Presented by: Sunshine Meadows Developments & Aspaire Investments
Where: Dundurn Community Hall
When: May 28, 2020 starting @ 6:30pm
briancollins@cedaridgeholdings.com
P: 306-270-3000
Important:
Due to COVID-19 group restrictions at Hall you MUST register that you will be attending. contact admin@townofdundurn.ca
It is hard to question the decisions of the folks who have been saving lives.
That said, did the provincial government/Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) go too far, too soon in closing the emergency department in Davidson?
Based on the low number of COVID cases in the province, the answer is yes, the government acted too quickly. Based on the reason why, there is room for cutting the province some slack. That’s up to you.
Until last Tuesday’s Davidson council meeting, I had no idea the move was made in response to a COVID case at the Pasqua Hospital in Regina. It either wasn’t well communicated or well reported. Blame the media.
The logic, as I understand it, was that the case at Pasqua could have multiplied and spread like the nasty brush fires the province has been experiencing. Part of the pandemic plan was to make ERs, such as Davidson’s, available for other uses if people had to be transferred to Davidson from other locations.
At no time, as I understand it, was Davidson going to be a location for coronavirus patients.
The decision to close the Davidson ER was made just days after the province announced the Pasqua case was isolated, and thus there was no outbreak. In other words, the province could have stayed the course, and left the Davidson ER open.
Arm River MLA Greg Brkich said his government overreacted, given the threat seemed to be over. He also said it is better to be safe than sorry.
Given the change in circumstances, he told town council talks will be held to discuss re-opening the ER. One round of those talks could have taken place already.
SHA CEO Scott Livingstone said the goal in all planning has been to keep COVID out of places like the Davidson Health Centre.
“It is important for folks to under- stand all along in our COVID response we have been very careful to protect the most vulnerable to COVID which have been our long-term care patients,” he told NewsTalk radio. “It is important for people to know if a single COVID-positive patient walks into a facility with high-risk individuals, and we don’t know they are posi- tive, it could have a very dramatic and horrific affect on those individuals, when we see 82 per cent of the deaths from COVID nationally are in long-term care residences.”
In 12 facilities affected by the change, there are a combined total of 400 resi- dents in long-term care, he said.
“With respect to these temporary changes, we are looking at what it will take to re-open these facilities or convert them back.”
He said it isn’t as simple as turning the Open sign back on. He said the long-term beds will have to be completely separated from acute-care beds and emergency rooms “to ensure nothing is coming into that facility that would put our patients at risk.”
He said that work would take place over the next few weeks.
Clearly, the government is sticking to its game plan. Overall, that’s a good thing.
On April 8, the SHA released three scenarios should the worst of COVID-19 strike the province. It is important to note the scenarios are not predictions of the number of people in Saskatchewan who will contract the virus and potentially die. The numbers are based on the experiences of other cities/countries where the virus hit them fast and hard.
The three models released, based on the number of people a person with the virus can infect, painted a picture of mass casualties. In the worst case, if an infected person infects four people and those four infect four and so on, the result in Saskatchewan would be 408,000 cases and 8,400 deaths.
We have had approximately 650 cases and we have had, sadly, seven deaths.
The province currently has 98 intensive-care beds, with 57 in use at any one time. The province has 2,433 acute-care beds, with 1,396 typically in use.
If there is a surge in the number of cases, up to 963 beds could be needed in ICU, and 3,200 for acute care, a government report said. There would be field hospitals in Saskatoon and Regina to help cope with a surge of that magnitude.
Of those 2,433 acute-care beds, two are in Davidson. Davidson’s beds are important in the event of a sudden increase in numbers, or in situations like the one at Pasqua.
“Our surge planning has not changed,” Livingstone said in the radio interview.
Clearly, the province dodged a bullet at Pasqua Hospital, and it appears as though Davidson’s ER will soon re-open because of it.
The people of Saskatchewan and those who have guided us are to be congratulated for keeping our number of cases low. We grieve for the families that have lost loved ones.
Even though we will disagree with government decisions from time to time, to stay on top of this, we can’t drift away from their plan that got us this far.
It is easy to become complacent. We can’t succumb to temptation.
-Cam Hutchinson
As of May 25, 2020, Saskatchewan has two new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 634. One new case is in the Far North, and the other is in the North.
