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‘Tis the season
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When December arrives many houses take on a definite festive look with all sort of decorations for the seasons. While lights remain popular, newer blow up yard decorations have also become common place, adding to the colour of the season.
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COVID-19 case diagnosed at Canora Composite school Coutesy of Canora Courier According to a December 6 letter from Quintin Robertson, Good Spirit School Division (GSSD) director of education, to parents/guardians and staff of Canora Composite School, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has advised GSSD that a positive case of COVID19 has been diagnosed in an individual in the Grade 5 classroom at CCS. “We are working closely with Public Health staff to ensure necessary measures are in place to protect all students and staff. Public Health will be contacting parents/guardians of students and any staff/ visitors/volunteers who may have been in close contact with the case and
will provide direction,” said Robertson in the letter. SHA is deeming all Grade 5 students and staff as close contacts, therefore classes were cancelled for the Grade 5 students at Canora Composite School (CCS) on December 7. Good Spirit will collaborate with SHA and CCS Administration to determine next steps. The Division was to provide information regarding the transition to remote learning, and other pertinent information, during the evening of December 7. “We would like to ensure families that the GSSD facility disinfecting and cleaning protocols have been and will continue to be followed,” reassured Robertson. Everyone entering
The Saskatchewan Health Authority has advised the Good Spirit School division that a positive case of COVD-19 has been diagnosed in a student at Canora Composite School. schools is reminded to monitor for any signs or symptoms of COVID-19. Refer to the Daily SelfAssessment Checklist. Also, the Saskatchewan Health Authority has shared a COVID and
Seasonal Allergy Fact Sheet. Anyone who has any symptoms of COVID-19, is asked to please call HealthLine at 811 and remain at home. Public Health encourages all
students and staff to remain at home when showing the slightest symptom of COVID-19. “If you or a family member would like to be tested for COVID-19, you may access the drive-
through testing at 276 Myrtle Avenue in Yorkton. You may be tested without an appointment between the hours of 12:30 pm to 3 p.m., seven days a week, or you may call 8-1-1 for a referral and an appointment will be scheduled for you. Ensure that you have your Health Card with you. Children under the age of 18 will need verbal consent from a parent or guardian. We will provide additional information to parents/ guardians as it is available,” reported Robertson. Anyone looking for further information regarding COVID-19 is asked to please call Health Line at 811 or visit the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health website at www.saskatchewan.ca/covid19, concluded the letter.
Meet the Town of Sturgis councillors Courtesy of Preeceville Progress The new Town of Sturgis councillors were sworn into office at the first council meeting in November. Don Olson is the mayor and the six councillors are: Jennifer Bayer, Daniel Wasylenchuk, Dale Bashforth, Perry Keller, Aileen Lubiniecki and Randy Sommerville. Jennifer Bayer has been on town council for eight years and brings a wealth of knowledge to council. “I been involved
Town of Sturgis Councillor Dale Bashforth
in the community for numerous years and enjoy seeing new ideas being brought to life in the community. Working on the community future development plan and to see the progress through the next few years will be very rewarding,” said Bayer. Wasylenchuk has been a councillor for four years and is looking forward to seeing the progression of the town in community development. “ I would like to see more business growth developed in the next four years and
Town of Sturgis Councillor Perry Keller
encourage the younger generation to settle back into Sturgis,” said Wasylenchuk. Bashforth will be serving his second fouryear term on council and felt that his first term was very successful, but there was not enough time to get some of the things he wanted to see done. “I would like to build on the business sector and work on the progress of encouraging new residences. We have a lot to offer within the community with a great scenic park that is located along the river and want to continue the improvement in the
park,” he said. Keller has previously served on council for four years and will mark his second four-year term. “I want to see the Town of Sturgis remain a viable town with growth in the business and residence sectors. I am looking forward to working with council in improving and maintaining what we have,” said Keller. New to council is Randy Sommerville. Sommerville is looking forward to serving and working with council for the betterment of the community. He has been involved in the commun-
ity for numerous years and been on varies boards and committees of many organizations. “I want to see the Sturgis Sports and Rodeo come back to the community and I am working towards making that event happen again,” said Sommerville. Aileen Lubienicki is also new to council and enjoys being part of making a difference in “the great community” she lives in. “I want to inspire the youth in our community to stay in the community. We need to stay united as a community and I would like to see more things
developed for the youth to be involved in. I am looking forward to serving the community and working with council to strengthen what we have in the community,” said Lubiniecki.
Town of Sturgis Councillor Aileen Lubienicki
Town of Sturgis Councillor Jennifer Bayer
Town of Sturgis Councillor Randy Sommerville
Town of Sturgis Councillor Daniel Wasylenchuk
Town of Sturgis Mayor Don Olson
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The Government of Saskatchewan announced a $400,000 commitment to provide Mental Health First Aid training to at least one staff member in each Saskatchewan school. This would make Mental Health First Aid available to students when needed, similar to physical first aid. “Our goal is to have at least one staff member in each school receive Mental Health First Aid training by the end of 2021,” Education Minister Dustin Duncan said. “We are excited to support schools in ensuring students have access to mental health resources, and I encourage all provincial school divisions to take part to help remove the stigma around mental health.” Since 2017-18, the government has offered up to $9,000 in grants to school divisions for training to build capacity in their schools related to mental health and student safety, this new funding builds on that commitment. Mental Health First Aid is a training program developed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC). The in-person training is currently being transitioned to be available online in 2021. The Ministry of Education will work with Saskatchewan school divisions to coordinate the training sessions, with little disruptions to the school day. Online delivery will help keep the sessions safe for staff in these uncertain times.
“We commend the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education for its timely investment and commitment to providing Mental Health First Aid training for each of the province’s Kindergarten to Grade 12 schools,” MHCC President and CEO Louise Bradley said. “We are delighted to hear that the ministry intends to create an online option for school division staff to take Mental Health First Aid training.” The Mental Health First Aid Training was a recommendation from the Minister’s 2019-20 Youth Council. “The mental well-being of students is a crucial part of positive and effective learning environments,” 2019-20 Youth Council member Sandra LeBlanc said. “The new Mental Health First Aid initiative will be a good first step in ensuring that all Saskatchewan students have access to the support they need, one of the priorities of the 2019-20 Youth Council.” Mental Health First Aid can be provided to a person who is developing a mental health concern or who is in a mental health crisis. The training teaches individuals to recognize the symptoms of mental health problems, how to provide initial help and guide a person toward appropriate professional help. Studies show that Mental Health First Aid training results in improved mental health literacy and decreased stigmatization toward mental health concerns.
This Week Marketplace | December 11, 2020
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Kamsack Fire Department asks residents to help keep the wreath red Courtesy of Kamsack Times
On December 1, Kamsack Fire Chief Ken Thompson hung a large wreath in front of the station at 101 Nykolaishen Drive. It was lit up with brightly glowing red light bulbs, and he sincerely hopes they stay that way. The gesture is part of an initiative called “Keep the Wreath Red” which aims to promote fire safety awareness during the holiday season. The program dates back to 1954, when Lieutenant Paul Boecker at the Naperville Illinois Fire Department came up with the idea to hang a wreath of red lights in front of the station that would be big enough for people to see as they passed by. During the month of December, with every house fire call, the station would replace one red bulb with a white bulb. The ultimate goal would be to keep every bulb red throughout the holiday season. “We’re adopting this program here in Kamsack because we want everyone to be mindful of fire safety during the holidays,” said Thompson during a phone interview with the Kamsack Times. “One thing to keep in mind for those heading outdoors to deep-fry turkeys. Make sure the turkey is completely thawed before lowering it into the oil. If it is still frozen, even a little in the centre, it could cause the fryer to foam and bubble over and could become very dangerous. Always have a fire extinguisher nearby, even for outdoor cooking.” Thompson added, “Before people get into their holiday celebrations, it’s very important to check that all of the smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in the home are working. Here at the station, we want all Kamsack residents to enjoy a safe and happy holiday. Let’s work together to keep the wreath red.” The red wreath at the Kamsack Fire Department will remain lit 24 hours a day, seven days a week until January 1, 2021. The website for the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs lists a number of ways Canadians can prepare for a safe
Members of the Kamsack Fire Department are wishing for a quite holiday season. The team, from left, are: Darrell Lomenda, Chief Ken Thompson, Lt. Kristin Brewer, Pamela Rose and Cpt. Ryan Lambert. holiday season at home. Christmas Trees • When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the label “fire resistant.” Although this label does not mean the tree won’t catch fire, it does indicate the tree will resist burning and should extinguish quickly. • When setting up a tree at home, place it away from fireplaces and radiators. Because heated rooms dry live trees out rapidly, be sure to keep the stand filled with water. Place the tree out of the way of foot traffic and do not block doorways. • Tree disposal after the holidays: When you’re ready to get rid of your tree, please do not burn it in the fireplace or wood stove. The rapid burning and excessive heat can damage the firebox and chimney creating a serious fire hazard. Instead, find out from your municipality the day when trees will be picked at your curbside. Many municipalities recycle Christmas trees into mulch. Lights and Electrical • Indoors or outside, always use CSA approved lights. Check each set of lights, new or old, for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections, and throw out damaged sets. • Use no more than three standard-size sets of lights per single extension cord. • Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights, and a person touching a branch could be electrocuted. • Fasten outdoor
