review
weyburn Vol.111 No. 39 - Weyburn, Saskatchewan Wednesday, September 23, 2020 - 10 Pages
.com
Scouts hold a day camp
Minor football is on the ball
Beavers, Cubs and Scouts gathered at Nickle Lake for a day camp over the weekend. Page 2
The Weyburn Youngfellow Falcons hosted the Yorkton Gridders on Wednesday for a football game. Page 6
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Micro-cultivators hope to expand Weyburn operation
Setting off on a ride
Review Photo 9104 — Greg Nikkel
A boy sets off from the top of a ramp as he rode his scooter at the Weyburn Youth Centre’s skateboard park on Thursday evening.The sun had a golden hue due to dust in the air from combines, and from forest fire smoke from the western United States.
Cornerstone incurs significant costs due to COVID Submitted by Norm Park, Contracted Reporter for SECPSD Financial figures, program deliveries, school and distance education numbers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic outlined at the Sept. 16 school board meeting for the South East Cornerstone Public School Division in Weyburn. Prior to the start of the board meeting, Lynn Little, director of education, and Shelley Toth, chief financial officer for the division, met with media to talk about financial relief packages that were being offered by the provincial and federal governments to help school divisions combat the COVID-19 virus on an ongoing basis. The provincial government has provided a $41 million relief package for Saskatchewan school divisions. The federal government has since added to that grant program. “But first, we had to show them what savings we had due to the early shutdown in March,” said Little. Toth said estimated savings due to COVID are $2 million, which includes: $1.1 million in sub salaries for teachers and school based staff; $600,000 in transportation; $264,000 in travel, PD and supply budgets; and $76,000 in plant for water and electricity savings while the schools were closed. Then the additional needs started accumulating with the current status of schools re-open-
ing under new safety and health guidelines. “We have increased our custodial staff by 25 per cent,” said Little. “This is to address the additional cleaning processes and is based on school enrolments and square footage.” “That’s going to be an additional $884,000,” said Toth. A further $364,000 was added for additional cleaning/sanitization supplies and equipment that will be needed for this year. The division’s Cyber Stone online learning system has increased its outreach to include Kindergarten to Grade 8 students, therefore a further expense for an additional 8.0 full time equivalent (FTE) teaching positions has been incurred. Additional staffing to support 10, 20, 30 credit courses is being adjudicated dependent on enrolments. There has been a significant increase in students and thus they indicated increased staffing will be required, which will cost about $760,000, they said. Additions for new technology materials to meet the growing demands for online learning will cost about $157,000. “The offering is for full time, or just a few credit courses if they wish,” said Little. Earlier in her report, Little noted that within the region 7,411 students engaged in supplemental learning in April following the school shutdowns in March. At the conclusion of the school year
at the end of June, 5,792 students out of a potential 7,959 were still participating in supplemental learning. Since Sept. 14, she said, 238 students were enrolled in Cyber Stone from Kindergarten to Grade 9 and another 130 are enrolled in taking fully on line, the Grades 10 to 12 offerings. An additional 570 credit hours are also being distributed to 342 students at the Grade 1012 levels. Home schooling enrolment is up to 279 now, an increase of 107 from June. The applications for other online courses and credits are still coming in, said Toth, who added that Cornerstone would be eligible to reapply for further grant assistance, this time with federal funds being engaged. The deadline for this second application is December 1. “ We a r e n o t s u r e whether this will be a shared provincial and federal program moving on, but we will apply,” said Little. Although a formal count of student enrolments in SECPSD is not to be taken until Sept. 30, Little said the current count indicated a decrease in school population of about 100 compared with projections, but they are still tracking some of those students and families who may have moved while some may have moved to other education providers. “The Ministry’s funding adjustment for actual enrolments will happen after Sept. 30 and may not be completed until
as late as mid-winter,” said Toth, reflecting on the new pressures being exerted on the administrations’ financial and logistics departments due to the pandemic.
By Greg Nikkel A m i c r o - c u l t iva t o r of marijuana, one of the few licensed in Saskatchewan, is close to harvesting their first crop of plants, and have hopes of expanding their operation at their base in the RM of Weyburn. Located in a nondescript building, the operators of ZEVK Cultivation Inc. recently hosted a tour by councillors and administrators from the City and RM of Weyburn, and explained some of the workings of their business. Z E V K C u l t iva t i o n is operated by CEO Muhammad Shahbaz, and master grower Sonny Sacopon, who took turns explaining various aspects of the grow operation, noting they will be selling their product to wholesalers of legalized marijuana. The operation includes a “mother room”, and two grow rooms, with one containing 300 marijuana plants that are nearing maturity, with 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. The
Explaining hydroponic system
second room had plants which are in the flowering stage. The plants are grown in a hydroponic operation with no dirt involved, explained Sacopon, and the plants are on a threemonth cycle. Once the buds are harvested, they are put into a room for curing, which takes about three weeks to fully cure. The variety they are growing is called 24K Gold, said Shahbaz. At the current time, the business employs Shahbaz and Sacopon, but as operations ramp up further, they might be able to employ 15 to 20 people, especially if they are able to expand things at all. The goal is to be growing more of the plants, and if they are allowed at some point, they can process the buds and have a retail outlet on their site by expanding the building, said Shahbaz. The business began setting up in their location about a year ago, and their first crop of 300 plants are getting close to being harvested now.
Review Photo 8624 — Greg Nikkel
Master grower Sonny Sacopon explained to touring officials how the hydroponic system works in their micro-cultivator business in growing marijuana. He works for ZEVK Cultivation Inc., which has one of Saskatchewan’s few licenced operations for growing marijuana for sale to wholesalers.