Meridian Source - December 22, 2022

Pioneer Lodge plans $23.5 million add-on

Pioneer Lodge seniors’ residence is hoping to generate community and political support for a proposed three-storey expansion to meet the growing demand for spaces and healthcare.

The addition would create 90 new units, including 51 for couples at an estimated cost of $23.5 million and possibly provide care to the level a resident needs it.

“Pioneer had over 100 names on a waiting list going into COVID to join a 132-unit facility,” said Pioneer House and Lodge administrator Joy Bell.

“The need for Lodge level is still there. We

currently have just under 60 names on the waiting list.”

Bell points out about 70 Lodge residents have been assessed by Saskatchewan Home Care in the past year as needing level 3 or level 4 care, and one person who requires a longterm care facility.

“As we are sitting with people that have

increasing needs, and we are struggling to meet those, there’s no place for those people to go,” said Bell.

“It’s definitely very clear, there is a need in our area for all levels of care.”

The expansion will add to the current 42 ground-level units, using the existing building footprint.

New event arena spurs rec growth

After a special meeting of Lloydminster City Council, the location for the new event arena, to replace the Centennial Civic Centre, has been selected.

“The Centennial Civic Centre was constructed back in 1967 as a centennial project for Canada’s 100th anniversary as a country. The facility has served the city very well,” said Mayor Gerald Aalbers.

“The Civic Centre was identified as having some challenges that needed to be addressed that were not just cosmetic. They were structural in nature and needed to be addressed.”

Council was presented with three options to choose from and decided the East Site, located south of 41 St., north of 36 St., and east of 40 Ave., would be the best option for the City.

To the tune of a $50,503,409.04 price tag, the City of Lloydminster has been taking the necessary steps to acquire government assistance for funding.

“The Government of Saskatchewan had announced the Investing in the Canada Infrastructure Program

(ICIP) funding program for recreational facilities,” said Aalbers, adding administration brought it forward to council early last fall and got the applications sent off before the Jan. 11 deadline.

“I also want to ensure the taxpayers that we have not given up evaluations,” he said. “If something comes back and something doesn’t fit, we may have to change sites, but we did need to put something on paper to move the grant application forward.

“Basically, it’s considered ‘shovelready’ to the state the government is looking for,” said Aalbers. We now have a location.”

The first grant application intake took place on Jan. 11 with the second scheduled for May 20.

City administration expects the new arena build to last 50-60 years and is anticipating roughly 250,000 visitors per year for various activities.

In addition to the six softball diamonds being planned, an outdoor ice surface is also expected to be built, similar to the outdoor surface found at the Servus Sports Centre.

Former Pioneer Lodge administrator Joy Bell. File Photo

Local truckers tag up with Convoy

clear many Border City truckers stand behind Freedom Convey 2022.

“No more lockdowns. No forced vaccinations,” a Facebook post read.

“We are headed to Ottawa,” said local organizer Miranda Gasior.

the free and that’s what we want back.”

Vaxxed or unvaxxed? It doesn’t really matter as the Freedom Convoy wasn’t discriminating against either group.

anymore.”

step up and do our part.”

Whether you were at the Husky/Esso Truck or situated somewhere along Highway 16, it was abundantly

“We have a memorandum document we want to serve to the House of Commons and we are 100 per cent standing for freedom. Canada is the land of

“I don’t mean to sound cruel, but if you’re afraid of COVID after two years, you need to stay home. The rest of us need to live life, and that’s just that,” said Gasior.

“The bottom line is, life needs to go on and we can’t live like this

Chris Fraser, who’s called the west home for over 20 years, was one of many drivers patiently waiting for the convoy to depart the Husky truck stop, and was more than willing to talk about why he was attending.

“I’m here to end all the mandates. Hopefully, we can change the course of history,” he said. “Canada’s going the wrong way right now, and we need to

School rejoices in teacher’s award

Teaching is a labour of love for Sarah Rorquist, who was embraced for just that as the recipient of the Excellence in Catholic Education Award for 2022.

The award came as a total surprise to the beloved pre-Kindergarten teacher at Mother Teresa Early Childhood Education Centre (ECEC) after students and staff lined the hallways to congratulate her.

“I was blown away. I was so

surprised; I love what I do every day and to be honoured for what I do is a true blessing,” said Rorquist, fighting back tears of joy.

The annual award recognizes Catholic teachers in Alberta who have done an exemplary job in preparing youth to grow into outstanding Catholic citizens.

