Ready to rock

Jason Kerr
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Ready to rock

A new Prince Albert Winter Festival is set to begin.

Later tonight, 12 singers and six band members will kick off the first ever Rock Show Experience at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre.

The show was designed to give music lovers something different than the usual winter festival fare, and show producer Dennis Adams said they’re eager to hit the stage.

“The demographic that the show is catering too hasn’t really attended (the Winter Festival),” Adams said. “There hasn’t been an event for them to really attend … so that’s what we’re focusing on.”

The show will feature an all-local roster of performers singing some of the best known classic rock songs. Adams said Prince Albert is known more for its country music musicians and artists, so the show helps spotlight some lesser known acts.

“I do play, and I really do enjoy (country music), but there’s also a different group of people that go out and actually do this on weekends and really have never had the venue to show those abilities,” Adams explained. “I think people will be generally impressed with just how talented these people are.”

For the rest of this story, please see the Feb. 24 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Optimism on the rise says CFIB

Jason Kerr
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Optimism on the rise says CFIB

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) says optimism is slowly coming back to Saskatchewan’s business community.

According to the organizations Business Barometer, which surveyed 943 randomly selected CFIB members, optimism has reached its highest point among business owners since January 2015.

The barometer shows an index of 57.7 for February, a 2.7 point increase from a month ago.

Marilyn Braun-Pollon, the CFIB’s vice-president of prairie and agribusiness, said the results show business owners are starting to regain lost confidence after going through some tough times.

“It’s out best reading in more than a year, so we’re hoping we’re turning the corner and that this trend does continue,” she said.

Although the signs are good, Braun-Pollon said business owners aren’t out of the dark yet. The same survey also showed that only 10 per cent of Saskatchewan business owners surveyed had plans to increase hiring for full-time positions, while 12 per cent plan to shed jobs.

For the rest of this story, please see the Feb. 24 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Surprised and delighted

Jason Kerr
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Surprised and delighted

Hall of fame ceremonies are starting to become a regular occurrence for Lynda Monahan.

The local author and writing instructor was inducted into the Prince Albert Arts Hall of Fame last fall, and in March, she’ll become the latest member of the Prince Albert Council of Women’s Hall of Fame.

For Monahan, it’s been a humbling, but enjoyable experience.

“It’s an embarrassment of riches,” she chuckled during an interview on Friday.

Monahan said she was surprised and delighted to hear she was selected.

Appropriately enough, she was filling her tentative role as writer-in-the-community at the John M. Cuelenaere Library when she found out.

“I was meeting with somebody, and all of a sudden these women come in the door with a bouquet of flowers,” she said. “I was surprised and delighted of course.”

Monahan has published poems, short stories and had one of her works broadcast on CBC radio. However, she’s just as eager to teach writing as she is to put pen to paper.

During her time in Prince Albert, Monahan has set up workshops to help writers from all backgrounds tell their story. The workshops cover everything from helping create cookbooks at the Herb Bassett Home, to mentoring inmate authors at the Pine Grove Correctional Institute, to facilitating the Prince Albert Teen Writing Experience. She also spent time as a creative writing instructor at the SIAST Woodland Campus (now Saskatchewan Polytechnic).

For the rest of this story, please see the Feb. 18 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Playing with your food

Jason Kerr
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Playing with your food

Prince Albert Food Bank executive director Wes Clark always thought a food mini-golf course would generate a large community response, but even he was surprised by how it turned out.

On Thursday, the food bank officially revealed the inaugural Hole-in-one for Hunger fundraiser at Gateway Mall, and Clark said the community response exceeded all expectations.

“It’s just mind-blowing to really see all the efforts that have gone into all these different holes,” he said.

Local businesses and organizations from around the community were responsible for sponsoring and designing the 11-hole course, using everything from cans of soup to boxes of craft dinner to create the finished product.

All organizations involved were responsible for acquiring donations of food to be used in creating a hole. Once the fundraiser ends on Saturday, that food will also be donated to the food bank, along with any proceeds.

For sponsors like the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology (SIIT), being there for a local charity was the most important part. Having a chance to show off their creativity was a bonus.

Mintos use big first period to beat Blazers

Jason Kerr
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Mintos use big first period to beat Blazers

The Prince Albert Mintos struck early and often at Harold Latrace Arena on Wednesday, scoring five first period goals on their way to an 8-2 victory over the Saskatoon Blazers.

Braden Schneider and Kyrell Sopotyk both scored twice for the Mintos, who improve to 27-15-1 on the season.

