Marketplace 2023-02-03

Junior action

The Yorkton Terriers, who hold third place in the Viterra Division of the SJHLwith 29 points, hosted the Battlefords North Stars on Jan. 27 at Westland Insurance Arena. The Terriers will head to Weyburn Feb. 4 to visit the Red Wings in some more SJHL action. See story

February 14th will soon be upon us. Since this is such a momentous holiday (for hardly anyone) I feel obligated to acknowledge it.

With a deadline looming, I posted a plea on FaceBook asking my friends to share their experiences with this “someone-needed-moremoney-so-they-made-upa-holiday-that-wouldprove-disappointing-forthe-majority-anyway” day.

My brilliant friends and relatives did not let me down and I feel thankful for this little peek into some of their

lives.

Of course, there are women who are blessed with flowers, chocolates and sweet remembrances that make the rest of us … smile at their very good fortune. Sure. Someone got twenty boxes of Maltesers! A sweet admission was from an author who said her sweetheart gave her a stuffy that represented a character in her children’s book. Although he hates that she sleeps with it, even I must admit — that was a very well thought-out gift!

More relatable to many, however, are the

ones who shared these fun tidbits:

One friend received a “penguin onesie where your hands look like flippers”. Her husband is surprised she doesn’t wear this. I told her to throw it on and paste a

selfie on FaceBook so those of us who receive nothing this year won’t feel so bad.

What would you think if the love of your life ordered you a massage table? I mean … who was that gift really for?

The big winner, however, was the friend whose fella told her this … “I meant to get you something on the night of the 13th,” (Atta boy for thinking ahead!) “but I never got around to getting you anything so I have nothing for you. But I thought about getting something for you and it’s the thought that counts. Right?” WRONG! And, it was her birthday to boot! (Smart girl for letting that one go.)

Another friend shared some sage advice. “Set the bar low. That way you won’t feel disappointed when, a minute before midnight on the 14th, he rolls over and mumbles, “I guess it was Valentine’s today. Happy Valentine’s day,” just before he falls asleep”.

A closer friend of mine received an axe one Valentine’s Day because (and I quote), “The logs need to be split if we’re going to enjoy that fireplace.” I guess you could say she had to earn her way to the romance but I think if that were me, I may have debated other uses

for that weapon.

Interestingly, some of my friends reciprocate with pretty cool gifts themselves. One gave her husband a pair of boxers with a picture of her (disgusted) face on them.

The proud owner of that massage table gifted her man with a poster of George Costanza posing on the couch in his underwear. (If you watched Seinfeld you’ll know exactly which picture that is.)

I’ll admit, my giftgiving hasn’t always been stellar, proven by the path of candies that led to a box of his favourite type of chocolate. Unfortunately, his friend came home with him that evening and immediately asked if he thought I might be trying to kill him. In hindsight, it may have appeared that way since my husband is diabetic. (I’ve complained about the unromantic man I married but at least he hasn’t tried to assassinate me.)

You may recall my account of the extra small red teddy that my body was more than challenged to accommodate, but there was one rare moment that he did excel. Many years ago he worked alongside a doctor who owned a gold mine. One day he asked this physician if he ever obtained pieces of raw gold. A few weeks later, this very kind man brought my husband a small nugget that he then had threaded onto a chain. (I know. I know. My eyes are watering just writing this.) If only I’d known … that particular gift was meant to subsequently suffice for every February 14th from then on to forevermore.

So, a good reminder for us all: It’s not just on one day but in the every day, where real love is found. (pdjanzen.com)

Brent Butt still living his dream

By Calvin Daniels Staff Writer

When Brent Butt takes to the Painted Hand Casino stage Feb. 17, it will be just another step on a career path the wellknown comedian has been on since he was a youth.

Butt, perhaps best known as the creator, and star of the long running TV series Corner Gas, grew up in Tisdale, Sask., and knew he wanted to be a teller of jokes to make people laugh from a relatively young age.

“It was very much the dream. It was number one on the list since I was 12,” he said in a recent Yorkton This Week interview.

The dream started when he was watching TV one day.

“I saw a comedian on TV. Seeing somebody walk out and just talk and be funny – It’s hard to put into words how that hit me. It was the only thing I wanted to do,” explained Butt.

As a teen Butt said he had a list of four possible careers including being an NHL goaltender, something he knew by 13 he wasn’t going to achieve.

“I didn’t have the skill set to do that. I wasn’t willing to put the work into it,” he said.

Comic book artist was on the short list too. In fact, Butt would partner with Colin Oleksyn and produce a short-lived two issue comic book Existing Earth when still in Tisdale.

The experience had Butt crossing artist off his career list.

“I realized I didn’t want to draw comic book panels all day,” said Butt. Comedy was different.

“Stand up comedian was always number one,” reiterated Butt. “. . . Everything about it resonated with me.”

Butt recalls his first time on stage, again back in Tisdale.

The high school was having a variety night and Butt decided to audition.

“I thought it was the perfect place to try it out and see if I could do it,” he said.

The audition though was a challenge, him on stage before a panel of one teacher and two other students.

“Nobody had tried doing stand up before, but I did the stuff I had written and got some laughs,” he said, adding with an audience of three “it was hard to tell if I was doing well.”

But he was accepted, and the show put him solidly on a career path.

“It went gangbusters. It was very encouraging,” he said.

A year later he was in Saskatoon, following his comic book partner there as Oleksyn was in university.

“I was just selling advertising and worked on the comic book at night,” said Butt.

But he would soon muster up the nerve and headed to a comedy club and in February 1988 he did his first legitimate show.

Even when Corner Gas was at its height, Butt said he literally craved opportunities to do stand up, to the point of occasionally heading off during lulls in shooting to do a set on stage.

“I just get super titchy if I don’t do stand up,” he said. “. . . It’s something if I wasn’t doing it I’d be super miserable.”

And what about Corner Gas and how even today years after production wrapped up has legions of fans.

Butt said he hopes people always follow the show.

“It’s something I’m very, very proud of,” he said. “So much of what

I have now is because of Corner Gas. For me I know Corner Gas will always be what I’m most known for.”

And that success opens doors to do what he still loves most.

“It helps me do more stand up,” said Butt. “Everything spokes off stand up.”

So how has he managed to find material for decades?

“I started coming up

with something new long ago,” he said, adding he has never forced his writing. “I never really made writing stand up a thing where I sit down for three hours and have to come up with two bits.”

Butt said that while that might be the process a comedian takes, it rarely is.

“Most take a more organic approach,” he said, adding when he started out he carried

“I wasn’t sure how it was going to go,” he said, adding he at least has script writing to draw upon, although that is highly structured writing.

But said a novel is far more freeing, likening script writing to being a wild animal constrained by a fence and novel writing to the gate being open and he could run where he wanted.

“There’s so much less structure to it . . . I absolutely loved it,” he said, adding he had an 87,000-word first draft in 12 weeks.

So does Butt worry ‘fans’ might not buy a dark tale from a favoured comedian.

Butt suggested Corner Gas worked because they wrote the stories they wanted, and it found its audience, adding on the surface who would have thought a comedy based on a small Saskatchewan town would work?

Initially a humour book was what publishers wanted, “but it wasn’t what I wanted to write. It was not in my heart,” he said, adding he is confident by being true to himself, “it will find an audience.

Fans can get updates on the book’s release at brentbutt.com

Submitted Photo

a notebook to jot down “germs of ideas”, which he would then “sit down and try and hammer into a bit.”

Now Butt is embarking on a new project releasing his debut novel later this year.

It won’t be the funny book many might expect, but rather it is a dark psychological thriller.

Butt admitted being an author was something different for him.

While the TV show was a huge hit opening many doors, and the book a new venture to embark upon, Butt said he will always be a stand up comedian, adding that is enough for him.

