Moose Jaw Express, August 28th, 2024

An honoured tradition is set to return to Moose Jaw once again as the annual Festival of Trees has been confrmed for this October.

This year’s festival will be held on Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

“Every year, the chair of the Festival of Trees comes up with an amazing idea, and this year, Kim Waldo hit it out of the park,” announced Kelly McElree, director of the MJHF. Waldo is the volunteer chair of the Festival of Trees.

The theme of this year’s festival will be “Sugar & Spice & Notoriously Nice.”

“We are going to take festival guests and transport them back to the Roaring ‘20s with the help of our friends at the Tunnels of Moose Jaw,” he said. “When they come to the festival, they will step into Saskatchewan’s largest speakeasy for an immersive prohibition experience.

“The evening’s going to be flled with clamor and excitement as we raise funds for our Vision of Tomorrow campaign to bring next generation surgical equipment to our hospital,” McElree added.

The annual festival is an ongoing community tradition and McElree said each year sees “an outpouring of support” without fail.

“We appreciate all that support because it makes such a phenomenal difference, especially with this surgical campaign,” he said.

“When you think of the thousands of surgeries that happen at our hospital each… year, when people come to the Festival of Trees and support it — whether they volunteer, donate an auction item, sponsor an auction item, or come and attend an incredible evening — it makes a true difference in our community.”

This year’s festival is set to include feature craft cocktails and “just an incredible Italian buffet with favours and fair” ahead of the traditional auction.

Following the auction, a performance by award-winning singer Melissa Mannett and the musical group ‘Mascara’ will perform live so guests can hit the dance foor “and show their notorious moves.”

The inspiration for the theme has been in the works for several years already.

Festival of Trees set to return with a roaring ‘20s themed experience this October

Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express

“This is a theme that festival volunteers have wanted to do for a number of years,” explained McElree. “This year, that (theme) came front and center… and with the enthusiastic support of the Tunnels of Moose Jaw… it all just seemed to come together.”

Plus, he added, many people are excited by the idea which is also tied to Moose Jaw’s downtown tourism sector.

“People can come to the festival this year and dress up in their best ‘20s-era outfts and just have an amazing time,” he said.

On Sunday, Oct. 20, the traditional Festival of Trees brunch will return at the same venue with doors opening at 11:30 a.m. The morning’s meal will feature an Italian-themed brunch.

“The brunch is really a family brunch for people that didn’t come to the festival but still want to see the trees and auction items,” McElree explained. The brunch includes a chance to see what’s been auctioned and Dance Images by BJ will be providing live entertainment.

“The festival has impacted every single

area of the old hospital and this new hospital,” he continued. “It’s truly humbling to know that one event can impact so many people in this community each year. It literally impacts thousands of people.”

In just one example of the festival’s impact, the specialized breast imaging equipment purchased after last year’s festival is anticipated to be operational sometime this fall.

“It’s a complete community effort, because everyone knows someone that has benefted from having a state-of-the-art hospital in their community, and the festival helps keep that… hospital up to date…”

Tickets are on sale now and will be available up to around one week before the festival begins on Oct. 19. Tickets are $125 for individuals and $1,000 for a table of eight.

To purchase your tickets for the auction and/or brunch portion of the festival, visit SaskTix.ca.

The Moose Jaw Events Centre is located at 110 First Avenue Northwest.

Countdown to Homestand ’24: Less than two weeks until Moose Jaw’s must-see concert

What began as a simple gathering has now transformed into a full-blown yearly festival with a purpose. Each year, Homestand has become Moose Jaw’s must-see event and will be returning this September to unite the community once again in the spirit of laughter, shared moments, and making a difference for youth in the community.

Homestand ‘24 will return on Saturday, Sept. 7, at the Ross Wells Park.

The yearly concert isn’t just about getting out and having a good time — it’s also a way to help make a real difference.

With the purchase of each Homestand ticket, proceeds support youth mental health initiatives in Moose Jaw and helps spread awareness for a cause that affects numerous young people from all walks of life.

River Street Promotion’s Community Wellness Collaborative, which includes both the Prairie South School Division (PSSD) and Holy Trinity Catholic School Divisions (HTCSD), is focused on students’ mental

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health and wellness all while staying aligned with the Provincial Education Plan..

Funds from this program have so far helped students at Riverview Collegiate host a Christmas dinner so everyone can enjoy a warm holiday meal, and its benefts also include tailored spaces to allow students to have a stress-free environment to foster face to face conversations — among other uses as the school board deems most appropriate.

This year’s lineup of performers will feature Canadian Music Hall of Fame rock group 54-40 as the evening’s headliner, and will also see performances by Toque, Doc Walker, The Steadies, and Belle Plaine.

To open this year’s show, Moose Jaw’s own legendary Trick Ryder will be frst on stage to kick start the evening. After the show has concluded, Toque will do the close with a fnal performance by Moose Jaw’s own Cory Churko and his mates Todd Kerns, Brent Fitz, and Shane Gaalaas.

Since its inception, Homestand has seen such names as Matt Bates, Chilliwack, Night

Horse, Barney Bentall, and Jordyn Pollard performing in Moose Jaw. Homestand ’24 is made possible by River Street Promotions, K+S Potash Canada who was announced as the show’s title sponsor for the fourth consecutive year, and by the support of numerous local businesses. River Street Promotions is a volun-

teer-driven, non-proft organization promoting local mental health initiatives through entertainment programs. All proceeds will be added to a fund accessible by both the PSSD and HTCSD for projects supporting youth mental health and well-being.

To date, proceeds from Homestand have contributed more than $300,000 to this fund.

Tickets are available now at RiverStreetPromotions.com or by visiting the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre’s box offce at 217 Main Street North. For more information about the box offce and its hours of operation, call 306-693-4700.

This year, children can attend Homestand for free and children’s tickets are offered as a compliment with the purchase of an adult ticket.

The Ross Wells Park is located at the intersection of Caribou Street East and Ross Crescent across from A.E. Peacock Collegiate.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Info@RiverStreetPromotions.com.

Province praises Moose Jaw chamber’s eforts to increase seniors’

The provincial government is highlighting the success of a seniors-focused pilot project in Moose Jaw as part of its efforts to have Ottawa reverse cuts to a national employment funding program.

The Sask. Party government held fve news conferences simultaneously across the province on Aug. 21 — the Moose Jaw event was held at Deer Valley Golf Course — to announce that it was providing $17.6 million to cover a shortfall in federal funding for employment and skills training for 2024-25 and to help maintain programs and services in the province.

These programs and services prepare residents for jobs that the province’s growing economy is creating, the government said. If it hadn’t stepped in with additional funding, roughly 250 employers and 7,000 clients would have been affected.

During its spring budget, as part of cost savings, the federal government cut $625 million from the Labour Market Transfer Agreements (LMTAs), which provinces and territories use to support job training. Saskatchewan’s share was $17.6 million.

This situation “is a really, really critical issue” because it affects workers, job seekers, employers, post-secondary institutions and training providers and puts training programs at risk, said Lumsden-Morse MLA Blaine McLeod. Ottawa’s funding cuts come when employers everywhere are citing labour shortages as their main growth challenges and when more people are calling Saskatchewan

employment

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home.

“Training Saskatchewan residents so they can take advantage of the jobs created in our rapidly growing economy … may not be a priority for the federal government, but it certainly, certainly is a priority for the Government of Saskatchewan … ,” he continued.

“If our government had not stepped in, this very poor (and reckless) policy decision by the federal government would have had harmful impacts on the province’s labour market and growing economy.”

McLeod then highlighted the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce’s efforts to grow the workforce by connecting older skilled workers with companies experiencing vacancies through a program called Senior Moose Jobs.

He noted that workers over age 55 are

looking for extra income and can reliably fll positions.

“Growth requires labour, labour requires training, and workforce employers require trained individuals. It’s not rocket science … ,” he added. “When everybody is employed, you get strong and vibrant communities.”

Rob Clark, chamber CEO, expressed his appreciation for the province’s support, giving a hearty “hell yeah!” after stepping to the podium.

He explained that he and Heather Bergdahl, the chamber’s offce adminis-

trator, began thinking of ways to increase seniors’ participation in the workforce following the pandemic’s conclusion. They conducted research and talked with other organizations before landing on the idea of Senior Moose Jobs.

While the chamber launched the seniors-focused pilot program in April — it ends Feb. 28, 2025 — the initiative really began seeing success in May, Clark said. The initial goal was to match 35 seniors with employers, but the chamber increased that goal to 100 people to prove that the project was worthwhile.

So far, there have been 89 applicants, with businesses — 54 are participating — interviewing 69 people and hiring 22.

Older workers are reliable and usually require less training because they’ve been in the workforce for 30 to 40 years, which means employers don’t have to worry too much about them because of that experience, said Clark.

The chamber CEO noted that Senior Moose Jobs — which receives $100,000 from the province — has received plenty of positive reviews and is continuing to grow. He noted that Saskatchewan residents over age 55 comprise the largest labour cohort in the province.

Clark added that this has been a long, fun and rewarding process for the chamber, the community, the province and the labour market overall.

For more information, visit www. mjchamber.com or contact barry@seniormoosejobs.ca.

Rob Clark, CEO of the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Lumsden-Morse MLA Blaine McLeod. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

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Moose Jaw celebrates four decades of Mac the Moose

Moose Jaw’s beloved moose statue, Mac the Moose, celebrated a monumental milestone this summer as the enduring symbol of the community and a well recognized landmark — not to mention the world’s largest moose — was honoured after being frst commissioned in 1984.

Mac’s 40th birthday was celebrated at the Tourism Moose Jaw information kiosk throughout the day on Aug. 16, thereby giving everyone the opportunity to come out and congratulate him with a slice of ice cream cake and a hot dog.

“Well, it’s Mac’s 40th birthday so we threw him a little barbecue,” explained Sydney Woodrow, one of the two summer events co-ordinators for Tourism Moose Jaw who ran the event alongside Paige McClinton.

“Everyone can come in and get a ticket, which gets you a pop, a hot dog, a piece of Dairy Queen ice cream cake, and a 20-minute trolley tour which is Mac the Moose themed,” Woodrow elaborated.

The trolley tour, which seemed to be quite popular throughout the day, ran past the Western Development Museum, toured downtown Moose Jaw, and then returned to the visitor’s centre.

“(The tour guide) just talks about Mac and makes sure everybody knows Mac and how important he is,” Woodrow said.

The reason behind the celebration,

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she explained, is because of the worldwide fame Mac the Moose has gained over the past four decades.

“Well, he is the biggest moose in the world, and he’s (one of) the most photographed and Googled roadside attractions in the world,” she said.

“So, for us to have that as part of our city is huge, because everyone wants to see Mac,” Woodrow added. “So, we better celebrate him!”

The festivity was attended by over 150 guests, which was McClinton’s estimate just before the supper rush came

through and two hours before the event ended at 6 p.m.

The celebration of Mac’s 40th birthday was made possible thanks to a number of generous partners. The event was presented by The Flats Moose Jaw and sponsored by the Moose Jaw Co-op, with an ice cream cake donated by Dairy Queen. Proceeds from an on-site sale and the option to leave a donation also helped support the Moose Jaw Humane Society, with fundraising co-ordinator Donna Fritzke on hand to represent the local animal shelter.

To provide some party activities, Little Chicago Entertainment was on scene throughout the day to offer free axe throwing.

“It’s a pretty fun thing,” Woodrow said. “I think it’s really exciting for people to get to (come out and celebrate).”

This sentiment was also shared by her coworker, McClinton. “We really greatly appreciate all that they’re (our sponsors) doing and having (the celebration) here. It’s awesome.”

Mac the Moose stands proudly at the Tourism Moose Jaw information kiosk located at 450 Diefenbaker Drive.

To learn more about Tourism Moose Jaw, call 306-693-8097, visit TourismMooseJaw.com, or visit ‘Tourism Moose Jaw’ on Facebook.

‘We just want to be treated fairly’; CPKC staf hit the picket line after being locked out

The sound of trains chugging through the rail yards usually flls the air along Manitoba Street East, but that clickety-clackety has been replaced by motorists honking their horns to support the locked-out workers.

About 320 Moose Jaw-based locomotive engineers from Canadian Pacifc Kansas City (CPKC) hit picket lines at 7 a.m. on Aug. 22 after their employer locked them out, along with thousands of other employees across Canada.

Canadian National Railway (CNR) also locked out its locomotive engineers, making this the frst time in history that both national railway companies have locked out their staff simultaneously.

Chad McPherson, a Moose Jawbased legislative rep for division 510 with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) union, made it clear that employees from both rail carriers had been locked out and were not on strike, contrary to what some residents thought.

“They (residents) think we’re here because we don’t want to work — we want to work,” he said.

McPherson clarifed that the union went on strike in reaction to the lockout, a move that protects their collective agreement rights should the federal government impose back-to-work legislation.

The union plans to run two 12-hour shifts during the lockout — daytime and nighttime — with teams of locomotive engineers picketing three hours at a time.

“We want to show to the public as much as we can that we’re being locked out and that we want to go back to work,” he said.

The union says both companies are

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

pushing to weaken protections around rest periods and scheduling. Moreover, it says CN is seeking a scheme that would see some employees move to far-fung locations for several months at a time to fll labour gaps.

“They basically want us working longer hours and with less time at home,”

McPherson said.

The 30-year CPKC employee said that new regulatory rest rules were supposed to create a better environment for staff, but their “misapplication” by the rail carriers has created more fatigue instead. Furthermore, employees have less knowledge of when they’ll receive time off in addition to the irregular scheduling.

McPherson said he’s never experienced a regular home life during his three decades with the company because of inconsistent scheduling. This has made it impossible to commit to any social activities.

“If someone were to say, ‘Could you make this event tomorrow?’ I would say, ‘I don’t know,’” he stated. “I’ve never been able to plan (for anything). I’ve missed birthdays … (and) weddings (and) anniversaries (and) a lot of special occasions

because of the scheduling.”

The union wants the rail carriers to honour the collective agreement, offer consistent scheduling so employees know they have dedicated rest days and provide better train lineups, the union rep said.

“We just want to be treated fairly. Over the years in my career, we’ve made more concessions than we have received,” McPherson added. “And it’s time, with these billion-dollar profts these companies are making, that they need to honour those employees that are making those profts for them.”

In a news release, CPKC said it had remained committed to avoiding a work stoppage during nearly a year of negotiations. It said it had bargained in good faith, but despite its best efforts, it became clear that a negotiated outcome with the TCRC was not within reach.

“The TCRC leadership continues to make unrealistic demands that would fundamentally impair the railway’s ability to serve our customers with a reliable and cost-competitive transportation service,” the rail company said.

CPKC said binding arbitration is required since it “is an effective, reasonable and fair process that has been used many times to resolve disputes with this union.” The company also said federal intervention has been required during nine of 10 rounds of collective bargaining negotiations since 1993.

“We fully understand and appreciate what this work stoppage means for Canadians and our economy,” the company said.

“CPKC is acting to protect Canada’s supply chains — and all stakeholders — from further uncertainty and the more widespread disruption that would be created should this dispute drag out further, resulting in a potential work stoppage occurring during the fall peak shipping period.”

Mac the Moose was celebrated throughout the day on Aug. 16 with summer events co-ordinators Sydney Woodrow (left) and Paige McClinton (second from left) representing Tourism Moose Jaw at the event. Photo by: Aaron Walker

lockout isn’t complete without the support of coffee and doughnuts. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Locomotive engineers with Canadian Pacifc Kansas City (CPKC) picket in front of the railyards on Aug. 22, the frst day of the lockout. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Buddy the black Lab hit the picket line to show his support as well. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

JOAN RITCHIEMoose Jaw Express EDITOR

Editor’s Note

Where has the summer gone?

It seemed forever to get here and now we are on the doorstep of school bells ringing next week.

It’s an exciting time for kids to get back to catching up with their peers, but also an apprehensive time for many that are going into another grade or changing schools.

Parents will need to really focus on their kid’s mental health and watch for signs of anxiety that sometimes surface in stomach aches and symptoms much worse. Unfortunately parents sometimes overlook the symptoms, thinking the kids are just trying to get out of going to school. Unfortunately anxiety can compound over time.

Anxiety in kids can be a real detriment to their self-esteem and coping ability. Communication, as far as I am concerned, is a necessity between parents and the kids and the greatest tool a parent can have. Take time to sit down with your young loves and listen with your ears and heart so that you are able to get some insight into how they are adapting.

This time of the year too, gardens are ripe for the harvest and the workload increases exponentially. Although gardening is really a hobby for those that love to nurture their green thumbs, it’s also a time to make the best of the bounty we have been blessed with.

Quite a few years ago when my folks moved from their small town home to the city, we were able to take a small chunk of their concord grape tree with us. Well, now this lovely vine produces anywhere from 40 to 60 lbs of delicious purple concord grapes every year that we have utilized to the maximum. It’s a real process, though, from picking to taking them off the stems to boiling them down to concentrate, straining them and then utilizing the juice for whatever our heart desires at the time. The man of the house also has a passion for all kinds of hot peppers, ranging from the ghost variety to jalapenos, to all kinds of exotic and tasty options. Together the grape concentrate and an assortment of peppers makes an absolutely fantastic spicy jam that goes great as a topping for Brie and Camembert and whatever else you want to slather it on. It’s a real labour of love that has extended beyond our household to many others who want a little spice in their life.

