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GDT shipments delayed due to CP Rail strike

STRONGFIELD—A strike by 4,800 Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) employees is delaying grain shipments including those from Gardiner Dam Terminal (GDT) in Strongfield.

CP Rail locomotive engineers, conductors, yardmen and rail traffic controllers who are members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, went on strike early Wednesday morning. The strike shut down all CP Rail freight traffic. The major issues are work rules, fatigue management and the pension plan, which the Teamsters say the employer wants to cut by 40 per cent.

“We just loaded 112 cars and they are still sitting on our tracks,” Shawn Graham, GDT’s general manager, said Thursday. He said if the strike drags on, the company would seek ways to minimize impacts on local grain deliveries.

He’s hopeful CP and the union will resolve their differences through mediation.

If not federal Labour Minister Lisa Raitt announced plans to table back-to-work legislation when the House of Commons resumes sitting today.

The Canadian Wheat Board estimates the strike will delay 162,000 metric tonnes of wheat and barley sold to its buyers.

Once CP Rail freight is back up and running, there will be a backlog to clear up.

“Anything loaded or in transit doesn’t get moved,” Graham said.

The backlog costs shippers such as GDT money due to demurrage charges from shipping companies and ports.

As long as the work stoppage isn’t too lengthy, GDT should able to weather the delay, Graham said.

With seeding going on, and the strong freight service GDT has received from CP the past few months there is storage capacity at the terminal.

Davidson, featured

Police on the hunt for stolen lights

DAVIDSON—Police hope the public may shed light on a recent crime in Davidson.

Craik RCMP report that sometime between late Saturday, May 12 and early Sunday, May 13 solar illuminated ornaments and lights were stolen from residences on the 400 block of Toronto Street.

Police ask anyone with information on this or other crimes to contact Craik RCMP at 734-5200 or Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477).

Davidson, featured

Davidson pharmacist appointed to health board

DAVIDSON—Davidson continues to have representation on the board of Heartland Regional Health Authority.

Local pharmacist Dave Nykiforuk was appointed to the board, one of 33 new appointees to Saskatchewan’s 12 regional health authorities.

Health Minister Don McMorris announced the board appointments last Tuesday.

Of the 116 board members of the various health regions, 83 are being reappointed.

Nykiforuk replaces outgoing board member Gary Allan. Also stepping down from Heartland’s board was long-time member Lyle Leys.

The appointments are for three-year terms, with the possibility of reappointment. There are no term limits.

Nykiforuk said he attended his first board meeting last Wednesday.

“I’ve got a lot to digest and I know from serving on other boards you can never please everybody,” he said during an interview last Wednesday while he flipped burgers for the Davidson SCC community potluck.

He’s been interested in serving on the health region board for some time because it is important that the community has its voice represented.

But he understands that at times it will be a difficult job when the board has to manage limited health care funds.

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Hanley’s access road to receive upgrade

HANLEY—It will soon be smooth sailing into the Town of Hanley.

Thursday, Saskatchewan Highways announced it intends to cover a 0.61-kilometres stretch of the bumpy road with hot-mix asphalt concrete.

The province awarded the project to contractor HJR and it is tied to an asphalt concrete project on Highway 11.

The access road from Highway 11 into Hanley, was built years ago as a thin-membrane surface. It is in poor condition and has been for years. It handles an average of 1,050 vehicles per day.

The Hanley project is one of several similar projects Highways and Infrastructure announced it intends to tackle this construction season.

The funding is coming from the Small Community and Tourism Access Roads Program and so far is spending $10.3 million to upgrade access roads to Dinsmore, Sun Valley, Verwood, Kennedy, Prelate, Dodsland and Margo.

The roads will be built to a standard that may accommodate secondary weight truck traffic and RVs.

Criteria considered under the Small Community and Toursim Access Roads program includes: construction work on adjacent highways, traffic volume, collision statistics, the highway’s condition and annual maintenance costs, community population and employment and/or tourists visits.

Davidson, featured

Good Samaritan stabbed

OUTLOOK—A Good Samaritan asked one too many questions while helping a stranger change a flat tire.

A 66-year-old man was stabbed last Wednesday, receiving non-life threatening wounds, said RCMP Corp. Rob King.

The man, it is alleged, was helping a 22-year-old man with the flat tire when the 22 year old attacked him with a knife.

Another man at the scene helped stop the knife attack by pulling the accused off the victim, King said. The suspect then stole the truck of the man who helped and fled from the scene.

Outlook RCMP was called and while searching for the stolen truck, they found the truck in a ditch and set up a large perimeter and called for a police dog from North Battleford. The suspect was located and arrested.

Thursday, Ryan Dalton Kelly Bear made his first court appearance in Saskatoon. He is charged with attempted murder.

The whole incident occurred around mid-morning on a road about 5 kilometres north of Outlook.

King said the suspect had a flat tire and went to a nearby residence seeking help. The resident gave the suspect a ride back to his vehicle to help change the tire. Then the 66-year-old man arrived on scene and started asking questions, suspicious of the stranger.

While the man was asking questions, the 22-year-old man is alleged to have attacked the 66 year old.

Davidson, featured

Town grants extension to development contract

DAVIDSON—Last Tuesday Davidson town council gave the developer of East Sellers Crescent another year to complete servicing of the proposed subdivision.

Morsky Industrial Services Inc. of Regina has until April 30, 2013 to complete the servicing of the 18-house residential development.

The new subdivision has been in the works since 2009, but little progress has since been made.

Town administrator Gary Edom said council agreed to amend the original service agreement to give Morsky more time to install the services.

He said the lots were re-staked and that Morsky is working on getting SaskTel and SaskPower to install the ground services on the outside of the proposed development.

Besides giving an extension, the servicing agreement amendment also contains other provisions including:

• council agreed to forego the $500 per day penalty to date per Morsky’s request, but it will take effect again May 1, 2013 if progress has not been made;

• council supported paving the road after 75 per cent of the lots are developed or two years from the date of the first house being built to ensure builders and residents that the road will be paved in a timely manner;

• Morsky will undertake an aggressive renewed marketing plan;

• the amount of performance bonding, or letter of credit, is adjusted to $90,000; and

• Morsky will give favourable consideration to builders in order to get initial house construction started.

All previous provisions in the original service agreement apply to construction and development standards remain in place.

The Davidson Leader, Davidson, Saskatchewan