Moose Jaw Express, April 10th, 2024

To celebrate its 10-year anniversary, Heartland Hospice is announcing the launch of its silent auction and WestJetgoing Capital Campaign with the goal of expanding hospice care options at Pioneer Lodge.

Both fundraising efforts are set to end at 9 p.m. on the evening of Friday, April 12, which will take place during the upcoming Spurs & Stilettos Cabaret fundraiser featuring the Johner Brothers at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

Doors for the cabaret open at 6 p.m. and social cocktails will run from 6 – 7 p.m., followed by dinner from 7 – 8 p.m., and programming from between 8 – 9 p.m.

The night’s programming will include an updated announcement on Heartland Hospice’s Capital Campaign progress, a few introductory remarks, and a statement by Sask. Party MLA Tim McLeod.

This will be followed with a short auction led by Scott Johnstone from Johnstone Auction Mart featuring a Western theme and 9 p.m.

Once the programming has concluded, the Johner Brothers will perform from 9 p.m. until midnight.

The upcoming duo of fundraising initiatives will also form the largest single fundraising effort to date for the Moose Jaw-based

“This is the largest fundraising event we’ve done to date, and the reason (is because) it’s a celebration for us – it’s the 10-year anniversary of the founding of Heartland Hospice…,” said Sara Bryan, vice-chair of Heartland Hospice Moose Jaw.

Proceeds from the night will go toward the Capital Campaign to be used in the upcoming hospice expansion project at Pioneer Lodge. C&S Builders will lead the project and the goal to see three new hospice care bedrooms, a shared kitchenette, sacred space, and an outdoor serenity garden which is currently in development. Several of these shared spaces will be open to all residents of Pioneer Lodge and the serenity garden will provide an uplifting view from many rooms at the care home.

The goal of the project, Bryan said, is

to create “a space that looks more like home during (a resident’s) end-of-life journey.”

Since around half of the donations to support the Capital Campaign project and a “tremendous amount of support” has come from the local agricultural community, Bryan said the night will showcase a Western theme as “a salute” for all the support.

Staff at the Moose Jaw Events Centre will provide catering with a roast beef dinner and an assortment of pies for dessert. Guests can start the night by kicking off their boots with a series of specialty cocktails, which Bryan said will also follow this Western theme.

The auction will feature a few Western-themed entries including a wine wagon donated by the Moose Jaw Co-op, and in one other example, Prairie Janitorial Supply will be providing a portable barbecue and smoker package to bid on.

There will also be several other “amazing prizes” including a framed Yvette Moore painting, autographed merchandise by such names as Ryan Getzlaf, and members of Buckcherry signed a record during their recent visit to the Notorious City which will be included in the mix.

what else is in store.

parture from any airport where WestJet operates, and the value is covered up to $4,800.

-

Heartland Hospice operates with the vision of creating an endof-life haven for individuals and their families while being supported by a circle of compassionate care and support. More information can be found online at HeartlandHospiceMJ.ca.

To enter the ongoing virtual silent auction, visit App.GalaBid. com/SpursAndStilettos.

To get your tickets for the upcoming Spurs & Stilettos cabaret fundraiser on Friday, April 12, visit SaskTix.ca.

For more information, contact Heartland Hospice Moose Jaw at 306-690-8699 or send an email to sbryan@hhmj. ca.

Finalists for the 2024 MJBEX business awards have been announced

Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express

22nd annual MJBEX

“Hell Yeah” Award: sponsored by

berly.

Impact Award: sponsored by Blue -

Hearing Moose Jaw, Karlie’s Cooperative

Young Entrepreneur: sponsored by Community Futures South Central, the

exposure.

and hard work of Moose Jaw’s businesses, and we look forward to a memorable eve-

Agricultural & Agri-Business Excellence Award: sponsored by Farm -

Emerald Custom Creations, Moose Jaw

Town N Country Plumbing, Heating & Museum.

Community Involvement: sponsored by W.J. Jones & Son Funeral Home,

Jaw, KCS Marketing, and The Light Yoga & Wholeness Studio.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award: sponsored by Conexus CredComfort Inn & Suites, Little Spa on the

Wildfong Enterprises Ltd., and Young’s Business Innovation: sponsored by -

Club of Moose Jaw, Moose Jaw Humane Marketing: sponsored by Murray -

New Business: sponsored by Sask-

and The Light Yoga & Wholeness Studio. Pillar of the Community: sponsored -

Moose Jaw. Service Excellence Award: spon-

and ShadesofJay Warehouse. As well, there will be a Business Leader of the Year award sponsored by-

sored by the City of Moose Jaw and res-held at the Moose Jaw Events Centre lo-

B&B Fruit Stand celebrates 40 years of selling juicy and colourful produce

The arrival of spring usually means warmer temperatures, T-shirts and shorts and, for fans of sweet treats, the opening of the B&B Fruit Stand — now in its 40th year.

his hut at 432 High Street West — in the parking lot between Water Vision Pool & Spas and Fine Line Builders — on April 2,open,” Bell said, noting the earliest was in of how warm it was.

never thought he would still be running the fruit stand after all this time. He explained

wares on the roadside.

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

Bell has been running the fruit stand in British Columbia, began looking for B&B arose from a partnership he had with someone whose last name also started with a B. While the partnership didn’t last, the name did.

“It’s had its good times and its bad older people I dealt with … and they were said Bell.

Younger people initially weren’t inmore interested in eating healthy. So, theygies.

more stores, Bell said. Now, however, more people are returning to the “mom and bakeries for their items.

Freshness is the biggest reason whyrive on Monday.ers,” said Bell. “There’s no wholesalers or brokers.”

Being outside talking to people is the took off some time during the past fourtomers has dropped to about 35 from 50, Most fruits and veggies he sells are in

Bell normally keeps the stand openday, nearly 50,000 people saw the post and “I’ll do this till the day I die,” Bell years.”

Todd Bell, owner of B&B Fruit Stand, is celebrating 40 years in business this year. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Moose Jaw Events Centre. This year’s

The Moose Jaw Business Excellence Awards are hosted by the Moose Jaw & District Chamber of Commerce. Photo

Award-winning docuseries ‘Flat Out Food’ features Moose Jaw area farmer

Christie Whelan is a local farmer featured on a recent episode of the Saskatchewan-based docuseries, “Flat Out Food.” The series aims to connect people with their food and the goal is to encourage viewers to get curious about what they eat and forge new relationships with those who prepare it.

Whelan farms just 16 kilometres south of Moose Jaw and is the owner of Whelan Organic Farms. His chickpeas are currently sold at The Wandering Market.

His practice highlights the core value of the series by possessing an undercurrent of passion and deep concern for the planet while he discovers a new approach to food production.

“People are so disconnected from their food,” Whelan said. “I think for people to have an understanding of where their food comes from (is important).”

Whelan’s farm is situated on land that is by no means virgin soil, but he’s looking to return it to a healthy, balanced ecosystem once again.

“Well, I never really liked chemicals,” he said, noting that his approach utilizes a holistic approach to farming rather than conventional, industrial practices.

“In nature, you don’t see a mono crop… Nature needs different plants in balance everything,” he continued. “And I tried to, in a way, replicate that.”

Whelan views the soil as “the primary terrestrial ecosphere,” which produces all the foodstuffs and nutrients for plants, an-et. This critically important layer is only

Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express

around six inches deep and is arguably the basis for life on Earth.

He treats this critical ecosystem as nature intended and he achieves this by carefully selecting and rotating the plants he introduces to the space, aerates the soil, and does all he can to encourage life – including the worms, helpful bacteria, and

“What that does is encourages all the life that’s in the soil to do my job,” he noted. “I stand back and watch the worms and the nematodes… and all that stuff develop an ecosystem that actually is what supplies my plants with the proper nutrients. That’s my goal.”

Flat Out Food is a Regina-based doto plate journey of the foods we eat. The series focuses on innovative large-scale enterprises and small-scale, independent operations in the province and includes the farmers who grow the food and the chefs who expertly prepare it.

The show’s large-scale operations include Three Farmers, featured in the “Chickpea” episode alongside Whelan, and Compass Minerals, the owner and operator of a salt mine near Unity, Sask. Cultural sites including the Remai Modern Museum in Saskatoon and the Wanuskewin Indigenous cultural heritage site have also been featured.

On the episode “Chickpea,” Swift Current-based chefs Shaun Hanna, Derek Sandercock, and Chriel Pangilinan at Nightjar used Whelan’s farm-fresh chickpeas to craft a dish that made the most of the key ingredient.

“(If) you want to talk about artists, (Hanna is) an artist when it comes to chickpeas,” Whelan said as he reminisced about the meal he described as “unbelievable.”

The docuseries just aired its season

Following the COVID-19 epidemic –the founding era of Flat Out Food which hopes to change the atmosphere of it’s originating circumstances and provide a show viewers recognize as a comforting and unifying idea.

“It’s peaceful; it’s comforting; (and) it’s beautiful. It has impactful messages. And our director of photography, Adam Burwell, and our camera operator Preston Kanak are incredibly talented,” said Jenn Sharp, the show’s host and co-producer. This talented crew also includes

Moose Jaw resident Steve Leidal, who creates original scores as the show’s composer.

“I think we’re living in a time where divisiveness has become the norm, and it’s not something I want to give energy to. I think Flat Out Food is a unifying force in Saskatchewan,” Sharp added.

Although centred in Saskatchewan, Flat Out Food has spread to a national-level audience and has reached viewers as far away as Australia and Poland.

“We get feedback from all over the world about how much people love the show and love learning about food, agriculture, and where it comes from,” Sharp said.

This ever-increasing scope helps put local entrepreneurs, artisans, and agricultural producers in front of a large audience and will no doubt contribute to the growing trend of healthier food and agricultural practices.

“I’ve never done anything like this before. It has been the most amazing experience I’ve had. And, you know, to be able to tell the world about how we can do things that helps Mother Earth again just reinforces my whole passion for doing this,” Whelan concluded.

To view the docuseries, visit Citytv. com. Whelan’s operation is featured on season four, episode four: “Chickpea.”

To learn more about Whelan’s farm, visit WhelanOrganicFarms.com.

If you’re interested in being featured on an episode of Flat Out Food, reach out to Info@HalterMedia.com.

Kwala-T Cleaners’ successor, Revive Garment Care, announces grand opening

Long-time customers of Kwala-T Cleaners may have been growing concerned about the lack of dry-cleaning availability in Moose Jaw following its closure, but customers no longer have to consider fuelling up for a trip to Regina as the family-run business is now entering the next generation with Revive Garment Care.

Starting with a rather modest grand opening on April 2, Revive Garment Care is now run by Shelly Evans’ daughter, Marissa.

“My parents owned Kwala-T Cleaners,” stated Marissa Hann, owner of Revive Garment Care.

“I’m the tailor there, so I was going to just start (my own tailoring business).

So then when they decided they were going to close, myself and a dry cleaner in Regina decided we would just do a depot here so we still have a dry cleaner (in town).”

The decision to carry on the family business maintains a dry-cleaning service in Moose Jaw and loyal customers can still turn to a provider they know, like, and trust. Most of the services will remain the same and the same quality of service carries on.

The opening of the new location saw no ribbon cutting or celebration, and Hann said everyone is just tired from the move. It’s clear that she wants to get down to work and this gives evidence of her industrious nature. As it stands, Hann said her everything moved in from the old location.

As a show of appreciation, the new building’s landlords dropped off an assortment of baked goods in an act of kindness, but nothing further is being planned to mark the occasion.

The new site came from a practical decision and is smaller than the originaltomers as they no longer have to walk services in the far back.

To help with the transition, Hann partnered with Busy Bee Cleaners in Regina to allow for a high volume of dry-cleaning services and the partnering company makes a daily commute to pick up and drop off garments.

The idea for a new location and a re-branding came after Evans made the decision to step down from her role and retire as owner of the business.

Her mother used to own Kwala-T Cleaners and now she continues to work for her daughter, Hann.

“I always hated the Kwala-T Cleaners name, and I always hated the spelling, so I really didn’t want to keep that,” Hann admitted with a good-spirited chuckle.

$248.9 million for the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency

This record budget will increase volumes and allow patients to access the most e ective and leading edge oncology drugs, therapies and treatments.

The name ‘Revive’ was chosen by Hann as she felt it better represented the services she offered. She didn’t state it overtly, but this also marks her transition to ownership with a distinct, clean demarcation.

“And with choosing ‘Revive,’ I just thought it was a good word that kind of

goes with cleaning… or altering something. I just liked it.”

Now that Kwala-T Cleaners has permanently closed, Revive Garment Care continues the family legacy.

“My main goal is to keep a dry cleaner available in Moose Jaw,” Hann said.

“The whole (city) and surrounding area all came to us for dry cleaning, so this way we can still offer that (service).”

Revive Garment Care now offers many of the same services as the former Kwala-T Cleaners. This range of services includes a wash-and-fold laundry service, dry cleaning, and garment tailoring and alternations which is Hann’s specialty.

For more information, the business can be reached at 306-693-4666 or by email at ReviveGarmentCare@Outlook.com. You can also follow the Facebook page, “Revive Garment Care.”

Revive Garment Care is located at 690 Fairford Street West and is open from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 1 – 9 p.m. on Saturdays.

Aaron Walker -

Revive Garment Care is the successor to Kwala-T Cleaners and is located at 690 Fairford Street West.

Photo by: Aaron Walker

The previous owner of Kwala-T Cleaners, Shelly Evans (left) stands next to her daughter, Marissa Hann (right), the owner of Revive Garment Care. Photo by: Revive Garment Care

Christie Whelan (pictured) is the owner of Whelan Organic Farms located just south of Moose Jaw and was recently featured on an episode of Flat Out Food, “Chickpea.” Photo by: Flat Out Food Series

JOAN RITCHIEMoose Jaw Express EDITOR

Editor’s Note

cor and fashion are synonymous, and a way of expressing oneself. For those that have an interest in the aesthetics of both themselves and their residence, even the front door can express a certain sentiment or level of creativity.

Hubby and I were discussing the colour of our and many others front doors. I personally chose red quite a few years ago, but certainly a deeper red on the spectrum so as not to be too blaring. I actually don’t know with the tan house colour and black trim. At least individuals coming down the walkway would certainly know where to be welcomed.

After a brief perusal on the internet asking why people paint their front doors different colours, this is what I found.

The short article (written of course to promote a paint store; who would have guessed) called ‘Why is it so popular to paint your front door a bright colour?’ found at https://agwilliamspainting.com/blog/2016/06/why-is-it-sopopular-to-paint-your-front-door-a-bright-color/, says that it ‘expresses personal style’ and is a ‘big change with little commitment.’ “Unlike an extensive exterior update, painting your door is a relatively small project. Because of this, you can experiment with some bolder colors without the fear of making a major commitment.”

As well, people paint their door for ‘historical significance’. The article says, “It used to be that door colors were a form of communication. In fact, in colonial times a red door was a symbol that travelers were welcome to stop by for the night. You likely won’t have people knocking on the door asking if they can sleep in your barn anymore, but it still carries a nice, welcoming connotation.”

Last but certainly not least, it apparently increases ‘curb appeal.’ And who doesn’t want to increase interest in their home, especially those who have just put their home on the market.

Another article on the same topic, ‘Shut the Front Door, Front Door Colours and Their Meanings’ found at https://uniquepaintingkc.com/shut-the-front-door-frontdoor-colors-and-their-meanings/ says that choosing a certain colour tells a lot about the home dweller.

