Tag Archives: Saskatchewan

Waste Reduction Week coming up

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Environment Minister Ken Cheveldayoff has proclaimed October 21-27 as Waste Reduction Week in Saskatchewan, marking the 13th time the province has joined the nation in recognizing the week.

With an emphasis on engaging Canadians, Waste Reduction Week aims to inspire communities throughout the province and across the country to take a more conscientious approach toward the protection, preservation and enhancement of our environment.

“Saskatchewan has some of the most effective and successful recycling programs in the country,” Cheveldayoff said.  “Thanks to our recycling programs for used beverage containers, oil, tires, paint and electronics, more than 48,000 tonnes and 19 million litres of waste materials were diverted from our landfills in 2012.  However, there is still more to do when it comes to reducing waste and increasing recycling habits.”

“Too Good to Waste”, the theme for Waste Reduction Week, aligns with the government’s growth plan to sustain economic growth while protecting the environment and maintaining Saskatchewan’s excellent quality of life.

“We’re thrilled that the Ministry of Environment has proclaimed Waste Reduction Week,” Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council Executive Director Joanne Fedyk said.  “Waste Reduction Week is a great opportunity to celebrate our accomplishments and to adopt new waste-reducing habits so that we can work toward a waste-free Saskatchewan.”

Waste Reduction Week in Saskatchewan is organized by the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council.  For more information, visit www.saskwastereduction.ca.

Air quality monitoring coming to Unity

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The Western Yellowhead Air Management Zone Inc. will be placing a permanent air monitoring device just outside Unity sometime later this month. The instrument will be calibrated the following month and should be operational by the end of November.

Once the system is fully operational, results will be available to the public, as well as to government and industry.

About the size of a small refrigerator or filing cabinet, the airpointer system can measure a wide variety of pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone, sulphur dioxide, H2S, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter. With components that also measure temperature, wind speed and wind direction, analysts will also be able to tell where any pollutants are coming from.

The WYAMZ website explains: “An air zone association is intended to operate as an independent, collaborative non-profit organization of industry, government and other representatives for the purpose of collecting credible, continuous air quality data, and to communicate data and information to member organizations, the government, and the public.”

WYAMZ was set up with the support of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment and is funded by its members, which includes many private industry entities as well as government. Executive director Terry Gibson explained each industrial partner is invoiced according to their specific environmental footprint under a formula developed by the Ministry of Environment. The environmental footprint takes into account emissions and production volumes.

Gibson said participation in the air monitoring zone is of benefit to industry as it allows them to be proactive in preventing environmental damage. “Businesses want to be good corporate citizens,” he said. They spend a lot of money on scrubbers and other equipment and technology to reduce emissions and monitoring air quality helps to let them know what is working and what isn’t.

Gibson says, “The Western Yellowhead Air Management Zone is committed to monitoring the air quality in the region to protect the citizens and environment.” He encourages people to visit their website at www.wyamz.ca for more information.

Check out the Oct. 14 issue of the Unity-Wilkie Press-Herald for additional details.

Significant harvest progress

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combine and grain truck

The combine rounds a grain truck on its way back to the field to pick up and process more golden swaths of canola.

The latest Saskatchewan Crop Report released by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture September 12, covering the week of September 3 to 9, reports great harvest progress and bounteous crops.

Province-wide, the report said:

Significant harvest progress was made this week, allowing Saskatchewan farmers to move ahead of the five-year harvest average. Thirty per cent of the 2013 provincial crop is combined and 36 per cent is swathed or ready to straight-cut, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s weekly Crop Report. The five-year average (2008-2012) for this time of year is 28 per cent combined and 31 per cent swathed or ready to straight-cut.

Harvest is most advanced in the southwestern region, where 46 per cent of the crop is combined. Twenty-eight per cent is combined in the southeast; 23 per cent in the east-central region; 38 per cent in the west-central region; 15 per cent in the northeast and 16 per cent in the northwest. Warm weather over the past few weeks has helped speed crop development.

Of the crop that has been harvested, above-average yields are being reported in most areas. Spring wheat average yields are reported as 43 bu/ac, barley 66 bu/ac, canola 35 bu/ac, lentils 1600 lb./ac and peas 42 bu/ac. Average yields vary from region to region, depending on seeding conditions and growing season moisture.

Thunderstorms later in the week dropped over 60 mm of rain in some parts of the south. Province-wide, the week’s rainfall ranged from nil to 86 mm. Grasshoppers, wind and heavy rains caused the majority of the reported crop damage.

Across the province, topsoil moisture on cropland is rated as three per cent surplus, 59 per cent adequate, 30 per cent short and eight per cent very short. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture is rated as one per cent surplus, 54 per cent adequate, 35 per cent short and 10 per cent very short. Some areas in the western and central regions are very dry, affecting pasture productivity.

Farmers are busy desiccating, swathing and combining.

And in West-Central Saskatchewan:

Thirty-eight per cent of the 2013 crop is combined and 38 per cent is swathed or ready to straight-cut. Most areas recorded no rain during the week, allowing combines to keep moving in the field. Rainfall in the region ranged from nil to 8 mm (Craik area). Crop districts 6B and 7A have 41 per cent combined and Crop District 7B has 32 per cent combined. Crop reporters are indicating yields are well above average in most areas of the region.

