Meridian Source - May 23, 2024

Young gets first cabinet post as Advanced Education Minister

nic, and become our future workforce.

Post-secondary students in Saskatchewan can hit the books with confidence knowing Lloydminster MLA Colleen Young has their best interests at heart.

Young was sworn in as the province’s new Minister of Advanced Education last Friday afternoon in Regina, a role she’s greatly looking forward to filling.

“I am humbled and extremely honoured to be asked by Premier Scott Moe to serve the people of Saskatchewan as the Minister of Advanced Education,” said Young yesterday morning.

“I am excited to delve into this role and portfolio to build stronger relationships and partnerships with the leaders of our post-secondary institutions. Working with them, we can continue to support students as they find their way through our universities, regional colleges, and polytech -

“Over the years I have worked well with the leadership of Lakeland College to ensure Lloydminster, Saskatchewan and area students, who wish to attend, have the same opportunities to further their education, close to home.”

“Colleen Young will be a strong minister with experience in this area, having served on the University of Saskatchewan Senate prior to her election to the Legislature,” explained Moe.

This is Young’s first cabinet position since being elected to the Saskatchewan legislature in a Nov. 14, 2014 by-election. She was then re-elected in the 2016 and 2020 general elections.

“I will continue to work for and serve my constituents to the very best of my ability. I am here to listen and help in any way I can,” added Young.

MERIDIAN SOURCE STAFF

Lloydminster MLA Colleen Young was all smiles on Friday after being sworn in as Saskatchewan’s Minister of Advanced Education. Young is pictured with Premier Scott Moe during a ceremony last Friday. Facebook Photo

Council passes first reading of mill rate bylaw

Property taxes are going up, again.

Lloydminster City Council passed the first reading of the 2024 Mill Rate Bylaw during the May 13 meeting of council, which proposes an approximate $5.40/ month increase on residential properties valued at $285,000 and a $56/month increase on non-residential proper-

ties valued at $750,000.

According to the City, the increase in property tax aims to prioritize essential services and address increasing materials and labour costs for capital projects.

May 2, 2024), up from $4.65 billion the previous year.

In 2024, with the assessment and proposed mill rate changes, the tax levy will collect an estimated $46,207,840 for municipal purposes. All work to be completed in 2024 was approved in the 2024 budget.

Hall, reduce clutter around the home and reduce business costs associated with printing. Most importantly, switching to paperless will help protect the environment.

In November 2023, an infrastructure levy was also implemented during the 2024 budget deliberations. The funds received through this levy will be placed in a reserve and strategically used to fund future capital infrastructure projects.

The total taxable assessment for 2024 is $4.82 billion (as of

The second and third reading of the mill rate bylaw will be put before council during the May 27 meeting, which will give council an opportunity to discuss/debate the proposed changes before the bylaw goes into effect.

2024 Property Taxes and Payment Options

Property owners can opt-in to receive their assessment and taxation notices electronically. This paperless option will allow easy access to assessment and taxation documents on Virtual City

Payments can be made at: - City Hall (cash, debit or cheque), - a financial institution, or - through online banking.

Once property owners have paid their 2024 property taxes, they can sign up for pre-authorized debit payments to get a head start on their 2025 property taxes.

This year’s tax notices are scheduled to be printed and mailed or sent electronically on Friday, June 7, 2024, and are due upon sending. Under the Penalty Bylaw, the last payment date before penalties is Thursday, July 25, 2024.

Sask

inflation stays low due to lack of carbon tax

Saskatchewan’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by only 1 per cent in April 2024 over April 2023. This marks the second-lowest increase among the provinces and sits far below the national average of 2.7 per cent.

“R emoving the Carbon Tax from home heating is helping our province tackle inflation,” said deputy premier and Minister of Finance Donna Harpauer. “Our government will always fight for the people of Saskatchewan and stand up against policies that hurt our province.”

The CPI measures changes in the price of goods and services over time. Inflation is indicated by the

growth of CPI, which helps assess changes to the cost of living. An individual’s ability to buy goods and services is affected by changes in income and prices.

MERIDIAN SOURCE STAFF

MERIDIAN SOURCE STAFF

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Ribfest making Lloyd a Father’s Day hub

The fifth edition of Ribfest will once again help to position Lloydminster as the regional centre of Father’s Day celebrations.

The local stop on the Western Canada Rib Fest Tour is a major fundraiser for Border City Connects, which provides transportation services to the residents of Lloydminster and the surrounding area with special needs or mobility issues.

Glenn Fagnan, executive director of the non-profit expects the event will check off both boxes with a few revisions in the works.

The biggest tweak is the decision to return the venue to Lloyd Ex after linking up with the Just Kruzin’ Specialty Vehicle Club’s annual Show and Shine at the Servus Sports last year.

“Just the layout of the Servus Sports Centre did not work. The staff tried to accommodate both of us, but there’s

Saskatchewan continues to see strong economic outcomes, with the province’s exports totalling over $101.9 billion for 2022 and 2023 combined. This is a 52.2 per cent increase from the previous two-year period

just not enough room for both,” explained Fagnan.