The article states that blue is the most popular colour to paint the front door. ”Houses with blue front doors are thought to be relaxing and calm, giving all who enter a sense of safety, and security. Blue is also considered to betion.”

And what does the article say about yellow? “An angry person can’t have a yellow front door. Actually, they can, and maybe they should. Yellow is a cheerful color, after all, and it’s an instant mood lifter, making your guests feel downright gleeful. Yellow symbolizes wisdom, clarity, creativity, and offers the promise of a positive future.”

Green says “Money, money, money, money…mothe color of nature, rebirth, success, abundance, vitality, growth, health, and inexperience. Green also symbolizes peace which is a fantastic reason to use it on your front door.”

You’re probably wondering about orange right about now. “Want to feel younger, less self-conscious, and more Frank Sinatra quote, and I agree with ol’ Blue Eyes. Oralways fun.”

All of these choices don’t override those that choose a neutral like black, brown, white or grey. “Black sets a modern tone. White can make a door look clean and crisp. Brown is warm and welcoming, and gray is a bit mysterious.”

Now the choice is up to you. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the au-

15 Wing holds classy banquet to celebrate RCAF centennial

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

Military personnel from Canada’s army, navy and air force, along with their spouses, donned their best dress uniforms and other formal attire during an upscale mess dinner at 15 Wing on April 5 to honour the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 100th anniversary.

Saskatchewan’s lieutenant governor, His Honour, the Honourable Russ Mirasty; his wife, Donna; the area’s MP for Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan; city councillors; the mayor; the French defence attache in Canada, Col. Bruno Heluin; and other dignitaries attended the event, which occurred in the mess hall on the north side of the base.

The RCAF turned 100 years old on April 1, after it came into existence in the early 1920s and then received its royal title from King George V in 1924.

Construction values double last year’s rate

Ron Walter - For Moose Jaw Express

year are up over 200 per cent from last year.

City hall issued $3.4 million in permits for the period compared with not quite $1.1 million last year.

About half the increased value comes from housing. Three dwellings worth $1.15 million have started this

In March permits worth $961,000 compared with $182,000 the previous year.

One single family dwelling worth $372,000 was started last month.

chel Fox. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Brig.-Gen. John Alexander, commander of 2 Canadian Air Division, and his wife, Tamara. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Her Honour, Donna Mirasty, and His Honour, the Honourable Russ Mirasty, lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

da. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Lt.-Col. Jason Quilliam (left) accepts the vice-regal commendation medal from His Honour, the Honourable Russ Mirasty, lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan. The medal recognizes Quilliam’s service to the Crown. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Col. Daniel Coutts, wing commander of 15 Wing, the Honourable Russ Mirasty, lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Police Chief Rick Bourassa chats with Saskatchewan’s lieutenant governor, His Honour, the Honourable Russ Mirasty. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Col. Shawn Fortin, the colonel of 38 Canadian Army Brigade Group and commander of all brigades in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and his wife. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Ed Staniowski, a retired lieutenant coland Col. Bruno Heluin, the defence attache to the French ambassador in Canada. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Cara Ashworth

The Rotary Club of Moose Jaw Wakamow is launching a new project that it hopes will not only be an innovative fundraiser but also increase residents’ love and patriotism for Canada.

“Fly the Flag with Rotary” is a new fundraiser that is different from anything the club has done before and that it hopes will help raise funds for its projects in the community and internationally, the group explained.

For an annual subscription of $60, a Rotary volunteer will take a three-foot by foot pole and plant it in residents’ front yards for several days before and after the long weekends in May (Victoria Day), July (Canada Day) and September (Labour Day).

Rotary clubs in Alberta and British Columbia have held this fundraiser for many years with great success, while this initiative will be new to Saskatchewan.

with poles and stakes ready to go, and once people subscribe online, it will learn how many more it may need for the expected start date in May.

“The May dates coincide with the clubs of Moose Jaw Wakamow, Moose Jaw and Assiniboia are hosting the District attendees,” the organization said.

during new fundraiser

throughout the city will help to beautify the city for attendees from out of town.”

Subscribers within Moose Jaw and Bushell Park may participate by visiting RotaryClubofMooseJawWakamow.org and will bring up the registration page, where they can enter their information and pay by credit card. If people wish to purchaseplete the form again with the extra name and location.

Meanwhile, subscribers do not need to be home when Rotary members install or a rebar stake into the ground about two feet from the front edge of the yard and then place a hollow metal pole onto the stake; subscribers should inform the club about underground sprinklers.

The club said it appreciates the support that Cypress Paving has given, along with has developed the route optimization soft-

The Rotary Club of Moose Jaw Wakamow uses the funds it collects to support many community groups, such as Festival of Words, Heartland Hospice, Hunger in Moose Jaw, Joe’s Place Youth Centre, the food bank, the health foundation, the library, the music festival, Phoenix Academy and Wakamow Valley Authority.

In Guatemala, it has supported the development of schools with classrooms, kitchens, washrooms and computers, and provided scholarships to children for education past Grade 6.

Internationally, it supports Rotary’s regular campaign to eradicate polio.

The club noted that if residents like the work it does and want to help but can’t commit the time to being a member or belonging to a club, they can join the Friends of the Rotary.

This group requires no long-term commitment, and instead, residents let the club know when they are interested in helping with projects as a volunteer. The club then adds residents to a database so it can advise them when it is looking for assistance for events. For each event, volunteers will receive an email inviting them to register on the online volunteer list.

tary@gmail.com.

Monday - Friday 9am-6pm Saturday- 10am-4pm

From The Kitchen

By Joyce Walter - Moose Jaw Express

Church anniversary cookbook a treasure to discover

Community cookbooks represent the best tried and true recipes for food often served at pot luck suppers or taken to friends in time of need.

In my collection of cookbooks is one simply called “30th Anniversary Cookbook of the Evangelical Free Church 1953-1983.” I have no idea where I got the book, nor the community it represents. It is not a fancy production: it appears recipes have been typed on a typewriter, divisions made from plain cover stock and bound by holes punched into the pages and held by rings.

feature one favourite ingredient: ground beef in casseroles.

•

DINNER IN A DISH

1 lb. ground beef

3/4 cup uncooked rice

1 tbsp. butter

1 can tomato soup

3/4 tsp. dry mustard

1 cup water

1 1/4 tsps. salt

1/2 cup grated cheese

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 tsp. oregano

1 can peas

1 can kernel corn

Form beef, cheese and salt lightly into balls. Brown in melted butter and place in a large casserole. Add rice around meatballs.

Bring onion, soup, water and mustard to boil then pour over meat and rice. Arrange peas and corn around the edges of casserole dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 1/4 hours.

• • • COMPANY CASSEROLE

1 pkg. medium pasta noodles

2 tbsps. butter

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 can tomato soup

3/4 cup creamed cottage cheese

3/4 cup sour cream

3 green onions, chopped

6 tbsps. grated cheese

Cook noodles until tender in boiling salted water. Drain and rinse in cold water.

Melt butter in skillet. Add meat and cook until done and pour off fat. Add salt, garlic powder and soup. Remove from heat.

Combine cottage cheese, sour cream, onion and noodles.

Alternate layers of noodles and meat mixture in a large casserole. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 30 minutes until cheese melts and is beginning to brown.

• • •

CRANBERRY MEAT LOAF

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup cranberry sauce

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. smoked ham or bacon

1/2 lb. ground pork

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup cracker crumbs

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Spread brown sugar over the bottom of a large and greased loaf pan. Mash cranberry sauce and spread over sugar.

Combine other ingredients and shape into a loaf to place over sugar and cranberries. Bake for one hour at 350 degrees F. Serves meat mixture.

Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel. net

Artist Laura Hamilton excited to showcase newest artworks during seventh annual spring show

Artist Laura Hamilton is eager to welcome the public into her home to see her newest artworks, eight of which she created in one month after taking time off for other endeavours.

Hamilton’s seventh annual spring studio tour occurs Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 128 Blue Sage Drive. Residents will have the opportunity to view her unique paintings and purchase some that catch their fancy.

“I’m really excited,” Hamilton laughed. “It’s been a long winter. Even though the weather has been nice, I’m kind of through with winter. I’m looking forward to spring weather and all that good stuff.”

The bubbly artist said she is keen to open her home to friends, family, neighbours and others to see her spring collection. She noted that most people have a good time when they attend.

After seven years of hosting this event, turning her home into an art gallery has become a regular occurrence for Hamilton, even though it is plenty of work.

It normally takes her — with the support of her husband and two sons — a week to move around furniture and set up displays. Moreover, she parks her art trailer in the

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

driveway so she can grab moveable walls and other items and place them inside.

“I’m lucky I have a good family that helps,” she added.

Hamilton is anxious to display her spring collection, considering it’s the result of a burst of creativity that had built up inside her earlier this year.

She explained that she returned temporarily to fulltime teaching in January and February after picking up a contract to teach pre-kindergarten students. This prevented her from doing any painting because of how busy she was.

“When I was done in February, I had so much energy and all these ideas in my head that (in) March, I think I painted eight paintings — which never happens,” Hamilton said. “It was just all this built-up energy and I had it to out.

“So it was a really nice and neat experience. And now I have a lot of different pieces to share with people.”

One painting is called “Marigold,” which features a girl in front of a wood door within a brick wall. Hamilton said this is more of a European-type picture, and many people have been intrigued by it.

A second artwork, called “Sisters of the Valley,”

Hamilton said the colours are “really, really pretty” and it’s as if the women are in Ireland.

“All of my artwork usually centres around women and sisterhood and who we’re meant to be and who we are inside,” she added. “So … I think it will be really exciting.” Hamilton said her inspiration for this collection derived from all the pent-up energy and creativity she was unable to express for those two months. That was frustrating since she was collecting ideas from her mind, from social media and conversations with people.

“I hope people can come and they take a piece of happiness home with them,” Hamilton said, noting her artworks are reasonably priced so everyone can leave with something. “Art should be for everyone. It doesn’t matter what your income is.”

After her spring show, Hamilton will prepare for her presentation at the Rotary district conference in May.

Some artwork selections that Laura Hamilton has created recently. Photo courtesy Facebook

Artist Laura Hamilton is hosting her seventh annual spring collection open house on Saturday, April 27.

Photo courtesy Facebook

WDM celebrates 75th birthday with cupcakes and 75-cent admission

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

The year was 1949 and Newfoundland became Canada’s 10th province, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) began and — perhaps most importantly for Saskatchewan — the Western Development Museum began promoting Prairie history.

The WDM launched on April 2, 1949, after the Government of Saskatchewan passed an act to establish the organization.

The focus of the museum — with locations in Moose Jaw, Yorkton, Saskatoon and North Battleford — has been to collect, preserve and exhibit objects of historical value and importance connected to the economic and cultural development of Western Canada and stimulate interest in Western Canadian history.

The WDM has been promoting that mandate for the past 75 years, and to celebrate that milestone, it held a party at all four locations — the Moose Jaw site opened in 1976 — that included cupcakes, balloons, a historical video, anniversary-themed artifact searches and 75-cent admission.

During a visit with his sister and dad, James Heo, 7, hunted throughout the museum for hidden objects, such trains, boats and other vehicles — from across the decades.

75 cents

His sleuthing skills were on par since he had found 10 of 12 items when he stopped to talk.

“I’m happy (being at the WDM) because we can look at the things,” he said, noting he most enjoyed the antique cars.

Visiting the museum was one of several places that Heo and his family had checked out in Moose Jaw after arriving a day earlier from Saskatoon. They had driven down to The Friendly City for the Easter break and had already seen some tourist attractions like the murals.

An object that most intrigued Heo was Mac the Moose, a statute he thought was cool and that had a wiggly “big butt” because of how tall it was.

Also wandering throughout the museum was Jim Gushuliak, a volunteer who has been educating visitors about objects — particularly planes — for 25 years. He has enjoyed giving his time during the past three decades and wanted to help during the 75th-anniversary celebration.

Talking to visitors is the best part of volunteering for Gushuliak since he not only helps them but also receives appreciative comments and a feeling of accomplishment.

“You give and you get more back,” he said.

Besides being a volunteer, Gushuliak is also with the Vintage Aircraft Restorers’ group, which has helped re-construct several planes on display, like the Vickers Vedette. He noted that the members acquire meaning and purpose by restoring the airplanes, while they also devel-

op long-term friendships.

Gushuliak says the WDM has an “astounding” number of artifacts that fascinate not only him but also other people from across Canada. Visitors have told him that the Moose Jaw location has more to offer than any other museum they’ve seen — even more than some museums in Alberta and Manitoba.

“When you can put everything (planes, trains, automobiles and boats) in one nutshell, people really, really like it … ,” he said. “You got it all here. When they say (the WDM is) the museum of transport, it is.”

while it’s even better that admission was 75 cents since it attracted many more people who will likely bring others in the future, said Gushuliak.

He added that the WDM is a great organization, and he joked that he appreciates the daily pay of coffee and cookies.

Alexis Jones, the WDM’s programs and volunteer co-ordinator, said it was exciting to celebrate 75 years — hundreds of people visited the Moose Jaw location — and continue sharing Saskatchewan’s history. She noted that the organization has been adding items recently, such as hand sanitizer, to represent the “COVID-19 era.”

Jones added that most visitors enjoy the rail-related exhibits and the short-line train that runs outside in the summer.

CALL FOR PROPOSAL

St. Andrew’s United Church located at 60 Athabasca East in Mooe Jaw is looking to sell our building. The congregation is looking for a commercial realtor to work with us.

We will be accepting proposals until midnight April 22, 2024.

In your proposal, we ask that you please include:

• Your fee

• Your suggested asking price range for the building

• Your selling/advertisement strategy

Please forward proposals to:

St. Andrew’s United Church 60 Athabasca St E

Moose Jaw, SK S6H 0L2 or email to st.andrews.mi@sasktel.net

Jim Gushuliak, who has volunteered at the WDM for boat that he and other craftsmen helped restore. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

James Heo checks out a display of licence plates from

Admission was

— a real deal that helped attract hundreds of visitors. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Reflective Moments

By Joyce Walter - Moose Jaw Express

White gloves not included for dust bunny inspections

With the sun shining brightly through the house windows, it should have been a wonderful day. Instead that sun and its brightness merely showed up work to be done, in all corners and everywhere in between.

Spring cleaning!

That is a term I have never understood. What is so important about the word “spring” that it brings the word “cleaning” in its wake? The same applies to “fall” and “cleaning.” One could ask if cleaning does not take place in summer and winter for those names, followed by cleaning just aren’t phrases one readily hears.

So, on this particular sunny day, the grit on the windows seemed more onerous, more gritty than on other sunny days. That sudden accumulation of grit almost made it impossible to take photographs through the window of the birds feasting at the feeding barn or squirrels trying desperately to take what isn’t there for their enjoyment.

I grew up with the house-wide cleaning tradition in the spring and fall and vowed to my younger self that I would not adhere to such silliness, that I would clean when the mood struck, regardless of month or year, or

perhaps when potential company phoned ahead to say to expect visitors in the near future.

Anyone who knows me well knows not to expect a pristine house, and also understands that closed doors mean no entry advised. For the rooms that do not have doors to close, there might be a vacuum cleaner sitting in plain view, suggesting cleaning might be about to begin.

sitting in a bucket just awaiting the sanitized water that would wash away all sorts of sins.

And in the hallway, just by the double plug-in, the hand-held stick corner vacuum would be on the charger, preparing itself for cleansing the stairs and corners of sand and dust bunnies large enough to take over a small country.

