Morris Bodnarchuk’s pickup for his fiddle was acting up. It was cutting in and out, which made it difficult to perform. He took it into a shop, and they cleaned the end that connects to the amplifier.

It still didn’t work.

So Bodnarchuk took the fiddle and electric pickup to the first ever Repair Café held at the Margo Fournier Centre Saturday, and in a few short minutes, a volunteer identified a short in the wiring. A few minutes later, the pickup was fixed, and Bodnarchuk was putting on an impromptu concert for everyone at the Fourier Centre gym.

“I’m just elated,” Bodnarchuk said. “I’m so excited. It had given me no end of trouble.” He encouraged others to try to get their things fixed before throwing them away.

That’s the attitude organizers of the volunteer-led Repair Café are trying to instil into the people of Prince Albert. Saturday’s event was a success, and something to build on, as a steady stream of people flowed in to either get something fixed or see what the repair café was all about.

“We want to reduce the number of throwaway items that go to the landfill. The other reason is to encourage community support for fixing things and repairing items that are repairable,” said Lillis Lawrence, one of the volunteers and an organizer.

“It’s very encouraging to know that we have a huge amount of support, and that there’s more people that are spreading the word about the repair café.”

Lillis was manning the sewing station Saturday, reattaching a zipper that had come off an article of clothing. Her husband, Steve Lawrence, was at the glue and simple repairs station, working with a knife sharpener and a porcelain bowl. Like Lillis, Steve knows the value of fixing things around the home.

“It’s something I’ve always done, and over the year, I’ve probably saved thousands of dollars just from not replacing stuff,” he said.

“(We need to get into) the idea that a lot of thing, if you just take them apart and take a look, you might be able to fix.”

In addition to sewing and simple repairs, there was stations set up for furniture and electronics. Six volunteers worked throughout the afternoon, fixing head massagers, record turntables, appliances and other odds and ends.

Rene Blom was working at the electronics station. He had some luck earlier in the day, but was battling with a heat gun that had wires uncoiled.

“It’s a challenge,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a lot of fun to fix something and make it work again. I always try. I’m not always successful, but I always try to see why things aren’t working. Sometimes you’re lucky, and sometimes you’re not.”

The day wasn’t without its hitches – it became clear broken electronics were one of the most popular items, and there weren’t enough volunteers with that skillset, though the ones who were there did their best.

The first event gave organizers a sense of what they should expect next month when they hold the event again.

Another issue that arose was the misconception that it’s a drop-off service. It’s a drop-in, but not a drop-off.

“People have to stay with their items,” Lillis said.

“It’s a sharing of knowledge that we’re encouraged, so that people feel more empowered to actually look at items and consider if they can be fixed. Also, it’s to understand that fixing things takes time. You can’t just walk in and in an instant it’s done.”

Steve said showing people how to take things apart and put them back together also teaches people what good craftsmanship looks like. Maybe, he said, this an lead to better purchasing decisions of objects that won’t break as easily.

Steve, Lillis and the other volunteers are looking forward to April 7 when the second monthly event will be held. They’re also looking for more volunteers to help out with the repairs. That event will have a bicycle repair station, and is scheduled for 1-4 p.m. at the Margo Fournier Centre gym.

To volunteer, email repaircafeprincealbert@gmail.com or contact them on Facebook at Repair Café Prince Albert.

Winter Festival a huge success

After the 2018 Prince Albert Winter Festival, there’s nowhere to go but up.

The festival was highlighted by sold-out events and record-breaking crowds, culminating in a final weekend that packed the Alfred Jenkins Field House, both inside and out.

“It exceeded all expectations. It was wildly successful as far as I’m concerned,” said Barry Mihilewicz, Winter Festival Society president.

“Everything was awesome. Everything we did, attendance was great.”

With several events happening across different venues on different days, it’s hard to quantify exactly how many people came through the festival. But Mihilewicz said about 1,500 buttons were sold on site over the last weekend, more than ever before.
In addition, 766 plates of fish were served at the fish fry, in addition to the bannock burgers and stew served, as well as the long lines at the Alfred Jenkins Centre concession stand. One board member speculated it was the best-attended Winter Festival since the pulp mill was open.

“One of the staff members at the Jenkins said she has never been so exhausted after a day of work there,” Mihilewicz said.

The weather definitely helped boost attendance over the weekend, as did the return of the arm wrestling competition.

“The weather was something we had no control over. It was crazy how good the weather was,” Mihilewicz said.

“It was almost perfect. Minus eight degrees with no wind. That’s perfect Winter Festival weather. The dogs will run, they won’t overheat, but it’s nice enough that you can get bundled up without getting stupid bundles and go out. Everything cooperated this week.”