“With the success of both it just doesn’t work there. We’re going to the Lloyd Ex and that’s going to be our home from this day forward.”

Fagnan says Ribfest and the car show draw in thousands of people to Lloydminster to create that link with the city and Father’s Day festivities.

“We’d like to see Lloydminster be the destination for Father’s Day just from an economic perspective and for people to know there’s going to be something going in Lloydminster and say ‘we’ve got to be there.’”

This year’s Ribfest will feature roughly five food vendors selling finger-licking ribs, pulled pork, sausage, corn and more—including ice cream— with a different setup this time around.

“We’ve got a few more things going on within the Ribfest area,” said Fagnan.

of 2020-2021, which saw $66.9 billion in total exports.

Private capital investment is projected to reach $14.2 billion in 2024, an increase of 14.4 per cent over 2023. This is the highest anticipated percentage increase in Canada.

“It’s going to be a little bit of a different vibe. We’ve got something for everybody on the family side of things.

“We’ll have a great seating area, the beer gardens and we’ll have

The Government of Saskatchewan also recently unveiled its new Securing the Next Decade of GrowthSaskatchewan’s Investment Attraction Strategy. This strategy combined with Sas -

some local bands that are going to play live music.”

Fagnan is hoping Ribfest will raise about $50,000.

The money will towards the purchase of a seven-passenger Care-

katchewan’s trade and investment website, InvestSK.ca, contains helpful information for potential markets and solidifies the province as the best place to do business in Canada.

A-Van and a paratransit bus with a wheelchair lift with a total replacement cost of about $225,000 for both.

from

Forward hockey game in April will be added to the pot.

The $70,000 raised

the Play it

GEOFF LEE STAFF WRITER

Source File Photo

SASK GROWTH FROM PAGE 2

Car club kruzin’ into 16th annual show

Ladies, gentlemen, automotive enthusiasts of all ages, get ready to rumble at the Just Kruzin’ Specialty Vehicle Club’s 16th annual Show ‘n Shine.

Taking over the parking lot of the Servus Sports Centre on June 15, this year’s show will feature upwards of 250

vehicles as well as a special celebrity guest.

“We’ve added something very unique this year as we’re bringing in a celebrity, which is something we’ve never done,” said show chair Gerry Duhaime.

“We were able to get a hold of Saskatchewan’s own Dave Mischuk who was the mechanic on the TV show Lost Car

Rescue. He’s going to be spending the day with us and we’ll have a special tent set up for him to do meet and greets. We might even have him judge one of the cars.”

Registration for the event runs from 9 a.m. to noon with the show running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. One aspect of the show Duhaime

is pleased to say hasn’t changed over the years is the fact it’s completely free to attend.

“The sponsors are what make this show possible,” he said.

“It’s a fully-sponsored show with no admission charge to attend the show, or for participants who are showing their vehicles. That’s not necessarily unique, but making it a free family event was something we’ve done from the very beginning.”

Duhaime did note, however, there will be food trucks selling items for those looking for something to snack on, but there’s no admission charge to attend.

With 16 years of history in the Border City, the Just Kruzin’ Show ‘n Shine has seen significant growth over the years, turning it into an event people want to attend.

“The show draws

families and has become an event for Lloydminster,” said Duhaime.

“The mayor’ s even coming and he’ll be doing a Mayor’s Pick where he’ll pick a vehicle and present an award off of his choice.”

Maz Entertainment will once again have its big screen set up with music playing throughout the day.

“With the Maz Entertainment screen, we did something very unique last year, which we’ll be doing again this year, where the winners of each of the awards will have their car shown on the screen during the award presentation,” said Duhaime.

“That way, everyone

in attendance can actually see the cars winning awards.”

This year’s show ‘n shine will feature 21 different awards, all of which are voted on by those showing the vehicles.

“We have the Top 10 overall, the Participants’ Choice, the People’s Choice, we have the Mayor’s Pick, as well as numerous others including family and memorial awards.”

The ever-popular kids’ zone will once again feature matchbox racing and model building.

For more information on the upcoming car show, visit Just Kruzin’ Specialty Vehicle Club on Facebook.

TAYLOR WEAVER EDITOR

Source File Photos

Vic Juba finally takes bow

The Vic Juba Community Theatre recently thanked long-term board members from left: Denis Foss, Gwen Mottram, Bryce Eben, Jackie Fowler, Chris McQuid, Marcy Lovberg, Aaron Buckingham, as well as Vic Juba himself (missing from photo).

Vic Juba missed his own retirement party as a long-time board member of the community theatre that bears his name.

The 92-year-old local legend was caring for his wife Ann on May 9 when the Vic Juba Community Theatre thanked past board members who gathered for a photo op.

“It’s been a while. It was time—give myself a bit of a rest,” explained Juba who has been involved since the theatre was just a concept. He also turned over the first sod and was there when it opened in 2002.