From years of practice in this house, I can quickly move all my piles of important papers to the centre of the plates buffet style from the kitchen counter. This house does not provide plate service and only occasionally will table, in Walton Family or growing-up style.

Provincial Court Report

Occasionally when friends or relatives advise ofing, at least of the rooms likely to be used: upstairs bathroom, kitchen, hallway and parts of the living room. The doors remain closed on the other parts of the house and one can only hope the visitors are unable or unwilling to undertake a journey down the stairs to the basement.

I love clean surroundings but my affection for cleanliness does not translate to regular action on my part. Martha Stewart would look around in horror, but then who invited her to drop by without an invitation?

So, to reiterate: we have visitors coming to see us

their inspection might just pass the white glove test.

And if inspection fails, we might be forgiven by offering to take them out to a favourite restaurant, to see the tourist attractions of Moose Jaw and allow them to sit outdoors where Housemate can avidly talk about his plants and soil mixtures. I will bring snacks to the picnic table. I will not supply white gloves and darn them if they show up with their own!

Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net

Motorist pleads guilty to impaired driving after crashing through 15 Wing fence

Devastated that her friend had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, Maureen Hansen went out drinking and consumed so much alcohol that her driving interrupted operations at 15 Wing Airbase.

Moose Jaw RCMP received a call at 7:33 p.m. on Jan. 20 about a vehicle that had crashed through the western perimeter fence of the military complex, and while Monique Paquin said in Moose Jaw Provincial Court recently while reading the facts.

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

Since there were no obvious injuries to Hansen or her friend — she indicated she didn’t need emergency attention — police gave her an initial breath test that she failed, prompting them to arrest her, said Paquin.

However, the Mounties eventually took her to the hospital because of some lingering issues. After waiting sample that registered at .208 milligrams per cent, nearly

At 7:51 p.m., the RCMP members found the vehicle on the runway and activated their emergency lights after the driver accelerated toward them, prompting the vehicle to stop, she continued. she was doing and whether she had been drinking. The after the airbase deployed a spike belt to slow down the car.

three times the legal limit.

Since Hansen pleaded guilty to impaired driving in provincial court, Paquin recommended that she receive a

As part of the joint submission, the Crown agreed to stay a charge of mischief.

“I just made some poor choices (that night). I was out driving with my friend, and I just heard that she had cancer and she was dying,” Hansen told Judge Marylynne

“Then you had way too much alcohol,” the judge re-

Homeless man given 60 days’ jail for being a ‘nuisance’ to downtown businesses

caused Sean Poil to be a “nuisance” to downtown businesses and their customers, with his actions landing him in jail for two months.

Court recently, where he pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to comply with court conditions and two charges of committing mischief to property.

ready spent 27 days on remand, the court credited him

• Sat, Apr 13

• Sat, Apr 20

• Sun, Apr 28

• Sun, May 5

• Sat, May 18 In

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

The Crown stayed several other charges, while the Poil committed his offences earlier this year, beginning in February, Crown prosecutor Monique Paquin said while reciting the facts.

The court put him on a year-long probation on Jan. 30 with conditions to not attend certain locations downtown, including banks and the spa. However, police found then released him.

vestibule, where they smelled cigarette smoke and saw weeks earlier about not smoking there.

Meanwhile, staff from the Temple Gardens Mineral Spa — along with two witnesses — saw Poil in the lobby on Feb. 8 begging for money, said Paquin.

vestibule asking for money.

calls from downtown business owners, Paquin said.

The Crown prosecutor wanted Poil jailed for 120 days in jail he received last time. Yet, she was concerned that he wouldn’t follow — and had trouble following — the probation orders.

Legal Aid lawyer Zak Anderson told Judge David Chow that Poil was homeless for roughly eight months when he committed these offences while he had been staying at Willow Lodge Shelter.

After his release, he plans to work with the shelter

“These (bank vestibules) were places where he feltmore,” said Anderson.

Poil understands that his time in custody will increase if he doesn’t follow his probation order, while he still has 10 months left to serve after his release, Anderson added. Meanwhile, his homelessness and inability to maintain housing have contributed to “some serious mental health issues.”

“I think I’ve done quite enough time on remand,” Poil stuttered.

Judge Chow acknowledged that Poil had appeared in court before, and while he is polite, he usually appears “quite internally agitated.” Furthermore, even though the had a mental illness, the judge thought otherwise.

“I’m alright, I’m alright, I’m alright … ,” Poil muttered.

Poil appears intelligent and understands right from wrong, but he continues to attend these downtown locations and be a “nuisance” to others, the judge said. While these offences are neither serious nor violent, the solution

Chow said he accepted the defence’s recommenda-

his year-long probation when he racked up more charges and was re-arrested.

“I don’t want to see you back here before me,” the judge added. “When you get out, you get housing and you sleep in your own bed.”

Moose Jaw

North MLA

Tim McLeod

The 2024-25 provincial budget delivers the largest-ever increase in health care funding. This investment will expand patient care and services, increase access to primary care, support health professionals, and fund key infrastructure projects like new hospitals and long-term care homes across Saskatchewan.

This year’s Ministry of Health budget is $7.59 billion, an increase of $726.4 million, or 10.6 per cent, over last year. The Saskatchewan Health Authority will receive an increase of $248.3 million, or 5.6 per cent, for a total highest-ever budget of $4.68 billion – another record investment.

This budget will increase patient access to primary and community-based care, supporting Saskatchewan residents in receiving care closer to home and alleviating pressures on the acute care system through investments totaling $59.4 million.

The budget includes an increase of $5.1 million for specialized medical imaging services to add essential CT and MRI capacity in the province. This expansion will

help increase access and reduce waitlists for these important diagnostic procedures.

A $16.0 million total increase will be distributed across several primary, public health and community care initiatives, including increasing access to nurse practitioners and other allied health professionals through integration into primary care teams, funding to support Healthline 811 and added supports for Chronic Pain Clinics in Regina and Saskatoon.

An investment of $71.4 million focuses on increasing the capacity of the acute care system. This includes $30 million for the Saskatoon and Regina Capacity Pressures Action Plans, as well as an increase of nearly $10 million for the Regina Urgent Care Centre. Funding is also directed to continuing to reduce the surgical waitlist, working to achieve a three-month wait time target years ahead of schedule.

The budget includes an increase of $29.2 million for the Health Human Resources Action Plan to recruit, train, incentivize and retain health care professionals in the province. This includes $11.6 million to fully fund the commitment to add 250 new or enhanced permanent fulltime positions in rural and remote locations. A $6.7 million investment for the Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive will fund existing recipients of the program and extend this initiative for another year.

This year’s budget includes $214 million for the recent Saskatchewan Medical Association contract agreement, including increased physician compensation and new programs to support the province’s efforts to recruit and retain physicians.

A record budget of $574 million will be invested into mental health and addictions programs and services, which represents more than seven per cent of total health

care funding. This includes an increase of $34 million to expand access to targeted initiatives focused on children and youth, addictions and vulnerable populations across the province.

The Saskatchewan Cancer Agency will see an increase of $26.1 million for a total record budget of $248.9 million to ensure patients can access the most effective and cutting-edge treatment options.

The budget includes investments to deliver timely, exceptional cancer care services for Saskatchewan women. A $3.5 million increase for breast cancer care and screening includes technology enhancements and new diagnostic imaging equipment, as well as the establishment of a Breast Health Centre in Regina. A continued investment of $1.0 million will be designated for important ongoing ovarian cancer research.

Targeted seniors’ care initiatives will receive a $43.4 million increase to stabilize services and programming so seniors can live safely and comfortably in their home communities for as long as possible.

To provide high-quality care, meet the needs of a growing province and ensure our health professionals have the appropriate facilities to provide care to the people of Saskatchewan, the budget invests a record $516.8 million in health infrastructure, such as new hospitals and health care centres. This is an increase of $179.3 million from last year.

Our government is committed to continuing to make investments that improve health care. As we continue this questions, concerns or comments. You can reach my connet.

Tickets are on sale now for the Spring Sing concert hosted by the 76-member Moose Jaw Community Choir which promises to be “a fun and entertaining evening” for all who attend.

The third annual concert will take place at Zion United Church on Saturday, May 11, with the performance set to begin at 7 p.m.

The concert will include many well-known songs and a few new pieces, although Bob Laing, a choir com-formed at last year’s concert will be repeated. Several of the pieces will also see an instrumental accompaniment.

“Most people will recognize a few of the songs… and then there’s some that are new to all of us,” Liang stated.

Local musician and member of the band Desperate for Haggis, Doug Shepherd, will be performing a debut for his newly written song, “Traveller’s Blessing.” The piece is done in the style of an Irish blessing and categorizes as a sacred song.

“We’re happy – he actually sings in the choir with us, and he has (now) written a song,” Laing said.

The night will follow much of the event’s traditional format, however, one new twist will be introduced this time around.

Liang said a sing-along portion will be introduced in the middle of the performance, which he’s seen attempted in different locations with a great deal of success. Diane Rhodes, the choir’s director, hasn’t revealed these selections as of yet.

The Moose Jaw Community Choir was founded in February 2017 when a musically included group of around nine individuals got together to discuss the possibility of establishing a new venue in the city. Their goal was to create a space for anyone in Moose Jaw to get together and sing for fun.

The result of some discussion led to the establishment of a four-part harmony which covered a variety of styles including sacred, folk, pop, classical, and Broadway, among others.

At the start of the community choir, 38 members

were registered and now that has grown to 76.

Today this legacy continues, and the choir meets on Monday nights for a two-hour practice under the direction of Diane Rhodes and with Jennifer Watterson’s piano accompaniment.

Following the concert performance, a complimentary reception is scheduled with refreshments to cap off the evening. The ladies at Zion United Church will be providing beverages, and the choir will set up a spread including cookies, squares, and fruit options.

Proceeds from ticket sales will go toward the choir’s day-to-day overhead and typical expenses include the rent of venues, music licensing – which Liang said can be as high as $3 - $4 per printed sheet with 76 members requiring upwards of 10 – 11 copies apiece – and the choir provides a student bursary at each year’s music festival. In 2023, the Moose Jaw Community Choir provided $500 through this program.

For those who love choral music and are looking for an ideal outing, the Spring Sing concert will be something you don’t want to miss.

“Well, everybody is local, and we just enjoy performing. We have a really good mix of music… And it (provides) really good entertainment

that the whole family can enjoy.”

To purchase your tickets, visit SaskTix.ca or stop byenue Northwest. Tickets are going for $15 apiece and will be on sale from March 25 – May 11 with accompanied children aged 12 and under enjoying free admittance. Ticket numbers are limited and will not be sold at the door, so anyone interested is reminded to act fast to secure their seats.

Attending international conference was ‘trip of a lifetime’ for some Catholic educators

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

Several Catholic educators experienced a trip of a lifetime recently after they attended an international conference that focused on building up the faith through presentations from inspirational speakers.

Six employees from Holy Trinity Catholic School Division attended the Anaheim, California-based Religious Education Congress, a four-day event that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles has held since 1967. The conference is considered the largest gathering of Catholics in the United States, with roughly 400,000 people attending.

The theme this year was “be loved.”

The group from Moose Jaw — nicknamed “The Anaheim Angels” — included Chantelle Burch, Lisa Busta, Monique Byers, Carter Davis, Jason Fisher and Casey Yeomans.

Busta, Fisher and Davis spoke about their trip during the recent board meeting.

“It was a trip of a lifetime. It’s one where I would go back as many times as I could … ,” said Davis, vice-principal at St. Agnes. “I walked into the building and the attitudes and the passion and the excitement (were) contagious.”

He attended presentations by Rev. Richard Leonard, Rev. Tony Ricard and educator Terry Hershey and took away the messages that churches should be engaging, kids should be seen as the Church’s present, communicating with stories is important, teachers should meet students

where they are instead of attempting to change them, and if kids enjoy singing or writing, they should pray using those channels.

“The Mass we went to on a Sunday was electrifying. It was two hours long (and) it was singing the whole time … and it was in different languages too,” Davis added.

Other ideas that stuck with the attendees included churches need to be noisy with kids; churches should pray and not just talk about it; parishes should stop stressing about what services look like — don’t worry if a candle goes out — and focus on what they’re saying; people should always greet kids with love; and people should thank those who care for them.

“So many people have prayed for us … (and) we need to show and tell them that we have answered their prayers through our words and actions,” said Busta, the division chaplain.

This was Busta’s third time attending and she still acquired something new. She felt called to research St. Benedict because of the volume of images that were there of him, while she learned that taking care of oneself in ministry is important because even Jesus experienced burnout and took regular retreats.

Another speaker was Rev. Gregory Boyle, the founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world, continued Busta. It has operated for 30 years and has been a beacon of hope in Los Angeles by providing training and support to former

HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC SCHOOL DIVISION

THE NEXT HOLY TRINITY BOARD MEETING IS MONDAY, APRIL 8

gang members and ex-convicts.

Some of his messages included that goodness and welcoming are two principles by which people should live; behaviour does not touch your goodness, nor does it change God’s mind about you; and change is necessary so “woke culture” is not entirely against the Catholic faith.

Busta recalled a story that Boyle told about how he forced two rival gang members to work together. One was later shot, while the other asked if he could donate blood because of the friendship they had developed — only to learn the former rival had died.

“Man, what a story. It was heartfelt,” she added.

Fisher, the vice-principal of Sacred Heart, said four quotes that stuck with him were “Behaviour does not change goodness,” “God is OK with mess,” “With God, itsal church, not uniform church.”

Fisher noted that he sometimes struggles to convince teachers to volunteer their classes to run school masses because they don’t want to mess up or are nervous. However, he pointed out that if people’s hearts are in the right place — if the intent is there — then missteps don’t matter.

Student-led ministry activities in Holy Trinity highlighted in provincial newsletter

The Saskatchewan Catholic School Boards Association regularly features good news stories in its monthly about the work divisions do, and recently, it highlighted the efforts of Moose Jaw-area students.

Lisa Busta, chaplain for Holy Trinity Catholic School Division, wrote the article and explained that she has been helping create student-led ministry teams in every school, with these teams full of students who are enthusiastic about sharing their love for Jesus Christ with their schools and communities.

ministry teams more than 20 years ago, with the group initially called the Vanier Retreat Team because it focused on leading annual Grade 9 retreats, she continued.

Today, the Vanier ministry team not only hosts Grade 9 retreats, but also helps lead and serve at mass, comes together to pray, leads the school’s annual Lenten fast, fundraises for charity, leads the Stations of the Cross at church, shares the faith with peers, and pursues other activities that promote Catholic teachings.

Busta, Vanier’s former chaplain and ministry team leader, later encouraged Holy Trinity administration to create even more ministry teams throughout the division,

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

but in the elementary schools.

“It has been a wonderful experience to see the students come together in their various schools, leading and witnessing their faith to their friends, classmates and school community,” she wrote.

The elementary school ministry teams consist of students from grades 6 to 8 who read at masses, decorate their schools with posters containing Bible passages, seasonally decorate their schools according to the liturgical calendar and come together to pray the rosary.

“As time goes on, it will be exciting to see how these elementary teams grow and change,” Busta added. “And of course, once they go to high school, we hope they continue to witness their faith and continue to serve the Lord.”

Busta spoke about the good news article and the work of the division’s ministry teams during the recent board of education meeting.

She told trustees that she plans to help start groups at St. Agnes and Christ the King in Shaunavon, while she will support the formation of a choir at Sacred Heart since the principal wants live singing during masses instead of videos. Meanwhile, she recalled that St. Marga-

ret’s 17-student team created eight stations in the gym at Christmas to help tell the story of Jesus’ birth.