lights securely to trees, house walls, or other firm supports to protect the lights from wind damage. Use only insulated staples, not nails or tacks, to hold strings in place. Or, run strings of lights through hooks (available at hardware stores). • Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short out and start a fire. • Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens. Always use non-flammable holders, and place candles where they will not be knocked down. Decorations • Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree. Choose tinsel or artificial icicles of plastic or non-leaded metals. Leaded materials are hazardous if ingested by children. • Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens. Always use non-flammable holders, and place candles where they will not be knocked down. • In homes with small children, take special care to avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable, keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children to avoid the child swallowing or inhaling small pieces, and avoid trimmings that resemble candy or food that may tempt a child to eat them. • Wear gloves to avoid eye and skin irritation while decorating with spun glass “angel hair.” Follow container directions carefully to avoid lung irritation while decorating with artificial
snow sprays. Holiday Entertaining • Test your smoke alarms and tell guests about your home fire escape plan. Ensure they are aware of all exits in your home. • Keep children and pets away from lit candles. • Keep matches and lighters up high in a locked cabinet. • Stay in the kitchen when cooking. • Ask smokers to smoke outside. Remind smokers to keep their
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smoking materials with them so young children do not touch them. • Provide large, deep ashtrays for smokers. Wet cigarette butts with water before discarding. Fireplaces • Do not remove fireplace embers or ash, or if you do, place them in a metal container with a lid and cover them with water. Do not place them in a plastic or paper bag or other container that is not fire-resistant. Do not dispose of them indoors or close to your home or another structure. • Use care with “fire salts,” which produce colored flames when thrown on wood fires. They contain heavy metals that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting if eaten. Keep them away from children. • Do not burn wrapping papers in the fireplace. A flash fire may result as wrappings ignite suddenly and burn intensely. • Never burn gift wrappings, boxes, cartons, or other types of packing in the fireplace. They burn too rapidly and generate far too much heat. • Don’t hang Christmas stockings from
the mantel when the fireplace is in use. • Always use a screen in front of the fireplace to protect against flying sparks. • Never use gasoline or any other flammable liquids to start a fire. • Use only seasoned and dried wood. • Never leave the fire unattended or let it smoulder. • Clean the ashes regularly. Place the ashes in a metal container and store outside away from flammable materials. • Don’t use Christmas trees for firewood. Candles • Extinguish candles when leaving the room or going to sleep. Keep lit candles away from items that can catch fire. • Place candles in sturdy, burn-resistant containers that won’t tip over and are big enough to collect dripping wax. • Don’t place lit candles near windows, where blinds or curtains may close or blow over them. • Don’t use candles in high traffic areas where children or pets could knock them over. • Never let candles burn out completely. Extinguish them when Continued on Page 4
JOIN US IN THE TRADITION OF HELPING THOSE LESS FORTUNATE THIS FESTIVE SEASON AND HELP FEED THE HUNGRY IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES. DURING THE MONTH OF DECEMBER PURCHASE A $5, $10, OR $20 “GOOD BUY TO HUNGER” FOOD BAG AND ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TOWARDS FEEDING THOSE LESS FORTUNATE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
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December 11, 2020 | This Week Marketplace
EDITORIAL
If movies are all streaming, expect changes There’s a bit of a debate right now about what is going to happen to movies in the future. This is, naturally, driven by the pandemic, where people generally can’t go to the theatre and watch anything. Because the theatres are all closed, and nobody can go there anyway, everything is moving to streaming services. I don’t expect this to continue past 2021. This won’t be an argument about the magic of the theatre-going experience. As much fun as it can be at the theatre, that depends very much on the quality of the theatre you’re going to, their seats and concessions, and the audience that you’re with. This is
instead going to be about pure money. If the theatres don’t reopen, expect the current crop of superhero-driven multi-million dollar blockbusters to die. The shift to streaming this year is largely because these movies have already been made and they have to get them out because the next crop of superhero-driven blockbusters has already been planned. These movies are expensive, they’re planned years in advance, and there’s a strict schedule to keep. Delaying one means the delay of maybe 10 or 20 movies, all still in production, all part of this elaborate web of extended universes that studios have constructed to
DEVIN WILGER
Thinking I do with words... ensure that audiences need to know the details of several movies just to get a grasp of what’s going on in one. So it makes sense that they just want to get these things in front of audiences, the box office of 2022 depends on it. But the box office is why a permanent shift to streaming will kill this type of movie. It makes sense to spend over $350
million on a movie if you stand to make over $2.7 billion when the movie is finally released. It doesn’t make that much sense if the movie goes direct to streaming. Even the streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+ aren’t going to stand to make multiple billions of dollars because of one movie on their service. Think of it like this, the most recent Star Wars
film cost $275 million, but that made sense for a movie. Each person excited to see a new Star Wars movie is going to go at least once, some will go multiple times, and each individual viewer is going to pay for the privilege each time they see it for the first couple of months. It’s one product that can keep making money for a sustained length of time. But for streaming, that doesn’t work. Even if you watch a film multiple times, you’re not making the studio any more money - for the first month, a film makes the majority of its box office take, while for the first month of a streaming service they get the same fee no matter how many
times you watch it. It’s not possible for that movie to pay for itself Instead, the successful streaming Star Wars, the Mandalorian, is actually cheaper to produce - it’s rumored that the budget for the entire first season was about $100 million - and it’s spread out over multiple episodes. That spread means that avid fans are paying at least two months of subscription, and are maintaining that subscription in anticipation of future seasons. It’s a much more profitable endeavor. Superheroes won’t go away entirely, but it doesn’t make sense to make the current blockbusters without theatres to play them in.
Rediscovering the fundamentals of life Throughout Canada and around the world, the second wave of COVID19 is hitting hard. Over the next few months, governments will remain focused on addressing the largest public health emergency in recent memory. But to avoid past mistakes and seize this unique opportunity to build a more resilient, sustainable world, it’s also time to lay the groundwork for a green and just post-pandemic recovery. I’m almost 85 years old. I co-founded the David Suzuki Foundation 30 years ago, after a CBC Radio series I hosted, It’s a Matter of Survival, generated 17,000 letters — in pre-email times! — from people concerned about the state of the planet and the future their children would inherit. Decades later, as we grapple with many of the same environmental crises — the climate emergency, mass species extinction and an economic model that fuels it all — and now a global pandemic, we have many reasons to despair.
But after spending most of lockdown with three of my grandkids and seeing the world through their curious, caring eyes, I’m reinvigorated and newly committed to doing all I can to help humankind find a better path. I spent the first seven months of lockdown at a family cabin in B.C. There I rediscovered some fundamental truths. Without the basic elements — fire, air, water and earth — there is no life. We also need to renew our understanding of the interconnections between all life and existence, something I refer to as “spirit.” When our relationship with these elements is out of whack, and when we lose our “spiritual” connection, we risk our very being. The privilege of spending lockdown safe and healthy with family wasn’t lost on me. I wanted to make the most of the time. One way I did this was by producing my first podcast. I reached out to old friends like Jane Fonda and Neil Young. I got to speak
DAVID SUZUKI
Science Matters with celebrated thinkers like Kwame McKenzie and Jennifer Keesmaat, Indigenous leaders like Winona LaDuke and Jeannette Armstrong, youth activists and more. We recorded five episodes that explore how the pandemic can help us refocus on what’s most important, and how a green and just recovery from COVID-19 could look. It will be a challenge. The fossil fuel industry is working harder than ever to convince people to let it continue its destructive ways. Important climate lawsuits are getting thrown out of court. More than a million species worldwide are at risk of extinction. The list goes on. But I believe the reasons to be hopeful are
many. Recently, the federal government revealed details of a climate accountability plan to help us achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. It’s a real strategy, with real legislative power. For an environmentalist of nearly 40 years, this is good news. On November 30, government also gave its first full economic statement since the pandemic hit. It was an opportunity to take stock of the massive, necessary recent public spending to address the pandemic. Perhaps more importantly, it was also an opportunity to begin charting our path to recovery, including commitment to a “green recovery.” It all needs to be paired with a strong climate plan and
accountability law, but overall, it’s good news. This next decade will be critical if we’re to rediscover balance with the natural world, our home. By 2030, we’ll have a good sense of whether we’re on track. In my podcast, I ask, if this really is the transformation decade as we emerge from COVID-19, how will it look? We’re already seeing unprecedented public spending to re-energize economies and rebuild communities. We must make sure these efforts aren’t designed to take us back to “normal,” because that wasn’t working. From nature-based climate solutions like tree planting and wetland restoration to more localized and resilient city design to community-led renewable energy generation, we can resolve our problems. All that’s needed is the political will. For the courageous young people whose Friday strikes have brought unparalleled attention to the climate crisis, for the Indigenous
KAMSACK FIRE DEPARTMENT Continued from Page 3 they get to within two inches of the holder or decorative material. • Never leave children or pets alone in a room with lit candles. • Do not allow older children to light candles in their bedrooms. A forgotten candle or an accident is all it takes to start a fire. • During power outages, exercise caution when using candles as a light source. Many destructive fires start when potential fire
hazards go unnoticed in the dark. • Never use a candle for light when fuelling equipment such as a camp fuel heater or lantern. • Keep candle wicks short at all times. Trim the wick to one-quarter inch (6.4 mm). • Be wary of buying novelty candles. Avoid candles surrounded by flammable paint, paper, dried flowers, or breakable/ meltable containers. • Extinguish taper and pillar candles
when they burn to within two inches of the holder, and container candles before the last half-inch of wax begins to melt. • When buying or using novelty candles, try to determine if they pose a potential fire hazard (if they contain a combustible component for instance). If they do, or if you suspect that they might, inform your local fire department. • Use extreme caution when carrying a Continued on Page 5
leaders who generously share wisdom on how to live in harmony with Earth, for nature, upon which so many of us have relied to get through lockdown, let’s shift gears and change direction. Let’s rediscover our place on this beautiful living planet. Visit DavidSuzuki.org/ Podcast to hear how. David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Communications Director Brendan Glauser. Learn more at davidsuzuki.org.
