Prince Albert Food Bank looking to meet increased need with annual Christmas Food Drive

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The Prince Albert Food Bank has seen a steep increase in the number of people using its services, and they’re looking to meet that challenge at their annual Christmas Food Drive on Thursday.

Food bank representatives will be on hand at Save-On Food from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 30. Food bank executive director Kim Scruby said they’ve been “significantly busier” since COVID, and hope to raise as much as they can on Thursday.

“It’s gotten a lot busier,” Scruby said. “We’re seeing a big increase now.

“We used to think about setting goals, but if we don’t make it, that’s not good news so we just hope to do the best we can.”

Six years ago, Scruby said the food bank handed out around 700-750 hampers a month. Recently, that number has been as high as 1,290 per month.

The biggest change is the types of households who use the food bank. Scruby said they’re seeing a large increase in families from households were one or more persons are working full time.

Scruby said the increase in cost of living is a big factor forcing those families to use the food bank, but it’s not the only issue.

“I don’t know if some people are affected by mortgage rates or rent going up. I’m not sure what the answer to that is, but we’re definitely seeing an increase,” he said.

Despite the challenges, Scruby said Prince Albert residents have stepped up their giving to help the food bank reach everyone who walks through their doors.

“Throughout COVID and all that type of thing, we experienced higher volumes. We are (experiencing higher volumes) right now, in fact. We’ve never actually run out of food or had to turn anyone away, and that’s entirely due to the generosity and support of the community.”

To help liven up the festivities, Santa will make an appearance for the last two hours of the annual Christmas Food Drive. Scruby said they’re grateful for all the support.


“Without the support we’ve got from the people in PA, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do,” he said.

Residents who cannot get to Save-On Foods during the food drive can drop-off their donations between 9 a.m. and noon and 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. Monetary donations can be made online.

Off the Cuff aims for the funny side of family drama with upcoming performance

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Things are getting awkward this Christmas for Off the Cuff Improv.

On Friday, the local comedy group returns with ‘An Awkward Family Christmas’, an interactive dinner theatre show at Shananigan’s Coffee and Dessert Bar.

This will be Off the Cuff’s first time performing the piece since 2017, and group member Adreanna Boucher said they’re eager to bring it to life.

“For good or bad, it’s fun to kind of poke fun at people and laugh at people,” Boucher said. “We all have the family members who offer their own brand of entertainment at family functions in whatever way, so this sort of thing gives them permission to laugh at some of our ridiculous habits.

“The title is Awkward Family Christmas, so you should leave your offended button at home,” she added. “There might be things that might be a little shocking I guess … but it’s all in good fun.”

Friday’s show will feature three acts performed between courses. While, guests eat, Boucher said Off the Cuff actors will mingle with the audience.

“We’re like the embodiment of certain stereotypes, so we’ll be in character the whole time, interacting with the audience,” she explained. “The more involved the audience gets with us and more they embrace us at their table, literally or figuratively, the more fun they’re going to have.”

Off the Cuff and Shananigan’s will partner with the Saskatchewan Seniors Fitness Association (SSFA) for Friday’s show. SSFA representative Barry Brezden said they’ve hosted successful events with Off the Cuff before, and that inspired them to try dinner theatre.

“Jen (Shananigan’s owner and head chef Jeannette Kindzerski) said PA needs to have something like dinner theatre,” Brezden explained. “She hadn’t put one on for quite some time (and) Adreanna was excited about getting that production … shown again, because it hadn’t been done for a long time. I said, ‘well, we should have an event. Let’s put it together and see where it goes.”

“We always liked this script,” Boucher added. “It’s a fun story, and really a fun and unique thing to do for Christmas. When Barry asked me if maybe we could do a show together sometime, he was really wanting to team up with Shennanigans and do something…. This was the first one that came to mind as being a good fit.”

Friday’s show is already sold out. Brezden said he expected there to be high demand, but was pleasantly surprised at how quickly tickets sold.

The response has inspired the SSFA to partner with Off the Cuff for more shows next year.

“We could have probably put on a second show,” he said. “We won’t this year, but next year we’re looking at having three events.”

