Meridian Source - December 8, 2022

Grinch in clink, Santa free to sleigh

The spirit of Christ mas throughout the Border City was hard to miss this past Saturday as the 15th Annual Here Comes Santa Claus Day took over the downtown core.

The day kicked off with a pancake break fast at the Royal Cana dian Legion Branch #39 Lloydminster, spon sored by Sobeys and the local Kinsmen, and things really picked up at 11 a.m. when Santa and the Grinch arrived at the Atrium Centre for photos with the kids.

A Lloydminster tra dition since its incep tion, Here Comes Santa Claus Day is a day-long free event with fun for the whole family.

“We have some major events going on,” said one of the organizers, Kurt Price.

“We have cookie dec orating at Grace United Church, Legacy DIY and Henka Divorce Law and Mediation have acrylic ornaments they’re mak ing over there, and we have Sprinkles the Clown and Mark the Magnificent making bal loon animals at 3 p.m. There’s gingerbread

houses, a wiener roast going on at Synergy Credit Union, and then we’ve got the fireworks coming up at 5 p.m. They’ve moved over the Lloydminster Exhibi tion this year instead of being downtown, but we’re anticipating you’ll be able to see them all across the city.”

Over the years, Price has seen the event grow to heights he and other organizers never thought possible, but with the help of the local business community, anything is possible.

“Whether it’s try ing to make the pic

Left: Santa is greeted by

the

Right: The Grinch is

tures with Santa a bit better this year with a new backdrop or adding characters like Rudolph the Red Nosed Rein deer over at Walkin’ on Water Toys, we try to grow it a little bit more each year,” said Price.

“We can’t grow it

without sponsorships, and we’ve had some amazing sponsors for the past 15 years such as Servus Credit Union. They’ve sponsored us each and every year and they sponsored the fire works.”

The community itself

also plays a large role in the success of the event, including mem bers of the Lloydmin ster Fire Department, who once again braved the weather to roast hot dogs for the event’s annual wiener roast.

Videre Images by Jason Whiting

excited youngsters on Saturday morning before making his way into

Atrium Centre for the 15th Annual Here Comes Santa Claus Day.

taken into custody by Const. Melanie Flynn of the Lloydminster RCMP.

TAYLOR WEAVER EDITOR

FROM PAGE 1

“We can’t do this, and make it free for everyone, without those sponsors. That’s the biggest thing, this is free for everyone because of those great sponsors,” said Price.

“I also want to thank the amazing volunteers we have as well. We had people phon ing us asking if we could use them again this year because they wanted to take part in it and be a part of it. That’s a special thing when people are asking to be a part of it.”

Taylor Weaver Meridian Source Members of the Lloydminster Fire Department were all smiles on Saturday as they roasted hot dogs in the parking lot of the old Synergy Credit Union building during the Border City’s 15th Annual Here Comes Santa Claus Day.

Taylor Weaver Photo

Lloyd’s Patey shares improv tips

own characters.”

Her current act ing aspirations how ever are bounded by the confines of Baron’s Court Theatre, with no thoughts of Hollywood.

“About the drama 10 class, I really love the environment we have here. We always have such a positive vibe with Mr. Stang,” she said.

quiet, and it takes some time for them to get out of their shell,” he said.

Stang says he finds

by the time they get to Grade 12, they’re differ ent kids.

GEOFF LEE WRITER

The entire drama department at Lloyd minster Comprehen sive High School was acting up at the begin ning of this week, for good reason.

Lloydminster born and raised actor Scott Patey was at the school for two days teaching improv to the Grade 10 drama class and help ing Grade 12s work on their upcoming play.

Patey showed up one day after a new Fit for Christmas movie he has a role in, aired on CBS on Dec. 4 and Par amount Plus to inspire students, and actors, almost on script.

“He wants to show some of these kids, if you do want to go off and perform and make a career of some thing that’s a little bit out of the box, you can do it,” said drama teacher Simon Stang, who invited him to the school.

In fact, Patey has amassed 60-plus film and television credits on his acting resume.

He can also be seen on an Apple Plus show called Schmigadoon, with season 2 coming out next year.

“I’ve had a few kids over the years go off and try to follow in his footsteps, so it’s really great,” said Stang.

Patey says he and Stang graduated together from Holy Rosary High School and try to coordinate an annual hook-up in Lloyd at a few venues.

“It is my way of giv ing back to the stu dents in the commu nity I grew up in. It’s to

show I came from here and I’m doing this and earning a living at it, and you can too, if you choose to,” explained Patey.

He says it’s always fun working with youth and he comes to the Comp with the hope of injecting some joy and energy into their act ing to change it up for them.

“I think if one or two students walk away having it affect them and have a memory from that, then I’ve

done my job,” said Patey.

Grade 10 drama student Hailey Fritz thought it was a great opportunity to pick up some pointers from a pro like Patey.

“We’re doing an improv open exercise just learning each oth er’s names and getting the energy right,” she said.

“We did quite a few exercises introducing ourselves and we’re also imitating charac ters and creating our

Another student, Max Wilki, was also digging the improv stuff Patey introduced, calling it fun.

Wilki says he has no acting career idea in mind either, but he sees the benefits of it help ing him and others to be more open “like talk ing and what not” as he put it.

Stang agrees that act ing can make students more outgoing over time.

“It’s not overnight, but I see huge changes in a lot of these kids. When they come in for Grade 10, most of them are nervous, meek and

Geoff Lee Meridian Source

Actor Scott Patey (centre) who was born and raised in the Border City, was at Lloydminster Comprehensive High School this week working with drama students as they prepare for their upcoming play.

Rotarian pitches city sponsorships

Chad Kozak has rein vented himself with a new business card to boot.

Kozak is using the business connections

he developed as a sales rep for Turnip Smart Security in his new role as coordinator of sales and sponsorship for the City of Lloydminster.

The Rotary and Lloy dminster Chamber

of Commerce mem ber talked about avail able sponsorship and advertising opportuni ties for businesses in a lunch presentation to the Rotary Club of Lloy dminster on Monday with an eye to getting the best bang for the buck for both parties.

“I’m able to approach local businesses and come up with a solu tion that works for both of us, so to help out with brand rec ognition, advertising and to engage them in city assets,” said Kozak about his role.

Kozak rattled off a

current list of sponsor ship opportunities at Servus Sports Centre, Russ Robertson Arena, inside the Bioclean Aquatic Centre, the ten nis courts, the pickleball and basketball courts at Bud Miller, the outdoor pool and the outdoor skating oval.

“There’s a lot of good different opportunities companies could have with us,” said Kozak who was hired as a sponsorship frontman in August.

He says the city is flexible on the length of any deal noting they do ask for a bare minimum of three to five years for naming rights that come with a cost of up to $20,000.

“With that being said we always want to keep the lines of communica tion open to offer good value to businesses that are coming up to do some sponsorship with us,” said Kozak.

“We like to be very thorough and ask a lot of questions to know the different businesses in the area to make sure we’re going into every thing together.”

Kozak says the main benefits for a business sponsor with the city

are an opportunity to broadcast their brand messaging and gain exposure to marketing with some creativity in play.

He cited an example of the Lloydminster and District Co-op running a month-long gorilla marketing campaign for just $500 by attracting people with the catch phrase, See Yourself as a Co-op Member by scanning a QR code.

In another recent case, Canadian Natural Resources sponsored a month-long walk across Canada fitness chal lenge on the Agland running track at the Servus Sports Centre.

“I can’t stress enough, if someone wants to put a banner up and leave it at that, then that’s

fine, but we want to dig deeper and help bring top of mind to different companies in the com munity,” said Kozak.

“We’re open to differ ent ideas.”

Sponsorship and adverting Sponsorship and advertising revenue support recreational opportunities for cur rent and future gener ations of residents and visitors.

“I’m part of a young family and my wife and kids enjoy going to the different city facilities,” said Kozak.

“We see differ ent brands there and there’s different pro grams and differ ent subsidies that are offered throughout.”

PATEY FROM PAGE 3

“Whether or not they are going to go off and be actors is irrelevant. They get more confi dent and able to speak to people a lot more comfortably,” he said.

Patey recalls devel oping a passion for act ing in Grade 7.

“We went to watch the high school kids put on a play and I just remember I didn’t blink. I loved every thing,” he said.

“There were teach

ers performing with students and I loved the costumes and the singing.”

These days, he lives in Vancouver and teaches acting part-time at the Vancouver Acting School. Patey says he has no family relations in Lloydminster any more, just buddies like Stang to hang with.

He says most of his family works in the oil industry and lives in Newfoundland and Ontario.

This month was the first time Patey has been back to Lloydmin ster since COVID, but Stang says they keep in touch quite a bit.

