Police charge two with trafficking fentanyl

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The Prince Albert Police Service is warning the public about the dangers of fentanyl after finding seven grams in a recent search.

In a press release issued Wednesday afternoon, the police said that a pair of searches conducted by the Integrated Crime Reduction Team and the Street Enforcement Team resulted in the seizure of meth, morphine, fentanyl, drug packaging materials and several weapons.

Police say that they charged two men, Brandon Couillonneur and Jefferson Jobb, on May 28. They allegedly found 42 grams of meth, morphine pills and a taser. Couillonneur, 26, is charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking. Jobb, 30, is charged with weapons offences, possession of a controlled substance and breaching a court order.

Evidence obtained led the police to search a home in the 600 Block of Sixth Street East, there they found a small amount of meth, seven grams of fentanyl, over $6,000 in cash, a collapsible baton and drug packaging materials. Chelsea Nicole Dagenais, 32 and Devon Craig Leblanc, 41, are charged with possession of fentanyl for the purpose of trafficking. Dagenais also faces a charge of breaching probation, while Leblanc has been charged with possession of the proceeds of crime, possession of methamphetamine, possession of a dangerous weapon and failing to comply with court orders.

Anyone charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law.

“Police would like to warn the public that Fentanyl is so powerful that even a small amount can cause severe illness or death. Just a few grains of this substance can be fatal,” PAPS said in a press release.

“Purchasing drugs from a street dealer carries a higher risk of injury or death, as the user cannot be sure of the quality of the product, or whether any toxic substances have been added. Drugs or medications should only be taken as prescribed by a medical practitioner. The police service is advising the public not to consume illegal street drugs.”

They went on to say that anyone witnessing an overdose should call 911 immediately and remain at the scene. Under the Good Samaritan Overdose Act, anyone can report an overdose without being charged with a crime for having or using drugs. Police also encouraged people who use drugs or know someone who does to pick up a take-home naloxone kit.

One new COVID-19 death, second dose open to residents 65 plus

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The province reported one additional death from COVID-19 Wednesday. The resident was in their 70s and from the North West zone. Saskatchewan also reported 130 new cases, of which eight were in the North Central Zone. Prince Albert had five new cases, to bring its total to 51.

The seven-day average of new cases is 131, or 10.7 per 100,000.

Saskatchewan administered 9,299 doses of vaccine Tuesday. Of those, 386 were administered in the North Central Zone. All residents over the age of 12 are eligible for their first dose of vaccine, while all residents aged 65 or older, or anyone who received their first dose before March 22, are eligible for their second shot.

Currently, 63 per cent of those aged 12 or older have received their first dose. When that hits 70 per cent, the remaining public health restrictions, such as mask use and gathering limits, will be lifted.

Province pushes back against claims it isn’t doing enough to secure local wood supply

The provincial government is pushing back against accusations that it isn’t doing enough to ensure an adequate wood supply for proposed local projects.

Minister of Energy and Resources Bronwyn Eyre told the Herald that it has allocated some wood to one proposed project, but its hands are tied for other area allocations as they are caught up in existing contracts that shouldn’t be broken.

Eyre’s comments come a week after Coun. Don Cody asked during a public council meeting where the wood was for local manufacturers who have opened or are pursuing opportunities in the area.

Cody said the OSB mill’s investors — who still haven’t been identified publicly — have been asking since at least December for movement on this file.

“We’re into June next week,” he said last Tuesday. ‘Still no wood supply for the OSB mill. Where is our wood?”

As Cody spoke, other councillors banged on their desks and called out “Shame” and “where is it.”

Cody said it’s not just an issue the OSB mill is facing. He said Pivot Subscriptions, which operates a furniture assembly plant in the area, is having to import its wood supply from Manitoba, Alberta and Minnesota.

Eyre also responded to comments from NDP jobs critic Aleana Young. Young, who had tweeted about the issue, told the Herald that the wood supply “shouldn’t be a partisan issue,” but instead “a common-sense issue.”

“Pounding desks and chanting ‘where’s our wood’ is one approach,” Eyre said Tuesday.

“Pretending this is a partisan issue is another approach that makes zero sense. There are steps to these things. There are legal steps, environmental procedures that have to be gone through to ensure that the allocation process is fair as possible based on the wood available.”

She said there are business plans and environmental plans that have to be filed and formal allocation requests made.

‘All companies have to be treated equally and fairly in Saskatchewan,” she said.