And after all the picking, pickling, processing of the garden and nurturing our potted plants, comes the cleanup. In just a short time, the ground will be bare and we can take a breather for a short time before we start thinking about spring planting. And the cycle goes on…

do not necessarily refect the position of this publication.

Send your letters to the editor to: joan@moosejawexpress.com

columns, letters to the editor and editorials are solely the personal opinions of the writers themselves and not necessarily the opinions of The Moose Jaw Express. The contents of this publication are the property of the Moose Jaw Express. Reproduction of any of the contents of this publication, including, but without limiting the generality of the following: photographs, artwork and graphic designs, is strictly prohibited. There shall be no reproduction without the express written consent of the publisher. All ads in the Moose Jaw Express are published in good faith without verifcation. The Moose Jaw Express reserves the right to refuse, classify, revise or censor any ads for any reason in its sole discretion. This paper may include inaccuracies or errors.

The Moose Jaw Express does not under any circumstances accept responsibility for the accuracy or otherwise of any ads or messages in any of the publications editions. The Moose Jaw Express specifcally disclaims all and any liability to advertisers and readers of any kind for loss or damage of any nature what-so-ever and however arising, whether due to inaccuracy, error, omission or any other cause.

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Phone: 306.694.1322 Fax: 888.241.5291

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Publisher: Robert Ritchie - rob@mjvexpress.com

Editor: Joan Ritchie -joan@moosejawexpress.com

Sales: Wanda Hallborg - mjexpress7@sasktel.net David Klatt - david@moosejawexpress.com Kevin Ogle - kevin@saskpromo.com Thank you to all the contributing writers, without your time and support, the paper would not look the same. Send your stories, events and pictures to: joan@moosejawexpress.com Regular Contributors: Jason

Chamber of Commerce launches survey for business owners to express safety concerns

Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express

On July 29, Moose Jaw’s city council held a public forum at the Moose Jaw Events Centre to discuss community safety concerns after a failed petition sought to discuss the location of the planned Souls Harbour Rescue Mission in the city’s downtown core.

The meeting itself was not meant to directly infuence policy decisions and was intended to provide information and allow concerned residents to voice their concerns.

To follow up on this public safety meeting, the Moose Jaw & District Chamber of Commerce has launched a public survey to gather additional insights pertaining to the concerns of local businesses and of the community in a wider sense.

“The Moose Jaw Chamber of Commerce acknowledges that issues like homelessness, crime, addictions, and mental health are ongoing challenges,” an offcial statement announced.

“We are committed to working on behalf of Moose Jaw businesses to help drive change with stakeholders to develop effective solutions to these complex problems.”

The reason for the Chamber’s involvement is because of its mission to back local businesses.

“As a Chamber (of Commerce), the safety and success of your business is our priority,” the same statement continued.

The newly launched survey is intended for business owners and seeks to gather information that will be used to “explore and advocate for solutions that will drive real change.”

“Businesses are increasingly being impacted by social issues, affecting their operations and the broader community,” the statement continued. “To address these challenges, we’ve created a survey to gather feedback on how your business has been affected.”

The survey itself is intended to provide a detailed analysis of the situation, and concrete data obtained through it will be used to infuence future policy decisions made by the Chamber.

The Chamber of Commerce has also stated that all responses to the survey will remain anonymous.

“If you’re a business owner affected by social issues in Moose Jaw, engaging with the Chamber of Commerce and completing this survey will help us build a strong case for change,” the statement read.

The stated goal of the Chamber is to work together to “present a united front to drive real, systematic solutions that beneft not only our local businesses, but the entire community.

“Healthy community outcomes beneft everyone,” the Chamber wrote. “Your participation is key — join us in making a healthier, safer Moose Jaw!”

To participate in the survey, visit SurveyMonkey. com/r/HRVY73J.

A specifed closing date for the survey has not been provided.

Cranberry Collective will greet the fall with debut ‘Autumn Allure’ fashion show

Fall may seem like a distant concern, but it’s never too early to get a head start on this year’s fall wardrobe. To help in this endeavour, Moose Jaw’s Cranberry Collective is preparing to host a seasonal fashion show to help residents look their best and feel confdent this autumn.

The fall-themed Autumn Allure fashion show is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 28, and will take place at the Cranberry Collective Boutique on Main Street.

“Our fashion show is called the Autumn Allure fashion show,” announced Madi Trithardt, the manager of the affliated Cranberry Consignment store.

“We’re going to be showcasing some new arrivals for our fall collections,” she said. “We’re going to have four different capsules with models showcasing those pieces.”

These four capsules — the details of which will remain confdential — will include new fall arrivals and models will also showcase a number of favourite designer pieces from the consignment store. The show’s models will include a mixture of staff, friends, and loyal customers who offered to help.

The upcoming show will mark the frst occasion where the Cranberry Collective is hosting a solo fashion show, and will also be the frst time such a show is hosted in its boutique venue.

“We’ve been a part of a few other shows in the past, but we’re excited because this is our frst one,” Trithardt said.

“It’s something that we’ve been dreaming about for a while, and we just fgured that this was the best time as we transition into the fall season to showcase some of our pieces and get people together from the community to support a good cause.”

The upcoming show is hosted and organized exclusively by Cranberry Collective, and a portion of the proceeds will be used to help support the Moose Jaw Humane Society who the local business has supported in the past.

Once the show has concluded, the boutique will remain open for an hour or two so attendees can shop in “an exclusive shopping party” for the latest capsules and browse other items in the boutique’s collection.

“(Guests) get a frst look at our fall pieces… so they’ll be able to see what our models are wearing and then go and try the items on themselves,” she said.

The shopping party will also showcase several brands typically carried at the boutique and Trithardt hinted that a few “new-to-us” brands may be available for a sneak peak. These items are expected to be available for purchase at the event but any further details will have to remain a surprise.

To say “thank you” to the store’s loyal customers, all fashion show guests will receive a $10 coupon that can be used to help kick-start their new fall wardrobe or to return and shop later on.

To complete the evening, guests will also be treated to a complimentary snack option and a cash bar will be available on site for spirits at the fully licensed establishment.

Tickets cost $40 apiece and can be purchased online at CranberryCollective.ca or in person at the store. Tickets purchased online will be ready for same-day pickup or can optionally be picked up at the front door on the day of the show. A limited number of tickets are available so everyone is advised to grab their tickets early.

Autumn Allure is set to begin Aug. 28 with doors opening at 5 p.m. The fashion show will kick off one

at 6 p.m.

The Cranberry Collective Boutique

online at CranberryCollective.ca.

Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express

Cara Ashworth Shirese Noble

To support the ongoing Vision of Tomorrow campaign in beneft of the Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital, and as a way to give back to the community whose support makes its work possible, the Moose Jaw Health Foundation (MJHF) has recently concluded a series of Concerts in the Park performances this summer.

The concert program included the Rod & Bonnie Show on July 24, Just ‘N Tyme on July 31, the Heritage Fiddlers on Aug. 7, The Kingsway on Aug. 14, and fnally but with a dramatic conclusion, a surprise Rory Allen performance to end the series on the evening of Aug. 21.

“Concerts in the Park is a tradition in Moose Jaw,” explained Kelly McElree, director of the MJHF. “It has been going for 29 years and every Wednesday during the summer in June, July, and August, local volunteer musicians will come to Crescent Park and play a free concert for the people that come out.

“It’s a very much-loved event in this community,” he added.

Concerts in the Park is offered completely free of charge. To raise funds for the Health Foundation’s Vision of Tomorrow campaign, volunteers make their way through the crowd to ask for optional donations.

“A loonie, a toonie, a bill — it’s all appreciated,” McElree said. “It all goes to our annual campaign.”

This year’s campaign seeks the provision of new, next generation surgical equipment for the four operating theatres at Moose Jaw’s hospital. One of these devices is a new bronchoscope.

“Bronchoscopy will be a new surgical service at our hospital,” he said. “We are thrilled with the level of support that people are having for our campaign, and that was shown all the way through each and every week at Concerts in the Park.”

McElree said the new service will eliminate the need to travel to other centres such as Regina or Saskatoon for the procedure.

“That’s going to help people with lung cancer, COPD, emphysema, asthma… it’s quite a marvelous, marvelous tool.”

Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express

Proceeds from Concerts in the Park — the total of which has not yet been tallied — will be added to ongoing individual donations, a recent $600,000 gift from the Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital Auxiliary, and proceeds from the upcoming Festival of Trees fundraiser planned for Saturday, Oct. 19.

The campaign’s goal is to reach $825,000.

McElree said this year’s Concerts in the Park program went off without a hitch and saw very good attendance throughout.

“All the way throughout the summer we’ve had very good weather, and we were very, very fortunate to have that,” he said.

Despite this run of good luck, the weather had different plans for the fnal performance on the evening of Aug. 21. Still, the summer program did end with a bang as promised — a thunderclap.

“We had Rory Allen come out and he volunteered his time. He’s an amazing performer,” he said. “The stands were full, it was raining out, and people were dancing in the rain. You could hear the thunder

in the background. It was a very cool night for people.”

Still, attendees pulled through and enjoyed at least a full hour before conditions

deteriorated into a lasting downpour.

“You know, it was a Concerts in the Park (show) that people will never forget,” McElree said.

“(Expert Rail Group) stepped up to help sponsor last night (Aug. 21) and make it possible, and we’re just very thankful to them,” McElree said with evident appreciation. “We’re thankful to Rory Allen, and we’re thankful to all the volunteer bands that took the time to make a difference in our community.

“Literally, when people volunteer for the foundation and donate, they are saving lives,” he said.

“The foundation is just so thankful for the support that we have at Concerts in the Park,” McElree concluded. “It’s the way the foundation gives back to the people in this community that give so much.”

Although the Concerts in the Park program is now concluded, you can still donate by contacting the MJHF at 306694-0373 or online at MJHF.org.

To learn more about the Moose Jaw Health Foundation and its work in the community, visit MJHF.org, ‘Moose Jaw Health Foundation’ on Facebook, or call 306-693-0373.

A bolt of lightning illuminates the sky as the fnal Concerts in the Park performance by Rory Allen concludes on the evening of Aug. 21. Photo by: Aaron Walker

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From The Kitchen

By Joyce Walter - For Moose Jaw Express

Sauces add interesting zest to vegetable dishes

The family recipe boxes are flled with recipes shared by good friends. One friend in particular shared many recipes and those are marked with her name so I know they have been tested and are deemed worthy of giving to friends.

This week’s column features vegetables that are spruced up with sauces to give them a different taste than normally associated with fresh vegetables.

Thanks to my friend for sharing her favourite ideas.

ORANGE JUICED CARROTS

4 cups thinly sliced carrots boiling water

2/3 cup orange juice

2 tsps. cornstarch

4 tbsps. packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Cover carrots with water, bring to a boil and cook until carrots are tender but not mushy. Drain and set aside.

Whisk orange juice and cornstarch in a small

saucepan. Add remaining ingredients. Heat until mixture boils and thickens. Stir constantly.

Pour sauce over carrots and toss to cover carrots thoroughly. Serve warm or chilled.

• • •

ORANGE JUICED BEETS

2 cups cooked and sliced beets

1/3 cup orange juice

2 tbsps. packed brown sugar

1 1/2 tsps. lemon juice

1 tsp. cornstarch

salt to taste

Cover fresh beets with water and cook until tender. Drain then cover with warm water to remove skin and stems. Slice and set aside in a medium-sized bowl.

Whisk remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened.

Pour over beets, toss and serve while hot.

• • • ZUCCHINI IN SAUCE

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced tiny zucchini, with peel

2 cups fresh or frozen peas

1 cup water

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 1/2 tsps. lemon juice salt and pepper to taste

Place zucchini and peas in water and boil about 5 minutes. Drain.

In a small saucepan, stir together sour cream, mayonnaise and lemon juice and heat over low heat.

Add sauce to drained vegetables. Stir well to coat. Add salt and pepper. Chill to serve.

• • •

SOFT DRINK CABBAGE

1 small green cabbage

1 cup 7-Up or Sprite

1/2 tsp. salt

Cut cabbage into 1 inch slices. Place in a frying pan. Add Sprite or 7-Up and sprinkle with salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Cabbage will have a sweet taste. Serve hot or cold.

Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel. net

Excavating artifact-rich site in Wakamow Valley a thrill for archaeologist

Archaeologist Alan Korejbo has been like a kid in a candy store while excavating Wakamow Valley during the past four months, especially since his team has been discovering many interesting artifacts.

Korejbo, a registered professional archaeologist with Respect Inc. Heritage Consulting, which focuses on regulatory compliance and heritage resource impact assessments, and a 12-member team comprised of mostly university students, has been digging near Ninth Avenue Southwest since May.

The Ministry of Highways plans to install a dirt berm this fall to shore up the road and prevent any further soil erosion. It will then rebuild the road in 2025 once the slope slippage has ceased.

The area where Korejbo’s team is excavating — called the Garratt Site — is a food plain west of the Seventh Avenue Southwest bridge, south of Valleyview Drive, adjacent to Ninth Avenue Southwest/Highway 363 and fanked by the creek.

“It’s a wonderful site. It’s a very important site. We’ve got all kinds of information … ,” Korejbo said recently. “This is an exciting site. It’s interesting (and) it’s complex.”

The team’s job is to collect as much material in a scientifcally acceptable way, catalogue it, and then analyze everything to understand the artifacts better, he continued. The site is rich with items, and based on what lab studies show during the next year, it could be a unique, one-of-a-

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

kind location in Saskatchewan.

Excavations have found several complete or broken bison bone scapulae that Aboriginal people may have used for horticultural purposes, such as to hoe a garden.

This might challenge past understandings of when horticulture began in Saskatchewan since this is the only provincial site with these types of tools, Korejbo said. Therefore, this “new lifestyle” may have begun on the Prairies earlier than frst thought. However, researchers must conduct further analyses to determine whether that hypothesis is true.

Korejbo suggested that Aboriginal people may have brought horticultural practices to Western Canada up from the Mississippi and Missouri river valleys.

Meanwhile, there are six activity areas the team is excavating, with the berm to cover one site and partially affect a second area completely; the remaining area is workspace.

Archaeologists normally dig holes that are one metre by one metre in size and then to a particular depth, Korejbo explained. The site is over 50 metres deep in total, which makes this an intermediately sized excavation. Moreover, the depths that team members have been dig-

ging — up to 3.5 metres — are deeper than other projects in Saskatchewan.

“We went deeper because it’s a food plain … . Flood plains are prone to a lot of deposition. Every time you have a spring food … the water would carry a whole bunch of sand and silt and everything else … and it builds up over time,” he said.

For safety reasons, the team initially dug down 120 centimetres before going down another 100 centimetres using shovels and then digging down a further 1.3 metres using an auger.

There is sometimes potential to fnd artifacts buried that deep, but the group didn’t fnd anything that far down, so it tightened up the search to analyze areas closer to the surface, Korejbo said. Most items members have found have been within 65 centimetres of the surface.

Besides small pottery fragments, archaeologists have found plenty of bones. Most have been from bison, but there have also been materials from coyotes, wolves, dogs, and other small mammals.

“Most of the bone has been processed … . Some of it has been manufactured into tools. That’s really important, especially for this site,” said Korejbo. “There’s more bone tools here than I’ve ever seen in any other project I’ve ever worked on.”

The team has collected and recorded plenty of data on site, while Korejbo said that the initiative is “very cool.”

“I’m trying to contain my excitement … ,” he chuckled. “Career-wise, it’s one of the more important sites I’ve worked on, for sure.”

Korejbo added that his team has collected enough material to support three master’s thesis programs, while his team expects to fll in the site by Aug. 31.

Alan Korejbo, a professional archaeologist, discusses his team’s efforts to fnd artifacts in an area of Wakamow Valley adjacent to Ninth Avenue Southwest. Pho-

A bison scapula that

by Jason G. Antonio An archaeology

carefully sifts through dirt and rocks to fnd artifacts. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Riverside Mission permanently closes; building project cancelled

Souls Harbour Rescue Mission has announced that it will permanently close Riverside Mission at the conclusion of the last supper on Friday, Aug. 23, while it has decided to cancel the proposed project on River Street West that would have included a new shelter and dining room/ kitchen.

Joe Miller, executive director of Souls Harbour Rescue Mission, told MooseJawToday.com that the organization’s board decided not to proceed with the new building in Moose Jaw.

By Patricia Hanbidge For Moose Jaw Express

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

MooseJawToday.com will have more information about Riverside Mission’s closure and the cancellation of the building project soon.

In an email, city hall expressed its regret over the Mission’s closure.

