Dozens descended upon the Alfred Jenkins Fieldhouse Saturday to celebrate being fit and having fun.

It was the seventh annual Walk For Life, which supports the fitLife program. FitLife is a program for people with heart and lung issues that gets them exercising, active and healthy again. It has run in Prince Albert for several years, and includes exercise and education. Classes run three times a week at the fieldhouse.

About 80 people came out to Saturday’s walk. All funds raised will go towards the fitLife program.

“Even though it was a little cloudy and we were scared of rain … it was great,” said Robin Gyoerick, one of the program’s exercise therapists.

In addition to the walk around the fieldhouse and the barbecue, activities were held inside the fieldhouse, including fun contests such as competing to see who could blow a pea the farthest across a table, who could put on the most socks on one foot in 30 seconds and who could catch the most little dice blindfolded in 30 seconds.

While several fitLife members came out, so did several from the younger generation.

“I love when families come,” Gyoerick said.

“We want to educate the younger generation to be healthy and take care of themselves.”

One of the participants who walked with family was Jim Wenzel. He had his two grandsons, Kayden and Kaine, along with him for the walk and the games. They’re also fixtures at the fitLife class, where they work out alongside him or help him with difficult stretches.

“Today is super fun,” Wenzel said. “It’s just as much fun as going to a park.”

Wenzel has enjoyed the program, especially “the whole aspect of getting more physically fit,” he said.

“That’s enjoyable, getting my wind back, improving my strength.”

Eleanor George is also a big supporter of the program.

“It keeps us strong and healthy,” she said.

“I come three times a week, and it’s difficult because I have to get rides, but it’s a necessity.”

George said she always supports the way, and this year, went all the way around.

She had fun, too, especially getting to know some of her classmates.

“At exercise time, we don’t always have time to chat and visit,” she said, “so today we’re getting all of that in.”

It was a pastoral scene straight out of rural French Canada.

A few dozen people, piled into a tent in front of an old, wooden store on a ranch just north of Prince Albert, laughing and joking en Français with the sound of fiddle, banjo, accordion, foot stomping and wooden spoons setting the mood.

It was a time of celebration. For the Fransaskois, and for francophones across Canada, one of the biggest days of the year — Saint-Jean-Baptise Day, the national holiday of Quebec.

“It originally was a religious celebration for French Canadian Catholics, now it’s evolved over the years into more of a cultural expression of ourselves, our language and our music,” said Michel Dubé, the president of the Société canadienne-française de Prince Albert (SCFPA)

“It’s just a good excuse to get together, It’ a national day of recognition for French Canadians, including the Fransaskois here. That’s what it is — a good reason to celebrate, the solstice has just arrived and it’s the beginning of the summer.”

Dubé, a retired bison rancher, hosted the event on his property, at the former White Star Trading Post. He invited Regina’s La Raquette à claquettes, a Fransaskois folk act, to perform at the celebrations.

They brought a fiddle-driven folk flair to the festivities, singing and joking in true Saskatchewan fashion, about beer, John Deere, and everything in between.

The event was smaller than it has been in previous years, but Dubé said it’s about why they’re celebrating more than about how many could make it.

“People are here for the right reasons,” he said.

“Afterwards, we’ll keep on celebrating around a bonfire, maybe cook some sausages.”

This year’s festivities continued into Sunday morning, with a brunch planned for members of the Fransaskois community and guests.

“French speakers, Francophiles, those who want to learn and practice French, they’re more than welcome too.”

The celebration comes as the SCFPA continues to grow its numbers. Boosted by newcomers from French-speaking African nations, some Columbian residents who speak French and even a resident or two from France itself.

”We’re trying to increase our activities, and the variety of activities, so we can try to satisfy as much as we can of what people want to do and have fun,” Dubé said.

But Saturday was just about the moment.

“Today is a day to celebrate,” Dubé said.

“To have some music and get us dancing.”

 

Prince Albert Area Community Foundation announces annual grants and scholarships

Wednesday was a good day for many of the area’s arts, culture and support programs, as the Prince Albert Area Community Foundation (PAACF) announced recipients of grant funding, as well as United Way funding and a pair of scholarships.

The ceremony was held at City hall in the morning, and a wide variety of programs received grant funding.

PAACF has been in existence since March 1999, and is a growing capital fund, of which the earnings are used to support local charitable needs and interests.

