By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — A growing leak in Davidson’s swimming pool has resulted in a shortened swimming season, as well as questions about whether or not the pool will be able to open in 2016.

Recreation director Trevor Ouellette said Wednesday that the town had been aware that the pool was leaking at the start of the season in June, but the volume of water leaking has grown steadily over the summer.

He estimated that the pool is losing 30,000 litres of water each day, though it hasn’t been determined exactly where the water is getting out.

“We certainly didn’t know the amount of water that we were losing was this much,” he said.

The pool closed for the season on Friday, several days ahead of schedule but late enough to allow the final set of swimming lessons to wrap up.

At the beginning of the season, Ouellette said, it was observed that the pool was losing between half an inch and one inch of water each day.

That’s not uncommon, he added, explaining that such loss can occur through normal evaporation or from the water that splashes onto the deck as swimmers jump in or climb out of the pool.

In the last two or three weeks, the water level in the pool has dipped by multiple inches on a daily basis.

Ouellette said he believes water may be escaping through the pool deck, but added he won’t be able to determine where the leak is until after the pool is closed and further examination can be done.

The leak was discussed during Davidson town council’s meeting on Tuesday as resident Milton Schilling visited as a delegate.

Schilling owns a house at 417 Toronto St., located adjacent to the pool. He told council that he has found water in the dirt basement of the house, adding he believes the pool is to blame.

“Your pool is leaking and it’s running into my basement,” he said. “You’ve got to fix the problem, to a certain extent.”

The Schilling family has owned the house since the 1950s; Milt said he currently has it rented to a tenant.

In recent years the house has had issues with ground water, owing to the high water table in the area, but Schilling said it has never been this wet before. He added that one neighbour has reported his sump pump has run constantly this summer.

Ouellette confirmed Wednesday that he had tested the water from Schilling’s basement in an attempt to determine its origin, but the results were inconclusive.

Asking council how they planned to address the issue, Schilling was told that the pool would not operate in this condition next year.

“We can’t run it another year like this,” said administrator Gary Edom, while Coun. Gerald Kenny said the town would need to investigate once the pool has closed.

“If worst comes to worst,” said Kenny, “people will have to live without the pool for the year.”

Mayor Clayton Schneider said the matter raises several questions, including how much the necessary repairs would cost, which he said is “an impossible question to answer at this point.”

For the full story, please see the Aug. 24 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — In introducing himself to voters, Perry Juttla says he’s the kind of candidate who takes a different approach to issues, bringing new ideas to the table.

This claim is borne out in some of his business proposals, such as a website that allows people to solicit or make bids for odd jobs, or using drone technology to take high-resolution photos of crops.

“I’m a younger candidate,” he told the Leader last week. “I’d like to think I’m pretty innovative in my thinking.”

As Juttla continues campaigning, he is familiarizing himself with the riding of Moose Jaw-Lanigan-Lake Centre and the huge area it covers, which he said will be critical to Saskatchewan’s future.

Regions like this are the “backbone” of the province’s economy, said Juttla, adding, “Without a thriving rural Saskatchewan, everyone suffers.”

Juttla, 32, is running for the Liberal Party in the new federal riding, facing off against the Conservatives’ Tom Lukiwski and the New Democratic Party’s Dustan Hlady in the Oct. 19 edition.

A University of Regina graduate with degrees in economics and political science, Juttla was born and raised in the province and is currently based in its capital city.

His background includes experience in agriculture, real estate and online marketing, as well as a previous run for office. He ran for the Liberals in the 2003 provincial election, finishing in third place out of five candidates in Regina Walsh Acres.

Juttla said he is passionate about politics and has enjoyed the conversations he’s had with voters so far, primarily in and around Moose Jaw, as well as in communities east of the city, including Pense and Grand Coulee.

He said the performance of both oil prices and the dollar, and their impact on the livelihoods of average Canadians, are matters of great concern.

“It seems like we’re heading into a recession,” he said. “People are worried about the direction of our economy.”

The Senate scandal and the ongoing Mike Duffy trial have also come up, he said, adding that he believes the situation reflects poorly on Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s judgment.

“It’s concerning to see the entitlement that some people have,” he said. “It’s really sad to me . . . People are struggling . . . They want opportunities, they’re looking for jobs, security.”

For the full story, please see the Aug. 24 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Canada officially began the campaign period for its 42nd general election at the start of August.

But for many of those seeking office, the dropping of the writ was little more than a formality.

“I’ve been campaigning for months now,” Conservative candidate Tom Lukiwski told the Leader last week, “ever since I won the nomination in my riding.”

Lukiwski, who previously held the riding of Regina-Lumsden-Lake Centre, is one of three candidates running in the new riding of Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan.

