Moose Jaw Express November 23rd, 2022

The ‘Stars on Ice’ world famous figure skating tour comes to Moose Jaw Dec. 14

A special cross-country holiday tour fea turing world champions and Olympians Kurt Browning and Elvis Stojko is making its only Saskatchewan stop on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

Stars on Ice was the project of 1984 Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton and his manager Bob Kain and put on its first shows in 1986.

The idea was always to recruit a line up of world-class skaters and combine it with a high production value. Each season has unique music, lights, and choreography. The costumes, celebrity stars, and skill level have grown the show to its current status as arguably the biggest figure skating produc tion in the world — often featuring the full Canadian or American Olympic team once the Winter Olympics have concluded.

“Stars on Ice has got a great track re cord in Canada,” said Ryan MacIvor, gener al manager of the Moose Jaw Events Centre. “Figure skating is an iconic Canadian sport, and we’ve seen so many amazing figure skaters represent our country in the Olym pics, and at Worlds, and all these different sporting events across the world.

“To see some of these stars come to Moose Jaw to show their skills and wow the local crowd is kind of a unique opportunity for the community.”

Hailing from Alberta, Kurt Browning is a four-time Canadian national champion and four-time World Champion, as well. Brown ing was on three Canadian Olympic teams, carried the Canadian flag during the opening ceremonies of the 1994 games, is an Order of Canada recipient, and has been called the Wayne Gretzky of figure skating.

Co-headliner Stojko is a two-time Olympic Silver Medalist, three-time World Champion, and seven-time Canadian Cham pion. Stojko was born in Ontario and began skating at the age of four, winning his first trophy at 11. He’s been successful in several other sports, such as kart racing and Chinese martial arts, and has ventured into acting.

Although not every cast member of Stars on Ice appears at every tour stop, there’s a chance of catching these figure

skating stars too:

• Jeffrey Buttle, Olympic Bronze Medalist, World Champion, and three-time Canadi an Champion, who has been the show’s choreographer for the past three years

• Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, threetime Canadian Dance Champions and three-time World Medalists

• Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro, three-time and reigning Cana dian Pair Champions

• Nam Nguyen, two-time Canadian Cham pion

• Elladj Baldé, Canadian Junior Champion

• Satoko Miyahara, two-time World Medal ist and four-time Japanese Champion

• Mariah Bell, the 2022 U.S. Champion

• Alissa Czisny, two-time United States Champion.

“I think of this as like a Christmas pres ent opportunity,” MacIvor said. “Mom tak ing grandma to the show, or the kids taking mom, because you really don’t see this very often.

“This is a world-class event held right here in Moose Jaw, instead of having to go to Saskatoon or Regina, so I think people can really make a night out of it.”

Tickets to the Saskatchewan perfor mance at the Moose Jaw Events Centre are available from Sasktix.ca.

Moose Jaw’s Digital Daily

Gordon Edgar - Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com

Snowbirds jet flies in Grey Cup to launch week of exciting activities

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

The Canadian Football League’s cham pionship game is the culmination of 162 matches played over seven months, but the game wouldn’t be the same without the historic Grey Cup trophy to hoist.

To kick off a week of activities lead ing to the 109th Grey Cup at Mosaic Sta dium on Nov. 20, 15 Wing Air Base helped deliver the storied trophy to Saskatchewan — safely, but in style.

Nearly 100 guests, dignitaries and military personnel gathered in Hangar 7 on Nov. 14 to watch as a Snowbirds jet taxied to the hangar entrance with the Grey Cup strapped into the co-pilot seat.

CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie and Wing Commander Col. Jonathan Bouchard took the trophy and walked into the hangar, where they set it on a pedestal. Several people then spoke about the im portance of the trophy and the events lead ing to the Grey Cup.

This year’s Grey Cup theme is “Bring it to the heartland.”

“We’re talking about being Canadian. I don’t think it gets more Canadian than a Grey Cup being flown in a Snowbird,” said Regina Mayor Sandra Masters, who

noted she was “beyond thrilled” to wel come the trophy to Saskatchewan.

The Grey Cup is “solely and unmis takably Canadian” and is one of the coun try’s most powerful symbols that brings people together, she continued. The Cup represents passion, sportsmanship and community — and communities within communities, including Riders’ fans who appear everywhere across Canada.

The arrival of the trophy and CFL of ficials makes the reality of the week-long Grey Cup festival more apparent for Regi na, while the event’s tradition encourages Canadians and football fans to celebrate the spirit of the game together — no mat ter who’s playing, Masters remarked.

“From coast to coast, people will tune in, and fans will come from across the country … to cheer on their team. And just to cheer on the game of football … ,” she said.

“Our city is filled with anticipation

and excitement to welcome the league, the teams and the fans to Regina — what we consider the heartland of football.”

The Cup’s arrival is a great moment for 15 Wing and Regina, while it’s excit ing to unite two worlds — sports and mil itary — that function through teamwork, said Bouchard. While the Snowbirds fly everywhere in Canada, it will be special

when they fly over the stadium before the game begins.

“We’re very proud to have them as our ambassador to show our proficiency and our discipline,” he added. “And hav ing them in Regina complete their display is going to be a memorable show … .”

Not only is the Grey Cup a symbol of team supremacy, but it is also a symbol of teamwork, said Ambrosie, who thought it was “epic” to see the trophy arrive by fighter jet. He also thought the trophy was a symbol of national values and unity.

“The event brings Canadians together in a very unique and a very special way. And we will see people come to this great province (and) come to the City of Regina … from every nook and cranny in Canada and from all four corners,” he continued.

“And they’ll come to do something together, to be Canadians together (and) celebrate the Grey Cup together as an event.”

Ambrosie thanked the Saskatchewan Roughriders for hosting the Grey Cup, pointing out the team was supposed to host it in 2020 — but the pandemic can celled that season. He commended the team for its careful planning and thanked the organizing committee and over 1,100 volunteers for ensuring fans have a great time.

The commissioner later noted that the Canadian Forces usually find a special way to bring the trophy to the host com munity. Seeing the Grey Cup strapped into the Snowbirds jet was special, considering both are great Canadian symbols. He also thanked the air base for its hospitality and service.

Ambrosie added that he wanted to fly in the Snowbirds jet but joked that the plane has a weight limit — he is a former CFL offensive lineman — so only the Cup could take the ride.

FL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie speaks during the event. Photo by Ja son G. Antonio

A member of the Snowbirds removes the Grey Cup from the jet fighter. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie and Wing Commander Col. Jonathan Bouchard officially present the Grey Cup to Regina Mayor Sandra Masters and Roughriders CEO/president Craig Reynolds. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Transition House director on the ‘Men’s night out in the cold’

MooseJawToday.com spoke to Jenn An gus, executive director of the Moose Jaw Transition House, about what the shelter does for the community and how valuable it is to have male-lead support movements.

“We as women in the shelter were al ways planning each year’s White Ribbon Campaign, and that’s not how it’s supposed to work. The White Ribbon Campaign is by men, for men,” Angus explained.

“We have three men on our board of di rectors, and they are outstanding human be ings. … So I said, ‘Could you guys do some thing?’ And this is where it’s evolved to. ”

The second annual “Men’s Night Out in the Cold” fundraiser for Transition House is taking place on Nov. 24th, when sixteen men from Moose Jaw will spend a night outside — 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. — in solidarity with women and girls fleeing violence.

Moose Jaw Express reporter Gordon Ed gar has volunteered to be one of those men. The Moose Jaw Express is supporting the ef fort by accepting donations at our office at 468 High St. West.

To donate, call or email Gordon at ged gar@moosejawtoday.com, 306-694-1322, or go to Transition House’s website to donate online. If you donate online, let the Express know so we can track the total pledges.

Last year’s inaugural event raised over $30,000 — it was Transition House’s single biggest fundraiser.

“When we see this kind of communi ty support, from men, women, anybody, it doesn’t just mean a lot to us as employees and staff here,” Angus added. “It means so much

Gordon Edgar - Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com

to the women that we’re supporting. Because it isn’t just raising money for our ongoing ser vices, it’s raising awareness.

“It tells them that they’re not alone, that people care, and that this is an important is sue.”

The contrast between now and 20 years ago, Angus noted, is huge. It used to be social ly and culturally unacceptable to talk about domestic violence.

“It was a behind-closed-doors issue. We didn’t have these discussions, but now people are openly saying, ‘I stand against this,’ and they believe in it strongly enough to sleep out side for it.”

Transition House is a six-bedroom shel ter that is usually full. At least 100 women and children seek safety there each year. The orga nization also operates a 24/7 crisis line which receives over 500 calls annually.

The Moose Jaw & District Chamber of Commerce recognized Transition House as their 2021 Group of the Year in February for their shelter, crisis line, outreach programs, counselling, and more.

“We are so much more than a shelter, we provide a lot of non-residential-based ser vices,” Angus said. “We have emergency out reach, outreach counselling, a children’s pro gram, a youth program, we have the FIRST program, which is the Family Intervention Rapid Support Team.

“Our outreach programs reach an addi tional 500-plus people each year. That means we’re supporting over 1,000 people in our community and region.”

The statistics are that every six days in

Canada, a woman is killed by her intimate partner. Saskatchewan has had the highest rate of police-reported domestic violence in Can ada’s provinces for at least as long as Angus has been the director at Transition House.

While progress is being made, the work is nowhere near done and nowhere near enough yet.

“Abuse is about power and control,” An gus said. “Psychological, financial, spiritual, physical, sexual… whatever type it is, it’s about power and control. Sometimes you hear,

‘oh, he only does it when he’s drunk,’ and yes, alcohol may be a contributing factor, but it’s not causing it.”

Dominance and fear of weakness have been part of the sociocultural shaping of mas culinity for thousands of years. As a result, most men have underdeveloped communica tion skills. They lack the necessary capacity to be vulnerable and emotionally expressive with their partners.

When tensions rise and disagreements proliferate, as they inevitably do in relation ships, communication breaks down and these men abandon words, resorting instead to anger and violence. This becomes a lifelong habit — justified, rationalized, vicious, and completely unacceptable.

Be part of the solution by supporting the 16 Days of Activism, taking the White Ribbon Pledge, and/or donating to Transition House.

White Ribbons are available at:

· The Moose Jaw Express

The Mad Greek

· The Crushed Can Rec Room & Bar

· Rosie’s on River Street

· Henderson Insurance

“One of the things we really stand by here at Transition House is that we believe in calling men in, not calling them out,” Angus said. “There’s so many phenomenal men who believe in supporting women. And this really highlights that.”

Moose Jaw Transition House Executive Director Jenn Angus. Submitted photo

Phone: 306.694.1322 Fax: 888.241.5291

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Thank you to all the contributing writers, without your time and support, the paper would not look the same. Send your stories, events and pictures to: jritchie@moosejawtoday.com

Ritchie Joyce Walter Ron Walter John Kreutzwieser

Gordon Edgar Randy Palmer Jason G. Antonio April Meersman Eugenie Officer – Ag Journalist

I noticed that our local WDM will be featuring ‘A Christmas Long Ago’ to discuss Christmas on the prairies and how it was celebrated about 100 years ago. I am sure this event will be a great way to learn of the tradi tions of the past, as well as a re flection of how life has changed since then. Please check the dates in the community events listing for more information.

Family Resource Centre honours National Child Day with fun activities

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

The sound of children’s laughter and giggles filled the Early Years Fam ily Resource Centre on Nov. 18 as the venue hosted several activities to hon our National Child Day.

Canada has celebrated this event — it normally occurs on Nov. 20 — since 1993 in recognition of the United Nations’ adoption of two chil dren-centred documents: the declara tion of the rights of the child (1959) and the convention of the rights of the child (1989). By ratifying these docu ments, Canada has committed to en suring children are treated with dignity and respect.

There are 54 rights within the Children’s Charter, but the Family Re source Centre (FRC) focused on nine during the event. Those nine includ ed the right to an identity; to choose friends; a name; play and rest; help if hurt; food, clothing and a safe place to live; a safe environment; information; and a good quality education.

Jaw region).

Several professional groups participated during the event, in cluding the Moose Jaw Literacy Network, the Early Childhood In tervention Program and Regional KidsFirst, she continued. They play an important role in the com munity by supporting families, lit eracy, learning and playing.

“Kids need rights because they’re human beings, and every body has rights. And I guess it’s our job to advocate and educate everybody on the rights of a child,” Peakman said.

Every day at the FRC is excit ing, while it’s always great to see families explore, learn and have fun, she continued. The organi zation celebrates children daily, while it attempts to promote Na tional Child Day heavily so fami lies and society are more aware of children’s rights.

Throughout my growing up years, my mother shared stories of her Christmases past, when she was a kid. My mother was of Finn heritage and grew up in Ontario. Christmas morning, she awoke to her presents set on a table covered by a tablecloth. It seems, Christmas to their family was more about rest and reflec tion on the real meaning of Christmas, where going to church was a significant part of their lifestyle. Food was prepared the day before so no one did anything more than necessary on holidays and Sundays; it was always about rest, reflection and being together with family.

EDITOR

Some activities included move ment games, building a First Aid kit, book giveaways, making friendship bracelets, playing with Play-Doh, snacks, and winter clothing giveaways.

Mom Nataliia Zenzura and her daughter, Avrora, 3, were one of the first families through the doors. They are from Ukraine, immigrated to Moose Jaw in July and have visited the centre several times since September.

“It’s a lot of big language and words, so it’s just a fun way to in troduce it to families in a family, child-friendly language,” Peakman added.

Another family to attend was the Chows, including mom and dad Heather and Josh and their children Emmitt, 2, and Isabelle, seven days.

My husband’s grandmother was from Germany and you must know that the German people have always gone above-and-beyond in Christmas tradition. Trees were al ways fresh from the forest, and the lites were always deli cate small candles clipped to the tree. She was a beautiful soul and exemplified Christmas to a T. O Tannenbaum was her favourite tune and she sang it with gusto even tho’ her tune was off as her hearing faded, aging well into her 90s. Going to grandmas’ was one of the blessings we will never forget; the special treats she prepared and the precious thoughtful gifts she gave continue to warm our hearts to this day. Even though she has been gone for many years, grandma is always remembered at Christmas.

As for myself, I can’t remember every Christmas but there are a few memories I will always treasure, especial ly the one when I was about four or five and woke up in the middle of the night to see if Santa had come. Sure enough, there under the sparkling tree in the living room was the most beautiful walking doll I had ever laid eyes on. I just knew she was for me. I don’t remember being lavished in presents but ‘Santa’ really tried hard to give us something to make our hearts glad. I also remember us kids putting dad’s woolen socks at the end of the bed and there were always some hard nuts, rock candy and a Christmas orange to treat on. I guess the woolen socks were a little more rustic compared to those of today, but nevertheless, they served their purpose.

Many very significant and memorable times included going to the Christmas Eve candlelight service at mid night and the whole congregation singing some of the most beautiful renowned Christmas songs of the ages aca pella. To me, it sounded like a choir of angels, in a large cathedral lit up by the reflection of candles illuminating the darkness.

Even though traditions have changed over the years, the Christmas season has always revolved around family, relatives and friends, fun and feasting, and lots of love and joy. Christmas to me will always hold true to the true meaning of Christmas where humanity received the great est gift of the ages in the birth of the Christ child.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the au thor, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.

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“This is (a) very beautiful, cool, nice (place). My daughter is very happy with (the) centre,” Zenzura said. “She loves the kitchen play area. It is her favourite. And she loves colouring crafts.”

The FRC has helped Avrora to communicate better with other children and learn more English, while she loves books, especially pictures. Zenzura added that she is also excited to accompany her daughter to the centre every week.

“Every child 0 to 18 has a right, so we are just educat ing and celebrating children, that they all have rights and they all have the right to participate,” explained Wanda Peakman, chair of the Early Childhood Coalition (Moose

“This place is awesome,” Heather said. “He (Emmitt) just loves it. It’s great that there’s no more need to make an appointment (like early in the pandemic).”

The drop-in centre is one of the best rooms because it has so many activities, while it’s also great to see more people again, she continued. Only a few people were al lowed in during the height of the pandemic, while only she could accompany her son because of the one-parent, one-child rule.

“It’s nice here because there are things here that we don’t have at home,” Heather added. “Plus, the staff are wonderful.”

The Early Years Family Resource Centre is located at 1250 11th Avenue Northwest.

Vanier students preparing to host second annual community Christmas dinner

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

Grade 12 students at Vanier Collegiate are coming togeth er to host a community-focused Christmas dinner as part of a special initiative demonstrating their Catholic faith.

Five classes totalling over 100 students are busily preparing for Vanier’s second annual Christmas dinner, which occurs Saturday, Nov. 26, at the school. The first sitting happens at 4:30 p.m. and the second at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at the school or by calling 306-693-6744.

Students take a class called Catholic Studies, and during that class, they must participate in a Christian ac tion project that shows their commitment to helping oth ers. They have spent the past month fundraising, organiz ing and preparing a Christmas feast — a turkey dinner with all the fixings — for around 300 people.

“So we reach out to various sponsors who will help with sponsoring tickets for our families that perhaps would not have the opportunity for a Christmas dinner,”

explained teacher Monique Byers.

Many sponsors and businesses have already stepped forward to contribute to the event, including Super Meats, which will provide turkey and stuffing.

Meanwhile, the students will be at the school a few days beforehand decorating, creating a Santa corner and craft corner, and organizing raffle draws and entertain ment. They will also prepare the mashed potatoes, salads and vegetables, while they will handle cleaning up after ward.

“This is something we did a few years prior to COVID and students do everything … ,” said Byers. “And it’s real ly centred around the idea of service, of giving back to our community and giving to these families during the supper.

“And they really step up and take it on as their own and really flourish with the work they’re doing. And they see what goes into this kind of endeavour,” she added.

Vanier Collegiate’s website is vanier.htcsd.ca.

Cosmo Seniors Centre Christmas party to try out Chinese-style feast

By MooseJawToday.com Staff - Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com

The Cosmo Senior Centre is holding their annual Christmas party on Thurs day, Dec. 1 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and are expecting their usual turnout of between 100 to 200 people, with a twist this time around — the menu is Chinese-style food from Uptown Cafe.

“We usually expect around 100 to 200 people, but this is the first Chi nese supper we’ve had,” chuckled Bill Smith, Cosmo Senior Centre president. “So, we’ll see how people like that. We thought we’d give people a change and see if they’re interested. It’s always been either turkey or beef before.”

Cosmo Senior Centre is an important community gath

ering point. Their activities include pickleball, shuffleboard, and bridge, but members say the most important part of the centre is the friendships and connections it creates and protects.

The centre made a concerted ef fort to stay open during the COVID pandemic with a careful vaccination policy that included booster shots as soon as they were available.

Tickets to the Christmas party are available now by calling the centre at 306-692-6072 or emailing cosmo@ sasktel.net.

Adult tickets are $20 per person, children six to 10 are $10 each, and children under six are free.

Joan

Joan Ritchie

Cosmo Centre (staff file photo)

I detect a hearbeat! “Doctor” Patricia Saba, 3, plays with medical toys while checking out her doll. Photo by Jason G. Antonio

Reflective Moments

Several years ago, I learned that one’s liv ing-room, according to fashion designers, is not necessarily a room in which to do much living.

By looking around our living-room, designers would definitely figure out why there’s not much living taking place in the room, simply because it has once again become a catch-all for stuff that normally would be located elsewhere in the house. Convenience is the mandate by which our living-room is lived in.

Seven years ago, I wrote the follow ing column about this very topic. It is re prised this week to show there’s consis tency in our lifestyle.

“Newspapers and magazines are still excellent teaching tools and I for one am always learning something I didn’t know I needed to know, or wasn’t aware I didn’t know.

“Thanks to a national newspaper sub scription, I am able to look at our furniture with an educated eye while comparing what quoted experts say on the topic of casual and formal living.

“Certainly, the definition of our life

By Joyce Walter - Moose Jaw Express

style would come close to “casual” as op posed to “formal or nose-in-the-air.” The furniture gracing our rooms was bought with the idea that it would be used, not just admired as a museum piece, and now, many years later, some museums would have trouble accommodating or finding a theme for our cherished pieces.

“A Toronto fashion designer recently opened his home to a photographer/writer to whom he explained his process of set ting up living-room furniture and decor.

“This designer views his living-room as a showcase for art and special pieces of handiwork and is used only for special occasions. So far, I thought, we’re not that far apart in our assessment of our liv ing-rooms.

“He has favourite art pieces on the walls. So do we. He has something de scribed as painted wood relief. We have a large mirror given to us as a wedding pres ent. There is a painting of an old barn on another wall and a set of stairs leading to a star made for us as a gift. Another wall holds some important plaques and awards. A final wall displays a latch-hooked wreath

I made with my very own hands many years ago. It is up year-round despite a definite Christmas theme and covers some unsightly nail holes.

“He has two sofas for symmetry. We have one because we don’t use it that much and by flipping the cushions, it looks in decent shape, complemented as it is by cushions and a collection of plush toys. It is balanced by a swivel armchair of a co lour that doesn’t match one darn thing, and a lovely wooden rocking chair that was my Christmas present dozens of years ago. It still rocks beautifully.

“Contrary to the Toronto man, we would allow guests to sit on our chairs for as long as they want. His guests are only given a minute or two to sit down when they are allowed into the room. His rea soning: the leather is thin on his 1950s’ chairs.

“He has coffee tables and side tables just like we do in our room. His are special to him. One of ours came to us via an auc tion sale, the others bought as a set with our china cabinet and dining room table. All the tables are a bit cluttered with our

The views and opinions ex pressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the po sition of this publication.

treasures while his are bare of stuff, and dust-free. He has candlesticks, we have a bowl of fruit, some books, a few lamps that are seldom turned on and a carpet that is now called retro rather than old.