“The City of Moose Jaw is saddened to hear the sudden news of Riverside Mission deciding to close its doors permanently after (Aug. 23’s) supper offering. The city would like to extend a sincere thank you to all the individuals who made up the staff and board over the years,” the email said.

have been reminded that it is time to pull out the bunny hugs and the feece. From 40°C to 15°C is rather a large change to adapt to.

“They provided support to vulnerable residents in our community and offered valuable services, services we hope will continue through other community organizations. Though their current location was no longer viable due to health and safety concerns, we understand how diffcult of a decision this must have been to make.

“We believe in supporting all our residents and their needs and will continue to work with community-based organizations to fll this gap,” the email added.

to share the wealth with your gardening friends.

Late Summer in the Garden

August is most defnitely the best month for enjoying the garden! Raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers and more are all giving back to us for our hard work in the garden. Even better than the produce, the colour in the garden is exquisite. All of our tropical plants go outside with all the other annuals and they are blooming up a storm! Passion fower, clivia, cannas and callas and even non-hardy hydrangeas are currently being enjoyed immensely!

However, one of the best and worst parts of living on the prairies is our ever-changing weather. It is wonderful but challenging, interesting and frustrating.... but it is what we live with. It is somewhat like our gardens - ever evolving and changing to continue to share the challenges of keeping it both beautiful and fruitful. Already, we

There are still many tasks to be done as in August and as the garden ripens, nature reminds us that fall is near. Many gardeners consider August a jewel. We can fnally put down some of our tools to enjoy the warm sunshine during the daylight hours. The manic days of summer have passed and our chores involve that endless tie up of foppy fowers and tomatoes; harvesting what is ripe and removing the odd tenacious weed.

Deadheading perennials and annuals that have fnished blooming is a good chore and produces more blooms to enjoy.

Replanting lettuce and spinach that has gone to seed and removing worn-out annuals and vegetables is a great August chore. Pruning back annual herbs will ensure that the bounty continues. My basil crop has been rejuvenated once again and will sure to continue to grace our table for the next couple of months.

If you are looking for a bit more physical work, dividing perennials that have fnished blooming is another timely chore. How do you know if your perennials need dividing you may ask? Certain signs like the centre of the plant looking a bit dead; loss of fowering profusion; or just fnding the border being a little bit crowded are signs

If you are a gardener who likes to collect seed, August is the time to get going. First it is necessary to correctly identify the plant and ensure you understand its lifecycle. Remember that heirloom plants are the best choice for collecting seed. Learn how the seed will ripen and how the seed is dispersed to allow you to collect the seed at the right time and the best level of maturity.

When it is time to collect the seed, gather them when they are ripe but before they are shed by the parent plant. Remove capsules, heads or pods as they begin to dry and separate the seed later as they are more completely dry. If you are collecting seed from a plant that tends to disperse its seed with vigour, simply tying a paper bag over the seed head will ensure you are able to collect the seed. After collecting the seed, dry them in a warm, dry location for another week or two. Prior to storage, it will be necessary to separate the seeds from other plant parts. Store the seeds in airtight containers in a cool, frost-free location.

Last but not least – begin to plan for purchasing spring fowering bulbs to plant in September. Nothing says spring like scilla, muscari, and tulips poking through the late spring snow. Enjoy the remainder of your summer!

Hanbidge is the Lead Horticulturist with Orchid Horticulture. Find us at www.orchidhort.com; by email at info@orchidhort.com; on facebook @orchidhort and on instagram at #orchidhort.

Tune into GROW Live on our Facebook page https:// www.facebook.com/orchidhort or check out the Youtube channel GROW https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCzkiUpkvyv2e2HCQlFl0JyQ?

With the artists: Tree Carving Project in Crescent Park continues to take shape

The sound of power tools has been flling the air around the library and Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery (MJMAG), as artists have been transforming dead trees into creative artworks.

Three artists have been hard at work creating new wood carvings from old tree stumps that park caretakers have said are ready to be cut down.

The purpose of the Tree Carving Project, frst introduced in 2016, is to create art from the trees for the public to enjoy, instead of just removing them entirely. Organized by the Crescent Park Foundation, the project is made possible by a supporting grant from city hall and a partnership with the MJMAG.

MooseJawToday.com staff visited the park recently to chat with each artist about her proposed project.

Karen Watson, Moose Jaw Watson — who has contributed to the Tree Carving Project before — plans to celebrate the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) 100th birthday by paying homage to the 431 (Snowbirds) Air Demonstration Squadron.

Specifcally, she plans to capture two Snowbirds in a spiral formation with human silhouettes underneath and a Snowbird logo carved into the trunk.

Compared to previous projects, Watson decided this time to create a pattern to reference regularly while using a chainsaw and other tools to carve the images. These patterns — cardboard cutouts of a Snowbird jet with views from the top, bottom and side — ensure she can depict the jets’ length and width accurately.

Jason

G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

“The rest of the tree will be a little more stylized, which is easy enough to do,” she said. “I also like to do a mini-model so I can visually see it and reference it, and also, a drawing.”

Watson doesn’t know when she might fnish, saying the schedule she has in her head doesn’t always align with the circumstances.

For example, she discovered that there was rot in the middle of the tree, so she had to change the design since she couldn’t make the planes fy as she had envisioned. If she had proceeded as planned, there would have been a big hole in one plane.

So, if no other delays occur, she expects to fnish in a couple of weeks.

“When choosing this design, I was choosing it with the people of Moose Jaw in mind, so I hope that they like it,” she chuckled. “And I work with people that have a connection to the Snowbirds, so I’m hoping that the Snowbirds appreciate that I’m thinking of them and Canada’s military and all that they do for us.”

Sadi Rose

Vaxvick, Ochapowace First Nation

Vaxvick’s project focuses on the seven grandfather teachings, which connect to her Aboriginal heritage since she is Nehiyaw and Saulteaux and is registered with the Ochapowace Reserve.

The teachings include love, respect, courage, honesty, wisdom, humility and truth, with animals representing each char-

acteristic — eagle, bison, bear, bigfoot/ sasquatch, beaver, wolf and turtle, respectively — carved into the tree.

A continuous three-strand braid of sweetgrass will also wrap around the tree to connect the animals, people and the land.

“It’s very holistic and healing for me to work with my indigenous culture. I am the frst generation (of my family) that I wasn’t in (a) residential school or day school, so I have that generational trauma,” Vaxvick said.

This trauma includes being raised in the city instead of on a reserve, so connecting with her Aboriginal roots through this artwork “heals (her) inner child” and makes her a better mother.

Vaxvick graduated from university several years ago and teaches workshops in Regina and Moose Jaw about the seven teachings. She says it means so much to her and her family to keep those First Nation teachings and knowledge alive, especially the storytelling.

The artist spent a month planning how she would carve and paint her design, including using a computer program to design the piece. She plans to use a grinder and a sander to etch the image, while she will paint the sweetgrass green and keep a natural wood colouring for the rest.

Vaxvick added that the seven teachings are important to indigenous cultures everywhere, while this artwork contributes to reconciliation.

Carly Jaye Smith, Moose Jaw Smith plans to paint a tree with the various birds that inhabit Crescent Park. However, due to unexpected complications with the tree, she likely won’t begin painting for at least a month.

Artist Karen Watson begins carving images of Snowbirds’ jets into the tree trunk. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Karen Watson shows the cardboard designs she created to reference when carving the images into a tree in Crescent Park. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Artist Sadi Rose Vaxvick uses a grinder on a tree trunk to prepare for carving images into it. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Digging up century-old wood water mains a ‘neat’ fnd, city says

The City of Moose Jaw has existed for 121 years, so it’s likely not surprising that city crews sometimes come across odd or interesting things under the streets during construction projects.

Case in point: contractors discovered a wooden water pipe on Aug. 13 while digging near the intersection of Ninth Avenue Southwest and Coteau Street East. The six-foot-long, 12-inch-diameter pipe appeared to be in surprisingly good condition for something buried under the street for decades — or centuries.

Contractors were able to excavate the pipe and keep it intact.

Travis LeBlanc, manager of design and projects at city hall, said he was “very surprised” by the condition and shape of the cylindrical object that the contractors recovered.

“Typically, when we come across wood water mains, they’re very brittle or broken already. They are (found) throughout the city in some of the older parts of the city (about once a year),” he said.

“This is not the frst time I’ve seen a wood water main, but (it’s) the frst time I’ve seen one of this kind in good shape.”

The city abandoned many of those wood water pipes where they were when it began to install artifcial water and sewer infrastructure. Wood water pipes that are dry usually collapse into themselves because the wood is no longer swollen from the water, so it’s possible this pipe had liquid sloshing around at one point to preserve it so well.

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

The six-foot-long, 12-inch-diameter wood water pipe that contractors dug up near the intersection of Coteau Street East and Ninth Avenue Southwest. Photo courtesy Facebook

However, LeBlanc said there was no water inside this pipe, only dirt.

Besides wood water pipes, other oddities that construction crews and contractors have discovered under the roads include big blocks of concrete that seemingly serve no purpose and old railway ties on Main and High streets.

LeBlanc noted that the city likely used those ties as part of its trolley/cable car system that once transported residents around the community.

Provincial Court Report

“The wood water main stuff is rather neat. It’s showing how (city hall) used to deliver water throughout the city … to residents and how it was done in the past,” he said. “So it was an interesting idea of a wood water main wrapped in a metal wire, and that’s how it’s actually held together … .

“So, extremely unique in that sense.”

LeBlanc also thinks uncovering the former trolley railroad ties is fascinating because of their historical connection, although sometimes, fnding these objects is more of an inconvenience or hindrance for crews than a beneft.

Crews usually dispose of these items in the garbage, although with this wood pipe, the municipality may clean it up — it has a less-than-pleasant odour — and display it at city hall, he said.

City hall says it has installed 1,100 metres of new feeder mains and 2,400 metres of new water mains during this year’s infrastructural renewal program — formerly called the cast iron water main replacement program.

“The infrastructure renewal program is actually going fairly well,” LeBlanc said.

Contractors have wrapped up all work on Main Street and River Street, while work on Coteau Street east and west will conclude soon, he continued. Crews are working east on the 800 block and will test the water mains and fnish a service lift station before sealing everything.

Meanwhile, work on Grace, Hawthorne and Corman is moving along “with some hiccups,” but should be fnished soon, LeBlanc added.

Provincial Crown drops all animal abuse charges against Craik-area producer

The provincial Crown has stayed all charges against a Craik-area farmer who allegedly violated the province’s animal protection laws.

Moose Jaw Provincial Court hosted a trial from Aug. 12 to 16 for Thomas (Tom) Miller, who was accused in May 2023 of mistreating his animals.

The Crown had charged the cattleman with breaching sections 4 and 23 of The Animal Protection Act and section 445(1)(a) of the Criminal Code. Section 4 prohibits people from causing animals to be in distress; section 23 accuses people of failing to comply with a protection order; and section 445(1)(a) accuses people of causing

2, 2024

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

unnecessary suffering to an animal.

However, on Aug. 16, before closing arguments began, Crown prosecutor Monique Paquin informed Judge Daryl Rayner that she was staying all charges against Miller.

To stay charges means the Crown is putting them on hold but could bring them back within one year if more evidence becomes available. The person could then be prosecuted again on those same charges.

Miller said that he was thrilled with the trial’s outcome and was relieved it was over since it placed “tremendous stress, depression (and) anxiety” on him, while he also faced disparaging comments from some witnesses that frustrated him.

Besides his mental health, Miller said this trial also negatively affected his wallet because he was forced to sell a dozen cow-calf pairs, scrap metal and cash out of his pension to pay the $100,000 in lawyer’s bills and recovery of his 55 cattle.

His goal is to launch a civil suit against the provincial government to recover that money.

Jim Lutz, Miller’s lawyer and a partner with Calgary frm Dartnell Lutz, said the Crown made the right decision to stay the charges because testimony from one witness — upon which the Crown relied heavily — proved to be unreliable.

During the trial, the court heard that Animal Protection Services of Saskatchewan (APSS) hired Saskatoon veterinarian Dennis Will to inspect Miller’s animals. After assessing them, Will alleged that the cattle were cov-

ered in lice and emaciated.

However, testimony from a Moose Jaw veterinarian who inspected the animals when they were housed at Heartland Livestock refuted Will’s assessment and determined they were neither emaciated nor had lice.

Furthermore, bone samples taken from two dead animals confrmed that they were not emaciated and had suitable bone marrow fat content. Therefore, Lutz pointed out, the evidence made Will’s testimony unfounded.

“The Crown doesn’t give reasons why they stay charges, but my guess … is they came to the conclusion that the totality of the evidence meant they had no reasonable likelihood of conviction,” the lawyer said.

Added Lutz, “This is a great example of the Crown taking a really hard look at their evidence and being realistic. So, it’s a really good example of why people ought to be happy with the justice system we have because when the Crown’s called to task, they do the right thing.

“That part made me quite happy.”

Corey Kuemper, a friend of Miller’s, said signifcant changes need to occur within APSS to prevent something like this from happening again. Specifcally, he wanted to see the executive director resign and for all APSS offcers to wear body cameras. Moreover, he wanted to see the province reduce the powers that the organization had.

Kuemper added that he intended to inform Premier Scott Moe and the Ministry of Agriculture about the case.

The Crown was reached out for comment but did not hear back by press time.

Police, border security arrest four Mexicans illegally working in Moose Jaw

By MooseJawToday.com

A joint investigation by the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has resulted in the arrest of four immigrants who were working here illegally.

The MJPS received information recently about an unlicensed paving company working in Moose Jaw. The company was operating under multiple names, including “Hortons Paving and Masonry” and “Tartans Paving.”

The information provided was that the company was going door-to-door, offering driveway paving services to residents. Police also learned that the company used high-pressure and aggressive sales tactics on residents while attempting to acquire their business, making homeowners feel uncomfortable. Additionally, the company was requesting that customers pay in cash.

Working with the City of Moose Jaw’s Bylaw Enforcement Offce, the MJPS’s Criminal Investigation Section (CIS) discovered that the company was not registered or licensed to operate in Moose Jaw.

On Aug. 20, CIS located the paving crew working within the city, although the company’s foreman/owner could not be located on arrival.

CIS discovered that the company’s workers were Mexican citizens who did not have the proper documentation to work in Canada. After arresting the four immigrants, Moose Jaw police turned them over to the CBSA. Currently, police don’t believe that this company is responsible for any crimes in Moose Jaw, but offcers are continuing to investigate the situation.

Police are reminding residents to be diligent when hiring businesses, and if something seems suspicious, they should call the City of Moose Jaw with concerns or to confrm whether the business is licensed or registered to work in the city. Red fags in this instance included door-to-door sales and high-pressure tactics. Anyone with further information should contact CRIME STOPPERS at 1-800-222-8477 or the Moose Jaw Police Service at 306-694-7600.

Reflective Moments

By Joyce Walter - For Moose Jaw Express

Seeing the sign “We Serve” brings joy to travellers

When I see the words “We Serve” along highway service roads in unfamiliar communities, it is important to make a special effort to fnd a way to stop at the business that promises this particular assistance or courtesy.

Back in August of 2016, I wrote a column about this very topic — the scarcity of full-service gas stations and the need to “fll-er-up” oneself, with or without any previous experience.

Not so much has changed in the eight years that have gone by, with perhaps the exception of even fewer fullserve places to stop. A profound and heartfelt thank you to the stations with live attendants at the pumps who ask: “what’ll you have today?”

My response: please fll it with regular, and would you also wash the windows? Thank you.”

What follows is the original column from 2016:

“The lessons learned at the parent’s gasoline and bulk oil business are serving me quite well in the decades that have seen the “service” removed from the service stations.

“I was a tomboy in a small community where no restrictions were placed on me for what tasks I should be undertaking as a girl. When I wasn’t frustrating my mother in my inability to learn how to knit and sew, I was happily tagging along with my dad as he sold white, purple and amber gasoline plus cans of grease products.

“I was a frequent passenger with him as he made farm-to-farm deliveries, flling the customers’ on-farm tanks from orders phoned in, or based on regular standing weekly orders in the busy farm season.

“But I was also trained in how to pump gas for customers who dropped by to have their cars flled with amber gasoline. Sometimes I even got to run the pump when a farmer arrived with a small barrel to be flled with purple gas. It was important to carefully drain the pump hose of purple gas before flling a car’s tank with amber — police stops were common in search of urban drivers using purple gas meant for farm trucks and equipment.

“Fast forward to the present day in which self-serve has become a regular duty of the travelling public.

“We frst noticed a proliferation of self-serve gas bars when we visited the East Coast provinces in 2008, 2010 and 2013. Ditto for British Columbia in 2015 and Ontario in 2016. (It was the same in Yukon in 2017.) Here at home our favourite gas station still provides full service which means an attendant will fll the gas tank and even wash the front window. (A special request will sometimes have the back window washed as well.)