The theatre thanked Juba (2000-2024), Denis Foss (20022022), Gwen Mottram (2000-2024), Jackie Fowler (2010-2022), Chris McQuid (20122021), Marcy Lovberg (2012-2022), Bryce Eben (2016-2024) and Aaron Buckingham (2016- 2023) for the contributions to the organization.

The torch is being passed on to three new board members starting this month, joining the remaining eight who continue to serve arts and culture.

“Their passion and hard work have been instrumental in estab -

lishing the Vic Juba Community Theatre as a vibrant hub for arts and culture in our region,” said board chair Jordan Bolt.

The impact of their efforts is evident in the diverse range of performances and events hosted at the theatre, which continue to inspire, entertain, and educate audiences of all ages.

More shows are being added to the theatre’s Dr. H.A. McDonald Season weekly.

“As we look to the future, Vic Juba Community Theatre remains committed to building on the legacy of these dedicated individuals, ensuring that their vision and passion continue to guide us in our mission to enrich the cultural life of our community,” said Bolt.

Juba says the board is a governance model on behalf of the city.

“It’s a city-owned building. Their job is to look after the operations and generate as much income as we can to pay the bills,” he said. Looking back, Juba says every now and then he gets choked up knowing the theatre is named after him.

He says it happened during the sod turning and took him by surprise.

Juba worked at

Husky Energy all his life and did the sod turning for the Upgrader that opened in 1992 so he was asked by former Lloydminster Mayor Ken Baker to do it to kickstart the construction of the theatre.

He recalls being the last one to speak when Lakeland’s president suddenly jumped in announcing Baker had something else to say.

“He started talking about me, thanking me for this and that.

I’m starting to get a little embarrassed. Then he went on to a second page. It was like the old Latin ad nauseam,”

joked Juba.

“Then he made the announcement and I broke down. It threw me. I had no idea at all, none. A number of people were in on it. Talk about a best-kept secret.”

Looking back he guesses the city, the school boards and Lakeland got together to pitch his name.

“It was a total surprise to me. I still choke up now and then because it was so out of the blue,” said Juba.

He thinks naming the theatre after him had a lot to do with his record of volunteerism.

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Dementia and ambiguous loss and grief

present in the same way as before.”

In the world and homes where dementia has entered, experiences of ambiguous grief and loss become part of the journey.

The Alzheimer Society of Canada offers a helpful resource for individuals and families navigating the world of dementia titled Ambiguous Loss and Grief in Dementia.

The resource provides the following definition for ambiguous loss: “a type of loss you feel when a person with dementia is physically there, but may not be mentally or emotionally

Ambiguous loss is a different experience than sudden loss, which often allows for a more traditional grieving process. In fact, ambiguous loss can be very complicated because individuals affected by dementia as individuals or family members do not always recognize it as a grieving process.

The following strategies are listed in the resource as ideas of how to support the person with dementia through ambiguous loss:

- Focus on what the person can do at each stage of dementia, rather than the abilities

that have been lost.

- Acknowledge their grief. Listen with empathy and offer comfort and reassurance without denying or discounting their expressed feelings.

- Look for ways to make meaningful connections with the person each day.

- Share your intimate knowledge of the person with dementia – personality, needs, interests, likes, dislikes, favourite activities and life history – with any staff providing care so they are better able to support and connect with that person as a unique individual.

For family members navigating ambigu -

ous loss, there are several suggestions in the resource to apply to their own lives. Here are a few examples:

- Reach out for support.

- Stay physically active.

- Remain mentally active and socially involved.

- Try stress management and relaxation activities.

- Take regular breaks from caregiving responsibilities.

- Find ways to stay connected to the person with dementia as they are today.

- Though it is difficult, it is also important to be realistic about how dementia will affect the person over time. You need to plan for a life on your own after the person with dementia is gone.

To illustrate experiences of ambiguous loss with dementia, The Alzheimer’s Society of Canada resource integrates stories sub -

mitted by caregivers. To access the resource and to connect with other resources on dementia, you can follow this link: https://

At one point, he was the head of the theatre construction committee and the chair of its fundraising committee. He was also chair of the 1982 Alberta Winter Games, which he says was the biggest project Lloydminster ever held at that time with a $446,000 budget.

“I chaired so many things including Lions Club association and band, and in 1997, I chaired the Alberta Summer Games and helped build the Heavy Oil Science Centre,” said Juba. It was his idea to capture the history of the oil industry in Lloydminster. He also chaired the

alzheimer.ca/en/helpsupport/i-have-friendor-family-memberwho-lives-dementia/ managing-ambiguousloss-grief

2002 Alberta Senior Games in the city among an endless list of organizations he’s led or been a part of including the Lions Club since 1959. He was chair of the board of the Barr Colony Heritage and Cultural Centre for 18 years and was chair of the Lloydminster Public Library board for 16 years and vice-chair of Border Credit Union for 16 years.