“The kids wrote and designed the story and decorated the gym themselves. It was awesome,” the division chaplain remarked.

Busta said she is exceptionally busy supporting teachers and students, while she never takes breaks since she’s always working on two to four things daily. She added that based on conversations with other chaplains, Holy Trinity has the most things to share during provincial meetings because of how busy it is.

ting down and telling me about the million things that are happening in our schools,” said Ward Strueby, director of education, noting she also works with the parishes.

Holy Trinity will continue to spread the good news of what’s happening in the division because it’s unlikely that the public knows about everything that’s occurring, he continued. Moreover, the organization has come far in the partnerships it’s developed, which is something residents should also know.

Catholic buses travelling fewer kilometres than in 2020 due to better route scheduling

Buses in Holy Trinity Catholic School Division have transported roughly the same number of students annually since 2020, but they’ve been travelling fewer kilometres since then due to better route scheduling.

From September 2020 to February 2021, the division transported 1,071 students daily to schools in Moose Jaw and Swift Current, with buses travelling 332.8 kilometres daily, while the number of students bussed from March to June 2021 decreased by 10 and the number of kilometres stayed the same, according to a recent transportation accountability report.

From September 2021 to February 2022, Holy Trinity bussed 1,122 students over 283 kilometres daily, while the number of youths bussed from March to June 2022 rose by 23 pupils and the number of kilometres decreased by 3.4 kilometres.

From September 2022 to February 2023, Holy Trinity transported 1,192 students over 264.1 kilometres daily, while the number of pupils bussed from March to June 2023 dropped by three and the number of kilometres rose slightly by 7.4 kilometres.

From September 2023 to February 2024 — this school year — the division bussed 1,180 students over 222 kilometres daily. This distance travelled dropped by 49.5 kilometres compared to last year and decreased by 110.8 kilometres since September 2020.

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

trustees during their recent meeting that the number of kilometres buses have travelled since September 2020 has decreased by 33 per cent, which he thought was “good news (and) fantastic.”

The reason for this decline is because the division implemented new software several years ago to help with lead to less fuel consumption and buses lasting longer.

Other data show that, in Moose Jaw, the average age on all regular routes is 6.5 years. Also, on average, 85.7

North runs earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the average ride time in Moose Jaw is 28 minutes, while the longest one-way ride time is 38 minutes.

Holy Trinity has not had to cancel a bus route during the past four years because of mechanical issues or lack of drivers, unlike other divisions in the area, Van Parys added.

The report also contained activities that the transpor-

With bus driver recruitment, the division hired one temporary driver and three spare drivers.

“We are in a good position of being well sourced from a driver perspective … ,” Van Parys said. “And based on conversations with some of my colleagues in other school

divisions, that seems to be an atypical position, so we’re rather fortunate. And I want to make sure we do whatever we can to retain our bus drivers.”

The department has also focused on enhancing technology in transportation, including:

Reviewing new platforms to improve communications with parents and address safety

Improving the dispatch system with live GPS tracking of buses, continuing the installation of radios in maintenance vehicles and ongoing updates and repairs

Continuing implementation of new software to track fuel management and kilometres driven to save money, assist with preventative maintenance and troubleshooting of repairs, and send maintenance prompts to management and drivers

by utilizing this software that we’ve had in the school division for a bit,” said Van Parys.

The department has also focused on improving community engagement through initiatives such as Touch-aTruck and giving bus rides for Multicultural Council activities, he added.

“Our bus drivers are phenomenal … . They come to work every single day (and) they’re as happy as can be … ,” said education director Ward Strueby. “They’re just a pleasure to have.”

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

Fundraising and organizing efforts have been sup--

would prefer an established process before we lean in that taxpayers’ dollars to support social

After reading about how the province has allegedly pro-ed to analyze those statements to determine whether they

nes School to address concerns about educational fundingments to the Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com in information and focused on three comments the provinceHe then wrote an analytical report and presented it-

noting the organization has been consistent in declining -

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

remained inside during total solar eclipse

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

vision could not ensure that students were appropriately Schools would not schedule outdoor physical educastaff are not able to supervise students as they travel home while it encouraged parents to send a lunch with their The letter added that parents should visit instan-

CITY HALL COUNCIL NOTES

THE NEXT REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING IS MON. APR 8-

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

Pursuant to The Municipalities Act, public notice is hereby given that the Town of Pense intends to restructure by adding the following lands from the R.M. of Pense #160 to the Town of Pense.

The land to be added to the Town of Pense is 24 M x 421.15 M of land from NW 04-17-22-2

The reason for the proposal is:

To construct a new road on the southern edge of the municipality to allow for a second access route for residents and emergency vehicles.

A public meeting will be held on May 8, 2024, 7:00 PM at 243 Brunswick Street to discuss the proposal.

Any persons who wish to object to the proposed restructuring may le a written objection, clearly stating their reason for their opposition with the administrator of the Town of Pense at the address below:

Town O ce 243 Brunswick Street Pense, SK

A written notice of objection must be received by the administrator by May 6, 2024. The complete proposal may be viewed at the Town of Pense o ce between 9 am and 4 Pm M. T. T, F.

Dated at the Town of Pense, Saskatchewan this 28 day of March 2024. Administrator Town of Pense

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

INTENT

The proposed Development Levy Bylaw is to establish a development levy for the purpose of recover-

Council will hold a public hearing on Wednesday May 8, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. at 243 Brunswick Street Pense, SK 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 municipal o ce before the hearing. Issued at TOWN OF PENSE this 5th day of April 2024.

The sun already has warmth which entices gardeners to--that cut as once a limb is cut there is no going back. Startunused muscles may be a little sore and tired but you necessary jobs in the garden……and being able to enjoy 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?

Spring P runing

Two weeks after the inaugural ‘Swing into Spring’ event launched in downtown Moose Jaw by local entrepreneur Laurie Hysuick, the project’s creator said she’s happy with how things turned out and looks to continue with the ‘Christmas in October’ analog again in 2025.

The event drew a crowd – although and 21 downtown businesses were open and partook in the initial run. Beyond this, Hysuick said three businesses who missed the deadline donated additional prizes for

“It actually went really well,” Hysuick said. “We had a bigger turnout than I thought (we’d have).”

The event created an atmosphere that Hysuick said loosely resembled the fall counterpart that helped inspire the springtime project.

“It was almost like Christmas in Oc-

The idea behind Swing into Spring came about as Hysuick, the owner of Mitin Moose Jaw’s downtown, decided to do something to celebrate the arrival of spring. Much of the motivation, she said, came from the analog project, Christmas in October.

Swing into Spring is organized in a manner similar to Christmas in October. During the event, shoppers can meander from shop to shop among participating businesses and see what they have to offer – all while helping to support the local economy.

To facilitate business owners giving back in a manner similar to the downtown shoppers, each participating business is asked to donate a small product or gift card from their store and shoppers have the chance to win a grand-prize gift basket with each store they visit.

Swing into Spring, Hysuick said she continues to receive positive feedback from downtown shoppers, tourists, and small

business owners alike.

One of the main insights, she said, was the recurring feedback from shoppers who said they felt it was great to get something back from downtown businesses.

which has proven itself to be quite the attraction.

The winner of this year’s prize was a resident from Regina Beach who was visiting Moose Jaw at the time. With any luck, her experience could help attract

more interest among tourists in 2025.

Hysuick is now considering the addition of a map highlighting all participating businesses so shoppers can follow a designated route to explore the downtown winning next year’s grand prize.

“People loved it, and they want to do it again,” she said. “So, it’ll just be getting ready again for next year and seeing how we can make it even better.”

Hysuick said numerous businesses have since reached out to her inquiring about participation in next year’s event, and the number one reason behind most absences this year was simply due to a lack of awareness.

For next year’s Swing into Spring event, Hysuick is anticipating an even greater level of participation and she’s now taking steps to increase awareness of the new idea.

“I think that now we’ve done it, we more aware for next year,” she said.

“I think next year will just be bigger and better, and (it will be) just a way for us to give back and kick off spring.”

If you own a downtown business and would like to participate in next year’s Swing into Spring event, contact Laurie Hysuick at 306-694-6330 or visit Mitnyister in advance.

The next iteration of Swing into Spring is anticipated to take place around March 2025.

Spring and Summer fun is just around the corner. Anglers prepare for the 2024-25 outdoor adventures and competition to attain the biggest and best our waters have to offer.

Saskatchewan residents or out-ofprovince outdoor enthusiasts can now conveniently access and download this year’s 2024-25 Anglers Guide to their phones or other devices serving as a quickvincial angling regulations for Saskatchewan. https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/parks-culture-heritage-and-sport/ hunting-trapping-and-angling

As the new season opens May 5th in the southern management zone, May 15th in the central management zone and May 25th in the northern management zone, anglers should be familiar with Saskatchout.

The Saskatchewan Anglers Guide details regulations, policies and practices

ince, including a comprehensive listing of more.

If you are interested in having a physical copy of the 2024-25 Saskatchewan Anglers Guide, they will be available at with front counter service where angling licenses are sold. Most provincial park ofwill have copies available.

“Saskatchewan is lucky to be home

Tell said. “With the 2024-25 guide now available, we encourage all anglers to re-tivities are compliant with the regulations. We look forward to a safe and enjoyableewan!”

The guide serves as a vital reference

Saskatchewan.

-

for recreational and competitive anglers, with important information on catch-andrelease practices, preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species and information on how to measure your catch and properly package it for transport.

Anglers aged 16 and older are required to purchase an angling license to of Saskatchewan resident seniors aged 65 and over. Also, any Saskatchewan and Canadian resident Armed Forces veterans who were honourably discharged are eligible to receive a free angling license, are available online 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can be stored on your digital device. For more information or to purchase an angling license, please visit:

Remember, before returning home, clean, drain and dry your watercraft to keep aquatic invasive species out of our waters. saskatchewan.ca/invasive-species

Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express

April Meersman - For Moose Jaw Express

ment of

Downtown shop’s expansion now includes storefront for community artisans

A small downtown business and local artisans came together in the spirit of co-operation this weekend, as 4 Plants Indoor Gardening Supply hosted a grand opening event announcing the expansion of its storefront to include permanent space for 18 community artisans.

The grand opening took place on April 6 between 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the store’s downtown location and drew a steady stream of interested shoppers.

“We’re doing our grand opening of the expansion of the store,” announced Kim White, the owner of 4 Plants. “We’ve local handmade vendors to sort of make the store a little better.”

of the shop’s range of products and does not mean the store is re-branding or chang-

4 Plants Indoor Gardening Supply continues to offer its range of gardening supplies, seeds, houseplants, and indoor gardening kits. To complement this, several vendors have slowly been incorporated into the space over the past six weeks.

The move aims to be mutually benea space that many local artisans couldn’t otherwise afford as an option. White said these artisans no longer have to wait for the next trade show or scheduled event to showcase their creations.

move is an effort to remain open.

“You know, COVID-19 has really put us in a predicament,” White said. “We were close to thinking about closing our doors. This way, we’ve done the expan-crease sales and to stay open ultimately.”

board after forming past relationships through trade shows, and White hopes this nexus can grow to include even more participants. The grand opening event, she

come a group in itself where we all have our own support and we all have each other’s backs,” vendor Alison Zinn said.

Zinn is the owner of Canvas Chronicle, one of the 18 total vendors, and Gail Reader-Duchak, owner of Happiness of Homemade, was also available for comments.mense,” added Reader-Duchak. She said the move brings local vendors together in the spirit of co-operation and every aspect

of the expansion helps the local business community.

To further enhance this relationship, White has also agreed to manage the advertising and sales aspects for each registered vendor.

The new space will remain a permanent feature at the shop, and residents can stop by in a show of support for Moose Jaw’s homegrown talent throughout the year during the store’s regular hours of operation.

As well, the co-operative and entrepreneurial idea highlights a valuable characteristic of Moose Jaw’s small business community. Perhaps White’s leadership can also help inspire other business own-

ingly desperate situation.

If you’re a vendor with an interest in promoting the sale of your products through a permanent, like-minded downtown establishment, White is interested in working with you to help support artists in the community.

Ideally, applicants would produce a local, hand-made product that can range from pickled eggs to fruit leather, freezedried fruits and vegetables, beeswax wraps, plant hangars, paintings, and really almost anything.

“Anybody can approach me with their products, and I’ll put them on the list and hope that we can expand into more for

4 Plants Indoor Gardening Supply is located at 123 High Street West and can be reached at 306-972-4769 or Hydro@4plantsIndoor.ca. The store is open Tuesday – Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and is closed Sundays and Mondays.

Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express

Kim White (pictured) is the owner of 4 Plants Indoor Gardening Supply. Photo by: Aaron Walker

The grand opening took place on April 6 between 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the store’s downtown location and drew a steady stream of interested shoppers. Photo by: Aaron Walker

The Royal Canadian Air Force has had a contributions to war over the past 100 years.tryside, much to the crowd’s astonishmentdians about aviation.

years later, and with it, the airplane proveddian airman to die -

served with distinction planes, he returned to friendly lines and crash-landed. He later earned the Victoria Crossbat with a numerically superior enemylied lines. He was awarded the Victoria Cross, while he became Canada’s most decorated airman

ciation (AEA), which telephone inventor with his wife, Mabel.

man.”

McCurdy also had the distinction ofleadership.of these machines can be demonstrated.”

Four of the top 12 war aces were Ca-

Meanwhile, 24 Canadians scored 20 -

the Royal Canadian Air Force, Volume 2. even small navy had served the national interest in prewar years and would continue to do so, but there was no institution traditional for an air force to build upon.”

Yet, in 1920, the Canadian Air Force the royal title. and settlement.had died in combat.

In his after-action report,

tion was used up, I returned to my base and refuelled.”

The RCAF played a smaller role in

ment saw little need for it when the counthe potential of air power and little enthumilitary commitments,” wrote historian

In pictures:

said, since a remote island chain off Alasthere or not.”

The Royal Canadian Air Force held -

2011, the air force reverted to its historic Canadian Air Force. This is part 1 in a series.

Moose Jaw shines blue to commemorate the RCAF centennial

nize the 100-year anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force as a distinct branch of the Canadian Forces.

To honour the occasion, a number of Canadian municipalities have simultaneboth a commemorative show of support for Canada’s military and in an attempt toously illuminated in a similar manner.

As part of the attempt, each monu-tion for the effort. This attempt in Moose rooftop.

Canada in the endeavour and individual

the effort in a show of support.

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express

Moose Jaw’s train station timepiece will soon tell time once more

As Moose Jaw’s City Hall lit up in blue to commemorate the Royal Canadian Air Force’s centennial anniversary this past week, all eyes were to the sky and one detail stood out – the city’s train station clock tower made a sharp contrast as it lay dark and silent by comparison.

This juxtaposition is now being remedied through a maintenance project led by volunteer repairmen John Trodd and Murray Rimmer.

Repairs on the train station’s clock tower began early on the morning of April 2nd and the process – once completed –will see the iconic Moose Jaw landmark glowing proudly into the night and telling time once again.

The project is being handled by the same volunteer repairmen who recently Hall clocktower. On the iconic symbol of Moose Jaw’s municipal governance, their work entailed a fresh installation of glass, a refurbishment of the clock arms

and time-keeping mechanism, and they’re the crew behind the centennial blue light installation as well.

nated on the evening of April 1 to coincide with a national commemorative effort. This includes Moose Jaw’s contribution to the nation-wide attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for the highest number of similarly illuminated landmarks within one single country.

