Meridian Source - November 24, 2022

Toy run ends in donation bliss

The Bordertown Harley Owners Group (HOG) revved up this year’s fall toy run one more time to pres ent cheques to youthminded charities in time for Christmas.

Members of the toy run committee, chaired by Murray Getty, wheeled into the Sticks Billiards & Lounge on Saturday to hand out near-record proceeds of more than $69,000 in amounts chosen by sponsors.

“Oh, it’s great; we enjoy being able to help out the youth in the Lloydminster commu nity,” said Getty.

“The need keeps going up and the price of everything keeps going up. It’s always good to be able to help out.”

The 11th annual toy run went ahead on Sept. 10 without a hitch.

“We had a good turn out and it was a good day for a bike ride,” recalled Getty.

Toy run co-chair, Chris Leibel, noted plans are already in

motion for the 12th annual toy next year, with the date set for Sept. 9 and the venue to be determined.

Getty, meanwhile, reports the HOGs has roughly 65 mem bers and are still going strong.

“The toy run is as popular as ever,” he said.

Each year, it earns the appreciation of beneficiaries such as the Lloydminster Cath olic School Division (LCSD) which received

a donation of $6,500 for their school break fast program.

“It will help us a lot because provin cial funding ebbs and flows,” said LPSD dep uty director of educa tion, Glenda Kary, who accepted the cheque.

She says what doesn’t change is students’ need for food.

“So we really use this money for break fast programs at every school,” said Kary.

Brent Thomas, superintendent of edu

cation at Lloydminster Public School Division, was equally grateful for a needed donation of $6,500 to cover food programs for all K-12 students.

“Now more than ever, we’re serving our kids breakfast and lunch, too. We’re thankful for the donation to this because if kids are hun gry it’s hard for them to learn,” said Thomas.

“This fills their bellies and gets them ready for the day.”

FCSS grant allocations approved

On Monday, Lloy dminster City Coun cil approved the Family and Community Sup port Services (FCSS) Lloydminster grant allo cation of $385,000 to 13 local organizations.

FCSS Lloydminster funding supports Cityrun programs and nonprofit organizations that offer preventative social services. These funds serve Alberta and Sas katchewan residents.

Big Brothers Big Sis ters Association of Lloydminster Corp

• Program: Mentor ing Makes a Difference, funding: $45,000 Catholic Social Services

• Program: Seniors Connections, funding: $30,000

Inclusion Lloydminster

• Program: Engag ing Families, Creating Good Lives (Inclusive Community Initiative), funding: $15,000

Lloydminster & Area Brain Injury Society

• Program: Establish ing Connections, fund ing: $5,000

Lloydminster Interval Home Society

• Program: Family Vio lence Prevention Pro gram, funding: $30,000

Lloydminster Interval Home Society

• Program: Lloydmin ster Community Youth Centre Outreach Pro gram, funding: $40,000

Lloydminster Native Friendship Centre Inc.

• Program: Engaging our People – Preven tion/Intervention Pro gram, funding: $45,000

Midwest Family Connections Inc.

• Program: First Steps, funding: $40,000

Midwest Family Connections Inc.

• Program: Maternal Mental Health Initia tive, funding: $5,590 Residents in Recovery Society

• Program: Fam ily Recovery Program, funding: $49,000

The Olive Tree Community Centre

• Program: Outreach Support Workers, fund ing: $35,000

Walking Through Grief Society

• Program: Walking Through Grief Support, funding: $15,410

MERIDIAN SOURCE STAFF

GEOFF LEE WRITER

Geoff Lee Meridian Source

KidSport reps in yellow shirts Nadine Ulrich, left and Corey Kyle, were thrilled to receive a donation of $16,105 on Saturday from the Bordertown Harley Owners Group toy run. On the left side of the cheque is chair Murray Getty with co-chair Chris Leibel on the right with other members on hand.

Toy run helps spread holiday cheer

FROM PAGE 3

Jacqueline Weed, director of service delivery at Lloydmin ster Big Brothers Big Sisters, talked about how they will spend their $12,800 donation from the toy run.

“The amount that we receive from the toy run every year helps us to serve the kids as part of our programs,” said Weed.

She noted they are not doing any in-person programming right now, but are reaching out to more families than they have before virtually while promoting men toring programs.

“We have our highest number of big brother and sister matches since before COVID, so we’re really excited. Every cent supports mentoring in our com munity and we’re really appreciative of it,” said Weed.

A total of $16,105 went to Lloydminster KidSport.

The group’s trea surer, Brent Kyle, told the audience Border town HOGs have been

one of KidSport’s main donors for many years since he’s been on the board.

“It allows us to fund sport registration fees and equipment for kids ages 5-18 in the com munity and we really appreciate it and we hope it can continue,” said Kyle.

He anticipates they will finish this year funding about 150 applications for assis tance, the most ever. That got a nod from board volunteer Nadine

Ulrich who added a comment.

“With the increased cost of living and stuff, it will really go a long way to help kids in Lloydminster to play sports. We really appre ciate it,” said Ulrich.

Other toy run dona tions included $12,850 for Lloydminster Com munity Youth Cen tre; $6,000 for Lloyd minster Sexual Assault Services; $5,811.32 for 106.1 The Goat’s Christ mas Wish and $2,500 for The Olive Tree.

FCSS GRANTS FROM PAGE 3

Lloydminster Sexual Assault Services

• Program: Sexual Assault and Abuse Education, funding: $30,000

The application process was open from Aug. 22 to Oct. 3. For the 2023 funding year, FCSS Lloydminster received 15 applications totalling $665,608. Fifteen applications were

received in 2022, totalling $550,517.

All applications were submitted to the Community Services Advisory Committee. The committee is made up of eight community representa tives, appointed by Council, who vol unteer their time to review, evalu ate, and provide recommendations regarding community organization applications for municipal grants.

Geoff Lee Meridian Source Team members from 106.1 The Goat were all smiles to receive $5,811.32 from the Bordertown HOGs to support their Christ mas Wish.

Council approves 2023 operating/capital budget

business,” said Aalbers.

City Council officially approved the 2023 operating and capital budgets on Monday.

