Category: News

By Matthew Liebenberg

mliebenberg@prairiepost.com

There was a sense of disarray at the Chinook Regional Library (CRL) annual general meeting, but also hope for a renewed focus on providing a library service to the benefit of patrons and staff.

Delegates gathered in person at the CRL head office in Swift Current and virtually through Zoom for the annual board meeting, May 13.

They learned that the organization was without a director due to a decision taken by the board executive and there was no interim director. It soon became evident during discussion that members of the executive had difficulty to work together.

The board executive decided during a meeting on May 2 to dismiss Kathryn Foley as CRL director with immediate effect. It was a termination without cause and negotiations about severance was still taking place.

Board executive members were reluctant to speak in too much details about their decision. At some point a delegate stated “We do need answers” and someone else added “Is there anybody from the executive willing to answer your question?”

Some details did emerge as the discussion continued. It was mentioned that this “very difficult decision” was made after many meetings and in camera sessions. It was noted that some of those meetings went on for almost five hours.

Remarks made by board executive members during the annual meeting reflected their previous inability to find common ground on the issue of dismissal. There was a recorded vote at their May 2 meeting with five voting in favour of dismissal and three against.

An executive member who voted in favour of the dismissal told the annual meeting there was a feeling on the board executive that a change of leadership was the best course for the CRL.

Delegates at the annual meeting raised concerns that the board executive made the dismissal without appointing an interim director. A key issue was whether the CRL application for the annual provincial grant will be accepted without the signature of a director or acting director.

A board executive is elected at the annual meeting and it became an important focus for delegates during the rest of the meeting.

The new board executive is a mix of previous and new members. All were elected by acclamation. Town of Shaunavon representative Brent Michelson, who served on the outgoing board, was elected as the new board chair. Other returning executive members are Mary-Anne McNeney (representing R.M. of Piapot No. 110), Doug Osmond (representing Town of Herbert) and Patrick Simpson (representing Village of Tompkins).

The new members of the board executive are Dustin Heatcoat (representing Town of Leader) and Michelle Pouteaux (representing R.M. of Gravelbourg No., 104).

There are three non-elected members of the board executive who are appointed by the City of Swift Current. They are Rhonda Forster, Larry Kielo and Ryan Switzer.

“I’m honoured by the faith that the region has put into me,” Michelson said during an interview after the annual meeting about his election as new board chair. “I promise to work very hard to try to make this ship a little less rocky and just move forward, because we are there for the betterment of the CRL and our employees are to be commended for how amazing they have done in a very difficult time.”

His immediate focus was to take the necessary steps to ensure that the CRL’s provincial grant application is successful.

“The grant has been submitted to the provincial government already,” he noted. “There are some requirements about it and having an interim or executive director is one of them. So we will be reaching out to the provincial government to say this is our situation. We’re not terribly worried about it, but we want to make sure we’re dotting our i’s and crossing our t’s on this, because we don’t want to put the CRL in a horrible position or do anything detrimental to that. I think we can work with our partners in the provincial government. Our meetings with them before have been very positive.”

Another priority will be the future of the Swift Current Branch Library. This has become an issue after the City of Swift Current indicated last year it is considering the option of departing from the CRL system to establish a municipal library.

“There’s a lot of work to do, but I’m excited for the challenge,” he said. “I’m excited to build the relationships. I’m excited for the direction CRL can go. I’m excited to really cultivate a new path between us and Swift Current. We’ve heard very clearly from the membership through the last year they’re very concerned with Swift Current leaving. I want to sit down and hear what the issues are, where can we meet, what can we compromise on and what can we move forward together with. I’m cautiously optimistic that there’s a path forward here.”

All three City of Swift Current representatives attended the annual meeting. Switzer, who is a City councillor, said after the meeting the City remains committed to listening and no formal decision has been made about the establishment of a municipal library.

“The City has said numerous times that we’re open to having discussions with the Chinook Regional Library,” he mentioned. “Unfortunately, those discussions haven’t really happened yet and I’m looking forward to being a part of them when they do to discuss numerous solutions, opportunities or hybrid models, but just a way for everyone in this great region to work together.”

