Approximately 400 smart meters will be replaced in the Davidson area in the next six to nine months in an effort by SaskPower to ensure the safety of their customers.

The decision comes on the heels of nine smart meters being linked to fires across the province and will be part of the around 105,000 smart meters that will be replaced with the old-style meters that SaskPower has been using for the past 10 years.

Robert Watson, president and CEO of SaskPower, said no smart meters have failed in the Davidson area and there is actually only one smart meter installed in Davidson itself. He said the majority of the 400 meters in the area are installed in Chamberlain and Craik.

“We’re starting with those customers who’ve requested a meter removal first, followed by the areas that have experienced meter failures to date,” said Watson, about when the smart meters will be removed. “We estimate that the entire process will take (six to nine months), although we’re looking at ways to speed up the meter removals so that the timeline is closer to (six) months. Certainly we want to do as much as we can while we have good weather. We are able to exchange more meters in the summer months than winter months. However, we will not sacrifice safety for the sake of speed.”

Watson said the crown corporation is currently investigating the cause of the meter failures with two independent labs along with Sensus, the manufacturer of the smart meters, to determine the root cause. He said the investigative process may take several months to complete, as there are a number of contributing factors that have to be considered.

He said the cost to replace the existing smart meters is $15 million, while the total cost-to-date of installing and deploying the smart meter program is an estimated $32 million, which is in addition to the costs of replacing the meters and brings the total price tag to $47 million. In an Aug. 5 statement posted on the SaskPower website, it is stated the cost to replace the smart meters will not impact rates and the crown corporation would work within their budget to correct the issue.

Watson said customers with smart meters will receive a letter approximately two weeks before they replace the meter. He said SaskPower employees would also notify all customers in person on the day of the installation and send a letter to their mailbox once the meter is replaced.

“Customers are invited to contact SaskPower at any time with their concerns by calling 1-855-877-0975,” said Watson. “We have committed to being as responsive to customers as possible.”

If it weren’t for Kim Stonehouse, Verna Zwarich may have never lived to see her 90th birthday.
Stonehouse, who was Zwarich’s next-door neighbour in Hanley for 10 years, was part of a two-man search party who saved Zwarich from hypothermia last October. Stonehouse, and Ben Collins, Hanley’s town foreman, had gone to Zwarich’s farm northeast of Kenaston in search of Zwarich who had been missing for days. They found her, late at night, laying in grass near her truck, near death after she’d broken her hip and was unable to call for help.
“When they found me, I turned to Kim and said, ‘Thank you Jesus.’ And he said, ‘I’m not Jesus.’ I loved him almost like a part of my family.”
On July 31, Zwarich, with a heavy heart, attended Stonehouse’s funeral in Saskatoon.
He was 45 and had died one week before in a July 24 fire that destroyed his Garfield Street home.
Provincial fire investigators have determined the fire was accidental.
It started in a brick fire pit in the backyard of the home and spread to a woodpile that was stacked against the exterior wall of the house and then caught the house on fire, said Jay Teneyecke, communications officer with Office of the Fire Commissioner.
He said this fire should serve as a reminder to people to never leave a fire unattended and ensure that it fully extinguished.
“You might think it is out, but it could spark back up,” he said.
Since Stonehouse died Zwarich says she gets up “with a heavy, hard feeling” in her chest.
“It’s a very lost feeling. He was always there. He always looked out for me,” she said.
She said Stonehouse lived alone and had a pet cat, kept his yard neat and had numerous houseplants. He worked in Saskatoon as a courier.
“He was a good neighbour. I really miss him. It hurts inside to think he’s not there anymore.”
At about 1:30 a.m., July 24 Zwarich was woken by a loud bang. She looked out her window and saw a red glow.
“The flames were up in the air and the wind was terrific. I’ll never forget it,” she said.
Zwarich phoned Collins for help.
Zwarich said Collins phoned Hanley’s fire department and then went to the burning house to see if anyone was inside.
To read more please see the August 11 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Paddlers of all ages embarked on the fifth annual canoe trek on Arm Lake July 30.
The 20 participants enjoyed a leisurely paddle, taking in the sights and sounds of the local lake.
Canoes and kayaks, 13 boats in all, were launched from the Arm Lake Conservation Area, a wildlife refuge created by Don Wilkins when he donated about 170 acres he owns in the Arm River Valley to Ducks Unlimited. He has another 320 acres of nearby pasture that he’d like people to use for horseback riding.
There are signs on the east side of Highway 11 about midway between Girvin and Craik signaling the way to the conservation area, which is about 3 kilometres down the gravel road that turns into a prairie trail and dead ends at the launching point.
Wilkins has put much thought and effort into making it accessible to people. He hauled in some sand and gravel to fill low spots on the trail so vehicles can easily make it to the canoe launch.
After launching the boats, paddlers followed the meandering, leisurely course set by the Arm River until it emptied into Arm Lake.
Wildlife abounded. High atop the east bank a stag watched the paddlers’ progress. Above pelicans flew overhead while on the west bank red angus cattle took a break from grazing to watch the group glide by on the water. Waterfowl were everywhere. Off in the distance the low hum of tires on Highway 11 broke the silence at times, reminding everyone that not far away, the pace of life is much faster.
On the lake, the diverse group of local paddlers, the youngest aged 12, enjoyed the moment, chatting, laughing and making connections they may otherwise not have had the time or the moment to make.
All the while some members of the party kept watch for Peter Farden’s murmogs, an aquatic creature that apparently only he has seen. Near McCaw’s cabin, by the bird watching area where the group stopped for lunch before paddling back, someone asked what a floating mass of green out on the lake could be. Farden was quick to verify that it was, in fact, a school of murmogs. No one paddled out to confirm the sighting.
That could have spoiled the magic.
It was a beautiful prairie lake, a perfect summer day and the kind of place in time where a mythical creature could thrive.