“At frst I was annoyed that most gas companies were going to self-serve without reducing the price of gas in relation to the savings on labour. But now I am resigned to the fact that when we travel, we will most likely

Threshing bee demonstration set for Sept. 7-8

weekend

Ron Walter - For Moose Jaw Express

The piercing sound of excess steam released from a steam tractor and the rumbling of an old threshing machine will herald the annual threshing bee at Sukanen Ship Museum.

The Sept. 7 and 8 event at the museum 13 km south of Moose Jaw will show off a harvesting method not used since the 1950s.

The threshing machine was the mainstay of harvest from the early 1900s until the late 1940s when combines became popular.

The Bruce family of Tuxford will bring steam traction machines, once used to plough, seed and thresh grain.

The museum has one of four or fve threshing bees left in southern Saskatchewan.

The local threshing bee dates to 55 years ago when the museum was an auto club with a few old buildings.

A fundraising event was needed. Since someone had just donated a threshing machine so the club held a threshing bee.

The bee has been held every year since with the exception of two or three rained out times and two years during the Covid lockdown.

The museum has a good stand of oats to harvest and had some crop donated by a nearby farmer Norbert Fries.

Member service acknowledgments will happen just before 1 p.m. Saturday

Part of the show will be the grand opening Sunday before 1 p.m. of the new truck building, located north of the main village. The 6,000 square foot building was completed just in time for the bee.

Called the Hart Building, it was made possible by a $70,000 donation from longtime member and former director Lorne Hart. The building replaces an older structure that needs repairs.

The threshing bee event demonstrations cover a

range of machines.

Both days start at 8 a.m., with a pancake breakfast and later in the morning, a tractor parade.

The Baker Fan demonstration follows breakfast Saturday. The fan indicates the horsepower capacity of tractors.

After lunch, the car-truck parade happens followed by demonstrations of ploughing, reaping, binding, a stationary baler and the 3 p.m the threshing operation.

Events conclude at 4 p.m, with a vintage tractor pull that flls the grandstand.

The blacksmith shop will operate both days as will as the rope-making equipment.

A church service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Sunday.

A full concession operates both days featuring homemade pies from the members.

All buildings are open for viewing until 5 p.m. Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net

have to pump our own gas.

THURSDAY, August 29th

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily refect the position of this publication.

“That means I pump the gas based on my previous experience and training, and Housemate becomes the window washer and he goes inside to pay the bill — a satisfactory division of labour. I have become somewhat adept at judging the number of litres the tank will take, based on the kilometres travelled and the litres previously required to fll the tank. The automatic shut-off is quite advanced technology — unlike the washer I learned to place on the pump handle back in my learning days.

“There is still an element of excitement when we do come across a full-service outlet somewhere during the journey. But sometimes that full service doesn’t come with a smile or a thank you or an offer to wash the windows. At such a stop, the grumpy attendant did not wash the windows nor did he put the gas cap back on properly — resulting in a warning light coming on to alert us we’d better stop and tend to the problem.

“So I’m happy to have gas pumping training, but I will continue to look for full-service signs and when I don’t hear the three clicks of the cap being turned, I will get out and give it my own self-serve twist of the wrist.” Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net

Notice is hereby given by the Rural Municipality (R.M.) of Moose Jaw No. 161, pursuant to The Planning and Development Act, 2007, that Council intends to adopt a bylaw to amend Bylaw No. 6-2011, the Zoning Bylaw.

INTENT

The proposed bylaw would amend the following: Section 2, De nitions, by adding de nitions related to solar use; Section 4 of the General Regulations by permitting Solar Energy Systems structures at or below 100 KW; Section 5 of the Discretionary Use standards by adding Solar Farms which includes the standards for development; Sections 7 thru 16 inclusive by adding solar energy systems as permitted or discretionary use in the various zoning districts.

AFFECTED LAND

The proposed bylaw impacts all Zoning Districts in the Municipality.

REASON

The existing Bylaw does not have anything speci c to “solar” use including solar farms. In light of the increased demand for solar power in the province and the potential impact it could have in the municipality, Council wants to have the controls in place to e ectively deal with the installation, operation and decommissioning of solar farms while also recognizing the use of small-scale operations for residential and commercial use.

INSPECTION

The proposed Bylaw Amendment may be inspected at the R.M. o ce between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Monday through Friday, except holidays.

PUBLIC HEARING

Council will hold a public hearing to receive submissions on the proposed bylaw at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, in the Council Chambers of the o ce of the R.M. of Moose Jaw No. 161, 1410 Caribou St. W., Moose Jaw, SK S6H 7S9 to hear any person or group that wants to comment on the proposed bylaw. Council will also consider written comments received at the hearing (or delivered to the undersigned at the municpal o ce before the hearing). For further information, please call the Administration O ce at (306) 692-3446.

Dated at the City of Moose Jaw, in the Province of Saskatchewan, this 11th day of July 2024.

Mike

Wirges Administrator

Opening of youth-focused service agency

excites school board trustees

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

Catholic school trustees are excited that a youth-focused agency will soon open in Moose Jaw to give students the opportunity to build healthy physical, mental and spiritual lives.

Homebase Moose Jaw (HMJ) is an integrated youth services organization that will have a nurse, mental health worker and YMCA staff present to support students aged 12 to 25 with their needs. It is operating in the former RBC Branch on High Street West and expects to have a soft opening on Friday, Aug. 23.

Christine Boyczuk, trustee with Holy Trinity Catholic School Division, expressed excitement during the August board meeting about the new organization.

Boyczuk — who also volunteers with the Moose Jaw Literacy Network — recalled speaking with Ashley Florent, the YMCA’s general manager of community development, because the latter was interested in developing a library in the building. Furthermore, she was willing to partner with school divisions and church youth groups since the venue had several rooms for games, meetings and events.

“I just thought it was a really good facility that we need to think about, especially (since) St. Joesph’s (Roman Catholic Parish) don’t have a good youth group … ,” she added.

Sarah Phipps, superintendent of learning, told the

board that division administration plans to take all principals and vice-principals to Homebase Moose Jaw’s new home so they understand more about it.

“An interesting piece is they have a youth advisory council, so a lot of what you will see in that building and the services provided and the resources provided (are there) because youths in the community have asked for it,” Phipps remarked.

She agreed that it was a “beautiful space,” which would include a cultural/faith room for people of all faiths to pray or worship. Meanwhile, both Moose Jaw school divisions already have a partnership with the organization, which can help high school students with issues like fnancial literacy.

“They are going to do all sorts of things that are really needed in the community. It will be interesting to see,” said Phipps. “It’s going to be open limited hours to start, and then (it will) extend hours, and (be) a safe space for kids to go for all sorts of needs.”

Florent has talked to division chaplain Lisa Busta about creating connections with community churches and ensuring there are spiritual and religious materials on site, while she is open to other ideas to make the space inviting, the learning superintendent continued. However, since Holy Trinity is an educational partner, it doesn’t have control over the services the venue may provide.

HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC SCHOOL DIVISION

THE NEXT HOLY TRINITY BOARD MEETING IS MONDAY, SEPT. 16

Phipps added that HMJ plans to extend its services to Swift Current and Shaunavon.

Trustee Alison Bradish hoped that the venue welcomed Catholic social teaching and allowed Holy Trinity and its partners the opportunity to explain why the church teaches what it does. She also thought it was “tricky” that Holy Trinity was simply an educational partner and didn’t have control over the services provided.

“If I was a youth minister and if I hear that there might be something being promoted (that contradicts church teaching), I’d be pretty reluctant (to recommend the venue),” she said. “But as far as outreach and evangelization goes, if that’s a neutral space and someone’s looking for material or would like to give back to the sacraments, then yeah, why not have material there?”

Added Bradish, “It sounds like a lovely thing for our community.”

Catholic schools banned from using 15-seat vans for safety reasons, Holy Trinity says

Catholic students and staff who must travel for activities will have to use school buses or smaller vehicles for transportation after the division reaffrmed its ban on 15-passenger vans.

Board trustees with Holy Trinity Catholic School Division discussed the prohibition of such vehicles during their August meeting, after division administration presented a summary of changes to six administrative procedures (AP).

Besides the ban on large vans, the other APs focused on employee code of conduct, general transportation, loss of personal property, acquisition of furniture and equipment and student and staff safety with extracurricular activities.

There have been several studies that show how dangerous 15-passenger vans can be, while Holy Trinity has said previously that schools cannot use such vehicles, so administration thought it was important to restate that fact, said Ward Strueby, director of education.

Schools can use mini-vans — vehicles with under 12 seats — to take staff and students places, but they cannot use the larger vans since those were initially built to haul cargo and face signifcant tipping hazards, he continued.

The division previously allowed Phoenix Academy to use a 15-passenger van to transport students only around Moose Jaw, but now no school is allowed to use such conveyances.

“At the end of the day, the school division strongly

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice of Passing of an Interim Development Control Bylaw for the Village of Marquis Bylaw No. 1-2024

TAKE NOTICE that the Council of the Village of Marquis passed an Interim Development Control (IDC) Bylaw No. 1-2024 on February 15, 2024, under the authority of Section 80 of The Planning and Development Act, 2007.

Bylaw No. 1-2024 received final approval from the Minister of Government Relations on March 7, 2024 and is to be in effect for two years from the date of approval. Any person who violates this bylaw is subject to the penalties as provided for in The Planning and Development Act, 2007.

THE PURPOSE AND EFFECT of Interim Control Bylaw No. 1-2024 is to control the use of land, buildings or structures for existing users and provide the Village with the opportunity to complete an Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw.

THE LANDS EFFECTED BY Bylaw No. 1-2024 are all those areas within the corporate boundaries of the Village of Marquis.

A copy of Bylaw No. 1-2024 is available on the Village’s website at https://www.rmofmarquis.com/bylaws-village/

For more information, please contact: Village of Marquis: Box 40, Marquis, SK, S0H 2X0 admin@rmofmarquis.com 306-788-2022

Dated this 14th day of August, 2024.

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

favours the practice of using buses to transport students. Buses are safer,” Strueby added. “Buses might cost a little more and they might not be as convenient because you have a lot of kids there, but … that’s what we’re trying to encourage staff to (use).”

Loss of personal property

Some school divisions have policies saying whether they will partially or fully compensate employees who experience damage to their property — such as from shingles damaging vehicles or someone stepping on eyeglasses — while working, Strueby said. Similarly, Holy Trinity regularly receives questions from staff about what the division covers; there is now a policy to guide how much compensation people will receive.

Staff who experience damage to their property while working can submit their claims to the chief fnancial offcer (CFO), who will assess the submissions and issue compensation up to a maximum of $500. The CFO will also work with insurance companies if required.

“We hope these things don’t happen, but at least we can treat everything the same, because if things are happening and it’s not consistent, that’s when hard feelings occur,” added Strueby.

Safety

In updating the AP that focuses on student and staff safety, and by extension, the safety handbook for physical education and extracurricular sports, the division added indoor rock climbing and zip lining as activities that

schools can pursue, said Dave DePape, superintendent of human resources and operations.

“Those activities are deemed to be high-risk activities, so it’s … grade-approved, so grade 7 to 12. Students are allowed to participate if they meet the criteria in the phys-ed safety handbook,” he remarked.

Many schools have asked if they can participate in activities at SkyPark indoor/outdoor amusement park in Regina, so that is why administration updated the AP, DePape added. The division offce is allowing students and staff to participate in indoor rock climbing and zip lining at this Regina-based business only.

Code of conduct

Administration has updated the employee code of conduct’s confict of interest section to clarify that staff are prohibited from using their personal loyalty cards — like Air Miles, President’s Choice, or Co-op — to acquire division-related goods and services or conduct business, said Strueby.

“We don’t want to be in a situation where you’re getting perks that you shouldn’t get … (that are) a taxable beneft,” he remarked.

Superintendent Sarah Phipps told the board that the reason for updating this AP is because the division doesn’t want staff purchasing groceries for their schools and then claiming $100 in free loyalty points that they can use to buy personal groceries.

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

The Ministry of Education has modifed Holy Trinity Catholic School Division’s capital budget for this school year, which means the division will be spending less on school-related construction projects.

The board fnalized its 2024-25 budget during its June 17 meeting and then submitted the document to the ministry for offcial approval. After reviewing the budget, the government offered feedback that focused on the division’s estimated revenues and expenses for its capital projects.

Specifcally, the modifcations resulted from ministry offcials’ reassessment of Holy Trinity’s expected capital project cash outfows.

“Based on consultation with ministry offcials, the budget requires modifcation as it no longer can be characterized as a minor change … ,” said a board report presented during the August meeting. “There were (also) several minor changes to the operating budget that did not change the bottom line, primarily expenditure reclassifcation(s).”

Changes to the capital budget include:

Capital revenues have decreased from $17,742,795 to $13,799,000, a drop of $3,943,795

Capital expenses for the Our Lady of Hope jointuse school project have declined from $16,242,795 to $12,299,000, a drop of $3,943,795

Capital expenses for the École St. Margaret School project have been revised from $3,817,300 to $2,750,000, a decline of $1,067,300

These changes total $8.95 million.

Ward Strueby, director of education, told the board that these changes will not affect the division’s operating budget, although it will affect the cash fow streaming in and out for those projects. Meanwhile, the province will take the money it reduced from this year’s capital budget and apply it to the 2025-26 capital budget.

“So we may have budgeted money in one area, but the government says it should be coming out of a different budget line. So the money stayed the same; it just moved in a couple of small places,” he said.

Strueby added that the ministry did not give any reason for reducing Holy Trinity’s capital budget this year.

Divisions Support School Zone Speed Limit Changes: Changes

With the new 30 km/hr speed limit in school zones still controversial to many and set to take effect in a few weeks there is one group strongly onside - your local school divisions.

And yes, it is all about safety around Moose Jaw’s schools - it will just take time to adjust to. But the local school divisions are ready for it.

“I think any change takes awhile (to get accustomed to). The City has rolled it out over the summer and with any new rule there is going to be adjustment time for our drivers to be made aware of,” Todd Johnson transportation manager with the Prairie South School Division said. Johnson said there was great signage out for the past few weeks helping drivers get used to the changes.

Changes which include not just the drop in the school zone speed limit but also the move to a 7 am to 7 pm time frame, standardized school zone lengths and designated crosswalks brightly painted.

“I think people will be aware but there is also a learning period.”

For school bus drivers they are not just aware of the changes but also have defensive driving training to enhance safety, he said.

“We made them well aware even in the surrounding areas and some of our rural schools I let them know the changes…education and communication is the way we’re trying to solve this.”

Asked if he agreed the drop from 40 km/hr to a 30 km/hr school zone would be safer he said he did.

“I think the drop in speed is a drop in stopping time. So I would say yes (it’s safer),” Johnson said, adding “I think anything that will slow down vehicles will help for sure.”

Ofcial September 3rd

Robert Thomas - MJ Independent

A PHOTO BY MJ INDEPEN-

DENT DISPLAYING A SIMPLE CUTLINE SHOWING THE INSTALLATION OF THE NEW SCHOOL ZONE SPEED LIMITS DREW OVER 200 COMMENTS AND WAS VIEWED OVER 47,000 TIMES - MJ INDEPENDENT

FILE PHOTO

The stopping dis-

tance at 30 km/hr is 17.19 meters whereas the stopping distance for 40 km/ hr is 26.86 meters.

While considering the school zone speed limit changes Council was told the 10 km/hr drop could mean the difference of a pedestrian being seriously injured or killed.

Ward Streuby superintendent for the Holy Trinity Catholic School Division said he wholeheartedly supported the change in the school zone speed limit.

“With the going from 40 km/hr to 30 km/hr, it’s a great move. We were one of the only places in Saskatchewan that was still at 40 and the research shows for every kilometer you drop that speed limit it’s safer,” Streuby said.

He said he himself would have to adjust to the change but it’s all about student safety.

“For drivers is it a bit of a nuisance? Absolutely. I myself will be checking my speed going through those school zones as well. But at the end of the day it’s about student safety and students sometimes leave our build-

New policy governing

phone use in classrooms coming to Holy Trinity soon

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

Holy Trinity Catholic School Division is producing a new administrative procedure (AP) governing the use of phones in classrooms, with the document to be in school administrators’ hands by Sept. 1.

The creation of the new policy is in response to the provincial government’s announcement on Aug. 6 that the use of cell phones and smartphones would be prohibited in kindergarten to Grade 12 classrooms starting in the 2024-25 school year. However, the Ministry of Education is allowing high school teachers to seek exemptions from their principals to use phones for instructional purposes.

Board trustees with Holy Trinity discussed the province’s new mandate and the new AP during their recent August meeting.

“We were caught a little bit off guard (this summer) in terms of … getting that information from the government. (However), I think we saw signs that we were heading in this direction, that we would see something,” said Ward Strueby, director of education.

“And in a number of different provinces, we (have seen) some tech and cell phone bans.”

After receiving a draft procedure from the ministry, division administration began organizing a meeting with its school administrators so that principals could take a lead role in crafting a policy that meets their needs, he

continued.

Division administration expects the new AP to say that during instructional time, students will not be allowed to use phones or other non-school-division-related technology, although high school teachers can apply to their principals to use devices for projects or assignments.

