Retired nurse Kutzan urges Liberals to rally behind NDP to defeat Conservatives in Prince Albert

Emokhare Paul Anthony
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Retired nurse Kutzan urges Liberals to rally behind NDP to defeat Conservatives in Prince Albert

Former registered nurse and provincial NDP riding association president Virginia Kutzan has announce her readiness to represent the party in the April 28 federal election.


Kutzan spoke to supporters at the Union Centre in Prince Albert on Saturday where she officially launched her campaign. In the last government, the NDP partnered with the ruling Liberals to pass legislation. On Saturday, Kutzan said urged supporters from both parties to rally together to beat the Conservatives in Prince Albert.


“I believe that the Liberals and the NDP in this riding can beat the Conservatives,” Kutzan told reporters afterwards. “If we consolidate our votes together behind myself as the candidate here, I believe we can win.”


Kutzan spent 45 years as a registered nurse—44 of which were in Prince Albert—before retiring in 2018. During her career she was actively involved in the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, and was the first woman on the Workers’ Compensation Act Committee.


After retiring, Kutzan became president of the Prince Albert Carlton NDP constituency association. After working behind the scenes at the provincial level for so many years, Kutzan said developments south of the border convinced her to step up and run federally.


“I’ve really never felt so upset, full of angst, (and) disturbed, by the threats to our country from the occupant of the White House,” Kutzan said. “I really felt that I needed to do more than just sit home and worry.”


Kutzan said she was encouraged by how many people showed up to her campaign launch on Saturday. Going forward, she said her campaign would focus on the positives.


“I don’t want negativity,” she said. “I want the positive energy of this campaign to go forward and to give people hope because I do think it’s time for a change. It doesn’t matter how long or what party, if you’re in too long, you’re in too long (and) it’s time for a change.”


Prince Albert NDP riding association treasurer Peter Friedrichsen introduced Kutzan at Saturday’s gathering. Friedrichsen said Kutzan was driven by commitment to protect Canada’s sovereignty and uphold the values that make Canada strong.


“Virginia believes we need to defend our Canadian values where everyone can feel safe and respected regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation,” Friedrichsen said. “This election is about defending the Canadian way of life and ensuring a better future for all.”


Kutzan is one of three candidates running in the Constituency of Prince Albert. The others are incumbent Conservative MP Randy Hoback, and the Liberal Party’s Chris Hadubiak. Election Day is April 28.


–with files from Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald

Smokescreen Productions brings film noir with a twist to the Mahon Auditorium stage

Emokhare Paul Anthony
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Smokescreen Productions brings film noir with a twist to the Mahon Auditorium stage

Emokhare Paul Anthony

Daily Herald

Prince Albert audiences will have a chance to watch the latest Smokescreen Productions performance when it hits the Mahon Auditorium stage from April 11-12.

‘Dead Men Don’t Eat Quiche’ is the company’s take on the film noir genre, but with a little twist. The one act play was written by David Pemberton and is being directed by David Mulgrew.

Mulgrew described the play as a “1940s film noir parody” that features a script writer, a femme fatale, and a detective all involved in a movie.

“The play is kind of being written as it happens, and a lot of the film is actually being improvised,” Mulgrew explained. “There’s some very, very funny parts, lots of sound cues, lots of music, (and) lots of lighting changes, so it’s been quite a challenge for a one act play.

“It runs about 30 minutes and we just found out we have about 20 sound cues. We probably have 20 lighting cues, also so it’s very technical.”

Mulgrew said he isn’t a big fan of many of the old film noirs, mostly due to the acting. However, he liked other aspects of 1940s movies, like the lighting, and hopes to bring them to the stage.

He’s also a big fan of the ‘Dead Men Don’t Eat Quiche’ script.

“We read the play and it was very unique—nothing like I’d ever read before,” Mulgrew said. “A couple of members of our Smokescreen club read it and decided this is a show we wanted to do.”