The last time repairs were made on the train station’s tower, Rimmer noted, was back in 2004. Since then, a few problems have come to light causing the clock to stop ticking and now that’s being addressed.

At 7 a.m. on the morning of April 2, the crew of volunteers used a crane to remove the hands from the north face of the building’s timepiece, and the machine’s inner components were given a little TLC to match.

A separate crew of electricians will also be working diligently this month to install new lighting on the clock tower, but no certain date has been given for the completion of this portion of the project. Much of this uncertainty, Rimmer pointeding any number of surprises in the historic structure’s existing wiring.

Due to an obvious contrast that would be accentuated if the clock’s hands were cleaned up and repainted, the repair project won’t see the hands fully restored, but rather, the focus will be on repairing the clock’s machine components that keep the hands ticking. As the crew works on a

volunteer basis, it’s simply not tenable to invest countless additional hours meticulously painting and cleaning each number, arm, and dial of the structure at this time.

Crystal Froese, a member of Moose Jaw’s city council, also noted that the clock tower marks an interesting part of Moose Jaw’s downtown history.

Located just a few blocks apart, City Hall’s clock is the only one in the province that has to be manually wound up, Froese pointed out, and the train station’s clock produced. This means City Hall has the last of an old type of clock and the train of clock mechanisms.

The project will also see the two

BIZWORLD

By Ron Walter For Moose Jaw Express

clocks wired together electronically, so one switch can light both timepieces in a similar colour and at the same time, even though the former train station is now privately owned. To smooth over the logistics for this, Trodd and Rimmer have been serving as the project facilitator.

Once completed, the project will help revamp Moose Jaw’s historic downtown district and showcases Trodd and Rimmer’s work, which Froese pointed out is becoming “a lost art.”

“It’s wonderful to see that the clock is (soon to be) up and running,” Froese said.

Maintenance on the train station’s timepiece is anticipated to be completed on or around April 27.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the au-

Perspectives on Diefenbaker Lake irrigation expansion project

The most unfortunate aspect of the province’s announcement of irrigation expansion from Diefenbaker Lake was the timing.

Farmers in the Moose Jaw regionment 20 years ago will be retired or dead by the time the project comes to their district.

Even more unfortunate timing arises from the decades of delay in building out irrigation after the Gardiner Dam was quit in 1973.

Had various governments of all levels and all political stripes continued investing in irrigation, the province would have enjoyed the economic and social

The cost of expansion would have been way less than the $1.15 billion now estimated.

The provincial New Democratic government of the 1970s and early 1980s

wasn’t that keen on more irrigation. The Devine government of the 1980s was in favour of expansion but with annuto invest.

In the 1990s both federal and provincial governments were too busy slaying projects.

The inference here is that longstand-ing developed.

Now that the rural dryland populations have been decimated, fewer people turned into irrigated farmland during the next 10 years.

Instead of enjoying better crops and new varieties, farmers are waiting four expansion.

Local farmers will have to wait at least 10 years for development to arrive

here.

Opposition to irrigation expansion is growing, based largely on climate change issues.

from melting snowpacks in the Rocky Mountains to keep water levels high is used as an argument against the expansion.

Critics of the irrigation expansion

and lower making the irrigation development a drain on water supplies and a terrible investment.

That argument hinges on what if the worst happens?

The provincial government’s case for the project cites extra billions of income provincially and thousands of jobs by food processing plants and livestock operations.

where the irrigation water withdrawal en-

rigation canals can be reduced or turned off.

The opposition hasn’t considered new agricultural technologies that can reduce irrigation water consumption considerably.

posing the expansion is the impact ofberland Delta, a large area between the junction of the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers running east.

The delta is vital to the millions of waterfowl and other delta wildlife that live in this boggy region.

A number of First Nations people make their living by hunting and trapping in the delta.

Environmental measures need to ensure continued health of the delta ecosystem.

Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@ sasktel.net

Hours of Operation:

Tuesday - Friday

10:00am - 5:00pm

Saturday 10:00am - 3:00pm

Bag Sale April 23rd-27th

Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express

The newly restored clock mechanism. Photo by: John Trodd

The train station’s timepiece is currently undergoing repairs and the north-facing arms will be replaced later this April. Photo by: Aaron Walker

When the restoration project began, this is how John Trodd and Murray Rimmer found the train station’s clock mechanism. Photo by: John Trodd

With no deal in sight, teachers announce work-to-rule action

With the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation’s frustration with the provincial government hitting a new level, the union has decided to implement work-to-rule action that severely curtails teachers’ work in schools.

“Saskatchewan teachers are profoundly disappointed that the government’s intransigence has once again prolonged negotiations for a new provincial collective bargaining agreement,” the STF said.

“Beginning Monday, April 8, teachers across the province will begin workto-rule. Work-to-rule requires the withdrawal of all voluntary services, including noon-hour supervision and extracurricular activities. Teachers will restrict their services to the hours of the workday.”

This also means teachers will restrict their hours of service to 15 minutes before the school day begins and 15 minutes after the school day ends.

At the end of March, the government proposed a memorandum of understanding with teachers that laid out the terms of an accountability framework to ensure proposed education funding made it into the classrooms and toward the supportsdents directly, the STF continued.

This MOU gave teachers reason to believe that a return to the table was on

the horizon. However, after two weeks of back and forth, the teachers’ last position was that the provincial collective bargaining agreement must include the following sentence:

“The parties agree that the multi-year funding agreement and the accountability framework will be followed and honoured.”

The province refused to honour its accountability framework by including this single line in a provincial collective agreement, the STF said. Teachers have informed the government that the inclusion of this one line — or sending this one issue to binding arbitration — would be a path back to the bargaining table.

The STF has suggested previously suggested that binding arbitration might address this impasse, but the provincial government has allegedly refused this option.

“This government has lost all credibility and believability on the educationdent. “Since negotiations began last May, they say one thing and do another. They ask us to trust them and then pull the rug out from under our feet.

“We were cautiously optimistic when they proposed an accountability framework, but they refuse to put a single line in the contract that would actually commit to

that accountability,” she continued.

“This government has a track record of broken promises, and if they will not commit to their own framework, it shows clearly that they have no intention to follow through with their election-year funding promises.”

On March 8, the Government of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan School Boards Association announced a multiyear funding agreement that purported to provide funds to address issues of class size and complexity, the STF said. This MFA leaves these funds, which are critically needed in classrooms, open to appropriation for other uses, such as servicing government clawbacks.

“With their MFA announcement, (the) government and the SSBA sidestepped the collective bargaining process and deeply disrespected teachers’ bargaining rights by cutting a backroom deal between themselves,” said Becotte.

“Anyone with a child in school, a teacher in their lives, an interest in the future of Saskatchewan’s workforce, or just a sense of right and wrong, should be outraged that (the) government has chosen to prolong this situation based on a stubborn refusal to negotiate.”

Education minister Jeremy Cockrill

issued a statement on April 5about this action.

“It is very disappointing that once again the teachers’ union leadership are moving the goal posts and prioritizing job action that will directly impact students and families instead of returning to the bargaining table to reach a fair deal,” he said.

“Government and school divisions have found solutions to assure increased investment into classrooms, multi-year predictability for those investments, as well as a framework that would allow teachers to provide feedback on how those dollars are spent in their local school division,” Cockrill continued.

“The teachers’ union leadership’s move to block the opportunity for their own members to have a voice is another example of how this round of bargaining has been more about union control than actual solutions for classrooms,” he said.

“The teachers’ union leadership has also refused to move from their initial proposals, which includes a 23.4-per-cent salary increase,” he added. “A fair deal for teachers must also be a fair deal for Saskatchewan taxpayers. The GTBC remains at the table, ready to reach a deal on behalf of students, teachers and families.”

Larry Wallace has been recognized as March’s Notoriously Good Neighbour by the City of Moose Jaw and Moose Jaw & District Chamber of Commerce.

Neighbour Michelle Gulutzan nominated Wallace saying he’s a fantastic neighbour who is always helping those around him.

“He is retired but never stops working in a day,” Gulutzan noted. “He shares his garden veggies with all the neighbours, he puts everyone’s garbage and recycling bins out and away (and) he snow blows neighbours’ driveways if they are at work.”

As well, according to Gulutzan, Walhouse.

he always has time to ask you ‘how are you doing today?’. He’s the best neighbour!”

Good Neighbour”.

Moose Javians can nominate their Notoriously Good Neighbour with the Report An Issue feature on the City’s website, MooseJaw.ca, or on the free City of Moose Jaw app. .

ROB CLARK OF THE MOOSE JAW & DISTRICT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, LARRY WALLACE, CITY OF MOOSE JAW BYLAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER RAGHVIR GILL

Warriors’ Ripplinger named WHL East Division nominee for Executive of the Year

Randy Palmer - MooseJawToday.com

The Western Hockey League franthere was hope for the future.

The Warriors had a group of youngpionship.

riors fold.

Moose Jaw Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger was named the WHL East Division nominee for Executive of the Year on Wednesday.

Ripplinger put together a series of trades -

Warriors’ Firkus named Western Hockey League Player of the Month

WHL scoring champion claims award after putting up 16 goals and 27 points in 12 games

Randy Palmer - MooseJawToday.com

That was good enough to win the WHL

dian Hockey League.

Ripplinger then pulled off one of thethe World Juniors.March.sented in May.up the points.19-year-old forward put together a specleague took notice.career.

Warriors Firkus, Mateychuk, Unger all nominated for WHL awards

Firkus

named top player, Mateychuk top defenceman, Unger top goaltender, as East Division award winners announced

Randy Palmer - MooseJawToday.com

points. -

er Trophy are Hudson Thornton (Prince

The Moose Jaw Warriors went into the Western Hockey League playoffs as one just why that was on Thursday afternoon.

tender.

Firkus is the reigning WHL Player

Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman Denton Mateychuk, goaltender Jackson Unger and forward Jagger Firkus were all named East Division award winners on Thursday and will now be up for WHL-wide honours.

Regina Pats.

Moose Jaw Warriors forward Jagger Firkus was named the WHL Player of the Month for March earlier this week.

Moose Jaw Warriors are off to the second round of the playoffs.

The Warriors built a 5-1 lead through a 6-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings in Western Hockey League action on Thursday night in Brandon.

As a result, they win their Eastern sweep for the second-straight year.

The Warriors will now wait to see how things play out in the other playoff series but will have home ice advantage in the second round regardless, and that series will start next Friday night at the Moose Jaw Events Centre, with Game 2 on Saturday.

It didn’t take long for things to get going in Game 4 against Brandon.

The Warriors opened scoring three of action over the next few minutes.

Rilen Kovacevic got things started when he was in the right place at the right Brenton point shot, but Carter Klippenstein would get that one right back 1:06 later, redirecting a pass to the front of the net by Dominik Petr.

assists in four games.

-- dropped the gloves with Luke Shiply behind the Brandon net, with both players leaving the scrap no worse for wear.

The Warriors had the majority of pres-riod, and they’d add to their lead with 7:50 gone. Matthew Savoie found a bit of space and time to move around the zone, and his net beat Bjarnason blocker side.

The goal and earlier assist sees Savoie continue his two-point-game pace from the regular season, and the Buffalo Sabres product now leads the WHL playoff scorfour games.

for the Philadelphia Flyers prospect, who play.

Brandon got one back with 1:52 remaining in the second period, with Rylan swatting the puck home to make it a threegoal game.

The Moose Jaw Warriors put together exactly the kind of game they were hoping for in Game 3 of their Eastern ConferWheat Kings. The Warriors overcame a bit of a slow start by scoring four straight goals before going on to a 6-4 victory in Brandon on Wednesday, Apr. 3, giving themselves night.

Brandon looked to have scored the have Jackson Unger make an incredible diving paddle save, but it wasn’t long after they’d get one for real.

Unger attempted to poke the puck to Lucas Brenton at the side of the net, only for Brandon’s Matteo Michels to pop into the play and jam a shot between Unger’s skate and the post. The game’s opening goal came 8:33 into the proceedings.

The Warriors took absolutely no time to respond.

Less than a minute after Michels’ marker, Denton Mateychuk eluded a defender at the blueline and got off a shot that Owen Berge was able to tip past Carson Bjarnason for his second goal of the playoffs -- matching his entire regular season output.

A mere 1:08 later, the Warriors had the lead. Jagger Firkus attempted to dipsy doodle in front, but the puck slipped free

Lynden Lakovic then made it a 3-1

ice in the Brandon zone and putting home a shot from the high slot.

The Warriors then made it a three goal lead with 1:20 remaining in the pe-

Only 21 seconds after that marker, the Warriors would regain the lead, thanks to a nifty drop pass to Atley Calvert, who ripped a shot from the left faceoff circle top shelf.

riod, and it was a bit of a strange one. The Wheat Kings let Denton Mateychuk have all sorts of time and space at the top of the zone, and he’d put a simple wrist shot on net that found its way past Carson Bjarnason for 4-1 edge.

Moments after that goal, Jagger Firkus -- the East Division Player of the Year

to Brayden Yager at the side of the net and the Pittsburgh Penguins prospect got off a perfect hard-angle top-shelf backhand that snuck past Bjarnason to make it a 2-1 game.

-

er play 1:07 after that goal, and after being unable to score on their previous nine opportunities over two games, it took only six seconds this time around. Yager found Matthew Savioe in the slot for a one-timer, and his blaster would give the Warriors a two-goal lead.

Firkus drew the second assist on the play and hit a major franchise milestone -- the Seattle Kraken prospect now has 17 goals and 37 points in 23 playoff games

with the Warriors, taking over the all-time playoff scoring lead from Theoren Fleury.

The second period was largely a back-fore the Warriors broke through again.

Savoie carried the puck in on the rush and got off a shot from the right face-off 9:27 to play in the period.

Denton Mateychuk picked up an assist, and with that, he became the playoffs all-time highest scoring defenceman in Warriors franchise history, passing Nathan Paetsch with four goals and 23 points in 23 games. There things stood until the 1:44 mark of the third when Roger McQueen got

The Wheat Kings pulled Ethan Eskit for the extra attacker with 4:44 to play in the period, but Firkus would score with 17.6 seconds remaining.

Jackson Unger turned aside 35 shots with 20 saves, with the Warriors putting up 42 shots total.

one back for the Wheat Kings, signalling to regain their footing.

The Wheat Kings kept up the pressure, but as is often the case, the Warriors made the most of one of their rare tripsnor Schmidt put a simple shot on net that went off a defender in front and skipped top shelf 7:17 into the period, with the career.

Not long after, Brandon ran into penalty trouble, and the Warriors made it a 6-3 game at 8:59 when Mateychuk scored on three man advantage.

A late Warriors penalty saw Brett Hyland score for Brandon with 2:40 to play and Moose Jaw was caught standing around in their own zone with 1:55 remaining, leading to a Jayden Wiens goal that suddenly made it a two-goal game.

That would be as close as the Wheat Kings would get, though, and the Warriors had their 6-4 win.

Firkus capped his night with three assists, while Savoie had three points on the night, giving him six in three games.

Unger turned aside 35 shots to earn the win, while the Warriors had 41 on Bjarnason.

Randy Palmer - MooseJawToday.com

Randy Palmer - MooseJawToday.com

The Moose Jaw Warriors are through to the second round of the Western Hockey League playoffs.

