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New chair for housing authority
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More change expected Staff Change is coming to the top of the board of the Battlefords Housing Authority. Amber Stewart confirmed in a post on Facebook that she is joining the board of directors of Battlefords Housing Authority as chair. “I look forward to working with the staff, tenants and the community to work together to address current issues as well as to continue to provide safe affordable housing to people in the Battlefords,” Stewart said on Facebook. She will take over the role from outgoing chair Ken Holliday. Stewart is currently the executive director of the Battlefords and Area
Amber Stewart
Sexual Assault Centre. She was the candidate for the NDP in the Battlefords in the most recent provincial election. More announcements are expected soon about the composition of the new board. Battlefords Housing Authority has seen its share of controversy in recent months over the living conditions at Valleyview Towers, with widespread reports of crime, disorderly conduct, smoking and other issues at the once seniors-only facility. Most recently, says Valleyview Tower II resident Darrell Mills, the air conditioning for the main floor common room, the only air conditioned space available to residents, was found to be turned off. In addition, the cranks for the windows of the room were missing. “We are resourceful,” says Mills, so they were able to start up the air conditioning again (which had been running Friday) and find cranks to be able to open the windows to seek a breeze. Mills also noted an 18Continued on Page 3
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Moe: No vaccine passports By Larissa Kurz Glacier Media
As Saskatchewan approaches the end of pandemic-related emergency orders, Premier Scott Moe confirmed Tuesday that the provincial government is not looking at implementing vaccine passports moving forward. The premier addressed calls to ask residents to provide proof of COV-
ID-19 vaccination to attend large venues or events moving forward in a press conference on June 29. Moe said that Saskatchewan is not considering the practice, due to potential violation of individual health information privacy. “When we get past July 11, we’re going to be in an area where the emergency order will not be in place and we don’t have
the ability then to demand that people show proof of vaccination to attend any large event here in the province,” said Moe. Scott Livingstone, CEO of the Saskatchewan Health Authority, confirmed the decision, citing potential conflicts with HIPAA as vaccination status is considered personal information. “[Within HIPAA], it’s not a requirement for an
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individual to provide that or other individuals to even ask for it, if it’s not related to the provision of health services,” said Livingstone. A recent poll from Ipsos in May indicated that a large portion of Canadians support the idea of requiring proof of vaccination for certain events and locales, including visiting a seniors’ facility, travelling Continued on Page 7
Page 2 - The Battlefords, Thursday, July 1, 2021
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Treaty Six Territory | Saskatchewan | Canada
City of North Battleford (Official)
cityofnb.ca
@citynb
306-445-1700
1291 - 101st Street | PO Box 460 | North Battelford, SK S9A 2Y6
Full 2-Day Course $132 9am-4pm July 17/18 July 21/22 August 7/8 August 10/11 August 14/15
r e l l z m S r e m Sum Art Programs
Registration is OPEN for SUMMER Registration is TEEN TAKE OVERS Swim OPEN for Lessons
The hunt is on all summer! Walk, bike, or drive around North Battleford to discover our local public art. Choose between two versions: a competitive hunt for a chance to win a prize, or a just-for-fun hunt for those wanting to explore what the city has to offer. • Pick up your Mission Document at the Allen Sapp Gallery, open daily 11am - 5pm
9am-4pm
July 19th July 24th
Registration will open in June. In person at the Co-op Aquatic Centre, phone at 306 445 1745, or online at cityofnb.ca Courses will be held at the Don Ross Community Centre
Allen Sapp Gallery - The Gonor Collection
Scavenger Hunt: Walk, Bike, or Drive for Art
$92
Proof of valid certification is required for the recertification course. Send a screenshot or photo of your valid Red Cross First Aid Certificate to aquatics@cityofnb.ca to complete registration
at the Gallerirs
Keep cool this summer! Visit the Allen Sapp Gallery - The Gonor Collection to explore the art of world-renowned Cree artist Allen Sapp in the main gallery, and peruse local art in the lower level. • Open daily 11am - 5pm, Closed statutory holidays
1- Day Recert
Come swim with your friends after public swim hours! Loud music, waves, lights out. Ages 13-19 th
SUMMER Swim Registration Lessons Set #1: July 5for-the August (Mondays and Tuesdays) Registration following10 lesson
Registration for the following lesson setsWhen? opens on: Price: June 9 , 2021 $6.50
issetsOPEN for opens on: June 9th, 2021 th
th
8:30-10:00 • July 9th
Each Teen
th th Set #2: July Set #1:7July- 5August - August 10 5 (Wednesdays and Thursdays) Learn the basic skills and tools for drawing from life, or improve your abilities. There will be different exercises on each of the four days. (Mondays and th Tuesdays) Set #3: SUMMER July 5th-16 (Monday to Friday) • Wed-Thurs July 7, 8, 14, 15, 1pm - 2:30pm, $80 +GST Set #2: July 7 - August 5 Outdoor Half-Day Art Camp (ages 7-12) (Wednesdays and Thursdays) th th Set Swim #4: July 19 -30 (Monday to Friday) Lessons We will spend the afternoon in nature as we take inspiration from our surroundings to create Set #3: July 5 -16 (Monday to Friday) art, have fun, and learn in the fresh air. th to Friday) (Monday Set #4: July 19 -309th #5: August to Friday) • Monday July 12, 1pm - 5pm, $35 +GST RegistrationSet for the following lesson sets-20 opens (Monday on: June 9th, 2021
Introduction to Drawing for Youth (ages 7-12)
th
th
th
th
th
th
th
th
Set #5: August 9th-20th (Monday to Friday)
HaIf-Day Art Camp (ages 7-12)
JulyRegister 5 - August (Mondays and Tuesdays) Let’s paint and get messy! Youth will explore watercolour and acrylic painting, Set while#1: learning in 10 person or contact the Battleford’s CO-OP Battleford’s CO-OP Aquatic Centre at: the different techniques and tools to create their own masterpieces. Set #2: July(306)445-1745 7th- August 5th (Wednesdays and Thursdays) (306)445-1745 or or on our website www.cityofnb.ca • Thursday July 22, 1pm - 5pm, $35 +GST th
Register th in person or contact the
Aquatic Centre at:
Set #3: July 5th-16th (Monday to Friday) on our website www.cityofnb.ca
Paper Child Art (ages 10+)
***IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: Current COVID-19 restrictions will remain in place when registering
th-30 th (Monday ***IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: Current COVID-19 Set #4: Julyfor 19more to Friday) Learn the Japanese art of combining hand-sketched characters situated Call 306-445-1745 for more information on info on these restrictions contact the Battleford’s CO-OP Aquatic Centre restrictions will remain in place when registering within real-life settings, which are then photographed. It is a fun and creative Set #5: August 9th-20 how you can come swim for th more info on these (Monday torestrictions Friday)contact the art style that integrates traditional art with digital technology. Battleford’s CO-OP Aquatic Centre for teen take overs! • Tuesday July 27 and Wednesday July 28, 6pm - 7:30pm, $30 +GST Register in person or contact the Battleford’s CO-OP Aquatic Centre at: Half-Day Sewing Camp for Youth (ages 9+) (306)445-1745 or on our website www.cityofnb.ca Learn what the different symbols on the sewing machine mean. Learn how to thread a ***IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER: Current COVID-19 restrictions will remain in place when registering machine along with safe sewing practices all while making two projects. for more info on these restrictions contact the Battleford’s CO-OP Aquatic Centre • Thursday August 5, 1pm - 5pm, $35 +GST
COMPETITION AND WAVE POOL SCHEDULE
Sun Printing / Cyanotype Printing for Youth (ages 10+)
Sun printing is the first type of film processing. Our project uses the same chemistry as when it was first invented! Using Cyanotype fabric and natural material we will imprint our own pattern onto fabric. Using a sewing machine, we will then sew the sun print onto a bag. • Tuesday August 10, 1pm - 5pm, $50 +GST
Learn to Sew for Adults
Here is your chance to learn how to use a sewing machine! You will learn the basics and complete two projects. • Wednesday August 11 and Thursday August 12, 6pm - 8pm, $35 +GST
For more information on any of these activities call 306-445-1760 or email galleriesofnb@cityofnb.ca www.allensapp.com • www.chapelgallery.ca
July 5th to September 5th , 2021
PUBLIC SWIM HOURS Wednesday: Early Bird 6:30 am-9:00 am Monday/Tuesday 9:00 am-11:30 am (lane swim only) 12:00 pm-2:30 pm Wednesday to Sunday 12:00 pm-5:00 pm • 5:30 pm-8:00 pm CLOSED STATUTORY HOLIDAYS AUGUST 2ND • SEPTEMBER 6th
Nations WEST Field House Hours July 5th to September 5th , 2021
Monday/Tuesday
Wednesday/Thursday/Friday
Saturday/Sunday
9:00 AM-12:00 PM
9:00 AM-8:00 PM
12:00 PM-8:00 PM
NATIONWEST FIELDHOUSE DAYCAMPS
ARC Creative Studios June 12-July 17
Open Daily 11:00 am—5:OO pm Admission is free donations are appreciated The Allen Sapp Gallery is located at #1 Railway Avenue, North Battleford.
For children 7-11 years of age. Camp activities include swimming each day,arts and crafts, music/dance, sports activities, games and so much more! Registration Fee $125. Lunch & Snack provided daily Camps run Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:30pm July 5-9 Fairy Tales July 12-16 Pirates July 19-23 Dinosaurs July 26-30 Mad Science August 9-13 Superheroes August 16-20 Biz Camp Ages 11-14) Register at the NationsWEST Field House,online at cityofnb.com or by calling
306-445-1792
www.allensapp.com
Phone Number : (306) 445-1760
Use Recycle Coach for free! Set reminders for waste pickup and use it to properly sort trash and recycling.
Annual Art Award for Young Artist
Exhibition: October 9-29, 2021 Applications will be accepted between September 8 to October 3, 2021 Art drop off before October 3, 2021 - see application for rules and guidelines Contest and Exhibition Theme: Land and Our Environment: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water (See Official Rules & Guidelines for complete details.)
http://chapelgallery.ca/what_s_on/the_hazee.html
Thank you to Heritage Canada for the Canada Day Fireworks.
NEXT COUNCIL MEETING DATES:
Meeting start at 6:30 pm and are open to the public. Please visit www.cityofnb.ca to learn more on how to watch or listen to these meetings live. Monday, July 19 Monday, August 16 Monday, September 13 Monday, September 27
are being upgraded, book your upgrade for the date and time that works for you. Watch for notification that your zone is open for booking. More info at, www.cityofnb.ca/smartmeter
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The Battlefords, Thursday, July 1, 2021 - Page 3
15.8 per cent of smart meters installed
RCMP Report
21 assault investigations
By John Cairns
Submitted by Battlefords RCMP
Battlefords RCMP responded to 565 calls for service from Wednesday, June 23, through Tuesday, June 29. These included: • Nine missing persons reported. Two investigations remain active. - Update: Skyler Tinker, 13 and Aliyah Natomagan, 13 are still missing. Saskatoon continues to assist in attempting to locate. • 21 assault investigations. - Police were called to a residence on the Red Pheasant First Nation on June 27 at approximately 3:30 a.m. Three suspects were reported to have entered a residence and assaulted one of the occupants of the home with the stock of a rifle. One victim was treated for minor injuries. One suspect, Vernon Wahobin, 29, was later arrested and is facing charges of assault with a weapon, break and enter and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. He was scheduled for a court appearance on June 30. Results of that appearance were unknown at press time. Dre Meechance, 19, is currently wanted for break and enter. A warrant has also been issued for a 17-year-old youth. - On June 26 at approximately 2 a.m., an unknown male suspect sprayed mace through the front door of a business on the 1700 block of 100th Street in North Battleford and fled in a white Volkswagon. The incident remains under investigation. - June 28 shortly after noon, a female entered a business on the 1100 block of 101st street, North Battleford, without a mask. When requested by an employee to put on a mask, the suspect became upset, pushed the employee and threw a bottle at the employee before fleeing. The victim was not injured. Suspect was described as wearing a pink tank top with black capris and did not have any shoes. The matter remains under investigation. - On June 26, shortly after 11 p.m., members came upon a subject who appeared to be stealing items from a vehicle parked on the 900 block of 105th Street in North Battleford. The male pulled a knife when approached by members and made indications he would harm members and/or himself. The suspect eventually attempted to flee on foot, but was taken into custody after a brief chase and the deployment of the Taser. Tyler Mooswa, 33, of North Battleford made his first appearance in North Battleford Provincial court on Monday June 28, facing charges of assaulting a police officer x 2, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, carrying a concealed weapon, resisting arrest, possession of break and enter tools and failing to comply with and undertaking. • 16 reported break and enters. • Five break and enters to cottages in Cochin were reported between June 23 and June 25. - A 34-year-old male from Leoville was arrested and charged with break and enter after a male was reported to have entered an apartment through the balcony at about 3 p.m. on the 24th of June. - June 25th at approximately 1:45 p.m., two males entered a home on the 1400 block of 109th street and attempted to steal a TV, before being scared away by an occupant of the home. Suspects are described as male, wearing black ski masks and red hats. • Nine reported vehicle thefts. • Three Health/COVID violation investigations. • 17 Mental Health Act investigations. • Two charges relating to impaired driving. • An armed robbery involving a firearm was reported at approximately 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 29, at two businesses south of Battleford on Highway 4. An alert was made regarding a vehicle stolen during the incident, which has since been cancelled. The vehicle has been recovered and a suspect was taken into custody overnight. Anyone with information on any incident is urged to call the North Battleford RCMP at 306-446-1720 or Saskatchewan Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
Staff Reporter
The City of North Battleford’s installation of new AMI smart meters throughout the city is moving ahead at a slow pace. According to the latest numbers provided to the regular council meeting Monday by Environmental Manager Jeffrey Blanchard, the project stood at 15.8 per cent completion, with 853 of 5,395 installations completed. The biggest concern at the moment, Blanchard said, is that they are running behind with the completions. They should be closer to 25 per cent, he said. Blanchard told council they plan to meet with KTI Limited, the company contracted to do the installation, to “look into their hiring plans and to have a better idea of what their project schedule is going to be.” The installations are happening by zone, with six zones going through the transition to the new meters. According to the
latest report submitted to council, Zone One had 315 completed installations and 19 appointments booked. A major step is that the city has moved into shutting off water in Zone One for those who have failed to book an appointment. Blanchard reported that in Zone One, approximately 30 properties had received a final notice instructing residents that failure to book an appointment could result in a water shutoff. Those notifications seemed to be successful in getting things moving, as Blanchard reported that as of Monday afternoon, only eight properties were still outstanding. Zone Two had seen some delays, and as a result pending notices of water shutoffs will not be happening in that zone for another three weeks. Significant discussion Monday had to do with problems seen during the transition to the new meters, such as notification issues. Mayor David Gillan and Coun-
BRT6HC takes vaccination efforts to the Lighthouse By John Cairns Staff Reporter
Efforts to get the population vaccinated for COVID-19 continued to ramp up last week at The Lighthouse. Battle River Treaty 6 Health Centre provided first and second inoculations to those living or working at the venue. “We want to make sure that every area of society, especially the most vulnerable populations, have the same opportunities to receive the vaccine as the rest of the population,” said Bill Ironstand, Emergency Management Co-ordinator with BRT6HC. That’s the only way to get at least 85 per cent of the population inoculated to achieve herd immunity. “We want to make sure nobody’s missed,” Ironstand says. BRT6HC has worked with Lighthouse clients in the managed alcohol program, who had questions about how to get their second doses. BRT6HC saw an opportunity and partnered with the Lighthouse to provide the doses to those living there or on the streets. While the aim was to provide shots to Lighthouse clients, the
Lighthouse manager Judy Armstrong gets a dose of Pfizer vaccine from Adele Sperle of BRT6HC. Photo by John Cairns
vaccinations were open to anyone who came through. The BRT6HC staff estimated they had provided more than 20 doses to people last Wednesday morning. Judy Armstrong, manager of the Lighthouse, was one of those getting jabbed. She said she was “very grateful that it came.” Having the doses provided on site was “very convenient for us.” One of those Lighthouse cli-
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cillor Len Taylor both reported there had been residents who had received multiple notifications even though their smart meters are installed. “We don’t want anybody shut off erroneously,” said Gillan. Blanchard indicated that during the issuing of final notices they discovered that KTI had duplicate entries on approximately 20 properties that were on the water shutoff list. The city was able to catch some of those through multiple verification steps being taken. Blanchard did report there were some complaints from residents. There had been 10 noise complaints and those were related to the 3/4 inch meters, which produced a sound at a higher pitch. The majority of complaints have been related to the pending water shutoffs. Blanchard indicated the complaints were now a hybrid of “we don’t want you in the house because of COVID” or “we don’t want you to shut our water off.”
