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Hanley farmer elected to barley commission

The new Saskatchewan Barley Development Commission (SBDC) and Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission (SWDC) may not hit the ground running with a recently elected board of directors, but according to one new member they at least would start out walking at a pretty good pace.

Cam Goff, a Hanley farmer elected to the SBDC board of directors, said the expectation is the new producer-elected board is going to have a busy year ahead of them as they try to get an idea about the best direction production check-off fees need to go in. He said they need to begin with talking to the decades old Alberta barley commission and recently formed Alberta wheat commission as well as the Manitoba barley and wheat commissions that are set to go online this year to find out how they are going to set up.

“The first year really is getting our feet on the ground and talking to the other groups,” said Goff, who was elected to a two-year term on the SBDC by barley growers last month. “We are going to be talking to the Alberta and Manitoba groups, trying to work together, and having as little duplication as possible in what we’re doing. Obviously I’m just starting, but I currently think it’s very much a joint proposition for all three provinces that we’re going to have to work very closely together to reduce the overhead fees and the duplication of efforts. There has to be constant communication between us or else we’re going to end up really not doing a very good job for producers.”

Goff was elected along with Jeff Mathieson of Regina and Foam Lake’s Zenneth Faye to a two-year term on the SBDC while Jason Skotheim of Spruce Home, Strasbourg’s Brent Johnson and Vanguard’s Allen Kuhlmann were elected to four-year terms through 549 mail-in ballots by barley producers. Over 2,000 Saskatchewan wheat growers elected Edenwold’s Rod Flaman, Ken Rosaasen of Saskatoon, Regina’s Bill Gehl and Glenn Tait of Meota to four-year terms on the SWDC along with Saskatoon’s Dan Danielson, Radisson’s Laura Reiter and William Rosher of Kindersley to two-year terms.

The two new commissions are entrusted with building the prospects for Saskatchewan-grown wheat and barley crops by administering check-off fees toward research and market development initiatives that improve wheat and barley varieties, build their marketability and provide greater value to producers. The new producer-elected directors replace an interim board that oversaw the affairs of each commission from their establishment this past August to the election.

Goff said he ran for a seat on the SBDC board of directors because he believes it is important for farmers to retain as much control as possible over the seed end of their business through using these check-off dollars to get producers the “best bang” for their buck.

“The job is to make sure the funds are collected,” Goff said when describing what his job as a director would entail, “and then to decide which project that researchers bring forward that has the best possibility of increasing the sales of barley, the use of barley and getting those traits in the barley that producers need whether it be disease, yield or other factors that may come along in the future.”

To read more please see the January 20 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

H1N1 outbreak at health centre

The Heartland Health Region has restricted visitor access and isolated some long-term residents at the Davidson Health Centre after an outbreak of respiratory illness infected some of its patients.

Dr. David Torr, consulting medical health officer with the Heartland Health Region, said the facility closed its doors to visitors about a week-and-a-half ago after some residents contracted the H1N1 flu virus. He said visitation of its long-term patients has been restricted because they don’t want any further illness brought into the facility and they also don’t want anyone picking up the illness from the facility.

“As soon as the outbreak is under control then we open up (visitor access),” said Torr. “We will notify everybody as soon as we have the situation under control. So far it seems to be resolving pretty well. We’re not having further spread of infection, but we’ve got to make sure our perimeters are covered.”

Torr said all patients that are showing symptoms of H1N1 have been isolated and the other long-term residents are being monitored closely to make sure they don’t contract the illness. He said appropriate precautions have also been taken to protect staff at the facility.

Emergency services at the acute side of the Davidson Health Centre are still providing care during this time, said Torr. He added it is likely the outbreak originated through contact with visitors to the facility and that is probably also the case with the other health centres in the province that have experienced similar outbreaks.

“We don’t have other outbreaks currently within facilities (in the Heartland Health Region), but in the province there is certainly been a number of long-term care facilities already affected by the influenza,” he said.

To deal with the H1N1 concern in the general public, Torr said there is still a limited amount of flu vaccine available in the province and right now health officials are looking at demographics, the pattern of illness and statistics to determine who would receive a shot. He said although 30 per cent of the population has been immunized only around 15 per cent of children under five years have received the vaccine yet they are the ones more disproportionably affected by H1N1, so it is this demographic and pregnant mothers that will be focused on to receive the vaccine.

