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McCraney patrons group await greener pastures

The leader of the McCraney PFRA Community Pasture committee patrons group is not willing to sign a lease agreement with the province unless it secures the non-reversionary land on the pasture for them.

Dean Palmer, chairman of the McCraney patrons group, said they were told on Nov. 29 that they won’t be able to own the yard site for the pasture that sits on non-reversionary land for a while. He said this is because the federal and provincial government has not come to terms on what they’re going to do with the land, which makes it tough on them to take control of the pasture when they don’t know who is going to secure the land rights to the non-reversionary piece.

“We’ve seen a draft lease and we’re supposed to be getting the official lease within two weeks, which is what the powers that be told us,” said Palmer. “We’re kind of waiting for that and see what happens then. I’m hoping there is some negotiation after that.

“The biggest thing for me is to get it spelled out properly how the non-reversionary land will be handed down once it does get put in place. The second issue is the bull issue. We’ve got money in place to buy the bulls, but we’re fighting too. They want us to buy the bulls now and we feel we need a full bull evaluation come spring to pay them in full and they’re balking at that as well.”

Palmer said they had 37 bulls and have cut out six already just by simple observations in the fall processing of the bulls, but they are not going to have a chance to do actual semen evaluations before they buy them making the patrons go into the sale “blind.” He said the land lease is not likely to “change a whole bunch” as the province doesn’t appear willing to negotiate, but the group’s power there lies in the fact the Saskatchewan and Canadian Governments don’t have their cards in order for the non-reversionary land.

“They do know that is important for our manager and his family and we’ve expressed interest in that already,” he said. “We were told way back on Nov. 17 that we were going to have a lease on that quarter because they had done a land swap with the federal government and everything was basically a done deal. When I asked for that written down on paper Mr. Hoehn, Wally Hoehn, said that you’ve got 17 witnesses. There were 17 people at the meeting that day and he said there are 17 witnesses here that will vouch for me.

“Then I get a call on (Nov. 29) saying that nothing can be done, so that is kinda a bit of a game-changer for us right now because our manager and his family are pretty important to us and our community.”

Wally Hoehn, executive director of Lands Branch with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, said the province has not acquired the non-reversionary land on the McCraney PFRA Community Pasture. He said they were trying to acquire it, “particularly the home quarter because we see it as an operationally critical chunk,” but have not been able to as it has not yet gone through the federal process.

“We have a proposal with the federal government to exchange some other Crown land that we have for critically operational land in those pastures (with non-reversionary land),” said Hoehn. “The federal government does have a process though that they have to follow through in terms of this non-reversionary land and so in the interim we do have agreements with the federal government that allow us to lease the non-reversionary land to include it in our lease to the patrons. So in effect we’re leasing it from the federal government and that lease that we have with them allows us to sublease it to the pasture patrons.

“If there is a lease for the McCraney group to sign next week it will include the non-reversionary land. Now the term of that land is a little different. You know (provincial) leases are for 15 years. The term of the non-reversionary land is undefined until the federal government gets it through the process, so we’re just waiting for that process to be finalized.”

To read more please see the December 9 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Davidson

Farmers haul record crop

The largest crop in Saskatchewan’s history and record yields all across Western Canada has resulted in some strains in grain being moved by trains this fall, but when taken in perspective everything is going smoothly.

Derrick Vetter, general manager of Cargill Ltd. in Davidson, said local producers have had “pretty good crops” the past four or five years while other parts of Western Canada have suffered through wet land, problems seeding or the crop just not coming in as big. He said this year is different as there are big crops spread out all across Western Canada.

“We’ve been lucky and maybe a little bit spoiled the last couple years when we’ve had good crops and good quantity and good quality, so we’ve been probably able to get a little bit more than our fair share when we talk (about) our local marketplace here, between the two cities and either end between the lakes,” said Vetter. “Now that this year when everybody has lots of quantity and for the most part the same quality it’s just getting spread out over a much bigger geography.”

Last week Statistics Canada estimated Saskatchewan’s 2013 crop is 38.4 million tonnes, which is 40 per cent above 2012 production and 48 per cent above the 10-year average. It further indicates this province’s canola crop is estimated to the largest on record at 8.9 million tonnes, an increase of 37.5 per cent over 2012. Production levels for wheat, canola, peas, lentils, chickpeas, oats and flax are all estimated to be above the 10-year average.

Vetter said this has resulted in a bit of a delay in grains being moved by trains, but it’s more company specific and they are “probably not” experiencing much of one. He said they still have a little bit of October grain to move, but for the most part they’re fairly current.

“When we’ve actually started looking into as far as trains running this year versus previous years, other than the month of October for us, we’re probably ahead of where we typically would be this time of year as far as shipping by rail,” he said. “It’s one of those things. There is lots of talk about the doom and gloom, (but) I think if people were to look at the stats it’s maybe not as bad as what the perception is out there.”

