Members of the Junior Athletic Association (JAA) are exploring their financing options after the Town of Davidson recreation office raised the ice rental fees they charge the JAA for this upcoming season.

Leah Herback, treasurer of the JAA, said the association pays a flat rate per team to the town for ice rental and that is going up by $2,500 this year to bring the total amount charged to the association to around $14,500 for the year. She said members of the JAA now have to decide what plan of action they need to take this season to offset that added cost.

Herback said the JAA raises money to pay this ice rental charge through player registration fees, putting on tournaments and charging fans at the door who come to watch the games. All money that is raised through kitchen sales at the rink goes directly to the town.

She said this added $2,500 charge to the JAA doesn’t necessarily mean player fees are going up this season, as they will try to find ways with their other two money-raising options to make up the difference. Herback added the addition of a midget hockey team in Davidson this winter should also help bring in more funds to the association.

“Because we’re having a midget team that will be more hockey in Davidson, so hopefully the door and another tournament will make up for the increase,” said Herback. “Because there will be a lot more midget games going on there will be more revenue from the door.”

Trevor Ouellette, recreation director for the Town of Davidson, said increased ice usage and increased costs to run the ice plant as well as keeping the lights on longer as a result of having a new midget team is the reason for the increase in the JAA ice rental fees. He said the increase is not an attempt to reduce the town’s subsidy to the JAA and they are still paying “probably half” of what other associations in nearby towns such as Watrous are being charged.

Ouellette said ice rental rates charged to the Monday night recreational hockey league is also going up this season, while the Cyclones, Babes on Blades and Tractor Bellies fees are staying the same as last year. The amount charged to out-of-town teams for holding tournaments in Davidson is also going up due to the high demand the town has for their ice and the little time available during the season to rent it out.

To read more please see the September 1 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

An investigation is underway into the recent death of a Wee-Too Beach man found submerged in Last Mountain Lake.

Kam Hay, acting sergeant for the Craik detachment of the RCMP, said members of the local force assisted the RCMP Underwater Recovery Team (URT) and members of the Southey RCMP detachment in locating the remains of the 78-year-old male Aug. 22. The identity of the man is not being released at this time.

The Wee-Too Beach resident was found submerged in water on the west side of Last Mountain Lake near a dock where his belongings were found two days earlier. The Southey RCMP first received a complaint of a boat found adrift on Last Mountain Lake between Fox’s Point and Wee-Too Beach Aug 20 and it was subsequently towed to Rowan’s Ravine Marina.

The boat was identified as belonging to the man. He was not located at his residence and his truck and trailer were found at the boat launch at Wee-Too Beach. An initial search of the shoreline in the area yielded negative results and the URT was called in to continue the search.

“They came out the day before with sonar and attempted that because they have to have three people there…before they can actually go into the water searching,” said Hay. “They tried the sonar the first Thursday and were unsuccessful with the sonar, so then they brought in another diver and were able to go into the water the next day.”

Hay said the divers found the body close to the dock. He said the man was not wearing a life jacket and there is no suspicion of alcohol being involved in the death.

“We’re still trying to investigate what the cause of death was, whether it was accidental or a medical issue (being) probably the two leading suspects, but right now we don’t know exactly what happened,” he said. “There were no witnesses to the event.”

A great number of Davidson’s children lined its streets earlier this month to demand a safe environment for abused kids and applaud the work of a prospective motorcycle organization with a goal of ensuring this right as they paraded by.

The kids were cheering on the Child Abuse Motorcycle Awareness Ride that made a stop in Davidson Aug. 16 to travel up and down its roads in a parade led by Mayor Clayton Schneider. The 19 Regina-based bikers who took part in the ride from the Queen City to Saskatoon are striving to become the second Canadian chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) to go along with BACA Saskatoon.

“This is outstanding,” said Ron “Trouble” Frigon, as he surveyed the many children who played together in Arnold Park after the motorcycle parade had ended moments earlier. “This is more than we imagined.”

BACA is a non-profit organization that was formed in 1995 in Utah to rally a community there to support a wounded child. The body of bikers who work in conjunction with authorities to protect children has expanded from this first group to include chapters across the United States as well as in Australia, Italy, France, Germany, Netherlands and Canada.

The sight of a strong group of burly leather-clad bikers riding in formation though a small town evokes images of the outlaw bike gangs found in “The Wild One” or “Sons of Anarchy” and the parade down Main Street in Davidson under an overcast sky was no different. The light that dispelled this notion was the young kids lining Washington Avenue waving their arms in support as the throng of bikers roared past.

“This all is just people that are for the cause of child abuse awareness,” said Frigon. “It’s a worthy ride. It’s a worthy cause and you know the ride makes people aware.”

Schneider said the BACA cause of empowering children to not be afraid of the world they live in is one that is very dear to his heart. He said it was thus “an honour” to be able to lead the parade through Davidson.

To read more please see the August 25 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

A farm shop break-in near Hanley has prompted a constable with the Outlook detachment of the RCMP to remind people to be vigilant when encountering strangers.

During the early morning hours of Aug. 10 a truck entered a farm located in the Rural Municipality of Rudy. Its occupants broke into a shop at the farm where they stole several items including wrenches, bench clamps and an orbital sander before getting away.

Outlook RCMP Constable Elliot Chubak said a resident of the property discovered the robbery in progress and when he shone a light into the Quonset the crooks took off. He said the robbers managed to steal under $5,000 worth of items before they fled.

Chubak said the resident did not get a good look at the get-away truck and they have no leads at this point. He said this could be different if people report suspicious vehicles to police when they are first encountered.

“The people that do this usually go out scouting first and drive by, go into the yard and ask for directions,” said Chubak. “It’s very important to try and get a plate number and a description.”

This information gives authorities something to look at right away in an investigation, he said, so people should report anything suspicious in the area from strangers selling bibles to asking for hunting information to police.

“It’s a great start for people to notice anybody coming in asking for something just to get a plate number.”

If anyone has any information about the Aug. 10 break-in, the Outlook RCMP is asking them to contact the detachment or Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers.