Weekly top stories from September 2024 and on
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Jan. 12, 2026
2025 Jansen Citizen of the Year named
submitted by the Village of Jansen
The following is a letter received by the Village of Jansen from someone who nominated Dennis and Louise McBurney, recipients of the 2025 Jansen Volunteer of the Year award.
The recipients of the 2025 Jansen Volunteer of the year award have shown dedication, selfless service, and commitment to community, exemplifying the true spirit of volunteerism.
Long-term Jansen residents, Dennis and Louise McBurney continue to demonstrate just that.
When they moved to Jansen in 1976, they had the intention of staying just a short while but eventually decided to make the community their forever home.
Dennis came to town as the new RM administrator and Louise taught Kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 3 in the Jansen Elementary School, before moving on to Drake a few years later and staying there until she retired. Even today, Louise’s former students love seeing Mrs. McBurney around the community, supporting their hockey games or attending other community events.
Together, as local business owners in the community, they resurrected the Jansen Hotel, drawing in travelers and building a reputation of having some of the best meals around.
Dennis was an integral part of the formation of the Jansen & District Kinsmen Club, and the chartered president in 1978, and later joining the Kinsmen Foundation board for a term.
Additionally, he was secretary/treasurer of the Rec Board and Fire Department.
Louise held a number of positions in the Jansen Kinette Club, as well as was a member of the Jansen Community Club and the manager of the Jansen Housing Authority.
Since retirement Louise has embraced quilting, spending much of her time dedicated to the hobby. Many babies born in and near this community have been gifted a personalized quilt, as well as donations of her quilts have gone to Dance Dynamics, the Saskatchewan’s Cattlewomen’s Golf, Haliburton Community Club, Poker Derbies, Telemiracle, the Jansen Jets, and many other community fundraisers.
Dennis is the maintenance person of the Jansen library, volunteering to help through rebuilding book shelves, painting, or other general maintenance. In return, his only ask is a table reserved there for his puzzling.
The pair both assist with engineering the Christmas ornament balls on the tree at the end of main street: cutting, sanding, and writing for the season greeting board.
As dedicated Jansen Jets fans, the couple has worked the door many times, made posters for the games, and sold raffle tickets.
Overall, whatever is happening in Jansen, it’s almost guaranteed that the couple has had some role in it. They have consistently organized or assisted in community events, and their combined contributions have had an immense and timeless impact on our village and community. Both individually and together, the efforts of Dennis and Louise McBurney have encouraged spirit and highlighted the importance of community involvement.
Jan. 5, 2026
Tinsel for Tots Sports Dinner a big success
Daniel Bushman
Coming together for a good cause, the community of Lanigan and surrounding area not only raised nearly $39,000 for the new Lanigan Daycare expansion project, but had a great time in doing so as part of this year’s Tinsel for Tots Sports Dinner.
Despite it being very cold outside, many attended the event at the Lanigan Town Hall Dec. 6. Vice President of the Lanigan Daycare Board and Expansion Committee Organizer Katelynn Psovsky said, “Businesses and individuals in Lanigan and surrounding communities donated some amazing items for our auctions. We also received monetary donations, which were greatly appreciated.”
With the doors opening at 4:30 p.m. and supper an hour later, the 2025 Tinsel for Tots Sports Dinner featured offensive coordinator Marc Mueller of the Grey Cup winning Saskatchewan Roughriders along with Luc Mullinder, a Roughrider alumnus, and Rod Pedersen, the former voice of the Roughriders. Psovsky said it was special being able to have all three in attendance, especially after Saskatchewan recently won the Grey Cup. “It was fun to listen to Rod and the Riders talk about this season and past seasons. They had some great stories.”
Following the program, a live auction was held to raise funds for the daycare with the band 40 oz. Philosophy concluding the evening. “The Riders and local band 40 oz. Philosophy were so great. It was nice to get the community together to visit, dance, and raise money for a great cause.”
Continuing to raise money for the daycare expansion, following close to $39,000 raised from the Tinsel for Tots Sports Dinner, Psovsky said, “We are doing very well with fundraising and along with a few small local grants are close to $100,000 since spring 2025.”
With more initiatives planned for 2026, Psovsky noted they are also currently helping the Lanigan Legion conduct its Chase the Ace. “Draws are every Wednesday and you can purchase tickets at Jax Salon, Long Lake Insurance, or Bryx Liquor. You can also inquire about purchasing tickets from Legion members or daycare members.”
As for the building itself, after officially breaking ground in June 2025, progress has steadily continued. With a target completion date of April 2026, once built, the multi-million dollar 90 space facility will allow for more families to utilize the daycare. “It is coming along very well. They are currently starting to drywall and we are in the process of picking paint colours and ordering appliances.”
Being built where the former tennis courts and swimming pool were located, once completed, Psovsky said the new centre will be a huge benefit to the community. “Lanigan has needed a new daycare for a very long time. We have had a long waitlist with a lot of families waiting for childcare. There are a lot of new developments happening around our community and this childcare centre will help support parents to be able to join the workforce.”
As the group looks forward to seeing the facility open in 2026, Psovsky is extremely grateful to all of the local businesses and individuals who have been supporting the project. “We greatly appreciate it!”
Dec. 22, 2025
Recruiting continues in Lanigan
Daniel Bushman
Hoping to see some stability in the new year with an eventual goal of having services available for the public around the clock, recruitment efforts continue for hospitals in Lanigan and Watrous.
While there is some optimism in Watrous as two physicians are slated to arrive in February, in Lanigan, as the community constructs housing for its physicians, the town was notified that one of its current doctors will be leaving.
With funding available for three physicians, following the departure of one doctor in August while another one arrived in October, when Dr. Askari departs in the new year, Saskatchewan Health Authority’s (SHA) Holly Srochenski, Director of Primary Health Care for the area shared that will leave Lanigan with one full-time physician and one nurse practitioner.
Working to get locum coverage in Lanigan while SHA tries to add more physicians, Srochenski said the community continues to use the virtual physician program. “For example, on Dec. 16, we ran 24 hours with the virtual physician program. I encourage people in Lanigan to check because we can be offering emergency services 24 hours a day if and when the virtual physician program is available to us. We have moved from the 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. services that we were at and have tried to expand our services by using the virtual physician program.”
If residents want to see if there are any service disruptions to local facilities, SHA now provides information on its website: http://www.saskhealthauthority.ca/news-events/service-disruptions
With daily updates on current and upcoming (within 24 hours) temporary disruptions of emergency services at SHA facilities across the province, SHA indicated disruptions to emergency services of any length are posted and will also be reflected on individual facility and location pages. “The new service disruption notification system allows community members to check and see if emergency rooms are open or not.”
Frustrated with the situation in his community and the lack of physicians, Lanigan Mayor Tony Mycock said, “We had known Dr. Askari was leaving for about a year and now we have no replacement. I talked with the Minister of Health a week ago and was informed the next intake from the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA) program is not until July. That is really our only way to bring in new full-time physicians.”
Sharing the new doctor who arrived in October is doing great, Mycock understands locum coverage is being secured but added “this is definitely not where we want to be. We are doing everything we can as a community to support our doctors including building another house to serve a full compliment of doctors. We will have this house built and will anybody be able to use it?”
Since becoming mayor six years ago, Mycock remains disappointed that the situation in Lanigan has not improved. “I know we are not the only community to be dealing with this but my number one priority is Lanigan and I want to assure everyone I will keep doing what I can and keep lobbying to get to where we need to be. The situation is just concerning because we are growing and there is so much going on in the area. People need to be able to go to a doctor.”
Hoping to have less disruptions while securing more physicians in 2026, Srochenski did note that Central Parkland Lodge has been very stable with no staffing gaps in Lanigan and the acute care nursing staffing at both Lanigan and Watrous hospitals has been stable. “That has settled and we are not on disruptions because of nursing gaps.”
Mycock said, “I want to thank all of the staff at the hospital and Parkland Lodge for all they do to keep things running as best as they can. We have great people in place and we appreciate each and every one of them.”
As Lanigan waits to see full-time physicians added to its hospital, in Watrous, locum physicians had been secured over the past few months with the expectation that two full-time doctors will be arriving in February. After losing three of its physicians in summer, Watrous was able to bring in one full-time doctor along with some temporary help.
Srochenski shared since fall Watrous has been utilizing the services of one primary health care physician and nurse practitioner while adding three locum physicians. “They have been helping and assisting in the clinic, in the ER and with acute care to have services open.”
Srochenski noted the current setup will continue until February when two new physicians are expected to be in Watrous. “We are anticipating their arrival for the beginning of February which will mean we will have three full-time primary health care physicians along with a nurse practitioner.”
Happy that two new physicians will be coming to the town, Watrous Mayor John Gunderson said, “I have been in contact with them and we have luckily found some accommodations for them which can be tough to get these days.”
With plans to augment a fourth provider, another nurse practitioner was also hired in October and is home-based out of Imperial. “We have also been utilizing the virtual physician program to ensure that we have the least amount of service disruptions as possible. We haven’t been disrupted lately, which has been great.”
To maintain services in Watrous, at the hospital’s lab, Srochenski said Point-of-Care Testing has also been implemented. “This allows nurses to run some testing so that even if there is no CLXT on call, the emergency room can remain open with the use of Point-of-Care Testing.”
A program which has been rolled out across province, Srochenski shared Watrous has been accessing it over the last couple of months. “It has already been used and the ER was not disrupted.”
While SHA has been able to recruit physicians and bring in programs to help alleviate service disruptions in Watrous, one area that it continues to seek help is at the long term care facility. Forced to temporarily close some of the beds at Manitou Lodge, Srochenski said that has been due to a lack of Continuing Care Assistants (CCA). “We were slowly trying to reopen some of the beds but we need more CCA staff in order to do that. If people would like to apply for that position or know of someone who would, they can drop off their resume with the manager.”
The Town of Watrous along with Carlton Trail College have also joined forces to try and offer a CCA program for interested applicants. “We are actively posting and recruiting a number of CCA positions, so that we can safely re-open the beds as soon as possible.”
In discussions with Carlton Trail College, Gunderson shared training will be offered for CCA in September 2026. With college locations in Humboldt, Watrous and Wynyard, Gunderson said if there is not enough applications in Watrous to warrant a class, students could connect via zoom for the classroom part of the training and for the lab portion, someone would come out to the community. “It is some time away yet but also good news that we have something on the forefront.”
In an effort to attract CCA applicants, Gunderson noted the Town of Watrous along with some surrounding municipalities have agreed to cover 50 per cent of the training costs for up to six CCA positions. “Hopefully between now and September we can have some recruits.”
In the meantime, Srochenski is pleased to see a pair of physicians on the way for Watrous in the new year. “I think knowing that two new physicians are coming has been exciting for the staff and the clinic and it will help to stabilize services. Once they arrive in February, the anticipation is to reopen fully.”
Seeing some positive things develop, Gunderson said, “We have worked hard to collaborate with both the Ministry of Health and SHA to try and get to where we are going to be in the next couple of months. Hopefully as we get there, we will be in good shape for the next while.”
Continuing to focus on recruiting to positions that need to be filled, Srochenksi said the gaps experienced are not just in Lanigan and Watrous but throughout the province. “Unfortunately there are staffing challenges as they ebb and flow. We just continue to recruit to positions we know need to be filled. If there are people looking for employment at any of our departments, we encourage people to apply and bring resumes to managers.”
Understanding the frustrations from residents of the communities and surrounding areas, Srochenski said, “I want to thank the communities for being very patient as we have worked through this but overall I think things are looking very positive.”
Dec. 15, 2025
A visit with a music icon
*photo courtesy Rick Elvin
Daniel Bushman
It has been a remarkable career for multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer Todd Kerns, who spent part of his youth in Lanigan. Touring the globe, playing to sold out audiences and sharing the stage with some of the biggest names in rock, later this month Kerns is returning to the prairies.
Looking forward to playing at TCU Place in Saskatoon Dec. 29 with his Canadian band TOQUE, Kerns who was recently in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Czech Republic and Italy graciously took some time out of his busy schedule to share about his time in Lanigan, some career highlights and his upcoming show.
Do you have fond memories of growing up in Lanigan?
The fondest! My family relocated back to Saskatchewan when I was 13. I was born in Estevan and we immediately moved to northern Manitoba. None more northern. Lynn Lake to be exact.
I feel very fortunate to have landed back in Saskatchewan in Lanigan. It feels like within mere days I suddenly found myself playing in a band with Sanford Greve, Glenn Nowoselski and Mel and Jeff Lutz.
If I hadn’t found myself in Lanigan in that moment in time who knows what would have come of me.
How long did you live in Lanigan for?
They were very important years, Gr. 9 to 12. It sounds much more brief than it was. A lot happens in that transition from boy to…not as much of a boy.
I was playing in a band every weekend while my friends were working at gas stations or bagging groceries.
All these years later I’m still doing pretty much the same thing.
I returned to Lanigan all the time as my family remained there until my parents retired to the big city but after high school I went on a quest for the big city which got bigger and bigger as the quest went on.
When did you know you wanted to make music a career?
From very early on actually. Probably staring at Beatles and KISS album covers started all that.
Once I started playing in a proper working band there was no other path for me. We played high school dances every weekend all over Saskatchewan. From there it was on to bars then on to everything else.
Were there some people from Lanigan that helped you with that or encouraged you along the way?
Of course. All the people I mentioned above. I’ve managed to keep in touch with most of them all these years. It’s a shared history that binds us forever in a way. They are still some of the most talented people I know and certainly the kindest.
How rewarding has your career been for you?
To be honest I could never have envisioned any of this. I always say being from Lanigan I could barely imagine being in Saskatoon or Regina. Somewhere where there was a ‘scene’. I couldn’t possibly wrap my head around Toronto or Vancouver even. Let alone London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Milano, Berlin, Tokyo, Moscow, Tel Aviv and so much more which I’ve also been fortunate enough to have played music.
It is all a dream and I am grateful for it every day.
Have you been able to make it back to Lanigan over the years?
Not nearly enough these days. The only family I have there are the Brookbanks, who I love dearly. Paula and Murray are my aunt and uncle while Leigh is my cousin. Leigh’s brothers Wade and Sheldon, both former NHL players, live in Chicago. They are far more famous than I.
There are still people I knew as a kid there. People I grew up with. People I went to school with. They are faces on Facebook now.
Someday I should just bounce over from a Saskatoon gig with an acoustic guitar to play the Lagana, if it’s still there!
I know there are a lot of highlights for you over your career but would you have a couple you could share?
There are many. Being able to see all the cities I mentioned above is a big part of it. Getting to be on stage with guys from Guns N Roses, KISS, Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, and Alice Cooper have all been a dream come true.
One of my favourite experiences is playing at the old Centennial Auditorium in Saskatoon with Slash several years ago. That was where I saw my very first ever rock concert when I was a kid. It was 1983 I think. Loverboy with a young upstart named Bryan Adams opening.
To stand on that stage and look out at the seat I had sat in all those years before felt like a manifestation of something bigger than I could have ever imagined.
How has this past year gone for you and what have you recently been up to?
This year we finished the fifth record I’ve recorded with Slash. We’ve been playing together for 15 years in Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators.
I just got home from a solo run that took me through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Czech Republic and Italy. I am constantly running around the world playing music.
I played earlier this year at the playoffs in Edmonton with TRIUMPH which is a HUGE deal for a Canadian musician. We are working on future plans playing together with Rik, Gil and Mike in a celebration of TRIUMPH’s music.
Of course my Canadian band TOQUE continues to rock. We started as a fun tribute to Canadian classic rock. Canadian guys playing in international acts that grew up on great Canadian rock.
This summer we toured with Def Leppard. Next year promises to be even bigger. Recently I was playing in Vegas with Bruce Kulick from KISS at KISS Kruise Vegas featuring, of course, KISS.
Life continues to surprise with gift after gift. I am one lucky guy.
When are you coming home to Saskatchewan to play?
We are very excited to have TOQUE finally returning to Saskatoon. Cory Churko, our guitar player, is from Moose Jaw so we both have very deep Saskatchewan roots.
We’ll be ringing in the new year early on Dec. 29. TOQUE always likes to make sure we play the prairies at the coldest time of the year.
Are you looking forward to it?
I am so excited for it. Saskatoon was where I saw all of my first shows. Sneaking into the A4 on 2nd Ave. at 14 years old to see Orphan and other national touring acts as well as big concerts like Loverboy, Adams, etc. as well.
All of my rock and roll roots were grown right there on the streets of Saskatoon.
Is it special to come back?
It really is. The best thing about TOQUE has been a real focus on returning to where we all came from. The prairies have been incredibly good to us. Just as they were so good to us 30 plus years ago.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
As a small town Canadian kid who was ridiculous enough to dream so big it always feels so good to return to the terra firma you came from.
Like I say I would love to return to Lanigan some time and play. The last time I set foot in Lanigan Central High School was 1986 I think, that’s soon to be 40 years.
A big part of my heart is still in Lanigan. The Age Of Electric rehearsed in a space on Main Street in 1989 before setting out for the next 10 years making records and memories.
There is so much history for me there. So much so that had I not been fortunate enough to call Lanigan home I don’t think any of my dreams could have been fulfilled.
I hope to be lucky enough to shake every hand in town again someday.
Dec. 8, 2025
Lanigan and District Food Bank grateful for support
Daniel Bushman
Through support and generosity from the community and surrounding areas, despite an increase in costs for food and goods, the Lanigan and District Food Bank has been tremendously grateful for the response it has received over this past year.
With the holiday season approaching, Chairperson of the Lanigan and District Food Bank Kathy Williams said in 2025 numbers remained fairly stable with around 31 hampers distributed per month to approximately 105 adults and children.
“The biggest concern from our patrons right now is the cost of groceries as some items have increased exponentially,” she said. “Food insecurity is growing quickly and per month, we have allocated approximately $3,600 to help cover the hampers.”
In addition to the regular hampers handed out, each Christmas the local food bank provides a special hamper for those in need. In partnership with the Jansen and District Kinettes who supply toys for children receiving a special hamper at Christmas, Williams said, “We ask that families and individuals requesting a Christmas hamper call 306-360-7778. We will be getting the hampers ready to be picked up at the food bank located at 40 Downing Drive in Lanigan between 2 and 4 p.m. on Dec. 15, 16 and 17.”
Williams said those special hampers at Christmas and the ones handed out during the year would not be made possible without the generous support of the community. “We have had numerous donors, organizations, people, schools and churches all lend a hand during this past year and leading up to the holiday season.”
Through the support received by the food bank, Williams provided a number of highlights which include:
• Tucker Eichorst once again canvassed the community of Jansen for food donations during Halloween and donated them to the food bank;
• the Knights of Columbus donated over $3,000;
• the Co-op ‘Fill the Semi’ campaign had proceeds split between the Humboldt and Lanigan food banks. Participating Co-ops and banks included Midway, Humboldt/Lanigan, Lake Lenore, RBC, Conexus and Affinity Credit Union;
• local churches within the area volunteered to help fill Christmas hampers;
• local schools helped provide items through donations and food drives;
• gardeners dropped off produce as it became available and the food bank was grateful to provide fresh produce;
• Church of Christ ‘Care for Humanity’ in honour of Felix Manalo donated a huge amount of boxed foods;
• churches set up food bins to accept donations; and
• an annual Kathy MacDonald Christmas hamper food drive at Conexus Credit Union in Lanigan has been tremendous with the fourth annual event taking place in 2025.
In addition to donations received throughout the year, with help from the community, Williams added the food bank was able to move back into its space by the post office in March. During the non-profit organization’s annual general meeting later in the year, the food bank welcomed some new faces to the board as Karen Craven and Cindy Ekstrom were appointed as directors and Williams as the chairperson.
Along with some new faces to the board, earlier this year a celebration was held for founding director Pastor Ric Johnson as he was nominated and received the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his tireless work on establishing the food bank over 25 years ago.
The Lanigan and District Food Bank also received its Standard of Excellence accreditation from Food Banks of Canada with Systems Bright from Saskatoon coming on board to help wrap it up.
Williams noted the School Breakfast and Lunch Program was very well received as the food bank provided simple high protein breakfast and lunch items like cheese strips, yogurt and toast. And the local food bank was one of 65 communities receiving Nutrien’s 65 Community Grant.
“We are so very thankful for our donors’ gracious hearts as we could not provide this service without them. We, the board take that stewardship very seriously and strive to do the best job possible in distributing food to residents of Lanigan and surrounding areas. Please continue to give, we truly need and value your support!”
If people would like to contribute toward the annual Christmas hampers, monetary donations can be mailed to: Lanigan and District Food Bank, Box 307 in Lanigan, Sask. S0K 2M0. The non-profit organization also accepts e-Transfers to laniganfoodbank0@gmail.com and if people have questions, concerns, or want to make arrangements for donations, they can call 306-360-7778 and leave a message.
Dec. 1, 2025
Aspen Power Station project making progress
Daniel Bushman
Nearing the project’s halfway mark, Aspen Power Station near Lanigan continues to take shape. Not only has the construction process remained on target since it started in 2024 but the approximately $1.7 billion project itself has generated hundreds of millions of dollars for local and provincial businesses.
With $558 million committed to 189 Saskatchewan businesses including $263.5 million to 21 Indigenous-owned businesses and $29.5 million to nine women-owned businesses, Sean Wilson, Legislative Secretary for the Minister Responsible for SaskPower said, “The Aspen project is well underway, and we have already exceeded the procurement targets that were set. This was made possible because all the construction contracts went to Canadian companies and 18 of 19 contracts went to Saskatchewan companies. Every effort has been made to ensure local opportunity and local investment.”
Putting a primary focus on local, Vice President Engineering and Construction for SaskPower, Ryan Neufeld said, “We are really proud of our local spend but also proud of our Indigenous investment. This is a record for any (SaskPower) plant and we are double our target list. Women-owned business is a new target that SaskPower has incorporated in our assessment piece and we are on target to exceed those on everything.”
Planning to see the Aspen Power Station operational by the end of 2027 with close to 25 permanent employees at the facility once it is finished, currently on average, 550 workers are on site each day. That number will rise come Spring 2026 as it is expected to reach a peak of 700 workers during the construction phase.
To date, Wilson said those workers have accumulated more than 1.34 million hours on the job and materials used so far have included more than 1,300 piles, more than 10,000 cubic metres of concrete, more than 3,200 tonnes of steel, 62.5 kms of pipe and over 800 kms of cable.
As part of the substantial amount of materials already used, SaskPower noted more than 80 percent of all equipment and materials have been delivered to site, including the steam turbine, steam turbine generator (STG), and the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG). The gas turbine and gas turbine generator (GTG) are set in place within the building while 16 large cranes (including one weighing 660 tons) are on site moving materials and helping with the vertical construction of buildings.
With the bulk of the materials procured locally, Neufeld said while there are specialty pieces like the turbine and generator which were made in Germany, the project leaders are doing what they can to keep the rest as local as possible. “It is not just looking for what is available now but we are actively working on opening up new streams. That is something our procurement department is doing all the time to see what we can do to build locally, source locally and that is partnering with the companies that we have.”
Along with supporting local procurement, Project Manager for Aspen Power Station Riley Chesterton shared the group have also donated nearly $70,000 back to communities within the area for things like charitable events, sports teams, minor hockey, and golf tournaments.
Neufeld added they also held a fundraiser for United Way celebrating a safety site milestone with over 1.3 million hours. “It was an acknowledgment of that but also a fundraiser for the United Way campaign.”
With a lot of effort invested not only on the construction side of the project but supporting and building local businesses, Neufeld said the Aspen Power Station remains on target and also has come in under the final target price. “You look around the world at some of the projects that are ongoing and that has been a challenge. This project is going at an unprecedented time for energy demand across North America. The price of everything is up and we are quite proud we have been able to keep it within that price.”
As a 370-megawatt (MW) combined-cycle turbine natural gas facility, once completed, Aspen will be similar to SaskPower’s Chinook and Great Plains power stations, with the added feature that it can also operate in simple-cycle mode. This will provide added flexibility to ramp up quickly to meet sudden spikes in electricity demand.
Wilson said, “When the project is completed the 370-megawatt (MW) station will provide enough energy to power a city the size of Saskatoon. It will also play a vital role in our province’s power grid now and for decades to come.”
Nov. 24, 2025
Lazers win fourth consecutive provincial title
Daniel Bushman
It is a feat that is truly remarkable and a legacy that will be forever remembered at Lanigan School and within the community. After capturing three straight senior girls volleyball provincial titles in 2022, 2023, and 2024, the Lanigan Lazers set out to make history.
Not only looking to become the first team in Lanigan to win four straight provincial titles but the first in the history of Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association’s (SHSAA) 3A girls volleyball since the introduction of rally point scoring in 1999, the Lazers began its quest.
Setting a goal of making it to the final and winning it, the group competed in six regular season tournaments and three playoff tournaments. With Conference action in Watrous, Regionals in Osler and Provincials in Maple Creek and Gull Lake, the Lazers went to work and never looked back.
“This group of athletes kept improving as the weekends went on,” shared coaches Haley Wagar and Barb Klapak.
Marching through Conference and Regional play where they won both, Lanigan earned a berth to 3A Provincials. In a pool with Unity, Carnduff, Delisle and Maple Creek, the Lazers first opponent was Carnduff. On the court at noon Nov. 14, the team won in three sets (25-18, 23-25, and 15-9).
With a 1-0 record, Lanigan then faced Maple Creek and continued its dominance with set wins of 25-6 and 25-12. Undefeated at 2-0, the Lazers played a 5 p.m. game against Delisle and swept the team 25-10 and 25-16 to wrap up day one at 3-0. On the court Saturday, Nov. 15 against Unity, the Lazers lost a close opening set 26-24 before taking the next two 25-6 and 15-9.
With a 4-0 record through pool play, the Lazers collected the number one seed and took on Valley Christian Academy in the 3A girls provincial quarter-final. Taking a 25-15 opening set win, Lanigan advanced to the semis with a 25-8 second set victory. Meeting Kipling who was 3-1 in its pool, the Lazers remained focused and won the first set 25-20. After another close second set in which Kipling won 25-21, the Lazers persevered with a 15-5 win in set three to punch its ticket to the provincial final.
Matching up against a strong Fort Qu’Appelle team, who was also 4-0 in its pool, the provincial final proved to be a close one. Dropping the first set 25-18, Lanigan rallied in the second to earn a 25-23 victory and forced a deciding third set. In that one, the Lazers utilized its experience and pulled away to win 15-4, earning its fourth consecutive provincial gold while making history.
Sharing how surreal it felt to win a fourth straight 3A senior girls volleyball provincial title, Wagar and Klapak said, “This year’s championship was a battle in every match. We had two of our pool play games go to three sets and our semifinal and final. There were so many close games between several of the teams and winning those third sets always brought a little more excitement to the game.”
Extremely proud of their group, like the championship winning ones before them, Wagar and Klapak shared seeing the determination and excitement in the girls is always rewarding. “This group of athletes kept improving and they played their best volleyball in Maple Creek during provincials. The team rose to the occasion as there was additional pressure having the number one seed and a four-peat on the line.”
With excitement from the team, families and those in attendance at the provincial final, back home in Lanigan the cheers were also loud. “Our school community is always so super supportive and helps out whenever needed. We had so many community members watching the provincial tournament online as well. During the senior hockey game in Lanigan, updates and scores were announced as our final ended up being three and a half hours behind schedule.”
Looking forward to adding another banner in the new Lanigan School gymnasium, the coaches said, “We are really excited for the team and want to congratulate our three Gr. 12 athletes, Callie Chernishenko, Jenevieve Melin and Raea Wildeman, who finished their high school volleyball careers with three provincial gold medals, one every year!”
This year’s Lanigan Lazers provincial winning team included: Kinley Wilson (1), Raea Wildeman (2), Tegan Widaiko (4), Erica Knudsen (5), Tamia Kiefer (6), Aly Stroeder (8), Naomi Hamilton (9), Callie Chernishenko (10), Jenevieve Melin (11), and Jessalyn Chernishenko (13). Head coach was Haley Wagar and assistant coach was Barb Klapak.
Nov. 17, 2025
Recipients receive RCHA bravery medals
Daniel Bushman
For their acts of bravery, 16 people were honoured during this year’s Royal Canadian Humane Association (RCHA) bravery medal ceremony Oct. 17 in Regina. With the RCHA’s mission to recognize such deeds of heroism by Canadians in civilian life through their alertness, skill and concern, save or attempt to save a life, especially where those actions lie outside the ordinary duties of the person involved, nine of the 16 recipients to receive the honour were in attendance for the occasion.
This year the medals were presented by Her Honour the Honourable Bernadette McIntyre, Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan. Nominated recipients recognized for their brave acts included helping at a two vehicle collision near Guernsey, rescuing a person from Last Mountain Lake, saving lives during a house fire in Ile-a-La-Crosse, saving lives at a house fire in Maple Creek, jumping into a slough to try and save people in a submerged vehicle near Langham, saving a young boy who had fallen through the ice at Sucker River, and helping a disturbed individual outside St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon.
Two of the instances where people were recognized for their heroism occurred within the local region, one just east of Guernsey and the other at Last Mountain Lake. The following includes details of the pair of instances and were obtained from RCHA – Saskatchewan Branch’s Facebook page:
During the afternoon Aug. 1, 2022 on Hwy. 16, just east of Guernsey, Dexter Smith was driving with his mom, Janna Smith, and brother, Austin. They came upon a two vehicle collision, a SUV on its driver’s side in the ditch and the other vehicle on the highway. They ran to the SUV which was smoking and Janna called 911 emergency. The SUV driver was alive but trapped inside with the steering column pressing against his legs. The other vehicle was upright and the two occupants were checked. The driver had no pulse and the elderly woman was in pain but no visible injuries. Suspecting neck and head injuries she was not moved until EMS arrived.
William Rodwin was driving westbound on Hwy. 16 from the Jansen mine back to Saskatoon when he came across the collision. He noticed smoke coming from the SUV and then flames starting to ignite. Being a volunteer fireman he knew that the driver from the SUV had to be extracted as fire now broke out and was spreading quickly. The 911 operator gave permission to remove the driver from the SUV. Working together, Dexter and William decided that the only way to get the driver out was through the sunroof. The glass was broken which allowed William to hold the driver by his shoulders. Dexter reached in through the broken windshield to unpin the driver’s trapped feet and legs. The fire was getting bigger and hotter but Dexter managed to free the driver’s legs. He then went around and together with William they pulled the driver out, away from the burning SUV and to safety.
Shortly after that, the Lanigan Fire Department arrived and put the flames out but the SUV was now completely engulfed and was destroyed by the fire. Dexter and William talked to calm the driver until the police and EMS arrived and took over dealing with the driver and the female passenger from the other vehicle. STARS air ambulance showed up to transport the injured. Later Dexter noticed that some of his clothing had been singed by the fire.
If it were not for the quick actions of the three people, the driver of the SUV would have perished in the fire.
For saving a life during a motor vehicle accident while on fire the RCHA silver medal for bravery is awarded to William Rodwin.
For saving a life during a motor vehicle accident while on fire the RCHA silver medal for bravery is awarded to Dexter Smith.
For the assistance in saving a life during a motor vehicle accident the RCHA Honorary Testimonial is awarded to Janna Smith.
On Aug. 15, 2023 at approximately 1:30 p.m. at Last Mountain Lake, Regina RCMP responded to a call from a concerned mother who reported that her son had stopped taking his medication, was delusional and ran away. Police members located the male and told him he was under arrest under the Mental Health Act. The male took off on foot, the police gave chase but unfortunately lost him. Police Dog Services (PDS) was called to help in the search of the male and officers canvassed the immediate area where the male was last seen. At approximately 5 p.m. the male was spotted but disappeared down a trail. PDS Sgt. McClarty and his police service dog, Hawk, entered the trail. The male was located by Hawk in some bushes whereby he walked waist deep into the lake. The male refused to listen to Sgt. McClarty’s requests to come to shore and that he was there to help. The male continued out towards the boat launch at Regina Beach, swimming towards the middle of the lake.
Sgt. McClarty tied Hawk to a rock on shore and advised other officers to request fire and negotiators to the scene. An onlooker from the yacht club came and drove Sgt. McClarty and another officer out to the lake alongside the swimming male. Two more boats also joined trying to convince the male to get into the boat, but he wouldn’t listen to commands. One of the members offered him a life jacket which he took but continued to swim towards the middle of the lake. The male abandoned the life jacket and it was thought he was going to drown. The depth at this point of the lake was between 30 to 40 feet deep. Sgt. McClarty and Cst. Donna Davies removed their duty kit, jumped in the lake not knowing what dangers there were. They tried to lift the male into one of the boats; however, he still refused any help.
The male was not violent but would not get on the boat despite being provided help. The officers swam alongside the male for awhile before returning to their boat and provided the male with another life jacket. He proceed to swim across the lake and made it to the other side where the water depth was about five feet. The male was still hallucinating and it was imperative that the male needed to be removed from the lake before he hurt himself or potentially hurt police members when it became too dark. The male was starting to move back into deeper water and immediate action needed to be taken. Sgt. McClarty, on his boat, closed in, jumped off and landed in the water grabbing onto the male. Sgt. Jeffery Ball and Cst. Davies jumped into the water and assisted in bringing the male into custody. The male was dragged onto the shore, at this time he had given up and appeared to be completely exhausted. Other members who were on shore waded into the water to assist in lifting the male out. The male was turned over to EMS and later admitted to hospital
For putting his life in extreme danger in preventing a life from drowning the RCHA bronze medal for bravery is awarded to Sgt David McClarty.
For putting her life in extreme danger in preventing a life from drowning the RCHA bronze medal for bravery is awarded to Cst Donna Davies.
For putting his life in danger in preventing a life from drowning the RCHA Honorary Testimonial for bravery is awarded to Sgt. Jeffery Ball.
Nov. 10, 2025
Grand opening held for Lanigan School
Daniel Bushman
Following the completion of a brand new pre-K to Gr. 12 school in Lanigan and with staff and students having the opportunity to settle into their new surroundings, Tuesday, Nov. 4 marked the school’s official grand opening.
With dignitaries representing the Government of Saskatchewan, Horizon School Division, the community and surrounding rural municipalities, staff and students were invited to join the group in the building’s larger gymnasium as part of the morning event.
Principal of Lanigan School Jeff Stroeder welcomed everyone to the state-of-the-art facility and was followed by students Jenevieve Melin and Callie Chernishenko who gave a land acknowledgement.
Joined in attendance by local MLA for Kelvington-Wadena Chris Beaudry, SaskBuilds and Procurement Minister David Marit and former Deputy Premier and now retired Humboldt-Watrous MLA Donna Harpauer, Minister of Education Everett Hindley spoke on behalf of the provincial government.
“This new school is another example of how the Government of Saskatchewan is committed to putting students first,” said Hindley. “This project’s design and use of space creates a welcoming environment where students of every age can learn and grow with their community.”
Very excited for the future of the students, Hindley shared how the school is more than just a building but rather a place for the entire community, not just for today but for years to come.
Following Hindley’s remarks, Horizon Board of Education Vice Chair and Trustee Mark Fedak shared with those in attendance how exciting the occasion was to be able to open a new school. With both of Fedak’s kids previously attending Lanigan Elementary School and Lanigan Central High School, he understood how strong and supportive the community can be when it comes to education. “I started in 2002 as secretary/treasurer of Lanigan School Division and it is a tremendous privilege to be a member of the Board of Education to celebrate this new school today.”
Thanking everyone who played a role in bringing the massive project to life, Fedak said, “We are deeply grateful for your commitment and collaboration. It is a special moment when a community opens its doors to a new school. We are proud of this space, not only for the brick and mortar but for the learning, relationships and memories that will grow here for generations.”
Horizon School Division Director of Education Kevin Garinger echoed remarks of gratitude toward the provincial government, community partners, Horizon Board of Education, project and facility teams, architects, builders, Student Community Councils, and students and staff who all had a hand in the journey. “Your dedication has brought us to this moment. I remember back in 2020 when this project was announced and the opportunities we had to bring together students from Drake and Lanigan schools to really begin the work of talking about what the school could be.”
With staff, SCC and students involved, that vision was honoured during the ceremony. Following years of representing the area as its MLA, now retired from her duties as Deputy Premier, Finance Minister and MLA, Donna Harpauer was invited to attend the grand opening. Playing a tremendous role in helping see the project realized, Garinger welcomed Harpauer, a graduate from Lanigan Central High School. “She was instrumental and part of the incredible work of the government of the day in bringing this project to us and we just want to thank you for everything you have done.”
Speaking to the audience, Garinger said, “What strikes me most is not only the beauty of this school but the possibilities of what this school holds.”
Garinger then shifted his focus to the students. “You will question, you will create and you will persevere and through those small victories, you will grow into capable, confident citizens and leaders in our province and in our country. Schools are who they are because of the people in them. The teachers who spark curiosity, the support staff who care deeply and the leaders who guide with purpose. To our staff, your work is both joyful and profound. You see the strengths in every child, you help students discover who they are and who they will become. May this building be filled with laughter, learning and pride for many years to come.”
Following Garinger’s remarks, Stroeder invited student Jaydan Crowe to perform a traditional Pow Wow dance. After Crowe’s inspiring performance, he was presented with a token of appreciation before dignitaries gathered to unveil a plaque commemorating the official grand opening of the new school.
With the Government of Saskatchewan investing $28.26 million in the new state-of-the-art facility with an additional $590,000 from the Horizon School Division capital reserves and community investment for school enhancements, after the plaque unveiling, Hindley spoke about the significance of the new building being completed.