A Canadian Grain Commission release last week showed exports of Western Canadian grain to be higher this year to date compared to data from the same time last year and the five-year average. It states the volume of grain shipped by producer cars is also higher than at the same time last year.

As of Nov. 24, the Canadian Grain Commission states 5.1 million tonnes of wheat and 2.3 million tonnes of canola have been exported this crop year. The five-year average for exports of wheat by this time is 3.9 million tonnes and for canola 1.8 million tonnes.

That means 2013 exports have seen a 31 per cent increase in wheat exports and a 28 per cent increase in canola exports compared to the five-year average. This amounts to Western Canadian producers shipping 105,700 tonnes of wheat and 5,500 tonnes of canola to terminal elevators by producer car, while in the 2012-2013 crop year producers shipped 64,600 tonnes of wheat and 5,300 tonnes of canola to terminal elevators by this time.

To read more please see the December 9 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

Sports

Raiders start year on a high note

The Davidson Raiders senior boys basketball team jumped out of the gate last Tuesday beating the Central Butte Bulldogs 71-33 before a big crowd at home in their first game of the 2013-2014 season.

Kim Rettger, head coach of the Raiders, said the team did a good job moving the ball quickly up the court and staying wide until they reached the three-point line resulting in good penetration on the Bulldogs defence. He said they have a small team with a deep bench, so that is going to be their “bread and butter” this season and it worked well against the bigger Central Butte team that seemed to run out of gas in the third and fourth quarter.

“I was really pleased how they stuck to the game plan,” said Rettger. “From the big guys we got some inside plays and some real nice passes from our guards, some screens and some guys were working pretty well together. We tried a couple different defences, man-to-man in the first half and then we went to zone in the second half, and both seemed to work pretty well. With the defences mixed up no one can find us very predictable, which is a nice thing.”

The Raiders were led by centre/forwards Travis Bublish and Kirby Manz who controlled the backboards while also dominating the inside, which gave point guards Huck Rettger and James Morrison the means to send in passes. Davidson forward Vanner McDonnell helped set the tone for the game playing a strong first half that saw the Raiders jump out to a quick 20-8 lead after the first quarter and 35-18 advantage by halftime.

“It was good,” said Huck, who got his first taste of senior basketball action in the game. “It seems a lot faster than junior is, but it was a good game. We had pretty good contributions from everyone. Vanner and a whole bunch of kids played great. James, Gabe (Ebenal) and Ben (Nykiforuk), all those guys played good. It was just a good all-around team game.”

Rettger said he has lined up a busy season for the team where they would play some strong opponents that they normally wouldn’t see, while also developing some good rivalries with opponents in their own conference. He said they’ll be heading to a few “big schools” for tournaments this year giving the Raiders a chance to see some tougher competition while also providing them with a couple clues on what they need to do to keep improving.

“We’re going to be playing uphill most of this season, but I’ve found over the years we play much better by challenging ourselves versus playing teams that you have an easier chance to beat,” said Rettger, noting better play and staying healthy are their keys to a successful season. “With this deep a team we can take a fairly good run at the playoffs and see how far we can go. Going out of conferences is a real strong possibility and after that who knows.”

Sports

Cyclones turn special teams talk into action

The Davidson Cyclones senior hockey team lit the lamp three times in the second period while on their way to a 6-1 road win last Wednesday against the Nokomis Chiefs.

Jason Shaw, head coach of the Cyclones, said they dominated the play during the middle frame, which was book-ended by an even first and a quiet third. He said Nokomis doesn’t play a physical style, so that makes for a bit of a different game for them, but the most important thing is they still got the win.

“We were short staffed, but we played pretty good. The guys that were there played well. Brady Willner played pretty good in net,” said Shaw. Chad “Manz had a breakaway goal (4:43 into the second to put the Cyclones up 2-1), which was pretty good and then Carter (Smith) had a nice shorthanded goal. I guess with guys gone it gives different guys a chance to play a little bit more.”

The penalty kill goal by Smith, who also picked up two assists, came after Zach Sim scored his first of two on the night on the power play. Colton Allan and Rance Anderson also figured into the scoring with Allan potting the opening goal for the Cyclones to even up the score at 1-1 less than a minute after Tyler Hartmann gave the Chiefs their only lead of the game and Anderson scored the final goal with a little over five minutes left in the third. Davidson forward Cody Danberg didn’t find the back of the net against Nokomis, but he did add to his league leading point total that now sits at 24 after he picked up three assists during the game.

Shaw said it was especially nice to see Smith back on the ice and helping them out on special teams after suffering through an injury earlier in the year. He said the improved power play and penalty kill has also come around just through players chatting amongst themselves about what works and what doesn’t.