And in style, at that.

game sweep of the Brandon Wheat Kings on Thursday night, marking the second year in a row the local squad has made it a game.

And while it wasn’t completely per fect, facing a bit of adversity at points over the four games was just what the doctor ordered when it comes to getting ready games ahead.

moved to Brandon, where the Warriors

“We’re pleased with how it went, I think the games were tighter than some of the scores in a sweep would indicate, but that was good for our group,” said War riors head coach Mark O’Leary. “Espe cially for the players who haven’t been in the playoffs before, I think it was a good series for them to learn a bit as well.”

While the Warriors have all sorts of veteran depth, for a handful of younger players it was another example of how im portant it is to be sharp and stay sharp in all situations, especially when it comes to

“Sometimes it’s hard to help them connect the dots to why the little details matter so much, but in the playoffs you can see how every detail has such an im pact on the game, so you have to be pre pared,” O’Leary said.

“The players have done a great job just getting in that mindset where they’re we’ve talked about this group for years is their resiliency. Regardless of what hap

pens, they pick themselves up and punch back, and we even saw that as recently as back and get one and that’s an important quality to have.”

One of the major factors in the series was the Warriors’ overall depth. While the

Matthew Savoie is the WHL playoff scor ing leader with eight points heading into Friday’s games, while Jagger Firkus and Denton Mateychuk each have two goals

third and fourth lines.

line of Lynden Lakovic, Brayden Schuur man and Rilen Kovacevic wreaked havoc

“That’s one of the things that made me so proud of this group,” O’Leary said. “When you look back over the course of the four games, it really showed you what the playoffs are all about. Different guys in different moments stepping up and doing their part whenever they’re called

upon. That’s the mindset you have to have, minutes, you could be involved in the most important shift at the most important moment of the game and you need to be ready for it. I felt our guys were in that mindset the whole series.”

Now, the focus turns toward what tle.

The Warriors are in waiting mode as the Saskatoon Blades and Prince Albert Raiders play out the remainder of their

the Warriors will face the Swift Current Broncos in the second round, thanks to their sweep of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. will take advantage of the time off, as the second round will likely begin Friday at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

“We’re going to use the luxury of rest here,” O’Leary said. “The next few days we’ll be on the ice a little bit but it’ll be more about being sharp on our details and next week when we know our opponent we can start practicing and preparing, and if it is Swift Current, we’ll focus on their tendencies and details there.”:

One thing that’s for certain is the War riors will be looking forward to the kind of More than 3,500 fans took in each of the home games, and if you’re of the opinion that doesn’t really matter, well, we’ll let O’Leary set the record straight.

“The crowd and the atmosphere in the players talk about,” he said. “They’re ex cited about it, they know the importance of it and it gives them a little bit extra juice. You can see it in the way they play, it’s just a different feel in the rink when it’s full like that. Friday and Saturday was really good that way, and hopefully next Friday and Saturday is the same way.”

Be sure to keep an eye on www.whl. ca for updates on the WHL Playoffs.

Randy Palmer - MooseJawToday,com

Moose Jaw Warriors captain Denton Mateychuk shakes hands with Brandon round sweep in Brandon on Thursday night.

Submitted for Moose Jaw Express

These are the Moose Jaw Athletic Association’s Athletes of the Month for March

Moose Jaw Predators win Hockey Sask U13 AA Tier III provincial championship

A stellar run through the postseason saw the Moose Jaw Predators come away with a pair of championships in recent weeks -- including the biggest one of all.

Jaw Minor Hockey Crushed Can U13 B title and then used that momentum to win the Hockey Sask U13 AA Tier III provincial championship, capping off a near-perfect run through the playoffs.

After an impressive regular season that saw the Predators post a 16-2-0 mark while outscoring their opposition by more than 100 goals through 18 games, things didn’t change much in the Crushed Can playoffs.

Predators opened their run with an 11-2 victory over the Sharks before advancing the Central Butte Flyers. With two lives in nothing to chance, wrapping up the Moose Assinboia Rebels on Mar. 24.

While all that was going on, the Predators were also in the midst of the Hockey Sask playoffs.

Randy Palmer - MooseJawToday.com

Things went just as smoothly in the an 8-6 win over the Regina Blues in GameGame 2.

the Saskatoon Wild Mustangs, where the playoffs.

Moose Jaw won the opening game in style 8-4 at the Bert Hunt Arena on Mar.

overwhelming success

Game 2 back in Saskatoon.

With the series tied at a game apiece, 10-minute mini-game immediately after Game 2, with that contest acting as the third and deciding game.

contest, taking a 3-0 victory to claim the provincial title.

The Hockey Sask champions were led in scoring by Taylor Usher, who racked up game.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to win the Crushed Can scoring title, as goals and 99 points over the same span.

Lucas Jones also had a solid campaign

Brayden Daicon scored 14 times and had Lachlan McGonigal and Cohen Bushko split goaltending duties for the Predators throughout the campaign.

Over 500 patrons raise thousands of dollars for charitable organization during annual event on Saturday night

MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- The Moose Jaw Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Banquet has become well-known in the community as a major, major fundraiser for the local service organization, and it didn’t take long on Saturday night for things to get off to a great start.raising business was the celebrity auction, which saw former Major League Baseball superstar reliever Eric Gagne, Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger, three-time Stanley Cup champion Duncan Keith and master of ceremonies Rod Black all auctioned off to sit at tables with event patrons during dinner.

started, the Kinsmen had over $10,000 in their coffers for the night.

That was just a sign of things to come, as the 31st annual event once again brought in thousands upon thousands of dollars for the vast number of organizations the Kinsmen support every year.

“It was an awesome night,” said Sports Celebrity Banquet chair Travis Olson. “It was a lot of fun, there was a lot of energy in the room and we recognized some great recipients of our awards. Now how much we’ve raised for our community to continue the legacy of the Sports Banquet.”

Randy Palmer - MooseJawToday.com

golf package for courses all over Saskatchewan and Alberta.

As has become tradition, it’s expected around $100,000 will be raised when things are all said and done, offering another example of Moose Jaw’s continuing generosity.

“We got a lot of positive feedback on the venue and what it looked like and how we had it done up,” Olson said. “I think we’ve learned some stuff that we might do differently next year, but that’s part of it and we’re just really happy with how it turned out. We were thrilled to have a proud of that.”

The evening saw three major awards presented, with Kinsmen Moose Jaw Minor Football president Bryan Boys win-

The 2024 event saw a major change with a switch of venues to the Moose Jaw Exhibition Grounds Convention Centre, a move that brought more space and consequently, more room for patrons. All told, the highest number since the Banquet began in 1993.

ning the Kinsmen Sports Achievement Award, longtime Little League president and coach Tony Dreger receiving the Moose Jaw Express Sports Builder Award and the four-time provincial champion Central Cyclones boys basketball team receiving the Golden West Radio Team of the Year Award.

One of the major fundraising portions of the evening revolves around the live and silent auctions, and the Kinsmen certainly did well there.

A framed and signed Wayne Gretzky -

son trip to a Winnipeg Jets game cleared $3,900, with each of the live auction items bringing in well over $2,000 each.

A signed Pittsburgh Steelers Troy Polamalu helmet was one of the big silent auction items, clearing well over $1,000, as did a signed Don Cherry jacket and a

“I’m really proud and honoured to live in a small community with such big hearts,” Olson said. “A lot of people came out and really supported us and represented Moose Jaw really well and I can’t thank the crowd enough for the generosity and the incredible support.”

The Moose Jaw Predators capped off a stellar campaign with the SHA U13 AA Tier II provincial championship.

A crowd of well over 500 supporters took part in the 2024 Moose Jaw Kinsmen Sports Celebrity Banquet.

Long time Little League supporter Tony Dreger receives the Moose Jaw Express Sports Builder Award from MooseJawToday’’s Randy Palmer.

The provincial champion Central Cyclones boys basketball team accept the CHAB Team of the Year Award, with team managers Tahnie Macdiarmid and Wendy Vincent joining assistant coach Shaun Muchowski in accepting the honour.

The silent auction drew all sorts of bids throughout the night, with a handful of items easily clearing the $1,000 mark.

A golf package covering the vast majority of Saskatchewan is checked out by a patron, with the auction item ending up as one of the big tickets on the night.

Former Major League Baseball superstar reliever Eric Gagne and Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger listen as three-time Stanley Cup champion Duncan Keith tells a tale during the hot stove portion of the evening.

Upcoming Events in Moose Jaw

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

N.A.F.R. A.G.M./Recruitment Luncheon on April 13 (Sat) at T. Eaton Social Hall. Doors open at 11:30 am/Lunch at 12noon. All members encouraged to attend. Members please bring a guest so they may learn about N.A.F.R. Guest speaker from W.J.Jones & Son Funeral home. Topic: Do you have your Ducks in a Row? Those attending Must Preregister Before Noon on April 11, 2024. Register by phone and for more info like cost , call either 306- 631- 4236 or 306-693-0717.

If you get answering machine leave name/number/ message. National Association of Federal Retirees has members from Military, Retired R.C.M.P., Fed.

great travel insurance & extra health insurance.

Aspira West Park Crossing will be holding a Masquerade Open House at their location - 1801 Meier Drive - on Saturday, April 13 from 1-4pm. Seniors unmask your fun side and see a new way for you to retire! Get in the party mood, come mingle with like-minded peers and experience the warmth and vibrancy of this community. Take a look at the stylish suites and enjoy delicious food, refreshments and live entertainment. At Aspira you can stay active, inspired and comfortable on your terms. If you’re tired of chores ruling your retirement and you’d like to spend more time on the things and people you love, then it’s time for Aspira. Call 1-866-959-4848 for more information.

The Dr F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital Auxiliary Used Book & Jigsaw Puzzle Sale, April 15, until Friday, April 26, from 9am-4:30pm in the Hospital Lobby. Proceeds to purchase new hospital equipment. Books and Jigsaw puzzles in good shape may be dropped off at the Hospital Gift Shop or call the Gift Shop at 306-694-0355 to arrange pick-up. Thanks for your support.

The Moose Jaw Art Guild Art Creation Time will be held on April 18, 1-4pm at the MJMAG.

Lynbrook Golf Club leagues, registration and spring meeting dates for the 2024 season. All new golfers are welcome to join. Info below: Lynbrook Senior Men’s league - April 17, 2024 at Lynbrook Golf Club House. Registration : 12noon. Cost: $20./$2.00 week/game day. Contact: Bob 306-630-4435

Lynbrook Tuesday Morning Ladies LeagueApril 23, 2024 at the Lynbrook Club House. Registration : 11:00 a.m - 11:30 a.m.; Lunch cost $12. Spring meeting to follow. Contact: Cindy 306-631-3560.

Lynbrook Wednesday Night Ladies Business League - Apri 24, 2024 at the Lynbrook Club House Wine and Cheese - Registration : 6:30pm./ Meeting: 7pm. Contact : Bev 306-690-4240

Lynbrook Wednesday Night Men’s League April 24, 2024 at the Lynbrook Club House General meeting : 7pm. Contact : Mark 306-6317271

St. Andrew’s “Looks like Spring” Quilt Show at St. Andrew’s United Church Sanctuary on Tuesday, April 23 from 1:30-4pm. There will be tea, coffee & goodies available. Silver collection for the Mission & Service Fund.

Moose Jaw Town and Country Singles Dance on Saturday April 27, 2024 from 7:30 - 11:00 pm at Church of Our Lady Community Center 566 Vaughan St. W.. Band is Al and Company. Come on out for an evening of fun! Married couples are welcome! Cost is $15 per person. For more information Contact Marion at 306-630-1492.

‘Evening of Music’ fundraiser in support of MJ

Please join us on Sunday, April 28th, 2024 at 6:30 pm at the Hillcrest Church located at 1550 Main St. North. Music from: The Eros Family; The Cornerstone Christian School Choir; Aaron Ruston; and Melissa Wood w/Nancy Loper duet! Free to attend--with an opportunity to support in a free-will offering towards helping individuals, couples, teens and children receive professional level counselling. Contact us at mjccc@shaw. ca with any questions you may have or visit our website at www.mjccc.ca for more information about our Centre. Hope to see you there!

Superannuated Teachers of Saskatchewan Moose Jaw Branch UPCOMING Luncheon: Wed. May 15/24.

The Moose Jaw Art Guild Business Meeting will be held on May 16, 3pm at the MJMAG. Anyone interested in art is welcome to attend any of the meetings. For more information call 306-6926667 or306-631-3148.

Lawn Bowls (on turf): Lawn Bowling has been described as a cross between Curling and Pool. Lawn Bowls can be played in a solely recreational makes it a game for everyone from 6 to 106. The Yara Centre offers everyone an opportunity to participate in this fun sport. It provide athletes with maintenance of skills & recreational players with a fun alternative to typical gym exercises. Drop in welcomed every Tuesday &Thursday at 9:30am &/or Wednesday at 1:30pm. For more info www.moosejawlawnbowling.com or text 306 690-8739

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.

Town and Country Square Dancing will be held at St. Mary’s School for 2023-2024 season; 7pm to 9pm Monday nights.

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

The Moose Jaw Stamp Club has resumed meeting the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at 6:30 pm at the Lindale School staff room (north door). For information call 306-693-5705.

Church of Our Lady Bingo tales 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.

Moose Jaw Town and Country Square Dance Association Winter 2024 dance program on Monday Nights at 7 pm to 9 pm at St. Mary’s School – 720 - 5th Ave SW. Dance in a Square with a Circle of Friends. For information contact: Valerie Wright 306-691-0579.

Line Dancing every Wednesday from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. at St. Andrews Church. Call 306.692.7365 for more information.

Griefshare support group for those grieving the death of a loved one. We meet Mondays 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. until April 8. Join any time. We meet at Moose Jaw Alliance Church. To register go to email Ralph Magnus at rjmagnus57@gmail.com

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 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 twelvestep 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 provides a learning environment to develop communication & leadership skills which

fessional development. There are 2 clubs in Moose jaw: Tuesdays: TAP club meets on zoom@7pm Soon will offer an 8 week class ‘Speechcraft’ which provides instruction and experiential learning of the basic skills in public speaking. Guests are welcome at all meetings. Phone Cathy 306630-7015 for more information & zoom link. Wednesday: Big Country club @7pmCST is in person@Saskpolytechnic & (Hybrid) online.

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. Our scale weighs up to 500 lbs.

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

ote: Some library programs require registration by calling 306-692-8210 or emailing nsetter@ moosejawlibrary.ca. April Listing to be included next issue.

Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery (MJMAG) – To register for any of the classes, visit mjmag. ca and select “Art Classes” under the “Learning” tab. If you prefer to visit the art gallery in person, everyone is welcome to stop by to register. Space is limited. All classes will be held in the Kinsmen Learning Centre, located on the Heritage Gallery level of the MJMAG at 461 Langdon Crescent. For more information, visit mjmag.ca. on April 14 from 1:20-3:30pm. Cost $25pp. Materials provided but you will need to bring your own pair of wire cutters.

Beginner Watercolour Painting workshop will run from April 20 – 21 from 1-5 each day. . Cost $95pp.

Introduction to Printmaking for teens and adults on Saturday, April 27 – 28 from 1 – 4 p.m.

FESTIVAL OF WORDS UPCOMING

EVENTS

Performer’s Café

April 25, “Hot Toffee” will host a presentation that sheds light on a few ideas and perspectives from “a better man living a better life” Hot Toffee is a 29-year-old musician and recording artist from Moose Jaw, and draws inspiration from rap, R&B, soul, pop, and fusion genres. May 30, Kate Spencer will be reading

Spoon.” Spencer is originally from small town Saskatchewan.