Juba has stepped back from volunteering at the theatre but he’s looking forward to it hosting the Saskatchewan Country Music Association awards from June 20 to 22.

“It’s a big thing to be coming to Lloydminster,” he said.

VIC JUBA FROM PAGE 5

File Photo

Métis beaver guarding watershed pals

A beaver puppet named Amisk is eager to help teachers and students around the world protect wildlife in our watersheds.

Recently, Amisk helped Bishop Lloyd Middle School student

Sadey Bruce-Kopperud win first place in this year’s Caring for Our Watersheds competition.

This a contest that challenges students in Alberta to identify an issue in their regional watershed and design a project with solutions.

The 14-year-old winner is a student in Derek Hyland’s land-based leadership class, who is using Amisk to mentor other classes in the Lloydminster Public School Division on how to protect real-life critters.

“I go to different classrooms with my beaver puppet, Amisk, and I go out to classrooms and I teach them about how we can protect the animals in the watershed and how we can protect our watershed,” said Sadey.

She calls her project

“Guardians of the Circle” as that’s what beavers represent in her Métis culture. Amisk represents wisdom in the seven grandfather teachings.

Her grand plan is to create lessons and books about the seven teachings, medicine wheel teachings and teachings of the four sacred elements.

She even created a circular project logo made from beads.

Sadey presented her idea to a panel of judges on May 10 in Wetaskiwin to compete for a prize of up to $1,000. She plans to spend some of the money to buy more beads.

The school is also awarded a matching $1,000 to help pay for a class canoe trip to Meadow Lake Provincial Park June 18-21.

This is the third straight year one of Hyland’s Grade 8 students has won the top prize and the fourth year in a row the school has placed in the top 10.

Sadey’s project was deemed the best out of 299 proposals entered

by 598 students in the province, leaving Hyland to explain how this keeps happening.

“I’m always surrounded by amazing young humans who have awesome cool ideas. We’ve been lucky to have such young good students,” said Hyland.

He says Sadey’s project is very interesting as she has created a whole curriculum-infused presentation.

“She goes around and works with schools in our division,” he said.

“She has brought over some other leaders at our school to help her deliver the content and it is expanding.

“She has other ideas for creating a children’s book that’s also linked to curriculum that teachers could use and take and roll with it.

“So it starts small and has become really expansive, so it’s really cool.”

Sadey actually plans to meet up with a Métis author in a matter of days to look at creating books so she can sell them around the world with lesson plans.

Source shines at community newspaper awards

Everyone at the Meridian Source is still doing a happy dance after the release of this year’s Alberta Weekly Newspaper Association (AWNA) and Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association (SWNA) award winners. In the SWNA contest, Source graphic designer Brent Michalenko took second in Best Series of Advertisements, veteran reporter Geoff Lee got third for Best Headline Writing, and former reporter Jeannette Benoit-Leipert got first for Best Saskatchewan Arts or Cultural Story (Article or Column), third for Best Business Writing and

third for Best Health/Healthcare Coverage. Editor Taylor Weaver also took third for Best Sports Photo and third for Photographer of the Year.

A cross the border, in the AWNA’s Advertising Awards, graphic designer Dan Quach won third for Use of Colour in Advertising.

In the AWNA’s general excellence awards, the Source competes in Class D (publications with a circulation of over 15,000) and took home first place for Best Sports Coverage/ Pages, second place for Best Editorial Page/Section, and third place for Best Overall newspaper.

GEOFF LEE STAFF WRITER

Supplied Photo

Bishop Lloyd Middle School student Sadey Bruce-Kopperud and her beaver puppet, Amisk, won first place in an Alberta-wide Caring for our Watersheds project. Her win is the third straight year a student in Derek Hyland’s land-based leadership program has finished first. The teen also won a $1,000 prize.

Bone up on backyard fire pit safety

Where there’s smoke there’s fire.

That includes potential fires from backyard barbecues and fire pits.

Assistant fire chief, Kristopher Hill with the Lloydminster Fire Department spoke to the media at Fire Station No. 1 to promote awareness of backyard fire safety before the May long weekend.

“We want everybody

to not get complacent and keep fire safety in mind and clean up barbecues and get them ready for the season,” said Hill.

“Keep them six to 10 feet away from the side of your house, letting them cool down before putting them against the side of your house.”

When it comes to backyard fire pits, the Fire Services bylaw regulates their use and construction. They

should be no more than 36 inches in diameter with an ember screen on the top.

“The biggest thing that we run into, is people burning prohibited materials such as construction materials, furniture and cardboard and that kind of stuff with garbage,” said Hill.

“Class A wood (dry untreated) is the only material you are permitted to burn.”

Hill cautions embers

from burning prohibited materials can drift outside of your yard and land in nearby grass on a neighbour’s yard.

He says that can cause fires that may not be noticed if no one’s paying attention and can spread to nearby structures, fences and different things resulting in a 9-11 phone call.

Hill advises homeowners to keep an eye on their fire at all time and have some water nearby to fully extinguish it.