“Decisions had to be made to get the best bang for the buck with what limited vaccine is available, but the province is working hard at securing more vaccine and we did get an extra stock this week,” said Torr, noting this new batch is still not enough to go out to the general population. “We included also people with immune suppression like cancers and post-transplants and dialysis patients (to receive the vaccine). The province continues to hunt for vaccine and as we get more vaccine in we will keep the population updated on who can access vaccine.”

To read more please see the January 20 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Cyclones beat Chiefs for fifth straight win

The Davidson Cyclones senior hockey team beat the Nokomis Chiefs 7-4 last Wednesday at home giving them their fifth straight win, eighth in their past nine and a serious shot at securing a first or second place finish when playoffs roll around next month.

“Lately we’ve been playing really good as a team and we’ve had a good couple weeks,” said Cyclones goaltender Mark Zoerb, who stopped 34 Nokomis shots in the win. “This time of year you’ve got to come prepared or you’re going to get beat and nobody wants to lose.”

Cyclones captain Derek Allan once again led the offence against the Chiefs picking up two goals and two assists, which give him 14 goals and 46 points on the season placing him one point back of Chiefs captain Brett Leedahl despite playing three fewer games. Not to be outdone on the score sheet was Davidson forward Brett Siroski who also potted two in the victory while picking up a couple assists.

“It was a good game,” said Cyclones coach Jason Shaw. “We were both short players. I think Nokomis had two lines and an extra and we had two lines and one guy got hurt halfway through, Chad Manz has a bad ankle, so it was nice to get the win and keep our winning streak going.”

The win gives Davidson (11-6-1) 23 points placing them in a third-place tie with the Watrous Winterhawks and two points back of the league leading Lanigan Pirates. As of press time, the Cyclones have four games remaining with two of those coming against Watrous and one versus Lanigan.

“If we win out we’ll be in first place, but if we win three out of four we should be somewhere around first or second depending on what everybody else does,” said Shaw. “It would be nice to get first to have home ice advantage in the playoffs, but we’ll just see how it goes.”

Zoerb said the last four games are huge for the team as they get ready for league playoffs at the start of February and also their first round match-up versus the Kindersley Red Lions in a provincial A showdown.

“We’ve played really good the last couple weeks and put ourselves in a good position,” he said. “If we win all the games we’ll get first place and I think it would be great to have a bye in the first round (of league).”

To read more please see the January 20 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Public health officers issue radon warning

Officials with the Heartland Health Region public inspection program are asking homeowners in Davidson, Kenaston and area to contact them about conducting radon gas testing on their homes in an effort to reduce the carcinogen that is found in basements throughout the region.

Vanessa Amy, public health officer with Heartland Health, said high levels of radon gas has been detected in particular areas of the region, but it is unknown how elevated levels of the radioactive gas is around Davidson and Kenaston because no testing has been done. She said radon gas is formed through decaying uranium and seeps through the soil into basements and because it is a carcinogen causes lung cancer when people are exposed long-term to it when it builds up during the winter.

“Radon gas is heavier than air, so it will collect in the basement,” said Amy. “It doesn’t go up and fill up your whole house, but in the wintertime when you run your furnace the furnace draws air from the basement and hot air rises out the chimney. You create negative pressure in your basement, so that air pressure in the soil surrounding your house is going to be higher than in your basement (and) that radon gas is drawn from the soil into your basement. It doesn’t occur very much during the summer months when you’re not running your furnace, (but) we can see levels of radon building up in your basement during the winter heating months.”

Amy said the amount of radon gas collecting in a basement has nothing to do with the age of a home, but it does have to do with the type of soil surrounding a basement and the condition the basement is in. She said a wood framed basement or a cracked concrete basement surrounded by heavy clay soil would draw more radon gas into it than a sound concrete block basement, but it is impossible to predict how much radon is in a home without it being tested.