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ŚĞĐŬ ŽƵƚ ŽƵƌ ǁĞďƐŝƚĞ ĨŽƌ ƵƉĐŽŵŝŶŐ ƐĂĨĞƚLJ ƚŝĐŬĞƚƐ Ͳ^ƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ ǁŝůů ďĞ ůŝŵŝƚĞĚ ƚŽ ϵͲ ^ĂĨĞ ƉŚLJƐŝĐĂůͬƐŽĐŝĂů ĚŝƐƚĂŶĐŝŶŐ ǁŝůů ďĞ ŵĂŝŶƚĂŝŶĞĚ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚŽƵƚ Ăůů ƐĞƐƐŝŽŶƐ͘ ŶŚĂŶĐĞĚ ĐůĞĂŶŝŶŐ ŵĞĂƐƵƌĞƐ ŝŶ ƉůĂĐĞ͘
ents who got his second jab was Fred Derkach, a resident there. He appreciated the convenience. “It’s very nice. It helps us out so we don’t need to go anywhere there,” said Derkach. “I appreciate them coming down.” Because it is a transient population at the Lighthouse, the plan for BRT6HC is to come back as new residents come in and do more inoculations in the future.
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Commentary
A different kind of Canada Day
The commentaries offered on this editorial page are intended to provide thought-provoking material for our readers. Contributors’ articles, cartoons or letters do not necessarily reflect the opinion of any Regional News-Optimist staff.
By Patrick Lamontagne
T H E B AT T L E F O R D S
Drawing an editorial cartoon or illustration for Canada Day is usually fun, and most of the time, without controversy. This year, however, with all we’ve been through living with the virus and coming to terms with the darkest parts of our nation’s history, July 1st will no doubt be a day of reflection for many. With the discovery of more unmarked graves at former sites of Indian residential schools, Canadians are once again coming to terms with our past. We have long pretended that we walk the high road, especially when comparing ourselves to other countries. We have prided ourselves in being polite, friendly, and first to come to the aid of others in need, even when we weren’t any of those things. But we were never on firm ground while walking that road because we’ve always known our own history, even when we chose to ignore it. These graves might be new physical evidence, but what went on at residential schools was never a secret. In 1922, Dr. Peter Henderson Bryce wrote a whistleblowing book entitled “The Story of a National Crime: An Appeal for Justice for the Indians of Canada.” He had submitted a report in 1907 to the Department of Indian Affairs that was largely ignored. It wasn’t until 1958 that Indian Affairs regional inspectors recommended the closure of all residential schools. The last one didn’t close until 1996. One of the most overused clichés surrounding Remembrance Day in Canada, when we remember our fallen service members on November 11th, is the phrase ‘Lest We Forget.’ It has become more of a tagline, something companies can put on their ads, and individuals can share online because they’re supposed to. It almost feels like saying ‘Bless You’ when somebody sneezes, a courtesy without meaning. It’s just something you say. But Lest We Forget is important. It’s about remembering your past so that you don’t repeat it. Despite our bad habits on social media, where we are quick to point out the failings of others, comparing our best traits to their worst, there isn’t one of us who would have all of our past sins laid bare for public scrutiny. We are fallible and damaged; we are human. We tear down statues and spit on the ground when we say the names of the architects of the residential school system, but we conveniently forget that Canadians elected these people. Many of those native children are alive today, and they’re not as old as you might think. This is not ancient history. It happened in our lifetime, much more recently than the world wars we remember each year without fail. We point the finger at our past leaders and say that they should have done something, but that’s the easy way out. It’s also easy to blame the current leadership and say that it’s their fault, but most of the time, that’s simply partisan politics. We switch political parties in this country more than we switch vehicles. A hundred years from now, our descendants will not look kindly on our inaction. Such is the luxury of hindsight. Our behaviour during the pandemic, how we treat our most disadvantaged citizens, our obsession with
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moral grandstanding on social media, and our disregard for the threat of climate change, the ground on which we stand is indeed shaky. But we can change. We can have more empathy for our fellow travellers. We can try and put ourselves in another’s shoes before passing judgment on the narrow snapshot we might see of them. These are choices. Some municipalities have cancelled their Canada Day events, others are going ahead with the party, and more are still on the fence. Individuals must decide for themselves.
I don’t agree with scrubbing away our history, nor do I support daily self-flagellation. Neither accomplishes much of anything. We should know our nation’s past, reflect on it, and learn from it. Remembrance is not just about the wars we won, but our collective history as a nation, the good and the bad. Lest we forget. Patrick Lamontagne is a cartoonist and digital painter based out of Canmore, Alta., and contributes a cartoon to the Battlefords Regional News-Optimist every week.
Letter
‘Common sense’ no boon to seniors Dear Editor Recently a booklet titled “Saskatchewan’s Team in Ottawa” arrived in my mailbox. In it, Conservative MP Rosemarie Falk states seniors have never been a priority for the Trudeau government but she gives no specifics. What I find interesting is Ms. Falk’s suggestion that Conservatives would help seniors by using “common sense measures to help seniors access more of their savings.” Exactly how will that help seniors? Is that like a CHIP reverse mortgage or what? A year ago, Jan Malek of the Council of Canadians
A community newspaper published Thursdays Owned & Operated by Prairie Newspaper Group LP a division of GVIC Communications Corp. 892 - 104th Street, North Battleford, Saskatchewan S9A 1M9 Telephone: 306-445-7261 • Fax: 306-445-3223 Serving the Battlefords since 1908 E-mail: newsoptimist.news@sasktel.net
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We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. Nous reconnaissons l’appui financier du gouvernement du Canada.
said Conservative Mike Harris’s government (2002), “reduced the public role in long-term care, relaxing regulations and lessening public oversight ... Under the Harris government, the growing corporate business of caring for seniors flourished and corporate players such as Sienna Senior Living, Revera, Extendicare and Chartwell expanded their reach, providing seniors with independent living, assisted living and long-term care housing – for a price.” It was a big part of Harris’s Common Sense Revolution in Ontario. (“Harris has Continued on Page 5 Gordon Brewerton Senior Group Publisher
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Guest Editorial
In someone else’s shoes By Helena Long Phippin
The mounting number of unmarked graves found at residential school sites haunts me. How anyone can continue to be cavalier towards the survivors and descendants of survivors escapes me? If you are a white person, try to truly imagine this scenario. The sister of your white grandmother, whom she spoke of with great affection and told warm-hearted stories about is someone you never met. When you asked Grandma what happened to her sister, she became sad and withdrawn. Later you would see her drinking straight from a bottle of hard liquor and you felt guilty for even asking. You just knew something terrible must have happened. When you’re a little older, you learn –from other family members – that this beloved little sister was forcibly torn from the arms of your grandmother, the oldest girl helping care for her siblings. Your great-aunt was never seen by the family again. Then you start to hear the rumours and whispers when older members of the family get together. This little girl –your great-aunt – was tortured, starved, beaten, maybe even raped. Presumably she died but exactly how no-one knows. If she’s dead, what happened to her body? Did she receive a proper burial or was she simply thrown in a ditch? Even though you never got to meet your great-aunt and the events happened many years ago, you would be outraged upon hearing this story. It would be hard to believe the authorities did nothing, either to help her or even to investigate and pursue her kidnappers and torturers. The police chief of the town reportedly simply looked the other way. How can that be?! When you tell your friends this shocking, almost
No vaccine passports Continued from Page 1 by air, or attending an indoor event venue or large public space. Most provinces and territories have indicated they would work with federal officials to develop a crossnational policy, with Manitoba and Quebec already issuing immunization cards that once scanned, show an individual’s vaccination status. Saskatchewan and Alberta remain the only provinces to reject the idea, with Premier Jason Kenney previously announcing that Alberta will not be participating in a vaccine passport program.
Colin from Lakeland Library Region HQ recommends Call Me Indian: From the Trauma of Residential School to Becoming the NHL’s First Treaty Indigenous Player by Fred Sasakamoose This is a deeply moving and powerful memoir focusing on the struggles NHLer Fred Sasakamoose faced both on and off the ice.
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Moe says that it will fall to the federal government to implement such a regulation, placing the decision out of the hands of the province. “There may be some requirements to show vaccination, but they won’t be in the provincial scope or sphere of influence, but in the federal or international sphere,” said Moe. Vaccination requirements are already a travel requirement in some countries, added Moe, and it’s likely that COVID-19 could be added to that list of viruses of concern. The Public Health Agency of Canada recently released data showing that since vaccines became widely available,
unbelievable story, they don’t get why you care. They dismiss it as ancient history. But this was one of your ancestors; you care. And you realize how deeply it affected your grandmother, and her children. You understand your father always felt he was an inadequate replacement for his mother’s missing little sister, and so he wasn’t the best father in the world to you. You are still working on learning to love yourself as a result. The effects of this one single unaddressed kidnapping and death have come down through the generations. Paul Bernado is a familiar albeit chilling name to Canadians. Many people share the belief he should not be given the opportunity to apply for parole every two years, especially since it forces the families of victims Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French to relive the horrific rapes and murders of their children. Although they don’t provide victim impact statements as there are no convictions on record, no doubt other young girls raped and injured by Bernado also suffer flashbacks, anxiety, depression and who knows what else when they see and hear news of his parole hearings. The first rapes supposedly occurred in 1987 – 34 years ago. Leslie was killed in 1991 – 30 years ago. Kristen was murdered in 1992 – 29 years ago. Even in another 30 years, pushing the incidents back to 60 years or so since they happened, do you think anyone will say to surviving family members who express grief and distress, “It was a long time ago. Get over it.”? I have referred to a few real events and outlined an imaginary single event. Now multiply the single event by the hundreds and thousands, with the government, police and church authorities all complicit. Is the grief and anger being expressed by our Indigenous sisters and brothers really any surprise? We MUST listen. approximately 95 per cent of positive COVID cases have been in unvaccinated individuals. Moe said that with more than 40 per cent of Saskatchewan residents fully vaccinated with both does, the province is headed into a “two-vaccine summer” and officials are confident that transmission will con-
tinue to stay low. “We continue to have faith in the people in this province, that they will do the right thing [and go for vaccination],” said Moe. The SHA expects that an estimated 60 per cent of Saskatchewan will be fully vaccinated by the time pandemic orders lift in mid-July.
Randy Weekes
The Battlefords, Thursday, July 1, 2021 - Page 5
No boon to seniors Continued from Page 4
profited a lot from his part-time boardroom-based job with Chartwell, he was paid $229,500 last year.” ‑ Malek) In May 2020, the Toronto Star reported that “three of the largest for-profit nursing home operators in Ontario, which have had disproportionately high numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths, have together paid out more than $1.5 billion in dividends to shareholders over the last decade.” This is just a typical example of how common sense Conservative governments look after corporate interests and fail to look after seniors. Low income seniors in and around North Battleford used to have a nice place to live at Valleyview Towers. There was a waiting list when my mother moved into Tower II in 1998. When she moved out four years ago, living conditions were deteriorating. A recent News-Optimist article suggests that of the 89 units in Tower II more than 50 are vacant and a large number uninhabitable. This is a recent and home-grown example of how poor management by a Conservative (Sask. Party) government has failed local seniors. If MP Rosemarie Falk, the Shadow Minister for Seniors, wants us to believe Conservatives are all about “improving the health, financial security and well-being” of seniors, she will have a tough job convincing some of us, especially if she offers to help low income seniors access more of their savings as a common sense solution. Evelyn Johnson Spiritwood
Letters welcome Letters to the editor are welcomed by the Regional Optimist. All letters, including those which are faxed or emailed, must be signed and bear the address and telephone number of the writer. The name of the writer will be published. Letters are subject to editing. Personal attacks will not be printed. Letters will be rejected if they contain libelous statements or are unsigned.