“We started planning this back in the sum mer coordinating this with him coming,” he said.

“He actually did a performance for our staff as well. We kind of back that on to working a few days with my kids at the school.”

Geoff Lee Meridian Source

Chad Kozak is the City of Lloydminster’s new coordinator of sales and sponsorship and spoke to the Rotary Club of Lloy dminster about exciting opportunities for local businesses on Monday.

Braids and beads break barriers

This month, ele mentary students in the Lloydminster Pub lic School Division are walking down the path of reconciliation with Winddancer as their guide.

Winddancer is a con sultant from Onion Lake Cree Nation who is going into different classrooms teaching breading, braiding and drumming.

Beading was the main subject taught to Grade 5 students at Winston Churchill School to bring the cultural prac tice of wampum to life with students thread ing beads on wooden looms to make things like bookmarks.

Traditionally, belts of beaded wampum would mark agree ments or treaties between peoples.

“With these loom ings, it’s a way for us to learn the origin of where the beads come from. We are still able to do it today with the beads we have today,” said Winddancer.

“The beadings are bracelets that we are making for ourselves or for someone they love or a bookmark for themselves to keep. They can make head bands or they can make long belts.”

A student named Mea and a classmate Aali

yah paired up to make a beaded bookmark with one holding the loom steady and the other using a threading nee dle or a beading needle.

“It’s easy at the beginning, but once you get to the bead ing part, it’s getting harder,” said Mea who learned from Wind dancer what materials First Nations people traditionally used.

“We learned we are using glass beads and traditionally they used bones from birds and bison and the stuff they hunted so they wouldn’t waste the bones,” she said.

Mea says Winddancer also taught them how to braid their hair and what his braid means to him.

“He said that hav

ing long hair at First Nations helps them hunt and be focused on what they are doing and other things that are very important to them,” she said.

Winddancer was eager to talk about his braid in his introduc tion and how it incited others to bully him

when he left the reserve to attend Grade 5 in Saskatoon.

“I grew up seeing everybody around me with long hair includ ing the men, so when I moved to Saskatoon it was different for others to see that,” he said.

KOZAK FROM PAGE 4

“But it’s really nice to be sort of that onetwo relationship where both parties can win on the city side of things as well as the particular sponsor.”

Kozak is also starting to have some conversa tions with companies about opportunities at the proposed Lloydmin ster Place event area.

“Over the next two to three years there’s a lot of good assets that I can now start having conversations with,” he said.

“That’s what I’m focused on now with an eye on what’s going to happen in the future as well.”

GEOFF

Geoff Lee Meridian Source Winddancer shows a Grade 5 student named Aaliyah how to thread a loom to create Indigenous beadwork.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

Book fair incites love of reading

Many young stu dents in the Lloydmin ster Public School Divi sion (LPSD) might have their noses stuck in books this week wher ever they are.

All LPSD elementary schools held book fairs last week during par ent-teacher interviews to promote reading at home too.

The Jack Kemp Com munity School library had lots of new books available from Scholas tic Canada for students or their parents to buy and take home.

“This is the first inperson book fair at LPSD schools since before the pandemic. A lot of our students have not even experienced what a book fair is,” said the school’s library tech, Lynette Thoresen.

“Some of our students in the division don’t have access to quality books at home. This is just an opportunity to get books in the hands

of kids.”

Thoresen says the books from Scholas tic are priced as low as $3 and align with LPSD diversity and inclusion initiatives.

“Every child can pick a book that is a true representation of them selves,” she said.

Thoresen says the book fair is an oppor tunity to connect with families and also pro vides families with an opportunity to purchase books to promote read ing at home.

Grade 6 teacher Jolene Stevenson set her entire class loose in the library to find something to read or recommend to their parents or guard ian to buy for them.

“As a teacher, I think the most important thing about reading is a love of reading,” she said.

“The fact they can have an exposure to books and find different things they can enjoy is so important.”

One of her young stu

dents named Aiden has already acquired a taste for books especially ones that scare the dick ens out of him.

He was clutching a copy of the Haunted Canada series and explained what he likes about that genre.

“Because it’s scary and I like scary things,” he said.

His classmate Kel tie also likes reading Haunted Canada and Goosebumps too.

“I like chapter books mainly,” she said and hopes someone buys one for her.

Stevenson suggests parents give their kids a book if they want to read it.

“I remember when I was a kid going to book fairs and being just dumbfounded that my parents would buy me a book,” she said.

