By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Six new faces will be sitting around the Town of Davidson council table next month.

Voters had their say in Wednesday’s municipal election, casting their ballots for the council that will serve the town for the next four years.

Twelve candidates were on the ballot, just falling short of the record set in 2006, when 13 people ran for Davidson town council.

Leading the pack in Wednesday’s vote was funeral director Todd Lockwood, who received 383 votes, attracting the support of upwards of 95 per cent of Davidson voters.

Also elected to council were sales manager Gene Stangland with 300 votes; grain buyer Gord Cross with 241 votes; user interface developer Jessica Foster with 230 votes; teacher Arlene Low with 203 votes; and electrician Jared Shaw with 201 votes.

Those six councillors will join mayor-elect Tyler Alexander, who was elected by acclamation as the sole candidate for the position.

For the full story, please see the Oct. 31 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — The town’s recreation director says a “perfect storm” of problems is to blame for a slight delay in installing ice at the Communiplex.

Issues with the ice plant were discovered in March when the hockey rink was being shut down at season’s end. A new compressor and condenser were required at a total cost of $75,000.

Since then, the repairs have faced a series of hiccups, including contractor scheduling issues and a lack of available parts.

“It was a perfect storm,” Trevor Ouellette said Tuesday, “not a mistake, but for things to work out not exactly as they have in the past.”

At the time the problems were discovered, the rink had been approved for a federal grant for other improvements, including lighting and a low-emission reflective ceiling.

The matching grant included $55,000 in funds from Ottawa, along with the town contributing the same amount, for a total of $110,000.

“At the time we were prepared to do other upgrades to the rink,” said Ouellette. “We didn’t have money to do both.”

Fixing the ice plant took precedence over the other plans, but this required another submission to the government, or else the town could risk being shut out of future grants.

“Our community knows if we don’t have a working ice plant, we don’t have a rink,” said Ouellette. “To the grant people, you have to justify the switch.”

Approval was finally granted at the end of May. A 12-week repair process followed, from June to mid-September.

Ouellette said they had to contend with contractors’ schedules and other problems along the way.

In July they learned that the plant control panel needed replacement, but the necessary parts didn’t arrive until the latter part of September.

As a result, the repair process was “compressed into a very tight timeframe,” Ouellette said.

Last week, contractors were installing the final touches, including sensors and wiring, and they were expected to fire up the plant on Tuesday.

For the full story, please see the Oct. 24 edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Candidates for town council struck a cordial tone as they gathered to discuss Davidson’s future at an election forum on Oct. 17.

Ten out of 12 candidates were present for the forum, organized by The Davidson Leader and held Monday night at the Sacred Heart parish hall.

The event drew an audience of about 50 people, including three mayors — former mayor Mary Jane Morrison, outgoing mayor Clayton Schneider and mayor-elect Tyler Alexander.

Davidson residents, along with voters in municipalities across the province, will head to the polls on Wednesday. Six council seats are up for grabs.

Leader publisher Tara de Ryk said she was pleased with how the evening went, saying the candidates handled the questions well, especially since most of them have not previously served on council.

“There was good questions and very good responses. It gave us an insight into the candidates,” she said. “It’s not easy when you’re not accustomed to public speaking, to be put on the spot like that.”

De Ryk said she would have liked to see a larger audience in attendance, as the event was meant to help voters “attach faces and ideas to the names on the ballot.”

“I regret that people didn’t consume more coffee,” she added. “I’ll go out there, I’ll admit that. Did I make too much coffee? Yes. I’ll admit that was a problem.”

Elaine Ebenal served capably as moderator, vetting questions and keeping track of time limits.

She stuck to the rules but also noted her positive impression of the candidates, calling for a round of applause and saying, “If we can’t come up with a great council out of this group, I don’t think anybody can.”

For the full story, please see the Oct. 24 edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON —  Local nurses said they’re cautiously optimistic about announced staffing changes at the Davidson Health Centre.

The facility will see an increase in staffing levels, boosting the number of nurses and technicians working there.

As well, measures are being made to improve the facility’s efficiency, safety and quality of care, with a slight reduction in the number of program beds available for convalescent, respite and palliative care.

“It’s not exactly what we hoped for,” said registered nurse Lindsay Cross, adding, “We’re happy that they came back with some level of increased staffing.”

“I think we’re hopeful that it’s going to address some of our issues, and I’m sure it will,” said senior RN Audrey Hamm. “This is certainly going to make a difference.”

Administrators met with the local staff on Oct. 5 to outline the staffing changes, which include the addition of a licensed practical nurse (LPN) on the night shift, 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

As well, an assistant head nurse position has been created, scheduled to work three eight-hour shifts per week, or 24 hours each week.

A combined lab/X-ray technician (CLXT) will also join the staff for eight hours per week.

Gayle Riendeau, acting CEO for Heartland Health Region, confirmed the news to the Leader on Oct. 7.

She said the recruitment process for the new staff has started, noting that they are posted as temporary positions to allow for a trial and evaluation period.

Riendeau said the region “continuously reviews its operations and services, including Davidson,” while being mindful of the need to control spending and focus on priorities.

The new positions were included in the budget approved this past summer, she continued, stating that a business case had been developed for Davidson.

“Davidson was identified as a (facility) that was experiencing some staffing pressures,” she said. “When that happens, that’s what we take a look at.”

For the full story, please see the Oct. 17 edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.