Backyard fire pits are not allowed if there’s a fire ban in the city.

The current fire hazard is moderate, but Hill warns that can change hour by hour despite lots of rain lately.

“Sometimes the moisture can wick off and end up in the storm drains and you get a little bit of wind,” he said.

“Because it’s so dry out here, it doesn’t take long for the relative

humidity to really drop in the middle of the day. When we get some high winds, it can be as dry as it was before the rain.”

The careless disposal of cigarette butts can also lead to structural and outdoor fires.

“Definitely don’t be flicking them out the window even if it did rain,” said Hill.

“Vehicles on the highway can move (blow) the smoking materials to the side of the road where they can sit there and smoulder for awhile.”

“We encourage anyone with smoking materials to dispose of them appropriately.”

Hill says some municipalities are banning the sale and use of jet lighters and torches to light smoking materials since they are known to cause structural fires inside houses.

Hill says smoking in your backyard can also cause fires from something as simple as stub -

bing cigarette butts out in a plant pot with fertilizers in the soil.

“It will actually smoulder in the fertilizer for up to eight hours,” he said.

On a related topic, Hill says a permit is required to ignite materials in a burn barrel or a burn pile, noting most of these activities take place on the outskirts of the city.

“It’s on a case-bycase basis. I’ll go and do an inspection and take a look and I’ll write a burn permit. It’s either approved or not approved by myself,” said Hill.

Hill says despite evacuations this month from forest fires in Fort McMurray, Fort Nelson and parts of Manitoba there’s been no requests yet from the province of Alberta to deploy firefighters from Lloydminster as there was last year.

“We have to serve the City of Lloydminster first,” said Hill.

GEOFF LEE STAFF WRITER

Geoff Lee Meridian Source

Assistant fire chief Kristopher Hill spoke to the media at Fire Station No. 1 at the start of seasonal backyard pits and barbecues to advise homeowners on safety precautions.

Axe the taxes, give Canadians a break

On May 16, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called for the government to suspend all gas and diesel taxes from Victoria Day to Labour Day to give Canadians a summer break from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s inflation.

The move would suspend the carbon tax, the Excise Tax and the GST on fuels, which would lower gas prices by 35.6 cents per litre on average.

The problem

“After nine years of Trudeau, life has become miserable for Canadians. Justin Trudeau may be able to fly off to a luxury resort for a $230,000 taxpayer-funded vacation, but most Canadians are having to scale back or cancel their road trips after Trudeau’s carbon tax made fuel and groceries unaffordable,” said Poilievre in a statement.

Families will have to pay $700 more for food this year than they did in 2023. Last year, food banks had to handle a

record 2 million visits in a single month, with a million more visits expected in 2024.

One in ten people in Toronto are having to

Trudeau may be able to fly off to a luxury resort for a $230,000 taxpayer-funded vacation, but most Canadians are having to scale back or cancel their road trips after Trudeau’s carbon tax made fuel and groceries unaffordable.

rely on food banks to survive. Even members of our armed forces can’t afford the price of food.

In the middle of this historic cost-of-living crisis, Trudeau and his NDP coalition partners decided to hike the carbon tax by 23 per cent. This is just one step in his plan to quadruple the carbon tax over the

next six years, making everything more expensive at the worst possible time. In fact, since Trudeau became Prime Minister, fuel prices have surged by more than 50 per cent. The parliamentary budget officer has been clear most families will pay more in the carbon tax than they receive in the rebate.

This year, Trudeau’s carbon tax will cost families in Alberta $2,943, Saskatchewan $2,618, Manitoba

$1,750, Ontario $1,674, Nova Scotia $1,500, Prince Edward Island $1,605, and Newfoundland and Labrador $1,874, an average cost across Canada of $1,963.

“Canadians deserve relief, not more taxes. Families should be able to afford a simple road trip. That’s why Justin Trudeau must axe his carbon tax, the GST on fuel, and the federal fuel tax between Victoria Day and Labour Day to bring home lower

prices for everyone,” said Poilievre. The solution Conservatives are calling on Trudeau to give Canadians a summer break by axing the carbon tax, the federal fuel tax, and GST on gasoline and diesel between Victoria Day and Labour Day so families can afford a simple summer vacation. This would save the average Canadian family $670 over the summer.

And to pay for it, Conservatives are call -

ing on the government to cut back on the over $21 billion in spending on overpriced consultants, which has gone up almost 100 per cent since 2015, for contracts like the $54 million ArriveScam app. Conservatives will axe the tax on everything for everyone in a carbon tax election, but until that can happen, Trudeau must adopt this commonsense measure to give Canadians a summer break.

Assiniboia man arrested for child sex crimes, faces 73 charges

RYAN KIEDROWSKI

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE

A historic sexual assault case spanning nearly 20 years was the subject of a special news conference at RCMP Headquarters in Regina last week.

that search warrant. He was later charged with multiple sexual-based offences. Richard Dyke had remained in cus -

on June 4 on these new charges.