“I would have been completely happy as an unknown working comedian,” he said, adding that was what he was before Corner Gas and he still thought he had “made it” because he was travelling doing gigs. “. . . I was making a living as a stand up comedian. I was living the dream.”

And the dream continues in Yorkton in February.

After three years the annual Wheelchair Funspiel is back

Courtesy of Kamsack Times

After the COVID-19 quarantine, the annual Wheelchair Funspiel hosted by Kim and Teddy Hudye was unable to operate for the past three years, but now it has returned and is planned to occur again next year.

The event was hosted at the Broda Sportsplex on Jan. 13 and 14, attracting new and old Funspiel curlers. Participants in the event were required to send curling rocks down the ice with a stick while sitting in a wheelchair steadied by a person standing behind them.

The winners of the event were the team of Teddy Hudye, Josh Gogol from Canora, and Aiden Broda and Randy Troffimenkoff of Kamsack. The winners of each year’s Funspiel get their names put on a plaque alongside the previous winners of the event.

They also had various prizes generously donated that were won by pulling names out

of a hat, one such prize being a liquor basket. They also had a shoot to the pin contest which awarded its winner a “mickey of vodka” otherwise known as a small 375ml bottle of vodka.

Proceeds of the event go towards Teddy Hudye’s therapy, parts for his wheelchair, and to help him pursue his shot put and discus throwing career.

Teddy has estimated that they raised $4,000 in proceeds this year.

“I’d like to thank Kamsack and our sponsors for supporting me all these years and for them still coming out and trying and participating,” said Teddy.

Approximately 48 people in 12 teams of four participated in the event, and 40 to 50 people watched upstairs as there was also a senior hockey game on Jan. 13. The registration fee per team was $200.

MPs to vote on new carbon-pricing exemption for farmers

After three years the annual Wheelchair Funspiel is back

Randy Troffimenkoff, Teddy Hudye, and Aiden Broda won the Wheelchair Funspeil held on Jan. 13 and 14 and had their names engraved into a plaque.

Photo courtesy Kamsack Times

Former hockey player says racism on rise

Bernie Saunders was a hockey player, which as a Canadian kid in the later 1960s and into the ‘70s was not unusual.

What was different with Saunders was that he is black, and that was something unusual for the time.

As a result, Saunders faced a barrage of racism as he climbed through hockey dreaming of a shot at the NHL.

“When I played in the late ‘70s most arenas I played in nobody had seen a black hockey player before. The racism I faced was unthinkable . . . The racism just weighed down on me,” he said in a recent interview with Yorkton This Week.

The racism Saunders dealt with, or at least some of it, is chronicled in his recent book; ‘Shut Out: The Game That Didn’t Love Me Black.

Saunders retired from pro hockey in the mid1980s having a cup of coffee in the NHL – 10 games with Quebec – so the book took decades to see the light of day.

At age 66, Saunders said he still wasn’t sure he should pen the book.

“There was a lot of soul searching. It was an on again, off again project,” he said, adding it was a friend that finally convinced him, but it was still a huge step.

“I’m a very private person,” he said, adding given the years that had passed since he played, and the subject matter he “. . . wasn’t sure how it would be accepted.”

But, ultimately as a 66-year-old black man he

felt he had to tell his story in the hopes it might help at least a little in terms of reversing what he sees as a disturbing trend, racism growing.

Saunders said he is seeing the worst racism in 25 years directed at himself and his sons.

“One book isn’t going to change the world,” he said, adding it is just his story in the face of a world seeming to be backsliding on racism.

Saunders said he had thought efforts towards eliminating racism “was on a good trajectory, but the last five, or six years’ things have went dramatically backward. It’s very disappointing.”

And, until every element of racism is eliminated work remains to be done.

“Racism is still racism,” said Saunders, adding that it might have been marginally easier growing up in Canada as a black player because the country is generally more tolerant, he still faced repeated racism “on the ice and off the ice.”

“With me parachuting into their camps out of nowhere, I doubt those coaches could ever conceive of a Black hockey player. That’s one of the many difficulties of racism: it can be a matter of degree. There is a form of implicit bias called implied incompetence. I doubt there was any malice intended, but nobody had ever seen a Black hockey player before. So, even though I already had a year of Junior B under my belt,

CALVIN DANIELS Sports

those coaches likely could not see me as a qualified player,” wrote Saunders.

Saunders said while racism is generally getting worse, in hockey there is talk of being open to all, but he questions whether that is the case.

“Hockey is a conformist sport,” he said, adding players who are willing to fit the mold in how

they dress and act may be accepted, but “act like your race, and I’ll use P.K. Subban as an example you’re not going to be accepted.” The attitude of hockey to be conformist has cost the sport in American markets, suggested Saunders, who noted at one time hockey and basketball were generally equal battling for fans, but basketball has

exploded and conformist hockey has lagged behind.

“It’s disappointing, especially having lived in the U.S. and seeing how they left such a huge market on the table,” he said. But he also reminds in the book he loved the game.

“This is also a love story. Unrequited love, but love nevertheless. Hockey made me and my brother. Although I am happily estranged from the game, I identify to my core as a hockey player,” Saunders wrote.

“Soon after being introduced to the game, I was smitten. Here I was, playing this fun and exciting sport … and doing it with my big brother. We played every chance we could. Back in those days, we didn’t need an artificial ice surface in a controlled environment that charged by the hour. Whether in Toronto or Chateauguay, where we moved when I was 11, I found that kids just hiked to the nearest neighbourhood park and joined the current game of shinny. Outdoor rinks were scattered all around. When the ice became slow or if it snowed, which happened frequently, there wasn’t a lumbering Zamboni trudging out to manicure the ice. No, we all grabbed shovels and refreshed the surface the old fashioned way . . .

“Soccer had been called the beautiful game, but there is nothing that rivals the fastpaced fluidity of a wellplayed hockey game. From the stands, it can

Campsite reservation dates announced

Courtesy of Kamsack Times

Reservations for Saskatchewan Provincial

Parks 2023 camping season are set to begin April 3 for seasonal campsites and April 4 to 12 for nightly, Camp-Easy and group campsites.

“Many campers are already looking forward to setting up their homeaway-from-home in provincial parks this summer,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Laura Ross said in a release. “With reservation dates set, campers can now begin planning their trips and preparing for launch day.”

Schedule

The complete reserva-

tion schedule for 2023 is as follows.

Seasonal campsites:

April 3: all parks participating in the seasonal camping program.

Nightly, Camp-Easy and group campsites:

April 4: Candle Lake, Good Spirit Lake, Meadow Lake, and Saskatchewan Landing.

April 5: Break.

April 6: Douglas, Echo Valley, Makwa Lake, Narrow Hills and Pike Lake.

April 10: Danielson, Great Blue Heron, Greenwater Lake, Rowan’s Ravine and The Battlefords.

April 11: Buffalo Pound, Bronson Forest, Duck Mountain and Moose Mountain.

April 12: Blackstrap, Crooked Lake, Cypress Hills and Lac La Ronge.

Reservations will begin at 7 a.m. each day.

Park Fees

Park entry fees will increase slightly this year in response to the growing number of park services provided yearround and in accordance with Provincial Sales Tax. The 2023 entry fees are as follows:

Annual Vehicle Entry: $82 ($7 increase).

Weekly Vehicle Entry: $42 ($2 increase).

Daily Vehicle Entry: $11 ($1 increase).

Camp-Easy sites will increase from $80 to $85 per night and the Mongolian Yurt at Great Blue Heron will increase

from $110 to $116 per night. Some swimming entry and equipment rentals will also see a slight increase. For a full listing of fee changes, visit http://saskparks. com.

All other fees including nightly, seasonal and group camping will remain the same for the 2023 camping season.

New this year

New this year, a notification feature on the reservation system will allow campers to sign up to receive an alert if a specific campsite becomes available.

Campers can also look forward to a total of 37 new seasonal sites: two full-service in Good Spirit Lake, eight electric

sometimes resemble organized chaos. In reality, it is choreographed improvisation.

“The choreography comes from the coach, who dictates strategy and style. The improvisation comes from the license each player possesses because certain situations arise repeatedly throughout each game. And so, the player master’s specific moves in these predictable conditions gains tremendous advantage.”

But, how had Saunder’s book been accepted?

By the hockey establishment he said it has been largely ignored, with not even a note of congratulations from the NHL which has a department dealing with the issue of discrimination.

“It’s not surprising, but disappointing,” said Saunders. (In hockey) if you say something that doesn’t parallel with its talking points they just ignore you.”

Hockey and sports media didn’t jump on the book at its release either, he noted, adding news media showed greater interest than those dedicated to telling hockey stories.

But Saunders said calls from families and youth facing issues today are gratifying, and make the book worthwhile.

“I’m glad I did it,” he said.

And I’ll leave the last words to Saunders who wrote; “Racism shouldn’t be a “me” problem, it should be a “we” problem.”

in Buffalo Pound, a mix of 18 electric and nonelectric in Makwa Lake, a mix of four electric and full-service at Meadow Lake and five electric at Moose Mountain. New Camp-Easy yurts have been added at Pike Lake, Good Spirit Lake and Greenwater Lake provincial parks with a new yurt replacing the old Camp-Easy tent in Crooked Lake.

IN BRIEF

Ex-Terriers take to the clouds in U.S.

The Yorkton Junior Terriers are celebrating 50 years in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League this season.

To mark the milestone Yorkton This Week is digging into its archives and pulling out a random Terrier-related article from the past five decades of reporting on the team, and will be running one each week, just as it originally appeared.

This feature will appear weekly over the entire season in the pages of The Marketplace.

Week #20 comes from Dec. 16, 1992.

Gino Santerre and Sandy Gasseau have

adapted nicely to American college hockey at St. Cloud State.

The pair, both from Quebec, played for the Yorkton Terriers from 1989 to 1990, a stint that included a league championship and trip to the Centennial Cup in their final year. The two have followed that accomplishment with scholarships to the Minnesota college where they are midway through their sophomore year.

“It was quite a change, not having gone to school in Yorkton, and learning the language,” said Gasseau of the leap to college hockey. “And it was a big change for hockey too. It’s a lot faster. It was a big adaptation.”

Part of the change was a system heavy on practice and light on actual games. A full season is only 34 games, but practices are an almost daily routine.

50 YEARS Looking back at the Yorkton Terriers

improve your play a lot.”

Santerre would have settled for the 34 games. He took a bang on the knee that required orthoscopic surgery in his last year as a Terrier. Last season at college, the knee required major surgery. Santerre was in therapy the rest of the year.

“It was hard,” he said. “I was 21 and they expected me to play. I expected to play too. It was my first year, I wanted to make a good impression, but for a while I didn’t think I was going to play hockey again.”

doing things I use to do without thinking. With only a couple of games a week you don’t get back into it as fast.”

It also takes a different mindset when you play only two games a week. “The concentration is a lot different when you practice all week for two games,” said Gasseau. “You really have to do good in those games. It’s not like the Terriers where you could do something about a bad game the next night.”

Playing in the SJHL helped prepare the pair well.

a position Gasseau said might have been higher if not for a bunch of injuries.

But for Gasseau, it was a good year as he played every game, ranging from stints on the fourth line to time on the number one unit.

“I just tried to stay in the lineup all the time,” he said. “The coach gave me confidence. He knew I played junior and had experience so he fit me right in.”

Last year Gasseau popped 15 goals, but this year goals have come a little slower. After 14 games, he only has five.

“I’m kind of in a slump. I started with three goals in four games, but only have five now. There’s not much I can do but keep working. I’m getting the chances, it’s just not going in right now.”

hard and not worry about the goals.” For both Gasseau and Santerre, spots on American college teams are what they were looking for when they left Quebec to play for the Terriers.

“We were told to go play out west because there was a better chance of getting a college scholarship,” said Santerre. Now both hope they can just play two more solid years to perhaps open a professional door, either here or in Europe.

“A chance in Europe. I’d really like that. That would be a good experience,” said Santerre.

But he’s back playing regular shits on defence, as well as time on the second powerplay unit and in short-handed situations.

“I’d like to play more games,” said Gasseau. “It’s good to practice two to two-and-a-half hours a day to work on skating and everything, but it’s better to play more games. That’s when you

“We played on a couple of pretty good teams in Yorkton, and Dennis (Polonich) made us work pretty hard and that helped with the mental toughness,” said Santerre.

But scoring is essential to Gasseau being effective in the St. Cloud scheme of things.

“It’s going pretty well. I haven’t scored yet, but I have seven assists,” he said. “I’ve had to come back and get used to

Last year St. Cloud finished seventh out of nine teams in the WCHA,

“We’ve talked (with the coaches) and they want me to be a little more involved – to play more physical, to be intense and use my body. They want me to work

Sandy Gasseau Gino Santerre

White-nose syndrome now an Alberta problem

By Scott Hayes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter (Jasper Fitzhugh

Alberta’s bats received bad news last week when it was announced that Pseudogymnoascus destructans – the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome (WNS) – had arrived in the province.

The news, however ominous, was not entirely unexpected.

Researchers and ecologists have been following its progression across the country for several years now. It was first discovered in Canada in various locations of Ontario and Quebec in 2010 before being detected in bats in Grasslands National Park in the south of Saskatchewan in 2021.

Once there, it seems like it might have gained momentum on its westward trajectory.

“It’s not surprising to us that it showed up in Alberta, although the distance that it moved was a little unexpected,” said Cory Olson, program coordinator of the Alberta Community Bat Program with the Wildlife Conservation Society

Canada (WCSC).

“It was over 500 kilometres. It’s spreading quite quickly now, it would appear.”

That organization’s researchers collected bat droppings from underneath several hundred Alberta bridges that were known bat rest stops. Two samples from the southern stretch of the Red Deer River recently came back positive for the fungus while other samples indicate inconclusive results from along the Milk River in southern Alberta and both the Beaver River and the Battle River east of the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. Further studies will be conducted in the spring to confirm those reports.

Regardless, it “suggests the fungus is likely more widespread that current results indicate,” read a post on the Alberta Community Bat Program’s social media page. There are no indications that WNS has infected any members of the two bat species found in Jasper National Park at this time.

The disease has caused the deaths of several million bats

across North America since 2006. P. destructans spreads from bat to bat as the creatures range over hundreds of kilometres, with infections blossoming during hibernation when the flying mammals are most vulnerable.

“During the summer, bats aren’t really impacted, but when they go into hibernation, they drop their body temperature to just a little bit above freezing. When they’re in that state, their immune

system is not functioning normally. This fungus actually grows really well in cold conditions,” Olson said.

“[The bats] have to come out of hibernation. They have to burn energy stores to warm up their body. What happens is they deplete their fat stores, and they end up starving to death before the onset of spring when insects become available again for them to eat.”

The results are devastating as the fungus

eats away at the bats’ skin, Olson explained. Population declines greater than 90 per cent have been documented for some species in eastern North America. Last year, biologists in Montana reported a 98 per cent decline in the number of bats occupying a cave. There are few cave sites in western North America where bats can be monitored directly, and only one in Alberta. In Jasper National Park, parks staff have identified an overwintering site called a hibernaculum for the two bat species found locally. Recreational access to all caves is managed using a permit system in order to reduce the spread of white-nose syndrome. Both the little brown myotis and northern myotis bats are endangered species.

Brenda Shepherd, monitoring and species at risk biologist for Jasper National Park, asked the public at large to help out by being aware of and reporting both bats that are exhibiting strange behaviour or deceased bats. Of course, any bat activity during the winter

would be unusual. April is typically when they start becoming active again.

“We would like to come and collect any dead bats because we will submit them for testing,” she said.