One of the earliest decisions Mulgrew made as director was to bring Maureen Pepper and Ryan Hughes on board as femme fatale Lily and misunderstood detective Palmer respectively.

Both performers said they were excited to be involved with the production.

“When I first read the play I thought it was very unique because it was actually a film being done on stage,” Pepper said. “I thought that was really neat, and then I thought the characters were fun and I loved the idea of it being film noir.”

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Smokescreen Productions before, but I’ve mainly worked with Maureen as a director and then Dave as an actor,” Hughes added. “I’ve had Dave as a director as well and it’s always been a great experience. When they asked me if I would take part I jumped at it. There wasn’t much thought. It was something I wanted to do.”

Pepper hasn’t watched a lot of film noir, but did a deep dive to better understand the genre after she got the part. She liked the setting and costumes of the film. Hughes said his parents were big fans of detective shows like Columbo, so although he wasn’t a huge fan, he’s familiar with many conventions.

Ideally, they hope audiences will enjoy Smokescreen’s take on the genre. 

“I think they’re going to laugh. I think they’re going to listen hard. I think they’re going to come away feeling like they saw a good show,” Mulgrew said.

Smokescreen will perform the show twice in Prince Albert before taking it to the Theatre Saskatchewan provincial drama festival in Melfort. Both are excited to take the show on the road.

“It’s fun to perform,” Hughes said. “Here in PA it’s going to be friends, family, and it’s going to be people who enjoy theatre. The fun part is doing it before festival. You get to iron out kinks, you get to perform, have a little bit of fun, and then take it to festival where there’s people who have maybe never seen you. They don’t know who you are, and it’s exciting.”

‘Dead Men Don’t Eat Quiche’ will be on the Mahon Auditorium Stage from April 11-12. Doors open at 7 p.m., with the show starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available at the door, or by calling 306-960-9501 or 306-960-5899.

–with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald

Odyssey Productions eager to bring hit Stephen King novel to life on the stage

Emokhare Paul Anthony
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Odyssey Productions eager to bring hit Stephen King novel to life on the stage

Emokhare Paul Anthony

Daily Herald

The city of Prince Albert will come alive from April 2-5 at the Prince Albert Wildlife Federation when Odyssey Productions hits the stage with Misery, a play written by William Goldman and based on the novel by Stephen King.

Trent Gillespie will be directing the performance. As a longtime Stephen King fan, Gillespie said it’s been a fun project to work on.

“I am a die hard Stephen King fan,” Gillespie said. “I think like many Gen-Xers who were Stephen King fans, we read them way too young. I think I was in junior high when I first read Cujo. I’ve read almost all of his books. I love his work, and I love misery as an author myself.”

Gillespie is an Odyssey Productions veteran, having worked as both an actor and a director. He said getting involved with this production as an easy decision.

“As soon as that script came by, I said, ‘I have to do this one. It would be an honour to do something (based on) what Mr. King did that was important to my life,’” Gillespie said.

Misery follows successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon, who is rescued from a car crash by his “number one fan,” Annie Wilkes. Sheldon wakes up in her secluded home and begins recovering from his injuries, while Annie reads his latest book. She becomes enraged when she discovers the author has killed off her favorite character.

Gillespie said the script is based more on the movie version of Misery than the book. He said directing it has been a unique challenge.

“The fun challenge with this one is maintaining the level of thriller in it,” he said. “The violence, I’ve never had to handle live fire on stage. I’ve done fight scenes before and dealt with blood but there are a few little technical things, which were kind of new for me to solve and I really enjoy doing.”

Randi Maschak will be playing the role of Annie Wilkes. She said it’s been a challenging, but fun, role.

“I thought it would be fun to play somebody who had to slip in and out of their character from psycho to sweet so many times so quickly,” she said. “I was like, that sounds like a fun challenge.’”