She went on to say that Paper Excellence, which owns the Prince Albert Paper Mill, has a conditional timber allocation that was provided in 2018 and is set to expire this year. That allocation, she said, was to support the potential reopening of the mill. Despite comments made by other parties to the contrary, that allocation, she said, was for hard and softwood.

“That allocation runs out this December,” she said.

“It’s contingent on Paper Excellence reopening the mill. But that temporary allocation is a contract. I assume that mayor and council and … everyone who’s weighing in suggesting that we break that contract with Paper Excellence has to understand that was entered into in good faith when forestry was not booming the way it is today. Governments can’t be in the business of breaking contracts. We can’t create an investment climate where that happens. I’ve made no secret of that.”

Eyre said she spoke to the mayor “a number of times” and that he’s well aware of the contractual timber allocation and the province’s obligations.

“Yet,” Eyre said. “There continues to be this suggestion that we break the contract, which is unreasonable.”

Nothing precludes any company from trading timber through commercial agreements to ensure that allocations are fully utilized, Eyre said.

In a written statement, Paper Excellence said it’s working with a variety of stakeholders, including the provincial government, to support the restart of the mill.

‘We look forward to the day when the site can employ 200 people creating over $300 million per year in economic benefits for Prince Alert and all Saskatchewan,” read the statement, attributed to Graham Kissack, vice president EH&S and Corporate Communications.

Eyre said she’s been in constant contact with local MLAs and the projects impacted — both the proposed sites and the existing operations, such as Paper Excellence and Pivot Subscriptions.

Pivot, which manufactures furniture to be rented and then repurposed and reused, was mentioned at city council, but has not responded to a request for comment.

Eyre indicated one of the other companies in discussion in the region is One Sky Forest Products. She told the Herald that she’s been in constant contact with its CEO and one of its board members.

“We provided One Sky with a timber allocation of wood that we had,” Eyre said.

“We’ve done what we could to further things along based on what we have available in terms of timber allocation.”

During last week’s meeting, Dionne said a local component hoping to open an OSB mill had been promised a wood allocation but had not been provided a letter from the province confirming that allocation. That letter, he said, is needed to start pouring cement for a mill foundation.

Eyre said the government wants those “workable projects” to “move forward and thrive.”

“We want the jobs in PA and area. My MLA colleagues want the jobs in PA, and I think it’s very important that the people of PA and the region know that our commitment to PA is clear. Our commitment to growth is clear through the announcements we’ve made on the hospital, on the economic enhancement program, on the arenas and aquatic rec centre — we know PA can accomplish great things and we’re right behind them,” she said.

“These projects are a big part of that. But there is a process, in terms of something as important as contracts, which has to be also remembered here.”

Eyre said a lot of work goes on in her ministry and in the Ministry of Environment to “get the right log to the right mill” and to maximize the utilization of lumber in the province.

She stressed that at the time Paper Excellence was granted its timber allocation, the forestry industry was in a different situation, and these other companies weren’t on the horizon.

“We entered into this in the hope that the PA mill would reopen. Paper Excellence is a global company. It’s made some significant investments and investment announcements for PA and the mill this year, which has been very welcomed,” Eyre said.

In February, Paper Excellence announced an investment of more than $600,000 in engineering and consulting work focused on restarting the mill “as soon as possible.”

Kissack said at the time that, if all goes well, that could mean summer 2023.

“We’re heartened to see the investments that Paper Excellence has made, and we’re heartened to see the interest in the sector. Ensuring a thriving forestry sector is good for everybody,” Eyre said.

“In the growth plan that we released in 2019, we said explicitly that we want to double the size of the forestry sector. We take all of that very, very seriously.”

Who is One Sky Forest Products?

Eyre named One Sky as one of the companies looking to set up shop in the region. One Sky has not been named publicly by council, but its website lists it as operating in the Prince Albert area and planning to open an OSB Mill.

Their website proclaims “OSB Made in Saskatchewan” in a large banner across the top of the page.

“One Sky Forest Products will be offering best-in-class OSB products starting in Q1 of 2022,” the website says.

“Located near the dense and productive forests of Prince Albert Saskatchewan, our goal is to meet global market demands through strategic partnerships, competitive pricing and the optimization of forest lands.”

The company says they will create over 700 jobs in northern Saskatchewan.

Dionne had announced an unnamed forestry project creating 700 jobs targeting the area prior to last year’s municipal election. Council, and the regional development agency, have both also said a biomass manufacturer is planning to open in the area, possibly in or near Shellbrook.