“During games (players are) talking about what we want to do power play wise (and) where we want to set up,” he said. “The first part of the season, especially on the power play, we had some chances (and) we just couldn’t score. Then on the penalty kill we’ve cut our penalties down quite a bit, but we’ve just as we’ve gone along change it up how we want to defend against their team’s power play and it seems to be working.”

After a slow start to the season the Cyclones (3-3-1) seem to have found their stride going two-and-two over the past four games, but keeping each of them fairly close with the big win against the Chiefs being the lone exception.

“For the rest of the year anybody can beat anybody,” said Shaw. “Nokomis had two wins and they’re on the bottom (of the standings) and Watrous is on the top with five, so we got to come every night to play well. As long as we can get three lines and four or five (defencemen) it gives us a chance every night.”

Davidson

Altar Egos marries comedic and musical talents

It was the time when the Soviet Union was falling, the Berlin Wall was crumbling and apartheid was ending.
Important events that changed the world.
Closer to home, however, all newly engaged couple Colleen McMasters and Mark Frobisher want to do is plan a simple wedding.
They soon find out that nothing is simple when two completely different sets of parents get involved. Add some bridesmaids who are girls who just want to have fun, a cast of other eccentric characters, the unexpected appearance of an old girlfriend, set it to the soundtrack of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s and you have the makings of a pretty good musical comedy.
The version of Altar Egos, presented Nov. 28-30 by Davidson’s Kinsmen Club and Davidson Community Performers, was made great by the comedic and musical talents of the community’s performers.
From the band that played the music, the choir that provided the beautiful voices, to the actors on the stage, all turned in exceptional performances. Some gave memorable ones. Everyone in town now knows who Cory Dean is.
Mandy Tichit, delivered a Melissa McCarthy worthy performance as bridesmaid Maxine.
Appropriately big-haired Kelly Allan, as Colleen, conveyed the stress felt by many a bride-to-be who was foolish enough to have not eloped, despite her father’s (played by Peter Sarich) $20,000 incentive. Jason Low, as Mark, whose idea it was to have a simple wedding in the first place, quickly learns that nothing is simple when it comes to planning nuptials.
The audiences were appreciative of performers’ efforts and those of director Arlene Low, co-director Karen Reich and musical director Tracy Hodgins.
It took a lot of work, countless hours of preparation by cast and crew. In return, audiences received an evening of excellent entertainment and the opportunity to see yet another side, this one tie-dyed, of Jim Cross.

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$2.6 million improvements planned for Blackstrap

A “start” is the best way to categorize the two new agreements between the provincial government and private investors that would bring $2.6 million worth of improvements to Blackstrap Provincial Park, said a leader with the Dundurn Rural Municipality.

“There is a long ways to go yet,” said Fred Wilson, Reeve of the RM of Dundurn. “The Park itself is planning some more campsites and that is an important part of it too, but the marina is a good move because that will take quite a bit of pressure off their highway on the weekend with everybody having to bring their boat down and then take it back home again. The boat launch will help out quite a bit too.”

The Saskatchewan Parks, Culture and Sport Ministry reached the multi-million dollar agreement Nov. 15 with Blackstrap Marina Corp and Waterfront Development Ltd. to develop and operate a 190 slip inland marina at the Park that will offer multi-year, annual and daily slip rentals to the public as well as a marine fuel service, boat launch and vehicle and trailer parking as well as a new 12 fully-furnished year-round unit rental accommodation cabin project.

In addition to these agreements, the Parks, Culture and Sport Ministry announced they are in the planning stages of a new serviced campground for Blackstrap Provincial Park with design and development to occur over the next two years.

Lin Gallagher, deputy minister for Saskatchewan Parks, Culture and Sport, said the ministry began this project by entering into some public and stakeholder consultations as well as incorporating some of their own ideas on what would be appropriate for renewing Blackstrap and enhancing recreational opportunities in the area.

“Then coming from there… some unsolicited interest came in to us for proposals for different initiatives in the area of the Park and within the Park,” said Gallagher. “What we did then is we had a RFP (public request for proposals), so we formally solicited some detailed proposals for commercial or private parties and…we received two formal proposals from both of the companies that we’re working with now.”

Gallagher said the agreements entered into are for 25 years with the two companies responsible for paying the government for the lease along with all the costs of constructing and operating the facility. She said the marina developers are presently undertaking geo-technical and soil samples before they put in their construction and detail designs while working to obtain all federal and provincial regulatory approvals.

“What we understand from them is that they hope to be through all of that for spring of 2014 and they’re hoping to open in July of 2015 or earlier if possible,” she said. “For the rental cabins…they’re presently working on the detailed design plans for the cabins along with any supporting infrastructure requirements and plans and then they also have numerous regulatory approvals that they have to acquire and we need to ensure that they do that before they start work.

“They’re anticipating pouring foundations for all the cabins in the spring of 2014 with the cabins completed and ready for occupancy in the fall of 2014.”

To read more please see the December 2 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

The Davidson Leader, Davidson, Saskatchewan