Kyle Grad, Cael Zimmerman, Austin Lamotte and Layne Matechuck also scored for Prince Albert, while Cale Elder stopped 16 of 18 shots for the win.

The victory was the ninth straight for the Mintos, and helped them stay one point ahead of the Saskatoon Contacts, who beat the Regina Pat Canadians 4-1 on Tuesday.

The Mintos end their regular season this weekend, when they take on the Yorkton RawTec Maulers at the Art Hauser Centre. Game time is 7 p.m on Saturday, Feb. 18.

Raiders down Wheat Kings for second straight win

Jason Kerr
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Raiders down Wheat Kings for second straight win

The Prince Albert Raiders had a tough start to Wednesday’s game against the Brandon Wheat Kings, but a fantastic finish.

Despite giving up a goal in the first minute of the game, the Raiders rallied for a 5-3 victory on goals from five different players.

After the game, Raider coach Marc Habscheid said many newly acquired Raiders are starting to become more comfortable with their surroundings, and that’s paying dividends.

“It just seems like guys are more confident. There’s been a lot of transition. We had to do it, but with transition, guys aren’t used to one another. It takes a while,” Habscheid said. “Now we’ve been together for a while. Guys are used to one another, both personally and on the ice, and it does make a difference.”

Ty Lewis opened the scoring for the Wheat Kings, who were playing their second game in as many nights. He converted during a goalmouth scramble just 48 seconds into the first period.

The lead held until just over halfway through the frame, when Prince Albert’s Curtis Miske tallied on the power play to make it 1-1. The goal was the big winger’s fifth in his last seven games, and his ninth since being acquired from Spokane at the start of January.

“It’s just being in the right place at the right time,” Miske said after the game. “I’ve got some good linemates that are helping me out there, so I’m just looking to keep that going.”

Nolan Patrick helped Brandon regain the lead when he scored his 13th goal of the season with just 59 seconds left in the first. That lead was short-lived, however, as Raider captain Tim Vanstone tied things up a mere 32 seconds later.

“We got a really good bump up shift from Timmy’s line there,” Miske said. “That was really good for us, killed their momentum, and allowed us to get going for the rest of the game.”

A short-handed goal from Prince Albert’s Sean Montgomery and a power play tally from Brandon’s James Shearer sent both teams into the dressing rooms tied at 3-3 after two.

Parker Kelly broke the deadlock for good six and a half minutes into the third, when he scored after a great play from Kolten Olynek to beat out an icing.

Simon Stransky added some insurance with an empty netter later in the period.

“We seem to have a little bit of mojo right now,” Habschied said. “Guys are feeling good about themselves. They’re just playing, but they’re playing the right way. They’re playing with some enthusiasm and some grit, so it’s been good.”

Nicholaus Sanders stopped 22 of 25 shots to earn his ninth win of the season, while Thompson stopped 30 of 34 for the Wheat Kings.

The Raiders are off until Friday, when they take on the Everett Silvertips at the Art Hauser Centre. Game time is 7 p.m.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

City places downtown building in arrears up for public tender

Jason Kerr
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City places downtown building in arrears up for public tender

Prince Albert city councillors have voted to put a downtown property up for public tender due to the owners still owing $176,046.47 in taxes.

The building, located at 1203 Central Avenue, came into the city’s possession on Feb. 10 after owners MFN and MB Holdings Inc. failed to follow through on payment promises.

The issue has drawn public attention because of the business connections Ward 3 Coun. Evert Botha has to the property.

Botha did not participate in the city council vote on Monday due to conflict of interest laws. Afterwards, he said he supported the council’s decision.

“The city has been more than lenient over the years in accommodating our needs,” Botha said following the council meeting. “If I wear my hat as a city councillor, I fully understand and support the motion that was presented today.”

Botha is the CEO of MB Diamond Technologies, a minority partner in MFN and MB Holdings. The building was purchased nearly 10 years ago, and since then the company has struggled through economic difficulties.

The property owners were hit with numerous penalties after failing to make the required tax payments. At one point, Botha said they did have an agreement to pay $7,000 to the city every two weeks until the debt was covered. However, he added that further economic difficulties, like a stagnating Saskatchewan economy, have made payment difficult.

“The bulk of the amount that you see there is all just penalties that have been occurring,” Botha explained. “We were hoping to have the property taken over into our name completely as part of a refinancing arrangement, but the stars just haven’t lined up in time.”

