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‘The Circle and the Dot’ explores cultural memory and identity in new Mann exhibition

The new exhibition at the Mann Art Gallery explores identity, and cultural memory.

The Circle and the Dot is a mixed-media installation by Saskatoon artist Laura Hosaluk and had its opening reception on Thursday evening,

“I feel like this exhibition has been a long time coming,” Hosaluk said. “It was in 2022 that this work first premiered in Saskatoon at the Frances Morrison Library. I had applied for a Sask Arts grant and I didn’t receive the grant, but I received the exhibition. I put forth an idea to suspend and what I originally wanted to do, and the inspiration was to explore Pysanki.”

Hosaluk said that the original idea was to cast and suspend 1,000 ceramic eggs. She wound up moulding 1,000 rocks in wattle and daub. Wattle and daub is a composite building method that uses a woven lattice of wooden strips (“wattle”) as a framework, which is then covered with a daub made of a sticky material like wet soil, clay, sand, and straw. Wattle and daub was a common form of construction for settlers in Canada from Ukraine

“Earlier that year in reconciliation and celebration of Canada Day I had been doing a community arts project that celebrated our European ancestry and one way for me to reconnect with that was to reach back to an old Ukrainian building method of wattle and daub,” she explained.

The Canada Day project was done in collaboration with her friend the prominent Indigenous artist Joseph Naytowhow. Hosaluk said they wanted to create “a good story” about the Earth in response to the pandemic.

“That was how I came to work with reconnecting European learners with this ancestral building (and) architectural building of wattle and daub,” she explained.

From the original ceramic egg idea, she created 1,000 stones. They make up the piece entitled “Homeland” which is on display as you enter the gallery. Some of the stones have been fired and some have not.

For 15 years she has been serving as a community artist in Saskatchewan and creating environments for others to explore their creativity. After the original eggs idea she did receive a grant from Sask Arts.

“I’m grateful for Sask Arts because as much as I say I’m self-taught, I think I’m more self-acclaimed,” she explained. “I didn’t go through the traditional route of going to university. I practice or I studied with some pretty wonderful Saskatchewan crafts artists. That’s where I got my beginning and casting and bronze from a knife maker and artist.”

After learning that method she was curious and eventually wanted to explore what to do with medal moulds.

“This body of work is exploration using ceramic firing with these natural materials,” she said.

She said the name of the exhibition “The Circle and the Dot” was about her identity as well, and about honouring her ancestors. On a visit to the Ukrainian Museum of Canada she was drawn to a brown vinegar etching pysanky egg.

“I picked up a little book and taught myself how to do the pysanky and I found in the book that the circle and the dot represented,” she said. “It’s going to vary from region to region in

Ukraine, but as I understood it represent the tears of Mary. For me, I really connected with the tears of my mother.”

She said her mother is named Marilyn but both her paternal and maternal great grandmothers are named Mary

“For me, it really struck that conception of an identity of being a mother and a woman,” she said. “(It) brought tears. (I) just felt like ‘that’s hard work.’”

Hosaluk suffered the loss of her mother and her Ukrainian grandmother while working on the piece. As she was preparing for the end with her mother, she had a profound conversation.

“I asked my mother, ‘would you like to have bagpipes played at your funeral?’ She said, ‘Laura, we’re not Scottish, we are Canadian.’ I thought, ‘Oh my, is this the cancer? Speaking like what? What is this?’ I do feel like a large part of this work is the pain loss of culture, in the assimilation of becoming Canadian.”

Hosaluk was honoured to have this exhibition on display at the Mann Art Gallery.

“I did feel like I guess you know one of my great, great teachers told me once go wherever you’re invited, so in that sense I feel like a real guest. And I’ve been treated really good. It’s an honour,” she said.

The opening included a dance by KSAMB Dance Company, which is from Saskatoon but includes dancer Kyle Syverson and Mikki Mappin. Hosaluk said that she has a background in Ukrainian Ballet and eventually came to dance with KSAMB herself.

“For me, dance is a way to express myself,” she said. “It’s no different than through my hand, but instead of like painting or sculpture, I’m expressing through the body. I feel so alive and connected both to my environment, but mainly my body. I feel healthy. I feel good through dance and It really was something we did throughout the pandemic.”

While with KSAMB they would dance Contact Dance outdoors where dancers could not come within six feet of each other.

“When I originally imagined those 1,000 eggs that were to be suspended, I imagine dancers moving and contacting with those objects, and so this is that realisation of that having both Kyle and Mikki investigate and respond to this installation. It’s called a structured improvisation to the Circle and the Dot,” she said.

Following the interpretive dance there was an artist talk with Hosaluk.

With the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Hosaluk also has felt a connection to her history.

