Dean Palmer recently admitted to a room full of cattlemen and women that he’s a worrier and that he’s an impatient man.
With such character traits as these, it’s a wonder how he wound up as chairman of the newly formed McCraney Community Grazing Corporation.
“I missed a meeting,” he told the crowd of cattle producers packed into Davidson’s community centre.
The answer earned him lots of laughs as well as a few sympathetic nods from the crowd attending the Community Pasture Patron Association of Saskatchewan’s first annual general meeting.
Palmer as well as Clint Christianson, of Lone Tree Grazing, were there to relate their experiences with the transition of community pastures process.
“If you don’t like bungee jumping or skydiving, this isn’t for you, because that’s what this is,” Palmer said.
Christianson offered a different metaphor: “We’re kind of like the sheep that got led to slaughter first.”
The two men are involved in forming patrons groups that will operate the former PFRA community pastures in their areas this spring. This is necessary because in 2012 the Harper Conservative government suddenly announced it would no longer operate community pastures. The provincial government, which owns the land, indicated it had no interest in operating the pastures either, but would lease the pastures to patrons.
A year ago patrons of community pastures formed CPPAS to represent their concerns with the goal of maintaining the long-term viability of the pastures for cattle production and cattle grazing.
CPPAS is “about all of us working together to achieve success. No one else will save our pastures,” CPPAS chairman Ian McCreary said.
The group has representation from nearly all of the affected pastures in the province and is a way of pooling resources and expertise for the patrons as well as representing patrons’ concerns to the provincial and federal governments.
The association’s first priority was to seek a delay in the transition process. McCreary said there were a number of issues that needed resolution, however, he said, the federal government denied this request.
Last year was the final grazing year for 10 federally operated pastures, including McCraney, which is northeast of Davidson and Lone Tree, in southern Saskatchewan near the U.S. border.
To read more please see the February 10 print edition of The Davidson Leader.
Monthly Archives: February 2014
Bantam Huskies ready for Dynamoes at provincials
The Davidson Huskies bantam hockey team is getting ready to face off against the Dinsmore Dynamoes in their first home ice taste of provincial ‘C’ playoff action this Tuesday at the Davidson Rink and the young team is looking to go on a bit of a run.
Trevor Ouellette, head coach of the Huskies, said the two clubs match up well, as both are teams made up of younger skaters. He said Dinsmore has a lot of first-year bantams and Davidson has relied on a bunch of second-year peewee players to fill out their roster, so it should turn out to be an even series.
“I want to go as long as possible (in the playoffs) and to try to win as many series or as many games as we can,” said Ouellette. “That being said, if our leaders are leaders and our better players play as good as they can and as good as we’ve seen we should do fairly well. We should make a little bit of noise.”
Ouellette said the Huskies bantam team (5-14-1) has played well all year despite this being only their first season of existence. He said they would likely finish in seventh place in the Last Mountain Hockey League setting up a first round league playoff series starting Feb. 22 against the Humboldt Broncos.
“We’ve given them good games all year,” he said. “Aside from our last game in Bruno where they beat us 7-2 all the games have been decided by two goals or less. It should be a very good series. Even though the records are close to being total opposites I think we match up well against them in terms of our speed. They have a couple quick players and a couple good stick-handlers and so do we.”
To read more please see the February 10 print edition of The Davidson Leader.
Hawarden Winter Warriors hold fun snowmobile run
Over 300 snow-machines are going to roar into Hawarden later this month and anyone with a sled or who just likes to check them out is invited to head over too.
The Feb. 22 snow-machine rally that starts at Hawarden Hall is part of the 14th Annual Garry Jess Memorial, which is put on each year by the Hawarden Winter Warriors. The Warriors are a local snowmobile club that gets together a few times each year to raise funds for community projects and local families in need.
