Six new cases of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan on Tuesday

Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Six new cases of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan on Tuesday

After consecutive days with a single case reported there were six new cases of COVID-19 reported in Saskatchewan on Tuesday.

Three cases are in the far north, two are in the north and one is in the south.

“Today we are reporting six new cases as well as five additional recoveries, we are now at 88 active cases in Saskatchewan. Most of the active cases continue to be associated with two localized outbreaks in the northwest and the southwest portions of our province,” Premier Scott Moe said during Tuesday’s press availability.

“While localized outbreaks will continue to occur the number of active cases in our province remain very low with just six active cases in the north region, four in the Saskatoon region, no active cases in Regina and the central regions of this province,” he added.

Chief Medical Health Officer Saqib Shahab advised people to continue using best practices.

“If we do follow the basic principles if they go out and about and seeking testing the first time that symptoms, maintaining physical distancing where it is possible, using a reusable mask where appropriate and otherwise complying with all of the guidelines. We certainly hope to see very few cases or outbreaks over all,” Shahab said.

Of the 785 reported COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan, 88 are considered active, an increase of one from Monday’s update. The recovered number has gone up an additional five to 684 from Monday.

There are four people in hospital with illnesses related to COVID-19 one less than on Monday. Two cases are in the north, one in Saskatoon and one in the south. A person has been added to intensive care in hospital in the north.

The total number of cases is 785, of those 327 of the cases are from the far north, 186 are from the Saskatoon area, 116 are from the north, 80 are from the Regina area, 64 are from the south and 12 are from the central region.

There are currently 55 cases who are health care workers; however, the source of the infections is not related to their work environments in all instances.

Of the 785 cases in the province: 165 cases are related to travel, 473 are community contacts, which includes mass gatherings, 106 have no known exposures and 41 are under investigation by local public health.

The age breakdown shows 114 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, 271 cases are in the 20-39 age range, 249 are in the 40-59 age range, 130 are in the 60-79 age range and 21 are in the 80-plus range.

The gender breakdown shows 51 per cent of the cases being females and 49 per cent being males.

As of June 30,65,940 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province an increase of 444 from Friday.

As of June 27 when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 49,250 people tested per million population. The national rate was 72,406 people tested per million population.

Over the weekend the case count changes as the province announced on June 18 the Public Health Agency of Canada provided surveillance guidance regarding the attribution of COVID‐19 cases amongst the provinces and territories.

As of June 27, 10 cases that were attributed to Saskatchewan will no longer be included in the Saskatchewan total count.

Case counts may change with the provision of additional information during the public health investigation.

Province places precautionary health advisory at Emma Lake

on Monday evening the province announced that an individual working at the Sunnyside Bar in Emma Lake has now tested positive for COVID-19.

“The Saskatchewan Health Authority is following up on an individual who tested positive after working as a server at a bar at Emma Lake this past weekend, anyone who was at the SunnySide Bar last Friday, Saturday or Sunday afternoon should self-monitor and if any symptoms do develop self-isolate immediately and call 811,” Moe said.

According to Shahab the method of announcing outbreaks is working.

“I think it is a good message that we should all remember that all of us should have a good idea of what we have been doing over the last two weeks so that if we do see a public service announcement or otherwise have any concerns or yourself have any symptoms you can seek testing and also provide a good summary of all activities you have done over the last two weeks. That will help to make sure that people who may have been exposed or contacted and that will help us to continue to take care of clusters which will arise every now and then but to make sure that they don’t expand any further than they need to,” Shahab said.

As a result, they are advising anyone who attended this business on the dates below should self-monitor for symptoms for 14 days from the date of attendance: Friday, June 26, 2020, between 4 – 9 p.m., Saturday, June 27, 2020, between 4 – 9 p.m. and Sunday, June 28, 2020, between 4 – 9 p.m.

Dates for next part of Phase 4 of Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan announced

Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Dates for next part of Phase 4 of Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan announced

The Saskatchewan government announced Tuesday that the next phase of Phase 4 of the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan will begin next Monday, July 6 and continue on July 9.

During the regular COVID-19 press conference Premier Scott Moe and Dr. Saqib Shahab announced the next phase.

Beginning Monday, July 6, indoor pools, indoor rinks, indoor sports and activities, and the performing arts – including music, dance and theatre – will be able to re-open.

“With these re-openings virtually every kind of business, facility, service and activity in this province are now reopened. Again, I would like thank everyone in Saskatchewan for what you have done to control the spread of COVID-19, it is appreciated. I want to thank you for your patience as well as we moved as quickly as possible, but also as safely as possible through the reopening phases and I want to encourage everyone to continue all of the good practices that have gotten us this far,” Moe said during Tuesday’s press availability

With large gatherings being part of the next phase Moe urged caution.

“It can spread very quickly if we let our guard down even for a moment and that’s why we still have to remain so careful and why we will need to move forward very cautiously with phase five which is lifting the restrictions on large gatherings. We know that in Saskatchewan and elsewhere large gatherings have resulted in some of the largest outbreaks. So we will need to be very cautious in relaxing those restrictions,” Moe said.

