Category Archives: Kenaston

Davidson, Kenaston

Wall impresses local officials during visit to area

Premier Brad Wall listens to parts manager Cory Zastrizny at Young's Equipment, Ltd., during his visit to Davidson on Tuesday.
Premier Brad Wall listens to parts manager Cory Zastrizny at Young’s Equipment, Ltd., during his visit to Davidson on Tuesday.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — While Premier Brad Wall acknowledges his government’s record isn’t perfect, on one issue he’s content to pass the buck: the weather.

Asked upon his arrival in Davidson whether he’d brought the snow and cold wind with him, the premier quipped, “That’s the federal government.”

Wall visited the area on Tuesday, meeting with local officials in Davidson and Kenaston, and touring several area businesses, as well as the Distance Learning Centre.

Speaking to the Leader, he offered his thoughts on several topics, including the recent federal election, in which the Liberal Party received a decisive majority.

Wall said he believed his government and the outgoing Conservatives had accomplished lots together, even if they didn’t agree on everything, but added he wants to work effectively with the new government and Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau.

He said he had spoken to Trudeau briefly by telephone following his victory, noting that he was around the same age as the new PM when he was first elected premier in 2007.

“As long as we have our priorities right, all the other priorities seem to be clearer,” he observed.

Wall said he had met with Wascana MP Ralph Goodale, the province’s sole Liberal MP, on Monday. He also said he hopes to meet with Trudeau once he and his cabinet have been sworn in to discuss some issues of importance, including the Liberals’ pledge to boost infrastructure spending across the country.

While much of that money will target specific areas like green infrastructure, social projects and public transit, Wall said he hopes some funding will be available to address needs in Saskatchewan towns and villages.

Accompanied by Arm River-Watrous MLA Greg Brkich, the premier first visited Kenaston, meeting with Mayor ML Whittles and Reeve Murray Kadlec of the RM of McCraney.

He then travelled to Davidson, where he met with Mayor Clayton Schneider, Bladworth Mayor Ron Bessey, RM of Willner Reeve Len Palmer, and Coun. Doug Gregor, representing the RM of Arm River.

Wall said he was meeting informally with local officials to determine priorities, noting that the greatest municipal issue across the province is infrastructure, with continued growth placing higher demand on aging systems.

He also visited several businesses in Davidson, including Young’s Equipment, Western Sales and Fast Toys for Boys, meeting employees and talking briefly with managers.

At the latter business, he accepted an invitation by president Terry Dieno to visit a nearby hangar to check out “Lou IV,” a P-51D Mustang fighter plane flown during the Second World War.

Dieno purchased the famous model several years ago and is having it painstakingly rebuilt, estimating the current progress at around 75 per cent.

The premier got a close-up look at the Mustang, peering into the cockpit, and also enjoyed touring Dieno’s collection of vintage Pontiac GTO muscle cars.

Wall said paying for infrastructure, health care, education and other needs requires a broad tax base, explaining, “We need a strong economy to pay for all those things.”

For the full story, please see the Nov. 2 edition of The Davidson Leader.

Kenaston

Guy Trucking ends 31-year run as office staff opt to retire

Renee Zdunich and Dee Guy pose next to the sign outside Guy Trucking's office in Kenaston earlier this month.
Renee Zdunich and Dee Guy pose next to the sign outside Guy Trucking’s office in Kenaston earlier this month.

By Joel van der Veen

KENASTON — The phones have mostly stopped ringing, and the trucks are off the road.

Within a few weeks, decades of hustle and bustle for the Guy family and their employees will draw to a close for good.

After more than 30 years of hauling grain and fertilizer across the Prairies, Guy Trucking Ltd. stopped dispatching trucks at the end of August.

Dee Guy and her daughter Renee Zdunich are still working in the now-quieted office in Kenaston to finalize the company’s affairs, but they said they expect that work to be finished by the start of November.

Guy said she decided a few months ago that she was ready to retire, while Zdunich, the chief dispatcher, said she wanted to scale back her time commitment somewhat.

Two long-time employees, Cynthia Guy and Gloria George, had retired in May. This left just three staff members — Renee, Dee and Deanna Bleackley — in the office, setting the gears in motion.

After looking for replacements and finding no one willing to take on the full-time office commitments, Dee said they decided it was time to move on altogether.

She said she “just thought it was time to enjoy life a little more,” while Zdunich’s role made it difficult to get away for even a long weekend: “It got to be just a little demanding.”

