Shellbrook www.shellbrookchronicle.com VOLUME 101
Chronicle
The Voice Of The Parkland Since 1912 SHELLBROOK, SASKATCHEWAN
FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2012
PMR #40007604 No. 13
Shellbrook Library celebrates 60th Board members, past and present employees, dignitaries, library users and the Shellbrook Elementary School Grade 2 class turned out to help celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Shellbrook Library Monday, March 26. Local library Board Chair, Deb Mervold emceed the event which opened with speeches from Shellbrook Mayor George Tomporowski, board member and RM Councilor Doug Oleksyn, former Board Chair Bishop Tom Morgan and Wapiti Executive Committee Member Gerwing. Library Vice-Chair Elna Fish also presented a comprehensive history of the library in Shellbrook. Through the years, the library has been housed in many locations -- eight to be exact. In 1952, Shellbrook joined the North Central Saskatchewan Regional Library after the Home and School Association raised the $225 start up fee. The first branch was located in Halliwell’s Hardware with J.C. Hetherington volunteering as librarian. The official grand opening took place in the Legion Hall, March 26, 1952. From there, the library moved into the town restroom, west of the Elks’ Theatre and then later into a small room inside the theatre. It then found a temporary home in Dorothy’s Floral Shop in 1960 and then moved into Norman Smith’s Furniture Store where it stayed from 1961-1977. When that business was sold, the library remained until its next move into the basement of the Shellbrook Credit Union. It was during this time that the Library’s longest serving librarian Hazel Barkway served her tenure. A permanent home for the library was constructed at the corner of Main Street and Third Avenue East in 1984. The new facility was far more accessible than the previous location and traffic increased “We were limited with space at the Credit Union and of course when we moved into the new building we got more shelving and so headquarters gave us a whole bunch more books,” said Barkway, who was the librarian from 1979 to 1994. During her time one of the first stops for new residents in town was the library. However, with the growth of technology the library’s needs outgrew the facility and it was determined that one more move was in order. In 1996, the library moved into its current home in the Provincial Building on Railway Avenue West. Over the past sixty years 12 librarians, both volunteer and paid employees, have assisted with library patrons needs. Continued on page 3
Librarian Alanna Carswell and Shellbrook Library Board members Helen Larsen and Virginia Gray serve cake at the Shellbrook Library’s 60th Anniversary celebration March 26.
Investments in agriculture, revenue sharing key items in provincial budget Increased investments in agriculture, municipal government and health care while maintaining a balanced budget were the key points of the last week’s provincial budget according to Shellbrook Rosthern MLA Scott Moe. An increase of $13 million to the province’s Agriculture budget marked the second highest budget in the in the history of that portfolio. A record Crop Insurance budget of $177 million will see coverage levels increase to a record high $174 per acre, on average, in 2012, almost double the coverage levels offered in 2007. Producers will also now have the option of purchasing coverage of up to $100 dollars per eligible acre for land they are unable to seed due to excess moisture. “Investment in agriculture is important in our constituency,” said Moe. In addition, more than $20 million was invested in research, an increase of 50 per cent since 2007. This includes a $2 million investment in wheat genomic research and $250,000 for the Global Institute for Food Security.
He pointed to the $20.6 million increase in municipal revenue sharing as another key point of this budget for municipalities across the province. “I think it allows flexibility at the municipal level to make decisions and address challenges that they face on a daily, weekly and yearly basis,” said Moe. The 9.5 increase brings provincial municipal revenue sharing to $237.4 million. Regional health authorities will receive an additional $98 million, or 3.5 per cent in funding to operate this year. The overall budget increased to $2.9 billion for 2012. The budget also followed through on some Sask Party election promises in addressing rural health care issues with increases in training seats for nurse practitioners and physicians, doubled the number of residency positions for local and international medical graduates. The budget followed through on the promse of Saskatchewan student loan forgiveness of $120,000 for doctors and
$20,000 for nurse practitioners in hopes of helping with recruitment and retention efforts in the province. Funding of $5.5 million was also confirmed for the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society Air Ambulance (STARS). The budget also sees the continued commitment for 13 previously announced long term care facilities, including the Shellbrook and Districts Integrated Health Complex. The budget also included a $60.5 million investment in the Saskatchewan Surgical Initiative (SKSI). Funding for the program will support health regions to complete more than 8,000 more surgeries in 2012-13 (an increase of 10 per cent compared with 2009-10, the year prior to the initiative). Moe noted that all of these commitments were made in a balanced budget. “That was a commitment made by this government and its one that is important that we came through on,” said Moe.