This is the first time an ECEC teacher has won the award, which Rorquist says could have gone to anyone.

“It’s a huge honour. Everyone in this building is deserving of it,” she said.

“Everyone works their heart out and does everything they can, so to be spotlighted for this is just a huge honour.”

Mt. Joy rolls out white carpet

Family Day, Valentine’s Day and night skiing are on the chalkboard as potential upcoming events at Mount Joy Snow Resort.

The resort will be hard-pressed, however, to outdo the thrill of the season opener last weekend under blue skies and spring skiing conditions.

“First-day open spring conditions, when last week we couldn’t open because of the cold — minus 50 or plus 8, I guess we don’t get

to choose,” said resort president Chris Bogue with a laugh.

“It’s a sold-out day for our first day. Ticket sales were a little slow initially, but a whole hockey team showed up on a bus, so it was good.”

Just about every run, including the glades and the south side of the T-Bar, was open and will be this weekend too.

The opening also went as planned for new ski patroller, Mark

Suva, who provided his testimonial.

“It’s great, the snow is a little bit wet, but otherwise things are going well,” said Suva.

“Everything’s been going smooth; I’ve seen no injuries and people

are just getting used to the mountain a little bit.”

The parking lot was also full and there were plenty of off-season changes and upgrades to boost the visitor experience.

Fraser’s been driving truck for 30 years and

plans to travel with the convoy until it reaches Regina.

New gen library a space for all

welcome.

That’s how Michele Duczek describes the feel and function of the Lloydminster Public Library at its new location in the LloydMall.

ate or be inspired.

Lloydminster has a new “community living room” for people of all ages to enjoy and feel

Duczek is a co-director of the public library, which hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Thursday, and described it as a place where people of all ages can come to relax, cre -

“Our new Lloydminster Public Library brings together all members of our community and provides a modern and accessible space to connect with friends, family and community groups,” said Duczek in her formal remarks.

She says the new generation library accommodates peo -

ple who want to hold a book in their hand and others who are keen to access online resources.

The library has approximately 60,000 titles in its collection and more than 500,000 digital items through Hoopla and Overdrive apps.

“In addition to the traditional offerings of a public library, the

new space features a makerspace, meeting rooms and areas dedicated to teenagers and children,” said Duczek.

The library has been in the community since 1929 and serves more than 14,000 patrons each year with 14 dedicated staff.

Hours of operation at the new site will coincide with those of the LloydMall.

City, County of Vermilion River approve boundary expansion

After 11 years of hard work and negotiation, the City of Lloydmin -

ster’s annexation application with the County of Vermilion River (CVR) was approved

by the Alberta government through an Order in Council on Jan. 26, effective as of Jan. 1.

However, due to the fact, Lloydminster is governed, in part, by the Lloydminster Charter, the City must obtain a complementary Order in Council from the Province of Saskatchewan before the annexation decision is finalized. This is anticipated in the near future.

Over the past two decades, significant

growth has depleted Lloydminster’s existing land supply for residential, commercial and industrial development.

The anticipated land shortage prompted introductory annexation discussions between the City and County dating back to 2011.

The annexation includes 23.5 quarter sections of land along Lloydminster’s northern, western and southern boundaries within the Province of Alberta.

The main goal of the annexation was, and always has been, to promote growth, something Aalbers is looking forward to.

“Through the planning process, and this is ongoing, we planned to develop certain pieces, and you hear about developments being done in and around the city,” said Mayor Gerald Aalbers.

“A growth plan is an important plan for any community, and our

growth plan takes us out 50 years, needing that land for the expansion that we hope to see.

“The city has doubled in the last 30 years, and the expectation is that the economy and things will continue to grow, (and) we will see ourselves position out over the next 50 years.”

For landowners currently situated on the affected quarters of land, Aalbers noted nothing will be changing immediately.

Look for the ELEVEN PIPERS PIPING & TWELVE DRUMMERS DRUMMING in today’s paper for the 12 Days of Christmas Contest.

Agri-Visions opens with optimism

Agri-Visions got off to a great start at the Lloydminster Exhibition Grounds with fresh news about the easing of COVID restrictions in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

“We’re excited; it means we can host a lot more,” said Lloyd Ex agriculture manager Shelly Ann Dodgson at the start of the two-day event on Feb. 9.

“It’s great to have people in the building. It’s nice to see the farmers and the producers and industry people intermingling

and synergizing.”

