Council to hear report on reducing traffic disruption due to maintenance on Diefenbaker bridge

Jason Kerr
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Council to hear report on reducing traffic disruption due to maintenance on Diefenbaker bridge

Prince Albert’s Director of Public Works has recommended the City develop an alternative bridge washing option to prevent traffic congestion on Diefenbaker Bridge.

The recommendation was part of a report on Bridge Maintenance Work Hours by Public Works Director Jeff Da Silva. In it, Da Silva writes that the spring bridge washing causes the largest amount of traffic disruption among all maintenance activities.

The City began the annual practice 10 years ago. Da Silva has suggested the City move away from a high pressure wash to a high volume wash, which would cause less wear and tear on the concrete while also reducing traffic disruptions.

“The maintenance equipment used will be mobile and will be moving across the bridge in order to wash the concrete,” Da Silva wrote in the report. This plan will also allow the maintenance operation to easily leave the bridge while traffic volumes are high, avoiding significant delays in traffic flow at peak times.”

The bridge is washed annually to remove salt, sand, and other sediments to from the concrete barriers. Annual bridge washings are a regular maintenance item designed to extend the structure’s lifespan.

The annual bridge washing is one of several maintenance items that can cause significant delays. Da Silva wrote that Public Works understands the need to provide “critical maintenance work in a less impactful manner”, but recommended against “specific restrictions” for maintenance activity on the bridge.

Instead, he recommends council give the department the green light to develop a more flexible and adaptable maintenance plan to reduce traffic disruption between May 1 and Oct. 1.

Da Silva wrote that introducing restricted working hours to limit traffic disruptions may make the City liable should any damage occur due to conditions the City knew about, or ought to have known about, but did not repair.

He also wrote that performing maintenance overnight, or during other hours without peak traffic, may result in cost increases. The City’s current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) requires staff receive 48 hours notice before their shift is changed. Once changed, the shift must last for two weeks.

Da Silva wrote that most maintenance work does not take two weeks, and added that the shift timing would create “significant overtime”.

Da Silva wrote the report following a motion from City Council on June 3 asking administration to look at the impact of implementing restricted work hours on Diefenbaker Bridge. The report will be up for discussion at Monday’s executive committee meeting.

A 2019 report showed roughly 24,000 vehicles cross Diefenbaker Bridge each day. That number does not include motorcycles or bikes.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Northern Prairie Indigenous Peoples Collective puts focus on culture with Summer Solstice event

Jason Kerr
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Northern Prairie Indigenous Peoples Collective puts focus on culture with Summer Solstice event

Dancers, painters, storytellers, and beaders will fill the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre on Saturday for the second annual Northern Prairie Indigenous Peoples Collective Summer Solstice.

The event draws in artists from multiple disciplines with the goal of educating local youth about Indigenous culture. Northern Prairie president Janice Henry said it’s “very exciting and humbling” to be back for another year.


“We’re trying to incorporate a greater amount of cultural education for our children,” she said. “It provides them with an opportunity to really embrace our rich Indigenous culture, and also to gain a greater identity of who they really are.”

The event opens with registration at 9 a.m., followed by a teepee raising at 10 a.m. The rest of the day includes a series of workshops, activities, and performances.

Henry said last year’s event was very well received, which made them want to continue in 2024.

“More individuals and more families are contacting us regarding this event and people are excited,” she said. “People who came last year, they’re excited for this to happen because they had so much fun.”

Henry said they wanted to hold the inaugural event in June 2023, but couldn’t because they were still waiting to hear back about funding. That pushed the first event to August 2023 right before school.

Although that date worked out well, Henry said they prefer mid-June because that’s when Summer Solstice occurs in the northern hemisphere.

The event not only helps educate youth about Indigenous culture, it also gives them and their families a chance to connect with the community. Henry said many of the families are not originally from Prince Albert, so the Summer Solstice event helps them get involved.

“Our priority has always been, and will continue to be supporting cultural education, community revitalization, and community capacity building,” she said.

“We’re a very diverse community and we want to impress with our children the importance of their participation in events.”

The Northern Prairie Indigenous Peoples Collective Inc. runs from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre on Saturday, June 15. The event is free.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Stanley Mission man wins $50,000 on scratch ticket bought in Prince Albert

Jason Kerr
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Stanley Mission man wins $50,000 on scratch ticket bought in Prince Albert

A Stanley Mission man is $50,000 richer after winning the top prize on an Only in Sask scratch ticket purchased in Prince Albert.