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MLA Biggar-Sask Valley Constituency randyweekes.mla@accesscomm.ca Toll free number 1-877-948-4880
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Page 6 - The Battlefords, Thursday, July 1, 2021
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Swiftwolfe sentenced to 4 years in prison By Lisa Joy
Staff Reporter
A Moosomin First Nation man was sentenced last week to four years in prison for evading and fleeing from police, assault, uttering threats, dangerous driving and weapons-related offences. Jonathan Swiftwolfe, 27, pleaded guilty in North Battleford Provincial Court. A joint submission between Crown Prosecutor Jennifer Schmidt and defence Tim Nolin was submitted to the court June 25, which Judge Daniel O’Hanlon accepted. Swiftwolfe appeared by CCTV from Prince Albert Correctional Centre and told the court “I take responsibility.” A trial was previously scheduled in May. The court heard that in December 2020, RCMP and Moosomin First Nation had issued a public safety warning saying
Swiftwolfe was armed and dangerous. When describing him police said he had the word “Westside” tattooed on his face. Westside is the name of a street gang that originated in Onion Lake. Schmidt told the court that the RCMP received a tip Swiftwolfe was in the North Battleford area. Police found him driving a black SUV and activated their lights and sirens in an attempt to stop him but he refused to stop. Swiftwolfe fled at a high rate of speed and reached speeds of up to 190 km/hour during the pursuit. Police say that due to Swiftwolfe’s violent nature they initiated and continued a pursuit. Officers from the RCMP Crime Reduction Team, which specializes in gang activity, successfully deployed a tire deflation device at the Table Mountain turnoff on Highway 40 east of Sweetgrass First Nation.
When police arrested Swiftwolfe they found a loaded firearm within his reach in the vehicle. The court heard that the firearm was directly behind the driver’s seat. The .22 calibre rifle was modified to make it shorter. Cassandra Fox, 24, was with Swiftwolfe and also arrested. She was wanted at the time on warrants for assault with a weapon and failure to comply with a release order. The court heard that when police arrested Swiftwolfe and Fox, the two opened their windows in the SUV and put their hands up and out the window. Fox was released from custody and failed to appear in court. RCMP issued a release notifying the public and she was apprehended in June 2021. She is scheduled to appear in North Battleford Provincial Court July 5 for a show cause hearing.
Jonathan Swiftwolfe
Cassandra Fox
Swiftwolfe was wanted on warrants at the time he was arrested in December 2020. The court heard that in one incident Swiftwolfe and his passenger chased another vehicle on a nearby First Nations and shot out the window at the people in the vehicle. One person was shot but didn’t go to the hospital for treatment, the court heard. In another incident Swiftwolfe punched a
woman in the face. Her three pre-school children were in the vehicle at the time. The woman was forced out of the vehicle and Swiftwolfe took off with the children. He later dropped the children off with a relative. Nolin told the court that Swiftwolfe spent time in the foster care system due to physical abuse from his stepfather. Both of his parents attended residential day school.
Swiftwolfe, who was wearing a mask due to COVID-19 and a grey T-shirt, stood throughout the court proceedings. He alternated between standing with his arms crossed and his hands clasped in front of him. Swiftwolfe was given 10 months credit for time served in pretrial custody. He was given a lifetime ban on owning firearms and ordered to provide his DNA to the National DNA Databank. He was also given a three-year driving prohibition, which takes effect after he is released from prison. Judge O’Hanlon told Swiftwolfe he needs to make a decision to deal with the issues that are causing him to come into the criminal court system. He said there are programs in prison that can offer him the professional help he needs. “I urge you to do that,” said Judge O’Hanlon.
Trial set for woman accused of Tiki Laverdiere murder By Lisa Joy
Staff Reporter
A trial date for an Onion Lake woman charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping of Tiki Laverdiere has been rescheduled. Nikita Cook’s jury tri-
al in Battleford Court of Queen’s Bench was scheduled to start Aug. 30, 2021, and has been pushed back a week to Sept. 7, 2021. Previously, it was to start Jan. 11, 2021, but was adjourned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cook, 32, was arrested
Aug. 16, 2019, and is one of 10 people charged with Laverdiere’s murder. Laverdiere, 25, from Edmonton, was in Saskatchewan April 27, 2019, to attend a funeral on Thunderchild First Nation. Her body was found on July 11, 2019, in a rural area near
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North Battleford. From July 2019 to August 2020, police arrested 10 people in Saskatchewan and Alberta for Laverdiere’s murder. Nicole Cook, Soaring Eagle Whitstone, Shayla Orthner, Danita Thomas, and Jesse Sangster were charged with kidnapping, first-degree murder, improperly interfering with a body and theft of a vehicle. Nikita Sandra Cook and Charles St. Savard were charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping. Brent Checkosis, Mavis Takakenew and Samuel Takakenew were charged with accessory to murder after the fact. Jury and non-jury tri-
Whitstone, Nikita Cook, Nicole Cook and Thomas elected to be tried by judge and jury. Their trials in Battleford Court of Queen’s Bench are set for September 2022, September 2021, March 2023, and January 2022 respectively. Sangster and Orthner elected to be tried by judge alone. Their trials are set for January 2023 and April 2022 respectively. Samuel Takakenew’s case remains at the provincial court level. He appears next in North Battleford Provincial Court Oct. 15. Three sentenced In May 2020 Checkosis was sentenced to seven years in prison and Mavis
Takakenew was given 18 months. In January 2021 Charles St. Savard was sentenced to 14 months in jail. The charges against the seven remaining co-accused haven’t been proven in court. There is a ban on publication on the sentencing hearings for Checkosis, Mavis Takakenew and St. Savard until the trials of all the co-accused are finished.
For more court news visit www.newsoptimist.ca
We’re HERE because YOU’RE here. Your curiosity fuels our commitment to keep you informed on local news, events and businesses. Together, we make a community that’s connected every minute at newsoptimist.ca and every Thursday in your The Battlefords Regional NEWS-OPTIMIST DS
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Delmas residential school site being searched for graves of the Battlefords MARKETING YOUR PROPERTY TO THE WORLD
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The former St. Henri Indian Residential School (Thunderchild) near Delmas. From BATC’s Facebook page
By John Cairns Staff Reporter
Events were happening this week at the site of the former residential school in the Delmas area. The St. Henri Indian Residential School (Thunderchild) near Delmas burned in 1948. This week, Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs and ground searchers were on site to ensure those who attended that residential school are not forgotten. Monday a pipe ceremony and feast honoured the Delmas children. That took place during the morning and early afternoon. Speakers and dignitaries were scheduled to speak later that afternoon, but events were cancelled due to the heat. Those in attendance also wanted to acknowledge the children of the former Battlefords Industrial School, which was situated on the former Government House site now owned by The Ridge - MGBHLM Eco-
nomic Development. The ceremonies on Monday were done according to strict protocol, with the pipe ceremony and prayers held in advance of the start of the search for unmarked graves in the area. The ceremonies were designed to include the entire Delmas community as part of reconciliation. “It’s horribly heartbreaking, it’s part of our shared history,” said Alexis Christensen, director of communications at BATC, in an interview scheduled to air on the Talk of the Town show on Access Now TV. The interview was taped prior to the announcement of the discovery of 751 unmarked graves at the Marieval Indian Residential School site at Cowessess First Nation. The belief is that there are graves in the Delmas area, said Christensen. She noted that Senator Jenny Spyglass, a survivor of the Delmas residential school, has been vocal about the
issue. The next steps will follow in the coming weeks, according to BATC, as ground penetrating radar will be used to search for unmarked graves. BATC is working with SNCLavalin, who has offered to provide the radar at no cost. The plan was to sweep the Delmas area, said Christensen, and there were plans to sweep the Battlefords Industrial School site as well to ensure nothing is missed there. Representatives from SNC-Lavalin were at the ceremonies Monday and will be conducting the search over the coming weeks. There are at least a couple of areas around Delmas that they want to focus on. “It means that hopefully we are going to provide some more answers specifically to families,” said Christensen. “There is a chance that some of these bodies could be sent home.”
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Welcome to 2212-95 Street. This well cared for home features 5 bedrooms (3 up and 2 down), 2 baths and a double attached garage (20x24). The main floor has an open kitchen/dining room/living room with direct entry to back yard (yard is a bit larger at 68x110 ft). With 5 bedrooms there is ample space for a larger family. The lower level family room is very spacious and all carpets recently replaced. Close to walking trail, shopping mall, Tim Hortons. Let us show you this move in ready family home!
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A unique and rare opportunity to own this grand home in the Battlefords! This home is a one of a kind and the moment you enter the foyer with its marble floor and spiral staircase you will be amazed at the charm and sophistication. With over 3500 sq ft just on 2 levels plus the basement this home is perfect for entertaining! There is a formal living room, cozy family room with fireplace and large bright kitchen featured on the main floor. As well as main floor laundry ,2 half baths and a sauna. The second story has a large master with walk in closet and large 4pc en suite. There are 3 more bedrooms and another full bath plus an amazing office or den with a gorgeous wood fireplace, beautiful built ins and a wet bar. Love entertaining? You will need to see the lower level in person! Wet bar with built in cooler, games area and wood burning fire place, plenty of room for family and friends! There is an upper balcony from the second level as well as a large brick patio accessed from the kitchen or family room. Double attached garage that is insulated and heated. So much more to learn about this home so call for a showing today!
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The scene in Delmas at the end of the pipe ceremonies and feast Monday. Photo by John Cairns
New housing chair
Continued from Page 1 inch fan, which is owned by the tenants association, was missing from the common room. Not having a cool place for seniors to seek relief from the current dangerously high temperatures has been frustrating, says Mills.
There is no place to sit outside in the shade either, he said Tuesday, as the chairs (also belonging to the tenants association) that used to sit outside the main door were removed several weeks ago, ostensibly to discourage smoking in the area. People still smoke there, he said, but now there is no place to sit. A bench was installed recently, he noted, but it is out on the sidewalk by the bus stop. It is 50 feet from the building, he said, and is
the only seating designated as non-smoking seating in the area. While the July 11 reopening date is almost here, Mills also noted masking requirements have not been enforced within the building. A number of seniors have moved out of the building, he said, even though it is designed to be best suited for seniors. Some have moved to other units within the Battlefords, while others have left the community.
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Page 8 - The Battlefords, Thursday, July 1, 2021
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Congratulations 2021 Graduates Brant Bannerman
Jordyn Blais
Meredith Broadfool
Justin Burgess
Layna Burgess
Mckenzie Borbeil
Cassidy Franzius
Kaitlyn Gies
Phoenix Graham
Emily Kim
Grant McKee
Beyonce Rabbit
Ceanna Rhode
Town of Turtleford
Rae-Anna Roang
Miriam Stein
Colin Wooff TURTLEFORD & DISTRICT CO-OP
Amber Macnab
306-845-2156
Owner
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315 Railway Ave, Turtleford Andrea Newton (owner)
Phone 306-845-2105 Ryan Domotor
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The Battlefords, Thursday, July 1, 2021 - Page 9
Page 10 - The Battlefords, Thursday, July 1, 2021
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Happy
Canada Day
Join us in celebration of our communities; our Canadian identity; and the country we are all proud to call home. Jeremy Cockrill
Ryan Domotor
MLA for Cut Knife-Turtleford domotor.mla@sasktel.net 306-893-2619
MLA for The Battlefords office@jeremycockrill.ca 306-445-5195
Hon. Scott Moe, Premier
MLA for Rosthern-Shellbrook scottmoe.mla@sasktel.net 306-747-3422
N.B. resident earns Terry Fox award
20210624_News Optimist Ad_Canada-Day.indd 1
Staff
Hailey Rose of North Battleford is a recipient of the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award. Photo submitted
A North Battleford resident is one of 16 students across Canada to receive the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award. Hailey Rose is a recipient of the award, valued at up to $28,000. Rose is a trauma survivor, and she overcame that through reaching out to those suffering. She has facilitated mental health workshops in her community, creating
mental health care packages for youth and hosting the Hailey Rose Podcast to raise awareness on mental health and youth suicide, according to a news release. Hailey has also shared her story through the WeMatter Campaign, the Assembly of First Nations and the Students Commissions of Canada. “I overcame the pain I went through with humanitarian work,” says Hailey,
who stated “There is something very powerful and healing about connecting and helping others.” Hailey, who is an Indigenous Plains Cree woman, intends to pursue degrees in politics and law at the University of Saskatchewan. The Terry Fox Humanitarian Award was established in 1982. According to their news release, the award recognizes young humanitarians who have demon-
strated courage and determination through academics, athletics and civic life. “This is a remarkable group of young leaders who are making a difference in their schools and communities through their commitment to humanitarian and voluntary community contributions,” said John Kearsey, chairperson of the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award. “In receiving the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award,
2021-06-22 11:39:23 AM
these individuals are being recognized for living the qualities of the award namesake, Terry Fox, known the world over for his extraordinary sense of purpose and the ideals of courage, determination and altruism. We are thrilled to help contribute to their further growth and look forward to watching as their careers flourish.” For a full list of recipients, go to www.terryfoxawards.ca.
Capital campaign set to launch for new animal shelter By John Cairns Staff Reporter
The Battlefords Humane Society has finally reached the point where it can launch a capital campaign for a new building. The campaign will be publicly launched Sept. 18 with activities from 1 to 7 p.m. at the current animal shelter location at 751 114th St., North Battleford. The day will include a barbecue, tours of the current building and tables to
sign up for fundraising and for those looking to donate or to purchase foundation levels (to have their name placed on rooms inside the building) or paw prints. Shelter co-ordinator Michelle Spark said it was a long road to get to this point. “We’re ready to start raising money, basically,” said Spark. “It’s been a long time, we’ve been waiting a long time for this.” Their plans had been adjusted due to COVID-19
and rising costs, with the goal now of reaching a $2 million target. They already had about $500,000 raised. “We still have a long ways to go and we can’t do it without our community,” said Spark. The new location is set for Highway 4 North just outside the city limits. The land has been purchased and a floor plan has been drawn up to show what the new facility will look like, which is available on their website.