The doors opened with 90 per cent soldout trade show booths and a sense of relief for local equipment exhibitors such as Tingley’s Harvest Centre after COVID restrictions cancelled the show in 2021.

“We definitely missed it last year. It is always an event we’ve enjoyed supporting and getting the community out,” said Tingley’s product manager Grant Kromrey.

“It’s a great time of the year to bring stuff inside and thaw

it out and have customers look at it in the warmth.”

Tingley’s display ranged from harvesting equipment, a forage harvester, combines and front-wheel assist tractors in the CLAAS line, to construction equipment by Kubota and JCB.

“It’s a fairly broad line, so it’s a fit for all markets that we work in,” said Kromrey.

Their collection also included small recreation yard tractors for sale.

“Right now, we’ve been doing quite a few

demos at the M7 series Kubota. That’s a 130 to 170 horsepower chore tractor for feeding cattle and bailing,” said Kromrey.

While spring seeding is still weeks away, Kromrey was among many exhibitors and customers on hand happy to see a lot of snow on the ground.

“That’s a bonus. We definitely need the moisture to start off this year for grassland, grain land and everything. Hopefully, we can have a good spring and start seeding,” said Kromrey.

Archives makes room for VIP

Don Duncan has become part of the rich history of Lloydminster that he has helped to keep alive.

His lengthy volunteer leadership role with the Lloydminster Regional Archives Association (LRA) will be recognized for posterity with the naming of the Dr. Don Duncan Research Room.

The honour was a complete

surprise to Duncan following speeches at the Lloydminster Museum +Archives — during Archives Week in Saskatchewan.

“Totally unexpected —I’ve been involved in the archives for many years. The important thing to remember is, doing important work is its own reward,” said an emotional Duncan with his wife and family in attendance.

Stephanie Munro appointed CEO of LRHF

of 2018 when she took on the role of fund development officer, and since that time, she has built strong community relationships and new fundraising partnerships.

as a councillor with the City of Lloydminster, and serving on the Yellowhead East Health Advisory Council and

the Lloydminster & District Advisory Council, Munro is excited to see what challenges lie ahead.

In late February, the Lloydminster Region Health Foundation (LRHF) announced Stephanie Munro had been appointed CEO of the organization after former CEO, Malcolm Radke, resigned in early January to pursue a career in high-tech sales.

Munro first joined the LRHF team in May

Not only has she played a vital role in fundraising initiatives such as Lloydminster’s Gift to Health Digital Stream, but she has also written a number of successful grants and proposals for additional healthcare innovation in the region.

With nearly 20 years of experience in healthcare as a nurse prior to entering the fundraising field, along with her four years of experience

Cranes hover over Holy Rosary

Look up, look waaaay up.

The cranes are sky high at Holy Rosary High School as work began on the $10 million expansion announced in early July.

Talks of an expansion have been in the works for some time now, as the Lloydminster Catholic School Division (LCSD) recognized the need for more classroom space with an ever-growing student body.

Nigel McCarthy, director of education with the LCSD, took members of the local media on a tour of the worksite on Tuesday afternoon and expressed his excitement to see the structure taking shape.

“We’re looking at the start of the steel construction and really, somewhat, the dimensions of the future building, so you really get a sense of the building that’s going up and what we’re looking

forward to and so excited about,” said McCarthy.

Yes, McCarthy was excited to see the steel skeleton being built, but it’s what’s going to go inside the new structure that got him really revved up.

“We have three new science labs that we’re very excited about. They’re purpose-built for senior science, and for our STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs,

our kinesiology lab, which was designed on the model offered by the University of Waterloo,” he said.

“We have a great new arts centre that’s going in, a double-sized room, as well as work in video game design and coding that’s really going to put us on the cutting edge of some of the 21stcentury learning we’ve been talking about, and indeed doing at Holy Rosary for years now.”

Lloyd tribute caps hockey show

R ogers Sportsnet reporter, Carly Agro, gave Lloydminster a virtual hug to kickoff the Rogers Hometown Hockey NHL broadcast with hosts Ron MacLean and Tara Slone at the Servus Sports Centre.

“A Lloyd kind of love” was the theme of her nationally-televised pre-game video introduction to Lloydminster on Mon -

day afternoon before a youthful crowd of onlookers.

It was Agro’s way of tipping her hat to the people and experiences she’ll never forget during her time in Lloyd as a new sports director for Newcap television in the spring of 2010.