Boucher said they’re eager to perform more interactive dinner theatre too. She’s hopeful Friday’s performance will be springboard for future events.

“We’ll see how this one goes and what the feedback is like for,” she said.

“We have a whole series of shows like Medieval Feast and mock weddings and murder mysteries that we’re hoping to have some opportunity to perform, for sure.”

‘An Awkward Family Christmas’ begins at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1. The doors open at 6 p.m.

Barra MacNeils bring East Coast Christmas to Prince Albert

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Stewart MacNeil isn’t sure why his family has lasted so long in the music industry, but he’s glad they did.

Stewart is one of five MacNeil siblings who make up The Barra MacNeils, the multi-award winning Celtic musical group from Cape Breton. After more than three decades creating, performing, and recording music, he’s still uncertain about what keeps them going, but said they’re lucky to be doing it.

“Maybe this is our family time. I’m not sure,” Stewart says with a chuckle during a phone interview from B.C. “We do have a lot of fun with it.”

The MacNeil siblings began performing together in the 1980s, releasing their first independent album in 1986. Since then they’ve won numerous awards, and toured across North America and Europe.

On Sunday, they’ll be in Prince Albert for the Saskatchewan leg of the East Coast Christmas concert tour. It’s one of more than 30 cities they’ll perform in before their final show on Dec. 22.

“It’s just become a tradition for ourselves,” Stewart said. “A lot of the folks who come, they do appreciate if the show is close to their hometown.

“I’m not really sure why it ended up being 20-some years doing it (East Coast Christmas), but we’ve certainly enjoyed it. There’s a great catalogue of material that we have to choose from. I think that’s a big part of it.”

After decades in music, the family’s roots in Cape Breton still inspire a lot of their work. Stewart said they all had positive Christmas experiences as kids, and that’s given them an appreciation for the season as adults.

“There was always a lot of live music growing up when Christmas was around, especially during the holidays with visitors,” he explained. “It was always a time of year where we did play a lot of music, and it just became something that (grew) year after year.”

Stewart said the Christmas show has always received positive feedback from fans, who say it gets them into the Christmas season. The group will perform songs from their three Christmas albums. The list includes traditional carols and holiday favourites, as well as a few more obscure Celtic tunes.

“It goes from some very solemn moments, to moments that are very raucous, and I suppose that’s what Christmas has been for many years now,” Stewart said.

“I think if (fans) see the show and we stir some emotions of their own holidays growing up, that means something to us if we can connect in that way, (and) that people just take that time out and appreciate the season,” he added. “It is a dark time of year for living in the northern part of the world…, so we try to bring a little light to town. A lot of people say it does get them in the mood for the season, and that’s what it’s all about.”

An East Coast Christmas begins at 7:30 p.m. at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre on Sunday, Nov. 26. Tickets are available at www.earc.ca.

As of Friday evening there was no notice that the show would be cancelled due to the CUPE 882 strike.

Wine Premier proceeds making life better at Mont St Joe’s

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The Mont St. Joseph Foundation is roughly $13,500 closer to completing their latest project thanks to the Rotary Club of Prince Albert Wine Premier.

Rotary representatives stopped by Friday morning to deliver the cheque to foundation CEO Wayne Nogier. Nogier said they’re thankful for amazing partners like the Rotary Club.

“They have been exceedingly generous to Mont St. Joseph Foundation,” he said. “A donation like that is a real testament to what they do in the community of Prince Albert. We’re just happy we’re the beneficiary of an incredible wine premier. I can’t tell you how important these types of relationships are to us.”

The funds will go towards a dining room enhancement project. Nogier said the building is about 25 years old, and they need to refurbish the facility.

“Our residents have changed over the last 25 years and making sure that people get good nutrition and they’re comfortable and that it’s a home-like environment, those things have to continue to evolve,” he explained. “We’re in a renewal phase of that and these dollars will go directly into helping support that program.”

More than 215 people attend the 16th annual Rotary Wine Premier at Plaza 88 on Nov. 4. Together, they raised $27,000 for local charitable causes. Those funds are split between Mont St. Joseph and Future Community Projects.

Rotary president Austin Atchison said it was encouraging to see so many people come out and support the event.