Contributed

On May 16th, representatives from the Canadian Trucking Alliance and leaders from Teamsters Canada took to Parliament Hill to urge the federal government to act against the ever-growing Driver Inc. scheme. At its core, the scheme involves labour misclassification resulting in employers not offering vacation pay, CPP, EI, or WCB deductions and remittances.

“By misclassifying employees as personal service businesses (PSBs), Driver Inc. companies are funnelling roughly $1 billion of tax revenue into the underground economy each year,” stated Susan Ewart, Executive Director of the Association. “When the companies engaged in this scheme are continually allowed to cut corners, it is all of us as taxpayers that pay the price.”

While the misclassification of employees as PSBs is not exclusive to the trucking industry, CTA estimates that the use of this in the industry scheme has grown by nearly 20% since 2018, in comparison to 1% across other economic sectors.

“Not only does this business model strip employees of their labour rights, but it also creates an unlevel playing field where compliant companies cannot compete,” Ewart added. “Despite commitments from the federal government to enforce labour and tax obligations, we have yet to see these efforts come to fruition. Until more is done on the part of ESDC and CRA, we will continue to see these companies inadvertently rewarded for their non-compliance.”

Courtesy Swift Current Ag and Exhibition Association

The Swift Current Agricultural and Exhibition Association announces the 2023 Frontier Days Parade Marshals – Doug & Maxine Smith. 

It’s that time of the year again, Frontier Days 2023 – Steers & Cheers for 85 years With this being a milestone, we decided to honor not just one, but two parade marshals this year. A wonderful community-inspired husband and wife team, celebrating their 59th wedding anniversary this August… Doug and Maxine Smith. 

Born in the winter of 1939, right here in ‘ole Swift Current, Cecil Doug Smith has been an Honorary Lifetime Member of the Swift Current Ag & Ex since 1986, as well as a member of the Saskatchewan Simmental Association since 1970. His life has been full of farming, horses, sports (as an competitor as well as a coach), and community involvement. He has sat on the Ag & Ex Board of Directors as Vice President in 1982 and President in 1983-84, and was also the Chairman of the Lighthorse Committee from 1972-1990. Doug’s favorite lighthorse event is the Western Reining. 

Doug is an old-school cowboy. He travelled to school in Bigford by horseback every day, with his siblings by his side. Today, Doug lives on his grandfather’s homestead, which was established in 1905. Doug began attending Frontier Days with his grandfather in 1947, back when there was only one barn on the grounds and they slept in tents. Doug’s grandfather organized the first lighthorse show at Frontier Days with only 5 entrants, and the Smith family watched it grow over the years and often competed as well. 

During his life, Doug gained experience in the fields of construction and welding and also became a licensed A.I. technician. Doug strongly believes in the importance of youth, team building, and promotion of agriculture in our community, as demonstrated in groups like 4-H. 

In 1962 at a summer dance in Stewart Valley, a lovely lady in a red dress caught Doug’s eye… At 21, Maxine (originally from Hazlet) entered Doug’s life. Two years later, they were married and have been attending Frontier Days together ever since. Maxine has been a volunteer in various positions with Frontier Days and Doc’s Town, baking and winning trophies for her creations. She was involved with 4-H and the Woman’s Institute. In 1991 she decided to volunteer at the Tea Room in Doc’s Town. Maxine worked for 20 years as a dedicated LPN, travelling the 25 miles through all kinds of Saskatchewan weather to do her shifts every day. Her favorite post was at the Palliser Regional Care Centre. 

Doug and Maxine have raised three sons and one daughter together Mike, Lyle, Carl, and Lori, who have gone on to gift them eight grandkids and four great-grandkids, all of whom enjoy 

Frontier Days as much as Doug and Maxine. These days, Doug and Maxine enjoy family time and are quite content living their best life on the homestead. 

THEY have spent a lifetime giving back to their community, and have this advice to give: Be kind, be honest, be yourself. Work hard and never be afraid to lend a hand. 

Doug and Maxine look forward to seeing everyone at Frontier Days Kick-off Pancake Breakfast with the Burning of the Frontier Days Brand on Wednesday, June 28 at 7:30 a.m. in Market Square – and along the parade route on Friday, July 1 .