Dee said her husband Arlo, the company president and CEO, initially wasn’t excited about their decision but has come to terms with it now.

The company has grown substantially since 1984, when the Guys’ oldest son Brent decided to purchase a tandem truck and offer custom grain hauling as a means of supplementing his farm income.

Brent Guy Trucking, as it was initially known, started with one truck and kept its owner and operator busy over the next several years.

Arlo joined the business in 1987, buying a truck and trailers to help secure a hauling contract with CSP Foods in Saskatoon. Dee got involved in 1990, and both helped with billing and dispatching.

For the full story, please see the Oct. 19 edition of The Davidson Leader.

Bladworth, Davidson, Kenaston

Victim’s parents: action needed on impaired driving

Danille Kerpan
Danille Kerpan

By Joel van der Veen

KENASTON — Have we become numb to the numbers?

It’s a question that’s on the mind of Allan Kerpan, as Saskatchewan continues to have one of Canada’s leading rates of death due to impaired driving.

Between 2008 and 2012, an average of 68 people per year were killed in the province as the result of impaired driving.

That statistic took on personal significance for Allan and his wife Melanie on Thanksgiving weekend last year.

Oct. 10 marked the one-year anniversary of the death of their 25-year-old daughter Danille, who was driving on Highway 11 near Bladworth when her vehicle collided head-on with a truck headed north in a southbound lane.

It was a tragedy and an avoidable accident at the same time — yet, dozens of people in the province each year share her fate.

“It’s sort of become routine for you guys, the media, to cover these crashes,” said Allan. “It just keeps going, nothing ever changes . . . How can we accept this?”

Allan, a farmer and a former MP and MLA, and Melanie, a retired teacher, said last week they want to honour their daughter’s memory by taking action against impaired driving in Saskatchewan.

Melanie said they want to “make something positive out of a very bad situation,” while Allan added, “She’d want something (good) to come out of it.”

Allan said he has been learning about various organizations that work to support victims of impaired driving and their families, including Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Families for Justice.

He attended MADD’s annual National Conference for Victims for Impaired Driving in Oakville, Ont., in April, where Danille’s picture was displayed along with those of countless other victims.

Allan said he has been invited to work on some projects for MADD within the province, where the organization has only a limited presence. These include roadside memorials to victims and possibly a larger monument in one of the cities.

In late March, Kerpan was given time to speak to some of his former colleagues in a meeting of the Saskatchewan Party caucus. He used that time to talk about impaired driving and to offer some suggestions for the province’s high rate of related deaths.

Kerpan said some of the ideas he presented include a “three-strike rule” that would take away an offender’s driving privileges permanently, and automatic jail sentences for those caught driving after their license has been suspended.

He said he’s especially angered by reports of repeat offenders and added that Saskatchewan should look at other provinces to see how they’ve improved their numbers.

For the full story, please see the Oct. 12 edition of The Davidson Leader.

Hanley, Kenaston

Friends rally around family after cancer claims Hanley fire chief

The late Darren Grindheim is pictured with his children, Abby and Josh, in this family photo.
The late Darren Grindheim is pictured with his children, Abby and Josh, in this family photo.

By Joel van der Veen

HANLEY — Darren Grindheim had been on sick leave from his job as a dispatcher with the Saskatoon Fire Department for close to a month before any of his doctors mentioned the word “cancer.”

The 38-year-old had suffered from a persistent cough that was initially diagnosed as a cold and later pneumonia, but it wasn’t until Sept. 20 that he received the dire diagnosis. Nine days later, he was gone.

“It was an absolute shock to everybody,” said his sister, Amber Burks. “Everybody’s hanging in . . . Obviously, it’s hardest on the kids.”

Darren’s wife Sandra died in an auto accident in July 2007. His death leaves their two children — Josh, 13, and Abby, 10 — without a mother or father.

“It’s one of those unusual situations,” said Burks. “Not often do kids end up with no parents.”

Amidst the sorrow, Grindheim’s former co-workers, friends and family have stepped up to provide for the two children, who are now living with their aunt and uncle, April and Evan Libke, near Hanley.

Judy Desmarais, a fellow dispatcher in Saskatoon, opened up a page on the website Gofundme to solicit donations for a trust fund for Josh and Abby.

As of Thursday afternoon, the page had collected $39,800 in donations. A target of $50,000 has been set, but as the site states, “We have no limit to our goal, and every donation is greatly appreciated.”

“The generosity is absolutely incredible,” said Burks, adding that she and the family greatly appreciate the financial support and help they have received.