“It’s so special so the fact they can have that opportunity too and it helps to get excited about reading —price less.”

Another student name Calli said her mom is bringing some book-buying money with her to the inter views and told her what she wants to buy.

“Harry Potter books, but probably not just picture books. I like all books,” she said.

As for reading itself, Calli said, “I really like

how calming it can be.”

Thoresen says read ing is such a fundamen tal foundation for all development.

“Our job as librari ans isn’t just to promote reading, it’s to support teachers and our stu dents,” she said.

“The schools have a virtual library designed

at the beginning of the pandemic to bridge gaps and make read ing available 24/7 and remove all barriers.”

Thoresen says they’ve done that in various ways with online con tent that kids can access and things which align with the curriculum to support the teachers’ needs.

Geoff Lee Meridian Source

Jack Kemp Community School Grade 6 students Ilah, left, and Emma, browse through library books for sale at a school fair last Wednesday to promote reading.

Explore Islam “open house”

MERIDIAN SOURCE STAFF

The Ahmadiyya Mus lim Community Lloy dminster is pleased to welcome members of the community to the Baitul Amaan Mosque for its upcoming Explore Islam open house.

Explore Islam is a national exhibition in Canada organized by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Through the open house, the local community wel comes the public to experience the exhibi tion, which is coming

WINDDANCER FROM PAGE 5

“It was like a new type of bullying that we don’t know how to address or handle. That’s what I was doing here earlier. I was talk ing about my hair in my introduction and where I came from.”

Winddancer says the students were really respective when it came to them learning about his culture and under standing his long braid is his culture.

“It’s the way I hon our my past relatives,” he said.

Mea says she learned from Winddancer when First Students stu dents were forced to cut their hair at residen tial schools “they felt like they weren’t doing as good of a job as they were doing before.”

“My braid gives me strength it reminds me

to over 1,000 towns in Canada.

Explore Islam is being held at the Baitul Amaan Mosque, 4530 50 St, Lloydminster Sask., on Dec. 11 from 2-4 p.m.

The exhibition includes a visit to the local Mosque, a Holy Quran exhibit and an Islam exhibit.

There will be an opportunity for those in attendance to ask the local Imam questions, and women will have the chance to experi ence a Hijab.

of who I am and where I come from,” explained Winddancer. “It gives me my identity of who I am and my ancestors I guess you could say. “

Winddancer says his grandmother is the one who told him not to cut his hair and influenced him to learn his Cree language to keep his culture alive.

His speaking and beading demonstration is proving to be fun and educational for Grade 5 kids like Freja at Win ston Churchill.

The youngster says she learned firsthand “that it’s kind of hard to do all the beading and stuff and they used.

She says they also learned some of the steps they used for the sash.

“They used it for a medical kit and sewing kit,” she said.

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Viewpoint

Leave it to Weaver:

Get arrested for a great cause? Why not!

EDITOR Taylor Weaver

Animal Shelter’s (pre viously known as the Lloydminster SPCA) Jail and Bail fundraiser.

Editor Taylor Weaver taylor@meridiansource.ca

Staff Writer Geoff Lee geoff@meridiansource.ca

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

We welcome letters to the editor. Letters should be 500 words or less. A name and daytime phone number is required for verification. Priority will be given to letters exclusively written for the Meridian Source. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, brevity, spelling, grammar, punctuation and libel. Unsigned letters will not be published. Use of pseudonyms will only be allowed in special circumstances, at the discretion of the editor and the publisher, and only if the author’s identity is known to the editor. Publication of a letter does not imply endorsement by the Meridian Source. Send to taylor@meridiansource.ca

In last week’s column, I touched on the fact we journalists get a frontrow seat to the behindthe-scenes aspect of community events and used the Lloydminster Region Health Foun dation’s annual Gift to Health fundraiser as an example.

This week, I have a different community fundraiser on the brain ... one I’m also taking part in.

Tomorrow morn ing at roughly 9 a.m., Const. Flynn of the Lloydminster RCMP will be slapping the cuffs on me as I take part in the Border Paws

I’ve taken part in this fundraiser before and I’m quite excited to be doing it again. I’ll also be joined by many other members of the com munity as we feverishly make phone calls hop ing to bring in as much money for the shelter as possible.

The event will be tak ing place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the shelter’s new location, 5206 63 Street, and a $25,000 fundraising goal has been set for the day.

To help with the fun draising, 30-plus items from local businesses will also be sold through a silent auction.