“It would be a really helpful thing that people can do to help us… to detect bats that may have white-nose syndrome. Really, we can’t do much to stop white-nose syndrome but knowing where it is can help us.”

Those reports can be made by calling Jasper Dispatch at 780-852-6155.

Otherwise, Parks works to protect bats’ maternity roosts in order to provide them with the most supportive conditions toward having a healthy population.

“The healthier the population, the more [bats] that will be around after white-nose syndrome arrives,” she said.

Promoting bat-friendly management is one of the top things that the WCSC also does to help bats recover. The Alberta Bat Program has free resources and information on its website at www.albertabats. ca/resources.

A close-up photo of a little brown bat with white-nose syndrome.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service photo

New PnP will offer many play boards

While board games can be pricey, most are going to take a significant bite out of a 50, and a few will require you to dig for more after laying down a hundred-dollar bill, but games need not ruin a tight budget.

There are a ‘family’ of games known as print ‘n play, which are far lower in cost because there is no physical game to buy, or have shipped.

Instead, you are accessing a computer file that you then must print to play.

Many are actually free – at least the files – as you still have to print, and others are low cost, which is fair as the designer gets a few dollars for their creative efforts.

One such game is Chateau by designer Martin van Rossum, which will be launching on Kickstarter in the near future.

Chateau is being advertised as a print & play polyomino game, which I admit I had to Google.

It turns out a polyomino is the name given to plane figures created by groups of squares touching at their edges.

So what is Chateau about?

Well to start with it is not just a print ‘n play, but also a roll ‘n write, so on a turn a player rolls two dice, and all players use those numbers, marking

off things on their own individual board. In that regard you can essentially print as many ‘boards’ as you want and play any number of players.

It was even suggested players around the world could each print a board and play via Zoom – which suggests a Guinness Book of World Records effort one might imagine.

Each die face relates to a particular polyomino, or special option. Players draw the polyomino on their ‘board – basically the floor plan of a famous chateau.

The first player to mark all their spaces wins.

A game such as Chateau is interesting first and foremost for its low cost and versatility in accommodating a range of player numbers.

In this case the Tetrislike mechanic of trying to best fit the various polyomino shapes onto the floor plan is also quite challenging. Because shapes can be rotated to fit the floorplan the game is highly visual and will at times leave you wondering how you missed a better placement after it’s too late.

So with Chateau just on the verge of being Kickstarted an interview via email with van Rossum seemed timely.

van Rossum is from Hellevoetsluis in the Netherlands, which

is close to Rotterdam, where up until 2022 he worked as a teacher in higher education leaving that job very recently to become an entrepreneur in his family’s business.

He explained he now owns a retail store and multiple web shops with a staff of 40 people, “which I have just as much love for as for my students,” adding he now combines that “with board game and escape room design. Currently my first physical escape room is being build and the first few board games have been signed with publishers. I also self-publish PnP games with Rolling Rhino Games.”

And, van Rossum generally likes the idea of PnP games.

“I would say I am a PnP player, however most of my PnP time goes into my own designs,” he said. “When we play a game with friends or family it’s either a prototype of mine or a physical game from the collection.

“I would recommend Kaikoro as a PnP game. I

should mention that I am perhaps not a true PnP player, because I don’t want to cut cards and take hours to create a game. I truly admire everyone who has the patience to build those bigger games. I personally stick to the one page PnPs, both in designing and buying.”

Game design was almost a natural as van Rossum noted, “I am an avid gamer, and I always loved games and coming up with games to play with my family as a kid.

“From my teaching background I know how to get a message across and how important engagement is. I used to design a lot of educational materials. When you play a lot of games but also teach a lot you learn where people struggle and when they give up on a game.

“Even though I am an avid gamer and collector, I strongly lean towards smaller and simpler games. My girlfriend likes puzzley games and my son (six years) loves racing games. I admire simplicity and elegance in design so that’s also why I lean towards small scale games that still offer a crunch for adults.”

So where did the idea for Chateau come from?

“We love roll and write games in our house,” offered van Rossum. “However my son was four at the time and I had a hard time explaining scoring conditions to him. Playing the game worked fine but scoring would often be very complex. Railroad Inc. is an example of this, a game

I really like but wasn’t for him.

“So I wanted a polyomino puzzle game that makes it clear to all players who is winning and why you are the winner or not.

“So that led to the win condition of simply filling your board.

“At the time I was challenging myself to design a game each week. I did this for about eight weeks. So within one week I had a working game, just a square with the title: Castle Builder.

“Later I wanted to give the game a bit more depth and make sure parents were also engaged. So that’s when the blueprints of famous castles came in. Each castle gives you a new challenge, which increases the replayability, and it adds some historical flavour to the game.”

The goal was to create a family friendly game too.

“Chateau is really an attempt to bring kids and parents together in a game they can both enjoy and play in 15 minutes after dinner,” said van Rossum.

“Players can expect a very quick and simple game to learn and play, with a challenging puzzle and a lot of replayability. A fun roll and write that uses known mechanisms with a new twist. This makes the game intuitive to play but also something fresh to put on the table.”

As designer what does van Rossum see as the best aspect of Chateau?

“If you would ask my play testers, they would say the One (rolling a one),” he said.

If a one is rolled it allows the use of a ‘catapult’ where you get to mark off one space on your neighbour’s Chateau.

“This allows you to mess up their castle, especially if a lot of them come up,” said van Rossum. “And for some reason people just love to bully each other like that.

“It was my way of adding interaction, where this is sometimes lacking in roll ‘n write games.

“I personally love the unique abilities that Chateau has. These allow for different strategies to try.”

But is there something in Chateau not seen in other games?

“This is of course hard,” admitted van Rossum. “It’s a crowded market and I like to stay humble. I think the game has a unique theme, where some roll ‘n writes don’t have a theme at all. You learn something about these castles -- when and where they were built -- and you have unique abilities to work with. Because of the different layout of each Chateau, the different number of squares they have, different placement of symbols and their unique ability, its basically an asymmetric game. Balancing the asymmetric parts was a lot of work.”

Watch for Chateau on Kickstarter soon.

Kelvington

The Good Spirit 4-H Curling Club Juniors competed in the NE Regional 4H Playdowns held at the Kelvington Curling Club on Jan. 29. The team, comprised of several youths from Saltcoats, Canora and Norquay, competed against four other teams and won the tourna-

ment. The team will move on to the Saskatchewan 4-H Provincial Curling Championships held in Swift Current February 17, 18 and 19. From left to right. Paisley Wolkowski, Jackson Callin, Lane Harper, Rachel Armbruster, Jordan Lukey, Jesse Lukey.

curling

Photo courtesy Brett Callin

Canora Minor Hockey Day ‘huge success’

Courtesy of Canora Courier

In spite of the bitterly cold temperatures outside, a very successful Canora Minor Hockey Day “went off without a hitch,” according to President Stacy Vangen.

Six games were played at the Canora Civic Centre involving five age groups: U7, U9, U13, U15, and U18.

“This year we had kids from as young as two years old up to 17 on the ice throughout the day,” said Vangen. “Seeing the progression of players throughout the day from our youngest to the oldest is a reminder of why we are all doing this. These kids and families love to play the game, and we have so many families that support minor hockey by volunteering their time, supporting our fundraising, and of course cheering on our players.”

U9

The day began with the U9 Preeceville Pats facing off against the Norquay North Stars, with the Pats coming out on top 14-0. Norquay battled hard and had several chances around the Preeceville net, but couldn’t score any goals. Canora didn’t have enough players this year for a team in the U9 age group, but Canora prod-

uct Coy Kraynick is an important player for the U9 Pats. In the U9 age group, the game was played on half the ice surface, continuous time, with the whistle sounding every three minutes for line changes. But it appears U9 numbers are about to go up in Canora for the coming seasons because Canora has a pair of U7 teams this season, with both playing games during Minor Hockey Day.