The site of the future animal shelter on Highway 4 north. Photo by John Cairns
Some of the money raised already has gone towards that purchase; with the Bill and Betty Heno Fund of the Battlefords and District Community Founda-
tion Inc. sponsoring the purchase in the amount of $100,000 last fall. Campaign booklets are available at the shelter, and will be available at the
campaign launch event. Those seeking information about the capital campaign can go to www.shelterus.ca or send an email to info@shelterus.ca.
Robins’ Tale
The steady diet of worms and insects has fully fledged the baby robins so they completely fill the nest. The baby robins all chirp to attract the attention of Magdelina and Alexander at feeding time. Once fed, the baby robins settle down and look around. Leaving the nest next week. Photos and text by Jim McLane
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The Battlefords, Thursday, July 1, 2021 - Page 11
CPCA opener sees Carey take aggregate Gorst wins dash for cash By John Cairns Staff Reporter
The season opener for the Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association is in the books and it was an exciting four days at the Poundmaker track.
The event from June 24 to 27 had been moved to Poundmaker from its original locale North Battleford. The final results saw BJ Carey of CDR Welding and Inspections take top spot in the aggregate with
a time of 03:45.87. Logan Gorst of Logan’s Heroes was second at 3:46.59. Ryan Baptiste of Oil Can Charlie’s ran third at 3:47.84. Danny Ringuette of Superior Concrete
Pumping was fourth at 3:49.86. CPCA reported the track record was broken three times during the four days, with Carey setting the new record on Day Three with a time of 01:14.04.
The final day saw the final Dash for Cash and it was Logan Gorst taking it with a time of 1.15.06. The outriders were Logan Pethick and Brendan Nolin. Standings for the season coming out of Week
One sees Gorst on top of the points race with 175. Carey is at 173, Baptiste at 160 and Ringuette with 154. Next up for the CPCA schedule is Onion Lake running June 30 to July 4.
Recruitment and retention key to SHA officials Former Wilkie resident heads program By Sherri Solomko Trent Cey, son of Jamie and Lori Cey, grew up in Wilkie and was part of Wilkie’s hockey experience while he lived there. Cey now serves as the manager of officiating development for the Saskatchewan Hockey Association. Cey affirms that recruitment and retention will be key in coming out of the pandemic with another strong officiating core to work games throughout all the divisions of hockey in the province. Two seasons ago, the SHA had more than 3,300 officials. This season they were down to 2,300 officials. Cey admits that is unfortunate, especially since there had been a continued trend upwards, season by season. Based on a SHA survey of those who chose not to recertify, the organization learned the uncertainty of the season was a underlying factor and most plan to return next season. So, there is optimism the number of official will be trending upwards again. Leadership in some communities has kept the numbers from dropping more drastically Cey says. The last two seasons, officials in the Press-Herald readership communities included: Unity - 28 officials last season, 25 the season before; Wilkie- eight 8 officials last season, 12 the season before; Luseland - three officials last season, four the season before; Macklin - 20 officials last season, 25 the season before; Kerrobert - 11 officials last season, 14 the season before; and Cut Knife - one official last season, zero the season before. “Anyone who did get certified last season remains certified until Dec.7 and, depending on their age, will either have to pay no registration fees to recertify or get a discount,” Cey says. “Those officials will be busy early in the year whenever we get the green light to play hockey.” Officials are key to games continuing, Cye
points out. While the emphasis is on getting players back on the ice, “they have to understand that we need officials for those games as well.” “I would encourage everyone to seriously consider being involved as an official. Some may do it for a year or two and that will help get the numbers back up to a level where we can manage the demand, but others will realize that it is a great way to make some money, get more involved in hockey, understand a whole new appreciation for the role, feel welcomed and involved in the officiating family or hopefully develop a passion for the job that can be continued for years to come.” Cey’s early ties to the rural hockey scene have set him on the path as officiating promoter and leader in the province. Cey graduated from McLurg in 2005 and went on to the University of Saskatchewan for one year, followed by two years at Lethbridge College. His career path went from his first job as sports reporter at the Battlefords NewsOptimist to marketing and communication manager for the Battlefords North Stars to his current position with the SHA, where he has been for the past five years. “I grew up with a backyard rink and a very active and competitive group of friends, and family,” Cey says. “I followed the Wilkie Outlaws growing up, like all small town hockey players do, and can remember pretending being one of those players while taking shots on my brother. I collected hockey cards, played video games, but so much of my childhood revolved around sports and being active.” Cey went through the ranks of minor hockey and went on to play in senior and recreational leagues, but realized early on that officiating was his chosen role. “I started officiating at 11 years old and have done it all through my younger years, then into university and college and was able to follow that passion to my role with the SHA today.” COVID-19 has made
his job more challenging, but everyone was committed to make the most of the situation and Cey affirms they were still able to allow many minor hockey players and coaches continue their development through small group practises. “On the officiating side of things we had several virtual training sessions, some later on-ice sessions and tried to communicate to the membership as much as possible,” Cey says. “Last season we had to adjust our clinic presentations, which usually include 80 to 90 classroom sessions around the province in three months. That was modified to have more online training and virtual classrooms and the only inperson portion was then the on-ice session for officials who are 18 and under.” One thing the SHA often promotes to their officials at all levels is to control what they can control, which includes fitness level, rule knowledge, effort and attitude to name a few. As the pandemic ebbs the SHA plans to continue to improve the clinic material and presentation. The goal is for “all officials to have the right training to be confident and ready to
hit the ice as soon as we can start playing games after a long layoff,” Cey says. As a former resident of small town Saskatchewan, Cey recognizes the importance of local officials trained at all levels of hockey. “The key is to understand that the support and development of officials is crucial locally to having successful minor hockey associations. Rarely is it promoted or celebrated when officials are selected for league, provincial, national, international or professional assignments besides those within our officiating program. Where, if a player or coach is selected for a team, there is more recognition and promotion of the accomplishment.” Cey says accomplishments and contributions of officials should also be celebrated. Recognition promotes confidence and passion for the role, he says. He advocates the mentoring and support of young officials to ensure their success. “I had some great mentors from the area when I was officiating in Jason Schell and Dwayne Weber, but even then, I don’t remember a lot of support
Trent Cey. Photo by Adrian Halter in the younger years,” Cey says. “I know several friends the same age that would officiate for a year or two and then would quit ... officiating isn’t for everyone, but for me, because of the engrained passion for the game and being involved, I
just wanted to do be at the rink and I guess I grew up with the mentality that if you commit to something you see it through. “As the confidence starts to develop then you want to work higher levels of hockey and keep pursuing it.”
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Hope for ball tournaments on the horizon By Sherri Solomko Correspondent
If you haven’t had your vaccine yet, what are you waiting for? The end of this pandemic is in sight, but it is clear that vaccinations are the key. The Unity Credit Union Aquatic Center continues to offer aquasizes, early bird swim, and public swimming, however, everyone must follow the pandemic guidelines in order to keep all swimmers and staff safe.
U
nity News
The ball diamonds continue to be an active venue in town. With activity opening up more by July 11, we understand we will see a tournament or two on home diamonds as well as teams preparing for provincials coming up later this summer.
Brooklyn Gray and Emma Baker, UCHS Grade 12 students who sit on the Positive School Climate Committee, as well as other leadership groups, accept their provincial citizenship award. Photo submitted
The Junior Cardinals are keeping fans entertained. They’ve had some wins and they’ve experienced some losses but they continue to play good baseball and watching a live game after our long pandemic prescribed drought is a welcome option. The team has an all-local roster to cheer on. Ticks are becoming more prevalent at the golf course so make sure you check after enjoying a round on the course. Schools are out for the summer. It probably seemed like forever for staff and students to get to this point, but we are very proud and thankful for our school teams who, even though there were a couple blips on the radar this school year, kept our students safe and healthy. No cases that were announced were a result of school transmission and that is due to the diligence and vigilance of staff, students and school families. The graduation parade was another wonderful experience for this community. Restrictions weren’t as tight this year, making it that much more enjoyable. Congratulations to our class of 2021. You have learned to adapt, persevere and stay the course and these skills will take you far in your future goals. Unity Composite High School has earned a pro21071BS0 21071BS1
Parkview residents were ecstatic to welcome back guests in a more normal fashion after having their second rounds of shots and more restrictions were lifted. Photo submitted
vincial citizenship award through the Public Schools Association of Saskatchewan, netting a $1,000 cash prize. In a combined effort by the UCHS leadership team, the Activate team and Student Leadership Council, a submission was sent in marking the school’s ongoing efforts to promote kindness and inclusion through projects within the school and the community. The award-winning video was actually compiled in early 2020, but everything was put on hold when the province shut down due to the pandemic. This is the first time this award has been given by the organization and they chose to proceed with it in 2021, acknowledging students’ efforts in making a positive difference in their schools and communities. “The PSCC, leadership class and SLC all work together traditionally to sup-
port kindness and inclusion activities in our school in the form of Activate projects. This year they were unable to continue as whole school projects, so they looked out into the community and featured actions there,” says UCHS principal Aaron Melnyk. Mrs. David, who teaches leadership class and is part of SLC and the Activate group, says, “We will use this cash prize to continue promoting our message in our Unity schools as well as in our community.” Participating students and past Activate team students say they can see and feel the difference their initiative has made both in the school and around town and are thankful for this prize, which gives them resources to continue promotion of their mandate. The awards were presented virtually June 4. Congratulations to all the award winners at
UCHS annual awards night, held virtually again this year. Recent rains have helped but not eliminated fire hazards. The Unity Fire Department responded to 10 calls from May 17 to June 14, and more since then. They put out a caution to the public that fireworks, as per town bylaw, are banned in town and they recently reported to a fire involving the discharge of firearms in town. UFD reminds residents fires are allowed in approved fire pits only. Applications are available at the town office and there is no charge for inspections. Be smart and have a water source nearby to extinguish your fire. Burn only dry seasoned wood. No green wood, leaves or garden waste may be burned. Here’s hoping this finds you all safe, healthy and socially distanced. Until next week ...
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The Battlefords, Thursday, July 1, 2021 - Page 13
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Bresaylor Happenings
Flight of the Joe McKay family By Robert Peterson In 1885, just before the North-West Rebellion started, Joe McKay got a job as the farm instructor on Sweetgrass Reserve. Joe, his wife and two daughters arrived and moved into their accommodation on March 12. While the family was sleeping on the night of March 27, one day after the first shot was fired at Duck Lake, their home was invaded. After an angry encounter, the family was warned to leave and their horses were taken. Eventually someone loaned them a small canoe to cross the ice-filled Battle River and they made their way to the Bresaylor settlement where Joe’s wife’s brother David Poitras lived. Years later one of their daughters, Ann Flora, recounted their ordeal to the Prince Albert Herald. “As we plodded on, our feet broke through the snow,
sometimes to our knees in water.” But their ordeal had only just begun. Conditions in the Bresaylor settlement were tense. Riel’s representatives were trying to get the support of the Bresaylor people. Chief Poundmaker visited the settlers while the McKays were there and smoked the peace pipe with Joe, but Poundmaker could not guarantee their safety. “It was nearly sundown on Easter Day when we were told to come at once to the river. It was running very thick with ice from bank to bank, and Father said that to put a frail boat in the water would mean death to all of us. The old priest (Cochin) said it was our only chance,” Ann told the Herald. Anyone familiar with the North Saskatchewan River in the spring would be horrified at the prospect facing them. Father Cochin
also advised the McKays not to stop at Battleford, as they might be mistaken for rebels. The family got into the boat and were soon carried swiftly downstream. “The boat was spun around and pushed from side to side between the huge floes of ice. The boat was too small and rode low in the water. We were very frightened. Father pushed the craft with an oar, in and out among the cakes of ice. He tried to work his way toward the far bank. Several times the boat was lifted almost clear of the water; it became jammed between ice floes. As Father worked to keep the boat from being overturned, I looked back and saw the figure still kneeling on the wet sand. This was the last I saw of Father Cochin.” Miraculously the family reached the other side and managed to pull the boat up on the bank, taking shelter among the willows. For nine days they hid in
the willows shivering, for they dared not light a fire, fearing they would be discovered. They only had a bit of bannock among them. When the river was about to open, they were noticed by hostile natives. Somehow they managed to push off from shore and miraculously a channel opened so they could escape their pursuers from both sides of the river. Their ordeal was not yet over. That night the McKays floated past Battleford, thinking to land at Fort Carlton. They didn’t know that the fort had been vacated and burned. A man who had taken flour from the fort gave them bread he had made from it, but it made them ill. The flour had been contaminated with coal oil by the Mounties before they left. Further downstream, the family stopped to ask a woman on shore for food. When she asked their name
This is one of a series of regular columns submitted on behalf of the Bresaylor Museum.
and heard Joe McKay, she told them the rebels were looking for him. The Joe McKay she meant was the one who had fired the first shot at the Duck Lake skirmish. The family continued downstream with no food. They finally reached safety at the Roman Catholic mission at Prince Albert. It had been 12 days since they had set out, having had only two small feedings of bannock and chewed some spruce gum. An attempt at eating grease used for caulking on the
boat also made them sick. As an interesting note, Ann Flora McKay later married the other Joe McKay. This account shows that the Métis were regarded by some on both sides as relatives, friends, neighbours and, in some cases, the enemy. Read next week’s article “Caught in the middle.” Check out the Bresaylor Heritage Museum Facebook page for more information. The museum is open by appointment only from June 9 to Aug. 31. Please phone 306-895-4813.
Lifelong horse enthusiast turns 100 Correspondent
Belated birthday greetings to Vernon Custer of River Heights Lodge in North Battleford on his 100th birthday. Vernon is formerly from Baljennie. He and his wife Joyce raised a family of six children, five sons and one daughter. They worked together on the farm and operated some ranch rangeland and had cattle and
horses. Vernon enjoyed his horses and rode most of his life for pleasure and herding cattle. Vernon was David and Linda’s Custer’s second son born July 1, 1921. He attended the old Baljennie
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School for his schooling and helped his dad with the horses before he married and moved to his own farm. Vernon’s son Mark and his wife Kim and family now farm the land, still with cattle and horses. I will always remember Vernon and his dad selling my dad, Jack Rowlands, a beautify strawberry roan mare for our school pony.