Contributed

The following is a synopsis of calls for service for the dates indicated:

MAY-12

8:37 PM – 911 call of a smartphone crash notification. The caller then came on the line and advised that his phone was on top of his truck, fell off and then had been run over, activating the crash notification. Officers were able to speak with the caller and confirmed no emergency was taking place.

8:50 PM – report of a dog being tied to a sign at a residence on the 1000 block of Lorne Street E. The caller did not feel the owners were fit to have the animal. While on the phone call takers could hear voices starting to be raised in the background. Officers attended and advised the dog owner to take the animal inside and the caller was instructed to speak with the City Bylaw Department should they have further concerns for the dog.

20:33 PM – report of two females refusing to leave an establishment on the 200 block of 1st Avenue NE. Officers attended the location. One female had already left prior to their arrival and the other was leaving as police were arriving.

23:09 PM – 911 call of an unwanted female at an establishment on the 200 block of 1st Avenue NE. One of the females from a previous call had returned to the location after being told to leave earlier in the evening. Officers attended the business and the female was issued a ticket for re-entering a licensed premises after being requested to leave under the Alcohol & Gaming Regulations Act. The female was held in police custody until she was sober.

MAY-13

3:45 AM – report of an alarm at an establishment on the 200 block of Central Avenue N. Officers attended the location and confirmed the alarm to be false after ensuring the building was secure.

8:23 AM – report of the caller’s grey Chevrolet Silverado being vandalized sometime overnight while parked on the 1100 block of Bothwell Drive. There are no suspects or witnesses.

8:45 AM – report of property being stolen out of the caller’s storage unit. This matter is still under investigation.

10:09 AM – report of the caller’s ex-husband continually showing up at her residence unannounced. The caller had told her ex previously to stop coming by but has not listened. Police contacted the ex-husband and he was told to stop going over the caller’s residence.

11:48 AM – request to conduct a wellbeing check on the caller’s neighbour who had fallen over on his deck. Officers along with EMS attended the residence where the neighbour was found intoxicated. He had not been injured in his fall and he returned inside his home.

12:05 PM – report of a window on the caller’s black Volkswagen Jetta being damaged sometime overnight while parked on the 200 block of Central Avenue N. There are no suspects or witnesses.

12:20 PM – report of someone trying to break into the caller’s shed sometime overnight on the 1100 block of Riverview Crescent. The caller advised that a window screen had been damaged but the suspect was unable to gain entry into the shed. There are no suspects or witnesses.

1:18 PM – request from EMS to assist with an uncooperative male at the intersection of 1st Avenue NE & Cheadle Street E. Officers attended and located the male, who was intoxicated and returned him home.

1:25 PM – 911 hang up call from a business on the 1100 block of 11th Avenue NE. Officers attended and confirmed no emergency was taking place.

1 :45 PM – report of a break and enter and theft of property from a residence on the O block of 3rd Avenue NE. This matter is still under investigation.

2:06 PM – report of a theft of property from a residence on the 200 block of 9th Avenue NW. This matter is still under investigation.

2:08 PM – report of a suspicious white Cadillac Escalade driving through the caller’s business yard on the 1600 block of North Railway Street W. The vehicle drove into the yard, appeared to look around and then left. Officers made patrols but were unable to locate the vehicle.

2:22 PM – report of a female who left a location on the 2000 block of Saskatchewan Drive and needed to be returned. Officers were able to locate the female outside and she returned to her room without incident.

3:30 PM – report of the caller’s girlfriend e-transfering money to her daughter from his bank account. The complainant was advised to not allow his girlfriend access to his account.

4:19 PM – report of a sudden death at a residence in Swift Current. An 89 year old female was pronounced deceased at

the home. The death has been deemed non-suspicious.

7:50 PM – report of four youth starting a fire in the grass at Riverdene Park. Officers and the Fire Department attended the location. The youth had stomped out the fire prior to their arrival. Police made patrols but were unable to locate the kids.

