Category Archives: featured

featured, Kenaston, Loreburn, Sports

Blizzards honour coach with heartfelt ceremony

At left, Dean Blenkinsop, accompanied by his wife Michelle, stands on the ice while hundreds applaud him during a ceremony at the Kenaston Arena on Oct. 28. Also pictured at right is Mark Asbjornhus.

By Joel van der Veen

KENASTON —  Hundreds filled the Kenaston Arena on Saturday night to pay tribute to a coach, teammate, neighbour and friend.

Longtime Blizzards player and coach Dean Blenkinsop was honoured with a brief ceremony at the rink, to retire his number and to recognize his years of service to hockey in Kenaston.

The ceremony was held the night of Oct. 28, prior to a senior hockey exhibition game between the Kenaston Blizzards and the Loreburn 19ers.

Introduced by former teammate Mark Asbjornhus, Blenkinsop walked onto the ice with his wife Michelle following closely behind him.

He stood quietly while the players on the ice and the crowd — estimated at more than 350 people — paid tribute with a standing ovation.

Following a slideshow of photos, a banner was unveiled at the far end of the rink, bearing Blenkinsop’s name and the number 10.

Dean then spoke briefly, thanking the team for the tribute, and saying, “Let’s have a fun night.”

Asbjornhus said the tribute was a “group effort,” calling Dean an “unbelievable guy” who has dedicated many years to the community.

“We’ve been talking about retiring his jersey for a while,” Asbjornhus said, adding as he looked over the crowd on Saturday night, “It seems to be coming together pretty good.”

Blenkinsop, 46, grew up in Hawarden and began playing senior hockey with the Blizzards in the late 1980s.

He continued with the team over the next 25 years, moving off the ice into coaching four years ago.

He was first diagnosed with colon cancer nine years ago, and has been battling the disease on and off since then.

Blenkinsop said he has been open about his fight with cancer, adding that he and his family have received plenty of support from the community.

He and Michelle have three daughters, ranging in age from nine to 13 years, while Michelle also has a 24-year-old son.

Blenkinsop said prior to the ceremony that organizers had kept most of their plans a secret.

“They just told me to show up tonight,” he said. “It’s exciting.”

Afterward, he said he enjoyed the ceremony, adding that the banner was a nice surprise touch. Continue reading Blizzards honour coach with heartfelt ceremony →

Craik, Davidson, featured

Two truck rollovers on icy highway

A semi truck lays in the median on Highway 11 south of Davidson following a rollover on Wednesday morning.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Winter arrived in dramatic fashion last Wednesday as Davidson and area received several centimetres of snowfall overnight.

A chilly Halloween evening turned into a white winter morning, producing plenty of ice on local roads and dangerous conditions on Highway 11.

The Davidson Volunteer Fire Department responded to two calls on Wednesday, both involving trucks that had rolled over and wound up in the ditch.

Deputy fire chief Don Willner said it’s pretty typical for the department to respond to similar calls each fall as winter makes its first appearance.

“It’s amazing that we are still caught off guard by snow,” he remarked.

The first call came at 4:10 a.m., with one rescue unit and one fire engine responding to a rollover on the highway about five kilometres north of Craik.

A one-tonne truck, towing a trailer with a tractor onboard, left the road and rolled into the ditch, leaving the driver trapped inside.

Willner said responders expected the worst when they arrived, based on the scale of the damage.

However, the driver suffered no injuries, Willner said, adding, “He was quite lucky.”

The occupant was removed with no tools required and both units returned to the fire hall by 5:45 a.m.

The second rollover was reported at 8:50 a.m., again on Highway 11 about one kilometre south of town. A single rescue unit responded with six members.

The driver of a northbound semi truck had lost control, and the vehicle spun around 180 degrees and rolled into the centre ditch.

The driver suffered minor injuries but was able to remove himself from the vehicle. He was transported to Davidson Health Centre. The fire crew returned to the hall at 9:40 a.m.

In social media posts on Wednesday, the fire department asked residents to avoid driving on the icy highway unless necessary, and to always drive according to conditions.

Members of the Craik RCMP detachment were also kept busy on Wednesday, responding to a total of nine highway incidents between 4 a.m. and 1 p.m.  

Davidson, featured

Baldwin among CBC Saskatchewan Future 40 picks

Nicole Baldwin has named one of CBC Saskatchewan’s Future 40 honourees.

By Joel van der Veen

REGINA — One of Davidson’s own was among the honourees in this year’s CBC Saskatchewan Future 40.

The CBC contest featured 40 people under the age of 40 who are making their mark in the province.

Nicole Baldwin, currently working on her master’s degree at the University of Saskatchewan, was announced as one of the winners on Oct. 25.

Nicole, 24, is the oldest child of Tony and Sandra Baldwin of Davidson. She was nominated in the category of “Community, Social Activism and Volunteerism.”

Her dad and her friend Hayley Willner nominated her for the CBC competition, which began in late September.

Nicole learned she had been nominated in mid-October, and she had some advance warning that she had made it as a finalist, but had to keep the news under wraps.

She said both her nomination and her success came as a surprise, given the crowded field of nominees.

“I had been looking through the nomination profiles,” Nicole said. “I didn’t think I had much of a shot . . . It was a pleasant surprise.”

Nominations were accepted from Oct. 9 through Oct. 17, with a panel of judges selecting the top 40 nominees.

Nicole and Hayley went to the CBC studio in Regina on Oct. 26 for a reception and the presentation of the awards, with most of the winners present.