While the dog sled races, King Trapper events and arm wrestling were all well-attended, there was much more to the Winter Festival, including the Rock Show, Country North show, Voices of the North, the Gospel Show and more.

According to Mihilewicz, the Country North and Gospel Shows were packed. The rock show had lower attendance, but as a newer event, he expects it to continue to pick up.
Another popular show was the inaugural comedy show. It was put together by Kelly Taylor, and it sold out. He’s keen to do it again in 2019.

“Clearly there’s an interest. Clearly people are excited about the winter festival,” Mihilewicz said.

“It’s always so uplifting to have everything as well received as it was. I want to give a big shout out to the people of Prince Albert who came out and supported all of the events.”
He also thanked the supporters who came forward as sponsors, the staff at the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre and at the city for all of their help.

“(The Winter Festival) is clearly well on its way to reviving its past glory,” he said.

Mihilewicz said he’s not the only one who’s excited about how well this year’s festival went.

“We’re going to look at all of the different possibilities,” he said

“There’s a lot of stuff — we have so many positives to build on from this. We’re very excited about what’s happened, and it’s very exciting to move forward. As much as we’re tired, there’s not a single one saying’ oh well, I’m not sure if I want to do this’. Everybody is saying ‘let’s go, let’s talk about next year.’”

Candle Lake is one of 12 locations featured in an Expedia.ca list celebrating the best of the prairies.

The location was chosen for its beaches, it’s purple sand beaches, to be exact.

“It may not have the ocean, but Saskatchewan still has some of Canada’s most beautiful beaches,” the article says.

It talks about how purple sand beaches are formed, as the result of granite particles carved out by glaciers carried to beaches across the province.

The resort town of Candle Lake is also mentioned, with shout outs to the golf and country club, Quincy’s Corner and the Timberland Gallery.

“Saskatchewan’s purple sand beaches really caught our eye as a unique – and beautiful – attraction,” writer Carolyn Albee said in an emailed statement.

“We looked at several locations that have them, but Candle Lake stood out thanks to its secluded, yet accessible, location and plenty of convenient amenities right in town. We also thought that Candle Lake was simply the prettiest!”

The 12 reasons to visit the prairies also included three other Saskatchewan locales. The northern Athabasca Sand Dunes, the petrified forest and unique plant life in that area got the number two spot, while two southern locations — Gravelbourg and Mortlach — also made the list.

Gravelbourg was mentioned for its historic architecture, while Mortlach made it because of the Saskatoon Berry festival.

Candle Lake was number seven on the list, though the article said the list was in no particular order.

To read more about the top spots on the prairies, visit https://www.expedia.ca/travelblog/12-reasons-to-visit-the-prairies/

Farmers and advocacy groups are urging the federal government to take action to resolve shipping delays and trade disputes so grain can move to the market.

According to press releases and news stories, the speed of grain shipments across the province has slowed to a crawl, and little has been done to resolve the situation.

Railway bottlenecks are preventing products from Saskatchewan’s farmers from getting to market. Commentators are comparing it to the 2013-2014 year when producers dealt with similar problems.

“I have spoken with some producers who haven’t moved any grain since harvest and this is very concerning,” said Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) President Ray Orb, “The situation is eerily reminiscent of the backlog experienced in 2013-14 which was a disaster for producers. Every winter we urge the railways to move as much grain as they can to avoid damaging rural municipal infrastructure, yet almost every winter the railways have issues and grain is backlogged until spring.”

But some critics say there are solutions if there is the political will. Bill C-49 is working its way through the senate. Advocates say the legislation, which amends the Transportation Act, will help producers in their quest to hold rail operators accountable.

“The rail freight system for grain does not operate as a competitive marketplace,” Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) president Todd Lewis told senators.

“Nearly all our local delivery points are serviced by a single rail carrier. Data shows that the railway serving corridors in the northern grain belt has been consistently unable to supply more than 70 per cent of car orders in the current shipping season.”

According to APAS, Bill C-49 would enhance the ability of famers to monitor rail carriers and allow those carriers to be penalized if they don’t meet their obligations.

“There is an urgent need for government regulation and policy to ensure our transportation system meets the current and future needs of our agricultural producers,” Lewis said. He also called for further amendments.

Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) president Jeff Nielson also spoke in favour of the legislation. GGC said the legislation will create reciprocal penalties, a clear definition of what adequate and suitable service entails and increased transparency.

“Any costs associated with delivery delays inevitably roll down to me, the farmer,” said Warren Sekulic, GGC Director.

“I plan my grain deliveries out prudently so I can meet my payments and cancelled car orders and poor service from the railways have a direct impact on my bottom line. Farmers need C-49 now so we can stay in business.”

While industry groups are calling for C-49 to pass, SARM would also like to see some trade issues with India solved by the federal government. India has imposed high tariffs on pulse crops.