U7

The U7 Red Cobras got things rolling with a very competitive game against Norquay. Both teams spent a lot of time in the other team’s end, and found the net many times. In the U7 age group, the score is not kept in order to help keep the focus on having fun. Players take turns playing goalie, to give everyone a chance to see if they like the position and would consider being a goalie as they get older.

In the second U7 game, the Canora Black Cobras met the Yorkton Fritters, in one of the most exciting games of the day. The pace was fast going back and forth from end to end, with numerous spirited puck battles. It was encouraging for fans to see that from time to time, older players would pass the puck to younger teammates, even if they

were a little shaky on their skates, just to give them a chance to handle the puck in a game situation.

U13

In the U13 age group, the Canora Cobras met the Preeceville Pats. This Canora team has built a reputation as “The Comeback Kids” and this game was no different. The Cobras trailed 5-3 after two periods, but thanks to some clutch goaltending by Mason Reine and a pair of timely third period goals, the Cobras battled back and earned a 5-5 tie.

U15

The Highway 9 Predators hosted the Langenburg Warriors in

the U15 game. The Preds are made up of players from Canora, Preeceville, and other area communities. At the start, the game looked like it was going to be a defensive battle. The first period ended with the Preds up 1-0, thanks to a goal from Avyn Seerey. But then the floodgates opened, with the teams combining for 12 mote goals in the final two periods. The Preds managed to stay ahead, and skated away with an 8-5 win.

U18

The final game of the day had the high flying U18 Preeceville Pats, with five Canora products on their roster, hosting the Yorkton Re/Max

Terriers. The Pats came into the game in second place in the U18 standings, with only two losses in 16 games. The Terriers, even though they trailed Preeceville in the standings, looked like they were ready to give the Pats all they could handle. The game was tied at the end of the end of the first period, but a goal by Spencer Leech gave the Pats a narrow 2-1 advantage heading into the third. Wyatt Wolkowski of Canora ripped a wrist shot past the Yorkton goalie for the final goal in the final period to give the Pats a bit of breathing room, and a well-earned 3-1 win.

Hockey heritage

Stacy Vangen said there were a lot of volunteers involved in the entertaining day of hockey.

“Our parents within Canora Minor Hockey stepped up to help out with ensuring things ran smoothly. The on ice action started at 10:30 a.m. and ran right through until 9:30 p.m. We are happy to report there were no significant injuries throughout the day.”

Minor Hockey Day continues to be an important event for Canora and the surrounding area, according to Vangen.

“Hockey is a part of our heritage in small-

town Saskatchewan,” she explained. “It is a chance for our community to come out and see what we have going on in Canora Minor Hockey. We are so proud of our kids from the youngest to the oldest and our goal is that all children that want to play hockey in Canora have the opportunity to do so. In the last few years we have had decreased registration in some of our age groups such as U9 and U11. We are working to rebuild and want our community to see that hockey is alive and thriving on Canora.

Minor hockey day is a day to celebrate and showcase our players to our community, to share their successes and for our kids to know that they have a whole community that supports them as the home team.”

Vangen said Minor Hockey Day would not be possible without the support of local fans, businesses, as well as on-ice officials, coaches and players.

“We would also like to thank Preeceville Minor Hockey for their continued partnership with Canora Minor Hockey in all age groups,” she added. “We are looking forward to the U7 home tournament Feb. 18 as well as an exciting playoff season for U13, U15, and U18 teams.”

Coy Kraynick of Canora scored a pair of goals in a big win for the U9 Pats over Norquay on Jan. 28. Minor Hockey Day in Canora featured players from U7 up to U18 in a full day of hockey with six games worth of on-ice entertainment.

Photo courtesy of Canora Courier

Monuments

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Prayer Corner

1100 Cards of Thanks 1120 Announcements

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1130 Coming Events

ONLY JESUS CAN SAVE

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In Memoriam

1050 In Memoriam

Mary Diakuw February 2, 2011

GAWRYLIUK — Elaine. In loving memory of a dear sister who entered God’s Heavenly Kingdom on September 26, 2011.

Of all the many blessings

However great or small

To have had you for a sister

Was the greatest gift of all

The family chain is broken now

Dearest Mom: Your memories are our keepsake, From which we’ll never part: God has you in His keeping, And we have you in our hearts. Missing you & loving you always, Love Debbie, Keith and Margie

And nothing seems the same

But as God takes us one by one

The chain will link again.

— Lovingly remembered and sadly missed by brother Ed, sisters Sylvia & Lorraine and their families.

WEGNER — In loving memory of Albert Wegner, February 14, 1921 to September 23, 2009.

He had a nature you could not help loving, And a heart that was purer than gold., And to those that knew and loved him, His memory will never grow old.

In Loving Memory Of Adeline Marian Achtemichuk

— Ever remembered, forever loved, Elsie and family

February 3, 2022

1100 Cards of Thanks

In memory of my our Mother and Nanny. We dearly miss her love, wisdom and kindness. Awaiting Resurrection.

Always Loved and Remembered Peter and Family

The family of the late Dennis Kuzek would like to thank everyone who supported us through Dennis’s illness and after his passing. The gifts of food, cards, phone calls and donations will never be forgotten. Thank you to Father Mel Slashinsky, cantor, choir, pall bearers and the Orthodox Ladies for serving the lunch after prayers, Ron Sebulsky and Cheryl Bilokreli for preparing the lunch in Theodore after the funeral and a thank you to Garry Gawryliuk for the eulogy. Also a special thanks to the staff at Bailey’s Funeral Home for their caring and professional matter for getting us through a difficult time.

— Val & Family

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Please call: 306-516-0038 or 250-217-5294 or 306-783-8540 Visit heavenlanguage.com

Adult Personal Messages

LOOKING FOR honest and sincere gentleman, aged 75-85 years, as friend and companion. Please mail Box JJ c/o Yorkton This Week, Box 1300, Yorkton, SK S3N 2X3

Notice to Creditors

The family of the late Kirk Neibrandt wish to extend our heartfelt thanks for the numerous cards of sympathy, flowers, gifts of food, the generous donation Education Trust Fund, visits, phone calls and support from relatives and friends following the loss of my husband and our father. Thank you to the Doctors, Nursing Staff of ICU and 1st West, Home Care Treatment Nurses and Palliative Care of the Yorkton Regional Health Centre. The Doctors and Nurses of the Allan Blair Cancer Centre, Regina, Regina General Hospital and the Foothills Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, for their care of Kirk. A special thank you to Dr. van Heerden and staff and Louck’s Pharmacy also. We also wish to express our thanks to Vern and staff at Christie’s Funeral Home for their professional service, Pastor Dan Moeller for officiating the service, Jackie Guy - soloist, for her special songs, the Rhein Lion’s Club for the use of the hall and the many people who helped with set up of hall, lunch and clean up. Thank you to everyone who shared with us and our families, Kirk’s Celebration of Life on August 15, 2012. Your support was overwhelming. “You can shed tears that he is gone, or you can smile because he lived; Smile, open your eyes, love and go on.”

NOTICETOCREDITORS-Inthe EstateofMildredThiele,lateof Yorkton,Saskatchewan,deceased. Allclaimsagainsttheaboveestate, dulyverifiedbystatutorydeclaration andwithparticularsandvaluationof securityheld,ifany,mustbesentto theundersignedbeforethe15thday ofMarch,2023. TheEstateofMildredThiele,c/o LauraGray(Executor),1013Elliott Street,Regina,SKS4N3E7.

— With healing hearts, tears in our eyes, Wendy, Brandi and Dana Neibrandt.

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Apartments/Condos for Rent

RENOVATED SUITES available. Good location.