Paul McKenzie claimed the winning prize on Wednesday. McKenzie said he still doesn’t know how to feel about the win.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said in a press release. “I had to double check (the symbols) myself.”

McKenzie bought the winning ticket while stopping for a morning coffee at the Canadian Tire Gas+ at 290 Marquis Rd. in Prince Albert. He plans to use the prize money to take his kids on a trip.

McKenzie is the second person to win a $50,000 Only in Sask prize. The first prize was claimed in April. The provincially exclusive scratch ticket was released in February.

SCMA award nominee Hoffart excited for first performance in Prince Albert

Jason Kerr
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SCMA award nominee Hoffart excited for first performance in Prince Albert

Growing up in southern Saskatchewan played a big part in Karissa Hoffart’s development as a country music singer, and she’s planning to bring that influence to Prince Albert on June 15.

The Saskatchewan Country Music Association (SCMA) award nominee will perform in Memorial Square during the Downtown Street Fair on Saturday. It’s Hoffart’s first performance in Prince Albert, and one she’s looking forward to.

“I’m really excited to get my music out to different parts of Saskatchewan,” she said during a phone interview on Tuesday. “Growing up in the southern region of Saskatchewan has really been awesome, but I’m so excited to find new fans and find new people to connect with around the northern parts of Saskatchewan.”

Hoffart lives in the Weyburn area, but grew up on a family ranch in the Big Muddy region of Saskatchewan. She said the hilly landscape was unique to the province and helped establish her as an artist, with country being her “go-to” genre.

“Just having that freedom and space allowed me to write whatever came to me,” she said.

Hoffart released ‘Dreamer’, her first EP in 2016, and followed that up with ‘Life of Mine’, her first full-length album, in 2020.

Past performances include shows at Country Thunder Saskatchewan, Dauphin’s Countryfest, and the Gateway Music Festival. She also performed with her band at the Grey Cup Festival in 2022.

She received recognition for her most recent work a few months ago, when she was one of six women nominated for SCMA Female Artist of the Year. Hoffart said she’s grateful to be on the list with so many other talented artists.

“It just felt like such an accomplishment just to be on that nomination ballot,” she said. “To be on the final ballot here has been such an incredible feeling, so I’m really excited to be nominated and get to go to Lloydminster for the Awards Show.”

Hoffart arrives in Prince Albert with ‘What happens in the Barn’, a new single released on Friday, June 7. The song was originally written by Doug Sylvester and SCMA award winner Justin Labrash, but modified so Hoffart could sing it from a female point of view.

“I loved the song so much when they showed me,” Hoffart remembered. “I wanted to (sing) it as (from) a female perspective, so they swapped out the words, made it more female…. I decided to record it because it’s such a fun upbeat song. It has such a fun musical aspect to it too.”

Karissa Hoffart and the Big Muddy Band will perform at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 15 in Memorial Square for the annual Prince Albert Downtown Business Improvement District Street Fair.

SCMA nominee Joshua Stumpf prepares for busy summer

Jason Kerr
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SCMA nominee Joshua Stumpf prepares for busy summer

The past year has been full of new, but unexpected, experiences for Prince Albert country music singer Joshua Stumpf.

In January, he released his first music video. In June, he released his first EP, and in one week, he has a chance to win his first major award after being nominated for Emerging Artist of the Year by the Saskatchewan Country Music Association (SCMA).

“It’s definitely a new experience to me,” Stumpf said during a phone interview on Friday. “This past year has been full of a lot of learning when it comes to doing music in this capacity. It’s all really, really exciting. It’s really cool to have people listening to stuff I wrote in my basement that I thought was going to go nowhere, and now people seem to like it.”

Stumpf released a roughly three-minute video for the song ‘The Way You Love Me’ on Jan 4. He followed that up with his self-titled EP which features four tracks (‘Drink me a Lullaby’, ‘That Song in this Truck’, ‘If I had my Way’, and ‘Everything I Need’) on June 6.

He’ll have to wait until June 22 to find out if he’ll win Emerging Artist of the Year. Glen Strong, Darryl Anderson, Dan Cugnet, and The Crosby Harle Band have also been nominated.

“(It’s) another thing that’s super cool that I never thought I’d be doing (and) is totally new to me,” Stumpf said when asked about the nomination. “It just reinforces that it is really, really a good feeling when you get recognized for your hard work and your creativity.”