“Lanigan has had a couple schools that served their time and needed to be replaced and secondly, there is the growth and the economy here with the potash mines and everything else that is happening in Lanigan and surrounding areas. This really ticks off two boxes, replacing schools that needed to be replaced and building upon the enrollment growth that is happening here in this area. It was important that this school was built to handle some of that capacity . . . we are very hopeful that this will be able to serve the needs of students and families in this area for decades to come.”
Joining Hindley at the grand opening was SaskBuilds and Procurement Minister David Marit. “We are proud to mark the completion of Lanigan’s new pre-kindergarten to Gr. 12 school – a facility built to support students in a functional and inclusive setting. This project reflects our ongoing commitment to investing in educational infrastructure that empowers learners and strengthens growing communities across Saskatchewan.”
Board of Education Horizon School Division Chair Garth Anderson said, “Lanigan School is at the heart of the town and surrounding community – a place where families, staff and education partners work together to build a bright future for students. We are grateful to the Government of Saskatchewan for investing in education, and to everyone who helped bring this project to life.”
Sharing about the importance of the grand opening, Stroeder said, “It is a very exciting day for all of us. This project started back in 2020 when I was principal of the high school and we involved some of the students in some of the design plans. To actually see it come to fruition over the course of the last five years has been an interesting process and we couldn’t be happier with the product.
Stroeder added the school now has the unique ability to bring students together from all grades under one roof. “Being a pre-K to Gr. 12 school it is really nice building a culture where the younger kids can come into the gym and watch tournaments we have. Just building those relationships between the younger students and the older students and also having all of the opportunities to host larger events with the facilities not only here with the school but in the Town of Lanigan is going to be great for years to come.”
Attending the Lanigan School grand opening Nov. 4, Town of Lanigan Mayor Tony Mycock said, “It is a beautiful facility and really ties into what we are trying to do and grow and develop. It is a real plus to that and is an amazing facility.”
With state-of-the-art classrooms, a pair of gymnasiums, meeting rooms and other valuable assets for both staff and students to utilize, the new school is designed to accommodate up to 450 pre-kindergarten to Gr. 12 students. The decision to build the new facility came after the previous elementary and high schools were nearing the end of their lifespan and could no longer accommodate the growth of the community.
Nov. 3, 2025
Lanigan Legion to host Remembrance Day service
Daniel Bushman
On Nov. 11, people from across the country will take time to pause, reflect and pay tribute to the many who served during the wars. In Lanigan, Ralph Martin with the Royal Canadian Legion Lanigan Branch 143 shared they will be hosting a service at the Lanigan Town Hall.
Those attending the Tuesday event are encouraged to be seated at the town hall by 10:30 a.m. The service will start at 10:45 a.m. with a march in and welcome. A chili lunch will then be served following the service (by silver collection).
This year, Martin said they are honoured to welcome guest speaker Paul Valiquette, CD. “He is the Provincial Veterans Homelessness Representative, Royal Canadian Legion, Saskatchewan Command.”
For those unable to attend the ceremony at the Lanigan Town Hall, the service will be streamed on the local Legion’s Facebook page.
In addition to the annual service, in recognition of Veterans and current members of the Canadian Armed Forces, local Legion Branch #143 members will be placing wreaths in front of the cenotaph and the names of those who served will be read. “If you and your family would like to purchase a wreath and lay it in memory of a Veteran, contact Sandy Harder (306-852-8620).”
The group also launched its annual poppy campaign in October and people are welcome to make a donation in remembrance of Veterans.
According to the Royal Canadian Legion, every year from the last Friday of October to Nov. 11, tens of millions of Canadians wear a poppy as a visual pledge to honour Canada’s Veterans and remember those who sacrificed for the freedoms people enjoy today.
“Wearing the poppy is a powerful act of pride and remembrance, symbolizing respect for those who have served. It should be worn on the left side, over the heart, as a sacred symbol or remembrance.”
Through the local poppy campaign, Martin explained funds raised are used by Saskatchewan Command to assist Veterans and sometimes their families across the province. “As Veterans pass away, funds can also be used for other Veterans across the country who are struggling to meet monthly expenses such as utility bills, medical expenses and food. We also support our local cadet squadron and the lodge and hospital when we are able.”
Sincerely appreciating everyone for taking time to honour Veterans through purchasing a wreath, wearing a poppy and pausing on Remembrance Day, Martin explained the occasion is something that should not be forgotten. “The freedom we have today came at a very high cost. Our military remains active and as a Legion, we support our government, war efforts and peacekeeping.”
Oct. 27, 2025
BHP invests over $2 million to strengthen housing and childcare infrastructure within local region
BHP is investing more than $2 million in housing and childcare infrastructure across the Jansen region to help local communities prepare for expected growth as the company advances construction of one of the world’s largest potash mines.
Together, the housing and childcare programs underscore BHP’s commitment to sustainable regional development. With production on track to begin in 2027, Jansen is expected to generate around 900 permanent jobs.
“These investments demonstrate our commitment to supporting both our workforce and the communities around Jansen,” said Karina Gistelinck, Asset President Potash, BHP. “By investing in housing and childcare, we’re helping families who choose to live and work here have the infrastructure and services they need to thrive. We are building for long-term growth so that Jansen’s benefits extend into the neighbouring communities.”
Housing opportunities
Through the BHP Jansen Housing Stimulation Program, up to $1 million has been allocated to stimulate new housing development within a 90-kilometre radius of Jansen. Twenty applications have been approved — 14 in Humboldt and six in Lanigan — representing 20 new high-quality homes now under construction.
The homes vary in size and style to accommodate a range of family needs, with completion expected between late 2025 and summer 2026. BHP employees have priority access to purchase the homes until one month after completion, after which remaining homes will be made available on the open market. Prices start at $425,000 and range up to $600,000.
The BHP Jansen Housing Stimulation Program consists of two key components:
• Infrastructure grants providing developers with up to 10 per cent of construction costs, to a maximum of $50,000 per home, for projects completed by July 2026.
• A rental guarantee program offering landlords 80 per cent rent coverage for one year, or until the unit is leased by a BHP employee, to stimulate development of new rental housing in the region.
Lanigan Mayor Tony Mycock said the initiative will have a lasting community impact.
“Lanigan is grateful for the support that BHP is providing to communities through the incentive program,” said Mayor Mycock. “It’s amazing that Lanigan achieved support for six builds, as it helps us with sustainable growth and demonstrates what building corporate relationships can achieve for the benefit of our community.”
Humboldt Mayor Rob Muench added: “The City of Humboldt is pleased to acknowledge the recent announcement from the BHP Jansen Housing Stimulation Program. We look forward to the development of 14 approved housing projects by private contractors within our community.”
The program was launched at the Sylvite 4-6 Regional Development Housing Forum in June 2025. Sylvite 4-6 is a BHP-backed partnership between municipal and Indigenous communities focused on supporting sustainable regional growth in housing, childcare, labour, and training.
Supporting working families through childcare investments
BHP has also invested over $1 million in two new childcare centres being built in LeRoy and Muenster, creating a combined 135 new licensed childcare spaces for local families.
The LeRoy Daycare, located 13 kilometres from the Jansen mine, will offer 90 spaces and is expected to open by early 2026. The Muenster Co-operative Childcare Centre, 51 kilometres from the mine, will add 45 spaces and is anticipated to open in summer 2026. Both will accept infants as young as six weeks and will offer extended operating hours aligned with mine shift schedules.
A spokesperson for the LeRoy Daycare Board said the project has been transformational for the community.
“We can’t thank BHP enough for believing in our vision and partnering with us on such a monumental project,” the spokesperson said. “This partnership has made our daycare expansion a reality, allowing us to better support working families, empower early childhood educators, and nurture the next generation.”
Jen Helmkay, board member of the Muenster Co-operative Childcare Centre, said BHP’s support helped make their project possible.
“Our partnership with BHP has made a pivotal impact in our ability to bring a childcare centre to our community,” said Helmkay. “Their financial contribution has allowed us to qualify for further funding, break ground on construction in 2025, and offer more childcare seats to local families.”
Both centres will operate under the Ministry of Education’s regulated childcare guidelines.
Oct. 20, 2025
Work advancing on Lanigan Daycare project
Daniel Bushman
After breaking ground in June, progress continues on the brand new Lanigan daycare centre. Targeting a completion date for April 2026, once built, the multi-million dollar 90 space facility will allow for more families to utilize the daycare.
Excited to see the new building become a reality, Vice President of the Lanigan Daycare Board and Expansion Committee Organizer Katelynn Psovsky shared over the next couple of weeks Miners Construction will be completing the exterior and interior concrete slabs. Once that is done, framing will begin on the interior walls, windows installed and the exterior cladding completed.
Being built where the former tennis courts and swimming pool were once located, Psovsky said the new centre will be a huge benefit to the community. “Lanigan has needed a new daycare for a very long time. We have had a long waitlist with a lot of families waiting for childcare. There are a lot of new developments happening around our community and this childcare centre will help support parents to be able to join the workforce.”
With an opportunity to gather and celebrate the project earlier this year, during a June 26 sod turning ceremony and barbecue fundraiser, Lanigan Mayor Tony Mycock was thrilled to see the collaborative partnership come together between the Town of Lanigan and the Lanigan Cooperative Daycare. “Myself and council are very excited about getting this project off the ground. It was part of our strategic plan when we got elected in November and it is starting to come to fruition.”
As part of the collaboration between the Town of Lanigan and the Lanigan Cooperative Daycare, the Town of Lanigan received approval in principle from the Local Government Committee of the Saskatchewan Municipal Board for a loan of $2 million to finance the project.
Chief Administrative Officer Ron McCullough noted the Lanigan Daycare Cooperative will be responsible for repaying the financing through monthly payments and a formal lease agreement was developed between the Town and Daycare.
“The overall budget is $2.9 million that will be covered by the $2 million loan, $623,000 provincial grant (already received by the Daycare), $250,000 (estimated) from the sale of the existing facility and fundraising for the balance.”
To help cover costs, the Town of Lanigan will be spearheading a major fundraising project that will include corporate sponsorship of facilities in Lanigan while the daycare will be responsible for smaller scale fundraising.
With a lot of money still yet to be raised, Psovsky said the Lanigan Cooperative Daycare is joining the Lanigan Legion to sell chase the ace tickets over the next few months with draws taking place every Wednesday. A Halloween carnival is also being planned for Oct. 31 with tickets available at the current daycare. Then in December, an adult Christmas party called Tinsel for Tots will be held Dec. 6 with tickets available by emailing lanigandaycareexpansion@gmail.com.
“We are also happy to take monetary donations but we are hoping people will participate in our fundraising efforts and events! There is also the opportunity to sponsor specific equipment for the new daycare such as the playground equipment.”
Previously president of the Lanigan Cooperative Daycare Board and currently part of the Project Expansion Committee, Cassandra Leggott shared during the sod turning ceremony about the history of the local daycare and the importance of a new one being built. When it first opened in 1984, the daycare was licensed for 40 spaces. In 1992, it became licensed for infant spaces and as the community grew, the spaces filled.
With demand for spaces continually increasing, in October 2023, the Lanigan Cooperative Daycare Board submitted a community needs assessment to the Early Years Branch of the Ministry of Education. With the support of the local daycare board and the director, work then led to the approval of 30 additional spaces. Then in early 2024, following BHP’s expansion and the announcement that Aspen Power Station would be built nearby, a second assessment was completed. “This time the vision was even bigger and the result was the green light for the expansion of 42 new spaces for a total of 90 licensed spaces for daycare in Lanigan.”
With the facility being constructed near the new Lanigan School, Leggott said once it is completed it will provide children with a “safe, nurturing and developmentally rich environment they deserve now and into the future. It will also support families and employers and our entire community by making high quality childcare more accessible and sustainable.”
Very excited to drop off her children at the brand new facility next year, Psovsky is also looking forward to seeing other families have their kids taken off the waiting list and use the daycare. “We are so fortunate to have the support from the Town of Lanigan. We truly have a great and supportive group of people that have allowed us to make this all happen.”
Oct. 13, 2025
USask Huskie alum gives back in support of hockey excellence
*image credit: Liam Richards, Electric Umbrella Photography
written by Sean Conroy, USask./reprinted with permission
A former captain of the Huskie men’s hockey team and proud alumnus, Shannon Briske (BComm’01) and his family have made a $500,000 donation to advance Huskie hockey on the national stage
During his time playing for the Huskie men’s hockey team, Shannon Briske had the distinction of wearing the ‘C’ as captain. He not only earned respect for his play but also for his steady leadership, helping guide teammates and setting a tone of accountability on and off the ice.
“Wearing the ‘C’ was one of the greatest thrills of my life,” Briske recalled. “It wasn’t just about leading on the ice, but about setting an example for my teammates, and representing the Huskies in the community.”
His experience as a student-athlete continues to shape his approach to leadership and fuels his commitment to giving back to the Huskie men’s hockey program, as an alumnus.
Now a senior financial advisor with Assante Wealth Management, Briske and his family have made a $500,000 gift to the Huskie Men’s Hockey Excellence Fund.
Introduced in 2023, the Huskie Men’s Hockey Excellence Fund was established from a shared vision by Kerry Preete (BComm’95), Glen Hawker, and former Huskie head coach Mike Babcock (LLD’16), who recognized the need to sustain Huskie hockey on the national stage. Their leadership and generosity kickstarted the fund, laying the foundation for a program focused on player and coach development, recruitment, academic development for student-athletes, and scholarships.
Subsequent gifts made by USask alumni and longtime Huskie hockey supporters Greg Chudiak (BSc’87), Tim Leier (BSc’85, BusAdmin’89, BComm’92) and Merlis Belsher (BComm’57, LLB’63, LLD’18), among many others, continued the momentum of the fund’s launch.
“We are deeply grateful to Shannon, Jill, and the Briske family for their incredible generosity and ongoing commitment to Huskie Athletics,” said Cheryl Hamelin, vice-president of University Relations at USask. “Huskie hockey is an important part of our university community and gifts like this ensure our student-athletes have the resources and opportunities to succeed both on the ice and in the classroom. The Briskes’ leadership helps us continue building a program that inspires Huskie Pride across our campuses and beyond.”
As expenses in hockey remain high, in addition to a competitive landscape for recruiting the best student-athletes in U SPORTS, Briske believes that gifts like this and other support for the fund will keep Huskie hockey a national leader in the long run.
“Creating a destination for top prospective Huskie athletes is critical in continuing our status as the #1 program in the country,” he said. “Donor support helps to create the best facilities, fully funded scholarships, skilled support staff, and travel and meals that heighten the experience for our team.”
Giving back to Huskie hockey is nothing new for Briske and his wife Jill (BSc’14) who donated $200,000 in 2017 as part of the Home Ice Campaign, backing efforts of alumni and the community to support the construction of Merlis Belsher Place. He also helped establish the Off the Leash Luncheon, an annual fundraiser entering its 16th year for Huskie hockey scholarships.
“Supporting Huskie hockey has been incredibly rewarding,” said Briske. “I believe that our alumni and the players have the best relationship in the country. These young men continually share their appreciation with our group, and we continue to nurture this relationship.”
“The generosity of Shannon and Jill Briske is a powerful testament to the strength of our Huskie alumni community and the lasting impact of the student-athlete experience,” said Shannon Chinn, chief athletics officer for Huskie Athletics. “Their leadership and commitment to the Huskie Men’s Hockey Excellence Fund are driving the continued success of the Huskies nationally competitive program that supports our athletes in every facet—from performance and development to academics and well-being. This gift moves us closer to our vision of being the top destination for elite hockey talent in Canada.”
The gift from the Briske family is a milestone for the Huskie Men’s Hockey Excellence Fund, propelling the total amount raised to $2 million. As the goal for the fund shifts to reaching the $3 million mark, Briske reflects on why it is important to continue to give.
“It is hard to put a price on the student-athlete experience I enjoyed—I would say it was ‘priceless’ honestly,” he said. “This is why Jill and I are so dedicated to continuing to support this program so near and dear to my heart. My hope is that current and future Huskies will have the same experience and opportunities given to me.”
For more information about the Huskie Men’s Hockey Excellence Fund and to donate, visit give.usask.ca.
Oct. 6, 2025
A visit with the mayor of Lanigan
Daniel Bushman
Lanigan has been a hub of activity in 2025 and with the opening of the new school, construction underway on the day care and other projects, the future looks bright.
With a lot taking place in 2025 and a few months remaining before the calendar flips to 2026, Town of Lanigan Mayor Tony Mycock graciously took some time out of his busy schedule to share about thriving in Lanigan.
How did the summer go in Lanigan and were you pleased with the first full season of the water park?
In general things went well through the summer months. Celebrate Lanigan was a success even with the inclement weather we had. The construction projects taking place are on schedule and we did some significant paving this summer as well as sidewalk repairs.
As for the pool, it went very well, and we had good attendance even though the weather was a bit cooler this summer. The slide was a big hit. I took my granddaughters there one day and my youngest granddaughter Kinslee said to my wife Yvonne, “This pool is epic Granny.”
Construction on the new day care also got underway in the summer. How is the progress going?
The day care project is progressing and the rafters are on and the roof is sheeted. We are scheduled to open in April 2026.
Right now the day care committee has two fundraisers in the works. On Oct. 31, a kids Halloween party will be held at the Lanigan Town Hall and Dec. 6, a Community Christmas Party will take place.
The new Lanigan School is now open to staff and students after a few years of construction. Are you pleased with the progress at the site?
The new school project has been good. There have been some growing pains with the new parking lots not being completed for the start of this school year, but we have been working with the school and Horizon to work through it.
The new school bus loop created some challenges with signage and traffic flow, so we added in some new stop signs to help with the traffic flow on Commercial Drive. The bus loop was still a good initiative for student safety.
The new school is for sure a big draw for Lanigan and the future development and growth of the community.
How are things going with the Dairy Queen and Shell project near the new school?
The Dairy Queen and Shell project is progressing. As we speak they started framing the building although I am not sure of an opening date yet.
Are there any other exciting projects taking place in the community?
We will be seeing three duplexes built on Clement Road including the health care one on Clement Road. Construction will start on those anytime now.
We also will see the construction of six new family dwellings to be ready for occupancy starting in spring of 2026.
Construction of a new gym has started on Main Street and is being built by Knaus Fit, owned by Lanigan resident Miranda Knaus.
Has the delay at nearby BHP Jansen impacted the community?
Not at all. If anything it has given us breathing room to be ready for the increase in people coming to the area.
The delay of the project at BHP does not change anything for Lanigan as far as council’s strategic plans going forward
With the Aspen Power Station progressing west of Lanigan, how will that new facility benefit the town?
We have already seen economic spinoffs to local business with some of the workers at the site living and doing business in Lanigan.
Once the site is up and running, I believe it will staff 25 to 30 people so we could see some of the permanent work force reside in Lanigan
The Town of Lanigan recently received a generous donation to help create additional housing for doctors. Can you share about how important that is and how things are going with the health care situation?
We did receive a very generous donation of $1 million from the Lanigan and District Ambulance Association. They felt the need was important for Lanigan to have a second duplex for health care housing as much as we did.
As for our physicians, a new doctor started in Lanigan Oct. 1, 2025 so this means our current duplex is now full. We still are waiting for our third doctor to arrive, which we don’t have a timeline on yet. So the building of the second duplex will ensure we have housing for a third doctor and still have one space available for health care housing in general.
Earlier this summer I received an invitation to attend the 2025 Family Medicine Residents Retreat that took place Sept. 8 to 10 at Dakota Dunes Resort. This annual event brings together over 100 first- and second-year family medicine residents from the University of Saskatchewan for a variety of informational sessions related to their career pathway.
As part of this event, this year the Saskatchewan Healthcare Recruitment Agency and Saskatchewan Health Authority hosted a career fair, at which private clinics, the SHA, Saskatchewan Medical Association and other organizations could engage with the residents attending.
For the first time, we got the opportunity as a community to showcase our town to these family medicine residents. Through that we shared about local career opportunities, local amenities, and relocation and settlement resources for Lanigan that could make a lasting impression on these future family physicians.
Myself, CAO Ron McCullough and Manager – Health Service Lanigan Integrated Hospital and Central Parkland Lodge Rebecca Lamont attended.
It worked really well for me to talk about what the Town of Lanigan has to offer. Rebecca was able to talk about the hospital and clinic, what the schedules are, as well as what our physicians all do in our communities. Both Rebecca and I thought it was a success for us to connect with these first and second year resident doctors that are looking to go into family medicine as well as having the chance to work in emergency, which we offer in Lanigan.
It was a real win for the community as well as the doctors because a lot of them did not know where Lanigan was. There were several that were looking to practice rural and the new school and day care were real selling features for Lanigan along with the available housing for doctors and Lanigan being a safe place to live.
Lanigan Appreciation Day was recently held. How great was that initiative for the community?
This was all organized by Town of Lanigan staff Sherry Shickerowski, Director of Corporate Services and Brooklyn Sereda, Community Service Coordinator. They wanted to host a community appreciation family oriented day to bridge the gap between summer and winter activities.
Council thought it was a great idea. I popped in for an hour or so on Saturday and the kids were having lots of fun. Anyone I talked with thought it was great idea. Big thank you to Brooklyn and Sherry for putting on this wonderful event.
How exciting is it right now for the Town of Lanigan with all of the activities taking place within the community?
We are very excited to see the growth of our wonderful community. It has been busy around town but in a good way. The future looks bright to Thrive in Lanigan!
Heading into the latter part of the year, are you encouraged with how 2025 has gone and optimistic about the future?
Yes, Council set out our Strategic Plan last November and it is nice to see some of our top priorities coming together. The day care, growth, economic development and health care (which we are making some headway) were all priorities.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
With the progress we have seen so far in 2025, stay tuned to see what happens next. The future is bright in Lanigan.
Sept. 29, 2025
Local athlete earns medal at Canada Summer Games
- image courtesy Reese Stroeder/taken by Michael Scraper
Daniel Bushman
Achieving successes throughout her volleyball career including winning a pair of provincial gold medals, a national silver and a number of personal awards, Lanigan’s Reese Stroeder took that experience with her to this year’s Canada Summer Games in St. John’s, Nfld.
Named to Team Saskatchewan, the libero along with her teammates were looking to become the first women’s volleyball team from Saskatchewan to medal since 1989. With the group slotted in Pool A, they headed east for the second week of the national event Aug. 19 to 24.
Opening against Quebec in its first preliminary match Aug. 19, Saskatchewan beat its opponent in three sets (25-23, 25-16 and 28-26). With a 1-0 record, Saskatchewan hosted New Brunswick Aug. 20 and once again came away with three straight sets (26-24, 25-15 and 25-16). In its final preliminary match, Saskatchewan took on Manitoba Aug. 21 and after losing the first set 25-23, rebounded to win the second 25-18. Manitoba took the third set 25-18 before Saskatchewan won 25-23 to force a deciding set. In another close contest, Saskatchewan beat Manitoba 15-13 to end its preliminary round at 3-0 and first in Pool A.
Advancing to the quarterfinal round, Saskatchewan faced Nova Scotia Aug. 22. In that match, the team from the west won its first two sets (25-22 and 25-23) before Nova Scotia collected a 27-25 third set win. Looking to close out the game, Saskatchewan went on to beat Nova Scotia 25-18, advancing to the semifinal round.
Meeting a tough Ontario team, Saskatchewan lost its first two sets 25-21 and 26-24 before winning 26-24. In the fourth set, Ontario was able to advance to the gold medal game with a close 26-24 victory. Heading to the bronze medal game, Saskatchewan faced a familiar opponent in Manitoba after it lost to Alberta in five sets.
Expecting another tight match up, teams traded sets in the Aug. 24 bronze medal game with Saskatchewan winning the first one 25-22 while Manitoba took the second 25-15. In the third set, Saskatchewan came away with a 25-19 victory while Manitoba responded in the fourth set to win 25-13. In a fifth and deciding set, Saskatchewan came out on top with a 15-11 win and collected a bronze medal.
“Winning a medal for Saskatchewan was truly an honour, especially being the first women’s team to medal since 1989,” said an excited Stroeder. “Showing that Saskatchewan can compete and be at the top level is something I am proud to be a part of. For many years, Saskatchewan was looked at as an underdog. I feel like we have helped to inspire and show younger female athletes in Saskatchewan that it is possible to reach your goals and that even as a small province, we are just as good as any other province.”
Creating strong relationships with her teammates and coaches to reach the highest level of competition and win a medal is something Stroeder shared she will cherish. “We not only performed well on the court, but we also learned from each other and grew as individuals off the court as well. I will forever be grateful for this experience as it was like no other. Not only playing in the Games, but also being able to explore Newfoundland with my teammates is something that will rank very high for me. The staff also really made you feel like you were a part of something special. The athletes village, food, accommodations, and medical staff made the Games even more memorable.”
For Reese, having the opportunity to compete against other provinces also allowed her to make connections with athletes from across Canada. “There were many activities during our off time that allowed us to mingle with other teams. On court, I enjoyed competing and showing the other provinces that Saskatchewan is a threat.”
But it was not just those connections on and off the court that were memorable for Stroeder. “I was lucky enough that my mom, sister and grandma were able to come and support me at the Games. Saskatchewan has very strong pride and when we played, athletes from a bunch of different sports would be there to support us. For example, in our bronze medal match our men’s volleyball team, the wrestling team, and the swimming team were all there to cheer us on. I think we had something really special at the Games as our support was unmatched. Standing on the court and taking in the crowd is something I am so lucky to have experienced.”
Now with over a month passed since the Canada Summer Games concluded, reflecting back on the tournament, the daughter of Jeff and Lindi Stroeder said one of her biggest takeaways was the five set win over Manitoba in the bronze medal game.
“This six day tournament was the longest tournament any of us had ever played in, therefore, playing for a medal on the last day not only showed our athleticism, but also our mental strength. I was so proud to play with my teammates that I can now call my best friends. We have been building this team for the past four years and watching our hard work and countless hours pay off on match point really stands out to me. Many of our girls gave up weekends at the lake, hanging out with family, and spending time with friends to train for the Games and whenever a team’s hard work pays off, it really is something you’ll remember forever.”
Even after representing Saskatchewan at the Canada Cup over the past four years, the 2024 Canada Cup Maple Award winner said nothing compared to being a part of the Canada Summer Games. “It was an experience that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. The strong level of compete and composure that I learned from this tournament will be something I will carry with me into U Sports.”
Bringing those memories and experiences with her from the Canada Summer Games, after returning home, Stroeder embarked on her U Sports career. Attending her first year at the University of Regina, Reese is not only training with the Cougars women’s volleyball team but studying kinesiology and education. With the hope of pursuing a degree in medicine while competing on the court, she said, “I am super excited to bring both the compete and composure that I learned at the Games into this season. The players and coaching staff have already been so welcoming and supportive. I’m looking forward to bringing positive energy, a strong work ethic, and contributing to a great season with this year’s team.”
Sept. 22, 2025
Nutrien Lanigan hosts annual firefighters’ rodeo
Daniel Bushman
Firefighters representing Nutrien mines and local fire departments were in Lanigan Sept. 13 to take part in the annual Nutrien Firefighters’ Rodeo. With teams representing mines including Lanigan, Allan, Cory, Patience Lake, Rocanville and Vanscoy, the contingent was joined by the Lanigan and Humboldt fire departments.
Providing an opportunity for emergency responders to practice their techniques and demonstrate skills in a safe environment, this year’s overall winner was Nutrien Allan while the runner-up was last year’s winner, Nutrien Lanigan.
Showcasing specialized emergency response skills and training, the eight teams showed their ongoing commitments of emergency response and the important role each plays.
The following is the final standings from each of the events:
First Aid: winner Nutrien Rocanville and runner-up Nutrien Vanscoy;
Search and Rescue: winner Nutrien Allan and runner-up Nutrien Lanigan;
Burst Hose: winner Nutrien Allan and runner-up Nutrien Rocanville;
Fire Extinguishment: winner Nutrien Cory and runner-up Nutrien Allan;
Practical Skills: winner Nutrien Cory and runner-up Nutrien Allan;
Challenge Relay: winner Nutrien Allan and runner-up Nutrien Lanigan; and
Water Soccer: winner Nutrien Allan and runner-up Nutrien Cory.
This year’s Nutrien Lanigan team was comprised of captain Blake Rath, Dean Jaeb, Nick Anderson, Jordan Elke, and Cody Morrow. Coaches were Ford Leggott and Kyle Renwick and F/A coach was Jeff Morelli.
This year’s Town of Lanigan Fire Department team was comprised of captain Austin Stevenson, Ashley Dufault, Brandon Uhryn, Brayden Rommelaere, and Dustin Campbell. Coaches were Justin Foley, Dave Campbell, Rod Greve, Bill Parker and Barry Hooper.
The other local area mine, Nutrien Allan, was comprised of captain Marshall Jacobi, Devin Neill, Jason Roy, Jeff Kowaski, and Dylan Pikor. Coaches were Spencer Turkenburg and Kurt Wallace and F/A coach was Tera Manyk.
Since moving the annual firefighters’ rodeo to Lanigan from Rocanville in 1990, a substantial amount of work goes into the event each year. From utilizing the Lanigan Arena where a number of challenges are held to setting up the fire extinguishment and hose events outdoors, the day begins with a lockup of teams and ends with an overall winner and runner-up being named.
A tremendous number of people also make the day a success each year as Nutrien Lanigan noted team members, judges, ‘casualties’, the Town of Lanigan and members of the Lanigan Fire Department are a big part of the rodeo. There is also a lot of behind the scenes work done by volunteers who set things up and keep them running smoothly, then take them down again.
Nutrien Lanigan stated: “This free event is open to the entire community and there was a great turn out again this year. Also, many local community groups provide support such as meals, setup and other services and feedback from those attending was very positive. Nutrien appreciates each and every little thing you do!”
Since 1981, Nutrien Lanigan has won 10 times (one of those as a tie) at the annual event while the Town of Lanigan has taken the title six times. This year’s winner, Nutrien Allan last won in 2023 and has won a total of 14 times (two of those ties).
Sept. 15, 2025
Harvest Rolling in Region
Daniel Bushman
Harvest operations are underway throughout Saskatchewan as producers make progress in fields locally. Hoping for good weather and a safe and prosperous season, Rebecca Hort, Crops Extension Specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture has been keeping an eye on the area.
Anticipating farmers will be busy in the fields following a slower start in September due to rain, Rebecca graciously took some time out of her busy schedule to share a bit about the progress.
How has harvest progress been going within the Watrous and Lanigan region?
Harvest is underway in the east-central region of the province. Certain crops in the region have been maturing unevenly, causing producers to swath and desiccate some of their crops. Most winter cereals and pulses have been taken off, with spring cereals being harvested currently. Oilseed crops are reaching maturity and are beginning to be harvested. Check out our weekly crop report on the Saskatchewan website to see harvest progress and reported yields.
How has this year gone compared to recent years?
With the lack of moisture at the beginning of the growing season, it caused crops to be very variable from germination to spray timing staging to maturity staging. Every year is different and this year we saw dry conditions during most of the growing season, thus impacting the timing of crop development.
Compared to the rest of the province, crop development was slower in the east-central region. The dry conditions caused germination and crop emergence to be slow and uneven. At the beginning of August, we welcomed rainfall for most of the east-central region, timely for later seeded cereal and oilseed crops but untimely for early seeded crops. Warm and dry conditions in late August caused crops to mature rapidly, followed by rain near the beginning of September, slowing the start of harvest.
With the combination of early season dry conditions and more moisture later in the season, variable yields will be expected for the region.
How did the growing season go as a whole?
Seeding progressed quite rapidly and the lack of moisture in June and July this year caused crops to mature more quickly. The crops in the east-central region saw some stress from dry conditions, heat and inconsistent moisture conditions throughout the growing season. These stress conditions caused variability in crop development.
In-crop spray timing was difficult for some producers this year as the crop emergence in the spring was uneven due to early season dry conditions and caused inconsistent crop stages.
In terms of crop pests, there were pockets of hot spots around the province where bertha armyworms were found at or nearing economic thresholds, causing some producers to spray their canola. Parts of the Watrous and Lanigan areas saw high counts of bertha armyworms in our weekly counts. Untimely rains in August and beginning of September caused harvest to become slightly delayed.
With harvest still underway, is there anything you would like to share with producers?
Producers should keep safety top of mind this harvest season including planning a quick tailgate meeting when moving to new fields to identify hazards (i.e. power lines, ditches, etc.) and reduce the risk of a combine fire by cleaning off chaff/dust buildup regularly. Keep a fire extinguisher on the combine and equipment, as well as have a tractor and cultivator nearby in high-risk fields to mitigate risk.
After harvest wraps up, heading into fall and winter, what is the hope for next year’s seeding season?
As with every year, we hope for the weather to provide us with adequate moisture at the right time for crop growth and development during next year’s seeding season.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
For more information or agronomic questions, contact the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377.
Sept. 8, 2025
Harvest well underway in local region
Dry conditions in most of the province allowed producers to make significant progress in the field. That is according to the Ministry of Agriculture’s weekly Crop Report for Aug. 26 to Sept. 1.
Currently, 23 per cent of crops have been harvested, which is up from the 11 per cent reported the previous week. Harvest progress remains behind the five-year average of 40 per cent and the 10-year average of 34 per cent.
The southwest region continues to lead with 39 per cent of this year’s crop in the bin. The southeast region follows closely with 33 per cent of the crop harvested. Producers have harvested 16 per cent of crops in the east-central, 13 per cent in the northeast and 12 per cent in the northwest regions. The west-central region has the most crops remaining in the field with only 10 per cent of crops harvested.
Most winter cereal acres are off with 91 per cent of winter wheat and 88 per cent of fall rye harvested. Pulse crop harvest has also substantially increased last week with 73 per cent of field peas and 60 per cent of lentils in the bin. For spring cereal crops, triticale is the furthest ahead at 61 per cent, followed by barley at 34 per cent and durum at 30 per cent. Oats are 17 per cent and spring wheat is 14 per cent completed. Most oilseed crops are still in the field. Mustard is the furthest advanced at 10 per cent harvested, followed by canola at four per cent. No flax crops have been reported as harvested yet.
Most parts of the province were dry last week with only small amounts of rain falling in the southwest. The Piapot area reported the highest amount of rainfall for the week at 25 millimetres (mm), followed by the Dollard area at 20 mm. The Cadillac and Shaunavon areas received 18 mm over the past week.
Producers were happy with the limited rainfall that allowed them to make steady harvest progress, but this also caused a slight decline in topsoil moisture levels. Currently, cropland topsoil moisture is rated as two per cent surplus, 67 per cent adequate, 29 per cent short and two per cent very short. Hayland topsoil moisture is rated as two per cent surplus, 55 per cent adequate, 36 per cent short and seven per cent very short. Pasture topsoil moisture is rated as three per cent surplus, 51 per cent adequate, 37 per cent short and nine per cent very short. Producers are hopeful for rain following harvest to help replenish soil moisture conditions and mitigate fire risk.
Crop damage reported over the past week was mainly due to wind and dry conditions. Crop regrowth and lodging have caused some challenges for producers while combining. Grasshoppers and bertha armyworms continue to cause minor crop damage in some regions of the province.
As producers continue with harvest and other field work, they are reminded to exercise caution and remain safe in all the work that they do. Fire risk remains high in many areas due to the dry conditions. In addition to carrying fire extinguishers on equipment, producers are encouraged to have water trucks and tillage equipment on standby to mitigate risk.
Sept. 1, 2025
Communities seeking help; SHA hopeful for future
Daniel Bushman
Work on seeing healthcare services fully resume in Lanigan and Watrous continues as the communities experienced changes and disruptions over the summer. After both towns saw their number of practicing physicians drop, heading into the fall, Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) has been able to secure some help.
In Watrous, after the departure of its three physicians, three temporary locums are arriving while a new doctor began practicing in August. Jacquie Holzmann, Executive Director, Primary Health Care Southeast for Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said new physician Dr. Memon started in August and will be joined by three locums after the September long weekend.
A pair of familiar faces, Dr. Chander Sharma and Dr. Kavita Choudhary, who worked in the community for a number of years before closing their practices in June and July are two of the locums lending a hand. “We just really appreciate Dr. Sharma and Dr. Choudhary for providing services. They are really committed to supporting the community they worked in for many years and they have really helped to stabilize services for the upcoming months in the community.”
Having the physicians provide services alongside nurse practitioner (NP) Melissa Schommer, Holzmann added SHA is still recruiting for a second permanent NP position. “We are in the process of filling that position and will be making some offers, which is really exciting.”
With the four physicians and NP on staff, Holzmann said SHA will continue to utilize its virtual physician program while now looking at reopening services like acute care beds. Optimistic to see the acute care beds reopen, she added there still remains shortages when it comes to nursing and lab staff. Needing physicians, nurses and lab technicians to be able to run an emergency room, Holzmann said, “Some of the disruptions we have faced in Watrous come on really short notice just due to staffing in all of those departments.”
Looking to better stabilize those levels, SHA is currently recruiting for two temporary vacancies in the lab. Anticipating staff to return in late fall, starting in September, SHA is also implementing point of care testing in Watrous. “This allows physicians and nurses working in the ER department to run several lab tests on emergency patients to help them triage patients when we are short lab staff so we don’t have to go on a disruption.”
Hoping to see the Watrous District Health Complex return to more consistent levels of operation with the significant additions recently made, Holzmann said SHA wants to see similar results in Lanigan.
With funding available for three physicians in Lanigan, currently there remains vacant positions after one of its doctors departed in August. With the physician leaving, that left NP Cassandra Leggott and Dr. Askari on staff to provide services.
Despite the shortage, Holzmann said SHA remains committed to achieving a full compliment of physicians and with success in securing locum services for August and September, additional resources have arrived. A second physician is also slated to join the community in October if all goes well. Additionally, Holzmann shared SHA is actively seeking a temporary NP for the community.
