Davidson

Bird kills power to region: SaskPower tweets about outages

A feathered fiend is to blame for the widespread power outage that enveloped Davidson and area last Saturday afternoon.

“It was actually a bird that made contact with some of our equipment near Davidson and sometimes that can cause an outage on its own,” said Tyler Hobson, media spokesman for SaskPower. “In fact, it looks like it caused a fuse at a substation near Davidson to actually blow when that happened. The fuse blowing caused some extra damage to another piece of equipment at the substation, so it took them just over two hours to get things fixed and then power restored.”

The winged marauder that rammed the power equipment kamikaze like took out power Sept. 1 between the hours of 3 p.m. to just past 5 p.m. in towns from Craik to Kenaston.

Hobson said if anything like this occurs again, be it a bird living out its Hitchcock fantasies or merely a scary storm, residents can now get updates via twitter. There has been no word on how to access twitter when the power is out.

“We’ve just launched a twitter feed about a week and a half ago to report power outages as they happen,” said Hobson, adding residents can access it through @SaskPower. “We’re just working towards getting that operating seven days a week right now, so it will be very soon and that’s a good spot residents can go to and check for information on updates. They can always call our outage centre line as well, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Davidson, Sports

Raiders suffer loss against LCBI Bisons

The Davidson Raiders Senior boys football team lost their only exhibition game of the season 46-13 to the LCBI Bisons last Thursday. This came as they try to shake the cobwebs out after a long summer before taking home field this week for their regular season home opener.

Jason Low, head coach of the Raiders, said it took the 6-man football team a while to get going and remember how to play football Sept. 6 at Outlook field, but that all in all it was a “good first game” for the club.

“We pretty much were sleeping for the first half, that was the hardest part for us,” said Low. “The score was 32-0 at half and then we regrouped and made some adjustments and changes and started playing a little bit better.”

The Raiders were able to push the ball up the field against the Bisons during the second half and kept up the pressure on LCBI almost matching them on the scoreboard 14-13 in a tight second half.

“It was good,” said Low. “Towards the end of the game we made sure everybody got some playing time. We subbed in all our rookies and got everybody in.”

Low said the team would be working on “fine-tuning their defensive system before squaring off Sept. 14 against the Hanley Sabers at Davidson field. He said the offence has to get a little more comfortable with each other as well.

“I’m just trying to help them gel a little more and get some more points on the board.”

Obituary

JOHN WILLIAM GILMOUR
August 7, 1934 – September 2, 2012

The family of Jack Gilmour are saddened to announce his passing at age 78 years after a short battle with lung cancer.  Jack is survived by the love of his life for 52 years, Karen and their three children: Lori of Calgary, Ron (Stella) of Craik and Ray (Coralee) of Edmonton; six grandchildren: George, Vivian, Ashley, Adam, Garrett and Kennedy; as well as a sister Pat (Al) of Indian Head and four Buckingham brothers-in-law: Doug (Rita), Neil, Russ and Bernie; plus numerous nieces and nephews.  Jack was born on the farm to Bill and Betty in the midst of the dirty thirties and his vocation and passion was always farming.  He took over the family farm at the young age of 21 when his own father died prematurely.  Jack expanded the operation through the years and was very proud that his son Ron has carried on as the fourth generation.  Jack was always a good neighbour and was very active in the community as a board member of the Aylesbury Curling Club, Aylesbury Skating Rink, Hallville Snowplough Club, Hallville Telephone Company, Aylesbury Farm Club and the Hustler Machinery Club.  Through the years, Jack was an avid curler and enjoyed many ‘bonspiels’ – collecting a few boxes of trophies along the way and thoroughly enjoying the social aspects of the game.  He was a loyal Craik Warriors hockey fan and in his later years he spent many hours reading and watching television becoming well versed in world politics.  The funeral service was held on Friday, September 7th, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. in the Aylesbury Community Hall, Aylesbury, Sask.  Ann Marie Francis officiated and interment followed at Aylesbury Cemetery.  Flowers are gratefully declined.  Memorial donations in Jack’s name may be made to the Aylesbury Cemetery Fund, Box 148, Aylesbury, Sask. S0G 0B0; Aylesbury Recreation Board, Box 45, Aylesbury, Sask. S0G 0B0 or to a local charity of one’s choice.  Arrangements are entrusted to Moose Jaw Funeral Home, 268 Mulberry Lane.  Todd Sjoberg, Funeral Director. 693-4550 www.moosejawfuneralhome.com

Obituary

Tansley

Dora (Ashby) Tansley (retired North York teacher) passed away at Willows Nursing Home at Aurora, Ontario on Wednesday, August 1, 2012 at 104 years of age. Dora is the mother of the late Jack Tansley and his wife Shirley; grandmother of four, great-grandmother of four and great-great-grandmother of two. Dora taught school for many years, first in Bladworth area and later in Toronto.