“It’s very heartwarming to see the community come together and share this good time and give back to the community,” he said. “It really emphasizes the commitment to our local community here. I really think we’re very fortunate.”

Atchison said the event has rebounded nicely after COVID restrictions forced many service clubs to scale back their fundraising efforts. He credited local residents for making the evening a success.

“I think people want to get out and have that connection, that sense of camaraderie,” he explained. “Also, people want to give back.”

Atchison said the Rotary Club appreciate Mont St. Joseph’s commitment to their residents and the community. He said they wanted to support those efforts with a donation.

“(There are people) in our work environments, in our clubs, who have family members here, so we want to make sure we’re giving back where it’s needed most,” he explained.

Lake Country opens new Second Avenue location

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Co-op members packed the South Hill Mall parking lot Friday morning for the grand opening of the newest Lake Country Co-op Wine, Spirits, and Beer location.

The new store opened at the site of the old Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) store along Second Avenue and will employ 20 people.

“It’s amazing to see all of our membership and customers come and see this unique experience that we’ve been working tirelessly on,” said Ian Litzenberger, Lake Country Co-op’s director of wine, spirits, and beer. “The team has been working their butts off and crushing it out to get this to be a true, unique experience in the wine, spirts, (and) beer commodity for the whole province.”

Co-op members gathered outside the entrance for the official ribbon cutting by Lake Country Board President Rick Kindrachuk before touring the store.

Litzenberger said the new location gives them more coverage on the west side of the city, while also allowing them to serve tourists and vacationers travelling through Prince Albert on Second Ave.

“With our other two locations covering the southeast corner, and then obviously we’re in the Cornerstone area, having something on this side of the City to serve the west side and that lake traffic was a no-brainer,” Litzenberger said. “Then, being able to work with our landlords with the mall and be able to secure this facility, it just kind of all fell together. It just brought that extra piece to cover the whole City.”

The location has gone through some renovations since its days as an SLGA store. Lake Country Marketing and Community Relations Director Brittney Rosenberg said they wanted a rustic style building that serves as a pitstop for vacationers heading to the lake.

“We had a dream to build a facility that was like a cabin, and what better place than on the way up the north through the Second Avenue highway,” she said.

City can’t rely solely on reserves to build to new fire stations: mayor

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Prince Albert City Council voted 7-2 in favour of reducing transfers to the Fire Station Reserve from $500,000 to $100,000 during Saturday’s budget meetings.

The City started the reserve to help fund the construction of new fire halls on 28th Street West and 15th Avenue East.

Coun. Tony Head brought the motion forward. He said the City is years away from construction, so it made sense to reduce transfers to fund more urgent needs.


“At this point we don’t have a plan in place. We don’t have a design in place. We have some time to add to this budget,” Head said during the meeting.

Head supported adding $100,000 to the reserve as a way to match a similar sized donation from a private citizen. He added that council has supported the fire department in other ways, like voting to fund more paid positions.

Fire Chief Kris Olsen said the City’s strategic plan called for new fire stations to be built in 2020 and 2025. He said building new fire halls has been a topic of discussion his entire career, and the City needed to properly plan for that investment.

Even with the $500,000 reserve transfer, Olsen said it would take 14 years for the City to save enough to reach their goal.

“I respect the decision from council and we will move forward, but we’re talking a $20 million investment in those two stations in today’s dollars. Not 20 years from now. Not 30 years from now,” Olsen told council.

Mayor Greg Dionne voted in favour of Head’s motion. He said it’s unrealistic to expect the City to save $20 million. Instead, he said they’ll have to borrow the money. The $100,000 transfer, Dionne said, will allow administration to continue with the planning.


“Whether we have $600,000 in that account or $1 million, when it comes to build those stations, we’re going to have to borrow,” Dionne said during the meeting. “It will take 40 years to build that reserve. That’s off the table. That’s not a discussion.

“I looked at building a new fire hall. I was looking at the financing and how much we have to borrow. There’s just no way we’d ever build a project by putting enough money in the reserve to build it.”

Dionne said he understood Olsen’s rationale, but the 2024 budget year was too tough to put money into a long-term reserve.