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KAMSACK FIRE DEPARTMENT Continued from Page 4 lit candle, holding it well away from your clothes and any combustibles that may be along your path. Heating • Keep anything that can burn at least threefeet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater. • Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
• Never use your oven to heat your home. • Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions. • Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional. • Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or
Saskatchewan RCMP COVID-related calls for service to date Community health and safety is a shared responsibility From March 1, 2020, to November 30, 2020, the Saskatchewan RCMP have received a total of 3,300 COVID-related calls for service. Of these, 49 have resulted in charges. The vast majority of COVID-related calls for service were resolved by educating individuals about the Public Health Orders (PHO) in place and the potential health and enforcement consequences that can result from non-compliance with the PHO. As police officers, we are responsible for ensuring our actions do not put others at risk while doing our part to slow the spread of the virus. We need you to do the same and this starts by following and familiarizing yourself with the PHOs.
Calls for service and charges for the month of November From November 1 to 30, 2020, Saskatchewan RCMP have received 342 COVID-related calls for service: • 128 complaints of individuals not self-isolating; • 92 large gathering complaints; • 20 masking complaints; • 14 traveller check complaints; and • 88 other COVIDrelated complaints. Of these calls for service, police have charged seven individuals under the Province’s Public Health Orders for contravening Sec. 61 of The Public Health Act, 1994. The location of the charges are identified in accordance with the provincial government’s COVID-19 map, which provides detailed information on the location of cases across Saskatchewan divided into 13 zones. • Four charges to individuals not self-isolating despite being advised to do so by local health
authorities. These charges occurred in the following zones: Far North West, North Central (x2), and Far North Central. • Three charges to individuals for large gatherings. These charges occurred in the following zones: Far North East, Far North Central and Far North West. Each charge is a Summary Offence Ticket Information (SOTI), under a Provincial Statute. These charges are not a criminal offence. For this reason, the names of the individuals charged will not be released.
Saskatchewan RCMP’s commitment to keeping communities safe and healthy As Saskatchewan’s provincial police force, we will continue to be present in your community to provide services and ensure community safety 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We continue to work closely with Saskatchewan Health Authorities to investigate calls for service that violate the PHO to help maintain public health and safety. To support the steps communities are taking to reduce the spread of COVID-19, detachments in areas with an increased number of positive COVID-19 cases may temporarily restrict public access to the detachment to emergency requests for service only. As a result, we encourage you to phone your local detachment prior to visiting in person to determine if any changes are taking place. Find the phone number of your local RCMP detachment here: https:// w w w. r c m p - g r c . g c . c a / detach/en/find/SK. We thank communities across Saskatchewan for their support and we encourage everyone to continue following guidance from health officials to ensure we can all remain healthy.
going to bed. • Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters. • Be sure all furnace controls and emergency shutoffs are in proper working condition. • Leave furnace repairs to qualified specialists. Do not attempt repairs yourself unless you are qualified. • Inspect the walls and ceiling near the furnace and along the chimney line. If the wall is hot or discoloured, additional pipe insulation or clearance may be required. • Check the flue pipe
and pipe seams. Are they well supported, free of holes, and cracks? Soot along or around seams may be an indicator of a leak. • Is the chimney solid, with cracks or loose bricks? All unused flue openings should be sealed with solid masonry. • Keep trash and other combustibles away from the heating system. In the kitchen • Be on alert! If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol don’t use the stove or stovetop. • Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, grilling, or broiling food.
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If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove. • If you are simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking. • Keep anything that can catch fire — oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains — away from your stovetop. • Have a “kid-free zone” of at least three feet around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried.
Grease and fat fires are a leading cause of home fires in Canada, so be extra careful when doing this kind of cooking. Here’s what to do if grease in a pot or pan catches fire: • Smother the flames by covering the pan with a lid. Do not remove the lid until the pan is completely cooled. • Turn off the heat immediately. • Use baking soda (flour can be explosive) on shallow grease fires. • Never turn on the overhead fan, as this could spread the fire. • Never throw water on a grease fire.
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December 11, 2020 | This Week Marketplace
Bleach-alternative COVID-19 surface disinfectants may pollute indoor air: USask research
By USask Research Profile and Impact SASKATOON – Cleaning surfaces with hydrogen peroxidebased disinfectants has the potential to pollute the air and pose a health risk, according to research led by the University of Saskatchewan (USask). The research team found that mopping a floor with a commercially available hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectant raised the level of airborne hydrogen peroxide to more than 600 parts per billion— about 60 per cent of the maximum level permitted for exposure over eight hours, and 600 times the level naturally occurring in the air. The results were just published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. “When you’re washing surfaces, you are also changing the air you are breathing,” said USask chemistry researcher Tara Kahan, senior author of the study and Canada Research Chair in Environmental Analytical Chemistry. “Poor indoor air quality is associated with respiratory issues such as asthma.” Too much exposure to
(Photo credit: Trevor VandenBoer)
York University chemistry researcher Cora Young, USask Canada Research Chair Tara Kahan, Syracuse University post-doctoral fellow Shan Zhou measure air quality in a simulated room in a lab at Syracuse University in 2017. hydrogen peroxide could lead to respiratory, skin, and eye irritation, according to the U.S. Centres for Disease Control. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased cleaning and demand for all types of cleaning products, including bleach alternatives that contain hydrogen peroxide. “At the beginning of the pandemic, we couldn’t do research on this topic because hydrogen peroxide solutions
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were out of stock,” Kahan said. Kahan’s team, which also included researchers from Syracuse University, York University (Toronto), and the University of York (England), sprayed the vinyl floor in a simulated room environment with 0.88 per cent hydrogen peroxide disinfectant and wiped it dry with paper towel either immediately or after letting it soak in for an hour. The team then tested the air at human head
height. “The real risk is for people who get repeatedly exposed, such as janitors and house cleaners,” Kahan said. “We washed the floor and col-
lected measurements at face height—the concentrations will be even stronger at the floor or at the level of a countertop.” Kahan said that the impact on children and pets—those physically closer to the disinfected surfaces—is not yet known. More than 10 per cent of disinfectants approved by Health Canada that are deemed likely to be effective against SARSCoV-2 use hydrogen peroxide as the active ingredient. A total of 168 disinfecting products containing hydrogen peroxide as the active ingredient are approved or marketed in Canada. There are a few ways to reduce risks while disinfecting your home, Kahan said: • Consider using soap and water instead of a disinfectant—soap and water are known to kill the virus that causes COVID-19.
• Consider opening a window, turning on a range hood, or using your central air system— ventilation can dramatically reduce levels of pollutants circulating in the air and is one of the most effective methods of removing particles that can carry the virus. • Opt for hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectants over bleach, as Kahan notes “Hydrogen peroxide is still much less potentially harmful than bleach.” Funded by the Canada Research Chairs program and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Kahan’s team—mostly women in a discipline which tends to be maledominated—is currently repeating the experiment in a house and apartment in Saskatoon to determine whether the high numbers occur in a real-world environment and to find practical ways to mitigate exposure risks.
National Indigenous health research leader honoured with SHRF Achievement Award By USask and SHRF SASKATOON – A prominent national leader, visionary and researcher in Indigenous health—Carrie Bourassa of the University of Saskatchewan (USask)— was honoured with an Achievement Award from the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF)
today. The award was announced as part of SHRF’s online Santé celebration event at which USask medical imaging researcher Humphrey Fonge was awarded the Impact Award and six USask health researchers were awarded Excellence Awards. As scientific director
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of the USask-based CIHR’s Institute of Indigenous Peoples’ Health and a faculty member in the College of Medicine, Bourassa’s leadership and knowledge are sought after around the world—from the community to the institutional level. “Carrie’s outstanding work has influenced Continued on Page 7
This Week Marketplace | December 11, 2020
SHRF ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Continued from Page 6 policies and shaped strategic directions that have been instrumental in creating change in how institutions engage with Indigenous communities,” said USask VicePresident Research Karen Chad. “She is building capacity for community-driven research that will help address the health gap faced by Indigenous peoples in Canada.” Bourassa has paved the way for transformative change in the capacity for Indigenous communities to hold and administer research funds so that they may direct their own health research that is relevant to the community and on their own terms. This work has made Canada a world leader in this approach. “Carrie has earned the respect and trust of community leaders, government officials, colleagues and trainees alike. Her ability to engage, listen and take direction from community, Elders and other invested stakeholders demonstrates true authentic leadership,” said SHRF CEO Patrick Odnokon. Bourassa’s achievements include the establishment of a national network of centres focused on research, research capacity development, and knowledge translation centred
on First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples. She is a mentor and research lead at Morning Star Lab which focuses on community-based research into hepatitis C/HIV/ AIDS, aging, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as water governance and policies. Recently, she has played a critical role in ensuring that Canada’s COVID-19 response protects Indigenous communities across the country, serving as the Indigenous Engagement Lead of the country’s COVID-19 Immunity Task Force. “The impact of her work can be measured by the number of publications, technical reports, invited presentations, and grant dollars attained—indicators of success that would more than demonstrate excellence in research productivity and her ability as a scientist,” said Odnokon. “However, her success can also be defined by the impact she has on her community, peers and students, and that is why there is no doubt that Dr. Bourassa is deserving of this year’s Achievement Award.” SHRF’s Impact Award recognizes research that builds capacity, advances knowledge and informs decision-making in health care. USask College of Medicine researcher Humphrey
Submitted Photo
Dr. Carrie Bourassa (PhD) Fonge, who is also a radiopharmacist with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, was honoured with the Impact Award for his work in developing new precision drug molecules that target resistant types of breast cancers. The aim is of Fonge’s research is to significantly improve the survival of breast cancer patients. With preliminary data showing positive results for killing tumours in mice, Fonge and his team are gathering the data needed to move the work into clinical trials. Fonge’s bench-to-bedside research also extends to other cancer types, notably prostate, lung, colorectal and neuroendocrine tumours. He has
obtained Health Canada approvals for new diagnostics agents, and clinical trials are ongoing. Excellence Awards were presented to the six top-ranked researchers and teams that received SHRF funding for their projects in the past year: Dr. Walter Siqueira of the College of Dentistry— Top Establishment Grant: Biomedical for his work to develop an innovative chair-side diagnostic method for detecting stages of periodontal disease using saliva. Sarah Donkers of the School of Rehabilitation S c i e n c e — T o p Establishment Grant: Socio-Health for her work towards a neurorecovery model of care for multiple sclero-
sis physical rehabilitation in Saskatchewan. Yuliang Wu and Dr. John DeCoteau of the College of Medicine— Top Collaborative Innovation Development Grant: Biomedical for the team’s work to identify drugs targeting an RNA helicase (enzyme) named DDX41 whose mutations cause leukemia diseases. Paulette Hunter of St. Thomas More College, a federated college of U S a s k — T o p Collaborative Innovation Development Grant: Socio-Health for her team’s work seeking a practical solution, using video-assisted patient education, to improve communication among health-care providers, residents, and families about end-of-life issues and care. Dr. Bhanu Prasad of the College of Medicine and the Saskatchewan Health Authority—Top Collaborative Innovation Development Grant: Clinical for his team’s work to determine whether catheter-based renal denervation is a meaningful addition to the treatment options for Loin Pain Hematuria Syndrome, a rare and poorly understood pain syndrome. Marta Erlandson and Corey Tomczak of the College of Kinesiology, and Kristi Wright of the University of Regina Faculty of Arts—Top
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Sprout Grant for the team’s work to test the effectiveness of an innovative six-month chronic disease management program for children with congenital heart disease. The online event brought together Saskatchewan’s health research community and SHRF partners to celebrate the impact of the work that is helping improve the health of Saskatchewan citizens, while creating a highperforming health ecosystem and build a robust culture of research and innovation. More information about the award-winning research is available here: https://www.shrf.ca/ post/2020-achievementaward-winner-profile https://www.shrf.ca/ post/recognizing-theimpact-of-dr-humphreyfonge
About SHRF: Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) is the provincial funding agency that funds, supports and promotes the impact of health research that matters to Saskatchewan, by collaborating with partners to support local researchers to help find homegrown solutions to the health challenges the province faces. Visit shrf. ca/sante-awards to see a full list of award recipients and stories about the impact of their work.