While Gillespie is a major King fan, Maschak is a bit more agnostic about his work. She knew of King’s reputation, and new about the movie, but didn’t know the plot or the characters.

Although she’s not a major King fan, Maschak enjoyed the challenge of understanding her character.

“Her mindset is so unlike how normal people would think,” Maschak said. “The hardest part was getting into her logic behind this. Why would she even think this is a good thing to do?”

Like Gillespie, Maschak is a longtime Odyssey Productions veteran. She said working with the cast and the crew has been a great experience.

“We laugh a lot,” she said. “For it being such a serious play, we have a lot of fun.”

‘Misery’ runs from April 2-5 at the Prince Albert Wildlife Federation. April 2-3 are show only productions, while April 4-5 are dinner theatre. For ticket information, visit the Odyssey Productions Facebook page or Eventbrite.

—with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald

City council votes to begin negotiations for permanent homeless shelter near Stepping Stones location

Emokhare Paul Anthony
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City council votes to begin negotiations for permanent homeless shelter near Stepping Stones location

Emokhare Paul Anthony

Daily Herald

City administrators will start the negotiation process to establish a permanent homeless shelter in the East Flat after receiving approval during a council meeting on Monday.

The motion gives administration the go ahead to negotiate with the Ministry of Social Services and YWCA for a permanent shelter on City property in the vicinity of the current Stepping Stones Shelter, which is located in the Exhibition Grounds. Council will consider a development permit for the shelter at a later meeting.

Council voted for the motion following a roughly one hour and 30 minute discussion that included multiple presentations from residents who asked to speak prior to the meeting.

Administration originally recommended preparing a report on a new location for consideration at an April 7 meeting, while also holding a public meeting to discuss the results.

Coun. Troy Parenteau brought forward the motion that was eventually approved.

“The one thing that I’m looking for tonight is stability and security,” Parenteau said during the meeting. “I think we need a path forward. That was very clear with the delegation that we had tonight…. It is something I know that all of us on council—or most of us at least—know is crucial to move forward and create a city that’s more caring and more human.”

Parenteau said he made the proposal because the area scored in the top four following the public consultation survey. After talks with the YWCA, Parenteau said he concluded there were benefits to keeping the shelter in that area.

He also said people were looking for clarity and a way forward.

“The YWCA is already used to operating in that area,” Parenteau told council. “The YWCA has built some relationships in that area of the city, so moving forward in this way creates some security and stability for the YWCA. It gives them some land options that will accommodate the building that they need and want, and I’m also hoping that this motion will move us forward in a good way so we can build a permanent shelter in our city—an enhanced one (and) one that has the services that are needed to move people forward along the housing continuum and work on their recoveries.”

Coun. Dawn Kilmer asked about the timeline for preparation of a development permit for presentation at a future council meeting. Planning and Development Director Craig Guidinger said he expected that the negotiations could happen “as soon as tomorrow” because they already meet with the Ministry of Social Services and YWCA on a regular basis.

“I don’t think this location will necessarily come as a surprise,” Guidinger told council, adding that they could make a recommendation for the May 12 council meeting.

Kilmer said she supported the motion, and appreciated the need for a permanent shelter. She also thanked all residents, including the business community, for their feedback.


“It appears that this was polarizing to our community when in fact it isn’t polarizing,” Kilmer said. “It’s important, and when something is so important, it does take a bit of time.”

Coun. Daniel Brown said he did not like the new motion. He said it was “pigeon-holing” the City into a particular facility.

Brown said a new shelter location was a big topic for the city. He said the reality is City of Prince Albert would get a shelter, but council needed some time to make a decision.

He was also concerned Indigenous voices were not being heard in the discussion, and expressed concerns about opinions on social media, in the newspaper, and misinformation about the issue.

Brown said he was being accused of postponing the debate. He said was postponing anything, but taking time to make an informed decision.

“We just got a list of the land inventory. There are 100 different options that are viable. This (motion) is going to stick us to one,” he said.

