FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021
WEYBURN THIS WEEK - PAGE 7
Instructions on planting spruce trees
Photo 4829 — Greg Nikkel
City of Weyburn Parks manager Curtis Block explained the proper way to handle and plant a Black Hills Spruce tree, as volunteers from the community gathered for Tatagwa Tree Day on Saturday. A total of 150 of these trees were planted along a park space on the city’s east side, with water, hot dogs and prizes provided for the participants at the tree-planting event.
Law enforcement focuses on construction zone speeders
Wherever your summer plans take you, you are likely to come across a construction zone at some point while getting there. That’s why SGI and law enforcement want to remind drivers to #SlowTo60 and be mindful of workers while travelling through construction zones in the coming weeks. “We know you’re excited to start your vacation plans and possibly see folks you haven’t in a long while,” said Penny McCune, Chief Operating Officer of the Auto Fund. “Your summer vacation coincides with construction season, so remember that the work being done to improve roads in our province makes travelling safer for all drivers. Keep workers in these areas safe by slowing down and obeying all signage and any flag person you see.”
“Drivers are required to slow to 60 km/h or the speed that’s posted when passing a highway worker, flag person or highway equipment with warning lights flashing,” said S/Sgt. Patrick Barbar of the Saskatoon Police Service. Fines for speeding through construction zones are significantly more expensive than a regular speeding ticket; it will cost you more than $1,000 if you’re caught going 100km/h in a 60 zone. Don’t risk it - law enforcement and cameras will be present to ensure everyone travelling through slows down. Pro tip: Make sure you are well-rested before starting a big road trip. Remaining alert while behind the wheel helps keep highway workers safe and helps to keep your money in your
Local students earn Access scholarships
Access Communic a t i o n s C o - o p e r a t ive announced the 2021 recipients of the Access Communications Doug Alexander Scholarship Program. The program provides $1,000 awards for up to 20 graduating high school students in Saskatchewan. The recipients in the Weyburn region include Jay Boll of Fillmore ‘33’ Central School, and Keely O’Neill, Weyburn Comprehensive School. “Making Saskatchewan a better place to live starts with investing in our young people,” said Fran Moran, Communications Manager at Access Communications. “These recipients are some of the best and brightest in our province. They inspire us with their commitment to their hometowns and helping those less fortunate. We’re honoured to support them along their academic jour-
ney and can’t wait to see the great things they will accomplish.” The Access Scholarship Awards Committee selects recipients. The Committee considers students’ contribution to community improvement, academic achievement, and school involvement. Since 2005, the program has awarded over $380,000 to high school graduates. In addition to the Access Communications Doug Alexander Scholarship Program, Access Communications awards annual scholarships to students at Saskatchewan Polytechnic in the Computer Networking Technician and the Telecommunications Network Technician certificate programs. Access also awards scholarships at the University of Regina through the Access Communications / Fred Wagman Scholarship in Film and Video.
wallet. That way, you can best react to potential hazards and you don’t miss any important signage. “Check the route you plan on taking for potential construction, and adjust your departure time accordingly,” said Shantel Lipp, President of the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association. “Trying to buy back time by speeding through a work zone will both endanger workers and
likely make you even more late when you get pulled over for breaking the law.” There is one perfectly legal tactic that will help you get through a construction zone quickly and efficiently. Use a zipper merge when two lanes become one. Fill up both lanes, and alternate in a zipper-like fashion when the lane ends. It’s as easy as navigating a double-lane drive-through. The work being done
on roads and in construction zones across the province involves the use of big trucks and heavy-duty machinery. So this month, SGI and law enforcement are also focusing on commercial vehicles. Law enforcement will be looking for commercial vehicles driving with excess weights, ensuring proper registration and cargo securement, checking for completed trip in-
spections, and keeping an eye out for other traffic infractions this month. “It’s important that we remove dangerous vehicles and drivers from our highways, and we want to remind professional drivers, and really everyone on the road, that traffic laws and regulations are in place for a reason,” said Acting Sergeant Craig Gelsinger of the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol.
New practice: cow-calf producers have shared funding to protect surface water The governments of Canada and Saskatchewan announced a new beneficial management practice (BMP) for cow-calf producers under the Farm Stewardship Program. Eligible beef cow-calf producers can now access cost shared funding of up to 75 per cent of project costs, to a maximum payment of $15,000, for the development of preventative run-off control measures. Eligible projects include; holding or retention ponds for collecting run-off, ditches, berms or dykes and earthwork or pen regrading to achieve proper run-off. “I feel for the many
Saskatchewan producers dealing with moderate to extreme drought conditions across much of the province this year,” Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau said. “Together with our provincial counterparts, we are working to build a sustainable future for our farm families, because we know farmers are on the front lines of climate change. Producers can now access this program which will help them to protect their valuable water sources and support their adoption of sustainable management practices.”
“As stewards of the land, producers take their responsibility to protect water sources seriously,” Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit said. “This program will provide additional funding for Saskatchewan cow-calf producers and assist them with making improvements to their operations.” The Farm Stewardship Program provides Saskatchewan producers funding to implement BMPs in three priority areas - water quality, climate change and biodiversity. The new BMP will encourage beef producers to implement surface water protection on cow-
calf operations. The Farm Stewardship Program is funded through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year, $3 billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen and grow Canada’s agriculture, agri-food and agri-products sectors. This includes a $2 billion commitment that is cost-shared 60 per cent federally and 40 per cent provincially/territorially for programs that are designed and delivered by provinces and territories. More than $155 million of this funding comes from the Government of Saskatchewan.