2024 Festival of Words will take place July 18 – 21, and the 28th iteration of the annual event. Distinguished authors Sid Marty, a Canadian author, poet/musician, and freelance writer; Waubgeshig Rice, an Anishinaabe author and journalist from Wasauksing First Nation on Georgian Bay; and, Victoria Koop, a Saskatchewan-based writer with a proud love of

More details about the 28th annual Saskatchewan Festival of Words are anticipated this April. If you are looking to apply as a literary presenter, a copy of your book and personal bio can be submitted to operations co-ordinator Amanda Farnel at Amanda@FestivalOfWords.com For more information, visit FestivalOfWords.com.

The Royal Canadian Legion – Branch 59 Moose Jaw, 268 High St W Moose Jaw; Contact: 306692-5453. Facebook @ ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION-Branch 59 Moose Jaw. Instagram: @Royalcanadianlegion59. SHA restrictions in effect at all Legion events. For current listing of events online visit: Monthly Calendar | Royal Canadian Legion Branch 59- Moose Jaw (royalcanadianlegionbranch59moosejaw.ca)

Bingo every Monday evening in the Lounge at 6pm, Paper goes on sale at 5pm. Playing ten regular games with 2 parts each and 3 extra games, all games cash prizes.

Dart League every Thursday starting at 6pm. $25 to enter for the season. No membership required. Cribbage every Tuesday at 1:30pm. Registration at 1pm. Cost $5; pre-register your team by calling 306.693.9688.

every Friday at 7:00pm.

Chase the Ace/Meat Draw every Saturday. To see the total check out Facebook page on Wednesday and Fridays for the upcoming Saturdays numbers.

Moose Jaw and District Seniors: For more information Call: 306-694-4223 or Email: mjsenior@shaw.ca The centre is now open MonThurs 8am – 8pm.

Fitness Level & Indoor Walking Track open

M-T and Friday’s 8am-4pm/ Lounge – Friday’s from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Wood working area – Mon- Fri 8am – 4pm/Timothy Eaton Cafe open Mon-Fri, 8am – 4pm.

Billiards open daily 8am – 4pm, and Mon & Thurs 4:30 – 8 p.m.

Pickle Ball – Mon & Thurs 10 a.m./Tues, Wed & Fri 1 p.m./Mon & Thurs 7 p.m./Wed 6pm

Fitness- Chair/Low Impact Fitness Mondays & Thursdays @ 1:00 p.m.

Cribbage – Wed 1 p.m/Hand & Foot Card

Game for Beginners – Thurs9:30 am/Mah Jong – Weds 1 p.m./500 Cards – Thurs @ 1 p.m.

Full Body Work Out Mon 9:30am/Wed 9:30 am

Scrabble – Mon 1pm/Spades Tues & Fri 1pm Line Dancing Tues 10 a.m./Intro to Line Dancing – Wed 11am Table Tennis Mon 1pm/Art & Crafts Mon/Tues/ Wed 1 p.m./ Tues/Thurs 1 p.m. Paper Tole Tues 1 p.m./Nickle Bingo Fri 1 p.m./ Quilting Fri 9am-4pm Jam

: 9:30am-Pickleball/1pm-Floor

Monday of the month Tuesday: 9:30am-Jam Session/1pmPickleball/7pm-Friendship Bridge/7pmBeginners Only Pickleball Wednesday: 8:30am-TOPS/8:30amThursday: 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

Open on Wednesdays 12-6pm. Every Wed. 10 card crib and smear.

Every Thursday 12–7pm – crib 1:30pm/Bring a partner or sign up for a spare.

Every Friday pool and darts 7pm. Bring a partner.

Every Saturday 1-7pm. 4:30 pm Meat Draw;50/50;gift card. Everyone welcome.

Last Thursday of every month “Veteran’s Coffee Break” 9:30-11am. All Veterans welcome for coffee and donuts provided by local businesses.

FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES #3395

MONDAY EVENINGS

2023): Drop in Cribbage – registration 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm – play starts at 7:00 pm. $2.00 per person – two person teams. Bring a partner or spare. Prizes depend on number of persons registered. Everyone Welcome.

WEDNESDAY EVENINGS

2023) - Drop in Darts – play starts at 7:00 pm –draw for partners. $2.00 per person, per night. Everyone Welcome

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

APRIL 20, 2024 - ‘PUSHPHONICS’ playing in the Eagles Club lounge – 8:30 pm.

April 27, 2024 – Fundraiser Steak night in support of our Aerie President, Robert Rusu and his wife Faye – more information will follow – Tickets $25.00 each –advance tickets will be available at the Eagles Club bar until closing on April 25, 2024

APRIL 27, 2024 – BADLANDS playing in the Eagles Club Lounge at 8:30 pm to 12:00 – Great Music, Great Times….Come out and enjoy!

APRIL 28, 2024 – Ladies Auxiliary “Last Sunday of the Month” Supper – Ham and Scalloped Potatoes, veggies, salad, roll and dessert - $15.00 – advance tickets available at the Eagles Club Bar April 1st, 2024.

MAY 25, 2024 - Rod Willier – “Trivia” Night in the Eagles club lounge – 7:00 pm - Come out and have a few laughs and enjoy an evening of fellowship.

Western Development Museum; 50 Diefenbaker Drive, Moose Jaw. For more information, visit the museum’s website at WDM.ca/Moose-Jaw. Call 306-693-5989 or email ajones@wdm.ca

Celebrating 75 Years on Tuesday, April 2, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and admittance will be pre-school children, museum volunteers, and active members still enjoying free admittance. There will be a PowerPoint (presentation) going through the WDM history, and then specialty cupcakes at 2 p.m. There will also be a special 75th anniversary scavenger hunt for the younger museum patrons with prizes to be announced.

Virtual Coffee Club

Thursday, April 18, Alexis Jones will present a timeline of the museum’s history spanning the past 75 years in Moose Jaw and will focus on a number of its major milestones

Thursday, May 23, the museum will be hosting guest speaker Dr. J.L. (Les) Henry, P.Ag., who will deliver a presentation on catalogue houses in the prairies including Eaton Mail Order Houses. This topic will focus on the Mail Order House business that thrived in the early 1900s.

Each coffee club presentation will take place on the Zoom app and begins at 10 a.m. To register, visit the museum’s website at WDM.ca/CoffeeClub.

Choo, choo! Historic steam engine to chug into Moose Jaw during continental trip

Moose Jaw is one of a dozen places that a historic steam locomotive will visit across North America during the next Kansas City’s celebration of its history.

The Final Spike Anniversary Tour kicks off on Wednesday, April 24, at the company’s global headquarters in Calgary and concludes on Tuesday, June 4, in Mexico City. The tour will bring to life the story of CPKC’s “uniquely North American railway history and compelling future” for rail fans and visitors across the company’s network.

CPKS explained that, upon the amal-

spike into a rail line and completed their continental connection. Hence, the name of the tour.

The Empress 2816, a 4-6-4 Hudson-type steam locomotive built in 1930, will make 11 stops between Calgary and Mexico City.

The machine will chug into Moose Jaw on Sunday, April 28 and remain here

Manitoba Street, learn more about each company and enjoy the Puffer Belly Express mini-train, a quarter-scale steam locomotive model.

The steam engine then heads south to North Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa,ishing in Mexico.

The company said it chose the name

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

“The Empress” because it wanted a title that conveyed elegance and nobility while tying into CP’s history. CP’s premier passenger liners were all titled “Empress” — such as Empress of Australia,ain — and the call sign of CP Air Lines was also “Empress.”

“Our combination on April 14, 2023, brought together two railroads with long and proud histories that together creatconnecting North America,” said Keith Creel, CPKC president/CEO.

“This special cross-continental jour-

ney of the 2816 steam locomotive serves as a reminder of our past and a celebration of our future. We are excited to share this extraordinary experience with communities across our network as we mark the one-year anniversary of our CPKC journey,” he continued.

“The Final Spike Anniversary Steam passenger train in North America to traverse Canada, the U.S. and Mexico in a single trip.”

Repairing the engine -

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author,

2024 Column 6 – The Art of Finding Work

By Nick Kossovan - For Moose Jaw Express

Trust Is the Key to Setting Yourself Apart During the Hiring Process

One question is running through your interviewer’s head: “Can I trust this person?” You never want your interviewer to think, “Something doesn’t feel right.”

I once had an interview where my interviewer said, “I like you, Nick. I think you can improve our call center metrics and increase our CSAT scores.”

Being young, slightly cocky, but intuitively knowing I’ll not get hired if my interviewer didn’t like or trust me, I replied, “Don’t just like me, trust me.”

Yes, I got a second interview, resulting in a job offer, which I ultimately declined.

There are keys to job search success: Networking

Being likeable (Being likeable supersedes your skills and experience.) Your communication skills

If the employer doesn’t trust you, all the above is irrelevant. Everything, especially when starting a relationship, begins with trust. Trust translates to conThe opposite of trust is distrust, aka. doubt.

As a job seeker, you must look, speak, and behave in ways that’ll establish trust with employers. Don›t just focus on selling your skills and experience, which, to reiterate, are meaningless unless the

«Will you?» questions:

Will you...

Deliver results? (primary question)

Be easy to manage?

Not be a disruption to the existing team and the company?

Be reliable?

Show professionalism and integrity?

Hiring is based on trust. When a hiring manager gives you the green light to be hired, they trust your ability to do the job, obtain the results required, be reliable, be manageable, and work well with the existing team.

There isn’t a hiring manager who hasn’t been taken in (read: made a fool of) by a candidate who said all the right things and then failed to deliver. When you’re being interviewed, you can be sure that your interviewer has been fooled by a candidate at least once and isn’t looking to be fooled again, which you should empathize with.

Among hiring managers, stories of candidates who didn’t walk their talk are all too common, explaining why hiring processes have become more «stretched out.» Therefore, to gain a competitive job search advantage, make building and establishing trust your primary job search strategy, not simply trying to sell your skills and experience, which I can’t overstate, are worthless unless the employer trusts you.

Holistically, the hiring process has two touchpoints that provide you with opportunities to build trust.

First touchpoint: The application process. (Approaching the employer.)

A hiring manager posts a job online. Within 24 hours, they receive 100’s, if not 1,000s, of resumes, all from strangers. In this context, it is easy to understand why networking and being referred will shorten your job search. Who’s more trustworthy, a candidate who’s a stranger or a candidate who was referred? Having never met Bob, I don’t know him. How-

of old souls skilled enough to take on the physical work of bringing the past to the present for everyone to experience, CPKC said.

The company was fortunate to have a special group of railroaders committed to restoring The Empress for a once-in-alifetime cross-continent trip to celebrate

Their job descriptions were anything but straightforward, with each team member bringing a unique “jack-of-alltrades” set of skills to the project. For this group, the steam locomotive restoration project became personal — a connection to the past and a chance to add a piece of themselves to the 2816’s story, the company said.

Unlike diesel locomotives, no two steam engines are the same. Each handbuilt locomotive bears the markings of its makers: tons of steel and plumbing that begins as a product in the shop and transforms into a story on the rails; a synthesis of science and art.

“Two steam engines can be built somewhat identically in the same shop,” said Jim Scott, a long-time crew member and water treatment specialist. “But like twins, within a year on the rails, they have completely different personalities.”

CPKC added that it will not be offering locomotive rides during the cross-continent trip.

Visit www.cpkcr.com/en/communi-mation.

ever, suppose Mary, whom I’ve known and trusted for seven years, refers Bob to me. In that case, I’ll regard Bob as more trustworthy than a non-referred candidate who’s literally a stranger to me.

Whenever I advise a job seeker, I emphasize the importance of not being a stranger to employers as much as possible. Although it may not always be possible to network into a company, you have the ability, by using LinkedIn and other social media platforms, to create a personal brand and establish yourself as a SME (Subject Matter Expert). A low-hanging fruit for building trust is becoming known within your industry and profession. We tend to trust those we know, even if we only know them by their reputation.

Presenting your results numerically, while your competition is just offering opinions (“I’m a team player,” “I love to sell,” “I’m a JAVA coding Ninja.”), and resume should be void of opinions and solely populated with results you’ve achieved. (“In 2023, I managed an Inside Sales Team of 15 agents, generating $17.6 million in sales. The average order size was $4,250.”)

You can further establish trust by offering documents supporting your claims about your skills and accomplishments. (e.g., productivity reports, 360 feedback, performance reviews)

Proof = Trust

Second touchpoint: The Interview(s)

foundation for trust. Establishing trust occurs during the second touchpoint: when interviewing.

When interviewing, be honest, clear,

-

ence, and career goals. Never make contradictions or exaggerations. Above all, be your authentic self. Authenticity is the primary driver to creating trust. I don’t speak for just myself when I say, “I tend to trust candidates whom I believe I’m interacting with the real them.

I’m not implying that the times you weren’t hired were due to your interviewer not trusting you; many factors go into making a hiring decision. The harsh truth is that while your interviewer may have trusted you, they trusted the candidate they hired more.

A great interview is one where you leave your interviewer(s) feeling they can trust you; therefore, a few days before an interview, begin asking yourself, “What can I do to get my interviewer(s)—most likely a stranger, even if you were referred—to trust me?”

Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions towork@gmail.com

The Empress 2816 steam locomotive in action. Photo courtesy CPKC

Seniors looking to return to the workforce in a casual capacity now have the opportunity thanks to a pilot project launched by the Moose Jaw Chamber of Commerce. Photo by: Pekic/E+/Getty Images

CLEMENT/AYERS, CHARLOTTE FRANCIS (née Inch)

Charlotte Ayers was a caring wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, great great grandmother, sister, aunt and friend. She left this world peacefully on March 21, 2024, at the remarkable age of 108. With her passing, she is leaving behind a loving family, consisting of -

ald Clement, her second husband Norris Ayers, as well as many family members and friends.

Charlotte was born in Yorkton to Lulu (Yerxa) and James Inch on September 28th, 1915. Her family later moved to Moose Jaw in 1926. After graduating from Central Collegiate high school, she completed a course in Business. Char was a woman of many talents, beginning her career working in a local garage and retail hardware store. In 1939, she married her high school daughter Claire, and in 1949 her son, Jay (James). She then took a job at the Chamber of Commerce for six years, and in 1962, she transitioned to a full-time administrative position with St. Andrew’s United Church, 1977, Char met her second husband Norris Ayers. They were wed in July of 1983 when she became stepmother to Nola, Nancy and Linda.

Charlotte loved travelling and created some wonderful Pound Lake. Char was very active with crafts, quilting, playing bridge, golf, tennis, square dancing, the YW Guild, Moose Jaw Art Guild, and a ladies’ church group. Over the years Charlotte played a leadership role in the many organizations she worked and volunteered in. Throughout her 108 years of life, she continued learning new art and craft projects and was quite the card player. In 1982, she joined the Saskatchewan Genealogy Society and spent many, many hours over the years tracing her Loyalist ancestors. 100 years. At her 100th birthday celebration, Lt-Gov. all to live life to the fullest, to not be afraid of change and to embrace all that life has to offer.”

A ceremony celebrating her life will be held at Broadway Terrace, 1150 Broadway Avenue, on Saturday, April 27th from 2 to 4 pm.gina.