“I don’t want to put money away into a reserve that we’re not going to use for maybe five years when in five year’s we can borrow it,” Dionne said. “Granted, the rates may be lower. They may be higher, but I never did look at the reserve as a way to pay off a debt. It’s to start planning. It’s to start moving things forward, and I do believe with $200,000 you can do that.”

Four separate reports, the most recent of which was written in 2008, stated Prince Albert needed three fire stations to meet the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1710 –four-minute response time.

According to a 2009, report, Prince Albert’s fire department responded to calls within four minutes 43 per cent of the time. With two new stations, the fire department should hit the four-minute standard 95.5 per cent of the time, according to a Geographic Information System analysis. The four-minute standard only includes travel time. It does not include time used processing a call for service, or turning out.

Country music star Panczak pays tribute the original Gentle Giant with current tour

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Classic country music has always been a staple of Trevor Panczak’s life.

As a child, the Alberta-based country music star learned to play guitar from his father, who introduced Panczak to a steady stream of iconic performers like Hank Williams Sr., Jim Reeves, Eddy Arnold, and Merle Haggard.

However, there was one performer who stood above them all for Panczak: Country Music Hall-of-Famer Don Williams.

“When I was a kid starting out I would put in my bio that I was aspiring to be Canada’s Gentle Giant, and I did that because of the original Gentle Giant, Don Williams,” Panczak said during a phone interview on Monday. “He’s always had a big place in my heart and I’ve always loved his music.”

Panczak’s father wrote out pages and pages of Don Williams music, which he used to teach his son to play guitar. Panczak still has four, three-inch binders fully of music, which he took on the road when he had the opportunity of a lifetime: to open for Williams himself on his 2013 Canadian tour.

Opening for Williams, who passed away in 2017, helped solidify Panczak’s appreciation for the country music icon, and led to his current tour, ‘Genius of the Gentle Giant – Tribute to Don Williams’ which stops at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre on Wednesday.

“I just love the simplicity of his music. It’s actually harder to play music like that than it is to sound loud and full,” Panczak explained. “I always identified with his song selections and just the ease of his voice. He just made everything sound so easy.”

Panczak’s appreciation for Williams hasn’t stopped him from writing and recording his own original music. Earlier this year he received his 18th Country Music Alberta award nomination when he was named a finalist for Roots Artist of the Year.

Panczak said he’s proud of the nominations, but he doesn’t let winning or losing affect his music.

“Nominations are great because it means the people within the industry are taking note of what I do,” he said. “Whether we get nominated or not, whether we win or not, we’re going to continue to do what we do and that’s hopefully create good music for people to listen to and enjoy as time goes on.”

Panczak’s roots play a big part in his song-writing. He was raised on a farm near McGrath, a small community south of Lethbridge, and tries to bring those memories of real people, real feelings, and real situations to his music.

After his current tour, he plans to get back in the studio to record some original music, but not before paying tribute to his father and Don Williams one more time.

Panczak will be in Nashville this January to record a collection of his favourite Don Williams songs, which backing from some of Williams’ band members he met in 2013.

The album will also provide a chance for Panczak to pay tribute to his father, who remained a fan of Williams right up until his death from cancer complications in 2003.

“He meant a lot to me as well as my dad,” Panczak said.

“The last CD that my dad was listening too just to kind of get him through the day was the ‘Don Williams Volume 3’ CD, so that’s part of why his music has an even stronger place in my heart….

“That’s why he’s so influential and why the tribute album is going to be so meaningful to me. I can pay tribute to Don Williams and my dad and have something for my two boys, Nash and Colter, to have and hopefully cherish in the years to come.”

Trevor Panczak performs at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre on Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m. Panczak confirmed the show will not be affected by the CUPE 882 strike.

Council budget committee puts meetings on hold

Prince Albert city council voted to cut $1.8 million in spending as the third day of budget committee meetings ended on Saturday, but Mayor Greg Dionne said they still need to cut more before giving final approval.

Dionne began Saturday’s budget meeting by telling council “everybody has to share the grief” during a debate over funding a program and outreach coordinator position for the Prince Albert Historical Society. Council voted against funding the program, and cut or reduced several other items, including a $400,000 reduction in proposed funding for the Fire Station Reserve.