“I think we are at a time in the world where we see a lot of things occurring that maybe aren’t happening here in Saskatchewan, but they are happening out in the world and there is a cause and effect to that,” she said.

As the descendent of another generation of Ukrainians who fled a war, Hosaluk said that when the war began she had people sending condolences.

“At that time I really felt like, wow,” she said. “I don’t know any living relative in Ukraine, and so this idea of them saying, ‘I’m sorry Laura’ had me kind of reconsider where I’m from and the injustices or things that are occurring here in Saskatchewan that we’re maybe a little more important.”

The Circle and the Dot runs from July 8 until Sept. 27 at the Mann Art Gallery.

michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca

Parkland Ambulance offers tips to beat the heat at World Cup

With the Softball World Cup at Max Power Ballpark and the weekend looking to be very warm, Parkland Ambulance has some safety tips for people going to games.

Lyle Karasiuk, Director of Logistics and Public Affairs with Parkland Ambulance said the forecast calls for plenty of heat, but they still want sports fans to get out and enjoy the games.

The key, he said, is to remember the old Cancer Society cue from a decade ago: Slip, Slap and Slop.

“Slip on a shirt, slap on a hat and slop on some sunscreen,” Karasiuk said. “(That’s) what we want folks to do. Please, if you’re headed out there, it is hot. There is not a lot of shade, so pack along an umbrella … (and) make sure you’re wearing a hat for sure. Sunglasses. Sunscreen is essential. Bring along a water bottle.”

Another tip was to take frequent breaks if you are at games throughout the day. Karasiuk gave the example of using the Art Hauser Centre lobby as a place to get some rest away from the heat.

“Grab along a lawn chair, find a place to sit and just cool off,” he said. “Make sure you are drinking plenty of water. I cannot stress that enough to folks. We’ve had a few already even last evening when the temperature does cool off. We had a few people complaining of heat exhaustion.”

Signs of heat exhaustion include being lightheaded, dizzy or nauseous and sick to your stomach.

“Get in some shade, cool off and those symptoms should disappear,” Karasiuk said. “If they do not, please do not head back outside to watch your favorite team. You need to cool off, get rehydrated, have something to eat.”

Eating something light like a snack of your own or from the concession is another tip.

“Don’t overeat. Don’t eat like a hamburger or some fries and a big milkshake sort of thing. Eat little bit of meal more often. That will keep your energy level up, but it’s also a good reminder if you do start to get an upset stomach, you’re not going to get sick all over the place.”

Wearing a hat and sunglasses and using sunscreen and drinking plenty of fluids was also a tip. He also advised to take a rest particularly if you attend games all day.

“It’s going to be hot, folks. Take care of yourself, (and) find some shade,” he explained.

Karsaiuk said to pack an umbrella or a picnic lunch that you can have with friends.

“Just to get away from the heat, anything you can do to find yourself that opportunity to be cool or cooler. The better you’re going to be,” Karasiuk said.

The shale ball on the ball diamonds and asphalt and concrete around the Max Power Diamonds also can create heat.

“That stuff absorbs the heat and it’s going to retain the heat,” he explained. “What you want to do is try and cool off…. If you’re headed home and you’re not headed back to the ball diamond, grab a nice tall glass of lemonade, a cool shower, stay in an air-conditioned house. If you have it, run a fan, whatever you can to cool off if you’re headed back for another game later in the day.”

Karisiuk echoed similar advice he gives in general for hot days to steer clear of alcoholic beverages because they dehydrate the body.

“It is a great thirst quencher, but sadly alcohol does nothing to your body to rehydrate. In fact, alcohol actually dehydrates,” Karasiuk said.

He said if you do enjoy an alcoholic beverage make sure you also have a water bottle for when you come back to the diamonds. He also reminded people not to drink and drive and take advantage of services that can prevent drinking and driving.

If you suffer the effects and do not feel good at home Karasiuk also had advice.

“There are lots of home remedies that most people have learned, but just a cool shower will relieve the pain,” he said.

Karasiuk said if you do not know what to do you can always call Healthline 811.

U18 Royals headed to provincials after five games in five days stretch

Last week the 18U AA Prince Albert Royals faced a do or die situation to get into provincials.

They had to win their next five games in five days order to hope to finish in the top eight in the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League or get knocked out of playing in Baseball Saskatchewan’s Tier 1 Provincial Championship.

There are still two more weeks left in the SPBL regular season, but Sunday, July 6 was the deadline determine the top 8 of the 14 teams in the league that would move on to tier 1 Provincials in Estevan July 25 to 27.

Royals’ head coach Troy Semenchuk said that the team has come together to get to this point.

“It has been great,” he said. “We really anticipated having a good team this year. We had a really tough schedule early. We lost quite a few one or two run games, we split with some teams but finished a little behind them because of the runs for and against, but it’s been a good season. We’re looking to finish above .500.