Stumpf was born and raised in Prince Albert, but moved to Saskatoon after graduating high school. While there, he began performing during Open Mic nights at the Capital Music Club where he met hosts Joel Gaudet and Mark Poppen.

The duo was impressed by Stumpf’s work, especially ‘Drink me a Lullaby’, and encouraged him to start recording.

“I told him (Gaudet), ‘I don’t know how. I don’t have the money to do it. I don’t know the people to do it. I have no idea,’” Stumpf remembered. “He (said), ‘if you do this, we will help you with it’ so I agreed to do it and they have supported me through and through.”

That first recording session was so successful they convinced Stumpf to record a full EP. The tracks were a collaborative writing project. Stump teamed up with guitarist Andon Schumack to write ‘That Sone in this Truck’ and ‘If I had it my Way’, and co-wrote ‘Everything I need’ with Mercy Glover, Taya Lebel, and Adam Johnson.

Stumpf said the award nomination and new EP have created a host of new opportunities.

“This has opened up so many doors for me,” he said. “This has opened up so much possibility and so many things I’m excited to announce that I can’t say yet.

“Things are in the works because of all this stuff happening, and I’m really, really looking forward to the award show in June.”

Stumpf is already scheduled to perform at the Dog Patch Music Festival from July 26-28. He’ll also play the SCMA Awards Show Kickoff Party with his band on June 15.

Before that, Stumpf has two Prince Albert gigs on his calendar. He’ll take the stage at the Pine Needle Mountain Bike and Music Festival on Sunday, June 9, followed by another performance at the Prince Albert Downtown Street Fair on Saturday, June 15.

Stumpf said it’s unusual to play two shows so close together in the same area, but the chance to perform at both venues was too good to pass up.

“I love being back in PA now, being able to do hometown shows,” he said.

“Stuff like this is really nice because then you get on a lineup where you get to interact with some crowds who came for somebody else … and you get to introduce more people to your music.”

Stumpf takes that stage at 11:30 a.m. for the Pine Needle Mountain Bike and Music Festival at Little Red River Park on Sunday, June 9. Josh Stumpf and the Boys perform in Memorial Square at 3 p.m. during the Downtown Street Fair on June 15.

‘A move in the right direction’: Prince Albert firefighters welcome new turnout gear designed to reduce occupational cancer rates

Jason Kerr
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‘A move in the right direction’: Prince Albert firefighters welcome new turnout gear designed to reduce occupational cancer rates

The Prince Albert Fire Department has unveiled some new gear to help reduce that rate of occupational cancer in local firefighters.

Prince Albert is one of the first departments in Canada to use the new gear. Fire Chief Kris Olsen said it’s encouraging to see.

“This is a positive day,” Olsen said during the announcement on Wednesday. “This is a move in the right direction.”

Many occupational cancers that firefighters suffer from are caused by a chemical call per- and polyfluoroalkyl, of PFAS. The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) has classified PFAS as “forever chemicals” meaning they never leave a firefighters body, leading to serious health issues.

Olsen said the chemical was initially used to help protect firefighters from severe burns caused by steam, but high occupational cancer rates have fire departments questioning their use.

The Prince Albert Fire Department acquired eight new PFAS turnouts on Wednesday. The goal is to have 48 in total, with each one being replaced every six years.

“These turnouts are very expensive and we have to work within our budget,” Olsen said. “That will be a challenge, however we are committed … for a six year replacement of each set of turnout gears. That’s when they age out, and we have held that standard for many, many years.”

The cost of the PFAS-free turnouts isn’t known yet. Olsen said they paid a reduced cost to get the first set, but the price will likely go up significantly in 2025. He said that’s been a common theme for much of the gear firefighters use.

Regardless of the cost increase, Olsen said the new turnouts are worth it.

“The City of Prince Albert does take the health and safety of its firefighters very seriously,” he said.

“Cancer is quickly becoming the number one risk to all firefighters, not only from the fires we routinely deal with, but from the gear that was meant to protect us from those situations,” he added.

Prince Albert firefighter and IAFF Local 510 President Ben Hunter was among the firefighters on hand for Wednesday’s unveiling. Hunter said the new PFAS turnouts are a welcome relief.

“I thought it was fantastic,” he said. “It’s something we’ve been talking about through OHS for a long time, increasing the health and safety of our members. There’s a definite benefit to it.”