“What we have that he doesn’t is a stash of cooking utensils placed strategi cally under a table, items that are stored in there to save me the trouble of rushing up and down the stairs when I need a muffin tin. There’s even a roaster in there, along with some plastic containers, two travel hampers from the summer, and the vacu um cleaner, just in case the urge strikes.

“I suspect our living-room would re ceive a sniff of disapproval but it is well and truly lived in even though it might not meet the standards for a photo layout for artistic education.”

Back to the present: my muffin tins and cake pans are still accessible in the living-room but the vacuum cleaner has moved downstairs, replaced by a retro trunk now used to accommodate more cooking wares — in case the urge strikes. Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@ sasktel.net

Muffin tins and cake pans still accessible in non-traditional living-room

United Church Women make their own lunch for 60th anniversary celebration TRADING THOUGHTS

The program following the celebration of the Unit ed Church Women’s 60th anniversary at Minto United Church featured sharing of memories by members and former members.

Some of the memories were from members in rural churches. Minto’s congregation swelled about 45 years ago when a number of district United Churches joined this church. Members from other rural churches also joined as their churches closed.

“We worked hard; we played hard,” said Vivian Wil son, the only active original Minto UCW member left.

Wilson was presented with a porcelain angel in scribed with “Not All Angels Are in Heaven.”

Wilson said three others have been UCW members for 60 years but in different churches, — Jan Coward, Kathleen Froese and Vivian Francis

Adele Dixon of Trinity UCW joked “Never accept an office, you’ll be there forever.”

A companion from her UCW Bev Rioux noted she has been secretary for 14 years.

Forence Binner recalled the fun had and work done for years by the UCW at Parkbeg.

Joyce Walter, who never was a UCW member, said she used to serve lunches and sample them when the Parkbeg group met at her parents’ home.

She enjoyed going to lunches of different members

as “it seemed there was a competition to see who had the best lunch.”

Muriel Harris described herself as a travelling UCW member having been a member at Smith Falls, Ont., Winnipeg, Brandon and Moose Jaw. Leone Townend of Minto, once a member of the Mount Pleasant UCW northeast of Moose Jaw, said it was a good way to meet people in the district.

“They made lots of pies. For the life of me I couldn’t make pies.” Her first pie wound up buried by the dog.

“One of the ladies took me under her wing and showed me how to make pies. That’s how I learned to make pies.”

Jan Coward outlined all the work the UCWs have done and recalled the Drinkwater UCW involvement in raising funds for the church, community and missions from bake sales to concessions at farm auctions.

UCWs across the country have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the church and mission work and assisted the community.

Eleanor Akins of Hearne remembered when there were two United Church women’s groups, one focused on missions, one focused on the local church and commu nity. They became the UCW 60 years ago.

She said the UCW was on the forefront of change, working for the first transition houses for women who are

abused.

By

Not all the work by UCWs was about food, said Shir ley Devine, who was a member of the rural Lake Valley UCW.

“We dug toilet holes for the church.’’

Once her UCW did a “trip to the moon treasure hunt.” They got the women dressed in combination suits and with picks, took them blindfolded to a pasture with gigantic rock piles and let them hunt for treasure.

On the way back home the van caught on fire. “That was our re-entry,’’ she laughed.

Walter urged the UCW to never quit. “You do such good work.’’

One observer wondered why the men of Minto didn’t make the food for the lunch at the celebration.

‘Back Where I Belong’ tour returns comedian Ron James to his happy place

Stand-up comedian Ron James brings his award-winning show back to the live stage this fall, making stops throughout the Prairie provinces from Portage-la-Prairie, MB to Camrose, AB to a Dec. 4 Moose Jaw show at the Mae Wilson.

MooseJawToday.com spoke with James, 64, over the phone about his COVID writing project — All Over the Map: Rambles and Ruminations from the Canadian Road, published by Pen guin-Random House on Sep. 28 — his love of live performance, and what audi ences can expect from his tour.

“Back Where I Belong is absolutely all about getting back on stage,” James said. “I gave it that name after COVID. I almost called it Back Where We Belong, but then people would have asked, ‘What? Is he talking about himself in the third per son?’

“Anyway, we do all belong there, sit ting shoulder-to-shoulder, laughing our worries away and processing the trauma in the language of laughs. It’s a wonderful feeling.”

COVID was a strange sort of wakeup call, James said, because everyone be came suspicious and somewhat afraid of each other. At the same time, people also realized how valuable community and a sense of belonging are and how much they missed gathering in groups.

“That’s what’s great about being on stage,” James said. “For the two hours that I’m up there, in a world that’s increas ingly fractured and polarized on so many

Gordon Edgar - Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com

different lines, we’re all on the same page. We’re all laughing at the same things!

“And it’s not my job to be strident or to sermonize up there — you can get that somewhere else. I just take great joy in hearing laughter. … That’s what’s nice about coming to a theatre. You sit down and you laugh. You aren’t allowed to do that in church!”

James is originally from Nova Sco tia — he has a BA in History from Acadia University — but it was in Toronto, where lives now, that he began his 41-year career in comedy.

Over that time, he’s written and per formed for The Second City comedy club, been voted Comedian of the Year at the Canadian Comedy Awards, appeared half a dozen times at the Just for Laughs, Hal ifax, and Winnipeg Comedy Festivals, written for 22 Minutes, and was a cast member of award-winning satire ‘Made in Canada.’

He starred in his own CBC Television comedy series The Ron James Show for five seasons from 2009 to 2014.

His new book runs the gamut of his life experience, mixing memoir with sharp-witted social commentary, loss and grief with a truly Canadian perspective on the country from an entertainer who’s been coast-to-coast many times.

“I was diligent in the early years of my travels in stand-up in keeping jour nals,” James explained. “So, I would read these stories about the country in my jour nals, and the stories people told me about

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their lives. They gave me windows on their world, so the narrative or the essence of the narrative was already there.”

James’s editor told him he didn’t have to make everything, which freed him to honour the gravity some of his memories needed.

“I was able to explore some emo tional depths, and stories that deserved it, like my uncle fighting for his sobriety on the streets of Toronto for two years in the late ‘60s, early ‘70s. And the Indigenous man I gave a lift to, from Airdrie to Leduc. He spoke to me at the gas pumps, and it turned out he was from the ‘60s scoop.

“I was able to explore the heartline hum and the soul-note of people and place, rather than just look for laughs. I al ready know how to get those, after all the years on stage.”

James also did his own Audible au diobook version of All Over the Map, and said he’s very proud of the great reviews he received for that performance.

Nevertheless, he added, it’s clear that he comes down on the side of live per formance. He knows his business and he loves it.

“I stretch a pretty eclectic buffet,” he laughed. “I cover everything, from midlife dating to playing hockey growing up, to what it’s like now. The aches and pains of midlife and all these different epiphanies. I’m not gonna lie, I talk about mortality too, try to deal with some of the bigger is sues in a comedic fashion.

“People have to get their act togeth er about old age. I mean, I’m feeling bet ter now than I did at 35, but in 20 years the bulk of the baby boom is going to be roaming the home in our Led Zeppelin onesies, just a singalong away from tak ing a stairway to heaven. So, I’m trying to make the moments matter.”

All Over the Map: Rambles and Ru minations from the Canadian Road is a critically acclaimed National Bestseller available wherever books are sold.

Tickets to Ron James’s Dec. 4 show at the Mae Wilson are at Sasktix.ca or by calling the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre at 306-693-4700.

Ron James’s 2022 “Back Where I Be long” tour comes to the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre on Dec. 4 (courtesy Shantero Productions)

standing ovation”

The views and opinions ex pressed in this article are those of the author, and do not neces sarily reflect the position of this publication.

Ron Walter For Moose Jaw Express

folk-pop heat to Mae Wilson on Nov. 26

Gordon Edgar - Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com

Husband-and-wife duo Chelsey June and Jaaji (pronounced Yaah-yee) bring their unique sound to audiences across Sas katchewan with an OSAC-sponsored tour that arrives in Moose Jaw on Saturday, Nov. 26 at the Mae Wilson Theatre.

“It’s our first time coming to Moose Jaw, we’re pretty excited,” said Chelsey June in an interview with MooseJawTo day.com. “This whole tour has been some thing we’ve really looked forward to for a long time. We showcased for OSAC in 2019, and because of the pandemic the tour got pushed twice, so it’s nice that it’s finally happening.

“We’re here for 28 days, 17 shows, all in Saskatchewan, so we get to see every part of it.”

The Organization of Performing Arts Councils (OSAC) is a non-profit that en ables arts performances in communities that otherwise might not be able to bring in high-profile acts.

Twin Flames recently won Vocal Group of the Year and Indigenous Song writers of the Year at the 2022 Canadian Folk Music Awards in PEI, where Chelsey June also co-hosted.

Their awards now include four Ca nadian Folk Music awards, three Native American Music awards, three Summer Solstice Indigenous Music awards, and the Capital Music Group of the Year award for 2022.

Twin Flames’ latest album Omen (2020) received significant attention and acclaim, with songs featured on the CBC Television series TallBoyz and the Ama zon Prime Video series The Lake.

“As an artist, you’re constantly evolv ing, and so is your music,” Chelsey June said. “We had a lot of fun with that album, just making it huge.

“Anytime we’re recognized for the work that we do, it’s an honour. As inde pendent musicians, it helps our career go

forward … so we don’t mind receiving them, because it helps us continue to do what we love.”

Since combining forces seven years ago — a moment they describe as “in stant harmony” — Jaaji and Chelsey June have played thousands of shows togeth er, including working with school boards across the country to educate children on the Indigenous history of Canada.

Recognizing cultural trauma

Part of their performances is the rec ognition of trauma and shared trauma, as Indigenous peoples in Canada continue coming to terms with the legacies of co lonialism.

In Jaaji’s first career, he spent 12 years as a police officer in northern Que bec, where he grew up. Police officers tend to see the worst of people, and risk developing dark worldviews — Jaaji uses his music to help heal himself and others.

“My thing has always been writing about real experiences, to try and help the next person,” he explained. “But it actual ly helps me as well.”

Jaaji is open on stage about his past use of alcohol to cope with his experiences as a police officer and the resulting PTSD. Chelsey June is also an advocate for men tal health, healthy relationships, and sober

living.

“Hopefully, as we continue to see success, we’re also getting into Canadi an homes to change the narratives,” Jaaji said, “so that people understand a little better what Indigenous plights were, and still are. And PTSD, and just generally be ing a man in society, how that works.”

“Alcohol is accepted and normal ized in most cultures, everywhere really,” Chelsey June noted. “In Canada, alcohol is accepted and normalized, and when someone is hurting, it makes a great bandaid, or so we’re made to think.”

In the early days of their relationship, Chelsey June said, she didn’t fully under stand the effects a policing career has on a person — especially in small communities where officers end up knowing most or all the people they must regularly interact with.

“It’s lifelong, you know, what po lice officers have to carry after seeing the things they see.

“And many of the tragedies are a di rect result of colonialism and residential schools and all of the things that were forced on (Indigenous communities). If tragedy plagues a place, it’s because there was something that happened to break the original way of life, and people are just doing their best to cope.”

Healing power of music and humour

“In our stage performances, we do dive into some of those realities,” Jaaji agreed. “But in the end, it’s not all doom and gloom. It’s about exchange and the happy balance of, yes, making sure the stories are being told, but also humour and storytelling. … It ends up being a really fun night.”

“We love laughing and joking and being general goofballs,” Chelsey June

laughed. “You have to take people to dark er places, but you also have to be able to take them away as well.”

Twin Flames emphasizes human con nections by recognizing that everyone hurts, and everyone struggles, and every one is in it together.

“It’s a sharing opportunity.”

Multi-lingual performances

Jaaji’s cultural heritage is Inuk and Mohawk. He speaks Inuttitut, incorpo rating it into his music, and is passionate about language revitalization and preser vation.

Chelsey June comes from settler, Métis, Algonquin, and Cree heritage. She speaks fluent French, and so the couple’s music combines the English, French, and Inuttitut languages.

“We always feel it’s a privilege to be able to talk in three languages, let alone singing in them,” Jaaji said. “Obvious ly, in a community or city that doesn’t understand the language, there’s a lot of storytelling involved so that the song is understood in translation, and then in the emotion of the performance.

“We feel honoured every time we get to do that, because it is always, always well received.”

Chelsey June said that their Saskatch ewan shows have all been wonderful so far.

“The audiences have been extremely kind and loving, and we can feel the ener gy from the crowd. … It ends up feeling like we’re just sitting in a living room with people, sharing some stories and singing some tunes.”

Tickets to Twin Flames’ show at the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 7:30 p.m. are available from Sasktix.ca.

Pays - $57.50/wk Pays - $41.25/wk Pays - $38.75/wk Pays - $38.75/wk Pays - $36.25/wk Pays - $43.75/wk Pays - $33.75/wk Pays - $72.50/wk

Twin Flames bring their award-winning music to the Moose jaw Cultural Centre on Saturday, Nov. 26 (twinflamesmusic. com)

BIZWORLD

By Ron Walter For Moose Jaw Express

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

Health care system imploding while governments fight over paying the bills

Our health care system, according to some sector observ ers and some public members, is crumbling.

Too many people can’t find a doctor. When they do get diagnosed they wait longer than they should for sur gery. Emergency rooms are overcrowded with an 80 per cent increase in patients.

Nurses, exhausted and worn out by the pandemic and a new onslaught of patients with severe infant in fluenza and continued Covid cases, are retiring early or leaving public health creating short-staffed hospitals.

One would expect a health care crisis such as this would see governments at the provincial and federal lev els working together to fix the system.

Not so, unfortunately.

A recent meeting of provincial health ministers and the federal health minister ended in chaos. “No progress,” said federal Health Minister Jean Yves Duclos, who had agreed to consider some private health services to resolve the health crisis. He noted private services compete with the public for staff.

The provincial ministers didn’t want to talk with Du

clos. They want a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Given that seven of the 10 provinces have Conserva tive governments and three Prairie premiers are always fighting with Ottawa, the meeting with Trudeau would turn into a behind the woodshed paddling.

Solving the issues in our $332 billion annual health care system seems a secondary objective.

Canada has fewer acute care beds, fewer emergency rooms and fewer doctors per capita than any of the G7 nations, yet Canada spends the second highest percent age of GDP (12.9 per cent) of any. Only the U.S. at 18.8 per cent exceeds Canada.

Something is drastically wrong with this picture.

The provinces want the federal government to pay a larger share for health care. Heath care, by the consti tution, is a provincial responsibility. The feds want more say on spending.

Throwing more cash at the system hasn’t worked in the past and will be less effective now that the whole world experiences staff shortages.

One observer suggested the provinces hounding Ot tawa for more money is like the young person recently entering the work force and seeking to continue receiving an allowance from the parents.

Years ago, Canadian taxpayers filed one tax to the federal government. Amid the eternal wrangling over federal funding the feds said: Fine if you want more cash here is a percentage of the take. If you want more raise YOUR OWN TAX rates.

In this era provincial governments still pester Otta wa for cash.

Alberta has the lowest personal and corporate taxes in Canada. Saskatchewan’s personal income tax is com parable with only five per cent for small business.

Expect some day Ottawa to say: if you want more money raise your own taxes.

While governments fight over who pays the bill the system is sinking into quagmire, recalling when Roman Emperor Nero fiddled while Rome burned.

Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net

Frustrated business owners to host open house to discuss unfair assessment process

Frustrated with the continued inconsistencies in how com mercial properties are assessed, business owners Bernie Dombowsky and Kristy Van Slyck plan to hold two events to shed light on the inequitable situation.

Entitled “The ROAD to Re-establish Fairness for Prop erty Tax Assessments,” the open houses occur Tuesday, Nov. 29 and Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the Cosmo Senior Citizen’s Centre on 235 Third Avenue Northeast.

ROAD stands for “restore our assessors’ department.”

Each day from 2 to 4 p.m., residents concerned about businesses’ well-being and who want to restore equity and fairness can speak with Dombowsky and Van Slyck and pick up window signs to show support for the business community.

A come-and-go supper with live music occurs from 5 to 6:30 p.m. each day. Residents can eat, see displays, acquire information packets, and pick up window signs.

Tickets cost $25 for adults, $12.50 for kids under age 12 and free for children under six.

If people cannot attend the afternoon open houses, they can attend from 7 to 9 p.m. There will be family activities such as face painting and balloons, along with more displays and informal presentations.

For more information, visit www.mjpaw.ca. PAW stands for “property assessment watchdog.”

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

“Our city needs to restore fairness and re-establish its own assessment department,” Dombowsky said.

The City of Moose Jaw replaced its internal property assessors — municipal employees — in 2006 with private contractor Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency (SAMA), he explained. Since then, huge property tax in creases have been crushing small businesses because of SA MA’s assessment decisions.

Before 2021, SAMA applied one market capitalization rate to all Moose Jaw businesses regardless of category. Af ter 2021, there were 21 business categories and 14 cap rates; certain businesses benefitted from a higher cap rate while oth ers suffered because a lower cap rate increased their property values and taxes.

For example, the annual property taxes on a small retail shop on Main Street in 2020 were $6,422. However, after SAMA changed its assessment process, that business’ taxes doubled to $12,948 a year.

Meanwhile, a nearby larger investment broker’s annual property taxes in 2020 were $11,613, but a year later, its taxes decreased by half to $5,806 yearly.

The situation facing Dombowsky came to a head this year after he appealed the property assessment decision on his business, Charlotte’s Catering. He successfully appealed

1927, and told me many stories about his experiences there.

In those days, everything revolved around preventing death. Subsequently antibiotics have been discovered, ad vanced imaging techniques have become commonplace and modern anaesthesia allows complex surgery which would have been unthinkable a century ago. Cancer is still a feared disease but isn’t the unavoidable death sen tence it once was.

Medicine has undergone a revolution since 1927 and I think he must have been jealous.

through the local Board of Revision but felt he was “tricked” by the chairman of the Saskatchewan Municipal Board into abandoning his claim at the provincial level.

The chairman informed Dombowsky that SAMA said he was not allowed to present new evidence for his claims and wondered if he would withdraw his appeal; he agreed. But, in a ruling six weeks later, the SMB said he could present new evidence. Since he had withdrawn his claim, he lost the appeal.

“Since I did not know the process, I assumed I had to withdraw my evidence,” he said. “I just felt it was so unfair.”

This prompted Dombowsky to put a “For Sale” sign on his business, while he almost experienced a nervous break down because of how overwhelmed he was by the appeal. Someone called the 811 Healthline for him and counsellors paid a visit.

“It is ridiculous,” said Van Slyck.

That example shows how stressful it is for business own ers to appeal knowing they can’t win, said Dombowsky. It’s also a hopeless feeling to be a business owner under attack.

“It is an attack on our freedom to own and operate a business,” he added.

While Dombowsky is concerned about the current as sessment process, he thought the two-day open house would be a fun experience.

learned little about them.

I remember a short course by an internist who start ed his first lecture with the words: “Old peoples’ organs suffer in silence.”

As now one of the aforementioned “old people,” I can attest that he was right, but he was aiming at treating conditions like hypertension, atrial fibrillation and so on; the treatment of which is often different than in younger patients.

Being Mortal. Medicine and What Matters in the End

Atul Gawande.

Metropolitan Books, 280 pages “I learned a lot of things in medical school, but mortality wasn’t one of them. Although I was given a dry, leathery corpse to dissect in my first term, that was solely a way to learn about human anatomy. Our textbooks had almost nothing on aging or frailty or dying. How the process un folds, how people experience the end of their lives, and how it affects those around them seemed beside the point. The way we saw it, and the way our professors saw it, the purpose of medical schooling was how to save lives, not how to tend to their demise.”

With a few slight changes, Atul Gawande’s opening paragraph could just as well have been written by me or one of my classmates.

Medical curricula have changed much over the past few decades and only sometimes for the better, but it still follows – and quite understandably so – one of the core tenets of its raison d’être: saving lives.

I well remember the family physician of my smalltown childhood, who delivered me into this world. (He did have my mother’s co-operation of course). He qual ified at Edinburgh University nearly 100 years ago, in

However, with regard to his training, that was then, this is now. How much has changed? He learned how to save lives and that he did, venturing into the back streets of Edinburgh, doctor’s bag and Wrigley’s forceps in hand, using his meager armamentarium to deliver babies, staunch hemorrhages, stitch wounds, treat heart attacks and strokes.

He told me nothing about treating the slow mental and physical disintegration of old patients because, as I later came to suspect, this wasn’t really part of his train ing or how he himself saw his duties and obligations as a doctor. Or, perhaps, there just weren’t many such pa tients nearly a century ago, maybe they died quickly, if not always without suffering. Today’s doctors still save lives, but learning about the mental and physical aspects of many elderly peoples’ long, slow descent from a mean ingful existence until, as Shakespeare put it, they enter the detestable maw, the womb of death, is for the most part a minor facet of their training and/or practice.

It has moved from a devotion to “purely” saving lives to an enterprise largely engaged in prolonging life, which, admirable as it may appear, is not always an un disguised blessing.

After a year-long cadaver dissection, my medical training progressed to living patients, where students ex perience all the facets of life which make them grow up very quickly: disease, pain, sorrow, anguish, hate, vio lence, bereavement, fear, guilt, addiction.

But the frail, infirm or semi-infirm geriatric patient, often wheelchair bound, sometimes aware that something is wrong but not always entirely sure what is amiss – we

Gawande tells us that grandfather (who died at over a hundred years) lived independently in India, was cher ished and cared for by his family and that his opinions about important matters were sought after.

Reading this book, it once again becomes abundant ly clear how socio-economic changes in the Western world have radically changed the situation of the elderly – children do not live near their parents or grandparents, who have lost the position of influence once held in their families.