7:52 PM – report of a black Jeep YJ driving dangerously on Memorial Drive. The caller advised the roof of the Jeep was open and a passenger had put their legs outside of the vehicle while the driver swerved the vehicle from side to side. Police made patrols but were unable to locate the vehicle.

8:02 PM – report of multiple storage units being broken into on the 2000 block of Chaplin Street W. This matter is still under investigation.

MAY-14

3:59 AM – 911 call of a black Dodge Nitro that had crashed into a light standard on the 200 block of South Service Road E. Police attended and found the vehicle unoccupied. Through investigation, officers were able to identify and locate the driver. The driver was directed to provide a breath sample and refused. As a result, the driver was arrested and held in police custody until she was sober. The driver will be charged with Refusal to Comply with an Alcohol Demand and Resist Arrest under the Criminal Code.

9:29 AM – report of the window of a business on the 1100 block of South Service Road E being damaged sometime overnight. This matter is still under investigation.

10:48 AM – 911 call of a collision on the #1 Highway overpass at 11th Avenue NW. The driver of a silver Nissan Rogue had hit the guard rails on the #1 Highway overpass, left the highway, landing on 11th Avenue NW under the overpass. Police attended the scene along with the Fire Department & EMS. The three occupants of the Nissan were injured as a result of the collision and required medical attention. This matter is still under investigation.

12:51 PM – report of the caller’s flatdeck trailer being stolen while parked on the 700 block of Brown Avenue. The trailer is described as a black 2011 30 foot flatdeck load trailer with Saskatchewan licence plate 187 ION. This matter is still under investigation.

7:21 PM – request to attend the caller’s mother’s residence and remove her intoxicated brother from the home. Police attended the residence and the mother did not have any concerns about her son staying at the residence with her.

9:44 PM – report of a white Ford Mustang driving recklessly on 11th Avenue NE, shooting up rocks and doing donuts. Officers made patrols but were unable to locate the vehicle.

SaskEnergy will be conducting controlled natural gas flaring at its block valve site in the RM of Whiska Creek, approximately 10 kilometres northwest of the Village of Ponteix.

The flare ran from May 16-17, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., subject to change based on operating requirements.

Residents and drivers in the area may see a 40-foot flame being emitted from the flare stack temporarily attached to SaskEnergy’s infrastructure.

The flaring is necessary to perform maintenance work on the natural gas line system in the area and supports the safe and reliable delivery of natural gas to SaskEnergy’s customers. During this process, a portion of the gas line will be isolated from the system and natural gas will be removed from the line in a controlled burn called a flare. Flaring is an industry standard practice when natural gas needs to be removed from a line and reduces the carbon footprint of the vented natural gas by 85 per cent.

The area around the flares will be supervised to ensure public safety. Residential natural gas service in the area will not be affected. SaskEnergy has notified the RM of Whiska Creek and the local fire department about this upcoming event.

Contributed

The City of Swift Current is pleased to announce the first of this year’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Days at the InnovationPlex on Wednesday, May 24, from 1-7 p.m.

Collection will take place at the InnovationPlex in the southeast corner of the lower parking lot. Residents are asked to stay in their vehicle and wait for an attendant to unload the items for collection.

All materials must be labelled. A complete list of acceptable hazardous household items is provided on the City website at www.swiftcurrent.ca/hhwd which include:

Chemicals, cleaners

Solvents, corrosives, oxidizers

Aerosol containers

Pesticides, herbicides

Fluorescent light bulbs

Propane cylinders

Batteries (also accepted at the City Recycle Depot) 

Paint (also accepted at SARCAN)

Automotive materials (oil, antifreeze, filters, and containers also accepted at Tune-A-Matic)

Pharmaceuticals (also accepted at local pharmacies)

To find out where to drop off items that are not hazardous, please visit http://www.saskwastereduction.ca

The Household Hazardous Waste Day (HHWD) is open to materials from households only. Commercial and agricultural materials will not be accepted with this program. The next HHWD event is scheduled to take place in the fall; more information will become available as the date approaches.

By Matthew Liebenberg

mliebenberg@prairiepost.com

A showcase of the musical and artistic talents of students at Maverick High School’s coffeehouse and art auction raised funds for two important school programs.