“We recognize the importance of having accessible ER services available in rural and remote communities and the impact they have on the residents and communities. In an effort to really help shift some of that off communities, we are committed to try and do whatever we can.”
As part of the work being done, Holzmann said relying on both Watrous and Lanigan has been tremendously valuable. “We have really strong partnerships with the mayors of Watrous and Lanigan and municipal leaders. We are making sure we have open communication and when it comes to working on recruitment and retention, we rely on those communities to help with that.”
With a health council recently created in Watrous and work being done with the Lanigan Medical Clinic Board, Holzmann said they have been great partners in sharing ideas while working collaboratively on retention and recruitment of providers with all of the services.
Hoping to achieve a full compliment of physicians in the future, in the meantime, Holzmann indicated outpatient lab services at both sites are not disrupted and residents should continue to access services as usual. As for primary health care, she suggests phoning the local clinics for availability. “Having the locum support we have added to both teams will help improve access for primary care appointments.”
Whenever there is a short term disruption to services (often 24 hours or less) in either community, Holzmann indicated the SHA communicates through local social media channels and other platforms, and ensures there is signage at the facilities alerting patients of changes. For service disruptions longer than seven days, they are posted on the SHA website. In the event of an emergency, Holzmann said 911 should always be called. “When 911 is called, paramedics can assess, treat and transport the patient to the nearest location where the patient can receive further medical attention. This will ensure that patients requiring urgent care will receive it in a timely fashion, at the correct location.”
Pleased to see a new doctor in the community and hoping more will be arriving in the future, Watrous Mayor John Gunderson said he is thankful Dr. Sharma and Dr. Choudhary decided to temporarily help out over the next while. “The long term solution is to have some full-time doctors here, but as for right now, whatever help we can receive is positive.”
Hoping for some permanent solutions moving forward, Gunderson continues to have open communication with SHA. “I always like to have optimism but it is frustrating how so much has happened over the past year to be put in this position. It certainly makes for a tough situation when three physicians leave. Having said that, SHA is doing the best they can to help us and we understand we are not the only community in dire need of doctors.”
Also hoping to see a full compliment of physicians in his community sooner rather than later, Lanigan Mayor Tony Mycock said it has not been easy navigating through the shortage. “We are making the best of it and the virtual physician program has helped. Nurse Practitioner Cassandra Leggott and Dr. Askari have been amazing at trying to make sure we get coverage along with the locums, who have been good.”
With the potential of having a second full-time physician arriving in October, Mycock shared the doctor recently visited Lanigan. “I spent some time with him and showed him the community, hospital and the new school. We are really hoping he and his young family will move here.”
As part of the retention process, Mycock said another duplex is being constructed in September after the Lanigan Ambulance Association donated $1 million. “We are extremely grateful for the donation to help build another home. If we get a third doctor, we will need another house and this donation will help with that. Housing is tight so even if we need a space for locums or physicians or lab technicians, this allows us the ability to have that.”
Additionally, Mycock has invested a tremendous amount of time over the years with the Saskatchewan Healthcare Recruitment Agency. Through those efforts, Lanigan was invited to be a part of the 2025 Family Medicine Retreat in Saskatoon. Open to first and second year medical residents who will one day practice family medicine, Mycock said, “We have an opportunity to set up a booth and engage with them to profile our community. These are future doctors coming out of school looking for somewhere to work. It is an opportunity for us to showcase Lanigan and the agency will also be doing a community profile on their website about our community. It is another way to get Lanigan’s name out there.”
Hoping to see some results out of that retreat, Mycock also recently met with Minister of Health Jeremy Cockrill when the minister toured the local hospital. Along with councillor Jason Wolfe and members of the clinic board, the group voiced their concerns during the meeting. “We explained the issues with the SIPPA program and retention of doctors and hopefully the minister heard our concerns. Having our hospital and emergency services fully operational is something I have been fighting for over the past number of years. I will not be happy until we get to where we need to be.”
Aug. 25, 2025
Official with local roots named for Olympic Winter Games
Daniel Bushman
Through tremendous dedication, sacrifice, and hard work while continuing to build upon an already storied career as an ice hockey official, Alex Clarke (nee Blair) has been selected to take part in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy.
One of only 10 Canadian officials chosen for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in February, Clarke who was also a linesperson during the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China, said, “This selection is special to me as it is a second opportunity at an Olympic experience. The 2022 Olympics were filled with covid restrictions, changing protocols, daily testing and stress leading up to departure. When I arrived in Beijing, all I was able to take in was the inside of my hotel and the arenas so there was no real true Olympic experience.”
With two other female officials representing Saskatchewan at next year’s Olympic Winter Games, Clarke is not only ready to fully embrace the unique opportunity but is eager to bring her years of experience to the international stage. “To do this alongside so many Canadians is truly gratifying as those are a group of some of my closest friends!”
In order to be selected, officials had to participate in a lengthy evaluation process as part of the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) ‘Road to Milan.’ Evaluated in domestic competition, professional hockey and multiple IIHF tournaments prior to the final selection, when the roster was announced Aug. 12, Clarke’s name was on it.
“Officiating at the Olympic Games is the pinnacle of an amateur official’s career,” said Dan Hanoomansingh, Hockey Canada officiating manager. “These officials have been working tirelessly towards this goal for the last four years, and it is a credit to their determination and skill that they have made it a reality.”
It has been quite the journey for Clarke, who grew up on a farm near Drake and spent her winters either playing hockey or officiating at the local rink. Electing to trade her stick in for a whistle, in 2015 Alex’s officiating journey really took off. Selected for provincial and national championships, following success at both levels, it was not long until Hockey Canada took a keen interest and licenced Clarke with the IIHF.
Once in the international system, Clarke began to skate lower level championships where she performed well. Working up to her first Women’s World Championship in August 2021, success from that event ultimately led to her selection for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing. Following the prestigious honour in 2022, Clarke then received three more assignments for the Women’s World Championship (one she passed on due to being seven months pregnant), working a gold medal game in 2023 and a bronze medal contest in 2024.
Expressing interest in returning to the Olympics, Clarke joined a lengthy list of officials who were sent to skate at different qualifier events. From there, Alex cracked the roster for the Women’s World Championship this past spring where final cuts were made. With Hockey Canada solidifying its Olympic officials list, Clarke made the cut and is now scheduled to attend a training camp and test event in Italy this December. “This will be the last building block ahead of the Olympics as part of the ‘Road to Milan.’”
Describing the nearly four year process of earning the prestigious roster spot, Alex said just a few weeks after the 2022 Olympics ended, work began. Her first task towards making it back to the Games was electing to remain a linesperson instead of switching her international licence to become a referee. “I knew after being robbed of a true Olympic experience in 2022 due to the covid restrictions that I wanted to return to the Olympics. I also wanted to add to our family so given the timelines and my goals, I chose to stay active as a linesperson.”
Working a number of high level tournaments, both in North America and around the globe, Clarke continued to hone in her skills. That included this past season where she skated around 80 games and spent close to 100 days out of Saskatchewan. Being away from her family and her farm near Weyburn, Alex travelled internationally to Japan and Czechia, along with a few trips to the U.S. and across Canada. “On top of that, I skated about 50 games within Saskatchewan, worked full time, supported a husband who farms and has overlapping busy seasons, and have two children. I had all the success I wanted and could manage this past season, and truly was ready for a break after skating the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) Championship series and a nine month season, which ended May 20.”
Taking some time to enjoy the offseason while knowing she will now be headed to Italy come February, Clarke is eager to add to that momentum as the 2025-‘26 season approaches. “I am really looking forward to building with the Olympics at the heart of my season goals, and embracing what is likely my last year as a linesperson before I fully transition to the position of referee and hang up my lines jerseys.”
Adding a second Olympic Winter Games selection to her resume, Clarke’s officiating experience thus far has not only been memorable but historic. In September 2021, Alex made history, becoming the first woman ever to ref a Canadian Hockey League contest when she worked a game between the Moose Jaw Warriors and Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League. She was also the first female American Hockey League linesperson to work a game at Abbotsford Centre and quietly broke another barrier as she and Cianna Lieffers became the first women to referee a WHL game during the 2024-‘25 season. Mix in a number of other prestigious events like the 2024 GFL USPORTS Women’s Hockey Championship in Saskatoon, officiating in the PWHL, and receiving an invite to the National Hockey League’s All-Star Weekend in Toronto where she was part of the PWHL’s 3-on-3 showcase, and it has been a remarkable journey.
“Between being the first female in the Western League, one of the first females in the American League, attending the NHL’s All-Star Weekend and getting to go to the Olympics, I honestly have had such a great career that I can’t even pick a highlight at this point. To be able to be one of the first in many different leagues as an official, hopefully it helps set other females up for success going forward. I feel grateful that I was able to be a part of that process.”
Asked if she ever thought she would one day achieve the successes that she has, as a young official on the ice in Drake, Clarke did not realize at that time the global possibilities within the sport. “I was never truly talented enough as a player to have the aspirations to make it to the world stage. But what I did know, is that Saskatchewan small town kids and farm kids know how to work harder than everyone else. I never did anything because of an end goal, but rather because I loved doing it. The community involvement, the support, the friendships, etc. were what made sport fun.”
Utilizing that mindset, Clarke built her successes off of hard work over skill and felt her special skills came as a result of her experience growing up on her family’s farm. “That work ethic is what allowed me to have success young as a player and has been the continued foundation of where my success has come to this day.”
Reflecting back on her experience officiating in Drake and wanting to impart some advice to young and aspiring officials, Alex said, “My biggest piece of advice is to be a sponge and love the game. You will make many mistakes, and quite likely will be scrutinized for them, but each mistake will make you a better official and teach you something. Create a strong support system because the game won’t always love you back, but you will always have the best seat in the house!”
Along with her advice to the next generation of officials, Clarke also wanted to encourage spectators to be an ally in the arena. “Abuse of officials is all too common, and there are not enough adults who are willing to stop it and as a result, we are losing interest in the art of officiating. Never underestimate the power you have to just remind someone that the young officials are kids, they are learning, and their behaviour is not acceptable or respectable. Small encouraging comments to officials leaving the arena may be the reason they stay in the game.”
Appreciating the support she received over the years from her hometown, either through encouragement as a young official or in her current role, Clarke said it has been truly humbling. “Drake as a community has been incredible in supporting and cheering me on throughout my officiating journey; it has truly been humbling how many community members reach out and share words of congratulations, support, etc. As a referee, we don’t often have people cheering us on, and often feel underappreciated or like our sacrifices don’t matter to anyone but ourselves. So, it is rewarding when I see a community rally behind me and support the success I’ve had.”
Clarke was also quick to point out the tremendous support she has received from her family, which has been instrumental throughout her career. “Whether it is my husband and kids sacrificing everything that they do so that I can travel and chase this dream, or my parents, siblings, and in-laws who have stepped in to help watch my children when I am gone on longer assignments, to aunts and uncles travelling or adjusting their schedules to see me skate, it has been truly appreciated.”
Aug. 18, 2025
Event makes a splash at Lanigan & District Waterpark
Daniel Bushman
Not only was the Town of Lanigan’s pool party at its new waterpark a time to celebrate but it was also an opportunity to put the spotlight on a recent donation.
Lanigan Chief Administrative Officer Ron McCullough shared the Aug. 7 event at the Lanigan & District Waterpark recognized Long Lake Insurance for its donation of a water wheelchair. The afternoon celebration also highlighted the new waterslide, supported the Lanigan Cooperative Daycare (who hosted a barbecue) and promoted the community as a whole.
“It was an exciting day in Lanigan despite a bit of rain. The waterpark facility, the donation by Long Lake Insurance for the water wheelchair, and the involvement at this event by the Lanigan Daycare Cooperative further demonstrates the current happenings in Lanigan,” said McCullough. “Combine that with a new pre-K to Gr. 12 school, a new daycare facility under construction, new homes being built and new commercial development under construction – the motto: “Thriving in Lanigan” rings true!”
With a formal presentation of the water wheelchair taking place midway through the afternoon, McCullough shared the donation is a significant contribution. “The waterpark features a zero-entry pool, among other things, which supports accessibility. The water wheelchair further supports accessibility for anyone needing mobility assistance. Our Diversity and Inclusion Policy and Action Plan adopted in 2024 states: At the Town of Lanigan we are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all individuals feel heard, valued, respected, and empowered to participate fully. This community inclusion plan outlines our commitment to diversity and outlines procedures to ensure that our programs, activities, and services are accessible to everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, age, ability, gender identity, sexual orientation, health care needs, socioeconomic status, or any other characteristics.”
Proud to have 14 locations across Saskatchewan and happy to be able to partner with communities like Lanigan to make a difference, Director of Commercial Lines for Long Lake Insurance Caryn Stepp said, “Long Lake Insurance is committed to supporting initiatives that make our communities more inclusive and accessible. When we learned about the Town of Lanigan’s efforts to enhance accessibility at the waterpark, we knew this was a meaningful way to contribute. The water wheelchair aligns perfectly with both the town’s Inclusion and Diversity Policy and our own values as a community-minded organization.”
Sharing how it is incredibly rewarding to be able to give back, Stepp who was joined at the waterpark with fellow Long Lake Insurance colleagues said, “We’re prairie proud and western rooted and giving back is part of who we are. Being able to support projects that directly improve quality of life for residents is one of the best parts of what we do. The wheelchair will open the door for individuals with mobility challenges to fully enjoy the waterpark experience alongside friends and family.”
On behalf of the Town of Lanigan, Mayor Tony Mycock said, “We are very grateful to Long Lake Insurance for the donation of the water wheelchair. It will be a tremendous addition to our new facility and aligns with the Town of Lanigan’s Diversity and Inclusion Policy and Action Plan.”
In attendance for the afternoon celebration, McCullough noted the 2025 season has been a busy one, especially with the waterslide being added. “One young waterpark user described the place as ‘epic’!”
Looking forward to the remainder of the season, McCullough said there has been really good feedback of the facility. “Utilization has been positive this year and the Town of Lanigan is looking forward to many more years of the pool being filled with excited swimmers. The Town of Lanigan is also moving into a much bigger picture approach to partnership and sponsorship marketing (naming rights) to all of its indoor and outdoor facilities. There will be much more to share in the near future and the Town of Lanigan is excited about what the future holds.”
Aug. 11, 2025
Local group helps 15UAA Lakers win provincial gold
Daniel Bushman
With a dominant weekend which included playing three games on Sunday due to rain, the Watrous Lakers not only advanced to this year’s 15UAA Tier 3 Provincial Championship final but brought home gold.
Comprised of athletes from Allan, Drake, Lanigan, Wadena, and Watrous, the group took aim at earning a title and headed to Unity July 18 to 20. Joined at the provincial event by the Swift Current 57’s, Unity Cardinals, Battleford Beavers, Carnduff Astros, Kindersley Royals, Neilburg Monarchs, and Assiniboia Southern Aces, the Lakers were slotted into Pool B.
Facing the Southern Aces in its first round robin game, Watrous Lakers Head Coach Chris Mclaren said they came away with an early loss of 11-6. Taking on the Monarchs in game two, the Lakers found a groove and won 12-7. Meeting Kindersley in the third and final round robin game, Watrous improved its record to 2-1 with a 9-2 victory.
Finishing first in Pool B, Mclaren shared the Lakers faced the Battleford Beavers in the semifinal, a team Watrous had met five times throughout the season and had a 2-3 record against. Looking to build off its earlier momentum and advance to the final, the Lakers went to work, winning 13-3 through five innings (due to the 10 run five inning mercy rule).
Reaching the 15UAA Tier 3 Provincial Championship final, the Lakers faced an undefeated Swift Current 57’s team who finished first in Pool A. Despite the challenge, Watrous rose to the occasion as Jayce Lockie belted a two run home run to give the Lakers an early lead.
Looking to apply more pressure to its opponent, six more runs were added by the Lakers in the second inning as Kayden Shepley started things off by drawing a walk to score a single. Following Shepley, Cody Stephens singled, which scored a pair and Sam Brenner blasted one over the centre field fence to add three more.
Holding Swift Current off the scoreboard through two innings, in the third, Jaxton Richard hit a home run for the Lakers to push the lead to 10-0.
With the 10 run five inning mercy rule approaching, the 57’s tried to establish some offense but only generated one run while Watrous countered with another.
Lockie, who hit a home run earlier in the contest, would go on to pitch a complete game, throwing 68 pitches, allowing one earned run with one strike out and three walks.
Receiving solid play all around, after five innings, the Lakers would win 11-1 and claim this year’s provincial title. An excited Mclaren said, “We were very strong offensively in the final with three home runs and the defense was tight with one error. Overall at the provincial tournament, we played five games and had a 4-1 record with 51 runs scored and 24 runs against. As a team, we hit nine home runs from seven different players leading to a big offensive day on Sunday.”
Proud of the team and the work they put in, Mclaren said, “The 15U Watrous Lakers would like to thank the communities of Watrous, Lanigan, Drake, Wadena and Allan for their support throughout the season. We would also like to thank Watrous Minor Ball and the Town of Watrous for all of the assistance in making the season a success.”
This year’s 15UAA Watrous Lakers Tier 3 Provincial Championship winning team included: Darren Johnston, Benjamin Loyns, Cody Stephens, Daxton Hoppenreys, Jaxton Richard, Jayce Lockie, Kayden Shepley, Luke Mensch, Owen Potter, Pierce Macleod, Sam Brenner, Tyson Mclaren, Chris Mclaren (head coach), Barry Johnston (assistant coach), Greg Mensch (assistant coach), Mark Loyns (assistant coach), Mark Brenner (assistant coach), and Jamie Shetterly (manager).
July 21, 2025
Demolition phase underway near new Lanigan School
Daniel Bushman
As students and staff enjoy their summer break, activity continues at the site of the new school in Lanigan. After moving into the brand new pre-K to Gr. 12 state-of-the-art facility from Lanigan Elementary School and Lanigan Central High School earlier this year, crews have now entered the next phase of the multi-million dollar project.
Horizon School Division CEO Kevin Garinger said demolition began a few weeks ago next to the new school at the vacated Lanigan Elementary School. “Right now our main focus of the project is the elementary school. We are taking that building down to prepare that space for incoming parking spaces and visitor parking which will be at the front of the new school.”
Right on schedule with the demolition, Garinger shared the crew has also been involved in the abatement processes at the nearby high school. “They are finishing that off so the school can be demolished in a timely fashion. The plan is to see the parking area and front of the new school fully completed in October.”
As for the new school itself, Garinger explained they are dealing with some of the deficiencies that have been noted since relocating to the building. “We are working together with our contractors and builders to ensure any of those deficiencies are addressed. They can be something as simple as a bubble where a drywall screw has popped out a bit to something significant like the floor in the small gym that requires adjustments where volleyball poles go.”
Working to rectify the deficiencies, crews are also actively moving over the industrial arts lab and physical education equipment to the new school. “We are excited about the new school and there has been some very good progress as they continue to make sure it is 100 percent ready for the start of school or very close to that.”
Relatively pleased with how everything has turned out so far, Garinger said, “What I like to base my opinion on is how our kids, staff and community feels about the building. There has been lots of positive response to it.”
While Garinger understands the completion of the project has been a long process, lots of back and forth and some frustration at times, “when you reflect back, all that hard work is worth it because the kids value it, the staff value it and the community values it. We are grateful that is where we sit with this building and we are looking forward to beginning a new school year under one roof and with one school.”
Once all of the work is essentially completed later this year, a celebration will be held sometime in October or early November. Garinger is excited to commemorate the new building during that occasion while recognizing all the effort that has gone into it. Until then, he said, “I just want to wish everyone a good summer as we look forward to our start up for staff in August and students when they return after the September long weekend.”
July 14, 2025
Dvernichuk Road unveiled
Daniel Bushman
Family and friends of the late Jack Dvernichuk were joined by members of the community Thursday, July 3 as Lanigan Mayor Tony Mycock paid tribute to the long-time Town Administrator by unveiling Dvernichuk Road.
With the road leading to the newly constructed Lanigan School, Mycock shared when the decision was made to create a pair of access roads for the school, council passed a resolution to name one of them Dvernichuk Road. “On behalf of the Town of Lanigan, it was an honour for me to unveil the new sign alongside Jack’s wife Glynis and their family.”
Joined by her kids, grandkids, extended family, friends and members of the community at the new road, Glynis was moved by the ceremony. With her daughter Jacque sharing a few words of appreciation on behalf of the family during the event, after the occasion, Glynis said, “I can’t find the right words to express how truly moved I was when Tony had told me they were going to honour my husband’s contributions in his time of being the Town Administrator with a street named after him. When we moved to Lanigan in 1985 we could have never imagined at that time what this town would have grown to mean to us and our family. Jack loved this town and this community and it was shown time and time again through all of the hard work that was accomplished for the Town of Lanigan.”
Born at Foam Lake Mar. 8, 1958, after attending elementary school in Kuroki and graduating from Wadena Composite High School, Jack married Glynis and worked at a number of jobs until obtaining his Local Government Degree at the University of Regina. From there, the pair moved to Humboldt for a year where he served as the secretary-treasurer for the community. Following time in Humboldt, Dvernichuk became the Whitewood Town Administrator, a role in which he held for four years. Then in 1985, along with Glynis and their three children Jodi, Nic, and Jacque, the family moved to Lanigan where Jack served as the Town Administrator until his passing in 2015, following a courageous battle with cancer.
Leaving a lasting impression on the community and those he met, Mycock said Jack was instrumental in seeing numerous projects come to fruition. “He played a huge part in getting the Lanigan Recreation Complex built, he was involved with getting the Lanigan and District Medical Clinic going and was also a big part in organizing the Sheldon Brookbank day when Sheldon brought the Stanley Cup to Lanigan in 2013. He also sat on the executive for Urban Municipal Administrators’ Association of Saskatchewan (UMASS) and coached hockey for over 20 years.”
Dedicating over 35 years of service to the Town of Lanigan through an administrative role, Karen Greve worked alongside Jack during his time as Lanigan’s Town Administrator. Recalling some of the substantial projects undertaken, Karen shared how hard Jack worked to get those off the ground. “He was a driving force in the design and construction of the Lanigan Recreation Complex. He spent countless hours fundraising for the facility including organizing four Ultimate 4 Season lotteries, chili cook offs, a Studebaker car raffle and worked countless bingos to ensure the project came to fruition. Jack was also instrumental in the construction of the Lanigan Medical Clinic. Once again he organized another lottery to help raise funds.”
A driving force for a number of projects and initiatives, Karen explained how Jack also enjoyed promoting Lanigan. Planning many events, Greve said Dvernichuk was behind Lanigan’s 100th birthday party, a provincial Twilite baseball tournament, the Quill Plains Winter Games, a special ceremony recognizing Cori Morris (nee Bartel) for earning an Olympic silver medal in curling, Sheldon Brookbank’s day with the Stanley Cup and numerous Lanigan and District Sports Days.
“Sports were a big part of Jack’s time in Lanigan,” said Karen who became good friends of both Jack and Glynis. Noting he played fastball with the Lanigan AA’s, coached teams in Lanigan Minor Hockey and the senior Lanigan Pirates, took in slo-pitch and played many rounds of golf at the Lanigan Golf and Country Club, Greve said, “He was proud to call Lanigan his home.”
Willing to step up and volunteer through fundraising initiatives, if there was a cause, Glynis shared her husband would take charge and get things rolling. “Jack’s caring and giving personality showed strongly by the way he was always willing to help out in any way that was needed.”
That dedication and pride for his community and to those residing within it was evident during Thursday’s sign unveiling as numerous people attended the ceremony in his honour.
“Seeing Jack’s family in attendance for the sign unveiling along with a number of Lanigan residents just shows how much he meant to the community before his passing,” shared Mycock. “Jack is missed by all and having Dvernichuk Road created in his memory is a way that the community can continue to honour him and all that he did.”
Overwhelmed by the support, Glynis said, “On behalf of my family and myself, we would like to thank the Town of Lanigan for this wonderful tribute to Jack. The street sign is a beautiful and lasting way to honour his memory and contributions to the Town of Lanigan. We sincerely appreciated everyone who came out to watch the sign reveal.”
July 7, 2025
Lanigan celebrates daycare
Daniel Bushman
With an opportunity to gather as a community and celebrate the new Lanigan Daycare expansion project, burgers were flipped, a ceremony held and sod was turned.
Looking forward to having the brand new 90 space $3 million daycare facility constructed in Lanigan, members of the community’s town council and the Lanigan Daycare were on hand Thursday, June 26 as part of a sod turning ceremony and barbecue fundraiser.
Thrilled to see the collaborative partnership come together between the Town of Lanigan and the Lanigan Cooperative Daycare, on behalf of council, Lanigan Mayor Tony Mycock said, “Myself and council are very excited about getting this project off the ground. It was part of our strategic plan when we got elected in November and it is starting to come to fruition.”
Appreciating the assistance of Project Coordinator Barry Morishita to see the project remain on time and on budget, Mycock said it has been great working together for a common goal. “It is exciting for our community and we have a lot of positives right now.”
Previously president of the Lanigan Cooperative Daycare Board and currently part of the Project Expansion Committee, Cassandra Leggott said, “Quite a few of us can’t believe this is happening. It is a major new chapter for our families here in Lanigan.”
Providing some history of daycare services in the community, Leggott shared when it first opened in 1984, the daycare was licensed for 40 spaces. In 1992, it became licensed for infant spaces and as the community grew, the spaces filled. “For over a decade now the wait list has told the same story, the needs far outpace the capacity.”
With demand for spaces continually increasing, in October 2023, the Lanigan Cooperative Daycare Board submitted a community needs assessment to the Early Years Branch of the Ministry of Education. With the support of the local daycare board and the director, work then led to the approval of 30 additional spaces. Then in early 2024, following BHP’s expansion and the announcement that Aspen Power Station would be built nearby, a second assessment was completed. “This time the vision was even bigger and the result was the green light for the expansion of 42 new spaces for a total of 90 licensed spaces for daycare in Lanigan.”
In an effort to figure out how to make the dream of seeing 90 spaces become a reality, the daycare utilized MNP in Humboldt and a funding grant from BHP to develop a business plan. The plan explored options of running two separate buildings to renovating an existing space. In the end, the group found there was nothing available to meet the standard required for licensed early learning centres in the province. Having to make the decision to construct a building from the ground up, property was secured where the former swimming pool and tennis court sat.
With the land and through collaboration with the Town of Lanigan, Leggott said the new $3 million facility will provide children with a “safe, nurturing and developmentally rich environment they deserve now and into the future. It will also support families and employers and our entire community by making high quality childcare more accessible and sustainable.”
Acknowledging those who spent years advocating for additional daycare spaces as many families were placed on a wait list, Leggott said the announcement that the project is going ahead is more than just about a building. “It is about building a future, one where families can grow, children can thrive, and our community can meet the needs today and tomorrow.”
Vice President of the Lanigan Daycare Board and Expansion Committee Organizer Katelynn Psovsky said it is so exciting to see the project come to fruition. “It will be beautiful and will see so many more families taken off the wait list while adding more staff members as well.”
Appreciating Lanigan Chief Administrative Officer Ron McCullough, Lanigan Mayor Tony Mycock and Lanigan town council for helping to make the project happen, Psovsky said, “It is not very often that a town and a community is so willing to put so much faith into a group of volunteers and a brand new daycare and help us fund it. Without them doing that, there is no way that this would be able to happen.”
As part of the collaboration between the Town of Lanigan and the Lanigan Cooperative Daycare, the Town of Lanigan received approval in principle from the Local Government Committee of the Saskatchewan Municipal Board for a loan of $2 million to finance the project.
McCullough noted the Lanigan Daycare Cooperative will be responsible for repaying the financing through monthly payments and a formal lease agreement was developed between the Town and Daycare.
“The overall budget is $2.9 million that will be covered by the $2 million loan, $623,000 provincial grant (already received by the Daycare), $250,000 (estimated) from the sale of the existing facility and fundraising for the balance.”
To help cover costs, the Town of Lanigan will be spearheading a major fundraising project that will include corporate sponsorship of facilities in Lanigan while the daycare will be responsible for smaller scale fundraising.
With Mycock presenting Psovsky with the lease for the new daycare during the June 26 sod turning ceremony, Psovsky shared how vital the support has been. “It has been amazing, especially with the town council and Ron able to make the decision to help us financially. Again, there is no way we would have been able to do it. For them to be able to do that, it is tremendous for us.”
With Miners Construction already set up at the former swimming pool and tennis court site in Lanigan where the new daycare will be built, McCullough said, “Miners Construction are committed to completion of the building construction by Feb. 11, 2026 with landscaping and playground completion in spring 2026. Licensed occupancy will be available in June 2026 as originally planned.”
June 30, 2025
Navigating through health care challenges
Daniel Bushman
With physicians departing both Watrous and Lanigan as others are being recruited, Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) is hoping to mitigate the challenges within the local area while maintaining services over the coming months.
SHA Executive Director Primary Health Care Integrated Rural Health Jacquie Holzmann knows the situations in both Watrous and Lanigan remain challenging. “We understand, especially in rural and remote areas, that people are frustrated and concerned about access to services. We apologize for these challenges. We are working really hard with other providers in the area and receiving any provincial support we can get to maintain and prevent any disruptions.”
As the focus from SHA continues to be on recruiting more staff and maintaining access to primary health care so people do not have to go outside of their home communities, Holzmann added the situation is not just unique to Watrous and Lanigan but a challenge across many areas of Saskatchewan.
Staffing situation
While the goal remains to eventually see four full-time physicians practicing in Watrous and three in Lanigan, after dedicating upwards of 10 years to the Watrous area, three physicians in that community made the tough decision to leave their practices. With one already departed and two wrapping up their time by the end of June and mid-July, Holzmann explained a pair of new physicians will be arriving in August. While SHA is still working on exact dates, the doctors will be orientating and settling into Watrous over the summer.
Until those physicians are able to begin practicing, the community will be relying on its nurse practitioner and others for help. “We have been working with all the physicians and nurse practitioners in the area to support service delivery. We do have some support coming from other physicians in the area for on call and long term care and alternate level of care (ALC) beds in the hospital.”
A job posting has also gone out by SHA for a second nurse practitioner for Watrous and while there are locums who can help cover during the transition, Holzmann indicated there is a shortage of those across the province as well. “It will be a mixture of locums, surrounding physicians and nurse practitioners that are supporting Watrous. Once the new physicians start, they will be in that mix of support. Our goal is to maintain services and have as few disruptions as possible for this area – Watrous and Lanigan specifically – using all the resources we have.”
Holzmann shared the hospital in Watrous is also experiencing some staffing challenges related to CLXT (Combined Laboratory and X-Ray Technology), which is impacting the centre. “Due to a recent leave, we are actively seeking to recruit and fill that vacancy.”
With changes occurring in Watrous over the next couple of months, in Lanigan, a third physician will be starting in October; however, one of the two current physicians will be departing in August. That means the community will be temporarily down to one doctor and a nurse practitioner for a few months. As SHA anticipates the upcoming shortage, Holzmann indicated that as of right now there will be no changes to services. “The clinic will remain open and the ER hours will remain the same. We are reevaluating Lanigan and we may enhance services to 24/7 with the virtual physician but that will be determined with physician resource availability over the summer. For right now, there is no anticipated changes over the next couple months in Lanigan.”
Despite the moves at Watrous District Health Complex and the current situation in Lanigan, Holzmann said SHA has been working on trying to maintain access and stability for acute and emergency services in those areas. “We know how important it is to communities and we want these facilities to remain open.”
Mayors respond
Watrous Mayor John Gunderson has appreciated the efforts made by SHA and hopes some stability will return to the community’s hospital. “I understand there is a shortage across the province, I just hope that we can see our services fully restored sooner rather than later. We are looking forward to welcoming the two new physicians to the community and hope they enjoy their time here. I also hope that SHA is able to recruit additional staff needed at the hospital including two more doctors so we can be at a full compliment of physicians.”
Appreciating the dedication of the current staff at the hospital, lodge, medical clinic and lab, Gunderson shared the Town of Watrous has been doing everything it can to try and recruit and retain health care providers.
Gunderson continued by stating, “To improve the service delivery in the lab, we have added a multi-site position (with Lanigan), resulting in increased coverage to Watrous. Also, with the implementation of the Laboratory Information System started in mid-June 2025, we will see efficiencies for our lab employees.
“Our health care services are vital to our community and the surrounding area. With an influx of tourists to the area over the summer and large events being held in Watrous and Manitou Beach, not having a hospital with all of its services including a 24/7 emergency department is concerning. If an incident occurs and someone requires immediate medical attention, they would have to be taken elsewhere and that time could be detrimental to their health and safety.”
Also understanding the severity of not having emergency services available 24/7 in Lanigan, with two nearby mines and construction taking place on major projects in town, Lanigan Mayor Tony Mycock shared Gunderson’s concerns. “Last week we had a little girl that had an injury at the sports grounds and had to go elsewhere to get care because our hospital was closed as it was after 7 p.m. These are the real frustrations for our residents. I have talked with John over the years about what our two communities can do to try and see services fully restored. I appreciate the efforts being made by SHA but it would be nice to see physicians staying in our communities longer. I do have some concerns about the current recruitment process as it doesn’t seem to be working. As a community, we are doing whatever we can. I hope that Lanigan will be able to see its emergency department open 24/7 in the near future with a full compliment of physicians and staff. We will continue to offer our support to SHA in their recruitment and retention efforts as best as we can.”
Minimizing disruptions
The SHA is piloting initiatives to address intermittent physician or staff coverage issues to ensure emergency departments (EDs) in rural and remote communities remain open and operational. The Virtual Physician program leverages the existing infrastructure of HealthLine 811 to provide nursing staff remote access to physicians to sustain ED services and avert service disruptions. All patients are assessed, triaged and receive treatment based on their care needs. As of Mar. 3, 2025, the program has successfully been launched in 28 rural communities.
Used in Lanigan for almost a year and for a few months in Watrous, Holzmann said having the virtual physician program will sustain emergency departments and avoid service disruptions during periods when there are physician gaps or shortages of physicians in communities. “The virtual physician program is a tool we have developed to help support communities that are experiencing human resource challenges while we continue to recruit. It is something we are currently doing in Lanigan and Watrous now and over the summer months to support services to remain stable.”
While the virtual physician program has allowed the local emergency department services to remain open for the most part, there have been multiple disruptions in Watrous over this past year. Holzmann said SHA’s goal is to try and minimize those. “In using our resources like a locum, the new physicians when they start and the virtual physician program, we are hoping to minimize any disruptions to emergency department services. Our goal in Watrous is to maintain services 24/7 in the emergency room with a mixture of local physicians and the virtual physician program.”
But it has not just been a lack of locums or physicians that has forced the emergency services to be disrupted in Watrous. Holzmann noted the services have also been disrupted due to lab and X-ray staff vacancies.
Concerns raised
With a number of service closures in Watrous since January, Saskatchewan NDP Associate Shadow Minister for Health said, “Imagine rushing your child to the hospital in an emergency, only to find a sandwich board out front saying the ER is closed. That’s exactly what’s happening in Watrous and it isn’t right. People deserve timely notice and accessible care. Anything less is dangerous and unacceptable.”
Executive Director with Interlake Human Resources in Watrous, Angela Silzer feels the uncertainty has been wearing people down. “So many people in the community are really on edge because if there are no emergency services here, where do you go? Humboldt? Saskatoon? I have parents in their 70s who wait months for follow-up appointments. I run an agency that supports adults with intellectual disabilities, including a group home. If one of my residents has a medical emergency, they need local care with doctors and staff they know and trust. The trauma of sitting in an ER in Saskatoon for hours—or even days—would be incredibly distressing for them, and it would strain our staff and cause ripple effects across the board. That worries me. That worries me a lot.”
Clarke said, “Reliable, local health care is essential to building and sustaining rural communities. The Sask. Party must stop taking rural and northern Saskatchewan for granted. Our hospitals must stay open — people’s lives depend on it.”
Service changes
As recruiting efforts through SHA continue, with a shortage of staff in both Watrous and Lanigan, that has also meant the two hospitals are currently only able to take alternative level of care patients. Holzmann said, “Both are offering ALC in their acute care beds at this time. As long as we have physicians that are available in the building we can continue that service.
If patients need an acute care bed, until we have more physicians, they would be transferred to a facility that can offer more acute services.”
As for long term care in Watrous and also in nearby Imperial (which the departing physicians in Watrous served), Holzmann said coverage will not be disrupted. “We will be using all of the resources in the area including other physicians and nurse practitioners to support all of the long term care patients in Imperial and Watrous as well as providing clinic services as able in those communities as well.”
For those wanting to utilize the Watrous Medical Clinic over the next while before the two new physicians arrive, Holzmann said, “The clinic will continue to remain open. We know there will be an impact to wait times and appointment availability, with one nurse practitioner in Watrous. As the two new physicians start over the summer, they will open up their schedules and people will have access to those new physicians.”
Holzmann noted people can continue to call the local clinic for availability and patients can also seek out other options like 8-1-1 to speak to a nurse for primary health care. “If the nurse deems that they may need to talk to a doctor, they can actually talk to an 8-1-1 doctor during the day for primary care. Pharmacists may also assist for those seeking prescription refills.”
With other clinics located in Lanigan, Nokomis, and Strasbourg, Holzmann added, “We are hoping that through sharing access to primary health care in the area that people can get access close to home and not have to travel long distances. We also hope people do not have to present to the emergency department for non-emergency needs. We are also actively recruiting an additional nurse practitioner and locums to support access to primary care.”
Pressures faced
Understanding the lack of resources in Lanigan and Watrous has meant more pressure on current staff, Holzmann shared physician recruitment remains a challenge in all rural areas due to the increased demand for on call work. “They not only provide clinic services but cover acute long term care as well as the weekends and after hours emergency services. That is definitely a challenge and a lot of communities tend to be smaller practices.”