Botha is adamant that he’s never asked for or received preferential treatment from the city in any matter regarding the property. He said the issue was not a factor in his decision to run for council because the business had already reached an agreement with the city on a repayment schedule.

For the rest of this story, please see the Feb. 15 online or print edition of the Daily Herald

CORRECTION:

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the property in question would be put up for public auction. It will instead be put up for public tender. We apologize for the error.

Rindal rink headed to provincials

Jason Kerr
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Rindal rink headed to provincials

It took one more qualifier than they would have liked, but Bryan Rindal’s Prince Albert rink has secured a spot in the Senior Men’s Provincial Curling Championships.

Rindal, along with third Cliff Selander, second Angus Hemsworth and lead Chris Bannerman, knocked off Jim Wilson’s Saskatoon-based rink 5-1 on Saturday. The victory secured one of five qualifying spots up for grabs during last weekend’s northern qualifier at the Prince Albert Golf and Curling Club.

This will be the first time the rink has qualified for the senior men’s provincial tournament. Afterwards, Rindal said it was a surreal moment for the team.

“It was just a relief to know that you can still do it and still throw the rocks,” he chuckled. “Everybody was happy.”

Rindal began play as the lone Prince Albert rink in a field of 14 teams. They opened the tournament with a pair of victories before meeting Brad Heidt, the 2016 Senior Men’s Provincial Champion, in the first qualifier draw.

Despite going down 4-1 after three ends, the Rindal team fought back to get within one point before ultimately falling 6-3.

The Heidt rink dominated play for most of the tournament, going undefeated without ever playing a full eight-end game. That 6-3 game was their closest of the tournament.

“We had a few bad breaks and we left a couple points on the board, and they were the provincial winners last year,” Rindal explained. “That’s a good team.”

For the rest of this story, please see the Feb. 14 online or print edition of the Daily Herald.

Bears cruise to victory

Jason Kerr
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Bears cruise to victory

Ryan Fontaine and Brooklyn Elek combined for 120 minutes of shutout hockey as the Prince Albert Northern Bears swept their weekend doubleheader with the Notre Dame Hounds.

The Bears received contributions from eight different goals scorers en route to a 6-0 victory on Saturday and a 4-0 win on Sunday.

The wins were enough to push the Bears into second place in the SFMAAAHL standings. They jumped ahead of the Melville Prairie Fire, who lost 4-1 at home to the Regina Rebels on Sunday.

The Bears outshot their opponents by a wide margin, registering more than 40 in each contest, while giving up a mere 14 on Saturday and 15 on Sunday.

Kassidy Kicia and Brooklyn Anderson tallied the game winning goals for the home side, who now sit with a 16-6-4 record with two games left in the regular season. The Hounds dropped to 7-16-3.

The Prince Albert club will hit the ice next weekend for a pair of home games against the winless Weyburn Gold Wings. The first contest takes place at the Art Hauser Centre on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 3 p.m.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Mintos hammer Argos, move into fourth place

Jason Kerr
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Mintos hammer Argos, move into fourth place

The goals came in bunches for the Prince Albert Mintos over the weekend, as the club extended their winning streak to eight games with a pair of big wins at the Art Hauser Centre.

Logan Barlage led the way with five goals and three assists, as the Mintos trounced the Notre Dame Argos 6-1 on Saturday and 10-3 on Sunday.

With the SMAAAHL season winding down, Minto head coach Ken Morrison said he’s happy to see his club heating up at the right time.

“I would say we’re playing the best that we’ve played all season,” Morrison said. “Hopefully we’re not peaking too early, but it’s good to come in with some confidence.”

Kyrell Sopotyk was the second most productive Minto, registering four goals and three assists, while Cale Elder stopped a combined 26 of 30 shots to earn both victories.

Braden Schneider, Wyatt Arndt, Cael Zimmerman, Ty Mosimann and Austin Lamotte also tallied for the Mintos, who improve to 26-15-1 on the season. The wins were enough to inch the Prince Albert club into fourth place in the SMAAAHL standings, just ahead of the inactive Saskatoon Contacts.

Morrison said the challenge is to now make sure his players stick to that successful formula.

“We tell the guys to never be too high when you’re winning and never too low when you lose,” he said. “Just try and be ready to play every game and be ready to work hard for 60 minutes. I think we’ve been playing the right way and guys are starting to figure out what we need to do to be successful.”

For the rest of this story, please see the Feb. 14 online or print edition of the Daily Herald

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