“We’ll find out in the next few days where we’re seeded for the Tier 1AA provincials. There’s eight teams that go down to Estevan and looking at it based on how we’ve played those teams, we could finish anywhere from five to seven as a seed,” he added.

On Wednesday July 2, the Royals faced the Sask Five Giants at home and picked up a 6–3 victory.

On July 5, the Royals traveled to Marysburg for a double header against the East Central Red Sox winning the first game 7-4 then doubling up the Red Sox 22-11 in game two.

On July 6, the Regina Wolfpack came to Prince Albert for a double header. The Royals won the first game 13-10.

With one more game needed to put them into contention for a Top 8 ranking, Carter Martin took the mound. It a total team effort the Royals’ bats came alive to support Martin’s stellar performance on the mound as he pitched a complete for a convincing 15 – 5 win over the Wolfpack.

Semenchuk said the team has been achieving their goals and look to do so again at provincials.

“Our goal right from the start of the season was to finish in the in the top half of our league and it was to play a meaningful baseball game on Sunday at provincials,” he said. “That goal hasn’t changed. Last year we got this team to tier one AA provincials in Battleford and it’s the first time that a lot of those kids who have graduated have gone to tier one AA provincials. It was an eye opener, and it was a learning experience. We’re really looking to build off that this year and play a meaningful game on Sunday.”

The Royals five consecutive wins in the 5 days before the cutoff propelled them into the top eight to earn them a birth into tier 1 Provincial Championships.

The team has eight 2008-born and a few 2009–born players have developed chemistry.

“I just think that we’ve got a very tight knit group,” Semenchuk said. “We got a couple of guys graduating this year. It’s great for them to go (to provincials).”

They are also adding Nash Noble and Noah Van Otterloo from the U15 AA Royals for the tournament.

“It’ll be a great experience for them. They were super excited when they got the call too. We’re taking an extra pitcher and an extra catcher and we’re thrilled to have those guys come with us. They’ll really fit into what we’re doing, and it’s going to be great,” Semenchuk said. The Royals next action in regular league play was Wednesday night in Martensville against the Sask Five Giants. They will close out the regular season at home on Tuesday, July 15 against the North Battleford Beavers. michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca

Lieutenant Governor pays tribute to history in visit to Doukhobor Dugout House

The Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan received a walking tour of the Doukhobor Dugout House Historical site as the site celebrated Friendship Day on July 5.

Bernadette McIntyre, the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan had never visited the historical site near Blaine Lake, and was excited to do so.

“It’s quite amazing,” McIntyre said. “It is absolutely fantastic, with the people, the volunteers and everybody that’s involved in recreating this and making sure we understand the history.

“It’s also a tourism experience, which is just what we want in Saskatchewan. We want people to come to Saskatchewan and experience all the wonderful things here.

McIntyre and husband Rich McIntyre were welcomed by founder Brenda Cheveldayoff and Alexander Kalesnikoff in the Russian language.

The walkabout of the site included Minister of Advanced Education and MLA for Saskatoon Willowgrove Ken Cheveldayoff along with members of the public and Doukhobor Elders.

The tour began with an exploration of the historic ravine where the original dugout homes are preserved. After traveling back up the hill, Minister Cheveldayoff and McIntyre turned the soil with the group on the Doukhobor Plough. This was a symbolic stop where people are invited to experience turning the soil—a tribute to the Doukhobor commitment to pacifism.

The next stops were at the Doukhobor Prayer Home and overnight guesthouses, these stops reflected the community’s spiritual and communal traditions.

During the stop at the Prayer Home, Elder Jeannette Stringer led a prayer before the tour. The guesthouse stop was at the Tolstoy House named for Leo Tolstoy.

Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald (L to R) Saskatoon Willowgrove MLA Ken Cheveldayoff and Lieutenant Governor Bernadette McIntyre led the Doukhobor Plough on Friendship Day on July 5.

McIntyre said she has enjoyed serving as the King’s Representative in Saskatchewan since she began her current role on Jan. 31.

“It’s been absolutely amazing. It is a huge privilege and honour to be the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan. The people are absolutely amazing and I knew that. I’m just getting to meet even more amazing people than I had before.

“(It’s good) to be able to further promote our province and encourage the people of Saskatchewan to do better and to celebrate all their wonderful successes,” McInytre added.,

She said that the opening of the Dugout House site for the season was a huge celebration for Saskatchewan people and the province’s history.

The origins of the Doukhobor Dugout House date back to the middle of the 17th century, when a peasant group split from the Russian Orthodox Church on moral and liturgical grounds.

They believed that God did not dwell in the church, but in each human being. An Orthodox archbishop referred to them as Doukhobors, meaning “spirit wrestlers”. While he meant the term to be derogatory, the group embraced it.