Munro confirmed there are currently 32

and Swift

C/Supt. Ted Munro, Saskatchewan RCMP’s Criminal Operations Officer, explained how the investigation into a home-based licensed daycare in Assiniboia resulted in the arrest of Richard John Dyke, 47, late last year.

“Coronach RCMP received a report of a historical sexual assault of a child,” Munro told reporters.

“As part of that investigation, officers executed a search warrant at a residence in Assiniboia. Fortyseven-year-old Richard Dyke was arrested during the execution of

sexual offences on three boys under 12 years of age through the mid2010s.

During the news conference last Tuesday, RCMP confirmed identifying 29 more victims; youths between the ages of 18 months to 17 years at the time the offences occurred, the majority being male.

From the continued investigation, Dyke was charged with 14 counts sexual assault; 14 counts sexual interference; nine counts voyeurism; and 23 counts making child pornography. Dyke is scheduled to appear in Moose Jaw Provincial Court

victims in total from the communities of Tisdale, Estevan, Assiniboia, Gravelbourg

Current. Sharing Dyke’s photo during the news conference is an effort to hopefully prompt other victims to come forward to the RCMP.

MERIDIAN SOURCE STAFF

File Photo

PAGE 10

Thursday, May 23, 2024

MERIDIAN SOURCE

Viewpoint

OP-ED: WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING

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Editor Taylor Weaver taylor@meridiansource.ca

Spring is here and people are out, including the homeless. A part of the conversations I hear these days is the question “What can we do about it?”

During the Council meeting of May 13, the City took a clear first step. A motion approving a $180,000 funding agreement with The Olive Tree Community Centre over three years was approved by Council. But not without some considerable debate and concern.

you can look up online) is to draw together and collaborate with community partners such as The Olive Tree, the Men’s Shelter and others to collectively work on some solutions.

In this case , the funding agreement supports a homebase case worker position. This person aids clients in accessing a range of services such as obtaining a health care card, driver’s licence and other documentation that are “must haves” in order to access an entire suite of services and supports that can’t be accessed without a permanent address.

tise and resources than by going it alone. What it takes is for someone to act as a facilitator in bringing together those partnerships and that is where the City can, and is, certainly playing a role.

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

Do you stand on legal principle and stay in your mandated legislated lane and let the provinces and feds deal with an issue that is clearly and unquestionably in their jurisdiction and area of responsibility, or do you respond to the human drama unfolding right in front of you?

It’s not only the plight of the homeless themselves, but it includes those who must contend with the myriad of collateral impacts on local businesses and the larger community.

The approach of our city’s Social Policy Framework (which

Indeed, actually finding and filling out the required documents themselves can be a major challenge to people wanting to access programs such as Housing First.

This isn’t about one single entity doing it all or paying for it all.

Back in the day, we used the word “synergy” to describe organizational partnerships that could accomplish more by working together and sharing exper -

Let’s not forget the dilemma though. Who pays? If we do this, are we walking into a never-ending tar pit? It is naïve to think that homelessness will ever completely be eradicated. So where do we draw the line?

The one thing that can be said is by working together and leveraging the assets and expertise of the entire community we have a far better chance of at least doing something.

- Darrell Dunn

Leeway from Lloyd: Lambasting Canadian talent!

STAFF WRITER GEOFF LEE

Canada suffered two embarrassing moments last Tuesday.

One was the final of Canada’s Got Talent and the other was Team Canada hockey talent giving up five unanswered goals in the third period to Austria at the IIHF World Hockey Championships to force overtime with a 6-6 tie after regulation play. Canada won in overtime, but it felt more like a huge loss given the total collapse; you could tell our players were sheepish about it, too. Luckily we’re in the quarter finals on May 23.

As for Canada’s Got Talent, the winner was Rebecca Strong, an

Indigenous singer from Prince Albert. Hats off to her for winning $1 million, but to my finely-tuned ear, she sounded just okay with her competition being so off-key it hurt to listen. Hopefully, this will be the last year for the show because it was all a joke with very little talent among the eight variety act finalists. Ask me how I really feel.

The final comedians never generated any laughs and the judges didn’t have the guts to tell them they totally bombed and needed to rethink their life.

The judges told one of the unfunny comedians they liked his personality but didn’t tell him no one laughed. Isn’t that the point of being a comedian? If you are not funny, you are not a comedian.

Viewers across Canada voted for the winners, so I guess they saw what I did with Rebecca Strong rising to the top of a very sketchy talent pool.

The show is billed as the biggest cash prize in Canadian television history, but hopefully, they will just donate the $1M to charity next year and call it quits.

I did watch every episode, however! If it does come back, please get rid of all the

judges, go with a clean slate and bring in some folks who are honest in their assessment of the performers.

Back to Team Canada, who stopped playing and threw goalie Jordan Binnington under the bus. Why didn’t the coach pull him to stop the bleeding or call a time-out? Sorry folks, I just had to vent and blow off a head of steam. I need a Snickers bar to be myself again.