Nurse texts dad, asking for ventilators, and a prototype is together in six days By Brian Zinchuk Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Estevan Mercury Saskatoon – A few days after the global pandemic was declared, Jim Boire got a text from his daughter. Rebecca Erker, a Royal University Hospital intensive care unit nurse. She is working on her PhD with the respiratory research centre in Saskatoon. As a result, she had a good understanding of what was at stake with COVID19, and reason to be concerned. Thankfully, Boire is president of RMD Engineering, a Saskatoon firm whose expertise ranges from beamlines for the Canada Light Source Synchrotron to industrial processes in potash mining, and a whole lot in between. They’ve worked in uranium, agriculture, and a lot of research and development. His company (which Boire owns with four other partners, all employees) had the expertise and capacity to do something about it. And so they did. “I got my text from my daughter on March 18.
March 24, we had our first prototype built,” Boire said by phone on Dec. 3. Now the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) announced on that December day it would be taking delivery of 100 new ventilators, known as the EUV-SK1, in short order. The first 20 are ready to go out the door, and the company has most of the parts in place to build as many as 1,000 units. RMD Engineering Inc.’s subsidiary, One Health Medical Technologies, recently received COVID-19 Medical Device Authorization from Health Canada for an inhouse designed, developed and manufactured ventilator. Collaborating with the University of Saskatchewan and SHA subject matter experts, RMD Engineering was able to successfully prototype an emergency use ventilator for Health Canada certification. According to a Ministry of Health press release on Dec. 3, there are currently approximately 650 ventilators available in Saskatchewan’s health
system, enough to meet the need. They range from high-end critical care type ventilators to more basic sub-acute ventilators. The SHA’s purchase from RMD will increase that number to about 750. But getting from a text to a prototype for an approved ventilator wasn’t easy, nor was it quick process. Very early on, the deans of both the University of Saskatchewan College of Engineering and College of Medicine got involved. Top respiratory technologies, respirologists, and ICU nurses were brought in within short order to develop this totally new product. Boire said, “As soon as we asked for them to help, they helped with open arms. And you have a team like that that knows exactly what something is supposed to do. And the capability to build something that can do that, then all you need are the codes and standards and validation equipment to make sure it meets the required level of quality.” Asked if it was like converting to war production in 1940, Boire said, “I’ll tell you, that’s
exactly the way it started. “It felt like a military operation, if I was ever involved in a military operation, but I wasn’t. However, as soon as we got through the point where this is going to work, this design is going to work, here’s what we have to do now, a group of people said, ‘You know what? We get it. This is like a military operation, everybody’s doing this, let’s just go go go.’ “They stopped and said, “You know what, it’s probably time now that everybody starts looking at this as the biggest humanitarian effort this company has ever done.” And it was just an awesome way to get out of that firefighting mode. And then one of our instrumentation leads said, ‘This is not a sprint. You guys can’t keep working 18 hours a day. This is going to be a marathon.’ “And it really helped pull the whole team back down to the ground, and get them out of that adrenaline mode, and really start focusing on the work breakdown, structure in the tasks at hand, and who’s responsible for what and what’s this timing going look like and when is this
going in.” His references to firefighting are authentic, as the company has built support equipment for water bombers. Worldwide shortages They soon realized that the whole world was looking for critical parts, which almost immediately went into short supply and were being hoarded. Some items, like wire, saw huge price spikes. So RMD quickly realized it had to work on this project quietly, and develop a product that avoided critical path component shortages. Boire said, “Instead of using the newer, more conventional turbine method, we knew those would be a hot commodity, when the world proclaimed they needed over a million of these. As you can imagine, that turbine is a complicated piece of equipment. We went the other way. We went back to being simple,” Boire said. “We have very, very few moving parts in our machine. There’s four moving parts.” He explained, “This is an emergency use ventilator, so it needs to be used in the hospital or in
an emergency hospital situation where they have line medical air and line oxygen so that’ll be running at 50 PSI. And then we control everything with proportional solenoids.” There are two tubes coming into the device, which is in a large Pelican case, and two tubes coming out. They had them on hand because of another government project they’re working on. The lid includes an IBM screen. “They’re all high reliability components,” he said. It runs off 110 volt AC power. You set it up beside the bed, hook up the lines, hook up the power and put in the appropriate prescription. High standards They had previously made the biomedical imaging line for the Canadian Light Source, but they weren’t a medical device manufacturer. The list of specifications, protocols and standards was extensive. And those standards, in some ways, simplify things. Boire said, “We don’t have any proprietary stuff on there, so all Continued on Page 8
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December 11, 2020 | This Week Marketplace
ASKING FOR VENTILATORS Continued from Page 7 of the circuits, all the nebulizers everything fits on there. All that is covered off in standards. And I think that’s one of the biggest things to understand is when you go down this path, it is very prescriptive on everything. The machine has to do all of the standards it has to meet, including operational standards.” He added, “It’s probably a foot tall, the stack of standards, when you put them together. You have to meet the electrical requirements, the operational requirements, the safety requirements. You don’t get to just build something in your backyard, and then tell everybody you have it. When you go and look at the requirements, when you submit to Health Canada, it is an armful. And I think we’ve spent just about $30,000 on standards. There is a lot of standards that you have to meet.” It is very unique, he said. “We looked at the critical components like flow meters, how you measure flow and pressure, because we’re talking very low pressures that have to be measured very accurately.” This is where the consultation with respiratory technicians, anesthesiology repair technicians from the health region made a differ-
Photo courtesy Government of Saskatchewan
This Saskatchewan conceived, designed, and built ventilator is now going into production after just 8.5 months. The province is buying 100, and RMD Engineering has the capacity to build 900 more. ence. Because there was such high demand for ventilator components, he said, “You have to figure out how to do that with readily available things that are very safe.” “So when we started doing our production testing, we had to do accelerated testing on components that, in the period of two or three weeks, we could get an effective 25 million cycles on a component that we designed.” By the end of December, they’ll likely have the remaining 80 units ready. They’ve also built a training version to be used in remote areas or to train people on a simulation patient or a
“test lung.” They submitted their application to Health Canada on May 5. “In that period of time is when we refined our design, did our testing, had to send it out to third party,” Boire said. Commitment Quality assurance and traceability were very important, he said. “Since March, we’ve got 40,000 to 45,000 hours in already, in the development and testing and verification side.” This happened just as the company was in the middle of expanding their facility, much of which was accomplished with their own staff. “We’re probably going
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have to hire another 12 to 15 people, and train them,” he said, noting training is a big part when dealing with healthcare devices, especially when it comes to things like quality control. “We’ve currently got 15 people now on the manufacturing side of it and the programing side, and the testing side.” They are working on getting their Medical Device Single Audit Program (MDSAP) certification, which he calls a “quality control program on steroids.” Asked if they were going to stick with it, he said, “We’re going to stay as a medical manufacturer.” Boire added, “The
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medical device manufacturing will just be another part of our company. We’re going to stay with theses rugged use ventilators, like this emergency type ventilator. We do not intend to compete with Panasonic or anybody at Philips, anybody that’s making mainstream, high-volume ventilators. We’ll stay with a rugged use ventilator, because unfortunately, when you look at the numbers and look at this type of virus, the feeling is this could be around for a long time. And the government is coming out with a program that those of us that produced a medical device will have the opportunity over the next couple of years to convert that to a full medical device licence. And we’ll take advantage of that just so we can make sure we keep this, here in Saskatchewan. We’ve already spent the money. Whatever happens now, happens. “So we want to make sure that we leverage that into good technology and good expertise for the years to come, not just, ‘Oh well, there’s no more ventilators to make, we’ll just do something else.’ Boire said they found that Saskatchewan really needs to focus more on trades and “getting trades educated with higher-end things.” “We have to bring manufacturing back to
Saskatchewan,” he said. They were going to do it. Why did they choose 1,000 units? Boire e x p l a i n e d , “Saskatchewan said, ‘Our numbers show we need 1,000 ventilators in Saskatchewan.’ “We’re from Saskatchewan. We said we’re going to pick to do this, based on what we can do in this province. And what we did instead is while we were building this, we’ve built a whole project management system and basically a tool kit that if need be, if this type of ventilator is required in other places, we now have a system that we can go and work with another company very similar to ours, that has similar manufacturing capabilities and get them up and running to produce locally to them.” Boire said, “If we sold, half of what we had expected to make, we will break even. But again, it’s not why we did it.” “This initiative exemplifies the spirit of collaboration and entrepreneurship we’re so proud of in our province,” Health Minister Paul Merriman said in a release. “Our government fully supports this work, and we are pleased that residents in Saskatchewan and across the country will have access to this equipment, if they need it.”