The 2023 operating budget of $107.9 mil lion and a capital bud get of $63.9 million provide for a munici pal tax levy increase of 4.8 per cent, a taxation user fee increase of 4.5 per cent, assuming a two per cent growth in assessment, plus a util ity user fee increase of five per cent.

“The 2023 budget illustrates City Coun cil’s commitment to fis cal responsibility and a substantial investment in projects that provide value and direct ben efits to the community and region,” said Mayor Gerald Aalbers.

“This budget reflects the core objectives and key initiatives of the City’s Strategic Plan that support the growth and prosperity of our city.”

Additionally, the five per cent utility rate increase will consider the projected costs for the upcoming mechan ical Wastewater Treat ment Facility deben ture and its operational costs.

Key highlights of the 2023 capital project list include:

- Complete construc tion on the Wastewater Treatment Facility

- Commence con struction of the new multi-use event facility

- Proceed with Phase 1 of the Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan

- Allocate $2.3M toward the down town water and sewer replacement program

“This budget addresses the needs of our growing com munity, builds on our infrastructure assets, supports the delivery of quality services and ensures Lloydminster remains a desirable, cost-effective commu nity to live, work and do

Included in the 2023 municipal budget are a one per cent annual contribution to operat ing reserves and a 1.5 per cent annual con tribution to capital reserves, equating to $1.5 million and $11.2 million, respectively.

The 2023 munici pal tax levy increase equates to an approxi mate $6/month impact on a $350,000 res idential property, assuming there is no change in the prop erty’s assessed mar ket value or provincial education taxes.

The 2023 residen tial and non-residential property taxes will be further calculated in the first half of 2023 when City Council reviews the final assessment roll and evaluates the final 2023 budget require ments before establish ing the tax rates in May 2023.

2023 Budget Impacts

The 2023 budget includes a munici pal tax levy increase of

4.8 per cent, assumes a two per cent growth in assessment, and a user fee increase of 4.5 per cent, and a utility user fee increase of five per cent, allowing the City of Lloydminster to keep pace with infla tionary costs, maintain current service levels, and contribute a mod est amount towards the important operational and capital reserves in preparation for the future.

Administration revis ited the draft 2023 budget after its first presentation to City Council originally pro posed a five per cent tax levy increase and a five per cent increase to all user fees while maintaining municipal service levels.

Council requested Administration to reevaluate the proposed budget and bring for ward recommenda tions to lower the tax increase.

In accordance with sections 183 through 190 of the Lloydminster

Charter, Council must adopt an operating and capital budget before

permitting expendi tures for the related fis cal year.

MERIDIAN SOURCE STAFF

Library thriving at mall location

The future of the Lloydminster Public Library is an open book with the latest chapter all about its new loca tion in the LloydMall. Head librarian,

Cheryl Sikora, shared how library usage has been on the uptick since the doors opened in January during a pre sentation to the Rotary Club of Lloydminster on Monday.

“We’re super pleased

with our new location and we really appreci ate having the foot traf fic from the mall. We really believe we con tribute to the foot traffic in the mall as well,” said Sikora.

“The parking is fan tastic, the hours are fantastic, it’s great.”

Usage data from the first five months of the year compared to the same period in 2019 proves her point, with foot traffic up 74 per cent and new library cards up 165 per cent.

Online-borrowing resources jumped 152 per cent and public Internet sessions rose by 39 per cent from the same point when the library was housed in the basement of the Atrium Centre.

Study pod bookings at the new space went from 1 per cent usage in January to 33 per cent in May, along with 1,377 card renewals.

The successful fresh start has also led to

several new services and programs for all ages and interests, including a recent dun geons and dragons startup program geared toward teenagers.

The library has also introduced family sto rytime that’s hosted by members of the com munity and the library board—with more fun stuff to come.

“Next month, we will have a commu nity crafting cupboard where we will exchange some crafting supplies amongst the community and we will have a free art gallery next month as well,” said Sikora.

The art gallery will work on a lend and take a piece of art basis and will include anything from kids’ fridge art to pottery.

The library has also turned into a fun space as Sikora recalls Lloy dminster Youth Coun cil members launching Smarties from catapults they made.

“We had a new pro gram called ‘take and makers’ where we had paper bags with all the supplies for patrons to make something at home,” explained Sikora.

“For the youth coun cil, we had popsi cle sticks, elastics and spoons and Smarties in a bag as well as the instructions to make a catapult. We had a great time.”

Sikora also took the opportunity to ask

Rotary to donate $200 to fund 200 take and make kits to offer some programming to people to do at home and as a reminder of the great things happening at the library.

“We are excited to have some new pro gramming and engag ing our community in different ways,” said Sikora, with 77 per cent of Library funding from the City of Lloydminster.

Geoff Lee Meridian Source

Cheryl Sikora heads up the Lloydminster Public Library and told the Rotary Club of Lloydminster usage is way up at the new LloydMall location, along with new services and programs.

KIP team puts anti-bully talks at top of mind

TAYLOR WEAVER EDITOR

In keeping with AntiBullying Week, the Beyond Borders Cir cle of Change (BBCOC) committee and com munity partners had the pleasure of hearing a presentation on antibullying and healthy relationships from members of the KIP (Kindness of Power) team.

We give them the building blocks at an early age so they’re able to stop bullying when they’re older.

KIP is an element of BBCOC made up of students from both the Lloydminster Public and Lloydminster Cath olic School Divisions.

Last Thursday’s pre sentation was put on by Madison Topley and Avery MacDuff from Holy Rosary and Lylee Orr and Hannah Willis from the Lloyd Comp.

“Today we were pre senting for lots of dif ferent people,” said Willis.

“They pretended they were Grade 5 students and we gave them a

demonstration of how we do our anti-bully ing presentations so they could see what we do and have a better understanding of our presentations.”

KIP team members make these types of presentations to stu dents from Grades 5 to Grade 8 throughout Lloydminster to ensure no student is left out.

Willis also pointed out this was the first time the four girls had gone through the pre sentation together.

“When we did get together, it felt like we were already friends,” she said. “I didn’t really know them other than from training a year ago, but we all have really good chemistry.”

The presentation talks about healthy relationships within schools as well as kids’ self esteem, but the “big picture” discussion revolves around antibullying.