The seating capacity for restaurants and licensed establishments will also increase that same day to a level that allows staff and customers to maintain two metres of physical distance.

“I think the principles of the seating capacity was to allow restaurants to make their business plan,” Shahab said.

He explained that the Authority heard from restaurants that they could increase capacity while maintaining physical distancing.

On Thursday, July 9, casinos and bingo halls are able to re-open for business.

The guidelines for businesses and activities re-opening on July 6 and July 9 are included in this week’s update to the plan to re-open the provincial economy.

Racetracks and rodeo-related activities are targeted to resume on July 16.

Guidelines are being developed and will include guidance related to spectators.

In addition to an increased seating capacity, video lottery terminals (VLTs), pool tables, dart boards, arcade games and other recreation areas will be able to re-open on July 6 as long as physical distancing can be maintained.

Increased cleaning and disinfection will also be required. Live entertainment in these establishments is targeted to return on July 16. Guidelines are currently being developed.

The next step could be further away according to Shahab.

“The only thing that remains after phase four is done is the limiting on the public gatherings,” he said.

According to Shahab any changes to gathering sizes will happen after ongoing input. Shahab advised again to continue using correct practices like hand washing and physical distancing under phase five as long as there is a pandemic.

Moe explained that a possible contact tracing app may be part of the discussion to increase crowd sizes both in Saskatchewan and across the country.

“We just don’t have all those tools to let’s say have a Saskatchewan Roughrider game,” Moe said.

Moe explained that he has a Montreal Canadiens mask that was provided by Quebec Premier Francois Legault and he was going to send a Saskatchewan Roughriders’ mask to Legault. Later he noted that the Canadiens mask was the only one he owned.

“Mask using as far as it being mandatory may be a conversation we may have to have in certain areas of the province if we should have a localized outbreak,” Moe said.

Moe said that they would have that discussion prior to doing things like closing down sections of the province.

According to Moe the SHA is also working on guidelines for visiting family in long term care homes and hospitals.

“We still have to be very careful in those facilities as that is where some of our greatest outbreaks around the world have occurred. So we are working to find the right balance that will keep everyone safe. While recognizing how critically important it is for hospital patients and seniors in long term care homes to be able to see members of their family and we expect an announcement on this later this week,” Moe said.

Both Shahab and Moe encouraged people to continue to use best practices.

“All I would like to say is that we know the routine or the drill now in terms of maintaining physical distancing as we go out and about and enjoying all of the activities that are now going to be opening up next week and over the next two weeks as well,” Shahab said.

“If we do follow the basic principles if they go out and about and seeking testing the first time that symptoms, maintaining physical distancing where it is possible, using a reusable mask where appropriate and otherwise complying with all of the guidelines. We certainly hope to see very few cases or outbreaks over all,” he added.

Fall Planning for Post-Secondary Institutions

Fall planning for post-secondary institutions is underway in consultation with public health. The institutions will be communicating to their campus communities in the near future.

As restrictions are gradually lifted in the province, additional information will continue to be added to the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan based on direction from public health officials and input from businesses and service providers.

Saskatchewan residents are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the guidelines and follow their recommendations to ensure the province can continue to re-open in a safe manner without a significant increase in the transmission of COVID-19.

Wesmor concludes graduation season in Prince Albert with virtual grad

Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Wesmor concludes graduation season in Prince Albert with virtual grad

The 63 graduates at Wesmor Public High School celebrated their graduation in special ways because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Firstly, graduates were delivered their diplomas by staff on Wednesday, June 23 and then they had a virtual graduation ceremony on Monday evening.

“I know this isn’t the ceremony we imagined when we were going to graduate this year, 2020 has been a crazy and difficult time so far but we managed to get our grad photos done and even have this virtual ceremony. We have much to be thankful for here at Wesmor Public High School. We have received a great education thanks to the teachers and staff who go out of their way for us,” Valedictorian Shanice Beauchene said during her virtual address. She also thanked the daycare staff and others.

“All of the graduates want to thank their parents, families, support systems and friends you all have helped shape us into the people we see today. I can say with total confidence that you helped to shape us into better people. Without Wesmor I wouldn’t have this opportunity to be Valedictorian. Being at this school for the past three years I have had nothing but support and I am truly grateful for that,” she said.

Beauchene, who is from Muskoday, thanked the teachers, family and mentors at the school including her mentor Raven Felix. She also thanked the daycare staff and others.

“To my fellow graduates congratulations on getting this far and graduating. Even in this pandemic we have persevered and shown how dedicated we are to our education. From personal experience I know it wasn’t easy but with some resilience we made it. I just want to say it I am proud of us all and I wish nothing but the best for everyone in the future. Thank you again and I hope everyone is safe at this time,” Beauchene said.

On June 24 the staff went to each graduates home to deliver their diplomas including being greeted by fire trucks as they delivered diplomas to the students at Wahpeton.

