Category Archives: featured

Davidson, featured

Sun West school board passes $58.6-million budget

ROSETOWN—At its regular meeting May 22, Sun West School Division’s board of education passed the 2012-13 budget.

The $58,665,389 budget is balanced and has been sent to the Ministry of Education for approval.

The budget projects for a 2.44 per cent, or $1.4 million, increase in revenues over last year.

If approved by the provincial government, the budget will maintain current school staffing levels into the 2013 school year. It will also allow Sun West to hire more staff in schools to meet Distance Learning Centre needs and initiatives, including the reorganization of a learning coach to colony supervisor. Kenaston and Loreburn schools saw an increase in the teaching staff levels for 2012-2013. Other staff changes include hiring an additional maintenance co-ordinator to provide support to schools.

Sun West has advertised and filled positions in Kenaston and Loreburn schools and is in the process of filling a position in Davidson School.

To read more, please see the June 11, 2012 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

 

featured

Craik still seeking family physician

CRAIK—Hopes are high that a family physician will soon be found to serve the needs of Craik and area residents.

The community’s only physician, Dr. Narinda Maree is closing her Craik practice at the end of July, after which she intends to join a practice in Moose Jaw in August.

According to a notice from Five Hills Health Region, the region has begun discussions to secure a physician to work with the primary health care team out of the Craik Health Centre.

“It is not clear yet how this will look. Physician recruitment is very difficult work but we will do our best to find a resolution to this as soon as we can,” the notice states.

To read the full story, read the June 4 print edition of The Davidson Leader. To subscribe, phone 567-2047 or email davidsonleader@sasktel.net.

featured, Kenaston

Gasper & Klenk receive Queen’s Jubilee medals

Some local people will receive the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Krystal Klenk, commanding officer of #553 Sherlock Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets received her medal Saturday at a special presentation by Senator Pamela Wallin.

The Diamond Jubilee Medal is a special honour to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne. During the year of 2012, 60,000 Canadians will receive the medal that honours their significant contributions and achievements.

Klenk is being recognized for her service to Sherlock Squadron.

Kenaston School principal Darren Gasper will also receive the Diamond Jubilee Medal in the near future.

He is one of three teachers in Saskatchewan, and one of 29 across Canada, to receive the honour and was nominated by the Canadian Teachers’ Federation on recommendation of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation.

Gasper has been at Kenaston School for 13 years, the last five as its principal. In that time, much has changed at the school as it grew into a leader in the field of distance learning using technology-driven courses.

Staff at Kenaston School nominated Gasper for a STF award for his guidance and vision in moving the school forward with the creation of the Kenaston Distance Education Centre and for all his contributions to the field of education.

For more on this story, please read the June 4 print edition of The Davidson Leader. To subscribe, phone 567-2047.

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CP Rail trains start rolling

Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway trains were expected to start rolling Friday afternoon after striking CP Rail workers were legislated back to work.

Legislation ordering about 4,800 members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference back to work passed the Senate Thursday afternoon and received royal assent.

The House of Commons, early Wednesday morning, passed the Restoring Rail Service Act, legislation that ended the work stoppage.

“With no prospect of resolution in sight, the government acted to resume rail services,” federal Labour Minister Lisa Raitt said in a news release Wednesday.

Besides restoring CP Railway services, the legislation sends all unresolved issues to interest-based binding arbitration.

The Teamsters Union went on strike May 23, shutting down all CP Rail freight traffic.

Many industries were affected including grain companies such as Gardiner Dam Terminal at Strongfield where 112 railcars loaded with grain were stranded due to the strike.

Although the trains were expected to be up and running again sometime Friday, it will likely take weeks for the CP to clear the backlog of freight.

Davidson, featured

Davidson makes debut on Dimestore Fishermen

Thanks to television show, The Dimestore Fishermen the fishing holes of Jim Percy and Stu Moskaluke may no longer be a secret.

The fishing prowess of two of Davidson’s most determined, perhaps even intrepid anglers, was on display last weekend with the premiere of the episode filmed at Lake Diefenbaker.

The crew behind The Dimestore Fishermen was in Davidson last fishing season, first from May 26 to 28 and then from July 21 to 25 to make an episode that featured fishing hot spots in the Davidson area.

To help them get the footage, Percy and Moskaluke took the TV crew to Lake Diefenbaker and had them fishing from their boats.

It will be interesting to see what they used to make the television episode due to the fact that when The Dimestore Fishermen were in the area, fishing conditions on Diefenbaker were less than ideal.

In fact, says Percy, “I’ve been fishing Diefenbaker for 22 years and we probably had the worst conditions we could have had in all those years.”

He said the water levels on the lake were high, and the water was very turbid. Then, the days that the crew was filming were windy and cool.

“We were very limited to where we could fish because of the weather,” Percy said.

Still, they caught some fish including walleye and perch.

Percy said they did some fly fishing and landed a goldeye on his line.

For full story, please read the June 4 edition of The Davidson Leader.

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GDT shipments delayed due to CP Rail strike

STRONGFIELD—A strike by 4,800 Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) employees is delaying grain shipments including those from Gardiner Dam Terminal (GDT) in Strongfield.

CP Rail locomotive engineers, conductors, yardmen and rail traffic controllers who are members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, went on strike early Wednesday morning. The strike shut down all CP Rail freight traffic. The major issues are work rules, fatigue management and the pension plan, which the Teamsters say the employer wants to cut by 40 per cent.

“We just loaded 112 cars and they are still sitting on our tracks,” Shawn Graham, GDT’s general manager, said Thursday. He said if the strike drags on, the company would seek ways to minimize impacts on local grain deliveries.

He’s hopeful CP and the union will resolve their differences through mediation.

If not federal Labour Minister Lisa Raitt announced plans to table back-to-work legislation when the House of Commons resumes sitting today.

The Canadian Wheat Board estimates the strike will delay 162,000 metric tonnes of wheat and barley sold to its buyers.

Once CP Rail freight is back up and running, there will be a backlog to clear up.

“Anything loaded or in transit doesn’t get moved,” Graham said.

The backlog costs shippers such as GDT money due to demurrage charges from shipping companies and ports.

As long as the work stoppage isn’t too lengthy, GDT should able to weather the delay, Graham said.

With seeding going on, and the strong freight service GDT has received from CP the past few months there is storage capacity at the terminal.