Local Students Attend We Day Celebrations
⇢ A10 Class of 2013
March 6, 2013
Local Author Earning Praise
WEDNESDAY
The five living members of the 2013 SJHL Hall of Fame class show off their rings at Friday’s induction ceremony in Estevan. From left, Ron Dunville, Alan May, Terry Simpson, Ray Frehlick and Bruce Firth. Bill Shinske was also inducted posthumously. See story on B1.
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Issue 44
Komarnicki won’t seek re-election Plenty Of Action at Hard Knocks 31
⇢ B1
Ed Komarnicki has announced his current term as the member of Parliament for the Souris-Moose Mountain constituency will be his last. Komarnicki released a statement last week saying he has informed the local constituency association that he will not seek re-election in the next federal election. In making the decision early in his term, Komarnicki said it gives the association more than enough time to get a candidate in place for the 2015 election. The Estevan resident, who was first elected in 2004, said the decision was not an easy one but he felt the timing was right. “There is always some reser-
vations and regrets, but my sense want to go forward with all of the told me that the time had come for processes involved in the candidate me to make a decision from a selection. I think if I had hung in number of perspectives,� there and not made a deciKomarnicki said during sion until 2014 or 2015, an interview Thursday. we would really have “A bunch of my board been strained in terms has been with me since of getting things done. 2004, some people “I knew I had it have changed over the within me to do another years, but I wanted candidate battle and to be sure they election, but I had an early would have opportunity to draw pretty to know what deep. As a polimy intentions tician you have were and had to sense when an opportunity the time is right to transition and and what your decide if they best before date Ed Komarnicki
is and in my mind 2015 was that date.â€? Although the decision was not an easy one, Komarnicki said he is happy to leave on his own terms and with no regrets. “I never really was a career politician. I said initially I was more of a lawyer than a politician. I said I would go for 10 years and then have a look at it and by the time my term is up in ’15 it will be more than that. At some point you’ve got to make that decision. I did and we’ll go from there.â€? Komarnicki was first elected in 2004 when he bested a field of candidates that included former Saskatchewan premier and Estevan Komarnicki ⇢A2
Lainton family earns 2013 farm award Scan with your smartphone to visit The Mercury’s mobile website
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WEATHER & INDEX
A family known for its extensive community involvement has been awarded the 2013 Farm Family of the Year Award. Stan and Paula Lainton received the award Thursday night during the 48th annual Estevan Chamber of Commerce Farmers Appreciation Dinner at the Days Inn Plaza. The presentation of the award was the highlight of the evening which also featured speeches from Jim Reiter, the minister of Government Relations and David Marit, president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities. Coincidentally, Stan Lainton is heavily involved in the RM of Coalfields with 17 years as a council member including the last 14 as reeve. In making the announcement of the award, Michel Cyrenne noted that Stan was raised on
his family’s farm north of Bienfait and after completing high school, began farming with his father while working in a handful of jobs including driving a school bus. That particular job led to him meeting Paula and they were married in 1977. “They purchased two quarters of land from Stan’s parents and started building a herd of Simmental cattle and started acquiring their own equipment,� Cyrenne said. The Laintons, who have three daughters and two sons, later took over the family farm when Stan’s father passed away in 1990 and continue to run their thriving operation, which has grown to include 80 Simmental-Red Angus cross cows and just under 3,000 acres of land on which they grow wheat, canola, oats, barley, peas and flax.
Cyrenne also touched on the couple’s extensive community involvement on a number of local boards and with their church. Aside from acting with local community theatre groups, Paula is also the treasurer for the Estevan Wildlife Federation and works as a substitute teacher. Besides his work with the RM, Stan is also a director on the St. Joseph’s Hospital Board, a director on the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation board, a member of the Southeast Health Committee, the area representative on the APAS board, a member of the steering committee for the agriculture health and safety network, a director of the Bienfait Curling Club board and a director on the Southeast RM Association board. In accepting the award, Stan said the family is honoured to receive Strong ⇢A2
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