Centuries later, many of their descendants still live by the slogan promoted by one of their leaders, “toil and peaceful life.” Most Doukhobors in Canada no longer live communally, but all practice pacifism and many are vegetarians.

“The Doukobor history is heavy and it shows their resilience,” McIntyre said. “To have spent five winters on the prairies in the dugout houses is unbelievable.”

The site is supported by both the province and the country through Tourism Saskatchewan and a National Historical Site designation.

“I think just a great big thank you to the Cheveldayoffs for everything they’ve done on their land and how they’ve activated the community and the province,” McIntyre said. “It’s a National Historic site, so they even have that national recognition and all the work they’re doing with Tourism Saskatchewan is really making this a wonderful educational and fun experience for anyone who visits.”

Founder Brenda Cheveldayoff said that the Dugout House site is a great way to bring people together to learn about the culture.

“I think it’s important for all of Saskatchewan because we need to be able to come together and that’s basically what it is, it is important for everyone in Saskatchewan staycation. It’s about travelling and staying in our province. This is a good way to do that and celebrate and try to get people to share in that here,” she explained.

Cheveldayoff said the site is about celebrating but also memorializing the Doukabour culture.

Following a traditional Doukhobor lunch of Borscht, bread cooked in the Stone Oven and tarts on the river view patio there was a cultural program. Elder Jeannette Stringer performed “Toil and Peaceful Life” a song embodying Doukhobor values of labour and harmony.

The ceremony included welcome greetings from Brenda Cheveldayoff, a Greetings Letter to be read by Alexander Kalesnikoff from Prime Minister Mark Carney, greeting from McIntyre and greetings from the province by Ken Cheveldayoff.

Following the presentation, a draw was made for two winners of an overnight guest stay in the guesthouses.

“We wanted to feature the overnight area—giving a couple or friends or whoever an overnight to stay here all night, all they had to do is come on friendship day, bring a friend and enter a contest,” Cheveldayoff said. “It worked out great, so somebody gets to experience this.”

She said it was nice to have last year’s winners do the draw for this year’s overnight stay. Cheveldayoff said they’re had multiple Lieutenant Governors visit the site since 2005, including three trips by previous Lt.-Gov Russell Mirasty.

“It’s nice to be able to show them (the site),” Cheveldayoff said. “I think it’s important for the province. To me, this is all of Saskatchewan’s. This isn’t my place. This is everyone’s place.”

She reminded everyone to check the events calendar because there are new events this year. One of the leaders of Doukhobor culture in Canada died in a boat explosion and Cheveldayoff wants to include this history. They also have plans to a Murder Mystery Cold Case event based on the life of Peter Verigin.

U17 Astros advance to Nationals after dominating performance at provincial

The Prince Albert U17 Astros advanced to Nationals for a second consecutive year after a dominating performance at 2025 U17 Open Provincials in Laird from July 4 to July 6.

The team finished undefeated in round robin play and then defeated the Treaty 4 Okanese 7-1 in Sunday’s championship game.

Astros coach Neil Finch said the Astros’ play improved throughout the weekend.

“I think defensively all weekend we were solid. We played clean defence and made lots of really good plays out on the field,” Finch said. “We talked about making our stops and we made a lot of stops and then that way you can have some fun going to work on the bats and we did that.

“We were actually slow out of the gates. Our bats were just okay on Friday night and as the weekend went on we just got better and better and better.”

The Astros opened on Friday night with a 6-2 win over the host Laird Valley Vikings. On Saturday morning, they defeated the Saskatoon Selects 18-1 and on Saturday afternoon they defeated Treaty 4 Okanese 14-0.

In the team’s last round robin game they shut out Okanese and Finch observed that the pitching was also strong on the weekend.

“Our pitching did very well. Yes, we talked about trying to be around that 70 per cent strikes, 30 per cent balls kind of at a maximum. I thought our pitchers did a very good job of pitching lots of strikes, which means then your defence goes to work and both went well,” he explained.

Last year the U17 Astros advanced to provincials. This year’s team is made up of several members of last year’s U15 Astros who placed fourth at Nationals after finishing second at home.

“It’s interesting because anytime you get to go to a national championship, you’re excited, regardless of how you got there,” Finch said. “If you’re first or second, that’s who gets to go in this province. But going as Sask One means a lot. We’re going there to represent our entire province and the city of Prince Albert and I’m hoping that we go there and compete.”

The 2025 U17 Men’s Canadian Fast Pitch Championship is from Aug. 6 to Aug. 10 in Napanee, Ontario, Finch hopes to build off the momentum from the performance at provincials.

“We have a month just to keep improving and I think that’s what we’ve done all season,” he said. “We just keep getting better and that’s the goal, just keep getting better so that when we go there we can compete at the highest level against the best in country. That’s still the goal there. I don’t talk about the results or the end product, but if we keep our process of doing good things we will compete.”

