The man in charge of SaskPower’s advanced metering program was at Craik town council’s meeting Wednesday to give an overview of the new smart meters.
Lloyd Crookshanks, consultant for SaskPower’s advanced meter infrastructure, attended the meeting to explain the benefits of the new wireless meters that, over the next year and a half, will be installed across the province.
The new meters will send a signal once every hour that provides regular information on electrical and natural gas consumption to SaskPower and SaskEnergy using a secure two-way wireless communication system. This transmission will allow both companies to use actual consumption information instead of generating estimates for billing purposes
In November, when she learned a smart meter was going to be installed on her house, Craik resident Ernady Destre approached town council with her concerns about the meters. She also wrote a letter to SaskPower’s CEO notifying the company of her refusal to have a meter installed.
“I refuse your wireless smart meter on the grounds that it has the capability of being a surveillance system, used by you or other parties, which could violate my right to privacy. Also my fundamental democratic right to protect my health from a possible carcinogen specifically radiofrequency electromagnetic fields emitted by your wireless smart meter, supersedes any right you have to install a wireless smart meter on my property,” Destre states in her letter to Robert Watson.
Crookshanks said they have heard some concerns from people who do not want the meters installed on their property.
Many of these concerns are associated with the potential health impacts of radiofrequency energy emanating from the meters.
Crookshanks said SaskPower has done tests on the meters being installed, measuring the radiofrequency from distance of 8 inches away from the meter and the measurements come in at 0.5 per cent of Health Canada standards, which he said is “well, well below federal government regulations.”
He said this is much less than radiofrequencies coming from common devices such as cell phones.
To read more please see the December 16 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Saskatchewan Bricklayers Union training coordinator Brian Adams headed to Craik School last Monday to teach a group of interested kids a life skill.

“This is our first time (at Craik School) and this is going to be a real good partnership between the school and the educators and the trades and that’s what it’s all about, completing the cycle,” said Adams. “It works out pretty good. Kids that try it like it (and) every once in a while we get some that take it on and, in a few years, hopefully one or two of these kids, will end up in the trade working for a union bricklaying company and they’ll be journeyman bricklayers. That’s the ultimate goal.”

Adams said the kids who came out for the new Craik School Practical and Applied Arts (PAA) course began the day by building up four levels of brickwork before jointing it. He said the first class of six he would teach over the next six months ended with the students “unfortunately” taking down their work and cleaning up.

“Next month (they’ll) start again and get a little bit better and they’ll do a little bit more work,” he said. “It’s a progressive thing. There is very little bookwork in this. These kids don’t want to do that. They just want to get a trowel in their hand and go.”

This is the first year the Saskatchewan Bricklayers Union has been able to offer a masonry class to a rural school as it was only offered to students in Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina before. Students who opt to take part in the class earn a PAA credit that they need in order to graduate and also have the chance to try their hand at the Skills Canada Saskatchewan competition held April 10 and 11 in Prince Albert.

Gord Taylor, principal of Craik School, said they are hoping to send a group of kids to the 16^th annual high school skills competition so they can show off what they’ve learned this year. He said the response from students toward the course has been “overwhelming” since they approached kids about the possibility of offering the course last spring.

“Kids want to be a part of it,” he said, noting the course includes about 70 hours of practical design and construction training and 30 classroom hours. “Our hope is to continue offering it.”