Coun. Stephen Ring said he supported the motion. He said he was looking for a compromise, and the East Flat location was a good compromise. He also said made clear he was not in favour of “kicking the can down the road.”

‘This has gone on long enough,” Ring said. “I realize, for me, it’s only been three months (since being elected) but this has gone on long enough. We’ve got to make a decision. It’s one of the four options that were on the survey, and I think it’s a really good compromise.”


Coun. Blake Edwards said he supported a shelter, but was concerned about comments that council was “kicking the can down the road.” He said that was not true.

Edwards criticized a Daily Herald opinion piece arguing council should have dealt with the issue already. Edwards said council did not receive an official proposal for a permanent shelter until just before the last election. He said council was taking it’s time to make the best decision for the community.


“How did we kick the can down the road,” Edwards said. “I don’t think we did. I know I didn’t.”

Edwards said he supported having the YWCA operate an enhanced shelter with mental health supports. He also supported building it near the current temporary shelter.

“The stark reality is once we say ‘a permanent shelter,’ which is a huge decision, you’re gambling in a big way because it could disrupt the community,” Edwards said. “It has disrupted some communities in other cities, but I have the faith in the YWCA. I think they operate lots of great services in the community and I think they’re the right choice to operate a permanent shelter in our city, so to me, this the right decision.”

Coun. Bryce Laewetz said he was not a big fan of the location due to its proximity to the Saskatchewan Polytechnic campus and student housing. He said students with families often move into the houses. He was also concerned that the East Flat location was too far from services.

He said council had to make compromises, but believed there were other locations that could also work. Laewetz agreed with Brown, saying council was Pidgeon-holing itself if it approved this motion.

“I don’t want to narrow us down to one singular locations,” he said.

Coun. Tony Head also said he would not support the motion due to its distance from important services homeless residents need to use.

The provincial government has allocated funds to the YWCA to build on or renovate a property for a permanent, 24-hour enhanced emergency shelter. This will provide a new location for Stepping Stones, currently located at the Prince Albert Exhibition Grounds, which is not a viable long-term location. 

The shelter is to offer comprehensive services, including case planning, wellness and cultural support, financial assistance, and help transitioning to appropriate housing.

The City of Prince Albert held four public consultation sessions in January. The result was a list of eleven recurring themes that informed the development of a survey, which received 1650 responses.

Based on the feedback sessions and the survey responses, potential City owned lands or property that is currently for sale that would be suitable for an enhanced emergency shelter were identified. Based on the scoring matrix, a site located at 11 – 15th Street East is the most suitable City owned location.

The current Stepping Stones location was meant to be temporary and has been so since 2020.

SHA officially unveils new Wellness Bus at Friday press conference

Emokhare Paul Anthony
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SHA officially unveils new Wellness Bus at Friday press conference

After successfully operating a new Wellness Bus since February, the Saskatchewan Health Association (SHA) has officially added one to Prince Albert.

The SHA gave guests and dignitaries a look at the new bus during their Prince Albert launch Friday morning. Community Wellness Bus Project Manager Thomas Laughton said the bus will make healthcare delivery more efficient for the City’s most vulnerable residents.

“We are going to bring this bus and primary healthcare to where they are,” Laughton said. “The whole healthcare system up until now has been asking people to come to us and now we recognize that for a significant portion of our population, that’s not really practical.”

Laughton said the buses will be staffed and run by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and will offer a variety of primary care services. The list includes basic health assessments, chronic disease monitoring, vaccinations, point of care testing for sexually transmitted and blood borne infections (STBBI), mental health and addictions assessments, and routine health care, like stitches.

Staff on the bus will also provide referrals for housing, social services, or addictions and mental health treatment.

Laughton said many vulnerable people have “trust issues with the SHA.” He’s hopeful the new wellness bus can change that. He’s also hopeful the bus can reduce healthcare costs and ER wait times.