“I was in a group that went to five people’s homes and when we got to homes their front yards were decorated, they had balloons and a small gathering of their family was there so they could be there because they are so proud of their kids and they got to share that with them so it was a great day,” Principal Gina Sinoski said.

Salutorian Devin Norburry addressed how much he accomplished because of attending Wesmor in his speech. He said the school did a great job around the pandemic, thanked the friends and family of graduates for pushing graduates to their goal.

“I also want to thank all of the teachers for all of the hard work they put into their roles as educators,” Norburry said.

Norburry explained that he had no idea what to say because he never envisioned himself as Salutatorian.

“I sometimes found school challenging and thought some information was outdated or irrelevant. Because of the stressful and chaotic environment we are in my goal was to get my diploma and get out. But as I matured I realized school wasn’t as terrible as I thought it was. I learned that school is how you make it out to be. If you always think you are going to have a bad day at school then guess what you will have a bad day at school it is all about the mindset you go in with,” Norburry said.

He thanked all of the teachers who personally affected his life saying that they know who they are. He left on a note to fellow students.

“And to all of the future graduates who are struggling to see the point of continuing just keep pushing through the last couple years you have left, you will not regret it. I would like to congratulate my fellow graduates and wish them well in all of their future endeavours,” Norburry said.

The emcee was Vice Principal Matt Bergen and in his introduction he focused on the important Indigenous relationship and being Treaty people.

“It is especially important to recognize the importance of this relationship during these uncertain times, While our time apart from each other helps us discover that we are all stronger together. Graduates I would like you to take a moment to reflect on your journey that led you here. Today marks a significant accomplishment in each of your lives. Take the time to look back at your journey and realize that when you get the opportunity to receive your diploma it marks an important moment in your life. It is a moment where you have given yourself real choice for your future. Your families, friends, teachers and caregivers are very proud of you,” he said.

Trustee Arne Lindberg brought greetings on behalf of the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division and his focus was how much students have achieved through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Your class is experiencing graduation unlike any class in known history. This global event is sure to shape us all and most importantly you. We are different people than we all were in February of this year. We can no longer take our schooling or social interactions for granted, our normal has been totally reshaped. This event is unprecedented and our collective reaction to the pandemic will eventually make us all better, stronger and more understanding,” he said.

He explained that everything has changed and everyone is learning and they have an incredible opportunity to learn.

“People have become more patient, calm, kind and even more-so now aware of their immediate surroundings and how they affect others in our circle. Your future is brand new and your ability to shape your dreams into reality has an almost unlimited opportunity ,” Lindberg said.

Lindberg said that the class is the leaders of tomorrow no matter what they pursue in life.

“Leadership comes in very many forms, each one of you has the potential to make a difference throughout the years. Seize opportunities that others may miss and strive to continually make positive change, strengthen your communities for present and future generations. Your time at Wesmor has served you well, you are well-equipped to meet and embrace the challenges and the opportunities of the real world thanks to the support of your teachers, families and friends,” Lindberg said.

The virtual awards were presented by teacher Tyler Kuzma.

The evening’s video concluded with Sinoski’s address to the students.

“As we virtually gather tonight to celebrate the graduating class of 2020 I imagine these exceptional young women and men in their homes or in their yards watching with the people they love the most

while still being guided by our province’s COVID protocols around safe physical distancing and public gatherings. We are living through a worldwide pandemic and all that comes with that reality which has impacted our graduates in a profound way,” she said.

She continued a school tradition and thanked people on behalf of the Class of 2020.

“In these extraordinary times we want to thank the parents, caregivers, community members, elders and Wesmor staff members who have supported these graduates along their journey through high school. Graduates you may not be able to see their faces but please know that we are filled with pride, joy and the firm belief that each and every one of you has the potential to impact our communities in constructive ways.”

She also explained other rituals of graduation that were lost because of COVID-19.
“Although these young people will miss walking across the stage, having their tassel moved from the right side to the left side or stopping to pose at the middle of the stage so that all of their family and the proud audience members can take their picture to mark this very, very well earned milestone. This graduating class is part of the world’s history, these exceptional young men and women have done what no other graduating class in the history of Wesmor have done,” she said.

Sinoski explained that this class is possibly the only one of its kind for working their way through the challenges in different ways to earn their credits to graduate.

“When our graduates reflect on their journey through high school they will know in their hearts they have the ability to make a difference in their community and age. These graduates are weathering a storm unlike any other in recent history. They want to be remembered as a graduating class that started a new decade instead they are becoming our hope for change,” Sinoski said.

She concluded by acknowledging the graduating classes original theme of Big City Dreams.

The video concluded with congratulations from staff and graduates before all 63 graduates’ future plans and thank you lists.

Second straight day with single new case of COVID-19 reported in province

Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Second straight day with single new case of COVID-19 reported in province

For the second day in a row there was a single new case of COVID-19 reported in Saskatchewan’s far north on Monday and there is one less person in the hospital.