The family of the late Pauline Spelay wish to extend their heartfelt thanks for cards of sympathy, mass cards, flowers, gifts of food, donations, visits, phone calls from relatives and friends following the loss of our mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. Thanks to the doctors and nursing staff at the Yorkton Regional Health Centre, Pasqua Hospital - Regina, St. Peter’s Hospital - Melville for their care. Also a special thank you to St. Paul Lutheran Care Home, Melville for your excellent care during this past year. We also wish to express our thanks to Larry and staff at Bailey’s Funeral Home for their professional services, Father Ray Lukie, Father Peter Pidskalny, Father Joakim Rac for officiating the services, the cantors, choir and the Knights of Columbus for leading the holy rosary, the grandchildren and great grandchildren for being pallbearers, crossbearer, epistle reader, and giving the eulogy, the luncheons as served by the St. Mary’s Cultural Centre after the prayers, and the Royal Canadian Legion after the funeral service.

— Dennis, Michael, Trudy, Dave and Family

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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.

Plumbing

JourneymanPlumber Residentialplumbing 306-541-4622

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PROVINCE-WIDE CLASSIFIEDS. Reach over 550,000 readers weekly. Call this newspaper NOW or 306-649.1405 for details.

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BUILDING NEW, Doing Renos, need

FALL SUPPER; LOCATION: BURGIS BEACH HALL, DATE: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2012. Two sittings - 4:00 and 5:30 p.m. Walk-ins Welcome. ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE AT CANORA PHARMACY, CANORA AND ALEXANDER’S MEN’S WEAR IN YORKTON or call Linda at 563-4885 or Dodie at 563-4174. ADULTS $12.00, 4-12 YEARS $6.00, UNDER 4 FREE (Children’s tickets available at the Door). All proceeds will go to replacing the playground equipment that was destroyed in the 2010 flood.

1140 Companions LOOKING FOR a female companion between 55 and 65. I enjoy dancing, dining, cooking, and shopping. Please respond to Box E, c/o Yorkton This Week, Box 1300 - 20 Third Ave., Yorkton, SK, S3N 2X3

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NOTICE

A. GOODE UPHOLSTERY LTD.

Please be advised that due to the passing of Nelson Alfred Saunders, the owner and operator of A. Goode Upholstery, the business is currently being wound up. Clients who may have items currently held at the business premises of A. Goode Upholstery are required to pick up their items or make arrangements with the interim upholsterer by March 31, 2023 for completion of any required work that was to be done by A. Goode Upholstery. Any unclaimed items that remain will be kept in storage, by the Personal Representative, Sharon Saunders, for a period of 1 year commencing March 31, 2023. Any items that remain uncollected at the expiry of the 1-year period will be deemed abandoned and dealt with accordingly. Please contact the business directly by telephone at 306-782-1744 or attend at the business during the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday. A. Goode Upholstery thanks you for your continued patronage over the years and for your cooperation in this matter. In addition to the above, if anyone happens to know where Nelson Saunders stored his 1971 Monte Carlo, please contact the business as indicated above.

Certificates? Maybe late issued. Maybe I could help correct the record at Vital Statistics. Call John @ 306-563-6883.

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Public notice is hereby given that the Council of the R.M. of Orkney No. 244, intends to adopt Bylaw Z2/12 under The Planning and Development Act, 2007 to amend

R.M. of Insinger No. 275 ASSESSMENT ROLL 2023

Notice is hereby given that the assessment roll for the R.M. of Insinger No. 275 for the year of 2023 has been prepared and is open to inspection in the office of the assessor from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the following days: Monday to Friday, February 3rd to March 13th, 2023. A bylaw pursuant to section 214 of The Municipalities Act has been passed and the assessment notices have been sent as required.

Any person who wishes to appeal against his or her assessment is required to file his or her notice of appeal with: The Shamrock Board of Revision Secretary Box 490 Foam Lake, SK S0A 1A0 by the 13th day of March, 2023. Dated this 3rd day of February, 2023.

Sonya Butuk Assessor

Acres of Expertise.

Reason

The reasons for the amendments are:

Wade Berlinic (306) 641-4667

Wade.Berlinic@HammondRealty.ca HammondRealty.ca

Phone 306-782-2465,

VILLAGE OF EBENEZER

The Village of Ebenezer is accepting applications for the position of Town Maintenance Person. This position starts on April 15th, 2023. The successful applicant must be able to work alone and without supervision. You must have some knowledge of operating equipment for cutting grass as well as grading the roads. Duties will include but are not limited to:

1. Keeping the grass cut and trimmed around the village and municipal buildings.

2. Minor repairs and maintenance of town equipment.

3. Grading the roads in the summer and cleaning snow off the streets in winter.

4.Reading water meters 6 times a year, as well as any other duties assigned by the Council.

Wage will depend on the experience of the successful applicant. Please submit your resume by email to: village.ebenezer@sasktel.net of by mail to: Village of Ebenezer • Box 97 • Ebenezer, SK., S0A 0T0

GUANG ZHOU RESTAURANT

Now Hiring a Chef / Cook

to communicate with the head chef. Must be able to prepare and cook Cantonese meals, Chinese/ Canadian food, the ability to make Dim Sum is an asset and make appropriate changes to suit the allergy requirements.

From time to time, you will be required to plan menus, makes changes to menu if necessary, estimate food requirements and costs, Inspect kitchens and food service areas, team work and able to supervise kitchen helpers.

Maintain inventory and records of food, supplies and equipment, Clean kitchen and work areas, Manage kitchen operations. Minimum of 3 years of experience required, must have professional training of a cook or chef, must be flexible to work from lunch hours to evenings, weekends.

Business opening hours are 11am-7:30pm, Sundays 8pm. Please email mayliang4965@gmail.com with your resume, qualifications and proof of experiences to apply.

No go for snowmobiles on new trail

By Calvin Daniels Staff Writer

A request from Yorkton Sno Riders to extend the snowmobile trail system in the city to provide access to their new clubhouse on Myrtle Ave., was turned down by Yorkton Council Monday, well sort of.

The Public Hearing on the issue took place at the January 9, regular Council meeting. At that meeting there were no public comments brought forth and no written submissions were received, but the request had been deferred earlier by Council allowing feedback from the Protective Services Committee and CN to be provided.

A Protective Services Committee meeting was held on Thursday, Jan. 19. Prior to the meeting, the Fire Chief received feedback from a CN representative that the proposed route could not be approved due to the inclusion of a new rail crossing, explained René Richard, Director of Engineering and Asset Management with the city.

In light of that feedback, a revised proposed route was developed and presented to the Protective Services Committee for their comments. This new route is contained to legal road

right-of-ways, on City property, or through private property located at 41 York Road. The City has received communication from the Sno Riders indicating they have already received permission from the owner of 41 York Road to groom a trail through the property should Council decide to amend the bylaw, he added.

“During the Protective Services Committee meeting, the revised route was debated at great length,” said Richard.

The main concern expressed during the meeting pertained to the proximity of the revised route to the CN property south of York Road. More specifically, there were concerns expressed that, even though the revised route would be contained in a legal road rightof-way, should a snowmobiler wander away from the trail, it could present a safety concern, offered Richard.

“It should be noted that as part of Administration’s evaluation of the revised route, there is an assumption that snowmobilers would remain on the groomed trail and thus would not be encroaching on the railway right of way,” he said.

As background, Richard at a previous explained the club’s reasoning in requesting the trail

addition.

The trail groomers are stored at the new clubhouse and are currently driving along Myrtle Avenue and York Road to connect to the existing trail system. Additionally, some members utilize their snowmobiles to attend club meetings with no trail access to the new clubhouse. The Club has requested an amendment to the bylaw to allow for a safe trail for snowmobilers to access an area near the new clubhouse across the street to attend meetings, and for the groomers to have a trail access not located along the street.

Councillor Chris Wyatt was not in favour of snowmobile access, suggesting the city only grant groomer access on the proposed route.

“I don’t think we want sleds around the train tracks at all,” he said.

Coun. Quinn Haider agreed. “I’m of the same mindset as Councillor Wyatt,” he said.