Of the 634 reported cases, 81 are considered active. Eight more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 546.
There are currently six people in hospital – two are receiving inpatient care (one in Regina and one in the North) and four are in intensive care (all in Saskatoon).
Of the 634 cases in the province:
• 141 cases are travellers;
• 358 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
• 76 have no known exposures; and
• 59 are under investigation by local public health.
Overall in Saskatchewan:
• 50 cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
• 252 of the cases are from the Far North, 167 are from the Saskatoon area, 111 from the North, 76 from the Regina area, 16 from the South and 12 from the Central region.
• 93 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults.
• 226 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 193 are in the 40-59 age range; 104 are in the 60-79 age range; and 18 are in the 80-plus range.
• 51 per cent of the cases are females and 49 per cent are males.
• Seven deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.
To date, 44,312 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of May 23, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were last available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 33,994 people tested per million population. The national rate was 38,707 people tested per million population.
Expanded Testing Available for Saskatchewan Workers
Saskatchewan people returning to work can now be tested for COVID-19, if they so choose. Testing is available to anyone currently working outside the home, or anyone returning to work as part of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan.
For more information, call Healthline 811 or visit https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/testing-information.
If you are experiencing symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath, headaches, aches and pains, sore throat, chills, runny nose or a loss of your sense of taste or smell, contact HealthLine 811 or your family physician for advice on whether you should be tested for COVID-19. You can also take the online self-assessment at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.
General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.
Find the most up-to-date version of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan at www.saskatchewan.ca/re-open.
(1922 – 2020)
Our dear mother passed away peacefully May 8, 2020. As her breathing slowly shifted to a gentle wisp, her daughter Susan held her hand and passed on her families’ love. Leona’s family David, Diane and Daphne were virtually present.
Leona will be lovingly remembered by her family – Daphne Anne (Murray) Steeves (Kunkel), Diane Lynne Farquhar (Vopni), John David (Gilles Poirier) Vopni and Susan Jean (Blair) Edwards (Kunkel). Her grandchildren – Jay (Crystal Junk) Steeves, Laura (Kelly) Oster (Steeves), Wade (Sharlene Hanlon) Farquhar, Wesley (Pamela May) Farquhar, Jillian (Luke) McIvor (Edwards), Kate (Brendon)
Lee (Edwards), Lucas (Joell Tiffin) Edwards & Matthew Edwards, also her 15 great grandchildren, 1 great, great granddaughter, 17 nieces & nephews along with many extended relatives and friends.
Leona is survived by her sister Phyllis Eileen (Albert) Mills, sisters-in-law, Dorothy Margaret (Ellwyn) Amundrud (Burhart) and Celestina (Cletus) Amundrud (Krassman).
Leona was predeceased by her husbands John Harold Vopni and John Wesley Kunkel, her son-in-law William Brian Farquhar, her mother and father, Joseph and Ada (Pratt) Amundrud, her siblings and their spouses, Addis Bernhard (Mary Cawsey ), Lela Fern (Ron McInnis), Ellwyn Joseph, Dale Pratt (Daisy Elizabeth), Cletus Erling.
Leona was residing at the Davidson Health Center. She moved to the Health Center in April 2004 following the death of her husband, John Kunkel. She felt very comfortable in her “home” and often expressed her gratitude toward the staff who contributed to keeping her, not only healthy, but happy as well.
Leona was raised on a farm & completed her schooling in Aylesbury, SK. In 1941, in the midst of WW2, she travelled by train to study at the School of Nursing in Toronto, ON. She returned home to work as an RN at the Davidson Union Hospital.
In 1947 she married John Vopni in Regina,SK. Leona worked with her husband managing the Davidson Hotel and Grill. They settled into family life raising their 2 children, Diane & David. In 1959, a week after Susan was born, Leona’s life was shattered with the sudden death of her husband. As a single mother with 3 children,
she built a new home, enrolled in a Nursing Refresher course and returned to nursing at the Craik hospital then at Prairie View Lodge in Davidson.
In 1961 Leona married John Kunkel. Daphne, John’s daughter, joined her family. Leona along with John enjoyed many winter vacations overseas, North America and locally. In the early eighties, Leona and John chose to move to the warmer climate in Abbotsford, BC. However, the desire to be closer to family and the call of the prairies had them return to Saskatoon in 1992.