“That includes the rolls within bullying and types of bullying,” said Willis. “We really try to make an empha sis on the impacts of bullying. I think lots of times kids will partici pate in different nega tive actions and they don’t always realize the impact they’re having

on people or person the behaviour is directed towards.”

According to Grade 12 student Lylee Orr, pre sentations have been going well thus far.

“Presenting to the Grade 5 students is def initely fun because they look up to us old stu dents. I feel when we present to Grade 8 stu dents it’s more impact ful because they have a better understanding of what’s being talked about,” she said.

“We give them the building blocks at an early age so they’re able to stop bullying when they’re older, and they’re able to use the coping mechanisms we give them in any situa tion.”

Despite the fact this was the first time the students put on the presentation, Avery MacDuff, a Grade 11 stu dent at HRHS, said the team gelled really well.

“The experience so far has been amazing,”

said MacDuff. “Every one at the Comp and Holy has been great to one another.”

MacDuff also explained the impor tance of setting a good example for younger students.

“I think most peo ple have either been bullied or they’ve wit nessed bullying, and it’s good to be able to tell the kids what can hap pen, what we can do to be better, and if you are getting bullied, it can

get better as you get older.”

Madison Topley explained BBCOC helps funds KIP program ming such as anti-bul lying presentations.

“One of the great things about today was we got to present to this room full of peo ple, most of whom sup port BBCOC, so it was great for us to be able to show them what we get to teach the kids, as well as what is being funded,” she said.

About 14 per cent comes from the Lakeland Library Region funded by the Gov ernment of Saskatchewan, with 4 per cent from Alberta and 2 per cent from grants.

The library also handed out 21,000 rapid test COVID kits in the first five months in partnership with the Lakeland Library Region as a Saskatch ewan government program. Their shopping wish list

includes seeking funding spon sorship to purchase a library book bike for about $7,500 to bring the library to the com munity in the summertime.

“It’s a concept that proven in other communities like

Airdrie. People could borrow library books right from the book bike,” said Sikora.

Anyone looking for a good book to read just has to ask.

Sikora just finished read ing the Ink Black Heart,

the sixth book in a mystery series she highly recom mends. It was written J. K. Rowling under the pseud onym Robert Galbraith.

“We’re happy to make rec ommendations,” she said.

Taylor Weaver Meridian Source

All eyes were glued to KIP team members Lylee Orr, Avery MacDuff, Hannah Willis and Madison Topley last Thursday afternoon as they made an anti-bully presentation to the Beyond Border Circle of Change committee and community partners.

Kids soak up smudging 101

Indigenous students through culturallybased programming,” explained Bruce.

“We go to the school and we share our culture with other students.”

Grade 10 mentorship students Lance Moosuk, Dayzha Dustyhorn and Sienna Spence were excited to share their knowledge with the Barr Colony youngsters.

presentation of what smudging is about, and one thing in particular.

“I learned there is more than one thing you can use smudging for,” he said.

Bruce and her Small Fires students provide a lot more to think about before everyone headed outside to practice what they learned.

The kids’ version of smudging rolled into Barr Colony School dur ing Métis awareness week in the Lloydmin ster Public School Divi sion (LPSD).

A Grade 3 class taught by Noah Mather soaked up the easy-tounderstand hands-on presentation and out door ceremony led by LSPD Indigenous coach Danae Bruce.

She was helped by some Small Fires Men torship students from

Lloydminster Compre hensive High School who study an Indig enous Mentorship 30 credit course.

“We’re hoping to teach them all about Indigenous culture and teach them the medi cines and how to use them, what they are for and what they can do,” said Spence.

“I really like teaching kids for them to get a better understanding.”

“Smudging is a tra dition. It’s common to many First Nations people and Métis. It involves the burning of one or more medicines,” said Bruce.

“This course, along with our mentorship program, is designed to engage and connect First Nations, Métis, and Inuit and non-

By definition, smudg ing is traditionally a ceremony for purifying or cleansing the soul of negative thoughts about a person or place.

One of the quick learners was a Grade 3 boy named Liam. He said everything stood out for him about the

She says the four sacred medicines are cedar, sage, sweetgrass and tobacco, and passed around samples for stu dents to experience the fragrances.

A student name Brooke didn’t know what to make of the scents, especially after sniffing the cedar.

“It smells weird. I’ve never smelled any kind of plant before because I feel like it’s weird,” she said in kidspeak.

Bruce told the class smudging is a holistic way of living and not a religious practice that encourages people to ground themselves and stay connected.

“Generally, as a smudging, they are cleansing the air around them as well as their minds so they have good thoughts about others,” she said.

Bruce says this includes their eyes

“so they only see good things in others, their ears, so they only hear good things about oth ers and their mouths, so they only speak well of others” with their being and their actions.

Mather hoped he could learn how to run a smudge for other teach ers, staff and students in the future, with Métis culture top of mind dur ing the education week.

He said Elder Shir ley Gervais came to the school earlier in the week to talk a little about Métis history and what growing up Métis was like for her as well during an LPSD speak ing tour.

Geoff Lee Meridian Source

A Grade 3 student at Barr Colony sniffs some cedar passed around by Danae Bruce, an Indigenous coach at LPSD who led a presentation on smudging during Métis week studies.

GEOFF LEE WRITER

I learned there is more than one thing you can use for smudging.

“

Seniors lobbying MLAs to act

The Lloydminster Concerned Citizens for Seniors Care Society wants to see the horse put before the cart as soon as possible with an updated community health plan.

The organization’s president, Graham Brown, says until the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and Alberta Health Services (AHS) revise the old 2013 Lloydminster Inte grated Health Services and Facility Infrastruc ture Needs Assessment, nothing will get done.

“They have to have that report in front of them in order to get projects approved,” said Brown at Tuesday’s reg ular meeting at the Leg acy Centre.

“When we had our meeting on Oct. 4, both SHA and AHS made it pretty clear we cannot take another step for ward until that plan is done.”

That point was also directed at VermilionLloydminster, Wain wright MLA Garth Row swell, who was invited to the meeting in the hopes he conveys the urgency to health minister Jason Copping.

Lloydminster residents have mailed dozens of letters to Copping and Everett Hindley, minister responsible for seniors, and rural and remote health in Saskatchewan, to update the plan.

“We made a good point with Garth that the community plan needs to be updated as soon as possible, then we have some valuable informa tion to build on,” said Brown.

In the meantime, the seniors’ group has made home care its leading cause with the SHA and AHS favouring a 70/30 shift to aging at home as opposed to building long-term care facilities.

“We require more occupational therapists, we require more asses sors in the home,” said Brown.

“We need more home

care people making rounds to homes. That’s how we expand people staying in their homes.”

Brown told the meet ing he thinks the gov ernment needs to look at how can they do a better job of housing seniors in ways that are accessible, affordable and safe.

Rowswell says he doesn’t have the answers for what we’ve got to do for home care but he thinks others are doing it better than we are in Alberta and Canada.

The Seniors Care Soci ety will be directing the same issues at Lloyd minster MLA Colleen Young, who will attend the Dec. 13 meeting.

Meanwhile, a group from the Lloydmin ster and District Health Advisory Council, headed by chair Paul Richer, is prepping for a chat with Hindley in Regina on Jan. 25 about health service gaps in Lloydminster.

“The meeting will spe cifically talk about health concerns around Lloyd minster,” said Richer.

He told the seniors meeting a special team of Mayor Gerald Aalbers, Lloydminster Region Health Foundation CEO Stephanie Munro, Mike Sidoryk and himself will have a 30-minute audi ence with Hindley.

Richer says the council has identified 15 health service gaps, including the issue of medical file transfer, within all of Lloydminster.

Another issue for Hindley’s attention is the lack of mental health support on the ground such as a PACT (mobile police and crisis team) for our RCMP.

“We’re the only city of its size that doesn’t have one. Another high pri ority would be resolv ing the arbitration with WPD ambulance,” said Richer.

He says he doesn’t want to waste their time with Hindley talking about the weather.

“We have to get to the brass tacks and come up with an action plan,” said Richer.

GEOFF

Viewpoint

LFD support men’s health, sport mo’s

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der City fire fight ers this November as they spread awareness and raise funds for Movember.

Movember is an annual campaign held worldwide in support of men’s health.

All the funds raised over this hairy month keep Movember’s pur pose alive so they can continue to back ground-breaking med ical research, cancer tests and treatments

and game-changing mental health inter ventions specifically targeted towards men’s health.

“Mental health, sui cide prevention, pros tate cancer and tes ticular cancer – were taking on all of them,” says Brad Martin, pres ident of the Lloyd minster Fire Fighter’s Association.

After a success ful campaign in 2021 which raised $6,734, the team is back having fun and doing good.

Some will grow a “Mo” using their upper lip as a billboard for men’s health, while others may choose to “Move” for Movember – this challenge is to run or walk 60km over the Movember month. Why 60km you ask? It’s 60km for the 60 men we lose to suicide each hour, every hour across the world.

While the team would be thrilled to reach their $5,000 fundraising goal for 2022, Martin said, “Creating awareness and starting the con versations is just as important. Firefight ing is a profession with a higher prevalence of cancers, injuries, and mental health pres sures due to the nature of the work. We appre ciate what the Movem ber campaign serves to accomplish, and we’re proud to be a part of it.”

The Lloydminster Fire Fighter’s Associa tion Mo page has been shared on their Face book page.

Moustaches of vary ing sizes,

shapes, and debat able quality are prev alent amongst Bor

Fire fighter Kevin Lider sports last year’s Mo before shaving it off. File Photo

Leeway from Lloyd: Beautiful game ain’t so pretty

STAFF WRITER GEOFF LEE

I suspect I will catch some TSN highlights of Canada’s soccer team at the World Cup in Qatar, but I won’t be sitting down for any binge-watching.

The beautiful game in my mind is hockey and I have never been able to understand how that description fits soccer with all the fake dives, riots, pho ney injuries and bad calls by the refs.

Plus it’s very polit ical. Recently, Sepp Blatter who was the president of FIFA when Qatar was awarded, called the decision to award Qatar the 2022 World Cup a mistake.

The decision has been marred by con troversy, including allegations of corrup tion and human rights violations since it was first announced. How is that the beautiful game?

Qatar is also way too small of a country to host one of the world’s biggest events.

Sure, I might get excited to see Canada play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a co-host qualifier along with the United States and Mexico, but probably not.

Soccer just isn’t in my DNA even though I was born in soccermad England.

I probably won’t get my Knighthood because of my think ing, but I do like the passion of the fans.

I did watch a cou ple of MLS games on TV this season, but my heart wasn’t into it. The home and garden channel is more excit ing and they finish a house in 60 minutes, whereas soccer goes on for 90.

If someone could combine house build ing with soccer I would sign up!

Anyway, Canada was set to play its first game against Bel gium on Wednesday in Group F and they might be able to beat Morocco and Croatia to move on, but I don’t really care.

Canada finished last in 1986, so don’t expect a “Miracle on Turf” as that won’t happen. I did read that Canada actually won the gold medal in soccer at the

Province modernizes pension legislation

The Government of Saskatchewan has introduced The Pen sion Benefits Amend ment Act, 2022 to give Saskatchewan employ ers and Saskatchewan people more options to fund and access retire ment savings.

“These changes to pension legislation add flexibility for plan spon sors, enhance pension safeguards, and provide more tools to enforce compliance,” said Min ister of Justice and Attorney General Bron wyn Eyre.

“These amendments will assist Saskatche wan employers in their efforts to help the hardworking residents of Saskatchewan prepare for retirement.”

Several of the changes introduced in The Pen sion Benefits Amend ment Act, 2022 align provincial legislation with recent amend ments to the federal Income Tax Act.

These changes will support Saskatchewan residents who are mem bers of defined contri bution plans by giving employers the ability to offer new solutions

that lessen the risk of retirees outliving their retirement income.

The amended leg islation also provides increased flexibility for Saskatchewan employ ers. This includes the ability to establish sol vency reserve accounts and to use letters of credit in lieu of solvency deficiency contributions (up to a capped maxi mum). The new provi sions also remove liabil ity of plan administra tors that enter into an annuity buyout contract with an insurance com pany, provided certain conditions are met.