Superintendents will work out “other particulars” in that administrative procedure, and once they meet with school administrators to fne-tune the document, they will share it with trustees and parents, said Strueby.

“We want to make sure we support our kids because, for a number of them, this will be tough — it will be a tough change for them,” he continued.

Strueby recalled visiting some schools last year and seeing extensive use of cell phones in classrooms while others had their phones stored in cubby holes. He pointed out that research shows that the use of cell phones and smartphones by children has a negative effect on them; he acknowledged that his smartphone usage is not healthy, either.

“At the end of the day, this information is coming from the ministry. They have the authority to make these changes and we have to follow them,” he added.

The minister of education informally consulted with Holy Trinity trustees about this issue when he visited

ings really excited and they aren’t paying attention if drivers slow down a little bit it helps protect the kids,” Strueby said.

Several commented in July regarding no need for the drop in speed as there has been no safety concerns reported. Many pointed out the diffculty in certain school zones - especially hills - to drive 30 km/hr.

It’s something Mayor Clive Tolley commented on while speaking at the First Riders Program on recently.

“On the way here I tried driving 30 km/hr by King George and right over here by Palliser Heights and it’s going to be a challenge going 30. But we all have to start doing that very quickly in September,” Mayor Tolley said.

School bus driver Denny Nikolic framed it as being a minor inconvenience but at the same time a major increase in safety.

“If you were to drive through four school zones in a day you might add 30 seconds to your travel time,” Nikolic said, while attending the First Rider Program adding how much safety would improve with such a small expense of time.

The new reduced 30 km/hr school zone speed limit is set to be offcially rolled out on September 3, 2024, the frst day of school, with the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) issuing fnes.

Until September 3rd the MJPS is using the time as an educational phase and issuing warnings, but could phase into receiving a ticket.

https://www.mjindependent.com/new-blog/2024/8/17/ w87os6wgeh62rejbs8uz8e6r5o42f2

them during a board meeting last year, while he also consulted with other boards during similar visits, said trustee Christine Boyczuk. Even though the visits were informal, the ministry appears to have treated those consultations as formal communications.

The division acquired formal feedback from school principals through an online survey last year, although conversations with administrators initially showed they “didn’t want to touch the cell phone policy” since vaping and dabbing were more of a concern, said Strueby.

However, the online survey indicated that principals and vice-principals were amiable to division administration changing the policy, he continued. Moreover, based on conversations he had, he noticed a shift in administrators’ opinions throughout the 2023-24 school year toward crafting a new policy.

Strueby added that besides Canadian provinces, some U.S. states are also banning phone use in classrooms.

T4 slips, employment records and bank statements from the 2016-17 year are some documents that Holy Trinity Catholic School Division will soon destroy as part of a regular cull of old records.

The organization securely stores thousands of documents at its board offce in Moose Jaw and, in accordance with appropriate provincial legislation, policies, and records retention and disposal schedules, records and paperwork from seven years ago have reached their useful purpose and will soon see the shredder.

Division administration presented a list of payroll and fnance records that will soon become history — and tiny little pieces — during the recent board meeting.

Ward Strueby, director of education, told trustees that CFO Curt Van Parys and Dave DePape, superintendent of human resources and operations, determine every year what documents should be shredded and what can be retained.

“Everything stays at the board offce under lock and key,” the education director said.

It’s important to keep certain documents long-term

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

because the division offce sometimes receives calls from former students who require records from the 1960s for court purposes, Strueby continued. Such records can help former students know when they were enrolled in a Catholic school in Moose Jaw or the area.

The education director added that Holy Trinity can legally shred and destroy documents after seven years, as per legislation.

Joann Blazieko, board chairwoman, pointed out that shredding old documents is important because the board offce has only so much storage space on site. Therefore, it’s necessary to eliminate paperwork that doesn’t have historical value.

Some payroll-related documents the school division will destroy include accounts payable payments, payroll batches, T4s, records of employment, board indemnity payments, sick leave records and leave requests/staff absence forms.

Some fnance-related records that Holy Trinity will dispose of include journal entries, bank statements, vendor invoices, GST returns, excise tax returns, deposit

charitable receipts and other budget documents.

RED HOT DEALS

Moose

Jaw Flying Club celebrates 100 years of the RCAF at annual pancake breakfast

Aviators, their aspiring young counterparts, and guests with a love of fight soared into history at the Moose Jaw Municipal Airport this month as the Moose Jaw Flying Club affliated with Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) Flight 215 held its annual pancake breakfast recently.

The event also gave a nod to the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) 100-year centennial.

The weather, which Roger Blager, chairman of the Moose Jaw Flying Club and the fight captain for COPA 215 described as being “the X-factor,” was good enough to host the show despite a somewhat low ceiling and hindered visibility due to lingering smoke from ongoing wildfres.

“We got some fy-ins, we got many drive-ins, and (we had) probably the best attendance in fve years,” he said. “We’re happy with the turnout for sure.”

In his estimate, this year’s event saw at least 250 attendees.

Blager himself was kept busy and spent most of his time running the grill and making sure everything ran smoothly. Still, he did receive some early feedback.

“I’m the president (of the fying club), so I’m making sure all my people are happy and looked after… You don’t want anybody to go without breakfast,” he said.

“I would say though that I did get a couple of comments that it was fun and that… people really enjoyed themselves.”

To celebrate the RCAF’s centennial year, a few additions to the traditional itinerary included a Beechcraft Model 18 aircraft and a CT-156 Harvard II aircraft from 15 Wing on static display with some pilots willing to an-

Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express

of the Moose Jaw Radio Control Club demonstrates the functionality of one of his fight-ready model aircraft during the Moose Jaw Flying Club’s pancake breakfast on the morning of Aug. 17. In the background children learn about computer programs that control some of these models to inspire the next generation of aviators.

swer any questions young guests may have had.

Indoors, the Queen City Drone Club and the Moose Jaw R/C Aircraft Club set up a display table, and Skydive South Sask. was able to hold a quick jump when the smoke cleared later in the day.

As well, several children and their parents were given the chance to take their frst fight in a light aircraft for only around $20 per person with the aim of introducing them to the joys of fight.

“Just to raise awareness about aviation in general (is

part of our goal),” he continued. “We want boys and girls to know that they can be a pilot, they can be an aircraft mechanic, (or) they can be an air traffc controller.

“The problem is, a lot of (people)… don’t know a lot about what we do,” he said. “So really, this is the only way to get them out and introduce them to aviation…”

The focus on providing fights for children under the age of 16 helped advance the fying club’s mission of being good ambassadors for aviation.

“There’s a huge need for pilots (and other aviation roles) around the world, so we’re always trying to get kids involved, and get them up in a small plane for their frst little fight,” he said. The hope, he explained, is to spark an interest in any youths who may be interested in pursuing a future career in the feld of aviation.

The history of the Moose Jaw Flying Club goes back to its founding in 1928, but the club has been operating in a similar manner since around the early ‘80s. Events such as this help raise awareness for the civilian municipal airport that is oftentimes confated with 15 Wing Moose Jaw.

“The Moose Jaw Flying Club salutes our military brethren and counterparts over the years… who have fought and died for our country,” Blager added in honour of the RCAF centennial. “We want to honour them.”

For more information about the Moose Jaw Flying Club COPA 215, visit SkCopa.ca/Flights/Copa-215-MooseJawFlyingClub.

To learn more about the Moose Jaw Municipal Airport Authority, visit CJS4.ca or email Info@MJMAA.ca.

The Moose Jaw Municipal Airport is located 14.8 kilometres northeast of downtown Moose Jaw and can be accessed by Highway 301 North.

In pictures: Moose Jaw Flying Club annual pancake breakfast

hand to answer questions about future careers in aviation. Here, crew members manoeuvre the aircraft to be stored at an adjacent hangar until its return to the air base on Aug. 19. Photo by: Aaron Walker

Sid Haubrick, president of the Moose Jaw Radio Control Club demonstrates the functionality of a model aircraft. His display was part of an indoor element which aimed to spread awareness about aviation-related clubs, groups, and careers in line with the goal of the Moose Jaw Flying Club and COPA 215.

Sid Haubrick (left, holding remote), president

Photo by: Aaron Walker

Beechcraft Model 18. Photo by: Aaron Walker

Roger Blager, president of the Moose Jaw Flying Club and fight captain for COPA 215 said

The Beechcraft Model 18 — a rare sight for Moose Jaw — takes off at the municipal airport on the morning of Aug. 17.

Photo by: Aaron Walker

Photo by: Aaron Walker

Sid Haubrick (left) and his wife (centre) prepared to board the Beechcraft Model 18 displayed at the Moose Jaw Municipal Airport for a fight on Aug. 17.

Photo by: Aaron Walker

A closer look at the Beechcraft Model 18 during its static display at the Moose Jaw Municipal Airport. Photo by: Aaron Walker A few guests who few in earlier for the traditional pancake breakfast are now set to depart for home around noon on Aug. 17. Photo by: Aaron Walker

Oh Clark’s

Public library to ofer children’s online safety workshop as part of community outreach

The Moose Jaw Public Library is hosting an upcoming program to teach children between the ages of eight and 14 about the basic principles of online safety including the recognition of risks, understanding safe browsing, and the interactive lessons aim to help young internet users safely navigate today’s digital world.

The program, Digital Footprints, will take place on Saturday, Sept. 7, and runs for one hour from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the library’s Herb Taylor Room. The course will be led by James, a staff member at the library who also runs the ongoing Tech Time workshops.

“The program is… just a short little course on basic online safety for kids,” explained Naiomi Setter, the communications clerk at the Moose Jaw Public Library.

“He (James) is going to talk a little bit about what digital footprints are, how we can control and mange them when we’re using the internet, and (how to) be safe (online).”

The course will be taught at an introductory level and isn’t expected to get too technical in consideration of the young audience.

Digital Footprints is a new program at the library and similar workshops pertaining to online safety for children haven’t been offered in a while. Setter didn’t specifcally mention any new, concerning trends or requests for the program, but said it’s part of the library’s public outreach.

“It (online safety for children) is always an issue,” she clarifed. “As providers of services to the community… I think it’s just something that is great to offer kids. We’re always looking for new ideas for programs for that age group.”

Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express

The program also happens to align with the library’s Maker programs which include Maker Saturdays, Teen Makers, and additional relevant workshops.

“We have lots of Maker programs,” Setter said. “Whether they use computers (or not) … Once they (children) start to get into that age where they’re using computers and maybe developing a little bit of a space online, then I think it’s important to educate them on how to be safe and how to use the internet in a way that’s going to protect themselves.”

Parents and guardians are welcome to attend alongside their children, however it’s important to note that the material is intended for a younger audience. Any parents looking for more information may be able to reach out to James for additional resources.

Adults who are interested in learning more about online safety may also reach out to the library to inquire about its ongoing Tech Time programming. Tech Time offers a oneon-one, simplifed learning environment for adults to learn about today’s modern computers, cellphones, and other electronic devices.

You can inquire about upcoming Tech Time options by calling the library at 306-692-2787.

If the course proves to be popular, Setter said the public library will consider hosting more courses on this topic in the near future.

Advance registration is required to attend the upcoming workshop. To register, visit MJLibrary.ca and search for ‘Digital Footprints.’ Digital Footprints is offered free of charge, as is all programming at the library unless otherwise stated.

The deadline to apply is one hour before the program, begins on Sept. 7, but as spots are limited and flling up fast, it’s advisable to book as soon as possible. If the program is full, new applicants will be put on a waiting list and can reach out to the library for more information.

The Moose Jaw Public Library is located at 461 Langdon Crescent and can be reached at 306-692-2787. For more information, visit MJLibrary.ca or visit ‘Moose Jaw Public Library’ on Facebook.

S6H 6J6 Phone: 306-692-1115 | Fax: 306-691-5122

• Sales and Repairs Recores of Radiators Charge Air Coolers

• Custom Radiator and Charge Air Cooler Builds

• Heater Cores Repaired or Recored

• Hydraulics and Transmission Oil Coolers Repaired or Recored

• Fuel Tanks and Accessories

• Cleaning and Lining of Fuel Tanks

• Sales and Repairs of Condensers

• Fuel Tank Steam Out and Repair or Custom Build

• Welding of Aluminum, Steel, Stainless Steel

IN CAB FUEL TANKS AND FUEL SENDING UNITS FOR: 1949-1972 CHEVY TRUCKS 1948-1977 FORD TRUCKS

City’s Summer Playground Program concludes with grand fnale Summer Fun Bash

After an active and enjoyable summer season that kicked off on July 2, the City of Moose Jaw concluded its weekday Summer Playground Program with a grand fnale Summer Fun Bash at Elgin Park throughout the day on Aug. 22.

“Our Summer Fun Bash is something where we love to bring all of our staff together for one big summer day,” explained Curtis Dumont, the city’s recreation program supervisor based out of the Yara Centre.

Demara Kilgour is the city’s summer program co-ordinator and was the planner of this summer’s program lineup.

“The last day of the program was (Aug. 21) … so our big Summer Fun Bash today is… just to celebrate the end of the program and another successful year,” she explained.

The Summer Playground Program was intended for children between the ages of six and 12 and was held in six parks across the city: Sunningdale Park, Elgin Park, Optimist Park, 1996 Summer Games Park, Kinsmen Regal Heights Park, and East End Park.

The Kinsmen Regal Heights Park was the program’s latest addition and its inclusion coincided with the opening of the new spray park that was formally an-

Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express

nounced this June.

“At Elgin Park, all of our leaders showed up here today and we did a lot of our games and activities,” Dumont said.

These events entailed a few that were held throughout the summer at each park and included the returning bouncy castles from Bounce-A-Lot, a soccer match put on by the Moose Jaw Soccer Association, vending by Kona Ice, and numerous crafts, feld, and water games.

Kilgour said the newly added dunk tank rented from Joe’s Place and the face

painting booth were two of the biggest attractions on Aug. 22.

The conclusion of the program marked the end of park programs for the remainder of the 2024 season, and the affliated Yara Centre camps which saw an average attendance of around 55 individuals, also concluded on Aug. 23.

The Phyllis Dewar Outdoor Pool similarly closed for the season on Aug. 25.

Most of the city’s park programs are free, but participants are asked to register so planners know how many supplies to provide and can determine how many parks to include in 2025.

From these application fgures, Dumont determined that 17 children attended at the lowest and around 30 at the highest this summer. This fgure was slightly lower compared to last year’s participation, which Dumont said was “pretty consistently at 30 kids” in 2023.

Certain parks consistently had a slightly lower attendance, such as Optimist Park, and Dumont suggested that sites with an available spray park tend to draw more attendance —especially on warm days like he’s seen this summer.

“It’s been warmer (this summer) than I think we were hoping for, but you know, having to run from thunderstorms is not

always the best so bring on the sun, right?”

The program, Kilgour said, helps strengthen the community through the promotion of inclusivity.

“It helps bring a bunch of kids together, and it helps build inclusiveness…,” she said. “We run structured play with the kids at the parks and the Yara Centre, so the kids (also) have the opportunity to make new friends and hang out with old friends.”

Inclusivity is also fostered through a wide range of program options so there’s something for everybody from competitive games to socializing opportunities.

The summer-long program, Kilgour said, came together rather nicely.

“It was cool to see everything that I planned come together as well as getting to see all the kids every day,” she said, “It was a really cool opportunity.”

While handing out Freezies to a steady stream of young attendees, Dumont said the program would likely keep going if it wasn’t for the pending start of the fall school season.

“It’s been a fantastic summer,” he concluded.

To view upcoming program options and register in advance, visit MooseJaw. ca.

City staff members came together for one fnal summer park event at Elgin Park on Aug. 22. From left to right: Curtis Dumont, Dacey Seaborg, the city’s recreation services supervisor, Demara Kilgour, and Rylee Moggey, the program’s play leader Photo by: Aaron Walker

When the Western Canadian Baseball League playoffs began back in the frst week of August, no one outside of the Moose Jaw Miller Express and their most diehard fans thought the local squad would have much of a post-season run.

The Express had gone through one of the most bizarrely up-and-down seasons in recent memory, posting a 27-29 record, fnishing 11.5 games back out of the East Division lead and winning only four of their last 10 games of the campaign.

Fast forward a week and a half, and there the Express were, playing in Game 3 of the WCBL Final and taking the eventual champion Okotoks Dawgs right down the fnal inning of the fnal game of the season.

And while things didn’t work out as planned for the local squad -- Okotoks got a walk-off home run for a 6-5 win and their third-straight WCBL championship -- it was an incredible run just the same, one that Miller Express president Darryl Pisio was especially proud of.

“We’re just super proud of the guys,” Pisio said Sunday afternoon while on the drive home from Alberta. “Going into the playoffs we said to them ‘you gotta believe’. We believe in you, Moose Jaw believes in you, everyone believes in you and you can make it happen. Then they believed in themselves and did a tremendous job. It’s baseball and it can go either way sometimes, and unfortunately, it didn’t quite go our way this year.”