Leona continued her involvement with family, friends and the Lutheran Church. She enjoyed entertaining, participating in local community activities and weaving projects with Prairie Wool
Weaving Guild.
The family wishes to extend sincere gratitude, for the extraordinary compassionate care, to all the caregivers at the Davidson Health Center.
Hanson’s Funeral Home is managing all her memorial arrangements. If you wish, Leona’s family would like Memorial donations given to the Davidson Health Care Center or a Charity of One’s Choice.
Robert William Anderson, known to all as “Bob” of Craik, Saskatchewan, aged 86 passed away on May 14, 2020 at the Davidson Health Centre.
Bob will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 62 years Jennie (Doell); daughter Jo-Anne (Kirby) Sanden of Regina SK; sons Murray
(Jacquie) Anderson of Smithers BC and Graham (Tami) Anderson of Craik SK; grandchildren Heidi (Cameron) Livingston of Nipawin SK, Kelcy Sanden and partner Jill Sokalofsky of Regina SK, Spencer and Georgia Anderson of Smithers BC and great-grandchildren Tegan, Lane and Tanner Livingston.
Bob is also survived by his sister Marjorie Burns of Regina SK and brother Jim (Lorraine) Anderson of Mississauga ON, as well as sisters and brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews.
Bob is predeceased by his parents Melville and Florence (Lick) Anderson, brother-in-law Gerald Burns, brother and sister-in-law Harry and Elsie Elias, and brother-in-law Lorne Doell.
Bob grew up in the Foxbury School District and then attended the School of Agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan. Bob was truly committed to farming. He was raised on the family
farm and continued his chosen life work right into retirement and beyond. His love of the land was apparent to all who knew him, as was his admiration for John Deere equipment. Even his license plate read J-DEERE. At the tender age of 70, Bob acquired his 1A licence to haul his own grain.
Bob was also active in the community, serving as a member of the Craik Lions Club and Wheat Pool Committee, as a director of the Craik Co-op Board and Craik Hospital Board, and as councillor of the RM of Craik. He also participated in the United Church Choir.
During the winter months Bob and Jennie resided in Mesa, Arizona with all of the snow birds soaking up the sun. Bob enjoyed the camaraderie of his baseball and golf buddies and the “happy hours”. After his retirement from farming, he bought a boat and enjoyed the sport of fishing.
Bob will be remembered for his outgoing personality, one who could visit and call everyone “his friend”. He could find common ground with people that he had never met and held a special bond with
the younger generations.
A celebration of Bob’s life will be held at a later date. Donations in
memory of Bob may be made to the Craik Golf Course or Craik Cemetery.
Hanson’s Funeral Home in care of arrangements.
As of May 24, 2020, Saskatchewan has two new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the provincial total to 632. The two new cases are in the Far North.
Of the 632 reported cases, 87 are considered active. Three more people have recovered, bringing the provincial total to 538.
There are currently five people in hospital – two are receiving inpatient care (one in Regina and one in the North) and three are in intensive care (all in Saskatoon).
Of the 632 cases in the province:
141 cases are travellers;
357 are community contacts (including mass gatherings);
76 have no known exposures; and
58 are under investigation by local public health.
Overall in Saskatchewan:
50 cases are health care workers; however, the source of the infections may not be related to health care in all instances.
251 of the cases are from the Far North, 167 are from the Saskatoon area, 110 from the North, 76 from the Regina area, 16 from the South and 12 from the Central region.
92 cases involve people 19 years of age and under, while the remainder are adults. 226 cases are in the 20-39 age range; 192 are in the 40-59 age range; 104 are in the 60-79 age range; and 18 are in the 80-plus range.
51 per cent of the cases are females and 49 per cent are males.
Seven deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported to date.
To date, 43,862 COVID-19 tests have been performed in the province. As of May 22, 2020, when other provincial and national numbers were last available from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Saskatchewan’s per capita rate was 33,683 people tested per million population. The national rate was 38,035 people tested per million population.
If you are experiencing symptoms of fever, cough or shortness of breath, contact HealthLine 811 or your family physician for advice on whether you should be tested for COVID-19. You can also take the online self-assessment at www.saskatchewan.ca/COVID19.
General public inquiries may be directed to COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca.
Find the most up-to-date version of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan at www.saskatchewan.ca/re-open.