1904 Olympics. However, the fine print noted only three club teams took part including two from the U.S. with the winner from Ontario.

If Canada does move on, I will be the last to hear about it unless I find a permanent fix to the audio delay issue on my new TV!

MERIDIAN SOURCE STAFF

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 regis tration for the fall 20222023 classes. They offer one day a week for three-

year-olds 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 780-8729523.

Passport to YLL

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

Bingo at the Moose

The Moose Lodge, located at 5213-57 Street, Lloydminster, hosts bingo nights every Mon day and Wednesday. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and play starts at 7 p.m.

Church Directory

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.

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 Wednes days from Oct. 5 to May 31, 2023. Walk to the beat of music by follow ing simple instructions from the caller. The first evening is free! Visit us online at squaredancel loyd.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 brightening up its office, and you can help. BBBS will be put ting 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 some one, in memory of some one, sponsor a strand as a business, get the kids involved ... the possi bilities to make a differ ence are endless! Call 306-825-5757 for more details. Donations of $20 or more are eligible for a tax receipt.

Cribbage Doubles Tourney

The Legacy Centre is hosting a Cribbage dou bles tournament on Nov.

24. Play begins at 10 a.m. and costs $10/person. Lunch is available for $12. Everyone welcome! Call the Legacy office at 780-875-4584 for more information.

Wing Night

The Marwayne Legion is hosting a wing night on Nov. 25. Doors open at 5 p.m., wings at 6 p.m.

Jamboree/Dance

The Legacy Cen tre is hosting a jambo ree/dance on Nov. 25. Doors open and dancin’ at 5 p.m., supper will be served at 6 p.m., then the jam begins. All inter ested musicians should call Bonnie at 780-8084034, all other inquiries call the Legacy office at 780-875-4584.

PBR Winter Classic

The PBR Winter Clas sic is coming to the Lloyd Exhibition on Nov. 26. Watch the toughest cow boys take on the rankest bulls in the PBR.

Online Auction Fundraiser

The Marwayne Curling Club is hosting an online auction fundraiser end ing on Nov. 26 at 8 p.m. Proceeds go towards a new ice plant. More details are available at www.32auctions.com/ marwayne

St. Anthony’s CWL

Christmas Market

St. Anthony’s CWL is hosting a Christmas mar ket on Saturday, Nov. 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 2704 – 56 Ave. There is so much to enjoy –Christmas bake sale, mini home-based trade fair, Christmas decora tions re-sale, religious books and cards sale, raf

fles, and above all, a deli cious noon lunch. Bring your friends, neighbours, and family members! Come for the fellowship and pick up a few great gifts for Christmas.

Kiwanis Festival of Lights kickoff

The Kiwanis Festival of Lights officially kicks off with a light up ceremony at Kiwanis Park on Sun day Nov. 27. Speeches start at 4:15 p.m. and the lights turn on at approxi mately 4:45 p.m.

Christmas Cribbage Tourney

The Christmas Crib bage Tournament at Hillmond Hall is being held on Nov. 27 start ing at 11 a.m. A Christ mas meal will be served at noon. The cost to play is $10 and lunch is $12. Come join for some fes tive fun!

Cash Bingo

The Marwayne Legion is hosting a cash bingo night on Dec. 7. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the first game is at 8 p.m.

Diabetes Education Classes

The Saskatchewan Health Authority is hosting diabetes edu cational classes start ing Dec. 13 from 12:304:30 p.m. with Session 1: “An Introduction to the Basics.” Classes are being held in Conference Room #2 at the Prairie North Health Centre, Suite 115, 4910 – 50 Street. To reg ister please call 306-8204887.

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.

Sask reports uptick in economy

GEOFF LEE WRITER

The Government of Saskatchewan is point ing to some key eco nomic indicators as proof the provincial economy is on a roll.

The province’s strong economy continues to be one of the best in the nation.

The province reports urban housing starts, for instance, increas ing by 78 per cent yearover-year in October ranking second among all provinces as a rea son for confidence.

“The province’s

strong economy con tinues to be one of the best in the nation,” said Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison.

He says the increase in housing starts is sig nificant and is adding to a long list of impres sive economic indica tors over the last sev eral months.

Saskatchewan has ranked first in Canada in several other key economic indicators in recent months.

Statistics Canada recently reported a 49.5 per cent year-over-year jump in wholesale trade for September, while that same period saw the value of building construction increase by 56.2 per cent, and merchandise exports up

by 45 per cent.

T he province’s man ufacturing sales were also up with an rise of 24.1 per cent in Sep tember third among the provinces.

Recent Labour Force Survey numbers also show Saskatche wan’s strong economic growth, with 581,400 people employed in October 2022, repre senting an increase of 18,600 jobs (3.3 per cent) compared to the

same year-ago period.

Sask’s unemploy ment rate has reached

4.6 per cent, tied for third lowest among provinces, and below

the national average of 5.2 per cent (seasonally adjusted).

Correction Notice

In the circular beginning Wednesday, November 23, 2022, the Everyday Value price for 3-Tier Lexington Rolling Cart by Simply Tidy® was incorrectly stated at 48.99 each. The correct Everyday Value price for the cart is 49.99 each.

In the same circular beginning Wednesday, November 23, 2022, the following trees show to be on sale and in stock.

• 7.5 ft. Pre-Lit Whistler Pine Dual LED Tree, #178 on sale for 149.99, Reg. 479.99

• 7.5 ft. Pre-Lit Jasper Cashmere Tree with Quick Set®, #129 on sale for 239.99, Reg. 549.99 Unfortunately, we have sold through these trees faster than expected and we will not be receiving additional inventory. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Door-to-door

as to sell us anything. He was a trusted friend.

“Great,” I said aloud as I checked my com puter this morning. “Another load of junk mail to deal with.”

This time I received: offers for proven weight-loss medica tions (I resent those), a loan approval I hadn’t asked for, warnings that a service I’ve never used was about to expire, and coupons offering reduced-price help for my ailing prostate.

However, lurking at the bottom of the list was the one that hurt the most. Apparently, I can now receive com pensation for my longawaited brain injury claim. I haven’t had a brain injury!