Dora is survived by Madeleine Rhodes and family.

Interment at Memorial cemetery, Gravenhurst, Ontario.

featured

RCMP policing costs increase by 8 per cent

The cost of rural policing is going up by 8 per cent this year and next bringing the price of keeping the Town of Davidson protected to just under $36,000 in 2012 and over $38,000 in 2013.

The cost of policing the towns of Hanley and Craik, which both have an RCMP detachment, is going up to under $30,000 this year and close to $32,000 in 2013 for Hanley and under $27,000 for 2012 and around $29,000 the next year for Craik.

“We’re happy with the service,” said Gary Edom, Town of Davidson administrator. “We paid much more than that years ago. We paid over $100,000 years ago.”

Edom said the town used to have to contract out a man and a half from the RCMP for 60 hours a week, which is why the costs were so high. He said that when the formula for tabling up policing costs was changed for the 1999 budget year, the town then only had to pay about a third of the original bill.

The price of having the RCMP look after Davidson is now based on a per capita rate. It has increased to $35.05 per person between April 1 and Dec. 31 in 2012 compared to the 2011 rate of $32.45, which ended March 31 of this year. For 2013, the rate will rise to $37.85.

With a population of 1,025 in Davidson, the annual cost to the town comes to $35,259.96 for the final nine months of 2012 from $33,261.25 a year ago. In 2013 that price tag will rise to $38,796.25 with the same population size.

“The rates haven’t changed since 2006,” said Katherine Geldart, director of financial services and risk management for policing at the Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice. She said the size of the increase is a policy decision and was put forward by the provincial government in this past budget.

The Town of Hanley will see its bill go up to $29,023.26 in 2012 with a population size of 522 from $27,378.90 a year ago. In 2013, that figure will jump to $31,935.96. They pay $56.65 per capita this year and $61.18 in 2013, up from the 2011 rate of $52.45. Their rates are higher than Davidson because they have an RCMP detachment in the town.

“We have to wonder what we’re paying for,” said Darice Carlson, administrator for the Town of Hanley, referring to the small detachment in the town. “It’s not really a detachment as there is no manned office. Currently, the majority of calls made to this detachment get redirected to the Saskatoon office for action. If a decision was made to close this detachment, it would certainly be cheaper for the community, but it is certainly not what the citizens would wish for.

“We have and are continuing to work with the officers that live in town to be more proactive with policing in the community, but even though members live here, they haven’t been able to show their presence due to duties in the other areas of the detachment at times.”

To read more please see the Sept. 3 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

featured, Sports

McNabb readies for an uncertain year with no NHL hockey

Brayden McNabb is looking to start the year as a regular on the Buffalo Sabres blueline and is working hard this summer to build up some muscle and improve his foot speed, despite the threat of a NHL owner’s lockout cancelling the upcoming season.

“I’m going to have to earn a spot out of camp, so I’m doing my best to train right now over the summertime and get myself ready for that,” said McNabb, the Davidson native who split the 2011-12 year between the big club and their affiliate in Rochester. “The camp will be (open Sept. 15) and that’s what I’m training for right now. When the time comes, I’m hoping to be ready to go and get a chance to crack the top six.”

The 21-year-old defenceman played 25 games for Buffalo in his first year in the pros last season scoring a goal and assisting on seven others. He suited up for another 45 with the Rochester Americans racking up 30 points including five goals for the AHL club. He was picked up by the Sabres in the third round of the 2009 draft while playing with the Kooteney Ice of the WHL.

McNabb said he is on the ice pretty steady now as he builds on the repetitions to get more game ready, progressing from only lacing up the skates one or two times a week in early July. He trains with Kelly Riou of Next Level Training in Saskatchewan during the off-season, but also spent three weeks this summer in Buffalo working with Doug McKenney, the team’s strength and conditioning coach, at the Sabres’ home rink, the First Niagara Center.

“It’s a bunch of weights and a lot of feet stuff,” he said about his exercise routine. “That is the big thing I need. Earlier in the year I do more weights and more in the gym. Now that it’s August I’m skating almost five days a week, so it’s a combination of in the gym and skating right now. Usually at the start of summer I try to get more weight put on and get some more muscle and get some muscle back. Later in August and into September I try and get my cardio more into shape.”

To read more please see the Sept. 3 print edition of The Davidson Leader.

The Davidson Leader, Davidson, Saskatchewan