Those cuts and reductions dropped the City’s potential property tax increase from 14.5 per cent down to eight per cent. On Saturday, Dionne said they plan to meet in a week to get that number even lower.

“Normally we would continue to approve the budget today, but we still have some challenges so we’ll recess for one week,” Dionne told reporters on Saturday. “That gives the opportunity for administration to go back and look again to see where we can get savings, and also for council to rethink.”

Dionne said the City is getting hammered with expenses due to inflation, rising interest rates, and the carbon tax. The city owns more than 70 buildings that use natural gas, and Dionne said not having to pay the tax would give the City more flexibility.

However, he also said on Saturday he wasn’t willing to wade into the argument.

“That would be a big savings, but that’s a federal and provincial dispute, and that’s why I don’t want to get into that,” he said.

Dionne said city administrators don’t know exactly how much they expect to pay in Carbon Taxes in 2024. That number will be one of several they’ll bring to the next budget meeting.

Dionne added that the City still plans on collecting the Carbon Tax and putting it in a fund in case the federal government taxes them to court and makes them pay it. If they don’t have to pay, those funds will go towards covering expenses.

Dionne credited “nearly all” city councillors for looking hard at ways to cut spending.

“My eyes are just burning from pages and pages of numbers, but I’m really pleased (with) the majority of councillors who came with cuts,” he said. “I appreciate that. Unfortunately, we weren’t unanimous in that category. One councillor wanted to increase the budget, and I was very pleased that it was defeated, but I want to give credit to the other councillors because they really looked hard.”

Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp was the only councillor to vote against Saturday’s budget changes. Lennox-Zepp said council has misplaced spending priorities, voting to provide funding for the architectural design of a new events centre even though the City is handcuffed by long-term debt payments.

Instead, Lennox-Zepp said council spend the money on revitalizing its downtown.

“The sidewalks are crumbling,” she said. “Large pieces of sidewalk are missing. There are tripping hazards. It was confirmed that the roadway down Central Avenue has not been repaved in 30 years, and we keep putting this item off when it is obvious we need to perform the work.”

Lennox-Zepp said failing to fix these problems could result in an even bigger bill down the road.

“I’m hearing from our citizens that they prefer if we as a council plan things proactively to perform this work and plan ahead so we aren’t bearing the higher costs of failing 110 year old infrastructure,” she said.


When asked about increasing spending, Dionne said he would prefer to fund more projects instead of cut spending, but the City simply can’t afford it right now without putting a bigger burden on the taxpayer.

“The expense side it just keeps piling up,” he said. “On the revenue sharing side, it doesn’t grow as much as our expenses do, so that’s an issue. We’re going to go back to the government, with all the other cities, saying that we need more transfers from them in our operating budget reserve from the province.”

“We’re on muscle and bone now,” he added. “I wish there was fat. That would help us.”

Budget meetings will resume later this week. See Wednesday’s Daily Herald for more budget coverage.

Autographed guitar makes its way home to Rose Garden Hospice

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An autographed guitar won as part of a Rose Garden Hospice fundraiser has returned home.

In 2019, longtime Prince Albert artist and musician Ken Lyons won a guitar autographed by Roy “Dusty” Rogers Jr., the son of legendary actor and singer Roy Rogers, and his band Sons of the Pioneers during a performance at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre. Lyons passed away in March 2021, and since the guitar raffle was a Rose Garden Hospice fundraiser, Lyons’ family decided it was fitting to donate the instrument back to the hospice.

“Sadly, the hospice was not open when Ken became very ill and he passed away in 2021,” Lyons’ wife Marina said after making the donation. “At that time, and we had talked about this too, we thought that the place for this guitar was the Rose Garden Hospice. It’s kind of come home … and our family is happy about that.”

Marina and a few family members presented the guitar to Rose Garden Hospice Executive Director Brett Enns, and hospice board members Arne Lindberg and Darcy Sander during a brief ceremony Friday afternoon.

Enns said the hospice was a perfect home for the guitar.