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Government keeps promise to make ambulance fees more affordable for Saskatchewan seniors The Government of Saskatchewan is delivering on its commitment to Saskatchewan seniors by significantly reducing ambulance fees from $275 per trip to $135 per trip. As well, there will be no cost to seniors for transfers between health care facilities such as hospitals, various health centres, mental health and addiction centres and special care homes. Seniors will receive full coverage for these transfers under the Senior Citizens’ Ambulance Assistance Program (SCAAP). These benefits will come into effect December 14, 2020. “Our government is living up to its promise to provide Saskatchewan’s seniors with
quality, affordable healthcare,� Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors and Rural and Remote Health Minister Everett Hindley said. “The investments we make now will help to address the future needs of our province’s growing senior population, while demonstrating our commitment to those who helped build our great province.� The increased subsidy provided through SCAAP is estimated to cost $2.2 million for the remainder of the 2020-21 fiscal year, and $6.6 million annually. To be eligible for SCAAP coverage, patients must be age 65 or over, hold a valid Saskatchewan health card and not have insured coverage
by any other government service such as Health Canada, Workers Compensation (WCB) or Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI). “Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism welcomes the changes to how ambulance charges will be applied in Saskatchewan,� Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism President Randy Dove said. “Our member organizations have been asking for this change as older adults’ usage of ambulance services tends to be higher than other segments of the population. The elimination of inter-facility transfer costs will be financially helpful to older adults in both urban and rural locations.�
Amended potash regulations seek to attract new innovation and investment The Government of Saskatchewan has amended The Potash Production Tax Regulations, 2020, which will improve opportunities in the potash sector, particularly for junior producers, around innovation and research and development (R&D). The regulations will offer incentive tax credits of 40 per cent of eligible expenditures for qualified R&D projects and approved market development programs. The amendments will allow companies to take full advantage of the credits by removing expiry dates and enhancing eligibility requirements. “These changes will promote the expansion of Saskatchewan’s potash sector and ensure that our province remains the preferred jurisdiction in which to pilot innovative technologies,� Energy and Resources Minister Bronwyn Eyre said. “As we move into economic recovery, we want to attract and foster new, sustainable advancements in our province’s world-class resource sector.� Qualified R&D projects must demonstrate improved production efficiency, mitigate environmental impacts, reduce physical risks to employees and mine operations, or develop new and improved potash products. Companies must develop new markets or expand existing ones to be eligible for market development credits. “We are very pleased to see clear leadership with respect to the amendments to the Saskatchewan Potash Production Tax Regulations,� Gensource Potash Corp President and CEO Mike Ferguson said. “The amended regulations dovetail with the leadership in innovation that Gensource is
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deploying at its Tugaske project. Gensource welcomes the amendments to the regulations and look forward to providing long-term economic benefit to the Saskatchewan commun-
ity while demonstrating real-world ESG leadership.� “We welcome the amendments that recognize innovation and believe such incentives can benefit the Saskat-
chewan potash industry as it strives to pioneer new developments that enhance worker safety and environmental protections as well as efficiency and productivity,� BHP Canada Inc.
President Giles Hellyer said. The Saskatchewan potash sector accounts for approximately 30 per cent of world production and directly employs approximately 5,000
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Ensure safety on ice, check to make sure it is safe and thick A10
December 11, 2020 | This Week Marketplace
With the arrival of colder temperatures, the Government of Saskatchewan reminds everyone to make sure that ice is safe and thick enough before walking or driving on it. Ice thickness depends on the particular waterbody and the local conditions. To be sure, check the ice thickness before you travel on it. As a guideline, you need at least 10 cm (four inches) of ice to walk on, 20 cm (eight inches) to drive a snowmobile or ATV on, 30 cm (12 inches) to drive a car or light truck on, and more than 30 cm (12 inches) to support a heavy truck. Be aware that any activity on ice has risks. Guidelines are provided to help individuals make a decision about whether to venture on to the ice. Thickness is just
one consideration when evaluating ice safety. Clear, hard ice is the only ice recommended for travel. Ice does not freeze at a uniform thickness and ice strength can vary considerably from one area to another. Ice should be re-evaluated on every date visited, even if was safe on a previous date. The date ice becomes safe at a site varies from year to year requiring the verification of the thickness each year as opposed to relying on past experiences. Also avoid ice that: • looks slushy; • has thawed, then frozen again; • is near moving water; • is layered, caused by sudden temperature changes; or • has structures on it,
such as pressure ridges. For more information about ice fishing, visit www.saskatchewan.ca/ fishing to view the 2020 Saskatchewan Anglers’ Guide.
In comparison to lake ice, river ice is often more hazardous and inconsistent, particularly downstream of dams when winter releases are being made. The Water
Security Agency is currently releasing water from Reid Lake on Swift Current Creek and there is also flow throughout the Qu’Appelle and Saskatchewan river sys-
tems. These flows would impact the formation of the ice covers and these areas should be avoided as conditions can change significantly over short distances.
Central, East Central, Southwest, and Southeast leaders gather virtually for regional meeting Municipal leaders from Saskatchewan’s Central, East Central, Southwest, and Southeast regions came together from the comfort and safety of their homes for Municipalities of Saskatchewan’s virtual regional meeting. The municipal representatives met via Zoom on Dec. 2. “Regional meetings are an excellent chance for municipal officials to come together to share successes and discuss challenges that are
unique to their particular area of the province. In spite of the irregularities brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, we recognize the importance of these meetings and wanted to find a safe way to ensure they could still happen,” said Municipalities of Saskatchewan President Gordon Barnhart. The meeting began with representatives from all regions gathering for remarks from the President,
Lower taxes for small businesses Legislation to reduce the tax rate for Saskatchewan small businesses over the next three years was introduced today, fulfilling another major commitment made by the government in the recent election campaign. “Saskatchewan’s small businesses and their employees have been hard hit by the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic,” Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Donna Harpauer said. “Lowering taxes for every small business in our province over the next three years will help them to recover from the pandemic and enable them to retain and hire more workers.” Under this initiative, Saskatchewan’s small business corporate income tax rate drops from two per cent to zero effective October 1, 2020. Beginning July 1, 2022, the small business tax rate will move to one per cent. And on July 1, 2023, the small business tax rate will return to two per cent. The amount which small businesses can earn at the small business tax rate will remain at $600,000—the highest threshold in Canada. These tax reductions will benefit about 31,000 incorporated Saskatchewan small businesses, saving them more than $189 million in provincial taxes over the next three years—for an average savings of more than $6,100 per Saskatchewan small business. “Small businesses are a key driver of our economy, employing nearly 150,000 Saskatchewan workers,” Harpauer said. “By lowering taxes for small businesses over the next three years our government is helping to sustain that vital sector of our economy, bolstering employment and keeping our province on the path to economic recovery.”
updates from Municipalities of Saskatchewan, and an education session delivered by Municipalities of Saskatchewan’s legal advisor Bukola Afolabi. Officials and delegates then split into their respective regions for regionspecific discussions, where topics were as wide and varied as the regions themselves. Traditionally, elections for regional directors and alternate directors on Municipalities of Saskatchewan’s Board
of Directors take place at the regional meetings following municipal elections. In Municipalities of Saskatchewan’s Central Region, Lumsden Mayor Bryan Matheson was elected Central Region Director and Fort Qu’Appelle Councillor Brian Strong was acclaimed Regional Alternate. In the East Central Region, incumbent Randy Goulden, councillor for the City of Yorkton, was acclaimed East Central
Regional Director, and Preeceville Councillor Welma Bartel was acclaimed Regional Alternate. Maple Creek Mayor Michelle McKenzie was acclaimed Southwest Regional Director, and Shaunavon Mayor Kyle Bennett will serve as Regional Alternate. In the Southeast Region, incumbent Pat Jackson, Mayor of Kipling, was acclaimed Southeast Regional Director. The position of regional alternate is vacant in the region.