On its website, One Sky says it plans to begin fabrication of oriented strand board (OSB) at a Prince Albert facility with a volume of 600 MMsf/yr of traditional performance-rated sheathing, and expand in its second year into multi-sized, radiant barrier sheathing and tongue-and-groove sub-flooring. A graphic also indicates interest in I-joist components and biofuel as a by-product.

OSB is used as a structural panel in construction, and also has uses in furniture production.

One Sky’s website commits to partnering with First Nations, providing quality OSB, designing and operating a facility with a low carbon footprint.

“Getting the right log to the right mill opens partnerships with existing forest-based companies and creates ‘win-win’ scenarios,” they say.

The company lists experienced forestry and financial executives among its executive leadership team, including Erik Munk, a former director of Global Project Development for Wood products at Stantec and CEO Brian Baarda, whose bio boasts of a 30-plus year career in the forest industry, including a tenure at Paper Excellence.

The company lists its partners as Montreal Lake Business Ventures, Wahpeton Dakota Developments and Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC).

According to the website, MLTC and the Big River First Nation have partnered together to form a group of ten Frist nations to invest and become shareholders in One Sky Forest Products.

One Sky lists a PO box in Prince Albert as its mailing address.

The company didn’t respond to requests for comment sent through their website, nor through Robert Fincati, a member of their board of directors who also serves as CEO of Montreal Lake Business Ventures and Wahpeton Dakota Developments.

City to consider cost of assuming Marion Aquatics

Delegation, citing publicly-available records, pins additional costs in the tens of thousands. Councilors estimate it could cost up to $500,000 per year

The City of Prince Albert will take a long, hard look at possibilities of reopening Marion Aquatics as a city-run facility after a group of concerned citizens implored council to rethink their role in the pool’s closure.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the pool would be closing after the city declined to renew its $143,000 subsidy of the operation and the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary, who operate and own the facility, decided it was time for them to step back from operations.

The decision was met with a local outcry, with councillors getting phone calls and letters and multiple letters to the editor sent to the paper.

Monday, a delegation that had collected over 700 signatures appeared in front of executive committee to ask them to take another look at the facility and find a way to keep it going until the new recreation centre opens in a few years.

The presentation was made by Murdine McCreath and Alma Newman, two local seniors who make use of Marion Aquatics. McCreath lives in the RM of Buckland, and is one of about 90 seniors, she estimates, who participate in regular aquacise classes at the pool. Newman is a lane swimmer who said she makes regular use of the city’s two indoor pools and one, seasonal, outdoor facility.

“if you haven’t seen the pool, it’s incredibly beautiful and immaculately kept,” McCreath said.

“The purpose we have today is to use numbers, logic and a little bit of emotion to keep on and continue the use of that pool until the new facility is built, which may be some time.”

McCreath, who said she got to know some of the nuns who helped operate the facility, called the pool a “gift” to the local community.

To make her case, McCreath used numbers. She said that in 2019, pre-COVID, there were 19.825 visitors to the facility, mostly consisting of aquacise and swimming lessons. She said that over 8,000 of those visits were little ones learning to swim between the months of September and June.

She also cited the pool as important for the Prince Albert Pikes synchronized swimming team. The team, which has won multiple provincial awards, can’t use the Frank Dunn Pool, she said, as it’s not deep enough. There also aren’t any free time slots for the team, made up of nearby schoolchildren, to book.

Newman expressed concerns that closing the pool without a suitable replacement will do damage to the city’s strong aquatic community.

“As far as I’m concerned, this is an offer you guys can’t refuse,” she said.

“If this pool closes, the Frank Dunn pool cannot absorb all of these people. You’re going to build a brand new aquatic centre three years out and half the users of it won’t be swimming. That’s pretty bad planning. We need to maintain what we have, we need to sustain it and improve it so that when the new pool opens, it will be well-used.”

Newman equated an investment to keep the pool running to an investment “for a brighter future for the aquatics community.”

She cited publicly available records from the Canada Revenue Agency that seem to show the relative ease, in her mind, with which the city could take over the pool.

Rivier Academy, which formerly housed a school and currently houses the pool, is a registered non-profit. Since it takes in revenues of over $100,000, its financial disclosures are listed publicly on the CRA website.