The new Prince Albert Community Wellness Bus sits outside Access Place on 15th Street East. — Jason Kerr/Daily Herald

“If we’re able to go to them (and) create a warm and inviting kind of presence, we’re hoping to be able to reduce not only the number of people accessing the, ER, but actually be able to kind of decrease the acuity of people who go to the ER,” Laughton said.

“They can do a dressing change here on the bus instead of them waiting and waiting and waiting because they don’t want to go all the way to the ER, the chances of that not getting infected are going to be dramatically lower.”

Laughton said a fully stocked and staff bus can anywhere between 15 to 20 people per day. He said the Regina bus typically hits that total, but the average day will vary depending on what type of healthcare clients need.

“Sometimes somebody can come in and it might be a little bit more complex, so they’re going to need a little bit more time,” he explained. “That’s one of the other benefits of this model of healthcare. Quite often at a family medicine clinic or something like that you’ve got those very brief fillable moments of those brief visits. Here, we’re going to respond what the needs of that person is. If somebody comes on and their needs are more complex and it’s going to take half-an-hour, we’re going to take half-an-hour with them.”

Laughton said staff and patient safety is something they take very safely. The bus has 360 degree cameras all the way around, as well as duress monitors. Laughton said the cameras feed directly to protective services.

The bus also comes with locks allowing each section to be isolated independently.

While the bus has several security features, Laughton said he doesn’t expect staff will need them very often.

“One things that I’ve noticed working with the vulnerable population for the last 20 years is if you develop that really good relationship with the community, the community itself will help keep you safe,” he said. “They recognize that you don’t want to interfere with what’s happening here. My number one priority on top of basically everything else is re-establishing trust with the community.”

Laughton said there has been a long history of stigma negative experiences in large, busy health care settings which kind of deter a lot of the vulnerable people from accessing care. He said his number one goal for the bus is creating as service that treats people with dignity and respect.

Laughton said they will work with a group of different departments to identify where there are large populations of vulnerable people. He said the downtown area has long been identified as an area where there is limited primary healthcare services, but a large population of vulnerable people.

He said they’ll focus on the downtown area for the first three to five months of operation just to establish themselves in the community. Afterwards, he said they’ll look at expanding to other locations, like the Stepping Stones Shelter.

The bus has a three person staff that includes a nurse practitioner, a licensed practical nurse, and assessor coordinators. The SHA is still looking to recruit for the nurse practitioner position. At a press conference on Friday, SHA Integrated Northern Health and Chief Nursing Officer Andrew McLetchie said once they recruit for that final position, and work out a few small details, they will be ready to hit the road. He’s hopeful that will be sometime within the next month.

“We’re confident we’ll be able to find people to staff the bus. We are currently recruiting the last positions, particularly for the nurse practitioners, but because it’s a smaller service we are confident that we should be able to find those staff,” he said.

Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill was unable in attend Friday’s ceremony. In a press release, he said launching the Community Wellness Bus project is another step in improving access to quality health care in Saskatchewan.

“Wellness buses will ensure that residents across the province have another avenue to get the care they need in their communities,” Cockrill said.

Prince Albert Northcote MLA Alana Ross was on hand to represent Cockrill at Friday’s launch. She said the Community Wellness Bus will provide a new option for people to access primary care.

“Healthcare teams on the bus will create a partnership with the community and establish trust by offering non-judgmental, flexible, and trauma-informed care, while also connecting people to further supports as they need it,” she said during the press conference.

 “The Community Wellness Project Bus contributes to the sustainability and the strength of our provincial healthcare system as we continue to improve service, reduce wait times, and provide our residents with care closer to home.”

The Prince Albert bus has been stopping at various locations this week to offer the public a chance to see what services will be offered and ask questions. The bus will be fully operational soon and residents can call 306-940-9943 for location and hours of operation.

–with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald

Council approves motion asking for report on representative work force

Emokhare Paul Anthony
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Council approves motion asking for report on representative work force

Council asking for report on demographics of municipal work force

Emokhare Paul Anthony

Daily Herald

City Council voted 8-1 on Monday to have administration prepare a report that compares the demographics of the City’s workforce to that of Prince Albert residents.

Coun. Tony Head made the motion, following suggestions from Coun. Dawn Kilmer and Mayor Bill Powalinsky. Coun. Troy Parenteau seconded it. Coun. Daniel Brown was the lone councillor to vote against it.

Head’s original motion called on the City to begin taking steps to create a more representative workforce, instead of asking for a report. However, Head said he was happy with the result.


“What this did do is get everyone talking,” Head told council. “I guess that was my hope, that we would at least get talking and having these conversations.”

Head said the workforce is a powerful catalyst for social change that sends a clear message that everyone belongs, that everyone has a stake in the collective success. He told council that to create a representative workforce, council must take intentional action.

“A representative workforce is not merely a goal, but a necessity for progress,” Head said during the meeting. “Studies consistently shows that diverse teams perform their homogeneous counterparts, they foster creativity, they lead to greater job satisfaction, and they minimize the costs that come with staff churn and sick leave among others.

“We need to show the world that in Prince Albert we can stop anarchy and everyone is valued,” he added. “Everyone’s opportunities are equal because here we value the rich diversity of our population and all this dimensions, no matter what everyone’s race gender, age ability or backgrounds.”

What individuals see themselves, reflected in the leadership and decision-making process of their organization and communities and governments, Head adds

“It means creating pathways for unrepresented groups to ascend to leadership positions, assuring those who make decisions about our future reflect communities they serve,” said Head.

“As we strive for this vision, we must recognize that diversity is not just a checkbox to be ticked. It is a fundamental driver of excellence, but more importantly, is driving force of happiness and success as well as bringing together the best and brightest, no matter what their personal attributes are, to create solutions that are not only effective, but equitable.”

Several councilors said they were sympathetic to the idea, but weren’t sure there was a problem. Coun. Blake Edwards said he might have voted for the original motion if it was worded differently. He also said he was confident in the City’s current hiring practices.

“Can we do better? We can always do better, but I don’t want to cut other people away from applying either, because I think that’s happening right now,” Edwards said. “It’s occurring right now where you’ve got to be a different race other than Caucasian to apply at certain things.”

Coun. Daniel Brown was the lone councillor to vote against the motion. He said he’s worked in industries with similar policies under different names, and it never worked out.

“It leads to hiring below standard people,” Brown said. “Let’s hire the best candidate.”

The City of Prince Albert does not force municipal workers to provide personal details like their ethnicity, however, they are asked to self-declare.

–with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald

Annual baby crawl set for Saturday return

Emokhare Paul Anthony
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Annual baby crawl set for Saturday return

Emokhare Paul Anthony

Daily Herald 

The fastest babies in Prince Albert will be back on the race track as the annual Baby Crawl returns to Prince Albert on Saturday.

The Gateway mall general manager Sharon Faul said there will be few changes this year as the event has found its niche in the community.

“It’s just a fun event,” Faul said. “You get little people coming out and it’s always really entertaining to see how they respond on a carpet with other little ones in the vicinity. It is great fun for parents, and friends and family to come out and watch and see what they’ll do.”

Families can register online or in person. Registration will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, followed by the baby craw race at 12:15 p.m. Faul said a donation of items such as diapers, formula, toys or cash to support Family Futures in lieu of a registration fee will be greatly appreciated.

Faul said they were happy to support Family Futures.


“They’re a great organization in the community, and they’re obviously tied with littler people, so we thought it would be a great fit,” Faul said.

Faul adds that children have to be less than one year of age on the day of the race. If their birthday is on the 21st or the 22nd they wouldn’t be eligible but if their birthday is before that, then they would have to be less than one year and other than that registration is free.