One roundtrip flight

for two guests to any regularly-scheduled and marketed West Jet destination is also being raffled off. Tick ets for the raffle are $75 each or two for $100.

All proceeds from this year’s Jail and Bail will go towards opera tion costs at the shelter,

which includes every thing from taking care of animals to keeping the lights on.

So, if my name pops up on your caller ID tomorrow, I may be hit ting you up for some money, but it’s all for a great cause!

Donate meow!

Through the reader’s lens ...

Top: Mike from Canmore.

Bottom: John Van Cleemput.

If you would like to see your photos in the Meridian Source, please email them to taylor@meridiansource.ca

Manager: Amanda Richard

Leeway from Lloyd: Some better able to survive winter

STAFF WRITER GEOFF LEE

Everybody loves to talk about cold and snow. It’s good small talk and often leads to other stories about win ter weather including survival stories.

I will never for get watching the 2012 movie, Deep about a real-life Icelandic fish erman who survived for over six hours in icecold water after his boat sank.

When he reached land in bare feet he was against a cliff and had to go back in the water to find a flatter way ashore only to find himself on sharp volcanic glass that cut his bare feet.

He went on to become the subject of some sci entific tests that deter mined his body fat was thicker than most peo ple’s to insulate him.

The two other crewmen died within minutes of being in the water.

Recently, I was amazed reading about a passenger on a Carni val cruise ship who fell overboard in Novem ber in the Gulf of Mex ico and survived in the ocean for nearly 20 hours before being res cued.

Unfortunately, I have zero body fat which means I won’t be spend ing much time bobbing up and down until found alive in the ocean.

Many decades ago, I set out in knee-deep snow with a few others up a trail near Jasper and found myself eating snow and feeling unusu ally tired. Luckily, we happened upon a cabin and someone got a fire going recognizing I was experiencing some trou bles.

I learned later I was getting hypother

mia. Some of the warn ing signs are shivering, exhaustion, confusion, slurred speech and fum bling hands.

The episode made me super aware of the need to dress properly etc.

When I was taking a Ski Resort Opera tions and Management

Male arrested after slashing multiple tires

On Nov. 20 at approximately 6:25 a.m., Lloydminster RCMP were dispatched to an apartment complex in the 1600 block of 47 Avenue for a report of a male slashing vehicle tires with a knife.

Police spoke to vehi cle owners at the scene as well as a possible suspect who had not been positively identi fied at the time.

Over the course of the investigation, police were able to identify the male suspect and a war rant was issued for his arrest.

On Nov. 28, police arrested Tyler Stephan, 27, residing in Lloyd minster, Sask. Stephan has been charged with the following Criminal Code offences:

- Mischief over $5000

- Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Police have deter mined 19 vehicles in this area had between one

and four tires damaged at the time. Although exact costs are still under investigation, police suspect the total to be well over $5000.

Jan. 9, 2023.

course in Nelson, B.C. in 1998-99, a couple of skiers died falling into tree wells (a depres sion around the base of a tree).

Michel Trudeau, the younger brother of Jus tin Trudeau died in an

avalanche while skiing in nearby Kokanee Gla cier Provincial Park in November 1998.

There was a ton of snow that winter along with avalanche warnings all through the season at ski hills and in the back

country. With deep freezes set ting in locally, it might be time to watch a rerun of the Endless Summer, an iconic teen 1966 surf documentary or just turn up the heat. Both work.

Stephan was released by a Justice of the Peace to appear in Lloydminster Saskatch ewan Provincial Court on

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File Photo

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 Play school & 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 Affordability Grant! For more information please call Mrs. P at 780-872-9523.

Bingo at the Moose

The Moose Lodge,

Passport to YLL

To place an event, email taylor@meridiansource.ca or fax 306-825-5147

located at 5213-57 Street, Lloydminster, hosts bingo nights every Monday and Wednes day. 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

Church Directory

10 a.m. The cost to play is $10 and lunch is $12.

Square Dancing Introduction

An intro to square dancing will be held at the Bioclean Aquatic Centre from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays from Oct. 5 to May 31, 2023. Walk to the beat of music by following simple instructions from the caller. The first evening is free! Visit us online at squaredancelloyd.ca for details.

Light the Lights Big Brothers Big Sis ters Lloydminster is encouraging residents to help ignite a little spark this holiday sea son with its Light the Lights campaign. From Nov. 16 to Dec. 23, BBBS will be bright ening 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 306-825-5757 for more details. Donations of $20 or more are eligi ble for a tax receipt.