Newman looked at the last full year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pool, she said, cost about $350,000 to run that year, and collected user fees of almost $200,000. With the city’s existing $143,000 contribution, she argued, it wouldn’t take much — perhaps a small increase in fees or a little extra city funding — to keep the pool operating for another year. She suggested a small increase to the civic facilities levy, just $25 per resident per year, would be enough. She said a $35 levy would raise about $550,000 a year, citing the recent decision by the city to enact such a levy to fund additional police officers.

“I’m not here to denigrate anything you do,” Newman said.

“I know you have to be fiscally responsible, but Marion Aquatics is a drop in the bucket. We need to maintain what we have. I would like to challenge you to include the gem of the Marion.”

She said the facility is vital for children and senior populations of Prince Albert, and offered herself as a spokesperson to convince taxpayers that it’s worth paying a little more.

 “I’m not asking you to keep it forever. I’m saying let’s retain it and maintain it until we have the new facility. I want you to give it some sober second thought,” she said.

“I want you to think about the investment in the wellness, the fitness, the health, the quality of life of this community, and I’d like you to dig deep into your imagination and your leadership.”

While council seemed open to reconsidering its contribution of $143,000, they were hesitant to commit to anything more.

Mayor Greg Dionne suggested the women form a not-for-profit board to take over the facility’s management. He said he’d support them with the funding to keep the facility going if they were to do that.

But Newman said that wouldn’t be a possibility.

“We’re not even an entity,” she said. “I’m throwing it back to you. You have swimming pools. You have lifeguards. You know how to do this. I know the budget’s going to go a little higher, but we have incredibly competent people here. Why would you expect a group of old ladies and teenagers to try to run a swimming pool?”

Ward 5 Coun. Dennis Ogrodnick said he’d love for the city to take over the facility, but that it’s not financially possible.

“This was a financial decision,” he said. “This has been a very, very tough budget. To even come up with $140,000, I don’t know where we’ll get that money from. To take it over is going to be a huge task for the city.”

Ogrodnick estimated it would cost closer to $500,000 to operate the pool. Dionne suggested a similar dollar amount. But Ogrodnick and Ward 6 Coun. Blake Edwards suggested a contribution from another funding source — the RMs.

Ward 8 Coun. Ted Zurakowski agreed. He thanked the presenters for bringing the debate back into the public square. Council hasn’t considered the financial implications of running the facility since it was first decided to begin providing the subsidy three years ago.

Council voted to have city staff prepare a report outlining their options. It’s set to come back for consideration in 30 days.

Dionne said that, unlike city facilities, the pool is more complicated as it’s privately owned and tied to the building as a whole.

“It’s going to be hard fur us to get some of the costs,” he said.

“That building is 195,000 square feet. It has one gas meter. We don’t know if the heating system is run jointly.”

That means, for instance, that the pool heater and building heater might be on the same boiler, which would make it prohibitively expensive to run.

He said at a cost of $500,000, it will cost the city $1.5 million over three years to keep the pool running. That’s the same cost the city agreed to pay to expand the new facility to ensure it meets the minimum requirements for competition.

He also said the city would extend hours at the Frank Dunn pool in the meantime if the demand is there.

McCreath, who lives in the RM, said she will happily approach her council and appeal to them to contribute some money to keep the facility open.

The topic of RM funding city facilities used by its residents was also raised during council last week. RM of Buckland Reeve Don Fyrk said it would be a conversation his council would be open to having, but that they haven’t received a formal request to help fund the new recreation facility yet.

Dionne said Monday that the request is coming.

 Newman suggested the conversation about Marion Aquatics could serve as a “catalyst” for more future cooperation in funding recreational facilities.

She agreed that she and other concerned pool users have to do their part. But she stressed that the city has a role to play as well.

“They would like to find a solution. I’m cautiously optimistic,” she said after the meeting.

“I know it’s not … simple. Money is tight.”

She said if one can’t be found, and the Prince Albert Pikes, for instance, are left without a home, it would be “really tragic.”

McCreath stressed that the facility is vital to the area residents, and should be treated as such.

“Where (else) can 90 women go for exercise?” she asked.

“I’ve got boys that played hockey. They played soccer. They were subsidized forever. (The Pikes) won awards. If they were hockey players, we wouldn’t be seeing any hesitation with finding ways to keep a rink open.”

She added that fees pay for 2/3 of the facility’s cost and that the city wouldn’t have to pay a cent in infrastructure.

She said that’s value the city can’t find at any other facility in town.

By the numbers

The assertion from McCreath and Newman that the additional cost to the city to operate the pool is small stands up if you look at the 2019 numbers. But how about for other years?