Hunter says he received updates every day from the IAFF about firefighters who have died from cancers linked to their occupation. He said it’s hard to say how effective the new turnouts will work, but knowing the cancer-causing elements are gone is “a huge win.”

Hunter said other things like some new building materials and modern products that burn in homes have caused houses to burn faster, making firefighting more dangerous, but cancer is still their biggest concern.

Hunter said roughly 94 per cent of Canadian firefighters who die due to occupational hazards die from cancer.

“Cancer is quickly becoming the number one risk to all firefighters, not only from the fires we routinely deal with, but from the gear that was meant to protect us from those situations,” he said.

The new turnouts are one of several steps the Prince Albert Fire Department has taken to reduce occupational cancers in its members. Among them are updates to the department’s clean station policy in compliance with the Workers Compensation Board.

The City of Vancouver was the first municipal fire department in Canada to acquire the new turnouts. They began using them in April.

From one end of Canada to the other, Derek Edwards never tires of making people laugh

Jason Kerr
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From one end of Canada to the other, Derek Edwards never tires of making people laugh

For some people, ignorance is bliss, and that state of being has comedian Derek Edwards thinking.

The Ontario-based comic will be in Prince Albert on June 14 as part of In Praise of the Ostrich, his latest comedy tour. He said some people are always looking for an escape hatch when trouble comes, and that’s formed the basis of his newest 90-minute comedy routine.

“The idea is avoiding trouble,” Edwards said with a chuckle. “Whenever there’s a horizon of dark clouds coming up for me, I get my head right in the sand, just like my good friend the ostrich. ‘I don’t want to deal with that. I’ll deal with that as it passes by. Ignorance is bliss’ is what I’m talking about.”

The June 14 performance will mark Edwards’ first stop in Prince Albert since before COVID hit. The Timmins, Ont. product said there are a lot of similarities between Northern Saskatchewan and Northern Ontario, where he worked summer jobs in the mining sector before pursuing comedy.

He credits that experience for helping mould his show as a down-to-earth, consummately Canadian comedian.

“It’s a little worldly experience before you hop onto a stage and never get another blister,” Edwards said. “I don’t mind carrying a lunch box. It didn’t bother me at all. I worked all kinds of jobs, so I learned a lot of just how to get along with the crew and whatnot by working with people up north.”

Edwards has piled up the awards over 30-plus years in the comedy business. The list includes winning Best Standup Comic at the Canadian Comedy Awards, plus multiple Gemini nominations for Best Performance in a Comedy.

Edwards joked that he keeps performing because “it’s too late for me to be an astronaut” but said he still loves making people laugh more than three decades after launching his career.

“The joy of getting a decent laugh on a good night, that never wore off,” he said. “That fun-loving part of the, I’m the luckiest guy to be able to do that as a form of work. It’s ridiculously good fortune, so I try my best and the joy of it has never faded.”

Prince Albert is the first Saskatchewan stop on Edwards’ current tour, but after 30 years he’s performed in just about every city in Canada.

Regardless of whether he’s in Victoria, B.C., Halifax, Nova Scotia, or the Canadian prairies, Edwards said Canadians are always eager to laugh.

“We don’t take ourselves that seriously,” he said. “You can poke fun at all kinds of things in Canada and make light of any type of facet of Canadian living, and people laugh because they don’t take themselves seriously. It’s much easier-going and fun for that alone because it’s so light-hearted.”

Derek Edwards’ ‘In Praise of the Ostrich’ Tour begins at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 14 at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre. Tickets are available online at earc.ca or by calling the box office at 306-765-1270.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

‘It’s extremely rewarding’: River Valley Resilience Retreat celebrates 2 years

Jason Kerr
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‘It’s extremely rewarding’: River Valley Resilience Retreat celebrates 2 years

After two years of cleaning, renovating, and building, the River Valley Resilience Retreat (RVRR) is ready to celebrate

The local non-profit was founded in 2019, but didn’t open their current home south of Prince Albert until 2022. On Wednesday, June 5, they commemorated two years at that location with a special ceremony attended local first responders and Lt.-Gov. Russ Mirasty.


“It’s extremely rewarding and an honour,” said Prince Albert Firefighter Jeff Reeder. “It’s a lot of hard work that’s got us to this point. It’s exciting to get out of the planning stages and into the doing stages.”