The team is a mix of both last year’s U15 Provincial runners up and the U17 Provincial champions according to Finch.

“We had some U15 players move up and some U17 players that were already there, right and so on this U17 team, we’ve got four that will be returning to nationals that were on the team

last year, but we have some first years that would have been at U15 Nationals last year,” Finch said.

The return to the nationals shows the strength of the overall program, according to Finch.

“We’re excited that the Astros program continues to be strong. Then we get to represent our province at the national championship,” Finch said.

Other provincial representatives have not been determined.

michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca

Fire Department responded to nearly 2,000 calls in 2024

The Prince Albert Fire Department (PAFD) set another record for calls they responded to in 2024, with a seven per cent increase over last year. The department is approaching a 2,000 call volume for the year.

The numbers were included in a report received by the Executive Committee during their meeting at City Hall on Monday. Deputy Chief Alex Paul presented the report, showed members responded to 1,959 calls in 2024, an increase of 133 calls from 1,826 in 2023. Between 2021 and 2022, calls jumped from over 1,200 in 2021 to 1,700 in 2022.

Paul said that the increase is not huge, but it is notable.

“We’re approaching that 2,000 call volume mark, and probably in 2025 we’re set to break the 2,000 mark,” he said.

The largest category of responses was in the wildland or outdoor fire category at 584, a 36 per cent jump over 2023 when there were 430 fires. Paul said wildland and outdoor fires could be related to an increase in encampment fires, but there is no specific reporting mechanism for these.

He said the general call increase is partially related to the increase in wildland calls.

The number of responses to false alarms dropped by 13 per cent, with 519 calls for the year. The number of false alarms at Carlton Park on 28th Street was significantly less than those in 2022 or 2023.

“Alarms ringing were down a little bit,” Paul said.

According to Paul and the report, the PAFD had a high for alarms ringing in 2022, with 754.

“That was attributed to a particular alarm company coming into Prince Albert and offering alarm systems at almost a fire sale rate, if you’d want to call it that, so there’s a lot of uptake on the alarm system with no formal training by the company on how to operate them,” he explained.

“At the same time, the City Council updated the fire service bylaw, which allowed for invoicing or a fee for service for responding to multiple false alarms. I think that probably was a bit of a deterrent for some people or an incentive for some people to ensure that they

weren’t having false alarms. That’s why we’re seeing, probably, from 2022 until now a steady decrease in the number of false alarm calls.”

In 2023, there was a significant decrease to 596 false alarms before another decrease in 2024. Paul said these decreases are beneficial because it reduces costs.

“It’s a waste of resources for us to be going unnecessarily for something that isn’t on fire,” Paul said.

According to the report, vehicle fires increased from 24 to 37 last year, and structure fires also saw an increase, as firefighters fought 106 fires in 2024 compared to 95 the previous year.

City firefighters also respond to the R.M. of Prince Albert because of a service-sharing agreement between the two municipalities. Paul said the RM numbers are a status quo scenario because the numbers are smaller, and an increase of a few calls can show as a large percentage increase.

“Over the years I would say that we have averaged in around that 30 to 35 calls and some years more, some years less,” he said.

Not as many details are available in the report to compare to 2023, but there was an increase of 12.5 per cent in calls.

Of the 36 calls in the rural area of the RM of Prince Albert, 10 were structure fires, eight were brush or grass fires, and the rest were a mix of rescue, trash and vehicle fires. Five wellness checks were also completed.

The PAFD also took advantage of the cranes working on the hospital expansion at Victoria Hospital and held a full-day training and pre-planning exercise at the construction site in October last year.

Inspections were down to 1,022 in 2024 from 1,302 in 2023 and all data in that set also saw a decrease.

The PAFD is also down to one fire inspector from the normal complement of two.

“Our previous inspector that have been here for quite a number of years retired in the third quarter of 2024, so we lost his productivity … for the last three months of 2024, which would account for some of that decrease,” Paul said. “The new inspector wasn’t put into place. He was actually hired on Dec. 31, 2024.”

When you become a fire inspector, there is an educational component, and the new inspector has completed one course and is working on the second.

“He is doing some of those duties, but he’s still not able to do 100 per cent of those duties,” Paul said. “Right now we’re relying on our one Inspector quite heavily at this time and, of course, there’s only so much that one person can do.”

michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca

Two Ecole St. Mary graduates win Governor General’s Academic Medals at USask

Two graduates of Ecole St. Mary High School received some significant recognition at the University of Saskatchewan’s Spring Convocation on June 2.

Spence Dmytruk and Grayson Tourney each received the Governor General’s Academic Medals, Dmytruk in Kiniesiology and Tourney in Biomedical Neuroscience.

