in place, but noted there were only so many dollars to go around.

Mayor Greg Dionne spoke in favour of the motion, saying council had rarely dipped into the fund since being elected last fall, and noted this was the only account they could draw from should the grant funding fall through.

Although the proposal was ultimately approved at Monday’s executive committee meeting, along with all the proposed route changes, the decision is not final. Formal approval will have to wait until the next city council meeting on Aug. 8.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

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