“I wasn’t from Lloyd, but I left feeling like I belonged. I fell in love with the Border City and how it brings peo -

ple together, and that’s a Lloyd kind of love,” she said to wrap up her essay.

Agro currently works at Sportsnet Central in Toronto where she spoke to the Source that morning to talk about her approach to introducing Lloydminster to Canada.

“The essay is more of a thank-you letter. It’s pretty heartfelt. It’s pretty sentimental,” she said.

“I don’t focus too much on actual places, more as I do people, impressions and sentiments that I had at different places.”

She also recalled returning to Lloydminster for Hockey Day in Canada in 2014, calling that a really special event to cover.

“It was a memorable Hockey Day in Canada because Lloyd went above and beyond,” she said.

LCSD Director of education, Nigel McCarthy.

Local hero and former NHLer Cory Cross.

Rustlers hockey takes ‘ship in inaugural season

the Lethbridge Eagles in the provincial finals.

The best-of-five series kicked off at the Russ Robertson the weekend of March 12 with each team picking up a win.

and the Rustlers earned a 4-3 win in double overtime.

“That double overtime certainly adds to the dramatics of it all,” said head coach Morgan Mann.

With the success of the season, Mann explained the team has garnered not only a loyal fan base, but quite a bit of interest from potential players.

The Lakeland College King’s Energy Group Rustlers Hockey Club have made history by winning the Alberta Junior Female Hockey League (AJFHL)

championship in their inaugural season.

After beating out the Edmonton Wolves in the second round of AJFHL action, the Rustlers faced off against

The Rustlers then travelled to Lethbridge for a 4 p.m. game on March 19 and beat the Eagles 5-3, taking the series lead.

Game 4 took place at 11:30 a.m. the following morning

Throughout the season, the team scored 139 goals, potted 171 assists, earned 310 points and wracked up 323 penalty minutes, earning the respect of fellow players and leaving a lasting impression on the coaching staff.

Not long after winning the AJFHL championship, the Rustlers found out they would be playing in the ACAC for the 2022/23 season. With the season now half over, the Rustlers sit third overall with a 3-3-1 record.

StartUp rolls out strategic plan

StartUp Lloydminster aims to make Lloydminster the best place in Canada to start and grow a business. The non-profit business grower introduced a new strategic plan for 2022-25 to achieve that goal during a Rotary Club of Lloydminster

lunch meeting. “We really want our business community to be stronger, attract new businesses and create the right environment for somebody that has a great idea,” said StartUp’s interim executive director Wendy Plandowski.

“We can help them to make that idea a reality and essentially succeed with their business.”

Plandowski picked Rotary as the first audience to learn about the new three-year strategy, which the StartUp board okayed in February.

“The business com -

munity is represented here at Rotary, so that is really our target audience,” explained Plandowski.

The new strategic plan is based on four pillars of growth, service delivery, community engagement and the future of work, with the objective of growth to increase sustainability revenue streams.

StartUp was also rolling out a ton of business events posted at StartUpLloyd.com.

“We have exciting

things so our co-working space will be reopened; we’ve got a book club—we’ve got (entrepreneurial) movie night,” said Plandowski.

“Also, our Lunch ‘n Learn series will be starting up again, an opportunity for business people to come and network.”

Wendy Plandowski

Blazers champions of Good Deeds hockey

The Lloydminster Female U13 Blazers pulled off an Easter miracle by winning the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup and $100,000 for inclusive hockey without scoring a single goal.

The funds will be donated to Inclusion Lloydminster which will work with a local committee to create a barrier-free Para Ice Ice Hockey rink for players, volunteers and fans in the plans for the new Lloydminster Place event centre.

The Blazers were officially announced as this year’s cup winner during Hockey Night in Canada on April 16.

The local cup presentation held at Russ Robertson Arena on Good Friday caught the team by surprise as planned, with celebrities invited to cheer them including female hockey Olympians Caroline Ouellette and Sarah Nurse.

The crowd of well-

wishers included Tyler McGregor, a two-time paralympic medalist and captain of Canada’s sledge hockey team.

Also on hand were Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers, Blazers head coach Justin Tindall and a representative from Chevrolet Canada.

The Alberta-based Blazers are the first allgirls team to win the cup and they did it by generating the most votes in Canada.

The team also competed in the national programs against 11 other teams and became a regional finalist after entering the competition earlier this year.

Their submission came after learning a team parent couldn’t access the box to help time keep at their area.