Even with their less-than-stellar regular-season record, the Express always had a sense they could win any game, much like every other team in the league. Such was the level of parity across the 12-team league, and especially among the eight teams that reached the postseason.

“You know what, it was a different season, but that was a testament to how the league is,” Pisio said. “On any given day anyone can beat you, and looking at the eight teams that were in the playoffs, any one of those teams

could have won the Western Canadian Baseball League championship. It was anyone’s game any night, and it really shows the quality of the ball and the parity of all the teams in the league.”

That also made things interesting for the fans. The WCBL once again set an overall attendance record in no small part due to the number of close games, and the Miller Express will likely see their fnal numbers close to what they had in 2023, despite a host of inclement weather to start the season.

“It’s unsure right now how it will all come out but compared to last year we’ll probably be on par,” Pisio said. “If there was something that hurt us it was the weather at the start of the season, May and June were uncommonly colder than normal. But on average, our July attendance compared to our June attendance was about 100 people difference, and then you look at August it just kept climbing from there. Then the playoff run was really good for us, and that’ll help.”

The overall community support was once again outstanding, as has become the norm for Miller Express

baseball.

“Right from volunteers to the billets, the fans, our sponsors, all the support has been incredible and we can build from there,” Pisio said. “Everything we do make we try an put back into Ross Wells Park or into the community anyways, so hopefully we can do that.”

The 2025 campaign will see a changing of the guard thanks to the graduation of a host of multi-year seniors. Perennial standout outfelder Nate Mensik, pitcher Cameron Dunn, pitcher Matt Vasquez, infelder Bobby Pokorney and outfelder Joe Osborn are among 11 seniors who will be moving on to other opportunities next season.

“There are some guys who have been with us two or three years, their college career is done and their WCBL career is done, and it’s tough to see them go,” Pisio said. “At the same time, we have a bunch of guys who were here for their frst year and want to come back. They fell in love with the city and loved the support, so we’ll have some good talent coming back for sure.”

That includes a crew of youngsters that will give the local squad a solid local favour not only next season but in years to come.

“We defnitely have some local guys coming up, too, some Moose Jaw and Regina guys that we’re looking forward to seeing on the feld,” Pisio said. “They’re young, but they’re defnitely talented and that’ll play into the coming years as well.”

For now, it’ll be a matter of stepping back after a busy summer before things quickly turn toward the another run next spring.

“We’ll start a the top with the coaches and assistant coaches and get that frmed up in the next couple weeks, then take some time for vacation, and by end of September we’ll start working on things for next year,” Pisio said. “Hopefully we’ll have another great season and take another run at the championship.”

The Moose Jaw Miller Express gather for a team photo after winning the WCBL East Division championship.

Clearing Skies Greeted Opening Practice For Minor Football

“It turned into a pretty good night for football,” Bryan Boys president of the Kinsmen Moose Jaw Minor Football League (MJKMFL) told MJ Independent during a recent thunderstorm.

A few years back interest in minor football was starting to wane but through hard work the storm clouds of uncertainty disappeared and the future for the league is a sunny one. The league in Moose Jaw has been in a multi-year growth phase.

A growth phase Boys gives credit to the local Kinsmen Club for making possible.

At the Moose Jaw opening night for fve days a week practices Boys took time from a busy event to talk about the league’s 2024 campaign.

“The kids have been geared up. We’ve evaluated them, gone through the draft process and this was the frst day that they actually got on the feld as a team,” Boys said about the frst practice.

It was a practice that saw dozens of players go through the paces for the coaches on six Moose Jaw teams.

Moose Jaw will once again see three U12 teams - Lions, Raiders and Bulldogs

Story and photos by Robert Thomas

- but this year there are three U14 teamsLions, Raiders and the division’s newest addition the Moose Jaw Mafa.

The Mafa came about for two reasons.

First off there was a large number of U14 players causing the league to look at three teams instead of two teams.

The usual roster of 40 players per team was cut to about 34 players to form three teams.

Dropping the number of players per team was seen as a positive move because

“we want to get a lot of kids playing so we fipped to the three teams,” Boys said.

“So now we have the Vikings and Raiders, you know the original rivalry but now we’ve added the Mafa. I think a lot of people are super pumped for those guys,” Boys said.

Numbers wise the league is close to 2023 levels with about 230 players, which is about ten more players in 2024.

“It’s pretty good numbers for us so we are up a little bit from last year. So we

Moose Jaw Tier 1 Hockey (Moose Jaw Warriors Hockey Club)

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Annual General Meeting of the Members of Moose Jaw Tier 1 Hockey Inc. (Moose Jaw Warriors Hockey Club) will be held on the 19th day of September, 2024 at 11:30am., at Moose Jaw Events Centre, Moose Jaw SK.

Year end financials and Presidential report available to Shareholders at Warriors office on September 18th

Nomination forms must be submitted to the Warriors office no later than September 5th, 4:00 p.m.

have gained a little bit every single year so we’re happy.”

Players are both girls and boys.

Popularity is growing in the number of girls playing having the league eyeing a girl’s division in the future.

Boys said to expect a girl’s team and division as early as next season.

“We are only up about ten kids more. But that’s ten more kids playing football. We’ve grown we now have three (Moose Jaw) teams in the U14 division,” Boys said.

The Razorback (U10) program this year has 47 players which is a large number of introductory players.

“We’ve got quite a few teams and a lot of kids so it’s going to be a great year,” he said.

Although the offcial registration period is now over, players can still sign up and join the program so long as the do so prior to the season’s start.

So players registering late are more than welcome to join up.

“We wouldn’t turn a kid away right now. We would let them get in here until the frst game. After that frst game I would say you’re probably too late,” he said, adding “you probably have two weeks to decide to play football we can get you in here but after that no.”

The registration cost for a new player is $200.

Parents whose economic position do not allow them to afford the registration may still be looked after through such programs as KidsSport and Jump Start.

Both KidsSport and Jump Start are charities which provide registration funding to allow children to participate in sporting activities when they cannot fnancially afford to do so.

The league makes applications for fees in a very private and discretionary manner so as not to cause the child or their parents embarrassment because they cannot afford registration fees.

Boys said he fully understands some families’ economic position given infation and the increased cost of living with wages not keeping par.

All equipment is provided - except for the football cleats - but in cases where families cannot afford football shoes there are a large number of lightly used pairs available.

“If you’re a family in need we have lots of cleats available. We are willing to help out to get kids into sports any way we can…We’ll make it work so a kid can play football.”

“I want every kid to be able to play sports. I don’t think money should ever be an issue. We will fnd a way so your kid can play football,” he said, adding “if you’re fnancially struggling don’t stress about it just contact me and we’ll do something about it.”

Asked about the large Newcomer population in Moose Jaw with children, Boys said they are more than welcome.

“It doesn’t matter your background or where you come from…if you want to try something you know football is for everybody. The helmet fts every child’s head.

We would love to have anybody who wants to play football to come out.”

Boys pointed out football teaches great life lessons.

“There is a lot of stuff right now in the world that draws kids away and maybe get them into trouble, but I think football is the biggest thing that translates to life. We teach kids discipline. You get beat up a little bit. You get knocked down and you pick yourself up. You have to really work as a team,” he said.

Boys said football is a team sport and no player by themselves can win many games but only can win as part of a team.

“When you come here you end up forming that bond. There’s a lot of discipline to just mature. I think to grow as a person in football,” he said.

At the present time the league is what is called a training camp.

Each team has the ability to practice fve times a week during the two week training camp.

Once the season starts the amount of practice time drops.

U14 can practice four times a week and U12 can practice three times a week once the season starts.

“Right now this is the frst ten practices where everybody gets to get everything together. Organize their offence. Find out who is going to play where. You have ten days to prep until the big opening night on August 30th,” Boys said.

Introducing a third local U14 team was one of balance.

“All three teams were split evenly with size and everything. So it’s going to be a great year of football. I’m just excited to see who comes out on top in Moose Jaw let alone the City championship.”

It also means no bye weeks for the U14 teams.

The U12 division took a hit with Swift Current not felding a team this season.

“It’s something they are going to look at in the future and get back into the league…we will be back at the seven U12 teams probably next year.”

Both U12 and U14 divisions will have six teams.

About what he sees coming this season in terms of play, Boys said he is “just excited.”

“We have a ton of size and then we’ve got a ton of little guys. We’ve used more little helmets this year than we ever have. They are little animals. They are football players that have been playing since U10 and these guys are primed and ready,” he said.

“I’m just excited to see the development of these kids.”

There are new coaches this season so it could be quite the surprise to see exactly what plays the new coaches are going to run.

Another big area that is driving excitement is the upgrades and renovations to Elks Field - at the Kinsmen Sports Complex - are seen as a major positive this season.

Dated this 22nd day of Aug., 2024.

By Marianne Simon

“A big shoutout to the Kinsmen who have done so much for us. We’ve been able to completely renovate up at Elk’s (Field). We’ve got new bleachers, the buildings are re-done. The scoreboard is brand new. It is looking absolutely beautiful,” he said.

“We are super excited to kick off August 30th showing everyone our hard work. We really want to thank the community,” he said.

For more information contact Kinsmen Moose Jaw Minor Football League Facebook Page

OR The League’s website at: www. mjfootball.ca

Minor Football Gets Riders Supercharged

With the Kinsmen Moose Jaw Minor Football League (MJMFL) kicking off with two straight weeks of practices there is some added Saskatchewan Roughriders power out on the practice feld.

Micah Johnson, a defensive tackle with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and two time Grey Cup champion and three time CFL All-star, was on the sidelines helping out the Moose Jaw Mafa.

Johnson was helping out because his son J C is playing minor football in Moose Jaw this year.

J C is playing in Kinsmen Moose Jaw Minor Football League due to his size and rules adopted by the Regina minor football league.

J C’s weight makes him ineligible to play any other position other than offensive line in Regina. Regina’s weight limit is 140 pounds with anyone that weight restricted to playing the offensive line.

Thirteen-year-old J C is 155 pounds and 6 foot 3 inches.

“The weights worked out better for him to come in from Regina so we gained a really great coach when he (Micah Johnson) is around. Our coaches are super excited to have him on the feld with them,” Bryan Boys president of the KMJMFL said.

Johnson is already setting of waves in

Story and photos by

Robert Thomas

the Moose Jaw program.

“If you look at his (J C’s) size he’s going to be a great football player. He was the talk of the eval (evaluations) for all of our players Boys said, adding “he’s someone new. He looks the part so it is very exciting.”

“We are just fortunate enough to pick up another great football player and a coach that will be here when he can be.”

Boys said Johnson’s presence shows that word of mouth is helping the league prosper and grow.

“Obviously our league and our rules are getting out there to other people from out of town who are checking to see what we are doing,” he said.

“We are getting people to come in here. We have a really good program. I think our rules are sound and it’s fair for everyone. If you want to come here and play football Moose Jaw might be for you.”

Boys said he didn’t see Johnson helping to coach other teams in the U14 division due to the division’s competitiveness but the league was hopeful to see other Riders potentially show up.

“Maybe we can get him (Micah Johnson) to bring up some of his buddies (from the Roughriders). I know we have some really great guys in the program we’d like

to see come out.”

https://www.mjindependent.com/ sports/2024/8/19/minor-football-gets-riders-supercharged

Old Time Threshing Bee

Saturday Sept. 7 & Sunday Sept. 8

Saturday Activities

8am

8am to 10am - PANCAKE BREAKFAST

Apple pie for Mossbank residents, visitors

Ron Walter - For Moose Jaw Express

The apple pie day tradition continued in Mossbank this year.

Every year on the third Wednesday in August, the community bands together baking apple pies with fruit from local trees for the event.

For the second consecutive year yields from local apple trees were poor.

In fact, one of the organizers Cheryiln Nagel described the apple crop as terrible.

“They fell from the tree. The texture wasn’t good. The taste wasn’t right.”

Still community members baked apple pies and residents came in good numbers for afternoon dessert even though harvest was in full swing.

Proceeds from the apple pie day are a fundraiser for the Mossbank and District Museum, which has the only blacksmith shop in Saskatchewan still in the original location.

Museum tours were offered.

The museum board has fundraising challenges ahead of it.

The Founders’ Building, a blue metal building containing most of the exhibits, needs roof repairs.

The bolts in the roof have rusted and let water through. No estimate of the cost is available yet. “We have to get some money in the bank frst,’’ said Nagel.

The museum is asking for donations to help with the roof repair.

Long time Mossbank business, The Bent Nail Cafe, will close by August 30.

Bent Nail Vice-President Chris Costley thanked customers and staff in a lengthy Facebook post.

The owners “are going to look at options for adjusting the business model to current economic conditions,” said the post.

Mossbank district has not had a good harvest for years.

A combination of tighter budgets, increased minimum wage and other operating cost increases since Covid-19 made the business unsustainable, he said.

The business is labour-intensive with high waste due to ‘‘in-house made freshly prepared products.’’

The town of about 400 people still has one sit-down food service.

After years of sitting idle, the Mossbank Hotel recently re-opened featuring a family menu in the Mossbank Bar and Grille.

Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@ sasktel.net

Medical team hosting inaugural golf tourney to support Guatemalan trip in 2025

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

Members of the Moose Jaw International Medical Mission (MJIMM) team may perform valuable work for less fortunate people in Guatemala, but they also require signifcant fnancial support to ensure successful projects.

To generate funds for its February 2025 trip to Patzun, Guatemala, the organization is hosting an inaugural golf tournament at the Hillcrest Golf Course on Saturday, Sept. 7. Registration occurs at 9 a.m., and a shotgun start happens at 10 a.m.

Registration for individual players is $100 and for teams is $375. All registrations include a cart, burger and beer.

The event will be a “quick fundraiser” since it will be only nine holes, as the organization doesn’t want to interrupt the course’s regular golfers too much, said Louise Rogoschewsky, tournament organizer. There will be contests throughout the event, such as best ball, while there will be plenty of food to enjoy.

The deadline to register is Sunday, Sept. 1, while the Mission’s goal is to have 80 people or teams participate, she continued. There is still room for more participants, so anyone who wants to join should email louise_rogo@hotmail.com.

The idea for a golf tournament fundraiser arose after one of Rogoschewsky’s friends suggested the team hold something like that. The friend pointed out that it would be fun, there would be a big group of people participating, and it would be possible to generate plenty of money.

“We have had other fundraisers, and they make some money, like $1,000 or $2,000, and so I was told that we could make a larger amount for a one-day event,” the organizer said. “So that’s our goal.”

The team’s overall fundraising goal this year is $80,000, which is the money it

requires to purchase medical supplies and ship them to the Central American country, Rogoschewsky continued. Meanwhile, the members are technically volunteers, so they pay their own expenses, such as fights and food.

“So as a group of about 40 people, that’s a lot to fundraise in about 10 months, so we started early,” she stated.

The organizer added that the team is looking for corporate sponsors for the golf tournament, with those businesses acting as sponsors for the nine holes.

Rogoschewsky has travelled to Guatemala several times over the years with the MJIMM, a group comprised of about 40 surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, family physicians and support personnel. Moreover, many of these people are from Saskatchewan, including Moose Jaw, Regina, Prince Albert and Saskatchewan.

“We land in Guatemala City (and) we travel to a smaller city of Patzun, and we provide a variety of medical services, including health education, medical interventions (and) surgeries,” she said.

Several teams then visit smaller communities around Patzun and install wood stoves, provide medical information, provide medications, and sometimes distribute female hygiene products, Rogoschewsky continued. These hygiene products are part of the Days for Girls program, which aims to provide women and girls with underwear, reusable pads and education since not every woman understands her own body.

“So that was my big privilege to contribute to that mission last year,” she added.

For more information about the Moose Jaw International Medical Mission, visit its Facebook page or visit the Bridges of Hope website.

WORDSEARCH

Can you fnd the hidden words? They may be horizontal, vertical, diagonal, forwards or backwards.