Reeder co-founded the RVRR with social worker and corrections officer Michelle McKeaveney with the goal of creating a permanent, year-round, safe and secluded space for Public Safety Personnel (PSP) and veterans to rest, relax, and health from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Operational Stress Injury (OSI).

Since taking over the property, Reeder said it’s been “all hands on deck” to get the facility up and running. That includes building five new cabins, which allowed RVRR to host their first full weekend in May.

Jason Kerr/Daily Herald
Prince Albert firefighter and River Valley Resilience Retreat co-founder Jeff Reeder carves up the cake during the non-profit’s second anniversary celebration.

Reeder said they still have other projects in the works—the biggest being the construction of an expanded workshop and new all-weather washroom facilities—but it was important to recognize how far they have come.

“We don’t often take a minute to enjoy or revel in our achievements,” he said. “Today just cements the fact that we have done a lot in the last two years and we’re proud of what we have accomplished here.”

Lt.-Gov. Russ Mirasty was one of several dignitaries on hand to celebrate the occasion. As a 36-year veteran of the RCMP, Mirasty said there was a significant need for an organization like RVRR. When offered the chance to see it first hand, there was no hesitation.

“I’ve seen what OSI and PTSD can do, even to a close family member in particular, and I always felt there were better ways to deal with it that we did in the past, so it was a pleasure to come out,” he said.

“It’s a great facility. I’ve heard of it from its inception, but never had an opportunity to come out here, and been looking forward to coming here to see what it was all about and hear what it was all about,” he added.

Mirasty said there were signs PTSD and OSI were problems for officers when he first joined the RCMP. At the time, he said many people weren’t sure how to deal with it.

Some officers threw themselves into health activities like exercise or sports, he explained while others resorted to drinking. Mirasty said RCMP members always knew there was a better way to deal with the problem, but were unsure where to begin.

He said talking about mental health issues in public has helped drive the conversation forward to the point where facilities like RVRR are welcomed.

“That was probably the best thing that happened, that awareness and then talking about it openly, and trying to remove some of that stigma,” he said. “Sometimes people (had that), ‘well, you’re a police officer, you’re tough, just grin and bear it’ kind of attitude, and we knew that wasn’t working. Now there’s a recognition of it.”

RM of Prince Albert Reeve Eric Schmalz was also on hand for the celebration. As reeve, he’s incredibly proud to have something like RVRR in the area. As a former RCMP officer with 14 years of experience, he said the space is vital.

“The attitude and the knowledge and the recognition of OSI were in their infancy,” said when asked about his time in the RCMP. “They were starting to recognize that there was a problem.”

Schamlz said first responder organizations were always quick the problems OSI and PTSD were creating in their members, especially compared to other organizations, like the Canadian Armed Forces. However, once they did, Schmalz said they services and supports they provided helped keep RCMP officers and other emergency service personal in their field longer.

He said facilities like RVRR are a big part of that support, and he glad to see them setup shop in the RM.

Jason Kerr/Daily Herald
The River Valley Resilience Retreat recently finished construction on five new cabins, allowing them to host their first full weekend retreat in May.

“It’s a great source of pride,” Schmalz said. “There’s no facility like this in Western Canada, possibly not even in the entire nation…. This essentially sets the mould for other organizations to setup operations like this in other provinces and communities to be able to help treat and rehabilitate people who have suffered OSI.”

Wednesday’s celebration also served as the official launch of PTSD Awareness Month in Saskatchewan. Since opening two years ago, Reeder said he’s seeing more and more first responders ask for help. Their goal now is to get them reaching out sooner.

Reeder said it’s common for first responders to show symptoms in the days following a traumatic event, but if those symptoms continue for four to six weeks afterwards, they need to reach out for help.

“You don’t have to bring everything home,” he said. “Know who to turn to if you do have some struggles, and know that we’re here.”

Saskatchewan teachers to resume job action on Monday after rejecting province’s call for binding arbitration

Jason Kerr
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Saskatchewan teachers to resume job action on Monday after rejecting province’s call for binding arbitration

Saskatchewan Teachers will resume Work-to-Rule job action on Monday after declaring an impasse in negotiations on Thursday.

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) said in a press release that the two sides held a meeting on Wednesday. The STF said they put forward “several paths for continued negotiations” but the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee (GTBC) wanted binding arbitration, something they couldn’t accept.