Christmas with the Lloydminstrels

The Legacy Centre is hosting Christmas with the Lloydmisntrels on Dec. 12. Performance begins at 2 p.m. Cof fee and cookies will be served after. Admission is by donation. Nonperishable food items for the Salvation Army food bank could be your donation! Everyone welcome! Call the Leg acy office at 780-8754584 for more details.

Diabetes Education Classes

The Saskatchewan Health Authority is hosting diabetes edu cational classes start ing Dec. 13 from 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. with Ses

sion 1: “An Introduction to the Basics.” Classes are being held in Con ference Room #2 at the Prairie North Health Centre, Suite 115, 4910 – 50 Street. To regis ter please call 306-8204887.

Cribbage Tourney

A cribbage tourna ment will be held at the Moose Lodge on Dec. 11 Registration is from 9 - 9:45 a.m. with games starting at 10 a.m. Enter as a team or as an indi vidual. Players are guar anteed 12 games. Entry free is $10, lunch is $14.

Turkey Bingo

The Marwayne Legion is hosting a turkey bingo on Dec. 14. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. play at 8 p.m.

JAMBOREE

There will be a jam boree on Dec. 18 in the Islay Community Hall. Admission is $10, par ticipants free. Lunch will be served. For more info, call Dixie at 780744-2204. Funds raised support maintenance of our hall.

Geoff Lee Meridian Source

Lloydminster Youth Council members, Gracie Lilienskold, left, and Amy Levesque, accepted a $3,000 cheque presented by Rotary Club of Lloydminster president Anita Schmidt on behalf of the club at Monday’s lunch meeting.

Lions punt pool profitable

GEOFF LEE WRITER

Nick Laley purchased a chance to roar like a Lion and it paid off.

The Lloydminster resident is somehow, somewhere celebrating his $400 grand prize winner in the Lions Club Grey Cup game pool.

Lions’ fundrais ing chair, Daryl Oster, doesn’t think Laley actually watched the

game knowing he’s not a fan of the Argos.

What counts is he bought a square with the exact 24-23 winning score for the Toronto Argonauts over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Foot ball League final played on Nov. 24 in Regina.

Laley isn’t the only cash winner, however; with Marlene Stiev, Max Wilson, and Brian Heitt each pocketing $200

during the game.

“Everybody got a score east-west and if you had the winning score you won $200 for each quarter and $400 for the final score,” explained Oster.

The Grey Cup pool raised a total of $2,900 to surpass the expecta tions for the fundraiser.

“That was kind of our maximum. It was 100 per cent sold out. There’s tickets sold for

scores from 0 to 39 for the participating team from the east and west,” said Oster.

Proceeds from ticket sales go towards three scholarships for an indi vidual student at Holy Rosary High School, Lloydminster Compre hensive High School and Lakeland College.

“We just bumped up the scholarships from $500 to $750,” said Oster, who notes stu

dents are required to submit a scholarship application to be con sidered.

Oster also reports socks are still needed for the Lions’ third annual sock drive, with the club acting as a sock gatherer for people in need in the community.

“People can donate socks in project bins at the Legacy Cen tre, Northern Factory Workwear and Exhaust

Masters right up to Dec. 20.

This year the socks go to the Native Friend ship Centre and Interval Home.

“The Lloydminster Men’s Shelter didn’t need socks this year so they are off the list,” said Oster.

Looking ahead to 2023, the Lions will also host another golf tour nament, among other fundraisers.

Cenovus invests in Lloydminster assets

Refinery which will increase the integra tion of the Lloydmin ster complex with Cen

ovus’s oil sands assets, including processing production from Foster Creek.

That plan is part of the company’s socalled Rewire Alberta project announced in

the 2022 budget. The current year plan will increase capacity at the refinery by eight

per cent to as much as 31,500 bbls/d once the debottlenecking is done.

Cenovus Energy plans to invest a good chunk of its $4 billion to $4.5 billion 2023 capital budget to further opti mize Foster Creek and Lloydminster thermal oil projects.

The budget plan, released on Tuesday, is based on expected total upstream production of between 800,000 and 840,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day next year, a year-over-year increase of more than three per cent.

Production guid ance for the Lloydmin ster thermal projects is between 105,000 barrels per day and 115,000 bbls/d.