Faul said there are lots of great prizes for all of our participating gateway mall contestants up for grabs. 

Guy had to ask twice before Legacy Award win sunk in

Emokhare Paul Anthony
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Guy had to ask twice before Legacy Award win sunk in

Byron Guy wasn’t in Prince Albert to accept the Prince Albert Chamber of Commerce Legacy Award on Monday, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t humbled to win it.

In fact, he worried it wasn’t true. Guy was in California when the Prince Albert Chamber called to tell him he had won the award. He ended up calling the Chamber back just to confirm it was legitimate.

“I asked, ‘is this Patty?’ She said, ‘yes.’ I said, okay, good, I was just thinking it was one of my friends pulling my leg on me or something,’” Guy said with a laugh. “That’s what they do down south here.”

Guy’s trip down south was more of a working vacation. Although he plays golf and socializes, Guy said he tours local grocery stores almost every day just to keep tabs on the industry.

The longtime owner/operator of Harold’s Family Foods said he was proud to receive the Legacy Award, even though he couldn’t be there in person.

“I’m so proud of my father (Harold Guy) and the business he started back in 1960,” Byron said. “It shows you that hard work and dedication pays off.”

Byron took over Harold’s Family Foods from his father in 1998. At the time, there were more than 50 independent grocery stores in Saskatchewan. Now, Harold’s is one of only six.

When he took over, Byron said it was important to him to be involved in the community, and not just make money.

“You’ve got to give back,” he said. “I don’t want to get too cynical on this, but a lot of businesses just take out of the community, and then they’re gone. There’s no onus on putting back.”

Byron didn’t just follow his father’s path into business. He also followed him into on the award circuit too. Like Byron, Harold won the Chamber’s Legacy Award in 1996. Byron credited his win to his father for building a great business, and his employees for being a great staff.

“It was a fun place,” he said. “We had a great bunch of staff and it wasn’t work. You get up and went to work, and did your job done and smiled and talked to people every day. I still do that today.”

Prince Albert Chamber of Commerce CEO Patty Hughes congratulated Guy on his award. In an interview following the Legacy Award announcement in January, Hughes said it’s important to have long-term business owners like Guy rooted in the community because they provide generational knowledge to those just getting off the ground.

“They just have that expertise and knowledge that you can’t get from those big box stores because they’re so invested,” she said. “It’s passed down from one generation to the other.”

–with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald

PA Chamber anticipating delay in business-friendly campaign promises due to U.S. tariffs

Emokhare Paul Anthony
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PA Chamber anticipating delay in business-friendly campaign promises due to U.S. tariffs

The Prince Albert business community will be closely watching the delivery of the provincial budget on March 19.

Prince Albert Chamber of Commerce CEO Patty Hughes said the Saskatchewan Party made a number of promises to business owner during the recent election, and they’ll be watching to make sure the government follows through.

“We recently just came out of provincial election. The government was elected with the mandate going forward and they had some very specific things in there in regards to business,” Hughes said.

“Particularly, they had made indication for a small and medium enterprise tax credit and this was to help small businesses develop and also for job creation. Another one that was very particular was the hold on the one per cent tax rate. It was set to rise to two per cent here on July 1 of 2025, but the government had promised during the election process that they would hold that at one per cent, so looking forward from a business aspect, we would like to see the implementation of that small SME tax credit to support the small businesses.”

Hughes said they’ll also be watching to see if a proposed bursary program aimed at supporting young entrepreneurs also received support.

Hughes said the Saskatchewan Party campaigned on balancing the budget by 2027-28, which would mean a deficit this year. She said efforts to balance the budget, combined with recent U.S. tariffs, could mean some of those promises get put on hold.

“They had anticipated with these campaign promises and the upcoming budget that there would be provincial deficit for the next several years,” Hughes said. “They had the goal of balancing the budget by 2027-28 if I remember correctly. That was what they had anticipated with what they put forward.