“Heartland is actually offering free radon tests to homeowners in the health region, so people can contact me,” she said noting she can be reached at 306-882-2672 ext. 2288 or by email at public.health@hrha.sk.ca. “We’ve arranged for testing to be provided to people in the area because we know that it’s been a concern.”

To read more please see the January 20 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

H1N1 flu presents challenge for Heartland Health Region

The Heartland Health Region has found itself in an unusual situation this flu season.

A sudden and severe H1N1 influenza virus has emerged as the predominant flu strain and it is increasingly hitting otherwise healthy people later into the 2013-2014 flu season than usual with the anticipation that the influenza activity is going to peak in the next couple weeks. These people being hit could have been protected had they received a common flu shot back at a public clinic in October, but are now looking for a shot at this late date when the supply of vaccine is limited.

Dr. David Torr, consulting medical health officer with the Heartland Health Region, said they are trying as best as possible to get in more vaccine and they did receive some last week. He said this vaccine would be distributed at some new public clinics in the region that are advertised on the Heartland Health website and through making appointments through an area’s local public health office.

“The challenge we are having now is keeping the supply matched with the demand,” said Torr, noting by this time the region usually just goes to appointments to provide the shot. “There have been a bit of logistical challenges with the vaccine coming in. The supply for us is from the province and the province has been trying to get it from out East, but with the weather conditions some of the couriers were a little reluctant to transport without insuring that the vaccine doesn’t freeze on the way and get destroyed.”

Torr said another issue with providing flu shots to the 75 per cent of the Heartland Health Region’s population that is un-immunized is demand versus what is available. He said by this time of the season most jurisdictions or suppliers have stopped providing vaccine assuming that whoever wanted a flu shot has got one already.

“This is a bit of a different situation where we’ve been seeing this sudden severe illness and then people are waking up and saying ‘oh, I better get it now too’ whereas historically many would say ‘it’s nothing I’m going to bother with.’ Now more people are showing interest.”

The H1N1 flu strain is also different in that the region normally sees more illness or severe illness in people over 65 years of age or those with underlying medical conditions, while the flu circulating this year is showing more aggression towards children under five years old as well as adults between the ages of 20 and 64 who don’t have any predisposed issues.

To read more please see the January 13 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

RCMP reminds travellers about safety precautions when going out this winter

The winter storm that roared through Davidson and area Jan. 3 also struck northeastern Saskatchewan forcing a group of four fishermen to tough out a night in the cold and their local RCMP detachment to issue a warning about travelling in winter weather.

Deschambault Lake RCMP Sergeant Dion Eddy said the four fishermen survived their ordeal thanks in part to taking a few precautions before heading out into the wilderness, which can serve as a lesson for other travellers in the province during the winter months.

“Let someone know where you’re going and when you’re going to be back, so if we have to come and attempt to find you that we have a starting point or a location to look for you,” said Eddy. “One of the big things is to dress appropriately. Also take extra supplies. These guys had extra heat. Make sure your car is full of gas in case you do hit the ditch and take a look at the weather and road conditions not just right now, but what they’re forecasting that is coming because it could be nice where you’re leaving from and then all of a sudden you’re in the middle of a big storm.”

The four men, who were all between 30 and 40 years old, provided details to family members staying behind indicating where they were going and at what time they would be back before embarking on an ice fishing excursion in the Deschambault Lake area. When the travellers failed to make it back home by midnight their family issued a complaint to the RCMP and a search party comprised of on-duty police and community volunteers set out to find the missing fishermen.

The search party used available resources and snowmobiles to comb Deschambault Lake in weather that fell below -30˚C with the wind chill the next morning before eventually locating the four men close to seven kilometres from their entry onto the ice. Their truck was stuck in the snow and ice and the travellers had stayed with the truck throughout the night.

The four fishermen were returned to shore at approximately 11:30 a.m. Jan. 4 a little chilly, but uninjured and happy to see their rescuers.

“They made some good decisions to save their own lives,” said Eddy, noting calls to find missing travellers is a common occurrence for most RCMP detachments due to cars getting stuck or people deciding to change their plans and stay an extra day somewhere that their family doesn’t know about. “They made the decision to stay with their vehicle. Had they gone walking it would (have been) harder to find them afterwards.”