With added pressures taking a toll on physicians, Holzmann shared SHA is trying to come up with innovative ways to focus on physician recruitment in Saskatchewan, especially in rural and remote areas. Highlighting the provincial government’s Health Human Resources Action Plan which targets initiatives to recruit, train and give incentives to doctors and other health care professionals working in Saskatchewan, Holzmann said, “The government has invested $100 million starting in 2023-‘24 to support the plan. There is definitely lots going on, lots of investments and creativity in addressing the challenges we have in Saskatchewan.”
Community collaboration
Hoping to one day see rural areas able to fully recruit and retain physicians, when it comes to the local region, Holzmann has greatly appreciated the work done by Watrous and Lanigan over the years. “Both communities have been extremely collaborative in working with SHA on looking at these challenges and finding solutions together and coming up with their own solutions. We are just really thankful for that partnership and they have a special relationship with their providers and physicians and do play a huge role. An example in Watrous, we were really challenged for continuing care aides and with some partnerships, Carlton Trail College will be running the program out of Watrous in September. I want to recognize both communities for their ongoing commitment for retaining and recruiting health care providers in their communities.”
June 23, 2025
Celebrating the LCHS graduating class of 2025
Daniel Bushman
With the final chapter of Lanigan Central High School coming to a close, 34 graduates were not only recognized as the last class to graduate from the school but they were also honoured for their efforts and achievements.
Held Friday, June 13 at the Lanigan Arena, a packed graduation ceremony was attended by family, friends and guests. Greeting those in attendance were emcees Callie Chernishenko, Raea Wildeman and Graydn Wilson as they commenced the event.
Following the graduates entering the arena, O Canada was accompanied on violin by graduate Cora Bushman. Cora’s performance was then followed by a message from Horizon Board Vice-Chair and Trustee Mark Fedak.
Bringing greetings on behalf of the school division, Fedak said, “Graduates your journey to this moment has taken perseverance, effort and no small amount of growth. Each late night of studying, every moment of doubt and all the small victories that brought you here, you have earned the celebration.”
With the graduating class choosing the theme: ‘Today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten’, Fedak reminded the audience the years behind the class were not the whole story and what comes next is still unfolding. Noting the graduation carried extra meaning as the students were the final class to graduate from Lanigan Central High School, Fedak said, “That is a rare and meaningful legacy. You represent the closing of a proud chapter. One filled with memories, laughter and tradition and the beginning of something new that will be built on all that comes before.”
While the day shined the spotlight on the graduates, Fedak noted it also reflected the efforts of those who stood beside them like families, teachers, support staff and the community. “Their encouragement helped shaped the path they walk.”
As the graduates prepare to leave high school, Fedak encouraged them to carry forward the resilience built and relationships formed. “Your future will bring new challenges, but also new choices, new chapters and new ways to grow . . . We are proud of all that you have achieved and look forward to all that you will become.”
Following Fedak’s message, Horizon School Division CEO Kevin Garinger was honoured to speak next during the group’s milestone. Beginning by having everyone in attendance applaud the parents and caregivers of the class, Garinger acknowledged how each graduation is a story. “It is written by years of learning, growing and discovering who you are and who you want to become.”
Recognizing those who helped write the story and who walked alongside the graduates, Garinger said the connection between the school, staff and students is not just professional but helps to form a foundation of learning. “They cheered you on when you soared and they stood beside you when things didn’t go quite as planned.”
Without the support of parents, caregivers, classmates and communities Garinger added “these important people have also helped shape your journey in ways you will understand even more fully as you get older.”
Like Fedak, Garinger also highlighted the uniqueness of the 2025 graduation. “This is not just the end of your high school years but is also a farewell to an institution that has seen generations that have passed through its doors; generations who are in the crowd tonight. Lanigan Central High School has stood as a place of learning, laughter and growth.”
Appreciating the class and their input toward the new school when it was being designed, Garinger said the Gr. 12 group demonstrated strength, flexibility and kindness that can coexist. “The future you are stepping into may be uncertain, it may be uncharted, it may be unfamiliar but you have already shown that you know how to blaze a trail. You know how to turn challenges into stepping stones. As the last Lanigan Central High School class you are not just closing a chapter, you are writing the first lines of the next ones. You are carrying the laughter of every hallway and the strength of every friendship that has been made in that building. In that story and in the story moving forward, you are going to be the authors.”
Bringing a message from the administration, LCHS Principal Jeffrey Stroeder spoke next. With his daughter as one of this year’s graduates, Stroeder appreciated the staff who helped put the event together and welcomed those in attendance. Noting how the graduation was a milestone for the class, Stroeder also remarked the class was a great one to close the chapter at Lanigan Central High School. “When I think of this class I think of compassion, empathy, drive, humour, and success. The talents these grads posses are amazing whether it would be in music, drama, sports, academics, the trades, this class is going to be successful in whatever they choose to do.”
Appreciating the grads for what they did for the school through kindness, leadership and character, Stroeder said they have left a positive impression. He challenged the grads to thank their parents who have been there for them along their journey. He also said to thank their teachers, coaches and mentors who have cared for them through studies, life lessons, big wins, losses and their contributions to learning. “They have all stood with you and watched you accomplish your goals and dreams.
“Grads when you pen your book of life, ensure your chapters include you taking risks, fighting for your goals and enjoy each moment as it passes by. I have no doubt that all 34 of you will publish best sellers in the years to come.”
Sharing how each graduate is unique, Stroeder concluded by stating, “Follow your dreams, never give up and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”
After the principal’s message, graduates Montana Kulchyski, Reese Stroeder and Kya Wildeman shared a thank you to the parents. Speaking to the audience, the trio thanked everyone in attendance. “We didn’t do it alone. We are here today because of the people who stood beside us every step of the way, our parents. To our moms and dads, stepparents and guardians, thank you. You were there when we took our first steps, our first bus rides and now you are here as we take our first steps into adulthood.”
Believing in the grads when they may not have believed in themselves, “you encouraged us to keep going when things got hard. But most important, you showed us what perseverance looked like in real life.”
With all three acknowledging how valuable their support was, they concluded by saying, “We promise to carry the values, lessons and love you shared with us in whatever comes next. We may be done with high school now, we will never be done needing you . . . we hope we make you proud because we are without a doubt proud to be your kids.”
Next to speak were graduates Rhyanna Kondraczynksi, Frances Reyes and Keira Telfer who thanked the staff. Appreciating the teachers and staff for helping them during their journey, the trio shared how much of an impact the teachers and staff had on them. “Thank you to all the staff and teachers who helped teach us morals and kindness while keeping us on an educational path.”
Appreciating each staff member of the school for their help and encouragement during their years of education, the graduates also extended their gratitude to those from Drake School, Lanigan Elementary School and others who had a part in their education. “Each one of you played a vital role in shaping the graduating class here on the stage.”
Following Kondraczynski, Reyes and Telfer, graduates Cora Bushman and Frances Reyes introduced this year’s guest speaker, Kathy Arnst. Honoured and humbled to be a part of the graduation celebration, Arnst asked the graduates to imagine holding a book, fresh and crisp with every page blank, waiting for their story to come alive. “That is your life right now, right here.”
Pondering the words of the theme for this year’s class, Arnst encouraged the graduates to keep an open mind, choose to do what they love, and surround themselves with positive influences. “You are at just the beginning of the story that will be your life. The one that will define you. That is both exciting and scary at the same time.”
Keeping minds and hearts open, Arnst encouraged the grads to listen to and contemplate opposing thoughts and ideas as well as those who are like-minded. “The more information you have, the better your decisions will be. The best decisions are based on a wealth of knowledge and all points of view are worth consideration. In doing so you will better develop and reinforce your beliefs.”
Going forward with the confidence to knock on doors not knowing what is on the other side, Arnst told the class to choose to do what they love. “Life is too short to grind away at something that dims your spark. Think about what makes your heart race and what you would do even if nobody paid you. Make that your north star.”
While the path of life may be a curvy one with successes and mistakes, Arnst said the mistakes can be valuable lessons learned. “Life is like a choose your own adventure story. You decide if you are going to go down the same path again or choose a different direction.
“Embrace your uniqueness, your strengths and your weirdness. That is what makes you special. So own them. When you do what you love, you wake up looking forward to your day and work might not feel like work.”
Encouraging the class to surround itself with positive influences, Arnst said, “Remember who you are and who you want to be. Believe in yourself. Life is a series of plot twists and we can’t predict what lies ahead. Remember those who love you and who have supported you. They are your foundation and your rock.”
Looking at the group of young people on stage, the guest speaker shared, “I am assured that our future is in good and capable hands. I am excited to see where they lead us. The class of 2025 is filled with strong work ethics, determination, and academic and athletic proficiency. They are kind, respectful and generous with their time. It has been an honour to have been a small part of their lives. Now it is your time to take your talents and strengths and make the world a better place with the story that is your life.”
Thanking Kathy Arnst for being the guest speaker, on behalf of the class, graduates April Fleischhacker and Keira Telfer extended their heartfelt appreciation. “Your message was not only inspiring but also a powerful reminder of the potential within each of us as we step into the next chapter of our lives.”
Following the thank you, Callie Chernishenko, Raea Wildeman and Graydn Wilson provided a message to their peers, sharing about what the graduates might be doing in 10 years. After the humourous messages, this year’s Valedictorian Zayden Mack was next to speak.
Thanking those in attendance for celebrating the significant milestone, speaking on behalf of the class, Mack was incredibly honoured to be the Valedictorian. Trying to find a way to encapsulate the past 13 years of the group’s lives while also representing the diverse group of people, Mack said, “The truth is I can’t. Every single person on this stage with me tonight is talented and capable in their own way. Our class is littered with athletes and academics, social butterflies and wall flowers, dreamers and infinity in between. None of us have made it here alone.”
A mosaic of the people who have shown them love, compassion and faith, Mack said there have been people who have supported the class through great accomplishments and loss. Thanking those who were responsible for establishing their moral compasses, Mack felt incredibly fortunate to share in so many experiences with the class.
Reflecting on numerous memories over the years with the class and school staff, Mack shared a variety of moments. “As the walls of the schools we grew up in crumble down, our memories will not go with them and we will not let our past get buried in the rubble.”
Encouraging the group to grow and step out of their comfort zones, Mack said, “In life you will make mistakes, you will hurt people and you will get hurt. Then you will learn and you will heal. There is no shame in the process. Every single person gets lost in the labyrinth of life and they are all just trying to find their path. We get to the cusp of perfection only to find another wall. The thing about walls, is there is always something outside. The thing about struggle is that it is always surmountable. The thing about pain is that it is always healable. Even scarier, the thing about time is that it will always pass. Because of this we must embrace the present, the obstacles, and the hurt. We must have the courage to exist in the now.”
Encouraging the grads to write their next chapter with the freedom to turn the page, the Valedictorian congratulated the grads. “I hope your next chapters are exciting and enlightening as these ones have been. You deserve it.”
Following the Valedictorian speech, Mark Fedak presented this year’s Horizon School Division Student Recognition Award to Kya Wildeman, a graduate embodying the values of accountability, community, adversity, relationships and trust. “Today we proudly recognize a student who has demonstrated these qualities in meaningful ways.”
After Wildeman received this year’s honour from Fedak, a slideshow presentation of the graduating class took place before Stroeder and teacher Ryan Wilson handed out the diplomas. After the grand march, the 2025 graduating class from LCHS took the stage one more time as the program concluded to applause from the audience.
This year’s graduates include: Hudson Boyko, Gavin Failler, Layton Hunt, Kale Pries, Xander Hamilton, Jared Toman, Gio Intal, Kyler Lone, Alex Gudnason, Eli Quidet, Cally Morningstar, Hanah Suchy, Reese Stroeder, Marly Dumanski, Laurenne Ewert, Calder Jones, Arella Ewert, Kya Wildeman, Zoe Mau, Cara Knudsen, Reanne Brenner, Faith Friesen, Zayden Mack, Montana Kulchyski, Jayda Sandercock, Frances Reyes, Cora Bushman, Rhyanna Kondraczynski, Bryer Renwick, Keira Telfer, Nia Nivon, Jacey Drake, Keira Cardinal, and April Fleischhacker.
June 16, 2025
Curler with local roots competes at global event
Daniel Bushman
With an opportunity to represent Canada on the global stage during this year’s World Senior Curling Championship, Cori Morris along with her team not only rolled through round robin play but advanced to the playoffs where the group went on to capture a silver medal.
Held in Fredericton, N.B. Apr. 25 to May 3, Morris (nee Bartel), who plays lead and grew up on a farm near Lanigan was joined by second Sheri Pickering, third Shannon Morris, skip Atina Ford Johnston and fifth/coach Lesley McEwan. The team which curls out of Alberta advanced to the global stage after winning gold in Moncton, N.B. at the Everest Canadian Senior Curling Championship this past December.
Enjoying the opportunity to not only represent her country but compete against rinks from across the world, after returning from Fredericton, Morris graciously spent some time answering a few questions about her experience.
How did the World Senior Curling Championship go for your team?
We won the silver medal for Canada! There were 16 teams on the women’s side of the event, so we were divided into three pools: two pools of five teams, and one pool of six. The two pools of five played a crossover game, so that every team got five round robin games.
Placement in the pools was determined by rankings from previous years’ results. Canada was seeded first overall. We managed to go undefeated through the round robin, with wins over Japan (6-4), Sweden (6-3), Czechia (17-1), New Zealand (13-1), and Hong Kong China (8-5). We then played the USA in the quarter final, winning 9-5, and Ireland in the semi-final, winning 9-4. That put us into a match-up against Team Scotland for the gold medal. The Scots came out firing, and defeated us 10-2, giving us the silver medal.
Were you happy with how the team did at the event?
I am so incredibly proud of this team. We came together three years ago, and I don’t think we ever would have imagined that we might end up playing on the world stage. Atina and I had talked for a few years about playing together when we crossed the “50” threshold (one of the few benefits of aging!). She knew Sheri from junior curling days in Saskatchewan (their dads, Bob Pickering and Gary Bryden, curled together at several Briers). I’d met Shannon through a friend/co-worker, and her and Sheri were former teammates from junior days. We’d all played against one another in women’s curling at various points in time. Shannon stepped back from the competitive game for 20 plus years, but upon reaching out to her, she was excited to come back . . . and so the four of us decided to give it a whirl. We ended up winning our first two provincials together. We placed fourth at our first Canadian Seniors in Vernon in December 2023, and then this past December in Moncton, we managed to win the whole thing. It has been an absolute thrill! Obviously as a competitive person, you always hate to experience a loss but, when I look at the big picture, I just can’t help but feel so proud of what our team has accomplished together.
What was it like competing against teams from around the globe?
One of my favourite aspects of curling is the social piece and that was definitely a highlight of the World Seniors. We joked about our “senior schedule” of one game a day, but that also meant we had lots of time to relax after each game. We would pose for team pictures with our opposition, and go to the Players’ Lounge for some fun and camaraderie. Some of the teams didn’t speak English, but between hand signals, or a translator . . . or even Google Translate . . . we managed to have many laughs, and create new friendships.
It was so interesting to hear about everyone’s different paths to the Worlds. The Japanese team is from the town of Karuizawa, where Sandra Schmirler’s team (with Atina as their fifth player) won their Olympic gold back in 1998 – a testament to the legacy left behind after hosting an Olympic Games. The Swedes defeated two-time Olympic gold medalist Anette Norberg (whom I lost to in the final of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics). The New Zealand team included veteran curler Liz Matthews, who has curled at 19 World Senior championships, and was the oldest participant at 79 years of age. She has every intention of making it back for two more years, and I sure hope she does!
Some countries don’t have permanent curling facilities, so they train on hockey ice that is converted a few times per season into curling ice. All of them were in awe of our Canadian journey, playing 10 games through provincials, and another 13 through Canadians, to reach the World championships.
Do you have a highlight or two from this year’s event?
There were several! My brother-in-law, Tom Brewster, was competing in the event as skip of the Scottish men’s team. They ended up playing Canada in the men’s final, which Canada ended up winning. And, the skip of the Scottish women’s team, Jackie Lockhart, was not only a competitor of mine at the Vancouver Olympics (she played third on the Great Britain curling team for skip Eve Muirhead), but she is a long-time friend of my husband Sean, from his time living in Aberdeen, Scotland. He and Jackie used to drive to curling together, and his mom (Carolyn Morris) and Jackie’s mother-in-law (Pat Lockhart) won a World Seniors championship together in 2005.
How awesome was it to have family there?
It is a really wonderful feeling when you’re stepping onto the ice to see familiar faces in the stands, and to hear them cheering and singing.
Our team had a huge contingent there to support us – probably over 25, and then the men’s team had an equally big squad. My hubby Sean and I flew to Halifax a few days early with our two children, and so we got to have a little family holiday touring some Maritime highlights before the event started. My parents, Herb and Dianne Bartel of Lanigan, and my Aunt Elaine Bartel of Drake, also came out to cheer us on. My mother-in-law, Carolyn Morris of Edmonton, and Sean’s aunt, Heather Finnamore of Ontario, were also there.
Fredericton is where Carolyn won her second World Senior Championship in 2013, playing third for Cathy King. In fact, our fifth/coach Lesley McEwan was Carolyn’s teammate in 2013, so there were connections all over.
As I mentioned, my brother-in-law Tom Brewster was curling, so Carolyn was kept busy cheering for the Canadian women and Scottish mens teams. And Sean’s sister, Kim Brewster, flew in from Aberdeen, Scotland, surprising us all with a cherished visit.
In addition to family, I had several friends from Ottawa and Kingston who made the trip to Fredericton – and I ran into a few other people I knew from my time living in Ottawa. Curling is a delightfully small and friendly world.
How great was it to have representation from Saskatchewan on both of Canada’s senior curling teams?
I think it is truly amazing that seven of the eight players on Team Canada hailed from Saskatchewan. It speaks to the strong curling heritage in our province. We may have donned the “Red and White” while we were in Fredericton, but rest assured we all have strong green roots.
Where does this experience rank for you in your curling career?
Nothing can ever quite compare to the feeling of standing on the Olympic podium in Vancouver in 2010, and winning the Olympic Trials back in 2009. But this definitely ranks a strong third. Above all are the relationships. I’m still close to my Olympic teammates, Cheryl (Bernard), Susan (O’Connor) and Carolyn (Darbyshire), and coach Dennis, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to forge new friendships with Atina, Shannon, Sheri and Lesley.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
If I had to sum up the World Senior Championships in one word, it would be “grateful”: grateful for the opportunity to once again represent all the great curling talent in this country, and wear the Maple Leaf on the international curling stage; grateful for my teammates, Atina, Shannon, Sheri, and our coach/fifth, Lesley, for being part of this journey; grateful for my hubby and kiddoes, and all the other family and friends (and sponsors!) who supported us; and, grateful that my body can still maneuver itself to play this game I love!
June 9, 2025
Fred Fox makes special stop in Jansen
*photo courtesy Jack Robson
Daniel Bushman
Through courage, determination and wanting to see people no longer suffer from cancer, on Apr. 12, 1980, Terry Fox embarked on the Marathon of Hope. Now 45 years later, and since Terry’s passing, Canadians have carried the torch, raising money for cancer research in Terry’s name.
With an opportunity to visit some of those who have been instrumental in supporting the Terry Fox Run while raising funds for cancer research, Terry’s brother Fred made a stop at the Jansen Parkland Library May 26.
Asked to visit Jansen by Terry Fox Foundation staff member Carissa Robb and share about Terry’s journey, Fred said, “Carissa picked Jansen because of how such a small town with a bigger heart can make a difference. I got to meet passionate fundraisers like Mardelle Craven-Robson and Vorgeen Wacker and thank them for their commitment to Terry. It was also important to thank Carol Neugebauer for her efforts in organizing the Terry Fox Run in Jansen. To visit was so great. It was nice to meet 15 people from the community and share a bit about Terry and his legacy. It was an amazing evening that I will remember for a long time.”
An honour to have Fred in Jansen and listen to his story about Terry and the Terry Fox Foundation, Neugebauer said, “He was so humble and down to earth. It was a terrific evening. It was also great having him recognize Mardelle’s fundraising efforts as she was the sixth highest fundraiser from Saskatchewan and Manitoba last year, raising $4,910. In fact, the community of Jansen was second in Canada per capita when it came to fundraising ($98.03) according to the Terry Fox Foundation.”
Spending about two hours at the library learning about the money raised in Jansen for the Terry Fox Foundation, Fox said, “For Mardelle and Vorgeen, they have raised in the thousands of dollars over the years and that has made a difference. If Carol doesn’t give of her time to organize things in Jansen, others wouldn’t have the opportunity to participate in a Terry Fox Run.”
Citing how the residents have been an inspiration to many with their efforts, Fox added “hopefully it will encourage others to do the same, now and into the future.”
Understanding the importance of a community coming together to help raise funds, Fred watched firsthand how Terry lost his leg to osteogenic sarcoma at the age of 18 and underwent 16 months of treatment. Unable to ignore the suffering witnessed in cancer wards, Terry decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. Starting the Marathon of Hope from St. John’s, Newfoundland and running close to 42 kilometres a day, Terry made his way west before being forced to stop outside of Thunder Bay, Ont. on Sept. 1, 1980 due to cancer appearing in his lungs. Passing away June 28, 1981 at the age of 22, Terry’s Run continued and since then, over $900 million has been raised for cancer research in Fox’s name.
With the opportunity to travel across Canada and to a few countries around the world to share Terry’s story, Fred explained the importance of the Marathon of Hope. “For our family, it has given us an opportunity to share Terry’s story and purpose to anyone that witnessed what Terry was doing in 1980; to new generations of young Canadians who learn of Terry at school or through their parents or grandparents; and to new Canadians who may not have known of Terry before coming here. For Canadians and others around the world, it has given them a chance to continue what Terry started, in making a difference to those with cancer by raising funds for cancer research.”
Asked if Fred would have ever imagined how big the Terry Fox Foundation would become, he shared, “The first Terry Fox Runs took place in 1981, two and a half months after Terry passed away, and our parents were told that the run would only last for two or three years and people would forget about Terry and what he did.”
Seven years later the Terry Fox Foundation was created and “we would have never known that the Terry Fox Foundation would become the best peer-to-peer fundraising organization in Canada. This has happened because of so many people who have given of their time to organize Terry Fox Runs and for so many that fundraise for cancer research.”
Fox said raising funds is what Terry wanted to do and explained how important it is. “When Terry was first diagnosed with cancer and after his amputation and during his chemotherapy treatments, Terry did some research to see how much money was being directed to cancer research in Canada around that time (1977). He found that not much government money or public donations were being directed to cancer research in Canada. Terry felt at that time that research was the way to go, to end the suffering that cancer causes. It is why it is still important to raise fund for research in Terry’s name.”
With Canadians and others from around the globe coming together each year to raise funds and participate in the Terry Fox Run, Fred said he is very, very proud of his brother’s journey. “It’s amazing to think of the sacrifice that Terry made in 1980, in running an average of a marathon a day to make a difference for those with cancer. What Terry started in 1980 has had a profound impact on the lives of so many. Terry changed completely the landscape of cancer research in Canada. Canada has some of the best cancer researchers in the world. Did I say that I was proud of Terry and his journey?!”
After recently spending time in Jansen and in other communities in Saskatchewan, when reflecting back over the past 45 years since Terry’s Marathon of Hope began, Fred said it is amazing to think that for so many years Canadians from coast to coast to coast are still so committed and passionate about doing their part in continuing Terry’s dream. “Just a very big thank you to everyone in Jansen and area who have participated in the Terry Fox Run, fundraised or made a donation for cancer research.”
June 2, 2025
New school in Lanigan opens
*photo courtesy Shannon Chernishenko
Daniel Bushman
Nearly five years since the announcement was made that Lanigan would receive a brand new school, the day finally arrived as students and staff moved from nearby Lanigan Elementary and Lanigan Central High schools to the new pre-K to Gr. 12 state-of-the-art school.
While there are a few things still left to be completed, Horizon School Division CEO Kevin Garinger said, “It is a very exciting time for students and staff. During opening day, both principals felt it was outstanding and went absolutely great.”
Lanigan Central High School Principal Jeff Stroeder said, “It was an outstanding first day at Lanigan School. The students and staff are all very excited to have the opportunity to learn in such a state-of-the-art building.”
With modern spaces to learn in, Stroeder added future access to two gymnasiums for the athletics programs and just the realization that everything is new has been very welcome to students and staff. Looking forward to the rewarding work of bringing Lanigan Elementary School and Lanigan Central High School together, Stroeder said, “We have outstanding staff members who care about kids.”
As students and staff stepped into a brand new chapter May 20, Lanigan Elementary School Principal Janice Fansher said, “Thanks to the detailed planning and coordination by school division leadership, principals, and staff, the transition was seamless, with student traffic flowing efficiently throughout the day. Careful consideration was given to arrival and dismissal procedures, classroom logistics, and movement within the building, ensuring a smooth and welcoming start for everyone.”
With Fansher noting the excitement was palpable amongst students and staff, they were eager to explore the new surroundings. “The state-of-the-art facility, with its bright, open spaces and modern design, offers a wealth of new opportunities for learning, creativity, and collaboration. Many shared their enthusiasm for the upgraded classrooms, innovative learning spaces, and the fresh sense of energy that comes with being in a brand new environment.”
“The first day has set a positive tone, and the future is looking bright for students and staff alike in their beautiful new pre-K to Gr. 12 home.”
While the community is excited about the possibilities the new building brings, Fansher shared large scale events have been put on pause temporarily; however, once the school is fully operational, it is expected to host a number of events.
Confirming the brand new school had a few hiccups related to mechanical pieces, Garinger noted they will be addressed and currently have no impact on students learning. Part of those hiccups mean the gym and industrial arts lab at the high school will still be utilized. “Students will use those until the end of June and then we will move all of the equipment over. The gym floor is not complete in the main gym at the new school, but is in the elementary, although there is some additional work that has to be done.”
Excited to have the new school open, Garinger shared a celebration will be held in the fall when the rest of the building is completed. “There is still lots of work to be done with the exterior portion like creating parking spaces and demolishing the old elementary and high schools. Once those are done, we will celebrate the new facility.”
May 26, 2025
Progress being made on Lanigan Cooperative Daycare project
Daniel Bushman
With a need for more childcare spaces in Lanigan and the potential influx of people moving to the community due to the new BHP mine near Jansen and the Aspen Power Station west of Lanigan, work continues on a new daycare project.
Once constructed, the approximate $3 million Lanigan Cooperative Daycare will provide 90 total spaces for the community, an increase of 42 from the current building. With a goal of helping support the community and seeing the project through, Lanigan Mayor Tony Mycock said, “The daycare goes hand in hand with the growth we are trying to create in Lanigan for housing and attracting new residents. With a new daycare we can hopefully attract new people to come to our great community.”
Being built where the old swimming pool and tennis courts were once located near the new school, council wanted to help make the project a reality. On May 12, the group approved the discretionary use application for a daycare facility on the site, which is part of the development permit process. “Council felt we needed to get involved to support the daycare board to get this much needed project off the ground,” explained Mycock. “The board is a great group of community minded individuals and we wanted to help them achieve the lofty goal of a $3 million build. This project is win/win for our community and by some outside the box thinking and the great work of our administration staff, the dream is coming to fruition.”
With the pool and tennis courts now demolished, Lanigan Chief Administrative Officer Ron McCullough shared the project is currently in the Request For Proposals (RFP) stage. “The RFP process is nearing completion with eight proposals received. The recommended proposal (successful bidder) will be in front of Lanigan Town Council for approval at the May 26 meeting. Then contract negotiations will commence and they will enter into the formal construction contract. Following that, detailed design work will be completed, permits will be issued and construction will start.”
On time and on budget, as the dream continues toward reality, McCullough said the Town of Lanigan has planned to finance $2 million of the project while the daycare will be making payments to the town equal to the loan payments. “There is also $600,000 already on hand from a one-time provincial grant. The balance remaining ($400,000 to $500,000) will be raised through a combination of the existing daycare building being sold and fundraising activity.”
Some of that fundraising activity has already started as McCullough noted the Lanigan Cooperative Daycare recently brought in approximately $18,000 from a pie auction. “For its part, the Town of Lanigan has committed to leading the large corporate sponsorship activity for not only the new daycare facility but also including other major recreation facilities in town, otherwise known as naming rights.”
With a goal of seeing the new project completed by June 2026, Mycock is looking forward to having it become part of the community for years to come. “It is exciting to not only see this daycare project being built in Lanigan but the new school now open, and BHP and the Aspen Power Station progressing. We are anticipating positive things for our great community.”
May 19, 2025
Lanigan resident receives prestigious award
Daniel Bushman
For decades Lanigan resident Oswald Lutz has not only given selflessly of his time and talents but has positively impacted the lives of many through volunteering. Helping out numerous organizations and people over the years, in recognition of National Volunteer Week, on Apr. 29, Lieutenant Governor Bernadette McIntyre presented Lutz and 14 others with the 2024 Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal.
Handing out the medals during the ceremony at Government House in Regina, McIntyre said, “It is an honour to recognize these recipients who tirelessly donate their time and talents to so many worthy causes in our province. Their generous spirit and wholehearted participation are an inspiration for us all.”
Marking the 30th anniversary of the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal, the award was established in 1995 to celebrate the province’s 90th anniversary, and to recognize the fact that Saskatchewan leads the country in volunteerism rates. The recipients join the ranks of 271 exemplary volunteers recognized in previous years.
“The 2024 recipients of the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal have made tremendous contributions over several decades, benefitting numerous organizations and communities,” McIntyre said. “As someone who has had the pleasure of working with volunteers for many years, I am delighted to help recognize these exceptional individuals for their generosity and commitment to improving the lives of others.”
Honoured to have been chosen, when Lutz received a call from the Saskatchewan Government Protocol Office that he was named a recipient, he shared it came as quite a shock. “I was not looking for praise, I just wanted to help,” he said. “I first learned about volunteering from my dad who operated a small farm and did lots of that. I just feel it is important to volunteer and help others.”
Joining Oz and members of his family in Regina for the prestigious ceremony was Lanigan Mayor Tony Mycock and his wife Yvonne. Neighbours of the Lutz family for more than two decades, Mycock shared it was a privilege to be present. “When we first moved to Lanigan, we quickly realized what a great new neighbour we had. Oz is the type of person that is always there to help his neighbours in any way he can.”
A sentiment shared by many, Mycock added Oz extended his generosity and kindness through numerous donations to multiple causes over the years. “Oz volunteers because he likes to help and make the lives of others better. He doesn’t volunteer for any accolades or praise, in fact he doesn’t like the attention. I cannot think of a more worthy recipient for the volunteer medal. On behalf of the Town of Lanigan we congratulate Oswald Lutz on the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal.”
Born in 1934, Lutz grew up on a farm between Humboldt and Bruno. From there, he attended college in Saskatoon where he received an Arts Degree and Education Degree to become a teacher. After teaching in the Burr area, in 1961 Lutz moved from Carmel to Lanigan to become vice principal at the elementary school. Following his time there, in 1969, he accepted a position at Lanigan Central High School where he would spend the next 17 years of his career before retiring.
Married to wife Lorna, the pair raised their family in Lanigan and it was during that time Oz began volunteering. The former Lanigan Town Councillor, Lutz dedicated decades to community service. Having leadership roles within the Lanigan Lions Club, the Lanigan Pirates senior hockey team, Scouts Canada, St. Mary’s Parish, and the Lanigan Sports Association, Lutz also volunteered at Central Parkland Lodge and the Lanigan and District Food Bank to name a few.
Reflecting back on his years of volunteering, not wanting to be in the spotlight, Lutz hesitated before sharing a few memories. Feeling that perhaps one of the most rewarding experiences for him was helping with the Meals on Wheels program, he said, “The Lions delivered Meals on Wheels and I would come to a place and see the curtain move or the door would open before I got to the sidewalk. People were not just looking for a good meal but wanted to spend some time visiting. I may have been the only visitor that day so it was special to take time to do that.”
But it was not just delivering meals that Oz was able to invest in the lives of others while making a difference. Wanting to help brighten a day, Lutz would stop by Central Parkland Lodge and read to residents. Heading over to the lodge after supper, he would grab a book and read a chapter or two before venturing home. Oz would then return a few nights later and read a few more chapters. “They enjoyed Never Sleep Three In A Bed and The Night We Stole The Mountie’s Car by Nokomis author Max Braithwaite,” said a smiling Lutz.
Another memorable part of Lutz’s life through volunteering was getting involved with Scouts. Along with Don Nixon of Drake, Oz helped run the program, taking kids on camping trips, making hot chocolate and building fires. “It was rewarding to be able to mold the lives of those young guys while helping to try and keep them out of trouble.”
In addition to Scouts, Oz became part of another well-known organization. Chartered in 1969, the Lanigan Lions Club provided an opportunity for people to serve while putting the needs of their neighbours and communities first. Joining in 1970, Lion Oz served in various roles while spearheading a number of initiatives. For his many years of dedication, in December 2023, Lutz was bestowed with the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award, one of the highest honours given to a Lion.
Aron Renwick, who was the Lanigan Lions Club President when Lutz was honoured with the Melvin Jones Fellowship Award in 2023 was not surprised when he found out Oz was a Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal recipient. “He definitely deserves it and has been very dedicated to the Lions and to the community for many years. Ozzie is just a great guy to talk with and is always willing to help out and lend a hand. We are fortunate to have him in Lanigan.”
While Lutz is not one to seek out the spotlight, the 1997 Lanigan Citizen of the Year has certainly deserved the accolades for his tremendous work, dedication and generosity. Joining Lutz as the remaining 2024 Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal recipients are: Valerie Bidaux, Eastend; William Brooks, Saskatoon; Creighton (Wayne) Cameron, Moose Jaw; Brenda Corman, Saskatoon; Audrey and Ron Euteneier, Regina;John Grant, Regina; Lieutenant-Colonel (Ret’d) Lyle Johnson, O.M.M., C.D., Moose Jaw; Harvey Linnen, Regina; Sandi Lougheed, Beechy; Dr. Bruce Neill, Indian Head; Laura Poppy, Indian Head; Rob Rongve, North Battleford; and Jayne C.M. Whyte, Regina.
May 12, 2025
New Lanigan School almost ready
Daniel Bushman
Following a delay during final inspections, if all goes according to the current plan, staff and students will be in the new Lanigan School on Tuesday, May 20.
Originally scheduled to relocate from the current elementary and high schools in Lanigan to the new pre-K to Gr. 12 school no later than May 1, Horizon School Division CEO Kevin Garinger said they had to push that date back.
“We had to address a life safety issue in the school that was based on the interpretation of the building code requirements. What we had to adjust to meet the building code was considered acceptable in other construction projects. It was obviously frustrating, but we have confirmation of the opening of Lanigan School for May 20. That said, we are still trying to determine whether or not there may be a need to be flexible with that date. We will update staff and families if May 20 needs to be adjusted slightly. We are doing everything we can to make sure we get our kids in there in a safe and effective learning environment and to also make sure that everything is set up for everyone to be successful.”
Wanting to provide time for teachers to organize their classrooms leading up to May 20, Garinger said, “We are hoping to be able to get teachers ready for students before the May long weekend so we can be prepared for the arrival of our students. There has been some navigating and adjusting with ebbs and flows of construction, but we will continue to plan for their arrival as our children will be in the new school this spring without fail.”
Expecting to have the occupancy certification completed and staff able to enter the building the week of May 12, Garinger indicated there will still be deficiencies needing to be addressed, but most of those will be looked at during the summer months, so there will be little to no interruptions for students.
“If we have to adjust the May 20 date by a day, communication will be sent out to staff and families directly from Horizon’s office. We are expecting that the 20th will work, but we know there are aspects of the move that staff need to complete, and we need to ensure they have the time to do so.”
Now beyond the five-year point from when the initial announcement was made for the new school, Garinger said, “We are looking forward to having a great school that will be there for our kids, staff and families for years to come. There is a lot of work left to do with demolishing the current elementary and high schools, but we are certainly excited that the students will have an opportunity to move in before the end of this school year.”
Appreciating the patience from staff, students, and families during an exciting but challenging time, once the new school does open, Garinger said the main gymnasium and industrial arts lab will not be ready to go. “We are going to use the high school at this time for physical education and industrial arts classes and then transition everything over in the summer so the school will be fully operational in September.”
Once all deficiencies are completed at the new multi-million dollar building and the demolition of the other schools is concluded, a celebration will be held. “It will probably be in November sometime after we manage through the demolition work. Because everything has been delayed, it delays our demolition plans. We hope for a pretty mild fall so we can make sure all of this other work gets completed.”
Outside of the infrastructure, administration-wise, Garinger indicated Lanigan Elementary School and Lanigan Central High School Community Councils (SCCS) will continue to operate with their own SCCS through the 2024-‘25 school year. This June, both will come together for a joint annual general meeting as the school division will form one SCC for the new pre-K to Gr. 12 Lanigan School.
Heading into the upcoming school year, Garinger also noted that Jeff Stroeder accepted the role of principal, while Marci Bergen and Teri Herman accepted roles as vice principals for the new school. “We look forward to their leadership during this important transition for the Lanigan School and communities.”
May 5, 2025
Local MP retains seat, Liberal Party returns to government
Daniel Bushman
After hearing platforms, weighing options and with uncertainty south of the border, voters across the country cast their ballots as part of the 45th Federal Election. With the results tabulated, a Liberal minority government with Mark Carney as the Prime Minister was formed while the Conservative Party remains as the official opposition.