“It will be interesting with the tariffs, because that is something new…. I do think that is going to impact some of the decisions that are being made. We may not, maybe, see some of these promises being enacted right away. It might be something that’s two or three years down the road, but I’m hoping that we will see them because some of them will be very impactful, particularly on families. Those tariffs will increase costs.”

Hughes added that business owners would appreciate it if the province eliminated the PST on commercial insurance premiums, and all capital expenditures.

Those two recommendations were also among five made by the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB).

CFIB has recently met with Saskatchewan’s finance minister to share recommendations as to how the provincial government can support small businesses at this time in addition to freezing the small business tax rate, to help address the rising cost of doing business and promote business growth and expansion.

“Given the potential impacts of U.S. tariffs and the significant uncertainty small businesses are currently facing, this year’s budget provides an opportunity for the Saskatchewan government to help businesses weather the storm by avoiding the introduction of any new taxes or cost increases and working to reduce costs for small businesses wherever possible,” Brianna Solberg, CFIB director for the Prairies and Northern Canada, said in a press release.

“With the impacts of U.S. tariffs, now more than ever we must address inefficiencies and promote productivity.”

The provincial government will deliver the budget on March 19.

–with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald

Province announces partnership with PA Mobile Crisis

Emokhare Paul Anthony
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Province announces partnership with PA Mobile Crisis

New support program will help struggling families become independent says PA Mobile Crisis executive director

Emokhare Paul Anthony

Daily Herald

PA Mobile Crisis has announced a new partnership with the provincial government to deliver a new intensive in-home support program for families in Prince Albert and Melfort.

The Ministry of Social Services has previously announced similar partnership agreements with organizations in Regina, Saskatoon, and Yorkton. On Wednesday, they announced one with Mobile Crisis in Prince Albert.

“This type of program is going to create a progressive, client-centric experience that offers support in the comfort of their own space,” Prince Albert Mobile Crisis Unit Co-operative’s Executive Director Vicki Stewart said in a press release. “This is something that has not been available in Prince Albert before.”

Stewart said the new service will operate 24-7, providing emergency intervention, family supports to mitigate risk to their children, cultural programming and knowledge, referrals to other community services and ongoing support services.

“It was an opportunity to work with people in the community and to help connect (them) to services that they’re needing,” Stewart said in an interview with the Daily Herald. “I like the idea that it is a volunteer program. If people are wanting some help or just needing some extra things—just some extra support in the community—I like that we can offer that.”

Stewart said this is one area where there was a “gap in services.” Previously, she said, some families couldn’t access these services unless they had a file with the Ministry of Social Services. She said PA Mobile Crisis wanted to offer some support without those barriers.


Stewart said the program will help families become independent and connect to ongoing services. She said the demand for these services has grown.

“When we think of the vulnerable sector, it’s hard for them,” she explained. “Everybody, I think, is finding things like groceries and even electricity and power, all of those things have gone up. Just beaning able to maneuver (around that) is even harder for those who maybe don’t have vehicles or maybe don’t have those connections.”

Ideally, Stewart said the partnership will be long-term. She added that it’s too soon to say how many families they can help.

“There is no cap, which is sometimes a little bit scary for an agency that’s community-based,” she said. “There is no cap, so there is no limit or the amount of referrals we’ll get or the amount of people coming forward saying they need help.”

The Ministry of Social Services is providing $750,000 in annual funding to bring these services to Prince Albert and Melfort.

Social Services Minister Terry Jensen said the partnership with Mobile Crisis meets the government’s goal of expanding intensive in-home support to communities where it did not exist.

“We are expanding prevention and intervention services to the Prince Albert and Melfort areas to help keep children and families together when they are experiencing a crisis,” Jenson said in a press release. “Services like these focus on strengthening and supporting families during crisis situations to decrease the likelihood of children having to come into care or minimizing the time that they are in care.”  

–with files from Jason Kerr/Daily Herald

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