Following this, the girls hosted an inclusive sledge hockey event and advocated for a barrierfree bi-provincial ParaIce Hockey Arena.

Industry pumped for oil show return

The bi-annual Lloydminster Heavy Oil Show will be back on track this fall after being derailed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2022 show will feature a two-part format at the Lloydminster Exhibition Grounds from Sept. 14-15 to increase showcase exhibits for the oil and gas industries and the public.

The 20th bi-annual show is presented by the Lloydminster Oilfield Technical Society and member volunteers under the theme Focusing Forward in 2022.

The event was announced by the City of Lloydminster on March 31 on behalf of Mayor Gerald Aalbers.

“The Lloydminster Heavy Oil Show is a staple in the heavy oil industry, and the committee is excited to see its return since being last featured in 2018,” said show chairperson, John Stanyer.

“The industry is staring down the start of a new boom. The show will provide attendees and exhibitors with the chance to focus on the breadth of innovation within the sector over the past few years.”

Youth council hops on needs survey

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Taylor Weaver taylor@meridiansource.ca

The City of Lloydminster is refreshing its five-year social needs survey with a new youth component to produce more building blocks for new community programs.

The 2022 Lloyd Needs: Social Needs Assessment was launched in partnership with Family and

Community Support Services (FCSS) Lloydminster and the Lloydminster Youth Council (LYC) at City Hall on Monday and ran until May 30.

“We do have a youth component which we didn’t in the previous assessment, “ said FCSS manager of social programs and services, Patrick Lancaster.

“It is a broad survey that will speak to a lot of different people from a lot of different groups.”

The campaign’s findings will help to provide the City’s administration and local authority organizations with a snapshot into the community’s social wellbeing.

Rylee Wood, chair of the LYC, was stoked to help develop an addon survey for youth ages 13-17 to voice their opinions and ideas on what the city needs.

“For us, the biggest thing is we reach every youth we can with this social needs assessment. We want to hear

everyone’s voices, everyone’s opinions and ideas,” said Wood.

“That was something we were super excited to get started with, and here we are today,” she said, noting they are sending the survey out to all schools.

She says the survey is online and they have a video noting it will take youth anywhere from two to five minutes tops to fill out at school.

Wood says the youth council is seeing a huge increase in mental health needs and was able to modify the assessment to include questions about mental health concerns for youth.

Lions roar for Citizen of the Year

Staff Writer Geoff Lee geoff@meridiansource.ca

L loydminster Lions Club members roared their approval for Ray Tatro as the recipient of their Citizen of the Year Award.

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The club made it clear there was no one more deserving than Tatro, who has become a model for volunteerism during his 35 years of Lions membership.

“It’s a shock, they snookered me really, really good, that Vic Juba,” said Tatro in a post-celebration interview.

“I never expected this at all. I feel very honoured and humbled, and listening to the report of the activities I’ve been involved with, they’ve added up

over the years ...”

Tatro went on to state you don’t volunteer without a whole bunch of people you join up with or other people joining you.

Tatro has also worked with staff at the Lloydminster Hospital to further the education of the visually impaired with eyesight conservation being a universal project of Lions International.

He also sits on the Saskatchewan Eye Bank board and delivers harvested corneas to Saskatoon at his own expense.

“Most of the things I’ve been involved with and do are because I like to feel good right here (pointing to his heart) but you got to have the teamwork,” said Tatro.

Patrick Lancaster and Rylee Wood.

File Photo Ray Tatro, centre, was presented with the Lloydminster Lions Club Citizen of the Year Award from in-coming president Travis Kniekamp Monday night at the Legacy Centre. Vic Juba, left, managed to make it a surprise as usual.

Lloydminster Comprehensive High School expansion underway

Construction is underway this week on the $28.8 million renovation and expansion of Lloydminster Comprehensive High School.

Crews from Quorex Construction, based in Saskatoon, officially broke ground for the expansion on May 6 with a target completion date sometime in 2023.

“The contractor has set up their staging areas and moved into a

temporary office,” said school principal Dwayne Marciniw in an e-mail over the weekend.

The expansion includes a two-storey addition with 12 additional classrooms, two science rooms and two multipurpose rooms.

The construction will allow the school to accommodate approximately 1,522 students, up from 1,187, to include Grade 9 students for the first time.

The project also features renovations to the mechanical and electrical systems and other school upgrades, including an updated student foyer.