Of the 779 reported COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan, 87 are considered active, a change of 17 from Sunday’s update. The recovered number has gone up an additional 18 to 679 from Sunday.

There are five people in hospital with illnesses related to COVID-19. Three in the north, one in Saskatoon and one in the South. One case that was in Saskatoon inpatient care is no longer listed in hospital. There are no longer any patients listed as being in intensive care in Saskatchewan.

There are currently 13 deaths reported.

The total number of cases is 779, of those 324 of the cases are from the far north, 186 are from the Saskatoon area, 114 are from the north, 80 are from the Regina area, 63 are from the south and 12 are from the central region.

On June 18 the Public Health Agency of Canada provided surveillance guidance regarding the attribution of COVID‐19 cases amongst the provinces and territories.

As of June 27, 10 cases that were attributed to Saskatchewan will no longer be included in the Saskatchewan total count.

Case counts may change with the provision of additional information during the public health investigation.

There are currently 55 cases who are health care workers; however, the source of the infections is not related to their work environments in all instances.

Of the 779 cases in the province: 165 cases are related to travel, 472 are community contacts, which includes mass gatherings, 103 have no known exposures and 39 are under investigation by local public health.

The age breakdown shows 113 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, 268 cases are in the 20-39 age range, 247 are in the 40-59 age range, 130 are in the 60-79 age range and 21 are in the 80-plus range.

The gender breakdown shows 51 per cent of the cases being females and 49 per cent being males.

As of June 29, 65,496 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province an increase of 696 from Friday.

As of June 27 when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 48,781 people tested per million population. The national rate was 71,209 people tested per million population.

The province reminds everyone that testing for COVID-19 is available to anyone currently working outside the home or anyone returning to work as part of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan.

Testing is also available to those being admitted to acute care for more than 24 hours, including expectant mothers and immunocompromised individuals and their health care providers.

One new case of COVID-19 and no patients in intensive care on Sunday

Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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One new case of COVID-19 and no patients in intensive care on Sunday

There was a single new case of COVID-19 reported in Saskatchewan’s far north on Sunday and there are now no patients in intensive care.

Of the 778 reported COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan, 104 are considered active. The recovered number is holding steady at 661.

There are six people in hospital with illnesses related to COVID-19. Three in the North, two in Saskatoon and one in the South. One case in Saskatoon has moved from intensive care to in patient care in today’s report.

There are currently 13 deaths reported.

The total number of cases is 778, of those 323 of the cases are from the far north, 186 are from the Saskatoon area, 114 are from the north, 80 are from the Regina area, 63 are from the south and 12 are from the central region.

On June 18 the Public Health Agency of Canada provided surveillance guidance regarding the attribution of COVID‐19 cases amongst the provinces and territories.

As of June 27, 10 cases that were attributed to Saskatchewan will no longer be included in the Saskatchewan total count.

Case counts may change with the provision of additional information during the public health investigation.

There are currently 55 cases who are health care workers; however, the source of the infections is not related to their work environments in all instances.

Of the 777 cases in the province: 165 cases are related to travel, 472 are community contacts, which includes mass gatherings,103 have no known exposures and 39 are under investigation by local public health.

The age breakdown shows 113 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, 267 cases are in the 20-39 age range, 247 are in the 40-59 age range, 130 are in the 60-79 age range and 21 are in the 80-plus range.

The gender breakdown shows 51 per cent of the cases being females and 49 per cent being males.

As of June 26, 64,800 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province an increase of 639 from Friday.

As of June 26 when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 48,342 people tested per million population. The national rate was 70,241 people tested per million population.

The province reminds everyone that testing for COVID-19 is available to anyone currently working outside the home or anyone returning to work as part of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan.

Testing is also available to those being admitted to acute care for more than 24 hours, including expectant mothers and immunocompromised individuals and their health care providers.

Six more cases of COVID-19 reported Saturday in Saskatchewan

Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Six more cases of COVID-19 reported Saturday in Saskatchewan

After 13 cases were reported yesterday another six cases of COVID-19 were accounted for in Saskatchewan on Saturday.

All six of the new cases are in the far north.

Of the 777 reported COVID-19 cases in Saskatchewan, 103 are considered active. A total of 661 individuals have recovered.

There are currently 13 deaths reported.

The total number of cases is 777 , of those 322 of the cases are from the far north, 186 are from the Saskatoon area, 114 are from the north, 80 are from the Regina area, 63 are from the south and 12 are from the central region.

There are six people in hospital with illnesses related to COVID-19. Three in the North, one in Saskatoon and one in the South. There is currently one person in intensive care in Saskatoon.

On June 18 the Public Health Agency of Canada provided surveillance guidance regarding the attribution of COVID‐19 cases amongst the provinces and territories. As of June 27, 10 cases that were attributed to Saskatchewan will no longer be included in the Saskatchewan total count.

Case counts may change with the provision of additional information during the public health investigation.