Donations themselves are never spent. Instead, they are invested, and the earnings from those investments go towards the grant and scholarship funding. PAACF also manages the John Diefenbaker fund on behalf of the city and the Rawlinson Centre, and collaborates with the Community Scholarships fund and several private funds. It also distributes grants from the Moffat Foundation and manages finds from the United Way – Saskatoon for the Prince Albert branch.

The 2018 recipients are:

Scholarships

Laroche Scholarship — Heiki Wicks of Birch Hills High School
Community Scholarships — Jayden Bissky, Laura Doderai and Megan Evans

United Way Funding

Prince Albert Mobile Crisis Unit Co-op — domestic violence and sexual assault program: $11,000 to provide services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault

PAACF funding

Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan — Minds in Motion: $10,000, has three components (exercise, social, mental stimulation) for Alzheimer victims and their care partners.

Catholic Family Services of Prince Albert — Coping with Grief: $4,885, group sessions for children 6-13 years of age to focus on helping children deal with grief and loss, plus two parent sessions.

Family Futures — Milk Coupon project: $10,000 to purchase milk coupons to be redeemed by a retail network.

Jubilation Residential Centres Inc — OTA TA YA YIN: $5,150 for a dedicated, in-house counselling service for First nations/Métis elders.

Mann Art Gallery — iMAGine ARTS: $3,000 to support monthly outreach programs in public long-term care homes.

Prince Albert Community Networking Coalition — Coordinator position: $9,000 to support a coordinator position to facilitate the collaboration and efficiency of community resources.

Prince Albert Mobile Crisis Unit Co-op — Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault program: $13,295 to provide services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault

Saskatchewan Association for Community Living, Prince Albert Branch — Interec Summer Camp 2018: $10,000 to provide support workers to increase the participation in our community of people with intellectual disabilities

St. Mary Daycare Inc. — Teen/infant accessibility: $2,000 to help meet costs of transportation to school for student families

Prince Albertans had a chance to meet some of their newest neighbours Wednesday.

The YWCA resettlement services hosted an open house at their new location, the former home of Wesley United Church, were families who recently arrived in the country could meet members of the community and share their culture.

Traditional food, music, art and dress was on display, as was an overall jovial atmosphere, as the refugees lined up to meet people in their new home. The event was held to coincide with World Refugee Day.

The refugees hailed from countries in Africa as well as South Asia, with families from Eritrea, Syria, Sudan, Congo, Pakistan and Uganda.

Many had been housed in a refugee camp for several years before finally getting the approval to come to Canada.

One such person is Amisi Mutombo. While he originally hails from Congo, he lived in a Ugandan refugee camp for five years. He moved to Canada three and a half months ago, in the middle of February and the prairie winter.

He had good things to say about his new home.

“I think the country is good and the city is also good,” he said.

“They have welcomed us very well, and they have supported us.”

The only hard part, he said, was adjusting to winter and the bitter cold. He was pleased to be a part of Wednesday’s open house.

“It’s good. We’re all refugees and we’re all from Africa, and we are sharing our culture,” he said.

Like Mutombo, Abdulkarim Mohammed arrived in February. He also came from a Ugandan refugee camp, where he lived for seven years after fleeing Sudan.

“It can be a long process,” he said. “After that, you can get a chance, now I’m feeling better,” he said of his journey.

Mohammed also said he struggled to adjust to the winter weather.

“Nothing has been difficult, just winter is very difficult for me. Everything is ok,” he said.
When he found out he would be coming to Canada, Mohammed was excited.

“I was very happy,” he said. “I like everything in Canada. Because I got a chance in Canada, it’s going to change my life.”

Mohammed said he was also happy to participate in the open house. He spoke of the refugees from many different countries coming together.

“It’s good,” he said.

Amanda Davison, the manager of settlement services with the Prince Albert YWCA, said Wednesday was an opportunity for the newcomers to host the community and share a part of themselves.

“I’m hoping the clients we serve can meet new faces in the community, but I also think it’s a great opportunity to educate the community about the situations of refugees who are arriving in Prince Albert,” she said.

The YWCA helps Government Assisted Refugees (GARS) learn the language, learn to drive, learn and settle into the community and gain employment in Prince Albert. In the 2017-2018 year, the program served 98 GARS.

The programming is there through the YWCA for refugees until they become citizens of Canada. During the 2017-18 year, the YWCA settlement services worked with 340 people, settlement workers in schools (which works with children and parents) served 260 clients and employment assisted 77.