Governor General’s Academic Medals are among the highest honours awarded to outstanding Canadian scholars at all levels of academia.

The Governor General’s Silver Medal is presented to the student who achieves the highest overall academic standing based on their Graduation Grade Point Average (GGPA) in a degree program.

Tourrney and Dmyutruk are both going back to school to study medicine and were co-Valedictorians in 2021 at St. Mary with Seth LeMoal.

Tourney also received the university medal in Biomedical Neuroscience.

Both Tourney and Dmytruk said the accomplishment reflected more than the work they did.

“It meant a lot,” Tourney said. “For me it was the culmination of four years of schooling and it reflects grades only, but I think to me it reflects a lot of work ethic that I’ve cultivated and it reflects the support that I’ve had from friends and family.”

“It reflects the effort of a community and not just myself,” he added.

“For me is a really big, incredible honour,” Dmytruk added. “I was definitely very excited to receive that kind of recognition, but I really do think it was less so a testament of my own abilities or anything like that. It was more so about the community that supported me along the way.”

Dmytruk said everyone on his academic journey helped him achieve the award.

Submitted Photos Grayson Tourney received the Governor General’s Academic Medals, Dmytruk in Kiniesiology and Tourney in Biomedical Neuroscience at USask Spring Convocation on June 2.

“Whether that was teachers in Prince Albert, faculty and staff at the University of Saskatchewan, friends and family, I feel like I definitely couldn’t have done this without all the support I’ve received. I really do see it as representative of all the support I have had along the way.”

Tourney said he was interested in health sciences coming out of high school, which led him to Biomedical Neuroscience. He liked learning about the brain and the nervous system, so the subject was a perfect fit.

He said going into medicine will extend that interest even further.

“I’m very happy that I’ve done it because it is kind of my greatest interest,” he explained.

Tourney said that having two Valedictorians from the same class was a positive reflection of Prince Albert.

“It goes to show that there’s a lot of talent in Prince Albert and that, obviously, there’s great things that people coming out of PA can do,” he said.

Dmytruk said it was a nice touch to receive an award alongside his former St. Mary classmate once again.

“It was pretty cool. I think it’s kind of neat too, how we were both at St. Mary. We took different paths and undergrad and we’re coming back to medicine in the fall together. It’s kind of cool that we took different paths but like ended up in the same place.”

Tourney also credited Ecole St. Mary for helping him along the way.

“There’s amazing staff and I’m so eternally grateful for the education I received there. That set the foundation for university. Students there, I hope, realize how blessed they are to have to have the teachers and the support staff there at St. Mary because they’re great,” he said.

Dmytruk will pursue medicine after studying Kinesiology. He said the subject gave him exposure to a lot of different aspects of health and wellness.

“I think it gave me a very balanced kind of perspective,” he explained. “I got to have a lot of different opportunities within my college. I think I decided medicine was the place for me.

“I really do think it came down to getting an exposure in a lot of different areas through my classes and like being in my college. I think that’s really just (what) threw me towards medicine and being able to make a difference in the community I’m working in.”

Dmytruk said the award win is also shows how many positives there are in Prince Albert. “It was definitely a pretty cool to receive that kind of recognition and (I) definitely owe a lot to the opportunities that Prince Albert gave me growing up,” he said.

editorial@paherald.sk.ca

Province announces $20 million to support those affected by wildfires

At a press conference in Prince Albert on Monday the Government of Saskatchewan announced a commitment of $20 million to support communities and individuals affected by this year’s devastating wildfires. 

Through the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA), a dedicated Recovery Task Team (RTT) has been established to lead the province’s wildfire recovery efforts. 

“Assisting recovery efforts for communities impacted by this year’s wildfires remains a top priority for our government. The SPSA’s recovery task team has been meeting with communities that were devastated by the wildfires in order to determine priorities with the recovery effort,” Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod said. 

“Those discussions have revolved around the initial phase of supporting communities through the development of their recovery plan to initiate clean up quickly and safely removing debris,” he explained. 

The RTT  is led by the SPSA and comprised of representatives from the Ministries of Government Relations, Social Services, and Environment, and Crown Corporations – has conducted a preliminary needs assessment alongside communities that were devastated by wildfire, including Denare Beach, East Trout Lake and others. 

That assessment identified debris removal and site clean-up as the top priorities. This work will help communities initiate the recovery process. 

“We know that the road to recovery begins with clearing the way, quite literally and figuratively. This funding is intended for communities and individuals that sustained losses during the provincial emergency declaration period, which ran from May 29 to June 26, or if the evacuated community was under a local state of emergency at the time of the loss,” McLeod said. 

The Government of Saskatchewan has identified three priority areas for recovery support, with an estimated total cost of $20 million expected to be used for debris removal and environmental testing, to create, expand, or maintain landfills near impacted communities; and project management support to assist local recovery efforts. 