Topsoil moisture conditions are rated as 31 per cent adequate, 46 per cent short and 23 per cent very short on cropland. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture conditions are rated as 21 per cent adequate, 44 per cent short and 34 per cent very short. All crop districts in the region are reporting over half of the cropland and hay land is short of topsoil moisture. Crop District 6B is reporting 44 and 50 per cent of cropland and hay land and pasture, respectively, are very short of topsoil moisture. Soil conditions are very dry in the region, as most areas have not had a significant amount of rain for a month or more. Dry conditions have resulted in a few grass, stubble or combine fires.

Grasshopper populations are high, but very little damage was reported as most crops are into the maturity stages. Dry conditions are causing the majority of crop stress.  High winds in crop districts 7A and 7B caused some canola swaths to blow around. Producers are busy harvesting and hauling hay.

 

Randy Weekes, Minister of Rural and Remote Health

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By Sherri Solomko

Biggar MLA Randy Weekes was appointed Saskatchewan’s Minister responsible for Rural and Remote Health in May, 2012. Last month, he was in Unity touring the health centre and meeting with staff and long term care residents.

Weekes’s main goal is to get out and visit as many rural and northern communities as possible, and to listen and learn from Saskatchewan people about their health-care concerns. He wants to get on the ground and hear, not just concerns but also some great ideas for solutions from a local perspective.

Asking Weekes about the biggest challenge in providing health care to rural residents, he responded, “Consistent and predictable access to physician services in smaller communities can be difficult. It is this government’s priority to make recruiting and retaining physicians a top priority.”

Regarding concerns on shortages of EMTs and long term care aides in Unity, Weekes said, “We know that shortages of health care workers remains an on-going challenge – especially in smaller centres. And once we’ve recruited health care workers, retaining them in a smaller community is sometimes even more difficult. We are always looking at ways to increase the complement of all health care providers – whether that’s through incentives, or more training opportunities. We’ll continue to work with the Heartland Health Region officials to ensure we have appropriate numbers of workers to meet the health care needs of patients.”

He added, “We’re often seeing a trend in the positives … such as the use of nurse practitioners in communities. Nurse practitioners have been well received in many communities that are fortunate to have one.”

He raised another issue, saying, “One other common theme is that various players in the health care system need to do a better job of communication with one another, which means the government and our health care regions have to work harder to communicate effectively with both patients and health care providers. We want to do a better job of consulting and engaging the community as a partner in the health care system …. Touring the province has been a great tool to increase outreach and communication with various communities.”

Weekes makes suggestions and presents ideas to Health Minister Dustin Duncan, based on the feedback, observations and advice he receives during visits to different communities. He said, “I … share the insights I learn on the tours with the Premier and my cabinet colleagues … I always want to ensure that the rural perspective – or rural lens – is considered when our government makes major policy or budget decisions on health care.”

Major concerns or specific requests, for example a new hospital, “are considered as part of the larger budget process.”

Weekes was “very impressed” with Unity long term care and the health centre, as well as the facilities in Wilkie. He concluded by saying, “The feedback from all avenues was very much appreciated and I would like to thank everyone at the facilities for their commitment and dedication to providing health care services in this province.”

Minister Weekes can be contacted by at randyweekes.mla@accesscomm.ca, (306) 798-9014 or Room 208, Legislative Building, 2405 Legislative Drive, Regina, S4S 0B3. More information about him and his portfolio is at www.gov.sk.ca/health.

Saskatchewan Agriculture Crop Report

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swathing canola

Saskatchewan Agriculture’s crop report for August 13 to 19, says “warm weather with very little rain interruptions over the past week has helped speed crop development.  Harvest operations have begun in many areas of the province.” The many areas include Unity as swaths were down in some of the canola fields nearby. The photo above was taken north-east of Unity, near Cloan, Aug. 20.

With reference to crop districts 6B and 7, West-Central Saskatchewan, the report reads as follows:

Warm weather has helped with crop maturity over the past several days. One per cent of peas have been combined in the region. Seven percent of canola, three per cent of mustard, 12 per cent of peas and nine per cent of lentils have been swathed or are ready to straight cut. Very little rain was recorded for the week ranging from nil to 7 mm (Perdue area). Most of the region has been missing the moisture that other areas have received over the past few weeks and soil conditions were very dry in some areas. Most crop reporters are indicating harvest operations are 10 days to two weeks behind normal compared to the last couple of years.

Topsoil moisture conditions are rated as one per cent surplus, 53 per cent adequate, 39 per cent short and seven per cent very short on cropland. Hay land and pasture topsoil moisture conditions are rated as one per cent surplus, 44 per cent adequate, 42 per cent short and 13 per cent very short. All crop districts in the region are reporting at least one third of the crop and hay land is short of topsoil moisture.

Very little crop damage was reported in the region. Dry conditions and bertha armyworms are causing the majority of crop stress. Producers are busy getting ready for harvest.

Carnduff – Bruno … to be continued!

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Carnduff pitcher at senior men's A2 provincialsBatter for Bruno Bisons at provincials

After finishing the seventh inning tied at 2-2, the Carnduff Astros and Bruno Bisons went into an extra inning, August 9, in their first game at the 2013 Senior A2 Provincial Championship Tournament.

 

 

With each team bringing home a run in the 8th inning, the game was called and it will resume at 9 a.m., Saturday, August 10.