Rules of the road

Jason Kerr
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Rules of the road

Council concerned about liability as it considers making Diefenbaker Bridge wheelchair accessible

The City of Prince Albert has put a plan that would make Diefenbaker Bridge more wheelchair accessible on hold while they consider safety and legal obligations.

Currently, only the northbound approach from 12th Street West is wheelchair accessible, but control access roadways are making it difficult to change the other three access points.

According to a report written by the city’s manager of capital projects, those roadways give cars the right of way over pedestrians, and there is concern this could prove dangerous to pedestrians using a wheelchairs or walkers.

Mayor Greg Dionne expressed a desire to make the bridge more accessible, but was concerned about potential legal ramifications.

“If we leave it, and we have a sign there, ‘cross at your own risk,’ and they cross and get hit, is there some legal ramifications (for) to the city?” Dionne said during a debate on the matter in city council. “That’s my question, because if there isn’t any, then take (the barrier) down.”

For more on this story, please see the Dec. 31 print or e-edition of the Daily Herald.

Temporary delays at Victoria Hospital

Jason Kerr
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Temporary delays at Victoria Hospital

Space is at a premium in the Victoria Hospital, after the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region (PAPHR) announced several inpatient units were operating at overcapacity on Thursday.

PAPHR CEO Cecile Hunt made the announcement on Thursday afternoon, and asked residents to be patient as staff worked through the backlog.

“We’re at overcapacity on several of the inpatient units, and because of that, the wait time in the emergency department is currently extended,” Hunt said. “We want to make sure any patients coming to the emergency room with non-emergency or nun-urgent health concerns know that they may experience an extended wait time.”

Typically, the hospital’s inpatient units operate somewhere between 85 and 100 per cent capacity. On Thursday, that number jumped to 105 per cent, although Hunt said it changed throughout the day.

She added that they hoped the problem would not be long-term, but they were looking at it on a day-to-day basis.

For the immediate future, Hunt recommends that residents visit family physicians or walk-in clinics for treatment. Hospital staff will prioritize patients who visit the E.R. with life-threatening or serious health concerns.

Looking ahead

Jason Kerr
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Looking ahead

Parks, food security and public safety on agenda as city prepares for neighbourhood meetings

With another year of neighbourhood planning meetings set to kick off in January, the city’s director of planning and development wants more input on public safety, youth, food security, and parks and recreation.

Department head John Guenther said the city wants to add to and update several sections of its community plan during the next calendar year, and to do that they’ll need lots of involvement from local citizens.

Parks and recreation is the biggest issue this year, as administrators begin to create a department master plan.

The first neighbourhood meeting will take place in Ward 1, at Parkland Community Hall on Thursday, Jan. 5. The second is scheduled to take place in Ward 2 at City Hall on Thursday, Jan. 12. Both meetings start at 6:30 p.m.

For more on this story, please see the Dec. 30 print or e-edition of the Daily Herald.

A New Year’s special

Jason Kerr
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A New Year’s special

An annual New Year’s tradition is starting to gain a large following in Prince Albert.

In January 2016, the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) held its first New Year’s meal for the less fortunate. The event proved so popular that the executive decided to run it again in 2017

“We had such a high attendance,” said Sheryl Kimbley, the PAGC’s special events coordinator. “We realized that there was a need for it. We knew that if we just opened it up to everybody and didn’t put a limit on who was going to be served, just did the best we could, that we could make it happen.”

The New Year’s meal is one of two free dinners put on by the PAGC during the holiday season. The first meal, held on Dec. 22 at the Margo Fournier Centre, attracted roughly 450 people, well above the 300 to 400 who attended the year before.

Kimbley said they’re expecting roughly the same total for the New Year’s meal, which will be held on Jan. 2 erin 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Prince ALbert Indian and Metis Friendship Centre. The meal is open to everyone.

For more on this story, please see the Dec. 29 print or e-edition of the Daily Herald.

Slips and falls

Jason Kerr
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Slips and falls

It’s been one of the busiest holiday seasons in recent memory for members of Parkland Ambulance Care Ltd., but it’s difficult to pinpoint why.

The organization dealt with what spokesman Lyle Karasiuk called an unusually high number of motor vehicle collisions over the weekend, and that’s not the only thing keeping paramedics busy.

Karasiuk said falls and the flu bug have lead to a high call volume this December, but it’s difficult to identify one single cause.

“We’ve been noticing that since the snow started to fly,” he said during an interview on Wednesday. “We’ve been seeing a higher than usual number of falls, and again … it’s just been such a variable winter.”

Karasiuk said icy conditions over the holidays have contributed to the problem, as has the holiday rush, which means people take fewer precautions when crossing icy streets or sidewalks. However, he’s hesitant to say weather is the problem.

For more on this story please see the Dec. 29 print or e-edition of the Daily Herald.

The more the merrier

Jason Kerr
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The more the merrier

Prince Albert’s Navy League program has a problem, but it’s one administrators are happy to have.

Due to an influx in enrolment, the cadet squadron is dealing with a shortage of uniforms. It’s a problem they hope to fix with a New Year’s Eve fundraiser at the Wildlife Federation Hall north of Prince Albert.