Small business program renewed By Calvin Daniels Staff Writer The Government of Saskatchewan announced the Saskatchewan Small Business Emergency Payment (SSBEP) program is being renewed for the period of Dec. 1 to Dec. 31. Through this program, small businesses closed or significantly curtailed due to a public health order will be eligible for provincial support. The move by the province is seen as a positive one by Yorkton Chamber of Commerce. “The Yorkton Chamber is pleased by the renewal of the SSBEP program,” offered Executive Director Juanita Polegi. “Many of our small businesses have struggled and the funds will be welcome.” However, Polegi said the extension may be too late for some. “Unfortunately, it may be too little too late for some of the businesses,” she said. “For those busi-
nesses, we are mindful of the impact the closure has had on plans and dreams; families and jobs.” Premier Scott Moe was of course proud of the decision. “Our government recognizes that small businesses are the heartbeat of Saskatchewan’s economy,” said Moe in a prepared release sent to media Thursday. “By renewing the Small Business Emergency Payment, we are ensuring small businesses remain strong and continue to provide thousands of jobs across Saskatchewan, even when they are impacted by public health orders necessary to reduce the spread of COVID-19.” “Our small business community continues to be impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic,” Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison said in the same release. “As we focus on our economic recovery plan during this challenging period, renewing this program will help provide critical
assistance to our small businesses who have had to fully or partially close their doors to protect public health and reduce the spread of COVID-19.”
nesses, the funding support will be 15 per cent of the average monthly sales revenue for full months that the business operated in 2019.
The SSBEP program initially launched April 13, 2020, to provide support to small businesses that had to temporarily close or substantially curtail their operations as a result of COVID-19. The program was extended for May 2020 and provided 6,485 businesses more than $32 million in support.
Applications for the SSBEP will open on Dec. 7, and the application deadline for this eligibility period is Jan. 31, 2021.
Eligible applicants must attest that they: are a small or medium business (0-499 employees); maintain a permanent establishment in Saskatchewan and allocate a portion of their income to Saskatchewan; were operating October 31, 2020, or eligible to operate, in the case of seasonal business; are subject to a public health order that requires them to temporarily suspend or substantially curtail their operations during the eligibility period December 1 to December 31, 2020; have experienced a loss of sales revenue; and plan to reopen when the public health restrictions are lifted.
Eligible applicants will receive a payment of 15 per cent of their monthly sales revenue, to a maximum of $5,000, based on the greater of November 2019, December 2019, or February 2020 sales revenue. For seasonal busi-
Further details and applications will be available at noon on Dec. 7. For more information, businesses can visit www. saskatchewan.ca/covid19businesses, call 1-800-6676102, or email ssbep@gov. sk.ca.
The eligibility period for this phase of the SSBEP will be from Dec. 1, to Dec. 31, 2020, and is estimated to cost $8 million.
First oil shale leases sold in Crown petroleum rights land sale This Week Marketplace | December 11, 2020
By Brian Zinchuk Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Estevan Mercury Regina, Strugis, Hudson Bay – For many years, it has been known that Saskatchewan has oil shale resources, but they have never been developed. In the Dec. 1 Crown petroleum and natural gas public offering, six oil shale leases were sold for a total of $150,000, which the Ministry of Energy and Resources noted was the “first oil shale leases to be issued through a public offering.” These oil shale leases are a relatively new concept which was launched in 2016. Instead of the three years to develop a lease, or five years to develop an exploratory permit, which is more typical in developing new wildcat areas, these oil shale leases have a 15-year term, according to the Ministry. A total of 6,086.5 hectares were posted and sold as leases. The bonus bid came in at $24.64 per hectare. The area is 12 to 30 kilometres southwest of Hudson Bay. These leases were acquired by Burgess Canadian Resources Inc. for $25,000 each or $150,000 in total. The new area is adjacent to, but not the same land
that had been permitted by Saturn Oil and Gas. Saturn had drilled a few wells in the area several years ago, but nothing came of them, and those permits have since expired. The sale was also highlighted by renewed interest in the PreecevilleSturgis area, with one petroleum and natural gas special exploratory permit included in this offering and awarded to Nordic Minerals Ltd., with a work commitment bid of $43,239. This permit is situated near the towns of Preeceville and Sturgis. Notably, it is the first “special exploratory permit” issued since 2016. As a special exploratory permit, that money does not actually go to the province. Rather, the company has committed to spend that $43,239 on exploration within the next two years. They will have to pay 25 cents per hectare per year rent, however. If that name sounds familiar, it is because Nordic Oil and Gas Ltd. spent several years in the first half of the last decade trying to develop oil properties near Preeceville and Sturgis. In2012, Nordic Oil and Gas said it has discovered oil at 4-11-35-W2, about eight kilometres northeast of Sturgis,
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File photo
Nordic Oil and Gas Ltd. had drilled a well northeast of Sturgis nearly a decade ago. While the company said it had discovered oil, nothing of further significance was developed from it. Now Nordic Minerals Ltd. has purchased a “special exploratory permit” in the area. but nothing came of it. Nordic Minerals has the same CEO, Donald P. Benson, as Nordic Oil and Gas. Nordic Minerals had also leased two sections northeast of Sturgis in June 2020. Wildcat wells have been drilled in the Preeceville area off and on since the 1950s without any further development. The most recent series were drilled around 2009 to 2012. PanTerra Resources drilled a well on the outskirts of Preeceville in 2009, looking for shale gas at the time.
Other areas With regards to the bulk of the land sale held the December, the total sale generated $912,899 in revenue for the province. This is the fifth of six oil and gas public offerings for the 2020-21 fiscal year and brings cumulative earnings to $6,230,542. The Estevan area saw the most interest, raising $889,374 from 15 parcels totalling 6,669 hectares. The highest bonus bid received in this offering was $304,103 for a lease, in the Estevan area, totalling 64.75 hectares.
This was also the highest bid on a dollar per hectare basis at $4,696 per hectare. This lease was awarded to Midale Petroleums Ltd. and is prospective for oil in the Midale Beds and Frobisher Beds of the Madison Group. In the Lloydminster area, just one lease sold. Caltex Resources Ltd. was successful in picking up the g 129.5-hectare parcel for $3,181, or $24.56 per hectare. This lease is located within the Westhazel Mannville oil pool, 14 kilometres west of Turtleford, and is
prospective for heavy oil in the Mannville Group. In the KindersleyKerrobert area, one 16.2-hectare parcel was leased for $20,344, or $1,257 per hectare. The lease is located 11 kilometres north of Smiley and adjacent to the Prairiedale Viking oil pool and the Prairiedale East Viking oil pool. There were no dispositions posted in the Swift Current area in this land sale. The next Crown petroleum and natural gas public offering is scheduled for Feb. 2, 2021.
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Turning straw into gold?
December 11, 2020 | This Week Marketplace
A more profitable and eco-friendly method for turning biomass into biochemicals and green hydrogen SASKATOON – Many have dreamed of being able to turn straw into gold like the fabled Rumpelstiltskin. While this may not be possible in the literal sense, scientists are using sunlight to turn straw into something more valuable. With the aid of technology from the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan, Canadian researchers have made important advances to use the power of the sun to convert biomass like wheat straw into hydrogen fuel and value-added biochemicals. This method is more efficient, ecofriendly and lucrative. Producing energy from biomass, or plant material, has been studied for more than four decades, said Dr. Jinguang
Hu, assistant professor at the University of Calgary (UCalgary). The two most common processes are thermo-chemical and biological, but these are still carbon intensive and are not economically feasible. Dr. Hu and Dr. Md Golam Kibria, an assistant professor at UCalgary, have been focusing their recent research on an alternative approach to commonly used petrorefinery. Their novel and environmentally friendly approach called photobiorefinery uses solar energy to break down biomass, in this case wheat straw, to make green hydrogen and a high value biochemical. Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) has been supporting this research and their recent find-
ings were published by the American Chemical Society. One of the key aspects of an effective biomass photorefinery approach is pre-treatment of the wheat straw. Hu explained plant cell walls are made of complex and highly organized cellulose structures, a major building block of biomass. Pre-treatment of the biomass destroys those structures and exposes more of the material to the sun-driven process. Kibria added the goal was to identify a pre-treatment that does not require non-renewable resources, thereby “saving a lot of carbon and cost.” Using the CLS’s Hard X-ray Micro-analysis beamline, the researchers compared how raw
wheat straw and straw pre-treated in a number of ways reacted in the photorefinery. Their findings showed a phosphoric acid pre-treatment resulted in the highest production of green hydrogen and lactic acid, which is typically used for bioplastics and in food, chemical, and medical industries. “The CLS facility allowed us to see how stable the material was at the start, during and after photorefining of wheat straw. And, we could see that in real time, which is a big advantage,” said Kibria.
Another critical factor was to find an inexpensive, readily available catalyst to drive the photorefinery. The study found the best results using a low-cost photocatalyst, made from carbon and nitrogen, that is designed for visible light driven cellulose photoreforming. “Because all biomass has a similar chemical composition, what we’ve shown is that you can tailor the pre-treatment and the catalyst to valorize any renewable organic material,” said Hu. This finding opens up opportunities for turn-
ing straw and other plant materials into value-added green hydrogen and biochemicals. Kibria said the next steps in the research will be to “tune the catalyst to capture more of the visible light spectrum,” and then to scale up the photorefinery with an eye to eventual commercialization. “Because biomass captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, we can use this process to take care of the environment and produce green hydrogen and chemicals that are economically viable,” he said.
Credit: Prof. Hu and Kibria group.
The UCalgary team is observing a photo-reactor that is being used for photoreforming reaction with wheat straw. Left to right: Prof. Md Golam Kibria, Dr. Adnan Khan (Research Associate), Dr. Heng Zhao (Post doctoral fellow), Prof. Jinguang Hu.
