By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — The books are back in town.

In the face of public protests, criticism and a petition with thousands of signatures, the provincial government has announced that it will restore $4.8 million in funding for Saskatchewan’s libraries.

“Our libraries are very important to people all over the province,” Greg Brkich told the Leader on Wednesday. “We didn’t realize that the funding would affect them that much.”

The Arm River MLA said library funding was a hot topic for his constituents in the weeks following the budget’s release on March 22.

“That’s what we had the most calls on,” he said. “I didn’t think that would be the top priority for a lot of the callers, but it seemed like it was.”

Library staff and patrons were quick to denounce the cuts, saying the reduced funding would cripple many of the most popular services, leading to decreased usage.

The SILS program, which allows patrons to borrow books and materials from any public library in the province, was among the anticipated casulaties.

In an April 24 announcement, education minister Don Morgan conceded the government had erred in cutting the libraries’ budgets.

“Premier (Brad) Wall has always said that we would be the kind of government that would admit its mistakes and then fix those mistakes,” he was quoted.

Saskatchewan’s seven regional libraries had their funding cut in the budget by 58 per cent, from $6 million to $2.5 million.

That funding has since been restored, along with $1.3 million in funding for the municipal libraries in Regina and Saskatoon.

Brkich echoed Morgan’s comments, saying that the province perhaps should have consulted with the libraries before releasing the budget.

“It was probably a mistake to cut them that much without prior warning,” he said. “We probably should have worked with them a little earlier to see what could be done.”

Morgan said his office will begin a consultative review with libraries and municipalities, working on a long-term strategy.

For the full story, please see the May 1 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — For more than half a century, Soviet officials denied and suppressed the truth about the Holodomor.

As a result, the deliberate, man-made famine that took the lives of millions of Ukrainians in the early 1930s is sometimes called the “Forgotten Genocide.”

Last week, students at Davidson School had the opportunity to learn about the Holodomor in a way they won’t soon forget.

The Holodomor National Awareness Tour brought its mobile classroom to Davidson on April 24. Students in grades 6 through 12 boarded the 40-foot RV in groups, each taking in an hour-long interactive lesson led by facilitator Stephanie Bailey.

The name “Holodomor” — meaning murder by starvation — is used to refer to the intentional death of millions of Ukrainians in 1932 and 1933, carried out by Soviet authorities under orders from Joseph Stalin.

Authorities sought to suppress any movement for independence, first by arresting, deporting and executing many of Ukraine’s cultural, religious and political leaders.

Efforts were also made to collectivize Ukrainian agriculture. Later, high grain quotas were put into effect and crops were confiscated, even seed grain, along with other household staples like potatoes. Much of the confiscated grain was sold on the Western market.

Many of the victims starved slowly to death in their homes. The death toll of the famine is believed to be between 7 million and 10 million.

The fourth Saturday in November is marked internationally as a day of remembrance for Holodomor victims, and is also recognized as such by the Canadian government.

For the full story, please see the May 1 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Fees for Davidson swimmers are on the rise this year, to match the increased operating costs of the town’s new pool.

Recreation director Trevor Ouellette said it’s long been clear that fees would have to increase after Davidson replaced its 50-year-old facility.

“Nothing’s getting cheaper,” he said Thursday. “It’s something that is going to have to come down the pipeline.”

He stressed that the increases are strictly to cover the pool’s operating costs — chemicals, energy and staffing — and are not related to the costs of construction.

Ouellette also said he researched what other comparable towns are charging, adding, “We’re not leading by any means, we’re not setting the trends.”

In the case of some program fees, he said, “We finally came in line with what other towns are charging.”

The fees were approved by Davidson town council at their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday.

The cost of a family day pass, which covers up to two adults and four youth, will increase from $10 to $15.

A family season pass, previously priced at $145, will now sell for $210.

The prices for individual day, punch and season passes are also increasing for the most part, though the cost of a youth season pass remains at $90.

Program fees for swimming lessons are increasing by $5 per student for most levels.

Aquasize and lane swim users will see the costs of their season passes double — from $30 to $60 for Aquasize users, and from $25 to $60 for lane swimming.

For the full story, please see the April 24 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.