There are currently 55 cases who are health care workers; however, the source of the infections is not related to their work environments in all instances.

Of the 777 cases in the province: 163 cases are related to travel, 472 are community contacts, which includes mass gatherings,103 have no known exposures and 39 are under investigation by local public health.

The age breakdown shows 113 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, 266 cases are in the 20-39 age range, 247 are in the 40-59 age range, 130 are in the 60-79 age range and 21 are in the 80-plus range.

The gender breakdown shows 51 per cent of the cases being females and 49 per cent being males.

As of June 27, 64,161 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province an increase of 1,045 from Friday.

As of June 25 when other provincial and national numbers were available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 47,637 people tested per million population. The national rate was 69,122 people tested per million population.

The province reminds everyone that testing for COVID-19 is available to anyone currently working outside the home or anyone returning to work as part of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan.

Testing is also available to those being admitted to acute care for more than 24 hours, including expectant mothers and immunocompromised individuals and their health care providers.

Carlton recognizes Class of 2020 with video grad

Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Carlton Comprehensive High School in Prince Albert celebrated their graduation “Together Apart” with a video presentation on Friday, June 26. The video celebrated the accomplishments and successes of all 320 graduates at Carlton.

Valedictorians Bria Howden and Taylor Berge acknowledged the uniqueness of the situation because of the pandemic.

“I don’t know about you guys but high school flew by for us. This milestone marks the end. The end of our childhood, the end of seeing each other every day, the end of cafeteria hashbrowns for breakfast. COVID-19 brought the end of our high school sooner than we expected but it delivered our beginning as well. The beginning of summer, the beginning of adulthood, a further education and the beginning of new beginnings,” Berge said.

Howden and Berge opened by saying how proud they were to be chosen and how they may not know every graduate. They said that they spent the prior two weeks researching Valedictorian speeches on YouTube.

They also went through a series of numbers including “Two billion, 925 million, 458 thousand and 400,” which was how many seconds the grads spent in class “$100,003” which was the amount of money raised at the cancer fundraiser basketball game at Carlton in January, 320 being the number of graduates, , 10 being the years since March 20 when school was canceled, eight being semesters in high school, four being the Wifi networks that never work and “One”…

“Time in your life that you get to graduate high school from your couch” Howden said.

“And zero”

“Times that you imagined that it would be like this,” Berge said.

They then explained how time management was a skill they learned in high school.

“High school is the kind of place you enter decently socially awkward with a group of friends that you think you will be with throughout all four years. If you are anything like me and Bria, who are now leaving with the same amount of social awkwardness but a whole new group of friends that you know that you will keep in touch with for years to come,” Berge said.

Their number one piece of advice was to be kind.

“One piece of advice that we believe will help a lot moving forward is to be kind, be kind to your family, be kind to your friends and be kind when the absolute last thing you feel like doing is being kind. Holding grudges won’t get you anywhere, you will regret losing friends over them but you will never regret being kind,” Howden said.

They explained how important extracurricular activities including sports, arts and music are to the school.
“Do everything you do in good spirits, I know one of my favourite high school memories was dressing up as Tina from Bob’s Burgers and doing her iconic dance in front of the whole school, I won the competition by the way. Speaking of competition we would like to take a moment to acknowledge out school’s incredible sports program. Sports is where our passion laid and where we met our best friends. Sports taught us how to work hard, to think positive and to lose with dignity, the difference between losing and blaming it on the fact the ref sucked and losing with a smile knowing that you did the best you could,” Berge said.

They thanked coaches for all of their hard work and the many pieces of clothing they picked up along the way and acknowledged the school’s music program. They explained that they were giving the speech because they worked hard when things weren’t perfect.

“So now comes the famous last words, we did it, we graduated from high school, this is not what we envisioned graduation 2020 to be like. We all wanted to be together with our gowns throwing our caps in the air but sometimes in life more important things come up. Today the needs of our community outweigh our personal desires. Think of it this way we are the first class in history to have graduation like this, we are also the first class to take tests over Zoom, which is the only actual time we could show our face. Also props to you guys who finished your workshop classes at home. Even though this is not the grad we hoped for at least now you can find toilet paper in the grocery stores again,” Berge said.

They concluded by thanking things like the vending machines, teachers and the Frank Dunn Pool Staff for allowing the Carlton Cannonball Challenge. They thanked Principal Jeff Court for deciding it was a two-woman job.

“Thank you to all the parents who supported us as we grew up and to our friends for asking the dumb questions during class when nobody else wanted to. On a more serious note we would like to recognize how much Carlton teachers care for their students and made that evident by creating close relationships with us,” Howden said

“Be kind and if Carlton has taught you anything it is that…” Berge said.

“You matter,” both concluded.
Emcees for the video were Grade 10 students Rozlynn Gaudet and Stefani Pocha-Tait

The ceremony opened with the students being Drummed in by the Round Plain Juniors Drumming Group with the “Original Honour Song” and O Canada performed by various talented students.