The Herald looked through the CRA filings for the 2018, 2017 and 2016 years as well.

Here’s what we found:

In 2018, the pool only generated $159,493 from “sales” for goods and services. It also depended on $100,000 in contributions from other registered charities.

It reported $108,000 in “occupancy costs” and $152,000 in compensation for full- and part-time employees. Its total expenses were $286,201, a deficit compared to the $261,000 or so in revenue reported that same year.

In 2017, Rivier received $120,000 in donations from other charities and $168,000 from its own revenue. It reported $144,000 in occupancy costs and $176,000 in compensation, and reported a deficit of over $60,000.

The year prior was a bit different. Rivier also operated as a school for the first six months of 2016. With six months of school operations combined with 12 months of pool operations, Rivier reported its revenue as $682,224, including $266,649 from sales of goods and services. Expenses that year totaled over $805,000.

The Herald attempted to examine which charities donated to the facility, and for how much. It found some donations from the nearby Catholic cathedral, as well as a not-for-profit organization called the Sisters of the Presentation, who included, among other activities, the subsidization of the educational swimming pool in Prince Albert.

As for where that leaves the city, residents will have to wait for city staff to report back with their findings. However, the pool never topped $16,533 in administrative and management expenses in the three years the Herald examined (2017, 18 and 19). That number would likely increase under city management, as all pool activities would be considered paid hours, likely raising that number by a few thousand dollars.

The city may also have to make up the proportion of the budget funded by donations. In 2019, it was just $20,000, but in 2020 it rose to $50,000.

Regardless, both the pool users and city politicians are unanimous — it’s time for the sisters to step away from managing the pool and move into the next chapter of their lives.

One new COVID-19 death reported Monday, hospitalizations at lowest point since November

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Saskatchewan reported one death from COVID-19 Monday. The patient was over the age of 80, and from the Saskatoon Zone.

The death was reported, along with 113 new cases, in Monday’s daily data update. of the new cases, nine were in the north central zone. Five are in the city. Prince Albert now has 48 active cases of COVID-19. There are 108 people in the hospital, the lowest total since Nov. 28, 2020. Of those, 83 are receiving inpatient care and 25 are in the ICU.

There were an additional 8,039 doses of vaccine administered Sunday, including 507 in the North Central. So far, 77 per cent of those over the age of 40 have received their first dose of the vaccine. That percentage falls to 71 per cent of residents over the age of 30 and 66 per cent of those 18-plus.

All residents aged 50 or older in the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District are now eligible to receive their second dose, so long as it

s been 28 days from their first dose if they received Moderna, and 21 days if their first dose was Pfizer.

For the rest of Saskatchewan, second doses are now open to residents aged 70 or older or those who received their first dose before March 15.

Saskatchewan entered phase one of its reopening roadmap this weekend. Step two is scheduled for June 20.

Hospice hoping to donate land for park in exchange for fee reduction

The Rose Garden Hospice is hoping to trade a portion of its land to the city in exchange for lowered or eliminated servicing and development levy fees.

The hospice is set to appear before councillors during Monday’s executive committee meeting to propose the land swap as a way of offsetting some of the construction costs.

The Hospice Association hopes to break ground and begin construction this year, despite not having raised the entire $4 million they had hoped for. The fear is that if they delay for another year or longer, the construction cost will continue to rise and the promised operating funding from the province will be withdrawn.

The hospice is named after the late Rose Daschuk, who passed away in the hospital after a battle with cancer. Her family has been working to get a hospice built in her name to provide a more dignified way to die and to take pressure off of the acute care system.

In 2019, the project got a big boost in the form of a $500,000 pledge from local philanthropist Malcolm Jenkins and the promise of up to $1.2 million in annual operational funding from the province.

Fundraising began in earnest. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, made that more difficult, and as it sits today, the association is more than $1 million from its goal.

“Every cent we get we have to get from donations,” said Don Daschuk, who was Rose’s husband.

“We are in the position where if we don’t do something, we are in jeopardy of losing our provincial money for operations. We had to act right away to show that we’re moving forward.”

Daschuk, who heads up the building committee, said the project went out to tender last summer but came back way over budget. In response, the facility was redesigned, with vinyl wall coverings changed to painted walls, the front entrance redesigned and the full basement taken out.

“It’s functional but nice,” he said.

“We went back to tender in March and it came in on budget. That’s when the prices of materials started going crazy.”

Subcontractors, though, came to the rescue.

“They said, ‘we absolutely love this project. We will hold our pricing if we know it’s going to go ahead right away,” Daschuk said.