I rode and drove that horse to school through all my school years. My sisters and brothers did the same. More belated birthday greetings to Margery (Smith) Jenny of Edmonton, Alta. on the celebration of her 107th birthday June 5. Margery is formerly from Baljennie area. She and her husband William Smith ran a farm
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youngest son, Gordon and wife Jean Smith, still farm some of the land. A few years ago Gordon and Jean built a new house. Get well wishes to Del Southgate of Battleford Bridge Road Condos. After a few health issues she is in Battlefords Union Hospital. Also to Gordon Smith formerly of Baljennie who recently had heart surgery.
Grandparents celebrate grads By Elaine Woloshyn Correspondent
Summer is all about been in nature’s wonderland ‑ campfires, boating, fishing, sun tanning, building sand castles on the beach and the list goes on and on. A growing sport is kayaking. The provincial and regional campsites are booked quickly. There are even privately owned
campsites that are known by word of mouth. It is a nice relaxing family activity as each camping experience is making memories, especially for children.
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there. They raised a family of three sons and one daughter. Margery was a great gardener and had a beautiful yard of flowers and a big raspberry patch. She ran a greenhouse for a good number of years. She supplied many people with her plant. She was also an active hairdresser and gave hot curler perms to many ladies of the area. The
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The Blue Sky Country Boys band was a no show for the Rabbit Lake live entertainment June 25. Brandon P. was supposed to be the opening act, but filled the evening by himself thrilling that small crowd with his great voice and guitar playing skills. He did a splendid job as we got two breaks to have coffee and dessert. Brandon drove from near Regina which is a six-hour drive. He is one of the most promising young Saskatchewan entertainers singing original music and older country classics. A big thank you to Jim and Elaine Tompkins who spend many hours searching for an affordable night in a small thriving village. We appreciate their commitment to bringing live music into the community hall. Too bad the crowd wasn’t larger. Leanne and Stephen Cherwinski attended their grandson Jayce’s Grade 12 graduation in Calgary last week. He is the oldest son of Carla (Kelly) Soucy, who
Classifieds
have resided in Calgary for more than a decade. With COVID restrictions lifting , the timing is perfect as they haven’t seen one another in almost a year. Local graduations in Hafford that involve grandparents and some local Mayfair people include Ty Duybk, son of Tanya and Chad. His grandparents are Ervin and Cindy Lavallee. Also graduating is Joan and Gordon’s granddaughter Gillian. Among those honoured is Tristen Nesseth, son of Aaron (Pam) and grandson to Arnold Nesseth. Neil Striga’s son Kyle is also amongst the 2021 Hafford graduating class. Amber Toews of Mayfair, daughter of Michael, is also a happy graduate. All the best to all of the students who will be starting a new chapter in their lives. Happy Canada Day everyone and let’s show respect for all cultures that are woven into our wonderful country. Put our differences aside. Stay safe.
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keep you on the right track. NEWS-OPTIMIST T H E B AT T L E F O R D S
By Dorothy M. Mills
Serving the Battlefords since 1908
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The Battlefords, Thursday, July 1, 2021 - Page 15
“EVERYDAY IS A HOLIDAY IN THE FURNITURE BUSINESS”
- Chris Odishaw 192-24th St. West, Battleford Phone 306-937-7474 Fax 306-937-7676 www.battlefordfurniture.com mail@battlefordfurniture.com
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There is a section of our local commerce that brings us a local flavor, a taste of home, and makes sure that your purchases really support the Battlefords. Independent Retailers are our neighbors, friends, and family, whether they’re running the corner store, providing gas to keep us on the move or bringing us the best in food, furniture and clothing. Independent Retailer Month reminds you to help support them to support the Battlefords. HISTORY OF INDEPENDENT RETAILER MONTH
Independent Retailer Month was established by Clare Rayner, known throughout the world as “The Retail Champion” to help get local communities working with their local retailers to help keep local money local. There’s been a loss of culture and community throughout the years as big box companies move in and start driving the smaller companies out of business. Our stores select the highest quality products for you and pride themselves in giving you the very best personal service, because these are the people that you pass on the street; your kids go to school with their kids; your neighbors; your friends. The Independent Retailers rely on the support of their community, and the loyalty of these people to their local businesses. Since the creation of Independent Retailer Month, millions of dollars in revenue have been returned to local businesses as people start shopping locally and discovering the hometown feel you get from shopping with your friends and neighbors. Independent Retailer month is your opportunity to get in and support the Battlefords and keep the dream of small businesses alive and well.
HOW TO CELEBRATE INDEPENDENT RETAILER MONTH
306-445-4690 30 06 445 4690 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK M d - Sat Monday S Sa Saturday aturday urday d 8:00 8 00 a.m. a.m. m - 6:00 6:00 00 p.m. p.m. m. SUNDAY SUNDAY & HOLIDAYS HOLIDAYS HO DAYS 12:00 2:00 - 5:00 5:0 p.m. p.m p m.
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There’s a few ways to celebrate independent retailer month, but the most prominent is getting out there and buy from a store with a door! You know that when you buy from a local store, all of the money stays in the Battlefords helping to keep the local flavor alive. These are the people that support your local sport teams & donate to your special events.
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Local businesses showcased in ‘Happenings’ event By Lorraine Olinyk Corespondent
Happenings Around Borden Day was hosted Friday, June 25 with businesses having displays or giveaways. Living Books had an outdoor summer reading sale, along with a bouncy castle for the children and colouring contests for children and adults. Aven Grace and Barbara Leavins held outdoor music concerts – Signs of His Grace – at noon and 4 p.m. in front of Aven’s home on Main Street. The two sang a variety of old country favourites, bluegrass, country gospel and originals written by Aven. Aven can play guitar, mandolin and ukulele and can also yodel, so the duo were entertaining. This talented musician has won international awards for her song writing and singing and has earned platinum three times. Carrie Harkness, who bought Foster’s Store awhile back, opened the doors to Carrie’s Troubadour Shoppe for the day. Carrie takes consignment and donated items and has a variety of products for sale such as shoes, books, toiletries, household items, outdoor items, children’s toys, candy, antiques and hopes to offer clothing. For now she is open on Tuesdays and Fridays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Riverbend Fellowship Church had a table set outside the Community Centre were the farmers market was open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Winning the 50/50
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draw at the market was Jorden Proctor of Langham. Two new vendors were at the market – Ann Kostiuk from Saskatoon with knitted items and Jennifer Proctor with honey. The Borden Co-op also had giveaways outside the grocery store and the Borden Museum was open for the day with student Ethan Fisher on hand. Borden United Church held their final service in St. John’s Anglican Church on Sunday, June 27, with Gayle Wensley presiding. Holy Communion was observed and after the service everyone gathered for coffee in the lower hall where a bouquet of flowers and presentations of gifts were made to Gayle from the United and Anglican churches. June 20, Lorraine Olinyk was presented a gift of two garden gnomes from the church for her work on the board and with the church over the last 30 plus years. Gayle Wensley will still be preaching at Speers and Battleford United Churches after July and August holidays The Borden Care Home held their annual meeting for 2020 on June 24 in the Lower Hall of the St. John’s Church. On the board are Ivan Yuchezin – chairperson, Kirk Maxwell – vice-chair, Peggy Walker – secretary, Peter Thiessen,
Aven Grace and Barbara Leavins performed two concerts during Happenings Around Borden Day June 25. Photos by Lorraine Olinyk
Carrie Harkness in the interior of her Troubadour Shoppe.
Living Books outdoor event June 25 - Martin & Janice Whitbread.
Bev Panas and Walter Neufeld. General manager and treasurer is Heather Pidwerbesky. In her report, Heather talked about the year-long lockdown due COVID-19, and thanked the community and Borden School students for Christmas cards. The school children paid a visit outside in June. Marlene Derbawka entertained the residents on June 25 and future entertainment will start to come in as the rules get changed for visits. Peggy thanked Heather for her diligence in following the health rules which resulted in no cases at the home. In Phase 2, four visi-
tors will be allowed inside and nine outside. At present there are five residents in the home with room for more. Election of officers was held with Ivan and Kirk being re-elected and Peggy appointed by the chair. On the financial side, revenue was down $139,570 from 2019, with donations down close to $12,000. Expenses were also down $52,047, resulting in a loss of $73,177 compared to excess revenue of $14,346 in 2019. At their next board meeting they will discuss having some kind of celebration as 2021 is the 20th anniversary of the Borden Care Home.
The front of Carrie Harkness’s Troubadour Shoppe, formerly Fosters General Store.
The east side of Carrie Harkness’s Troubadour Shoppe where she has painted scenes from Smith & McQuarrie store in early 1900s.
T H E B AT T L E F O R D S
Borden United Church held their final service in St. John’s Anglican Church on Sunday, June 27, with Gayle Wensley presiding.
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news-optimist Serving the Battlefords since 1908
Gayle Wensley was presented with flowers and gifts by members of the United and Anglican churches following her final service in Borden.
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The Battlefords, Thursday, July 1, 2021 - Page 17
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OBITUARIES WHITWELL: Ruth Louise Whitwell (nee Glessing), a beautiful prairie girl, born in 1929 to Lydia and Herman Glessing, passed away Monday, June 14th, 2021 at Harwood Manor in North Battleford, SK after a short illness. She was predeceased by her husband Lloyd of 35 years, 9 siblings, grandson, Michael and sonin-law, Kelly. Adored by all who knew her, she leaves behind her children: Rick (Pat), Roddy (Candace), Debbie (Dave) and Wanda (Robert), grandchildren: (Ryan, Samantha, Andrea (Jordan), Christopher, Brittany (Miles), Logan and Karley (Adam), great grandchildren: Sloan, Lettie and Theodore. Also left behind is her companion of 25 years, Myron Chomicki and his family with whom she shared many, many happy times. Ruth will also be deeply missed by the wonderful friends she made during her years as a Nurse’s Aide at the Saskatchewan Hospital and District Care Centre. She always worked hard, without complaining, was always positive, got done what had to be done, loving every day - “we’ll see what tomorrow brings”. Retirement brought much joy. She finally had time for her beloved flowers and garden, some time to travel and enjoy new opportunities and experiences. The heart of our family, Mom never wanted to miss a moment when we all gathered. Always the last to go to bed. Well, it’s time now for you to turn out the lights and get some rest. We’ll never be the same without you. Sleep well Ruthie In lieu of flowers memorial donations in memory of Mrs. Ruth Whitwell may be directed to th Canadian Cancer Society 1910 McIntyre St, Regina, SK S4P 2R3 Condolences for the family can be left at www.eternalmemoriesfuneral.ca Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Trevor Watts of Eternal Memories Funeral Service & Crematorium.
George Francis Brehon November 4, 1925 – June 23, 2021 George slipped away peacefully with Gladys, his wife of 68 years, by his side on the morning of June 23, 2021. George was born on the farm his father homesteaded, the youngest son of Keystone district pioneers, Alec and Annie Brehon. He farmed until he retired and moved to Saskatoon in 2011. In 2004, George and Gladys received The Century Farm Family Award, and proudly hosted a party for the 100th anniversary of The Emerald Farm. Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Gladys; children, Leslie (Matthew) Kirby and Will; Garth (Brenda)Brehon, Ryan (Mel) and Olivia; Kristi (Jamie) Ellice, Prentyce and Paxton; Taylor (Kellen Rixon); Maureen (Richard) Kachmarski, Jeff (Twila), Logan, Kaden and Jace; Evan (Katie), McKenna and Easton; Kevin (Lee) and Alex; brother-in-law, John Parker; sisters-in-law, Shirley McIvor and Doreen Parker, and numerous nieces, nephews and their families. George was predeceased by his parents, Alexander and Annie (Arkley) Brehon; brothers Colles (Anna), and Richard (Shirley); sisters Muriel (Earl) Pattison, and Lilah Brehon. George was a member of the Maymont United Church, and served as Chairman of the Board, Member of the Session, and on the Pastoral Advisory Committee. He was a staunch Wheat Pool member, serving on the Maymont Wheat Pool Committee for 30 years. George also served on the Memorial Hall Committee for 40 years. He served as a Maymont Rural Telephone Company director for 25 years and was a Trustee at Keystone School. George repaired furnaces throughout the community for 35 years. George communicated caring and concern and love through his quiet presence. He had an inventive and creative mind that ranged amongst the world of welding, mechanics, machining, electronics, and woodworking. George’s greatest love was his shop. The door was always open to anyone who needed work done, from an oil change to a major repair. George’s happiest moments were when family gathered for a wiener roast, a BBQ or an evening of cards and games. A private family service will be held July 3, 2021, at the Saskatoon Funeral Home. Interment to follow at the Maymont Cemetery, Maymont, Saskatchewan. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Village of Maymont, Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund, Box 160, Maymont, Sask. S0M 1T0, or to the charity of one’s choice. Condolences may be left at saskatoonfuneralhome.com. Arrangements entrusted to SASKATOON FUNERAL HOME (306-244-5577) __________________________________________________
Phone: 306-445-7261 Fax: 306-445-3223 In person/mail: 892 - 104th Street North Battleford, SK S9A 1M9
LAROQUE: It is with great sorrow that we announce the sudden passing of Justice Briar Laroque, age 22 on Friday, June 18, 2021, our most beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew and cousin. Justice will be missed everyday by his Father, Scott, his Mother, Maureen, his Brother, Tanner and his twin Sister, Sierra, his grandparents Luther and Marj Muth and his loving Aunts, Uncles, and cousins, and many friends. We know that Justice is with his grandparents Joe and Marion Laroque and his Uncle Dustin Laroque. Justice brought such joy to our lives in the 22 years he was with us. He enjoyed the outdoors whether we were quadding, fishing, sledding or just watching a movie on the outdoor deck. He was our quiet boy who grew into a great young man who we were so proud of. He will always be on our minds and forever in our hearts. At this time no service will be held. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in memory of Justice may be directed to the Donor’s Choice. Condolences for the family can be left at www.eternalmemoriesfuneral.ca Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Vanessa Macnab of Eternal Memories Funeral Service & Crematorium.