“We have always agreed with what Minister Cockrill (Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill) has stated many times—the best deals are negotiated at the table,” STF president Samantha Becotte said in a press release. “We finally experienced real negotiations in the meetings held in May and want to build on that progress.”

Starting June 10, teachers will no long provide voluntary services outside the restricted work day, including a withdrawal of all extracurricular activities. The job action also includes a restricted workday, meaning teachers will not arrive at school until 15 minutes before the start of the school day and leave 15 minutes after it ends. Teachers have also withdrawn all noon-hour supervision.

Becotte said the STF is willing to return to the bargaining table and suspend sanctions if the government is prepared to provide the GTBC “with an adequate mandate to negotiate” on the issue.

“Teachers are engaged and are committed to reaching a negotiated deal that will ensure students’ needs can be met,” Becotte said. “Government’s singular focus and insistence on binding arbitration shows that it is unwilling to adequately address the urgent needs of Saskatchewan students.”

The STF has scheduled a press conference for Thursday morning.

The Ministry of Education issued a press release calling binding arbitration the only viable option to ensure a timely resolution after the STF membership rejected a tentative agreement reached on May 17.

The Ministry also criticized STF senior leadership, arguing that Thursday’s actions show they “are more interested in planning job action” than reaching an agreement.

“Government is committed to getting a deal done to provide stability and predictability for students, families, and the education sector,” Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill said in the press release. “Binding arbitration represents the best path to get that done. Our priority is to ensure that instructional time and important student activities are not affected any further.”

The Ministry argued that binding arbitration would help maintain the quality of education and minimize disruptions for students.

“Any further sanctions at this point would be unfair to Saskatchewan students and families given the GTBC’s commitment to refer this to binding arbitration,” reads the press release.

Art in the Garden brings artisans and gardeners together at plant exchange

Jason Kerr
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Art in the Garden brings artisans and gardeners together at plant exchange

For the past two years, Christopher Lake horticulturalist Garry Miller has been opening his acreage to gardeners hoping to find a unique plant for their own yard at the Ultimate Perennial Plant Exchange

On Saturday, he’ll open the exchange for a third year, with the added component of artisans, vendors, and decorators as part of Art in the Garden. Miller said artists and gardeners have a lot in common.

“People who are serious garden enthusiasts, they take pride in their yard, their landscape,” Miller said. “It’s like an artist’s canvas. I feel that way very strongly about my own landscape that I have. It’s my canvas where I can put my creativity out there for other people to see.”

Gardeners aren’t just solo creators, Miller said. They like to collaborate, and that means adding outdoor décor from local artists to accentuate their yards and gardens.

Miller said many gardening enthusiasts like to show off their yard, so it made sense to setup Art in the Garden, and bring in local artisans who can help them do it.

“Garden enthusiasts, they like to be able to have their yard be a showpiece for others to see, so the Art in the Garden, the idea was to dovetail with the Perennial Plant Exchange,” he explained.

Art in the Garden is just one part of Miller’s annual plant exchange. The event draws horticulture enthusiasts from Meadow Lake, Flin Flon, and Regina.

Miller said they arrive hoping to grow their knowledge, as well as their garden.

“I feel that’s very important for people to be able to network with one another, whether they’re experienced or whether they’re novices,” he explained. “That’s what I like to see, particularly at this event. I like to see people networking. I like to see people communicating. Sometimes I wish I could just be a fly on the wall, just listening to some of the conversations that go on.”

Miller said there are plenty of gardening enthusiasts on social media website like Facebook, but they don’t always communicate. Individuals from one group will talk to individuals from another, he explained, but the groups as a whole don’t often get together.

He’s hoping events like the Perennial Plant Exchange can help change that. So far, it’s been successful.

“I had no idea that this was going to take roots and was going to grow the way it has grown,” Miller said. “The response has been nothing short of remarkable, not just in my local community.”

Miller has been involved with the Saskatchewan Perennial Society for several years. He will be one of three speakers imparting their knowledge during the event. Other speakers include Keri Sapsford of the Backyard Compost Corner.

Art in the Garden beings a 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 8. There will also be a plant sale, music, and concessions. The speakers begin at 10:30 a.m.

The Perennial Plant Exchange begins at 1 p.m. Residents need to pre-register to participate. For more information, visit the Ultimate Perennial Plant Exchange group on Facebook.

Miller’s acreage is on Ajawan St. in Grey Owl Estates.

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