Faced with ballooning construction costs and a possible withdrawal of their operating grant if they didn’t start construction, the hospice association decided to move ahead with the project, despite being short on pledges needed to fund the entire facility.

“We just had to go out on a leap of faith.”

Now, the hospice is looking at other ways to lower the cost of construction.

According to their presentation to the city, they owe $100,737 for surface works- such as the roadway, curbing and landscaping, $148,035 for servicing and underground utilities and a development levy of 106,812.18 per hectare.

Another problem faced by the hospice is many of their donations to date are spread over a five-year term.

They’re proposing to trade the costs of servicing and development levies on its 10-acre lot for a 1.88-acre parcel of land along the rotary trail, land reserved in their approved development permit for greenspace.

Their hope is to use that space for a park, with the city developing whatever it feels appropriate, whether leaving it as greenspace or adding a small playground. The proposal has the support of neighbouring housing developments. The proposal is also supported by Marilyn Elmer, the daughter of late Fred Trach. Trach donated the land the hospice, and now proposed park, are to be located on.

“My father … would be thrilled with the idea of children playing in the park and people sharing a bench, having a quiet conversation with coffee in hand,” Elmer wrote.

“He would be so happy for the Daschuks to achieve their long-held dream, appropriately honouring Rose.

“We need help from them,” Daschuk said. “We want to partner with them. We want to get our heads together and say ‘ what can we do to move this forward. We don’t have anything that we can offer the city other than land. If they could help us with giving us a break on the costs or doing this trade, we’re open to anything.”

Forgiving the fees would allow more of the existing funds to go towards construction costs to get the project underway, Daschuk said.

“The hope is that the city can see the same things that we see. They’ve been very supportive of us in the past, so we’re hoping for great things.”

Monday’s meeting gets going at 4 p.m. at city hall and will be streamed live to Youtube.

‘Where is our wood?’ – City demands province work faster to secure additional timber allocation for proposed project

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The city wants the provincial government to do more to help secure a wood supply for corporations looking to set up operations in the area.

That’s the delay in a proposal that Dionne announced before the city election last year, one that was announced as creating as many as 700 jobs in the area. It’s since been revealed to be an OSB mill, which would require hardwood lumber to operate.

Comments from city councillors asking the province to do more came out of a question asked by Ward 4 Coun. Don Cody during Tuesday’s council meeting inquiring where the wood supply for the facility is at.

Cody said the mill’s investors — who still haven’t been identified publicly — have been asking since at least December for movement on this file.

“We’re into June net week,” he said. ‘Still no wood supply for the OSB mill. Where is our wood?”

As Cody spoke, other councillors banged on their desks and called out “Shame” and “where is it.”

Cody said it’s not just an issue the OSB mill is facing. He said Pivot Subscriptions, which operates a furniture assembly plant in the area, is having to import its wood supply from Manitoba, Alberta and Minnesota.

Pivot didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Dionne said the lack of supply means Pivot can’t grow as fast as it wants to. He also said the issue is impacting a proposed wood pellet plant in the area, which would create fuel for biomass generators elsewhere in the province.

Dionne said he’s about to launch a public campaign to implore the provincial government to do more to ensure the proposed OSB mill, Pivot and the proposed biofuel manufacturing site can get their wood allocations.

“I served our MLAs notice this morning that I will be starting a heavy public campaign to call them and the premier,” Dionne said Tuesday.

“You hear them say they had one of their best years eve (for lumber). We would have made more than that if we had the wood allotment for other companies that are waiting. They’re not working on it at the speed they should be.”

Dionne said if the province had come through on what he alleges were promised wood allotments, the cement would already be poured for the OSB plant, and pivot would be hiring more staff.

“It’s going to get very public. We’re going to phone the premier directly and ask where’s our wood supply. We have a great opportunity in our city. We could put 1,200 people back to work in the forest industry if they could get their letters (promising wood allotments) today.”

Dionne said that if the proposed OSB mill could get even a promise of a partial allocation for a few months then they could start construction.

“The people that are playing with us are serious,” he said. The OSB proposal, he added hasn’t asked for any money.

‘All they have asked the province to give us is wood supply. You’re going to see it heat up here in the next week. We’re going to ask all of our companies to support us … because they want to put people back to work.”

The Herald sent an interview request to the Ministry of Energy and Resources. A spokesperson said Minister Bronwyn Eyre was not available for an interview, but sent a written statement attributed to her.