Back in the day, there used to be door-to-door salespeople to do this job. I remember them well.

Of course, I don’t think anyone ever ped dled male enhance ment drugs through out the countryside or drove into your yard to issue false threats on behalf of the gov ernment, as we get in emails now. They sold brushes, vacuums, and encyclopedias.

Our family enter tained a few of these salespeople. Most often, they were local folks just trying to make an honest living like the lovely man who sold Watkins.

He appeared at our door for a visit, as much

Often my mother would invite the Wat kins Man in for a cup of tea. We would watch as he’d open his worn brown case and display exotic spices and gleam ing bottles of vanilla alongside tins of benefi cial liniment and salve.

No one in my fam ily fought the com mon cold without a scoop of Watkins lini ment rubbed briskly on their chest. Nor could they bake a cake with out a dash of excellent vanilla flavouring.

Even in the 80s, when I was newly mar ried, there were doorto-door salesmen. I’ve had Rainbow vacuum cleaner demonstrations across the rug, samples from Avon hung on the door, and fire extin guishers for every occa sion presented from the backend of a truck.

The last travelling salesman I remember at the farm addressed me through the top two inches of his vehicle window.

Goldie, dad’s Ger man shepherd, had approached the man’s car with hackles raised, bared teeth, and a low growl rumbling from her barrel-like chest.

“Is it safe,” he yelled fearfully. I nodded.

Then I stood with a calming hand on Gold ie’s head as he pushed open his door and gin gerly lowered a foot to the gravel.

With his eyes flick ing warily between the dog and me, the man

extended a pamphlet in one hand and clutched an empty pop bottle in the other. Strange.

I glanced at the glossy brochure. He was sell ing security systems. How ironic.

He backed away and launched into a wellrehearsed lecture on the importance of pro tecting your home from thieves.

It all seemed a bit pointless when our entire conversation was conducted over the head of a barely restrained guard dog. Despite that, his lecture went well.

There was one bizarre thing, though. After every few words, the fel low would pause, lift the bottle to his pursed lips and push a glob of spit tle down the neck.

With revolted fascina tion, my eyes followed the long trail of bubbly saliva as it oozed down the plastic insides to join a frothy puddle at the bottom. Blech.

Anyway, that last bit has nothing to do with door-to-door salesmen. I’m not sure it has much to do with anything—at least for us.

However, although the bottle incident was objectionable, talking with him was still more interesting than delet ing 55 emails today.

PRAIRIE WOOL HELEN ROW TOEWS

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Value of customer service

In full disclosure, I’ve never purchased any items from Amazon.

Most likely some folks will experience disbelief by reading this opening sentence.

I’m a firm believer in shopping local and sup porting Lloydminster and area businesses whenever possible.

We visit our favou rite retail stores on a regular basis, get to know the staff and are comfortable with find ing items on our list.

Knowing where items are is always an added bonus as stores regularly move stock around as a marketing strategy, much to the shopper’s chagrin.

I enjoy shopping early in the morn ing before the inevita ble crowds and being greeted by staff as you enter the store.

The selection of prod ucts, ease of moving down the wide aisles and not blocking other shoppers when read ing product labels for ingredients is much easier. I would be for ever indebted to the entrepreneur who offers gluten-free flour which doesn’t cost an exorbitant amount of money to purchase.

As winter rudely arrived with an unprecedented abrupt ness this year and the holiday season steadily approaches, shopping can be more challeng ing. With the rising costs of almost every necessity, shopping on a budget is a given.

Perusing the sale flyers, and making a detailed list (and not forgetting it on your kitchen counter) does help and keeps you focused on the task at hand.

What brings me back to shop regularly at a particular retail store

isn’t always the prod ucts or price, it’s the customer service and friendly staff.

It’s a wonderful feel ing to be treated with respect when we’re spending our hardearned money on items we need, gifts for loved ones or just treating ourselves.

As we scan our cart items through a selfcheckout only to be interrupted by an incentive-driven staff trying to convince us to sign up for their credit card, I sometimes grit my teeth before saying, “No thank you.”

Then I resume look ing for the product’s barcode, running it over the scanner and packing my purchases in a reus able shopping bag pre viously purchased at an earlier visit.

If staff had time to interrupt my trans action, wouldn’t they also have time to run my purchases through?

Be Ice Smart this winter

SOURCE STAFF

With the arrival of snow and colder tem peratures, the Sas katchewan Water Secu rity Agency reminds the public to ensure ice is thick enough to safely walk, drive or snowmo bile on.

We recommend checking ice thickness every time you venture on our provincial waters to ensure you are safe this winter.

“As people get ready to enjoy another season on the ice, their safety is always top of mind for the Government of Sas katchewan,” said Jer emy Cockrill, Minis ter Responsible for the Water Security Agency.

“We recommend checking ice thickness every time you venture

on our provincial waters to ensure you are safe this winter.”

Ice thickness can be deceptive and unpre dictable at times. It does not freeze at a uni form thickness and its strength can vary con siderably from one area to another.

T o be sure, check the ice thickness before you travel on it. As a guide line, you need at least 10 cm (four inches) of ice to walk on, 20 cm (eight inches) to drive a snowmobile or ATV on, 30 cm (12 inches) to drive a car or light truck on, and more than 30 cm (12 inches) to sup port a heavy truck.

Guidelines ar e pro vided to help individu als decide whether to venture onto the ice.

Thickness is just one consideration when evaluating ice safety. Clear, hard ice is the only ice recommended for travel.

Ice should be re-eval uated on every date vis ited, even if it was safe on a previous date. The date that ice becomes safe at a site varies year-over-year requir ing the verification of the thickness each year as opposed to relying on past experiences.

Also avoid ice that:

• looks slushy;

• has thawed, then froze again;

• is near moving water;

• is layered, caused by sudden temperature changes; or

• has structures on it, such as pressure ridges.

MERIDIAN

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Sports

Raiders heading to Alberta Bowl

TAYLOR WEAVER EDITOR

It was an exciting afternoon in the Raider Bowl as the Sturgeon Spirits were in town to play the Holy Rosary Raiders in the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Asso

ciation (ASAA) Tier III football north finals.