“It is important to note that this funding does not replace personal or business insurance coverage. Wildfires are typically an insurable natural occurrence and as such, we strongly encourage individuals and businesses to contact their insurance providers as soon as possible if they have not already done so,” McLeod said. 

“Today’s announcement is about more than just dollars. It is about safely rebuilding lives and livelihoods. We are committed to walking alongside our communities every step of the way. 

McLeod explained that the recovery process is being led by communities with support from the recovery team  as planning, cleanup and debris removal occurs. 

“The Recovery task team will continue to work closely with communities to support their recovery plan for communities 

“We would like to thank the community leaders and the team members from the recovery task force who have put in countless hours over the past several weeks to build the recovery process together, meeting with and working alongside communities and has been essential for this initial step in the recovery process, and this coordination will continue to be as essential as communities rebuilt.:

“We continue to see significant wildfire activity and I want to thank each and every community leader, firefighter contractor and volunteer who are putting in tireless efforts to minimise future impacts to our communities from this devastating wildfire season,” he said.

The majority of this funding will be delivered through the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP). Where PDAP support does not fully cover community needs, additional assistance will be provided. 

“Individuals and businesses that sustain uninsurable losses, the provincial disaster assistance program or PDAP may be able to assist. This funding is intended for losses not covered under a standard fire insurance policy,” he said. 

The funding is available to communities and individuals who sustained losses during the provincial emergency declaration period (May 29 to June 26, 2025), or who were under a local state of emergency at the time of their loss. 

“We would like to thank the community leaders and the team members from the recovery task force who have put in countless hours over the past several weeks to build the recovery process together, meeting with and working alongside communities and has been essential for this initial step in the recovery process, and this coordination will continue to be as essential as communities rebuilt,” McLeod said. 

The funding announced s not intended to cover environmental testing or clean-up already provided by personal or business insurance. Individuals and businesses should contact their insurance provider if they haven’t already done so. 

At present there are currently 67 active wildfires in the province with 354 so far this season, well above the five year average of 204 at this date. 

“We continue to see significant wildfire activity and I want to thank each and every community leader, firefighter contractor and volunteer who are putting in tireless efforts to minimise future impacts to our communities from this devastating wildfire season,” McLeod said. 

Eight wildfires are currently contained, 17 are not contained, 26 are in the ongoing assessment phase and 16 are in protecting values phase. 

There are currently active evacuations in Beauval, Kinoosao, the resort subdivision of Lac La Plonge and the Lac La Plonge Indian Reserve. 

According to SPSA President Marlo Pritchard at last report there were 299 primary residences lost with the majority in the north from mid-May until the end of June. 

“We have a number of garages, personal property. It’s exceeded 2,000 values but the homes itself are 299,” Pritchard said. 

Pritchard said it has become worse in some areas but is not as bad as it has been 

“We have seen a number while we’re not  as bad as it’s been, we’re really into the wildfire season now. We’re seeing increased storms, lightning, we are currently at about 67 fires on the landscape,” Pritchard said. 

“The majority of them are caused by storm activity and we continue to work on work on those and suppressing the best we can 

McLeod said that the majority of the losses were in Denare Beach 

” Minister (Eric) Schmaltz and I have both been there having ongoing conversations with the leadership at Denare Beach, but we certainly hope that that we can avoid any further devastation in other inhabited communities and areas,” McLeod said. 

“But anywhere that that we have had the loss of primary residences that the government will be there to certainly support those individuals,” he added. 

Also in attendance at the press conference were Eric Schmaltz, Minister of Government Relations, Travis Keisig Minister of Environment and Terry Jenson, Minister of Social Services. 

Local player gets opportunity to join New Zealand softball tour

The Prince Albert U17 Astros picked up a win and a loss in their doubleheader with the International Softball Academy (ISA) New Zealand squad on June 27.

Following that experience, U17 Astros player Willis Finch had the opportunity to play in two doubleheaders with the New Zealand team on their exhibition tour.

Finch declined an opportunity for a full interview about the experience, but provided a written statement.

“Getting the opportunity to be on the field with New Zealand even just for a few games was an honour,” he wrote. “I appreciate the opportunity and I will remember it for many years to come.”

The Astros jumped out to an early lead and beat ISA New Zealand 3-2 in game one, but the visitors responded with a 4-1 victory in game two.

Finch played with New Zealand on June 30 against the U17 Laird Valley Vikings in Laird and on July 2 against two U20 Saskatoon teams in Saskatoon. Scores for the games were not available.

The Astros began U17 Boys provincials in Laird on July 4. The Astros played the host Laird Valley Vikings in their opening game at 6:30 p.m. Final scores were not available by press time. The gold medal game is scheduled for July 6 at noon.