ANNOUNCEMENTS Little Loon Regional Park Authority AGM Little Loon Regional Park Authority Board of Directors will hold the 2020 Annual General Meeting on July 5, 2021 at 7:00PM 8:30 PM at the Club House. Meeting seating is limited and will follow the Saskatchewan Government Health Regulations 306-342-2176
COMING EVENTS Saturday, July 24, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., take the Prairie Art Road Trip. Cindy Hoppe Studio and Gallery and Boondock Flower Farm will be hosting an outdoor artist show and sale event along with Arelee Art and Prairie Fire Alpacas. Please check out and follow the Facebook page “Prairie Art Road Trip 2021.” If you aren’t on Facebook, please phone Cindy @ 306-948-2947 house or 306948-7147 cell, for directions. The drive includes Grid 784, Grid 655 and highways 4 and 14. If the weather is too wet on the 24th, the alternate date for this event is July 25th.
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your news all the time and online MCNABB: Wallace Edward (Wally) McNabb, was born June 3, 1937 in Prince Albert, the first-born child of Adam and Alexina McNabb. Wally was active in hockey and ball while growing up and could often be found bicycling around P.A. with his friends. Once he was old enough to drive, Wally also raced stock cars in and around P.A. and often brought his younger brother, Gerry along with him to work in his pit crew. He attended P.A.C.I. in his teen years but left school early to begin work. He married Marian Bibby on June 11, 1960 and, with the exception of time spent working on a Sask. Power project in Regina for three years in the early 80’s, he was never really apart from the love of his life. They began their careers in 1958, Wally with the Saskatchewan Power Corporation and Marian as a Registered Nurse. After they were married, Wally’s career took them to Weyburn in 1960, then Melfort in 1967, and finally to North Battleford where they settled permanently in December 1968. Wally retired from Sask. Power in 1993 after 35 plus years of service. Family was at the heart of Wally’s life. He loved getting together with his parents, his brothers and their families and his sister and her family, and Marian’s family as well. He found great joy in teasing his many nieces and nephews, and as they got older, he had a genuine interest in the events of their lives. No distance was too far to travel to attend a family reunion and he loved reconnecting with his aunts, uncles, and cousins. Wally appreciated a good story and a funny joke, and was a master storyteller (BS’er?) himself and could reel a person in with his slow and patient descriptions. Everybody in the family remembers the Wizard, and Scott and Dawn have been known to share the Wizard with their friends. He had the best laugh and a beautiful smile. An avid hockey player, Wally played Senior hockey for the Weyburn Beavers, the Melfort Athletics and then in competitive recreational leagues in North Battleford. He was a big believer in community as well and as such, volunteered as a coach for much of his son’s hockey career right up to bantam AAA. Once Scott moved up, Wally continued to coach that level and found a love of teaching and developing young players. His love of coaching was not confined to hockey, he also coached Scott during his baseball years as well as Dawn’s tee-ball teams. Wally enjoyed curling and played in a mixed league with Marian and in many bonspiels in and around North Battleford. His community spirit was also on display when he volunteered to drive curlers back and forth to the rink for the Saskatchewan Ladies Provincial Championships when it was hosted in North Battleford. He was also an enthusiastic golfer and maintained a membership in the North Battleford Golf and Country Club until he reached his early 70’s. After his 40th birthday, Wally came back to his love of playing hockey when he joined the North Battleford Olde Tymers hockey club, and played with them for many years, always willing to travel for tournaments and eager for the bus trips that took the team and their wives to the different cities – Victoria was a highlight in 1981. He was one of the organizers of the annual Olde Timer’s tournament in North Battleford held every February and true to form, Marian and many of the other hockey wives would put together the food for the dinner and dance held on the Saturday, and then Wally and Marian would host the post tournament celebrations on the Sunday. This was a great group of people and Wally and Marian maintained many of these hockey friendships for the rest of their lives. He also skated with the Smoky Lake Loafers and in 1992, he went with them to Santa Clara, California to play in the famous Snoopy Senior World Ice Hockey Tournament, hosted by Charles Schulz of Peanuts cartoon fame. He also went to Reno, Nevada to play in the 1993 Reno Masters Invitational Hockey Tournament with the Loafers. Wally obtained his private pilot’s licence in 1981, an accomplishment of which he was justifiably proud, and he flew for many years. He flew mostly single-engine planes, but qualified on a twin-engine Piper to fly Marian, Scott and Dawn to Prince Albert for his nephew Matthew’s christening ceremony. He was also able to fly Dawn to Prince Albert regularly for her orthodontia appointments. He enjoyed his time in the air and only gave up his licence due to advancing years. After his retirement from Sask. Power in 1993, Wally was active in the Sask. Power retiree golf circuit, travelling all around the province to attend tournaments with Marian. He and Marian were both enthusiastic supporters of the Battlefords Union Hospital Foundation, both volunteering in the Foundation office until their early 70’s. In 2000, Wally and Marian made a bucket list trip to Scotland, Wales and England with Marian’s sister Corinne and her husband Peter Smith, visiting family in Wales, and walking the Old Course at St. Andrews. Grandchildren were another of Wally’s joys and he developed very close relationships with his grandson, Adam and his granddaughters, Catherine and Elizabeth. The grandkids spent many summers in North Battleford creating memories and close-knit bonds that they will carry with them for their lifetimes. Wally’s greatest and deepest love was for his wife Marian, and they celebrated 61 years of marriage on June 11, 2021. They were still deeply in love, despite their two-year separation caused by Marian’s developing dementia and subsequent move to River Heights Lodge in North Battleford. They still enjoyed each other’s touch, holding hands and kissing each other hello and goodbye after each and every one of Wally’s visits. Wally passed away on June 19, 2021 after a short stay in the Battlefords Union Hospital at the age of 84 years. Wally is survived by his wife, Marian; son, Scott (Rita), daughter, Dawn (David Loades), his grandchildren: Catherine, Adam and Elizabeth Loades, his great-grandson, George and his brothers: Gerry (Betty) and Randy (Phyllis) and many nieces and nephews. Wally is predeceased by his parents: Adam and Alexina, and his sister, Audrey (Herman) Bremner. Condolences for the family can be left at www.eternalmemoriesfuneral.ca In lieu of flowers memorial donations in memory of Wally McNabb can be directed to Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan 301-2550 12th Avenue Regina, Saskatchewan, S4P 3X1 or Phone (toll-free): 1-800-263-3367
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IN MEMORIAM
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In Loving Memory Edmund Baier June 2018
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In Loving Memory of
Ramona Houle June 2004
June M. Iverson
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
September 12, 1945 - June 30, 2016
A whisper from heaven Time cannot heal the heartache or stop a silent tear. It won’t take away the memories of ones we loved so dear. Missing you always... Wife, mom, sister, grandma, GG, great grandma. Not a day goes by that we don’t think of you.
Omer & Family
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Your life was a blessing, Your memory a treasure... You are loved beyond words And missed beyond measure. Lovingly Remembered by wife Anni, children and grandchildren
When tomorrow starts without me and I’m not there to see; if the sun should rise and find your eyes all filled with tears for me; I know how much you love me. As much as I love you, and each time that you think of me, Don’t think we’re far apart. For every time you think of me, I’m right here, in your heart. Sadly Missed and Always Remembered Larry, Chantel, Meagen Mom (Anni Baier) & all family members.
Joyce Peterson September 27, 1942 June 28, 2017
Days will pass and turn into years, But I will always remember you with silent tears. Vichnaya Pamayat
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your news all the time and online OBITUARIES
René Henry Cramatte
April 26, 1937 - July 4, 2019
God saw you getting tired When a cure was not to be. So he wrapped his arms around you And whispered "Come to me." You didn't deserve what you went through, And so he gave you rest. God's garden must be beautiful, he only takes the best.
Sadly missed and forever remembered.
In the Estate of JAMES BARRY FRASER, late of Dinsmore, Saskatchewan, deceased. All claims against the above estate, duly verified by statutory declaration and with particulars and valuation of security held, if any, must be sent to the undersigned before the 9th day of July, 2021. Skelton Turner Mescall Barristers and Solicitors 314 Main St., Box 1120 • Rosetown, Sask. S0L 2V0
Solicitors for the Executor Note: This advertisement is not to exceed two inches single column space in newspaper. Please run in the June 24, 2021 and July 1, 2021 issues of your paper.
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
IN THE ESTATE of PAUL JAMES SLATER, late of North Battleford, SK, deceased. ALL CLAIMS against the above estate, duly verified by statutory declaration and with particulars and valuation of security held if any, must be sent to the undersigned before the 15th, August 2021 to: Battle River Law Barristers & Solicitors Box 905 - 201-1291 - 102nd Street North Battleford, SK, S9A 2Z3 Solicitors for the Administrator for the Estate of Paul James Slater
LAND FOR SALE
Marion & Family George Wiebe January 24, 1928 - June 25, 2021
Dad was born in Provost, Alberta on January 24, 1928 to Gerhard and Maria Kroeker, who had immigrated from Neuendorf, Russia. His twin sister, Ruby, had been born on the family farm the evening before, but because there were complications, Grandpa Kroeker hitched up the team of horses in the middle of winter and took his precious wife approximately 9 miles north to meet the doctor in the town of Provost. This was a terrible ordeal for Grandma Kroeker and she passed away about a week later. Grandpa Kroeker was devastated and now he had a challenging situation. There were already three children in the family, Helen, Mary, and Nick. Now he had two infants to take care of. As time for seeding approached on the farm, the Dirksens agreed to take Ruby in and the Wiebes took George into their family. Then came the “dirty thirties” and the Wiebes moved to Bournemouth. Meanwhile, Grandpa Kroeker remarried Elizabeth Friesen, a widower who had two children of her own - Louise and Peggy. The family continued to grow with five additional children, Agnes, Jack, Henry, Ernie, and Vern. Although Grandpa’s intension was to get George back, one can easily understand how that never came to pass. Over the years, Grandpa Kroeker came to visit his George and we don’t know what conversations took place, but eventually George understood that the man coming to visit was his dad. Dad didn’t grow up alone at the Wiebe house. Ben and Helen Wiebe adopted a sister for him, Anita. The two grew up walking to school, enjoying the exciting threshing and butchering days, visiting Aunt Lizzie and Uncle John, etc. Dad also loved to go bike riding on Sunday afternoons with the Loewen boys. At age 18, Grandpa Wiebe offered Dad the choice whether or not he wanted to go live with his biological dad who was now living in Yarrow, B.C. on a raspberry farm. There Dad was introduced to picking hops in the hot sun. The whole family packed a lunch, had their own row to pick and put their hops in bags. Dad wasn’t really impressed with this difficult work and it wasn’t very long before he was once again on the train to head back east. Back in Saskatchewan, Dad’s neighbour Cornie Isaac and his wife Martha had a baby. Martha’s twin sister Erna Driediger came to help out with the new baby. Love was soon in the air and Erna became Dad’s bride in Watrous on October 18, 1953. Their first son, Alvin Gerhard, was born June 17, 1955. Lois Ruth arrived on December 4, 1957. The family became complete with the arrival of Leslie David on January 11, 1963. Dad farmed all his life. He loved the land from seeding to harvest. He would often have a 15-minute snooze on the floor after dinner and be good to go. As the years went by, Dad was able to farm with a fairly new John Deere tractor with cab, heater, and air conditioning. This gave him great pleasure and would always want to till the soil. Dad was a devote Christian and was active in the church including being the Sunday School Superintendent for a couple years. One year he arranged to have the Children’s Day picnic and games in his pasture surrounded by big, beautiful evergreens. Sunday afternoons were for visiting, but not just Sundays. Our family would go visiting on Friday evenings as well. Dad would often even take Alvin with him on week day evenings to visit one of the many bachelors in the area. Alvin said he was a “professional visitor”! Any trips that were taken were always to the Frazer Valley and Vancouver Island to see brothers and sisters. Treats were always plentiful along the way. Dad loved his horses and cattle. Hooking up a horse to the cutter and giving us rides was great fun. Later on, he used it to pull the grandkids with tubes and sleighs. Les stayed on the farm and gradually took over the work load. Dad purchased the first of a few quads and put many a mile on them checking crops and for pure enjoyment. Then came snowmobiling in the winter. Many times he worried Mom when she thought he had been gone too long. Maybe this was his way of getting out of chores around the house, ha ha! As time passed, Dad and Mom’s health began to decline. On September 15, 2019, we helped them make the move to Pineview in Rosthern. Dad was 90 years old at the time. Shortly thereafter, the new Sunrise area opened up and Dad and Mom were the first couple to move in. They had a beautiful south room looking out at the red barn, corrals and horses. On October 18, 2020, Dad and Mom celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary, Covid style. We gathered around outside, visiting and watching each other eat cake through the window. Then in January, we celebrated Dad’s 93rd birthday the same way, but this time with ice cream cake. Only in Saskatchewan would you stand out in the cold in January and eat ice cream cake! More health issues and time spent in hospital meant that Dad and Mom had to make the move to Level 4 care. There were so many trips to see them with DQ ice cream treats in hand! We knew Dad’s days were numbered after his visit to RUH in Saskatoon, so we spent extra time with him. His three children took turns spending the day with him, grandchildren came and friends and relatives came. Every visit, every phone call, and every FaceTime was so appreciated! He loved his family dearly and we will all cherish our memories of our times here together. Dad passed away peacefully on June 25th with Mom by his side. We were very thankful for the loving care he received by the staff in the Rosthern Hospital and Rosthern Nursing Home. George leaves to cherish his memory, his wife Erna, son Alvin (Carol) Wiebe and their children; Joni (Derek) Macnab, Joel (Kaitlin) Wiebe, and Jocelyn Wiebe (fiancé Ross Gadzella), daughter Lois (Eldon) Friesen and their children; Katelyn (Maxwell) Warner, and Graham Friesen (Kristen McKay), son Leslie Wiebe, great-grandchildren Berkley, Kylie, and Piper Macnab, and Jase and Ellie Wiebe, siblings Helen (Dennis) Andres, Agnes Berg, and Vern (Darlene) Kroeker, sister-in-law Rita Sawatsky, step-sister Marge Kroeker (Bernie Nolan). Predeceased by his parents Gerhard and Maria Kroeker, and Ben and Helen Wiebe, brothers and sisters; Mary (Gerald) Letkeman, Nick (Kay) Kroeker, Jack Kroeker, Henry (Anne) Kroeker, Ernie (Marie) Kroeker, Louise Friesen, Peggy Friesen, Anita Schneider, and Ruby (George) Wiebe. Donations in George’s name can be made to the Canadian Food Grains Bank (donate.foodgrainsbank.ca), Mennonite Nursing Home (Box 370 Rosthern, SK. S0K 3R0 or mennonitenursinghome.com), or donor’s choice. Arrangements entrusted to Martens Warman Funeral Home (306)934-4888 or martenswarman.ca.