Howie Mandel. File Photo

File Photo

Life and times of today’s farm families

It can be interesting to sit back and observe how people get their information.

Ev en more importantly, how they determine if the source can be trusted and what is being said is accurate.

I t is especially pertinent in a business like ours where you need to market properties to specific demographics living across a large region.

For farmland, we generally separate the adult population into two distinct brackets, as a significant number of family farms these days have up to four generations involved.

T here are people my age, gradually stepping back from the operational decisions, but still functionally, financially, and dare I say, emotionally involved.

T hen, there is the group the age of my sons, aged 30 to 50, who are the day-to-day

Producers have made substantial progress in seeding over the last week. Seeding is currently 32 per cent complete in the province, up 20 per cent from last week.

This is behind the five-year average of 54 per cent and the 10-year average of 45 per cent. Currently, seeding is more advanced in the southern part of the province.

The central and northern regions have made significant seeding progress over the last week moving from an average of five per cent seeding progress combined within these regions to an average of 26 per cent seeding progress this week.

decision-makers, bear the brunt of the workload, and quietly, the stress of demonstrating to their parents they have the competence with which to take over the family farm completely.

Many times, the older generation simply joined their mother and father on the farm after graduating high school, often working an outside job as well until they had enough land of their own to make a go of it.

Frankly, at that time, farming wasn’t seen as the most desirable of occupations. Commodity prices were low, and interest rates were high. The streets of gold in the big centers were calling.

H igh school teachers preached that university education was the right path to a student’s future.

If you look at today’s younger farm management group, men and women, almost all of them have some type of post-secondary education, mostly in agriculture-

related sciences, and have come back to the family farm after a decade or so of outside job experience.

Older folks like me still read the newspaper and watch the evening news. We may even participate in the local coffee row discussions from time to time. Going to town for the mail is a must event.

Younger farmers get their information from their smartphones, receive daily texts on commodity prices,

participate in like-minded online interest groups, and use the services of special advisors regularly.

Conse quently, our team invests considerable energy in developing parallel marketing strategies to meet the expectations of both demographics.

Used to be, I thought just having a website was progressive. Then we were the first in the region to use video virtual tours of homes.

So, it is kind of fun for

someone like me, to learn modern tactics like “reels”, drone photography, and Google search optimization to provide reliable information to an increasingly global audience.

Ver n McClelland is an associate broker with RE/ MAX of Lloydminster and an active partner in his family’s livestock operation. Comments on this article are welcome either by emailing vernmcclelland@remax.net or calling 306-821-0611.

Last week in the field: Sask Crop Report

cent, respectively. Pulse crops are leading in seeding completion with field peas at 53 per cent seeded followed by lentils at 50 per cent and chickpeas at 39 per cent.

Durum is 38 per cent seeded, spring wheat at 36 per cent, barley at 30 per cent, oats at 22 per cent, canary seed at 19 per cent and triticale at 18 per cent.

Mustard leads for oilseed seeding completion at 24 per cent followed by canola at 17

per cent and flax at 12 per cent. Soybeans are the furthest behind in seeding progress at eight per cent. Rainfall amounts were variable over the last week in the province with many areas receiving smaller amounts.

The highest reported rainfall was in the Richmound area at 59 mm followed by the Avonlea and Leader areas both reporting 48 mm.

Other notable rain that fell over the

week included in the Marengo area at 39 mm, while the Wadena area received 31 mm and the Speers area received 26 mm.

Provincial topsoil moisture conditions remain adequate this week. Cropland topsoil moisture is reported at four per cent surplus, 86 per cent adequate, nine per cent short and one per cent very short. Hayland topsoil moisture is two per cent surplus, 81 per cent adequate, 16 per cent short

Church Directory

The southwest is the furthest advanced with 45 per cent of crop in the ground followed by the southeast region at 36 per cent. The northwest is at 33 per cent and the northeast is at 26 per cent seeding completion. The westcentral and east-central regions are similar in seeding progress at 23 per cent and 22 per

Sunday Worship May 26 – 10:00 a.m.

and two per cent very short. Pasture topsoil moisture conditions are similar at two per cent surplus, 78 per cent adequate, 17 per cent short and two per cent very short.

Producers are busy seeding while watching their early-seeded crops begin to emerge.

Many are applying preseed herbicide products as the recent rainfall

and heat have allowed weeds to emerge ahead of seeding.

Cattle are being moved out to greening pastures and branding has started.

Producers are reminded to be safe during their field activities and watch for overhead powerlines while moving equipment in fields and farmyards this spring.

MIDWEST MINUTE

VERN McCLELLAND

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.

Passport to YLL

To place an event, email taylor@meridiansource.ca or fax

Cards, games, food, meetings and live music

BINGO IS BACK!

Bingo is back at the Moose Lodge every Monday and Wednesday. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and play starts at 7 p.m. Must be 18 to play.

Legion She Shed Raffle Returns!