On paper, both teams had confidence going into Saturday’s game with perfect regularseason records, but at the final horn, the Raid ers walked away victori

ous with a 42-7 win.

“I liked the effort today,” said Raid ers head coach Vince Orieux.

“We made some mis takes and we’d like to get our run game a lit tle better, but we’ve got

some young guys on the offensive line that are still learning and there’s lots of pressure coming at them. When the run game isn’t working you gotta rely on the quarterback and the receivers, and they did a heck of a job.”

Orieux added Satur day’s pass protection for veteran QB Mat thew Cavanagh was strong, giving him lots of time to throw the ball.

“I’d rather be bal anced (with the run game), but if we can score five or six in the air, we’ll take that.”

Cavanagh echoed Orieux’s remarks on the day’s effort and added the Raiders came pretty hot, espe cially on the offensive side of the ball.

“The defence strug gled a bit, especially in comparison to last

week because we shut out the Stettler Wild cats 17-0, but they pulled together, forced a whole lot of turnovers and played a great game overall.”

The ASAA south finals were also played on Saturday between the Strathmore Spar tans and the Sylvan Lake Lakers. The Spar tans beat the Lakers 48-31, sending them to the Alberta Bowl.

“Strathmore is a team we’ve never seen before,” said Orieux.

“We’re going to have to get our noses into some film and learn as much as we can about them in a short amount of time.

“They’ve been around for a bit and had a solid team last year, and I think they’ll be good again this year.”

For the past num ber of years, the Raid

ers have advanced to the Alberta Bowl and lost to the Cochrane Cobras. That won’t be the case this year as Cochrane moved up to Tier I.

“We’ve never seen Strathmore play before but we’ll get our hands on some film and we’ll get a game plan going,” said Cavanagh.

“Going to the Alberta Bowl feels great. We had this feeling last season; same win, same team, it felt great, but in the end, we lost the Cochrane a week later.

“We gotta come out on top next week so that’s the feeling we’ll remember. We won’t be remembering the pain because we’ll be feeling great.”

The Alberta Bowl is set for Friday night at Hellard Field at Shoul dice Park in Calgary. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Taylor Weaver Meridian Source Holy Rosary Raiders Caleb Gabrielson and Tyler Gerwing strip the ball from the Sturgeon Spirits for another successful turnover on Saturday in the Raider Bowl.

Rustlers women’s v-ball still undefeated

The Rustlers came out strong in the first set besting the Queens 25-15. They didn’t stop there, however, and went on to win the sec ond set 25-18, and the third 25-12.

The Rustlers host the University of Alberta - Augustana Vikings tomorrow night with play starting at 6 p.m. before travelling to Camrose to play in Viking territory.

Teddy Bear Toss adds to spirit of Christmas

Logically, there’s a positive side for the customer who only has a hand-basket with a few items; you rarely have to wait too long in line for your own till. Being a temporary employee at the selfcheckout isn’t always

easy and doesn’t do anything to promote customer service. Lloy dminster pioneers knew the benefit of cus tomer service in their family-run businesses and helped their cus tomers with all their purchases.

Merchants would be

The Lakeland College Rustlers women’s volley ball team remains unde feated (9-0) after beat ing the Red Deer Poly technic Queens (4-3) 3-0 on Saturday night in the Lakeland gym.

appalled at asking the customer to run their own items through, pack the bags yourself and complete the trans action by inserting or tapping a plastic card.

The pioneers who set tled in this area almost 120 years ago saw the value in providing effi

Saturday’s road game will be the team’s last before the new year. The team will be back on the court on Jan. 13 when they travel to Cal gary to play Ambrose University.

cient customer service. They literally built this city from the ground up by supporting each other and serving their community. We’re pro gressively becoming a cashless society; please renew the value of cus tomer service this holi day season.

Taylor Weaver Meridian Source

Lloydminster Bobcats forward Matthew Swanson scored this year’s Teddy Bear Toss goal on Sun day afternoon at the Civic Centre as the ‘Cats hosted the Drayton Valley Thun der. Teddy bears are collected to ensure boys and girls wake up to a gift on Christmas morning.

Taylor Weaver Meridian Source Photos

MERIDIAN SOURCE STAFF

Careers

The art and science of how real estate is valued

MIDWEST MINUTE VERN McCLELLAND

An essential skill of the professional Real tor is the ability to ana lyze property value and trends for their clients.

Whether supporting a buyer or seller, I believe we have a duty to pro vide a perspective based on logic and detailed analysis.

With most properties, it is a matter of deter mining key attributes of both the parcel being focused on and those which are like it.

For example, with houses, the size of the lot, square footage of the structure, chronological age, effective age (those aspects which have been

updated), overall condi tion and finishing, loca tion within the commu nity, etc.

Imagine lining up three recently sold houses side by side with your home.

Now going horizon tally across from one to the other, compare each significant attribute.

For example, your home is 1,200 sq ft, and the other three range from 1,096 to 1,400. All are within five years of each other.

What is 200 extra square feet worth in a 20-year-old home?

Second question. Your home has a sin gle attached garage, the other three are dou ble. What should be the price difference?

It goes beyond the

extra bay. Most families want a double garage as both parents want to access vehicles without scraping frost.

I think you get my point. There is logic in using comparable properties, but also

With most properties, it is a matter of determining key attributes of both the parcel being focused on and those which are like it.

significant room for subjectivity and per sonal perspective.

And that, my friend, is key. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

School attendance areas, proximity to parks, traffic corridors, etc. are also important.

So, even though lend ers and appraisers like to work with data, Real tors also know there are numerous other factors

which come into play.

We strive to help peo ple find the right prop erty for their own cir cumstances. But let’s not forget the “want” list, those aspects which sometimes take time to figure out, even by the buyers themselves.

I remember show ing close to 30 houses

to one couple, most of which checked all the proverbial “boxes” on the list they had given me at the start.

The one they bought? Had one less bedroom on the main level, the basement was not fin ished, and the landscap ing needed work.

But it was around the

corner from her sister. Vern McClelland is an associate broker with RE/MAX of Lloy dminster and an active partner in his family’s livestock operation. Comments on this arti cle are welcome either by emailing vernmc clelland@remax.net or calling 306-821-0611.

