Ever since April 1, a lot of people have been calling George and Dorothy Scheidt’s 306-567-4424 telephone number.
It’s a number the Davidson octogenarians have been using for about two years, since they moved to their new home on 2nd Street, and as Dorothy puts it, they “phoned in and got that silly number.”
She said they never received too many calls prior to April of 2013.
“That’s when the environmental calls” started to.”
Coincidentally, the increase in phone calls to the Scheidts occurred at the same time Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment launched the automation of fishing and hunting licences.
Under the new program, people are encouraged to buy their fishing licences online at a Saskatchewan Environment website.
“This site will allow you to quickly and easily purchase a hunting, angling or trapping licence,” cheerfully claims the introductory paragraph in the process.
Not everyone has found the process easy and quick.
The problem is the phone number for Saskatchewan Environment’s help line is 1-800-567-4424. So, when people mistakenly dial 1-306 instead of 1-800 they don’t get to talk to a helpful person from Saskatchewan Environment, they get Dorothy Scheidt.
She neither fishes, nor owns a computer.
She is a wonderful cook and baker, spent decades working as a geriatric aide, so she knows much about caring for the elderly; however, she is not the person with whom you want to speak about getting a fishing licence.
She said some days they received two to three calls per day. Most were from people asking about fishing and hunting licences, although one man from Manitoba called to discuss environmental issues.
Dorothy said she talked to the fellow for a bit and listened to his concerns.
As for the other callers, “I just told them, ‘I’m afraid you have the wrong number, try again.’” she said. “It was very tiresome.”
Saskatchewan Environment has been using the 1-800-567-4424 number since 2004, said Sara Keith of Saskatchewan Environment’s Client Service Office.
“We regret any inconvenience they (the Scheidts) may have received,” she said.

To read more please see the July 1 print edition of The Davidson Leader.