By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Members of Unifor stopped by Greg Brkich’s office recently with a message for the Arm River MLA.

About 25 union members gathered on the sidewalk on Washington Avenue during the noon hour on May 4 to protest a recent bill on Crown corporations.

Bill 40, passed in the provincial legislature on April 26, sets a definition for privatization, allowing up to 49 per cent of a Crown corporation, such as SaskTel or SGI, to be sold.

Lorne Hill, chief steward for Unifor Local 3 in Moose Jaw, said the bill amounts to breaking up assets that belong to the people of Saskatchewan.

“This current provincial government has no mandate to put our assets up for sale,” Hill said.

The Unifor members, all SaskTel employees, were in Davidson on May 4 for a provincial meeting. They marched to the MLA’s office during their lunch break.

They carried signs and cheered during Hill’s speech, responding to his criticism of Sask Party MLAs with calls of “Shame!” and “Liars!”

Brkich’s office was closed for the noon hour, and the protest drew few onlookers, but those gathered were not discouraged.

“Whether Greg was here or not today,” said Hill, “we want all members of the Legislative Assembly to know our stance on this issue.”

He accused the government of “risking the assets of future generations,” adding that SaskTel has paid off $500 million in dividends to the province over the last decade.

“That is tax dollars that people don’t have to pay out of their pockets,” said Hill, explaining that the protesters want to promote unity and not division. “We want to support everybody, we want to protect what is rightfully theirs.”

The NDP has also criticized the bill, with opposition leader Trent Wotherspoon calling it “an incredible bertrayal of Saskatchewan people.”

Greg Brkich spoke to the Leader in the bill’s defense on Wednesday, arguing that it would strengthen, not weaken, the Crowns by protecting 51 per cent of them from privatization.

He characterized the bill as “housekeeping” in case an opportunity for partnership comes along.

In the case of SaskTel, he said, partnerships could make the company more competitive by connecting them with new technology.

He also said the bill could bring new investment dollars, giving the example of pension plans.

“There’s lots of Saskatchewan investment money that’s flowing out to entities in other provinces,” he said.

Brkich dismissed opposition criticism of the bill: “The world’s always coming to an end . . . That’s their role, to try to light as many fires as they can at that end.”

He also recalled that former NDP premier Roy Romanow had talked about looking for potential partners for SaskTel, back in 2000.

A news release from Unifor pointed to Manitoba as an example, arguing that the privatization of the provincial telecom MTS led to higher phone bills there.

“It could mean a decrease, too,” Brkich countered in response. “It very well could be cheaper rates and better coverage, with more investment coming in.”

Unifor represents around 3,300 SaskTel employees, including technicians, account and service representatives, and clerical and administrative staff.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — An audience of close to 100 people was treated to a double bill as Davidson School hosted a dessert theatre night on May 4, featuring the junior and senior drama clubs.

Up first was the junior club’s performance of “10 Reasons You Should Have Stayed Home Sick Today,” by E. M. Bell.

Directed by Jason Low, the one-act comedy play featured a cast of 10 students in grades 7 through 9.

The 10 reasons included getting stuck with an awkward bus seatmate, facing an impossible pop quiz, and slipping in mud that leaves a suggestive stain on the victim’s pants.

Following was the senior club’s performance of “Storied” by Bradley Watson, directed by Arlene Low, with a cast of 12 actors in grades 10 through 12.

The surreal play follows three teenagers — Tatum (Katherine Cool), Becky (Geena Heinrich) and Kevin (Jacob Schilling) — who find themselves trapped in an alternate universe.

There, they encounter many fictional characters — some they recognize, like Alice (Emily Read) and the White Rabbit (Chase Lyn Dean), and others they don’t, like the Big Blue Metal Thing (Sarah Bublish) and the Sniper in a Tutu (Justin Sandsbraaten).

They eventually find themselves caught in a conflict between “Good Ideas” from classic stories, and “Bad Ideas” that originate in lesser works.

The teens encounter a pair of witches, Brittany (Sarah Allan) and Colleen (Tia Shaw), who explain that they drew them into this dimension by casting a spell.

For the full story and more photos, please see the May 15 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — When she and her husband Peter pulled up at Davidson Town Hall the night of April 25, Betsie Leach figured they must have gotten the date wrong.

“I thought there might be a wedding on, with all the cars parked there,” she told the Leader last week.