Get your ticket now for the Lloydminster Legion’s She Shed Raffle! First prize is a new shed valued at over $4,500! Second prize is a beautiful garden swing! Third prize is a picnic table! Draws take place on July 1! Tickets are only $10 each and are available at Cliff Rose for Clothes, Coldwell Banker, Midway Towing or from any Legion member. Proceeds support the Lloydminster Legion. License # RR23-0659

Notorious Football Camp

Welcome to the Notorious Youth Football Camp! Join us on May 25 for a day of intensive training and skill development led by experienced coaches and CFL alumni, including Shawn Gore, Junior Turner and Adrian Clarke. The cost is $81.21 plus tax and tickets are available through Event -

Obrite. The training day will take at Holy Rosary High School and will be moved indoors if the weather isn’t cooperating. For more information, check out the event’s Facebook page.

Border City Métis Society AGM

The Border City Métis Society’s annual general meeting is being held on June 2 at 2 p.m. in the auditorium at the Border City Aboriginal Head Start Program, 5009–48 Ave. Memberships are due; lunch will be served.

Reconciliation

Information Sharing

Grace United Church, Lloydminster extends an invitation to discuss and learn about reconciliation and decolonization. Join Charlene Bonnar for an evening series of information sharing, Wednesday, June 5, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Church Hall. Bonnar teaches in the University Transfer Program at Lakeland College and has spent time unlearning her colonial upbringing and connecting with Indigenous culture and spirituality. Discussion and information

sharing continue Wednesday, June 5, 7–9 p.m. at Grace United Church, 4708–50 Ave. in downtown Lloydminster. This series of discussions will continue June 5 and concludes on June 19.

69th Annual Lea Park Rodeo

The 69th Annual Lea Park Rodeo will be held on June 7 at 6:30 p.m. and June 8-9 at 1 p.m. with the dance in the Marwayne Arena to follow at 9 p.m. on Saturday. Win a 2024 Dodge 3/4 ton. Truck tickets are $100. Call 780205-9010 or 306-821-6352 for more details.

Downtown Streetfest

The City of Lloydminster is excited to once again host its annual Downtown Streetfest, which is being held on June 8 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fun kicks off at the Olive Tree for a free pancake breakfast from 9-11 a.m. with activities for the whole family taking place throughout the day.

Just Kruzin Show & Shine

Head to the Servus Sports Centre on June 15 for the Just Kruzin’ Specialty Vehi -

cle Club’s 16th annual Show & Shine! Registration is from 9 a.m. to noon with the show running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Awards and prizes at 4 p.m. Organizers are expecting 200+ guest cars on top of their own local cars to make for roughly 250 total vehicles. The show will feature antique vehicles, hot rods, rat rods, customs, muscle cars and more. There will be food trucks and refreshments, a kid’s zone for the young ones to enjoy, and much more.

2nd

Reconciliation Information Sharing

You are invited to Grace United Church, Lloydminster to join in the learning and discussions about reconciliation and decolonization. Join Charlene Bonnar for an evening series of information sharing, Wednesday, June 19 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Church Hall. Continue your learning journey June 19, 7–9 p.m. at Grace United Church, 4708 – 50 Ave. in downtown Lloydminster. This series of discussions will conclude June 19.

Filipino Festival

Celebrate Filipino heri -

Black bear spotted in Border City

n May 19 around 8:47 p.m., Lloydminster RCMP became aware of a black bear within the city limits of Lloydminster.

tage from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Bud Miller All Seasons Park on June 22 with the 3rd annual Filipino Festival. The day of fun and delicious food will also feature live music, Zumba, dances, door prizes, a car show, raffles, bouncy houses, cultural presentations and games. For sponsorships and inquiries, please contact Dowsan at 639-536-4092, Aurora at 306-821-4102 or Jonah at 306-830-9142.

Hotel California at The Vic Juba VaughnCo Entertainment is excited to bring the original Eagles tribute, Hotel California, to the Vic Juba Community Theatre on Sept. 20 for a 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $60 each and available online or at the theatre’s box office. Call 780-872-7400 for more info.

Taylor Swift Tribute The Vic Juba Community Theatre is excited to bring a Taylor Swift Tribute featuring Katy Ellis to the Border City on Wednesday, Nov. 13 for a 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets are $39 each and are available online or at the theatre’s box office. Call 780-8727400 for more info.

The bear, which was seen in a field east of RR 11, North of 67 St., was also seen approaching several residences.

advised as follows:

- The public is not to approach the bear;

Lloydminster RCMP contacted Alberta Fish and Wildlife, who have

- Residents are asked to keep small children inside;

- All pets should remain indoors when

possible and only go outdoors under supervision;

- All attractants, such as food and garbage, should be kept inside or put away as best as possible;

- Keep fences and doors closed and locked when possible; and

- Anyone who sees the bear is asked to advise the RCMP so they can better track it’s movements.

Paul Forges Photo

PAGE 13

Thursday, May 23, 2024

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