Cenovus expects to invest between $1.2 billion and $1.7 billion in optimization and growth capital to con tinue asset enhance ment and growing pro duction to maximize shareholder value.

Growth and opti mization capital will be allocated towards debottlenecking work at the Lloydminster

GEOFF LEE WRITER

File Photo

Warding off illness amid cold and flu surges

we are reminded the dreaded flu season is back.

ASAD KASHANI SPECIAL TO THE SOURCE

With winter upon us,

While we have not experienced a severe flu season in the past few years (particularly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and health and safety measures), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) warns Canada

is entering an influ enza epidemic as cases of the flu rise further beyond the seasonal threshold.

This year, it is espe cially important we take precautions against the flu given our waned immunity and lack of exposure.

As your local phar macist, here are some

of my tips to pro tect ourselves and our community from ill ness this winter.

Keep those hands clean : Washing your hands frequently and thoroughly is one of the most effective ways to reduce the spread of infections and germs.

For moments when soap and water aren’t on-hand, keep some hand sanitizer handy.

Having alcoholbased hand cleansers as a backup – whether in your bag, at your desk or in your car –can help to protect yourself and others from germs. Have little

ones at home? Ensure they understand the importance of proper handwashing as well.

Get your flu shot : Sleeves up! Getting your annual flu shot is one of the quickest and simplest ways to pro tect yourself and your loved ones this season.

In years where the flu shot has been wellmatched, 70 – 90 per cent of flu cases have been averted through vaccination.

You can book your flu shot appointment at shoppersdrugmart. ca/flu or through the PC Health app, avail able to download for

free at https://www. pchealth.ca/.

Between COVID-19 and the flu, there has been a lot of conver sation around the con cerns of getting ill and the best ways we can protect ourselves and our loved ones.

Be sure to visit your local pharmacy to get your flu shot and your COVID-19 vaccine –it’s our best shots at protecting our commu nities this season.

Asad Gavahi Kashani is a pharma cist and owner of your local Shoppers Drug Mart in the LloydMall.

DR.

Rustlers fight for a cure

Who do you fight for?

Asha Petrie, a for ward for the Lakeland College King’s Energy Group Rustlers wom en’s hockey team, is fighting for her recently

deceased grandfather Melvin Espetveidt. Rus tlers assistant coach Warren Noble is fight ing for his sister and aunt who are both cur rently battling cancer.

“In August, my grandpa got diagnosed with stage four can cer and in October he passed away,” said Pet rie, 19, as a tear ran down her cheek.

“We do these little sheets, they say I Fight For, and last year I didn’t really know any one personally in my life who I would fight for a cure. Then, this year, it’s kind of crazy how things can escalate really fast.”

The Rustlers are host ing their second annual Hockey Fights Can cer game this Saturday at the Russ Robertson Arena.

The fundraiser will feature a match between the Rustlers and a team comprised of former players and female community sup

porters with puck drop set for 7 p.m.

Noble said the Rus tlers Fight Cancer game last winter raised $3,700 and this year they’re hoping to bring in $7,000 with all pro ceeds from the contest going to the Lloydmin ster Regional Health Foundation Cancer Ward.

“We came to the conclusion it should go to the Lloydminster Regional Health Foundation.

He said they’ve already surpassed last year’s total with an expectation the funds gathered through their online auction, found at https://www.32auction. com/lcrwh, and by the silver plate collection at the door pushing them past the goal.

“Cancer touches

everybody,” said Noble.

“Morgan (Mann) and I talked about it a year ago. We won dered where the money should go and how we could distribute it. We talked about the Terry Fox Foundation, but we came to the conclu sion it should go to the Lloydminster Regional Health Foundation because then it actu ally goes directly right back into the commu nity. People go and have their treatments there. It’s comfortable for them and it’s in the Lloydminster area.”

Petrie said the night is fun for the players and everyone involved thanks to its focus on bringing people, who may not see each other that often, together again. She said it’s also easy to rally behind as a good cause.

“So much of our sup port is from the com munity,” she said. “So, it’s really nice to give back.”

File Photo

The Lakeland College King’s Energy Group Rustlers women’s hockey team is hosting a Hockey Fights Cancer fundraiser at the Russ Robertson Arena on Dec. 10.

JAMIE HARKINS SPECIAL TO THE SOURCE

Sports in brief

On the ice ...