The volunteer/community connections services, which offers additional volunteer-based skills training such as computer use, had 57 clients.

So far in April and May of this year, the program has received nine new arrivals, and assisted 201 individuals in April and 222 in May with at least one service.

Davison wanted to thank the community for its help and invite people interested in helping out to come down to learn more about the programs offered.

“We’re always looking for volunteers to mentor (refugees) and show them around the community,” she said.

For more information, visit YWCApricnealbert.ca, stop by Wesley United Church or email amandadavison.ywca@sasktel.net.

Eid al-Fitr is a joyful time for Prince Albert’s Muslim community, and this week the Prince Albert Muslim Association (PAMA) wanted to share that joy with the community.

Eid marks the end of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, a holy month where Muslims from around the world fast from dawn till dusk, abstaining from both food and water to remember the less fortunate. The month is also a time of increased spiritual reflection and worship.

According to a postcard provided by PAMA, “Muslims celebrate the end of the month by gathering with loved ones and spreading joy.”

PAMA also said the meaning of EID is to embrace with an open heart, inspire impressive attitude and distribute pleasure to all.

“Wishing you smiles and all things nice,” the postcard read. “May this Eid Al Fitr bring all the comforts you have ever wanted, and all the joy and laughter you have ever wished.”

To celebrate, the Prince Albert Muslim community went door-to-door with treats, and dropped off food baskets to various schools and non-profit organizations. They also paid a visit to both the fire and the police station to honour their heroes.

“We had our Eid celebration, we had our get together and morning prayers, and then we wanted to go — like Christmas you have a gift exchange with family and friends _ the same way we do, so our kids and families collected some donations and made some food baskets for local organizations and schools,” said Muhammad Akhtar, PAMA secretary.

“Monday, we delivered to different places.”

Both Fire Chief Jason Everitt and food bank executive director Wes Clark said the appreciated the gestures. Everitt said once the group arrived they were given a brief tour, which the kids found quite exciting.

Monday was only the latest Ramadan delivery to the Prince Albert Food Bank. Other donations had been made previously during the holy month, Clark said.

“It’s highly encouraging to see many groups come together to support our efforts,” Clark said, adding that the baskets of donated food were “huge” for the food bank.

Akhtar said PAMA was glad to give back to the community.

“We wanted to share our celebrations, and we wanted to give back to the community because our guys have been here in Canada for a while, and they wanted to participate in something in the community,” he said.

“Everyone was happy. They were really appreciative we were inviting them to join in our celebrations.”

 

The Prince Albert Police Service is asking the public to proactively report gang-related graffiti, known as tagging, in the city.

The public is asked to report properties or locations that have graffiti by calling the police non-emergency line (306-953-4222 option 2) or the online report a crime option on www.papolice.ca. File number 18-18554 –graffiti has been created to track graffiti activity in the city, and can be referenced when a police report is filed. Residents wanting to remove graffiti can access the city’s anti-graffiti paint program. To do so, go the community services department on the second floor of City hall to fill out and application to receive a free paint kit to be sued for removing graffiti.

According to a police press release sent out Tuesday, the most effective way to prevent graffiti from reoccurring is to remove it promptly within 24-48 hours.

“There has been a increased trend in the last month of noticeable graffiti defacing public and residential property,” said police spokesperson Alanna Adamko in an emailed response to questions.

“The Prince Albert Police Service is asking residents to take steps to report and where possible remove the graffiti.”

She said tagging becomes an issue as graffiti is often used to mark gang territory “and promote certain gangs within the city.

“To deter this criminal element we must work together to remove the tags.”

Some of the common tags seen around Prince Albert are “TS” and “2019”, in various combinations. Those are the tags of Terror Squad, one of the more prevalent street gangs operating in Prince Albert.

For almost 30 years, Shawn Meckelborg has been battling blackflies in local river systems to protect the region’s livestock

He’s back, and if you’re a blackfly, he’s public enemy number one.

Every spring and summer for almost 30 years, Shawn Meckelborg has patrolled local river systems with a non-chemical insecticide to kill the larvae of those pesky bloodsuckers.

The spraying program is funded by the Ministry of Agriculture with a grant, and is run by the District 32 Agriculture Development and Diversification Board, which includes members from each of the rural municipalities in the abatement area. The program uses a bacterial pesticide called BTI, or Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelenis. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), BTI is a biological or naturally occurring bacterium found in soils. It contains spores that produce toxins that specifically target the larvae of mosquitos, blackflies and fungus gnats.