Darren, the second oldest son of Daryl and Shirley Grindheim, was born July 26, 1977, and raised on the family farm south of Hanley.

He attended school in Kenaston, graduating from Grade 12 in 1995, and later studied at SIAST. He worked as an EMT for North-East EMS in Nipawin and later joined the Saskatoon Fire Department as a dispatcher.

After Sandra’s death, Darren and his children had moved back to Hanley, where he also served on the Hanley Rosedale Fire Department. He had been appointed the department’s new chief in August 2014.

For the full story, please see the Oct. 12 edition of The Davidson Leader.

Kenaston

Mayor: community plan a necessary step for Kenaston

Kenaston Mayor ML Whittles is pictured with provincial education minister Don Morgan during his visit to the village in September.
Kenaston Mayor ML Whittles is pictured with provincial education minister Don Morgan during his visit to the village in September.

By Joel van der Veen

KENASTON — Mayor ML Whittles says a community plan is the best way for her village to move forward.

She told the Leader last week that Kenaston is in the process of developing such a plan, forming a committee with representatives from local schools and the Sun West School Division.

The plan will include strategies for the village’s infrastructure and service agreements for potential developers, as well as business and housing retention and development.

“If you’re growing, you absolutely need to have a community plan,” Whittles said, expanding on what she had written for the latest town newsletter.

The mayor said she is also working to engage the councils from the adjacent rural municipalities of McCraney and Rosedale, since many of their residents use facilities in the village and attend school there.

She also said she believes they will have more clout working together than separately when it comes time to apply for infrastructure grant funding.

The village has engaged senior community planner Tim Cheesman, formerly with Saskatchewan Municipal Affairs and now working as an independent consultant.

Cheesman came to the village through the WaterWolf district planning commission. In the past he has worked with nearby Davidson on its development strategy.

Whittles said he also continues to be engaged with White City and Emerald Park, guiding those communities through their recent exponential growth.

The planning committee met for the first time on Monday and has so far planned to move forward to hire an engineer to complete a study.

Whittles said the village has been dealing with some infrastructure concerns, including water line breaks and potential problems with the lagoon.

She said the community plan will be an essential tool for engaging with developers for the village’s future housing needs.

The recent growth of the Distance Learning Centre (DLC) is having a major impact on the village’s planning, though not all of the newly-hired staff are opting to live in Kenaston.

The mayor had the opportunity to speak briefly to education minister Don Morgan during his visit to Kenaston in September, voicing her concerns and discussing the village’s plans.

“It went as I expected,” she said of their chat, continuing to reiterate that in terms of the growth it is bringing to Kenaston, the DLC is “our potash mine.”

The next meeting for the planning committee is scheduled for Oct. 13, at which time the members hope to hear more about the progress of the study.

Hanley, Kenaston, Obituary

Grindheim, Darren

Darren Grindheim
Darren Grindheim

Darren Grindheim
July 26, 1977 – September 29, 2015

It is with deep sorrow we announce the very sudden passing of Darren at the age of 38 after a short but courageous battle with cancer. He was predeceased by wife Sandra, grandpa Lloyd Grindheim and cousin Ryan Stilborn. Darren is survived by his children Josh (13) and Abby (10), parents Daryl and Shirley, siblings Dean (Bonnie), Amber (Trevor) Burks, April (Evan) Libke, nieces and nephews Brayden and Carter Grindheim, Isely Burks, Grayson and Bailey Libke, grandparents Don and Bea Bates and Velma Grindheim, as well as numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and his fire family. Darren was raised on the farm south of Hanley and graduated from Kenaston School. He had a passion for helping people and anyone that knew Darren knew that about him. He was an EMT for North East EMS and most recently a Fire Dispatcher for the Saskatoon Fire Department. He was passionate about his job and being a part of the firefighter brotherhood/family. Darren also devoted countless hours as a volunteer fire chief in Hanley where he resided with his kids at the time of his passing. He loved golfing, playing ball, curling (remembering every shot/play of every game so he could talk about it after) and spending time with his family, especially his kids. Darren truly loved his kids and playing with his nieces and nephews. There will forever be a void in our family that will never be filled. We would like to thank everyone involved in Darren’s care from diagnosis Sept. 20 until his death Sept. 29. The celebration of Darren’s life was held in Hanley, Sask., at the Centennial Hall on Saturday, October 3. In lieu of flowers, donations for his children can be made online at www.gofundme.com/tc5a4rak. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Hanson’s Funeral Home.