NOTICES / NOMINATIONS Advertisements and statements contained herein are the sole responsibility of the persons or entities that post the advertisement, and the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association and membership do not make any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness or reliability of such advertisements. For greater information on advertising conditions, please consult the Association’s Blanket Advertising Conditions on our website at www.swna.com. PROVINCE-WIDE CLASSIFIEDS. 51 local community newspapers, distributing to over 450 communities, including 14 cities. Reach over 550,000 readers weekly. Call 306-649.1405 or visit www.swna.com for details.
HORSES & TACK Will buy all classes of horses. 306329-4382 or 306-222-5540.
FARMLAND WANTED I am currenlty PURCHASING single to large blocks of land. NO FEES OR COMMISISONS Saskatchewan born and raised, I know land, farming and farmland and can help you every step of the way. Doug Rue, for further information 306-716-2671 saskfarms@shaw.ca www.sellyourfarm land.com
FUNERAL SERVICES
Eternal Memories Funeral Service and Crematorium
2691 - 98th St., North Battleford (306) 445-7570 24 hours
1332 - 100th St., North Battleford (306) 446-4200 24 hours
Trevor Watts - Owner/Director Robert Mackay - Funeral Director Vanessa Macnab - Funeral Director Funerals | Burials | Cremation | Preplanning
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CABINS / COTTAGES & COUNTRY HOMES
www.ehail.ca - Crop Hail Insurance. Compare lowest prices & all options. Call 844-446-3300. ehail@ehail.ca - www.ehail.ca
FEED & SEED AGPRO SEEDS is BUYING: HEATED CANOLA #1 BUYER, TOP PRICE PAID IN SK. On farm pickup! Call: 306-873-3006 or email: sales@agproseeds.com. Check out prices @agproseeds.com
CABIN FOR SALE - POWM BEACH, TURTLELAKELake view, 3 bedroom, 2 story, stone fireplace, full bath, boat house and two sheds, front and back deck. Phone: 306-441-9668 or 306-937-3336. Call afternoons and evenings.
FARM SERVICES
ALBERTA FEED GRAIN: Buying Oats, Barley, Wheat, Canola, Peas, Screenings, Mixed Grain. Dry, Wet, Heated, or Spring Thresh. Prompt Payment. In House Trucks, 1-888-483-8789. FORAGE SEED FOR SALE: Organic & conventional: Sweet Clover, Alfalfa, Red Clover, Smooth Brome, Meadow Brome, Crested Wheatgrass, Timothy, etc. Star City, SK. Birch Rose Acres Ltd. 306-921-9942.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
1A TRUCK DRIVERS REQUIRED:
HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATORS REQUIRED:
Late model winch trucks and trailers; dump trucks and pups. Hauling heavy equipment, gravel, and camp shacks. Wage negotiable. Clean drivers abstract a must.
motor scrapers, dozers, excavators, graders, rock trucks. Lots of work all season.
Send resume and work references to: Bryden Construction Box 100, Arborfield, Sk. S0E 0A0; Fax: 306-769-8844 Email: brydenconstruct@ xplornet.ca www. brydenconstruction andtransport.ca
Camp job; R & B provided. Competitive wages. Valid drivers license req’d. Send resume and work references to: Bryden Construction Box 100, Arborfield, Sk. S0E 0A0; Fax: 306-769-8844 Email: brydenconstruct@ xplornet.ca www. brydenconstruction andtransport.ca
ANNOUNCEMENTS
battlefords humane society
The Battlefords, Thursday, July 1, 2021 - Page 19
TAX ENFORCEMENT FORM C [Section 2.3] NOTICE (The Tax Enforcement Act) TAKE NOTICE that the City of North Battleford intends to be registered as owner under the above Act of the land described at the foot of this document. The Municipality claims title to the land by virtue of an interest based on the Tax Lien registered against the existing title to the land in the Land Titles Registry as Interest Number 184003758 and you are required to TAKE NOTICE that unless you contest the claim of the Municipality or redeem the land pursuant to the provisions of the above Act within six months from the service of this notice on you and, subject to the further provisions of The Tax Enforcement Act, a title will be issued to the applicant and you will thereafter be forever estopped and debarred from setting up any claim to, or in respect of, the land. The amount required to redeem the land may be ascertained on application to the Clerk, Treasurer or Administrator of the Municipality. Dated this 23 day of February, 2021. THE CITY OF NORTH BATTLEFORD Per: Steven Brown, Administrator Bruce Riggs Name of Assessed Owner
Hop! Hop! Hop! Did you know we have bunnies!? We have 2 bunnies looking for their furrever homes! They are $80 spayed/neutered, and microchipped. Call the shelter to find out how to hop away with one of these wonderful bunnies!
Call the Animal Shelter 306.446.2700 NOTICES / NOMINATIONS
Integrity Post Frame Buildings
Public Notice of Zoning Bylaw Amendment Public Notice is hereby given that the Council of the Rural Municipality of Meeting Lake No. 466 intends to consider the adoption of a bylaw to amend the Zoning Bylaw No. 07/14 under the Planning and Development Act, 2007.
SINCE 2008
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IN MEMORIAM
Thank you for your donations in memory of Charlotte Lahti ........................ North Battleford Walter T. Nelson ...................... North Battleford Al Gotto ................................... North Battleford Dr. Iain Weston ....................... North Battleford Dean Williams ......................... North Battleford Jacquelyne Byers ................... North Battleford David W. Shury ................................. Battleford Mary Woytiuk .......................... North Battleford Ken Tucker .............................. North Battleford
INTENT OF ZONING BYLAW AMENDMENT: Intent is to replace the contradictions in maximum accessory building height and set it such that the height of the accessory building cannot exceed that of the principle building. AFFECT LANDS: All land within the Resort Residential District (RR) would be affected by the proposed amendment. PUBLIC INSPECTION: Any person may inspect the proposed bylaw to amend the Zoning Bylaw during regular office hours at the RM of Meeting Lake No. 466 municipal office. Copies are available at cost. The RM office is located on Main Street, Mayfair, Saskatchewan. PUBLIC HEARING: The Public Hearing shall be held on July 16, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the RM of Meeting Lake No. 466 municipal office to hear any person that wants to comment on the proposed Zoning Bylaw amendments. Council will also consider written comments received by the undersigned by July 16, 2021 at 9:00 a.m.
George Melchior ............................... Freemont
Issued at the RM of Meeting Lake No. 466 this June 30th day of June, 2021.
Brian L. Wilson
Janelle Lavallee, Administrator
Robert Dennis Allenby .............Sherwood Park
Claudette M. Whyte ............................. Jackfish Frank Eros ...................................... Spiritwood Margaret Olive Lavigne ........................ Calgary
LEAGL DESCRIPTION OF LANDS: Lot 15 Blk/Par 81 Plan No C4240 Extension 0 Title Number: 135006803
FORM C [Section 2.3] NOTICE (The Tax Enforcement Act) TAKE NOTICE that the City of North Battleford intends to be registered as owner under the above Act of the land described at the foot of this document. The Municipality claims title to the land by virtue of an interest based on the Tax Lien registered against the existing title to the land in the Land Titles Registry as Interest Number 184003770 and you are required to TAKE NOTICE that unless you contest the claim of the Municipality or redeem the land pursuant to the provisions of the above Act within six months from the service of this notice on you and, subject to the further provisions of The Tax Enforcement Act, a title will be issued to the applicant and you will thereafter be forever estopped and debarred from setting up any claim to, or in respect of, the land. The amount required to redeem the land may be ascertained on application to the Clerk, Treasurer or Administrator of the Municipality. Dated this 14 day of April, 2021. THE CITY OF NORTH BATTLEFORD Per: Margarita Pena, Administrator SEJDO DEZIC Name of Assessed Owner LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF LANDS: Lot 5 Blk/Par 73 Plan No C1887 Extension 0 Title Number: 131621925
FORM C [Section 2.3] NOTICE (The Tax Enforcement Act) TAKE NOTICE that the Rural Municipality of North Battleford, No. 437 intends to be registered as owner under the above Act of the land described at the foot of this document. The Municipality claims title to the land by virtue of an interest based on the Tax Lien registered against the existing title to the land in the Land Titles Registry as Interest Number 189042138 and you are required to TAKE NOTICE that unless you contest the claim of the Municipality or redeem the land pursuant to the provisions of the above Act within six months from the service of this notice on you and, subject to the further provisions of The Tax Enforcement Act, a title will be issued to the applicant and you will thereafter be forever estopped and debarred from setting up any claim to, or in respect of, the land. The amount required to redeem the land may be ascertained on application to the Clerk, Treasurer or Administrator of the Municipality. Dated this 18 day of November, 2020.
Camille Haegebaert ....R.M. of North Battleford
THE RURAL MUNICIPALITY OF NORTH BATTLEFORD, No. 437
Bill & Stella Flink ..................... North Battleford
Per: Debbie Arsenault, Administrator
Given with Love to enhance patient care Charitable #13936 3626 RR0001
www.newsoptimist.ca 892-104th Street | North Battleford | 306-445-7261 THE BATTLEFORDS
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JOHN THOMAS DELAIRE and BLAIS THOMAS DELAIRE Name of Assessed Owner LEAGL DESCRIPTION OF LANDS: BLK/PAR A PLAN NO. 62B07345 EXTENSION 0 Title Number: 153351233
Page 20 - The Battlefords, Thursday, July 1, 2021
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Cowessess First Nation Chief asks Canadians to ‘stand by us’ following discovery of graves By Larissa Kurz
try has with Indigenous people. We are not asking for pity, but we are asking for understanding,” said Delorme. “We need time to heal and this country must stand by us.” Marieval Indian Residential School was operated by the Roman Catholic Church from 1899 to 1997, and was one of the last few residential schools to close in Saskatchewan. Cowessess First Nation took over the school’s cemetery from the Catholic Church in the 1970s, when it became a grave site for the community. The First Nation began
Glacier Media
Following last Thursday’s announcement of the discovery of potentially 751 unmarked individual graves at the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School, Chief Cadmus Delorme of Cowessess First Nation asked the country to continue offering support to the Indigenous community as more details about residential school traumas arise. “We all must put down our ignorance and accidental racism of not addressing the truth that this coun-
Marieval Residential School. Photo Historical Archives of St. Boniface
radar penetration of the 44,000 square metre site earlier in June. Delorme said that the experts from
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Saskatchewan Polytechnic administering the process have now recorded 751 hits of potential interest. “The machine has a 10 to 15 per cent error margin, [so] we do know that there’s at least 600 [graves],” said Delorme. “It’s real and if you were to see it, there are 751 flags.” Delorme said that grave markers for the sites had been removed by the church sometime in the 60s, leaving them unmarked. Further analysis will be taking place in the coming
Chief Cadmus Delorme of Cowessess First Nation. Zoom screenshot
weeks, said Delorme. Experts cannot currently confirm if the sites all contain the remains of children, or if adults who attended the local church or were from nearby towns were also buried in the area. It is the most significant number of graves connected to a residential school site discovered in Canada yet. Delorme called on the provincial and federal government to continue providing support for the ex-
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amination of more former residential school sites, as there are likely more sites in the province yet to be revealed. “This country needs to have truth and reconciliation. There’s going to be many more stories in the future, and this is Cowessess First Nation’s moment of our truth,” said Delorme. Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) echoed Delorme’s statement, during the broadcasted press conference. “A lot of work, a lot of healing will take place now. There are many sites that we’re going to be doing this similar work, and we will find more, so we ask for each and every one of you to continue to work with us, to continue to pray for us,” said Cameron. “We need support as we grieve.” He also called on the federal government and Catholic Church to release residential school records, and said the FSIN will be demanding a full, independent and public inquiry into the deaths of First Nations children in Canada. “Our people deserve more than apologies and sympathies, which we are grateful for,” said Cameron. “Our people deserve justice.” Delorme also asked for a formal apology from Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church, for the role the religious institution played in the operation of residential schools. The next steps for Cowessess First Nation will be to obtain records and identify those who may be buried in the grave sites, which Delorme said will be a painful but necessary process for many. “We have generations that may have not have went to residential schools, but are feeling the first and second generations of that impact,” said Delorme. “All we ask of all of you listening is that you stand by us as we heal and we get stronger.” Radar penetration will also continue at other sites on Cowessess First Nation that have been identified by oral stories, said Delorme.