Following just over 7.2 million people voting at advance polls Apr. 18 to 21, when votes were counted from election day Apr. 28, preliminary estimates from Elections Canada indicated a total of 19,583,016 Canadians cast a ballot, translating into a voter turnout of about 68.65 percent.
From those votes, the Liberal Party took 169 seats (43.7 percent of votes) while the Conservative Party had 144 seats (41.3 percent of votes). Both saw an increase from the previous election in 2021 when the Liberal Party secured 160 seats while the Conservative Party collected 119.
The remaining three parties who won at least one seat this year saw their totals drop from the last election. The Bloc Québecois who had 32 during the previous election lost 10 seats to secure 22 (6.3 percent of votes) this time around. The New Democratic Party had 25 seats in the previous election but were elected in just seven ridings this year (6.3 percent of votes). The Green Party, who had two seats last election secured one seat (1.2 percent of votes).
There was no change locally as Conservative Party candidate and incumbent Fraser Tolmie once again secured his seat in the Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan riding. With 45,922 of 62,484 registered electors (73.49 percent) voting, Tolmie received 33,032 votes (71.9 percent). Liberal Party candidate Tabitha Mukamusoni was second with 7,664 votes (16.7 percent), the NDP’s Britt Baumann was third with 3,462 votes (7.5 percent), the People’s Party of Canada candidate Chey Craik was fourth with 1,353 votes (2.9 percent), and the Green Party’s Mike Gardiner was fifth with 411 votes (0.9 percent).
Putting in a lot of time and effort meeting with people throughout the riding, Tolmie was very pleased with the results. “It is a lot of territory to cover as one person so having a team who was there to support me and get me through this, we were very proud as a team to see the numbers go up and get the support.”
Making a decision very early on not to take the riding for granted, Tolmie believed the efforts made by him and his team proved that. Understanding what it means to run in an election, Tolmie wanted to acknowledge the other candidates who put their names forward. “I’d like to congratulate them on their efforts and recognize that anybody who puts their name on a ballot is really standing up for what they believe in and that takes courage. I want to acknowledge them for their hard work and efforts.”
Surprised to see the Bloc Québecois and New Democratic Party losing a number of seats, returning to Ottawa as the official opposition, Tolmie was encouraged by the support given to the Conservative Party. “We have seen a huge increase in the numbers wanting to support a common sense platform. Dollars to doughnuts, our platform is the better platform.”
As part of the changes in government, three party leaders also lost their seats. The Conservative Party’s Pierre Poilievre, the New Democratic Party’s Jagmeet Singh and the Green Party’s co-leader Jonathan Pedneault were all defeated in their respective ridings. Following the results, both Singh and Pedneault stated they would be stepping down from their leadership roles while Poilievre indicated he plans to stay on.
Supporting and advocating for Poilievre when he first ran to become the leader, Tolmie said, “I believe he has done a great job as our leader and it is unfortunate that he has lost his seat. We are covering new territory and we will have to figure it out.”
Indicating the party will have to meet as a team and evaluate whether Poilievre remains as leader, Tolmie added it is important to “recognize all the good things he has done for this movement and the Conservative Party and give him the praise for what he achieved.”
Looking forward to once again representing Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan, Tolmie said, “I am very honoured and privileged to have gained the confidence of the people of this riding again with a mandate to go and advocate on behalf of them for their best interests and the challenges they are facing. I don’t take this position for granted and I didn’t when I was elected in 2021. I worked hard during the four years to get out to as many of the communities within this riding. I have been elected again and we worked hard during the election and I will work hard for the next number of years until the next election. I am very proud of the people and grateful to represent them.”
As millions of people from across the country voted, more than 900,000 elementary, intermediate and high school students participated in Student Vote Canada. After learning about democracy and elections, researching the parties and platforms, and debating the future of the country, students cast their ballots for the official candidates running in their school’s electoral district.
Across Canada, a total of 870,340 valid votes were reported Apr. 28 from 5,900 schools. In Saskatchewan, 26,301 students cast ballots representing 278 schools. According to CIVIX, students elected a Conservative Party minority government with the Liberal Party forming the official opposition.
The Conservative Party won 165 seats and 36.4 percent of the popular vote with Poilievre winning his riding. The Liberal Party won 145 seats and 31.7 percent of the popular vote with Carney winning his riding. The Bloc Québecois won 18 seats and 2.1 percent of the popular vote with Yves-François Blanchet winning his riding. The NDP won 13 seats and 14.5 percent of the popular vote. Singh lost his riding. The Green Party won two seats and 7.5 percent of the popular vote. Pedneault lost his riding while Elizabeth May won her riding.
In Saskatchewan, the Conservative Party won 12 seats (48.3 percent of the vote) while the Liberal Party collected two (21.8 percent of the vote).
For Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan, Tolmie won the riding with 1,144 votes (47.08 percent) followed by Mukamusoni with 414 (17.04 percent), Baumann with 373 (15.35 percent), Gardiner with 332 (13.66 percent), and Craik with 167 (6.87 percent).
Student Vote Canada is presented in collaboration with Elections Canada. Student Vote is a program of CIVIX, a non-partisan registered Canadian charity dedicated to strengthening democracy through civic education. CIVIX programming focuses on elections, government budgets, elected representatives, public discourse and digital media literacy.
Apr. 28, 2025
Working to secure physicians in local communities
Daniel Bushman
As the communities of Lanigan and Watrous hope to see healthcare services fully resume in the future, recruiting physicians continues. With doctors departing both towns and services having been temporarily disrupted, work is underway to provide supports to each.
In Lanigan, with funding allocated for three physicians, Jacquie Holzmann, Executive Director, Primary Health Care Southeast for Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said recruiting continues for an additional one; however, notice was recently given that one of the current physicians will be leaving. “We don’t have a confirmation of that date but we are actively recruiting for those positions.”
With recruiting efforts now underway for two physicians instead of one, Lanigan has been able to rely on a nurse practitioner allowing for access to a provider while supporting the clinic. “She is a very important asset to that team.”
In addition to the current physicians and a nurse practitioner, the hospital in Lanigan has also used the virtual physician program to help support and operate the emergency department. “We have been doing that for the better part of the last year and that program now exists across rural and in the northern communities to help stabilize and support physician services where we have vacancies.”
Watching physicians come and go while doing his best to lobby for more help on behalf of the community of Lanigan, Mayor Tony Mycock shared the current situation is frustrating. “We finally get to two doctors and a potential for a third and then since that time we had two doctors resign so we are going back to one physician and one nurse practitioner.”
Recently attending the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association’s (SUMA) convention, Mycock talked with SHA’s recruitment agency and voiced his concerns. “The SIPPA (Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment ) program doesn’t seem to be working for rural Saskatchewan, we just can’t seem to retain doctors. I got up during the forum with the health minister and spoke for Lanigan.”
This is not the first time Mycock has tried to get help for his community. Four years ago during a SUMA convention, after hearing his concerns, the mayor was invited by the Saskatchewan NDP to lobby at the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly in Regina. “Every year since then I am getting up in front of the health minister during SUMA conventions voicing my frustrations for Lanigan.”
Understanding other communities are in similar situations or worse, Mycock shared a job posting for a temporary second nurse practitioner was recently posted to try and help. “The virtual physician program has also allowed us to keep the hospital open instead of going on bypass. I think it is a definite help but I don’t think it replaces somebody being able to see a doctor.
“Just being at SUMA and listening to other situations, we are still in a better position than other communities but with the growth in our region, it is a concern. We have a lot going on in our area with BHP and the Aspen Power Station and more people are living in town. There is no doubt Lanigan is going to grow and part of that is needing healthcare. The provincial government keeps saying everyone deserves access to a doctor but where the doctors are going to be coming from, I don’t know.”
With Lanigan experiencing temporary disruptions, when asked when emergency services can fully resume, Holzmann shared that is all dependant on having a full compliment of physicians. While recruitment for that continues, she added, “We really appreciate the existing team members for their continued work to provide the services in both the clinic and in the emergency department. Our physicians are operating the emergency department daily in that community at reduced hours and we are having supplemental support through the virtual physician program. We are definitely working to stabilize services for the community there.”
Hopeful SHA is able to bring in some help before Lanigan goes down to one doctor, Mycock feels the whole process has been one step forward and then one step back. “I thought four years ago that by this time we would be fully staffed with doctors and our ER would be open 24/7 but we have not got there yet. When you look at the situation in Lanigan, we will be down two doctors and in Watrous, it is three leaving. It is hard right now.”
With three physicians leaving down the road in Watrous over the coming months, Holzmann said plans are also in place to try and secure replacements.
“We have known about that for some time and we have two new physicians who are currently in the Saskatchewan International Physician Practice Assessment (SIPPA) program. If successful, they will start in the community sometime in July.”
In addition to the two physicians working through the SIPPA program, Watrous was also given incremental funding to add a fourth so SHA is currently in the process of recruiting two more doctors which would eventually give the community a total of four. Hoping to offer some stability until that time, along with a current nurse practitioner, a posting for a temporary second nurse practitioner has been put up. Watrous was also recently announced as part of the virtual physician program which will help support the emergency department.
Watrous Mayor John Gunderson said, “We are happy SHA designated a couple of doctors to the Watrous Medical Clinic practice as well as servicing the hospital and long term care through the SIPPA program. Wait times have been fairly significant so adding a fourth physician will hopefully alleviate that to some degree. I am sure things will proceed as quickly as possible to get to that full compliment of doctors that we have been approved for. These are challenging times and we will try and be as positive as we can and look forward to the future.”
Understanding filling all of the roles will take some time, Holzmann said utilizing the virtual physician program, seeking a temporary second nurse practitioner and trying to bring in locums should aid in the process. “We have a shortage of physicians across the province, especially in rural and northern areas. Recruitment will take some time but I think with the work the SHA, SMA (Saskatchewan Medical Association) and the government are currently doing on focusing on retention and recruitment, I do think we will get there. I do think it is going to take us a bit of time. All of these other supports like the virtual physician program are really helping us until we get to that full capacity.”
After investing their time and efforts over the years, all three physicians from Watrous expressed their heartfelt gratitude toward the community and surrounding area through letters addressed to patients and families.
Dr. Olanike Adebayo, who has mixed emotions about her May 26 closure at Watrous Primary Health Centre, Imperial Clinic and Watrous District Health Complex said, “It has been my privilege and my pleasure to live and work in this community. Thank you.”
Dr. Chander Sharma whose last day will be June 30 shared, “My experience as a part of your healthcare team has been really enriching and fulfilling.
“I am extremely thankful to you all for allowing me to serve in your entrusted medical care, I count it as a great honour and privilege. Thank you.”
After serving in Saskatchewan since May 2015, Dr. Kavita Choudhary will be closing her practice in Watrous July 10. “This decision to leave my practice has not been easy and leaving a practice with so many wonderful patients is the toughest part. I have valued the trusted doctor/patient relationship we developed and truly appreciated the opportunity to help you manage your healthcare needs.
“I really feel humbled and privileged for being your family doctor for all these years. I wish the best to you all in the future.”
On the departure of the physicians, Holzmann said SHA is indebted to their service. “It is not very often these days where physicians stay in the same practice for 10 years so we are just really indebted to the service these three physicians have given Watrous and the surrounding communities. We really want to thank them for their years of service they have dedicated to Watrous.”
On behalf of the community, Gunderson said, “We are happy with the services they provided to the community and wish them all the best in whatever their future endeavours might bring. We also collaborate with SHA whenever we experience a shortage of healthcare workers such as doctors, nurses, continuing care aides and lab staff and are hopeful that the new doctors coming will not just be here for a short time. We hope they can get integrated into the community and enjoy it here and stay for quite a length of time.”
For patients, the physicians noted records can be transferred by contacting the clinics in Watrous and Imperial as soon as possible. If not, by default, the records will be retained by the Watrous and Imperial clinics and medical care will continue with the local team of providers.
With the upcoming departures, as both Lanigan and Watrous hope to receive a full compliment of physicians in the near future, Holzmann understands how critical it is to team up with the local communities. “We will continue to try to work to fill the gaps until such time we have successful recruitment in those positions.”
Apr. 21, 2025
Candidate Q and A for Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan
Daniel Bushman
People across Canada will be headed to the polls Apr. 28 as voters will choose who they feel should represent them in government. With election day quickly approaching, locally, five candidates put their names forward to become the next Member of Parliament for Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan.
Following an Apr. 14 article featuring each of the five, in this week’s edition, the Lanigan Advisor reached out to the candidates with four questions. The following are each of their responses which appear in alphabetical order by party name.
Conservative Party: Fraser Tolmie (incumbent)
Why did you decide to run in the federal election?
I am seeking re-election and this is a passion that I have for this riding. I believe the people of Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan need to have a strong voice in Ottawa and that it is not someone that is going to be bringing a message back from Ottawa and telling them what to do which is what we have been dealing with with the Liberal government.
I believe that in the first four years that I have been in Ottawa we have been able to punch above our weight. I had the privilege of serving as the Deputy Critic for Veterans Affairs where we have worked very hard on that file. This riding in particular has brought forward some good policy for the Conservative platform concerning rail and how that impacts local businesses and farmers. We have also had influence over other ridings across Canada bringing good policy forward and they have relied on us for some advice and we have been able to give that.
Why should people vote for you?
I am a hard worker and someone who believes you don’t take this position for granted. This is a position of servitude not of status and that I serve at the people’s pleasure. In order to restore honour into politics I believe that we have to remember that, you serve the people of this riding, they don’t serve you.
What do you feel is the biggest issue right now for Canadians?
Honestly, I think we need to keep our eye on the ball, it is the economy. For the last 10 years, the Liberal government have run down the economy and used the people of Canada as a form of revenue for taxes. People don’t pay taxes, the government takes taxes. They have really been fiscally irresponsible, they have not really paid attention to the people and the challenges they are facing.
We have seen record number use of food banks and in Moose Jaw itself, the food bank almost shutdown in the summer. There was a lack of donations because people didn’t have anything extra to give and the food bank couldn’t afford the food because the costs had gone up and there was overuse. We had not seen something like this and when I hear (Liberal leader Mark) Carney saying they are going to build homes like they did after WWII that shows the state of the economy the Liberal government has put us in.
The Liberals are campaigning on change but they are the ones who put us in this problem and we need a new government to overhaul some of these bad policies.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
It is a real honour and a privilege to have been able to serve the people of Moose Jaw-Lake Centre-Lanigan. I made a promise four years ago that we would get out and visit this riding as much as we could and I believe we have done that.
The riding boundaries have changed in this election and it is now actually five square kilometres larger than Switzerland. We are an unique riding and home to the Snowbirds and the town of Rouleau which featured Corner Gas. We have some really unique spots within this riding and I think it is a gemstone within Saskatchewan and I have been really proud to be able to serve as MP and hope to do so again.
Green Party of Canada: Mike Gardiner
Why did you decide to run in the federal election?
I’m in this to be a voice for the people who aren’t heard. I’m using my platform to bring up issues that are forgotten. I want us to talk about things like fair taxation on the wealthiest corporations and people, and closing tax loopholes so that we can pay for things like Universal Basic Income to lift everyone out of poverty, and so we can all start getting ahead financially and not having to live paycheque to paycheque.
Large corporations have too much control of our country. They have corporate lobbyists in the two largest parties, and they lobby for tax breaks, incentives, and corporate welfare. Last year, $30 billion of our tax money subsidized the fossil fuel industry, while they made $176 billion in profits. We could use that money for things like Universal Basic Income.
Why should people vote for you?
It’s a vote for hope in the future, and a vote for things that we hope to see. It would be a vote for your beliefs and convictions about how we need to change things as a society so that late-stage capitalism doesn’t continue to make us fall further into hyper individualization and further away from caring about each other in our community that we call Canada.
What do you feel is the biggest issue right now for Canadians?
I think it’s a failing capitalist system. It used to be a functional replacement of the barter system, but has grown into something far beyond that. We now have people hoarding more wealth than they could ever spend in their lifetime. In order to obtain a billion dollars, you would need to save $100,000 every year for 10,000 years.
We have an oligarchy of billionaires controlling the government to our south, saying they want to take Canada in order to take and sell our resources and make billions more. This kind of unfettered greed and expectation of limitless capital growth is unsustainable and is destroying our world, our democracies, our mental health, and our physical health. It is the underlying problem that none of us want to acknowledge.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We need to do a bit more critical thought when it comes to what career politicians are telling us. Right-wing politicians overload us with slogans, propaganda, and advertisements that have us look back to the “good old days” with rose coloured glasses, and they want us to forget that women, Indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA2S+ people did not have human rights back then.
We can’t afford to allow corporate lobbyists to privatize our healthcare or any of the things that we’ve worked together to build for each other. We can’t afford to allow private US corporations to charge us three times what our healthcare and medication costs right now.
“We used to live in a society. Now we live in an economy” (Dianne Whelan, 2023). We have drifted away from a community focus and have become so focused on ourselves and our own way of life that we have forgotten about all of the other beings that we are connected with through an intricate web that connects all life.
Hyper-individualization and lack of empathy and community connection are literally killing us. The only way that we’ve survived this long as human beings is by working together for the common good in our communities. Let’s do that again, and stand together to lift everyone up.
Liberal Party of Canada: Tabitha Mukamusoni
Why did you decide to run in the federal election?
I decided to run because I believe rural voices especially in regions like Moose Jaw–Lake Centre–Lanigan deserve to be heard loud and clear in Ottawa. After years working as a journalist and a community advocate, I’ve seen firsthand how too many decisions are made without truly understanding the realities we live with here.
I want to be a bridge between our people and federal decision-makers. I’m running to fight for better healthcare, in our rural communities, stronger support for families and farmers, and real opportunities for our youth to thrive right here at home without having to leave our communities behind.
Why should people vote for you?
Because I know what it means to listen, to work hard, and to bring people together.
I believe in the vision of Mark Carney’s Liberal team and I’m confident that, together, we can build a stronger, more united Canada.
For example, $10-a-day childcare is not just essential for working women like me it’s also a smart way to address the farm labour shortage in Saskatchewan. This program needs to be maintained and improved, with more available childcare spaces in rural areas. As a mother, I know how life-changing that support can be.
I also support strengthening AgriStability adding up to $3 million per farm to protect farmers from tariffs and market shocks. We can help young Canadians buy their first homes by using Canadian lumber and making low-interest loans available. And yes, I support ending the consumer carbon tax, which is hitting rural families hardest.
I’ve built my life around giving a voice to those who are often ignored, whether through journalism, community leadership, or community radio. I live here, I raise my family here, and I’ve been serving this community from the ground up. I will bring that same energy, empathy, and determination to Parliament. People should vote for me because I will be a tireless voice for them not just during the campaign, but every single day after.
What do you feel is the biggest issue right now for Canadians?
As a Liberal candidate in Moose Jaw–Lake Centre–Lanigan, I believe the biggest challenges are affordability and growing pressure from international tariffs, especially under Trump and China.
Whether it’s groceries, housing, gasoline, or farming equipment, Canadians are feeling the pinch. And in rural areas like ours, it’s even harder.
We need policies that reflect our real lives not just downtown priorities. Canadians want practical, fair solutions that make life more affordable and less complicated.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Yes, I want to highlight something we’ve been working on in Gravelbourg: international student recruitment, both at the high school and college level. It’s a model that works and it should be supported and expanded to other rural communities. These programs boost our local economy, enrich our education system, and help keep our communities vibrant and growing.
As a Member of Parliament, I will champion these initiatives at the federal level because rural Canada deserves bold, forward-looking ideas.
And finally, thank you. Thank you to everyone who has welcomed me into your towns, farms, and homes. I’m not a career politician. I’m a mother, a wife, a worker, and a neighbour who wants to make a difference. I truly believe that together, we can build a future where no one is left behind, where rural Saskatchewan is not only heard, but respected and supported.
NDP: Britt Baumann
Why did you decide to run in the federal election?
I have decided to run in this election because we are all ready for change. In past elections, we have sent Conservatives to Ottawa, and it seems that they have not done much for us. I receive a seasonal newsletter from our current MP that is filled with complaints about the carbon tax and how all our problems are due to this tax. Well, the carbon tax is gone now, but the Conservative party has not offered us anything new except slogans, a nod to the MAGA movement, and discrimination against Canadians they perceive to be different than them, that is not leadership, and now, more than ever, Saskatchewan needs effective leadership in Ottawa.
Why should people vote for you?
I have a PhD in public policy, which means that I have spent my career analyzing policies for effectiveness. Slogans such as ‘axe the tax’, ‘build the homes’, or ‘create the jobs’, are not policies. They are only goals. Let’s talk about housing for a moment. Canada is in the midst of a housing crisis, and thus far, the Liberals have applied ‘market solutions’ to the crisis and the Conservatives are demanding even stricter ‘market solutions.’ The bulk of their housing strategies involves cutting costs and taxes for developers—allowing the free market to sort things out. Well, I can assure you that if a purely market solution could solve the housing crisis, then we would not be in a housing crisis. Instead, let’s consider what has worked elsewhere. In the immediate short term, we could build subsidized non-profit housing suitable for families, seniors, and vulnerable persons. We need this in addition to any ‘market solutions’ the other parties are pitching.
What do you feel is the biggest issue right now for Canadians?
Absolutely, the biggest issue facing Canadians is the affordability crisis, and the Trump tariffs are making this crisis worse. This tariff war will lead to global inflation, and a global recession. Each time Trump speaks, the stock market roils. We have even seen dangerous instability in the bond markets. Down here on the ground, Canadians are losing their jobs. The farmers are worried if they will be able to sell their grain, the potash mines could be shut down, and our local business will suffer greatly. We need real action from Ottawa. New Democrats are calling for tax cuts to the working class, not for billionaires. Pierre Poilievre is making empty promises on tax cuts. Conservatives have championed the idea of ‘trickle-down economics’ over the last 50 years, but it is evident that the gap between rich and poor has only widened.
Remember that, with just 25 seats, the New Democrats brought you dental care, Pharmacare, and $10-a-day daycare. For the first time in years, many seniors could have their teeth fixed, essential diabetic medications and contraceptives are now covered through Pharmacare, and if only our premier would put his pride away and take the money, Saskatchewan would receive affordable daycare options. If you want to keep these cost-saving measures, we must return New Democrats to Ottawa. Saskatchewan people should remember that Poilievre and his Conservatives voted against dental care, against Pharmacare, against affordable daycare, against school food programs, against increased funding for low income seniors, and much more.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I would like to point out that beautiful Little Manitou Lake is one of my favourite destinations in Saskatchewan. Each summer, you will see me camping in the Manitou Beach regional park, zipping around on my e-bike to visit the many art galleries, restaurants, antique shops and many other businesses that Watrous and Manitou Beach have to offer. Not only is it possible to enjoy the buoyant lake waters indoors at the Manitou Springs, but there is nothing more pleasant than grabbing an ice cream on the shore while watching the sunset. Warm summer nights can be spent at the wonderfully nostalgic Salty Cinema, and it is always a good time to dance on the horsehair floor at Danceland. The Watrous Manitou area is a vibrant community that requires positive attention from your Member of Parliament.
Many people are unaware that federal funding is available for communities such as Watrous and Manitou Beach. There are different programs focused on arts, sport, and various other community development such as the preservation of community history. In addition, there is funding available to assist business and community development specifically in rural Saskatchewan! If you were unaware of that, it is because your current Member of Parliament has not bothered to tell you.
If you send me to Ottawa, I will help rural Saskatchewan organizations and local small businesses locate and apply for the funding they need to bring their goals to reality. Also, I will fight in Parliament to demand that more money is allocated for community development. The New Democrats are in it for you, not for billionaires.
People’s Party of Canada: Chey Craik
Why did you decide to run in the federal election?
Because we believe Canada is at a turning point. For years, we’ve seen government from all sides make promises that they don’t keep. They’ve put political correctness ahead of common sense, special interests ahead of everyday Canadians, and global agendas ahead of our sovereignty. Enough is enough. It’s time for real change—change that puts Canadians first.
Why should people vote for you?
I grew up on the family farm just outside Moose Jaw, and live there with my wife of nearly 23 years with our two young adult children today. I understand the concerns of our riding and I am excited to be the voice we have never had. Our party does not have a whip to guide the vote as all other parties have. As MPs we will be allowed to vote our conscience, and the voice of our constituents.
What do you feel is the biggest issue right now for Canadians?
There are many, but if I had to pick one it would be the state of our economy. We need bold reforms to free our economy from government interference and unleash Canada’s potential. The PPC believes in free markets, fiscal responsibility, and putting money back into your pocket. Billions of taxpayer dollars are wasted every year on subsidies for large corporations while small businesses struggle. The PPC will cut corporate welfare programs and focus on creating a level playing field for all businesses.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We must restore Canadian values—values that unite us as one nation under one flag. Canada has always been a country built on hard work, individual responsibility, freedom of speech, respect for tradition, and equality under the law. These are the values we need to restore.
This election we need to vote our voice, not their fear.
Apr. 14, 2025
Lanigan resident recipient of Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal
Through decades of volunteering his time and efforts, a Lanigan resident is being honoured on a provincial level. On Apr. 4, Saskatchewan Lieutenant Governor Bernadette McIntyre announced the recipients of the 2024 Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal, which included Oswald Lutz.
“The 2024 recipients of the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal have made tremendous contributions over several decades, benefitting numerous organizations and communities,” McIntyre said. “As someone who has had the pleasure of working with volunteers for many years, I am delighted to help recognize these exceptional individuals for their generosity and commitment to improving the lives of others.”
Joining 14 others to receive the prestigious honour, Lutz is no stranger when it comes to generously lending a hand. Having a big impact within Lanigan and beyond, the retired teacher, vice-principal, and former Lanigan Town Councillor, has dedicated decades to community service. In his bio, it stated: A 54-year member of the Lions Club, he continues to serve into his late 80s. His leadership spans roles with the Lanigan Senior Pirates, Scouts Canada, St. Mary’s Parish, and the Lanigan Sports Association. He also volunteers at Central Parkland Lodge and the Lanigan Food Bank. His contributions earned him Lanigan’s Citizen of the Year and the Melvin Jones Award.
Joining Lutz as 2024 Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal recipients are: Valerie Bidaux, Eastend; William Brooks, Saskatoon; Creighton (Wayne) Cameron, Moose Jaw; Brenda Corman, Saskatoon; Audrey and Ron Euteneier, Regina;John Grant, Regina; Lieutenant-Colonel (Ret’d) Lyle Johnson, O.M.M., C.D., Moose Jaw; Harvey Linnen, Regina; Sandi Lougheed, Beechy; Dr. Bruce Neill, Indian Head; Laura Poppy, Indian Head; Rob Rongve, North Battleford; and Jayne C.M. Whyte, Regina.
Established in 1995 to recognize the extraordinary work done by volunteers across the province, since its creation, 271 individuals have been awarded the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal. The most recent recipients, which includes Lutz, will be presented with the prestigious medal Apr. 29, 2025, at a ceremony held in their honour at Government House in Regina during National Volunteer Week.
Apr. 7, 2025
Opening of new Lanigan School delayed
Daniel Bushman
The opening of the new Lanigan School has been delayed following final inspections to the facility. In a memo sent out Apr. 2 to Lanigan Elementary School and Lanigan Central High School families, SCCs, and staff, Horizon School Division CEO Kevin Garinger provided the update on the new multi-million dollar school.
With students and staff originally scheduled to be in the new pre-K to Gr. 12 school no later than May 1, during final inspections, Garinger stated changes to the smoke detection system were required to meet current safety standards.
While work is now underway on the system, he noted the time required for the supply and installation means the date to move into the new school has been pushed back to the middle of May. “Although we had hoped to move in sooner, we remain focused on ensuring a safe and smooth transition for students and staff as soon as the building is ready.”
As part of the changes, as of Apr. 2, Garinger said, “This is the plan as of today, and timelines may still shift as work progresses but if there are any changes, we will keep people informed.”
The following is the updated opening plans provided by Horizon School Division:
Classroom packing and moving – movers will pick up any boxes and classroom materials not needed for day-to-day teaching Apr. 22 (during the Easter break). The remainder of classroom items, resources, and equipment will be moved May 15 to 16 (non-instructional days).
Student tours – students will be invited to visit the new school May 14 to see their classrooms and become familiar with entrances and routines, just ahead of the Victoria Day long weekend.
School Community Councils (SCCs) – Lanigan Elementary and Lanigan Central High will continue to operate with their own SCCs through the 2024-‘25 school year. This June, both SCCs will come together for a joint annual general meeting – a meaningful step as the school division looks ahead to forming one united SCC for the new pre-K to Gr. 12 Lanigan School.
Leadership – Horizon School Division is excited to announce that Jeff Stroeder has accepted the role of principal, and Marci Bergen and Teri Herman have accepted the roles of vice principals for the new Lanigan School. Garinger said, “We look forward to their leadership during this important transition for the Lanigan School and community.”
Mar. 31, 2025
Lazers erase deficit to take bronze at HOOPLA
*photo courtesy SHSAA
Daniel Bushman
For three consecutive years, the Lanigan Lazers senior girls basketball team has not only competed on the province’s biggest stage but each year the team has brought home a medal. With silver at HOOPLA in 2023 and gold in 2024, this year the Lazers collected bronze.
Held Mar. 21 and 22 in Saskatoon, entering 2025’s prestigious event ranked third in 3A girls, Lanigan faced number two ranked Indian Head in its semifinal Friday afternoon. In a close opening two quarters, at the half, Indian Head held a 37-31 lead before going on to defeat the Lazers 84-63. According to the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association, Reese Stroeder had 22 points to lead Lanigan followed by Montana Kulchyski with 12 and Kya Wildeman with eight.
“We didn’t play our best game offensively, missing quite a few foul shots on our end,” shared Lazers head coach Lindi Stroeder who added the team they faced was very strong in controlling the boards both offensively and defensively. “Indian Head definitely deserved that win, and although we were disappointed, we knew we still had a job to do. We wanted a medal so we had to regroup.”
With number one ranked Wynyard defeating number four ranked Regina Christian School in the other semifinal earlier in the day, that meant Lanigan would take on Regina in the bronze medal game Saturday. While Wynyard would go on to win gold over Indian Head in the provincial final, Lanigan found itself down by 10 after the first quarter against Regina.
With an early deficit against a young but very skilled team, Stroeder stressed to her group to be tough on defence, control the rebounds on offense and make shots from the outside. “We did just that in the second and were able to crawl back into the game and found ourselves down by one at the half.”
Gaining momentum heading into the third quarter, the Lazers began to take over and by the end of the fourth, secured a 66-52 bronze medal victory. “Jenevieve Melin had a huge offensive rebounding game for us contributing 15 points to our win. Reese Stroeder controlled the game as our point guard and hit some three pointers needed to put us ahead, finishing the game with 22 points. Kya Wildeman suffered a severe sprained ankle the weekend before at Regionals and didn’t play in our Regional final. She probably should not have been on her ankle this weekend, but being her last HOOPLA and Grade 12 season, she came out like a warrior and contributed 16 points to this final game. Our other Grade 12 and defensive specialist, Montana Kulchyski shut down their top scorer and also contributed nine points to our offense.”
It was that effort after falling behind early that Stroeder said really allowed the Lazers to not only come back in the contest but bring home bronze. But that determination and resiliency was nothing new for this crew as the team had to overcome a few obstacles this season while pushing really hard just to reach HOOPLA.
“Typically, with club volleyball and basketball on at the same time, we’ve had to work around two club volleyball teams as most of our players played locally, and had similar schedules. This season we had four different club teams, three of which were from out of town, and three different age groups to work around. It meant we attended quite a few tournaments without a full roster. Our “starters” for instance only played together in three of our six tournaments we attended. We also had quite a few injuries but with all of that, the girls still dedicated themselves to three mornings a week in the gym for practices and came to as many tournaments that they could. This level of commitment to sport speaks to the quality of athletes I get to coach.”
With a tremendous amount of dedication and resiliency from her players, Stroeder said, “The commitment, drive, responsibility, showing up when you don’t feel like it, being exhausted and pushing through are the characteristics of success and because I had athletes who did all of these things, we as a team were able to find success. Proud is an understatement. These girls are absolutely incredible.”
Having her team remain committed and determined, Stroeder said those characteristics were reflected on the court. “Most of these teams at HOOPLA play in big tournaments every single weekend from December to the end of the February, often getting more than 30 games a season under their belts. We played in 15 games this season and half of them without a full roster. So winning a bronze, competing with the top teams in the province and maintaining a basketball program that is finding success is amazing.”
Add that to three consecutive appearances at HOOPLA which resulted in three medals, Stroeder said, “Being able to make HOOPLA is a success in and of itself. Unlike other sports only four teams have the privilege to attend the basketball provincial championships. Being able to not only attend, but medal at all three speaks to the dedication and talent of the athletes in Lanigan right now.”
Pleased with the way the team responded as a group in its final game of the season, with the year now over, come next season Stroeder said the group will miss its graduating players. “Reese Stroeder, Kya Wildeman, Montana Kulchyski and Cara Knudsen have been instrumental parts of our program with three of them starting since Grade 9. These four players have helped earn three provincial medals and they will leave big shoes to fill next season.”
This year’s bronze medal winning team includes: Kya Wildeman, Raea Wildeman, Reese Stroeder, Tegan Widaiko, Erica Knudsen, Montana Kulchyski, Morgyn McDonald, Callie Chernishenko, Cara Knudsen, Naomi Hamilton, Jenevieve Melin, Aly Stroeder, Kinley Wilson, Jessalyn Chernishenko, and Tamia Kiefer. Head coach is Lindi Stroeder, assistant coaches are Darren Chernishenko and Garth Anderson and manager is Julie Wildeman.
Mar. 24, 2025
Province unveils budget as tariff threats loom
Daniel Bushman
Amidst the current economic climate and its uncertain future due to tariff threats from the United States, Saskatchewan’s 2025-‘26 Provincial Budget was delivered Mar. 19.
Appointed as the Deputy Premier and Finance Minister after former Humboldt-Watrous MLA Donna Harpauer did not seek re-election, Jim Reiter tabled his first budget on behalf of the province. “We understand this budget is being delivered at a very volatile time, due to the constantly changing tariff threats from the United States. Right now, we do not know what tariffs the U.S. may impose or how long they may last. As a result, it was not possible to build the exact impact of tariffs into the budget.
“However, we are not letting the tariff threat prevent us from following through on our commitments to the people of Saskatchewan. Our strong financial position means we are well-positioned to weather the impact of any tariffs that may be imposed on Canada and Saskatchewan.”
Reiter stated not knowing what tariffs will be imposed and for how long made developing the budget extremely challenging. “You have seen some other provinces include contingencies in their budgets. However, these contingencies are not surpluses that are set aside, they simply increase deficits that will already be funded by borrowing.”
While there were no built in contingencies, Reiter said the government was cautious on expenditures and prudent on revenues to best position themselves to try and weather the tariff storm. Touting a balanced budget with a surplus of $12 million, it was driven by forecast revenues of $21.1 billion, an increase of $1.2 billion, or six percent, compared to last year. Overall, the total expense is projected to be $21 billion, which is an increase of $909 million, or 4.5 percent, from the 2024-‘25 Budget.
Looking over the budget and surveying the economic landscape both at home and abroad, the official opposition were not impressed with the results. Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck said, “This budget has no plan to defend against tariffs or build our economy, and it actually cuts education and health care, where we already rank dead last in the country.”
Beck and the NDP went on to add the Saskatchewan budget fails to address affordable childcare, offers no serious relief on cost of living until 2026 and does nothing to tackle the growing addictions and mental health crisis in Saskatchewan. “The people of Saskatchewan want a government focused on the future, and this budget does nothing but take us backwards.”
Despite the disagreement by the opposition, the Saskatchewan government said when it comes to affordability, the budget reduces income taxes for every resident, family and small business in the province. It also helps make life more affordable for seniors, families with children, persons with disabilities, caregivers, new graduates, first-time homebuyers and people renovating their homes. The taxation changes introduced, including the initiatives in The Saskatchewan Affordability Act, provide over $250 million in tax savings this year.
The Saskatchewan government stated some of the affordability measures in the budget include: raising the basic personal exemption, spousal and equivalent-to-spousal exemption, dependent child exemption and the seniors supplement by $500 a year; increasing monthly income assistance benefits by two percent for Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) and Saskatchewan Assured income for Disability (SAID) clients; increasing the Disability Tax Credit and Caregiver Tax Credit by 25 percent; doubling the Active Families Benefit refundable tax credit from $150 to $300 per child and doubling the income threshold to qualify to $120,000 to make children’s sports, arts, cultural and recreational activities more affordable for more Saskatchewan families; reinstating the Home Renovation Tax Credit; increasing the Graduate Retention Program benefit by 20 percent to a maximum of $24,000; and permanently maintaining the small business tax rate at one percent.
In addition, the government shared all education property tax mill rates will be reduced to absorb the increase in property assessment values and ensure this assessment year is revenue neutral for the province in each property class.
As for health care, the Ministry of Health budget is $8.07 billion while the Saskatchewan Health Authority will receive a $261.1 million increase for a total budget of $4.94 billion. As part of the province’s health care budget, there are plans to ramp up surgical volumes this year to perform 450,000 procedures over four years and reduce surgical wait times.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) will receive a $6.6 million increase for additional paramedics in the system and Diagnostic Imaging will receive a $6 million boost to increase specialized medical imaging volumes to continue gains made in patient wait times.
Other acute care investment increases include: $6.6 million for HealthLine 811’s Virtual ER Physician Program to expand support to a minimum of 25 small-to-medium rural Emergency Department locations; $4.3 million to bolster the province’s kidney health programs to better meet patient demand for hemodialysis services; and $2 million for enhanced laboratory medicine services.