However, it is not only society that is to blame. The central theme of Gawande’s book is how modern med icine has increasingly influenced the elderly in Western society - and it isn’t always a pretty picture.

Life expectancies have increased, but the added years are quite often not pleasant at all, spent as frail, semi-helpless or completely helpless individuals, often isolated – not only in a physical sense but also physiolog ically and psychologically.

I have frequently asked myself: how important is it to treat, say, high cholesterol in a 85 year old person? Will it make any difference in quality of life? How many pills must an elderly person take, bearing in mind that medication is often the cause of confusion in the elderly?

Gawande, a well-known American surgeon, writes about his grandfather: “Had he lived in the West, this would have been absurd. It isn’t safe, his doctor would say…. But in my grandfather’s premodern world, how he wanted to live was his choice, and the family’s role was to make it possible.”

We cannot do that anymore in our modern society, and modern medicine does not allow us to do it.

And that is a tragedy.

By Leon Retief

Leon Retief is a retired physician with clinical and research experience. He likes drinking wine, listening to music and reading.

HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC SCHOOL DIVISION

THE NEXT HOLY TRINITY BOARD MEETING IS MONDAY, NOV. 28.

A retired Moose Jaw school trustee who spent 30 years with Holy Trinity Catholic School Division has received a prestigious provincial award for his contributions to Cath olic education.

During a ceremony on Nov. 13, the Saskatchewan Catholic School Boards Association (SCSBA) awarded Delmer Wagner the Julian Paslawski Meritorious Service Award.

The organization gives this award yearly to individu als who have “made a highly significant contribution” to Catholic education in Saskatchewan.

According to his bio, Wagner was one of the pioneer ing members of the Catholic Curriculum Online when it started in 2000. In 2002, he helped the Saskatchewan School Boards Association (Catholic Section) write pro fessional development modules on faith permeation, which became an online resource for teachers.

That same year, the National Catholic Educational Association awarded the project — and Wagner — with the Catholic Schools for Tomorrow Award in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

“I’m deeply honoured and humbled being chosen as a recipient of this award. And of course, I feel great grati tude to the Holy Trinity board for the nomination and the SCSBA for its decision in supporting the nomination,” Wagner told the Moose Jaw Express.

He felt blessed to work in a career where his Cath olic faith and job were not separate endeavours; instead, he could weave both together. This allowed him to be the same person — whether he was interacting with his faith community or family — without apologizing for it.

Paramount to Wagner was the support he received from his wife of 46 years, Doreen, and three children. He noted that Doreen was, and continues to be, the glue that

Former Catholic school trustee receives prestigious award for work in education

Wagner returned to Holy Trinity in 2016 to serve as a board trustee for four years while also the president and vice-president of the SCSBA. He officially retired in 2020.

Wagner enjoyed every position he held during his ca reer. His most enjoyable time was working as a teaching principal in Swift Current, a fulfilling position since he could be a leader but still interact with kids personally.

“That’s really important because … Catholic educa tion — any education for that matter — has to be focused on the kids, or you’re missing the mark,” he said. “And that’s what I can say about Holy Trinity: Holy Trinity is very student-focused.

“It was really nice to be part of an organization like that.”

Since retiring, Wagner has remained active with the Knights of Columbus and has been part of many commu nity boards.

He believes Catholic education is at a crossroads, giv en some tumultuous times it has experienced in the past few years. He thinks it can clearly “reassert our identity” with its mandate to deliver faith-based education.

holds everything together.

The former education director added that while he received the award, education is a teamwork-oriented en vironment.

Ward Strueby, current education director for Holy Trinity, said Wagner has been a strong advocate for Cath olic education wherever he’s been. He mentored Strueby, while in general, he is a high-quality person.

“I think his biggest contribution is just being Del. … he is just a caring man who leads by example. He’s will ing to help out anybody around him,” Strueby said, adding Wagner loves his Catholic faith and is guided by principles of hope, faith and love.

Wagner spent 35.2 years in education, most of that in Holy Trinity.

He was a teacher for nine years, a vice-principal for two years, a principal for 12 years, a superintendent for two years, and then five years as education director. Al though he retired in 2009, he spent two years afterward as acting education director at Holy Family School Division in Weyburn.

Moose Jaw’s Catholic school division wins prominent provincial education award

Moose Jaw’s Catholic school division has received a prominent provincial education award that recognizes the organization’s relationship with Moose Jaw Families for Change to support students with post-graduation work.

During the Saskatchewan School Boards Associa tion’s (SSBA) annual general assembly on Nov. 14, Holy Trinity received the 2022 Premier’s Board of Education Award for Innovation and Excellence in Education. The award was for its submission entitled “Post-Graduation Community Transition: Holy Trinity Catholic School Di vision (and) Moose Jaw Kinsmen Inclusion Centre Part nership.”

In its application for the award, Holy Trinity said the program provides meaningful transitional opportunities after formal graduation at age 18, improves the provision of services and supports for students to be independent, and addresses their social well-being, career training, work experience and life skills.

Moose Jaw Families for Change operates the Kins men Inclusion Centre and Kinsmen Café.

“What started as a challenge to provide programming for students after graduation, with their age-appropriate peers, and continuing at school until the age of 22, has turned into something truly exceptional,” said board chair Joann Blazieko.

“The innovation stemmed from the willingness to think outside the box and listen to all stakeholders. The goals were to enhance student learning, ensure smooth transitions from K-12 education to the larger community, enhance future employment opportunities and improve the quality of life for each individual student,” she continued.

“It takes a community to raise a child and this partner ship with Moose Jaw Families for Change at the Kinsmen Inclusion Centre, Kinsmen Café, Kinsmen Community Gardens and in the greater community will continue to benefit our students in the years to come.”

The Government of Saskatchewan is pleased to rec ognize Holy Trinity’s board of education as the recipient of the Premier’s Award for its dedication to innovation, inclusion and student success, Premier Scott Moe said. He thought the post-graduation community transition partnership was a testament to the great things that can be

achieved when industries provide the best possible out comes for Saskatchewan’s youths.

Xerox Canada has sponsored the $3,000 award since its inception in 1999, while a panel of education sector partners recommends the award recipient after reviewing all the submissions.

“Our history at Xerox is one that is defined by con tinuous innovation,” said Mike Tulk, vice-president. “This is driven by a diverse employee base focused on creating new ideas to solve the business problems of today and into the future.

“It is a great honour to once again be associated with the prestigious Premier’s Award for Innovation and Ex cellence in Education. Congratulations to Holy Trinity School Division on behalf of Xerox Canada.”

To view a video about the award recipients, visit https://youtu.be/dtqzoNIudJk.

“We just need to keep our compass on a forward path,” Wagner added, “thus paving the road for a contin ued bright future where Catholic education is available to all.”

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW OFFICER CITY OF MOOSE JAW

The City of Moose Jaw is seeking nominations for potential appointment to the O ce of the Administrative Review for the City of Moose Jaw. This person will be appointed by City Council and will investigate public complaints involving matters pertain ing to the administration of the City, including its various agencies. The ARO is also responsible to investigate any complaints with respect to the Disclosure Statement submitted by candidates for election to municipal o ce.

The Review O cer will be independent and will report directly to City Council. The Review O cer will be responsible for ensuring that public complaints are properly investigated and may be required to hold public hearings, record evidence and render written decisions. The Review O cer will be paid remuneration at the rate of approximately $322.60 per day based on actual time required.

The following persons are ineligible for appointment:

(a) a member of an advisory or other committee established by City Council;

(b) an employee, o cer or agent of the City, including all departments and agencies; or

(c) a family member or business partner of either of the above.

City Clerk at 228 Main Street N., Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, S6H

by 4:00 p.m. on December 2, 2022.

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

Moose Jaw Express staff

Wagner family: Delmer Wagner (in back, second from right) poses with his family after receiving the Julian Paslawski Meritorious Service Award. Photo submitted

Jerome Niezgoda, president of the Saskatchewan Catholic School Boards Association (left) presents the Julian Paslawski Meritorious Service Award to Delmer Wagner for his work in Catholic education over 30 years. Wagner spent most of his career with Holy Trin ity School Division. Photo submitted

Holy Trinity Catholic School Division received the Pre mier’s Board of Education Award for Innovation and Excellence in Education during an event on Nov. 14. Pictured, from left, are Moose Jaw-North MLA Tim McLeod, board chair Joann Blazieko, student services co-ordinator Lois Saunders, trustee Christine Boyczuk, learning superintendent Sarah Phipps, trustee Derek Hassen, trustee Ted Wallin, education director Ward Strueby and Shawn Davidson, president of the Sas katchewan School Boards Association. Photo submitted

Tracy Wittke, City Clerk

From The Kitchen

By Joyce Walter - Moose Jaw Express

Guests will be pleased by display from holiday hostesses

Homemakers thinking about having friends and family members over for a holiday celebration are always looking for treats to make that will catch the eye of their guests.

•

This week’s recipes come from supplemental books to The Ideals Publications of the 1960s.

• •

CHOCOLATE CREAM COOKIES

2 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter or margarine at room temperature

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tbsps. milk

Filling:

1/2 cup butter or margarine

3/4 cup confectioners sugar

1 heaping tsp. cocoa

1 tsp. vanilla

Glaze

3 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

2 tbsps. butter or margarine

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in butter, a few pieces at a time, using a pastry blender or fork.

Stir in egg, vanilla and milk with a fork until dough holds together. Shape dough into a ball. Flatten dough slightly and cover with plastic wrap.

Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners Notes

The Moose Jaw Police Service has given the Regina Sexual Assault Centre access to its files as part of an independent review of sexual assault-related cases that con cluded without police laying charges.

Attention has been shone recently on police investigations into sexual assaults. To improve outcomes, some agencies have incorporated several best practices into their investigations — including trau ma-informed practices and victim-advo cate case reviews.

The Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) is one organization that has in corporated victim advocate case reviews into its operational activities. As such, it invited the Regina Sexual Assault Centre (RSAC) to review its files during the week of Nov. 7 — the first such review in a part nership that began in May.

Since RSAC has many Moose Jaw clients, it recently opened a satellite office in the Family Services office at 200 Main

Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a lightly floured board, roll out dough to a 1/4 inch thickness. Use a 1 1/2 inch cookie cutter to cut out circles. Place circles on a 10x15 inch nonstick cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden.

Prepare filling while cookies are baking. Remove cookies from pan and place on wire rack to cool.

Spread filling onto the bottoms of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies.

To make the glaze melt chocolate and butter in top of double boiler over simmering water. Stir until blended.

Spread glaze on tops of cookies with a pastry brush. Place cookies on wire rack for 30 minutes or until glaze hardens. Makes 24 cookies.

• • •

EASY

CHRISTMAS LOAF

1 cup raisins

2 cups water

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tbsp. lard (or a light cooking margarine)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. cloves

1 tsp. nutmeg 2 cups flour

Combine the raisins, water, spices and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add the baking soda and lard, stir then allow to cool.

Add the flour and mix well.

Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 375 degrees F. for 40-50 minutes.

Cool on rack then remove from pan. Cool completely then wrap in foil and allow to sit at least 24 hours before serving.

If desired, a light coat of glaze may be applied to top of cake.

Note: this loaf was made regularly during war years and does not contain eggs.

• • •

OATMEAL DATE COOKIES

1 pkg. oatmeal cookies

2 cups date puree

2 cups icing sugar

1 cup hot water

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Place a tbsp. of date puree on one cookie and top with another. Press down and use a knife to remove escaping dates. Continue until all cookies have been paired.

Make a glaze with the icing sugar, water and lemon juice. Use a pastry brush to coat the top of each cookie. Place on a large sheet of waxed paper until glaze hardens. Store in refrigerator.

Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel. net

been working on for a number of years to get in place,” Police Chief Rick Bourassa said recently. “It is always good to have multiple sets of eyes on these issues be cause we’re human, and we can all miss things and make mistakes.”

There were 24 cases that the MJPS of fered for review, but it reduced that num ber to 18 cases that met the criteria.

The MJPS has not heard back yet from RSAC about its findings, although the organization is attempting to arrange a time to provide that feedback, he said.

Once the law agency receives the re port, it will review it and implement the recommendations. This could include charging someone not originally charged or even disciplining an officer for inten tional negligence during an investigation.

Police board presentation

Lisa Miller with RSAC and Sgt. Kev in Adrian with the MJPS spoke to the Board of Police Commissioners during its

“It’s really quite an exciting project,” Miller said.

This process started in Regina in 2019 with people who handle gender-based vi olence and review sexual assault-related files where officers laid no charges, she explained. They then made suggestions, such as more officer education or internal policy changes.

“What we’re looking for are specifi cally issues around gender bias, which is not exclusive to police. This is a social is sue,” she continued. “We all have biases that do impact how we perceive certain situations.”

The VACR process has been a posi tive experience, with police improving their investigations and pursuing trau ma-informed, victim-friendly approaches, said Miller. Investigations are complex, while people carry shame when they come forward.

“The criminal justice system itself is inherently quite re-traumatizing because we’re asking people to re-tell their sto ries. And if it goes to court, we’re asking (them) to re-tell it again,” she added. “So,

finding approaches that are friendly for the victims and more support for the victims is helpful.”

Roughly 93 to 95 per cent of sexual assault victims do not report their assault, while for those who do, there is “a fairly low” conviction rate,” Miller said. RSAC is interested in the cases where there were no charges, where victims dropped out of the investigation process and why that oc curred.

“Once we get through the first review, we’ll see where we go from there,” said Adrian. “… hopefully we get some good feedback from that.”

RSAC will review sexual assault files quarterly, while police can reopen those files if needed and talk to people again since memories are still fresh, Miller said.

RSAC won’t tell the agency how to police; it will simply offer its expertise — and that of national experts — about working with victims and handling relat ed barriers, she added. Moreover, it won’t look at one specific officer but will review the MJPS’s overall policies.

The next Board of Police Commissioners meeting was Thursday, Nov. 10

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners Notes

The next Board of Police Commissioners meeting was Thursday, Nov. 10

The Saskatoon Police Service has developed a special po licing initiative to improve community safety that does not involve fully armed officers — something the Moose Jaw Police Service is keenly watching.

Insp. Darren Pringle with the Saskatoon Police Ser vice (SPS) spoke by Zoom to the Moose Jaw Board of Po lice Commissioners recently about the SPS’s Alternative Response Officers (AROs) program.

AROs, sworn in as special constables under the pro vincial community safety officer framework, are tasked with delivering public safety programs and communi ty engagement during instances where the presence of armed officers is not required.

The SPS police board wanted an alternative service delivery program, so it provided the agency $350,000 and said, “Develop something,” Pringle explained.

“I’ve been around long enough that I’ve seen lots of programs get developed on anecdote, and I didn’t neces sarily want this program to go in that direction,” he said.

“For it to be sustainable and last and encompass best practice, ensuring that we had some academic research as well as community consultation was key.”

SPS conducted research during the year-long pilot project — from July 2021 to June 2022 — because it wanted hard data that this would work.

This research included reviewing hundreds of peer-reviewed journal articles, analyzing gaps in service, and interviewing downtown businesses, residents and vulnerable people.

Police board learns about Saskatoon policing project that helps improve public safety

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

SPS found that data from the United Kingdom and Vancouver’s Downtown East Side proved that ARO-type members are effective in handling situations that didn’t require armed police, said Pringle.

Some service gaps the SPS identified included the need for a collaborative partnerships with community ser vice providers and dedicated, visible beat officers.

“We really lacked that deep presence that people said … would provide a reassurance for them moving down town,” Pringle remarked.

The SPS ran the pilot project in the downtown area and Riverside Business Improvement District since the organization believed if it succeeded there, it could work everywhere. It also found that AROs cost the SPS 85 per cent of what regular officers make, which showed they can cost-effectively address community concerns.

Another benefit is AROs freed up carbine-carrying patrol cars to handle more serious situations while the AROs — who don’t carry firearms — could deal with businesses experiencing graffiti or execute non-violent arrest warrants.

“It was making increasingly less sense for us to send a doomsday-equipped police car with a trained member … when we could have a special constable going to it … ,” the inspector said.

Data from July 2021 to June 2022 showed that AROs handled 1,897 calls for service, made 1,251 business con tacts, issued 1,249 bylaw or provincial statute warnings, issued 581 tickets, and transported 631 people to jail or

Local police want Saskatoon-created safety program but need bigger budget first

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

The Moose Jaw Police Service is interested in adopting a Saskatoon-based community safety program but is still in the early stages and needs dedicated funding to pursue it.

The police service virtually hosted an officer from Saskatoon during the recent Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners meeting to speak about The Bridge City’s Alternative Response Officers (AROs) program.

These special constables deliver public safety pro grams and community engagement during times when armed officers are not required.

While speaking with media afterward, Police Chief Rick Bourassa said he appreciated the online presentation and thought the information was positive. He pointed out that Saskatoon is fairly satisfied with how the program has turned out.

“We continually stay abreast of things that are hap pening in different jurisdictions that other police services have found to be successful. And we share that with each other,” he remarked.

The MJPS is exploring the possibility of adopting the ARO program but needs additional budgetary money from the police board before it can do anything, he contin ued. Yet, the organization believes this is worth consider ing and how it would fit here.

The police service has not asked for additional fund ing in its 2023 budget for the program, although it has referenced it in budget documents.

“We may be in a position (where) we can have some funding available for something like that to start next year, but we’ll just have to wait and see,” said Bourassa.

“There’s a lot of work to be done to see how it would work here. Every place has its local nuances that have to be incorporated into it. We’re interested in learning more.”

The MJPS wants to pursue the Alternative Response Officers program because one of its main strategies is han dling safety in public spaces, he explained.

The community has a vibrant downtown and parks, but regular officers in cars aren’t always able to access those places or be visible. Moreover, the agency knows businesses and residents want more visible officers who are accessible and present. So, the MJPS has worked on that issue this year using existing resources.

“The problem that can happen with that is they can get pulled off to other things and then you lose that. … if we can have a more visible and consistent presence, we think that would go a long way to enhancing community safety,” Bourassa said. “(And) not only the safety but the feeling of safety people have.”

The police service and city hall are collaborating on a pilot project that sees two extra commissionaires pa trolling the downtown and Crescent Park — places most people complain about — from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. The proj ect started — and is expected to conclude— in November.

This project is a precursor to the ARO program and could lead to implementing “a more robust process,” Bourassa acknowledged. However, he regretted that the initiative didn’t start sooner when the weather was nicer, making acquiring useful data difficult.

“We have these different seasons and people are out side differently in the summer (than) in the winter. But we’ll learn a little bit from it,” he said. “And we may be doing something like that again in the spring to take an other test run.”

Having those extra sets of eyes has benefited the MJPS since the commissionaires have reported back when they discover issues, Bourassa continued. Police head quarters has received many calls, which has allowed the organization to dispatch regular officers.

“… if we’re going to go down that (AROs) road, we want to make sure that it’s the right road to go down be fore we get ourselves into a long process,” he added. “So, we’ll learn what we can.”

Semi catches fire and explodes at fuel station on service road and 9th

A semi-trailer truck caught fire and later exploded Tuesday night at the Co-op Cardlock fueling station on 9th Ave and North Service Road NW.

Burk Reiman, who lives nearby, captured the incident on his farm’s security camera and took pictures of the aftermath. Reiman said he started up his loader just in case the fire could not be contained and the truck had to be moved off the road.

Luckily, the fire department was able to douse the blaze by around 9:15 p.m.

Timeline:

· 8:41 — Semi pulls off the highway into the Co-op station

8:44 — Truck’s engine compartment catches fire

· 8:52 — The semi suffers an explosion, destroying the cab

court.

Furthermore, they made 80 arrests for intoxication, laid 66 charges for crimes or drugs, issued 168 arrest war rants, guarded 29 crime scenes, participated in or led 46 parades or cultural ceremonies and saved 12 lives using NARCAN.

While the SPS wants regular officers with a Grade 12 education or GED, it wants ARO candidates to have degrees in social work, human justice, human studies or human services, Pringle said. Many people who want to help others don’t want to be a police officer, so this is another way for them to contribute.

“It’s enforcement when necessary, but not necessari ly enforcement,” he added.

ARO training sees candidates spend 200 hours learn ing in the classroom, three extra weeks on provincial-spe cific legal issues, two extra weeks on Saskatoon-specific material, and must pass exams focused on seven specific areas.

Afterward, AROs spend 240 hours on field training, four extra weeks shadowing experienced beat cops and two extra weeks with a senior ARO.

Once they graduate, they work either Monday to Thursday to Tuesday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Prin gle noted that those timeframes are when business owners want to see uniformed officers.

“At the end of the pilot, we deemed it (the ARO pro gram) a success … ,” he added, “and the board decided to bring it on board (permanently).”

TO BIDDERS

ON A CASH BASIS

LEASE OF FARM LAND

Sealed tenders marked "TENDER FOR LEASE OF FARM LAND" will be received by Chow McLeod Barristers and Solicitors up to 2:00 p.m. (Central Standard Time), on December 2nd, 2022. Due to the unknown, public safety and public health measures to control the potential spread of COVID-19, tenders will be opened privately in the presence of two witnesses after December 2nd, 2022. A summary of bid and price information will be made available upon request.

In total, one (1) location of farm land as follows is available to lease under the following terms and conditions:

Rural Municipality of Moose Jaw #161 Section 16 Township 17 Range 25, West of the 2nd Meridian 557 Acres (more or less) making up the land surrounding the Moose Jaw Municipal Airport (the “land(s)”)

Lease of the said land(s) shall be on a cash rent basis only and shall commence December 1st, 2022 and will terminate October 15th, 2027 (5 year term). This lease will be solely for the use by the Tenant, not to be assigned or sublet or occupied by anyone other than the Tenant without prior written consent from the City. The Tenant will be responsible for any costs associated with farming the lands, with the exception of property taxes. The Tenant shall cultivate, seed, control weeds, insects and disease and harvest crops on the land in a sustainable manner. Continuous cropping is allowed. This land is to be leased on an “as is” basis. There are no warranties offered or implied on the condition of the property.