“All the funds and proceeds from (the Garry Jess Memorial) we either will put back into the local hall right in Hawarden or donate it to a family or to somebody who needs some money that we know of as a club,” said Dean Blenkinsop, acting president of the Hawarden Winter Warriors. “We’ve already given quite a bit to the Strongfield Hall to help them pay the bills and stuff. It all stays local.”
Blenkinsop said the Garry Jess Memorial usually attracts around 300 snowmobiles each year including 65 to 70 vintage models for a snowmobile show and shine and snowmobile run. He said another group of six to eight snowplanes also come out to provide free rides for anyone who wants to go.
“The older sleds come and we have a short run for them, like a 20-mile run out to a hot dog stand and we get together there and have a hot dog and pop,” he said. “Then for the new sleds that come and want to go for a little longer ride we have another trail made up for them and it goes approximately 60 miles. We work it out so the new sleds can stop where the old ones are on a local farm outside of town, like 6 miles outside of town, and everybody meets there. Then the new ones continue on and the older sleds come back into town and meet at the hall again.”
There will also be “lots of prizes” given out during the festivities for everything from oldest rider and oldest sled to the most unique and the most popular. Blenkinsop said an all-day lunch would also be served at the hall along with refreshments all afternoon and evening.
“We try and keep it as least expensive as possible for the people to come out and ride,” he said. “If they want to come out and just look at the snowplanes and snowmobiles, that’s totally free of charge. We like all people to come out and just look at all the stuff. There are some very unique things that show up with some of these older sleds. It starts at 11 a.m. and we end usually at 11 p.m. and it’s an all around fun time.”
Regina tillage parts company in final talks to buy Harvest Services
After more than 35 years in the combine parts business, Carol Vibert has announced that Regina’s Ralph McKay Industries is in final negations to purchase the assets of her company, Harvest Services of Craik, with the deal expected to close March 1.
Vibert said her son Scott Vibert will stay on with the company as general manager and all operations of Harvest Services will continue in Craik, but as a division of Ralph McKay. She said all employees at the plant have been asked to stay on and the hope is Ralph McKay would attract new employees as well.
“Their intention is to keep that plant going,” said Vibert, noting Harvest Services manufactures and distributes combine parts across Canada, the United States and France. “This was excellent for them to have a manufacturing facility (plus) allowing them to diversify.”
Ralph McKay Industries is a member of the McKay-Empire-Wiese (MEW) group of companies. MEW has focused primarily on the manufacture of tillage tools and currently distributes tillage parts through various channels in Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia.
MEW president J. David Pitt stated in a Jan. 27 press release that adding harvesting parts provides a natural synergy that would strengthen the Group’s offering to its distribution. He further added MEW plans to roll out the Harvest Services products sequentially throughout their network utilizing the distribution and management strengths of all three companies in the Group.
Vibert first joined Harvest Services in 1975 and bought the operation in 1995 with two other partners. She has owned the company outright since 2006.
“Certainly I’m going to miss it, but the connection is still there with Scott being involved,” said Vibert, adding before the sale she had lengthy discussions with her son about the direction of the company and both felt this was the best move. “I’ve got another avenue that I’m devoting my energies to. I have three (vacation) houses down here in Florida that I rent out and look after. There wasn’t room for two businesses in my life.”
Credit Unions voice concerns over possible tax change
Saskatchewan credit unions and their supporters have one week left to voice their concerns to the provincial government about a possible change to the tax regime that would severely harm a credit union’s ability to remain competitive with Canada’s big banks.
Lise de Moissac, senior vice president and chief financial officer at Affinity Credit Union, said the level of taxation currently in place in Saskatchewan has credit unions at an effective tax rate that is similar to their big bank competitors. She said this would change if the provincial government follows through with a change to the credit union’s tax regime similar to the federal government change announced in their 2013 budget.
“Because our province aligns itself with federal changes to taxation it had to do something,” said de Moissac. “They had to make a decision to either make no change and disconnect federally or to follow the feds and they chose for the 2013 year to leave the rate alone, but as we’re going into a provincial budget (the Saskatchewan government) intimated to us that they would re-look at all rates to taxation across all businesses.”
de Moissac said they are not expecting a change to the tax regime, but they are just making sure they are doing a good job of letting the province know as they go into their budget conversations what a 10 per cent tax increase that could amount to an additional $3 million in tax would do to their business.
