Davidson

Mandatory 10-digit dialling coming to Saskatchewan

A change is coming this spring for anyone trying to make a phone call as the province rolls out a new 639 area code and introduces mandatory 10-digit dialling for all local calls.

Tara Tibeau, SaskTel communications manager, said the population increase in the province and the continuing trend of people to own multiple mobile devices have depleted the 306 area code number availability. She said these factors led the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to introduce the second area code for Saskatchewan residents and businesses, which will be distributed starting May 11 through an “overlay” method.

“It’s not going to be a geographical distribution of the code,” said Tibeau. “As the 639 is introduced, it’ll just interchangeably come up. The system will generate a random number, how we normally generate numbers, and it’ll come up with either a 306 or 639. Generally we’re going to start seeing a lot more 639s as we run out of 306s.”

Since the new area code will not be assigned to a specific region, the CRTC came up with the need for 10-digit local dialling, which is the area code plus the seven-digit number.

Tibeau said SaskTel has been preparing the network for 10-digit dialling since the decision to add a new code was made in 2010. She said the network can accept 10-digit dialling right now and beginning Feb. 25 whenever someone makes a call by punching in only seven digits they will first receive a message reminding them about the change before the call goes through.

Starting May 11, whenever someone only dials seven digits the call will not go through, so Tibeau stresses that people prepare their equipment that has phone numbers programmed in such as security systems that call out to the police and make sure they add the area code in.

“Most of the other provinces have already added a second (area code), some are already on their third,” she said. “Some provinces like BC actually have six different area codes. Toronto alone has three. It’s good. It’s actually a sign of growth and it’s a good indication that the province continues to do well in these times.”

Craik

Craik School class works to improve lives of kids around the globe

The grades 7 and 8 class at Craik School is trying to make a small change in the world.

The students have reformed the Upstanding and Outstanding (U and O) group at the school into a complex enterprise devoted to improving their lives and the lives of everyone they meet. By separating the organization into three divisions, namely a clothing, media and fund-raising group, the students have worked throughout the school year to engage the elementary students at Craik School as well as members of their community into becoming better people through applying eight simple concepts during their day-to-day lives.

“The characteristics are integrity, diligence, citizenship, respect, honesty, fairness, trustworthiness and responsibility,” said Kalib Vibert, a Grade 7 student who works with the clothing division. “You have to be all those to be an upstanding and outstanding person.”

Explaining that integrity means doing what is right even in tough situations, diligence is setting and reaching your goals, citizenship involves working for the common good, respect means treating others as you want to be treated, honesty is telling the truth, fairness concerns playing by the rules, trustworthiness is keeping your promises and responsibility means doing what needs to be done, the group has been implementing these concepts through their work this year on Free The Children initiatives.

Started by a then 12-year-old Canadian named Craig Kielburger in 1995 in an effort to fight child labour, Free The Children has grown into an international charity and educational partner with more than 1.7 million youth involved in education and development programs in 45 countries. The main goal of Free The Children is to create a world where young people are free to achieve their fullest potential as agents of change.

“We got involved with Free The Children so that people could have a sustainable source of clean drinking water,” said Grade 8 student Sky Ann Stinson, who is part of the media division. “We’ve raised $1,264 so far and now we’re thinking of sponsoring a village.”

Grade 8 student Chase Bakken, clothing division, said they haven’t decided which village to sponsor through the Free The Children Adopt a Village program, but have narrowed it down to a list of eight countries where help is needed.

To raise funds for the Adopt a Village initiative, the clothing division has designed an Upstanding and Outstanding logo that they will emblazon onto hoodies and ball caps they are making, which they will then sell to the student population at the school. They are also selling buttons to the community until Feb. 14.

“They’re called Love Is buttons and it’ll be sort of like a Valentine’s Day card,” said Haley Spencer, a Grade 8 student and fund-raising division member. “There are six different buttons and you can buy them and send them like a Valentine’s Day card.”

The media division is promoting these fund-raising efforts through their blog, facebook page and twitter account they developed this year.

To read more please see the January 21 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Sports

Cyclones blow into last week of season

The Davidson Cyclones senior men’s hockey team is heading into the last week of their regular season schedule on a tear, but a slow start to the year may cost them a first round bye in league playoffs.