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Ten per cent economic recovery rebate now in effect for all SaskPower customers The Government of Saskatchewan is fulfilling a commitment made in the 2020 Speech from the Throne by providing all SaskPower customers a 10 per cent rebate on their power bills. This rebate, known as the Saskatchewan Economic Recovery Rebate, will run from December 1, 2020 to the end of November 2021. “We have a strong mandate to help make life more affordable for Saskatchewan families and businesses,” Premier Scott Moe said. “As promised by our government, this measure will provide relief to everyone in the province to help drive Saskatchewan’s recovery in 2021.” The rebate will apply
to the “electrical charges” section of customers’ bills, which includes the basic monthly charge, energy charge and demand charge. It does not apply to GST, PST, municipal surcharge, Federal Carbon Tax or other charges such as connect fees or late payment charges. Customers should note that the rebate will not be applied to power consumed before December 1, 2020. Bills arriving in the first days of December will account for consumption in both November and the initial part of December, but only power billed for the period of Dec. 1, and later will have the rebate applied. Customers will see the full benefit of the rebate on bills starting in
January 2021. “The Saskatchewan Economic Recovery Rebate is a simple and effective way to help individuals, families and business through this pandemic,” Minister Responsible for SaskPower Don Morgan said. “By implementing this rebate today, our government is keeping its commitments to the people of Saskatchewan.” The one-year program is estimated to cost $262 million, which will be fully funded through the General Revenue Fund. Saskatchewan’s two municipal utilities, Swift Current Light and Power and Saskatoon Light and Power, will offer their customers the same rebate and will receive credit to offset the cost.
Stepping up to help prairie farmers This Week Marketplace | December 11, 2020
Farmers face many risks these days – the impacts of a global pandemic on the supply chain, the trend towards protectionism in trade, and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, to name a few. Solutions on how to deal with those risks vary considerably, depending on who you ask. As the Prime Minister’s special representative to the Prairies, I know there is one solution that farmers overwhelmingly agree on: improving the Business Risk Management programs. These BRM programs are a farmer’s financial safety net and, overall, they currently support Canadian farmers to the tune of about $1.6 billion in an average year. Agriculture is a shared
CALVIN DANIELS
Opinion jurisdiction in Canada. For the last 20 years, federal governments of all stripes have shared the cost of the BRM programs with provinces and territories, with the feds paying 60% and provinces paying 40%. Foremost among these programs is the insurance-style program, AgriStability, which essentially gives payments to a farmer if their incomes drop sig-
nificantly. Since the program was cut by the Conservative government in 2013, it no longer pays out enough, or with enough predictability, for farmers to see it as worthwhile. The fact that less than 30% of eligible farmers enroll for the program, clearly shows that immediate improvements are needed. Last Friday, my colleague Marie-Claude
Submitted Photo
Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and Hon. Jim Carr at a meeting with Prairie grain farmers in Saskatoon, SK, March 2019
Bibeau, the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, shared our Government’s proposal to make immediate improvements to the AgriStability program, so that it pays out 50% more to farmers. This will be achieved by removing something called the “reference margin limit�, which, as its name implies, limits the amount a farmer could be paid from AgriStability if they experience a significant decline. Bill Campbell, president of the Manitoba farmer group Keystone Agricultural Producers, calls the reference margin limit the “sticking point� that hampers farmers when they do
their annual paperwork and need the help of the program to stabilize their farms. On top of removing the reference margin limit, our Government wants to increase the amount the programs pay out to farmers through its “compensation rate�, raising it from 70% to 80%. This increase, which has been a key request from producer groups, will mean the support will go to the farmers who need it most. Taken together, these changes should help reverse the trend of low farmer enrollment, and mean farmers might start to see the benefit of participating in this vital program once again. I won’t beat around the
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bush. These changes simply can’t happen unless we can get the elected officials at the provincial level onboard with their fair 40% share. Throughout COVID19, farmers and everyone in the supply chain has stepped up to feed Canadians. It has been Team Canada effort. In order to make these changes that farmers have been calling for, let’s bring that same spirit of cooperation and action to help our farmers better manage the risks they face. —Hon. Jim Carr, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South Center, and Prime Minister Trudeau’s special representative to the Prairies
YFF films suited to the holidays For 74 years the Yorkton Film Festival has been providing Canadian short films, year-round, to audiences. And this December they want to spread a little holiday cheer! “We know people are spending more time indoors and at home,� Executive Director Randy Goulden said in a release. “With films from our library, free of charge, we can enjoy the holidays and Christmas short films.� The YFF went into its vast collection of films from over the years to bring to you: A Stay at Home – Christmas Short Films on DVD Special. These films are suited for the entire
family to enjoy with a nice cup of hot chocolate: A Christmas Carl; When It Was Christmas: A Collection of Stories; Jason McCoy Christmas at the Grand – Live from Calgary; Jingle Bell
Rocks! And much more. Visit our website www.yorktonfilm.com for more details and listing of all our Holiday films. To request films email taynika@yorktonfilm.com or call 306-782-
BUSINESS DIRECTORY REAL ESTATE TONY
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SEE OUR LARGE DISPLAY Announcements BRENDA NAGY Hairdressing 306782-6578 #StaySafe.
Notices / Nominations Advertisements and statements contained herein are the sole responsibility of the persons or entities that post the advertisement, and the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Association and membership do not make any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness or reliability of such advertisements. For greater information on advertising conditions, please consult the Association’s Blanket Advertising Conditions on our website at www.swna.com. PROVINCE-WIDE CLASSIFIEDS. Reach over 550,000 readers weekly. Call this newspaper NOW or 306-649.1405 for details.
Adult Personal Messages 39 YEAR OLD MALE Interested in meeting lady who is interested in meeting someone who likes hockey, skating, skiing and going to hockey games. Someone from 30-39. Call 306-534-4726. MALE (46), from Yorkton, looking for female with or without children, for companion. Likes movies and going dancing. Call 306-641-6234 no texts.
43 SUITE Apartment Building in Glencairn. Affordable housing for independent living. Large screened in balconies, free laundry on each floor. One free parking space. Bus stop at front door. Fridge and stove supplied. Free weekly bus service to Safeway. For more information, please call 306-789-7970 and leave a message.
GET UP TO $50,000 from the Government of Canada. Do you or someone you know Have any of these Conditions? ADHD, Anxiety, Arthritis, Asthma, Cancer, COPD, Depression, Diabetes, Difficulty Walking, Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowels, Overweight, Trouble Dressing...and Hundreds more. ALL Ages & Medical Conditions Qualify. Have a child under 18 instantly receive more money. CALL SASKATCHEWAN BENEFITS 1-800-211-3550 or Send a Text Message with Your Name and Mailing Address to 306-992-5527 for your FREE benefits package.
WHATEVER NEEDS DONE. Carpentry, plumbing, painting, yard work, garbage hauled away. Phone 306-621-7538, leave message.
Farms for Sale
Houses For Rent FOR SALE OR RENT. A 3 bedroom house, new shingles & furnace, washer, dryer and water softener, stove, fridge and a one car garage at back. Call 306-7836742.
Musical Instruments
Farms for Sale
Acres of Expertise.
ADULT 45+. Renovated, furnished one bedroom suites for rent in Canora. Must have references. Phone 306-641-2489.
Wade Berlinic (306) 641-4667 Wade.Berlinic@HammondRealty.ca HammondRealty.ca Lots & Acreages for Sale
Lots & Acreages for Sale
LANE REALTY
120 BASS Accordion, Sonola Special. Mint condition. Asking $700. For further information phone 306896-2721.
CANORA - 103 ACRES - 84 cult., 129,800 assess., grain storage, barn, on Hwy. #5
LIKE NEW Mandolin with case $525. Also older Violin with case and new strings. Different prices. Phone 306-786-4446.
NEUDORF - 364 ACRES: 150 tame hay balance pasture, vacant yardsite, in Qu’Appelle Valley
WILLIAMS NEW Scale Piano with bench. 23” W x 56” L x 38” H. $200. Phone 306-783-9640.
Land Wanted
ENDEAVOUR - 158 ACRES: near Porcupine Prov. Forest and Route 66 Snowmobile Trail, hunting/fishing nearby
SOLD
SALTCOATS - 964 ACRES: 662 cult., 884,800 assess., bin yard w/power, quonset & office For all your buying or selling needs contact: F Doug Jensen or Jason Beutler
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Saskatchewan's Farm & Ranch Specialists™ Saska WITH OVER 39 YEARS IN BUSINESS! W
WANT TO Purchase land in the Yorkton, SK area. Top prices paid. Please call Rod 250-433-1085.
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2 BEDROOM Apartment with balcony. Pets Allowed. Available Immediately. Phone Garry 306-6216793.
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Executors for the estate of the Late Helen Gleboff seek offers for the sale of the following land: SE 23-29-32-1 RM of Cote No. 271 comprising approximately 59.584 hectares (147.24 acres) more or less. Appraised value $148,000. Approximately 70 arable acres. Possession January 1, 2021 or as may be agreed upon. Contact solicitors for the Estate: Stooshinoff & Associates, Attention Nicholas J. Stooshinoff, Q.C. 1-306-653-9000 or email stooshinoff.law@sasktel.net.
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This Week Marketplace | December 11, 2020
For Sale - Misc HOME THEATRE ONKYO TX NR696 Receiver, $450, new, used little, repacked. Small freezer, $175. 306-783-6109.
STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP Published weekly by Boundary Publishers Ltd., a subsidiary of Glacier Ventures International Corp. The Glacier group of companies collects personal information from our customers in the normal course of business transactions. We use that information to provide you with our products and services you request. On occasion we may contact you for purposes of research, surveys and other such matters. To provide you with better service we may share your personal information with our sister companies and also outside, selected third parties who perform work for us as suppliers, agents, service providers and information gatherers. Our subscription list may be provided to other organizations who have products and services that may be of interest to you. If you do not wish to participate in such matters, please contact us at the following address: Yorkton This Week, 20 Third Avenue North, Yorkton, S3N 2X3. For a complete statement of our privacy policy, please go to our website at: www.yorktonthisweek.com or stop by our office and pick up a copy. Yorkton This Week is owned and operated by The Prairie Newspaper Group LP, a division of GVIC Communications Corp. Parts & Accessories FOR SALE: 4 steel rims and nearly brand new Nokian Nordman5 winter tires. 205/55R16 94T XL. Fits Honda Civic. $500. Phone 306-783-5286.
RVs/Campers/Trailers
Imagine buying a gift for someone, or for yourself that does good in your community every year, forever. That is exactly how a gift donation to Yorkton & District Community Foundation works. Since launching in October 2019, the Yorkton and District Community Foundation has accepted donations for the annual grants program to support the work of local charities. The donations are invested and continue to work for the General Employment PRAIRIE DOME POTATOES is hiring for positions beginning Sept 1, 2020 for full time seasonal work. Experience and education will be provided on site. Job duties include: -grading, sorting, packaging seed potatoes -pruning, picking, weeding and planting fruit trees -trimming and chipping of trees -general maintenance and upkeep Must be reliant and must have own transportation. Located 6 miles South of Yorkton on Highway 9. Bring own lunch. Wage: Beginning at $11.45/hr. Applicants may apply for the positions by phone (306-782-7297), fax (306-783-7853), email (prairiedome@gmail.com) or mail resume to the following address: Prairie Dome Potatoes, Attention: Kirk, Box 36, Yorkton, Sask. S3N 2V6.
community by generating grant dollars year after year. Gifts of a donation of any size are possible,” says Ray Bailey, president of the Yorkton & District Community Foundation. “All donations receive a thank you card which can be sent either to the donor or to the person being honoured by the donor.” The donor receives a charitable tax receipt from the community foundation for any donation of $25 or more. The “First 100 Caring People” is a special campaign to recognize the first 100 individuals, groups or business partners making a donation of $1,000 or more to the Yorkton & District Community Foundation. Members of the “First 100 Caring People” are permanently recognized as founders for their role in establishing the first endowment fund. “There is still time to give the gift of a donation this Christmas or be recognized as one of the first one hundred people,
WANTED: SMALL, OLDER Camper trailer to convert to storage. Call 306-542-7106.
General Employment
Feed & Seed NORTH EAST PRAIRIE GRAIN INC. BUYING: FEED BARLEY, SOYBEANS, DAMAGED CANOLA. On Farm Pickup, Prompt Payment! PH:306-873-3551 WEBSITE: neprairiegrain.com “In Business to Serve Western Producers.”
Livestock FOR SALE: Char X bred heifers. Tan, white and red. Bred for late March and April calving. 306-5484340. Stenen, SK.
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Yorkton, SK Career Opportunities Seeking professional drivers with Class 1 – 5 license to transport RV’s throughout North America. We have company driver spots available in Double Haul, Triple Haul and Semi fleets and O/O spots available in Single (1 ton) and Double Haul fleets. For more information on each fleet, please visit roadexservices.com. Subsidized health and dental insurance, monthly bonus available for company drivers. Must have valid passport and be able to cross the border. To apply please email resume and a current driver’s abstract to recruiting@roadexservices.com.
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groups or businesses to leave a lasting legacy to the community,” adds Bailey. Gene and Gladys Krepakevich, Delores and Clarke Anderson, Raymond and Elsie Malinowski, Allan Bailey, George and Dolena Plews, Gerry Ann and Earl Fraser, Sharon and John Tropin, Larry and Sonia Pearen, Vic and Evelyn Surjik, Les and Jenice Arnelien, Rob McDill, Laurie Renton, Dick and Faye Deryk are all founding members contributing to the “First 100 Caring People” campaign. “Everyone has their personal reason for giving”, says Sharon Tropin. “My husband, John, and I like the fact that our donation to the Community Foundation will generate grants to
help people in our community, even beyond our own lifetime.” Tropin says that for others it may be that the Yorkton & District Community Foundation is an easy way to give to causes that matter to the donor; or that, donations given now and in the future can build towards having a fund named for themselves, their business or for someone who they want to honour. Local business community members contributing to the “First 100 Caring People” founders campaign include Bailey’s Funeral Home, Grain Millers Canada Corp., Legacy CO-OP, Michael Riecken of C.A. Reed Consulting Engineers, Sensus Chartered Professional Accountants Ltd., and Westland Insurance
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Group Ltd o/a Farrell Agencies. Three community organizations have donated to the campaign including the Yorkton Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. “The largest donation from a group to date comes from people in the community who had raised funds to support mental health,” says Bailey. “The Yorkton Mental Health Association disbanded a few years ago and were looking for a way to support mental health in the community with the money that they had raised.” Donors wishes for the types of causes they support are documented at the time of the donation. This information will guide annual grants decisions. The first grants will be awarded in 2021. The complete list of donors and more information about donating can be found on the Yorkton and District Community Foundation website www.ydcf.ca
Help fight infection There are many ways to avoid infection, but few might be as simultaneously simple and effective as handwashing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps a person can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. While skeptics might question just how big an impact handwashing can have, the science behind washing hands paints a pretty strong picture of just how beneficial this particular component of personal hygiene can be. How germs get you sick The CDC notes that feces from people and animals are considerable sources of germs, including salmonella and E. coli. These germs can get onto people’s hands after they use the toilet or change a diaper. People who handle raw meats
also be exposed to such germs, as these foods can contain invisible amounts of animal feces on them. The amount of germs contained in small amounts of feces may come as a shock. Research published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology found that a single gram of human feces weighing about as much as a paper clip can contain one trillion germs. What does handwashing do? With so many germs floating around, it may seem as though something as simple as handwashing couldn’t be nearly as effective as it’s said to be. But the CDC notes that handwashing removes germs from hands, thereby removing an easy way for germs to enter the body and be passed on to others. For instance, many people habitually touch their
eyes, nose and mouth without thinking twice, and doing so provides an easy way for germs to enter the body via the hands. By washing their hands, people can cut off this easy entryway for germs. Handwashing also prevents germs from entering the body while eating. Germs from unwashed hands can get into people’s food and drinks, and can even multiply in some foods and beverages, potentially contributing to illness. Washing hands also prevents the spread of germs by preventing them from being transferred from hands to handrails, table tops or toys, where they can then spread to other people’s hands. Handwashing is a simple yet effective way to stop the spread of germs. And it just might be the simplest way to avoid illnesses.
CBD oil and arthritis Health-conscious consumers have no doubt encountered advertisements for CBD oil at some point in recent memory. Supplement stores, pharmacies and even gyms may promote CBD oil, prompting consumers to wonder just what CBD is and how it may or may not play a role in the treatment of certain conditions, including arthritis. According to the Arthritis Foundation®, two kinds of the cannabis sativa plant, hemp and marijuana, produce cannabinoids, which Harvard Medical School notes is the second most prevalent of the active ingredients of cannabis. People unfamiliar with cannabidiol, or CBD, a type of cannabinoid, may assume it gets users high like marijuana. However, CBD doesn’t get users high, as another cannabinoid, a psychoactive part of the marijuana plant known as THC, is responsible for
that effect. Advocates for CBD often note its potential to alleviate pain associated with arthritis. While animal studies have supported those claims, the Arthritis Foundation notes that such studies do not always translate to humans. In addition, the Arthritis Foundation notes that, thus far, human studies examining the potential efficacy of CBD in treating arthritis pain have produced mixed results, and the Harvard Medical School notes that more studies are necessary to determine the potential of CBD in treating pain, including that caused by arthritis. Laws also vary regarding the legality of CBD, though many places allow some form of CBD. Consumers should first consult with their physicians regarding their conditions and whether or not CBD might help them.
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December 11, 2020 | This Week Marketplace
needs your Help!
$5,000
$15,000
Caring for others... We are raising funds to upgrade equipment in the Operating Rooms and the Lab of the Regional Hospital in Yorkton. There are three pieces of equipment we need for the operating room plus a blood gas & carboxyhemoglobin analyzer for the Lab.
“The new laparoscopic stack provides state of the art and reliable equipment that will enable us to continue performing these minimally invasive surgeries. In addition, the new system provides advanced features that allows safer and The main item for the OR is a new laparoscopic more streamlined operations. Same goes stack – the core equipment for all laparoscopic for the OR table. It is much needed to surgeries – this will improve the clarity of video and replace older equipment.” improve control of the hand tools. It is used for all kinds of surgeries, including: hernia, gallbladder, Dr. Sharon Koubi, MD FRCSC, Lead appendectomy, colon and some stomach surgeries. for General Surgery
The new laparoscopic stack is the main priority, but we also need new surgical lights, an operating table and a glidescope. That may seem like pretty basic equipment, but it’s essential, and our current equipment needs replacing. There are approximately 2,500 surgeries performed at the Yorkton Regional Hospital and half are laparoscopic. Outside of the Operating Room we need to purchase a blood gas analyzer, for the Lab, it will allow us to expand the tests and services they can do locally.
We need to upgrade equipment to keep doctors and staff and to ensure we can maintain the services we have. We need your help to do that. The equipment costs $288,000 and we are almost there ...we only have $62,000 left to raise.
"4463"/$& t 5"9 t "%7*403:
$1,500
$1,000
$1,000
$1,000
$1,000
HUTTERIAN BRETHRAN OF CRYSTAL LAKE
CANORA HOSPITAL AUXILIARY $1,000
Social Club
$1,000
$1,000
$1,000
$1,000
$1,200
$1,000
$500
$1,000
$500
$1,000
$500
$1,000
$500
through your generous gifts
41 Betts Avenue, Yorkton Call 306-786-0506 www.thehealthfoundation.ca
Cheques dated December 31 will receive a charitable donation receipt for 2020