“Anytime we have to pay more tax we really see it as an additional expense, so any tax increases reduce our credit union’s bottom line and in turn reduce our equity,” she said. “If we’re going to weather a tax increase we have to make up that bottom line somehow and some of the ways we would make up that bottom line loss would be to decrease our services, (so) to reduce the time and the money that we’re currently giving back to our communities, which is considerable. It could mean a loss of jobs and it would certainly mean decreased stability to compete with the banks.”
To try and stop this, de Moissac said they and all other credit unions in the province are asking credit union members along with the wider community to sign a petition to let the provincial government know that they want to maintain the current rate of tax. She said in addition to the petition they are hoping community organizations, credit union members and businesses would also send a pre-printed postcard or letter template to the Saskatchewan Minister of Finance and their individual MLAs expressing their support of credit unions.
“If they wanted to find that template it is online at saskcu.com or at affinitycu.ca and the deadline for that is Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day, so I suppose if you are in love with the credit union system in this province we would really urge people to take up the call to action and make sure that they make their voice heard.”
McLelland, Ronald D.
The death of Ronald D. McLelland occurred at Saskatoon City Hospital on Saturday, February 1, 2014. He was born on NE quarter of 12-26-5 W3 near Loreburn on March 27, 1926 to David and Hanna McLelland. Ron loved and worked at farming his entire life. After completing the 2012 harvest, he took ill.
His sense of community was strong and he served on many boards and organizations. To name a few, Ron served on the Loreburn Town Council, School Board, Curling Club, Hockey League, Loreburn/Hawarden Pastoral charge, Board of Stewards of the United Church of Canada, the Outlook Hospital Board, Wheat Pool, and the Saskatchewan River Development.
Ron was an avid sportsman. In his youth, he was a King Scout, and played hockey with the Loreburn Tigers and baseball with local teams. He later played baseball with the Cranes, which were inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003. Ron also played hockey in Sudbury, and three seasons with the Lucknow Sepoys of the Ontario WOHA. It was in Lucknow where he met Agnes Conley. They were married in March 1951 during a break between his playoff series.
Ron was an active member of Lions International throughout his life. He was a founding member and Charter President of the Loreburn Lions Club. He received many certificates of appreciation and numerous awards for his service. Highlights included serving as District Governor, Senior Counsellor, member of the Saskatchewan Eye Bank Board, and was honoured by receiving his life membership.
Ron was active in the Masonic Fraternity for almost 60 years. He held the position of Master of Elbow View and Hawarden Lodges, and District Deputy Grand Master.
Politics was in his blood. He was an ardent Diefenbaker follower. Ron was elected to the 27th Parliament representing the constituency of Rosetown-Biggar from 1965 to 1968. He received the Centennial Medal, and the 125th Anniversary medal in recognition of significant service and contribution to the community and Canada. Ron continued to be involved in both Federal and Provincial politics until he became ill.
Ron was predeceased by his parents David and Hanna McLelland, sisters Marjorie, Eleanor and cousin Bertha. Survived by his wife Agnes; son Cameron (Eileen), daughter Marlene, grandchildren Chrysten, Kristyanne (Chun), and sister Marion.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the Lions Eye Bank of Saskatchewan c/o Saskatoon City Hospital.
The family would like to thank the Doctors and Nurses of RUH, SPH, and City Emergency Departments, and the inpatient areas for their care during Ron’s illness. Thank you as well to the staff at the Better Living Personal Care Home for kindness and care of Ron over the last few years.
Funeral service was held at 2 p.m. on Friday, February 7, 2014 at the Loreburn United Church. Arrangements are entrusted to the Outlook Funeral Chapel. A private family interment will take place at a later date.