Tenders shall be submitted in a sealed envelope and must be accompanied by a bid form and certified cheque, trust cheque or bank draft in the amount of 20% of the bid per location, which will be returned to unsuccessful bidders. Failure of the successful bidder to conclude the transaction will result in forfeiture of the deposit as liquidated damages.

Payment for leasing the farm land is to be paid in two installments: the first is a pro-rated payment made upon execution of the Lease Agreement and the remaining is payable on or before December 15th, 2022, with all subsequent payments to be made upon receipt of MJMAA invoice.

The MJMAA reserves the right to accept any tender submitted in whole or in part or to reject any or all tenders and to waive any irregularities. Tenders submitted from parties who are in arrears with the City of Moose Jaw will not be considered.

Tender documents, including bid forms, specific locations, maps and the Draft Lease Agreement may be obtained at the following address:

Moose Jaw Municipal Airport

Inc. c/o Chow McLeod Barristers and Solicitors 48 High Street West, Moose Jaw, SK S6H 4P8

Email: TimH@chowmcleod.com

Gordon Edgar - Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com

The Moose Jaw Fire Department had the fire out by around 915 p.m. on Tuesday night. The semi’s cab and engine compartment were destroyed by the fire and subsequent explosion (Burk Reiman)

MOOSE JAW MUNICIPAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY NOTICE

The October blizzard that damaged numerous trees, plugged streets with snow and damaged two sports-re lated buildings cost the city around $300,000 in cleanup expenses, a new report suggests.

A major snowfall hit Moose Jaw on Oct. 23 and 24 and dropped over 30 centimetres of the white stuff during that period. The heavy, wet snow and high winds can celled buses, left many residents without power, disrupt ed waste collection services, flooded the Golden Ticket Sports Centre and Pla-Mor Palace and damaged over 1,000 city trees.

Based on the parks and recreation department’s blizzard-related costs of $207,100 and the public works department’s costs of $90,000, the overall estimated eco nomic hit is $297,100, based on information in a city council report. If Golden Ticket’s costs are included, that cost increases to $497,100.

Parks and rec challenges

“There was significant damage to our urban forest,” Derek Blais, director of parks and recreation, said during the Nov. 14 executive committee meeting while discuss ing the report. “It (the blizzard) left quite a mess in our community.

Parks and rec estimates it cost $107,100 to remove destroyed trees and branches — an unbudgeted expense, the report said.

The department had planned to lay off its last seven seasonal employees by Oct. 31 but retained them for an other month to assist with clean up. They will support the seven permanent staff who work during the winter.

City hall believes clean up of parks will take all win

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

ter and into early spring. Meanwhile, flooding of rinks will begin in late November due to ongoing cleanup ef forts.

The forestry budget was already over budget by $14,020 because of unanticipated repair costs to the buck et truck, the report said. Therefore, the overall projected budget overage is $121,120.

While a funding source to cover this overage has not been identified, the department believes it may have to use money from the accumulated surplus reserve, the re port continued.

Meanwhile, the Golden Ticket Sports Centre — for merly Hillcrest Sports Centre — suffered significant wa ter damage because contractors had been working on its roof when the snowstorm struck and the temporary roof seals failed.

The hardwood gym floor was completely flooded, while there were major leaks in the second-floor viewing area, the report said. Parks and rec believes the entire gym floor must be replaced before it can be used again.

The department and Golden Ticket have opened in surance claims, while the city plans to investigate recov ering the remediation and repair costs through the con tractor’s insurance provider since they were responsible for protecting the building, the report noted.

Building damages for which the municipality is re sponsible range from $70,000 to $100,000, while Golden Ticket would be responsible for $200,000 for the floor.

Meanwhile, damage to Pla-Mor Palace was less se vere and didn’t suffer permanent damage — the same contractor was conducting similar roof repairs — but

needed major cleaning.

City hall expected the contractor to finish both roofs by Nov. 10, but that timeline has been pushed to the end of November, the report added.

Public works challenges

The public works and utilities department expects its blizzard-related costs to be $66,000, including $50,000 for snow removal and sanding and $16,000 for back-lane tree cleanup efforts, the report said.

The department did not have to complete snow haul ing — and thus saved money — because of the subse quent warm temperatures, allowing it to remove branches once priority roads were cleared, the report said. The de partment believes it can absorb its storm response costs through its existing snow removal budget.

The municipality had originally scheduled a regular free landfill disposal weekend for Nov. 5 and 6 but opened that up starting Oct. 26 so residents and contractors could dispose of excess trees and yard waste.

“Normally, we get 200 to 300 customers in the fall yard waste (disposal weekend, but) we had 1,363 people roll through the gates,” said Darrin Stephanson, director of public works. “Most were contractors with trailers and trucks with branches from around the city.”

While these nine free days helped with cleanup ef forts, public works estimates it lost $24,000 in revenue because it didn’t track the volume of waste.

“But we believe it was the right choice in facilitating clean up around the city,” Stephanson added.

Coun. Dawn Luhning is concerned about how quickly city crews remove snow from downtown parking spac es with meters and believes the delay negatively affects businesses and their customers.

While Luhning understood that two major blizzards had hit Moose Jaw within three weeks, she didn’t under stand city hall’s process for clearing downtown parking stalls. She pointed out that city hall sends yearly letters to businesses reminding them to clear sidewalks for pedes trians so they shovel snow into the street.

City council passed a motion years ago that crews had to clear snow from downtown metered spots within a certain time, she said during the Nov. 14 regular council meeting.

“For businesses downtown, the city needs to try and do something about the fact those meters tend to be clogged for quite a bit of time, longer than is appropri ate for those businesses and (their) patrons … ,” she re marked.

Luhning recalled seeing a bylaw enforcement officer ticket a vehicle because it was parked on a snowbank on the sidewalk outside a business on High Street West be cause crews hadn’t cleared the snow.

She added that she understood there were priority streets but noted that residents must access businesses downtown such as doctors’ offices.

The downtown core consists of Main Street and then the side streets that branch off east and west for one block, explained Darrin Stephanson, director of public

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

works and utilities.

Public works crews deposit snow onto the centre me dians on Main Street as the main storage solution, while it starts hauling that snow and snow from the side streets around day 3, he continued. Meanwhile, business own ers can shovel the snow into the parking stalls and public works will remove it.

Side streets such as High Street, Athabasca and Ho chelaga are purely hauling zones because they have lim ited storage capacity, said Stephanson.

“So, for streets … that are off Main Street that have businesses, we do temporary storage in one-half of the parking meters, which is typically our strategy for a large snowfall,” he stated, adding crews will eventually haul away everything.

The city uses third-party contractors to assist with clearing snow, but most were unavailable because it was an early season blizzard and they were still finishing sum mer projects — some for the city — and had not switched their vehicles to winter-oriented initiatives, Stephanson said.

That left city crews to handle everything themselves, which took longer because of the limited equipment, he added. Most supporting contractors won’t be available until December.

“It’s fortunate that we extended (crews’ working) hours a couple of years ago,” said city manager Jim Puf falt. “We have crews scheduled to work through the night with a big storm. It gets us ahead of the game versus the

way it used to be.”

Roof replacement

The blizzard damaged the roofs at Golden Ticket Sports Centre and the Pla-Mor Palace because contrac tors had been upgrading the roofs and the temporary seals failed to hold.

The roof replacement at Pla-Mor concerned Coun. Heather Eby, who wondered why that work wasn’t fin ished during the summer when there was less ice-related programming.

“There is (currently) hockey and figure skating and the construction is a little bit in the way,” she added.

That is something the parks and recreation depart ment will investigate because the work should have been finished by Oct. 1, said director Derek Blais.

“We awarded the tender in May and the contractor had plenty of time to complete it in the summer,” he added. “We will work with (the legal department) in the future on tenders to see if we can hold contractors to a timeline.”

Won’t you be my neighbour?

Coun. Crystal Froese commended residents for being good neighbours and helping dig out others nearby. She heard many people lent snowblowers and helped remove tree branches from yards.

“I’m not sure if that snowstorm was one in a hundred (years), but I hope we don’t see that one any time soon,” she added.

A building on Coteau Street West that spent most of its life as a church space before briefly serving as a store and residence will once again support religious worship.

During its Nov. 14 regular meeting, city council vot ed unanimously to approve a discretionary use applica tion from Living Springs Church Inc. to turn 303 Coteau Street West into a worship centre, as long as the maximum occupancy remains at 90 people to meet on-site parking requirements and if the owner obtains a development and building permit to change the property’s use.

Mayor Clive Tolley was absent from the meeting due to illness.

The property was used as a church from the 1940s to the early 2000s before it ceased operations, although city hall has no record of a change in occupancy or tenant, a council report explained. In 2010, city hall received a dis cretionary use application to use the building as a place of worship; council approved that application.

The building turned into a retail store and residence in 2020 before Living Springs Church applied this year to

Coteau Street West building to once again serve as place of worship

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

return the venue to a place of worship.

Pastor Rob Reimer gave a brief presentation to coun cil about his church’s application. He explained that he played for the WHL Warriors for four years — from 1987-88 to 1990-91 — and was captain for his last year.

“Moose Jaw, it has a special spot in my heart, so (we’re) looking forward to connecting to the community in new ways through Living Springs Church having its own building,” Reimer said, adding the congregation has been meeting at the Events Centre for a while.

Coun. Heather Eby has been a councillor since 2009 and thought it was interesting the number of times council had approved rezoning applications for this property.

“As a resident of South Hill, I used to attend church in … that building, and so I think it’s a great use in that neighbourhood — it fits well,” she added. “And I think it will be a welcome addition up there.”

Michelle Sanson, director of planning and develop ment, told council that city hall has no problem with the application. However, the church’s maximum capacity

must be 90 people to meet the on-site parking require ments of nine stalls. It would have to appeal the park ing requirements to the development appeals board if the congregation grew larger — or find suitable off-street parking within 230 metres.

The zoning bylaw states that places of worship must provide one on-site parking stall per 10 seats in the main assembly area, or where there is no fixed seating, one space per 10 square metres of gross floor area.

Sanson’s council report noted that there are three other churches within the area, including Trinity Unit ed Church about 70 metres northwest, Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church about 350 metres away and Church of our Lady Catholic Church about 725 metres southwest.

Meanwhile, the property is zoned C1B mixed-used neighbourhood commercial district; the closest C1 dis trict is 450 metres east, although no businesses are cur rently active there.

City administration conducted an online survey this fall that asked residents what they think city council’s spend ing priorities should be in 2023 and presented those re sults during the Nov. 14 council meeting.

Provided below are the results from those questions. A total of 396 people responded, representing 1.14 per cent of the population.

Question 1

Asked if they feel the amount of taxes they pay is reasonable compared to the services they receive, 57.5 per cent said no, 29 per cent said somewhat and 13.4 per cent said yes.

Question 2

Asked how they would rate the overall quality of ser vices they receive, 49.7 per cent said satisfactory, 47.1 per cent said unsatisfactory and three per cent said excellent.

There were 168 comments attached to the question, with many responses singling out the “terrible condition” of roads and parks.

“It’s hard to see why my taxes continually increase,” one person wrote. “I specifically bought in an older area and an older home versus building (new) to save on taxes and my taxes went up $600 since buying my home.”

Question 3

The survey asked residents which criteria the city should use when deciding what budget priorities to pur sue in 2023.

Of those who responded, 50.13 per cent said at tracting new and/or supporting existing businesses, 49.1 per cent said reducing spending, 30.85 per cent said in creasing the current level of services, 22.88 per cent said maintaining or increasing spending, 17.48 per cent said “other” and 7.71 per cent said deferring capital spending.

“We need to maintain what we have. Your budget ev ery year has been heavily spent on police and fire. Those departments should be able to maintain without an in

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

crease yearly,” a resident wrote.

Question 4

Respondents’ top spending priorities were roadways, water/wastewater infrastructure, public safety, recreation services, economic development, transit, planning and development, parks and pathways and waste collection/ landfill.

Question 5

In a near split, 50.52 per cent said it wasn’t reason able for the city to increase taxes to cover increased in flation-related costs and 49.48 per cent said it was rea sonable.

Question 6

If given the mandate to manage Moose Jaw, 55.35 per cent would maintain programs and services with a modest yearly tax increase, 24.28 per cent would reduce programs and services and not require an annual tax in crease and 20.37 per cent would expand programs and services where current levels are inadequate and hike tax es above current inflation levels.

Question 7

Asked if they agree with general tax revenues fund ing the waterworks utility, 68.13 per cent said yes and 31.87 per cent said no.

Question 8

Asked what they think of recreation services having a 50-per-cent cost recovery rate from user fees and the rest from taxes, 46.13 per cent said they would increase user fees to reduce funding from taxes, 44.85 per cent agreed with the cost recovery rate, and 9.02 per cent said they would decrease user fees and use more taxation.

Question 9

Asked how important bylaw enforcement is, 45.66 per cent said somewhat, 27.3 per cent said extremely, 19.39 per cent said not so important and 7.65 per cent said not at all important.

Question 10

With economic development, 44.5 per cent said it’s extremely important, 39.64 per cent said it’s somewhat important, and 15.86 per cent said it’s not so or not at all important.

Question 11

With environmental protection and sustainability, 63.75 per cent of respondents said Moose Jaw should continue with that focus and 36.25 per cent said it should not.

Question 12

Asked how important recreation venues and pro grams are, 33.5 per cent said somewhat important, 29.92 per cent said extremely important, and 36.57 per cent said either not so or not at all important.

Question 13

Most respondents — 53.32 per cent — said the city should make the outdoor pool a priority in the capital budget, while 46.68 per cent said no.

Question 14

Respondents said the best ways to fund the pool’s construction — if provincial/federal money is unavailable — are “other” such as fundraising (44.5 per cent), a com bo of taxes and levies (29.84 per cent), a dedicated pool levy (19.9 per cent) and property taxes (5.76 per cent).

Question 15

Asked how important arts and culture are, 41.28 per cent said somewhat important, 25.64 per cent said not so important, 16.67 per cent said not at all important and 16.41 per cent said extremely important.

Other questions asked respondents how long they have lived here, their age, where they live, how they prefer to receive information, the social media platforms they use, the most important issues affecting Moose Jaw and a suggested change to improve quality of life.

CITY HALL COUNCIL NOTES

The next regular council meeting is MONDAY, NOV 28.

While pedestrians crossing Thatcher Drive West near Fourth Avenue Northwest may feel like they’re playing a game of chicken because of the traffic volume, safety upgrades could soon be coming.

During its Nov. 14 regular meeting, city council vot ed unanimously to discuss and consider installing pedes trian-crossing lights at that T-intersection during the 2023 budget deliberations.

Mayor Clive Tolley was absent because of illness.

It’s easy to see how busy that intersection — and crosswalk — is when coming from east or west on Thatcher Drive, especially since many drivers zip into the right lane when other motorists turn left, said Coun. Dawn Luhning, who moved the motion.

“It’s getting pretty dangerous there,” she stated. Luhning hoped council would consider installing

Council to consider pedestrian lights at Thatcher and Fourth Avenue NW intersection

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

pedestrian-crossing lights there because of the increase in foot-traffic volume, acknowledging it would first need cost estimates and a discussion during the budget. Yet, she hoped they could do something to better address safe ty there.

Coun. Doug Blanc agreed, noting he believes traffic lights might be better because of how many people enter and leave Thatcher Drive from Fourth Avenue North west. However, he thought that idea should wait until city hall finishes its master transportation plan.

“I would be very curious to see what type of traf fic we actually have utilizing the Fourth Avenue off of Thatcher,” said Coun. Crystal Froese. “It seems to have increased exponentially the last couple of years.”

City administration discussed this T-intersection a few months ago and agrees that the logistics of that area

“are pretty scary” and poor for pedestrians, said city man ager Jim Puffalt. They believe that traffic lights may be needed because it’s difficult for some motorists to enter and exit that area at certain times of the day.

Pedestrians must also be aware of traffic when cross ing because the driving lane is narrow, he added. City administration knows it needs to review that intersection and appreciates city council pushing forward this issue.

“I walked by there a few times — several times, ac tually — and at certain times of the day, when Sask. Poly students and folks walking down to the high schools are crossing there, it is quite dangerous,” said Coun. Jamey Logan. “I will be excited to look at the different options (for that area) when they come to us at budget.”

The next regular council meeting is Monday, Nov. 28.

City investments lost over $500K during this year’s third quarter

The City of Moose Jaw’s stock investments lost over $500,000 during the third quarter of this year, while both portfolios have lost more than $14 million year-to-date.

During city council’s Nov. 14 regular meeting, council received the investment committee’s report with results from Q3 of 2022. Council then voted unanimous ly to receive and file the document.

There was $23,712,577.23 in the moderate-term portfolio and $66,994,498.29 in the long-term portfolio as of Sept. 30, for a total of $90,707,075.52. In compari son, as of June 30, those numbers were $23,769,314.80, $67,471,316.63 and $91,240,631.43, respectively.

At one point, the investments were worth $102 mil lion.

Moderate-term portfolio

The report showed from July 1 to Sept. 30, the mod erate-term portfolio decreased by 0.24 per cent and lost $56,737.57. This dropped the portfolio to $23,712,577.23 from $23,769,314.80.

Year-to-date, the portfolio has declined 7.80 per cent.

Long-term portfolio

From July 1 to Sept. 30, the long-term portfolio de creased by 0.71 per cent and lost $476,818.34, the report showed. This dropped the portfolio to $66,994,498.29 from $67,471,316.63.

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

Year-to-date, the portfolio has declined by 13.79 per cent.

Combined, both portfolios lost $533,555.91 during the third quarter, equal to about 17 percentage points in municipal taxation.

One percentage point this year equalled $310,755.26 in municipal taxation.

In comparison, both portfolios lost about $8.05 mil lion during the second quarter, equal to about 26 percent age points in municipal taxation. Moreover, the portfoli os lost $4.7 million in Q1, equal to about 15.3 percentage points in municipal taxation.

Committee response

Coun. Dawn Luhning, a member of the investment committee, explained that 4.25 per cent is the annual re turn percentage objective for the moderate-term portfo lio. However, that number stands at 3.06 per cent.

Furthermore, six per cent is the annual return per centage objective for the long-term portfolio. Yet, since its inception, the return has been 3.31 per cent.

Meanwhile, the city has an extra $2,716,000 of long-term portfolio money invested in its bank account, providing a return of 4.35 per cent. That money will re turn to the actual portfolio once money manager RBC Dominion Securities selects a longer-term investment option for those funds.

“The first three quarters of 2022 is seeing the finan cial markets experience volatility, and this is something the city expects and has anticipated in its investment pol icy,” said Luhning.

These investments are different from the money that individuals contribute because there is usually an end point for the latter investments, whereas a corporation — such as Moose Jaw — has an unending lifespan, she continued.

Even though the losses are difficult to take — and have been for everyone — the markets “always go up,” and there are opportunities for the municipality to invest in bonds and GICs that will be beneficial in the short term.

The committee takes a long-term view on invest ments, which allows the city to weather short-term mar ket downturns, Luhning said. The committee has also structured the investments so there are liquid assets — such as GICs — that will mature during the next few years. This ensures the committee doesn’t have to sell equities and bonds during this downturn.

“The city’s investment manager will be re-balanc ing the moderate- and long-term portfolios when there is strength in the market to a neutral asset mix, adding … bonds and quality dividend funds,” she added.

Most residents approve of initiatives that city hall is pursuing, survey suggests

A new survey suggests most residents approve of the initiatives that city hall is pursuing — whether climate change, economic development, bylaw enforcement or the outdoor pool — but feel their taxes are unreasonable

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

compared to the services they receive.

The municipality held an online survey between Sept. 16 and Oct. 10 and asked 22 questions about res idents’ preferred spending priorities ahead of city coun cil’s 2023 budget deliberations.

A total of 396 people responded, which, according to survey platform Survey Monkey, represents a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 per cent based on a popula tion of 35,000.

Conversely, that also means only 1.14 per cent of the population bothered to respond.

City administration presented the survey results during council’s Nov. 14 regular meeting. The Express will have a separate story with that data.

“A lot of the initiatives we are working upon are be ing supported by the community, so that’s good to see,” said city manager Jim Puffalt.

Puffalt highlighted how while 58 per cent of respon dents feel their taxes are unreasonable compared to the services they receive, 53 per cent believe the quality of services is satisfactory or excellent.

“So, a little bit mixed message for us,” he added.

With the multi-page report listing all the comments that residents provided, Puffalt noted that the city always invites customers to talk to city hall about issues. Or, they should use the city app to report issues like potholes because city hall will respond faster to that than other communications methods; the city filled its 8,000th pot hole on Nov. 14.

While there were many comments about infrastruc ture, Puffalt pointed out the municipality replaced near ly four kilometres of cast iron pipe this year. Moreover, this was the first year it completed everything infrastruc ture-related before the snow arrived. He attributed that to good planning and good work by city staff.

However, city hall did not address the cast iron pipes underneath Athabasca Street because it discovered there was more work required to address the storm mains than expected, he continued. It didn’t want to fix one issue and then return next year to dig up the road again.

“We want to make sure that once we go somewhere, we don’t have to come back for 20 years because we know how much of a disruption it is to people and busi nesses and everybody else,” Puffalt added.

Another issue respondents had was with the Ninth Avenue Southwest/Highway 2 road and how they be lieve it’s taking too long to fix.