The club has won seven of their past nine, including a 15-5 devastation of the Nokomis Chiefs in Nokomis Jan. 12 after idling the Drake Canucks with a 5-4 shootout win a day earlier at the Davidson Rink, putting them within striking distance of a second place finish in the Long Lake Hockey League (LLHL) standings and a first round bye.

The problem the Cyclones face is they’ll need to string a few wins together this week against the LeRoy Braves on Tuesday and the Chiefs on Friday at home along with the Watrous Winterhawks in Watrous a day later, and on the final night of the season no less, to make up for the poor start they had to the 2012-2013 season in order to get that bye.

Their 3-5 start to the year has them sitting solidly in third place in the six-team LLHL, which would give them a home-ice advantage in the first round of the league playoffs, but would create for a much more condensed schedule considering their first round provincial “C” match-up against the Loreburn 19ers will be taking place at the same time as the first round of those league playoffs.

“It would be nice if we could get up to second, but we’ve got some injuries right now,” said Jason Shaw, head coach of the Cyclones. “Pat Cey (a leading forward with the Cyclones) is hurt and Zach Sim (their top defenceman) is hurt. Hopefully we could get up to second, but it’s not the end of the world either.”

Cey suffered a wrist injury against the Winterhawks during a Jan. 5 game and it is “not sure” if he can get back into action this week, while Sim should make the final three games after mucking up his ankle in that same game against the ‘Hawks.

“We need them back to make a good run in league and provincials,” said Shaw.

Whom the Cyclones will face in the league playoffs starting in early February won’t be decided until league play action ends this weekend, but their provincial rivals, at least in the first round, will be Loreburn. The 19ers have been blown away by the competition in the Saskatchewan Valley Hockey League (SVHL) this year, currently sitting with a 1-13 record.

“They have a lot of younger guys on their team,” said Cyclones captain Derek Allan. “I think we’ll be alright because we’re an older team, but it’s provincials and you never know.”

Shaw said Loreburn could pose a problem as they have young guys making a transition into the league, so they don’t know what they’re capable of. He said the last time the Cyclones played the 19ers was in the 2009-2010 provincial “D” finals, when Davidson won their first of the past three provincial championships, but this year things are a little different.

“Now the younger guys have come on (for the 19ers) and they’re trying their best,” said Shaw. “It’s tough to compete with some of those teams with just a bunch of local guys.”

The provincials start Feb. 6 in Davidson with game 2 going Feb. 9 in Loreburn.

Obituary

obit Milne1

Milne
Cecil Alexander Milne of Craik, Sask. (formerly of Aylesbury, Sask.) passed away peacefully on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013 at the Regina General Hospital, Regina, Sask.
Cecil is survived by his loving family: wife Pearl; son Wayne (Liz) and their family, Cari (Ryan) MacDonald and family Ashlin, Kayla and Logan; daughter Sherry (Arnold) Thalgott and their family Tonya (Byron) Francis and family MacKenzie, Taylor and Richelle (Mark) Fallis and family Rylen plus one; sisters Edna White and Marie Kuaz; sister-in-law Mildred Ackerman and brother- and sister-in-law Ron (Beda) Reich; also nieces, nephews and other family members. Funeral services are pending. A complete announcement will be placed in a future edition.