Supports for 65 new and enhanced permanent full-time nursing positions in 30 rural and northern locations across Saskatchewan for improved nursing stability and reduced reliance on contract nurses will receive a $4.9 million increase. In addition, this year’s budget includes a $94.6 million increase for physician services to support the province’s efforts to recruit and retain doctors, including funding for negotiated Saskatchewan Medical Association fee increases, increased utilization of services and additional physicians.
Mental health and addictions programs and services will receive $624 million including an increase of $20 million for targeted initiatives. This includes continued progress on the multi-year Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan, and expanded access to mental health and addictions services and care by delivering on the commitment to add 500 addictions treatment spaces across the province, doubling the public health system’s capacity.
With regards to education, the provincial government stated the Ministry of Education will receive $3.5 billion, an increase of $184 million, or 5.5 percent, over the previous year. That includes an increase of $186 million, or 8.4 percent, in school operating funding for a total of $2.4 billion.
The budget also includes an increase of $130 million to fund the new teacher collective agreement and address growing student enrollment and the challenges facing classrooms. There will be funding for 50 additional specialized support classrooms throughout the province and funding to improve kindergarten to Grade 3 reading levels in Saskatchewan.
There is also ongoing funding for the 21 new or consolidated schools and three major renovations underway across Saskatchewan, as well as funding to begin planning for one new replacement school and preplanning for four new schools in the Saskatoon area.
For post-secondary, the Ministry of Advanced Education receives $788 million in this year’s budget, with $1.6 billion invested in post-secondary education over the past two years. As part of their budget, universities, technical schools, Indigenous institutions and regional colleges will receive $718 million in operating and capital funding.
For the upcoming fiscal year, the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety will receive $798 million, including $119 million for the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, while the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General will receive $271 million.
Other initiatives contained in the budget include: a record $362 million in municipal revenue sharing; a grant to the Food Banks of Saskatchewan to fulfill a two-year commitment; a $20 million increase across government in funding for community-based organizations; the creation of a new Saskatchewan Young Entrepreneur Bursary to support youth entrepreneurship in the province; a $5 million investment in the Rental Development Program to partner with housing providers to develop new supportive housing units for people who need additional support to live independently; a new program to fund school playgrounds will launch with $3.75 million annually. It is expected that up to 75 projects will be eligible to receive up to $50,000 in matched funding each year; the Community Rink Affordability Grant will increase from $2,500 to $5,000 per ice surface this upcoming winter; and there is approximately $1.7 billion through SaskPower for capital investment in Saskatchewan’s electricity system to meet increasing electricity demands including construction of the 370 MW natural gas-fired electrical plant in south-central Saskatchewan.
Mar. 17, 2025
New school in Lanigan nearing completion
Daniel Bushman
The anticipation of a new school opening in Lanigan continues to build as students and staff are just over one month away from moving in. Following substantial work throughout the winter months, the plan remains to have the new pre-K to Gr. 12 school open its doors no later than May 1.
Designed for 400 students with expansion for 450, Horizon School Division CEO Kevin Garinger said there has been really good progress happening within the school on a daily basis.
With Wi-Fi and other electronic systems now online, Garinger said having that installed makes it easier to run a number of things like keeping track of attendance and grades. “We are grateful that we could get in and take care of that in a timely fashion. It is a necessary and critical part of a school.”
Infrastructure wise, Garinger shared the upstairs floor and its classrooms are ready to go while work on the bottom floor is coming along extremely quickly. “We are excited about what it is looking like. We also had our industrial arts teacher come out to inspect where to put equipment in that room so that is nearing completion as well.”
One of the last things to be finished is the big gymnasium which Garinger indicated will not be ready for opening day. “We will utilize the current high school gym if we need in the short term and then once the new gyms are completed, students can use it.”
A big piece yet to take place before the school officially opens is transferring items from the current elementary and high schools. With a few days allotted after the upcoming Easter break and the option to utilize a Personal Professional Development Day, Garinger said teachers will be able to spend that time setting up their classrooms. The plan is to also see students bring their items over to the new school and put them in their lockers prior to the break. “It will make it easier for the kids instead of having to haul their things home and then bring them over to the new school prior to the break. It will also allow them to get accustomed to the building prior to the first day.”
Fully expecting to be in the school by Apr. 29, Garinger explained in case things are not quite ready for that date, everything would be in place by Apr. 30 or May 1. “I really think we are in a good place to get the school up and running by the 29th.”
Part of the urgency to get into the multi-million dollar school by the end of April is not only so students and staff can be in there but so demolition of the existing schools can occur. A new parking lot for staff and visitors would be constructed where the current Lanigan Elementary School sits and taking down the Lanigan Central High School at the same time would alleviate costs as crews would not have to come out multiple times for a staggered demolition.
“If we can’t do that work right away, it could delay that part of the project by months as eventually snow would arrive and progress would be slowed to a potential stop. While we had those two schools in operation for a lot of years, we also recognize the important role they played in the education of many children over the years and many who are adults now. Moving forward we now get a new school and it will provide a real opportunity for the communities in the area and for our youth and families.”
As part of a new beginning, Garinger is thrilled for the Gr. 12 students as they were involved with the planning process when the project was first announced. “We want them to have the ability to set foot in the new school. Those Gr. 12 students were part of that planning and we want them to enjoy it before they graduate.”
Appreciating the local school community councils, Town of Lanigan, provincial government for funding the majority of the project, and Horizon School Division Board for their advocacy and work, Garinger also extended his appreciation to the contractors, architectural firm and project management firm. “They have been really great to work with. As much as there have been hiccups and challenges, we were able to work through them together and it has been a pretty seamless process in the end. That is because everyone is working together for one common purpose…our children.”
Mar. 10, 2025
Over $5.7 million raised during TeleMiracle 49
Daniel Bushman
For nearly five decades TeleMiracle has been helping people in Saskatchewan and this year was no different. With the telethon held Mar. 1 and 2, when the 49th edition wrapped up in Saskatoon, a total of $5,709,306 had been raised.
Through the generosity of many people, TeleMiracle 49 Chair Terri Troupe-Logue said, “TeleMiracle is a unique fundraiser that the whole province can take part in, in a meaningful and impactful way.”
Dubbed ‘Saskatchewan’s Charity,’ one of the highlights of this year’s show was the 80 talented Saskatchewan performers who appeared throughout the telethon including local area talent like Lanigan Dance Dynamics (Lanigan) and Terri Hamilton (Jansen) who was joined by Lorna Leier McEwan (Tisdale). Not only did the acts showcase the scope of talent from every corner of the province, but they also raised money for the telethon – which was once again matched by Nutrien, who presented their donation of $100,000 just before the end of the broadcast.
In addition to the performers helping raise money, local area communities also contributed to TeleMiracle 49.
Attending the Mar. 1 and 2 event in Saskatoon, members of the Jansen & District Kin, on behalf of the community and surrounding areas, presented a cheque on stage Saturday evening around 11:30 p.m. Unveiling a cheque for a total of $46,295, the group held a number of different fundraisers to raise money and also canvassed in Lanigan, Jansen and Drake.
Another area group, the Watrous Kin, also attended TeleMiracle and presented a cheque Sunday morning before 9 a.m. Appreciating everyone who participated in and donated to fundraising efforts over the past year, the local group unveiled a cheque for $21,149.49.
Just prior to the Watrous Kin being on stage, Joan Wallman of Nokomis unveiled a cheque on behalf of that community for $15,900. The money was brought in through a number of fundraisers including an online auction.
“We are so fortunate to have such generous donors in this province,” stated Troupe-Logue. “Their support will allow the Kinsmen Foundation to provide Saskatchewan residents assistance when they need it most.”
All of the TeleMiracle proceeds generated from the telethon stay in Saskatchewan and are granted through the Kinsmen Foundation for specialized medical and mobility equipment, assistance with medical travel, and new and innovative health care equipment. The Foundation typically receives over 1,000 applications for assistance annually.
Following TeleMiracle 49, with this year’s incredible generosity added, the total raised by TeleMiracle since 1977 has now reached over $170 million.
Mar. 3, 2025
Town of Lanigan approves budget
media release
The 2025 budget for the Town of Lanigan was approved by Council at their regular meeting of Feb. 24, 2025. The 2025 budget results in total estimated revenues of $3.6 million, estimated general expenditures of $3.9 million, capital expenditures of $2.1 million and a transfer of unappropriated surplus of $400,000.
The 2025 Budget review process included a comparative history of 2021-‘23 actual, 2024 projected results and forecasting 2025-‘27, although the recommended budget approval is for the 2025 financial year alone. The purpose of forecasting 2026-‘27 is for Council and Administration to gain a better understanding of what the short-term future looks like, especially as compared to Council’s recently adopted priorities, which include:
1. Zoning Bylaw Review
2. Residential Development
3. Daycare Expansion
4. Highway Commercial Development
5. Arts, Culture & Recreation Needs Analysis
Following are some of the highlights of the 2025 budget approved by Council:
• 2025 will continue to focus on staff training and retention to ensure that we have the necessary resources to continue current service delivery levels.
• 2024 included review of many policies and bylaws, which will now be brought to Council during 2025 for Council review and consideration of changes.
• Development readiness was a significant focus in 2024 and will continue in 2025 as we are starting to see an increased interest in new residential and commercial development in Lanigan.
• Completion of the Lanigan Water Park slide, which will be operational for the 2025 season.
• Completion of the access roads for the new school, which is proposed to be operational in May 2025.
• Demolition for the former swimming pool and tennis court.
• Construction of a new 90 space daycare facility in cooperation with the Lanigan Cooperative Daycare.
• Pavement assessment of the entire community was completed by BCL Engineering in 2024, which will guide future pavement maintenance, repair and replacement investment. Over the past four years, on average, approximately $200,000 per year has been spent on pavement maintenance, repair and/or replacement. This investment will be doubled in 2025 to $400,000, then increased to $450,000 in 2026 and $500,000 in 2027.
• Any major street reconstruction will be reliant on available provincial and/or federal infrastructure grants. For example, we know that Munster Street infrastructure is in poor condition, above and below ground. The estimated cost to address all infrastructure on Munster Street is in the $2 million range and we don’t anticipate any new infrastructure grant funding availability in 2025. Munster Street reconstruction was also deferred due to the new school construction, upcoming demolition of the former swimming pool and now construction of the new daycare facility. We are targeting on Munster Street in 2026, potentially as a multi-year project.
There will be an impact on property taxation, which may result in a six percent property tax increase in 2025. However, that is yet to be fully determined due to 2025 being an assessment revaluation year. Assessment revaluation, also referred to as reassessment, takes place every four years in Saskatchewan. The 2025 property assessment will be based on 2023 property values, which are likely to have increased since the last revaluation in 2021 and then based on 2019 property values. There was also reinspection completed by SAMA (Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency) in 2024 in Lanigan that did identify some buildings that were not previously assessed. The overall result of the revaluation is not yet known and assuming that property values have increased, there will be a need to review the current tax tools used by the Town of Lanigan, including an adjustment to the current mill rate. This review will take place once the 2025 property assessment values have been received, which will likely be sometime in March or April.
The following table demonstrates annual, five-year and 10-year CPI inflation rates (%) as compared to the annual, five-year and 10-year history of property tax increases (%) from 2015 to 2024. On the 10-year average, CPI has slightly outpaced property tax increases.
Note: CPI does not necessarily reflect the impact of price increases on goods, supplies and/or services related to the municipal field or construction industry; however, it is important to consider CPI from a consumer (taxpayer) perspective when contemplating any increases to property taxes. It would be fair to say that price increases in the municipal field and construction industry have far exceeded CPI over the past 10 years and this table demonstrates that property tax increases have not kept pace with CPI over this period, let alone other cost increases. This simply means that the revenue stream is not and will not keep pace with cost increases if the same pattern were to continue.
Feb. 17, 2025
Communities hoping for help at local hospitals
Daniel Bushman
Without a full compliment of health care services, including temporary disruptions, reduced emergency department hours and vacant positions, a pair of local communities are hoping for some immediate and positive changes.
As Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) continues to navigate through the demand for health care services by using the Saskatchewan government’s Human Resources (HHR) Action Plan, places like Watrous and Lanigan are trying to remain optimistic.
In Watrous, the situation has meant temporary disruptions to emergency services due to lack of staff in the lab and there is also a possibility of its three physicians leaving. In Lanigan, emergency services have not been offered 24/7 since around 2019 and more recently, one of its physicians elected to leave. While the current situation for both communities is better than some other rural centres, it has created uncertainty.
Watrous Mayor John Gunderson found out about two weeks ago that SHA has been having several meetings with the community’s physicians regarding their potential departures. “Our physicians are getting burned out and have not been receiving additional help for quite some time. My understanding is our doctors want to be here but indicated they will be leaving if things do not change. We have been informed that there have been some good meetings with SHA and our physicians.”
As a result of those meetings, to alleviate some of the pressures faced by the three physicians, Gunderson indicated acute care beds are temporarily closed at the hospital. “They still have respite and palliative care beds but this is a temporary measure until recruitment can take place to increase the number of providers in Watrous. That means people will need to be sent to Humboldt, Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon or elsewhere if they require acute care services.”
Along with changes to acute care beds, temporary service disruptions continue with the hospital’s emergency services. SHA stated the disruptions have been due to a staffing shortage in the laboratory medicine and diagnostic imaging department. SHA indicated it is a temporary staffing issue but it has meant those services have been unavailable during evenings, overnight and weekends for a good part of 2025.
Gunderson said the whole situation is unfortunate and hopes more help will be found for the lab so that full-time ER services can be restored. As for the physicians, now that meetings with SHA have taken place, Gunderson said, “I am getting more of a positive vibe that this is temporary and we will be back to full services hopefully soon.”
As Watrous hopes its physicians will remain and additional staff will be brought in for the lab, the community is not alone. While funding was secured last year for a third physician and a full-time nurse practitioner in Lanigan, Mayor Tony Mycock said they remain with two doctors after one recently opted to leave. That has meant emergency services at the hospital in Lanigan continue to be offered Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Mycock noted his community is in a little bit of a different situation than Watrous but the biggest issue has been doctor coverage. “We had secured three physicians but unfortunately one of our doctors recently chose to leave. While we did have a new physician arrive Feb. 3, the recruitment process has started again. Because we have funding for three physicians, in the short term, SHA has been provided approval to use the funding to bring on another nurse practitioner to help out. It doesn’t really help us in the ER but it helps us with patients at the clinic and residents in long-term care.”
Trying to add other services to help, in June 2024, SHA extended a virtual physician program to the emergency department in Lanigan, something a number of other rural communities have been a part of. The temporary measure helps maintain access to local emergency department services as SHA tries to stabilize health human resources. “We have had a lot of positive feedback on the virtual ER,” Mycock said. “In the event where we don’t have a doctor, being able to use the virtual ER means the ER doesn’t have to be shut down. I have heard from a few people who have used it and they have given very positive results. It is not as good as having a doctor right there but there are very well trained people on the other end who will provide the help they need.”
Reaching out to SHA about the current situations in both Watrous and Lanigan, the health authority stated it is “committed to providing high-quality and accessible health care services to the people of Saskatchewan.”
Acknowledging that Watrous and Lanigan emergency departments have been experiencing intermittent service disruptions due to staffing challenges, SHA went on to state every jurisdiction in Canada is seeing increased demand for health care services.
In an effort to try and rectify the situation, SHA stated: “The Government of Saskatchewan, SHA and Saskatchewan Health Recruitment Agency are taking action to address the needs of patients. Guiding this effort is the Government of Saskatchewan’s Health Human Resources (HHR) Action Plan (saskatchewan.ca/HHR).”
SHA stated that action plan includes:
• continued domestic and international recruitment of healthcare workers (To date, 428 internationally educated health professionals have arrived in Saskatchewan. A total of 424 of these are now employed in communities across the province);
• adding 250 new permanent full-time positions in 51 rural and remote communities, which includes RN positions. This includes nursing, paramedics, technologists and other staff members in communities across Saskatchewan;
• the Rural and Remote Recruitment Incentive is investing $8.7 million to continue to fill hard-to-recruit positions. The program has seen great success, with 405 positions filled so far through this program; and
• the Final Clinical Placement Bursary continues to see interest with 201 approved applications since Mar. 31, 2024.
Understanding that it can take time to recruit help and see services stabilized, both Gunderson and Mycock hope their communities and the staff at both facilities will get some assistance soon. “The last I had heard there were 60 physician positions open in the province,” shared Gunderson. “A lot of them being rural positions. That is a concern not just for us but for the whole province.”
While appreciating the work done by SHA a few years ago to recruit RNs to both Watrous and Lanigan, Gunderson said it seems when one issue is resolved another occurs. “Now we have situations with shortages in the lab and physicians. It seems like there is always some sort of thing that is affecting communities like ours to be able to provide full services.”
Mycock echoed those comments adding he is hopeful to see full services resume in his community. “It just feels like we take one step forward then another step back. We got funding for a third doctor, had a physician accept the position, then one of our other doctors left so we are back to two doctors. SHA is working hard to bring in locums and I know we are better off than a lot of other communities but this is frustrating when this has been going on since 2019 and we are still not back up and running 24/7.”
Asking for the public’s patience as they wait for more resources to arrive, Gunderson wanted to express his appreciation to those who are working tirelessly at the hospital. “I thank those staff who continue to work hard and do what they can to provide the services we need here in Watrous. We really appreciate what the existing staff are doing and the services the physicians provide. I am quite hopeful that with the changes being proposed that SHA is committed to doing what they can to keep doctors here.”
Also very appreciative of the staff and doctors in Lanigan, Mycock said he would like to see something change when it comes to recruiting and retaining physicians in rural communities. “We are allocated for three doctors but only have two. I have heard there are other doctors leaving rural areas so I would really like to see SHA look into why they are leaving. I know it might not always be things that are fixable but if there are things that can be done better to retain staff then I think that is what needs to be done. It is all over the province and for us, where do we fit on that priority list? It seems hard that we can’t keep doctors in rural Saskatchewan.”
Frustrated that their communities remain without a full compliment of resources and hoping changes will be made, especially as the area continues to grow with projects like BHP and the Aspen Power Station being constructed, the mayors remain in constant communication with each other.
“We have talked at length about the situation at both of our hospitals and we are doing our best to advocate on behalf of Watrous and Lanigan and surrounding communities to see things change,” said Mycock.
Gunderson added, “If you look at the region as a whole, it is very important that we are able to continue to offer complete health services to our communities.”
With the existing intermittent service disruptions due to staffing challenges at both centres, SHA stated for patients who require urgent and emergency care, they should continue to call 911 or present to the emergency department. Patients whose needs are more minor in nature can also call HealthLine 811 or access care through their family physician.
Feb. 10,2025
Local Food Bank receives tremendous support
Through the generosity of many, the Lanigan and District Food Bank has been able to help a number of people within the local area. Looking to continue to provide assistance to those in need, the local non-profit organization is also involved with a number of initiatives in 2025.
Distributing an average of about 33 hampers per month in 2024, as the holiday season arrived, the food bank was able to pack 44 Christmas hampers which were handed out Dec. 17 and 18. While Kathy Williams with the Lanigan and District Food Bank shared that number was down 15 from the previous year, the local non-profit organization received tremendous support during a busy time of year.
“We had extra items like pancake mix, syrup, chocolates and oranges supplied by local churches. The Jansen and District Kin provided toys for children who received hampers as well as a $50 Co-op gift card for each Christmas hamper. The Gift and Thrift in Lanigan also included a $15 voucher for each hamper.”
In addition to the generous support received for the annual Christmas hampers, Williams explained they also had help from Lanigan Elementary School and Lanigan Central High School. “Both schools held events for the food bank and from those, brought in a tremendous amount of items for us. We have also been helping the schools, supplying breakfast items for students like eggs, ham, bagels, bread, cheese, yogurt, granola bars and other food.”
Receiving numerous donations throughout the year, Williams said Christian Fellowship Church also handed out potted lettuce plants for people to grow and eat. From all of the donations in 2024, Williams noted approximately 18,919 pounds (over nine tons) of food was given out.
With the help of volunteers and continued support, the local food bank is participating in a number of initiatives for 2025. “We are now giving out $10 gift cards for dairy and eggs to be redeemed at the Co-op in Lanigan. This has been a great addition as it gives our patrons a choice of what to buy. It also means less handling of these items by our volunteers.”
The Lanigan and District Food Bank is also supplying lice treatment kits to families and period products to women using the food bank. “In confidence we give the requested lice kits to the school and the teacher gives them to the families as needed. We also supply period products for women and as of Jan. 2025, Food Banks Canada is funding this initiative.”
This year, Food Banks Canada has implemented Standards of Excellence and all food banks across the country have been asked to adopt the standards. For Lanigan, Williams noted they are receiving help from Bright Systems of Saskatoon. “This is a huge undertaking for small volunteer food banks.”
Sincerely appreciating all the support the food bank has received and continues to receive through food and monetary donations, Williams understands the increase in the cost of living remains a concern. “We are so very thankful and very fortunate to have such a generous community so willing to give as it has gotten harder and harder for people to make ends meet.”
For those who would like to lend a hand, monetary donations can be mailed to: Lanigan and District Food Bank, Box 307 in Lanigan, Sask. S0K 2M0. The non-profit organization also accepts e-Transfers and if people have questions, concerns, or want to make arrangements for donations, they can call 306-360-7778 and leave a message.
Feb. 3, 2025
Town of Lanigan supports daycare expansion project
media release
At their regular meeting of Jan. 27, 2025, the Town of Lanigan Council passed a resolution to approve an agreement in principle with the Lanigan Daycare Cooperative to construct a new daycare facility in Lanigan.
“Daycare is vital to support growth of our community, without daycare we cannot hope to see Lanigan grow,” said Mayor Tony Mycock adding, “more available daycare spaces in Lanigan will help improve our labour market as more adults with young children will be available to fill jobs.
“We also know that people have chosen to go to other communities when Lanigan was their first choice, and because of the lack of daycare spaces they decided to go elsewhere.”
Mycock also shared “as council we are happy to partner with the daycare board to help see this much needed new facility come to fruition. We see this as a win-win for all of us.”
Lanigan Daycare Cooperative operates an existing 48 space daycare facility, and they have been approved for a 90-space facility, which would add 42 new daycare spaces. “The existing daycare facility is tired and operating at maximum capacity with an ever-growing waitlist,” said Katelynn Psovsky. “We are excited to partner with the Town of Lanigan to build a new 90-space facility that is able to meet the needs of our growing community.”
A new daycare facility has been in discussion for some time with BHP providing a $40,000 grant to the Lanigan Daycare Cooperative to develop a business plan for this project. The business plan was completed by MNP and has been under review since last summer. The total project value is estimated at $3 million with the construction of a new building being in the $2.3 million range plus interior equipment and furnishings, playground equipment, landscaping and supplies and contingency. There is a one-time provincial government capital grant of $594,662 available to assist with the project, plus the sale of the existing daycare facility and a Lanigan Daycare contribution, which combined will contribute approximately $1 million. Financing for the balance of $2 million will be arranged by the Town of Lanigan with the Lanigan Daycare Cooperative being responsible for making the finance payments to the Town. There will be no property tax impact on the residents or businesses of the Town of Lanigan.
The Town of Lanigan (Town) is taking the lead, in partnership with the Lanigan Daycare Cooperative (Daycare), to facilitate construction of the new daycare facility. The town will coordinate development of an RFP (Request for Proposal) process for a design/build approach and a small committee of representatives from the Town Council and Daycare Board will assist with guidance throughout the project.
Town CAO Ron McCullough will directly oversee the project with the assistance of Barry Morishita as a contract Project Coordinator. All costs of the project incurred by the town will be included in the overall project cost that the daycare will be responsible for.
The Town of Lanigan will be arranging for the financing for this project and the Lanigan Daycare Cooperative will be responsible for repaying the financing through monthly payments. A formal legal agreement will be developed and entered between the Town and Daycare.
The Town of Lanigan will be leading a major fundraising project that will include corporate sponsorship of facilities in Lanigan, which the daycare will be one of those facilities. The daycare will be responsible for smaller scale fundraising for the benefit of the daycare.
The new daycare facility will be located on the former swimming pool site in Lanigan. The former swimming pool building, pool and tennis court facilities are scheduled for demolition in April 2025.
The timeline to facilitate this project is scheduled for construction start in June 2025 and occupancy by the daycare in June 2026.
Jan. 27, 2025
2024 Jansen Volunteer of the Year named
submitted by the Village of Jansen
The following is a letter received by the Village of Jansen from someone who nominated Carol and Dennis Neugebauer, recipients of the 2024 Jansen Volunteer of the Year award.
The tireless dedication, selfless service, and unwavering commitment to our community exemplify the true spirit of volunteerism. This describes the recipients for the 2024 Jansen Volunteer of the Year Award, Carol and Dennis Neugebauer.
Carol has long been a cornerstone of our community, contributing in numerous impactful ways:
• Kinette and Community Club Member: Carol has been an active member of these organizations, working diligently to enhance our community’s well-being and foster a sense of belonging. She is also a member of the bloomers, helping to beautify our village.
• Healthcare Leadership: As a retired nurse and the former CEO of Lanigan Hospital, Carol dedicated her professional life to ensuring the health and care of our residents. Even in retirement, her commitment to service remains unwavering. Carol has been a first responder since its inception here in Jansen.
• Town Librarian: In her current role, Carol has transformed the library into a vital gathering space for the community, fostering learning, connection, and collaboration.
• Event Leadership: Carol manages the Terry Fox Run with exceptional dedication, encouraging participation and raising awareness for an important cause.
• Theatre Contributions: As a phenomenal set director, Carol oversees costumes, props, and steps in to support actors and producers whenever needed, ensuring the success of local productions.
• Quilting Ministry: Through her involvement with the Zion Lutheran Church, Carol helps create and donate quilts to those in need, offering warmth and comfort to countless individuals. Carol is also a group leader for the church ladies group.
Dennis is equally deserving of recognition for his extensive contributions to our community:
• Kinsmen Charter Member: As a founding member of the local Kinsmen, Dennis has played a pivotal role in shaping and supporting the organization’s efforts.
• Community Leadership: Dennis has served as a member and a chairperson of the church board. He was a member of the rec board and serves on the cemetery board. He volunteered looking after the grounds of the Prairie Rose cemetery for years.
• Helping Hand: Dennis is always willing to lend a hand, whether it’s assisting with snow removal, transporting neighbours to appointments, or running errands—even tasks he dislikes, like driving to the city, he undertakes with a spirit of generosity.
• Support for Family and Friends: Dennis’ constant presence and readiness to help his wife, children, neighbours, and friends make him an indispensable member of our community.
Together, Carol and Dennis embody the essence of community spirit. Whatever is happening in Jansen, they are there working, donating, organizing, and helping in any way needed. They never do things for the limelight, preferring to stay back in the shadows. Their combined efforts have had a profound and lasting impact on our village, and their legacy of service inspires us all.
Jan. 20, 2025
Lanigan looking forward to 2025
Daniel Bushman
With a number of projects taking place, a municipal election and a focus on inclusivity and diversity in 2024, moving into 2025, the Town of Lanigan is optimistic for the future.
Creating a strong foundation and poised to continue an upward trajectory, Town of Lanigan Mayor Tony Mycock said, “The community offers its residents a vibrant, growing community while preserving the warmth and camaraderie that have always been at the heart of the town.”
As part of that, Mycock along with Lanigan Chief Administrative Officer Ron McCullough collected a few highlights from 2024 and noted what residents can expect for 2025.
One of the more notable items in Lanigan has been the new school currently being constructed. “This will be a huge asset for us and it is scheduled to open in May 2025,” shared Mycock. “We worked with Horizon School Division on the school access road which is nearing completion and it will give access to the back of the school for buses so they don’t have to drive through town where kids walk to school. This will help ease traffic congestion and ensure the safety of students.”
Once completed, the new facility will replace the current elementary and high schools in the community and will feature numerous upgrades including a pair of gymnasiums and a presentation stair.
Along with the education sector, health care has also been a significant piece of the community and Mycock was pleased to see funding secured in 2024 for a nurse practitioner and a third doctor. “This will help to expand services available at the local hospital and will help the hospital get back to being open with full time hours.”
Currently the Lanigan Hospital is open throughout the week with emergency services offered during the day. “Our goal is that we will be able to open 24 hours a day, seven days per week with an emergency department while having beds open. Health care capacity is a major step toward improving the quality of life for Lanigan residents, which is also really important to support growth of our community.”
Just down the road from the hospital, the Lanigan and District Waterpark marked a milestone in 2024 as the final piece for the building was installed during the fall. Adding a waterslide feature to the pool put the finishing touches on the multi-million dollar recreational facility. “The plan is to do the commissioning of the new slide in the spring so it is ready for the 2025 swimming season. Council is also talking about what other aspects we can add in and around the new pool to enhance recreation in the community.”
Having a new school being constructed, funding for additional health care positions and opening a brand new waterpark has all provided the opportunity for growth within the community. As part of that, Mycock noted the Town of Lanigan have been able to make significant progress in attracting new residents and businesses. “We have really been working on development readiness, rezoning, and preparing Lanigan to grow. This was a main focus of council in 2024 and continues to be the direction of the new council going into 2025. It is our vision to have a thriving community that continues to offer opportunities for both residents and businesses.”
Also in 2024, municipal elections were held across the province including in Lanigan. As part of those elections, a few members of the local council elected not to seek re-election, creating a leadership transition. Following the election where Mycock was joined by familiar and new faces on council, Dr. Gordon McIntosh was brought in to do council governance training as well as work with the group on strategic planning.
“Going into my ninth year being on council, this was for sure was one of the best starts for a new council. Dr. McIntosh really simplifies things and got us all understanding not just the legislation but understanding the grey areas as well. The strategic planning was huge as well for the fact that it got us all on the same page as far as setting out priorities for 2025 and beyond. This will all tie into approving the 2025 budget.”
In addition to the changes taking place in 2024, one of the areas of focus from leadership was inclusivity and diversity, something Mycock said will continue into 2025 and beyond. “As immigration continues to grow in Saskatchewan, Lanigan is committed to ensuring that all residents feel welcome. We really want to keep working on inclusion and diversity in the town. Everyone needs to feel welcome and included no matter what their backgrounds are.”
Looking at the remainder of 2025, Mycock said the growth of the community will be a central focus. “We want to see our community continue to grow as far as residential development, business development, and commercial development. We want to grow Lanigan while maintaining the positives for Lanigan. We’re a small community, everybody knows each other, it is a really great place to live and raise a family and we don’t want to lose our small town feel.”
Mycock noted council also wants to foster community spirit through local events and work on planning for different events in 2025. Wanting to get residents of the community involved, more initiatives to coincide with events like Celebrate Lanigan are on the docket in an effort to see people come together.
“As Lanigan moves into the new year, council and I are optimistic about the future. I am excited as the mayor of Lanigan going into 2025 and beyond. We have a four year term, and we are looking forward to working together and with the community to continue to build and grow Lanigan.”
Jan. 13, 2025
Local Kin have memorable 2024
Daniel Bushman
Playing an active role in their communities, the Jansen & District Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs were once again busy in 2024. With a motto of ‘Serving our Communities Greatest Needs’, the group held various fundraisers, played an integral part at TeleMiracle and also recognized a few of their own.
Reflecting back on 2024, Angel Liebrecht with the Jansen & District Kinettes said a big passion of the group has been TeleMiracle. “We once again had an amazing response through our online auction, canvassing in Jansen, Lanigan and Drake and during our annual Poker Derby.”
From the tremendous support the local Kin received, Liebrecht noted the group won TeleMiracle’s Club Fundraising Award for the most money raised out of every club in Saskatchewan. “We were able to present a cheque for $56,695.88 during TeleMiracle 48!”
But it is not just TeleMiracle that the local group places an emphasis on. The Jansen & District Kinsmen and Kinettes do a number of other events and fundraisers throughout the year to support the communities they live in. Liebrecht shared some of those initiatives, which include:
• selling a Lanigan Community Calendar listing birthdays as well as community events. Local businesses sponsor it with their information;
• we host a babysitter course through Sask. Safety Council to provide young people with an opportunity to learn how to babysit;
• National Day of KINdness allows us a time to reach out to a group that deserves recognition;
• during the Easter season, we run a Purdy’s Chocolate fundraiser;
• we host a Spring Family Dance;
• we are well known for a Spring and Fall Steak Fry;
• we run the canteen at Jansen Lites Up the Nite Canada Day celebration and Bingo;
• we sponsor a Kin Scholarship for Grade 12 students as well as an opportunity to apply for the Canadian KIN Bursary;
• the Kinsmen host a playoff hockey draft;
• we host a Jansen Community Christmas concert; and
• we conduct a Christmas Cheer project, working with the Lanigan and District Food Bank and BHP to provide gifts for families in need.
Through all of the work conducted during the year, Liebrecht noted funds raised are used to help those within the local area and are put toward TeleMiracle.
Amidst the numerous fundraisers and events, another highlight from 2024 was a celebration of 10 ‘more’ years of Kin. Held May 31, the Jansen & District Kinsmen and Kinette Clubs hosted a celebration. Sharing how the group originally chartered in 1978 before disbanding in 2009 due to declining numbers, they rechartered June 22, 2014 with 17 members.
Recognizing the recharter at its May 31 event, Liebrecht said, “We had a supper, speeches and entertainment with present and past Kinettes. We also had some special guests in attendance and Corie Ruzicka-Olson (who helped us charter in 2014 and is on the District Executive) presented our own Lyndsay L’Heureux with a Life Membership!”
Ruzicka shared how she met Lyndsay at TeleMiracle 2012 and after visiting, teased her that she didn’t want to be ‘just a Kinsman wife.’
Asking what she thought about reviving the Kinette Club, L’Heureux gave it some consideration and then became a big push behind the club rechartering. With the local club rechartered, Liebrecht said Lyndsay then went on to chair the Kinsmen Foundation, a part of the organization responsible for reviewing applications made to TeleMiracle funding. “This is an incredibly intense position and she did an excellent job.”
Also co-chairing Corporate for TeleMiracle 48 with another Jansen Kinette member, Terri Hamilton, Liebrecht said L’Heureux was very well deserving of the Life Member award, making it one of the highlights for the Jansen & District Kinette Club in 2024.
Another pair of tremendous achievements in 2024 came from Terri Hamilton. In addition to co-chairing Corporate for TeleMiracle 48, Hamilton represented District 3 in Charlottetown, P.E.I. as part of the Founding Members Speaking Award and not only was a finalist but was also recognized as Zone Kin of the Year for Zone 1.
Attending the National Convention 2024 in August, Hamilton received the recognition for both awards. Sharing on the District 3 Kin Facebook page, Sharleen Montague stated: “This Kinette is an amazing Kin member! She works so very hard not only for her club but her zone and district as well. She is the type of Kin member who always makes time for everything regardless of how busy her life is. And although she is a busy person, she makes time not only to help in projects but to also participate in performing at TeleMiracle, raising an incredible amount of money! She reaches out to members in need and is a genuine and kind person. She truly deserves recognition for the incredible work she does and the incredible person she is!”
With memorable moments in 2024 for the Jansen & District Kin Club, as for 2025, Liebrecht noted the local group is looking forward to more. “We are planning to attend TeleMiracle, host a number of familiar events, conduct fundraisers and help serve our communities greatest needs.”
Jan. 6, 2025
Curler with local roots to represent Canada
Daniel Bushman
*photo courtesy Curling Canada/Kevin Balmer
With an opportunity to represent her country, following last year’s fourth place finish at the Everest Canadian Seniors Curling Championships in Vernon, B.C., Cori (nee Bartel) Morris, who grew up on a farm near Lanigan and who now calls Calgary home, returned to the national stage with her sights set on gold.
Heading to Moncton, N.B. Dec. 1 to 7 as part of Team Alberta, Cori (lead) along with Atina Ford Johnston (skip), Shannon Morris (third), and Sheri Pickering (second) got off to a hot start. Determined to reach the playoffs, the rink completed the initial round-robin with a 5-1 record in Pool B. That advanced the team to the Championship Pool, and another four games of round-robin play.
Finishing with an overall record of 8-2, that put Team Alberta into second place and they would move on to face Team Nova Scotia (Mary Sue Radford) in the two versus three semifinal. In that matchup, the Ford Johnston crew took a 2-0 lead through two ends before adding three in the fifth and one in the seventh to take a 6-3 victory and punch their ticket to the championship game.
Meeting Team Ontario (Jo-Ann Rizzo), the only undefeated rink at the event, Alberta knew they were up against some tough competition. Facing Jo-Ann and her teammates Janet Murphy, Lori Eddy, and Mary Chilvers, all who have numerous Scotties appearances along with Jo-Ann’s role as third for Sherry Middaugh at the 2013 Olympic Trials (losing the final to Jennifer Jones), Morris, a 2010 Olympic silver medallist, said her team was able to get off to a hot start.
“The first five ends were really great,” Morris shared as Alberta stole one in the fourth end and four in the fifth end to create a 5-0 lead. As Alberta viewed the possibility of winning the title, Ontario began to mount a comeback, grabbing two in end six and one in the seventh to trail by a pair heading into the eighth and final end. Things did not get any easier for Alberta as Ontario sat two with a chance to tie as Alberta prepared to throw the final stone. Drawing on her years of experience, Ford Johnston (who was fifth for the 1998 gold-medal winning Sandra Schmirler Olympic team) had a tricky open hit to eliminate at least one Ontario rock, which she did. That shot gave Alberta a 5-4 victory, and the 2024 Everest Canadian Seniors Curling Championship.
“It was an awesome feeling,” said Morris. “I’ve technically never won a Canadian title before, because the Olympic Trials is a different qualification process. Adding a Canadian championship to my resume is a phenomenal feeling. I am so proud of my teammates, and super excited to get an opportunity to once again wear the Canada maple leaf at a world championship.”