To read more please see the October 28 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Reading is fun.
Helping kids discover the pleasure in books is the aim of a new program launched this month at the Craik branch of Palliser Regional library.
The Page Turners, a reading club for children in grades kindergarten to five, met Oct. 1 at the Craik library, where they became immersed in the funny, far-fetched stories of Robert Munsch.
Munsch’s illustrated picture books are popular with many children because of the crazy predicaments that children and more often, their parents and teachers, find themselves in.
The Craik library created the Page Turners Club to remind kids that it’s fun to read, said librarian Jo McAlpine.
The club is also a way to encourage children to regularly visit the library.
“It’s a change from holiday themes, so everything isn’t centred around holidays and to show kids they can come to the library when it isn’t Halloween.”
Jody Kearns leads the group, reading a few stories to the children and then gets them involved in a hands-on activity.
Last week’s task involved making a giant cookie to coincide with Munsch’s book Mmm, Cookies!
The Page Turners also made diaries so they may keep track of all the books they’ve read.
To motivate children to keep reading, McAlpine said, they have developed a reward program so that every week, when children return a book they receive a project. Once they return three to four completed projects, they receive a prize.
These projects are fun and simple.
The first project was to match characters to Munsch’s books. Another project shows kids how to draw a pig.
The inaugural meeting of the Page Turners Club had 14 children participating. Next month’s club meeting will feature Dr. Seuss.
“We’re feeling a little guilty about older children (not having a reading club of their own), but we don’t have enough leaders,” McAlpine said.
Craik library’s Page Turners Club meets the first Tuesday of the month.

Palliser Plains Co-op is expanding its reach after members of the Craik and Palliser Plains Co-ops showed their desire for amalgamation in votes last Tuesday and Wednesday.

Terry Vanmackelberg, general manager of the Palliser Plains and Craik Co-ops, said 100 per cent of Palliser Plains voters and 97 per cent of Craik Co-op members voted in favour of the merger, which takes effect Dec. 1.

Amalgamation “strengthens the whole association, so for Craik especially the buying power (has increased) being part of a larger organization,” said Vanmackelberg. “Most of our members will have access to facilities in four communities.”

With the merger, Craik Co-op would be added to the Palliser Plains coverage area of Tugaske, Central Butte and Shamrock. The Co-op would have around 2,400 members, 56 employees working at the four branches and projected sales of $35 million in five years time.

Vanmackelberg said an important part of the amalgamation is the Craik Co-op is not currently in the agronomy business as far as chemical and seed, while Palliser Plains is heavily into these commodities. He said this merger then helps open “Craik territory for our agronomy services and chemical and seed.”

The old town hall bell in Craik is going to ring again Sept. 7 when the community joins together to celebrate the 100^th birthday of the historic building.

Helen Lee, volunteer with Craik’s Old Town Hall 100^th Birthday Celebration, said residents of town over 90 years old have been invited to ring the now little-used bell as a way to begin the centennial celebration. She said this opening ceremony for the festival would usher in a day of revellery for the community as they gather together to commemorate the town’s past while having a bit of old-fashioned fun.

“This gives everybody a chance to have a look at the history of what was going on around here and having the youth involved with the elders, so we have a chance to learn about it and create our own history,” said Lee.

After the opening ceremony, festival goers will be invited to an old-fashioned tea at the Community Legion Hall before the Craik Lions Club put on a bingo. During the afternoon there are also plans for tours of the old town hall, kid’s activities, a car show along Main Street and entertainment on the upper floors of the building.

“We’ve got some people lined up to do about 20-minute sets upstairs,” she said. “I’ve got about 80 minutes worth of people right now, but I’m still looking for some daytime performers that could do 20-minute sets.”

Lee said the entertainment the group has organized for the day is musical, but they are open to anything if someone has other ideas in mind. She said in addition to the concert people would be invited to visit the Craik Oral History room at the town hall during the day and the Craik Museum would be open for tours.

The day is going to be capped off with a community barbecue supper followed by a talent show at the Legion Hall. Revellers have also been invited to dress up in outfits covering the period of time from when the town hall first opened to the present day.

“We’re asking people to dress up in their favourite decade,” said Lee. “It’s anywhere from 1913 to 2013, so if you just come in your regular clothes then you’re dressing in the 2010s. We want to make it easy.”

Lee said it has taken the group a few months to organize the festivities and she is very excited for the day to begin. She said the help by various volunteers in the community to get everything ready is really appreciated and hopes the day brings back fond memories to everyone who joins in the fun.

To read more please see the Sept. 2 print edition of The Davidson Leader.