The two-night event took place at the Lyric Theatre in Swift Current, May 3 and 4. It featured 16 students in 15 performances as well as a live and silent auction of artworks.

This was the first time since 2019 that the Through Our Eyes coffeehouse and art auction was held in person. Both nights were sold out and over $23,000 was raised for the school’s outdoor education and visual arts programs.

“It was a fabulous response from the community and I’m just extremely proud of all our students, whether they were performing or serving or greeting or ushering,” Maverick Principal Jayne Nicholson said. “They all just really stepped up and did a fantastic job. It was absolutely wonderful.”

This event had a virtual format for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and there was a lot of excitement about the return to live performances and the actual display of the artworks.

“It was a wonderful thing, just seeing the Lyric buzzing the way it was and the energy in the room,” she said. “And for all the students to feel that too and to know these people came there because they really want to support our school.”

Some students were involved with the previous virtual events, but this was their first experience of a live coffeehouse and art auction.

“It’s wonderful,” Grade 12 student Ashton Giesbrecht said after his debut performance on the first night. “I just said hi to like 10 people back there that I didn’t even know and it’s really bringing the Maverick family together. I’m just very glad to be a part of it.”

He is a big Beatles fan and performed the Ringo Starr song It Don’t Come Easy. Thereafter he played drums in one of the bands and performed a hip-hop song with three other students.

“It was very nerve-racking,” he said about initially going on stage to sing. “I went up there, my palms were sweaty, knees weak, arms were heavy, and I’m just glad that I was able to work up the confidence and get up there and sing my heart out.”

Third year Maverick student Aradyn Norman felt it was a great experience for students to share their talent with the community and to make good memories. She participated in last year’s virtual coffeehouse and singing on stage was different from creating a video performance.

“It’s a lot better being in front of an audience, because you can’t nitpick every single line of your song,” she said “You perform it as is and you hope it all goes well. There’s a little bit more nerves with that, but I think it’s also more rewarding to hear your applause.”

She performed her own song, titled Black Wave, which she wrote for a friend who passed away in a car accident.

“That’s the first time I shared it with the world,” she noted. “It’s a lot harder sharing the song live than it is just with my classmates with dress rehearsal yesterday.”

Grade 11 student Jazmine Pope made her debut as a coffeehouse performer by singing the Luke Bryan song Most People are Good.

“I feel like it was a huge rush for me,” she said. “I really liked the song that I picked for this and it gives a very good message.”

She emceed last year’s virtual concert and she enjoyed the in-person event, because it brought everyone together. She referred to the importance of the coffeehouse for Maverick School.

“It allows our school to do a lot of the things,” she said. “People don’t realize how big of a help this is for our school, because it allows us to do all of our outdoor ed and all the art things that we’re actually auctioning off tonight.”

Music instructors Glenna Switzer and Stacy Tinant were closely involved with the intense preparation for the performances.

Switzer said it is very rewarding as a music teacher to be part with this event. It is one of her favourite things about being an instructor at Maverick and she enjoys putting the bands together. She added that students will never forget their debut at coffeehouse.

“It will stay with them for the rest of their lives and not only how the performances go, but the camaraderie between the students,” she said. “It’s a real team effort and it’s like family. Everybody cheers each other on. It’s really heartwarming to see.”

The experience benefits the students in various ways. Some learn to play a musical instrument and others step onto a stage for the first time to perform in front of a live audience.

“It boosts their confidence and it’s so good for them,” she said. “It shows them that anything is possible with hard work, determination and perseverance.”

Tinant said it felt really good to be back at the Lyric Theatre for a live event after two years of virtual performances.

“We get so much out of the live coffeehouse show,” he noted. “The years when we were virtual were fun and it was very rewarding in its own way, but this is what it’s all about.”

Preparation for the musical performances took place over months. The instructors already got a sense of the potential interest from students to perform when they were playing in the jam room during the first half of the school year. Some students had an opportunity to perform at the school’s Christmas banquet.

“Typically, we start shoulder tapping and telling students to think about songs and performances around January,” he said. “Then when we get back from reading week break in February all of those decisions are made, and from then on it’s rehearsals until the first week of May.”