Along with the Valedictorian address the video featured addresses from Saskatchewan Rivers School Division board chair Barry Hollick and Court.

“Today is a special day but not the kind of day you pictured when you started school last September,” Hollick said in his speech.

“The impact of the coronavirus epidemic on our education system was unimaginable for most of us. I want to commend the students, their parents and the Carlton staff for working together to bring about a successful conclusion to this important year in your lives. This has certainly been a year you would never forget for various reasons. I want to congratulate you for successfully completing your education at Carlton, you now have the opportunity to choose what path the future holds for you. I wish you every success in all of your future endeavours.”

Court thanked Howden and Berge to open his speech.

“Graduates, first I would like to congratulate you on today’s great achievement. This accomplishment has been in the works since before you started school. I am sure each of your families have fond memories as they nervously sent you off to your first day of kindergarten unsure if you were ready and nervous if you would get along with others. They quickly realized how ready you were,”

“My first message is before the end of the day make sure you tell your loved ones how much you appreciate them. They have spent a lot of time and care getting you to where you are today,” he said.

One common theme in the best memories of graduates was relationships according to Court.

He added that the staff cares about everyone and everyone is welcome at Carlton.

Diplomas were given earlier in June and the 320 graduates were broken into three groups in the video which had special teachers share favourite memories for each graduate along with their future plans.

Musical presentation included “Forever Young” by Lauren Williams and Bria Howden, “My Wish” by Brooke Andrews, “Hug All UR Friends” by Krysten McKay, “Six Feet Apart” Joshua Stumpf and a medley “Forever Country” by all of the performers the Carlton Ensemble to conclude the video.

The video also included a list of additional graduates who didn’t take part.

PACI parade celebrates Class of 2020

Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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PACI parade celebrates Class of 2020

The largest graduating class in the history of Prince Albert Collegiate Institute (PACI) celebrated their success with a special graduation on Friday, June 26.

The school held a drive-by parade for graduates on Friday afternoon. Teachers lined the sidewalk on 20th Street West and greeted each graduate before there was a chance for a photo in front of PACI.

Each student came in a vehicle and exited to walk the greeting route. They then received a sign with a gift on the back.

Teachers cheered and blew bubbles for each student as they walked the sidewalk, or in some cases, along the street accompanied by a decorated vehicle.

The class all acknowledged that the conclusion of the school year was unlike what they would have expected because of the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down the school year.

“I would say I would probably remember mostly the end of the year and all of the stuff that we have had to deal with and how much it has changed,” Robin Johnston said.

“It is quite upsetting I don’t get the same grad as most but I will definitely remember it forever because it is so different,” Dayna Daigneault said.

Valedictorian Samira Warsame agreed.

“I think none of us expected school to be shut down and graduation is something that you dream of all of your school years and then being told that because of everything happening we are not going to have a proper ceremony like we have seen in past years and our graduate siblings have, it was really disappointing,” she explained.

Daigneault was looking forward to the second semester and the pandemic was heartbreaking to her.

“The school pandemic has definitely ruined the semester I was most excited for because it was my last one and I wanted to make the most of it and I had such high expectations for it only for this to happen but I am trying to make the most of it and I think everyone else is,” she said.

The students mentioned the importance of arts at the school, including Johnston finding her love for working backstage.

“I would have to say being in the Drama Club, the Drama Club was really a different thing for me. I had never really considered doing anything with that,” Johnston said.

Daigneault also remembered the arts and the family atmosphere.

“It feels like a big family because it is a smaller school and I really liked the dance program,” Daigneault said.

Johnston found a love for art because of attending PACI.

“I was asked by my teacher to do the lighting for the Drama Club performance that they were doing for the festival last year. So this year I decided to go back and I have been kind of mentoring other students to do the lighting and I was working on the backstage back crop and all of that this year,” she said.

Warsame thought being the largest class in history was important.

“This is a grad no one will forget and for PACI this year, we have the biggest graduating class, so it is really cool,” she said.

She explained that most years, the class is about 30 people.

Earlier in the morning, the class had a graduation by Zoom meeting which was later available on YouTube. The class were all presented their diplomas during the week leading up to graduating. This was special to Daigneault.

“It does feel more personal because we get to do things individually, I just got my diploma yesterday (Monday) and the principal gave it to me outside of the school,” she said.

During the video there was an opening prayer by Elder Liz Settee, video messages from Premier Scott Moe, Mayor Greg Dionne, Sask. Rivers trustee Michelle Vickers, Randy Emmerson and principal David Lokinger. Emmerson acknowledged all that was accomplished in the Supplementary Learning by teachers and students. He also acknowledged what could have been with the basketball team reaching regionals for the first time. Emmerson is an outgoing superintendent of Saskatchewan Rivers School Division and former principal of PACI.

The message to parents was by Marc Carle, response to students by parent Susie Carle, message to the teachers by Olivia Mitchell, response to students by teacher Evonne Garnett.