Likewise, New Democratic Party candidate Dustan Hlady said he had been active prior to the election call, knocking on doors, meeting constituents and appearing at events like the parade held during Craik’s Blast from the Past weekend in late July.

He, Lukiwski and Liberal candidate Perry Juttla have nearly two months to engage with local voters until the nation heads to the polls on Oct. 15.

On Aug. 2, Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the formal request to Gov. Gen. David Johnston to dissolve Parliament, thereby kicking off a 78-day campaign that will be the longest Canada has seen in more than a century.

Campaigning in the middle of summer comes with challenges, as Hlady and Lukiwski both noted that many voters are still on holidays or otherwise occupied.

“They want to enjoy the summer,” said Lukiwski, a former businessman who has held federal office since 2004. “I think that we’ll see that interest level grow, certainly, as we head into the fall.”

As for the long campaign, he said some people he has talked to weren’t even aware that it had begun, adding, “Frankly, I haven’t heard anybody really complain about it.”

With the new boundaries, Lukiwski said he’s been busy introducing himself to voters in communities that weren’t part of his old riding, and he added he’s heard many of the same concerns.

“The main thing is the economy,” said Lukiwski, observing that voters have expressed a desire to maintain a “competent and responsible government” to protect Canada from the fragile global situation, witnessed in countries like Greece and China.

“Everything seems to be related to the economy itself,” he said. “All of the other issues really pale in comparison.”

He acknowledged some differences in the issues mentioned by rural or urban voters. For instance, farmers often raise concerns about commodity and cattle prices, topics that don’t surface as often in the city.

Covering the new ground will keep Lukiwski busy during the campaign, he said, adding that he’s concerned about burnout among his volunteers.

“It’s such a large riding,” he said. “It’s a matter of managing our time . . . There’s so many constituents, and such a large tract of land.”

Hlady said he has been active campaigning in both Moose Jaw and throughout the rural areas of the riding.

“Sometimes you miss people because they’re at the lake or whatever,” he said, adding, “It’s been great, the response has been really good . . . I’ve got a lot of support in areas I didn’t expect.”

Hlady said he has consistently heard a desire for change in Canada’s leadership, noting that the polls have also reflected this and adding, “It’s a massive shift of how people perceive the current government.”

On the doorsteps, he said, he has frequently heard concerns about health care —specifically, a $36-billion cut in funding expected to result from a proposed federal health accord.

“People are really upset about that, and they’re noticing the differences these cuts are making,” said Hlady, adding that such reductions are partly to blame for the service struggles faced by communities like Craik.

He also said that continuing scandals and accusations of misconduct against the Conservatives have had a cumulative effect of either angering voters or driving them away from political engagement altogether.

Hlady said parts of the NDP platform, such as subsidized daycare programs and lowered taxes for small- or medium-sized businesses, have resonated with voters.

He added that he continues to be excited about the campaign, explaining that Canadians are being given a choice of “very different paths.”

The Liberal Party’s Justin Trudeau was the first of the major party leaders to campaign in Saskatchewan this summer, visiting La Ronge, Meadow Lake, Regina and Saskatoon last week.

On Wednesday, he joined Wascana MP Ralph Goodale to discuss the party’s plan for economic growth, which would include a new benefit program targeting “the middle class and those working hard to join it.”

Juttla, a Regina-based businessman, is running to represent the Liberal Party in this riding. Multiple interview requests were not returned prior to press time last week.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — The fall harvest has begun for some farmers in Davidson and district, with hopes that the rest will soon be able to follow.

Cory Jacob, a crops specialist working for the Saskatchewan Agriculture in Watrous, said the forecast is calling for average returns this year.

Some progress has been made on winter cereals, like winter wheat and fall rye, while dessication has begun on pulse crops like lentils and peas.

“If it stays nice and warm like this, it’s going to really bring the crops on,” Jacob said Thursday, adding that a couple of heavy rain events in the area over the past few weeks have brought moisture here to adequate levels.

Andrew Dougan, a grain sales representative for Richardson Pioneer in Davidson, said work had begun on bringing in malt barley, while farmers have also completed desiccation of peas and lentils and have begun combining those crops.

Winter wheat is also starting to come off, he said, adding that the quality of the pulse crops is looking good so far.

Alice Wilson, a contract scout for Crop Production Services in Strongfield, said last week it would be another week or 10 days before canola swathing begins in earnest in the district.

She noted that some swathing of barley had begun here. Meanwhile, farmers further south towards Tugaske who saw less rain in June and July have started combining on pulse crops.

For the full story, please see the Aug. 17 print edition of The Davidson Leader.