It costs the organization roughly $350 for each uniform, which will be used to outfit new cadets, as well as replace some of the older uniforms that have been worn for the past 10-15 years. In total, organizers are hopping to raise roughly $7,500 from the fundraiser for the new purchase, which will also help benefit the Prince Albert Sea Cadet program.

Local magician and entertainer Roger Boucher is set to headline the event, which is billed as a New Year’s Eve Hypnosis Show and Dance. There will also be a silent auction throughout the evening.

Doors open at 7 p.m., with the show starting at 8:15 p.m. Tickets cost $40 in advance or $50 at the door. They can be purchased by calling 930-8965 or 940-6114.

For more on this story, please see the Dec. 28 subscription-based print or e-edition of the Daily Herald.

Prince Albert Fire Department on pace for fewest service calls since 2013

Jason Kerr
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Prince Albert Fire Department on pace for fewest service calls since 2013

Service calls to the Prince Albert Fire Department will likely be lower than they were one year ago, and department officials credit education and control burn programs for the drop.

The department received its 1000th call for service this year on Boxing Day, which is well past last years mark. In 2015, the 1000th call came on Nov. 17.

Fire department Chief Jason Everitt said a quiet spring combined with a prescribed burn program helped lower the numbers.

Barring a surge in call numbers over the next week, the department will have to answer far less than the 1,120 calls for service recorded in 2015.

Everitt said the total call numbers tend to float around the 1,000 call mark from year-to-year, but teaching and inspection programs are having an effect.

For more on this story, please see the Dec. 28 subscription-based print or e-edition of the Daily Herald.

Lighting the spark

Jason Kerr
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Lighting the spark

Prince Albert Northern Bears defenceman Colby Donald had never run a practice before, but it’s an experience she was happy to have.

Donald, along with teammates Story Navrot, Jadyn Kushniruk and Sierra Parenteau, accompanied coach Jeff Willoughby to Pinehouse, Sask. to promote Hockey Day in Saskatchewan.

Part of those duties involved teaching skills to the next generation of hockey players, which was something Donald was eager to do.

“I thought it was a really nice experience,” she said. “I’ve never done anything like that, to help (demonstrate) a practice. It was really interesting to see how drills were planned and to help develop skills in the northern communities.”

For the four teammates, there was a special emphasis on promoting women’s hockey. Lots of girls try the sport and enjoy it, but they sometimes need a little push to stay involved.

For more on this story, check out the subscription-based print or e-edition of the Daily Herald.

Home for Christmas

Jason Kerr
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Home for Christmas

When volunteers roll out the turkey and stuffing at the annual Community Christmas Dinner on Sunday, the event will look a little different than it did 16 years ago.

Roughly 700 people attended that inaugural dinner back in 2000, which cost organizers about $1,500 to host. This year, organizers are preparing for an attendance level that dwarfs that figure.

It’s expected that more than 3,000 meals will be served on Christmas Day, which organizers say is a reflection of how important the event is to the community.

“It’s tough times for our people,” organizing committee chairman Sol Sanderson explained. “Not just indigenous people, non-indigenous people as well.”

Sanderson has worked as an organizer, fundraiser or volunteer for the community dinner since its inception. During that time he’s watched attendees and volunteers, who come from across the north to help, embrace the event with zeal.

“It’s really encouraging to see people prepare to give voluntarily,” he said.

The annual dinner attracts a wide variety of attendees, from truck drivers to seniors to out-of-town visitors

Organizers want the event to be a true community dinner, so everyone is welcome attend. It’s also free, which couldn’t be done without a generous group of donors.

Sanderson said the costs of food and other necessities goes up every year, so those donations become more and more important, and he thanked those who gave them the support to make it happen.

The annual Community Christmas Dinner is scheduled to run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Christmas Day at St. Mary High School. To volunteer or donate, call 922-3071 or 980-7794.

For more on this story, please see the subscription-based print or online version of the Prince Albert Daily Herald

The waiting game

Jason Kerr
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The waiting game

The Prince Albert Housing Authority’s general manager says they’re making repairs as quickly as they can to the Sherman Towers apartment building, but maintains the problem isn’t as severe as residents think.

In an interview on Thursday, Dave Deobald said problems began after a heating coil “cracked beyond repair” on the main floor roughly two weeks ago. However, he said the staff has their hands tied until new parts arrive.

Deobald added that maintenance personal were attempting to find out why there was a delay, but so far had received no response.

Once the parts do arrive, he said fixing the coil shouldn’t be a problem.

“It’s maybe a four-hour job to get everything fixed.”

To try and warm the building up, housing authority staff set up space heaters around the main floor. Deobald said those heaters were stolen and haven’t been replaced. Problems were further complicated when someone propped the building’s main door open overnight, causing two more coils to break down.

For more on this story, please see the Dec. 23 subscription-based print or e-edition of the Daily Herald.

Prince Albert Housing Authority General Manager Dave Deobald say repairs will be made to heating infrastructure at Sherman Towers as soon as possible, but employees can’t do anything until the necessary parts arrive.
Jason Kerr/Daily Herald
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