“But as we’ve talked (in the past), we had to prove it was not a leaking water line before we could have (the Ministry of) Highways take responsibility for it,” Puffalt said. “So, most of the time, there are good reasons why things take a bit longer than others … (because) there are underlying issues (and) currents that we’re trying to resolve.”

While the intersection of Ninth Avenue Northwest and Highway 1 was also a concern, Puffalt pointed out it takes plenty of work to resolve and won’t happen quick ly.

The city manager encouraged residents to read the news releases city hall puts out about because the city is pleased to report on the good — and not so good — things that occur. He also suggested that residents con tinue to contact city hall and council with concerns.

There were many comments that respondents gave about their most important issues, said Coun. Crystal Froese. What stood out for her was this was the first year where crime was mentioned regularly.

“So I think our citizens are really feeling the in crease that we know we have in our city with petty crime and some safety issues,” she added.

OF 2022

The one stop shop for every Warriors Fan!

one of the Warriors’ most complete games of the season, and led to goaltender Con nor Ungar picking up his first shutout in a Warriors uniform with a 33-save perfor mance.

The clean sheet saw Ungar’s goals against average drop to 2.37 and moved him into sixth place in the WHL in that category. The win was also Ungar’s 10th of the season, third-best in the league.

Yager and Hoekstra also had assists on the night, while the recently returned Ryder Korczak had a pair of helpers.

The Warriors had 29 shots on Swift Current’’s Reid Dyck.

Seeing the team come away with four points on a home-and-home weekend was naturally a positive for assistant coach Gord Burnett, who spoke with Warriors’ broadcaster James Gallo after the contest.

“It’s been a little bit of an Achilles heel of ours, but we performed better to night and we’re happy about that and

we’re going to have to continue to do that,” Burnett said. “We have three backto-backs coming up here on the road trip, they’re important games and they’re all worth two points, but that second game of the back-to-back hasn’t been good for us, so we’re happy to get the win.”

Twenty-four hours earlier, the War riors took the ice in their special mauve jerseys with photo mosaics in the num bers as part of their Hockey Fights Cancer Night.

er than practice, so it was a short turn around,” said Korczak, who was playing his first game after driving 32 hours from Hartford. “But I thought it was good for the first two periods and the third period was a little bit sloppy, but we got the win and that’s the most important thing.”

Baco, Max Wanner and Atley Calvert also scored for the Warriors, who led 5-1 at the 1:05 mark of the third but ended up hanging on for dear life as the period pro gressed.

Mathew Ward scored twice and Sam McGinley had their other marker as Swift Current clawed their way back to a single goal before falling one short. Brady Birnie had their other goal in the first period.

Wanner, Alarie and Mateychuk had two assists each.

Jackson Unger had 30 saves in goal for Moose Jaw, Gage Alexander made 30 stops for the Broncos.

“Obviously that first one feels real good,” Ungar told the Warriors’ Marc Smith on the post-game show after the win. “It’s kind of nice to get that goose egg out of there, and hopefully we just keep rolling from there.”

Moose Jaw is now 13-8-0-0 on the season, good enough for fourth place in the Eastern Conference, four points back of the Saskatoon Blades and one up on the Calgary Hitmen.

The Warriors are now on the road for seven games in the next 14 days, begin ning Wednesday, Nov. 23 in Prince George against the Cougars.

High-scoring forward Korczak returned to Warriors by New York Rangers

It might have taken Ryder Korczak a cou ple of extra days to arrive in the Friendly City, but there the overage forward was on the morning of Thursday, Nov. 17, taking the ice with the Moose Jaw Warriors for the first time since being assigned to the Western Hockey League club by the New York Rangers.

Korczak opted to make the 32-hour drive from Hartford, where he was play ing with the Rangers’ American Hockey League affiliate, after being assigned to Moose Jaw at the beginning of the week..

“I’m actually with my girlfriend so it was nice just rotating with her,” Korczak said shortly after getting off the ice from his first practice. “The roads weren’t the greatest, but at least we got done with it… It was three days of travelling, so three off days, but it was definitely nice seeing the guys and getting back at it.”

The move was naturally a bit of a bittersweet one for the Yorkton product -Korczak had made it a goal to definitive ly crack Hartford’s line-up in his rookie season, but ended up playing sporadically since joining the team out of New York’s training camp. That translated into five games and no points through the Wolf

Pack’s 12 outings so far this season.

“They wanted me to be a top-six for ward and they obviously didn’t have the room in Hartford, so they decided to send me back to junior,” Korczak said of the Rangers’ decision. “I’m happy about it. I mean, I’d obviously rather be in Hartford, but if I’m not playing top-six minutes there, it’s a chance to play top-six minutes here. It’s going to be a change, but I’m ex

cited for it.”

It’s also a bit of a strange situation in that Korczak is going from an absolute rookie in the Hartford line-up to a nodoubt bona fide leader on the ice with the Warriors.

“It’s crazy, and it’s like I was saying earlier to the guys, you’re playing against men in the AHL so I’m going to try and rip off a couple of good habits I picked up and bring them here,” Korczak said. “I like to lead by example, so if guys watch me hopefully they can pick up a little bit.”

One fortunate aspect of being in the internet era is that Korczak is plenty fa miliar with this edition of the Warriors al ready -- not only just through being with the team the past three seasons, but also by watching the WHL Live broadcasts of Moose Jaw games whenever he could.

“I tried to watch every game,” Korczak said. “I like to watch hockey, and if NHL games aren’t on, I’d watch Moose Jaw. It looks like this is a pretty good team, we have lots of draft picks and signed guys, lots of depth, so I’m excited to come back and hopefully take a run at it.”

One thing that’s certain is Korczak will be looking to provide all sorts of of

fence. He finished second in team scoring in 2021-22 with 25 goals and 79 points in 68 games before leading the team with three goals and 13 points in 10 playoff games. That all led to the Rangers signing Korczak to his first NHL contract during the off-season after selecting him in the third round, 75th overall in the 2021 Entry Draft.

It’s safe to say Korczak has had an im mediate impact in his return -- he picked up an assist on Jagger Firkus’ game-win ner in Moose Jaw’s 5-4 win over the Swift Current Broncos on Friday and was one of the more dominant players on the ice in the rematch Saturday, adding another two assists in the 6-0 win in Swift Current.

“I’m ready for it, whatever way I can help the team to win is the most important part,” Korczak said of the heavy expecta tions. “Obviously we want to win but I’m hoping to put up some points at the same time and we’ll see what happens.”

The Warriors are now in the midst of an eight-games-in-14-days road swing through the B.C. Division and Alberta. Next action is Wednesday, Nov. 23 in

George against the Cougars.

Prince

Overage Yorkton product puts up three points in first two games back with WHL team Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express

Warriors forward Ryder Korczak was back with the Warriors for the Hockey Fights Cancer game on Friday night.

Ben Riche celebrates after Max Wan ner’s power play goal midway through the first period.

Warriors goaltender Jackson Unger keeps a close eye on the puck during a goalmouth scrum.

The Moose Jaw Events Centre was lit up in mauve throughout the night.

Fans were able to go on the ice and sign the name of a loved one affected by can cer after the game.

Baumuller hat trick leads Notre Dame to victory over Winmar Warriors

Perrin scores lone goal for Moose Jaw as Hounds go on to 4-1 victory in Sask Male AAA Hockey League action

It stands to reason that at some point this season, the Moose Jaw Winmar Warriors will find the kind of consistency that can lead to a lengthy winning streak in the Sask Male AAA Hockey League.

Until then, there will be nights like Thursday, Nov. 17, when the Warriors travelled to Wilcox and dropped a 4-1 de cision to the Notre Dame Hounds.

It’s been an up-and-down month so far for the local squad, as they haven’t won or lost more than two games in a row since enduring a four-game losing streak in late October. As a result, Moose Jaw holds a 5-7-0-3 record through their first 15 games, good enough for a four-way tie with Warman, Prince Albert and Estevan for sixth place in the 12-team league. The

Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express

Jody Baumuller played the biggest role in Notre Dame’s win, scoring single goals in each period to finish the night with a hat trick. Baumuller did his damage late in each period, too, scoring his first goal with 2:42 remaining in the first, sec ond goal with 2:40 to play in the second and final marker with 5:13 remaining in the game.

Notre Dame led 1-0 after the first be fore Rhett Perrin tied the game with sev en minutes to play in the second frame. Edouard Houde restored the Hounds’ lead with a power play goal 2:20 later and Baumuller gave Notre Dame a 3-1 lead through two.

Alec Nasreddine added three assists for the home team.

Ryan Hicks had 24 saves in taking the loss, while Mariko Bercier turned in a 32save performance to earn the win.

Conner Miller and Liam Fitzpatrick continue to lead Moose Jaw in scoring with 19 points each, with Miller having scored seven goals and Fitzpatrick six. Those totals see the duo tied for 14th in league scoring.

Hicks is 12th overall among goalten ders with a 3.58 goals against average and .880 save percentage, while Ryan Bain is 19th with a 4.50 GAA and .863 SP.

The Winmar Warriors are back in ac tion Thursday, Nov. 24 when they host the Estevan Bears. Game time is 7 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

Moose Jaw U13 AA Warriors move into top four in South Division with win over Royals

Silbernagel scores four as Warriors battle to 7-5 victory for third win in last four games

One week after rolling to a 10-3 win over the Regina Mustangs, the Warriors were back at it on Thursday, Nov, 17 as they battled to a 7-5 victory over the Regina Royals in Sask AA Hockey League action at the Bert Hunt Arena.

As the score would indicate, it wasn’t an easy night, either -- the Warriors trailed 4-2 after the first period but scored the only two goals in the second before pulling away with a trio of markers in the final frame.

Drayson Silbernagel led the way for

Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express

Moose Jaw, scoring a natural hat trick and finishing the night with four goals and five points. Silbernagel scored his first goal with 2:39 remaining in the first before adding markers at 3:12 and 16:35 of the second pe riod. He then closed out scoring for Moose Jaw with 2:06 remaining in the game.

The five-point outing saw Silbernagel move from 18th to fifth overall in league scoring with 21 points. His 15 goals are good enough for a tie for second in the league.

Owen Tribier scored twice in the third

period and finished his night with four points, while Braxton Casemore scored the game’s first goal 3:44 into the proceedings and ended up with three assists through the rest of the game.

Caleb Benoit and Rylan Edwards each scored twice for Regina, Maria Facca had their other marker.

There were no shortage of scoring op portunities for either team, as Eli Tkachuk finished with 41 saves in the Moose Jaw goal and Kohen Morrow stopped 46 shots

in taking the loss.

The Warriors are now 5-3-00 on the season, good enough for fourth place in the 13-team South Division, one point back of Swift Current and one point up on the Balgonie Prairie Storm.

Moose Jaw returns to action on Thurs day, Nov. 24 when they host the Regina Ti gers (4-4-0-0). Game time is 7:15 p.m. at the Bert Hunt Arena.

logjam also sees the four teams seven points back of the Saskatoon Contacts for fifth and a point up on 10th-place Yorkton.

Rhett Perrin, here in action earlier this season against the Prince Albert Mintos, scored the lone goal for Moose Jaw on Thursday night.

Minor hockey logo

The experience of a lifetime: Warriors

Howell, Lakovic

It’s the first step for almost every player looking to represent their country at the highest level of hockey for their age group.

And for Moose Jaw Warriors defence man Marek Howell and forward Lynden Lakovic, the recently concluded World Under-17 Hockey Championship was ev erything they were expecting and more.

Lakovic joined Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary in reaching the bronze medal game at the seven-team tournament with Team Black, while Howell and Can ada White finished with a 1-3-1-1 record and just missed the playoffs.

“It was the experience of a lifetime, for sure,” Howell said shortly after prac tice on Wednesday afternoon. “Those two weeks started off learning what Hockey Canada is all about, then the tournament is a lot more serious, where you’re all there to do a job. At the end of the day, we weren’t as great in the games but as the tournament went on we improved a lot. So it was all a really good experience.”

Lakovic felt much the same way, es pecially with the opportunity to play for a medal.

“Representing your country is some thing you definitely dream about growing up, and the opportunity I had the last couple

weeks to do that and perform well was an honour,” he said. “Especially growing up and watching Team Canada when you’re six, seven years old playing for gold in all these crazy tournaments, and being able to be a part of it all is phenomenal.”

Lakovic had the added benefit of play ing for O’Leary at the event, something he felt helped when it came to getting off to a good start personally.

look back on World U17s

one of his biggest takeaways, especially when it came to the calibre of opponents they were facing.

“Sometimes we get carried away thinking we’re the only guys who can real ly play, but I think that tournament shows there are good hockey players all over the world,” Howell said. “I think with our team, we went in there almost too happy with ourselves and losing to Sweden [3-2 in their opener] was an eye-opener, that every team is going to be good and will have lots of good players.”

The duo felt the key was to simply play their game, with the goal of improv ing as much as they could as the tourna ment progressed.

“I definitely feel like I got a head start because I knew what he was expecting when it came to systems and everything,” Lakovic said. “It was an awesome experi ence and it was great to have him around to help me out.’

Both players finished the event with a goal and three points, with Howell play ing six games and Lakovic seven. Howell pointed to the overall skill of the event as

“Comparing yourself against the best kids in your age group from all over the world, that showed I do have some work to do in order to reach my end goal,” Lakovic said. “But it felt like with the skill level it was a lot more different than here, and it’s just a matter of working hard. To get to the highest level.

“It was definitely a big confidence booster, knowing you’re one of the best players in the world for your age, and now coming back and succeeding and produc ing more will be the plan.”

Warriors O’Leary looks back on coaching at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge

Moose Jaw Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary might have been no stranger to international hockey heading into the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, but that didn’t make the whole experience any less special.

O’Leary served as the head coach of Canada Black at the seven-team tourna ment in Delta and Langley, B.C. over the course of two weeks, leading his crew to the bronze medal game before falling 7-1 to Finland and finishing in fourth place.

The third-year Warriors head coach was previously an assistant with Team Red at the event in 2018 and felt the event was as positive now as it was back then.

“It was a great experience,” O’Leary said last Tuesday night after his first game back behind the Warriors bench. “Every game is big, the way it’s set up it’s like every game is a quarter-final or semifinal. There were some big moments and it was a great experience for us as coaches and players and that’s what you want from the U17. In a perfect world we would have won a medal, but I was proud of the group for getting a little bit better each day and being there in the fight at the end.”

Of course, one of the biggest differ ences is the players’ overall age. O’Leary is plenty used to working with 20-and-un der skaters, but it’s a different look when your entire line-up is still in high school.

“It’s a lot of fun, actually,” O’Leary said. “You’re playing against better play ment O’Leary was exceptionally familiar

with. Warriors defenceman Marek Howell suited up for Team White, while O’Leary had a chance to coach forward Lynden La kovic on Team Black.

“I thought they did a great job,” O’Leary said in assessing the duo’s show ing. “I talked to the coaching staff on Marek’s team and they were very pleased and thought Marek played his game. He defended hard and made simple plays.

For Linden, he earned more ice time as it went on,” O’Leary added. “We had guys slotted into different spots and guys moved up and down the line-up depending how things were going and Lynden was a guy who put up some points and played his game. That’s what you can ask of any body, to enjoy the experience but to con tinue to get better every day and both guys did that.”

Howell, the Warriors first-round pick in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, finished

the tournament with a goal and three points in six games, while Lakovic, the Warriors’ second-round pick in 2021, had a goal and three points in seven games.

The tournament was the first Hockey Canada experience for both players, and O’Leary hopes they took away as much as they could from their showings.

“I think the U.S. was impressive, and regardless of how you chop it up with the three Canadian teams and trying to get as many guys as you can experience, once the puck is dropped, whether your a coach or player, you’re there to win the game and it’s disappointing when you don’t win,” O’Leary said. “Looking back now, and certainly in the future I’ll be looking back at this as a positive experience and I’m hoping the players will, too.”

The United States took an 11-3 win over Canada Red to win gold at the tour nament.

First Hockey Canada experience a great one as Warriors duo play in international tournament Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express

Moose Jaw bench boss led crew to appearance in bronze medal game at IIHF event Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express

Moose Jaw Warriors Marek Howell and Lynden Lakovic were in action at the World U17 Hockey Challenge over the past two weeks.

Moose Jaw Warriors head coach Mark O’Leary was back behind the bench for the Warriors on Tuesday night after coaching at the World Under-17 Hock ey Challenge.

Wheelchair curling teams selected for upcoming national championship in Moose Jaw

Things are once again rolling into high gear for the upcoming Canadian Wheel chair Curling Championship this coming March at the Moose Jaw Curling Centre.

The teams are picked, early prepara tions are coming together and things are moving forward for the high-level event, just like they were in 2021 and 2022. Both those events were cancelled due to the pandemic, but hosting duties were sim ply rolled over into 2023 and 2024 for the Moose Jaw crew.

As a result, players were on the ice on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 13, 2022) for the one-day team selection camp, with the two rinks that will represent the province in just over four months time now in place.

There will be plenty of familiar names playing for Saskatchewan, too -- while po sitions have yet to be finalized, Paralym pic bronze medalist Marie Wright will be joined by Gil Dash, Darwin Bender and Moose Gibson on one rink while Cheryl Pederson, Rod Pederson, Russell Whitsitt and Stewart McKeown will see action on the province’s second rink..

“It was a busy day, for sure, we had

eight people who were inter ested in playing and trying to improve their skills, so that was very positive,” said coach Lorraine Arguin. “We’ve been the three nationals for the core group of them, so it’s a pretty good line-up. We have a big few months coming up ahead of us, lots of work, but we’re looking forward to it and looking for ward to the competition.”

McKeown, who hails from Saskatoon, is a newcomer to the group and the sport, but is no stranger to the scene as a com petitive wheelchair athlete -- he represented Canada at the 1988 Paralympics in Seoul, winning silver in the discus and bronze in the shot put. He also played wheelchair basketball for Canada at the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, reaching the quarter-final.

“We’ll try and incorporate working with him in Saskatoon and having him come down as often as he can,” Arguin said. “And he’s going to try and get some

extra arms twisted to curl in Saskatoon, so hopefully he’ll be our little lightbulb that’ll get things going up there.”

While the two teams plan to practice as a unit as much as they can, things are complicated by Wright and Dash as mem bers of the Canadian national team pro gram. The duo are away for two weeks at events in B.C. and Ontario, and will also

be away for parts of December, January and February. That might mean fewer ses sions as a full rink, but being part of Team Canada and training at that level is a bonus in Arguin’s eyes.

“They pick up a lot of different skills at the national camps as well, which rip ples over to our other players since we can share that information with them,” she ex plained. “So that’s really helpful. On the other hand, they’re not around for practic es, but they get a lot of time on the ice at the national level, so that works out well for them and it’s definitely nice that they get to play at that level.”

For now, it’s a matter of the teams simply getting on the ice as much as they can in the coming months and making sure things are as sharp as can be when the tournament begins on Mar. 19.

The call for volunteers and further preparations will be taking place closer to the date, and be sure to keep an eye on www.moosejawcurling.com and their Facebook site at www.facebook.com/ CurlMooseJaw for more information.

Given the calibre of competition, it’s al ways been a difficult run for teams looking to put together an undefeated record in the Original 16 Cash League -- there’s always one off night or a game where the oppo nent rises to the occasion.

This past Wednesday night was that time for Matt Froehlich, as his perennial contender foursome dropped to 4-1 on the season thanks to a 6-4 loss at the hands of Pro-Tec Electric and Stan Barnsley (3-3).

The two teams were all tied up at three through four ends when Froehlich used the hammer to pick up a single point, but Barnsley replied with a deuce in the sixth end and a crucial steal of one in the seventh. Froehlich was unable to pull off the steal in the final end, giving Barnsley the two-point win.

Both BTN Chartered Accountants (Penny Barker) and KMS Construction (Ben Gamble) remain undefeated at 4-0

after postponing their games against EMJ Marketing (Joe Gunnis, 2-3) and Paws N Play (Jaedon Miller, 2-3) respectively.

After a fast start to the campaign, John’s Music (Ryan Wenarchuk) dropped to 3-3 on the season after taking an ex tra-end 7-6 loss to KalTire (Dustin Wolo schuk, 2-4). The contest was a back-andforth battle, with Woloschuk taking a 3-1

lead in the third end and Wenarchuk tying things up with a pair in the fourth before Woloschuk looked to pull away with a deuce in the fifth and steal in the sixth to lead 6-3. Wenarchuk picked up a single point in the seventh, though, and stole a pair in the eighth to tie things up, leading to Woloschuk using the hammer in the ex tra end to get his single point.

Fountain Tire (Barry Silk, 2-4) had the most comfortable win on the night, taking a 10-2 win over RK Sunview Farms (Tanya Heisler, 0-6). Silk got off to a fast start with three in the first end and a 4-0 lead through two before Heisler got a pair back in the third. That set the stage for Silk to take complete control of the game with a five-ender in the fourth, and a steal in the

fifth brought things to an early end.

Rod Montgomery (3-3) looked to have things in hand after a great start against ProTec Studios (Tyler Krupski, 3-2), but one of the biggest comebacks in recent league history changed all that.

Montgomery scored two in the first and added deuces in the second and third ends to lead 6-0 before Krupski staged his rally. A single point in the fourth, steal of three in the fifth and steal of four in the sixth, and just like that, an 8-6 Krupski edge. Montgomery got one back in the seventh but Krupski would hold on in the eighth for the 8-7 win.

Original 16 Cash League action takes place every Wednesday night at the Moose Jaw Curling Centre.

Prairie South Elementary Volleyball Finals

Submitted by Jordaan Braun

The Sunningdale elemen tary volleyball finals for Boys and Girls were held on Wednesday, November 16th.

