Time to service your furnace and get ready for air conditioning season!
To keep the holiday spirit on track, the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Railroad’s 2024 Holiday Train arrived at Moose Jaw’s rail yards along Manitoba Street West featuring artists Tyler Shaw, Shawnee Kish, and a donation drive in support of the Moose Jaw & District Food Bank.
The holiday train was onsite for Dec. 7 — after a quiet early arrival one day earlier — with the show kicking off around 4:30 p.m. at the rail yards.
The food bank received a generous boost from this year’s holiday train arrival, with Gabi Belanger presenting a $13,000 cheque on behalf of CPKC during the show. Terri Smith, representing Moose Jaw’s food bank, was on hand to accept the donation along with other non-perishable food items collected by the non-profit organization’s attending vans.
Tim Wonsiak, grocery manager at the Moose Jaw Co-op, shared that the Good Buy to Hunger campaign has already surpassed last year’s goal, with the $10 donations still being accepted until the campaign’s conclusion on Tuesday, Dec. 24.
The North American CPKC Holiday Train tour has already begun and runs from Nov. 21 until concluding on Friday, Dec. 20. This marks the tour’s 26th year as it embarks on another run to spread holiday cheer and raise food, funding, and awareness for residents who currently face food insecurity.
As part of this mission, the tour dutifully stops at each scheduled location and everyone is asked to consider a monetary or non-perishable food donation for their local food bank.
The evening’s entertainment feature involved acclaimed Canadian artists Tyler Shaw and Shawnee Kish who each delivered a live performance.
Following the show, Megan Patterson, MLA for Moose Jaw Wakamow, Mayor James Murdock, Wonsiak, Belanger, and Smith went on stage to accept this year’s donation on behalf of CPKC for the local food bank.
Mayor Murdock then addressed the crowd, emphasizing Moose Jaw’s railroad
heritage and the importance of the annual event. “We’ve always been a rail town, and the presence here is greatly appreciated,” he said during his announcement.
To learn more about artist and performer Tyler Shaw visit TylerShawMusic.com. For more information about singer-songwriter Shawnee Kish visit ShawneeKish. com.
To date, the holiday train tradition has raised more than $24.3 million along with over 5.3 million pounds (2.4 million kilograms) of food since its inception in 1999.
Further details including a map of the Holiday Train’s route can be found online at CPKCR.com/en/Community/HolidayTrain/#HT-map. For more information about CPKC visit CPKCR.com.
You can continue to support the food bank by visiting MJFoodBank.org, calling 306-692-2911, or visiting in person at 270 Fairford Street West.
CPKC employee Gabi Belanger (left) holds the cheque that will be donated on behalf of the railroad company to the Moose Jaw & District Food Bank on Dec. 7. Also included are Tim Wonsiak (second from left) representing the Moose Jaw Co-op, Terri Smith on behalf of the food bank, Mayor James Murdock (with microphone), and Megan Patterson, MLA of Moose Jaw Wakamow. Photo by: Mayor James Murdock/
Michael St. Laurent’s photo of the CPKC Holiday Train as it sits in Moose Jaw during its 2024 North American tour. Photo by: Michael St. Laurent
Westmount students search for perfect gifts during annual Christmas Store event
Westmount School’s gym was filled with the voices of excited students on Dec. 10 and 11 as they browsed for those perfect gifts for their families during the annual “Christmas Store” event.
It was also likely a melancholy time for some students and staff, as this was the last such event the school held in its
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current building before everyone moved to the new Coteau Hills Elementary School next year.
The Christmas Store was mainly aimed at students in pre-kindergarten to Grade 5, giving them an opportunity to shop for their immediate family members. Items ranged from 25 cents to $1, while volunteers wrapped the gifts and sent them home with the students to open at Christmastime.
Students in grades 6 to 8 also shopped on the last day since there were enough leftover items.
Some gifts the more than 350 students could choose from included toys, games, household items, home décor, jewelry, tools, stationary items, watches, clocks and other new or gently used products.
“It’s our favourite tradition,” said Dawn Anne Darroch, school community council chairwoman. “It’s been a tradition at Westmount for many years and it just brings so much smile and joy and Christmas spirit to our school and students.”
With a laugh, Darroch said it takes plenty of time and effort to organize the two-day event, with SCC members and volunteers beginning their preparations in mid-November and then dedicating evenings and weekends to accumulate items. It then takes several more days to set up the tables in the gym and lay out the Christmas gifts.
The Christmas Store is usually busy, especially with more than 300 youths attending the school, while each student is
likely taking home gifts for at least four people, the SCC chairwoman continued.
“So it’s a lot of stuff and it’s a lot of kids coming through, but it’s a lot of fun,” Darroch remarked. “… the kids are more than happy to take (items) home to their family.”
The money collected usually supports activities throughout the year and the event the following year, although sometimes the SCC uses the funds to purchase gifts for dads or teens ahead of time if members know they’ll be short of items for those groups.
Moving to the new joint-use school will be sad but also exciting, with the hope that this tradition can be carried on with participation from Empire School, said Darroch.
“There’s lots of change and there’s good things happening. Joining with Empire is going to be great,” she added.
“We’ve already been meeting with them and getting to know them, so the students and teachers have been coming together already and we just can’t wait for September.”
Principal Trish Alexander said the Christmas Store allows students to purchase gifts for their families “in a really exciting way” since they can shop secretly and not face pressure after school or on the weekends to find gifts while with their parents.
“I think the highlight for me this year was a brand-new student from a different country ran up and gave me a hug and said, ‘Thank you so much for doing this. This is the best day ever,’” Alexander recalled.
“So just hearing words like that, you know this is a really, really, really good event.”
Alexander also hoped that they could keep this tradition going at Coteau Hills and turn it into an even bigger event.
Elementary students shop for Christmas gifts with help of two generous residents
Two residents are continuing the work of a former community worker by running a Christmas store at two local schools, thereby helping children buy affordable gifts for their loved ones each year.
One of these stores was set up at Prince Arthur School on Dec. 12.
“It’s not a fundraiser; it’s trying to teach children the art of giving,” announced Larry Hellings, a Moose Jaw resident who was nominated for Citizen of the Year in 2023 and runs the store with his wife, Dianne.
The Christmas store first opens at Prince Arthur and then moves to St. Agnes School. Inventory is stored in around 100 plastic tubs Hellings uses for transportation and is complemented with further reserves in his trailer and at home.
The store is stocked year-round with donations from friends, family, and through word of mouth referrals. The system ensures children can find a thoughtful and affordable gift, and anything that can’t be stored is forwarded to the Salvation Army or other charitable groups.
Organized across rows of tables in the school’s gym, each class visits separately and students pick something for their parents, siblings, and close relatives. Each item costs 25 cents flat and, if a student doesn’t have the change, Hellings will make the exception.
These gifts are then wrapped on site
with the help of teachers and a few generous volunteers.
The Christmas store began at Prince Arthur in 2013 and St. Agnes in 2015, and has continued ever since — interrupted only during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our grandchildren have all gone to St. Agnes School,” Hellings said. “We knew the principal, and she had said that they were losing their community worker because of budgeting.”
Hellings learned that this worker came up with the idea for a small store held in the school’s music room each December. With her no longer working at the school, the project was destined to be dis-
continued.
The retired couple agreed to keep the venture going and have expanded its scope from Kindergarten to Grade 3 to now include the entire student body.
“So then we decided, look, let’s do this proper,” he said. “We started setting up tables in the gym and started telling some of our friends and got a lot more donations.”
Children enjoy the shopping experience, Hellings said. “It’s amazing what children and their families don’t have. You don’t realize that until you get involved here.”
Giftable items range from coffee
mugs packed with chocolates to unopened modern electronics. Some noteworthy purchases have included an unused bed in a bag and $80 bottles of shampoo — all sold for a quarter.
“The children are absolutely amazing,” he said. “I can’t believe some of the things they check out. They really think about what they’re going to buy for their loved ones.”
Most donations come through word of mouth from local individuals, businesses, and groups like the Optimist Club. Contributions also come from relatives as far away as Regina, Saskatoon, and Medicine Hat.
Hellings’ trailer was donated by Derek McRitchie at Ottawa Real Estate, and Tim Knittig from Simcoe Draperies provides courtesy bubble wrap each year for packing.
“I’d like to compliment the staff, administration, and the school boards. They’re totally, 100 per cent co-operative with us,” Hellings added. “They get the tables for us, they let us use the gym for two days, and they’re very good to us. We couldn’t do this without them.”
Hellings hasn’t requested widespread donations for the store, but said anyone who knows him can inquire to donate new or gently used items, toys, boxes, or wrapping paper. “Well, I won’t say no,” he concluded with a smile.
Westmount School students display some of the gifts they bought during the Christmas Store event. Photo by Jason G. Antonio
Jewelry and necklaces catch the eye of a Westmount student. Photo by Jason G. Antonio
Older students browse the book table.
Photo by Jason G. Antonio
Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express
Volunteers pause for a photo between class intakes at this year’s Christmas store at Prince Arthur School on Dec. 12. Larry Hellings is third from the right in the back row. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Wishing you and yours a warm and happy holiday season!
Raymond James Ltd., Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund.
Holiday Market draws crowds bringing Town ‘N’ Country Mall back to life
With the goal of supporting Moose Jaw’s food bank, the Town ‘N’ Country Mall came back to life as last weekend’s Holiday Market drew crowds and helped vendors offer unique gifts and stocking stuffer ideas to the community.
The Holiday Market took place over two days on Dec. 7 and Dec. 8.
The event was originally calling for around 50 vendors, but a total of 107 attended and were joined by an early estimate of 1,000 guests — give or take.
“It’s great for the community, and it’s great for the vendors, because it gets (people) out here. They get to show their wares (and) have sales… Community wise, it’s amazing because people get together and help each other out,” announced Gail Hoffos, the show’s organizer.
Previously, Hoffos has helped organizations like the South Central Early Childhood Intervention Program and Running Wild Rescue through her charity-focused trade shows.
The events have proven their worth, and Hoffos said she’s raised $15,000 over four trade shows this year alone. Next year she plans to run six of them.
“Most of the vendors are doing really good,” she said. “People love it, even (if they just attend) for an afternoon.”
One vendor, Cindy Knelsen, sells Watkins products and attended after seeing a social media post and reaching out. “I reached out, they were very good, and it’s (for) a good cause,” she said about supporting the food bank.
Knelsen said she’s been busy and
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one of her newest products, Watkins Yellowstone grilling spice that retails for $8 a bottle, sold out before she could even try it herself.
“It’s been very well worth it for me to bring the products here,” she said. “Sales have been steady today (and I have) lots of stuff here for stocking stuffers.” Knelsen can be reached at 306-690-2158 for anyone interested in her line of products.
Scott Jenkinson, owner of “I Saw That. Art,” said he was happy to promote his saw blade painting hobby and wasn’t too worried about his sales. Jenkinson still saw a benefit from the venue, of course.
“Last month (here at the mall) I sold 10
(saw blades) at one show.”
For more information about I Saw That. Art, visit ‘I Saw That. Art’ on Facebook.
The trade show brought uncharacteristic crowds to the mall — an unfamiliar sight in recent years — much to the benefit
of permanent businesses at the venue.
One of those businesses was Vege World owned by Jayesh Ashar and his wife, Maitri Ashar, who brings her cooking experience to the family enterprise. “We are surprised to know how many people are visiting in Moose Jaw — there are many, many of them,” Maitri said. “People just love to have good food and they appreciate how everything (that we serve) is made fresh.”
This impression was shared by Hoffos and several businesses she spoke with. “The store over there where Calico Junction used to be, they were just taken back… It was crazy; people were lined up,” she said. “The stores in the mall are loving it. They’re busy.”
Even though most businesses experienced increased patronage, some visitors only came to have a look around. Either way, Hoffos said, it’s great to see more new faces in the building.
Hoffos wished to thank everyone who helped make this year’s Holiday Market possible. “It’s amazing all the community support that I get,” she said appreciatively.
The Moose Jaw & District Food Bank is located at 270 Fairford Street West and can be reached at 306-692-2911.
The Town ‘N’ Country Mall is located at 1235 Main Street North.
PUBLIC NOTICE Rural Municipality of Moose Jaw No. 161 NOTICE OF INTENTION TO AMEND ZONING BYLAW 6-2011
Notice is hereby given by the Rural Municipality (R.M.) of Moose Jaw No. 161, pursuant to The Planning and Development Act, 2007, that Council intends to amend Bylaw No. 6-2011, the Zoning Bylaw by Rezoning the area contained within the proposed Plan of Subdivision (shown below as Parcel C) contained within the Agriculture District (AR) and River Valley Residential Development District 2 (RVD-2) to Agriculture Resource - Contract Zoning District (AR-C).
Purpose:
The Municipality has received a request to subdivide a parcel containing a pre-existing AgricultureCommercial operation and an occupied residence located on Section 32-16-25 W2 The existing Zoning Bylaw will not accommodate a subdivision containing 2 principle uses Due to the uniqueness of the site, the applicant has requested an amendment to the Zoning Bylaw via a Contract/Agreement with the Municipality which would limit the use of the property to only the
Jaw Express
A look inside the Town ‘N’ Country Mall as it sprang back to life for the Holiday Market on Dec. 8. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Scott Jenkinson, owner of “I Saw That. Art,” was one of the 107 vendors to attend the Holiday Market at the Town ‘N’ Country Mall on Dec. 7 and 8. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Vendor Cindy Knelsen sells a wide selection of Watkins quality products at the two-day Holiday Market. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Debbie Skidmore, owner of Debbie’s Creations (left), attends the Holiday Market with Charlene Hauser (right), the owner of Enchanted Trinkets and Treasures. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Maitri Ashar said that her permanent business at the mall, Vege World, saw a lot of support during the two-day Holiday Market last weekend. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Editor’s Note
I am always interested in how individual families choose to celebrate Christmas.
I know that cultures, traditions and religious beliefs do make a difference in the focus but I think that no matter what, there is a special love and kindness, good-will toward man that is in the air that has pervaded through the sands of time and will continue to do so. The Spirit of Christmas is still alive and well on planet earth!
In my family for decades past, the norm has always been a focus on family get-togethers with lots of love to go around, more than enough food to stuff any belly, rooms full of chatter, laughs and good cheer, but mostly with a reverent respect and acknowledgement of the real meaning of Christmas and the gift of Jesus to the world that is free for the taking to all who believe. My father’s Ukrainian heritage did a lot to emphasize all of the above, as well as being born into a loving home where relatives played an integral part of who we grew up to be and the tradiitions that we continue to uphold.
I must admit, things have changed a bit but nevertheless, these ideals are still the target to shoot for to this very day.
I think that one of the biggest hindrances is distance to travel and never being able to truly trust the weatherman and what Saskatchewan weather will be from one minute to the next. As well, the world is such a small place these days that many families choose to celebrate their Christmas season in a hot climate which alters the very concept of what Christmas means to those of us from the frozen north. There’s something about the norm of a traditional Christmas that keeps the heart yearning for the same year after year. It’s a lot of work in advance to get the same expected outcome but worth every bit of effort put in. There’s the baking, cleaning, setting up the tree and decorations, entertaining, watching Christmas movies (my most favourite being the Shrek Christmas, Elf and Love Actually, and watching all those ktchy Harlequin lovey-dovey Christmas shows on the Women’s network.
Everything I hold dear stems from the inside out, the love of family and friends, hearty laughs that are good for the soul and a deep belief in my faith that keeps me grounded and optimistic. Although life in this world seems turned upside down and unpredictable for the most part, one thing is for sure, God holds the outcome in His hands and by all accounts it will all turn out great and exactly as planned.
From my pen to your heart, may the Spirit of the Christmas bring you peace and joy to surround you and contentment in all the affairs of life this year and always!
Iver Main Dinner and Auction
by April Meersman
Iver Main Bi-annual Dinner and Auction was held on Saturday, November 23rd, and despite Mother Nature, was truly a success. The community came together through a snowstorm to show their continued support for our facility and residents. The storm started around 4:00 p.m. just as guests were getting ready to leave their homes to attend the dinner and auction. The organizing committee had invested many personal hours to prepare for the night and would not easily give up their collective volunteer time. Even with the last-minute changes, such as the auctioneer being unable to attend due to road conditions, the rest of the evening went off without a hitch. The evening raised $19,000.
Manager of Iver Main Place, Jeri Uptonvsaid, “I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who donated auction and dinner items and to everyone who helped with setting up, clean up and the planning
committee. You all made our event a success.”
Iver Main Place is a level one and two personal care home in Central Butte, Saskatchewan. This fundraising event is held every second year to help cover expenses and building upgrades and now is well on its way to achieving the goals of continuing its operations with the upgrading of the tub rooms, kitchen and floors. Iver Main is quickly approaching its 20th anniversary and is grateful to the supportive communities of Central Butte, Riverhurst, Eyebrow, Tugaske, Elbow, Chaplin and surrounding rural municipalities. The Covid-19 pandemic placed many challenges on the personal care home, putting it at risk of closing its doors in 2020. Thanks to everyone who came out and lifted them when they were down. Management and staff would like to extend an invitation to visitors to stop in for a coffee, a game of cards, or a visit and check out the facility any day of the week.
Vanier students explore non-traditional topics during mixed-grade program
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Vanier Collegiate recently completed a two-week project that allowed students in different grades to take together courses that ranged from public speaking to having philosophical discussions about superheroes.
The inaugural mixed-grade collaborative sessions occurred from Nov. 25 to Dec. 6, with more than 400 youths participating in one of 15 courses — they could submit three choices — for 35 minutes. This time block would normally see students taking a grade-specific course under the Graduation Planning and Life Transitions (GPLT) program, such as career and health, leadership, or life transitions.
The sessions included cooking basics, strategy games, superheroes, video production, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), SAT prep, restorative yoga, portrait photography, football 101, indigenous culture, cosmetology, public speaking, creative writing, pickleball and sports injury management.
Grade 12 student Annique Boyer focused on cosmetology, which gave her the opportunity to learn beauty techniques — such as hairstyling — from her teacher and staff from Elite Hairstyling and Esthetics Training Centre.
Boyer said she was “a big fan” of this method of learning, while she appreciated that it was interest-based so she could determine if this was a desirable career path.
“I chose this class because I was somewhat interested in becoming a nail tech and going to Elite … ,” she continued.
Boyer considers herself an artist and was drawn toward attending art school. However, she recently began painting nails and realized that is another artistic outlet. She has also appreciated learning how to style hair, how often to wash makeup brushes, and how to perform basic cosmetology activities without ruining someone’s hair or nails.
Grade 9 student Gavin Hack participated in the sports injury management session, which taught students how to tape wrists, ankles and other injured joints. He thought the session was fun, especially since he’s an athlete and appreciated knowing how to address injuries.
“I play soccer a lot, so I bend my ankle back a lot,” he chuckled. “So, (the course) helped me do the ankle wrap so I can get back into (the game).”
While Hack thought the sessions were different from typical classroom learning, he enjoyed how active they were, working with others and not sitting at a desk. He also appreciated meeting new — and more mature — students and seeing how they worked.
“It’s a fresh start, that’s for sure, especially coming … from elementary school with kindergartens,” he added. “It’s fun.”
The mixed-grade collaborative sessions offer students flexible learning pathways and a choice in the content they could learn, explained vice-principal Gillian Muench. Furthermore, the learning occurs with youths from different grades — not normally done — and gives them the opportunity to be hands-on instead of just receiving content.
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“And it actually pushed me to where I think I’m going to enrol in Elite and then go to Saskatoon (in) the second semester because I was kind of in-between which one (hair or nails) I was going to do. And I’ve decided (that) I can do both.”
For example, instead of being taught strategies for time management, students can apply those skills in a real-world situation, such as making choices in D&D. They can also put their new skills into practice immediately.
“We’re doing what we’re teaching, but the students are experiencing it. So, that’s our hope out of this,” she remarked, noting teachers could choose what they wanted to lead and could share their passions with students.
Muench, who isn’t teaching this semester, “had the joy” of walking around the school and seeing students making friends, meeting others with similar interests, taking charge of their learning, learning new life skills and developing a lifelong hobby.
“When you’re excited about what you do in the day, it spreads,” said Muench. “We’ve noticed a really nice feeling in these two weeks … but I don’t have the data yet (so) I’m looking forward to it.”
Muench noted that attendance has increased during this program, while school administration hopes — based on the feedback — to run this initiative several times each semester.
“We’re sad to see this end … (but) we really enjoyed it,” she added.
JOAN RITCHIEMoose Jaw Express EDITOR
Kysen MacAngus (left) and Emery Schoenroth (middle) practise wrapping the ankle and wrist of Brody Novak, during a session on sports injury management.
Photo by Jason G. Antonio
During a cosmetology session, Annique Boyer (left), Brooklyn Dekker (second from right) and teacher Jaylee Wilgosh (right) work on the hair of Brooklyn Miller. Photo by Jason G. Antonio
268 Mulberry Lane, Moose Jaw SK 306-693-4550
Wishing you a peaceful holiday season
Amnesty International Moose Jaw continues ‘Write for Rights’ campaign, seeks memberships
Moose Jaw’s arm of Amnesty International hosted a public information table at the Newcomer Welcome Centre last week, and residents were invited to sign petitions in support of human rights cases and hopefully grow the local arm of the organization.
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The “Write for Rights” project is part of an annual observance of Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, a tradition that has continued since the local arm was founded around 25 years ago by resident Gloria Chartier.
The latest event was on the afternoon of Dec. 13 and was attended by two of the arm’s three current members, Lorna Arnold and Dawn-Nica Mathieson, with 93-yearold founder Chartier absent.