“When Mrs. Lyons phoned and told me the story it was just so exciting,” Enns said. “Here was this cool guitar that started at the Rose Garden, but has done this journey through, and now she wants to bring it back home to have here.”

Although it’s autographed, staff and visitors will still be able to play the guitar. Enns said having live music in the building will be a welcome addition.

“It just adds to the whole feeling of a home, and families just appreciate it so much,” he said. “It just adds a separate (and) important aspect to what we do here.”

The Lyons family are longtime supporters of the Rose Garden Hospice. Marina said they gave a little bit every year right from the start.

Although Ken was known publicly for his artistic side, Marina said it was his role as an ordained Anglican priest that convinced them to support the hospice.

“We had some times with people in hospital as they passed away,” Marina remembered. “The Victoria Hospital is very good. It’s nothing against the hospital, but we thought so many times how wonderful it would be if there was a hospice for those last days for people. We had always supported the hospice, and this guitar, it just seems the right place for it.”

Marina said Ken was shocked when he won the autographed guitar at the Rawlinson in 2019. She purchased two raffle tickets while Ken visited with friends, and never told him about it.

“When Ken’s name was drawn he was totally surprised and had to get up and go down to the stage and receive this guitar,” Marina remembered with a chuckle. “There was a bit of a reaction from the audience because quite a few people recognized Ken as being a person who had done a lot of music in Prince Albert and knew that he could play the guitar.

“He took ownership of the guitar and, very graciously, Dusty Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers just stayed around for ages after the concert so we could visit and take pictures and hear about their lives and so on. It was a wonderful evening.”

Ken Lyons worked as a teacher in Weldon, Pelican Narrows, Carrot River, and various Prince Albert schools. He was also involved in several local musical groups, including The Parish Singers, and Men of the Way. He was also a 25-year volunteer with the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region.

Lyons’ daughter Gillian Lyons and son Christopher Lyons joined Marina for the donation, along with their spouses Peter Gravlin, and Linda Lyons respectively.

Abbeyfield House aims to improve accessibility thanks to $5,000 grant

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Abbeyfield House in Prince Albert has received a $5,000 grant that board members say will help residents remain independent as long as they live there.

Abbeyfield recently received a $5,000 grant from Affinity Credit Union to install tub inserts in seven of their 11 suites. Abbeyfield board president Sylvia Gent said they’re greatful for the support.

“I was really excited because any time we get support for our programs it’s an affirmation that Abbeyfield’s valuable and helping people,” Gent said. “We were recognized as being useful, and we knew it would help us expand our accessibility.”

The tub inserts are waterproof doors that allow residents to shower without having to climb over the bathtub edge. Gent said the inserts will provide a feeling of safety and comfort for residents. They’re hoping to install them as soon as possible.

“We anticipate there may be a bit of a delay because it’s a little difficult right now to get the inserts, like many other things through COVID, manufacturing delays, but we will start as soon as the inserts are available,” she said.

Abbeyfield is a non-profit home that also subsidizes rent for some tenants who can’t afford it. New board member Kevin Mugford said that means they have to stretch their dollars, so getting a grant was a major bonus.

“Most non-profits host on a pretty tight budget, so we wouldn’t be able to do this without the support of Affinity,” he said.

“Something like this potentially helps a resident every single day, so it feels good to be supporting folks.”

House manager Judy Anderson said the new inserts will allow residents to shower without assistance. She said that gives them the confidence to know they can still take care of themselves.

“It really helps the residents to be able to stay here as long as they are physically and mentally able to because they won’t have that barrier of being able to get in and out of the tub,” she said. “It helps them keep their independence and their dignity because they don’t need the support of someone to get in the tub.”

Evelyn Hagley is a longtime resident who worked in home care for 30 years before retiring. She said the tubs will provide residents with independence, while also ensuring staff members don’t have to strain their backs or legs helping a resident get in and out of the tub.

She expects the inserts to have an added bonus as well.

“We’ll at least have a lot of clean people in here,” she said with a chuckle. Abbeyfield House is located on 26th Street East in Prince Albert. It has 11 singles suites and two couples suites, and aims to give residence a home-like atmosphere while allowing them to remain independent.