The girls Finals were between Sunningdale School and Cornerstone Christian School with a back-and-forth game where Cornerstone won the first and third sets, and Sun ningdale won the second, fourth, and fifth sets to win the ‘A’ Girls Volleyball Championship.

The boys finals were between Sunningdale School and Palliser Heights School where Sunningdale made a big comeback to win the game. Palliser dom inated the first two sets, and then Sunningdale won the next three to get the reverse sweep.

Preparations in full swing for Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship at Moose Jaw Events Centre Mar. 19-25

Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express

Randy Palmer

Lorraine Arguin chats with Moose Gibson and Marie Wright during a practice session prior to the then-still-scheduled 2022 Canadian Wheel chair Curling Championship.

Briercrest Christian wins silver at 3A girls high school volleyball championship

The Briercrest Christian Academy Cou gars came within a single win of a gold medal but ended up settling for silver at the SHSAA 3A girls provincial volleyball championship this past weekend.

The Cougars dropped a 25-15, 25-19 decision to Lanigan in the championship final in Macklin, capping an impressive run through the playoff round that includ ed a huge upset in the quarter-final.

Briercrest Christian finished the round robin with a 1-3 record but came up big in their first playoff game, defeating Unity 25-20, 15-25, 15-6 to advance to the semifinal.

As it turns out, Briercrest wasn’t done there, either, as they’d knock off Dalmeny 25-16, 25-17 to advance to the gold medal game.

Briercrest Christian opened the tour nament with a 25-16, 25-19 loss to Lan igan before picking up what would be a crucial 25-13, 31-29 win over Maple Creek -- with the way things played out the rest of the round robin, without that win, the Cougars would have missed the playoffs.

BCA ended up in a couple of barn burners in their next two games, losing 25-27, 25-13, 15-9 to Carnduff to close out play Friday before dropping a 25-23, 2225, 15-13 decision to Macklin in their final round robin contest Saturday morning.

That set up the match with Unity, who had put together a 3-1 record in their round robin and were the top seeds out of Pool B. The news wasn’t as good for the two

Moose Jaw entries at the 4A girls provin cial tournament in Nipawin.

The Vanier Spirits posted a 2-2 record in their round robin but lost 25-18, 25-11 to the tournament hosts in their quarter-fi nal. Preliminary round action saw Vanier fall 25-17, 25-19 to North Battleford John Paul II before defeating Martensvile 2522, 25-21 and losing a heartbreaker 2510, 21-25, 15-10 to Lumsden in their final game Friday. Vanier locked down third place in their pool with a 25-16, 15-25, 15-6 win over Tisdale Saturday morning.

The Central Cyclones were unable to get out of their pool after posting a 1-3 re cord.

Central won their opener 25-20, 1525, 15-12 over Meadow Lake but ran out of luck from there, falling 25-23, 25-22 to Humboldt, 25-18, 25-16 to Nipawin and dropping a tough 25-17, 13-25, 15-11 decision in their final round robin game -- where a win would have moved the Cy clones into the playoff round.

Both the Vanier Vikings and Central Cyclones have advanced to the 4A boys

provincial championship after finishing first and third respectively in their regional at Yorkton Sacred Heart.

The two teams ended up facing each other in the semifinal where the city cham pion Vikings took a 16-25, 25-12, 15-7 victory to book their spot in provincials. Vanier then won the region with a 15-25, 25-15, 25-9 win over Melville.

The Cyclones had a must-win game against Lumsden to book their spot and took a 25-17, 25-17 win to finish third.

The two teams will now play in the 4A boys provincials in Meadow Lake this coming weekend.

At the 3A boys regional in Outlook, the city championship runner-up Assini boia Rockets didn’t drop a set until the fi nal, where they went on to a 26-28, 25-13, 25-10 win over Unity to earn the top seed for provincials in Assiniboia this weekend.

The Rockets went 3-0 in their round robin pool and defeated Outlook 25-13, 25-18 in the semifinal.

The Briercrest Christian Academy Cougars were also in action in Outlook but went 1-2 in the round robin and missed the playoffs.

The Cornerstone Christian School Falcons were also in action in the 2A boys regional in at Regina Laval, finishing 1-1 in the preliminary round and falling 25-11, 25-21 to the host team in the semifinal to see their season come to an end.

Be sure to check www.shsaa.ca for provincial draws in the coming days.

Vanier Spirits reach playoffs, Central falls in round robin in 4A tournament; Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express

The Vanier Vikings won their 4A boys regional championship and will be one of the top seeds for provincials in Meadow Lake this coming weekend.

Upcoming Events in Moose Jaw

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

Superannuated Teachers of Saskatch ewan Moose Jaw Branch Future meet ing dates: Wed. Jan. 18/23, Wed. March 15/23, and Wed. May 17/23.

National Association of Federal Retir ees ( NAFR) Branch 23 General Meeting Nov 23,( Wed) 2022 at 7pm in the Eaton’s building card room -510 Main St N. Moose Jaw. Handicapped accessible building. All Available Members please attend. Note: There will be a Special Meeting held during the General Meeting to amend our quorum by laws. We need you there to accomplish this. Also on agenda is future events planning. 306 693-0717 for more info, or mcwall@sasktel.net

Bentley Christmas Craft and Trade Fair will be held on Tuesday November 22, from 11am to 4pm at 425-4th Ave. NW. Many different crafters/vendors. Every one welcome!

Lawn Bowling at the Yara Centre: Drop in Tuesdays @9:30 am & Thursdays @1:30pm. Yara fees/memberships apply. For beginners Moose Jaw Lawn Bowling members plan to be available to demon strate. If you have bowls, please bring your own.

Moose Jaw Prairie Hearts Quilters meet in the Masonic Temple at 1775 Main Street North. Membership Fee is $50 per year. For more information write Moose Jaw Prairie Hearts Quilters’ Guild Inc., Box 484, Moose Jaw, SK S6H 4P1 or email prairieheartsquilters@yahoo.ca

Meeting Schedule December 01 & 17 and 2023 schedule: January 05 & 19/Febru ary 02 & 16/March 02 & 16/April 06 & 20/ May 04 & 18 (last mtg until Sept)

Sask Old Fashioned Winter Farm Meal Cabaret and Dinner on Friday Nov. 25th at Minto United Church – 1036 – 7th Ave. NW. Special Guest Ray Rawlyk and Band. Doors Open 5:30 p.m. Supper starts at 6:30 p.m. Age 19+ cash bar. Farm to Ta ble meal in coordination with Wandering Market – Buffet style – Sask Fried Chick en, slow-roasted beef, mashed potatoes & 2 veggies, butter, three salads (green/ coleslaw/Greek), Traditional Cornbread & Cindy’s Homemade buns. Tickets $80 and can be purchased at: https://www. eventbrite.ca/e/winter-wonderland-caba ret-tickets-453947076927

Town and Country Singles Dance on Saturday November 26 , 2022 at Church of Our Lady Community Center 566 Vaughan St. West from 7:30 to 11:00 pm. Band Al and Company. Come on out for an evening of fun! Married couples are welcome! Cost is $15.00 per person. For more information call 306-691-6634.

Zion Christmas Sale: Saturday, Nov. 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Zion Social Hall will be wreaths, decorations, cen terpieces, jewelry, baking, puzzles, and more for sale. Donations of new items for the John Howard Society are also being accepted—mitts/gloves, hats, scarves, long underwear, and socks.

ROTARY CAROL FESTIVAL—The Moose Jaw Rotary Club is presenting its 76th annual Carol Festival on Monday, December 5, and Tuesday, December 6. The event will be held at Zion Church on Main each night at 7 p.m. The acoustics at this venue enhance the sound for the presenters and listeners. A free will offer ing will be taken and funds go to Rotary projects in the city. Come one and all and get into the holiday spirit!

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.

The Moose Jaw Stamp Club Meetings are the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at 6:30pm at the Lindale School staff room, 1322 11th Ave. NW (north entrance). Call 306-693-5705 for information.

The Moose Jaw Community Choir regu lar choir practices are on Mondays @ 700830PM at First Free Methodist Church. Performances in the community may also take place on alternate evenings. New members are always welcome and en couraged (especially tenors and basses) and no audition is required. New mem bers who are interested should contact the Choir Director Diane Rhodes at 306640-8098 or message us through Face book @Moose Jaw Community Choir. Moose Jaw Camera Club has resumed monthly Club Meetings. Interested pho tographers are welcome and invited to join and Be Focused With Us! For more information: Wanda - 306-693-7440 or Len - 306-693-7685. themoosejawcam eraclub.com

Toastmasters Big Country Club pro

vides a mutually supportive and posi tive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop oral communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth. For more information email secretary-3418@toastmaster sclubs.org or text 306 690-8739

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

Moose Jaw Public Library, 461 Lang don Cres. Phone 306.692.2787; visit their website at https://www.moosejawlibrary. ca/

Youth Programming IN PERSON & VIR TUAL PROGRAMS

Teen Dungeons & Dragons Thursdays until December 15 at 6:30-8:30 pm in MJPL Archives for ages 12-16. New and seasoned players welcome. Registration required. For more information or to regis ter, email youth@moosejawlibrary.ca.

Adult programming

Regular programming:

Tech Time — by appointment only, get help with all your technology frustrations. To book, call the MJPL at 306-692-2787. Avid Knitters — Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 2:30 p.m.

Youth programming

Adult Digital D&D is a new MJPL club for ages 15 to 22. Members meet every Fri day from 4 to 6 p.m. on Discord and all experience levels are welcome. To regis ter, email youth@moosejawlibrary.ca.

Regular programming:

Teen D&D — ages 12 to 16, every Thurs day until Dec. 15 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Registration is required by emailing youth@moosejawlibrary.ca.

“I Made This” art program — ages 12 to 19, Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 6:30 p.m. This month, teens will be making paper star wall art.

Teen eBook Club on Discord — ages 13 to 19, Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 4:30 p.m. A place for teens who like to read and dis cuss their reading with peers. This month is Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho.

Teen Movie Night — ages 13 to 19 in the Theatre, Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 6:30 p.m. The movie is Uncharted, based on the popular video game franchise. Mark Wahlberg, Tom Holland, and Antonio Banderas bring the star power.

Children’s programming

Regular programs:

Lego Weekends! — for ages 4+, every Saturday and Sunday in the children’s de partment. Creations will be displayed in the library window.

Children’s Take ‘n Make Series — For ages 4+, pick up a kit at the library circu lation desk.

The Royal Canadian Legion – Branch 59 Moose Jaw, 268 High St W Moose Jaw; Contact: 306-692-5453. Facebook @ ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION-Branch 59 Moose Jaw. Instagram: @Royalcanadi anlegion59. SHA restrictions in effect at all Legion events.

Bingo every Monday evening in the Lounge. Play starts at 6pm, Paper goes on sale at 5pm. Playing ten regular games with 2 parts each and 3 extra games, all games are cash prizes. Please invite your friends for a fun night out.

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 $2 and please pre-register your team by calling 306.693.9688.

Drop-in Shuffleboard league every Friday at 7:00 pm.

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

For current listing of events online visit: Monthly Calendar | Royal Canadian Le gion Branch 59- Moose Jaw (royalcanadi anlegionbranch59moosejaw.ca)

Moose Jaw and District Seniors: For more information Call: 306-694-4223 or Email: mjsenior@shaw.ca

Fitness Level & Indoor Walking Track open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Wood working area – Monday to Friday 8 am – 4 pm

Timothy Eaton Cafe open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Cin namon Buns are on Thursday’s. Tuesday is pie day. Kitchen is open Monday to Fri day.

Billiards open daily from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. as well as Monday & Thursday evenings from 4:30 – 8 p.m.

Pickle Ball – Monday & Thursday morn ings @ 10 a.m. - Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday after

noons @ 1 p.m.

- Monday & Thursday evenings @ 7 p.m. Fitness- Chair/Low Impact Fitness Mon days & Thursdays @ 1:00 p.m.

Cribbage – Wednesdays @ 1 p.m. Hand & Foot Card Game for Beginners –Thursday @9:30 am.

Mah Jong – Wednesday @1 p.m. 500 Cards – Thursdays @ 1 p.m. One Move Dominos – cancelled for now. Scrabble – Monday’s at 1pm Carpet bowling – Has moved to the out doors for the summer Line Dancing – Tuesdays @ 10 a.m.

Intro to Line Dancing – Wednesday’s @ 11am

Art & Crafts – Monday, Tuesdays & Wednesdays @ 1 p.m.

Floor Shuffleboard – Tuesdays & Thurs days @ 1 p.m.

Paper Tole – Tuesdays @ 1 p.m. Nickle Bingo – Fridays @ 1 p.m. Quilting – Every Friday 9am to 4pm Lounge – Friday’s from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Jam Sessions – Friday’s 9 a.m. Christmas Craft Sale – November 26th 9:00am – 2:00pm _ Get your tables now call 306-694-4223

Cosmo Senior Citizens’ Centre Weekly Activities

WEEKLY EVENTS

Monday: 9:30am Pickle Ball; 1pm Floor Shuffleboard Tuesday: 9:30am Jam Session; 1pm Pickle Ball; 7pm Friendship Bridge Wednesday: 8:30am TOPS; 9:30am Pickle Ball; 1pm Floor Shuffleboard; 1pm Hand & Food Canasta

Thursday: 10am Line Dance; 1pm Pickle Ball

Friday: 10am Beginner Pickle Ball; 1pm Pickle Ball

Military Whist November 25. Pls pre-reg ister. Registration 9:30; Games 10am. Cost $15 includes morning coffee and lunch. Teams consist of 4 players. Christmas Banquet to be held on THURS DAY, DECEMBER 1, 2022. Supper is at 5:00 pm, the cost is $20.00 per person and the menu is Chinese Food from the Uptown Cafe. Deadline to get tickets is November 28, 2022. Tickets will not be sold at the door.

Moose Jaw ANAVETS: Army, Navy & Air Force Veterans Unit #252 – 279 High St. W, Moose Jaw. 306.692.4412 or 306.681.5998 anaf252@sasktel.net

Thursday at 1:30 pm Crib Friday at 1:30 is Fun Shuffleboard Friday Evening Fun Pool and Darts at 7pm Saturday At 4:30 pm is our Meat Draw, 50/50, Gift Card Everyone is welcome to join the fun!

Saturday meat draw @ 4:30pm - 50/50, Gift Card Everyone is welcome to join the fun!

ANAVETS #252 Christmas Craft/Bake/ Trade Show Saturday, November 26th at 10am to 5pm; Sunday, November 27th from 12pm to 4pm Located in the Town ‘N’ Country Mall Back Doors on East Side (Old Safeway Spot) Over 50 Great Ven dors! Door Prizes! Small Concession on location. Admission by donation to our adopt a families Thanks to the Town ‘N’ country Mall For All There Support! For More Information on anything Hap pening at the ANAVETS #252 Call or Text 306-681-5998 or 306-692-4412 email anaf252@sasktel.net

Everyone Including Non- Members are Welcome to all our events!!

FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES #3395

MONDAY EVENINGS: (– to April, 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: (– to April 2023) - Drop in Darts – play starts at 7:00 pm – draw for partners. $2.00 per per son, 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. Sin gles and Doubles. Partners draw from those attending to play.

FIRST AND THIRD SUNDAY – Aerie meet ing – 11:30 am

FIRST AND THIRD TUESDAY – Ladies Auxiliary meeting - 7:00 pm

NOW – New Year’s Eve Tickets on sale – available at the Eagles Club Bar – Early Bird price of $25.00 per person in effect to December 25, 2022 then goes to the regular price of $30.00 per person. Get your tickets early.

NOW - A donation box will go up in the Eagles Club lounge for all donations for our Children’s Christmas Shopping taking place on December 4, 2022. If you have any household items, ornaments, jewelry, toys, gift wrap/bags/boxes etc. that you wish to donate, we will gratefully accept all donations. Our proceeds go to help other children.

NOW - If you have any winter coats, etc. your donation of used winter clothing –jackets, mitts, socks, hats , will be grate fully accepted. Please put your donations outside our Ladies Auxiliary Secretary’s door in the Eagles Club Games Room at the back of the lounge. All donations will go to help Moose Jaw’s Homeless.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2022 – Ladies Auxiliary will be hosting a bake sale in the lounge starting at 11:00 am.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2022 - Mu sic Bingo – starts at 7:00 pm

NEW YEAR’S EVE: 2022 – Doors open at 7:00 pm – Dance to the music of a su perb band - BRANDON and COMPANY –Luncheon Served at 11:00 pm. Tickets available at the Eagles Club Bar… Early Bird price of $25.00 per person in effect to December 25, 2022 then goes to the regular price of $30.00 per person.

Seniors’ Centre Without Walls: SCWW is an over-the-phone social program totally free and offered exclusively over the phone. You just dial the number and join the call.

Email mamancherie@hotmail.com or call 306-690-4957.

SENIORS INTRODUCTION TO ART CLASSES BY PHONE with the Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery’s Education Coordinator, Christy Schweiger. Classes run on Tuesdays from 11:05 am - 12:00 pm • November 22 Exploring colour II (watercolour) - secondary and tertiary colours, learning about the colour wheel • November 29 Clay at Home Christmas Clay - ornament decoration (acrylic paints) – vintage truck This free program is open to anyone in Saskatchewan age 55 and over. Space is limited and pre-registration required. Join from your own home - on your phone in a conference call format. All supplies mailed to you at no cost.

Celebrating Men’s Health Awareness – Love to Chat about Sports? Join the friendly weekly group of Saskatchewan sports’ fans to talk all things sports from January 4th through to February 22nd – 10am-11am. A phone-based social reminiscing group for older sports’ fans. Registrations due by end of Novem ber so REGISTER NOW; call Ronda at 306.631.4357 (no texts please). Email swwsask@gmail.com . For more informa tion visit www.scwwmoosejaw.com Western Development Museum; 50 Diefenbaker Drive, Moose Jaw. Please call for more information (306) 693-5989. You can read more about the upcoming sessions and how to sign up for the free Virtual Coffee Club talks here: https:// wdm.ca/coffeeclub/ We are excited to return to this popular program, especially because we will have some special guest speakers at two of the sessions. Topics this fall and early winter include: December 20 - “Holiday Traditions” WDM is once again hosting A Christmas Long Ago on Dec. 10 and Dec. 17. – This is an interactive presentation where at tendees would engage with real-life ar chives from the museum. The session has an in-person and a virtual presentation. In-person sessions will be hosted on Dec. 10 & 17 from 10.00 a.m. and another at 2.00 p.m. Virtual session will be on Dec. 23 at 7.00 p.m. Tickets are required to purchase to attend the in-person sessions but the virtual presentation is complete ly free. Tickets for WDM members cost around $12.69 for adults and $9.51 for youths (5-18). For non-members, $15.86 for adults and $12.69 for youths (5-18). Participation is limited to 25 people per session. Pre-registration is required for participation. To register for this program please go to wdm.ca/winter. For more in formation contact 306-693-5989.

Snowflake Seek and Find activity for youngsters where nine images of differ ent snowflakes have been hidden within the museum galleries. Young visitors will try and locate these images and record where they were found. At the end of the hunt, there will be an announcement with a great big prize basket for the holidays.

WDM will also be handing out a Christ mas at the WDM booklet containing guided questions about winter and holi day traditions, and artifacts archived in the museum galleries. There will also be short films from the National Film Board screening in their Saskatchewan Theatre throughout the month.

WDM hosts popular holiday program A Christmas Long Ago on Dec. 10 and Dec. 17

Christmas is all about excitement, joy, laughter and celebrations. Western De velopment Museum (WDM) has come up with an exciting Christmas campaign to spread the celebration.

WDM is once again hosting their popular holiday program A Christmas Long Ago on Dec. 10 and Dec. 17.

“This is my favourite program that we offer here at the Western Development Museum,” Karla Rasmussen Education Programs Coordinator at the WDM said. “It is important to get together to mark these special occasions such as Christmas with one’s family.”

The focus of this program is to ex perience the traditions of Christmas and how they were celebrated 100 years ago. Christmas is always about family gath erings, turkey dinners, brightly wrapped gifts, decorated trees and much more. Chil dren would be excited about what gifts are under the tree, what would be inside the stockings, what new Christmas stories will unfold and what goodies would the family bake.

The presentation is also about the ear ly settlers in 1910. They came from Eu rope through America and settled down for farming opportunities. The story is a progression of their arrival to settling down, and how their families branched out

Vanier

Business students at Vanier Collegiate plan to sell warm clothing and warm food for class projects this semester, with some revenue going toward charities focused on food security and mental health.

The Entrepreneurship 30 class kicked off its annual Junior Achievement pro gram with an official launch on Nov. 17. The two student-run companies had tables erected in the lunchroom to hawk their wares to fellow students and teachers and make it easier to purchase early Christmas gifts.

Prairie Sky — “The sky has no limits” — is a clothing company offering bunny hugs, crewnecks, T-shirts, sweatpants and a bundle featuring matching bunnyhug and sweats.

Twenty per cent of the company’s proceeds will go to Journey Hope, an organization focusing on mental health awareness and suicide prevention.

Mix Inc. — “Everything but the kitch en sink!” — is a company that produces dry soup mixes flavoured with either Kick Butt Chicken Soup or Vegetable Medley; each makes four to five servings.

Twenty per cent of the company’s proceeds will support Hunger in Moose Jaw.

Both businesses will sell their prod ucts until mid-January. Both have a Shopify account and can be found on the school’s website.

Warm clothing

to different places.

It was during Christmas when every one used to gather around for family re unions. Family members who live in big ger cities like Saskatoon or Regina came down to their grandparent’s homes in rural areas for celebration. In those times, com munication devices were limited, and let ter writing was popular. Families used to receive greeting cards and letters for hol iday preparations. Trees were decorated with ornaments and children used to gath er around for gifts. Carved wooden toys were very popular in 1910.