“This project will provide enhanced learning opportunities for students in a number of areas and will include an attractive space to facilitate greater awareness of the cultural diversity that is ours,” said LPSD board chair

New Canadian Tire to open this fall

A s Canadian Tire celebrates its 100th birthday this fall, the new Canadian Tire store in Lloydminster will open its doors.

It will feature more than 130,000 sq. ft. of total space loaded with new technology and services to boost the customer shopping experience.

“We want people to be wowed when they walk in there, and I think they will be,” said local store

“We’ll transform our customers’ shopping experience with an expanded assortment and improved services that will allow them to shop their way, be that in-store or online.”

The new store will

feature more than 85,000 sq. ft. of retail space, plus a roomy auto service department and garden centre.

It will almost double the size of the existing store as well as having 589 parking spaces on the nine-acre property.

David Thompson.

The cost of these renovations is shared with the Province of Alberta through The Lloydminster Charter.

“These upgrades will support local business and ensure stateof-the-art facilities for students in these communities for years to come,” said Saskatchewan education minister, Dustin Duncan in a statement.

The Lloydminster

Public School Division is also partnering with Synergy Credit Union and the City of Lloydminster to include

a field house with the expansion to provide greater opportunities for students and for community use.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

The Meridian Source Calendar of Events is a free service provided for non-profit organizations located within our coverage area. All events are in chronological order, as space permits and at the editor’s discretion.

Playschool Pre-registration

Southridge Playschool & Kindergym has opened up their registration for the fall 2022-2023 classes.

They offer one day a week for three-yearolds and one or two days a week for four and five-year-olds. They have also qualified for the Affordabil -

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ity Grant! For more information please call Mrs. P at 780-8729523.

Bingo at the Moose

The Moose Lodge,

Church Directory

located at 5213-57 Street, Lloydminster, hosts bingo nights every Monday and Wednesday. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and play starts at 7 p.m. The Moose also hosts crib tournaments every second Sunday of the month. Start time is 10 a.m. The cost to play is $10 and lunch is $12.

Cribbage Doubles Tourney

The Legacy Centre is hosting a cribbage doubles tournament on Dec. 22. Play begins at 10 a.m. Cost to play is $10 and lunch is available for $12 per person. Everyone welcome! Call the Legacy office at 780-875-4584 for more information.

Light the Lights

Big Brothers Big Sisters Lloydminster is encouraging residents to help ignite a little spark this holiday season with its Light the Lights campaign. From Nov. 16 to Dec. 23, BBBS will be brightening up its office, and you can help. BBBS will be putting up strings of lights and donations are being accepted to get your name put on a strand of lights. Once a strand is full of names, the strand will be plugged in to light the lights. Donations can be made for yourself, as a family, as a gift for someone, in memory of someone, sponsor a strand as a business, get the kids involved ... the possibilities to make a difference are endless! Call 306-8255757 for more details. Donations of $20 or more are eligible for a

tax receipt.

Christmas Eve Service

Southridge Community Church is hosting a Christmas Eve service on Dec. 24 at 7 p.m. This is a familyfriendly event to get your Christmas started.

Black Rain at the Gold Horse Casino

Saskatchewan-based band Black Rain will be hitting the stage at the Gold Horse Casino in Lloydminster on Dec. 31. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9 p.m. The band, from Ahtahkakoop, has recorded four albums and is currently working on a fifth. There is no cover charge.

New Year’s Eve at the Legacy

Tickets are currently on sale for the Legacy Centre’s New Year’s Eve dance. Cocktails at 7:30 p.m. with dancing at 8 p.m. Dance into 2023 to the tunes of Memory Lane from Saskatoon. Lunch served at 10:30 p.m. All members and guests welcome! ADVANCE TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED OR RESERVED by noon on Friday, Dec. 30. Cost is $35/member or $40/ non-member. Call the Legacy office for more info or to reserve your tickets at 780-8754584.

Lloydminster Indigenous Market

The Lloydminter Exhibition Associaion is hosting an Indigenous Market on Jan. 14

from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Robbie Burns Nite

The Edgerton & District Historical Society is sponsoring the 33rd Annual Robbie Burns Nite at the Edgerton Agricultural Hall on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023. Happy Hour and Silent Auction begin at 5:30 p.m., and supper at 6:30 p.m. with a ceilidh to follow. Tickets are available at the Edgerton Village Office at 780-755-3933 or Toys and Treasures, Wainwright at 780-8423903 or at the door. Adults are $30.00 and children 12 and under are $5.00. Contact Louise at 780-755-2189 for more info.