In her statement, she said the government remains committed to the “full development and utilization of the timber supply” in the area.

“Currently, virtually all the timber in that area I contractually allocated to existing companies,” including Paper Excellence for the potential reopening of the pulp mill.

“As timber becomes available, we will examine any and all options and opportunities for other projects.”

Dionne pointed out that the lumber allocated to Paper Excellence isn’t the same type of lumber that would be needed for an OSB plant. The OSB mill needs hardwood. Paper Excellence, sources have confirmed to the Herald, would use softwood in its operations.

He’s not the only one keeping a close eye on the situation.

NDP jobs critic Aleana Young is also watching the situation closely.

“This shouldn’t be a partisan issue. This is a common-sense issue. This is hundreds and hundreds of good, mortgage-paying jobs. In addition to that, business is good for business. I run a small business myself. When there are more people with good jobs in the community, that means more money being spent in my business, which in turn allows me to hire more staff. I’d be really surprised if the broader business community in PA isn’t also concerned about this.”

There aren’t unused lumber allocations just waiting for the taking. Wood allocations are typically determined far in advance. According to the Ministry of Environment, 61 per cent of the province’s commercial forest has long-term licensing arrangements with forest management agreements in place. Even short-term supply licenses are issued for five years. Other permits are issues for one year or two to five years at a time.

Other forest management agreements include 20-year management plans.

Those long-term forest management plans are also typically awarded to companies that don’t’ just harvest wood, but manufacture products too, such as Carrier Forest Products, Tolko Industries, Edgewood Forest Products and Weyerhauser.

Only 16 per cent of the commercial forest is allocated using the shorter-term volume-based license areas.

That means it can be difficult for new players who don’t have an existing allocation to get one in place. With the shortest of timber allocations expiring after a year, it’s up to individual companies to negotiate lumber supply in the interim, and those negotiations could involve large royalty payments or other methods of recouping lost revenue from the unused portion of an allocation.

Speaking to reporters after Tuesday’s meeting, Dionne said he’s suggested solutions where unused allotments get redirected to the new companies, or where companies like Pivot or the proposed biomass manufacturing site receive waste wood not used by other mill sites in Saskatchewan.

He alleged that some product is being burned at other mill sites that these companies could use, and that allowing them to use it would make more sense. He said Prince Albert is on the edge of an economic boom, and if it can get these facilities open, that boom will be here.

“I believe there’s room for all (of them),” he said. “We just have to manage it better.”

The province said allocations of timber have been made to a variety of forestry companies in order to support existing operations.

“We encourage companies with existing timber allocations to trade timber through private commercial agreements in order to ensure that allocations are fully utilized.

Our government continues to work closely with all existing and potential forestry companies, in order to understand their business needs, investment timelines, and related timber requirements in order to support their projects.”

Mayor calls on province to force RMs to contribute to urban recreation projects

A debate over a controversial residency policy at city council Tuesday turned into a heated debate about municipal cooperation.

Multiple councillors stressed the importance of working together to build a better community, including working with surrounding RMs, while others said RM politicians and residents have to step up to fund infrastructure and facilities within city limits.

“We need to convince the RMs to do more collaboratively,” said Ward 4 Coun. Don Cody.

“But if you believe that’s in the cards in the next little while, you’re kidding yourself. How much are we going to get for our big project? And how many people from the RMs are going to use it? Loads of them. I’d like them to come up with some of the dollars.”

Ward 8 Coun. Ted Zurakowksi, who sits on a joint committee between the city and RM, also talked about the need for collaboration.

“Our RMs, friends, neighbours and relatives nearby need to be called out and say — work with us,” he said.

“We need your help for these infrastructure costs. For the pipes in the ground. For the $18million pipe going into the river that’s going to your RMs. If the RMs won’t engage in those conversations, I’m hopeful the people who live there will. They will call their councillors and Reeves and say ‘work with the City of Prince Albert because we now 30 per cent of our youth go to the city and we have a responsibility to share that benefit as well as that burden.’”

Other councillors were less optimistic the RMs would contribute to projects such as the new recreation centre.

Ward 1 Coun. Charlene Miller, who has sat on joint committees before, said that when working with RMs, “you’re told where you sit.”

Mayor Greg Dionne was another voice doubting the RMs would contribute to city projects.

“The RMs will not tax for us. They will not, to the point that the mayors are pleading with the government to force them not ask them,” he said.