The presentation will consist of three parts: a story narration with projections of photographs from the museum’s archive, a real-life visual, followed by an activity where everyone would make Christmas cards with recycled materials and repli cate different techniques that were used 100 years ago.

There is also a Snowflake Seek and Find activity for youngsters where nine images of different snowflakes have been hidden within the museum galleries. Young visitors will try and locate these images and record where they were found. At the end of the hunt, there will be an an nouncement with a great big prize basket

for the holidays.

WDM will also be handing out a Christmas at the WDM booklet containing guided questions about winter and holi day traditions, and artifacts archived in the museum galleries. There will also be short films from the National Film Board screening in their Saskatchewan Theatre throughout the month.

This is an interactive presentation where attendees would engage with re al-life archives from the museum. The ses sion has an in-person and a virtual presen tation. In-person sessions will be hosted on Dec. 10 & 17 from 10.00 a.m. and another at 2.00 p.m. Virtual session will be on Dec. 23 at 7.00 p.m. Tickets are required to pur chase to attend the in-person sessions but the virtual presentation is completely free. Tickets for WDM members cost around $12.69 for adults and $9.51 for youths (518). For non-members, $15.86 for adults and $12.69 for youths (5-18). Participa tion is limited to 25 people per session. Pre-registration is required for participa tion.

To register for this program please go to wdm.ca/winter. For more information contact 306-693-5989.

Jason G. Antonio - Moose Jaw Express

Prairie Sky chose to sell clothing be cause a student-run business sold similar items a few years ago and generated so much revenue that the students donated a large cheque to their charity, explained co-president Kate Waldenberger. Plus, it’s winter and people enjoy wearing warm clothing.

The students acquired their Prairie Sky-branded clothing from The Shop, a business in the strip mall near the Town ‘n’ Country Mall. The Shop prints onto the clothing while the youths sell them.

Waldenberger took Entrepreneurship 30 because of the life skills she could learn and implement in everyday life — at school or in business. So far, she has learned how to create receipts, issue order forms, connect with residents and business owners and determine how to establish a Shopify account.

Co-president Colby Clarke explained he took the class because he hopes to run a sports shop business and wanted the en trepreneurial skills ahead of time. Some skills include promotions, learning how to create a business and understanding the necessary work ethic.

Both co-presidents agreed that deal ing with people — particularly their team mates — has been an eye-opening experi ence. They have a large group, so keeping everyone busy is challenging, considering

they don’t make the clothing and there is plenty of downtime.

Yet, Waldenberger thought her team mates — and the public — would support the project because The Shop is a commu nity business and the proceeds support a worthy charity.

The group chose Journey to Hope because many Vanier students have faced significant mental health challenges the

past few years, including losing a fellow student to suicide during the 2021-22 year.

“Even after that, things affect every one differently, and it’s something that (everyone) needs to be more aware of, es pecially in this day and age with it’s every where,” added Waldenberger.

Warm food

Mix Inc. focused on selling food because they wanted to offer something quick and easy to make, especially for athletes or people with little time to cook, explained Lance Santos, the group’s head of HR.

“… many times, I would come home from football and there wasn’t supper be cause my dad was at work and my mom was helping out the team,” said president Stephen Walcer. “So, it would be such a good project if we could just start a pot of water and throw the food in — and it’s easy to watch.”

There is more work to running a busi ness than meets the eye, said Santos. He has learned more about production and being organized than he ever thought pos sible.

Some lessons they hope to learn in clude how to start a business, operate it and connect with the community. They added that their group chose Hunger in Moose Jaw because it fits with their busi ness’ food theme.

Ornamented Christmas tree from last year at WDM. Photo submitted by WDM.

Vanier students display some clothing selections as part of their Entrepreneur ship 30 business project. Photo courtesy Facebook

business projects will benefit charities that address food security, mental health

“A woman’s mind is cleaner than a man’s: She changes it more often.” -- Oliver Herford --

AUTO PARTS

lift for more info call 306690-7227 or 306-693-4321 Assorted electronic cables, selling all together - $2. 306-681-8749

size bedroom suite, queen size pillow top 18” mattress, wooden headboard and footboard with 2 drawers.

Good condition tires- Nit to Trail Grappler, 6/32 tread, 285/75/16 mount ed on Dodge Ram 1500 rims. $400 obo, 306-6319853.

4 steel studded tires, like new. Size 225 65 R17. $300. Ph. 306-694-4631

Truck cap or tunnel cover for a 1993 Ford ranger truck reasonably priced. Call 306-313-4772

Looking for any vehicle non working batteries 306-6818749

Looking for a pair of factory tail lights and front spoiler under front bumper for a 2017 Ford F-250 super duty truck 306-681-8749

WINTER TIRES used only one winter- sumitomo ice edge 195/60R 15, on 4 bolt rims. Used only one winter on a 2006 Gobara $400.00 firm. 306-684-6080

MOTORBIKES & SNOW MOBILES

1990 Artic Cat 650cc skidoo. $800 OBO, to view call Terry 306-630-2566

MISCELLANEOUS

Bike repairs starting at $10, Kids bikes tune ups 20in and smaller $25-$35, Adult bikes 24in and larger reg ular tune up $55, Premium tune up $90. Pick up and delivery available in Moose Jaw. I have 35+ years expe rience with all makes and models. Please call or text 306 690 2611

Large assortment of clean containers including ice cream pails with lids - $3 for all 306-681-8749

Wanted John Deere LA tractor, John Deere 316,317, or 318 or equivalent lawn tractor, and older truck with no rust. Call or text 306641-4447

Looking for the vintage bubble lights in working condition (Christmas lights) 306-681-8749

I’ll pick up for free unwanted snow blowers, chainsaws, garden tillers, lawn tractors, and other lawn, garden and acreage equipment. Call or text 306-641-4447

Collectibles for Sale: (Na scar) Baseball Bobble heads, Plates by appoint ment only call 306-6317698

For Sale Hydraulic bathtub

9 egg cartons- 25 cents all. Toss cushion brown color, new $7.00. Framed mirror, 37 1/4”x44 x11/2”d; $29.00. Red leather look arm chair like new, at Brick is $1600.00 plus taxes, sell for$399.00. 26 bath towels 2 face cloths, $20.00all. Photo album –new $4.00. Brass headboard, double size, (was lacquered, so no need to polish) $125.00. Steel bedframe on 4 roller casters, adjusts twin, dou ble, or queen size, ends have attachment for head or foot board $15.00. Com forter, bed skirt & 3 pillow covers, double-queen size. $20.00 all. Navy polar fleece throw 50x60inches, for household, camping etc. $6.00. Dk. brown pleated drapes, polyester, with back tab panel, 48x45inches, in sulated foam back, and new 14.00 pr. dk brown drape, 96x84 inches, pocket rod on back tab panel, black out.$22.00.

Teakwood entertainment unit , on 4 roller casters, adjustable shelves, & 1 with pull-out for record player, or printer, etc. and side pull out drawer for tapes, d’s etc. 181/4 depth x 51” h, x 32”w $125.00 .. 220 kg bags of rocks (natural stone color)for yard, gar den, flower/tree beds etc. $2.00 all 5 boxes firewood for fire pit, camping stove, etc. $15.00 for all. Double size, mushroom color, fitted & flat sheets, washable, & 2 pillow covers 306-5869263

FOR SALE: Gold-tipped arrows (6-pack). No arrow heads, just shaft and end. Still in packaging, never used. $50. 306-313-4643. Antique collectible stubby beer bottle, great condition - $2. Call 306-681-8749

Large assortment of clean containers including ice cream pails with lids - $3 for all. 306-681-8749

HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

Looking for Star Wars 40th anniversary, call 306-6939023

Wooden China Cabinet and Hutch, medium brown in color and in excellent con dition, beautiful piece of furniture. Measures 82”Hx 58”W, 2 glass shelves in cabinet with finger touch tri-light. $1500. 8 piece rectangular wooden dining room set, includes table measuring 57”Lx43”W, leaf measuring 18” and 6 chairs. Matches very well with the China Cabinet and Hutch. Asking $1000.00 but would sell China cabinet, hutch and dining set for $2300. Gorgeous 8 piece queen

Dresser with 7 drawers, 2 night stands with 2 drawers and mirror. All in like new condition, currents sells at the Brick for over $6000, asking $2500 for the set.

Metal wall hanging, 30”Lx 22”H, brown, rust, yellow and oranges hues, $30.

Metal wine rack, 54”Hx 24”W, holds 39 bottles, could easily be spray paint ed to match your decor, $30. 3 dark brown wicker baskets, 15”x11”x8, never used, $15. White-washed glass sided box, used for cards at wedding and as Xmas decor, $15. Asst table clothes that fit the afore mentioned dining table, 68”Lx57”W to 100”Lx60”W, $5 ea. or all for $25. 9 Keur ing 2.0 filters, $5. All items come from pet free and smoke free home and all located in Moose Jaw. For more information or pic tures, please contact Gale at 306-421-7459.

profile studio dress slacks, size 36w, 34l, has 1/2” hem if need longer or can short en, like new, black, $18.00. Wayne Gretsky sweater #99, long sleeve, size 2xl, 1/2 zip at front neck.dk. Blue color, new $15.00. hagaar male , size xxl sweater, l. sleeve, collar, with 3 but tons at neck. Dk. burgundy color, new $10.00. Female navy coat, mesh lined, new, front zipper and snap clo sure, pleat at back. Size xl, washable, $12.00. Call 306586-9263

LAWN & GARDEN

45 gallon blue plastic bar rels, food grade great for rainwater save water rather than pay for it, or raised gar den beds - $20 each. 306681-8749

Reasonable rates, 30 years experience. This is to all the people who are looking for some one to do work for them. (1) Get three estimates, ask if they charge FOR ESTI MATES if they do, don’t use them. (2) do a written con tract, with how long to do the job, and the total cost.

away bbqs in and around Moose Jaw- $40 and up. 306-681-8749

Junk to the dump in and around Moose Jaw - $60/ load and up. 306-681-8749

For sale: GE electric fry pan, 12 in. square, quality made. $25. Call 972-2257 Moose Jaw

CHILDRENS ITEMS

Kids hoola-hoop - $2. Call 306-681-8749

CLOTHING

Female dress size xl, aqua color, V-neck with collar, s. less, poly /spandex, $8.00.

Female navy slacks, wider leg, size med. cotton/span dex, $7.00. Male size 10 Vulcan water/mud boots13” height, like new$12.00.

Male beige London fog coat – new- size 42-44, zip out lining, $22.00. Male

Raised garden bed$40.00. Call 306-681-8749

LOST & FOUND

Found -Apple Pencil. To claim call 306-692-7524

WANTED

Help Needed! Did you know Moose Jaw has 2 of the oldest trains, one CPR and one CNR, they are lo cated in Wakamow Park. They are in need of serious repair, I have repaired them twice and I am 89 years old and unable to do it. Hoping someone will take over the repaired. Please call Cec at 306-692-1339

ANTIQUES Wanted: signs, toys, sports cards, gold & silver coins & jewellery, fire arms, single items to full es tates. Call 1-306-539-8363

SERVICES

Need work done? Contact Bill at 306-630-2268. In terior/exterior, renovations, formwork, framing, finish ing, tiling, painting and all construction, roofing/ sid ing- no job too big or small.

(3) DO NOT PAY BEFORE WORK IS DONE. (4) DO NOT PAY FOR BUILDING MATERIAL UNLESS YOU ARE A SUPPLIER AND IT IS BEING DELIVERED TO YOUR RESIDENTS. (5) It should not take 5 months to shingle a 1200 sq. foot home. (6) Get names of people your contractor has worked for and make sure they are not his friends. (7) If you are not comfortable when first meeting your contractor, chances are you are right, don’t deal with him. (8) If you’re looking for a contractor, check with your building supplier, they sometime have names of good reliable people that do the work you are look ing for. (9) THE MAIN POINT IS DO NOT GIVE MONEY UP FRONT FOR ANY TYPE OF WORK. IF THEY SAY THEY NEED THE MONEY TO GET SUPPLIES FORGET IT, TROUBLE COULD BE BREWING. (10) Hope this helps all you people look ing for a contractor.

Need your house or office cleaned? Experienced, references available. Call: 306-630-4357

Will pick up, move, haul and deliver furniture anywhere in and around Moose Jaw$40 and up. 306-681-8749

Will pick up, move, haul and deliver any size of TVs in and around Moose Jaw$30 and up. 306-681-8749

Will pick up, move, haul and deliver appliances in and around Moose Jaw - $45 and up. 306-681-8749

Moving jobs done reason ably: appliances, furniture, dump runs. Call to do it all. $45.00 a load. 306-6302268

Will pick up, deliver or haul

Semi-Retired Contractor –47 years in business, resi dential and commercial. En joys small or large projects involving plaster, drywall, concrete, painting, taping, texturing, stucco repair, tile and T bar. I work for the Heritage Society and en joy beautification projects. Quality work. Free esti mates. Discount for seniors. Phone Bob Huston 1-587889-1000.

Small Home Repairs. Plumbing, decks, windows, kitchens, bathrooms etc. No job too small. Phone 306-313-5151

COMMUNITY, EVENTS, MEETINGS &OCCASSIONS

Calling all retired and semi retired people. Join PRO BUS. Fun for all. Info: call 306-374-7904

Notice is hereby given that Renmark Hospitality Corporation has applied to the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) for a Restaurant and Tavern permit to sell alcohol in the premises known as Smitty’s Family Restaurant and Bugsy’s Irish Pub at 1235 Main St. N. Moose Jaw, SK S6H 6M4

Written objections to the granting of the permit may be filed with SLGA not more than two weeks from the date of publication of this notice. Every person filing a written objection with SLGA shall state their name, address and telephone number in printed form, as well as the grounds for the objection(s). Petitions must name a contact person, state grounds and be legible. Each signatory to the petition and the contact person must provide an address and telephone number. Frivolous, vexatious or competition-based objections within the beverage alcohol industry may not be considered and may be rejected by the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Licensing Commission, who may refuse to hold a hearing.

Write to: Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority Box 5054

BIGGS, GEORGINA ORALYN

We deeply regret to announce the passing of Georgina Oralyn Biggs on Oct 15, 2022, in Carman, MB at the Memorial Hospital while in Palliative Care.

Oralyn had a short but valiant battle against cancer but with great sadness she died peacefully in the arms of her daughter Jill and son Caleb.

Her survivors were her beloved children Jill (Rob) Kenyon, and Caleb MacLowich(Stephanie Seidler). She also leaves to mourn her grandchildren Emily and Pierce Froese. Oralyn is survived by her brother Gregg (Shelley) Biggs, her sisters Paula (Bill) Learmond, Marlene (Blayne) Lisk and numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, cousins and Aunts. Oralyn as a child lived in Eston, Sask where she loved to sing, skate, swim, sew and play cards with her many friends and family. Oralyn’s family moved to Moose Jaw in 1968 where she attended Palliser Heights School for three years where her quiet, but fun-loving personality made her well-liked by classmates and teachers. Oralyn graduated from Central Collegiate and went on to receive her Standard A teaching certificate from the University of Saskatchewan. In 1979 Oralyn married Jim MacLowich and later divorced when her kids were very young.

Oralyn’s two children were her great loves, and her two grandchildren were the center of her universe. Oralyn did her best as a single parent raising her two children and giving them everything they needed and more. She worked very hard to ensure they had a high quality of life. Oralyn had a special bond with her siblings and family spending many Christmases and holidays together for over 40 years.

Oralyn was highly regarded in her position as an Early Learning and Child Care Consultant for the Saskatchewan Government. She loved the knowledge that she gleaned over 25 years of Early Learning Education and especially the importance of brain development in children of all ages. Oralyn began her career in this position in August of 1989. She was a consultant for the Southwest territory of Sask and later moved to Yorkton where she then took over the Southeast territory of Sask. Oralyn travelled more than 460,000kms in her 25 years which is equivalent to driving coast to coast across Canada 56 times! She opened many centers and supervised others to provide children safe environments in day care facilities in rural and city communities alike!

Oralyn was involved in many choirs as she felt she was transported to another world when she sang or heard music she preferred. She also loved playing cards, which is a true Biggs trait.

Oralyn retired at 60 years of age where she then sold her house in Yorkton and most of her belongings! Her sister Paula and brother-in-law Bill Learmond welcomed her into their home in Carman, Manitoba which Oralyn then called home for the remainder of her life. Oralyn joined the Community Choir, played crib with the seniors and was in the Bell Choir. This is where she met many very nice people.

Oralyn was a sister, mother, grandmother, Aunt and sister-in-law whom we loved and will miss her greatly, especially her laughter! We love and miss you momma! A special thank you goes out to the nurses, caregivers, drivers, and Dr. Atchison of the Memorial Hospital in Carman, MB. In lieu of flowers please send donations to the Carman Hospital Auxiliary Board, Box 142 Carman, MB, R0G 0J0.

DICKINSON, RICHARD JAMES

With broken hearts, the family wish to announce that Richard James Dickinson (or Dick as many knew him) passed away on Thursday, November 10th, 2022 after a short battle with cancer.

Richard was born on July 21st, 1949 to Jim and Edna Dickinson in Moose Jaw, SK and had a wonderful childhood playing with the neighbourhood kids and many friends he made over the years. In his teen years he learned to play the guitar and played in bands which he really loved. That was the start of his lifelong obsession with the Beatles. He had a very adventurous spirit and after meeting and becoming friends with Peter from Italy, they went to Italy on Richard’s 19th birthday. Richard then travelled for a year in Europe and even worked for awhile at a hotel in London. He saw Italy, France, England, Spain, Morocco, Switzerland and many more places. That trip changed how he thought of the world and made him very curious about other cultures and people.

Richard started R.J. Painting in 1977 and grew it to be a very successful business. The guys who worked with him became lifelong friends.

Richard’s greatest joy came from “his girls”. He married Eileen (Ewen) in 1977 and together they enjoyed many good times at the cabin at the lake and many trips skiing, two more trips to Europe, New York City, California and many more places. Hawaii was a particular favourite in more recent years. Leah was born in 1972 and Kendra in 1982 and he was a very doting and devoted dad. As the years went by, grandchildren were added to the mix, and he enjoyed hearing about their activities and watching them grow. In 1994, Richard suffered a devastating accident which left him disabled for the rest of his life, but his spirit, humour and positive attitude never wavered, and he adapted without any complaints and made the best of things. He was an inspiration to many.

Left to somehow try to fill an incredible void in their lives are Richard’s wife of 45 years, Eileen; daughter, Leah (Greg) and grandchildren Sierra and Rio from Whistler, BC; daughter, Kendra (James) and grandchildren Jayden and Kasen of Moose Jaw; mother, Edna Dickinson of Victoria, BC; brother, Don (Kathleen); sister, Carolyn; sister-in-law and brother-inlaw, Glenda and Ron Hagan; as well as nieces, nephews and many other relatives and friends from all over.

At Richard’s request there will be no formal funeral service. A get together social to celebrate Richard’s life will be held on Sunday, December 4th, 2022 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the banquet room at the Grant Hall Hotel in Moose Jaw, SK. As an expression of sympathy, donations in Richard’s name may be made to The Moose Jaw Humane Society, Box 1658 Station Main, Moose Jaw, SK S6H 7K7. Arrangements are entrusted to Moose Jaw Funeral Home, 268 Mulberry Lane. Michelle Ellis, Funeral Director 306-693-4550 www.moosejawfuneralhome.com

DURIE, RUTH

It is with the sadness the family of Ruth Durie of Moose Jaw announce her peaceful passing at Providence Place on October 17, 2022, at the age of 95. She will be sadly missed by her son Bruce (Eleanor) Durie of Moose Jaw; daughter Tanys (Bill) Ludka of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; grandchildren Jeannette (Chris) Briggs, Jerrod (Jolene) Durie, Paul (Heather) Durie and Tyler Ludka; great grandchildren Adria, Carter, Georgia, Harvey, Jordan, Jerrilyn.

Predeceased by parents, her husband George, twin sister Jeanne and brother Calvin.

Ruth was a nurse for many years working on the Maternity Ward of the Moose Jaw General Hospital and then later the Emergency Ward of the Moose Jaw Union Hospital. On March 30, 1957, Ruth married George Durie. Ruth and George always enjoyed entertaining and visiting with all who came to the farm. When they weren’t away travelling, they could be found dancing most every evening.

Ruth was very active in the Eastview District and was a member of the Eastview Women’s Institute and was a member of Zion United Church in Moose Jaw. Ruth always enjoyed her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was a lady, who will always be remembered for her gentle ways.

The family would like to extend gratitude to the staff of Providence Place for their wonderful care. A celebration of Ruth’s life will be held on Wednesday November 30, 2022, at 1:30PM at W.J. Jones & Son Funeral Chapel in Moose Jaw, SK. Those wishing to view virtually can click the link https://us02web.zoom. us/j/9827558167. Please be in the waiting room 10 minutes prior to 1:30PM Saskatchewan time.

Please sign the memorial register at website: www. jonesparkview.com (Obituaries).

Dayna Chamberlain/Chrystine Dacey- Funeral Directors

In Loving Memory of

Obituaries / Memorials

MACLURE, JAMES PAUL

With great sadness, we announce the peaceful passing of James “Paul” Maclure, age 77, on October 26th, 2022. While we feel his parting much too soon, Paul fought a brief but courageous battle with cancer. True to his character, he remained kind and gentle, inspiring all who witnessed his quiet strength even in the midst of an agonizing disease.

Paul passed away assured by his faith that Jesus was waiting to welcome him home (1 Thessalonians 4:1318).

Paul was born on November 16, 1944, to Hugh and Muriel Maclure in Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa. He spent his childhood years in a variety of locations (Sierra Leone, England, Drayton Valley, and Edmonton). While residing in Drayton Valley, where he taught school for twenty-five years, he met Audrey Getzinger at the early age of 12, and were later married on July 23, 1965.