AGILE, ALIGN, AUTISM, BELLE, CADRE, CLOUD, CONCRETE CRIME, DATE, DIET, DRAIN, DRONE, GESTURE, INTERTWINE KRILL, LEAD, LODE, MEDAL, MENTAL, MONUMENT NETWORK, ORIEL, RAILS, REMIT, RESIGN, SHAREHOLDER, SISTER, SOMMERSAULT, SPOIL, STAGE, STING, STREW, SUBSIDY, TAROT, TIMER, TROLL, UNDERWAY, WONDER

ACROSS 1. Ascent

6. Frosts, as a cake

10. Sleigh

14. Radiolocation

15. Connecting point

16. Heap

17. Love intensely

18. Hints

19. Broadcast

20. Deadly nightshade

22. Give as an example

23. Canines

24. Topic

26. Actors

30. North northeast

31. Chapter in history

32. Against

33. Lubricates

35. Outward

39. Polecat (archaic)

41. Prove competent

43. Terminated

44. Creative work

46. Distinctive fair

47. Downwind

49. Falsehood

50. Arid

51. Minds

54. Makes a mistake

56. A certain cut of meat

57. Vulgarity

63. Inactive 64. Abbey area

65. Eagle’s home

66. Notices 67. Rind

68. Coniferous forest

69. Mats of grass

70. Stops

71. Exhausted DOWN

1. Fourth sign of the zodiac 2. Stow, as cargo 3. False god 4. Crumbling earthy deposit 5. It comes in a loaf 6. Disguised 7. Give legal advice 8. Biblical garden 9. Benne 10. Eyeglasses 11. Boundary 12. Gentry 13. Discourage 21. Giver

25. Environs

26. Bistro

27. Any minute

28. Wall upright

29. Being at the right time

34. Bushy tailed rodents

36. Floor covering

37. At a distance

38. Physics unit

40. Gulf port

42. Utilizers

45. Delighted

48. Get away

51. Elation

52. Cowboy sport

53. Was laid up

55. Chairs

58. Not closed

59. Half-moon tide

60. A Great Lake

61. Portent or omen

62. Chair

Moose Jaw Truck Shop 22

WANTED

Seeking Born Again Christian Business partner with potential ownership in Second Hand and Flea- Market business. Male, Female or Family must be interested in Salvation, Healing and Deliverance Outreach Ministry . Serious enquiries only please. 306-684-1084, 5 pm- 8pm ONLY (because of scam calls)

Wanted to buy, Volkswagen Beetle intact with air cooled rear engine. Please call 306-5260016.

SERVICES

Moving jobs done reasonably: appliances, furniture, dump runs. Call to do it all. $45.00 a load. 306-630-2268

Need work done? Contact Bill at 306-630-2268

. Interior/exterior, renovations, formwork, framing, fnishing, tiling, painting and all construction, roofng/ siding- no job too big or small. Reasonable rates, 30 years experience. Cleaner with 20 years experience, professional and bondable, please call Rebecca at 306-9900348

Junk to the dump in and around Moose Jaw, $60 and up. Will pick up, move, haul and deliver any appliances and furniture any where in and around Moose Jaw, $45 and up. 45-gallon plastic barrels, great for rainwater, $20 each. Will pick up, move, haul, and deliver TV’s and BBQ’s, $20 and up. Looking for body parts for 2017 F250. 306-681-8747

Buffalo Pound Lake cottage. 775 Lakeside Dr., completely renovated, 2 bedrooms, turnkey, screened sunroom, fully landscaped. $299,000. Call 306-693-2255 or 306-6307771.

HOUSEHOLD

Meat chopper, good condition $50. King Size foam clean and good condition $35. White mirror 29” by 19” $30. Call 306-692-5091

Moving Sale – 1651 General Crescent, lots of furniture, priced to move.

MISCELLANEOUS

For Sale, Sunset Cemetery Last Supper Cremation Plot #212, Asking $1600.00. Call 306693-2003

LOST & FOUND

Senior has lost remote start and my only mailbox key on Saturday, June 29th. Could be at Co-op, Superstore, Peavey Mart, Wal-Mart, ei-

ther in the stores or the parking lot. First digit of mailbox key is 8. Phone 306-526-0016. AUTO PARTS

Four tires for sale. 245 x 75 R 16”. $175. Please call, 306-630-5281. RV’S TRAVEL TRAILER FOR SALE - 40 ft. Jayco Eagle, 3 slides, freplace, washer/dryer, air conditioning, queen bed, premium condition. 306631-8356

MUSIC & INSTRUMENTS FOR SALE - 70 -78 RPM Records, will sell all for one price. Please call 306-694-1967

Church of God hosted its fourth annual multicultural worship service on Aug. 17, but the event nearly went silent before it even began after the sound company unexpectedly withdrew its equipment.

The event occurred in the Town ‘n’ Country Mall’s southwest parking lot from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Vendors offered food — including authentic Mexican tacos and snow cones — while there were several bands and speakers.

People were encouraged to bring a lawn chair, an umbrella, and a friend and enjoy the afternoon worshipping God.

Church of God hosted the event in partnership with Iglesia de Dios Casa de Gloria (Church of God — House of Glory), its Hispanic-affliated church plant at the South Hill campus that launched in 2021.

One band was from Saskatoon, a second was COG’s in-house English group, a third was from the COG’s Spanish affliate, a fourth was a Nigerian group comprised of Moose Javians and Reginans, while a ffth was a group from British Columbia, explained Giovana Garcia, the event co-ordinator.

“It’s really exciting and it’s really cool that we (were) able to offer this to the community, just to have something different,” she said. “In the past, one of the comments has been, ‘We’ve never heard another language singing worship music,’ so it’s been really cool to get that feedback.”

Besides bands, there were several speakers from different churches in Moose Jaw giving short motivational talks, particularly about how good God is, the event

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

perform several joyful and spiritual songs during the multicultural worship service. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

co-ordinator added.

Garcia chuckled, saying there was plenty of work involved in planning an event of this size. However, she and other committee members felt blessed and fortunate with the support they have received, particularly from the mall. That organization “has been absolutely the best” to work with during the past four years since it has provided resources and advertising.

“There’s a lot that goes into it, for sure, and it gets very costly, but God pulls through every year,” she said. “We are a very small church (as) we have about fve (or) 10 members on a good Sunday at our church.”

While the church has a small in-person congregation, it connects to roughly 15,000 through Facebook every week, with the broadcast reaching people in Guatemala, El Salvador, the U.S. and Canada.

“So, the funds don’t really come in quite a bit, but God has just been so faithful, and He provides every time,” Garcia continued. “And every year, we’re just left amazed with how many things get donated and how many people are willing to help out for the event.

“It’s a lot of work and it’s kind of stressful, but it is rewarding in the end.”

This was the fourth year that Garcia helped organize the Multicultural Worship Service, and it has slowly become easier to put together. She noted that she usually contacts the same people to inform them

that COG plans to host the event, and everything nicely falls into place — usually.

There are some years when bands or speakers must drop out at the last minute, so she has to fnd a replacement quickly.

“Planning events depends on the person and the month. We had our sound system that we had rented fall through (the week before the event) and we were freaking out because you kind of need that to run a concert,” Garcia added with a chuckle. “We were scrambling to fnd a replacement — and we found one, thank the Lord. So, there’s never a dull moment.”

Sorting Veggies

Photo by Ron Walter

Obituaries / Memorials

PYETT

We are sorry to announce the passing of William Amos Pyett, during his morning nap on Sunday, August 11th, 2024, at the age of 92 years.

Dad was born on Section 29, Township 43, Range 8 W2 near Melfort, SK on October 22nd, 1931 to Irvin and Mabel. He was the youngest of two boys in a family of six children.

Dad was working for his sister and brother-in-law near Leinan when he met mom (Lois H. Moen) who grew up on a farm near Stewart Valley. They were married November 11th, 1955 in Swift Current where all their children were born. Dad lost two “40’s” of whiskey betting on a boy and fnally won one bottle back on the last child.

Dad had a variety of jobs over the years as a painter, grain buyer, hotel owner, security guard and lastly a corrections offcer.

Mom and dad retired at Thomson Lake Regional Park 27 years ago.

Dad loved playing cards, bowling, golf, fshing, travelling, crossword puzzles and watching mom work. He was always out and about on his three-wheel E-Z

Go golf cart and if he saw someone to visit with he would stop in. His drink of choice was a rye and coke press. A wide selection of beverages were always handy on their covered deck at the lake where they hosted many a Happy Hour!

Dad was predeceased by mom, June 7th, 2022 and is survived by his three children: Lana (Trent) Olson, Lynn (Steve) Mayer and Lyle (Rhonda) Pyett; grandchildren: Kyla (Jonathan) Thomason, Logan (Amy) Pyett, David (Jordanna) Olson, Paige (Nolan) Sandvold, Cobi (Dyllan) Mayer, Rance Mayer, Chance Mayer (deceased), and Shaunna (Rick) Kullman; great-grandchildren: Nash, Tyler, Bronwyn, Foster, Hardy, Alivia, Cruz, and Jett; as well as his youngest sister, Diane; sisters-in-law: Liane, Phylis, Anne, and Reta; and many nieces and nephews.

Dad will be greatly missed!

We especially want to thank the staff at the Lafeche Long Term Care facility for making his stay so enjoyable with all the teasing, banter, kindness and support. A family gathering for Dad and Mom will be held at a later date. Arrangements are entrusted to Moose Jaw Funeral Home, 268 Mulberry Lane. Andrew Pratt, Funeral Director 306-693-4550 www.moosejawfuneralhome.com

In Loving Memory of

JESSIE BAILEY

December 28, 1914 - August 28, 2012

Memories are like leaves of gold T hey never tar nish or g ro w old Locked in our hear ts You will al ways be Loved and remembered For all eter nity

Forever in our hear ts Shelley, Frank, Dora Lynn & Families

link—it has the accent on the second syllable: hye-PERbuh-lee.

The bole is pronounced: buh-lee. This comes from the Greek huperbole, with an accent on the fnal vowel, which makes it pronounced like ee

Rev. Dr. John Kreutzwieser is a retired pastor from Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Moose Jaw, SK. He graduated with a doctorate degree in 2006 from the Robert Webber Institute for Worship Studies in Florida.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily refect the position of this publication.

Hyperbole

As I was swimming the other morning it seemed like I was travelling as smoothly as a dolphin through the water. Well, I guess that it is a bit of an exaggeration, a hyperbole. My technique at 6:00 am is not that good, nor am I anywhere near as fast as the water mammal. But I do love swimming in the morning.

A hyperbole is an extravagant amplifcation. The ice cream cone I ordered was a mile high, certainly much more than I could carry safely nor eat gracefully.

In the 5th century B.C., there was a politician named Hyperbolus living in Athens, Greece. He was known as a leader who made use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power. (Makes me think of a certain politician in the United States right now.) Now, one might be enticed to presume that his name played a role in the development of the English word hyperbole But there does not seem to be any connection. Hyperbole does come from the Greek language, but it is derived from the verb hyperballein, meaning to exceed. This word is a combination of hyper, meaning beyond, and ballein, meaning to throw.

So, at the recent Olympics Canada won gold in both women’s and men’s hammer throw. Camryn Rogers and Ethan Katzberg threw the hammer beyond everyone else in Paris. They both exceeded what everyone else was able to do. Thus, the ancient Greek word hyperballein literally applies to their winning throws. As hyperbole developed in the English language it emphasized the extreme aspect and became an intentional exaggeration that isn’t meant to be taken literally.

Hyperbole is not pronounced as we would expect a word that is spelled this way to behave. It begins with the prefx hyper, similar to hyperlink. But instead of having the accent, or emphasis, on the frst syllable—HYE-per-

Hyperboles are used to make writing and speech more exciting using exaggeration. Using hyperbole gives an audience a sense of scale. Hyperboles can be used to accentuate the positive attributes and can also point out the dangerous issues of a subject.

We have been fence building for several hours. We have been fence building for an eternity. Both of these sentences express the same idea, but the second sentence uses hyperbole to make the sentence more thoughtprovoking. A reader doesn’t know exactly how long the fence building took, but they know it was a long time. They get to use their own imagination while determining the intended meaning.

It is important not to confuse or mislead people. It should be clear whether or not a statement is a hyperbole Note to users: Consider using extreme embellishment or impossible feats in your hyperbole to make it abundantly clear that you are exaggerating.

There were 50 fies biting us when building the fence is an ambiguous hyperbole, as it is a possible occurrence. A clear hyperbole would be: There were a million fies biting us while working on the fence. This is clearly an impossible exaggeration, but it makes the point of many fies biting.

Here are some interesting hyperboles from thesaurus.com. Jim fell off the roof and broke every bone in his body. We looked forever for the remote but couldn’t fnd it. My sister will eat anything. That comment is the dumbest thing anyone has ever said. The explosion was loud enough to wake the dead. My dad will kill me if he fnds out I failed my math test. I was sweating buckets while working outside today. Hurry up and hand me the scissors before I die of old age. My job is so easy that a monkey could do it. Our granddaughters are all little angels. (Now that is totally true.)

Columnist John Kreutzwieser loves to research words and writes this weekly Word Wisdom column for Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com. He has an interest in the usage, origin, and relevance of words for society today. Greek and Latin form the basis of many words, with ancient Hebrew shedding light on word usage. John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to wordwisdom2021@gmail.com . Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confrm that all words will be used.

Local harvest could be done by Labour Day

Harvest in the southwest part of the province was 29 per cent done by Aug. 19, according to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture weekly crop report.

Some farmers south of Moose Jaw believe the crop will be in the bin by September.

Harvest in Saskatchewan was 15 per cent done compared with 13 percent n the fve-year average.

Yields are variable, with some farmers in the Mossbank district only getting 10 bushels an acre from durum wheat.

In this region, 91 per cent of fall rye is off compared with 62 per cent across the province.

TRINITY UNITED CHURCH

Sixty-eight per cent of spring wheat in done with only four per cent in the province.

One-third of durum of is done with 24 per cent provincially.

Seventy-two per cent of peas and 68 per cent of lentils are off while province- wide half of lentils and 44c per cent of peas are off

Early grades are variable. The Mossbank farmer with 10 bushel an acre durum got a Grade Five and much lower price.

Topsoil moisture has deteriorated even with one inch of rain at Moose Jaw and 1.5 at Caron.

Sixty-nine per cent of crop land is rated short or very short of moisture.

for

Ron Walter - For Moose Jaw Express

Road trip discovers fne dining hidden gem

Taking a day trip into southern Saskatchewan becomes a peaceful time, seeing the countryside and small towns.

On this particular mid-August day my frst stop was the Baildon Hutterite Colony to buy cucumbers and beans.

Then it was on to Mossbank, Assiniboia, Rockglen, Wood Mountain, Limerick, Lafeche, Gravelbourg, Coderre and Courval to put up posters for the Sept. 7 & 8 threshing bee at Sukanen Ship Pioneer Village and Museum.

No wildlife was out this cloudy day. Waterfowl were scarce with most ponds having dried up.

The crops looked nice and tall, but with weeks of no rain the seeds will be shrivelled.

Someone once called this kind of crop a politician crop —tall, good looking, nothing upstairs.

After coffee and a neat piece of tuxedo cake at the Limerick Hotel the next stop was Lafeche.

Trigo Food and Drink was my destination, having heard good comments about the place. Walking inside it was dark but really nicely furnished. One of the owners came out of the kitchen and we talked briefy.

“We’re only open about nine hours a week,” he informed me. That’s Friday and Saturday evenings.

How can a food place make a go of it on two evenings a week?

Then he informed me they need reservations and have a waiting list on the website.

Trigo offers a different international tasty menu several times a year.

The current experience until New Year’s eve features Austrian food.

A glance at the Austrian food menu left my mouth watering.

The offering has six courses plus a liqueur starter with cheese spread, crackers and bread.

The appetizer provides Lake Diefenbaker trout in several forms.

A choice of soups and salads comes before the main course.

What jumped out and caught my eye was the veal schnitzel — a favourite—on the main course along with Spatzel, Specknodel dumplings and pickerel with a choice of sides and desserts.

Then the price caught my eye — $85 per person.

Most of their customers come from Moose Jaw, said the owner.

People drive more than 90 minutes to dine here at

By Ron Walter For Moose Jaw Express

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily refect the position of this publication.

these prices. The food must be divine. The reviews on Trip Advisor bear out that thought.

I told the owner about my experiences of twice missing out on dining at the Harvest Eatery in Shaunavon and he suggested I phone ahead next time.

If you drink too much to drive or are too full to drive home the Trigo website lists local accommodation outlets.

This fne dining place tucked away in an isolated rural Saskatchewan town is indeed a hidden gem— or as one reviewer commented: a place to put on your bucket list.

Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net

Upcoming Events in Moose Jaw

If you would like your notice or event added to this list, contact us at: joan@moosejawexpress. com

The Rotary Club of Moose Jaw Wakamow pancake breakfast fundraiser throughout the month of August during Wakamow Valley Farmer’s Market from 9am-12noon at the Kiwanis River Park Pavilion & Lodge on Saturdays. Breakfast includes homemade pancakes with real maple syrup, bacon, and coffee or juice. Cost $10 adults/$5 for children ages 10 and under. THE LAST BREAKFAST IS SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY, AUGUST 31.

Superannuated Teachers of Saskatchewan: Moose Jaw Branch:

HELL with the BELL Breakfast at the MJ Wildlife Federation. New and Old STS members are invited to celebrate the start of the school year on Tuesday, September 3 at 9AM. Program: Introduction and Welcome to new members. Eating and Visiting.

Cost: $5pp (Newly Superannuated Teachers and partners are free)

UPCOMING EVENTS: Mark your calendars! LUNCHEON Meetings: All Meetings are at Masonic Hall, Main Street @ 10:30 AM Wed. Sept 18, 2024/Wed. Nov 20, 2024/Wed. Jan 15, 2025/Wed. March 19, 2025/Wed. May 21, 2025

United Nations International Day of Older Persons: Theme “OUR PLACE” Recognizing the People and Places Important to Us Older Persons Symposium will be held on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 @ T. Eaton Center. Check website and newsletter for more information or Rosalie Marcil at 306.691.0696 or email stsmoosejaw@gmail.com

The Prairie Hearts Quilters Guild starting Wednesday, Sept. 4th held every 1st and 3rd Wednesday at 7 pm at St Andrews Church from September until May. Learning, comradery, fun challenges, quilting and Community Projects.