Coun. Ken Chyz said the Sno Riders are “upstanding citizens.” Adding he saw no reason to think they would not follow the trail safely.

Ultimately Council moved to amend the route as proposed but only for the groomer operated by Sno Riders, not for snowmobiles.

Brakes pumped on pump track

By Calvin Daniels Staff Writer

Money for a development of a city park behind Columbia School has more than $1 million allocated in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 city budgets, but the project has now been shelved for at least a year.

In 2021, City Council heard public requests for recreational facilities being basketball courts,

and a pump track bike park. The basketball courts were approved in the 2021 Capital budget and thereafter Council heard a request for the development of a pump bike track.

Initially the pump track was estimated to cost $350K but in the 2022 budget $425K was allocated.

The total budget, for the track, two courts, parking and work associ-

General Employment General Employment

VILLAGE OF EBENEZER

The Village of Ebenezer is accepting applications for the position of Water Treatment Plant Operator. This is a permanent half time position which is available immediately. Class 1 Water & Wastewater Certification is required. The job duties include but are not limited to:

1. Treatment of the water as required..

2. Maintenance and minor repair of the Water Treatment Plant.

3. Maintenance and upkeep of the Lagoon and anything else that would involve the day to day operations of the Water Treatment Plant/Lagoon.

Wage will depend on the experience of the applicant. Please send your resume by email to village.ebenezer@sasktel.net or by mail to:

Village of Ebenezer Box 97 Ebenezer, SK., S0A 0T0

Planning on selling some equipment?

Or having a farm auction?

ated with drainage was $1,090,000.

At the Dec. 5, 2022 Regular Council Meeting, the following resolution was made.

That Council directed Administration to:

*Proceed with presenting the design concept of the Columbia Park Development, including the drainage plan, to the Public Open House on December 8, 2022.

*Proceed to tender on Phase 1, which will determine the final construction costs for Phase 1, and report back to Council with the bids, and to obtain direction if the tender price exceeds the approved budget of $1,090,000.00.

*Defer other phases of the Columbia Park Development to future budgets.

But Monday Councillor Quinn Haider was calling for the brakes to be put on the project.

“During budget discussions in 2021, City Council approved funds for a Parks and Recreation Master Plan. This plan will guide the development, delivery, and improvements of parks, sport, culture, recreation programs, and recreations facilities. This plan will help to identify the changing needs and demands of the community and help us to manage these services,” detailed a Notice

of Motion presented by Haider.

“We almost have detailed design of Phase I of the Columbia Park Development complete, and this has been an essential step in determining next steps, however I do not feel that this project should proceed at this time, and therefore would like to revisit direction to proceed to tender,’” stated Haider. “In a time when our residents are facing unprecedented grocery bills and other substantial increases, I feel we need to be more fiscally responsible than ever.

As well, I would like to see what the Master Rec Plan will tell us in regards to how to best meet the rec needs of our city.”

While there was general consensus for delaying the project, there was concern for how long.

Coun. Ken Chyz said he feared if the project was shifted to the backburner it might “totally get forgotten about.”

“How long do we wait?

When do we pull the trigger?” questioned Mayor Mitch Hippsley.

The answer to how long to wait is apparently until deliberations for the city’s 2024 capital budget as that was the amendment attached to Haider’s motion to put tenders on hold.

Maulers go 1-1 in weekend match ups

By Tyson Off Staff Writer

YORKTON – The Maulers played host to the Regina Pat Canadians and the Notre Dame Hounds in back-to-back games held Jan. 28 and 29.

Coming away from the action with a 5-3 loss to the Pat Canadians and a 4-3 shootout win over the Hounds, the 9th place Maulers trail the Prince Albert Pintos by two points in the standings.

In the first game of the weekend match ups, Casey Brown put the Pat Canadians on the board in

the first and was answered a short time later by Mauler Luc Fortier.

The Pat Canadians had a successful second period with Matthew Ronn making use of a power play effort, followed by another goal from Brown and two consecutive goals from the team’s Noah Asmundson.

The Maulers’ Edwarrd Knittig opened up scoring in the third with a power play goal and teammate Jaxon Sperling posted another for the Maulers several minutes later, however, it wouldn’t be enough for the Maulers to

claim the win.

The Maulers had a rough start in their Sunday match versus the Hounds, giving up two in the first to the Hounds’ Aleksandr Skratov and and a power play goal to Carter Hynes midway through the period.

Another power play goal from Skuratov midway through the second and things were looking bleak for the home town team until late in the period, with less than a minute remaining, Edward Knittig put the Maulers on the board during a power play effort.

Knittig would go on to repeat the effort early in the third and teammate Dylan Brass would go on to tie the match with less than a minute remaining.

Knittig was the lone goal scorer of the shootout and earned himself Star of the Game for his efforts.

Blake Sittler was in net for the win, blocking 24 of the 27 shots.

Grady Peterson was net minder for the Hounds with 21 saves against 24 shots.

The Maulers will visit the Prince Albert Mintos on Feb. 4 for their next match up.

Prairie Pride: First-of-its-kind report highlights Sask. transgender community

By Julia Peterson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter (The StarPhoenix)

Prairie Pride is a series by Local Journalism Initiative reporter Julia Peterson that celebrates queer life in rural Saskatchewan. Visit thestarphoenix.com/prairiepride to read more.

Tiberius Fayant-McLeod is tired of the stereotype that transgender people don’t live in Saskatchewan.

“Trans people are here in Saskatchewan, and we always have been, and we always will be,” said Fayant-McLeod. “And it’s about time we started taking care of our trans communities.”

A new report from a research project FayantMcLeod managed is shedding new light on trans life in the province.

The 2022 Trans Sask Community Report, titled “So they know we’re here,” surveyed hundreds of two-spirit, transgender, nonbinary and gender nonconforming people in Saskatchewan.

This is the first research project of its kind to take place in the province, and Fayant-McLeod hopes the findings and recommendations can help make Saskatchewan a better place for trans people to live and thrive.

In particular, the research shows that many trans people want to live in Saskatchewan — and do live here — despite some steep barriers.

Fayant-McLeod, who moved back to the province in 2021, was “pleasantly surprised” to see that part of their own experience reflected in the research.

“This is where a lot of us grew up,” they said. “This is where our friends are. This is where our families

Terriers lose 4-2 to North Stars

By Tyson Off Staff Writer

are. This is my Indigenous land that I am tied to. Many of us want to live here.

“We just need Saskatchewan to catch up, a little bit, with some of the resources that could be really helpful for us.”

Another key finding from the report was that many trans people have a long delay between knowing their true gender, and coming out. Close to half of participants said they came out years — or decades — after realizing their gender, if they came out publicly at all.

“This … delay is often the time during which (two-spirit, transgender, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming) people are most invisible, isolated, and most in need of support,” the report found. “It also speaks to the social and political climate that limits 2STNBGN people from living and expressing themselves openly.”

Respondents also talked about their struggle to get trans-competent medical care.

“Various levels of healthcare continue to exclude and limit access to gender-affirming care with unfair and outdated medical standards, extensive waitlists, prohibitive costs, lists of ‘approved’ doctors, providers’ unwillingness to collaborate with patients, hostile medical environments, and policies and procedures that aren’t transparent or accessible,” the report found.

Fayant-McLeod said access to health care is particularly challenging for trans people living in rural or remote communities.

“The majority of people end up having to come into either Saskatoon or Regina to even get their basic health care,” they said. “And that is a problem for all rural people — not just trans people — but there is an extra burden put on trans and gender-diverse people.

“The waitlists for people coming from rural areas into the cities are just astronomical.”

But, they said, this research and Trans Sask’s other health-care advocacy work also show some hopeful signs for the future.

They think, as doctors learn more about treating trans patients, health-care access will improve.

the findings about the importance of queer, trans, twospirit and nonbinary service organizations stood out.