Paul will lovingly be remembered for his kind spirit, strong work ethic and welcoming presence. He found joy serving his church family, was always ready for conversation over coffee and using his handyman skills for projects placed before him.

He is survived by his best friend and loving wife of 57 years, Audrey, and his children: James (Teena), Todd (Peggy), Chris (Myrna), Jenine (Bill); as well as his brother David Maclure and family. He was predeceased by his younger brother Andrew Maclure. Paul’s memory and legacy will live on in his 13 grandchildren (Mark, Kent & Tim… Rylan, Andy & Kate… Kaylie, Janaya & Tianna… Jessica, Sadie, Luke & Ben).

He was loved dearly and will be deeply missed by many friends and family in Edmonton, Drayton Valley, and around the world.

A celebration of Paul’s life was held on: November 4, 2022, at 1:30 PM, Ellerslie Road Baptist Church 10603 Ellerslie Road SW, Edmonton, AB.

Paul’s funeral can be viewed online at the following link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qslRgm36h2M

DUNLOP, MARIAN

It is with heavy hearts we announce that Marian passed away suddenly November 16, 2022, Dr F.H. Wigmore hospital at the age of 83. Marian was a lifelong resident of Moose Jaw and area.

She was predeceased by her parents Rachel and Edgar Dunlop, sister Lois Buck, brother-in-law Frank Buck and sister-in-law Jean Dunlop.

She is survived by her brother Francis Dunlop, sister Shirley (Milton Neill), Donna (Jack Buch), Wendy (Jerry Exner) and several nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews and great great nephews.

A celebration of her life will be held at 1pm on Friday November 25, 2022, at W.J. Jones & Son Funeral Home at 474 Hochelaga St W, Moose Jaw, SK. Interment prior to Reception.

In living memory of Marian, a memorial planting will be made by W.J. Jones & Son Ltd. Please sign the memorial register at website: www.jonesparkview.com (Obituaries).

Chrystine Dacey- Funeral Director

molecules can then bond with each other and with casein micelles. This process produces ricotta, mascarpone, and paneer.

Coagulation is one of the common methods used by water treatment plants to provide safe, clean drinking wa ter to the public. This method is often used alongside pro cesses including filtration, disinfection, and sedimentation to remove select contaminants from water.

Coagulation treatment is usually carried out before sedimentation and filtration. During the process, a coagu lant is added to water, and its positive charge neutralises the negative charge of suspended contaminants.

Coagulate

If you enjoy boiled eggs for breakfast or lunch, there are a few techniques to follow for reliably delicious eggs. Gently add eggs to already-boiling water so they will peel more easily. But don’t keep cooking the eggs in rolling boiling water, turn the heat down to a low simmer. A quick sear before lowering the heat allows the whites closest to the shell to coagulate quickly and avoid tough whites and overcooked yokes. Egg-white proteins coagulate between 144 and 149 degrees Fahrenheit, while yolks coagulate between 144 and 158 degrees Fahrenheit.

Coagulate means to cause to become viscous or thickened into a coherent mass. Synonyms can be clot, congeal, set, or curdle. The word comes from the Latin coagulare, meaning to curdle, which derives from cogere, to drive together. The English language began using coag ulate in the 15th century to describe how things in a liquid state can be “driven together” into a solid mass. Thanks for this word suggestion, Dave.

Coagulation is the point at which milk begins to turn into cheese. Curds, gels, or coagulum can occur by three different processes. Milk has a protein called casein mi celles. In milk these biomolecules float around and bounce off each other because of their layer of negatively charged K-CASEIN, keeping milk in a liquid state. Joining these proteins together is like trying to push two magnets to gether of the same poles, as they will repel each other. The goal to make cheese is to get these molecules to stick together and form a solid mass or coagulate

Adding an acid to milk directly or using starter cul tures neutralises the negative charge surrounding the ca sein micelles and allows them to stick to each other. Ac id-set cheese is softer, like cottage cheese.

You can add enzymes to milk to make it clot. Ren net enzymes act like a razor and shave off the K-CASEIN hairs enabling the proteins to glue together. ½ teaspoon of the right enzyme will coagulate 7 litres of milk.

When you combine acid and heat to milk, it begins to coagulate. Heat affects the whey protein in milk, expos ing the sticky portion of their molecular structure. Whey

Packed

TRINITY UNITED CHURCH

Neutralisation causes suspended particles to bind to gether in clumps known as “flocs.” These particles sink to the bottom of the treatment tank. They can then be easily filtered out of water through an ultrafiltration or micro filtration membrane, or a medium filter, to remove the settled particles. Water can also be moved into a settling tank, in which the heavy particles will sink to the bottom, where they can then be removed. Ferric sulphate, alumin ium sulphate, or ferric chloride, classed as aluminium or iron salts, are common coagulants for water treatment.

Coagulation is most effective at removing suspended solids and natural organic matter like gravel, sand, algae, clay, iron, protozoa, and even bacteria. Many of these con taminants can give water an unpleasant taste and can give water a brown or orange colour.

Coagulate can also be used to describe the process to gather or form into a group. During the recent COVID pandemic business leaders have struggled to find a way to coagulate a team due to the facts that many employees were working from home. It was a much easier process when team members were all working in the same office area.

So, whether you are cooking or trying to work togeth er in community groups you often need to find a way to coagulate. No matter if it is dealing with food or people, forming a unified mass has its challenges and processes. With the correct process of coagulation something dif ferent than what you started with will be developed and formed. A community needs individuals to coagulate, op erating in a communal spirit, to accomplish social growth and helpful programs that individuals cannot achieve. Who could you coagulate with to benefit our community? Getting involved and coagulating will

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 us age.

John would like to know if anyone has a sincere in terest 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 confirm that all words will be used.

Randy Palmer - Moose Jaw Express

Fans of country music knew they were in for a treat on Saturday night at the Moose Jaw Events Centre, and they made sure to take advantage of the Sawyer Brown and Lonestar concert, with special guests George Canyon and Doc Walker.

Thousands of fans filled the floor of the arena and packed the stands for a concert featuring the legendary

performers.

All four acts played selections of the biggest hits in addition to throwing a few covers into the mix, offering set lists that had fans on their feet and dancing more than once throughout the evening.

Here’s a selection of photos from the rockin’ evening!

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

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.

Sights and scenes from the Sawyer Brown and Lonestar concert at the Moose Jaw Events Centre on Saturday night. Saddman Zaman and Randy Palmer

Friday

11:00 p.m. NET NBA Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers.

Sunday

4:30 p.m. NET NBA Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks.

Wednesday

7:00 p.m. TSN NBA Toronto Raptors at New Orleans Pelicans.

9:30 p.m. TSN NBA Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Lakers.

e FOOTBALL

Thursday

7:15 p.m. CKCK WDIV NFL Football New England Patriots at Minnesota Vikings.

9:30 p.m. TSN NFL Football New England Patriots at Minnesota Vikings.

Sunday

7:15 p.m. WDIV TSN EDACC NFL Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles.

Monday

7:15 p.m. TSN NFL Football Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts.

HOCKEY

k

9:00 p.m. CBKT NET NHL Hockey Vancouver Canucks at Vegas Golden Knights.

Sunday

7:00 p.m. NET NHL Hockey Vancouver Canucks at San Jose Sharks.

Monday

6:00 p.m. NET NHL Hockey Toronto Maple Leafs at Detroit Red Wings.

8:45 p.m. NET NHL Hockey Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers.

Tuesday

Friday

7:00 p.m. NET NHL St. Louis Blues at Tampa Bay Lightning.

Saturday

6:00 p.m. CBKT CTYS NET NHL Hockey Toronto Maple Leafs at Pittsburgh Penguins.

8:00 p.m. NET NHL Florida Panthers at Calgary Flames.

Wednesday

6:00 p.m. NET NHL Hockey San Jose Sharks at Toronto Maple Leafs.

8:45 p.m. NET NHL Hockey Edmonton Oilers at Chicago Blackhawks.

Saskatchewan Winner Gravelbourg Care Shuttle Service up for additional $20,000 Prize

The Gravelbourg Cares Shuttle Service, which transports residents of south Saskatchewan to medical appointments they might not get to otherwise, is up for a potential $20,000 award from WinField United’s “Raise the Barn” community service contest.

“This prize money will be used to potentially replace our travel van and really to keep the service running,” said Lynn Holmes, director of the Gravelbourg Cares Shut tle Service. “We’re an organization of volunteers, we’re maintained by donations. If we win this prize money, it will keep us going.”

Hawk’s Agro nominated the charity for the first por tion of the contest, which looks for local projects in the areas of mental health, hunger, education, or community spirit.

Three projects won that initial round and were each awarded an $8,000 prize: the Community Garden and Greenhouse project in Foremost, Alta.; the Classroom and Meeting Space for Indigenous Teachings project in Miami, Man.; and the Gravelbourg Cares Shuttle Service in Gravelbourg and surrounding communities in Sask.

“So, we won the provincial contest and we won $8,000,” Holmes explained. “Now, they’ve nominated us to move further. We’ll be competing with the Alberta win ner and the Manitoba winner for $20,000.”

The service was founded when a group of Gravel bourg residents were confronted with the reality of trying to “age in place” — in other words, could they keep living in their small town despite being forced to travel farther and farther for their medical care?

“We were kind of confronted with that, ‘Do we move? Do we stay?’ dilemma, so that’s how we started,” Holmes said. “We look after the medical and the mental well-being of people in the small towns of southern Sas katchewan by getting them to their appointments without a lot of stress.”

The service started slowly, with door-to-door service in Gravelbourg, transporting a few people each week. When COVID-19 hit, the Saskatchewan Health Authority ordered the shuttle to cease operations. They were even tually able to negotiate some conditions, namely that only one passenger could ride at a time with proper protections. Expansion beyond Gravelbourg

Post-pandemic, the Gravelbourg Cares Shuttle Ser vice has rapidly expanded.

Jean Hébert has been dispatching for the shuttle for three years. He enjoys the social aspect and the challenge of coordinating passengers and pickups.

“I’ve never done anything more satisfying as a vol unteer,” Hébert said. “You’re talking to people all the

time, and they’re entirely grateful that this thing exists.

“This is a service that started very slowly … it start ed in Gravelbourg only, with three or four passengers a month. … Fast forward a couple of years, this year, since February or March, we never carry fewer than 15 passen gers a month.”

That might not seem like much, Hébert said, but they are on the road five days a week, doing their best to help everyone who calls.

At this point, they give between 400 to 500 rides a year. Clinics and hospitals in the bigger cities are start ing to refer rural patients in Gravelbourg and surrounding area to the service, even rescheduling appointments to help volunteer drivers accommodate bigger groups.

Beginning in Assiniboia with the Masonic Lodge — driving a courtesy car generously offered by Nelson GM — people and organizations in other communities have begun meeting the shuttle on its way to and from appoint ments.

“We cover 14 towns now,” Hébert said. Glentworth, Ponteix, Lafleche, Mossbank, Hazenmore, and Kincaid are just a few of them. “The compromise for those people is they drive in to Gravelbourg, park at a local gas station, grab a coffee, the van picks them up for their appoint ment, and then we drop back at their car afterwards. It’s a lot of fun.”

The service is at a crossroads, Hébert believes, be cause they can’t really handle an expansion. Adding an other vehicle, for example, would overwhelm the current number of volunteers. In addition, the van is putting about 5,000 kilometres in every five or six weeks — mainte nance costs are significant.

“This prize, if we get it, is going to help an awful lot,” Hébert added. “It’s a horrible time to be in the health system … We’re not replacing ambulances, you know, we can’t help with emergencies, but for some people this is one less headache and we’re playing an important role.”

If you’re in the area and need a ride, call the Gravel bourg Cares dispatcher at (306) 650-7333.

How to help

To help the Gravelbourg Cares Shuttle Service win $20,000, check out their Facebook page at facebook.com/ gravelbourgcares and vote on the WinField United “Raise the Barn” contest page at winfieldunited.ca/en/raise-thebarn.

The grand prize winner will be announced the week of December 13, 2022. Each individual email address can vote once per day.

Gordon Edgar - Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com

The Gravelbourg Cares Shuttle Service is up for the WinField United “Raise the Barn” award and hopes plenty of South Sask residents decide to help out with online votes (from Facebook)

The Gravelbourg Cares Shuttle Service has been run ning for four years, helping people from 14 different south Sask communities reach their medical appoint ments (from Facebook)

hunger

for our city. Then along came 2022 with its soaring gro cery and gas prices. Sadly, for too many in our commu nity, the increased cost of living took its toll. As a result, the number of people we are serving skyrocketed. To our surprise, many of our new clients were students struggling to pay for tuition, rent and utillities, Ukrainian refugee families escaping the devastation of war and the working low-income families whose wage just wasn’t enough to cover the bills.

to an end, we were looking forward to brighter days for our city. Then along came 2022 with its soaring grocery and gas prices. Sadly, for too many in our community, the increased cost of living took its toll. As a result, the number of people we are serving skyrocketed. To our surprise, many of our new clients were students struggling to pay for tuition, rent and utillities, Ukrainian refugee families escaping the devastation of war and the working low income families whose wage just wasn’t enough to cover the bills.

a story I recently read about a widowed mom with 6 kids who needed the support of a Food Bank.

In a world so torn by war and poverty, I count it a privilege to live in a community that is so willing to support one another. This became even more evident, when the annual “Better Together Food Drive ” took place, after being forced to go virtual for two years during the co vid. On Halloween night our community donated over 44,000 lbs of food and close to 500 volunteers stepped up to assist in the collection and sorting of your donations. Another bit of news I am excited to share the CP Rail Holiday Train will come rolling through Moose Jaw illuminated in a splendor of Christmas lights, while The Co op Grocery Store supports the food bank with its annual “Goodbuy to Hunger” fundraiser.

In a world so torn by war and poverty, I count it a privilege to live in a community that is so willing to sup port one another. This became even more evident, when the annual “Better Together Food Drive” took place, after being forced to go virtual for two-years during the co-vid. On Halloween night our community donated over 44,000 lbs of food and close to 500 volunteers stepped up to as sist in the collection and sorting of your donations.

Another bit of news I am excited to share… the CP Rail Holiday Train will come rolling through Moose Jaw illuminated in a splendor of Christmas lights, while The Co-op Grocery Store supports the food bank with its an nual “Goodbuy to Hunger” fundraiser.

Equally as important, YOU, our schools, churches, clubs and local businesses just keep giving. Despite the economic crisis and 2 years of isolation, you continue to support us with food drives, fundraisers and generous monetary donations. Your support has been an integral part of keeping our doors open and providing for our community’s most vulnerable. We are so grateful for all you have done and continue to do.

While reflecting on how blessed we are to be a part of a community that makes a difference, I was reminded of a story I recently read about a widowed mom with 6 kids who needed the support of a Food Bank.

Equally as important, YOU, our schools, churches, clubs and local businesses just keep giving. Despite the economic crisis and 2 years of isolation, you continue

“Anne is a mom who is fiercely committed to caring the best she can for her six children. She struggles to make sure their basic needs are met every single day. Some days this task feels nearly impossible for Anne . In fact, some times when her fridge is empty, she unplugs it to save money on electricity...with no food in the fridge what’s the point of wasting power. She tries to manage on her own as much as possible, but when she has absolutely no choice, she turns to her local Food Bank. This Christmas she came in because she had spent all her money on coats and mittens for her children and had nothing left over for the holidays. She wanted more than anything for her chil dren to have a Christmas. The Food Bank provided Anne with a turkey and some food to make a Christmas dinner and a few gift cards to buy each kid a small present. Leav ing Anne turned to the volunteers and said with emotion in her voice and tears rolling down her cheeks, “I am so grateful. Thank you so much for all you have given me. Now my kids will have Christmas and that is the greatest gift of all for me.”

For most of us, the Christmas season is a time to spend with family, enjoying delicious food and gifts given to our loved ones. But for many in our city, Christmas is a

stressful time. Providing a festive feast or buying gifts for their children isn’t a possibility. Keeping the heat on and enough food on the table to survive is their reality.

So as you prepare for Christmas with your loved ones, take a moment to reflect on how blessed you are, and consider giving from your abundance to help those in need.

From Our Staff, Thank You from the bottom of our hearts! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

CCI prepares for run of ‘Emma: A Pop Musical’ based on Jane Austen classic

Director Brian Bowley explained that Emma: A Pop Mu sical is based the Jane Austen novel Emma about a young woman who considers herself a matchmaker and begins interfering in the lives of her friends and family to set them up with each other.

“Anne is a mom who is fiercely committed to caring the best she can for her six children. She struggles to make sure their basic needs are met every single day. Some days this task feels nearly impossible for Anne . In fact, sometimes when her fridge is empty, she unplugs it to save money on electricity...with no food in the fridge what’s the point of wasting power. She tries to manage on her own as much as possible, but when she has absolutely no choice, she turns to her local Food Bank. This Christmas she came in because she had spent all her money on coats and mittens for her children and had nothing left over for the holidays. She wanted more than anything for her children to have a Christmas. The Food Bank provided Anne with a turkey and some food to make a Christmas dinner and a few gift cards to buy each kid a small present. Leaving Anne turned to the volunteers and said with emotion in her voice and tears rolling down her cheeks, “I am so grateful. Thank you so much for all you have given me. Now my kids will have Christmas and that is the greatest gift of all for me.” For most of us, the Christmas season is a time to spend with family, enjoying delicious food and gifts given to our loved ones. But for many in our city, Christmas is a stressful time. Providing a festive feast or buying gifts for their children isn’t a possibility. Keeping the heat on and enough food on the table to survive is their reality. So as you prepare for Christmas with your loved ones, take a moment to reflect on how blessed you are, and consider giving from your abundance to help those in need.

“She goes and starts meddling in other people’s lives in order to arrange these things for her friend,” Bowley laughed. “And, of course, everything goes awry. … The nice thing is that it’s been revamped into a high school, and all the songs are pop songs. And they’re fairly recent pop songs, such as “Unwritten” (by Natasha Bedingfield), and there’s stuff by Katy Perry, as well as older stuff by the Supremes.

From Our Staff, Thank You from the bottom of our hearts! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

“And the dialogue is cleverly written, and the cast has just blown me away again, they’re so awesome. … Can’t wait to see it on stage.”

There will be three showing of Emma: A Pop Mu sical, on Nov. 24, 25, and 26. Each show is from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Centennial Auditorium at Peacock.

Tickets are $15 to 20 and are available from Sasktix. ca.

“It’s a nice, light-hearted show and the music is re ally fun,” said music teacher Paul McCorriston, who is directing a pit band almost entirely made up of students this year. Having a student-led music section is challeng ing and rewarding, he said, and everyone is enjoying the popular music.

The student-led orchestra for the show consists of:

• Piano — Jeri-Lynn Ryba

• Keyboard — Josh Carley Alto

• Sax — Asher Miller Tenor

• Sax — Brooke Myers

• Trumpet — Emma Hill

• Trombone — Nevin Runnalls

• Guitar — Tague O’ Bright

• Bass — Drew Amell

• Drums — Paige Adam-Chow

Central teacher Holly McCorriston is directing the show’s choreography for the second year, after assuming the responsibility for Mamma Mia! last year.

“This is going to be awesome. It’s challenging, it’s required the cast to be flexible, and they’ve risen to the challenge,” McCorriston said.

The staff production crew includes Brian Bowley as director, Paul McCorriston as musical director, Derek Porter as technical director, Holly McCorriston as chore ography director, Wayne Dirkson doing set design, Chan tel Mack in charge of costume design, and Maureen Mer

rifield as producer.

“The cast is really coming together, too, it’s an awe some environment and we’ve all become good friends, I think,” said Presley McLeod, who plays Harriet Smith. “We also have a pit band this year! We didn’t have that last year, so that’s very exciting, I’m super pumped to have live music.”

“It’s really helpful to have the pit band, because a lot of the rehearsal tracks don’t match our actual mu sic composition on stage,” explained Isabelle Eros, who plays Emma Woodhouse, the lead. “When we make ad justments, the band is able to adapt really easily, so it gives us a better sense of what will happen in the show.

“It’s going to be real ly, really fun! I think people should definitely give it a shot. We’ve been working hard, and it’s age-appropriate for everyone, so I hope peo ple come out to see us.”

In addition to McLeod and Eros’ roles, the full cast of the show is:

• Nigel Fang as Jeff Knightley

• Alexx Bakken as Frankie Churchill/student chorus

• Isabelle Adams as Jane Fairfax/student chorus

• Dade Traves as Philip Elton/student chorus

• Luka Pollock as Martin/student chorus

• Talys Williams as Ashley/student chorus

• Eden Breker as Miss Bates

• Rudle Ryba as Mr. Weston/student chorus

• Jade Miller as Miss Taylor/student chorus/girl 2

• Denise Baguna as Supreme singer #1/student chorus

• Mia Aparicio as Supreme singer #2/student chorus

• Katherine Delanoy as student chorus

• Wyatt Johnson as student chorus/tap solo/guy 2

• Jasmine Dally as student chorus/tap solo

• Micah Salido Porter as student chorus/guy 1

• Lilah Pirot as student chorus/girl 1/soloist

• Sakina Stationwala as student chorus/girl 3

• Dani Brazeal as student chorus

• Lucy Savard as student chorus

• Ophelia Bourdages as student chorus

Emma: A Pop Musical, based on the Jane Austen novel but set in a preppy high school, will show Nov. 24-26 in Peacock’s Centennial Auditorium

Gordon Edgar - Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com

The cast and student orchestra were hard at work Nov. 17 in the Peacock auditorium preparing to put on next weeks shows (photo by Gordon Edgar)