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MERIDIAN SOURCE 306-825-5111 admin@meridansource.ca

NOTICES

ATTENTION RESIDENTS OF LLOYDMINSTER:

If you currently receive a Meridian Source paper on a regular basis, please call our office at 306-825-5111 to inform our staff of any weeks you do not receive a paper.

FOR RENT

MISCELLANEOUS

SERVICES

CRIMINAL RECORD? Why suffer employ ment/licensing loss? Travel/business opportunities? Be embarrassed? Think: Criminal Pardon. US entry waiver. Record purge. File destruction. Free consultation. 1-800347-2540. www. accesslegalmjf.com.

AUCTIONS

MEIER UNRESERVED GUN & SPORTSMAN AUCTION. Saturday, Dec 17 - 10AM, 4740 57 St. Wetaskiwin, AB. Consign Now. Free Pickup. Phone 780-440-1860. Visit www.meierauction. com for more details.

GET BACK ON TRACK! Bad credit? Bills? Unemployed? Need Money? We Lend! If you own your own homeyou qualify. Pioneer Acceptance Corp. Member BBB. 1-877-987-1420. www.pioneer west.com.

Classifieds

CAREER TRAINING

LOOKING FOR A REWARDING CAREER?

Massage Therapy offers many options. Study full time or in a distance format. Contact the Alberta Institute of Massage for details at www.albertainstituteofmassage.com; phone 403.346.1018.

HEALTH

HIP/KNEE REPLACEMENT. Other medical conditions causing TROUBLE WALKING or DRESSING? The Disability Tax Credit allows for $3,000 yearly tax credit and $30,000 lump sum refund. Take advantage of this offer. Apply NOW; quickest refund Nationwide: Expert help. 1-844-453-5372.

FEED AND SEED

ALBERTA FEED GRAIN: Buying Oats, Barley, Wheat, Canola, Peas, Screenings, Mixed Grains. Dry, Wet, Heated, or Spring Thresh. Prompt Payment. In House Trucks, In House Excreta Cleaning. Vac Rental. 1-888-483-8789.

LIVESTOCK EQUIPMENT

WE

BUY

DAMAGED GRAIN - Heated, Mixed, Tough, Light, Bugs, Spring Thrashed.... Barley, Wheat, Oats, Peas, Flax, Canola. “On Farm Pickup”. Westcan Feed & Grain 1-877-250-5252.

GET YOUR MESSAGE SEEN ACROSS Alberta. The Blanket Classifieds or Value Ads reach over 600,000 Alberta read ers weekly. Two options starting at $269 or $995 to get your message out! Business changes, hiring, items for sale, cancellations, tenders, etc. People are increasingly staying home and rely on their local newspapers for information. KEEP people in the loop with our 90 Weekly Community Newspapers. Call THIS NEWSPAPER now or email classifieds@awna.com for details. 1-800-2826903, 780-434-8746 X225. www.awna.com.

LAND FOR SALE

AGPRO SEEDS: BUYING HEATED, DAMAGED CANOLA. On farm pickup, prompt payment! TOP PRICES PAID IN SASK. Phone: 306-873-3006 or Visit AGPRO website for bids: agproseeds.com

CUSTOM HOMES

BLANKET THE PROV INCE with a classified ad. Only $269 (based on 25 words or less). Reach almost 90 weekly newspapers. Call NOW for details. 1-800-282-6903 Ext 225; www.awna.com.

3 QUARTERS OF CROPLAND South of Weyburn, SK. Distressed sale. Priced below market at 1.27 x assessment, with a 4% return with lease. $594,800.00. Call Doug at 306-716-2671.

FARMLAND AND PASTURE LAND BY SASKATCHEWAN RIVER. 160 acres. Best hunting in Saskatchewan. Excellent fishing. Thick pine & poplar bluffs, by water coulee. Old yard site with power and water. Revenue Potential. East of Prince Albert, SK. $248,000. Call Doug 306-716-2671.

WANTED

WANTED SASQUATCH SKULL - Also purchasing SILVER & GOLD coins, bars, jewelry, scrap, nuggets, sterling, 999+ BULLION, maple leafs, bulk silver, pre-1969 coins. Coin collector BUYING ENTIRE COIN COLLECTIONS, old $ & Royal Canadian Mint coins. TODD 250-864-3521.

WANTED: Old advertising dealership signs, gas pumps, globes, pop machines, light ups. White Rose, Red Indian, Buffalo, North Star, Case Eagles, etc. Collector paying TOP PRICES. 306-221-5908.

COMING EVENTS

WARM UP and HEAD WEST THIS WINTER: Osoyoos BC is a haven for snowbirds look ing to experience mild winter weather and an abundance of activities! Hotel suites start at just $425/week with more savings for monthly stays. Learn more at www.osoyoossnow birds.com, or request digital information on wintering in Osoyoos by emailing: visit@ destinationosoyoos. com or by calling the Osoyoos Visitor Centre at 1-888-OSOYOOS (1-888-676-9667).

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

HEAVY EQUIPMENT

OPERATORS REQUIRED: motor scrapers, dozers, excavators, graders, rock trucks. Lots of work all season.

Camp job; R & B provided. Competitive wages. Valid drivers license req’d. Send resume and work references to: Bryden Construction Box 100, Arborfield, Sk. S0E 0A0; Fax: 306-769-8844 Email: brydenconstruct@ xplornet.ca www. brydenconstruction andtransport.ca

FIREARMS

WANTED FOR DECEMBER, 2022

LIVE & ONLINE AUCTION: Rifles, Shotguns, Handguns, Militaria. Auction or Purchase: Collections, Estates, Individual items. Contact Paul, Switzer’s Auction: Toll-Free 1-800-6942609, sales@switzersauction.com or www. switzersauction.com.

*K’AWAT’SI CONSTRUC TION COMPANY IS NOW HIRING* - Red Seal Carpenters

($39.00-$43.00/hr plus relocation bonus) –Third and fourth-year apprentices ($31-$38/ hr plus relocation bo nus). If you are interest ed in this great career opportunity, please send your resume at hrco ordinator@kedc.ca or call us at 250-2304264 for questions.