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The Battlefords, Thursday, July 1, 2021 - Page 21
Swimming lessons offered at Meota beach
M
eota News
By Lorna Pearson Correspondent
Sighting a bear is becoming common in areas where they are rarely seen. One has been in the Meota area and one at Edam June 5 at the school. One was also seen at Sagamiak, near Beauval, in a more normal location for bears. Swimming lessons will be offered at Meota beach July 5 to 11 and Aug. 9 to 13 and a third session if enough interest is shown. For information call Emily at 306-551-5323. Vawn’s Mud Volleyball Tournament is taking place July 3 at their school grounds. For information call Brandon at 306-8211330. It is being sponsored by the Vawn Community Hall. Bridge results for the afternoon of June 22 found top score go to Vern Iverson and Anna Waldbillig. In second place were Joann and Rudy Wiens. Thursday evening saw top score go to Garry Craig and Margaret Dyck. Second were Catriona Winterhalt and Donna Scherman. Generous donations to the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan, by participants, were greatly appreciated. I am enjoying watching the baby robins and their mothers as they bathe in the birdbath together or she feeds them from the feeder. The farmers are having their annual dilemma ‑ haying weather is great but the crops will be suffering soon. We saw hay that is cut and the bales already made are such a beautifully green colour. No rain on them this year. It was sad day Saturday when my daughter Beth Wynne from Taber, Alta., my granddaughter Shari Pearson from Lloydminster, my daughter-in-law Kelly Kightly and I travelled to Beauval for the funeral service for Norman Bouvier, my daughter Sally’s husband. Norm’s battle with cancer was brief, discovered on May 5, 2021. He was 70 years old. My son Brad was an honorary pall bearer and helped out in the kitchen. All their family attended both the wakes and service, and it was good to see one another following this pandemic-long year. Meota Lakefront Paddle and Sail Try-a-Kayak event had 24 participants enjoy evaluating kayaks Saturday. Luckily they didn’t all come at the same time and some tried the paddleboats and stand-up paddle boards instead. The weather was perfect this time. The club had requests for more instruction on how to handle
New “trolls” have taken over the Meota mini-golf course. A couple of seniors, over 80, have made up these new characters, but the aim is still the same ‑ put the golf ball into the hole. We hope folks will enjoy. Photos by Lorna Pearson
The Meota Golf Club corner sign project was designed, developed and constructed by Wayne Tindall. The sign was made at MH Enterprises out of Frenchman Butte. The club acknowledges the foresight of Doug Dunlop regarding the project. Max Bru, Matthew Bru, Colin Sharp, Maurice Schaefer and Derrick Schaeffer worked to install the sign. Photo by Stan Gulutzan
At left: Bonnie and Clyde operate Meota’s lakefront concession. Photo by Lorna Pearson
a kayak and tips on paddling. Many participants enjoyed the experience so much that they didn’t want to bring the kayak back in order to try another one. There were 10 kayaks to try and luckily one couple brought their two new kayaks in order to evaluate if they had bought the right ones. Many times the price of a kayak is misleading, because a relatively inexpensive one can be the prefect one for you. Lefa Sproxton shares
her enthusiasm for the sport so spontaneously that it’s easy to get excited about going out regularly. Water conditions vary on the lake and high winds can be a deterrent, but it’s easy to haul a kayak to more sheltered conditions. Kayaking is definitely more enjoyable when you go with a friend or a group. This is especially important in remote locations like rivers and streams. Cellphone connectivity has made it easy to stay connected to a
group of people via texting to plan excursions. Often all you need is a truck or trailer, bungee cords to tie several kayaks down and someone to drop off and pick up the group who get to enjoy the experience. Meota Lakefront Paddle and Sail members are embracing the trend into kayaking and planning for kayak storage at the clubhouse. The group has four kayaks that members can use anytime and, as more kayakers join, that number
Meota Lakefront Paddle and Sail members are embracing the trend into kayaking. Photo by Lorna Pearson
will likely increase. Meota concession operators Bonnie and Clyde started out in 2016 when they converted a doubledecker bus to a food truck. This was the beginning of what is now a proud business. Sadly they lost this unit to a fire a few years ago but purchased another food truck to continue serving the Battlefords with fresh food and friendly service. In the spring of 2021 they put in a tender to op-
erate the Meota Regional Park Concession and are enjoying the business, the location and the people. Their menu has a variety to choose from and I can vouch for both the food and the prices. They are open Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and weekdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Ice cream will be a “hot item” as the traffic from the park to the water increases and they have a great variety to choose from.
Page 22 - The Battlefords, Thursday, July 1, 2021
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Sometimes it takes a murder to satisfy a grudge Ed and I have different opinions about holding a grudge. I see holding a grudge as dangerous to our well-being. Ed says that everyone has a right to hold a grievance, some resentment, some bitterness, some displeasure, maybe some hard feelings and even a bit of hatred because of what another person has done to them. agree that people can hurt us, anger us, saddened us, embarrass us, etc. We may hold unto our hurt, anger, or abuse as a grudge. Yet, a grievance can poison our thinking and actions. Some folks tend to be more inclined to be holders of grudges than others. Holding a grudge against
feared and protected John in prison. He saw John as an outspoken prophet for righteousness and holiness. Herod liked to listen to John, although John puzzled him. According to Ed Herod still had respect By Raymond Maher for John the Baptist, but www.accordingtoed.com his wife Herodias did not respect John, for she nursed raymaher085@gmail.com and grew a grudge and wanted to see John killed. another person can quickly who took her grudge all the When we hold a grudge, become a desire to get way against the prophet, we may forget God calls even with the person who John the Baptist. John spoke us to forgive those who sin offended us. Being a grudge out against the marriage of against us or hurt us. We are holder may mean we act the ruler Herod Antipas, to forgive, especially our vindictively to another. the tetrarch of Galilee and enemies. Herodias hardened It can even lead to an act Perea, to Herodias, his herself in her resentment of murder as it did in the brother Philip’s ex-wife. towards John, waiting for Bible. Herod imprisoned John for an opportunity to satisfy There we are told of a publicly criticizing his mar- her grudge against him. She woman called Herodias riage, yet Herod, as ruler, jumped at the chance to get
N
eighbourly Advice
her revenge against John using her daughter. The daughter of Herodias danced before Herod and his guests at his birthday banquet. She pleased Herod and his guests. Herod as the king said to her, “Ask me for whatever you want, and I’ll give it to you.” When her daughter asked Herodias what she should ask the king for, Herodias told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist. Her daughter asked the king for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. Although distressed at her request, the king granted it because he had promised the girl anything in front of his guests. John the Baptist was beheaded. His head was
brought to the daughter of Herodias on a platter, and she gave it to her mother. (Mark 6:14-29) Did the head of John satisfy Herodias for long? Many would argue that revenge is more than satisfying and that others need to get what they deserve. The age-old question remains,will we hold a grudge and seek revenge or forgive those who offend us? Jesus teaches in his word, “Love your enemies and pray for those that persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.” (Luke 11:4) Forgive each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.
Worship Together Spend some quality family time together. Worship at the church of your choice. Our community has a number of churches and a variety of denominations for you & your family. (RC) St. Joseph Calasanctius Parish 1942 - 98th Street, North Battleford, SK S9A 0N4
TerriTorial Drive alliance church 306-445-5158 www.tdac.ca
306-446-1695
PASTOR: Rev. Phinh Do
DAILY: Tues., Wed., Thurs. & Fri. - 9 a.m. unless otherwise noted
Corner of Scott & Territorial Dirve Sun. 9:15 am & 11:00 am Ministries for the whole family
WEEKEND MASS TIMES: Saturdays - 7:30 p.m. Sundays - 9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.
ANGLICAN PARISH
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
Rev. Trevor Malyon
1401 - 98th Street, North Battleford, SK
St. Georges Anglican Church Battleford Sunday @ 5:00 p.m. St. Paul’s Anglican Church North Battleford Sunday @ 11:00 a.m. Battle River Parish YouTube channel CJNB Radio 1050 a.m. Sunday mornings 7:45-8:30 a.m. Contact: 306 445 4155 stpaulnb@sasktel.net
306-445-5901
Reverend George Yando Sunday Services 10:30 AM Everyone Welcome
PRE-REGISTER
Living Water Ministry
Hope Mennonite Fellowship 1291 - 109th Street, North Battleford
Sr. Pastor Brian Arcand Pastor Anand George Phone: 306-445-3803 Cell: 306-441-9385 Fax: 306-445-4385
Sunday Worship Service - 11:00 a.m. Sunday School - 10:00 a.m. Pastor: Dean Covert
Church Phone 306-445-4181
All Saints Ukrainian Catholic Parish 902 - 108th Street, North Battleford
Divine Liturgy: Sundays at 4:00 p.m. Celebrant: Very Rev. Janko Kolosnjaji 306-664-2301 (Office) 306-244-2604 (Home) To Register Call Jasmina at 306-445-1002
Battleford United Church 52 - 4th Avenue West Battleford, SK
306-937-3177 Rev. Gayle Wensley
SUNDAY SERVICES 11:00 a.m.
Third Avenue United Church Rev. Dexter van Dyke
Sunday Worship Services at 10:30 am Pre-registration required to register at
306-445-8171
www.thirdavenueunitedchurchnb.ca Email: thirdaveunited@sasktel.net
Everyone Welcome
Sunday Evening Service 7:00 p.m. Bible Study Wednesday 7:30 p.m.
1371 - 103rd Street (Use East Door)
Battlefords Cowboy Church Services 1st & 3rd Thursday of each Month
Battleford Legion Hall 7:00 p.m. PASTOR - Rick Martin
LIVING FAITH CHAPEL
1372 102nd St 306-445-3009
11 - 18th Street, Battleford, SK
Phone 306-937-7340 PASTOR - Fr. Sebastian Kunnath
Maidstone/Paynton United Church of Canada Phone: 306-285-3823 Contact: Don Retzlaff
No Services till further notice
Church & CE Wing: 306-893-2611 For booking the Wing: 306-893-4729
Various Weekly Programs Pastor Casey Sitter www.livingfaithchapel.ca
Battlefords Seventh-Day Adventist Church
ROMAN CATHOLIC ST. VITAL’S Saturday Evening Mass - 5:00 p.m. Sunday Mass - 10:30 a.m.
Sunday Services 10:30 am
1702 - 106th Street, North Battleford
Come Join Us Sundays at 11:00 am Loving God Growing Together Serving Others Phone Church: 306-445-4818 Fax: 306-445-8895 Email: tbcnb@sasktel.net www.trinitybaptistchurch.ca
Pastor James Kwon
Corner 16th Ave. & 93rd Street, North Battleford
Phone 306-445-9096
Saturday Services Bible Study - 10:00 a.m. Worship Service - 11:00 a.m.
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The Battlefords, Thursday, July 1, 2021 - Page 23
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Professional Directory
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“Quality that doesn’t cost, it pays”
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ADVERTISING CONSULTANTS Candace Mack-Horton Noah Cooke
Serving the Battlefords since 1908
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Page 24 - The Battlefords, Thursday, July 1, 2021
voice of
business
STRENGTHENING BUSINESS
Phone: 306-445-6226 Find us on Facebook www.battlefordschamber.com P.O. Box 1000 North Battleford SK S9A 3E6 Shop Local Investment Benefiting Canada’s Small Businesses Battlefords Chamber of Commerce
As more and more Canadians get vaccinated and we move to a finish line against COVID-19 and begin to safely re-open, the government of Canada is committed to supporting small businesses from coast to coast to coast. That includes those in Saskatchewan, and indeed in the Battlefords and area. The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotions and International Trade, announced the launch of Shop Local, a Canada-wide investment of $33M to encourage Canadians to shop in their communities and support their neighbors and friends. The funding will be provided through provincial and territorial chambers of commerce to support awarenessbuilding campaigns that promote consumer confidence and local businesses. The amount of funding allocated to each chamber is based primarily on the percentage of small business in its region. The Battlefords Chamber of Commerce has jumped on board and will be providing local businesses the opportunity to share their stories. You will be seeing and hearing about the bright bold new logo for the campaign: Shop the Battlefords! Local People. Local Business. The story telling videos to be produced will be made available through the Chamber’s Meet our Members segment of the new website showcasing local business owners and managers. This investment in the program will allow residents to regularly see and hear from local business owners and get to know and understand what the business does, how many local people they employ, and share why they love doing business in the Battlefords. As we move out of the unprecedented public health and economic crisis, it will be critical that we support the businesses who are integral to the fabric of the Battlefords. Businesses will have two ways to participate in the video productions. The Meet Our Members videos will be produced by a professional video production company and will be promoted in the media, social media and the Chamber website. Secondarily, a series of “Virtual Shopping Tour” short vignette videos will be produced to showcase a small business, a product or service they offer, a special bulletin, like a grand opening, or a sale for a specific seasonal opportunity (perhaps Back-to-School, Thanksgiving, Halloween, etc.) “We are very excited to assist local business in this promotion and development of a video library,” says Linda Machniak, Chief Operating Officer at the local Chamber. She added that “we know studies show local residents are far more likely to do business with people they know and trust, so we hope to let residents of the Battlefords get to know as many of the local business owners as possible.” Businesses can contact the Chamber office in the Battlefords for more information: 306-445-6226
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An Intern’s View Over the last two months, our Battlefords Chamber of Commerce team has worked tirelessly to deliver the best possible support to our local businesses by hosting events and projects, including the Chamber Business Golf Challenge and “Shop the Battlefords” campaign. The Chamber Business Golf Challenge, held on Friday, June 18th, was a successful event that saw over 30 golf teams from several different businesses in the Battlefords participate in a tournament full of great activities and chances to win prizes! It was an amazing experience working with businesses and planning an event that meant so much to so many. Another task we worked on was the development of our new website. On our new website, you can find much of the same content with added features, such as a new Meet our Members section. These videos will be featured on our website as a way for businesses to advertise to the public and encourage the community to shop local in the Battlefords. As a business student, I have thus far gained experience that I will surely benefit from and apply to any future endeavours. As the voice of business in the Battlefords, the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce has given me true insight into the field of business! Mitchell Mullin, Intern Project Co-ordinator
Accepting New Patients
Borders still out of step with science, still easier to fly to Paris than drive to Buffalo (OTTAWA) – June 21, 2021 – The Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s President and CEO, Perrin Beatty, issued the following statement regarding easing of border restrictions. “Today’s announcement of further details for fully vaccinated Canadians returning to Canada is a welcome step, but Canadian businesses remain frustrated by the absence of a plan for how our country will eventually reopen borders, especially at a time when more domestic reopening plans are being published. The Government of Canada’s Expert Panel laid out a comprehensive and science-based plan for how to safely reopen borders. This includes the elimination of quarantine hotels and moving travel measures to be administered on the basis of a traveller’s vaccination instead of their nationality. A federal government multi-step plan to reopen the border on the basis of the Expert Panel report is long overdue. COVID-19 does not recognize a traveller’s citizenship, and maintaining differentiated rules for Canadian residents versus others will stunt our recovery from the pandemic. As the government knows a quarter of businesses have reported travel restrictions to be a barrier for their business. Today’s announcement will helpfully make it easier for Canadians who travel abroad for business purposes, but continues to prevent visitors who want to come to Canada. Canadian communities whose jobs and livelihoods rely on tourism and companies that need to bring staff into the country for critical business functions will continue to feel the impact of these excessive restrictions. The fact that it is easier for vaccinated Canadians to fly to Paris than it is to drive to Buffalo demonstrates how illogical the present policy is. It is time for common sense, guided by science, to dictate a well considered reopening plan.”
Chamber members, send your Member Milestones to admin@battlefordschamber.com or Call 306-445-6226
GET CONNECTED IN 2021!