Robbie Burns Dinner and Dance

The Flagstaff Scottish Club is proud to bring you its 15th Annual Robbie Burns Dinner and Dance on Jan. 21. The club invites you to the Killam Community Hall to celebrate. Doors open at 4:30 and the Haggis will be piped in at 5:45 p.m. Fraid Knot takes the stage at 9 p.m. Dress is Scottish Formal and tickets are $75+fees per ticket or a table of 8 for $550. Tickets are available at www.flagstaffscottishclub.com/robbieburns

Photo by John Van Cleemput

Acton receives top inclusion award

Lloydminster resident Robin Acton was the toast of Inclusion Alberta this past spring.

Acton was the recipient of the Bruce Uditsky Leadership Award, the most prestigious award presented by Inclusion Alberta.

The long-time resident is the current president of Inclusion Canada and the past president of Inclusion Alberta.

The Uditsky award is presented to individuals or groups whose inspirational leadership efforts have made an invaluable and lasting difference to Albertans.

Acton was presented with the award during the virtual 2022 Inclusion Alberta Awards on April 8-9 with accolades for her continuing to trickle in from communication channels.

Inclusion Alberta CEO, Trish Bowman, noted they

are fortunate and grateful to have had Acton’s leadership in the inclusion movement.

“Robin’s steadfast commitment to the inclusion of individuals with developmental disabilities has had life-changing impacts on the many families she has offered support and guidance to over the years,” said Bowman in an email.

“Her leadership with Inclusion Alberta, Inclusion Lloydminster and Inclu -

sion Canada has contributed to making important systemic advancements in inclusion in our communities and been an inspiration to countless families on the importance of taking up advocacy for inclusion.”

Acton also played an integral role in the forming of the local Rotary Employment Partnership in Lloydminster and sits on the committee as a Rotary Club of Lloydminster member.

Sonics thrower to head track and field event

Lloydminster Comprehensive High School (LCHS) hosted an invitational track and field event last May with Grade 11 athletics phenom Jake McEachern being one of the stars to watch.

McEachern just turned 17 and is unofficially ranked No. 1 in Alberta and Canada in U18 discus, hammer throw and shot

put following his stellar results at the Columbians Spring Fling for throwers in Edmonton on April 30.

He is also ranked 15th in the world in the hammer throw, competing with a group of 25-30 Split City Sonics members who train at the LCHS track.

“It’ll be great to see a young man from our school to hopefully have

an opportunity to do really well and be able to advance to the provincial meet in Regina June 4-5,” said LCHS track coach Chris Sharp.

McEachern competed in shot put, discus and the high jump at the weekend meet.

At the spring fling at Rollie Field, he set a personal best in the javelin with a toss of 29.83m.

He also set new provincial and national U18 standards in the discus (49.06m) hammer throw (67.65m) and the shot put (16.22m).

“I throw three days a week in practice and practise on my own when I am feeling up to it,” he said.

McEachern also won the weight throw and the shot put at the nationals on March 26-27.

Dream catcher raising a step in right direction

École St. Thomas took another step towards truth and reconciliation in June as a dream catcher was permanently raised in the school’s foyer.

“This is important because our students are so curious about what happened. There’s been a lack of teaching in certain age groups, so this is very new to some of them,” said Lloydminster Catholic School Division’s

(LCSD) Aboriginal Program Coordinator Cynthia Young.

“It’s important we teach the truth and guide them the right way because they have a lot of questions. We have to be nurturing with that curiosity.”

Young explained how, since last December, she has spent time in every single one of St. Thomas’ classrooms to teach students about dream catchers, the path to reconciliation, what

happened, and what can be done to move forward.

“My daughter asked me what a dream catcher is for and I told her it was to remember all the kids that didn’t come home from residential schools,” said Young.

“It’s very important for us to keep our culture going because we’re at a pivotal point where we have to rejuvenate it; we’re starting to lose it. Our elders are our libraries and we’re already

Airport zooms into focus with tour

The Lloydminster Municipal Airport was back on the map thanks to the Alberta Air Tour.

The air tour, held June 4, attracted roughly 450 people to a hanger to see small aircraft landing one after another to the delight of airport manager Wade Frasz.

“It’s just awesome to see aircraft coming in to fly. Due to COVID,

we haven’t seen a lot of aircraft moving,” said Frasz.