He noted the intention is to get student involved in the various aspect of presenting this event to the community, whether it is the creation of artworks, the event hosting activities each night or the on-stage performances.

“We want them to get this experience of putting this show together and not only the side of it in which they’re having to do work, but there’s also a side of it of coming together and having an experience with the school,” he said. “I just think that they remember this night more than most things from school, because it is such a big event where they put so much into it and work with all their peers.”

This was the 16th time that Maverick School presented the coffeehouse and art auction to the community. Nicholson felt it boost the self esteem of student in a way that few other activities can achieve.

“This is our event where our students come together and are showcased for the community,” she said. “Otherwise, there’s no other real way to tell people how wonderful these students are and how talented they are.”

She added that the event actually changes the school and the feeling of community at the school, because everyone comes together to create it.

“New friendships and relationships are developed,” she noted. “A sense of community of working together really does carry over into the school after coffeehouse.”

The City of Swift Current, in partnership with the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the Kiwanis Club of Swift Current, is excited to announce that the annual Bike Safety event is set to take place on Wednesday, May 24th at Riverdene Park from 4-7 p.m. The event will feature helmet and bike inspections, safety awareness, fun cycling activities on the Sheldon Kennedy Rink, and great prizes. Participants will also be treated to free hotdogs from 5-6 p.m. 

In addition to the activities taking place on the Bike Safety Course, participants will also be able to try out the NEW Kiwanis Bike Park, located just up the pathway on 13th Avenue Northeast. This unique bike park is designed in the shape of a bicycle, providing both children and adults an opportunity to practice navigating the wheel-shaped paths, and to work on stopping and starting at various stop signs installed throughout the park. The completion of this project is the result of a partnership between the Kiwanis Club of Swift Current and the City of Swift Current to celebrate the Kiwanis Club’s 100th year.

“One of the Kiwanis objectives is to promote youth and provide them with opportunities, and this project does just that, benefiting the youth in our community by giving them something different to do where they can have fun working on their biking skills,” explained Swift Current Kiwanis Club’s Youth Services Co-Chair, Elden Moberg.

The Bike Safety event will follow the Saskatchewan Prevention Institute’s Bicycle Safety Week which takes place May 14th to 20th. The Saskatchewan Prevention Institute emphasizes cycling safety, with the following key points:

• Cycling is an activity that requires skills and behaviours gained through training and practice.

• Cycling-related injuries are preventable.

• The majority of cycling-related injuries can be prevented by practicing safe cycling behaviours, following the rules of the road, and wearing a bicycle helmet.

• One out of every three Saskatchewan children hospitalized with a bicycle-related injury suffers a head injury.

• Helmet use reduces the risk of head injury and brain injury by up to 85%.

• Adult cyclists, parents, and caregivers must model appropriate cycling behaviour for young child cyclists.

The City of Swift Current, Saskatchewan Health Authority and Kiwanis Club of Swift Current would like to thank all event sponsors, community volunteers, and partners for supporting the 2023 Bike Safety event.

For more information on Bike Safety and rules of the road visit www.skprevention.ca/safety.

By Matthew Liebenberg

mliebenberg@prairiepost.com

A Regina-based architecture and design firm will provide the professional consulting services for the project to rebuild Stewart Valley School.

Trustees approved a motion during a regular meeting of the Chinook Board of Education on May 8 to appoint 1080 Architecture, Planning + Interiors as the project team for full design services.

Sharie Sloman, the Chinook School Division’s chief financial officer, provided details about the selection process and next steps.

“Now we’re going to get into the design phase and do some consultation with the community and the students and staff and parents, and get that project moving ahead,” she said. “We’re really excited about it.”

The school building was destroyed by a fire on Aug. 26, 2022. The Chinook Board of Education approved the rebuilding of the school in January 2023 and in March the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education gave approval for the rebuild with insurance proceeds.

Thereafter the Chinook School Division issued a request for proposals for consulting services. There were five submissions and two were shortlisted after a review process. The final decision was made after further evaluations and interviews.

“We were looking at their approach, their experience, had they built schools before, what type of experience did they have,” she said. “We looked at cost. That always comes in anything you’re looking at. We looked at what their methodology would be and we knew we had a tight timeline on wanting to get it build. So just how they were planning to accommodate that and do those pieces.”