As it turned out, hundreds of people were there for them.

“We are still speechless about it,” she said. “We can’t believe it.”

The Leaches were the guests of honour at a steak supper held that night, which raised more than $8,200 to support them.

The husband and wife, who reside in Davidson, have both been off of work for the last several months as they deal with ongoing health concerns.

Dana Billett, who organized the event with Lindsay Cross, said they began planning for the fundraiser in late March.

“We just thought they could use a little bit of extra support,” Billett explained.

Co-workers, friends and other residents stepped up, donating food, auction and raffle items, and volunteering their time and effort.

Western Sales donated the food for the main course, Homemade Goodness donated macaroni salad and the United Church ladies contributed the desserts.

The Kinsmen donated the use of their barbecue while Riverbend Co-op provided the propane. Many others volunteered to set up, clean up and run the event. Dozens of items were donated for the silent auction and raffle tables.

Billett said 240 tickets were pre-sold, while many who couldn’t attend made donations in support of the Leaches.

“There isn’t a person that Lindsay or I sold a ticket to who didn’t mention how sweet or kind or caring Betsie is all of the time,” said Billett. “Everyone was willing to help out and support them just on that alone.”

The Leaches, originally from South Africa, moved to Davidson in October 2014 after Peter accepted a position at Western Sales.

For the full story, please see the May 8 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Judging by the constant sirens, Railway Avenue must have sounded like a disaster area last Saturday afternoon, but it was all in good fun.

Dozens of kids took their turn at sitting in the fire truck, trying on a firefighter’s uniform or spraying the hose during an open house at the Davidson Fire Hall.

Most popular was the blaring siren, said deputy chief Don Willner, adding that the firefighters like it for the same reason.

“We like making noise and flashing the lights,” he said with a laugh.

The open house on April 22 drew a steady crowd with all ages represented. There were grey skies overhead but the rain and snow held off for the afternoon.

The fire department had all four vehicles on display, including the two fire trucks, a pumper and a rapid rescue unit.

The hose was set up on McGregor Street along with a prop house with wooden flames in the windows. Guests were invited to take a turn holding the hose, directing the spray to knock down the flames.

Hamburgers, hot dogs and pop were served free of charge, and a silver collection was taken to benefit the hose fund.

The event was an opportunity to the public to take a look behind the scenes at the fire hall, meeting the volunteers and seeing the tools they use.

Willner said the department is also continuing its appeal for new members.

Three people have joined in the last two months, taking the number of active members to 14.

“That’s pretty good, considering it’s a small department,” said Willner, adding that the target is set at 20 members. “Like any volunteer department, we’re constantly looking for new members.”

Anyone interested in joining or learning more can call fire chief Clayton Schilling at 561-7597 or Willner at 567-7390.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — The books are back in town.

In the face of public protests, criticism and a petition with thousands of signatures, the provincial government has announced that it will restore $4.8 million in funding for Saskatchewan’s libraries.

“Our libraries are very important to people all over the province,” Greg Brkich told the Leader on Wednesday. “We didn’t realize that the funding would affect them that much.”

The Arm River MLA said library funding was a hot topic for his constituents in the weeks following the budget’s release on March 22.

“That’s what we had the most calls on,” he said. “I didn’t think that would be the top priority for a lot of the callers, but it seemed like it was.”

Library staff and patrons were quick to denounce the cuts, saying the reduced funding would cripple many of the most popular services, leading to decreased usage.

The SILS program, which allows patrons to borrow books and materials from any public library in the province, was among the anticipated casulaties.

In an April 24 announcement, education minister Don Morgan conceded the government had erred in cutting the libraries’ budgets.

“Premier (Brad) Wall has always said that we would be the kind of government that would admit its mistakes and then fix those mistakes,” he was quoted.

Saskatchewan’s seven regional libraries had their funding cut in the budget by 58 per cent, from $6 million to $2.5 million.

That funding has since been restored, along with $1.3 million in funding for the municipal libraries in Regina and Saskatoon.

Brkich echoed Morgan’s comments, saying that the province perhaps should have consulted with the libraries before releasing the budget.

“It was probably a mistake to cut them that much without prior warning,” he said. “We probably should have worked with them a little earlier to see what could be done.”

Morgan said his office will begin a consultative review with libraries and municipalities, working on a long-term strategy.

For the full story, please see the May 1 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.