The graduates went by the school in four groups to give each of the 49 graduates a chance to be recognized.

In her address, Warsame acknowledged the journey that the class went. She explained that they were disappointed that it couldn’t be a normal grad with a march across the stage to receive diplomas and a grand march.

“It’s upsetting and disappointing and yet, regardless of that, I love how we have all kept our heads up and will make the most of our day. PACI graduates you are all so strong and resilient and you should all be proud of yourselves for reaching this milestone despite all of the hardships that you have faced. You have all finished high school and that is something no one can ever take away from you,” Warsame said.
She acknowledged the many memories including the annual Halloween Dance and how much support and understanding there was at their school. Warsame explained how everyone at the school from teachers to friends were special to her.

“The most important thing you should all remember is to be yourselves. I know that you have probably heard this a million times but it is true and it is important,” she said.

The entire event was a group effort with many teachers and staff lending their talents to get the parade. Perfect. Warsame acknowledged how special the teachers were to their time at PACI.

“The great thing about my school is that we have really caring teachers that most of us are really close with so I know that they have tried their absolute best to give the best grad possible so I am really looking forward to it. I know it will be different,” she said.

Her best memories of the school was the teachers.

“I have a good relationship with every single teacher at that school and I will never forget them,” Warsame added.

Johnston started off at Wesmor in Prince Albert for Grade 9 and 10 then moved to La Ronge and began Grade 11 at Churchill and then moved back and her friend asked her to go to PACI while Warsame and Daigneault each attended the school her entire career.

The class all had positive relationships with each other.

“I am friends with a lot of the graduates actually and obviously my close friends I am graduating with,” Warsame said.

“They were a pretty okay group, I didn’t really spend too much time with my class necessarily because most of my friends were a grade younger than me. Most of the people in my class that I did hang out with they were pretty cool we all usually got along pretty well and everybody was really nice all of the time,” Johnston said.

“The Class of 2020 the people they are all pretty nice to me and I feel like I am friends with quite a lot of them and I am at least graduating with someone I am close to so I am glad,” Daigneault said.

Sask. Rivers school division preparing for November election

Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Sask. Rivers school division preparing for November election

Preparations for the upcoming trustee election in November are well under way in the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division. The board formed a special election committee earlier this year and also has laid the groundwork for incoming new trustees through general work at their final meeting.

“I am not sure if everybody is running for election or re-election. I spoke to a few trustees last night (Monday) and they indicated they are so it looks like people are interested in returning to the school board after the year we just had. Obviously regrets about what has happened and certainly want to make sure that everything is going smoothly and work well for students and parents in the future,” board chair Barry Hollick said after their final meeting of the school year Monday evening.

“We want a vibrant, vigorous school board election process where anybody who is eligible to vote gets out there and learns about the trustees and the subdivisions and the needs of the communities,” director of education Robert Bratvold said.

The board of education has been functioning as a nine-person board after the passing of longtime trustee George McHenry in 2017. When a school trustee passes away boards can ask the Ministry of Education to allow them to act as without the representation of a trustee, in this case for one of the five urban trustees. The next election will see the balance return to five urban and five rural trustees.

“So when we have the election this fall there will be five seats contested in the city, right now we have four seats in the city so there is going to be a fifth person added to the mix,” Hollick said.

The preparation work has been mostly completed by Returning Officer (and CFO) Jerald Pidborochynski.

Earlier this year the board formed a committee to plan for the upcoming election.

“We set up the board committee and we are basically looking at what is in the package for people who are interested in running for the board,” Hollick said.

The committee is also looking at how to promote engagement in school board elections from the public. This will make sure the public knows that the election on November 7 is happening and the importance of the local governance that boards do. They will also do some promotional work to parents, community members and other stakeholders can learn about and be inspired by the election process.

“That promotion of that democratic process to make sure that all parents and community members and electors in the city and in the area know that the school board does amazingly good work but it takes great people to do that so they should come out and support that process for the board election so make sure you find out about that as a potential trustee and make sure by the time it comes to November,” Bratvold said.

“The other piece of it is sort of logistical, technical arrangements making sure that things are in place for polling stations and appropriate to all regulations,” he added.

The orientation part may be made easier with returning trustees.

“It is pretty likely we are going to have (some) returning trustees. We have got a vacancy in the city so we will have a new trustee. The orientation plan will be helpful for any new trustees and also for the current board to refocus, reenergize and remind themselves what they do,” Bratvold said.

Some divisions have trouble finding candidates but according to Bratvold, the city of Prince Albert usually has no difficulties. The rural section has strength, he said, but trustees have been acclaimed.

“It is good to have people interested in wanting to put their name out there as a potential school board trustee,” Bratvold said

“I think really the focus is to make sure the community knows what a school board trustee does and what does a school board do and how does it operate and that sort of piece and then become involved and ask the candidates as election processes do they just encourage people to get out and become active and find out about what the candidates have to say about different issues and topics in schools and school board work.”
Election Day in November 7.