She added that the evaluation process also looked at the front-end design for consultation with the school community and what that process would look like.

“We all know there’s money restraints and we can only do so many things,” she said. “But we still want the community to have involvement and the ones that are going to be in the building to have some involvement, and then work around with those constraints to get something build.”

The website for 1080 Architecture, Planning + Interiors lists the company’s involvement with several education projects, including the École Connaught Community School replacement project in Regina in 2017 and the new Legacy Park Elementary School in Weyburn, which opened in October 2021.

According to Sloman the company will provide consulting services during the entire process to build a new school in Stewart Valley.

“They’ll be at the beginning at the design, they’ll be there through the construction and also into the warranty period to make sure things get cleaned up and just assist with things as they go along,” she said.

Key tasks during the initial phase of the process will be the consultation process and the creation of a concept design for the new building.

“Once they go and have the consultation, they will do a rough design or concept of what the new school is going to look and likely have some more consultation,” she said. “I don’t know their process for sure, but likely have some consultation after that is put together, just to make sure they captured as much things as they can and then would go out for tender on that to actually get it build.”

The project’s completion date is set for August 2024 to allow students to start the 2024-25 school year in Stewart Valley.

“We always know that there could be issues like the supply chain and that we won’t be able to make that deadline,” she said. “Some of those things are out of our control, but right at this time we would still be looking at an August 2024 build and if not, then maybe it’s something where classrooms are ready and maybe the gym or something is not quite completed, but the students are able to be back in school.”

Board approves three-year plan for preventative maintenance funding:

The Chinook Board of Education approved a three-year plan for preventative maintenance of school facilities during a regular board meeting, May 8.

The plan details maintenance projects for which the Chinook School Division is requesting funding from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education’s Preventative Maintenance and Renewal (PMR) program for the next three years starting Sept. 1, 2024.

According to Chinook Chief Financial Officer Sharie Sloman the PMR program format is flexible and it allows changes to be made to maintenance planning.

“Each year the Ministry asks us to prepare a three-year plan of what our projects are going to be,” she said. “We just look at our list, prioritize what needs to be done, maybe what supply chains allows us to do, and also realizing most of the work has to be done in the summer. … Things crop up that we may have to change, but based on our plan these would be the things that we’re looking to do in the next three years.”

The replacement of the chiller at Swift Current Comprehensive High School is a key project in the plan.

“The chiller is probably our big one for the next year coming up and just the fact that we have to order that,” she said. “It’s going to take quite a while for that product in the supply chain to get here. … For other ones, I don’t think there’s anything that’s mission critical on those plans, but just doing our due diligence in keeping the maintenance up and making sure everything is in working order.”

Chinook School Division’s annual PMR funding allocation is around $2 million and the usual goal is to carry out at least two projects with the amount available.

“If we have a bigger one, then that might be the only project we look at doing for the year,” she noted. “I think the chiller at the Comp might be a bigger one.”

The PMR program has been a real benefit for the school division, because it offers predictable funding for maintenance of school facilities.

“We’re grateful for the Ministry for the PRM funding,” she said. “It has allowed us to keep up our buildings and we definitely see advantage to them keeping it, which allows us then to keep our buildings in good working order.”

Contributed

As an extra precaution during ball season, the City of Swift Current would like to advise residents and motorists that two roadways will see a speed limit reduction to thirty kilometres per hour (30 km/hr) during the months of May to September:

• A portion of 19th Avenue Northeast near the baseball diamonds, and;

• The roadway within the City Recreation Complex ball diamonds.

Five (5) of the City’s baseball diamonds are located along 19th Avenue Northeast, and there are ten (10) diamonds at the City Recreation Complex. 

To ensure safety of all ball players, volunteers, families, fans, and motorists, the speed limit will be reduced to 30 km/hr on 19th Avenue Northeast from the InnovationPlex North Parking Lot to Laurier Drive. This speed reduction will also include a portion of Bell Street, from 19th Avenue Northeast to the alley.  Signage will be installed for the duration. (see attached map)