In addition to her gold medal, Morris was also recognized with a Sportsmanship Award for a second straight year. “This award is voted on by the players, so it feels really special. I just can’t say enough about how much I love getting out on the ice, being competitive, while pushing myself to be a better athlete and supporting my team to be the best they can be. It is fantastic to reconnect with former friends and “foes” from years of past competition, and make new ones. I feel so grateful for the opportunity to still compete at a high level, with such great people. Everest’s support of this event has been incredible.”
Following 12 games spanning six days and all culminating with a title and an award, Morris put the Everest Canadian Seniors Curling Championship experience as a career highlight, along with the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver where she played lead for Cheryl Bernard. Excited to head to Fredericton Apr. 26 to May 3, 2025 to represent Canada, Morris is hoping to add to that list. “I am so looking forward to this opportunity to represent Canada. We will do our best to put ourselves in a position to bring home the gold.”
And Cori may not be the only one representing her family on the global stage. With the Morris family heavily involved in curling, Cori’s brother-in-law, Tom Brewster is playing off to represent Scotland on the mens’ side. In another unique twist, Cori’s mother-in-law, Carolyn Morris, won the Seniors World Championship for Canada in Fredericton in 2013. “We will be at that same venue and same city, and she is planning to come cheer us on, so we hope she brings us good luck. Actually my mother-in-law is the only curler in the world to have won two world championships representing two different countries, skipping a team from Scotland in 2005, and then winning with Canada in 2013.”
Morris also added her team asked Carolyn’s 2013 teammate, Lesley McEwan, to join as their fifth/coach.
With a lot of familiar faces and former top curlers slated to be in attendance at the World Seniors Curling Championships in April, Morris knows it will be tough but she is excited about the opportunity. “It is so fantastic to be able to reconnect and get back out on the ice where the competition is fierce. Then when you come off the ice, it is about reunions and reconnecting. It is such a great event for those reasons.”
Taking aim at adding world champion to her resume, Morris will not be the only one with Saskatchewan roots at the event. “There is going to be tons of Saskatchewan representation at the world championships, with men’s Canadian champions Randy Bryden, Troy Robinson, Russ Bryden and Chris Semenchuck, as well as women’s teammates Sheri and Atina. Seven of the eight of us attending the Senior World Championships have green roots. It is pretty exciting to see my home province so well represented on the world stage.”
Excited to see Saskatchewan represented on the ice, off of it Morris knows she will have tremendous support from back home. “The messages of support mean the world. We so appreciate all the good wishes. My Grandpa (Herb) Kopperud from Lanigan always used to say, ‘It is lucky to be good, and it’s good to be lucky.’ It feels like those well wishes helped us on the luck side, and we greatly appreciate that. I will never forget my curling roots, and growing up in Lanigan. That is where it all began, and I am super excited to hopefully win another championship and bring that award back to my hometown.”
Dec. 23, 2024
Bringing joy to others during the holiday season
Daniel Bushman
With nearly three decades of creativity, determination and a little Christmas spirit, Guernsey resident Don Koch has been bringing smiles to the faces of many. Replicating a treasured memory of a Christmas village display in the storefront window of an Eaton’s when he was a kid, the grandfather has built numerous variations since.
Featuring a toy train rolling through a tunnel, snow covered trees, homes and stores nestled on a hillside to a babbling brook and Santa with his sleigh, Koch’s Christmas village is a sight to behold. Each year the village not only catches the interest of family and friends, but many others as well.
Taking a video of his completed village and posting it on his Facebook page for people to enjoy, this year he has had over 1,100 views, 600 more than his previous highest. “Maybe I am bringing a little bit of cheer to homes more than in the past,” Don explained from his home in Guernsey. “It has been kind of a rough year economically and people needed something to smile about for a change and if that is the case, I am very happy I did do it.”
Receiving a lot of kind words about his work, this year’s village almost remained in storage. “I wasn’t even sure I was going to do one,” shared Koch who was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s. “Your extremities can get very tight and I have got that in my legs so it is hard to get up and down. Doing a village, there is a lot of up and down.”
Despite the challenges, Koch wanted to make the village and set out to complete it. The creator shared it was a lengthy process and a later start but once everything was working and the lights were turned on, he was pleased with how it turned out. “I only had about two months which is really the least amount of time you can do this so I didn’t quite do what I planned. In the end it looks okay and there were a few ideas I would have incorporated but there is enough stuff going on.”
Complete with a waterway, running locomotive, buildings, figurines, lights and even a Santa and his sleigh, this year Koch added some brick and stone fencing along with an elevator with ‘Guernsey’ on it. “That is new. Actually my daughter ran across that and it is a bird feeder so I just tucked it into the corner. That has drawn quite a bit of attention actually, so people do look at the video I posted on my Facebook page and see what is going on in the village.”
Coming up with many different ideas over the years, the village has become something Koch really enjoys making. That and the happiness it brings others. “It always put a lot of Christmas spirit into me so I thought I will do it and put it online and those who want to enjoy it can. This year, wow, I was taken a back by the amount of people who have viewed it so far. That was really nice to see and what it is all about.”
While Don only had about two months to make it – a number of those days occupied with appointments – he did his best. Like Santa in his workshop, Koch spent countless hours mapping out his mini village, wiring each set, and tinkering away until everything looked just right.
Following the design phase, Koch grabbed pieces of wood to make a base and then carefully created a waterway. Using a pump system and sealing off the waterway to keep water from spilling onto unsuspecting villagers, once it was ready, Koch added the train. Constructing trellises and a tunnel, the locomotive was able to roll along the track. “The biggest thing is you have to make sure the track is level otherwise you will run into problems.”
After the waterway and train were given designated spots, Koch marked where the buildings would go. With a copious amount of screws, he drilled holes for the lights and units requiring electricity. Figurines then began to find their way onto the landscape which included everything from carolers and skaters to villagers, a polar bear and even the man with the red suit.
“I’ve collected things over the years and with the elevator in there this year, everything has appeared at least once. You just try and make it interesting and if you change it around and add some new things, then people are interested in it.”
Laid out differently each year, after Santa was placed in position and the buildings, figurines, waterway and train were ready to go, Koch applied drywall mud to the entire structure to give it that winter look. Once dried and following some last minute adjustments, the switches were flipped and the village took on a life of its own.
Despite the tremendous amount of time and effort that goes into his village each year, Don said, “What makes me happy is when people come up to you and say how much they appreciate it and if that is what it takes to make people smile, I am just one little part of it all.”
Dec. 16, 2024
Progress continues on new school in Lanigan
Daniel Bushman
With the end of 2024 approaching and anticipation building for the completion of a new school in Lanigan, progress remains on target to reach the slated end date of May 2025.
As work on the new pre-K to Gr. 12 school continues next door to the current elementary and high schools, Horizon School Division CEO Kevin Garinger was recently on site and said, “We are seeing tremendous progression now and it is amazing how quickly things are coming together.”
Garinger shared the anticipated deadline of having students in the new state-of-the-art facility by May 1 remains; however, he noted the gym floor will be delayed. “It is likely not going to be ready until later in May but we will manage that as we need. Outside of that, the construction is moving right on target and we are going to have our technical people in to deal with some of the infrastructure related to technology, likely in February.”
Once the technology is installed and up and running, Garinger said the next step involves moving items from the existing schools into the new building. “We are less than five months away from the kids being in the building so it is an exciting endeavour. There is still lots to do but the drywall, the painting and the flooring is going in. They have all the cabinets for the classrooms in the school and while it looks pretty raw, there is still lots happening and it is happening very quickly.”
Designed for 400 students with expansion for 450, as pieces continue to fall into place inside the school, outside, the bus loop is being done and student parking lot completed. Garinger shared the bus loop is currently being reassessed to make sure it is wide enough for buses to pass each other “but aside from that, the loop is there and will be finished closer to when spring hits. It is in a good place to run the buses and the town has done its work on the access road.”
Once the new school is completed and staff and students in their new home, the current elementary and high schools will then be torn down. “The first building that needs to go is Lanigan Elementary because that is where the front of the new school is and we need to make a parking lot for staff and visitors. Lanigan High will get demolished in a similar time frame as it would be less expensive to demo them both as opposed to bringing crews out multiple times for a staggered demolition.”
With work, including the demolition still yet to be completed, as progress moves forward, Garinger said, “I am just very excited about the school opening and looking forward to seeing our staff and kids in it. The current schools have been outstanding facilities but they are end-of-life and we look forward to the new facility for our students, staff, and families.”
Dec. 9, 2024
Local performers announced for TeleMiracle 49
Local talent will be centre stage during TeleMiracle 49 as 80 talented performers from across Saskatchewan were chosen to appear during the 20-hour telethon Mar. 1 and 2, 2025.
Terri Hamilton and Lorna Leier McEwan of Jansen and Tisdale and Lanigan Dance Dynamics out of Lanigan were chosen along with a number of other performers through an audition process. With acts representing the entire province, 80 talented performers will be featured throughout the 20-hour telethon, including the “Countdown to TeleMiracle” pre-show, the Main Show, and the Overnight segment.
TeleMiracle 49 Chair Terri Troupe-Logue said the Saskatchewan talent is an important piece of the telethon. “It is a wonderful thing to be able to showcase the talent that comes from our province and know that their performance on the show helps bring in much needed funds from people across the province.”
Troupe-Logue encourages Saskatchewan residents to support Saskatchewan talent fundraisers in their local communities. “Saskatchewan talent adds a component to the show that brings TeleMiracle home for everyone. Individuals and performers from Saskatchewan share their talents on the show and usually do some fundraising on their own, which adds to our generous donations. Being able to support local talent from right here at home is really something amazing.”
TeleMiracle 49, in support of “Saskatchewan’s Charity” the Kinsmen Foundation, will be broadcast live from Prairieland Park in Saskatoon. The entire 20-hour telethon can be seen on the CTV Saskatchewan network, starting at 9 p.m. Mar. 1, and concludes at 5 p.m. Mar. 2. The entire show will also be live streamed at http://www.telemiracle.com and TeleMiracle’s Facebook page beginning with “Countdown to TeleMiracle” on Mar. 1 at 6:15 p.m.
To view the full list of performers, people can visit https://telemiracle.com/telemiracle-sasktalent/
Dec. 2, 2024
Local food bank seeks donations heading into holiday season
Daniel Bushman
As costs continue to rise, especially when it comes to food and goods, and with the holiday season arriving, the Lanigan and District Food Bank has not only appreciated the community’s support over the years but is grateful for the continued generosity.
However, Kathy Williams with the Lanigan and District Food Bank said it is not just the cost of food and goods that has increased. On average, the number of people using the local food bank this year has gone up by 30 percent. And Lanigan is not alone. When it comes to higher usage, Food Banks Canada stated nationally it is currently experiencing the highest levels of food bank use in history.
According to the 2023 Hunger Count, Food Banks Canada reported 1.9 million visits nationwide in March 2023, a 32 percent increase from 2022 and a 78 percent increase since prior to the pandemic. Of those utilizing Canadian food banks, one in six is employed while eight percent accessing food banks are seniors, with the rate of increase far outpacing other age groups. From Food Banks Canada’s Hunger Count 2023, a total of 33 percent of food bank users in Canada are children, while only representing 20 percent of the population.
With an increase in usage at food banks across the country and in Lanigan, Williams said the support the non-profit organization has received through donations and funds has been vital. “We have had tremendous support from the community this year.”
As part of that generosity, over the past year, Williams shared local gardeners brought in roughly 300 pounds of produce ranging from potatoes, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, pumpkins, tomatoes and soup/sauce ready tomatoes. In addition, roughly 100 pounds of food is donated through the local Co-op and St. Mary’s food bank bins each month.
More recently, what has become a generous tradition, the annual Halloween Food Bank drive in Jansen brought in about 183 pounds of food which was delivered by Greyson and Tucker Eichorst. Collecting donations for the local food bank Oct. 31, Williams said, “We sincerely appreciate everyone who donated as part of that event and to the Eichorst boys who brought in the donations to the food bank. Having young people canvassing the community and receiving great support by those in Jansen is truly heartwarming and sincerely appreciated!”
Along with initiatives like the one in Jansen, Williams said the Humboldt/Lanigan Co-op ‘Fill the Semi’ project was also a big help to the local food bank and involved Lanigan, Muenster, Lake Lenore and Midway Co-ops along with Affinity, Conexus, St. Gregor and Prairie Centre credit unions, RBC and the local RCMP.
Through the Fill the Semi project, which took place during the last two weeks of October, a total of 3,000 pounds of non-perishable food was brought in for the Lanigan and Humboldt food banks. The Humboldt Co-operative Association matched that total with a $3,000 cheque which was presented to the local food banks and Williams shared there were also donations from the local RCMP detachments ($2,000), RBC ($1,500), and from multiple others ($526.25). With the funds raised that brought the total to $7,026.25 and 3,000 pounds of food for Humboldt and Lanigan food banks.
“It is really great to see so many people come together to collect donations, raise funds and bring awareness about the importance of local food banks. We rely on that support and the support of our volunteers to keep our food bank going and those types of initiatives go a long way in helping that.”
With the holiday season approaching, Williams said Nutrien and Food Banks of Saskatchewan’s Christmas Campaign has also started and in Lanigan, the focus has shifted to the annual Christmas hampers. “For us, each year we pack special Christmas hampers to distribute. Local churches and community groups like the Jansen and District Kinettes help fill the hampers and make sure every child receives a gift.
“We are sincerely appreciative of our wonderful volunteers who give so generously of their time to make not only Christmas special but the whole year.”
If people would like to contribute toward the annual Christmas hampers, monetary donations can be mailed to: Lanigan and District Food Bank, Box 307 in Lanigan, Sask. S0K 2M0. The non-profit organization also accepts e-Transfers and if people have questions, concerns, or want to make arrangements for donations, they can call 306-360-7778 and leave a message.
Nov. 25, 2024
Lazers create dynasty with third consecutive provincial title
Daniel Bushman
Winning a provincial championship is a tremendous achievement but capturing three straight is truly remarkable. Last winning a trio of consecutive provincial titles in senior girls volleyball in 2002, 2003 and 2004, two decades later, Lanigan Central High School has replicated that feat.
After collecting a pair of provincial titles in 2022 and 2023, the team set a goal to return to defend its title. With only six players coming back and six new additions to this year’s squad, coaches Haley Wagar and Barb Klapak said the team knew they had to work hard to not only improve their skills but create chemistry while learning tactical play.
With a lot of hard work, dedication and commitment, the Lazers embarked on its quest to reach the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association’s (SHSAA) provincial stage. Competing in seven regular season tournaments, Lanigan finished third at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, second at PA Carlton in Prince Albert, fourth at the Luther Invitational in Regina, first at its home tournament in Lanigan, third in Moose Jaw, third at Mustang Volley in Saskatoon and first in Macklin.
Setting expectations of making it into the top 10 provincial tournament, after the way the girls played in the Mustang Volley and heading into SHSAA playoffs, Wagar and Klapak felt the team could contend for another championship.
Hosting 3A Girls Conferences in Lanigan Nov. 2, the Lazers began the road to provincials by sweeping Watrous, Punnichy, Hanley and Clavet to finish at 4-0 and first place. Advancing to 3A Girls Regionals in Carrot River Nov. 9, Lanigan defeated Creighton and Wynyard in pool play to once again finish first. In the playoff bracket, Lanigan beat Shellbrook and in a rematch against Wynyard, defeated them to earn the Regional title.
With no losses in Conference and Regional play, the Lazers travelled to Provincials in Regina Nov. 15 and 16 to meet the top 3A girls volleyball teams from Saskatchewan. In its first game, Lanigan faced a familiar opponent out of Watrous in Pool A and beat them in two sets (25-13 and 25-19). Taking on Regina Laval in its second match, the Lazers won 25-4 and 25-16 to improve its record to 2-0. In its final contest of the day, Lanigan faced Unity and won by identical sets of 25-9.
Undefeated heading into day two, the Lazers met Kipling Saturday morning and won 25-17 and 25-22 to wrap up pool play at 4-0. Earning the number one seed in Pool A, in the playoffs, Lanigan faced fourth seeded Waldheim out of Pool B. In that match, the Lazers won in two straight (25-9 and 25-8) to advance to the provincial semifinal against second seeded Wynyard from Pool B. Previously facing Wynyard at Regionals, Lanigan found itself in a tough set, losing the opener 25-23. Rebounding in the second set with a 25-21 win, the two clubs set up a third and deciding game. In that contest, Lanigan was able to come away with a hard fought 15-11 victory and advanced to the final.
Just like Lanigan, Carnduff finished as the first seed in its pool at 4-0 before beating Unity and Indian Head in the playoffs to reach the final. With the Lazers setting its sights on a provincial title, the team defeated Carnduff 25-12 in set one. In the second set, Lanigan had to dig deep and coming back in dramatic fashion, defeated its opponents 25-20 to take gold and a third consecutive provincial championship.
With a pair of tight sets on the way to a medal, Wagar and Klapak said the victories showed how determined the team was at reaching its goal. “This provincial win stands out because of the close matches that we had in the semifinal and final. In the final game, the team made an historic comeback. They were down 10-18 in the second set, and came back to win it 25-20, earning 15 points to Carnduff’s two. This is a run of points that is incredibly challenging to do in high school volleyball. The amount of grit, determination, and crisp playmaking to achieve this is remarkable.”
Reaching the top of the mountain once again, Wagar and Klapak said when the team earned its final point and the championship, the win was exciting and surreal the next day. “Bringing together 12 players from three different grades and five different club teams made this season extra special. To see the friendships built and unmatched court chemistry at provincials was unlike the previous two seasons.”
Appreciating the successes stemming from the team’s hard work and dedication, the coaches said the support the group received throughout was incredible. “Our school community does a fantastic job supporting all high school athletics. Even while we were in Regina, we were receiving videos of our student body watching the live streams and cheering on the team. Success in school sports does not come without the support of the parents and work they put into getting their athletes to practices, tournaments and keeping the team well fed. We are also lucky to have the support of our school administration who works hard behind the scenes to ensure each team’s season runs smoothly.”
With two of the players (Kya Wildeman and Reese Stroeder) part of all three provincial winning teams, Klapak and Wagar noted four others will join them in graduating (Cally Morningstar, Faith Friesen, Laurenne Ewert, and Arella Ewert). “These six will be missed for their commitment and determination and Kya and Reese are one of a kind and have been fantastic leaders for us this season.”
Despite half of the team moving on, the pair said, “We are looking forward to continuing the Lanigan volleyball dynasty with the remaining six players and are excited to work with the talented Gr. 9 athletes that will join our team next season.”
On this year’s provincial winning team: Kya Wildeman (#1), Raea Wildeman (#2), Reese Stroeder (#3), Cally Morningstar (#4), Erica Knudsen (#5), Naomi Hamilton (#6), Faith Friesen (#7), Delani Wolter (#8), Callie Chernishenko (#10), Jenevieve Melin (#11), Laurenne Ewert (#14), and Arella Ewert (#17). The head coach is Haley Wagar and assistant coach is Barb Klapak.
Nov. 18, 2024
People head to the polls
Daniel Bushman
With nice weather and the opportunity to cast a ballot, voters in a number of local area communities headed to the polls to choose who they felt should represent them on their respective council and as a school board trustee. While some positions were already set by acclamation, others required elections and those results are below as of press time:
With a solid turnout at the polls, voters elected the next council to lead the Town of Lanigan. Six of the seven candidates who were running for council will now join mayor Tony Mycock.
The following is the official vote count from the election: Jason Wolfe (359 votes), Shanon Bay (303 votes), Brandon Klassen (298 votes), Owen Bernauer (275 votes), Kyle Boyko (219 votes), James Stephan (213 votes), and Terri Knaus (209 votes). Of those elected, Wolfe, Klassen and Bernauer will be new faces to the team as they join incumbents Bay, Boyko and Stephan.
Lanigan Chief Administrative Officer Ron McCullough shared an estimated 45 percent of eligible voters or 385 of 850 people cast their ballot during this year’s election.
“The voter turnout was great. It is very common for municipal elections to garner 20 to 30 percent voter turnout or less. We had great weather for advance poll and the election day poll, which helped immensely. On top of that, Lanigan voters are clearly engaged and care about the municipal election rather than taking it for granted.”
In Jansen, an election was held for three councillor positions with those winning joining mayor Albert Cardinal. The following is the official vote count: Gabriel Zerbin (26 votes), Elmer Kinzel (25 votes), Kathy Jones (24 votes), and Matthew Brooks (four votes).
In Nokomis, Jason Henry was elected as councillor with 59 votes over Heidi Hasenbein who had 48. Henry joins mayor David Mark and councillors Lisa Biccum, Sandra Howden, Lois Mortenson, Josh Lashbrook, and Rhonda Stepaniuk.
In Watrous, six of the seven candidates who were running for council will now join mayor John Gunderson.
The candidates who were elected were all incumbents, as they represented the community on council the previous term.
The following is the official vote count from the election: Taylor Engele (215 votes), Juanita Allin (208 votes), Adam Prokopchuk (186 votes), Jean Margetts (185 votes), Jody Lewis (183 votes), Lane Manson (180 votes), and Volodymyr Vakula (130 votes).
There were 240 voters who cast a ballot.
In Allan, an election was held for mayor and six councillor positions. The following is the official vote count from the election: Mayor – Jordan Hafichuk (167 votes) and Bonnie Lewis (39 votes). Councillor – Holly Hanson (168 votes), Matthew Holtorf (151 votes), Nicole DeCorby (149 votes), Sheldon Prefontaine (143 votes), Karla Shirley (119 votes), Dean Posnikoff (104 votes), Corina Ukraintez (103 votes), and Rebecca McCleod (89 votes).
There were 209 voters who cast a ballot.
In Imperial, six of the seven candidates who were running for council will join mayor Edward Abrey.
The following is the official vote count from the election: Ryan Kelly (67 votes), Susan Parish (67 votes), Leslie Sainsbury (64 votes), Debbie Van Damme (64 votes), Kathy Williams (63 votes), Randy Shaw (34 votes), and Clint Ramsden (29 votes).
There were 70 voters who cast a ballot.
Horizon School Division Board Trustee elections were also held for the local area. For Subdivision 3, incumbent Jennifer Lemky was re-elected. For Subdivision 4, incumbent Mark Fedak was re-elected.
Nov. 11, 2024
Remembrance Day service to be held at Lanigan Town Hall
Daniel Bushman
A time for reflection, a time for remembering and a time for pausing as people pay tribute to the many who served during the wars. While services were held in local area schools leading up to Remembrance Day, on Monday, Nov. 11, people are encouraged to gather at the Lanigan Town Hall.
Hosted by Royal Canadian Legion Branch #143 in Lanigan, president of the branch, Jim Hatcher said those attending the service are encouraged to be seated at the town hall by 10:30 a.m. “The service will start at 10:45 a.m. with a march in and welcome and then at 11 a.m., the official service starts. Following the service there will be a chili lunch for those wanting to attend. We are looking forward to returning to the Lanigan Town Hall for a second consecutive year after the pandemic. In previous years, we had up to 250 people join us and we are anticipating that again in 2024. We are also hoping to stream the service on our Facebook page as well which we have done the past few years.”
In addition to the annual service, in recognition of Veterans and current members of the Canadian Armed Forces, local Legion Branch #143 members will be placing wreaths in front of the cenotaph and the names of those who served will be read. The group also launched its annual poppy campaign Oct. 25, presenting Lanigan Mayor Tony Mycock with the first poppy.
According to the Royal Canadian Legion, every year from the last Friday of October to Nov. 11, tens of millions of Canadians wear a poppy as a visual pledge to honour Canada’s Veterans and remember those who sacrificed for the freedoms people enjoy today.
Through the local poppy campaign, Hatcher explained funds raised are used to help others. “Over the years, we have put the money back into the community for things like equipment at the hospital including wheelchairs and beds. We also keep money available for any Veterans and their families who may require some help and we also support the local cadet squadron.”
The local Legion is also lending a hand with a national program called Leave the Streets Behind. “Leave the Streets Behind is the Legion’s national homeless Veterans program that started out of Ontario Command. The program’s mission is to reach out to homeless Veterans and those at-risk of homelessness and provide them with immediate financial assistance and support. It is also operated out of Saskatchewan and connects Veterans with the social and community services to establish a long-term solution to meet their needs. It is a good program and we are pleased to be able to contribute to it.”
Sincerely appreciating everyone for taking time to honour Veterans through purchasing a wreath, wearing a poppy and taking time to pause on Remembrance Day, Hatcher said, “This is something we can never ever forget because everything we enjoy today came at a very high cost. As everybody can see around the world right now, it is not very nice. Our military are still active and as a Legion, we support our government, war efforts and peacekeeping.”
With local membership numbers increasing to 37, Hatcher said the local Legion is always seeking more people to join. “We are doing all kinds of work with more fundraisers and events. Everything is on the up and up and we really appreciate the support we have had.”
Allowing anyone to sign up to be a member, Hatcher shared the local youth are also important to the Lanigan Legion Branch #143. A supporter of youth and the creative work they do through the Remembrance Day poster and literacy contest, Hatcher said, “We have kids from Drake and Lanigan who participate and some of the artwork and writing that these kids do is unreal. Over the years, some of the work has advanced past the local level and is judged at the zone, district and provincial levels as well.”
Offering the literacy and poster contest for students, Hatcher feels it is also important for the next generation to hear about Remembrance Day and the sacrifices many made both at home and abroad. “If we don’t do that, the youth don’t really know what Remembrance Day is all about. Over time things can be forgotten and we want our young people to know what it was like years ago.”
Nov. 4, 2024
Saskatchewan Party earns fifth term following election
Daniel Bushman
It was a rather historic night as residents of Saskatchewan cast their ballots during the 2024 General Election. With a first preliminary count done Oct. 28, a second Oct. 30 and a final count Nov. 9, unofficial results put the Saskatchewan Party on track to receive a fifth straight term in government.
With 439,771 total votes reported as of Oct. 28, the Saskatchewan Party garnered 53 percent of the vote (232,760 votes) to lead in 35 constituencies while the Saskatchewan New Democrats had 39.5 percent of the vote (173,285 votes) and had the lead in 26 constituencies. The Sask. United Party received 4.1 percent of the votes (17,658 votes) followed by the Saskatchewan Green Party at 1.8 percent (7,726 votes), PC Saskatchewan at one percent (4,300 votes), the Buffalo Party at 0.8 percent (3,201 votes), the Saskatchewan Progress Party at 0.2 percent (510 votes), and Independent at 0.1 percent (331 votes).
Those numbers changed following the Oct. 30 second preliminary count as the Saskatchewan New Democrats gained a seat while the Saskatchewan Party lost one. With the final ballot count set for Nov. 9, following the Oct. 30 results, the Saskatchewan Party had 52.5 percent of the vote while the Saskatchewan New Democrats had just over 40 percent. The Sask. United Party received 3.9 percent of the votes (17,899 votes) followed by the Saskatchewan Green Party at 1.8 percent (7,853 votes), PC Saskatchewan at one percent (4,348 votes), the Buffalo Party at 0.8 percent (3,237 votes), the Saskatchewan Progress Party at 0.2 percent (521 votes), and Independent at 0.1 percent (336 votes).
Not since the days of when Tommy Douglas was premier has there been a government elected for five straight terms in Saskatchewan. And while the Saskatchewan Party unofficially returns with a majority government, it did not come without some losses. With health care and education at the forefront, a message was sent by a number of voters as the Saskatchewan New Democrats gained just over double the seats it had during the previous election (as of Oct. 30). That message pushed the Saskatchewan Party’s total seat count from 48 down to 34. As part of that, the governing party watched as the urban vote flipped to nearly all Saskatchewan New Democrats while it retained support in the rural areas.
As for the local constituencies, each will be represented by a new face as previous MLAs elected not to run and new constituency lines were drawn. For the Humboldt-Watrous constituency, as of Oct. 30, Saskatchewan Party candidate Racquel Hilbert was unofficially elected, receiving 5,215 votes followed by the NDP’s Kevin Fallis who garnered 2,075. The PC Party’s Rose Buscholl accumulated 653 votes, the Sask. United Party’s Carrie Ann Hradecki earned 591 votes, the Saskatchewan Green Party’s Sharon Thibault had 126 votes and the Buffalo Party’s Megan Christianson had 93.
“I was thrilled, honoured and quite relieved once I started seeing the numbers coming in,” shared Hilbert as she kept a close eye on the results during election night.
Attending urban and rural community meetings, knocking on doors and connecting with people, Hilbert said she listened to concerns with a feeling that all levels of government need to communicate. “It does begin with someone showing up and when I started seeing the results coming in, I was really quite thrilled and relieved because I got an accurate impression of what our constituency needs.”
Looking forward to heading to Regina and joining other elected candidates at the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, Hilbert appreciated the work done by her team to help get her there. “My team included family, friends, and neighbours and I would not have been able to do it without their help, support, sacrifice, dedication, phone calls and letters they sent out. I also want to thank the constituents for casting a ballot and I am really looking forward to keeping the message a positive message moving forward. We have some incredibly amazing things happening and we want to expand on that and work on the things that need tweaking.”
For the Kelvington-Wadena constituency, as of Oct. 30, Saskatchewan Party candidate Chris Beaudry received 4,960 votes followed by the NDP’s Lorne Schroeder who had 1,708 votes. The Sask. United Party’s Clint Gottinger received 822 and the Saskatchewan Green Party’s Gillian Halyk garnered 124.
Watching as the results came in Monday evening, an excited Beaudry said he appreciated all of the help he had during the campaign and was pleased with how everything went. “It was a lot of fun getting out and going to all of the events and talking to folks at the door. It was a different experience, one I won’t forget.”
Unofficially elected as the representative for Kelvington-Wadena, Beaudry expected to win after what he was hearing from people at events and door knocking. “I was a little nervous for a bit watching the entire election but I am happy with how things turned out and with what the premier said. I think that everyone sees we do need some change now and I believe that the Sask. Party is ready to make that change.”
Looking forward to becoming the MLA for the constituency, when asked if he is ready to get to work, Beaudry said, “Absolutely. That is what I have been most looking forward to. I want to get down there, dive into things and let the voices of Kelvington-Wadena be heard.”
For the Dakota-Arm River constituency, as of Oct. 30, Saskatchewan Party candidate Baret Kropf received 4,960 votes followed by the NDP’s Jordan Wiens who had 2,077. The Sask. United Party’s Darren Ebenal had 1,061 followed by the PC Party’s Raymond L. Carrick with 442 and the Saskatchewan Green Party’s Joseph Reynolds who accumulated 92 votes.
Collecting signs following the election, Kropf spared a few minutes to share about his unofficial victory. “I am really excited to have earned the trust of the Dakota-Arm River constituents.”
First winning the Saskatchewan Party candidate nomination before spending the past seven months covering every corner of the riding, Kropf shared what blew him away was how many great people he met. “I am really excited to not only journey with those people I met but to continue meeting great people and help not only our constituency but our province to grow and flourish.”
Looking forward to representing Dakota-Arm River, Kropf is excited to go alongside all of the other 61 elected candidates, not just those of the Saskatchewan Party. “The message has been clear that we have been able to continue to grow a strong economy for a bright future but at the end of the day, as Premier (elect) Scott Moe stated we also know we have some work to do and that is only going to get done with 61 of us MLAs who are working together not tearing each other apart. That is something I am looking forward to, is to bring some renewal into that process and keep making Saskatchewan a great place to raise families.”
Really appreciating the volunteers and supporters during his campaign, Kropf said, “We can’t do it without that great team that is behind all 61 MLAs.”
Oct. 28, 2024
Lanigan to vote for councillors
Daniel Bushman
While there will be no vote for mayor during this year’s elections for the Town of Lanigan, people will be headed to the polls to cast their ballots for who they would like to see represent them on town council.
Following the acclamation of Tony Mycock, who returns for another term as mayor, an election for six council spots will take place. Advance polling will be held Nov. 1 at the Lanigan Community Hall with election day set for Nov. 13 at the Lanigan Community Hall.
This year Shanon Bay, Owen Bernauer, Kyle Boyko, Brandon Klassen, Terri Knaus, James Stephan, and Jason Wolfe have elected to throw their hats into the ring.
With six available spots and seven candidates vying for a seat, the Lanigan Advisor emailed each, seeking a bio and posing the question of why each would like to run for council. There was no restrictions on length and the following are the responses the Advisor received (in alphabetical order by last name):
Shanon Bay
Hello fellow residents of Lanigan! My name is Shanon Bay and I am asking for your support to continue my position on town council for another term. I began my journey on town council in February 2022 when I was elected during the by-election. It has been a rewarding and challenging experience all at once. I have enjoyed learning and growing in this position with my peers and residents.
I am proud to call Lanigan my home for the last 19 years. I was born and raised in Humboldt, before heading off to college in Prince Albert and then to Saskatoon to work for six years before settling in Lanigan to raise my three children – Jarin, Kale and Caris. I started working at Lanigan Agencies in 2006 and now with Long Lake Insurance as an insurance advisor. Without really knowing it at the time, Lanigan was a perfect fit to be closer to my roots and a small, safe community for my kids to grow up in.
Over the last 19 years, I have seen the importance of being involved in the community and take pride in the gratitude that comes along with it. From being involved with my kids activities throughout the years, to volunteering my time at fundraising events such as Relay for Life and numerous fundraisers over the years for the newly constructed waterpark. I have also been involved with the Jansen & District Kinette Club for the last 10 years where I have thoroughly enjoyed the kinship while partaking in events such as Telemiracle and steak fry events. It has been experiences like these where you see leadership and teamwork shine through! It has always been important for me to model this for my kids and hopefully one day they will be involved in organizations like I have been to better the communities that they will reside in.
Just like my volunteer experiences, being on town council has also been a valuable experience for me. It certainly has challenges but when you see the growth and development that evolves, it is all worth it. We have seen many positive changes within our town and that is because of a team that works cohesively and effectively together while listening to what the community wants and needs. I hope the residents of Lanigan continue to see me as someone they can trust and rely on to advocate their suggestions and concerns. I want to see our community continue to grow and flourish while providing an inclusive community where others will want to come and also call Lanigan home.
The knowledge and experience I have gained on town council over the last two and a half years, will be a beneficial asset if re-elected. I will continue to learn and to be a voice for our residents to bring more services and recreation opportunities to our town. I encourage everyone to get out and vote. I hope I can count on your support!
Owen Bernauer
Lanigan residents, my name is Owen Bernauer, and I am excited to announce my candidacy for town council. As a business owner in this town for the last nine years, I have witnessed firsthand the incredible potential our town has for growth and opportunity
First and foremost, I am deeply committed to our town and its future. I have lived in Lanigan my whole life, and I understand the unique challenges and set of opportunities we face. I believe that our town deserves a council that truly understands the needs of its residents and businesses. My experience as a local entrepreneur has equipped me with the skills to recognize what drives our economy and how we can create an environment where everyone can succeed. I’m passionate about fostering opportunities for all, whether it is supporting local, or attracting new investments to our community.
If elected, I will prioritize initiatives that promote economic development, enhance infrastructure and encourage community engagement. I want to ensure that our town not only thrives today but also sets the stage for future generations. Your voices matter, and I’m committed to listening to your ideas and concerns as we work together to build a vibrant community.
So, I ask for your support and vote. Together, we can create a brighter future for our town, filled with opportunity and growth for everyone. Thank you!
Kyle Boyko
For those of you who don’t know me, I am Kyle Boyko. I am seeking a second term for town council again in the municipal election. I have served as councillor for the last four years. My wife and I, along with our children, have lived in Lanigan for the last 20 plus years. We consider Lanigan a home like no other. I love the people in our community and appreciate the abundance of activities and development. I grew up in small town Saskatchewan and take pride in our rural roots. Small towns truly are great places to live and raise a family. Working in the agriculture sector, I know firsthand it is important to grow and sustain our small communities in rural Saskatchewan. Throughout my adult life I have served as a volunteer police officer and firefighter, minor hockey coach, a football coach, a member of the Lions Club and served on many other committees and volunteered often. I am excited to seek another term as councillor. As a councillor, I strive to make decisions based in the best interests of the community. I will continue to listen to our community members and bring forward concerns and ideas, to make our community a strong place to live. I am ecstatic to see increased economic growth and development with the new SaskPower Station, BHP Mine, the new K-12 school, the waterpark facility opening, as well as hospital and medical advancements and a new daycare development. If elected, I will strive to continue to advocate for further economic growth in our business and residential economy. As well, I find it crucial to maintain balanced budgets and infrastructure. These are key areas to continue to focus on moving forward, ensuring community members can afford to live and thrive here. Recreation is important to our active community members. Providing diverse facilities and activities that cater to various clubs, groups, and age levels is crucial for fostering development and community spirit. I want people to choose Lanigan for all that we have to offer. I wish for people to thrive here, people that live here, to continue to stay, and for all of us to call Lanigan home, just as I have. We have an amazing community. I look forward to seeing great things continue to happen in our community. I ask for your support and thank you for the opportunity to represent you again.
Brandon Klassen
I am Brandon Klassen and I grew up in Saskatoon and lived on an acreage just outside of Saskatoon from 2003-‘13. After moving back to Saskatoon until 2020, me and my wife and kids moved to Lanigan. I have been an automotive tech since 2010 when I started to apprentice at my parent’s shop (which they owned for 37 years until we sold it in 2021).
I received my journeyman certificate in January 2015 along with an award for highest mark of the year in my fourth year of schooling (Saskatchewan). I then became a part owner with my parents in 2016 of the shop in Saskatoon and moved into a management role in 2019.
I met my wife Keely in 2015 (married in 2016) after she moved to Saskatoon from Ontario for work and we now have three kids aged six, two and four months.