Horizon School Division has already begun work on Auditor’s recommendations

Michael Oleksyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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The Horizon School Division is welcoming the recommendations of provincial auditor Judy Ferguson after her report was released Tuesday. According to director of education Kevin Garinger they already began to implement the recommendations after Ferguson visited the division in 2019.

“We would say at Horizon School Division that we welcome the Auditor’s Report and we certainly accept the recommendations,” Garinger said.

“So I commend the Provincial Auditor for her work and the work of her staff. It helps us move forward and essentially continue to look deeply at the work that is being done and make sure that the reporting processes, which is a main function needed to be centred around, it’s more that there is more accountability making sure that those systems are closing the loop on the work that is being done,”Garinger said.

According to Garinger, since Ferguson visited the division in September of 2019 the facility staff have been implementing the necessary process changes throughout the facilities.

“We have been in the process of making those implemented changes to reporting practices and documentation and performing the regular updates to the central information system where necessary and where recommended by the auditor.”

The school division owns and operates 38 schools and four other facilities in 30 communities, including Humboldt, Watrous, Lanigan, Kelvington and Wynyard. Auditor Judy Ferguson said Horizon did not fully utilize its facilities maintenance budget over the past three years, and has an estimated deferred maintenance of more than $70-million.

“I would say that it is a very large implementation to transfer data into the core information system and that work has been ongoing since September when the Auditor was her so I think that’s certainly positive. As I said with those recommendations we anticipate that they will be completed for the start of 2021 school year,” Garinger said.

The auditor’s office has completed roughly a dozen maintenance audits in various departments and sectors, and Ferguson said they’ve identified “significant areas of concern” every time.

“Somehow as an office, we’re not being successful in getting the message out on the importance of effective maintenance,” she said during a press conference on Tuesday.

Ferguson identified fire protection, fire suppression and boilers as primary areas of concern. She reported seven sprinkler systems and 19 fire alarm systems that had unrepaired deficiencies more than a year after those problems were first reported.

Garinger said the issue was the reports hadn’t been updated. The work, he said, had been done.

The staff simply weren’t closing the loop on it,” he said.

“We already implemented those changes.”

There were also 23 preventative maintenance items that were not inspected properly. Those items include playgrounds and school boilers. Ferguson said there were no documented reasons why this was the case.

According to Garinger, they have been using their Preventative Maintenance and Renewal (PMR) and other dollars since he came aboard as director in 2014 to support maintenance.

“We have taken additional money and we have directed them towards the maintenance of our facilities. So we have done significant roof projects and that sort of thing early on in my tenure. And, of course, we only had so much surplus to be able to deal with that of course we restricted that just specifically for that purpose,” Garinger said.

He explained that they utilize the PMR but always have carryover because of the difference between year-end for government and school divisions and the carryover is necessary.

“I mean a roof project can cost upwards of a million dollars or more, so one roof on one school that you don’t see has significant impact on. It’s not lovely and that kind of thing but it is necessary to keep our buildings moving forward,” he added.

The audit found that staff had not properly documented the status of more than 20 per cent of all outstanding maintenance requests, and key information in the school division’s IT system was unchanged since 2017.

However the audit still presents some work for Horizon.

“That said I would also say that audit is always an exciting opportunity to look deeply at our existing process and have them looked at from an outside perspective so we appreciate the Provincial Auditor and the work that was done to our system so that we can make sure that some of these things that we need to put in place will help us grow as a system,” he said.

Ferguson said Horizon also needs to do a better job of maintaining up to date and accurate information about planned maintenance, completed projects and current facility conditions. She said it’s difficult to tell how effectively current maintenance spending is without that information.

“Overall, Horizon needs to step back and determine if it is doing the right maintenance, and enough maintenance, to move its facilities to a satisfactory condition,” she explained.

The report shows 87 per cent of Horizon’s schools are more than 50 years old and, on average, in poor condition. Ferguson said this is in line with the provincial average.

The division has nine full-time equivalent maintenance employees with suitable qualifications, and spends, on average, $3-million to maintain its facilities.

Garinger explained that when he appears in front of the Public Accounts Committee he will be able to say that timelines for implementation have already happened. The entire problem was that the planning was there and projects were completed but they did not complete the process of filing the completed projects.

“So the information system didn’t speak to that not because it hadn’t been updated by our staff but that is a practice piece that needed to be implemented. It was not that the work wasn’t being completed, I think that is a fair thing to say. It’s a challenge to say well it didn’t get done when, in fact, the work was being done the staff simply weren’t closing the loop on it. Like I said we already implemented those changes,” he said.

Ferguson said school maintenance problems are not limited to Horizon School Division. She said all school divisions should know what maintenance standard their buildings should meet, how much maintenance costs, and properly track current conditions and planned projects. Ferguson said she’s not sure how many Saskatchewan school divisions actually do this.

The provincial government has built 57 new schools and approved 23 major school renovation projects since 2008.

-With files from Jason Kerr, Prince Albert Daily Herald

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