By Joel van der Veen

CRAIK — They say they feel unappreciated, disrespected and pushed aside, and quite frankly, they’re ready to move on.

Members of Craik’s water task force confirmed last week that they have decided to step down, nine months after joining forces to combat the town’s ongoing issues with potable water.

The six-member group formed last July following an extended water outage, pooling their experience and efforts with the ultimate goal of ending the drinking water advisory that has been in place in the Town of Craik since August 2010.

Last week, several members of the group said they have decided to resign, citing long-standing frustrations with the town and its council.

“It’s apparent that they don’t want us in there,” said member Dermot McCaw.

“There’s no sense in pressing forward if there’s no co-operation,” said Mark Wegner.

Speaking at a gathering with several of his colleagues on Wednesday, Kim Bakken said, “We’re done, as far as I can see.”

Four of the six members — including McCaw, Wegner, Bakken and town councillor Charla Edwards — were gathered to discuss the activities of the last several months, as well as working towards a formal statement to council. (Two other members, Shayne Stubbington and Jason Hay, were not present.)

Members maintain that their efforts, including repairs and maintenance on the old and new water plants, have saved the town thousands of dollars.

However, the council and the task force have grown divided over several issues, including the plants’ ongoing maintenance, funds collected for the water plant, and plans for moving forward.

McCaw said the relationship between council and the task force has deteriorated significantly since Feb. 11, when he and Wegner visited council to present a proposal for the town’s restructuring into an organized hamlet.

The two offered the idea as a possible solution to the town’s growing infrastructure concerns — including, but not limited to, the water plant — contending that Craik has limited resources to deal with those problems.

Wegner estimated that the town will be on the hook for at least $2 million in infrastructure upgrades and repairs in the next few years, due in part to poor maintenance of existing systems.

Council held a special meeting on the subject on Feb. 25, but ultimately did not make a motion on the matter.

Instead, they issued a statement to the effect that the town council could not move ahead with restructuring on its own momentum, based on their interpretation of The Municipalities Act.

Since then, communication between the town, the council and the task force has been limited, according to all sides, and disagreements have mounted.

For the full story, please see the May 2 edition of The Davidson Leader.

By Joel van der Veen

CRAIK — Little is being said about the cause behind the fire that levelled the Craik Eco-Centre late last month.

Town administrator Sarah Wells said Thursday the fire’s cause was “not suspicious,” but declined to provide further details.

“We’re still in contact with the insurance company,” she told the Leader. “We’re not going to say too much until the investigation is done.”

Wells said the building was insured and the policy does not require the town to rebuild the facility in order to collect a payout, but she did not reveal the value for which the Eco-Centre was insured.

Boyd Sanden, chief of the Craik Volunteer Fire Department, said his crew got the call at 9:32 a.m. on March 24.

“The whole building was full of smoke, tons and tons of smoke,” said Sanden on Tuesday. “(You) couldn’t see two inches in front of you.”

Firefighters attempted to enter through windows and spray water on the flames, but that had little effect, said Sanden, adding that the fire “took right off” when it was exposed to more air.

Within minutes, the flames had reached the eaves, while the steel roof served to trap the inferno inside that building.

Sanden said that from that point the firefighters went into a defensive mode, remarking, “We knew that we couldn’t do anything.”

He noted that the fire spread rapidly after it reached the wooden posts and beams, which had been salvaged from demolished grain elevators.

There were no injuries reported, as the Solar Garden Restaurant had not yet opened for business.

The Davidson Volunteer Fire Department attended to provide mutual aid, while Craik RCMP and Davidson EMS also responded.

Sanden said crews were on the scene well into Thursday afternoon, adding that they continued to monitor the site twice daily over Easter weekend.

Both the fire commissioner and insurance inspector visited the site on Monday to look over the building’s remains.

Sanden reported that they remained on the scene for 10 hours, but declined to speculate on potential causes.

Phone calls to fire commissioner Duane McKay and his communications staff seeking details went unreturned last week.

For a detailed look at what the Eco-Centre’s loss means for Craik, please see the April 4 edition of The Davidson Leader.

By Joel van der Veen

CRAIK — After nearly two years of investigation, police have laid more than 30 fraud-related charges against a former administrator for the Town of Craik.

Craik RCMP announced Thursday morning that officers had laid charges in regards to internal fraud related to the town’s financial operations.

The accused was not named by police, but Const. Kevin Morrissette remarked, “I think pretty much anyone local can figure out who it is.”

The administrator was employed by the town between 2010 and 2014.

During the summer of 2014, the town informed police that fraudulent activity was suspected, setting the investigation in motion.

According to police, forensic audits were requested and the RCMP underwent an extensive investigation to obtain and review supporting financial documents from the town.

Current administrator Sarah Wells said the investigation was already underway by the time she began working for the town in November 2014.

She said the town office has co-operated with the investigation, providing all requested materials.

“A lot of it comes out of our computer program,” she explained. “It had to come from us.”

Wells said she could not clarify the amount of funds that were unaccounted for when the investigation began.

The Leader reported in May 2014 that a concerned resident had visited Craik town council after her grandson and his friends reportedly discovered cheques made out to the town floating in a ditch.

Craik RCMP stated at the time that the matter was not yet under investigation, but Mayor Rick Rogers acknowledged a connection between the matter of the cheques and the action being taken against the administrator, who had been placed on leave.

The accused is scheduled to appear in Moose Jaw Provincial Court on June 1. Anyone with relevant information on the case is asked to contact the RCMP or Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers.