Coming off the diving board
Review Photo 2185 — Greg Nikkel
A young girl looked like she was charging into the pool from the low diving board on Friday afternoon, at the Weyburn Leisure Centre’s outdoor pool. Both the low and high diving boards had children trying different manouevres or leaps into the water.
It might take a while for that rite of passage – the driver’s test By Brian Zinchuk, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Regina – Getting one’s driver’s licence at the age of 16 has long been a rite of passage for Saskatchewan’s youth, especially since much of the province is so reliant on having your own vehicle due to limited public transportation. But the COVID-19 crisis pumped the brakes on road tests, as the idea of having a driver examiner in the same vehicle as the one taking the test was considered too risky. However, as Saskatchewan re-opened its economy in phases, SGI adjusted its road tests. What was once a quick ride around town now involves the use of a dash cam monitoring both the driver and the road. The examiner follows behind in another vehicle, giving instructions via cellphone on speakerphone. Another person must be in the car with the student driver being tested. Road tests were first opened up to Class 1 and Class 3 on April 20. On June 25, examinations were opened up on a first come, first served basis to the general public seek-
ing a Class 5, Class 2 or Class 4 licence, as well as motorcycle, school bus and heavy trailer endorsements. SGI Minister Joe Hargrave said on June 29 he did not know how many people applied on that first day. Five 16-year-olds in the Estevan area said as of June 30, they had not heard back yet from SGI as to when their drivers test would be scheduled. Hargrave said, “There was 5,000 examinations delayed because of COVID. Now we’re back at that.” He noted people with an agriculture and business need were targeted first. “We contacted some of the 5,000 people that were delayed. I think there was only about 1,000 that said they were ready to take the test and the other 4,000 didn’t respond or said, ‘We’ll just wait for a while.’ So we’re catching up on those numbers.” Hargrave said 300 examinations are being done each week now. “They’re trying to do more. We’re trying to increase that number every week to get that up there. But there’s more because
of the sanitation, because of all the equipment that we have to do in the cars. There is more work to it than what it used to be and it used to be the two of you would hop in the car and go over driving. Now we’ll use cameras. Now we have to sanitize each of them. So each exam takes considerably longer.” What used to be a 20-minute process now takes two hours, according to Hargrave. Will SGI be bringing on more driver examiners? Hargrave responded, “We’ve been looking at that as well. I think we already have, I believe, we’ve gone to some of the driver training schools and we’re utilizing some of those people to help, because we’re so far behind. And otherwise, we’ll just continue to get further behind. So we have to catch up on the backlog. “There was a lot of people apply on the first day that it was available. And so we want to get through them as quickly as possible, because not everybody passes on the first try either. So if they fail, they have to go to the back of the line.”
Applications open for Youth Council Applications are now open for the 2020-21 Weyburn Youth Council to any Grade 10-12 students at the Weyburn Comprehensive School who are interested in gaining an understanding of municipal government and representing the voice of Weyburn’s youth. The City of Weyburn strives to provide a meaningful mechanism for local youth to have a say and effect change in their community through the Youth Council or WYC. Members of WYC meet once a month to discuss important community topics, take part in City Council meetings and make recommendations on specific
municipal issues they have identified. Former WYC members found their time with the program to be extremely rewarding. “Youth Council helped me become more aware of what was happening in Weyburn,” said Youth Mayor Megan Ebel. “I learned how the city is run and helped to be a voice for the youth in community decisions.” Youth councillor Lincoln Alexander said, “I found myself engaging with clubs and groups in Weyburn, experiencing and having a say in big decisions first hand, improving my resume and connecting
with the mayor and city councillors.” Applications forms can be found on the City of Weyburn website (www. weyburn.ca/youth-council) and the deadline to apply for the upcoming session is Sept. 11, 2020. “The voice and input of young people in our community is of utmost value to our City Council and staff,” said Paige Tenbult, communications coordinator for the City of Weyburn and administrative support for WYC. “Providing a program like WYC gives our local youth an important platform and a chance to help shape their community.”