“One reason why I’m supporting (Amnesty) is because when I first got into it… reading these stories about the horrific things that people are put through in these other countries just for peacefully stating (something)… it breaks my heart,” Arnold said.
Amnesty International envisions a world where everyone enjoys the human rights outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For over 50 years, it has been a global leader in researching and exposing human rights abuses, advocating for justice, and mobilizing individuals to stand together in defense of dignity and freedom.
Write for Rights is a global letter-writing campaign held annually on Human Rights Day to bring attention to human rights violations from around the world.
Each year, around 10 cases from countries that have signed the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights are highlighted, and Amnesty urges people to take action
through letters, petitions, and social media advocacy.
Amnesty International’s Moose Jaw arm joins in this tradition at a rotating local venue.
“We don’t meet very often,” Arnold explained. “We meet maybe two or three times a year, and we sign petitions and write up letters.”
It may not seem like signing petitions or writing letters would impact the plight of jailed, tortured, abused, or silenced individuals across the world, but the two members said they’re aware of several cases where meaningful changes were confirmed. Many of these stories are picked up and reported in the organization’s bi-annual magazine, The Activist.
In some cases, even just receiving a deluge of support letters can help bolster hope for an individual facing persecution.
“One of the things that encourages me to continue to write letters and do the petitions is because people, even if they’re not released from jail… once they get out of jail, they… talk about what it was like. They are often able to figure out and correlate times when conditions improved in the jail,” Arnold shared.
“All of a sudden, after being given rice and cabbage soup for eight or 10 months, the food would get a whole lot better… and health care would be provided…,” she added.
“That happened probably because the people managing the jail realized that somebody’s watching them.”
Moose Jaw’s arm of Amnesty International is now looking to expand its membership and invites the public to help support more than 10 million individuals from over 170 countries working to protect and promote human rights.
“We really would like to keep it going, because we really believe in the cause,” Mathieson said. “It doesn’t cost much, it doesn’t take up much time, and it’s really important (to get involved).”
The best way to get involved is to contact Lorna Arnold at 306-690-8739.
Membership costs $25 for a full year, includes a subscription to The Activist, and brings together “people with big hearts who want to do (positive and meaningful) things.”
For more information, visit Amnesty.ca.
A resident signs a petition (left) with Dawn-Nica Mathieson (middle) and Lorna Arnold (right) representing Amnesty International at the Newcomer Welcome Centre on Dec. 13. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Police board members will have to wait until January to receive accurate crime statistics after unexpected “anomalies” crept into the November report and inflated some numbers by over 400 per cent.
The Moose Jaw Police Service presented the data during the Board of Police Commissioners’ Dec. 11 meeting, with Deputy Chief Rick Johns acknowledging that police leadership noticed “small anomalies” with the numbers because the analyst appeared to have issues inputting the data.
“So, I can’t speak to the level of accuracy in some of the key areas,” he said.
Compared to the October report, the “anomalies” in the November document appeared to affect the crimes against the person category, specifically assaults. That sub-category — which includes sexual assaults, common, with a weapon, aggravated and against police — showed that from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30, there had allegedly been
329 assaults, compared to 64 year-to-date (YTD) in 2023, an alleged jump of 414.1 per cent.
In comparison, in October, there had been 305 assaults versus 342 in October 2023, a decrease of 10.8 per cent.
Overall, in November, the crimes against the person category allegedly saw a year-over-year (YoY) decrease of 4.2 per cent, while crimes against property allegedly fell 23.2 per cent YoY.
The police service did not notice anything unusual with October’s data, which saw a decrease of 1.2 per cent for crimes against the person and a decrease of 24.9 per cent for crimes against property, Johns said.
However, calls for service data are likely accurate and sat at 18,977 calls by Nov. 30, which was a YoY increase of 4.1 per cent, he continued. The agency expects to receive more than 20,000 by the end of 2024.
“We will provide a more accurate snapshot of the statistical extract at the next meeting,” Johns said. “Unfortunately, our analyst — once this report was created — was then away and unable to make the corrections necessary to make sure certain numbers aligned … .
“It will be quite a good reflection with the next one because we will be closing out the end of the year at the next meeting,” he added.
Impaired driving numbers decreased year-over-year in November from 92 to 83, a drop of 9.8 per cent, said Commissioner Dawn Luhning. She wondered if the police planned to conduct a Christmas season blitz to check for more impaired motorists.
The police service began its roadside checkstops on Dec. 6 and will continue through the festive season and into the new year, said Johns. The agency — led by Sgt. Ryan Lawrence in the community
safety branch — is working with SGI and MADD Canada on the “positive ticketing program” that sees motorists rewarded for driving safely.
The deputy chief noted that checkstops will spring up throughout the city unannounced or with little warning, but residents will see these high-visibility activities when they come across them.
“(This is) highly important. We want to make sure everybody is safe through the holiday season, that they’re driving responsibly (and) not putting themselves at risk of injury in an accident … ,” Johns added.
Commissioner Jamey Logan said he went through the first checkstop and joked that he passed all tests “with flying colours.” Since he was driving safely, police gave him a Tim Hortons gift card as part of the positive ticketing initiative.
“Good on the force for doing that,” he added.
Some areas of the Moose Jaw Police Service’s 2024 budget have been “tracking a little hot” recently, although other areas are below budget, the deputy police chief says.
“It’s a lean budget, but we anticipate that we’re tracking well up to this point, based on the end of October numbers,” Rick Johns said during the Board of Police Commissioners’ Dec. 11 meeting while discussing the operating budget.
Commissioner Jamey Logan inquired about a line item dealing with psychological services, which showed that the police service had spent $71,543 but did not budget for it.
The agency signed a contract this year with a psychologist to provide those services to members, although that opportunity arose during the year after the budget had been set, said Johns. This prompted the previous board to approve a motion to use those services.
Chiming in, Police Chief Rick Bourassa said that the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) signed an initial contract
The Moose Jaw Police Service’s anti-trespassing and shopping cart recovery initiatives have been producing positive results, as nearly 130 properties have joined the former and over 50 four-wheelers have been recovered under the latter.
Sgt. Ryan Lawrence provided an update about the agency’s community safety initiatives during the Board of Police Commissioners’ Dec. 11 meeting.
Lawrence explained that 128 properties have joined the Moose Jaw Trespass Prevention Program (MJTPP), but because some locations are strip malls, there are actually more businesses participating than that number indicates.
with a psychologist in the summer of 2023 to provide “navigation through the healthcare system” for officers who required support and training.
“We expanded it slightly in … 2024, and that is included in the 2025 budget moving forward,” he continued.
“What we have seen over the past while is an increase in our people seeking out those supports, so now we have the systems in place to allow them to navigate that system properly and have good outcomes.”
Commissioner Dawn Luhning inquired about several line items, including legal and adjudication, computer software and employee benefits.
The legal/adjudication line had expenses of $146,241 on a $160,000 budget and the computer software line had expenses of $86,069 on a $78,000 budget and was 10.34-per-cent over budget.
There were two employee-benefit line items: one dealt with salaries and had expenses of $1.6 million on a $1.8 million budget, while a second dealt with retire-
The public safety initiative — which began in May — focuses on protecting commercial and multi-unit residential buildings, particularly after hours, where police have the power to evict trespassers, he continued. The police service records all participating properties in a database, while properties receive yellow triangular stickers to indicate that they are participating.
Since police may come across the same trespassers — usually homeless or less fortunate people — at a property, they can help those people find assistance through Willow Lodge or with Social Services, the sergeant remarked.
ment gifts and had expenses of $14,347 on a $7,000 budget and was 104.96-per-cent over budget.
In response, police leadership said the legal/adjudication line was for the contract with in-house lawyer Destiny Diehl, the software line is a contract with Versaterm, which supplies a computer-aided dispatch and records management system, and employee benefits including pensions, CPP, EI, WCB and disability coverage — all of which the MJPS covers.
There have been other areas of the budget that experienced unanticipated increases this year, such as in the witness fees and special expenses line, said Johns. Among other things, this area includes fees to use conducted energy weapons (tasers), which the agency upgraded this year.
“The taser that we carry on the street now has licensing fees associated to that, so we are paying that … . It’s once a year (for licensing renewal),” he continued.
Meanwhile, the police spent $12,000 through the witness fees and special ex-
Meanwhile, police have received positive feedback about the program, with business owners saying they’ve had fewer people loiter with the stickers in place, said Lawrence. However, some loiterers returned after stickers were ripped off doors, prompting police to visit and install new insignia.
“So with this program, the Moose Jaw Police Service is able to take an existing provincial act … and apply it in a proactive policing manner in our community,” he stated.
The police service has heard some complaints online from residents who are frustrated that the agency is focusing on business properties instead of residential locations, he continued. So, staff created an online poster explaining the rights that residential property owners have with
“So we have tried to push this out and encourage people to phone and report people in their yard or on their property at night. We’ve had some good feedback … but not everybody is always monitoring our stuff either,” Lawrence added.
Meanwhile, police started the shop-
penses line to create a new community survey to help it understand how it’s doing in the community and learn what residents think of the police service, Johns added. This survey aligned with the board’s strategic plan.
Commissioner Logan inquired further about provincial funding revenues, contractual revenues, and repair expenses. The police service had received $119,972 out of $800,000 in provincial funding year-to-date, with the outstanding money to come in the new year, police leadership said. Furthermore, with contractual revenues budgeted at $250,000, the police — through the Commissionaires — manage parking for the city, but the finance director had not yet entered any money into that fund.
Also, repairs — $10,581 in expenses on a $30,000 budget — included maintenance on equipment like roadside screening devices, forensic identification gear and biological fridges for samples, leadership added.
ping cart recovery project in July to enhance community safety and reduce people’s ability to transport weapons or stolen goods, the sergeant said.
The MJPS had affected businesses sign a document saying they did not allow their trolleys to be removed from the property. One business that has had 50 of its carts removed from the property was thrilled that the police service was undertaking this initiative.
Officers have recovered 60 carts, each valued at $250, which means members have returned $15,000 worth of stolen property, added Lawrence. Also, police do not lay formal charges against people when they recover the four-wheelers, while most people are co-operative and give back the carts.
Other initiatives that the MJPS is pursuing include foot and bike patrols, nightly checks of areas of concern, community engagement activities, safety presentations, school-focused conversations, community events, impaired driving checkstops, using speed-monitoring trailers in school zones and on high-priority streets, recruitment and supporting victims.
Oh Clark’s
Reflective Moments
By Joyce Walter - For Moose Jaw Express
Christmas gift request might be delayed until April birthday
Housemate will possibly have presents for Valentine’s Day in February, for his birthday in early April or for Easter in midApril. We don’t normally exchange gifts on Victoria Day in May or Canada Day in July but that could change in 2025.
Reliance on Canada Post for prompt delivery of catalogue orders was taken for granted when we were growing up in rural areas and that reliance extended through several decades of our aging process.
It was simple: fill out the catalogue order form, enclose a cheque or money order for the total amount, including taxes and shipping, and then eagerly volunteer to fetch the mail and parcels from the post office. There was much rejoicing in the home when catalogue orders arrived, particularly in the cases when the parents disappeared to another room to open what turned out to be gifts for Santa to deliver on Christmas morning.
Alas, the two major catalogue com-
panies no longer exist, but in their place is on-line shopping and a tiny bit of catalogue shopping from companies whose reputation is mostly unknown and therefore untried.
Then Housemate finally answered my question: “what do you want for Christmas?”
His response surprised me but I took it under advisement and proceeded to pop into a store or two in search of the items he thought he would enjoy, (I’m not identifying them here in case he might be reading this column and that would spoil the surprise on Christmas morning.)
The surprise will likely be an IOU in his stocking for those items because, I have found, they are almost as rare as hen’s teeth or dishwasher-safe fine china. The outlets I have visited no longer carry such items in their inventory and phone calls to other spots verify that low sales have removed them from the shelves.
In desperation, I reluctantly went online and found a treasure trove just waiting for my choices. I made a few and filled in the necessary information required for delivery purposes. I crossed those items off my shopping list and sat back to wait for delivery.
All I’ve received so far is a notice of apology, noting that delivery is through Canada Post, the Crown Corporation that has been on strike for dozens of days. There is no guarantee if the merchandise will arrive in time for Christmas.
But then the company offered the solution: I could pay a few dollars more to have delivery undertaken by another firm, but still without any promise of before-Christmas arrival. Why would I pay more money without such a guarantee? I declined this offer even though it might suggest that I don’t think Housemate deserves an extra $49.53 expenditure to get him a gift on time.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
When another speciality catalogue arrived in the house, I browsed and saw at least one item Housemate might appreciate. In addition to the price plus taxes, there would be an additional charge of $16 for delivery. I had to ponder that a bit, then found out Canada Post would be involved and I shuddered to pay the delivery fee without an arrival date.
Because we don’t know when postal workers will be back on the job, Christmas might be a dismal morning for Housemate. Perhaps if I ask a friend to bake a pie that I can place in a gift-wrapped container, he won’t notice his stocking does not contain any items he requested.
It could be called his Merry Christmas pie and he will think he has a brilliant partner who knows just what he would like for Christmas.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@ sasktel.net
Moose Jaw chamber, police launching new anti-crime campaign
The Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) is teaming up with the Chamber of Commerce as part of a campaign to encourage residents to report suspicious or criminal activity regularly.
The “See Something, Say Something” campaign aims to encourage citizens to call the police for issues or situations that concern them, as the chamber has heard from its members that they want more police presence, Sgt. Ryan Lawrence told the Board of Police Commissioners during its Dec. 11 meeting.
“The messaging is just if you see something suspicious or criminal activity — a crime in progress — please call police to report it,” he continued. “If the police don’t know about it, how can we help deal with it?
“So please call us (and) we’ll figure it out. If we don’t need to be there, we’ll let you know.”
Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com
In October, the chamber released the results of a business impact survey, which showed that members wanted an increase in how often police patrol areas, especially in locations with higher reported incidents, said Jay-D Haughton, the MJPS’s communications manager.
The chamber then approached the police service about conducting a campaign to remind people to call 911 if they see suspicious activity, a crime in progress or an emergency, he continued. The campaign also informs people about the types of non-emergency situations about which they can call the police station, such as trespassing or past break-ins.
In a separate interview, Chamber CEO Rob Clark said this program aims to provide “a cleaner and safer community” downtown and elsewhere, while the chamber wants to promote this monthly so it can educate the community.
“We need a safe and healthy lifestyle here, and hopefully, the chamber is a part of it,” he remarked.
The business impact survey enabled the chamber to acquire information about similar programs occurring in cities such as Edmonton, Alta., and Nanaimo, Kelowna and Penticton, British Columbia, Clark said. Furthermore, he read more about the program occurring in Penticton, which impressed him.
The chamber had wanted to start a similar campaign before it conducted the survey, but the police service required more information before it agreed to participate, he noted. Both parties were able to make headway on kickstarting this initiative, and it’s exciting to have the agency on board.
While attending other meetings, Clark said he heard regularly from residents and business owners that they called
PROVINCIAL COURT REPORT
the police about situations and nothing was allegedly done to address them. He thought those claims were partially true, while other times, the police phone lines may have been busy.
“I think (the campaign) should be good. It’s something quick and simple, and we’ll just keep educating as we go along … ,” said Clark.
“We’re just trying to keep it open and honest and … stay in our lane and even help people in need, help the community and help the businesses,” he continued. “And, generally, have a great community that we all live in and love.”
Added Clark, “So ‘see something, say something,’ it’s a good start to get people thinking.”
The chamber launched the campaign on Dec. 12.
Bail granted to man accused of dangerous driving that killed passenger
A provincial court judge has granted bail to Mortlach resident Tyrel Terence Cronan, who is accused of four offences, including dangerous driving that killed one of his passengers.
Judge Brian Hendrickson made his decision in Moose Jaw Provincial Court on Dec. 13 based on evidence and arguments he heard during two recent bail hearings. The media were prohibited from re-
Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com
porting on the alleged facts because of a publication ban, although they could report on the judge’s reasons for granting bail.
Release conditions
Some of Cronan’s release conditions include wearing a Ministry of Justice-owned electronic monitoring bracelet, reporting to a probation officer, living with his common-law spouse in Mortlach and remaining inside 24/7, and not pos-
sessing or drinking alcohol or being in places that sell it.
Furthermore, he must give breath or urine samples to police when requested, take addiction assessments or programming, not contact the people he allegedly chased, not contact his surviving passenger, and not sit in a driver’s seat.
Cronan’s common-law spouse hugged a family member and smiled broadly upon learning of his release. She later picked
up Cronan from the Regina Correctional Centre and drove him to Moose Jaw to have the GPS bracelet attached.
Cronan’s case was adjourned to Monday, Dec. 23.
Cronan, 26, is facing charges of flight from police, dangerous driving causing death, impaired operation causing death and exceeding .08 causing death from an incident on Nov. 7.
15 cent burger - You gotta be kidding
While surfing the Internet — do they still call it surfing? — Yours Truly came across a photo of an early menu from McDonald’s.
Under a drawing with the golden arches was a list of nine items. None cost more than 20 cents and many were only a dime.
Unbelievable!
The pure beef hamburger was 15 cents. The “tempting’’ cheeseburger, at 19 cents, was the second most expensive item on the limited menu.
Most expensive item on that menu was the triple thick shake at 20 cents.
Golden French fries, Coke, root beer, steaming hot coffee and the full flavoured orange drink were all 10 cents.
Refreshing cold milk was 12 cents. You can still get milk at the place but it will cost a lot more than it did in the early years.
To put the 15 cent burgers in perspective the median American income in 1955 was a record $3,400 — or $66
a week. Gasoline was 17 cents a gallon, or 3.8 cents a litre.
American farmers averaged 17 cents a pound for calves, compared with $3.30 a pound now
Fast food drive-in restaurants caught on rapidly as post-war consumers were now allowed to buy cars after years of wartime rationing. New owners were looking for someplace to show off their shiny new possessions.
During the Second World War (1938-1945) the only civilians allowed to buy vehicles were those occupations needing them — truckers, farmers, doctors and such.
Taking a drive to the nearest fast food joint for a burger and shake was obviously a great way to show off the car and get some enjoyable use out of it.
The burger joints also became hangouts for teenagers in the evenings.
Today McDonald’s is a far more different place than that first one opened in 1955 by Ray Kroc in Des Plaines, Illinois.
The chain runs more than 40,00 golden arches in 100
Prairie South updates policy around severe weather and bus cancellations
Jason G. Antonio -
Prairie South School Division covers nearly 33,000 square kilometres of southern Saskatchewan, which means transporting students during the winter can sometimes be hazardous — especially in rural areas.
To keep families informed about whether schools are open and buses running, the division has updated an administrative procedure that focuses on severe weather and bus cancellations. Trustees ratified that change during their December board meeting.
“Because of the geographic size of Prairie South School Division, the board believes that enabling policy providing local discretion in dealing with weather conditions is both prudent and appropriate,” the policy says.
Schools will remain open despite the presence of inclement weather, while buildings will only be closed during a threat to health and/or safety, the document continues. However, parents may drive their kids to school at any time during the regular school day, whether buses are running or not.
The main change in the policy is to the responsibilities of the transportation manager, as he — or his designate — is now expected to inform bus drivers, school principals and others when transportation services are cancelled by posting that information on the division’s website instead of on social media.
Furthermore, the manager or designate will also direct drivers to contact parents or guardians with this information, although — as a new feature — parents who register with a software program called Bus Planner Web
will receive notifications about cancellations of their chil dren’s routes.
Meanwhile, the transportation manager or designate will maintain files about bus cancellations and will cancel applicable regular routes when the temperature — includ ing wind chill — reaches or goes below -40 C, and para transit routes when the temperature reaches or goes below -35 C, the policy says.
The manager may cancel bus routes for various rea sons, such as roads with major snow drifts or that are icy, limited visibility because of fog or blowing snow, other environmental conditions that Environment Canada typically announces, and information the division collects from Weather Canada.
By Ron Walter For Moose Jaw Express
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of
author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
countries with 1,400 in Canada. About 85 per cent are owned by franchisees.
Buying a franchise in Canada requires $700,000 of unencumbered funds — funds not backed by a loan or tied up in another enterprise.
Hopefully you will have more than a Big Mac as we celebrate Christmas in a few days.
Merry Christmas to all!
Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
The manager will decide by 6 a.m. whether to cancel buses, while a bus cancelled in the morning will not operate in the afternoon, and buses provided for out-ofschool curricular or extracurricular activities will also be cancelled when general services are cancelled, the policy says.
Meanwhile, principals will ensure a process is in place to billet youths if required — the division will assume any costs incurred — and ensure all bus students have a billet.
Rural drivers will be responsible for cancelling a route after consulting with the transportation manager or designate to ensure the safety and well-being of passengers.
“If the decision is made before students have been
SOUTH SCHOOL DIVISION
route at the height of a winter storm, while they are prohibited from starting their routes before the usual departure time. However, if the decision to cease operations is made after students have been picked up, drivers must arrange to deliver each student to a safe, supervised destination.
In rural areas, drivers must inform parents or guardians, the principal, and the transportation manager or designate directly or indirectly of the location of students.
Meanwhile, parents or guardians must arrange for appropriate billeting for their students if necessary and inform the school of those arrangements, the report said. However, adults may keep their kids at home during severe weather conditions or if they have concerns about their children’s safety, while they can also drive their kids.
“Parents or guardians are responsible to ensure that their children are appropriately dressed for weather conditions,” the document adds.
Official school board election results released by Prairie South
Prairie South School Division has released the official results of this year’s school board elections, with the data showing how many people voted and how many ballots trustees received.
Following the Nov. 13 election, voters elected five trustees in subdivision 6 (City of Moose Jaw): Mary Jukes, Patrick Boyle, Brett Hagan, Lew Young and Tenielle McLeod.
Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com
A total of 3,746 people cast a ballot in The Friendly City, but because 21 people blank-voted and 134 people over-voted, that left 3,591 legitimate ballots cast.
Jukes received the most votes with 2,119 ballots, followed by Boyle with 2,105, Hagan with 2,061, Young with 1,925 and McLeod with 1,706.
Meanwhile, unsuccessful candidates included Brian Martynook with 1,494 votes, Kursty Bansley with 649, Ron Gorham with 616 and Abdul Alabi with 483.
In subdivision 1, which includes Central Butte, Chaplin, Craik, Eyebrow, Mortlach, Riverhurst, Tuxford and mail-in ballots, a total of 412 people cast ballots, but one was rejected and 14 were spoiled, leaving 397 legitimate ballots cast.
Incumbent Darcy Pryor defeated challenger Jan (Rice) Pogorzelec with 253 ballots versus 158, capturing all the polls aside from the one in Tuxford and mail-in ballots.
Meanwhile, Robert Bachmann was acclaimed in subdivision 2, John Bumbac was acclaimed in subdivision 3, Giselle Wilson was acclaimed in subdivision 4 and Shawn Davidson was acclaimed in subdivision 5.
Committee appointments
During the December board meeting, trustees received a report laying out the boards, committees and school community councils on which they will serve for the 2024-25 school year. Their appointments included:
• Bumbac, Jukes and McLeod on the student outcomes committee
• Bumbac, Davidson, Hagan and McLeod on the business, infrastructure and governance committee
• Bachmann, Boyle, Wilson and Young on the human resources committee
• Bachmann, Hagan, Jukes and Pryor on the partner-
ships and team-building committee
• Five rural or five urban trustees will be appointed to the transportation committee, which meets on an ad hoc basis
• Boyle, Davidson, Pryor and Wilson on the ad hoc communications/social media committee
All trustees will serve on the committee of the whole, which provides a forum for members to engage in planning sessions
Wilson and Pryor, as chairwoman and vice-chairwoman, respectively, will sit on the executive committee
Furthermore, Moose Jaw trustees were appointed to the following school community councils (SCCs):
• École Palliser Heights: Juke and Young
• Empire: Hagan and McLeod
• King George: Boyle and Young
• Prince Arthur: McLeod and Jukes
• Sunningdale: Hagan and Young
• Westmount: Hagan and McLeod
• William Grayson: Jukes and Boyle
• Central Collegiate: McLeod and Boyle
• Peacock Collegiate: Boyle and Young
• Riverview Collegiate: Hagan and Jukes
Rural trustee appointments to SCCs included:
• Pryor: Central Butte, Chaplin, Carik, Eyebrow and Mortlach
• Davidson: École Gravelbourg, Glentworth, Kincaid, Lafleche and Mankota
• Bachmann: Avonlea, Caronport, Lindale and Rouleau
• Wilson: Bengough, Coronach and Rockglen
The next PSSD board meeting is in early January.
From The Kitchen
By Joyce Walter - For Moose Jaw Express
Holiday dinner table incomplete without Jello salad
In old-time homes, Christmas dinner was incomplete without the presence of a variety of jellied salads.
While the Jello with fruit cocktail salad isn’t as popular as in Gramdma’s day, some families still adhere to this part of the traditional holiday meal.
This week’s recipes have been served over the years in the Christmas dinners prepared by my family.
It is noticeable that when I remove the recipe card from the box, all bear the designation of “Mom’s” as part of the salad’s name — a reminder of the dishes that greeted our family around her Christmas table.
• • • LIME JELLO SALAD
1 pkg. lime Jello powder
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup diced apples
1/4 cup diced walnuts
3/4 cup finely diced celery
Dissolve the Jello in the boiling water and stir steadily until no powder remains.
Add the cold water and the mayonnaise and beat with an egg beater until any lumps are re-
moved. Place in refrigerator and let set until Jello detaches from side of bowl.
Stir in apples, walnuts and celery and stir with vigour until all ingredients are covered and then smooth the top of the mixture.
Store in refrigerator until firmly set.
• • • 24 HOUR SALAD
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup pineapple or fruit cocktail juice
1 cup or more whipping cream, whipped 64 coloured mini marshmallows
1-20 oz. can cubed pineapple or fruit cocktail, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts, optional 1/4 cup halved red maraschino cherries
Beat the eggs slightly in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the sugar, flour and liquid and cook slowly until the mixture thickens. Stir frequently so the mixture does not burn.
Transfer to a large bowl and cool.
Fold in the whipped cream, marshmallows, fruit, walnuts and cherries.
Refrigerate for 24 hours. Before serving garnish with chopped red and green cherries. May be
served as a dessert rather than a salad.
TOMATO JUICE VEGETABLE SALAD
2 cups tomato juice
salt, pepper and onion powder to taste
1 1/2 tbsps. white vinegar
1 pkg. Knox Gelatin
1/2 cup tomato juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup drained tiny peas
Heat the 2 cups tomato juice, seasonings and vinegar in a large saucepan.
Dissolve the gelatine in the 1/2 cup of tomato juice and add to the hot juice.
Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.
When thickened, pour into a serving bowl. Cool slightly then add celery and drained peas and mix thoroughly. Let set in refrigerator.
Alternate: pour mixture into large ice cube containers, refrigerate to set but do not freeze. To serve, place lettuce leaves on small plates and place cubes of salad mixture on the lettuce. Serve as an appetizer before the main course.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel. net
Buffalo Pound to increase water prices in 2025 to offset lower usage
The Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Corporation (BPWTC) plans to increase water prices next year because the cities of Moose Jaw and Regina consumed less of the liquid this year.
The corporation charged $400 per megalitre this year for water rates but intends to increase that to $461.50/ML next year and then to $485/ML in 2026. Furthermore, it charged $361.50/ML for capital water rates this year but will increase that to $373.80/ML next year and then to $385/ML in 2026.
Ryan Johnson, president/CEO of the corporation, presented the organization’s mid-year — to Sept. 30 — report during city council’s recent executive committee meeting.
His report noted that water sales in 2022 and 2023 were below forecast, while the organization expected this year’s water sales to also be below budget. Also, while the corporation had reduced the water sales volume by 3.4 per cent, that decrease would be offset by increases in water rates.
The BPWTC had expected operating budget revenues to be $15.2 million this year, but lower volumes meant revenues declined by $900,000 to $14.3 million. Further, it had expected operating expenses of $15.2 million, but those declined by $500,000 to $14.7 million due to reduced chemical and electrical costs from lower sales volumes.
Therefore, the overall operating deficit this year is expected to be roughly $370,000, which would reduce the operating reserve from $900,000 to $530,000, Johnson said.
The plant installed a 1.8-megawatt, $4-million solar array in June that is expected to generate 10 per cent — or about
Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com
$200,000 — of the plant’s annual power consumption, he noted. As for utility expenses, the plant pays roughly $200,000 a month in the winter and about $230,000 in the summer, along with the carbon tax.
The Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plan (BPWTP) has many new and expensive systems coming online soon, so while the water rates will increase significantly over the next two years, this was known from the start of the plant renewal project, Johnson said.
Moreover, higher capital water rates will offset the reduced water revenues, although residents won’t have to pay for any new capital projects over the next two years, the corporation president/CEO continued. Meanwhile, the corporation’s electrical rates will increase by pennies to cover its carbon tax expenses.
Johnson added that once the renewal project is completed and actual venue operational costs are known, the corporation will tie future rate increases to the consumer price index (CPI).
Construction began in July 2022, and after 27 months, it was nearly 70 per cent completed but also five months behind schedule, said Johnson. There may be issues with how the water tastes in May or June if the contractor doesn’t meet certain schedules, but the corporation has been assured that the proper equipment should be installed by April.
The project should finish by March 2026, followed by a two-year validation period where plant staff will prove that everything works and that the plant can achieve its treatment requirements, he added.
When asked whether it was possible to reduce operating costs to address the reduced demand for water, Johnson replied
that BPWTP has fixed and variable costs and very little wiggle room financially.
“Most of our costs are chemical and utilities. So we have to produce safe water, (and) that’s not an option, so we can’t reduce chemical consumption nor chemical usage … ,” he said, reiterating that future increases would be tied to CPI.
“We’re not doing anything fancy. We’re just trying to ensure that the plant meets the needs of the two cities … in the most efficient manner possible.”
Johnson added that the corporation would have the opportunity to find effi-
ciencies in the new system during the validation process.
When asked about being five months behind schedule, Johnson said that the contractor is to blame and is demanding compensation from the BPWTC for phases that haven’t begun yet. He has learned from colleagues elsewhere in Canada that contractors are using this tactic regularly on similarly large projects.
Johnson added that both parties will likely go through dispute resolution to determine whether the contractor’s concerns are legitimate.
Family Resource Centre spotlighted in annual Winter Wonderland adventure
The family-friendly Winter Wonderland adventure returned to the Early Years Family Resource Centre this month and was proudly supported by the Moose Jaw Health Foundation (MJHF) for the second consecutive year.
This year’s event was held on the morning of Dec. 13 and an early estimate confirmed the attendance of at least 76 families — lower than the 90 confirmed in 2023, but still a respectable turnout.
“It’s a day for families to come and get together, play and explore many winter and snow-themed activities, make memories together, and have a good time,” announced Wanda Peakman, a co-ordinator at the resource centre.
The Early Years Family Resource Centre provides a welcoming space for families with children from prenatal to age five. The centre offers drop-in and group programs that focus on early learning, family wellness, and caregiver education, all while connecting families to valuable resources and referrals in the community.
The returning Winter Wonderland event helps spread awareness about these services.
“For me, the goal of the event is just to bring families together in a really playful and fun way to enjoy the day,” Peakman shared. “For some, it’s the first time meeting with us at the Family Resource Centre.”
The day included a full lineup of
Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express
family events including horse-drawn wagon rides provided by Prairie Percherons, show shoes and sleighs outside, and a music and movement space, gingerbread hunt, and more indoors.
“We’ve had activities with our partners here, such as the Moose Jaw Public Library, Kids First Mobile Early Learning, and we also have a speech pathologist here,” announced Christina Hinds, a facilitator at the resource centre.
As well, Holy Trinity Catholic School Division representatives were in attendance as well as the Moose Jaw Literacy Network and the resource centre’s own autism team. Events were organized into separate rooms ranging from arts and crafts to a quiet space for babies.
Hot chocolate and cookies were also served, and were provided courtesy of the Moose Jaw Co-op — an organization well known for its charitable work and community involvement.
Although the Winter Wonderland initiative isn’t new, this marks the second consecutive year where the MJHF is supporting the project and its director, Kelly McElree, said he hopes to continue with this partnership.
“It’s great to see so many families coming out to the Family Resource Centre where they can play and share together,”
McElree said during the event. “Parents and their children have a wonderful holiday activity and there are so many bright smiles here today.
“It’s a wonderful way for people to be
introduced to all the wonderful services of the Family Resource Centre, and the foundation is just so pleased to sponsor this. We’ll be happy to sponsor the event next year as well.”
Peakman concluded with a message of appreciation. “I want to give a big thank you to the Moose Jaw Health Foundation, the Moose Jaw Co-op, and all the visiting professionals who came here today with their activities to support, set up, and meet and share with families,” she said.
For more information about the MJHF, visit MJHF.org or call 306-6940373.
To learn more about the services offered by the Early Years Family Resource Centre, call 306-691-0202, email Office@ MooseJawFRC.ca, or visit MooseJawFRC.ca.
You can also check for new programming options on the centre’s Facebook page, ‘Moose Jaw Early Years Family Resource Centre.’
The Early Years Family Resource Centre is located at 1250 Eleventh Avenue Northwest.
One male in critical condition after late night fire at Capone’s Hideaway Motel
Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express
One individual has been taken to hospital with fire-related injuries and in critical condition following a structure fire in downtown Moose Jaw last Friday night.
The fire broke out in a room at the Capone’s Hideaway Motel on Dec. 13, and the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) received a call from the Moose Jaw Fire Department (MJFD) about the incident at approximately 11:10 p.m., according to an official police report.
The MJFD was able to contain and extinguish the fire, the report confirmed, and no further injuries have been reported as a result of the incident.
According to several unverified sources, some witnesses claim to have seen and heard an explosion at a second-floor room at the motel and some claim the unidentified male allegedly doused himself and the room in gasoline while live-streaming on social media.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) is currently working in conjunction with the MJFD to investigate the cause of the fire, but no further details have been confirmed at this time.
The MJPS has released no further information at this time and has stated that further information may be released at a later date.
Anyone with further information about the incident is asked to contact the Moose Jaw Police Service at 306-6947600 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
The team at Prairie Percherons returns to the Family Resource Centre after a lap down Henry Street on Dec. 13. Photo by: Aaron Walker
A look inside the arts and crafts room at the Family Resource Centre on Dec. 13. Tara Jones (third from left) is the executive director of Moose Jaw Family Services Inc., and Cara Chow (back row, right) is the owner of Cara Chow Occupational Therapy. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Members of the Early Years Family Resource Centre’s autism team include Kim Moulding (left), Brenda Zinn (centre), and Heather Heilman (right). Photo by: Aaron Walker
Ashten (left) and Sophia (right) Nelson attended the Winter Wonderland event on Dec. 13. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Boryslava, a facilitator at the Early Years Family Resource Centre, practices a few piano tunes between music and movement intakes at the Family Resource Centre.
Photo by: Aaron Walker
A resident took this photo during the Capones Hideaway Motel fire on the night of Dec. 13. Photo by: Original photo credit unconfirmed/Facebook
The aftermath of the Dec. 13 fire at the Capones Hideaway Motel. Photo by: Original photo credit unconfirmed/ Facebook
Storewide sales mark final days as 4 Plants announces pending closure
It’s with mixed emotion that the owner of 4 Plants Gardening and Local Hidden Treasures announced that the store will soon close its doors for good, with the final day of business yet to be determined in January 2025.
“For the last year and a half, times have been pretty tough for the store. Its been really slow and I think all small businesses are struggling,” said Kim White, owner of 4 Plants.
“And yeah, we just decided we were going to close before things got too bad.”
The store specializes in gardening essentials like seeds, houseplants, and indoor gardening kits. Earlier on April 6, White expanded 4 Plants to showcase 20 local vendors as they sell their creations onsite from pickled eggs to fruit leather, and from paintings to plant hangers.
These vendors, including Canvas Chronicle and Happiness of Homemade, still have trade fairs to sell their work — such as the Holiday Market organized by Gail Hoffos at the Town ‘N’ Country Mall on Dec. 7 and 8 — although those without a fixed storefront will need to find a new business to partner with on a longer-term basis.
White said she isn’t the only business owner facing financial stress and ongoing uncertainty.
“I think the economy is in a tough place right now,” she explained. “I think retail is hard for people because of our online competition and our big-box store competitors. I would hate to say that small business isn’t going to be a thing in the future, but it’s slowly getting replaced with
Amazon and other large chains.”
White isn’t dispirited and said she’ll take some time to contemplate her next move after the business wraps up in late January 2025.
“I’m an entrepreneur, so I’m definitely thinking about what’s next. I think it’s hard to be in business these days, but I think it’s worth trying to figure something else out that’s going to suit me,” she shared.
“Working for myself is where my heart is, and always has been. I’ve had multiple businesses; this isn’t my first, and it probably won’t be my last.”
Reflecting on the past six years, White viewed 4 Plants as more than just a retail business — for her, it was a gathering space where people could share stories and bond over a shared love of plants.
White believes her store’s legacy will live on through the strong community connections she fostered and from the unwavering support of her customers.
“It’s been uplifting, actually, just to know that I left an impact on people’s lives,” she said. “I always told everybody that I had the best customers in Moose Jaw; it’s been a pleasure doing business with all of them.
“It’s those friendships that I’ll miss the most — the people walking in the door and just sitting down and having a coffee with me in the morning and chatting. Moose Jaw is a great community to have a business in,” she added.
Until its last day, 4 Plants is having a closeout sale with store-wide discounts ranging from 20 to 60 per cent off. Once sold, none of her products will be restocked.
White concluded with a message of thanks for the community. “I want to give a big thanks to Moose Jaw for all the support over the last six years in business here.”
4 Plants Indoor Gardening Supply is located at 123 High Street West and can be reached at 306-972-4769 or by email at Hydro@4plantsIndoor.ca.
You can check for additional announcements at ‘4 Plants Gardening and Local Hidden Treasures’ on Facebook.
SCRAPS announces launch of its adorable 2025 cat calendar fundraiser
The Moose Jaw Stray Cat Rescue and Protection Society (SCRAPS) is announcing the launch of its adorable 2025 cat and kitten calendars and these ideal stocking stuffers are on sale now at participating business locations.
The SCRAPS Enrichment Edition 2025 “PURRfectly Playful & Protected” calendars will remain available until all copies have sold out.
“Our SCRAPS calendars have just been launched and are a ‘PURRfect’ gift idea,” announced Anne Marciszyn, a SCRAPS Moose Jaw volunteer.
This year’s cat calendar theme is “keeping our cats safe and engaged.”
“They not only are inspirational, but they celebrate featured cats throughout every month in 2025, give cat guardians wonderful and unique ideas on how to enrich their cat’s life, as well as provide important tips on how to keep your cat safe,” Marciszyn added.
SCRAPS is a volunteer-driven, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of cats in and around Moose Jaw. Along with rescuing, fostering, and adopting out kittens, SCRAPS focuses on helping feral cats through its trap, neuter, and release (TNR) program. This initiative spays or neuters feral cats, vaccinates them, provides any needed minor medical care, and then releases them back into the community.
Once released, these cats are monitored and cared for in managed colonies that provide food, water, shelter, and ongoing supervision.
Designed by Jody Chell and Laura Jensen, the cat calendar features 12 cats who were rescued by the team in Moose Jaw. Each month includes one enrichment activity, a safety tip, and also includes feline-specific dates that your pets don’t want you to miss, including “Hug Your Cat Day” on Wednesday, June 4, and “International Cat Day” on Friday, Aug. 8.
Marciszyn said the number one reason to purchase a calendar is because it “helps improve the lives of homeless cats in our community and beyond.”
Marciszyn wished to thank the calendar’s major sponsors including Gale Toews, Moose Jaw Carpet One, and Penna’s Welding, as well as the 12 monthly business sponsors featured throughout.
“The biggest and most sincere thank you (goes out)
Aaron
- Moose Jaw Express
Town ‘N’ Country Mall, which will include a penny parade, gift wrapping event, and accepts both wet and dry cat food donations.
For more details about upcoming events at the mall, visit ‘Scraps – MJ’ on Facebook.
To make a financial donation this holiday season, you can send an e-transfer to Scraps-MJ@hotmail.com or donate through Canada Helps. SCRAPS Moose Jaw can be reached at 306-6930718 or Scraps-MJ@hotmail.com.
As a friendly reminder from the team at SCRAPS, don’t forget to spay and neuter your pets.
to our many supporters and business sponsors, to our partner satellite adoption sites…, and finally, to our unbe lievably dedicated and hardworking SCRAPS volunteer team, (who works) across a spectrum of care.
“From our SCRAPS family, we wish our community the merriest and best of the Christmas season and a fresh New Year filled with the blessings, generosity, care, and love you have shown to SCRAPS and so many cats and kittens in 2024,” Marciszyn said. “From scraps to trea sured — the greatest gift of all.”
Calendars are priced at $20 apiece, with all proceeds going to support the organization’s effort to care for Moose Jaw’s stray cats and sustain its TNR program to control the feral cat population.
You can purchase your calendar at the Moose Jaw Express office, Tourism Moose Jaw, Artistique Acres Pet Resort, Cowtown Moose Jaw, DDK Pets, Evan’s Florist, ExCallipurr Cat Café, Peavey Mart, PetValu, the Prairie Oasis Restaurant, and the Vintage Vixen Hair Salon at 15 Wing.
You can also help by visiting the 9 Lives Boutique and the SCRAPS Santa Claws Christmas Store at the
Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express
Walker
Kim White, owner of 4 Plants, announced that the store will be closing its doors in January 2025. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Marciszyn wished to thank the calendar’s major sponsors including Gale Toews, Moose Jaw Carpet One, and Penna’s Welding. Photo by: SCRAPS Moose Jaw
The cover of the 2025 SCRAPS cat calendar. Photo by: SCRAPS Moose Jaw
A look inside the 2025 SCRAPS cat calendar. Photo by: SCRAPS Moose Jaw
CITY HALL COUNCIL NOTES
THE NEXT REGULAR COMMITTEE MEETING IS IN JANUARY
Executive members with Moose Jaw’s legion are thrilled that city council approved their request to convert a former commercial building into a new home for the veteran-focused organization.
Council unanimously approved the discretionary use application in early December, allowing Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 59 to begin renovating the former Town and Country Plumbing and Heating building at 693 Fairford Street West.
Christine Simpson, the legion’s new president, told MooseJawToday.com that she was “very happy” with the decision since it allowed the organization to move forward with upgrades to the building and then — over several months — transition over from the current location at 268 High Street West.
“And I know the membership is going to be happy. And we look forward to the new move,” she remarked.
The legion’s lease for its current building expires on May 1, so it must vacate the premises by then, but Simpson was unsure when the non-profit would officially move into its new headquarters.
The organization has operated at its current site since 1926, one year after the Royal Canadian Legion was offi-
CITY HALL BUDGET NOTES
THE NEXT COUNCIL BUDGET MEETING IS IN JANUARY.
Gangster Alphonse (Al) Gabriel Capone has always been considered a larger-than-life character in Moose Jaw, but the Chicago crime boss’ presence here could soon grow again due to a building-size mural.
Artist Andrew Robertson approached the public art committee (PAC) in October with a proposal to create an Al Capone-themed mural on the north-side wall of the Hammond Building, according to the group’s recent report to city council.
Creating a massive mural downtown is one of the public art committee’s potential future goals, which chairwoman Jennifer Warren discussed during city council’s recent third-party community group budget meeting.
The committee is asking for $13,500 next year, which is a $1,500 increase over this year.
While Warren didn’t specifically mention Capone — and the committee hasn’t committed to it yet — she did say that the committee is “very excited to (potentially) have a very large and stunning piece of art” on a downtown building.
However, PAC knows that this project will be expensive because they must pay the artist, paint and material costs continue to rise and renting scaffolding “is no small thing,” she continued.
The mural would take up all of the Hammond Building’s north wall, starting from where the New Board
Legion thrilled to receive council’s OK to move into new venue
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cially formed in Canada.
“So it’s got a lot of memories in it and a lot of the people that were in there. And you know, everybody’s a little bit sad about leaving the building,” Simpson said. “But then, we’re looking forward to moving ahead and starting something new.”
Simpson has been a legion member in Moose Jaw for 11 years, so she did not have as many memories of the building as others who have been there for 50 or 60 years. However, she pointed out that there are pictures on the walls of some notable events, such as the community-wide flood from 1974 that flooded the basement.
Besides the good times that Legion members and veterans have experienced, the building has also been special for volunteers who have supported the organization during the decades, she added.
Simpson and Sue Knox, the poppy campaign chairwoman, said they were unsure whether they would take any physical pieces — like bricks — from the current building and incorporate them into the new venue. However, they will take every piece of memorabilia from their space, including a warship’s bell and a First World War mural on the back wall.
“The only thing we have to leave behind is the safe,” Knox chuckled.
However, the Legion will not take the outside mural on the east wall since it’s part of the building and was updated a few years ago by a Chinese artist after the branch sold the venue to new owners, she added. The only exterior piece the organization will take is the Legion crest on the south wall.
The Legion executive held an all-members’ meeting in mid-November to discuss what was happening with their space and the possibility of moving to a new location, with Simpson noting that that meeting was “very positive.”
“And we had a near-unanimous decision about making the move … . And anybody that had questions … we answered them,” she said. “And in the end, it was a very positive move by the membership.”
Simpson added that her focus during the next few months will be moving forward with this project, while any major ideas she has as the new president to support the branch will come later.
Building-size Al Capone mural a possible project for art group
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Shop’s roof meets the structure’s outside wall, Warren added. This means that motorists travelling south on Main Street will be able to see it, along with anyone walking in the area.
Warren also reviewed some of the committee’s other activities this year, which included commissioning several artworks — such as the Ukrainian sculpture and Royal Canadian Air Force 100th anniversary tree carving — and figuring out where to put murals.
“The public art committee is always trying to find ways to display public art and to haul out things that are in storage … so that more of Moose Jaw can see the art that we do have in our possession,” she said.
Members contacted several businesses to determine if they would allow the committee to install those paintings on their buildings, she continued. Many in-storage murals are massive and require space, so the committee is always searching for ways to showcase them.
Finding a new home for the Chinese mural — in storage since 2019 — has been on the PAC’s agenda for the past two years, and in June, members learned that the Moose Jaw Chinese Community Network was interested in helping relocate the artwork. In September, members approved installing the artwork on the north side of the Jade Garden Restaurant.
However, a month later, the committee learned that
the restaurant owner no longer wanted the mural, prompting members to search for other location alternatives.
“The Chinese Community Association actually recently requested that we might look at a new mural opportunity as opposed to putting up the old one,” said Warren. “… they would like to focus on hope and a brighter future with that mural … in a more positive light than the mural that currently exists.”
Warren added that the older Chinese mural will remain in storage until the committee can find another space for it.
The PAC chairwoman also highlighted the fact that members are willing to support the creation of a First Nation-themed mural on the side of the museum and art gallery building in Crescent Park, while they are finalizing the location and wording of a plaque for a new Red River Cart project.
The committee also approved this year’s plan for the maintenance and restoration of murals.
“The amount of effort it takes to maintain them is no small feat. We are so lucky to have people (such as Grant McLaughlin) do that maintenance for a fraction of the cost … ,” Warren said. “When those artists are no longer available to do that work, we will have to start paying quite a bit more to have that done.”
MJMAG may reduce exhibitions in 2025 without more funding
The Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery hopes a 4.5-percent increase in municipal funding next year will help with ongoing operational deficits that have forced the organization to consider cutting programming.
Jennifer McRorie, director/curator of the MJMAG, presented the organization’s 2025 budget request during city council’s recent third-party community group budget meeting.
The arts organization is asking for $155,550 next year, an increase of $6,763 from this year.
In her letter to council, McRorie said the MJMAG has seen significant increases in operational costs that affected this year’s budget and next year’s, which has forced the venue to cut some community programming.
For example, the venue normally has money to present five to six exhibitions in the Norma Lang Gallery, along with new exhibit updates in the museum. However, she noted that the institution barely had the money for three exhibitions, which made it challenging to fill an exhibition space that is 405 square metres (4,500 square feet) with half the usual exhibitions.
The MJMAG’s 2025 financial statement estimates that the venue will have a slight surplus of $8,415, which will go into the equipment reserve.
The operational costs have been affected by an increase of 8.5 per cent in the national rates for artist fees, which the Canadian Artist Representation/Le Front des Artistes Canadiens (CARFAC) sets, she continued. Pro-
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vincial and federal funders require art galleries and museums to pay these fees, as well as costs for materials, transportation and salaries.
McRorie noted in her letter that it cost $3,500 in 2022 to ship artwork from Ottawa to Moose Jaw, but the cost to return it in 2023 was $9,000. Furthermore, in 2019, material costs for 10 large sheets of matboard cost $520, but that jumped this year to $1,000.
“Although our attendance numbers are back and above pre-pandemic figures, we are still struggling to get our self-generated funds back up to pre-existing levels (as) fundraising has been challenging,” she wrote.
For example, ParkArt had 77 vendors in 2024, which was near the 80 tables in 2019, but attendance was nowhere near the more than 4,500 people who attended five years ago, she continued.
The organization has been looking to address the deficit in self-generated revenues by pursuing sponsorships and donations, her letter said. This includes signing a short-term naming rights agreement with the Kinsmen Club, which will provide $5,000 annually for the next two years for the Kinsmen Learning Centre.
“… and just recently — although it’s not formally announced yet — (the MJMAG signed an agreement) to receive $10,000 per year for three years from a new sponsor,” McRorie said, noting next year’s budget requires $17,000 in sponsorship funding to balance the budget.
McRorie added in her letter that without the city
grant, the MJMAG would only have the ability to exhibit artists’ works without pursuing additional programming that contributed to meaningful community experiences with arts and culture.
During her presentation to council, McRorie summarized all the many activities that had occurred at the MJMAG during the past two years. All these events prompted Coun. Heather Eby to say that residents sometimes complain that there’s nothing to do in Moose Jaw when, in actuality, there’s plenty to do.
“And I think people should come sit in the (council) gallery because everything that happens at the Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery could fill someone’s schedule pretty easily,” she said.
Meanwhile, Eby said she appreciated receiving a tour of the venue’s art vault last spring during a public art committee meeting.
“I was just amazed that this hidden vault below the building was full of all these amazing pieces of art and artifacts … ,” she remarked, adding the MJMAG is “that much richer” with the vault.
McRorie replied that she received a tour of the entire venue from the former curator when she began working at the MJMAG nine years ago. She also thought the vault was amazing since it was similar to a smaller version of Regina’s MacKenzie Art Gallery, prompting the outgoing curator to say that the same curator designed both venues.
CITY HALL
BUDGET NOTES
Tourism Moose Jaw had an economically challenging 2024 compared to previous years, with trolley breakdowns and a lack of federal funding affecting the bottom line.
The tourism centre had just under 25,000 visitors this year, compared to about 28,000 visitors last year and nearly 26,000 people two years ago, according to a recent city council report. Furthermore, trolley revenues were just under $600,000 this year, compared to roughly $700,000 last year.
Meanwhile, operating expenses were roughly $520,000 this year compared to just under $700,000 last year and just over $500,000 two years ago.
On a positive note, Tourism Moose Jaw’s membership has grown from roughly 150 in 2017 to just under 220 this year.
Executive director Jacki L’Heureux-Mason discussed the organization’s ups and downs this year during council’s recent third-party community group budget meeting. Tourism Moose Jaw and the Canada Day Committee want $103,628 and $2,824, respectively, for next year, which is $3,018 and $82 more than this year, respectively. “2024 was a very challenging year,” she said. Reasons included “a slight depression in the economy” and the fact Moose Javians and Saskatchewanians who stayed close to home during the past three years “spread their wings again” and went elsewhere, she continued. However, more American visitors returned as part
Festival
Broken trolley, poor economy hurt Tourism Moose Jaw this year
Jason G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com
of a post-pandemic bounce-back, which was positive. Meanwhile, trolley renovations “went a little sideways” because there were still pandemic-related supply-chain issues that hampered repairs with the air conditioning, while there were also learning curves with the new vehicle, L’Heureux-Mason said.
“It was a very hot summer relying on the old trolley. She did better than expected, but we had to cancel a few days because it was very, very hot,” the executive director stated, noting that the visitor centre’s numbers declined because the trolley was inoperable for 75 days.
“Anecdotally, it sounded like a decent summer for downtown businesses.”
Overall revenues were down because Tourism Moose Jaw “did not receive one penny in federal grants,” she continued. Many non-profits were disappointed this year — “It was a real gong show” — because they faced this same issue and did not receive any answers about why their applications were rejected.
Tourism Moose Jaw did not receive the same federal grant this year as in 2023 for the trolley, while it did not receive the usual $30,000 to hire a summer student, the executive director said. The organization did not receive any insightful answers about why Ottawa denied its applications.
Other challenges included increases in wages, building costs, utilities and daily operations, while structural issues facing the 21-year-old visitor’s centre grew, L’Heu-
reux-Mason noted. The latter issue has been the biggest challenge she’s handled during her eight years, and she accused the city of not making any “real improvements” during that time.
Tourism Moose Jaw is operating the centre without an updated lease, which is something the board wants changed, considering the centre is a “beautiful building, a beacon, and one of the best stops on the No. 1 (highway),” she continued.
“We take great care of it … (but) we need help. We have a floor that needs to be completely replaced,” L’Heureux-Mason continued, along with a septic system that should be tied into the city’s sewer system.
“We do a really, really good job of bringing revenue in, but we have finite resources. I’d like to see a better relationship with the city,” the outgoing executive director added.
L’Heureux-Mason also summarized the organization’s successes this year, including Sidewalk Days, the third annual Greek Night, a Halloween pub crawl and supporting the Kinsmen Club’s Canada Day fireworks show.
L’Heureux-Mason was unable to provide any hard numbers about how many tourists visit Moose Jaw annually or how much the industry contributed to the local economy. Yet, based on her estimations, annually, roughly 350,000 visitors generate almost $100 million for local businesses.
of Words offers many programs while being ‘highly fiscally responsible’
City council’s grant funding to the Festival of Words represents about five per cent of its budget, which the executive director acknowledges isn’t much but ensures the organization can continue providing valuable programs.
Sarah Simison presented the organization’s funding request during city council’s recent third-party community group budget meeting.
Festival of Words (FOW) is requesting funding of $8,768 in 2025, compared to $8,513 this year.
“In my close to 15 years with the Festival of Words, we’ve never asked for an increase in funding from the city,” Simison said. “Like all of the other organizations here, we’re providing important programs and services to the community, which contribute to the health and well-being of its citizens.
“As a non-profit, while working on limited budgets with minimal staffing, this work is hard but vital, especially during an economic downturn,” she continued. “People need arts and entertainment and charities to get through this.”
The $253 extra in funding represents a three-percent increase, while the $8,768 request represents about five per cent of the organization’s overall revenues, the executive director pointed out. Stakeholders are usually surprised with how much the festival does on an annual budget of roughly $250,000.
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“In the big picture, five per cent might not seem like a lot, but it makes a large impact on our programs and services and, in turn, our community,” said Simison. “For example, without line-item funding from the city, we wouldn’t be able to run our LitCon program at all.
“Five per cent (also) represents almost two years’ worth of our Performance Café program, an entire year of writers-in-schools south, and approximately five author appearances at our festival.”
FOW is usually lauded for being “highly fiscally responsible” while offering many programs, and it receives funding from several sources, including federally (33 per cent), provincially (17 per cent), donors/sponsors (19 per cent) and earned income (26 per cent), she continued. They “always budget conservatively,” which ensures their survival into the future as the economy recovers.
Similar to other non-profits, Festival of Words’ biggest challenge continues to be recovering from the pandemic’s effects, Simison said. While multiple events sold out this year, ticket sales were still down, while creating “real sustainability” for outreach programs continued to be difficult.
“These programs are fulfilling real needs in our community but are in a precarious situation when we have to look for program funding each year,” she added.
Simison noted that this year’s festival saw attendance
increase by nearly 50 per cent, making this one of the most well-attended events in its 28-year history. Moreover, book sales returned to pre-pandemic levels.
However, similar to Tourism Moose Jaw, FOW did not receive intern funding from the federal government this year, even though it had received it for nearly 20 years, she said.
FOW staff learned that their federal funding application was part of a report that went to MP Fraser Tolmie’s office, and they were supposed to call there, “but it didn’t make a difference.”
“It made a huge impact. We actually hired an intern and paid out of pocket for (that person) because we absolutely need interns to run the festival,” Simison said. “… very few non-profit organizations in Moose Jaw received intern funding this year.”
FOW was told 10 years ago that all funding applications go to the MP’s office and he has direct decision-making powers over who receives those funds, she continued. This year’s process took longer than usual, prompting several community non-profits to communicate with each other and then call Tolmie’s office.
“I know of only two organizations that received funding this year … ,” Simison said, adding they never received an answer about what happened.
Former Cultural Centre returned to being a ‘bustling’ place this year
The renaming of the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre was one highlight this year for the venue, along with the fact it returned to being a place of bustling activity.
The Moose Jaw Centre for Arts and Culture (MJCAC) rebranded with a new name and logo because the organization had been long confused with the Moose Jaw Multicultural Council, executive director Sarah Simison told city council during its recent third-party community group budget meeting.
With this year being the venue’s 20th anniversary, officials thought it would be a “perfect time” to rename itself and develop a new logo, she continued. Jared Robinson from Nebulous Entertainment developed a logo that enhanced recognition that the venue’s art-related activities sit on a foundation of culture.
Simison added that the Mae Wilson Theatre is wellknown and attracts many artists, including Saskatchewan musician Jeffrey Straker, who has described the theatre as the “Carnegie Hall of Saskatchewan.” This shows how lucky Moose Jaw is to have such a venue.
MJCAC is asking for $179,068 in funding for 2025, an increase of $5,216 over this year. The executive director noted that the centre’s funding includes ticket sales (54.8 per cent), municipal (21.4 per cent), rentals (8.2 per cent), grants (4.5 per cent), sponsorships (4.4 per cent) and venue fees (3.3 per cent).
“As you can see … much of our funding is self-gen-
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erated, followed by City of Moose Jaw funding,” she said. “And as we all know, portfolio diversification is a more stable way to operate, so we are working hard to increase grants, sponsorships and fundraising efforts.”
Simison is the third person to hold the executive director role and has received zero support from previous administrations. So, she and her team have been “reinventing the wheel” by cleaning up financial errors from past years. They hope to have a clean slate next year, which is important since visitor numbers have been increasing.
The venue estimates that roughly 33,000 people have accessed the building this year, which is about 1,000 more than last year, she pointed out. Further, MJCAC has hosted 235 events, meetings and programs and sold 19,000 tickets, which is 2,000 more than last year; many more people are coming from outside the community.
“… our job is to find the balance between what makes the building money without pricing ourselves out of the market in a way that leaves us without tenants or patrons,” Simison continued.
Revenue from tenants last year was nearly $65,000, which is the highest the venue has had since 2019 and is due to more tenants — the most ever — occupying most spaces within the building, with the most successful program being the drop-in pottery studio.
“Our entire building is finally being used the way
it was meant to, bustling with working artists, emerging artists, performances and community cultural activities,” Simison said.
Simison added that she and her team hope to repaint the Mae Wilson Theatre next year because it is peeling and “looking shabby,” while the city needs to perform work on the basement to address structural issues.
Coun. Dawn Luhning inquired about the venue’s rental income from tenants, pointing out that three groups appear not to pay rent at all.
Every group pays rent except the Wakamow Aboriginal Community Association (WACA), a decision the city made to promote truth and reconciliation and because the organization was without office space, said Simison. The centre won’t charge WACA rent as long as it remains, while it will also help them find programming.
“Our first conversation with any potential tenants is, ‘What can you afford?’ The place was empty before, which was zero income,” she continued. “So, leaving rooms empty was not a great business decision.”
Simison added that the venue has raised every tenant’s rent during the past year to cover costs.
Coun. Heather Eby appreciated hearing how the building was “bustling with activity” again and that it was offering standardized contracts to everyone. She believed that those contracts showed how the venue was looking to find other efficiencies.
Montreal-based aerospace company eager to support new 15 Wing program
Contractors, tradesmen, aerospace industry officials and other interested parties now have a better understanding of a multi-billion-dollar pilot training program coming to Moose Jaw and how they can contribute and benefit.
More than 120 people attended a luncheon at the Events Centre on Dec. 11 to learn about the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) $11.2-billion, 25-year Future Aircrew Training Program (FAcT) program, which will be operating at 15 Wing Air Base and two venues in Manitoba.
Officials from the multi-national conglomerate SkyAlyne — comprised of aviation companies CAE Inc. and KF Aerospace and overseeing the program — and construction company EllisDon spoke about how their companies would be contributing to the multi-decade initiative.
Scott Greenough, CAE’s director of the NATO Flight Training in Canada (NFTC) program at 15 Wing, spent 25 years in the RCAF before joining the Montreal-based aviation company 10 years ago and supporting its Moose Jaw initiative. He is now involved in the transition to FAcT.
“This is an incredibly exciting time for the air force. As an aviator, it’s not too often you get to fly a plane that smells like a new car, so they (pilot trainees) will be getting that opportunity,” he said. “All the planes that I flew … were decades old. So new airplanes are exciting.”
The transition to new planes — the PC-21 and Grob trainers will be based in Moose Jaw — will be complicated and complex, so that must be done safely while following all rules and policies, he continued.
Furthermore, SkyAlyne will construct new infrastructure — such as buildings, hangars and runways — at 15 Wing to support the FAcT program, whereas CAE used existing infrastructure for the NFTC program, Greenough added. Infrastructure renewal is something with which the military struggles, similar to municipal officials in the City of Moose Jaw.
CAE — which has supported the Canadian Armed Forces since 1947 — is a high-tech company that aims
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training programming, and the company has been growing ever since, said Greenough. It has also become experienced in providing military training.
The company will take what it has learned during the last 25 years with the NFTC initiative and apply that knowledge to FAcT, he continued.
The NFTC program has graduated more than 2,500 pilots since 2000, while those airmen have trained in CT156 Beechcraft T-6A airplanes, which have accumulated more than 353,000 hours of flight time, the CAE spokesman pointed out.
The planes have been great and are solid training machines, although the RCAF has been using them for 28 years, they are showing their age and they are difficult to maintain, Greenough continued.
“We are looking forward to getting new planes,” he added.
With FAcT, students will start training in Moose Jaw instead of beginning in Manitoba, while they will commence basic training on Grob G 120TP turboprop, said Greenough. There will then be a selection process to determine whether the student should become a fighter pilot, a multi-engine pilot or a helicopter pilot.
to “make people better,” whether civilians or military personnel, Greenough remarked. There are thousands of pilots flying around the world, delivering millions of people safely to their destination, and those aviators likely trained on a CAE-built simulator.
“We’ll bring that mission (of safety) into the Future Aircrew Training Program,” he added.
CAE earned $4.3 billion in revenue in fiscal 2024, while it operates in over 40 countries in 240 locations with more than 13,000 employees. Of the revenue it earned, 57 per cent was from civil aviation and 43 per cent was from the defence and security industries.
Moreover, 49 per cent of its operations are in the United States, while 11 per cent are in Europe/the United Kingdom and 30 per cent are Canada/worldwide.
CAE was known as a simulator manufacturer for years, but the NFTC program marked its entry into living
Students designated for multi-engine or fighter plane training will then take advanced courses on the PC-21 trainer, which has three times as much horsepower as the CT-156s and can perform more advanced manoeuvres, he continued.
“The PC-21 is one of the most popular turboprops (on the market). We’re super excited to bring it on board,” Greenough noted.
Meanwhile, SkyAlyne has purposely overlapped the transition from the NFTC program to FAcT to minimize productivity losses, based on past experiences when it took six weeks to introduce the NFTC initiative in the 1990s, the CAE spokesman added. Officials at 15 Wing will be working hard during the next few years to build the new venue and implement the program.
For more information, visit https://www.skyalyne.ca.
National aerospace firm has big plans for new RCAF training program
Denean Tomlin has been working with a national aerospace conglomerate for under a year and is responsible for ensuring a new military pilot training program generates $10 billion during its 25-year lifespan.
Tomlin, the head of offsets with SkyAlyne Canada Limited Partnership, spoke about how the company will support the Royal Canadian Air Force’s (RCAF) Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program during a luncheon on Dec. 11 at the Events Centre.
Formed in 2018, SkyAlyne is comprised of Montreal-based CAE Inc. — which focuses on training simulators for civilian and military pilots — and Kelowna, British Columbia-based KF Aerospace, Canada’s largest commercial maintenance, repair and overhaul provider, she explained.
Both companies are the RCAF’s incumbent training partners and are delivering all contracted pilot training and support in Canada.
CAE handles training at 15 Wing Air Base and will oversee the transition to the FAcT program, which will combine all existing operations as part of an $11.2-billion, 25-year contract, Tomlin said.
“One school, one rule” is the philosophy SkyAlyne has with this new training approach, she continued. 15 Wing will handle basic and advanced flight training, while Southport and Winnipeg, Man., will handle multi-engine and helicopter training.
“I refer to SkyAlyne as Canada’s largest startup or the smallest defence company,” said Tomlin. “Our vision is to lead the world in aircrew training excellence and contribute to re-affirming Canada as the global ‘Aero-
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G. Antonio - MooseJawToday.com
drome of Democracy.’”
SkyAlyne will partner with 10 major subcontractors to build new infrastructure at the three air bases while it plans to hire many smaller contractors and service providers from those communities, she continued.
The “essence” of the FAcT team is collaboration and ensuring everyone is working together equally while attempting to fulfill the contract, Tomlin added.
The five planes FAcT will use include the Grob 120TP, with 23 based in Moose Jaw; the Pilatus PC-21, with 19 based in Moose Jaw; the Airbus H135 helicopter, with 19 in Southport; the Beechcraft King Air 260, with seven based in Southport; and the De Havilland Dash 8-400, with three based in Winnipeg.
Meanwhile, the new ground-based training system will provide simulators for the pilots, with 51 devices attached to the machines, such as full-motion cockpits, VR headsets, full-size fuselages and other desktop devices.
“It’s really building on the opportunity to include innovation and also get people familiar with their dayto-day operations before they’re in the cockpit, so we’re reducing stress on planes and fuel used,” said Tomlin.
SkyAlyne will begin developing and validating the FAcT program between 2025 and 2026, while from 2026 to 2032, construction will occur, with the programming beginning in 2032, said Tomlin, who noted that she was SkyAlyne’s seventh employee when she began in January.
National construction company EllisDon will lead
the infrastructure upgrades at the three air bases, which will include new hangars, dining rooms, classrooms, schools, accommodations and more, she continued.
“There is an awful lot of opportunity for companies to get involved and work alongside those 10 subcontractors,” Tomlin added.
Sofiene Dridi, EllisDon’s FAcT project manager said, “I can assure you that Moose Jaw is the biggest project of the three (base upgrades) … . It will be huge; it will be big.”
At 15 Wing, EllisDon plans to build a training and simulator venue, a hangar, accommodations and a mess kitchen with a combined floor size of roughly 45,000 square feet, he continued. Construction procurement will begin in 2025, while it will take 48 months to finish all upgrades.
Dridi encouraged Moose Jaw businesses to register online to support these infrastructure projects.
Meanwhile, Ottawa says SkyAlyne must generate $10 billion in economic benefits across the country during that 25-year contract, Tomlin said. Therefore, her role is to ensure the program produces that amount of money “in Canadian content value” for the economy, including for small- and medium-sized businesses.
Added Tomlin, “I’m always looking for opportunities to take the FAcT story and the indirect opportunities across Canada and find good partners to invest in.” Visit www.skyalyne.ca for more information about the FAcT program.
Scott Greenough, CAE’s director of the NATO Flight Training in Canada (NFTC) program at 15 Wing, speaks about the company during a presentation about the new Future Aircrew Training Program.
Photo by Jason G. Antonio
Denean Tomlin, the head of offsets with SkyAlyne Canada Limited Partnership, spoke about how the company will support the air force’s new training program. Photo by Jason G. Antonio
15 Wing Base Commander, Col. Daniel Coutts, speaks about the importance of the new training program, while accompanied by Chief Warrant Officer Rachel Fox. Photo by Jason G. Antonio
Sofiene Dridi, the FAcT project manager for national construction company EllisDon, speaks about the project. Photo by Jason G. Antonio
Aerospace group buys more planes for training program at 15 Wing
SkyAlyne Canada Limited Partnership, which is overseeing the Royal Canadian Air Force’s new Future Aircrew Training program, recently signed a contract with another aircraft manufacturer to acquire new planes for the project.
German manufacturer Grob Aircraft SE will provide 23 Grob G 120TP training planes for the RCAF’s FAcT program. The G 120TP is an upgraded version of the G 120A variant, which KF Aerospace and the RCAF are using to train pilots through the contracted flying training and support program.
The TP variant features updated avionics, higher performance rates and a more powerful turboprop engine.
“The new Grob G 120TP will serve as the basic flying training aircraft for the FAcT program, which means every RCAF pilot who gets their wings will begin their flying training on this aircraft,” said Kevin Lemke, a senior executive with SkyAlyne.
“Selecting the right aircraft for this role is tremendously significant to ensure that RCAF pilots have the best foundation to build upon. Together with our partners across Team SkyAlyne, we are dedicated to building a world-leading pilot and aircrew solution for the RCAF,” he continued.
“We are honoured each and every day to be entrusted
By MooseJawToday.com staff
to partner with the RCAF to deliver the FAcT program.”
The signing of the purchase agreement between SkyAlyne and Grob Aircraft confirms production slots for these planes and a manufacturing schedule, with the factory expected to start producing planes in August 2025, the Canadian company said.
The Grob G 120TP is used by other militaries around the world, including Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In total, over 200 Grob G 120TPs have been delivered worldwide.
The 25-year FAcT program, which Ottawa award-
ed to SkyAlyne this past spring, is currently in a fiveyear transition period to become the sole pilot and aircrew training program for the RCAF, as the three current RCAF training programs conclude and their responsibilities are merged into FAcT.
A joint management office at SkyAlyne’s Ottawa headquarters oversees the FAcT program, with operational bases in Moose Jaw, Southport, Man., and Winnipeg. When operational, SkyAlyne will manage and maintain the fleet while providing instructors to serve alongside RCAF instructional personnel. The Grob fleet will be based at 15 Wing Air Base.
The purchase of the Grobs is the third announcement SkyAlyne has made in the past few months about acquiring new aircraft.
In early November, the company announced that it had purchased 19 H135 helicopters from Airbus Helicopters, with those machines to be based at the 3rd Flight Training School at the Southport Aerospace Centre.
Several weeks later, the aerospace business announced that it had acquired 19 PC-21 training aircraft from Switzerland-based Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. Those machines will be based at 15 Wing once the FAcT program is fully operational.
For more information, visit https://skyalyne.ca.
Conexus Credit Union now recruiting for Cohort 4 of its Cultivator ag program
The Cohort 4 phase of Cultivator, a program powered by the Conexus Credit Union’s AGTECH ACCELERATOR, is now open to recruitment with an application deadline extending into early January 2025.
“Saskatchewan and Canada are home to incredible entrepreneurial thinkers who are tackling some of the most pressing challenges in agriculture through innovation,” explained Laura Mock, director of the Cultivator project.
“However, the path to building and scaling an ag tech company is complex,” she continued. “To succeed, founders need to deliver clear value to farmers, taking into account the intricacies of farming cycles, the risks and complexities of adopting new technology, and how their solutions integrate into existing farming operations.”
The AGTECH ACCELERATOR program facilitated by Cultivator drives growth in agricultural technology by connecting farmers, founders, and investors. It’s goal is to bring innovative solutions to Canada, thereby enabling farmers to access cutting-edge tools to enhance their operations.
The program has already supported 47 companies and created 193 jobs in its first three cohorts. This includes $119.2 million raised in private capital, $72.1 million generated in revenue, and $44.4 million received in public funding.
Designed to tackle challenges in the ag tech sector,
PUBLIC NOTICE
Public notice is hereby given that the Council of the TOWN OF PENSE intends to adopt a bylaw under The Planning and Development Act, 2007 to amend Bylaw No. 2/2023 known as the Zoning Bylaw.
INTENT
The proposed bylaw will add clarity to site development regulations for duplexes and semi-detached dwellings
AFFECTED LAND
The a ected land is all Districts that permit Duplexes or Semi-Detached dwellings within the legal municipal boundaries of the Town of Pense.
REASON
The reason for the amendment is to provide for clarity to minimum and maximum site area development regulations for duplexes and semi-detached dwellings and to accommodate preexisting duplexes and semi-detached dwelling units that require separate title.
PUBLIC INSPECTION
Any person may inspect the bylaw at the municipal o ce at 243 Brunswick Street Pense, SK between 9:00 am to 4:00 PM on M, T, T, F, excluding statutory holidays. Copies are available at cost.
PUBLIC HEARING
Council will hold a public hearing on January 15, 2025, at 7:00 PM at Town Council Chambers, 243 Brunswick Street Pense, SK to hear any person or group that wants to comment on the proposed bylaw. Council will also consider written comments received at the hearing or delivered to the undersigned at the municipal o ce before the hearing.
Issued at the Town of Pense this December 12, 2024
Jennifer Lendvay Administrator
the program fosters collaboration among industry leaders, farmers, and investors, creating a dynamic ecosystem where ideas are refined, real-world farming solutions are developed, and startups can gain the expertise and funding needed for growth.
Cultivator’s AGTECH ACCELERATOR thrives on collaboration to create a supportive network for founders of new technologies. Kyle Scott, a managing partner at Emmertech, highlights the program’s ecosystem-building
RM of ELMSTHORPE #100 PUBLIC NOTICE
Public notice is hereby given that the Council of the RM of Elmsthorpe No. 100 intends to amend Zoning Bylaw No. 262-24 under The Planning and Development Act, 2007 (the Act) to comply with the conditions of approval from Community Planning, Government Relations in their letter dated September 27,2024.
Intent
The minimum setback from residential uses to oil and gas or other mineral resource operations is proposed to be reduced from the existing minimum 500 metres, to a minimum 125 metres or 500 metres where Hydrogen Sul de (H2S) gas is present. This change is being made to be more consistent with The Oil and Gas Conservation Regulations, 2012. Furthermore, the RM is changing the wording of a section regarding performing routine inspections on mineral resource operations as a condition of development permit approval while also ensuring that development permit applicants are aware of their right to appeal the Zoning Bylaw in accordance with Section 219 of The Act
A ected Land All land within the RM boundaries.
Public Inspection
Any person may inspect the bylaws at the RM o ce during regular o ce hours Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:00pm.
Public Hearing
Council will hold a public hearing on January 15th, 2025 at 10:00 am to hear any person or group that wants to comment on the proposed bylaws. Council will also consider any comment that are received in writing at the o ce or emailed to rm.100@sasktel.net in advance of the hearing.
Issued in the Village of Avonlea this 12th day of December, 2024.
efforts over the past three years.
“We look forward to welcoming connections with a wider network of investors as this can be a great way to raise additional capital, diversify sources of funding, and access different expertise,” Scott said.
Cultivator also has an exciting update to the accelerator program. The program’s finale will now take place at Ag in Motion, the largest outdoor farm expo in Western Canada, starting in July 2025. Ag in Motion is regularly attended by over 30,000 attendees and 550 exhibitors from around the world each year.
“We’re proud to play a role in strengthening Canada’s agricultural economy and cultivating the next wave of ag tech innovation,” Mock said in her concluding remarks. “If you’ve developed an agriculture technology and have a working prototype, now is the time to apply and take your business to the next level.”
The Conexus Credit Union is located at 80 High Street West and can be reached at 306-690-1449. For more information visit Conexus.ca or call 1-800-6677477 toll free.
To apply, visit Cultivator.ca/AgTech and register before the Jan. 3, 2025, deadline.
Signed:_______________________________
Jaimie Paranuik, Administrator, RM #100
Phone: 306-868-2221
Email: rm.100@sasktel.net
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An example of a Grob G 120TP training plane. Photo courtesy SkyAlyne
Greg Stewart (pictured) is the founder and CEO of Geco. Photo by: Submitted photo
A Night in Nashville: Musicians hold earlier showing to promote mental health awareness for youth
One day before the much-anticipated performance of “A Night in Nashville,” the show hosted by River Street Promotions (RSP) and sponsored by the Moose Jaw Co-op and the Co-op Ethanol Complex had two early showings for students from both local school divisions.
The earlier shows took place on Dec. 13 and included the same lineup of acclaimed musicians including Jeff Cohen, Damhnait Doyle, and Phil Barton, with Joel Stewart returning to once again host the show.
As well, one of the “few surprises” that Jared Mathiesen, an RSP board member, mentioned earlier was revealed with the attendance of Canadian artist and singer Sicamous.
Both showings, one taking place at 11 a.m. and the second at 1 p.m., were
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Photo by: Aaron Walker
attended by Grade 8 and high school students from the Prairie South School Division and the Holy Trinity Catholic School Division.
The special event was about far more than just great music. A Night in Nashville was organized with the goal of raising awareness about mental health and wellness among youth, and organizers hope to support open conversations and empower the next generation to embrace resilience. Among several performances including “Check on Friends” by Barton and the theme song to Paw Patrol by Cohen — which elicited an exceptionally loud
reaction from the audience — host Stewart asked a few questions to the musicians onstage to provide positive inspiration to the students in attendance. One of these questions was, “What’s the best advice you ever received?”
Sicamous opened up with a response.
“In my experience, the thing that always works in music is the thing that you do automatically. It’s the stories that come from your life, the way you like to dress, and the things you want to talk about. People can always sense that — they can always sense authenticity,” she said.
“My advice that has been given to me
and that I would give to other people is, always just stay true to who you are when it comes to being an artist. I think that will resonate more than anything else, especially more than (by) copying someone else.”
Jeff Cohen was next to offer his advice. “I did like what Christian said about doing the right thing — not just when people are watching you, but do the right then when no one’s watching.”
Cohen also added some sage advice about the importance of good friends.
“Look around the room right now… some of the people you’re going to school with you might end up working with later,” he said. “They might stay friends for life. To me, one thing that I learned early on is that when you have friends, you help each other out, and when you go on into your careers, make sure that you surround yourself with good people.”
Barton also offered a few words of support. “You never know what people are going through, and it’s really important to care about your friends and just check in and say, ‘Hey.’”
Proceeds from A Night in Nashville will help support the youth mental wellness fund maintained by RSP and accessible by both school divisions in support of mental health-based initiatives.
For more information about RSP visit RiverStreetPromotions.com or ‘River Street Promotions’ on Facebook.
A Night in Nashville writer’s round returns to Moose Jaw’s Mae Wilson Theatre
The Moose Jaw Co-op and the Co-op Ethanol Complex recently presented “A Night in Nashville,” featuring a captivating songwriter’s round with the incredible talents of Damhnait Doyle, Jeff Cohen, and Phil Barton, sponsored by River Street Promotions (RSP).
A Night in Nashville took place at the packed Mae Wilson Theatre on the evening of Dec. 14.
“The amazing things that people can expect at these shows include great hit songs written by the people who wrote the song, great singing, great laughs, and great camaraderie,” announced Joel Stewart, the returning host for this year’s show earlier.
Aaron
“It’s the perfect way to usher in the holiday season,” he added.
A guitar pull, rooted in Southern tradition, is an intimate musical experience where a small group of musicians take turns playing songs and sharing their stories. During the show, all artists performed together onstage and took turns performing an acoustic version of one of their songs while explaining its inspiration and meaning.
“It’s a very stripped down, acoustic version of the song,” explained Jared Mathiesen, a board member of RSP earlier. “And yeah, it’s kind of neat to see what they were thinking when they wrote it.”
The evening’s performance opened
with a few messages from the superintendent of the Prairie South School Division, Amanda Olson.
Olson spoke about the earlier performance of A Night in Nashville that took place on Dec. 13 at the same venue, including over 800 students from 18 different schools in two showings.
“Many inspirational messages were shared, including — but not limited to — accepting yourself as you are today and every single day, and you never know what people are going through. Check in on each other, (and) check in on your friends,” she announced.
Olson said RSP supports mental health and well-being in a number of ways, including its grant matching program and
last year’s “Your Presence Matters” campaign positively affecting approximately 23 schools.
This message highlighted the purpose of A Night in Nashville, which was to support the youth mental wellness grant maintained for both local school divisions by RSP.
“On behalf of Prairie South, I would like to thank each and every one of you, from the bottom of my heart, for participating in such a great cause,” she added.
For more information about RSP visit RiverStreetPromotions.com or ‘River Street Promotions’ on Facebook.
To learn more about the stars of the show, be sure to read the earlier interviews published in the Moose Jaw Express paper.
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Amanda Olson, the superintendent of the Prairie South School Division, shares a few words about the impact of River Street Promotion’s “A Night in Nashville” event on Dec. 14. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Returning host Joel Stewart introduces the night’s performers at the start of “A Night in Nashville” on Dec. 14. Photo by: Aaron Walker
A look at the set of “A Night in Nashville” at the Mae Wilson Theatre on Dec. 14. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Damhnait Doyle takes the stage at the Mae Wilson Theatre on Dec. 14. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Returning host Joel Stewart (left) and Sicamous (right). Photo by: Aaron Walker
Jeff Cohen attends the early showing of A Night in Nashville on Dec. 13. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Damhnait Doyle attends the early showing of A Night in Nashville on Dec. 13.
Photo by: Aaron Walker
Sicamous attends the early showing of A Night in Nashville on Dec. 13. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Phil Barton attends the early showing of A Night in Nashville on Dec. 13. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Museum and art gallery holds ‘Gala in the Gallery’ fundraiser night
The Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery (MJMAG) held its annual Gala in the Gallery fundraiser, bringing with it an enchanted evening filled with art and entertainment including a live and silent auction, cash bar, catering, and live musical performances.
The fundraiser gala took place at the MJMAG gallery on the evening of Dec. 14.
“It’s always nice to dress up and go out during the holiday season, enjoy some camaraderie, some good food from High Regard Artisanal Catering, and have a cocktail or two,” announced Craig Hemingway, communications manager for the City of Moose Jaw.
Organized as a fundraiser, proceeds raised through the gala will help support the MJMAG and its wide range of programs and workshops including school-specific programming, art workshops, and numerous rotating exhibits. Proceeds are also a valuable source of revenue to maintain the museum and gallery’s day-to-day expenses.
The evening opened to an announcement from Hemingway, who then opened the floor to an instrumental performance by Iryna Levchenko, who was introduced by her sister, Tatiana Levchenko.
Levchenko played numerous short, traditional melodies on the bandura, the national instrument of the Ukraine.
Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express
The night’s silent auction featured works by four local artists. These include from left to right Pat Aldred’s “Claybank Hill,” Lynne Howes’ “RM of Baildon, Field Study,” Kaitlyn (Katie Kat) Erz’ “Luck and Fortune,” and Tina McKenney’s “Lana: Love Fool Collection.” Photo by: Aaron Walker
by mid-January, so we had to get it down early so we could get it packed,” McRorie explained. “And we just thought, well, if we have this big, empty gallery space, let’s put the gala event in there. We’re kind of excited about having it in that space.”
The move, McRorie said, happened in an impressive four-day period thanks to numerous volunteers who offered to come and help with the takedown.
Following the night’s entertainment, a live auction took place with 16 pieces available for purchase. Artwork up for auction included a few select works from local artists including Yvette Moore, Jess Zoerb, Ward Schell, Peter Tucker, Pat Aldridge, and pottery by Parsons Dietrich.
“Before the war (currently going on in the Ukraine), Iryna was a professional musician,” her sister announced. “She worked for 20 years in the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine.”
The gala utilized the entire floor space in the gallery as the previous exhibition
— The Performance of Being by Leesa Streifler — now has all of its 109 pieces packed up early and is heading to its next four destinations in Calgary, Swift Current, Brandon, and Winnipeg.
“They (the Calgary gallery) wanted it
Catering for the gala was provided by High Regard Artisanal Catering and Kitchen, a new local business enterprise.
“We’re very thankful to the artists that have donated (paintings),” McRorie said, including “artists from Regina and the surrounding area… that have joined in for the fundraiser.”
All proceeds from the Gala in the Gallery event will go to the MJMAG’s innovative and engaging exhibitions and programming.
The Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery is located at 461 Langdon Crescent and can be reached at 306-692-4471. For more information, visit MJMAG.ca.
Iryna Levchenko performs a number of traditional Ukrainian melodies on the bandura on Dec. 14. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Craig Hemingway announces the start of the gala at the MJMAG on Dec. 14.
Photo by: Aaron Walker
Guests socialize and view artwork displays at the MJMAG during its “Gala in the Gallery” event on Dec. 14. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Hockey Sask GM Kelly McClintock talks exceptional status and ‘if it’s right to have a player at that level’
As Regina Pat Canadians phenom Maddox Schultz draws plenty of attention as the next possible WHL exceptional status player, a look a how things work in Saskatchewan and the CHL Randy Palmer - MooseJawToday.com
One look at Regina Pat forward Maddox Schultz and his numbers in the current Sask Male AAA Hockey League campaign, it should be apparent why he might possibly be playing in the Western Hockey League 2025-26 season -- with 22 goals and 48 points in 24 games thus far as a rookie, it seems like jumping to the next level would be a good fit.
Schultz is only 14 years old and will be only 15 in what would be his WHL Prospects Draft season in 2024-25, meaning he would be limited to a handful of games despite his high-scoring status.
That’s where the exceptional status system comes into play.
If it all goes his way, Schultz could be drafted this summer and play full time in the WHL as a 15-year-old, as Connor Bedard did with the Regina Pats before him and Landon Dupont is doing currently with the Everett Silvertips, where he’s averaging a point-a-game as a rookie.
So the question becomes, how does the whole exceptional status system work, how can players be selected, and what is there to think about when it comes to that kind of move?
The CKRM SportsCage crew was joined by Hockey Sask general manager Kelly McClintock recently to answer some of those questions.
First up was how things work at the provincial level, with Schultz having been granted exceptional status to play U18 AAA as a 14-year-old this year after putting up 63 goals and 134 points in 27
ed the exceptional status system, allowing John Tavares to become the first 15-yearold to play CHL hockey full time.
“They’ll generally ask for feedback from us or a letter of support of some kind,” McClintock said. “So in the caseof Brayden Yager, we’d have given him one if they wanted to apply at that time, we would have said we’ve supported that individual for advancement and we feel they’re capable of moving up as a 15-yearold.”
Beyond a player’s on-ice ability, there’s much to take into account when evaluating players of that age -- with one of the biggest issues being whether or not they’re ready for what could be a massive change in lifestyle.
“Depending on where you are in closeness to your family, all those types of things, that’s significant,” McClintock said. “It might not be as significant if you’re playing in the OHL because you’re in Ontario and all the teams are fairly close. But in the West here, if someone’s from Winnipeg and they get drafted by Portland, that’s a long way to be away from home as a 15-year-old. So I think it’s important that we take into account the entire athlete, as opposed to just what they’re doing on the ice.”
McClintock also pointed to developing leadership abilities as a factor, as most youngsters who make the move up are rarely leaders on their team, especially in a league with 20-year-olds with as much as four full years of experience under their belts.
“So once that started, we started looking at our own and we wanted to control how many 14-year-olds were playing in AAA,” McClintock explained. “When I started 30 years ago, AAA or U18 or Midget was 16 and 17-year-olds. And there maybe were about eight kids that played AAA midget as 14-year-olds.
(NHL legend) Patrick Marleau, (former Moose Jaw Warriors standout) Chad Hinz, people like
“We said, ‘well, is it right to have a player going at that level?’ So let’s have a process.”
Prospective exceptional players in Saskatchewan pay a nominal fee by Jan. 10, after which things move into high
“We try and get 10 to 14 people that watch them for the remainder of the year, get their
feedback,” McClintock continued. “Then we make a decision if we feel that they’re capable of moving up and playing AAA. So some of the kids that we have approved are Brayden Yager (Saskatoon Contacts / Moose Jaw Warriors), Riley Heidt (Saskatoon Contacts / Prince George Cougars), Berkly Catton (Saskatoon Contacts / Spokane Chiefs) and Maddox Schultz. Then there’s probably been about eight or so that we haven’t.”
Safe to say, the system works -- the three current WHL players are all league standouts and first-round NHL Draft picks, with Yager and Heidt having the additional bonus of playing the full abbreviated season in their respective WHL bubbles as 15-year-olds during the COVID season.
The exceptional player process also applies to female hockey, with Moose Jaw Minor Hockey product and former Regina Rebels standout Brooklyn Nimegeers the lone player to receive that status in Saskatchewan. She now plays for the University of Princeton in the NCAA.
“The one difficult thing on the female side is they’re not losing any players at 16 and 17 to junior hockey,” McClintock said. “These girls are there for that duration. So that’s a difficult thing to make a decision there.”
As for players reaching exceptional status in the CHL, the system requires a $1,000 payment and a declaration of intention by Dec. 1. Then CHL and Hockey Canada scouts go to work, determining if the player has the ability to play at the highest level of junior hockey while being five years younger than their opponents in some cases.
“Mel Davidson used to coach the national women’s team, she always said that she was against young girls moving up in age group, regardless of how good they were, because they never were the leader,” McClintock said. “If you’re a 14-year-old coming on to a team that’s a three-year age group, the chances of you being a leader on that team isn’t all that great. You might be a good player, but are you a leader?
“And the leader isn’t always necessarily the best player. On the female side, Mel said a lot of the girls that ended up on a national team program really struggled fitting in with the team, fitting in with that leadership aspect.”
Of course, if a player isn’t accepted as exceptional status at either level, it’s not the end of the world. Players can simply continue doing their thing, and if they’re good enough, the CHL will come calling before long.
“There was a player last year that we didn’t grant two years ago and in talking with his father, I said ‘go back, dominate, but more importantly, tell him to be the best leader he can be on his team and work on those office skills and how he is, because that’s what’s going to make him a player’,” McClintock said.
“I have no doubt that he’s going to play in the Western Hockey League, you don’t need to rush it, It’s going to be there. So work on the other skills that you need to have off ice.”
Former Moose Jaw Warriors forward Brayden Yager is one of a handful of players in Saskatchewan to receive exceptional status and play U18 AAA at 14 years old.
Brady,
Mom Dad Austin & Family.
Tigers build
In the Eastern Conference, the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Moose Jaw Warriors met last Friday night at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.
The Tigers scored twice in each of the first and second periods and would go on to a 5-1 victory in Western Hockey League action.
Medicine Hat improved to 18-13-1-0 and remained in second place with their second-straight win, while the Warriors suffered their fifth-straight loss and sat in 11th place in the Conference.
The Tigers were without WHL scoring leader Gavin McKenna, one of eight players named to Team Canada for the World Juniors earlier in the day, but that mattered little to their offence.
Medicine Hat’s Hunter St. Martin opened scoring with 4:01 to play in the opening frame, with his goal giving him 21 on the season to sit tied for sixth in the WHL in that category. Bryce Pickford then made it 2-0 a little under three minutes later with what would stand as the
The Moose Jaw Warriors are back in the Western Hockey League win column with Rilen Kovacevic scoring his second of the game with 1:31 to play in overtime to give the Warriors a 4-3 victory over the Regina Pats on Teddy Bear Toss Night in the Brandt Centre.
The win sees Moose Jaw improve to 7-19-3-1 while snapping a five-game losing skid, with Regina dropping to 8-17-42 and picking up a least a point for a third straight game.
The Pats didn’t wait long to take care of the important business on the night.
Only 2:25 into the contest, Jace Egland was rewarded for going hard to the net by finding a loose puck during a goalmouth scramble, and his quick shot would send the teddy bears flying.
The goal was Egland’s second of the season, with Zach Lansard and Anthony Wilson drawing assists on the always-special marker.
Share your team’s news, pictures and results with us! email: editor@mjvexpress.com
Jaw Warriors
game-winning goal.
The Tigers’ Jonas Woo extended the lead with a seeing-eyed show from the point 7:30 into the second period, and
58 seconds after that marker, it was 4-0 thanks to a goal from Andrew Basha.
That marked the end of the night for Warriors goaltender Brady Smith, who
mark when Zach Pantelakis scored on a backhand top shelf from a near-impossible angle, with the marker his first with the Pats.
The 3,403 bears, toques and mittens took around 20 minutes to clear, with all the donations going to the Salvation Army and local charities for distribution as Christmas gifts.
Moose Jaw got that one back just over three minutes later. Keaton Dowhaniuk spun to elude a defender along the boards and broke in off the right faceoff circle before putting home a shot for his first as a Warrior.
Both Warriors goaltender Josh Banini and Pats netminder Kelton Pyne had to be sharp as the period progressed, with each making huge saves to preserve the tie.
Regina regained the lead at the 10:09
Lynden Lakovic then tied things up two minutes later, extending his point streak to 11 games by putting home a backhand in close after breaking across the Regina net.
Regina had a two-man advantage for almost a minute and a half late in the period, but the Warriors penalty kill would come up huge and maintain the tie.
Moose Jaw received a power play of their own with 30 seconds to play in the frame, and sure enough, the Warriors would take the lead.
Rilen Kovacevic hammered home a one-timer pass from Aiden Ziprick to give the Warriors a 3-2 edge with 14 seconds remaining in the frame.
The third period was largely an uneventful back-and-forth affair, but Pyne
had one of the bigger moments when he snared a Pavel McKenzie one-timer with five minutes remaining in the game.
stopped 24 shots in 28:28 of work, with Josh Banini taking over in net.
The Warriors would get one back on the power play with 4:09 gone in the third period, with Aiden Ziprick doing the honours. The veteran defenceman hammered home a one-timer from Rilen Kovacevic for his sixth goal of the season after scoring once all of last year.
Ryder Ritchie replied for Medicine Hat 1:27 later, though, capping scoring on the night.
Basha and Ritchie each finished with a goal and three points and were named the first and second stars respectively, while Ziprick took third star honours.
Oasiz Weisblatt also contributed a pair of assists.
Banini turned aside 18 shots in his period-and-a-half of work, Jordan Switzer stopped 25 shots for the Tigers.
Moose Jaw is back in action Tuesday when they travel to Brandon to face the Wheat Kings.
That save would prove to be crucial, as Caden Brown scored with Pyne pulled for the extra attacker with 1:02 remaining, and the game went to overtime.
There, the Warriors would get the win at the 1:31 mark when Kovacevic beat his man off the boards and drove across the net, tucking the puck into the open cage.
The two goals give Kovacevic 13 goals in his last 10 games and 19 on the season.
Lakovic added a pair of assists to his ledger to finish with three points on the night.
Banini stopped 27 shots to earn the win, while Pyne had 26 saves.
Moose Jaw is back in action Tuesday when they travel to Brandon to face the Wheat Kings, while Regina is off until Dec. 27 when they also are in Brandon. Medicine Hat Tigers roar out to early lead, go on to win over Moose
WINMAR Warriors sweep weekend set with Contacts in Saskatoon, continue to hold first place
Moose Jaw takes 2-1 victory Saturday, 5-1 win Sunday to sit two points clear at top of Sask Male AAA Hockey League standings Randy Palmer - MooseJawToday.com
The Moose Jaw WINMAR Warriors just keep on winning, taking a 2-1 win over the Saskatoon Contacts in Saskatoon on Saturday and followed up with a 5-1 victory in the rematch on Sunday in Sask Male AAA Hockey League action.
Moose Jaw improved to 20-4-2 with the victories and have moved two points clear of the Regina Pat Canadians for first place in the 12-team league. The Warriors also hold a .808 winning percentage, tops in the SMAAHL, making them the best team in the league heading into their Christmas break.
Saskatoon fell to 4-18-1 and remain in 10th place overall.
Moose Jaw 2, Contacts 1
As the score would indicate, the opening game of the weekend was a close battle, with a single goal scored in each period.
Carson Park gave Moose Jaw the lead 9:09 into the opening frame and Gage Nagel would make it 2-0 with a power play goal 7:21 into the second.
Bennett Leibel got one back for Saskatoon with a power play goal of their own
with 3:09 to play, making for a tense finish, but the Warriors would hang on for the win.
Luke McKechnie stopped 21 shots to earn the win, Addy Price had 36 saves in the loss.
Moose Jaw 5, Contacts 1
Things were far more comfortable for the Warriors in the rematch, as they took a 2-0 lead out of the first and led 5-0 through two.
Ryan Gibbs opened scoring in the
contest at the 8:59 mark of the opening period and Tyler Hudec would make it a two-goal lead only 14 seconds later.
Keaton Lesperance scored on the power play with 9:32 gone in the second to extend the Warriors’ edge, and Gibbs added his 22nd goal of the season 2:10 later for a four-goal margin. Lesperance then scored his second marker with the man advantage with 33 seconds left, making it a 5-0 contest.
Hudson Postnikoff scored with 3:16 gone in the third for Saskatoon’s lone goal. Gibbs and Lesperance each finished with three points, while Keirin Osberg had three assists and Jonah Pinel two helpers.
Kaleb Page picked up the win thanks to 29 saves, Nick Goodwin stopped 31 for the Contacts.
The Warriors are now off from league play until the new year, but will be in Calgary over the holidays for the Circle K Classic U18 AAA tournament.
The Contacts are back on the ice Saturday when they take on the Saskatoon Blazers, with game time 7 p.m. at Merlis Belsher Place.
Moose Jaw memories: A look at the top five sports moments in 2024 from Canada’s Most Notorious City
From the biggest win in Moose Jaw history to national championships, plenty to celebrate over the last 12 months Randy Palmer - MooseJawToday.com
Putting together a column going over highlights in the local sports community from the past 12 months can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. What to pick, what to feature, what to highlight.
That certainly wasn’t the case looking back at 2025.
No, all one had to do was go back and check out all the national and provincial championships that were won in Canada’s Most Notorious City over the last year, and man, there were a lot of ‘em -- including arguably the biggest win in the community’s history.
So here’s a look at the top five moments from Moose Jaw sports over the last year, with plenty of titles to celebrate
5. Moose Jaw hosts Hoopla, play for three medals
The end of the 2025 Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association basketball season was a strange one. With the Saskatchewan Teacher’s Federation job action playing havoc with the playoff picture, it appeared the provincial basketball championship extravaganza known as Hoopla -- which was to be hosted in Moose Jaw -- would be cancelled. And in the end, that happened, but a compromise was reached, with a one-day tournament taking place and teams playing for medals based on their seeding.
That turned out well for local teams.
The Central Cyclones would go on to win 4A boys gold over the Peacock Toilers, Peacock claimed 4A girls gold over the Central Cyclones and South Hill played in the bronze medal game but lost to Osler VCA.
Most importantly, teams from throughout the province had a chance to play, and that was the biggest win of all.
4. Moose Jaw teams dominate Softball Sask provincials
It’s hard to describe just how good of a season it was for Moose Jaw Minor Girls Fastball at the provincial level -- past years had seen local teams succeed, but never quite like this.
Five different teams covering four
separate age categories would either win their respective provincial title or advance to nationals thanks to a successful showing at provincials.
The U13 A Ice had the most success of all, winning provincials and advancing to Western Canadians, where they’d also win gold. The top two U15 divisions were all Moose Jaw, with the Ice winning A provincials and reaching the medal round at Canadians and the B Ice claiming their own provincial crown.
It was much the same for the U19 A Ice, who qualified for nationals and would also reach the medal round. And in the U11
A division, the South provincial championship would turn into an all Moose Jaw final, as both local entries played for gold on home soil.
A heck of a season, with plenty of potential for even more in coming campaigns.
3. Saskatchewan wins second-straight Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship
When Curling Canada announced that Moose Jaw be hosting back-to-back Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championships way back in the spring of 2021,
little did folks know just how good things would turn out for the host team from Saskatchewan.
Skip Gil Dash, third Marie Wright, second Moose Gibson and lead Sheryl Pederson -- the latter three all from Moose Jaw -- would go on to win the province’s second-straight national title on local soil this past March, defeating Newfoundland’s Doug Dean 7-6 in an extra end in the gold medal game.
The Canadian title was the fifth for perennial national team members Dash and Wright, while Gibson won his fourth and Pederson her first.
2. Moose Jaw Miller Express go on run in WCBL playoffs
The Western Canadian Baseball League is a strange animal when it comes to the post-season, where diminished rosters combined with rapid fire games and short series mean that if a team gets hot, they can do a lot of damage.
The Mioose Jaw Miller Express were that team in 2024.
The Express had the definition of a middling season, finishing 26-29 and in fourth place in the East Division. That mattered little once playoffs started, as
they’d upset the first-place Regina Red Sox in two games and then took down the expansion Saskatoon Berries in three games to return to the WCBL Final for the second time in the last three years.
There, the Express faced the powerhouse Okotoks Dawgs, eventually forcing a third and deciding game that they’d lose on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.
An incredible run, and one that has fans excited for the 2025 season in a few months time.
1. Moose Jaw Warriors win Western Hockey League championship
There’s only one thing that could top this list.
In their 40th year of competition in the Western Hockey League, the Moose Jaw Warriors finally won it all, claiming their first-ever Ed Chynoweth Cup with a four-game sweep of the Portland Winterhawks.
The talent-stacked team -- featuring four members of Team Canada from the World Junior Hockey Championship -- posted a 44-21-0-3 for the second-best mark in the Eastern Conference in the regular season.
They’d go on to sweep the Brandon Wheat Kings in the first round before downing Swift Current in five games in the second, setting up a Conference championship showdown against the Saskatoon Blades.
That would go down as the greatest best-of-seven series in WHL history, with six of the seven games going to overtime, including Game 7, which the Warriors would win in Saskatoon.
The WHL Final wasn’t nearly as dramatic, and the Warriors would finish things off on home ice with a 4-2 win over the Winterhawks in front of 4,732 fans.
Things didn’t go as well at the Memorial Cup, where they’d go 1-2 in the round robin and fall in the semifinal, but that did little to dampen what was far and away the greatest season in Moose Jaw Warriors history.
The Moose Jaw Warriors won their first-ever Western Hockey League championship this past spring.
Gage Nagel and the WINMAR Warriors swept the Saskatoon Contacts in a pair of games in Saskatoon over the weekend.
Former Moose Jaw resident Luka Markon wins Olympic talent search funding
Fifteen-year-old Luka Markon, a competitive mountain biker from Moose Jaw now living in Comox Valley, B.C., has earned funding and a fast track to the Olympics in a sport he never expected to compete in when identified by Luge Canada at an RBC Training Ground event back in March.
Markon was one of over 2,500 athletes aged 14 to 25 to participate in this year’s program. From that intake, 100 athletes were invited with only 30 selected for funding at the final event in Halifax, N.S., on Nov. 2.
“We met Luka through the RBC Training Ground event in Victoria back in March, saw some potential in his testing and his sport background, and invited him to try the sport,” announced Sam Edney, Luge Canada’s high performance director.
“He’s shown a strong interest in luge, and (has) the athletic abilities that could see him really excel. We’re excited about his future.”
The RBC Training Ground program, now in its ninth year, is a national talent identification and athlete funding program designed to discover the next generation of Canadian Olympians. The program is run in partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee and regional Canadian sport institutes.
Aaron
Walker - Moose Jaw Express
The program evaluates athletes from diverse sports through tests measuring speed, strength, power, and endurance, all under the watchful eyes of Olympic talent scouts representing 13 disciplines.
Selection also considers an athlete’s physical measurements like height and
Former Warrior captain Yager among six Saskatchewan players named to Team Canada
Hurricanes forward returns for second crack at gold for tournament beginning Boxing Day
Dave Thomas - SportsCage.com
Former Moose Jaw Warrior captain Brayden Yager was one of four Saskatchewan players named to Team Canada for the World Junior Hockey Championship.
Hockey Canada has announced their roster for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Ottawa. Four Saskatchewan-born players were named to the roster assembled by General Manager Peter Anholt, who hails from Naicam, Saskatchewan.
Saskatoon’s Brayden Yager is returning to the tournament, looking to avenge 2024’s loss to Czechia in the quarter-final. The former captain of the Moose Jaw Warriors is one of four players returning from last year’s team.
Fellow Saskatonians Berkly Catton and Caden Price will join Yager plus Prince Albert’s Tanner Howe, who started the WHL season as the
captain of the Regina Pats.
The other Saskatchewan player on the team is Saskatoon Blades defenceman Tanner Molendyk, who cracked the roster last season but had to miss the entire tournament after sustaining an injury in pre-tournament play.
In a statement, Anholt said, “We are excited to unveil the 25 players who have earned the opportunity to represent Canada at the World Juniors, as we believe we have assembled a competitive and talented roster that will give us the best opportunity to win a gold medal on home ice,” Canada will open the tournament on Boxing Day when they take on Finland.
wingspan, sport-specific testing conducted after the qualifier stage, and their competitive sports history.
“Some of the athletes who participate in RBC Training Ground are looking to reenergize or boost an Olympic dream in a sport they are already participating in,” explained Evan MacInnis, the technical director for the RBC Training Ground program.
“Others participate with the hope of being discovered and directed toward an Olympic sport they may have never considered, but they all rely on raw athleticism to impress our sport partners and compete for funding.”
Since its inception in 2016, the program has tested around 16,000 athletes through free local events and flexible virtual options, ultimately identifying over 3,000 athletes with Olympic potential.
One of the latest athletes to be identified by the program was Markon, who lived in Moose Jaw until around the age of seven when his father was reassigned from 15 Wing Moose Jaw during his military career.
“I’m pretty proud (to represent Moose Jaw) and I’m excited to train, improve, and hopefully make it to the Olympics,” Markon said.
Markon admitted that he was “a little bit surprised” to learn that he was selected, but also knew he trained as best he could and now enjoys a new sport that he described as “pretty fun.”
“It’s a little different (from mountain biking), but there are a few similarities too,” he explained. “I’ve been learning pretty fast and… (find that) the speed and how every little movement does a lot on the track and (how) you need to be very precise (are similar to what I’m used to).
“I’m really grateful that my dad found out about the RBC (program) and signed me up. It was a really good opportunity — like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — and I’m glad I took (it) and did my best,” he added.
The RBC Training Ground program has already made a significance impact, with 21 alumni competing in three Olympic games and earning a combined 14 medals, including seven at the Paris 2024 Summer Games.
Notable medalists include Krissy Scurfield and Avalon Wasteneys, who won silver for Team Canada, along with Kelsey Mitchell who competed in track cycling and Marion Thénault who competed in freestyle skiing. Both Mitchell and Thénault excelled in sports they never tried prior to participating in the RBC Training Ground — a growing list that now includes Markon.
To view a complete list of the 30 athletes selected for funding this year, visit RBCTrainingGround.ca.
Luka Markon (pictured) trains during the 2024 RBC Training Ground National Final in Halifax, N.S., on Nov. 2. Photo by: Kevin Light
Vanier Vikings Young Team Expecting To Grow
The season may have started out with a whole series of injuries but once free of the injury bug the Vikings are expecting a big season - with a younger team.
The Vikings saw a large turnout for their tryouts with 24 players showing up at the initial tryout day.
Although some quit after the first day and painful cuts had to be made the roster was cut down to 13 players. The Vikings ran a 13 man roster due to one player out with a broken leg and expected to join the team after Christmas.
“This year’s edition is very young. We will get scrappy once we’re healthy,” Vikings head coach Brody Wasmann said.
It’s an attitude the Vikings need at this time as they are running a very short eight player bench due to injuries.
“Our focus is just work ethic and continue to work towards improvement.” Wasmann said.
“We have been short since the start. We took 13 kids because we knew the one had the broken leg.”
Practice is a four day affair per week
Photos and story by Robert
Thomas
which can be tough given the large number of senior and junior basketball teams needing practice time.
A full 13 man bench is what the Vi-
Vanier Spirits Plan To Use Speed To Make Up For Shortcomings
After last year’s powerhouse season of eight returning grade twelve students the 2024/2025 edition of the Vanier Spirits senior girls basketball team is getting the veterans and new players up to speed.
“The team is new. It is a bit of a rebuild. We have some returners and we
Photos and story by Robert Thomas
have a lot of great girls (joining the team). We are small but we are going to be quick. Yes just building that team up,” Vanier Spirits head coach Alisha Amey said.
Not only are the Spirits ranks full of new players to the senior league the team is also under senior girls rookie head coach Amey.
Like all Moose Jaw senior girls basketball teams the Spirits do not have what is called a full bench of 12 players. The team is playing what is generally called a short bench.
One of the major disadvantages of running a short bench is that injuries or players fouling out could leave the Spirits struggling physically to keep up on the court versus a full bench team.
This season the Spirits sport five grade twelves with only three returning from last year and five grade elevens round out the roster.
Short benches are seen across the female portion of the city league with Central, Peacock and Lumsden also running shorter benches.
Although she has never coached a senior girls basketball team Amey does have experience when it comes to coaching basketball. Amey coached for the most recent Saskatchewan Summer Games. Additionally she has been coaching youth basketball for a number of years.
Standouts on the team include the returning grade twelves.
Names like Waverley Demassi - who is headed into her fourth year with the team, Ireland Gullame - who headed into her season with the senior Spirits.
The other returnees - Madeline Cruz, Addison Lamb and Keira Zimmermanto the Spirits will be stepping into bigger roles in the 2024/2025 season.
Despite Short Bench Cyclones Girls Aim For High Tempo Game
For returnees it’s very good news for the Central Cyclones senior girls basketball team.
Nine players from last season - including three players who are starting their third season - - are returning.
The only problem is they’ll be joined by only one new player giving the Cyclones a ten player roster two players short of the usual 12 player roster.
Out of the ten players nine are returning from last year’s campaign.
Six of the returnees are seniors, three are in grade 11 and there is one new addition to the squad.
The roster is comprised of Lucy McLean, Taylor Haavisto, Lily Gulutzan, Addison Simpson, Shaylan Constable, Brooklyn Watterson, Leiah Delizo, Mykenzie Shymko, Payton Krukoff and Ellah Flanagan.
The main thing the team needs, with a short bench, is to remain injury free and
Photos and Story by Robert Thomas
kings are hoping for as many players on the healthy eight man roster they have right now run out of gas.
Central Cyclones Senior Boys Working Hard For Perfection
Central Cyclones senior boys head coach Barry Seaborn ran the Cyclones to a perspiring mess running lengths of Riverview Collegiate gym and then three minutes of rapid fire layups during practice.
The foundation of the 2024/2025 Cyclones team is a team that is being coached about the smallest of details which help create openings or gaps to exploit.
This year’s team is not crowded with seniors but is a combination of power to win this year but one that also helps the program.
The Cyclones will have a base of six returning grade twelve players, two grade elevens and four grade tens.
The grade twelve returners are Ben Ansell, Chase Seaborn, Eli Juan, Gerritt Gulutzan, Lei Delizo and Max Simmons,
The team also consists of two junior players that were called up at the end of the last year - Keaton Belsher and Suliman Suliman.
The newcomers to the Cyclones are Hunter Scott, Javaughn Lynch, Karver Gusa and Vann Givera.
Seaborn - who is always cautious (some say sandbagging) about his team’s prospects - said “I think we’ll have a real-
Photos and Story by
ly good team.
At the present time the Cyclones are ranked 10th in the province.
This may also be the last year Central will be a 4A school under Saskatchewan High School Athletics Association rules. Schools are listed from 1A to 5A depending on enrolment. Central Collegiate’s enrolment is just under 5A numbers.
Robert Thomas
The size of the student body is used as larger schools have a larger student base to draw players from usually making them a stronger team.
Two years ago Peacock Collegiate was a 5A school due to enrolment and last year they were 4A. For the 2024/2025 school year Peacock will move back to 5A that is inhabited by much bigger schools with powerhouse teams.
Walking into the practice of the South Hill Royal Falcons senior boys basketball team is one of numbers.
Unlike other senior basketball teams in the Moose Jaw City league the numbers are huge with 20 players out on the court.
The senior boys team will see 12 to 14 players dress for games.
The big story is, after missing the
deadline last season, the Royal Falcons have moved from Junior Varsity (JV) to senior boys this season.
The Royal Falcons move from being a favourite to capture the city league JV crown to hoping to be competitive in the city senior boys league.
Although the Royal Falcons have for years played in the city’s JV league in provincial playoffs they play in the 3A senior boys class.
The Royal Falcons will be entering the senior boys league with ten out of 12 players from last year returning. The remainder of the senior boys roster (two to
Did You Know –
Agatha Christie and Corner Gas
By Richard Dowson
Did you know there is a connection between Hank Yarbo, the character on the television series Corner Gas and Agatha Christie’s character Miss Marple?
Hank ‘Yarbo’ got his last name from the village of Yarbo in the Saskatchewan RM of Langenburg No. 181.
Miss ‘Marple’ got her last name from the village of Marple, Cheshire, (Greater Manchester) England, a village on the old Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway.
four players) will come from the practice roster.
The Royal Falcons are a team made up of players from Riverview Collegiate and Cornerstone Christian School.
Senecal disagrees that having 20 players attend practice makes it harder to coach effectively.
The Royal Falcons are a team made up of players from Riverview Collegiate and Cornerstone Christian School.
The Royal Falcons provincially will be playing in the 3A league whereas other teams such as Vanier and Central play 4A and Peacock and Swift Current play 5A.
The level a team plays in, or A ranking system, is based upon a school’s student body size.
The system allows similar sized schools to face each other taking into account the size of student body players can be drawn from.
Congratulations to our Lucky Winner of the Black Friday Draw Rob Alten shown here receiving his $200 Gift Card for the Co-op Agro Presenting the gift card is Banu Tamizharasan Moose Jaw Express Embroidery Specialist. Thank you to all of you who came out to support local Merchants and enter our contest.
Trying To Evade The Defence
Jumping For A Loose Ball
Playing close to the backboard
Trying to dribble around a defender
Practicing throwing the ball back into play
Reaching for a loose ball
Slam Dunking The Ball
Can you find the hidden words? They may be horizontal, vertical, diagonal, forwards or backwards.
39. Half of two 40. Adjust again 41. Type of palm 42. Tidied
44. Regret
45. Flavor 46. Salad green 50. Grown up 52. Swindle 54. Craggy peak 55. Was attired in 56. Shivering
58. Not closed
59. Durable fabric 60. Margarine 61. In order that not 62. Aromatic compound 63. Where the sun sets DOWN
1. Famous baby deer 2. Large body of water 3. Large-leafed beet 4. Knowledge 5. Conveyed ownership 6. Made a mistake 7. Murres 8. Build 9. Unit of energy 10. Laughable 11. Downspout
12. Small island 13. Inquires/td>
18. The southern states
22. Musical phrase
24. Managed with difficulty
26. Pledge
28. Avarice
29. Possessing necessary skills
30. Threshold
31. Black
32. Head of hair
33. Animals
34. Petitions
37. Twisted
38. What we walk on
40. Break
41. Mesa
43. Ability
44. Anthology
46. Shelf
47. Useful
48. Funnel shapes
49. Grain disease
50. Absent without leave
51. Blockhead
53. Ache
56. South southeast 57. Not a column
Moose
205 WANTED
Seeking Born Again Christian Business partner with potential ownership in Second Hand and Flea- Market business. Male, Female or Family must be interested in Salvation, Healing and Deliverance Outreach Ministry . Serious enquiries only please. 306-684-1084, 5 pm- 8pm ONLY (because of scam calls) Ice fishing partner wanted. Please call 306692-0800.
I pay cash for unwanted firearms, ammunition, and other firearm related items. Also, free pick up of unwanted yard, garden, and acreage equipment, chainsaws, ATV’s, snowmobiles, etc. Call of text 306-641-4447.
210 SERVICES
Moving jobs done reasonably: appliances, furniture, dump runs. Call to do it all. $45.00 a load. 306-630-2268
Need work done? Contact Bill at 306-6302268 . Interior/exterior, renovations, formwork, framing, finishing, tiling, painting and all construction, roofing/siding- no job too big or small. Reasonable rates, 30 years experience.
Cleaner with 20 years experience, professional and bondable, please call Rebecca at 306-990-0387
Junk to the dump in and around Moose Jaw,
$60 and up. Will pick up, move, haul, and deliver any appliances, tvs, furniture, or anything large in and around Moose Jaw, $45 and up. 45-gallon plastic barrels, great for rainwater, $20 each. 1000 Litre plastic totes - $60. Dry cut up firewood 10 - 14” lengths - Split wood$50/row, Not Split - $35/row, one row across truck box. 306-681-8749
160 MISCELLANEOUS
FOR SALE - Sunset Cemetery Last Supper Cremation Plot #212. Asking $1600, open to reasonable offers. Please call 306-693-2003.
Collectibles For Sale – NASCAR 1:24 scale stock car models, plus hockey and football figurines. Call 306-631-7698.
135 TOOLS & EQUIPMENT
6 metal poles 14’ x 3” heavy wall steel only $100. each, it’s a steal of a deal. Call 306694-1322.
110 AUTO PARTS
Looking for running or rebuildable Volkswagen air cooled 1300, 1500, or 1600 engine, must have dual port heads. Please call 306526-0016
Get ready for winter! Four Cooper Weather Master tires on rims. 235/55 R18. Rims are from 2013 Taurus. Asking $300 for all 4. Please call 306-692-3282.
190 PETS
Weimaraner puppies for sale. Call 306-6414315.
The Central Butte Early childhood Committee held their annual Twinkle Tour recently. Leading the tour was the Central Butte Fire Truck. followed by three wagon loads of laughing families and individual vehicles to Main Street. After Santa
“turned on the lights” the tour continued around town to enjoy the spectacular display of Christmas decorations. Back at the rink, everyone warmed up with some hot chocolate. Children then lined up to say Hi to Santa. What a great evening!
Obituaries / Memorials
James “Jim, Jimmy”
Peter Maclowich
aged 71 years of Tuxford, SK, passed away on Wednesday, November 20th, 2024. Jim was born in Moose Jaw, SK on August 9th, 1953. After graduating from Central Collegiate, Jim married Oralyn Biggs and Had two children, Jill Nevada Dawn and Caleb Darby James. Jim and Oralyn moved to Saskatoon, SK for Jim to further his education at the University of Saskatchewan where he wrote his Alsat after 2 years and was granted entrance into the pursuit of Law, of which he graduated from in 1983. Jim and the family moved back to Moose Jaw where Jim was named partner at the law firm Whittaker, Craik, Chow & Maclowich. He excelled in court room law, working as a defense attorney for many years. Jim and Oralyn eventually divorced and years later he parted with law and was one day employed with LiUNA Labour Union until the time of his passing.
Jim was very passionate about cooking and was an impeccable chef. He was part owner and ran the kitchen at The Wooden Horse Bistro in Moose Jaw. Jim really enjoyed reading and would read book upon book upon magazine upon book. He also liked playing cards and trivia games with family. He was highly creative and had numerous interests, including sketching, creating rings from silver and stones, politics, horticulture, and was knowledgeable in many, many aspects of information. He was a very intelligent man.
He was predeceased by his parents, Peter and Mae Maclowich. Jim leaves behind his children, Jill (Rob) Kenyon and Caleb (Stephanie) Maclowich; grandchildren, Emily and Pierce; brothers, Brent (Marlys) and Bruce (Tracy); nieces: Andie, Jessica, and Emily; as well as his great nieces and nephews.
A Private Family Service will be held to honour Jim at a later date. Arrangements are entrusted to Moose Jaw Funeral Home, 268 Mulberry Lane. Cara Ashworth, Funeral Director 306-693-4550 www.moosejawfuneralhome.com
Rev. Dr. John Kreutzwieser is a retired pastor from Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Moose Jaw, SK. He graduated with a doctorate degree in 2006 from the Robert Webber Institute for Worship Studies in Florida.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
Archaic Christmas Words
There are many words in our traditional Christmas carols that are archaic, that is, surviving from an earlier period. The following words have the characteristics of the language of the past and survive chiefly in specialized uses in present-day English.
Yule is used as an informal, warm, and old-fashioned synonym for Christmas in songs, poems, and greeting cards. Jol, in ancient Norse, was the name of the ancient winter solstice festival that pre-dated Christianity. As the Christmas holiday became the most important December religious observance in Medieval England, it displaced pagan celebrations and Yule began to be used with the new meaning. Yuletide is another word used for the Christmas season.
Bing Crosby, among many others, sang, “We wish you the merriest, the merriest, the merriest Yule cheer.” The Christmas Song begins with, “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose, Yuletide carols being sung by a choir.” Deck the Halls sings, “Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la.”
Tidings sometimes get mistaken for ‘best wishes to you’ or ‘happy greetings to you.’ But tidings mean news. According to Samuel Johnson’s famous dictionary of 1755, tidings indicate an account of something that has happened. The King James Version of the Bible records the famous Christmas passage in St. Luke as “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”
“Good tidings we bring to you and your kin, good tidings for Christmas, and a happy new year,” is used in We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Carolers sing out in
Hark, and its cousin hearken, denote to listen. Both hark and hearken are still used today in the phrases ‘hark back to’ and ‘hearken back to,’ which mean to return to or remember something in the past. These terms have mostly lost the literal meaning of listen, replacing it with remember. They derive from the call “hark back,” formerly used when hunting with dogs, meaning to return along the path or retrace the route when a scent is lost. The current meaning derives from the image of seeking an earlier path.
Hark is most famously used in Hark! The Herald Angels Sing. “Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King!’”
Deck means to decorate and implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness. Deck morphed from the Middle English dekke, which was the covering of a ship, derived from Middle Dutch dec, meaning to cover. Deck did not come from decorate and originally had no implication of decorations. Decorate comes from the Latin decoratus, the past participle of decorare, from decus, meaning ornament. English speakers will still use the phrase ‘decked out,’ to imply dressed or decorated in a fancy way.
In the Christmas season we regularly hear, “Deck the halls with Boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la.”
Deck the Halls also cries, “Don we now our gay apparel, fa la la la la, la la la la.”
Don means to put on, especially an article of clothing. The archaic nature of don may be related to the oddness of the entire line in the lyrics. The placement of the adverb now after the verb is formal and archaic sounding, and gay apparel is a poetic way to say party clothes. Although reminiscent of an older kind of English, don is still used today when putting on an article of clothing that is something other than dressing in your usual way. People don a uniform, don a costume, and don a mask. Don is actually a contraction of ‘do on.’ Just as doff is a contraction of ‘do off.’ Doff is still used in the phrase “to doff one’s hat,” removing one’s hat as a gesture of politeness or respect.
I hope this little article will give you a greater appreciation of the text of some of our traditional Christmas carols as you sing and hum them this Christmastide.
Columnist John Kreutzwieser loves to research words and writes this weekly Word Wisdom column for Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com. He has an interest in the usage, origin, and relevance of words for society today. Greek and Latin form the basis of many words, with ancient Hebrew shedding light on word usage.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to wordwisdom2021@ gmail.com . Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
Rotary Club celebrates another successful Carol Festival at Zion Church
The 78th Rotary Carol Festival concluded last weekend, uniting school divisions, church parishes, and the community to usher in the Christmas season at the Rotary Club’s longest running event.
The two-day festival returned to a packed venue at Zion Church on Dec. 9 and again on Dec. 10.
“I believe (the festival) went rather well. I thought that the groups were fantastic,” announced Rod Montgomery, vice-president of the Rotary Club of Moose Jaw. “Everybody worked hard at it, they had fun doing it, and it was great to see.”
Known today as the Rotary Carol Festival, the event began in 1945 when then-Ross School principal Arthur Wilton organized “The Festival of Christmas Carols.” These original concerts were attended by students in grades three to eight from local public schools.
Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express
With participation growing to include choirs from Zion United Church, St. Andrew’s United Church, First Baptist Church, St. John’s Anglican Church, and the Ladies Philharmonic, the festival soon expanded across three evenings — a tradition that continued until the pandemic in 2020 and 2021.
In its early days, the festival was organized by Penny Gillin Braaten, the first public school music supervisor to assume the role. In 1947, the Rotary Club of Moose Jaw offered its support and took over planning and production in 1975 with the tradition continuing to this day.
Each festival includes several groups and intermissions include a chance for the audience to participate in guided Christmas caroling with traditional pieces like “The First Noel,” “Angels We Have Heard On High,” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”
The first day focused on adult and youth groups including the Zion Bell Choir directed by Darla Wutke, Ecole Ducharme’s choir directed by Stephanie Montpetit, and Desperate for Haggis directed by Doug Shepherd.
As well, Ecole Palliser Heights’ choir attended and was directed by Audray-Anne Montpetit and Jodie Hendry.
Move Over Capone – There’s
Moose Jaw claims gangster Al Capone as it’s ‘most notorious’. Capone couldn’t hold a candle to Elon’s notoriety, his wealth, his investments, his arrogance, his rockets, and his adoration of Trump. Who hasn’t heard of Elon Musk? And his Maternal roots are in Moose Jaw!
Elon is the new ‘government-efficiency wizard’. Since Trump won, they can’t get Elon out of Mar-a-lago.
Like him or not – Elon Musk is Notorious – and Moose Jaw can claim him as their own.
Elon’s maternal Grandmother, Wyn (Fletcher) Haldeman was born and raised in Moose Jaw. She attended Prince Arthur School. She took secretarial training at Central Collegiate, in the days before the construction of Peacock. Elon’s maternal Grandmother worked for the Moose Jaw Times Herald for ten years.
Elon’s maternal Grandfather, a chiropractor, was born in Minnesota and grew up in Herbert, Saskatchewan. The maternal grandfather’s mother, Elon’s Great Grandmother, was the first female Chiropractor in Canada and is buried in Swift Current.
Elon’s maternal Grandparents met in Regina. They were married at the Fletcher home at 911 Chestnut Avenue, Moose
School Choir closed off the night under the direction of Paul McCorriston.
The festival’s last day was led by MC Byron Kean, the corps officer for the Salvation Army in Moose Jaw, and Melanie Braaten led carols with Learmonth returning as the organ player.
All proceeds support both the Rotary Club and Salvation Army’s ongoing community projects. In an early estimate, this year’s festival raised around $3,200 — minus expenses.
Montgomery wished to thank everyone who helped make this year’s Carol Festival possible. “Everybody pitches in and makes it a go,” he said. “So, we really appreciate all the moving parts to make it a success.”
To learn more about the Rotary Club of Moose Jaw, visit ‘Rotary Club of Moose Jaw’ on Facebook or its website at Portal. ClubRunner.ca/1005. You can also call or text the club at 306-631-9480.
The Heritage Singers were directed by Brenda Johnson, Zion Sanctuary Choir was directed by Bruce Learmonth, and the Moose Jaw Community Choir was directed by Diane Rhodes.
The festival’s first day was led by MC Jack Ross, with Bruce Learmonth on the organ and Kathy Sudom-Young leading the Christmas carolers.
On day two of the event, the focus was more on high school performances.
The second night began with a performance by the Cornerstone Christian School Concert Choir directed by Josh Carly, followed by Ho! Ho! Horns directed by Jim Mitchell and a stunning flute ensemble directed by Stella Salido.
The focus then switched to high school performances as the festival drew to a close. These included Peacock Collegiate’s choir directed by Jennifer Hemstock, Central Collegiate’s Oxford Street Singers directed by Paul McCorriston, Vanier Collegiate’s choir directed by David Selensky — who played trumpet during the earlier Ho! Ho! Horns performance — and the Central Collegiate
By Richard Dowson
Jaw. Elon’s maternal Great-Grandfather, his grandmother’s dad, operated a lathe and plaster business with his brother when he first arrived in Moose Jaw from England. Later, he opened Fletcher Insurance Agency in the Hammond building and ran it for 25-years.
Elon’s maternal Great Uncle, Elmer
Loch, played hockey in Moose Jaw before signing with the Montreal Canadiens. Elmer’s wife was Elon’s Great Aunt; his Grandmother’s older sister.
Elon Musk’s mother was born in Regina.
Now the questions? Should Moose Jaw take some credit for ‘Notorious Elon’? Shouldn’t Elon replace Al Capone as Moose Jaw’s ‘most notorious’?
Imagine – The Notorious Musk Burger or ‘Elon-grated Fries’ or Elon Rocket Highball?
Elon’s maternal Grandmother, ‘Wyn’ (Fletcher) Haldeman moved back to Canada from South Africa years ago and lived at Canmore, Alberta. She died in 2012 and is buried in Canmore.
Need Shredding done? $25 for the rst 20 pounds and $0.75 for each pound after that. Need us to pick it up for you $25.00 for intown
Members of the Peacock Collegiate choir perform at the Rotary Carol Festival on Dec. 10. Photo by: Aaron Walker
A performance of Ho! Ho! Horns under the direction of Jim Mitchell on Dec. 10. Photo by: Aaron Walker
A performance titled “Flute Ensemble” and directed by Stella Salido at the Carol Festival on Dec. 10. Photo by: Aaron Walker
A performance by Central Collegiate’s Oxford Street Singers directed by Paul McCorriston on Dec. 10. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Major Byron Kean (centre, at microphone) with the Salvation Army of Moose Jaw announces the next performance during the Rotary Carol Festival on Dec. 10. Photo by: Aaron Walker
Elon Musk Image - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
UPCOMING EVENTS IN MOOSE JAW
If you would like your notice or event added to this list, contact us at: joan@ moosejawexpress.com
The Moose Jaw Art Guild Annual Art Show has officially opened at the MJMAG and will run until the first week of January. For information call 306631-3148 or 306-692-6667.
Superannuated Teachers of Sask. Moose Jaw Branch LUNCHEON Meetings to Come at the Masonic Hall, Main Street @ 10:30 AM: Wed. Jan 15, 2025/Wed. March 19, 2025/Wed. May 21, 2025
Carols With Kelly - Sing along with Kelly Sapergia . Holiday music and Christmas carols at Minto United Church 1036 7th Ave NW at 7pm Sunday Dec 17. Everyone welcome.
Lawn Bowling is a sport for all levels of ability. During winter, Moose Jaw Lawn Bowling club invites everyone to try it on the turf at Yara Centre now at @10am - Instruction & play (at your pace) will be available Tues & Thurs mornings@ 10am. For more info phone or text 306-630-8160 or visit www. moosejawlawnbowling.com
Moose Jaw Parkinsons Support Group meet at 1:30 p.m. on the last Monday of the following months: January, February, March, April and May. No meeting in December. Call or text 306 756 2819.
The Prairie Hearts Quilters Guild is held every 1st and 3rd Wednesday at 7 pm at St Andrews Church until May. Learning, comradery, fun challenges, quilting and Community Projects.
New Youth Pipe Band in Moose Jaw “The White Heather” for youth aged 8 to 12. Further information may be obtained by contacting Michelle Carline at mcarline@hotmail.com
The Moose Jaw Stamp Club will resume meeting on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month. The first meeting will be at 6:30pm, in Lindale School staff room, 1322 11th Avenue NW (north entrance). Phone 306-6935705 for information.
Moose Jaw Town N Country Square Dance Assoc. Winter 2024 Program on Monday nights from 7-9pm at St. Mary’s School, 720 – 5th Ave. SW. Dance in a square with family and friends. For information contact Valerie Wright at 306.691.0579. Beginners, singles or doubles welcome!
Scottish Country Dance Classes for all ages on Thursdays at 7pm at 510 Main St. N (T. Eaton Bldg). No partner required. Call Val @306.630.5790.
Nature Moose Jaw will hold their meetings on a once-a-month basis to take place on the third Friday of each month
Church of Our Lady Bingo takes place at the Church of Our Lady Community Centre, 566 Vaughan Street on Tuesday evenings. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Bingo begins at 7:00 p.m.
Are you struggling with addictions? Do you know someone who is? Or do you want to learn more about overcoming addiction to help others? Pastor Cory Havanka and his wife Brenda will be offering an in-person, small-group, course that will explore how to overcome addiction that is based on Biblical foundations. For questions - Call or text Cory at 306-684-1464 or email firmfoundationministries.inc@gmail. com Firm Foundation Ministries provides other services as well:-Bible study - Monday evenings at 630 p.m/
Prayer meetings - Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m/Pastoral counselling. Check Facebook or Instagram for updates on services, events, bible study notes and words from the Lord.
Nar-Anon Meetings every Monday 7—8pm (Moose Jaw Nar-Anon Family Group) is a twelve-step program for relatives and friends affected by someone else’s drug use and is in-person at Moose Jaw Alliance Church, 14 Neslia Place. Come in Main Doors – Meeting Rm 103. Your anonymity and what you say at meetings will be carefully guarded.
TOASTMASTERS organization provides communication and leadership skill training that fosters confidence building, personal and professional development in a supportive environment. Moose Jaw is home to 2 clubs: TAP and Big Country.
TAP meets on line on Tuesdays@7. TAP club is transitioning to a resource for building environmental awareness. BIG COUNTRY meets Wednesdays@7 at Saskpolytech & on zoom(hybrid). For information text 306-690-8739
TOPS SK 2149 Weight Loss Support Group meets on Wednesday evenings at the Alliance Church located on the corner of Thatcher Drive W. & 9th Ave.W. Please enter through the west facing door and turn right down the hallway. Weigh-in takes place from 6:30-7:00 pm. Half-hour meeting to follow. Are you looking for a weight loss support group and also to meet new friends? We are here for you and would love to have you join our group. Come try us out. Your first meeting is free. For more information: www.tops.org
Moose Jaw Public Library (MJPL), 461 Langdon Cres. Phone 306.692.2787. Visit their website at https://www. moosejawlibrary.ca or visit ASK@ MOOSEJAWLIBRARY.CA
Some library programs require registration by calling 306-692-8210 or emailing nsetter@moosejawlibrary.ca
DECEMBER 24, 25 & 26 – CLOSED; DECEMBER 31 - OPEN 9:30 AM TO 1 PM; JANUARY 1 – CLOSED
ADULT PROGRAMMING:
MJPL MOVIE CLUB Drop-in program on Monday, December 16 @6pm in MJPL Theatre for adults Movie: Viewer’s Choice DOCUMENTARY NIGHT Drop-in program on Thursday, December 19 @6pm in MJPL Theatre for adults. Movie: Mayor TECH TIME Available by appointment during open hours in Main Library for adults by appointment only - please call the Library at 306-692-2787 to schedule an appointment.
MAGIC THE GATHERING Drop-in program on Saturdays, Dec 21 & 28 @2pm in Reading Room for ages 13+ HOME VIEWING FOR THE HOLIDAYS Cinematic works for the season Snuggle up by Kanopy’s Festive Fireplace this December and enjoy some jolly cinematic works. To access the merry movies all you need is your library card!
YOUTH PROGRAMMING:
DIGITAL D&D Fridays Time: 4:00 to 6:00 pm Location: MJPL Youth Discord Channel Ages: 16 to 25 Registration required Email youth@mjlibrary.ca to inquire.
TEEN D&D: SPELL THIEVES Tuesdays OR Thursdays until Dec 19 @6:30 pm in MJPL Theatre for 12-16yrs. Registration required.
HOOPLA Offbeat Christmas Looking for something different this holiday season? Check out hoopla’s Offbeat Christmas collection featuring quirky, scary, and unexpected stories.
TEEN ARTS & CRAFTS Drop-in program on Wednesday, December 18 @6:30pm in Herb Taylor Room for 1219yrs. Project: Melty Beads MOVIE MATINEE Drop-in program on
Saturday, December 28 @6:30pm in MJPL Theatre for all ages. Movie: Die Hard (14A)
CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING : DAYCARE STORYTIME Drop-in program on Thursdays @10:30 am in Children’s Program Room for 2-5 yrs and their caring daycare providers! No Storytime Dec 26 & Jan 2
PRESCHOOL STORYTIME Drop-in program Wednesdays @10:30 am in Children’s Program Room for 2-5yrs. No Storytime Dec 25 & Jan 1
LITERACY CALENDARS Download December Early Literacy Calendar for infants and pre-school children Download December Children’s Literacy Calendar for elementary-aged children
BABY STORYTIME Drop-in program on Tuesdays @10:30 am in Children’s Program Room for babies up to 2yrs and their caring adults! No Storytime Dec 24 & 31
ELF ON THE LIBRARY SHELF
Self-Guided Activity until December 31 during open hours in Children’s Department for ages up to 12yrs.
UGLY SWEATER COLOURING CONTEST Self-Guided Activity until December 15 during open hours in the Children’s Department for ages 4-12 yrs.
MAKER SATURDAYS on Saturdays, until December 21 @2pm in Herb Taylor Room for ages 8-12 yrs. Registration required. Dec 21 - LEGO Spike Prime
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: @Royalcanadianlegion59 BINGO – Monday @ 6pm CRIBBAGE –Tuesday @ 1:30 pmPlease sign-in by 1pm MEAT DRAW & CHASE THE ACESaturday @ 3pm - Everyone welcome Legion Money Raffle Draw – Final Draw Dec 21 @1:30pm 3 Early Bird Draws Oct 5 @1:30pm for $1000each. 200 tickets available @$20each. 19+ to purchase tickets. Total retail prize $23,000. Tickets available at Legion. Call office at 306.692.5453 or 306.693.9688 to pay Visa or Mastercard.
Moose Jaw and District Seniors: For more information Call: 306-694-4223 or Email: Email: mjsenior@shaw.ca . The centre is now open Mon-Thurs 8am –8pm.
Fitness Level & Indoor Walking Track open M-Thurs 8am-8pm and on Fri 8am-4pm Wood working area – Mon- Fri 8am –4pm
Timothy Eaton Cafe open Mon-Fri 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Cinnamon Buns on Thursday’s. Tuesday is pie day. Everyone is welcomed.
Saturday, December 21 - Cosmo Social Dance - Len Gadica, 7:30pm - 11:00pm. Cost - $15.00/person includes lunch.
Moose Jaw ANAVETS: Army, Navy & Air Force Veterans Unit #252 – 279 High St. W, Moose Jaw. 306.692.4412 or anaf252@sasktel.net
Every Wednesday, open 12-6 pm, Smear – Starts at 1 pm Every Thursday, open 12-7 pm, Smear – Starts at 1 pm, Crib starts Sept. 5th; registration at 1 pm; Crib starts at 1:30 pm. Bring a partner or sign up as a spare. Every Friday, open 1-10 pm, drop in shuffleboard. Register at 1 pm. Play starts at 1:30 pm. Bring a partner. Drop in pool and darts. Register by 6:30 pm. Play starts at 7 pm. Bring a partner. Every Saturday, open 1-7 pm. Meat draw starts at 4:30 pm, 10 meat draws, 4 free draws, gift card and 50/50. Everyone welcome. Hall rentals available – book now! Available now! 6th Annual 50/50 Tickets. $10/ticket. Only 1000 tickets sold. Could win up to $5000 if all tickets are sold. Draw date will be in December.
FRATERNAL ORDER OF EAGLES #3395
EVERY THURSDAY: Ladies Auxiliary “Meat Draw” – ticket sales start at 5:30 pm, draws start at 6:00 pm – Meat Draw, 50/50, “Chase the Ace” EVERY SUNDAY: Aerie “Meat Draw” – ticket sales start at 2:30 pm – Meat Draw, 50/50, Mystery Draw, “Chase the Ace”
MONDAY THRU SATURDAY – DROP IN POOL – 1:00 pm to 1:30 start time. Singles and Doubles. Partners draw from those attending to play.
FIRST AND THIRD SUNDAY – Aerie meeting – 11:30 am
FIRST AND THIRD TUESDAY – Ladies Auxiliary meeting - 7:00 pm
DROP IN DARTS - Every Wednesday evening and continues until April, 2025 - $2.00 per person, draw for partners, starts at 7:00 pm.
DROP IN CRIBBAGE - Every Monday evening and continues until April, 2025 - $2.00 per person, registration between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm – play starts at 7:00 pm.
NEW YEARS EVE - Great Party time going on in the Eagles Club Lounge with Brandon & Company – bring in the new year right…..Watch for more details.
Western Development Museum; 50 Diefenbaker Drive, Moose Jaw. For more information, visit the museum’s website at WDM.ca/Moose-Jaw. Call 306-6935989 or email ajones@wdm.ca
The Wakamow Valley Authority’s traditional Valley of Lights display is back at the Lorne Calvert Campground, bringing festive cheer to all ages with an enchanting and expanded drive-through Christmas light show.
The Valley of Lights display will continue to run Thursdays to Saturdays throughout December from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
“This is one of our biggest fundraisers, so we really appreciate the public’s support for this,” announced Donna MacQuarrie-Bye, the general manager of the Wakamow Valley Authority earlier. “We want everyone to come out and spread some Christmas cheer.”
With well over 100,000 LED lights set up throughout the campground, this drive-through spectacle has an expanded layout and includes the entire campground perimeter as the event grew bigger and brighter than ever before.
The event’s magic extends beyond the lights. Families can enjoy horse-drawn
wagon rides by Prairie Percherons — depending on weather conditions and availability — for $25 per family of five. Other special appearances have included the Moose Jaw Community Choir, The Grinch who spread mischievous holiday cheer on Dec. 14, and Santa Claus is yet to arrive for family photos on Thursday, Dec. 19.
Weather-based delays are possible, and so far the first scheduled night of the Prairie Percherons wagon rides had to be cancelled due to the potential for freezing
rain conditions on Dec. 7. The rides have since been rescheduled for Thursday, Dec. 19 and Tuesday, Dec. 24.
The Valley of Lights will also be open on Christmas Day for a bonus viewing session running from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m., pending weather or other possible delays.
Guests can continue to enjoy the display as many times as they wish on each separate visit with a suggested $10 donation at the gate. Proceeds help support park maintenance and day-to-day operations for the non-profit park authority.
It’s important to check ‘Wakamow Valley Authority’ on Facebook or Wakamow.ca for potential cancellations, schedule changes, or other updates before attending the show.
This year’s Valley of Lights has been proudly sponsored by the Moose Jaw Kinsmen Club and the New Southern Plains Métis Local No. 160. Guests may also receive a complementary gift of Bannock bread, proudly provided by members of the Métis Local No. 160.
To inquire or to reserve a family wagon ride, call the Wakamow Valley Authority at 306-692-2717. Wagon rides must be scheduled in advance to ensure seating availability.
It’s important to note that the display is drive-through only and walking tours are not offered.
The Lorne Calvert Campground is located at 300 River Drive in Moose Jaw’s scenic Wakamow Valley.
Tatanka Dr –
Aaron Walker - Moose Jaw Express
Henry the Moose, a 17-foot (5.18 metre) moose sculpture first unveiled and featured at the 2022 Grey Cup Festival in Regina, returns for another year in Wakamow. Photo by: Aaron Walker
A look at the enchanted scenery in the Lorne Valley Campground this December.
Photo by: Aaron Walker
A snowman greets visitors at the Valley of Lights display in Wakamow. Photo by: Aaron Walker
A look at the enchanted scenery in the Lorne Valley Campground this December. Photo by: Aaron Walker
A look at the enchanted scenery in the Lorne Valley Campground this December. Photo by: Aaron Walker
New convenience store brings one-stop shopping to Buffalo Pound’s South Lake
One entrepreneur hopes to improve convenience for residents at Buffalo Pound’s South Lake and attract a younger, growing crowd with the launch of a new one-stopshop store in the village.
The Lakeside Market is Buffalo Pound’s newest venture and first opened its doors on Dec. 7.
“We’re just trying to bring convenience to the lake,” announced Dakota Kuntz, owner of The Lakeside Market and Life’s A Beach Rentals, his second business that has provided water sport, cabin, and ice shack rentals for the past five years.
“I’ve lived out here for 16 years and we haven’t had a store or anything,” he said, noting that many of his rental business patrons have asked where the nearest shop is. “I’ve had to send them back to Moose Jaw, so (I thought) it would be neat if we could do a store out here.
“I’ve been saving up and wanted to do it for years, and I finally found the right property to do it.”
The Lakeside Market, which also owes its success to Sindy Dion, Kuntz’ girlfriend, and her sister, Jinny Dion, features a selection of fresh local produce, artisanal goods, and a variety of everyday essentials. Live bait can also be purchased in the village now, rather than necessitating a trip up to Chamberlain.
Once the market gets established, Kuntz hopes to grow the business into the
three adjacent lots he currently owns. He hasn’t determined what he’ll do with the opportunity and is now in talks with the RM of Marquis and the community.
“We just want to make sure that everyone gets a say in what we do, because we want to keep all our neighbours really happy and everyone excited about it…,” Kuntz shared.
In the meantime, the market serves as a permanent storefront for the work of local artists and vendors. New applicants
are welcome and can apply by sending a Facebook message or calling the store.
“We’re trying to make the community (feel like) it’s their business as well,” he continued. “So, we just reached out to a bunch of different people that we knew in the area… and we want to make it like a family business, but bring the community in on it as well.”
The store has had several vendors sign on including Art by M, Legacy Wood Art, CK Creations, and Doobie Snacks.
Recently, a nearby berry farm stopped by to offer a variety of homemade jams and pies made after their harvest.
“I think we had two (more vendors) stop by today and add more goodies to the store,” Kuntz noted on Dec. 12.
Additionally, Kuntz built an outdoor rink on the lake with the goal of enhancing community life and encouraging more people to stay at the lake for longer. Plus, he said, children who grow bored while their parents are ice fishing can use the rink to pass the time.
“We love our community, and I do a community rink and just want people to play hockey, be able to go find a drink or something to eat, and keep you at the lake as long as possible…,” Kuntz said.
“We just want to see more young families move out here, grow the population, and kind of realize that it’s a year-round space, and not just seasonal.”
The Lakeside Market will continue to run as a year-round business and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. except for Wednesdays and statutory holidays.
To contact Dakota Kuntz or for more information about The Lakeside Market, call 306-630-4600, email TheLakesideMarket@outlook.com, or visit ‘The Lakeside Market’ on Facebook.
The Lakeside Market is located at 1065 Tatanka Drive at Buffalo Pound’s South Lake.
Buffalo Pound resident builds ‘Rink of Dreams’ and hopes to offer free goalie training
A South Lake resident has built an intriguing skating rink on Buffalo Pound Lake to support his son’s dream of one day becoming an NHL goalie, and now plans to offer free training sessions for aspiring young goaltenders.
“So, it (started) during the COVID thing and we were missing out on lots of hockey,” said Dakota Kuntz, who built the rink for his son, Trip Kuntz.
“We always wanted (a rink) on the lake, and we’ve made one every year, but there’s so many kids that are without hockey so we’re just making it more accessible for the community and for my son to… make sure he was developing for when (the hockey season) started back up.
“Once we started, we named it the ‘Rink of Dreams,’ because his big dream is to make the NHL,” Kuntz said. Giving a name to the rink also helps share the word and grow it over time, he added.
Once established, the Rink of Dreams will include goalie training sessions and numerous free events focused on skill development. This is supported by a partnership with Kolter Mealing at the Blue Line Hockey Shop — a goaltender himself — who will be onsite to offer his professional
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skate sharpening services.
“We want to get more young kids out on the ice and kind of make our own goalie training, but make it free where people
can come out, try ice fishing, learn some hockey stuff, and just make a fun day out of it,” said Kuntz.
The project not only allows Trip and his father to create something meaningful for the entire community, but also provides a great way for the father-son duo to bond over a shared love of the sport.
“My son absolutely loves hockey. He wants to be an NHL superstar, but he also loves coaching and sharing what he’s learned over time,” Kuntz said.
Trip now plays for the U15 AA Moose Jaw Warriors and has benefitted from mentorships and elite training opportunities provided by local coaches and the Moose Jaw Warriors Hockey Club. Now, he hopes to give back.
These events will “make sure that all the younger players are developing and learning stuff at a faster pace,” Kuntz shared. As well, he hopes to prevent younger players from getting discouraged over the cost and other challenges faced by new entrants to the sport.
“(We just want to) work on the little
things that are going to keep them engaged in the game, and make sure that they’re having fun doing it, because it can be discouraging at times.”
The Rink of Dreams also complements two of Kuntz’ other enterprises, Life’s A Beach Rentals and the first convenience store at the village, The Lakeside Market. His rental business includes ice fishing shacks and children who find the pastime boring can pass some time on the rink.
“We love our community… and just want people to play hockey, be able to go find a drink or something to eat, and keep you at the lake as long as possible…,” Kuntz said.
The Lakeside Market is located at 1065 Tatanka Drive at Buffalo Pound’s South Lake and is open year-round from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily except for Wednesdays and statutory holidays.
Specific dates and times for the upcoming training sessions are yet to be determined and depend heavily on weather conditions.
To contact Dakota Kuntz or for more information about the Rink of Dreams or The Lakeside Market, call 306-630-4600, email TheLakesideMarket@outlook.com, or visit ‘The Lakeside Market’ on Facebook.
You can follow Trip’s progress and learn about upcoming announcements by following ‘The TikTok Goalie’ on TikTok.
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The Lakeside Market is located at 1065 Tatanka Drive at Buffalo Pound’s South Lake and first opened on Dec. 7. Photo by: The Lakeside Market/Facebook
The “Rink of Dreams” at Buffalo Pound Lake. Photo by: Dakota Kuntz
Dakota Kuntz’ son, Trip Kuntz (pictured), now plays as a goalie for the U15 AA Moose Jaw Warriors. Photo by: Dakota Kuntz
A view of the “Rink of Dreams” from Dakota Kuntz’ balcony at Buffalo Pound’s South Lake Village. Photo by: Dakota Kuntz
