Moose Jaw Times-Herald: From birds to humans: Health Canada gives canary seed human food approval

Sask. is world's top exporter of crop

By Lisa Goudy

After more than two decades and expenditures more than $2 million, Health Canada has given canary seed novel food approval for human consumption.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also given canary seed Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status.

Canary seed, as seen here, is now approved for human food.
Photo courtesy Canaryseed Development Commission of Saskatchewan (CDCS) website

"This is the first cereal grain to ever receive novel food approval in Canada," said Kevin Hursh, executive director of the Canaryseed Development Commission of Saskatchewan (CDCS).

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: City and transit operators reach a deal

Council ratifies agreement between city and Unifor Transit Union

By Lisa Goudy

City transit operators are getting a 5.75 per cent wage increase over three years.

Al Bromley, director of human resources, talks
about the city's agreement with Unifor Transit
Union at the Jan. 11, 2016 council meeting.
Lisa Goudy/Times-Herald

At Monday's council meeting, councillors approved the collective agreement between the City of Moose Jaw and Unifor, Local 101, Lodge 2014 Unit No. 4187, which represents transit operators. The wage settlement is two per cent on Jan. 1, 2015, two per cent on Jan. 1, 2016 and 1.75 per cent on Jan. 1, 2017. It is also retroactive to Jan. 1, 2015. The operators were working without an agreement in 2015.

"The membership of Unifor ratified the potential agreement, which we had reviewed with the personnel committee back in December," said Al Bromley, director of human resources.


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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Council deliberates possibility of new industrial park

Potential investors interested in park between city limits and Wastewater Treatment Plant

Coun. Brian Swanson speaks about the motion regarding
 the initial request for a potential industrial park in the
 lands identified between the city limits and the Wastewater
Treatment Plant at the Jan. 11, 2016 council meeting.
Lisa Goudy/Times-Herald

By Lisa Goudy

A document added to Monday’s council meeting on Friday was the subject of more than 40 minutes of debate.

The motion came from a special in-camera executive committee meeting held on Friday. From that meeting, the committee approved the "initial request, including water and sewer servicing, as identified in the report delivered to council on Dec. 21, 2015 to develop an industrial park in the lands identified between the city limits and the Wastewater Treatment Plant with the source of funding being the Land Development Fund; and further that no infrastructure expenditure be incurred until an anchor tenant has secured an approved agreement for sale."

"I think this motion fails to clearly outline what is happening here and any motion by elected officials in open council, you should at least be able to identify, 'What does that motion do?' and 'How much will it cost?'" said Coun. Brian Swanson.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Coming home

Angie Abdou of Moose Jaw announced as first guest for 20th annual Festival of Words

Author Angie Abdou of Moose Jaw
will be coming home for the 20th
annual Saskatchewan Festival
of Words in July 2016.
Submitted photo

By Lisa Goudy

Author Angie Abdou remembers the first time she attended the Saskatchewan Festival of Words as an audience member.

"I was born and raised in Moose Jaw, so by then I would've been in graduate school at Western and I always say that Gary Hyland is credited with making my hometown cool," said Abdou. "To be able to come home every summer and go to a literary festival like that with all of my literary heroes was amazing."  

Since then, she has attended as a guest four or five times. Now she's set to make another appearance at the 20th annual festival set for July 14-17.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Expressing gender identity through bowling

Moose Jaw Pride to host Gender Blender Bowling the first Saturday of each month

 Lise Stevens prepares to bowl at Moose Jaw
Pride’s Gender Blender Bowling at the South
Hill Bowling Centre on Jan. 9, 2016.
Lisa Goudy/Times-Herald 

By Lisa Goudy

From eccentric costumes to to glow-in-the-dark outfits, there were a lot of laughs at the South Hill Bowling Centre Saturday night.

It was the third time that Moose Jaw Pride hosted a Gender Blender Bowling event.

"Gender Blender Bowling is an event we do every so often. We're going to start doing it more regularly now," said Falon Dennison, member at large with Moose Jaw Pride.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Paying tribute to the Van de Vorst family

Kolby Miller, 10, waves around a bunch of
glow sticks in Wakamow Valley on Jan. 9, 2016.
He was one of the people who came out to pay
tribute to the Van de Vorst family by hanging
glow sticks on trees and on the side of the road.
Lisa Goudy/Times-Herald

By Lisa Goudy

In the chilly early evening on Saturday, Michael Kuntz hung a glow stick on a tree in Wakamow Valley.

He was one of a handful of people who came out to adorn Wakamow Valley with glow sticks in memory of the Van de Vorst family in Saskatoon who were killed in a weekend highway crash on Jan. 3 by an alleged drunk driver. It was part of a province-wide tribute to honour Jordan and Chanda Van de Vorst, their two-year-old son Miguire and five-year-old daughter Kamryn.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Learning about Internet child exploitation

Lindale School Community Council putting on event featuring Const. Peter Froh

By Lisa Goudy

On Wednesday, members of the public are invited to learn more about the dangers of online predators.

The Lindale School Community Council (SCC) is putting on an event at the school at 6:30 p.m. featuring RCMP Const. Peter Froh of the Saskatchewan Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit. It will take place at Lindale Elementary School, 1322 11^th Ave. N.W. The session is free and open to everyone of all ages.

"He has many years of experience and expertise in relation to the Internet and some of the dangers. He'll be speaking about online predators, social media use and potential risks on the Internet," said Darcy Pryor, vice-chair of the SCC.

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