Moose Jaw Lawn Bowling Drop in Bowling Monday thru Thurs at 7pm Drop in Coffee League Tues & Thurs at 10am Annual General Meeting Aug 27@6:30pm in the club house. For more information text 306-690-8739

Moose Jaw Camera Club Meeting on Monday, September 9 at 7pm at the Cosmo Senior Citizen’s Centre. Everyone is welcome to come and see what the club is about. Meeting details will be announced shortly. Meanwhile, photographic work of club members may be viewed at Carol’s Catering & Cafe Moose Jaw Camera Club Gallery at 820 N Service Road. “Be Focused With Us!” For more club information: Rachel 306-693-0159 or Betty 306-371-5220.

New Youth Pipe Band in Moose Jaw “The White Heather” for youth aged 8 to 12. Further information may be obtained by contacting Michelle Carline at mcarline@hotmail.com

Scottish Country Dance Classes for all ages on Thursdays at 7pm at 510 Main St. N (T. Eaton Bldg). No partner required. Call Val @306.630.5790.

Nature Moose Jaw will hold their meetings on a once-a-month basis to take place on the third Friday of each month.

Church of Our Lady Bingo takes place at the Church of Our Lady Community Centre, 566 Vaughan Street on Tuesday evenings. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Bingo begins at 7:00 p.m.

Are you struggling with addictions? Do you know someone who is? Or do you want to learn more about overcoming addiction to help others?

Pastor Cory Havanka and his wife Brenda will be offering an in-person, small-group, course that will explore how to overcome addiction that is based on Biblical foundations. For questionsCall or text Cory at 306-684-1464 or email frmfoundationministries.inc@gmail.com Firm Foundation Ministries provides other services as well:-Bible study - Monday evenings at 630 p.m/Prayer meetings - Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m/Pastoral counselling. Check Facebook or Instagram for updates on services, events, bible study notes and words from the Lord. Nar-Anon Meetings every Monday 7—8pm (Moose Jaw Nar-Anon Family Group) is a twelve-step program for relatives and friends affected by someone else’s drug use and is in-person at Moose Jaw Alliance Church, 14 Neslia Place. Come in Main Doors – Meeting Rm 103. Your anonymity and what you say at meetings will be carefully guarded.

Toastmasters is an internationally recognized education program providing experiential communication and leadership training. For better listening, thinking & speaking skills Toastmasters myriad of programs can be utilized to facilitate your goals. Moose Jaw has 2 clubs. Summer programing will be:

BIG COUNTRY club

TAP club meets each Tuesday @7pm on Zoom. Contact 306-630-7015 or email lorna.e.arnold@ gmail.com for more info

TOPS (Take off Pounds Sensibly) weight loss support group meets every Wednesday evening at the Alliance Church, 14 Neslia Place. (Corner of Thatcher Drive W. & 9th Ave.W.) Please enter through the west-facing door, turn right and go to end of the hallway by the library, to room 105. Weigh-in takes place from 6:30-7:00 pm. Meeting to follow. TOPS can help you reach your weight loss goal by providing you with tools, information and support to be successful. The group shares friendship, weight loss tips and offers encouragement to one another. New members are very welcome. Scale weighs up to 500 lbs.

Wednesday Night Ladies Business League (9 Hole) at Lynbrook Golf Course at (306) 692-2838 for more information or if interested in joining. Hours of play have to cross over within time frame of 4-6pm. Registration fee: $25.00 (cash or cheque) to be paid at Pro Shop; Sign-up sheet on bulletin board by Ladies bathroom. Sept 11 – Year End Tournament – 5:00pmShotgun (sign up sheet will be posted prior week) Sept 18 – Year End Banquet (cocktails 6:00 pmsupper 6:30 pm)

Moose Jaw Public Library (MJPL), 461 Langdon Cres. Phone 306.692.2787. Visit their website at https://www.moosejawlibrary.ca or visit ASK@MOOSEJAWLIBRARY.CA

Some library programs require registration by calling 306-692-8210 or emailing nsetter@ moosejawlibrary.ca

ADULT PROGRAMMING:

TECH TIME Available by appointment/Time: Open hours/Location: Main Library/Ages: Adults By appointment only - please call the Library at 306-692-2787 to schedule an appointment.

HOOPLA BOOK CLUB until August 31/ Check out hoopla’s spotlight title for August Grey Dog by Elliott Gish. This title is available in eBook and audiobook formats.

DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH ON KANOPY. Kanopy has curated a collection of thoughtful documentaries and narrative flms featuring

those living with disabilities. You can access the collection for free with your Library card.

SUMMER READING CLUB FOR ADULTS 18 AND UP Read books…Audiobooks count too! Earn ballots towards weekly $10 gift card prizes for every book read (maximum 1 book/ballot per day). Earn an additional ballot for the weekly draw by completing a brief book review for our wall! Each ballot will also earn participants a chance to win the grand prize draw (valued at approx. $150). You can pick up your book review forms at the Library or download and print at home.

TEEN PROGRAMMING:

TEEN D&D: CAMP GOODBERRY Tue/ Thu in August/Time: 6:30 pm/Location: MJPL Archives/Ages: 12 to 16/Registration required

DIGITAL D&D Fridays/Time: 4:00 to 6:00 pm/ Location: MJPL Youth/Discord Channel/Ages: 16 to 25. Registration required/Email youth@ mjlibrary.ca to inquire.

SUMMER READING CLUB FOR YOUTH

AGES 12-19. Pick up your Summer Reading Club brochure at the Circulation desk in the Library. Participate in challenges, track your reading, attend Teen programs at the Library, and more. Receive scratch tickets for your participation and win prizes!

CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING :

BABY STORYTIME! Tues, until Aug 27/Time: 10:30 am/Location: Children’s rogram Room/ Ages: 0 to 2 and their caring adults! Drop-in Program

STORYTIME IN THE PARK! Weds until Aug 28/Time: 10:30 am/Location: Children’s Program Room/Ages: 2 to 5 and their caring adults! Drop-in Program

SUMMER READING CLUB FOR CHILDREN 0-12. Visit the Library to register at the Circulation desk. Use your clock bookmarks to track the number of minutes you spend reading or listening to stories over the summer! You can pick up your instructions and bookmarks at the Library or download them and print at home from the website. You can pick up your brochure and reading logs at the Library or download the brochure and print it at home.

The Royal Canadian Legion – Branch 59 Moose Jaw, 268 High St W Moose Jaw Contact: 306-692-5453

Facebook @ ROYAL CANADIAN LEGIONBranch 59 Moose Jaw

Instagram: @Royalcanadianlegion59

SUMMER HOURS: Mon - 11am-9pm; Tues - 11am-5pm; Wed&Thurs - 11am-5pm; Fri11am-8pm & Sat - 11am-6pm

BINGO – Monday @ 6pm

CRIBBAGE –Tuesday @ 1:30 pm - Please sign-in by 1pm

MEAT DRAW & CHASE THE ACESaturday @ 3pm - Everyone welcome Legion Money Raffe Draw – Final Draw Dec 21 @1:30pm 3 Early Bird Draws Oct 5 @1:30pm for $1000each. 200 tickets available @$20each. 19+ to purchase tickets. Total retail prize $23,000. Tickets available at Legion. Call offce at 306.692.5453 or 306.693.9688 to pay Visa or Mastercard.

Moose Jaw and District Seniors: For more information Call: 306-694-4223 or Email: Email: mjsenior@shaw.ca The centre is now open Mon-Thurs 8am – 8pm. Fitness Level & Indoor Walking Track open M-T and Friday’s 8am-8pm/ Lounge – Friday’s from 8am-4pm. Wood working area – Mon- Fri 8am – 4pm/ Timothy Eaton Cafe open Mon-Fri, 8am –4pm.

Timothy Eaton Cafe open Mon-Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Cinnamon Buns on Thursday’s. Tuesday is pie day. Everyone is welcomed. Billiards daily 8a.m. – 4p.m.; Monday & Thursday evenings 4:30 – 8 p.m.

Pickle Ball – Monday & Thursday mornings @ 10 a.m/Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday afternoons @ 1 p.m./Monday & Thursday evenings @ 7 p.m./ Wednesday pickleball @ 5pm Cancelled for the summer months Fitness- Chair/Low Impact Fitness Mondays 11:30 & Thursdays @ 1:00 p.m.

Cribbage – Wednesdays @ 1 p.m.; Whist –Tuesday @ 1pm; Hand & Foot Card Game for Beginners – Thursday @9:30 am.; Mah Jong – Wednesday @1 p.m. Beginners is Monday @1pm; 500 Cards – Thursdays @ 1 p.m.; Spades – Tuesday and Fridays 1pm Full Body work out – Monday’s 10am & Wednesday 9:30am Scrabble – Monday’s at 1pm Line Dancing – Tuesdays @ 10 a.m.

Intro to Line Dancing – Wednesday’s @ 11am Art & Crafts – Monday, Tuesdays & Wednesdays @ 1 p.m.

Floor Shuffeboard – Tuesdays & Thursdays @ 1 p.m.

Paper Tole – Tuesdays @ 1 p.m.

Nickle Bingo – Fridays @ 1 p.m.; New to the Centre is BINGO every Monday at 1:30pm Quilting – Every Friday 9am to 4pm Lounge – Friday’s from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Jam Sessions – Friday’s 9 a.m. Texas Hold’em - Thursday @ 6:30pm Floor Curling – Wednesday and Fridays @1pm

Cosmo Senior Citizens’ Centre Weekly Activities – 235 3rd Ave. N.E. Phone 306.692.6072 or email cosmo@sasktel.net Check them out on Facebook. Monday: 9:30am-Pickleball/1pm-Floor Shuffeboard/7pm-Camera Club – only on the 2nd Monday of the month

Tuesday: 9:30am-Jam Session/1pmPickleball/7pm-Friendship Bridge/7pmBeginners Only Pickleball

Wednesday: 8:30am-TOPS/8:30amPickleball/1pm-Floor Shuffeboard Thursday: 10am-Line Dance/1pm-Pickleball Friday: 9:00am-Beginner Pickleball/1pmRegular Pickleball

Moose Jaw ANAVETS: Army, Navy & Air Force Veterans Unit #252 – 279 High St. W, Moose Jaw. 306.692.4412 or anaf252@ sasktel.net

Every Wednesday – open 12-6 pm: Smear Every Thursday – open 12-7 pm: Regular Crib (ends June 13th) and Smear Every Friday – open 1-10 pm, 7 pm: Darts and Pool Every Saturday – open 1-7 pm: Meat Draw starts at 4:30 pm. 10 meat draws, 4 free draws, gift card and 50/50. Everyone welcome.

FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES #3395 EVERY THURSDAY: Ladies Auxiliary “Meat Draw” – ticket sales start at 5:30 pm, draws start at 6:00 pm – Meat Draw, 50/50, “Chase the Ace” EVERY SUNDAY: Aerie “Meat Draw” –ticket sales start at 2:30 pm – Meat Draw, 50/50, Mystery Draw, “Chase the Ace” MONDAY THRU SATURDAY – DROP IN POOL – 1:00 pm to 1:30 start time. Singles and Doubles. Partners draw from those attending to play. FIRST AND THIRD SUNDAY – Aerie meeting – 11:30 am FIRST AND THIRD TUESDAY – Ladies Auxiliary meeting - 7:00 pm

Wayne & Laverne’s was more than just another local restaurant. Those who remember eating there from 1985 until its doors closed in 2008 often look back with fond memory and now, 39 years after the frst step was taken, former owner Wayne Sannes offered a refection on his and his wife’s career in Moose Jaw.

Where it all began

“The story goes back to 1985,” he began. At the time, Sannes worked for Centennial Packers Ltd. but always dreamt of working for himself.

“I had worked for other people for many years since I was in my early teens,” he recalled. “I fnally got to the point that if I wanted to work as hard as I was for other people, I’d wait until there was an opportunity to do something for myself.”

Moose Jaw was part of Sannes’ Centennial Packers territory, so he was already familiar with the city. This was also how he met Nick and George Spiromolias who ran a Western Pizza franchise on Main Street.

“I was calling on them… but they were not happy to be in Moose Jaw,” he said. By contrast, Sannes saw a fantastic opportunity in the city.

Sannes couldn’t afford to purchase the restaurant himself, so he reached out to a good friend and chartered accountant named Glen Budd. After running the numbers, Budd agreed to partner with Sannes and his wife Laverne. Along with a silent partner, the group formed Walyn Restaurants Limited and purchased the Western Pizza location on Aug. 5, 1985.

Wayne & Laverne’s

“Right from day one, the community

Looking back: Owner of Wayne & Laverne’s refects on 23 years of business in Moose Jaw

A look back to a time when Wayne & Laverne’s restaurant was still open for business. Pictured is the restaurant’s second sign and the frst signage that reads “Wayne & Laverne’s” without the Western Pizza affliation and is dated on or around 1989.

liked what we were doing and supported us,” he said. “It was not uncommon for us to do 100 deliveries on a Friday night.”

This, he said, came at a time when major franchises including Pizza Hut, Dominoes, and Family Pizza had not yet been established in Moose Jaw. When these chains started to appear over the next decade, Sannes and his wife had to act.

In 1996, Sannes spoke with Jim Bonis, the Western Pizza franchise owner and asked for autonomy. Bonis agreed to the request and the restaurant was fully renovated and the fondly remembered Italian buffet was introduced. Many still remember the popular homemade turkey soup.

The restaurant was initially renamed to “Wayne & Laverne’s Western Pizza and Steakhouse,” but at the request of his customers, the fnal name became “Wayne & Laverne’s Pizza and Steakhouse” or — as it was affectionately known by customers — simply “Wayne & Laverne’s.”

No story about Wayne & Laverne’s would be complete without mentioning its longest serving employee, Ann Wiles. Originally waitressing for George and Nick, Sannes promoted her to the position of manager when she agreed to keep working with the new owners.

“She was sort of the stability behind the front end of the restaurant,” he said. “She was always there.”

When modern smoking bylaws were frst introduced, Wayne & Laverne’s was the second restaurant in Moose Jaw to implement the controversial — yet forward thinking — policy only after Tim Horton’s.

“(When) you look back on it… it was

very memorable for us because we were pioneers in the industry in many ways,” he said.

Community outreach

Wayne and Laverne were always community-minded individuals and they made a noteworthy impact during their 35 years in Moose Jaw.

Sannes was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, served on the Crime Stoppers board, and was partly behind the establishment of the Temple Gardens Mineral Spa during his time on its planning board.

After 23 years of hard work and dedication, the Sannes felt it was the right time to retire and the restaurant closed its doors on

Mar. 30, 2008. “It was a tough choice, but it was time,” he recalled.

Retirement

Not long after retirement, Sannes was approached by a Saskatoon-based company called Prairie Meats. This company asked if he could help develop its market share in southern Saskatchewan, and — supported by his earlier experience at Centennial Meats — he agreed to what would become a 12-year project.

“I loved what I did,” he said about his time working for Prairie Meats. “I went out and I helped people and they appreciated my help, so it did not seem like work.”

Sannes described this experience as a great way “to ease into retirement,” and when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 his transition into retirement was completed.

Shortly after the pandemic, Wayne and Laverne moved to Lacombe, Alta., to be closer to their two children, three grandchildren, and the international airports in Calgary and Edmonton. Today, they winter in Nuevo Vallarta and the happily retired couple spends much of their time travelling and seeing the world.

“Wayne & Laverne’s… was an institution in Moose Jaw,” Sannes concluded. “It is and was well respected and remains an iconic part of the history of Moose Jaw. I’m proud to say that Wayne and Laverne were an integral part of a lot of things that happened in Moose Jaw… (and in) making the city grow.”

Wayne & Laverne’s was formerly located at 622 Main Street North, which is the current location of Big Wings restaurant across from the Victory Church.

Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express

The later canopy signage was installed in 1994. The restaurant closed its doors on May 30, 2008, after serving the community for 23 years. Photo by: Wayne Sannes

Left to right: Bob Shpaiuk, Ann Wiles, Laverne Sannes, and Wayne Sannes. Shpaiuk worked at the front of the restaurant with Laverne and today his legacy is honoured as the name behind Bob’s Ice Cream by owners Aubrey and Dwayne Shpaiuk. Wiles, second from left, worked at Wayne & Laverne’s for its entire 23 years of business. Photo by: Wayne Sannes

The back of this sign received around 100 signatures by friends, family, and customers who attended Wayne & Laverne’s on its fnal day of operations on Mar. 30, 2008. Photo by: Wayne Sannes

On the last day Wayne & Laverne’s was open, Mar. 30, 2008, around 100 individuals signed the back of Sanne’s promotional sign that was displayed for years at the Tourist Information Centre. Today he keeps the sign prominently displayed in his basement. Photo by: Wayne Sannes