“Everyone that attended was from such a wide range of backgrounds,” said Nicole, adding that she enjoyed the diverse crowd since she spends most of her days surrounded by fellow toxicologists.

Currently, Nicole is 10 months into her master of science in toxicology. She is working with a team of researchers on a joint project with the U of S and Montreal’s McGill University, funded by Genome Canada.

Their goal is to develop and, eventually, commercialize a tool to assess and prioritize environmental chemicals.

Specifically, the tool will allow researchers to assess the impact of known chemicals — both individually and collectively — on soil, air and acquatic systems.

They will then be able to prioritize those chemicals in terms of their likely environmental impact, allowing them to compare options and determine which one poses the least risk.

Nicole said she hopes to complete her degree within three years, but the project’s five-year timeline means someone else will pick up where she leaves off.

She said she enjoys the self-directed nature of her research work, as well as working with the other researchers on the project.

“I absolutely love it,” she said. “I’d stay in school forever if they’d let me.” Continue reading Baldwin among CBC Saskatchewan Future 40 picks →

Davidson, featured

Bylaw changes still in the works

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — Major revisions of some key town bylaws are still in the works, council heard at a recent meeting.

The status of the revisions was a topic of discussion during Davidson town council’s regular meeting on Oct. 17.

Coun. Arlene Low expressed some concern regarding a lack of regular formal updates on the bylaws and other matters.

She said she finds it frustrating how council will request action or discuss a topic at one meeting, and “then they’re never brought up again.”

In May, council requested that town staff prepare a draft of a business licensing bylaw, to target businesses that operate in town but whose owners do not currently pay commercial property taxes.

The current business licensing bylaw was approved in 1981 and remains on the books, though it has not been updated or enforced in decades.

Regarding the new bylaw, Mayor Tyler Alexander said at October’s meeting, “It’s something that we’re looking at putting in for next year, so we’ve got time yet.”

In March, council agreed to form a committee to oversee the Davidson cemetery, and to replace the existing bylaw, which dates back to 1951 and was last updated in 1979. The committee was formed, but council has yet to see a draft of a revised bylaw.

Following a pair of dog bite incidents in August and September, council also agreed to a recommendation from town staff that the animal control bylaw be reviewed.

In that case, the aim was to expedite the process of dealing with animals deemed dangerous, by eliminating the step of holding a hearing.

Within the last year, council has also requested a revision of the fire bylaw, with co-operation from local fire officials.

Assistant administrator Donna Bessey told the Leader last week that she is gradually working on the bylaw revisions as time allows, juggling that with her other responsibilities.

“They’re all important,” she said. “I’m doing the best that I can.”

Sometimes, Bessey said, council provides only limited details in regards to the changes they want to see, which delays the process.

Coun. Todd Lockwood said last week that better communication between council and staff would help the process along. Continue reading Bylaw changes still in the works →

Elbow, featured

Parent named Elbow’s Citizen of the Year

Elbow Mayor Rob Hundeby presents Joe Parent with the Citizen of the Year award during the village’s ratepayers meeting on Wednesday.

 

By Joel van der Veen

ELBOW — Three contenders were neck-and-neck for the title of Elbow’s Citizen of the Year, divided by a spread of just eight votes.

In the end, Joe Parent was the winner of this year’s title, presented during the village’s ratepayers meeting on Wednesday.

Parent was nominated in recognition of his efforts to beautify the town, and in particular his work on the Urban Orchard at the centre of Elbow.

Mayor Rob Hundeby, who presented the award, thanked Parent personally for his work in leading the crew of volunteers that tends and maintains the orchard.

“It’s just awesome to see that flourish,” said the mayor.

A report by the Friends of the Orchard indicated a successful year with a bountiful harvest that included apples, saskatoon berries and multiple varieties of cherries.

Parent in turn thanked those who nominated and voted for him, saying he was proud of the orchard — calling it a “unique” place in Elbow — and grateful for the support of the village and volunteers.

He has also worked on the village park and the entrance garden at the Elbow cemetery.

Also nominated this year were Evelyn Bramble and Grace McTavish. Residents and ratepayers were eligible to vote for their nominee of choice. Continue reading Parent named Elbow’s Citizen of the Year →

Davidson, featured, Sports

Minor hockey season opens with Cyclones school

Zack Prpick gets ready to attempt a backhand shot on goalie Hunter Wightman.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — More than 80 budding hockey pros hit the ice at the AGT Centre last weekend during the Cyclones hockey school, held Oct. 20 to 22.

The three-day event is organized annually by the senior hockey team, with a rotation of players leading the sessions for each of the five age groups.

The event began Friday and Saturday with age-appropriate lessons, including drills on skating and puck handling, and wrapped up Sunday with three-on-three matches.

A total of 83 players were registered for the weekend event, which marks the beginning of minor hockey season in Davidson.

Rob Warkentin, vice-president of the Davidson Junior Athletics Association (JAA), said 120 players are registered this year, which is in line with the average over the last few seasons.

The biggest change this year was the introduction of online registration through the JAA’s new website.

Previously, parents would email the association to register their players, but organizers often had to follow up to fill in the gaps for any missing information.

From his point of view, Warkentin said the website made the registration process much easier.

“It worked very well from our side, and I think most of the parents were pretty happy with it too,” he said last week. “We’ll call that a win.”

Davidson has eight minor hockey teams this year, including two initiation teams with 33 kids in total, and two novice teams with 27 kids in total.

There is also one team each for the atom, peewee, bantam and midget divisions. Continue reading Minor hockey season opens with Cyclones school →