Many respondents described these local organizations’ services as “life-saving.”

“The organizations that do exist — and there aren’t many in Saskatchewan — are making a big difference in people’s lives,” she said.

Even though the research was conducted in 2021, when many in-person groups and events had been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, respondents said they were able to go online to find the help and support they needed from Saskatchewan-based organizations.

Trans people living in rural Saskatchewan also shared their unique experiences as part of this research project. They spoke about the particular challenges, and unique joys, that come from being transgender outside of the urban centres.

“The research demonstrated how living in a rural setting made some things just that more difficult,” said Loewen Walker.

“When there are already fewer services, or those services are only available in Saskatoon and Regina, it makes it more difficult. But there were great stories of people coming back to Saskatchewan after moving away. People who lived in rural settings shared how they were committed to creating a better future, making it more positive and supportive for the next generation.”

The report ends with dozens of recommendations for how to make Saskatchewan a better place for trans people to live — from health-care providers to educators, organizations, researchers and government officials.

“Saskatchewan has a reputation for being very slow to implement changes,” Fayant-McLeod said. “That was demonstrated by us waiting until 2014 to add gender identity to the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code. But, while we are definitely slow to change, I also feel like it’s sometimes really hard to know where to start, especially for people who might have never thought about the trans people in their lives and in their communities.

“So I wanted to put these recommendations — these starting points — here.”

27.

YORKTON

– The Terriers hosted the Battlefords North Stars at Westland Arena on Jan.

The Terriers’ Greg Nelson opened up the scoring in the first at 5:44, assisted by Tyson Perkins and Cale Strasky. Midway through the period, at 11:39, the North Stars’ Emmet Wurst put one past the netminder followed by two successful power play efforts by Bradley Blake at 13:34 and Kian Bell at 16:02 giving the visitors a two-goal lead heading into the second.

The Terriers wasted no time scoring in the second with Pavel Mckenzie putting another on the

board at 00:58, assisted by Cohner Saleski and Dylan Ruptash. However, it would be the lone goal of the period.

It was a 3-2 game for the better part of the third period. The Terriers pulled goalie Caleb Allen at 18:32 in a last ditch effort to tie the match, but the North Stars’ Kian Bell was able to put one in the empty net at 19:26 resulting in a 4-2 loss for the home team.

Allen blocked 48 of the 51 shots faced.

Josh Kotai was in net for the win, facing 37 shots.

The Terriers will visit Weyburn to take on the Red Wings on Feb. 4 and host the Flin Flon Bombers at Westland Arena on Feb. 8.

For example, Fayant-McLeod said, a doctor may not have realized that if they are able to prescribe hormones to their cisgender patients — for example, prescribing estrogen to a woman entering menopause — they can do the same for transgender patients.

“Hopefully, with more practitioners realizing that they are perfectly capable of administering this care, we’ll be able to decrease those waitlists,” FayantMcLeod said.

For research team member Rachel Loewen Walker,

Now that the report is out in the world, Loewen Walker said these results have left her feeling optimistic — about the richness of trans life in Saskatchewan today, and about how much better things could get in the years ahead.

“Trans people are incredible and joyful and have the potential for such bright futures, with shifts to some of these systemic barriers,” she said.

The Maulers hosted the Regina Pat Canadians and the Notre Dame Hounds in weekend games.

Sturgis Mini-Miracle back to its popular traditions

The Sturgis Kin Club’s Mini-miracle 45th annual telethon will be business as usual with broadcasting live from a gymnasium filled with people.

The Club will host the Mini-miracle with broadcasting a lineup of live entertainment on Feb. 16 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Club members will answer phones, take personal pledges and donations on that day as well as prior

to the event. Donations will also be accepted by e-transfers.

The Mini-miracle event is being held a little earlier than usual due to Telemiracle being held Feb. 26.

The list of entertainers was not posted at the time of publishing.

“This year will be the 45th year that we have hosted the Mini-miracle and are excited that

we are back to hosting it live,” said Daniel Wasylenchuk, Minimiracle chair. “This year if we reach the $20,000 goal it will be marking the club’s total donation of $1 million that included donations from local and surrounding communities throughout the 45 years. We are excited to be back in person to providing live entertainment and raising money

for Telemiracle.

“There will be no Mini-marathon that would have usually been run from Canora to Sturgis sponsored by the Sturgis School but the Preeceville Hospital Bed Push is scheduled to take place earlier in the same day as the Mini-miracle,” said Wasylenchuk, Over the past 40 years the Mini-miracle has raised $947,394 for

Telemiracle.

The first Mini-Miracle was held in 1981 and was originally established to be a different way to raise funds for Telemiracle.

“The talent radioa-thon raised $8,000 and was very well supported,” said Eugene Boychuk, one of the original founding members of Mini-miracle. “The talent competition por-

tion was dropped and we went to an entertainment evening that featured a radio-a-thon. The very first one we hosted was fun, packed full of high energy and has been a success ever since.”.

MAKE PLANS TO

Spend a Day at Sacred Heart

Wednesday, February 8

Registration Night

7:00pm School Tours

MAKE PLANS TO SACRED HEART HIGH SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE

7:30pm Information Session in the Theatre

Wednesday, February 28th, 2018

The biggest change through the years was the significant increase of funds raised each year. Much has stayed the same through the years which include members going to Telemiracle to make the donation presentation and answering phones to take donations on Telemiracle.

The Sturgis Composite School and the Kinsmen joined together in 1984 to create the Minimarathon running from Canora to Sturgis raising funds that were added to the Mini-miracle.

The Preeceville Hospital bed push, which began in 1986, had staff and volunteers pushing a hospital bed from Preeceville to Sturgis, also added to the coffers of the total of the Sturgis Mini-miracle.

The Sturgis Kinsmen and Kinettes underwent a name change a few years ago and are now known as the Sturgis Kin Club, a combination of both clubs.

All grade 8 students in Yorkton & surrounding area are invited to spend a day at Sacred Heart High School

7:00 p.m. School Tours

7:30 p.m. Information Session

The Kinsmen motto is serving the community’s greatest need and some of its greatest accomplishments feature the Trip of the Month fundraiser, the family duck derby and various other fundraisers that all help serve local organizations and individuals. All the funds raised by the Kinsmen are kept at a local level.

The following was taken from the Sturgis history book.

in Theatre

Please call 306-783-3128 to register.

Explore the wide variety of choices and opportunities available to Sacred Heart students. Ask questions. See the classrooms, labs & shop. Visit the art & sports facilities. Learn about our Advanced Placement & French programs. Get the information you need about our unparalleled academic, athletic and extracurricular programming.

All Grade 8 students in Yorkton and surrounding area are invited to join us at Sacred Heart High School’s Open House. Explore the wide variety of choices and opportunities available to Sacred Heart students. Ask questions. See the classrooms, labs and shop. Visit the art and sports facilities. Learn about our Advanced Placement and French Immersion programs. Get the information you need about our unparalleled academic, athletic and extracurricular programming.

Spirit of Faith - Spirit of Excellence - Spirit of Service - Spirit of Fun A School You Can Believe In

The Sturgis Kinsmen Club was chartered as a club in 1956. Its constitution states, “That Kinsmen shall carry on service work within their community.” Some of the Sturgis Kinsmen projects over the years were: equipping the community hall with chairs and tables, the kiddies Christmas show, donations to minor sports, food hampers, building a kiddies park, providing financial aid for the new arena, sponsoring the ice carnival queen, assisting in the July 1 Sports and Rodeo, and numerous other community events.

In 1970, the club was presented the District 3 Efficiency shield. Fiftythree Kinsmen Clubs in the province competed for this shield, which was awarded in recognition of outstanding achievements at the provincial level.

The Sturgis Kinette Club was organized in 1966 with nine members. Over the years they have helped the Kinsmen and contributed to many organizations.

“Believe... Belong... Become”