Obituary

Taylor, Jean1

Taylor
Jean Lillian (nee Low)
Jean Taylor, aged 87 years, passed away peacefully at St. Paul’s Hospital, Saskatoon on Monday, December 31, 2012.
Jean was born on her uncle Ernie Baird’s farm near Hawarden in October 1925. She attended Chatham School. Jean married George Crawford of the Farrerdale district in 1945 where they farmed for 15 years and raised six children: Murray, Louie, Linty, Hughie, Ressa and Owen. In 1960 they were divorced and she moved to Saskatoon and married Leslie Taylor where they raised three children: Shelly, Marlene and Gordie. In 1970 her oldest son Murray was killed in a car accident along with four others. Jean was first and last a homemaker. Her family was most important to her. She gardened, sewed, baked bread, bandaged cuts and spirits. Jean and Les have always had an open door to family and friends.
Jean is lovingly remembered by her husband of 51 years, Les; eight children: Louise (Ray) Vanthuyne; Linty (Veronica) Crawford; Hugh (Janet) Crawford; Ressa (Kris) Noah; Owen (Diane) Crawford; Shelley (Jamie) Gray; Marlene (Rob Wright) Taylor; Gord (Renee Lemieux) Taylor; 18 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren: Jodi (Russ) Guerin and Tucker Nollski; Travis (Nicole) and Elise Vanthuyne; Patrick (Julie) Bouchard and Austin; Maurice (Sandra) Leif and Ava Bouchard; Danella (Derek) and Lily Moyen; Jeremy Crawford; Rhonda (Ryan) Jace, Jensen and Trey Kelly; George (Megan Callan) Crawford; Trent Crawford; Kalyn (Kenny) Geisler; Christina (Tyler) Makenna and Jaxton Smith; Coral, Shay and Ariel Crawford; Riley and Brie Gray; Kirsten and Danika Taylor and a large extended family.
She was predeceased by her parents Alex and Ella Low; son Murray Crawford; brother Willie Low; brothers-in law Gordon Crawford and Howard Moore; sister-in-law Shirley Crawford and brothers-in-law Lorne Taylor and Roy McCallum.
Memorial service was held at Simpson Community Centre on January 5 conducted by Rev. Deborah Smith.
Urnbearer was Trent Crawford. Murray and Ethel Taylor were register attendants. Ushers were Dean Taylor and Stuart Morrison. Jodi Nollski was the reader and eulogy was given by Linty Crawford. Soloist Megan Callan was accompanied by guitarist George Crawford. Soloist Gloria Morrison with Lil Gingrich as pianist was accompanied by Simpson Community Choir.
Interment will take place at Simpson Cemetery at a later date.
Memorial donations directed to Kidney Foundation of Canada or Canadian Diabetes Association would be appreciated.
Fotheringham-McDougall Funeral Service of Watrous and Nokomis was in care of arrangements.

Obituary

obit Thode
Thode
Evelyn May Thode
February 19, 1921 – January 8, 2013
Evelyn May Thode, 91, peacefully passed away in Nanaimo, B.C.
Evelyn grew up in Bradwell, Sask. She attended Saskatoon Normal School but taught school only briefly. She married Bill Thode in 1942. She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and the Dundurn United Church. She was a loving ‘super mom’ as well as partner in Thode Hereford Ranch.
After moving to Saskatoon, they attended Grosvenor United Church. Evelyn loved gardening, sewing, piano-playing and bridge. She played many sports but was passionate about curling and golf as an active member of Holiday Park and Greenbryre courses.
They enjoyed their southern U.S. winters as well as many other international trips. Evelyn and her family very much appreciated her sister, her golfing friends and others who helped her continue activities during her later Saskatoon years. Her last seven years were spent in B.C. at the Nanaimo Seniors Village. Evelyn will be remembered for her selfless dedication to her family and friends as well as for her spirited ways.
Evelyn is survived by her six children: Judy (Tony) Zerr and Margaret (Bruce) Tew of B.C.; Janie (Fred) Jardine and Barbara (Larry) Cufino of Ontario; Kathy Thode (Bill Millier) of Moravia, NY; and Tom Thode of Saskatoon; her two siblings: Yvonne Lindberg and Gerald (Fran) Harnett of Saskatoon; her eight grandchildren: Bruce (Carolyn) Jensen, Kathy (Richard) Robinson, Dennis (Paula) Tew, Michael (Amber) Tew, Jeff and John Jardine, Jennifer Cufino and Andrew Millier and 12 great-grandchildren.
Evelyn was predeceased by her husband William ‘Bill’ Thode; her brothers Don (Laura), Jim (Marg) and Harold (Barb) Harnett; her brother-in-law John Lindberg; and her grandson Rudy Zerr.

A Celebration of Evelyn’s Life will occur at 1 p.m. on January 21, 2013 at the Saskatoon Funeral Home.

The Davidson Leader, Davidson, Saskatchewan