He estimates air traffic dropped by 60 per cent during the pandemic along with a loss of revenue.

“This will help us. This will bring a lot of people in. Hopefully, we do a lot of fuel sales today,” said Frasz, with a free pancake breakfast for all arrivals.

He noted WestJet is expected to resume a

seven-day-a-week service this summer with business now on the uptick.

The Alberta Air Tour encourages new people to learn how to fly and celebrates the aviation industry’s robust presence in the province.

starting to lose those things.”

Seb McCarthy, a Grade 7 student at St. Thomas, had the honour of gifting the elders and drummers in attendance with tobacco, a tradition he learned from Young’s husband, Mike.

“I helped make the dream catcher and I’ve been working with the Young family for a few years now. We always do activities together and her husband tries to teach me,” he said.

“It’s great to see so many kids and families here today to have a chance to talk to pilots and learn more about flying as well as the whole aerospace space. That’s what our whole intention was,” said Mayor Gerald Aalbers.

Kids triathlon back on track

Swim, cycle, run and repeat year after year.

The 7th annual ATB Financial Kid of Steel Triathlon got underway after a two-year hiatus during the pandemic, with 675 kids competing at Bud Miller All Seasons Park on June 17.

Students from the Lloydminster Catholic and public school divisions vied for individ -

ual and team medals in different distances under the direction of race director, Anthony Bender.

“It’s great. Watching those kids that are so excited about participating in an event and competing and having some fun. This is what this is all about,” said Bender.

He noted the turnout was encouraging considering more than 800

athletes took part in the last pre-COVID event.

“We’ve got to get it back on people’s calendars again. It’s so great to see people supporting it. It’s a great event for kids,” he said.

Helping out is a nobrainer for Tracy Matthews, who coordinates an army of volunteers every year.

“I love bringing the community together and watching the kids

be excited about something and showing them they can be successful,” said Matthews.

“It’s a big job, but I have the same people, for the most part, year after year, and they all know what to do. Everyone wants to help at an event like this.”

Ditto for Jim Taylor, owner of Grindin Gears Bikes ‘N Boards, who was on-site again prechecking kids’ bikes to

ensure they were functional and safe.

“It’s nice to see this

many kids out willing to participate,” said Taylor.

Local ice warrior cuts $15,000 cheque for Lloydminster KidSport

Travis Levitsky was all smiles on Monday evening as he presented a $15,000 cheque to Lloydminster KidSport.

The funds were raised through corporate sponsorships Levitsky acquired prior to competing in the Ice Wars International debut event at the River Cree Casino in Edmonton in May.

Although a relatively new organization, Ice Wars International has taken combat

sports to a new level and has been dubbed prize fighting on ice.

Ice Wars fights feature the toughest players in the sport of hockey, and here’s the catch, there’s no hockey being played.

“We’re here today for KidSport, Ice Wars International, and some sponsorship for that last event we had on at River Cree,” said Levitsky.

“We got some sponsorship money to put some adver -

Lloydminster rowers stroke to gold in Regina

The Lloydminster Rowing Club created a wake at the Western Canada Sprints

Regatta in Regina in June on the road to the Canada Summer Games. Games qualifiers,

Elijah Lopez and his brother Jonah, along with Liam Gilby and Shelby Lane, medaled at Wascana Lake, while newcomer, Billie Long rowed three times to personal bests.

“Everyone showed very well in this event.

We had excellent conditions. It was a clear day with very little wind, so great water conditions,” said club president, Michelle Lopez.

Her oldest son, Elijah, teamed up with Connor Dodds from the Regina Rowing Club to win gold

tisement for local companies I’ve worked with and who have sponsored me in events before, and we decided to donate all of that money to KidSport here in Lloydminster.”

Growing up, playing various sports was a big part of Levitsky’s life and he knows the benefits that come from playing sports at a young age. Having seen those benefits firsthand, Levitsky felt the need to give back.

in the men’s double-A Final.

Elijah also finished third in the B Final in men’s singles.

A gold medal also went to Shelby Lane who paired with Megan Kish from the Saskatoon Rowing Club in the A Final women’s doubles. A Lane member crew boat also placed third in the A-Final.

A composite crew of Elijah, Jonah, Liam Gilby and Dodds finished second in A Final

of the men’s quad.

Gilby and Jonah placed second in the B Final in men’s doubles.

“Billie Long had a great weekend of racing,” said Lopez.

She had a PB in her single, double and quad competitions.

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