JONAT, DIANNE

On the 10th January 2024 my wife Dianne Jonat passed away in Pioneer Lodge with friends and family by her side. She was 65 years old. Dianne was pre-deceased by her father, brother, and mother, all from Mount Pearl NL and is survived by me, Joe, her husband of 41 years, her son Adam, numerous relatives throughout the east coast of Canada and Newfoundland and by many close friends and neighbours in Moose Jaw and Regina.

Dianne served in the military from October 1980 until her retirement in May 2003. It was here that she met sight! But, over the next 41 years, through numerous trials and tribulations, this love grew, to the point where we were looking forward to celebrating our golden wedding anniversary, but that was not to be.

After she retired from the military Dianne enjoyed working around the house, the garden and taking care of cats, both our house cats and strays. If she were ever cats.

The family would like to thank Dr. Brent Janzen for the years of wonderful care he gave her, as well as the nurses and caregivers she had in the last month of her life. A Celebration of Life for Dianne will take place, at W.J. Jones & Son Funeral Home on Saturday April 27 2024 at 1:30 PM.

Moose Jaw Humane Society or the charity of your choice. Better yet, use the planned donation to take your friends and loved ones to the restaurant of your choice in celebration of your own life.

In living memory of Dianne, a memorial planting will be made by W.J. Jones & Son Ltd. Please sign the memorial register at website: www.wjjonesandson.com (Obituaries). Funeral Director – Dayna Chamberlain

On March 28, 2024, Bruce Evoy of Westlock (formerly of Flatbush) passed away at the age of 100 years old. He was predeceased by his loving wife Mary, his parents Colin and Etta, brothers Kieth and Kenneth, and sister Olive. He is survived by his daughters; Evelyn (Danny), Violet (Alan), and Sylvia, and grandchildren; Julie (Jesse), Jennifer (Martin), Michael (Jessica), and Shane and great grandchildren; Clara and Ivy.

Bruce was born in Uren, Saskatchewan. His greatest joy was growing grain and harvesting the crop. He operated a combine well into his nineties. He had played hockey and baseball in his youth and enjoyed watching hockey and baseball all of his life. He often listened to the World Series on the radio while harvesting. At Bruce’s request, no service will be held.

lock Healthcare Centre Equipment Fund. The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and staff of the Westlock Healthcare Centre for their amazing care of our father.

Expressions of sympathy may be forwarded to the family by visiting www.westlockfuneralhome.com Westlock Funeral Home & Crematorium (780-3493474)

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 this publication.

Prestige

It seems to me that people in positions of authority are not given much prestige anymore. Now it is true that those holding authority are not in and of themselves prestigious the common good and should be honoured and obeyed. I believe this references the fourth commandment of the Christian faith, “Honour your father and your mother.” Parents and other authorities serve as God’s representatives for the support and protection of our life on earth. Other authorities would include legal guardians, teachers, role that they occupy that is to be held in prestige, which then dictates how we should respect and honour those inthority and those who have been given authority. If this trend continues, we will drift into anarchy and only ‘the self’ will be held in prestige for any society.

Prestige means having standing or estimation in the opinion of people. A commanding position in people’s minds, having weight or credit in general attitude, is prestige. It should apply to those who serve society in posihave prestige, and so be honoured, obeyed, and cherished

given prestige regardless of our agreement with them because of their service to us.

prestige derives from the Latin verb praestringo, meaning to bind or tie up, to squeeze tight or praestringere oculos, means

noun praestigia, which means jugglers tricks.

Middle French developed the word prestige to indicate illusion, fascination, and enchantment. In the early 1800s, prestige was used in English in association with jugglers or conjurers. Eyes are dazzled by the tricks of performers which held them in prestige. Somehow by the late 1800s prestige in English moved from illusions to fascination and enchantment that thus acquired a slant

derived from previous character, achievements, or assowere bestowed prestige based on achievements of the past that may not apply in the present nor the future. It is

today. Some believe that the powers that have authority are only based on illusion that can be challenged and deit roots in the Creator’s order not the characteristics of the is no basis for affording prestige is the great challenge for our society today when it comes to any authority.

Synonyms for prestige weight, and credit, all in connection with power exerted over the minds or behaviour of others.

gin.

Authority implies the power of winning devotion or opinions of many people lack authority and hold little substance.

ry much weight with the teachers in the province.

many in the public square.

prestigious -

-

that they serve the public with integrity and honesty. And it means responsibility for the public to accord them prestige a good and functional society.

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

COME CELEBRATE

Weight is measurable sway in determining acts or -

Come and Go Tea, Saturday April 20th, 2 to 4pm 1332 Connaught Ave

Province joins Alberta, Ontario in cooperative transition to recovery-focused health model

Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express

tration of recovery care for individuals with mental health and addiction concerns, three provincial ministers have now reached an agreement and agreed to work together to improve recovery measures based on groundbreaking work established through Alberta’s provincial model.

ministers openly sharing details on best practices pertaining to recovery-oriented care approaches in order to strengthen Canada’s healthcare system.

during an April 3 – 4 conference in Calgary, Alta., where an estimated 2,000 delegates from around the country – and a few international guests – focused their attention on the Alberta Recovery Model.

of Canada is now in its eighth year.

Alberta’s provincial government as a way to provide treatment and recovery support for those living with mental health and addiction challenges, and their work is starting to attract attention.

“We are eager to share the Alberta Recovery Model because we believe and compassionate approach of any jurisdiction across Canada in helping people overcome their mental health challenges and recover from the deadly disease of addiction,” declared Alberta’s Mental Health and Addictions minister, Dan Williams.

isters in Alberta, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.

“Saskatchewan is focused on helping people overcome addictions and live healthy, safe lives in recovery,” stated Saskatchewan’s minister for Mental Health and Addictions and Seniors and Rural and

What sets the Alberta Model apart is the adoption of a new approach in the pro-

vision of care.

Previously, Alberta’s approach was focused on acute interventions deigned to manage the negative health effects of chronic issues. Although proven to save lives, the approach came at the expense of each individual’s long-term wellness and also failed to consider the recovery of that individual’s family members and the larger community.

In the revised approach, the foundational belief is that all individuals should face as few barriers as possible in their

through integrated and easily accessible recovery-oriented systems of care provided within the individual’s community.

from the Mental Health and Addiction Advisory Council, which was established in November 2019 to provide informed recommendations during Alberta’s transition to a recovery-oriented health standard.

Alberta Model of Wellness,” provided the framework to achieve this vision.

to break down barriers and is focused on recovery-oriented care, advancing Indigenous partnerships, and ministers will now work hand-in-hand to advocate on behalf of their combined provinces for an increased investment from Ottawa.

Ontario’s associate minister for mensaid he’s on board with the effort.

Ontario is making unprecedented investments to ensure that those in our province struggling with mental health or addictions challenges get the care they need, when and where they need it,” he said.

“I look forward to working in closer collaboration with my colleagues from Alberta and Saskatchewan to build systems of care that prioritize recovery and help more people break free from addiction.”

Advocates say the new partnership marks a step forward in provincial ministers working together to learn and establish policy through complementaryingful and lasting change” to all individuals “suffering from the deadly disease of addiction or facing mental health chal-

“Under our Action Plan for Mental Health and Addictions, we are doubling

capacity to make addictions treatment more available, more accessible, and transitioning to a recovery-oriented system of care to better care for patients,” McLeod said.

“By helping people overcome addictions, we can save lives, heal families, and strengthen our communities.”

covery Model, visit Alberta.ca/Alberta-recovery-oriented-system-of-care.

THIS WEEKS FLYERS

M & M Foods

South Hill Fine Foods

Rexall

Sobey’s Peavey Mart

Giant Tiger

M & M

Cabela’s

*Full Circulation means every home & paper should have this yer. If you are missing call us @306-694-1322. *Selected Areas means only selected areas were chosen by the business or agency (please call the business).

AUTO RACING

Friday

4 p.m. FSR NASCAR Xfinity Racing Series Andy’s Frozen Custard 300, Qualifying.

6:30 p.m. FSR NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 250.

BASKETBALL

Friday

6 p.m. TSN NBA Basketball Toronto Raptors at Miami Heat.

Tuesday

5:30 p.m. TSN NBA Basketball Play-In Tournament: Teams TBA.

8 p.m. TSN NBA Basketball Play-In Tournament: Teams TBA.

Wednesday

5 p.m. TSN NBA Basketball Play-In Tournament: Teams TBA.

CURLING

Thursday

5:30 p.m. NET Grand Slam of Curling Players’ Championship, Draw 11.

HOCKEY

Thursday

3 p.m. TSN 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship Quarterfinal: Teams TBA.

6:30 p.m. TSN 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship Quarterfinal: Teams TBA.

8:30 p.m. NET NHL Hockey Calgary Flames at Los Angeles Kings.

Friday

7 p.m. NET NHL Hockey Arizona Coyotes at Edmonton Oilers.

10 p.m. NET NHL Hockey Calgary Flames at Anaheim Ducks.

Saturday

5 p.m. CBKT NET NHL Hockey Detroit Red Wings at Toronto Maple Leafs.

6 p.m. WXYZ NHL Hockey Boston Bruins at Pittsburgh Penguins.

8 p.m. CBKT NET NHL Hockey Vancouver Canucks at Edmonton Oilers.

Sunday

3 p.m. TSN 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship Final 1-2: Teams TBA.

6 p.m. NET NHL Hockey Arizona Coyotes at Calgary Flames.

Tuesday

8 p.m. NET NHL Hockey Calgary Flames at Vancouver Canucks.

SOCCER

Saturday

8:30 p.m. TSN MLS Soccer LA Galaxy at Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

47

Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Bill Murray (:15) <++ Ghostbusters II

48 FSR (5:00) NHRA Drag Racing Motocross Springfield #1 Motocross Springfield #2 Dangerous Drives

55 CRV1 (:20) <+++ All Dirt Roads Taste of

Food" The Chi "Cooley High"

58 HBO (:55) <+++ Warm Springs ('05) Kenneth Brana gh. The Synanon Fix (N) Q: Into the Storm

How It Got Its Name: Marquis, Saskatchewan

Marquis Wheat and Sir Charles Saunders

By Richard Dowson

Northwest of Moose Jaw, on Highway 42 is the Village of Marquis.

Originally, two Dudes, a Mr. McFalen and a Mr. Meager settled in the area. Each had an idea for a name. They could not agree. In 1909 the CPR stepped in and named the village, Marquis after Marquis Wheat.

So What’s the Big Deal about Marquis Wheat

Early Saskatchewan Settlers and Farmers sowed Red Fife Wheat they got from Ontario. It had been successfullysumed it would be a good wheat variety for the Northern Great Plains.

They assumed wrong!

Red Fife needs a long growing season. Regular, early Saskatchewan frost shorten our growing season. Growing Red Fife Wheat was ‘nip and tuck’ and farmers on not like ‘nip and tuck’.

The theme for drawing Settlers to the Prairies, and a way for the CPR and others to make money, was to brag-up the quality and quantity of vast wheat growing farmlands.

The Problem: there wasn’t a Wheat variety that would grow on the ‘vast farmland’. Farmers needed a Wheat that would mature in the shorter growing season. Enter Dr. William Saunders and his Boys

In 1886 Dr. William Sanders was made Director of the Dominion Experimental Farm Services. Experimental Farms were established at Agassiz, BC; Brandon, Man.; Indian Head, SK and in Ottawa.

Finding a New Wheat Variety Became a Family Affair

A new variety was eventually developed by Sir Charles Saunders, son of Dr. William Sanders.

It all began in 1892 when Charles’ brother Percy did the initial work at the Agassiz Experimental Farm. Percy crossed the preferred Red Fife Wheat, because of its baking qualities, with the earlier maturing, shorter, Hard Red Calcutta Wheat from India.

Once Percy had produced enough ‘crosses’, Charles took over. He selected and grew seeds Percy had produced and tested each for a better variety. The Wheat had to mature early and have the baking qualities of Red Fife.

Testing and growing and testing and growing was not easy. It took several years but Charles Saunders was the right guy for the task. He had a PhD in Chemistry and was meticulous.

Finally, after 15 years, in 1907, Charles had enough selected seeds to have

large scale Yield Trials at the Indian Head, Saskatchewan Experimental Farm. The new variety, now called Marquis, matured 7 to 10 days earlier than Red Fife but still had the same outstanding baking qualities of Red Fife. The Yield Test produced 41.6 Bushels to the acre. (Canadian Encyclopedia) An overwhelming success. Within ten years Marquis was the dominant wheat variety in Saskatchewan. The seed was exported around the world.

Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com

The Moose Jaw Community Players’ latest theatre performance should be a “haunting” experience that takes people on an “emotional rollercoaster” as they watch the main characters deal with a life-shattering event.

Cutting Marquis Wheat, Canada, Dept. of Interior. Library and Archives Canada, PA-048331

Sir Charles Saunders

Sir Charles Edward Saunders was born in London, Ontario in 1867 and died in Toronto in 1937. He had four brothers, was exceptionally well educated. He was knighted in 1934 for his plant breeding work.

Credit: The Canadian Encyclopedia

Charles was a sensitive lad. In 1922 he suffered a serious nervous break-down. To cope he quit his plant-breeding work and moved to Paris where he studied French Literature and Music. From 1922 until his death, Music was his passion. MJ

“Spirit Control” occurs on Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13, at 7 p.m. in the Mae Wilson Theatre at the Cultural Centre. Tickets can be purchased at sasktix.

The cast includes Jarrod Jeanson, Crystal Milburn, Lisa Langdon, Mark Corbin, Ron Jukes and Dexter Deugau.

The story synopsis says the lead character, Adam Wyatt, has the perfect familyler. When the pilot of a small plane suffers passenger through an emergency landing.

What happens next links him inextricably to a woman he’s never met and sets the life he once knew irrevocably adrift.

“‘Spirit Control’ is a chilling and mesmerizing look at how we navigate a crisis and the demons that haunt us long after,” the summary adds.

With only days to go before the show, director Larry Rutherford says rehearsals — which started in mid-November — have been going well, and the cast and crew have on a “great (and) haunting performance.”

“It really shows the emotions of how someone’s ordinary day at work can come crumbling down as far as their life,” he said.

have a bad day at work and … a plane crashes, if you don’t deal with that, it’s amazing how much that affects everything and everybody around you.”

The main character, Adam, experiences post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of the crash, while he also loses his job, his friends and his family, Rutherford continued. The play then shows the trials and tribulations he goes through afterward.

This drama will hit home on many levels for attendees, while others may be more affected because 15 Wing Airbase is south of Moose Jaw and some residents work as

Community Players’ cast members practise their roles for “Spirit Control.” Photo courtesy Facebook

Furthermore, there was a mid-air collision 70 years ago over Moose Jaw that a few residents may recall.

This play is close to Rutherford’s heart because he performed in it eight years ago when he lived in Leduc, Alta. He loved it so much that he brought it to Moose Jaw after moving here in August 2021 since he thought it would be a good opportunity to showcase this thriller drama.

“It takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. There’s a little bit of humour, but by no means is it a comedy,” he said. “I believe my cast have really dug deep to bring out the emotion and bring out those characters so our audience can really feel for them … .”

While Rutherford has performed in many theatre productions — including last year’s “Notoriously Moose Jaw” — over his 25 years in the industry, this will be been going “absolutely fantastic,” which he credits to the work of the cast and crew.

I basically want people to really leave this performance thinking about their lives,” Rutherford said. “A lot of people will leave thinking, ‘What just happened in this play?’ But I think it will be a play that’s talked about for a long time … .”

The director added that the Community Players plan to take “Spirit Control” to TheatreFest in North Battleford on April 27. Community

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