The Lloydminster Bobcats had a busy weekend as they hosted the Sherwood Park Cru saders on Friday night at the Centennial Civic Centre. The Crusaders beat the ‘Cats 5-2. The The Bobcats travelled to Bonnyville on Sun day for a matinee game against the Pontiacs and lost 4-1 before returning to home ice on Tuesday when they hosted the Spruce Grove Saints. The Saints came away with a 4-3 in regulation.

The ‘Cats play backto-back games in Fort McMurray before returning to the Civic to host the Oil Barons on Dec. 13. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.

The Lloydminster Classic Oilfield Ban dits have been on a hot streak as of late and putting up serious num bers on the scoreboard.

After a 12-1 win over the Vegreville Rangers last Sunday, the Bandits

travelled to St. Paul last Friday to play the Can adiens. The Canadiens took a 4-3 OT win on home ice. The Bandits hosted the Cold Lake Ice this past Saturday. The Ice took a 5-3 win. The Bandits will be back in the Civic on Sunday as they host the Wain wright Bisons.

The Lloydminster Inland Steel U18 AAA Bobcats had a busy weekend with a game in St. Albert against

the Nektar Raiders on Saturday and a home game against the Cal gary Royals on Sunday afternoon. The Raid ers bettered the ‘Cats 3-2 on Saturday before the Royals beat them 4-1 on Sunday. The ‘Cats host the Edmon ton Jr. Oilers Blue on Dec. 10 at 2:45 p.m. at the Civic before travel ling to Grand Prairie to play the Grande Peace Ernie’s Sports Storm on Dec. 11 at 5 p.m.

The U18 Bobcats hosted the Calgary Royals on Sunday. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source Photo

Careers

Lakeland gets provincial nod for Ag and Indigenous supports

On Nov. 4, Lake land College’s studentmanaged farm and Rikki Ducharme, man ager of Indigenous stu dent support services, were both honoured with awards at the 23rd annual ASTech Awards, presented by Technol ogy Alberta.

The awards were in recognition of com munity excellence and innovation in studentled initiatives.

They are designed to bring together Alberta’s innovative leaders in government, industry, academia and entrepre neurship to celebrate and collaborate.

They are hosted by Technology Alberta, a group dedicated to nur turing a sustainable advanced technology sector in Alberta and

making Alberta’s tech companies a vendor of choice internationally.

The SMF was recog nized in the education sector of the Regional Innovation Awards for Vermilion.

The School of Agricultural Sciences at Lakeland College is extremely proud to receive this ASTech Award in recognition of our student managed farm education model.

As part of their sec ond year of studies, ani mal science technology and crop technology students manage com

mercial-scale crop and livestock enterprises.

Students work together to make pro duction, marketing, financial management and other decisions that are applied to their spe cific SMF unit.

With access to mod ern ag facilities and

equipment, a commer cial, purebred, dairy and research cattle herd, bison and equine herds, plus 2,500 acres of crop and pasture land, the real world comes to Lakeland’s ag students before they graduate.

“The School of Agri

cultural Sciences at Lakeland College is extremely proud to receive this ASTech Award in recognition of our student man aged farm education model,” says Geoff Brown, dean of agri culture at Lakeland.

“I would like to thank Alberta Technology for this great recognition and support for tech nology and innovation in the province.”

Ducharme received the Lloydminster region’s community champion in Indige nous student services and Indigenous-led ini tiatives award.

At Lakeland, Indig

enous supports include social, wellness and cul tural events, as well as academic and financial.

“It was an honour to represent Lakeland at the ASTech Awards,” says Ducharme.

“To be recognized as a regional champion in Indigenous student-led initiatives was so excit ing because it show cases how a grassroots approach allows our students to share their experiences and needs in a safe and support ive environment. We are thrilled to be recog nized as an institution that inspires innovation through Indigenous-led activities.”

MERIDIAN SOURCE STAFF

File Photo

Saskatchewan leads nation in merchandise exports

On Tuesday, Sta tistics Canada reported growth in Sas

katchewan’s merchan dise exports, increas ing 47.5 per cent in

October 2021 com pared to October 2022, the highest increase among provinces.

Merchandise exports

increased by 22.1 per cent in October 2022, compared to September 2022, while the first 10 months of this year saw

an increase of 43.2 per cent, compared to the same period in 2021. This places Saskatch ewan second among the

provinces in percentage change in both areas. Saskatchewan’s mer chandise exports were $4.4 billion in October.

MERIDIAN SOURCE 306-825-5111

admin@meridiansource.ca

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LAND FOR SALE

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