We had wanted to live outside the city for a while and were thinking about an acreage. Keely’s parents moved to Lanigan in 2019 and this is how we found out about Barry’s being for sale. After a while of thinking about it, we decided we wanted to take the opportunity to buy the shop and move to a small town to raise our family.
We lived in Lanigan for a year before we sold the shop in Saskatoon, so I was driving back and forth everyday during that time. After selling the shop in Saskatoon in September 2021, I started working with Barry in October 2021 while we worked at finalizing the sale of this shop. We got everything finalized for a purchase date of October 2022.
It has been two years now and we have been blessed with many great clients and built great relationships. We have been kept busy during that time and do the best we can to keep up while striving to provide the best service that we can.
Christianity is and always has been an important part of my life. We now call Christian Fellowship Church here in Lanigan home and we thank God for bringing us to Lanigan and all of the friends we have made here. We feel much closer with our community here than we did in Saskatoon.
I had thought about running for council briefly but wasn’t sure about it. I then was asked by a couple people currently on council to consider running and so I decided to consider it more seriously.
Before we even moved to Lanigan, Keely and I talked about our goals and plans for living in a small town and owning a business. We knew that we wanted to be a benefit and build into the community the best we could as it is where we are going to raise our family.
Although we have found ourselves feeling quite busy raising a young family as well as running a new business, instead of sitting and watching the town grow and develop, I want to be a part of it.
Considering the time commitment required, I decided that I could be on council. I don’t like to commit to something unless I am able to give it 100 percent of my effort and attention that it requires.
There is lots going on in the area with BHP and the Aspen Power Station to name a couple. This is providing a lot of opportunity for growth in town.
The town is doing a great job with working to keep moving forward and getting prepared for growth. I would like to become a part of council to help keep things moving and also be able to give my input into future directions that the town may go.
It has been great to see all of the activity happening in and around town (the new pool, new homes getting built, new homes being moved into Triland Court, etc.) and I know there will be even more growth and a bright future for Lanigan.
Terri Knaus
Dear residents, as you may have heard I am running for town council. I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a bit about myself and touch on my qualities and experiences that I feel make me an excellent candidate for our town council.
As a married parent of five and a grandparent of five, I understand the values that bind us together. My commitment to Lanigan is reflected in my community involvement and professional experience:
• Heritage Restoration: In 1995, my husband and I bought one of the oldest homes in Lanigan. Over the years, we have restored our home to make it our own and to honour our local heritage, demonstrating my dedication to preserving the history and character of Lanigan.
• Skating Club Leadership: With a figure skater in our family, I volunteered on the Lanigan Skating Club executive for 10 years, serving in various roles from CanSkate coordinator to president. I played a key role in hosting club carnivals, regional competitions, and organizing fundraising events.
• Golf Course Experience: I have worked at the Lanigan Golf Course for 20 years, managing the clubhouse for the last 14 years. I have built strong relationships with residents and learned the importance of community engagement. My passion for the sport extends to coaching youth, helping kids improve their skills and develop a love for the game.
• Educational Role: Currently, I am employed as an Educational Assistant at the elementary school, where I support our youth and contribute to their growth and development.
• Passion for Personal Development: I am passionate about personal growth and have taken many development courses, including the Discovery Seminars based in Calgary. I have had the privilege of coaching this program multiple times, enriching my ability to connect with others and inspire positive change.
• Family Business: I am part of our family business that has developed a product benefits the agriculture, mining, and construction sectors throughout Saskatchewan, North America and beyond. This experience has given me valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by local industries.
• Support for Youth Sports: As a dedicated minor hockey parent for many years, I appreciate the significance of youth programs in shaping our future leaders.
These experiences have equipped me with the skills needed to be an effective Municipal Councillor. If elected, I will focus on key priorities that matter to our community:
I will ensure that every voice is heard, fostering an inclusive dialogue where residents can share their ideas and concerns.
I am committed to promoting responsible development that respects our environment and heritage, ensuring Lanigan remains a vibrant place for future generations.
Supporting local businesses and attracting new investments will be a priority, as I believe that a thriving economy benefits all residents.
I believe that together we can make Lanigan a place where everyone feels proud to call it home. I welcome your thoughts and ideas as I embark on this journey.
Thank you for considering my candidacy. I would be honored to have your support. Please feel free to reach out to me at 306-360-7415.
Together, let’s build a stronger community!
James Stephan
Hello my name is James Stephan, I’m running for a second term as councillor and I’m asking for your support.
I was born in Lanigan and have lived here my entire life, being self-employed for most of it, over the years owning and operating our family trucking business, which was in business for 45 years, owned the Hi-Way Confectionery for 10 years as well as building eight condo units in town and the Hi-Way Wash and Water, in which we still own and operate. I also spent six years as the foreman with the RM of Prairie Rose.
Having the business experience as well as construction background I feel is an asset for being a councillor.
I have coached minor hockey and ball as well as being a volunteer firefighter for 25 years.
If elected I will continue to listen and work for the residents and keep the best interests of the town my priority as I have in my previous term.
Lanigan is a great place to live and raise a family. Going forward, my focus will be on planning and implementing sustainable growth in our community, and working with residents, businesses, and community groups to meet their needs.
We have a great community and by working together and continuing to move forward Lanigan will be a place for future generations to call home.
In closing I would like to say thanks for giving me the opportunity to represent you for the last four years and I would be grateful for the chance to serve the next four years.
Jason Wolfe
Hello, I am Jason Wolfe and I moved to Lanigan after my dad bought an auto body shop and started running it as Lanigan Auto Palace Ltd. Mar. 31, 1980. I have lived in Lanigan for most of my life and played and enjoyed most sports that were offered to us like hockey, baseball, fastball, and golf (in my later years), and then volleyball, soccer, badminton, and tennis in my school years.
I enjoy fishing and now have a lot at Fishing Lake where I spend a lot of my weekends.
I worked at Bergen Industries for two years after high school, in which I had to take about a three month leave to take over and run the Lanigan Arena. I was working at the arena part time as the caretaker had moved away in February of 1998. I stepped in and ran it until the end of the season and then continued my work with Bergen Industries.
In 1998, I went to school for Graphic Arts in Saskatoon and the fall of 1999, I moved to Medicine Hat, Alta. as I got a job in the Creative Department with the Medicine Hat newspaper.
In 2005, I switched careers and started with an oil and gas company Reece Energy. I then was moved to Kindersley where I spent five years.
In 2010 the company was bought out and I sold my house and moved back to Lanigan to work with my dad at the Auto Place. We ended up expanding and building a new shop which we moved into in 2014. I am now part owner.
I have helped with the running of the Lanigan Pirates, was on the Lanigan Golf and Country Club board and am a member of the Lanigan Lions group.
I have decided to run for council as I see positive things about to happen for our community and would like to help make them happen. I have always had an interest in how the town runs and now is my chance to help out.
Oct. 21, 2024
Remembering Dr. Saxena
Daniel Bushman
A well-known and respected physician who practiced in Lanigan for over four decades passed away earlier this month. Dr. Onkar Saxena who moved to Lanigan in 1973 and performed countless surgeries, delivered numerous babies and helped hundreds of patients during his time in the community passed away peacefully at the age of 95 on Sunday, Oct. 6 after a brief struggle with illness.
Dr. Saxena’s daughter Angela shared her father loved his profession so much that he did not retire until he was 87. “He cared so much for his community of patients, nurses, colleagues, and more. No words can describe this incredible human. He taught us so much about life and those who knew him, just loved him. We will miss him forever and our hearts are totally broken.”
Retiring from his practice in Lanigan Dec. 29, 2016, Saxena first arrived in Canada in the early 1970s. In an interview with the Lanigan Advisor in 2016, Saxena shared, “We decided to come to Canada for two years and we ended up here 44 years. This is one of the best countries in the world. We were very welcome here.”
With patients from communities including Lanigan, Drake, Jansen, Humboldt, Watrous and Wynyard, Saxena shared during the interview the area was very friendly and the people very helpful. “I think that was one of the reasons why we stayed here because people like each other and there was good co-operation from every corner. We will never forget that.”
Born in India, Onkar went to medical college in 1951 and took a five year course, graduating on his first attempt in 1956. After marrying Madhuri in 1960, Onkar did his residency, travelling to England in 1961 to specialize and get a degree of fellowship in surgery in general surgery and urology surgery. Taking the fellowship of the Royal College ofSurgeons, an accolade held by some of the most exceptional and innovative physicians in the world, Saxena spent the next decade in London, England before electing to be a specialist surgeon in New Delhi.
Explaining to his parents he would like to return to India, Onkar’s dad felt he should try and gain experience in North America. Packing his bags, Saxena along with his wife and children arrived in Canada in August 1971. From there, he began practicing in Porcupine Plain with Dr. Ben.
“He was looking for a surgical colleague in a family practice and he was an anesthetist so I said, sure,” explained Saxena in 2016.
Working well together, the pair found Lanigan and relocated in January 1973. With one a surgeon and the other an anesthetist, it proved to be the perfect fit. “We hardly sent anybody out because we could do everything here.”
Enjoying his time in Canada, when the first winter arrived, Saxena shared it was quite the adjustment. Operating a ski-doo, something he had never done before, let alone knew existed, the physician told the story of approaching a tree and stopping. “I asked how to reverse it and the person selling it to me said, ‘You can’t reverse it, you have to lift it.’ That was my first experience ski-dooing.”
Many times Saxena would attend calls on his ski-doo or would go to emergencies on his sled, parking in front of the hospital. “I would stop it there, attend to the emergency then drive it home.”
Caring for residents in the area, some of whom gave birth, Saxena delivered a number of babies who would grow up and bring their own children to see him. In a few cases, Saxena treated and helped at least four generations from the same family. “To me they are like an extended family,” he said during his interview.
Another highlight for the doctor was coming up with a new surgical technique for undescended testis in children. Not liking the operation and thinking there should be a better way to do it, Saxena performed a few operations with his preferred technique at the Lanigan hospital. The doctor then published his work and the Royal College of Physicians in England accepted his paper. Since that time numerous surgeons from around the world have performed Saxena’s surgical technique.
Despite all of his accomplishments and longevity within the medical profession, what may come as a surprise is that Saxena did not always want to be a surgeon.
“It was my mother that pushed me into it,” he shared with a grin. “I wanted to be an electrical engineer. In fact I started my first year as an electrical student but my mother said, ‘No you have to go to medicine.’ I changed because of her and I have no regret.”
Onkar shared in 2016 that he paved the way as the family’s first surgeon and some of his siblings followed in his footsteps. “My oldest brother became a lawyer, my next brother older to me became a chartered accountant, I became a doctor, my two younger brothers became civil engineers. My three younger sisters followed me and became doctors. One is a famous gynecologist in India and they married three doctors. We have a team of doctors in our family and I was the first doctor in the whole family and the first to come out of the country to do more to further my education.”
Finding a passion for practicing medicine, Onkar was quick to point out in the 2016 interview that he could not have been able to do what he did without the help of his wife Madhuri. “She looked after the clinic and I saw the patients. I must say if my wife was not here, I would not have stayed here so long because she has been a tremendous help to me.”
Sharing how good the community was to him over the years, Saxena said, “We have had wonderful co-operation with the staff at the hospital, nursing home and home care. I think that is what is very good, when you are working together for the best care of the patient you can provide. If you can work hard to help the patient, that is best you can do in our profession. I tell my nursing staff and colleagues to treat their patients like their family member. If you do that, chances are you will be successful in life and you will have no regret.”
A funeral service was held in B.C. for Dr. Saxena Oct. 10.
Oct. 14, 2024
Parties make promises during campaign
Daniel Bushman
With the writ dropped Oct. 1 and candidates campaigning throughout Saskatchewan, a number of promises have been doled out ahead of the election.
According to Elections Sask. there are seven registered parties vying for votes: Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan, New Democratic Party, Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan Green Party, Saskatchewan Party, Saskatchewan Progress Party and the Saskatchewan United Party. As election day moves closer, the following (in alphabetical order and as of Oct. 8) is a brief summary from various media releases or from each party’s website of what they are offering:
Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan:
• Oct. 2 – will establish a new ministry, the Ministry of Seniors and Veterans Affairs. The first priority of this ministry will be to re-establish the Saskatchewan Transportation Company. It also ensures Veterans and seniors are getting the best care available in the health system. “We will no longer accept the diagnosis that you are too old to not get the care you need and deserve. The other primary goal will be to ensure that the seniors and Veterans that need affordable housing and taken care of as a priority.”
• Oct. 7 – introduced an economic and job creation plan for the next session via press conference.
NDP of Saskatchewan:
• Aug. 29 – guarantees taxes will not be raised, applying to all forms of provincial taxation: no increases to income taxes, small business taxes, provincial sales tax, and corporate taxes.
• Aug. 30 – will get rid of Marshal Service and redirect funding to hire more local officers; invest in mental health, addictions and housing support to help those in crisis; task force to target organized crime and drug traffickers; and rebate program for security upgrades to protect families, small businesses and places of worship.
• Sept. 3 – invest $2 billion in education to reduce class sizes, hire teachers and education workers, support students with complex learning needs and more. Investment will also address class size and complexity, increase English as an additional language funding, and build schools faster.
• Sept. 4 – committed to building a high school for White City and Emerald Park with shovels in the ground by the end of 2025.
• Sept. 5 – announces healthy school food program which will provide operating funding to school divisions, schools, parent groups, or non-profits to deliver food to students in public, separate, or francophone schools in Saskatchewan. Initial provincial investment of $10 million, ramping up to $55.5 million annually by end of government term.
• Sept. 6 – will build a new elementary school to replace St. Michael in Moose Jaw.
• Sept. 9 – will suspend Gas Tax on day one of new government if elected.
• Sept. 10 – will introduce a Landlord and Tenant Rent Protection Act and make all vacant provincial housing units available for families within four years.
• Sept. 11 – will cut the PST on kids’ clothes.
• Sept. 12 – will remove PST off groceries.
• Sept. 16 – will launch a start-up loan program, giving new entrepreneurs access to a loan of up to $40,000.
• Sept. 17 – unveiled a Hire Saskatchewan jobs plan with successful bidders for public projects chosen based on value and benefit to local communities and families.
• Sept. 19 – released a Northern Strategy to help address challenges faced by people in Northern Saskatchewan.
• Sept. 20 – commits to apology for the damage caused to First Nations and Métis people at the Île-à-la-Crosse and Timber Bay residential schools.
• Sept. 23 – will hire more permanent doctors and nurses and phase out private travel workers. Investing $1.1 billion in frontline services and implement a strategy to keep doctors and nurses working in Saskatchewan.
• Sept. 24 – will open Saskatoon City Hospital emergency room 24/7.
• Sept. 27 – commits to increasing surgery capacity, reducing wait times for Saskatchewan people by performing more surgeries in the public system by staffing up surgical rooms and increasing hours of operation.
• Oct. 4 – released fiscal plan to invest in healthcare, education and balance budget in a single term.
Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan
• Sept. 26 – unveiling of the party’s Affordability Plan. The plan looks at home building, home buying, and general family affordability containing numerous grants, tax breaks, and programs. They include a commitment to building 5,000 new energy efficient homes in five years, an equity backed government program to help first time home buyers, and investing in a commercial greenhouse industry. The overall goal is to improve the lives and pocketbooks of families in the province by creating food security, affordable low cost living and enable people to achieve home ownership.
Saskatchewan Green Party
An extensive 62 page platform ‘Let’s move forward together’ can be found on the party’s website (www.saskgreen.ca). As part of the detailed platform, it includes:
• ending poverty – a commitment to eliminating poverty, strengthening the economy, ensuring a fair return for resources, and supplying critical financial support for citizens.
• strengthening local communities and economies, a focus on jobs and employment, food security, improving education, respecting Indigenous Peoples and diversity, and envisioning culture.
• healthcare reform – also emphasizes healthy communities, lifestyles and environment. Strategies to reduce pollution, address social determinants of health, and encourage wise lifestyle choices.
• climate action – recognizing human rights consideration in the exposure to environmental contaminants and supports theory of an environmental bill of rights.
Saskatchewan Party
• Oct. 1 – will reduce personal income tax by raising the personal income tax exemption, the spousal exemption, the child exemption and the seniors supplement by $500 each year for the next four years.
• Oct. 1 – increase the Low Income Tax Credit 20 percent over next four years.
• Oct. 2 – increase the Graduate Retention Program benefit by 20 percent. The maximum benefit for a four-year university graduate will increase from $20,000 to $24,000. Graduates of one to three-year programs will also receive a 20 percent increase to their maximum amount.
• Oct. 2 – introduce a $5,000 rebate to partially cover the cost of Class 1 Truck Driver Training, paid out over five years.
• Oct. 3 – double the Active Families Benefit to $300 per year per child, reimbursing for the cost of children taking part in sports, arts, cultural and recreational activities. The Active Families Benefit for a child with a disability will also double to $400.
• Oct. 4 – introducing a permanent Saskatchewan Home Renovation Tax Credit while increasing the Saskatchewan First-Time Homebuyers Tax Credit. Homeowners can claim a provincial income tax credit of up to $4,000 in renovation expenses each year and seniors will be able to claim an additional $1,000. Increasing the Saskatchewan First-Time Homebuyers Tax Credit from $10,000 to $15,000, increasing the benefit from $1,050 to $1,575.
• Oct. 4 – increase the benefit to the 140 Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) clients under age 65 who live in a personal care home. The benefit will increase by an average of $115 a month, or about $1,380 per year.
• Oct. 7 – will introduce cervix self-screening Saskatchewan women will be given the option to receive a self-sampling kit in the mail to screen for human Papillomavirus (HPV).
• Oct. 7 – assist with the cost of fertility treatment by providing a 50 percent refundable tax credit for the cost of a first fertility treatment. The credit would help cover the costs for fertility treatments and related prescription drug costs to a maximum of $20,000, which would mean a $10,000 benefit.
• Oct. 8 – increasing the Disability Tax Credit, the Caregiver Tax Credit and the income exemption limit under the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) program. The Disability Tax Credit for adults, the Disability Tax Credit Supplement for persons under 18 and the Caregiver Tax Credit for families who care for adult children or a parent with a disability would increase by 25 percent. SAID clients who work have a portion of their employment income exempted from reducing their SAID benefit. The Saskatchewan Party will increase the amount an individual, couple or family can earn without reducing their SAID benefit by $1,000.
• Oct. 9 – will extend coverage for glucose monitoring and supplies to seniors and young adults living with diabetes. About 9,000 seniors age 65 and over and 700 young adults ages 18 to 25 will benefit from the extension of coverage, in addition to the 600 children and youth who are currently covered. Both flash and continuous glucose monitors will be covered.
Saskatchewan Progress Party
Formerly the Saskatchewan Liberal Party, the last release found for the SPP was dated July 18, 2023. With one candidate listed as of Oct. 8 (Kate Tremblay for Regina Northeast), a list of policies for SPP can be found on its website: http://www.saskprogress.com.
Saskatchewan United Party
• Oct. 3 – unveiled Blueprint for Change. It included:
• eliminating the provincial gas tax, cutting the provincial sales tax in half to three percent, and providing a 65 percent discount on property taxes for seniors living in their primary residences.
• proposing a full royalty framework review on potash, to ensure the Saskatchewan people are receiving fair and equitable value for the world class resources they own.
• committed to providing the best possible healthcare system for the people of Saskatchewan by introducing the Saskatchewan Integrated Healthcare System (SIHS). Non-government private clinics would have the ability to build facilities and provide services to meet the demands of local communities while remaining publicly funded through government contracts.
• address the urgent need for more healthcare professionals in Saskatchewan, more medical school seats and residency spots will be opened in the province.
• will implement a targeted recruitment strategy that focuses on attracting nurses, doctors, lab technicians, and other medical professionals from all universities and colleges in Canada.
• will offer a program similar to the Royal Military College (RMC) Officer Program, where students and new healthcare professionals will have their education paid for in exchange for a commitment to serve in Saskatchewan for a specified period of time.
• would remove ideology in the education curriculum. Will implement standardized testing to address the current low rankings of children in reading, writing, science, and mathematics compared to the rest of Canada.
• needing less government and more efficiency, “one in, two out” is part of legislation that will be introduced where with every new regulation two must be removed.
• committed to putting criminals behind bars and ensuring that proper consequences are enforced. It is not enough to catch and release offenders; we must ensure that justice is served and that those who break the law face the full weight of its penalties.
Oct. 7, 2024
Mayor elects to run for another term
Daniel Bushman
Wanting to build upon the work already done and hoping to guide Lanigan into the future, as upcoming municipal elections approach, Lanigan Mayor Tony Mycock has thrown his hat into the ring for a second term.
“My main decision for running again is I feel there are more things that I want to see through to the end,” shared Mycock. “I also am feeling really good with our council right now, there are a lot of positives, and we are a cohesive group.”
The current mayor also explained bringing in Ron McCullough as the community’s CAO has provided the town with knowledge and a skill set that will allow Lanigan to move forward in a positive direction. “Ron is rebuilding the office and operations teams and we have a lot of great people working for our town and they will continue to grow and learn in their roles.”
Following his time as a town councillor, Mycock was first elected as mayor, taking over from Andrew Cebryk. “For most of my term things went very well although last fall was a bit of a challenge,” said Mycock. “We went through some tough times as a council and I would be lying if I said it wasn’t tough and stressful to get through. There were days when I wanted to throw in the towel but we came through as a council and learned a lot about proper governance.”
Sharing he did the best he could, Mycock feels through the ups and downs, he remains the community’s best fit moving forward. “There were a number of positive things that occurred during my term. The funding we were able to lobby for to have a third doctor and nurse practitioner in Lanigan was a big thing. These are important steps in having sustainable health care in Lanigan. It takes time as does building relationships to get your voice heard. We have the new school being built, the swimming pool is getting the finishing touches with the water slide being installed this fall and we have positioned Lanigan to be development ready and poised for growth. We have also updated and improved the Lanigan.ca website and the next phase of the Thrive in Lanigan website is in the works.”
Proud to call Lanigan home for the past 26 years and seeing all of the positives come out of this year, Mycock is looking forward to the future. “If re-elected I will continue to be a strong advocate for Lanigan and continue to make improvements to all aspects of this community for all of the residents. I want to see Lanigan continue to build a diverse and inclusive community for everyone.”
With the potential for an election just over a month away, Mycock encourages residents to vote Nov. 13. “When you cast your vote, think about who you are voting for and what they stand for. As I said before council is in a great place today and we want that to continue.”
A notice of call for nominations was issued by the Town of Lanigan in September as candidates for the mayoral position (one) and councillor positions (six) have until Oct. 9 by 4 p.m. to submit their papers to McCullough at the Lanigan Town Office. Should there be more candidates than positions on council and an election is called, the Lanigan Advisor will provide candidates with the opportunity to answer a few questions which will be published in the newspaper.
Sept. 30, 2024
BHP’s Jansen potash project ahead of schedule
Daniel Bushman/photo courtesy BHP
A hub of activity, BHP’s site near Jansen continues to see tremendous progress. In addition to the work being conducted on the potash mine, work is also underway on a rail line.
With BHP committing to the local region and work moving forward, the company graciously took some time to share about its progress, what is being done and how many people are working to see it completed.
How is progress going at BHP’s site near Jansen?
We are very pleased with how things are progressing at Jansen. Today the project is over 50 percent complete and is ahead of schedule. As we continue to target late 2026 for first production, we have several exciting milestones coming up this fall. These include the completion of the equipping of the mine shafts, replacement of the headframe with a new long-term headframe and continuation of surface infrastructure. We have also kicked off construction of Jansen Stage 2 and are awarding major contracts and able to apply learnings and best practices from Stage 1.
What is currently taking place at the site?
Work at the Jansen site is advancing on multiple fronts. We are making significant headway on steel and mechanical work at the mine shafts, including the shaft headframes (as mentioned). Concrete work and steel construction for the potash storage building are also moving forward. Additionally, we’re installing underground utilities and working on earthworks for the on-site rail. Importantly, all these efforts are progressing safely – which is always, always our number one priority.
How is work going on the rail line? Could you share a bit about that part of the project?
The earthworks for the on-site rail line is progressing well. Track installation is set to continue through the fall, aiming for completion by the end of November. The rail line is crucial for transporting materials and products, making it an essential part of the project’s infrastructure. The off-site construction is being performed by CN and CPKC and is also progressing as planned.
How many people are currently working on the project?
Currently, we have about 2,000 on-site at Jansen, covering a wide range of trades. This includes electricians, welders, concrete workers, carpenters, miners, ironworkers, equipment operators, scaffolders, and pipefitters. We also have professionals in health and safety, medical services, emergency response, security, construction management, housekeeping, and catering. This diverse and skilled team is vital to keeping the project on track. And as construction continues, we are always looking for more trades to join our team at Jansen.
Is the project’s progress on target?
Yes, the Jansen project is on track and progressing well. We’ve made significant progress over the past year, and all key milestones are being met as planned. We remain committed to starting production by late 2026 and continue to explore ways to speed up the project where possible.
Is there anything else you would like to add with regards to the project?
BHP is committed not just to the success of Jansen, but also to supporting the local community. Our Community Liaison, Kimberley Block will be working out of our BHP LeRoy office; we’ve recently launched the Potash Academy with Carlton Trail College; and are supporting the work of the Sylvite 4-6 regional partnership who are helping prepare for the growth Jansen will bring to the region.
The Potash Academy is particularly exciting. The eight-month program is a paid traineeship that will provide a mix of theory learning and practical workshop training for maintenance or production technicians. Following the successful completion of the program, trainees will earn a Certificate in Mining Essentials and Certificate in Applied Mechanics and continue employment with BHP at the Jansen mine site. The first cohort of trainees is expected to begin in January 2025 and will graduate in October 2025.
In fall, you will be investigating potash deposits north of the Jansen project, could you share about that?
Starting in fall 2024, BHP will begin exploring potash deposits north of Jansen in the Rural Municipality of LeRoy No. 339, with the work expected to finish by spring 2025. This is part of BHP’s long-term strategy to collect data on potential growth options and today doesn’t signal any further development.
We’ll conduct a 3D seismic survey over up to 320 square kilometres. This is like taking an “X-ray” of the earth, using small vibrations or explosives to map underground structures and locate potash. While the community might notice some noise, vibrations, and increased vehicle activity, we’re committed to minimizing disruptions and working safely. The survey results will help guide our future development plans.
Is BHP optimistic for the future?
Yes, we are very optimistic about the future, especially with the progress at the Jansen project and our overall growth strategy. Our successes at Jansen, combined with strong financial performance, position BHP to continue delivering value and supporting global food security through potash production. We see strong long-term demand for potash, driven by global trends like rising populations, better living standards, changing diets, and the need for sustainable agriculture. We’re excited about the opportunities ahead and focused on sustainable growth.
Sept. 23, 2024
Lanigan adds to its health care team
Daniel Bushman
With the community’s first nurse practitioner joining the local health care team in the summer, in September, Lanigan welcomed a new physician. Beginning her role as Lanigan’s nurse practitioner in July, Cassandra Leggott was recently joined by Dr. Roya Havai, who is taking over from Dr. Enam Nan.
Sharing that having a nurse practitioner “is great news for Lanigan and surrounding area residents,” Lanigan Mayor Tony Mycock is also pleased there will be no disruption to services with the departure of Dr. Nan. “I want to give a big thank you to Dr. Nan for her three years of dedicated service to health care in Lanigan and wish her well in her future endeavours.”
With Dr. Havai taking over, Mycock said Dr. Nan has been a great help with the transition throughout September. “Dr. Havai is very excited to be starting her practice in Lanigan. On behalf of the community, I want to welcome her here.”
Mycock also noted that through a funding commitment by Saskatchewan Health Authority, a third physician will be arriving in the new year. Joining Leggott, Dr. Havai, and Dr. Rashid Askari, Mycock said, “We have had multiple meetings with the government voicing our concerns and I am happy that we are finally turning the corner to seeing services one day resume 24/7.”
“We are excited to welcome Dr. Roya Havai and Nurse Practitioner Cassandra Leggott to the team at the Lanigan Medical Clinic and Lanigan Integrated Hospital,” Holly Srochenski, Director, Primary Health Care for the Lanigan area said. “Our health care team is focused on ensuring residents of Lanigan and area are able to access needed health care services as close to home as possible.”
Residing in Lanigan with her husband since 2011, Leggott is no stranger to the community but had been working in Foam Lake before her new role in July. A nurse practitioner for the past seven years, since taking on the job in town, Leggott is at the Lanigan and District Medical Clinic full-time while also providing care at Central Parkland Lodge. Performing some procedures at the hospital, Leggott explained she is viewed as a primary care provider. “I work together with the doctors we have in our community and serve in a family physician role for my patients.”
Settling into her position, this is not the first time Cassandra has worked in the community. In 2005, the now nurse practitioner was a primary care paramedic with Lanigan Ambulance. Working alongside nurses at the hospital in Lanigan and with some family members in the same field, Leggott felt she wanted to try something different.
In addition to furthering her education, Leggott worked in the surgical care unit in Regina General Hospital and later the ICU at the University Hospital in Saskatoon. She also spent some time at the local hospital in town as a registered nurse and taught as a clinical instructor at the University of Saskatchewan nursing undergraduate program. Deciding to go back for her Masters in 2015, in 2017 she graduated as a nurse practitioner. “My original goal was to provide primary care services in Lanigan. I went back because I saw there was a need for more providers.”
Happy to be home and closer to family, Leggott continues to remain dedicated to her role while trying to improve care at a provincial level. “I have served on the Saskatchewan Association of Nurse Practitioners and I am currently finishing up my term as Past President. I was involved in the primary oversight committee looking at primary care across Saskatchewan and am currently one of the members on Saskatchewan’s clinical practice guidelines committees.”
Since Dr. Havai just arrived in Lanigan and is currently adjusting to her new schedule and community, the Advisor will have an article on her in the future.
Sept. 16, 2024
Family creates old-fashioned harvest
Daniel Bushman
While machinery and technology has changed over the years, harvest season in Saskatchewan has remained a constant. However, for one family with ties to the local area, part of their annual operation includes a bit of a blast from the past.
After removing the majority of their crops, the Manske family from Coronach fires up their vintage working combines for the final stretch. Taking part in this year’s old-fashioned harvest Sept. 1, Candace Bergen who lives on a farm near Lanigan with her husband Tom and their two kids made the trek south to join her family for the event.
Comprised of a Massey Ferguson 300, a Massey Harris Super 92, a Gleaner A and John Deere 95, Bergen said, “Almost our whole family was there, with 19 in attendance, plus a few extras. My dad really enjoyed having everyone out and shared how it was a lot of fun watching his grandkids ride or operate the machines.”
With family members as young as two and as old as 94, everyone had a turn to ride on a combine including Candace’s husband. “Tom said he enjoyed driving the old combines because it really puts into perspective how far farming has come and how much our new machines can actually do compared to the ones we used for our old-fashioned harvest.”
Able to resurrect the vintage machinery in 2017 for the family’s first old-fashioned harvest, Candace’s dad Claire Manske said it is a lot of work but it has been worth it. “Whether someone was making a swath, fixing a combine, keeping a combine running for the day, riding, driving, taking pictures, bringing food and drinks, laughing at each other, and most of all being together as family and friends, it just makes memories like no other.”
Those memories created each year are not only treasured by the family but have been preserved through a number of photos and videos. Most recently, Candace said a video posted of the 2024 harvest caught the attention of others. “My sister-in-law made a video of the day and put it on Facebook and there is around 65,000 views of it already! Our family’s old-fashioned harvest is definitely a really fun and memorable experience. It is great for our kids to be a part of it as well as they are able to learn what it used to be like.”
Sept. 9, 2024
Progress continues at Aspen Power Station
photo courtesy SaskPower
Daniel Bushman
As shovels hit the ground to signal construction on a new 370-megawatt (MW) natural gas power station near Lanigan, since April the site has been transformed into a hub of activity. Costing between $1.3 and $1.7 billion to build, once completed, Aspen Power Station will provide enough power for about 370,000 homes in Saskatchewan.
With plans to have the station finished by 2027, SaskPower Spokesperson Joel Cherry shared the piling work is about one-third complete, underground pipe installation is starting and some of the road work is nearly complete. As that work continues, sub-contracts for a variety of services like the foundation are being issued.
Selecting Burns & McDonnell to be the engineer, procure, construct (EPC) partner to design and build the power station, as part of that, currently just under 100 people are on-site. Cherry indicated that number is expected to reach around 250 later this year. “Things will definitely be picking up. It is still early in the project but things are definitely getting underway especially when it comes to ground work.”
In addition to the new natural gas power station, to connect the facility to the power grid, SaskPower is also building a new 230-kilovolt (kV) line. That will connect from the existing Wolverine Switching Station located directly west. The line will be about three kilometres.
Currently on track to meet the 2027 completion date, Cherry explained the significance of having Aspen Power Station operating within the local region. “Right now they have 100 people working on the project and throughout construction there is going to be more people working there. Longer term, when the plant is up and running, I don’t have the exact number, but I think it is going to be similar to our Chinook Power Plant where there is something like 25 people there full-time. Then also when you have a facility like that it also requires services to support it so nearby communities will also be important sources of services for the plant too.”
Having the plant close to bigger load sources is also a positive and was another reason why Aspen Power Station is going up near Lanigan. “Saskatoon is not far away and that is a big user of power in the province. It is good to put generating facilities close to those sources because when you transmit power over long distances, you do have some losses on the line.”
With the natural gas power station being built to operate in either simple cycle or combined cycle mode in an effort to support the grid as more and more renewables are added, Cherry said, “The reason we are continuing to invest in natural gas is because we are striving toward a net zero greenhouse gas emission grid by 2050. We are adding a lot of renewable power to help us get there. We are expecting to have 3,000 megawatts of additional wind and solar on the grid by 2035. The thing about wind and solar is if it is not windy or sunny you don’t have access to that power. We need to have reliable dispatchable power whenever we need it so if the winds are low we can fire up our gas facilities to help provide that power.”
While SaskPower is currently looking at things like increasing imports from its neighbours and assessing the potential for small modular nuclear reactors for the future, Cherry said for the time being, “combine cycle natural gas facilities like Aspen is our best bet to make sure we have reliable power for our customers.”
Sept. 2, 2024
Students return for another school year
Daniel Bushman
The feeling of excitement through the halls, the anticipation of another year of learning and the sound of the bell all signal the return of school.
While faculty and staff have already been at schools throughout the province including in Lanigan and Drake, following another summer season, come Sept. 3, they will be joined by students.
With a new year brings new excitement and in the case of Lanigan, a new school. While the state-of-the-art facility is projected to be ready by May 1, 2025 for students from both the elementary and high schools to move into, until that point, the current buildings will be occupied by both faculty and staff.
At Lanigan Central High School, Principal Jeff Stroeder said he is very much looking forward to the upcoming 2024- ‘25 school year “as it will be the last one in this building, it will truly be special.”
Welcoming back Haley Jans as an educational assistant from maternity leave and Brittany Smith as the high school’s Gr. 9 teacher, Stroeder said the remaining teaching staff include: Katelynn Psovsky, Barb Klapak, Tanner Sobkowicz, Ryan Wilson, Shannon Chernishenko, Haley Wagar, Lynda-Rae Schmale, and Kim Failler. The remaining support staff at LCHS include: Christy Baumann (career counsellor), Jessi Anderson (personal counsellor), Jen Beeler (speech/language pathologist), Bettyanne Williams (school administrative assistant), Michelle Hassman (librarian), Shannon Worobec and Johanna Serrano (custodians), and Patricia Rosenberger, Corrine Braun, Melissa Sundholm, and Amanda Dvernichuk (educational assistants).
Eager to begin school, when asked about the upcoming move to a new building next year, Stroeder said, “The feeling is a little bit bittersweet. I have worked in the two schools for 21 years so it is definitely sad to see the buildings close as so many memories were made here. But at the same time the opportunity that exists for both the school and community with the new build is fantastic. It will be exciting to begin making memories in the new school.”
In Drake, staff are also very excited about the new school year. Principal Nadine Jennison said they have an intern from the University of Saskatchewan, a new educational assistant and two new teachers joining the current staff.
This year’s staff includes: Mrs. Dufault (administrative assistant/librarian), Mrs. Lone (K to Gr. 2), Miss Sperling (intern in K to Gr. 2), Miss Coates (Gr. 3/4 teacher), Mr. Laurie (Gr. 3/4 and Gr. 7/8), Mrs. Richard (LRT and Gr. 5/6), Ms. Jennison (principal and Gr. 7/8 teacher), Miss Wood (EA), and Mr. Manjares (custodian).
In addition to school getting underway, Jennison noted there will be some activities planned for the students. “We are beginning the year with an educational trip to the Saskatchewan Science Centre Sept. 13 for all our students. Drake Meats, a great Drake School supporter, has invited our staff and students for their annual barbecue Sept. 5. We are hosting a “Welcome Back Pancake Breakfast” Sept. 6 so families can meet our new staff. Our annual Terry Fox Run will occur on Sept. 17, and Orange Shirt Day will be honoured on Sept. 27.”
This year, Drake School is also offering a drama and a games club during the noon hour while cross-country and golf will start right away. “It is going to be a fantastic year at Drake School!”
As students return to school, CAA is reminding motorists to be cautious while driving through school zones.
According to the latest CAA survey, speeding and distracted driving are the top two hazardous behaviours performed by motorists. The report also points out, students often jaywalk and fail to look both ways before crossing the street.
Motorists are encouraged to stay alert and obey traffic laws; do not drive distracted; and avoid texting, eating, and drinking while driving.
School zones are designed as safe areas for children travelling to and from school each day.
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