–with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald

sports@paherald.sk.ca

Sask Rivers Superintendent of Facilities announces impending retirement

After 33 years with the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division, Superintendent of Facilities Mike Hurd will be retiring.

Hurd will stay on for the next two months before retiring on Aug. 31. In a press release, the Division said Hurd’s dedication and leadership shaped their physical and operational landscape.

The division said Hurd’s career has been marked by a commitment to ensuring safe, welcoming, and innovative learning environments for students, staff, and families. His expertise and passion for excellence in school infrastructure have left a lasting legacy across the division.

Hurd said he still loved the job, but it was time to retire.

“I love my work and I love the people that I work with and I’ve been very fortunate to have been able to work for these folks for as long as I did,” Hurd said. “I could continue to do so, it’s just that I want to look at doing some other things in my life and I thought that it was as good a time as any.

“I have been thinking about it for the last few years and I just decided that I have got to decide one way or the other which way I want to go.”

Hurd said that he could have retired seven or eight years ago but never did.

“One day you get up and say ‘I wonder if I should think about retiring’ and then the next day you’re fine. Sooner or later it starts getting stressful, and so you just have to say, ‘I have to make up my mind one way or the other. Either I’m going to retire or I’m going stay for another two or three years and just keep working,’” he said.

“I just decided that there’s a lot of things to do. It’ll be a way different than what I’m used to because so much of my life is my work, but I’ll find some things to keep busy with and I’ll just look for some new adventures.”

Hurd said that he came into the job 33 years ago when he was around 32 years old. Originally, he worked in facilities for SIAST, and brought that experience over when he joined the school division.

“It was just a perfect job for me to step into and to grow into and I don’t I don’t regret one minute of it,” he said.

“I was very fortunate to get involved in the school division when I was young,” he added. “I was able to grow as the school division grew and that was really, really nice. As we amalgamated with other divisions I was getting more and more and more experience.”

The school division listed Hurd’s most notable accomplishments as several transformative capital projects that have redefined school and community spaces in Prince Albert.

A few of the highlights of his work included the construction of the three-phase school in Westview area, the construction of the new Vincent Massey School, a state-of-the-art learning facility for its time that reflects modern design and educational best practices, the development of the CPAC (Carlton Physical Activity Centre) at Carlton Comprehensive High School, which expanded student and community access to athletic and wellness

programming, and the renovation of the Max Clunie Field and Harry Jerome Track, a premier outdoor sports complex that stands as a hub for athletic excellence and community pride. Hurd said he had a hard time choosing what project was the highlight of his years in the job.

“It’s really hard to pick one thing. I like the school project stuff. It was always nice. It was nice to build, to be involved in the building of Westview School and Vincent Massey was a beautiful school to be involved with, the addition to Carlton (CPAC),” Hurd said.

“It was nice to finish my career off was the facility at Harry Jerome Track and the Max Clunie Field that was really satisfying. Maybe that’s another reason why I stayed on another year.”

Hurd said the Max Clunie and Harry Jerome Track renovation discussions began several years ago and it took time to get the idea put together between the City of Prince Albert and the division.

“When we finally decided to do it, I wanted to see it done. I wanted to stay and that was a project that I take a lot of satisfaction in because I was able to stick around and help to get that finished,” he said.

Hurd said he told director of education Neil Finch that he will be available to help with the transition for the new superintendent for up to a year. At the last board meeting of the school year on June 16 the board of education appointed a committee to recruit a new superintendent.

The division said that Hurd has been known not only for his technical knowledge and project management skills but also for his steady leadership and creative thinking skills. There are few projects he couldn’t make happen. His work has consistently reflected the division’s commitment to student achievement, well-being, and excellence.

“Mike’s impact can be seen in every facility in our school division,” Director of Education Neil Finch said in a press release.

“His dedication, professionalism, and care for our schools and community have made a difference for thousands of students and staff. We are grateful for his service and wish him the very best in his well-earned retirement.”

Hurd said he has no definitive plan for what he will do once his retirement begins officially on Sept. 1.

“And if something comes my way, then I’ll have to look at it and see if I’m interested in it and if not, I’ll find some smaller projects that I can get involved with and do those kinds of things. I’ll always be working, I’ve worked my whole life I started working when I was a kid and just kept working all the way through,” Hurd said.

Hurd said that he likes working and he likes people and doing things for people.

“I’ll keep busy somehow,” he said. “The first year might be tough. They tell me that the first year of retirement is kind of difficult, but after you get through that first year you usually can find things that you want to do.”

He said the thing he will miss most other than the work is the people.

“I really enjoy the work and the people but I’m going to miss the people the most. I’m going to miss the people in my department, the people that have worked for me, the caretakers and the maintenance people. They’ve been great teammates and I always say we work together and they work with me, not for me.”