“It’s not a chemical and it’s non-toxic,” Meckelborg said.

“It’s very target-specific and very effective. It will kill the larvae, and you don’t get the non-target ones, the ones that are helping you. It’s very environmentally friendly and specific that way.”

Meckelborg said he doesn’t have to wear special gear to handle BTI and the containers are recyclable, going right in with food grade containers.

While the spraying has the added benefit of making life more tolerable for humans, it’s actually done to prevent losses to livestock. According to Meckelborg, a 1975 study estimated the cost of black flies in the livestock industry at $3 million annually. That’s the equivalent of $14.2 million today.

While blackflies won’t directly kill an animal, they can cause them to stampede, or to stop feeding. They’ll also target soft tissue, preventing calves from suckling. In rare cases, they’ll swarm a cow’s throat and suffocate them.

“They do cause quite a bit of damage in different ways.”

To combat those losses, spraying starts in the spring and continues into the fall. The insecticide is applied to moving bodies of water, where the blackfly larvae thrive.

“They’re in the water,” Meckelborg explained.

“They have no means of motility and need food to come to them. That’s why they’re in flowing water. They have filaments almost like tentacles that grab food as it comes by to feed. What I send out is a bacterium they feed on. That bacteria kills the gut pH, killing the larvae that way.”

Treatments are done to the North and South Saskatchewan River, as well as the Saskatchewan River east of the forks. It is also done on the Torch, Garden and Little Red Rivers, as well as Bedard and Miners Creeks.

“We spray from … the beginning of our abatement zone and spray all through the river system,” Meckelborg said.

“It’s mostly done in the spring and we run it through the summer. But we target the spring populations because that gives you the best bang for your buck. If you knock those down, because females can lay thousands of eggs, if you get that first population off you’ll see fewer flies throughout the year.”

How often the treatment is applied depends a lot on the river. It depends on flow rates, as the insecticide has to reach a certain concentration. If water levels are high, more pesticide has to be used, which means more money, more budget spend and fewer treatments later on in the year.

The current iteration of the program has been in place since 1990. So far, Meckelborg said, it has proven very successful.

“Sometimes I think we’re a victim of our own success,” he said.

“People don’t realize we’re still out here doing it. It’s been almost 30 years for myself. You’re going to have good and bad years. It’s the environment, rather than the program changing. It’s been good so far, good this year anyway.”

 

A program that has been operating in the area for 22 years is holding its seventh annual fundraising walk this Saturday.

fitLife is a program aimed at helping patients with heart, lung and other chronic illnesses. It includes exercise programs three days a week, along with education about stress management, nutrition, medications and risk factors.

FitLife runs cardiac rehabilitation for those with angina, heart attack, bypass surgery, angioplasty, stent procedures, valve surgery or pacemakers; pulmonary rehabilitation available to those with asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), sarcoidosis, cystic fibrosis or lung transplant; and risk management for those with high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol.

One patient who has gone through the program is Jack McDonald. He said having access to experts to help plan and guide recovery is one of the most important benefits of the program.

“The staff members are very professional,” said McDonald in a news release.

“You don’t get to use the equipment until they show you how to use it so you don’t overexert yourself. I felt much better after I started the program.”

McDonald, who has stents in his heart, was active three days a week with the program at the Alfred Jenkins Fieldhouse. Last year, Prince Albert’s fitLife program averaged 112 participants every day the gym ran across the three groups. On average, about 64 cardiac patients attended each class.

According to Robin Gyoerick, an exercise therapist with the program, said most who come through the program show improvement in some area of their life, “whether it just be functional — before they couldn’t walk a block and can now walk a mile, or just with heir daily activities, especially for people with lung disease.

“Maybe they had a hard time just even getting dressed, and now they’ve improved their function a little bit more so they can do it with a little more ease.”

Gyoerick said people have come through the program who, after surgery, could barely do anything, and have professed to the point where they can go back tow work feeling well.

So far, some people have registered and donations are coming in, but Gyoerick would really like to see more people come out and participate. The event, which will also feature games and a barbecue, is open to everyone to participate.

“My biggest goal is to get over 100 people to come to the walk, but it’s very nice to see that people are starting to recognize what the fitLife program is,” she said.

The Walk of Life is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at the fieldhouse. While the walk is a national event put on by the Cardiac Health Foundation of Canada, any funds raised by the local walk will go to the local fitLife program.