“The citizens may want it, but they’re not the deciding factor. I don’t see a petition coming to either of the RMs to say ‘let’s help our neighbours.’”

Dionne said he’s challenging Zurakowski and Ward 6 Coun. Blake Edwards, who also sits on that committee, to get results and secure some contributions from the RMs. He hopes they have better success than he has over the last ten years he’s been asking.

“It’s the whole province,” he told the Herald following the meeting.

“The big cities build the big rec cities. We’re going to spend $60 million on this one and probably $70 million on the next ones. The RMs get to walk in the door and the residents of the city have to pay for it. That’s what frustrates me when they talk about being equal and fair.”

Dionne suggested that the city might examine a two-tiered fee structure, where city residents pay less than non-city residents to use the facility once it opens.

He also reiterated his call for the province to step in.

“The 16 cities are yelling the same thing,” Dionne said.

“We’re all on the same page. I’m amazed that the province hasn’t stepped in and legislated that there will be a two per cent levy in every RM to be paid to the nearest city to help them with sports facilities.”

He said it will be interesting once it comes time to fundraise for the new recreation centre. He hopes the RMs step forward, but he’s not optimistic they will.

The mayor’s words aren’t going unheard.

One person who watched Tuesday’s meeting through the online stream was RM of Buckland Reeve Don Fyrk. He was less than impressed with some of the comments made during the meeting.

“There were some things that were said that I do not appreciate,” Fyrk said.

He refuted the fact that RM residents don’t support city facilities. He pointed out that RM residents pay user fees when they do access city facilities. He also said that city residents use RM infrastructure – such as roads — and ride quads and ATVs through RM facilities, but that the RM hasn’t considered asking the city to pay for that.

“It’s tit for tat, but I’m not getting involved in mudslinging,” he said.

Fyrk said he would be willing to sit down and discuss a request from the city in a proper forum, but so far hasn’t been asked.

“We had no say in this — if the city decides to do something, why should we up our taxes in the RM for a project that we had no say or input into. They can come to any one of our council meetings or set p a direct meeting. Or we can have a special meeting to discuss everything. I’m open to that. If the city wants to talk, we’re open to talk, but from the looks of that meeting, I don’t know if they want to talk.”

The city’s demands, Fyrk said, and lack of consultation leads him to rethink existing collaboration, such as the newly-formed Prince Albert Regional Economic Development Alliance or PAREDA.

He said a regional approach — where everyone in an area benefits when one does well is “the way it’s supposed to be.”

He also rejected Dionne’s assertion that the province needs to step in to force RMs to contribute to city infrastructure.

‘that would be something councils have to work out on their own.”

The Herald reached out to RM of Prince Albert Reeve Eric Schmalz but did not receive a response.

Such a structure isn’t unheard of. In Alberta, the NDP government introduced Intermunicipal Collaboration Frameworks, or ICFs, that require neighbouring municipalities to outline which infrastructure residents of the other municipality rely on, and ways to share the costs of operating those facilities.

If municipalities can’t agree on an ICF, a mediator would be brought in to help them arrive at an agreement.

That’s not a path the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) wants to see the province go down.

Casinos set to open on June 20

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SIGA announced Friday that it is planning to open each of its seven casinos on June 20.

During the initial phase of the opening, the casinos will start up in a reduced capacity. The casinos will open with physical distancing and a maximum capacity of 150 people.

According to a press release, casinos will offer select gaming and food service, and will enhance services as restrictions lift.

“We’re very excited to be able to welcome back our valued guests with our unique brand of First Nation’s hospitality to our casinos across the province,” Zane Hansen, SIGA president and CEO, said in a press release.

“The health and safety of our team members and guests, and that of the broader community, remain our top priority. We’ve worked very hard to ensure our facilities are safe for all to enjoy. I’m very excited for our team members to return to what they do best – providing the best entertainment experience possible for our guests, even if that experience now looks a bit different.”

SIGA said it will continue with its enhanced health and safety program it introduced last summer, with increased cleaning and sanitation. It will also continue with its contact tracing process. Guests must check in before entering the casino. All visitors will undergo a simple screening process.

Death of woman being investigated as homicide

The Prince Albert Police Service confirmed on Friday that the death of a 29-year-old woman has been determined a homicide.

At about 6 a.m. on May 24, police were called to a residence in the 2900 Block of Fourth Ave. West for a report of a deceased woman. The victim was identified as Natasha Ross.

The investigation is ongoing. No charges have been laid.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Prince Albert Police Service at 306-953-4222 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.