Moose Jaw Times-Herald: More sun needed for seeding season to start

Farmers were hard at work on Aug. 29, 2013 working
toward the harvest just west of Moose Jaw.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


Producers are looking for more sun to get ready for seeding.

“The ideal conditions are (having) all the snow is gone, the top couple inches of soil have warmed up preferably to even three or four degrees throughout the day, sun of course and not too wet,” said Shannon Friesen, regional crop specialist with the provincial agriculture department.

On average, the seeding season begins in early May.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Talking about the 2014 tax policy

Executive establishes higher mill rate factor for vacant commercial or industrial land

Coun. Don Mitchell, Coun. Patrick Boyle and Matt
Noble, city manager, listen as Brian Acker, director of
financial services, talks about the 2014 mill rate factors at the March 31, 2014 executive committee meeting.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy

Vacant commercial and industrial land will have a mill rate factor 2.5 times higher than developed property of that type.

Executive committee discussed and passed a number of mill rate factors for the 2014 tax policy. The most-talked about issue was the establishment of a new sub-class for vacant commercial and industrial land and establishing a mill rate factor for that land.

“We did a review of all the vacant property that we have in Moose Jaw. In terms of commercial, there’s a significant number of vacant properties,” said Brian Acker, director of financial services.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: No changes to speculative housing program

Executive defeats three motions to amend, to cancel and to change the program

City manager Matt Noble speaks at the March
31, 2014 executive committee meeting.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


Executive committee defeated three motions regarding the speculative housing program.

The program was created in 2001 with the intention to encourage contractors to purchase residential lots to build new homes. On Monday, executive committee had a discussion about whether the program needs to exist or if it should be amended.

In a report from planning and development services, it said city administration was in favour of continuing the program with two amendments.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: First-time novelist Bradley Somer to present at Festival of Words

By Lisa Goudy


For author Bradley Somer, writing is different each time.

“It’s like a puzzle you work on for two to four years and you very slowly start putting the pieces together,” he said. “It’s part of the fun of writing.”

Somer has only had one novel published so far and he will be at the Saskatchewan Festival of Words this summer.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Higher user fees considered for landfill

Ty Stokes, director of engineering services,
talks about proposed landfill user rates at the
March 31, 2014 executive committee meeting.
 Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


Landfill rates might be going up.

At Monday’s executive committee meeting, executive tabled the engineering department landfill report pending more information.

The report recommends increasing the rates by 2.5 per cent per year for 2014, 2015 and 2016 effective June 1 for all users within the City of Moose Jaw. The increase is equivalent to annual inflation. Users outside the city limits would see an increase of five per cent.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Downtown Pride Funds to aid victims of High Street fire

By Lisa Goudy

The remaining Moose Jaw Downtown Pride Funds will help victims of the March 12 High Street fire.

At Monday’s executive committee meeting, executive voted in favour of transferring the $30,046.10 from the fund to the Salvation Army to provide assistance to those people affected by the fire on the historic Jubilee block on the zero block of High Street West. The fire displaced 20 people, many of whom lost everything.

The fund was originally meant to collect donations to rebuild the buildings destroyed in the 2004 New Year’s Day fire at the corner of River Street and Main Street. The funds were deemed a municipal project.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: 25 more cents to use public transit

Executive committee approves transit fare increase

Mark Sture, transit manager with the City
of Moose Jaw, answers a question at the
March 31, 2014 executive committee meeting
regarding a proposed fare increase of 25 cents.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy

Transit fares are going up.

The majority of executive committee approved increasing the transit fares from $2.25 for adults to $2.50 for adults at Monday’s meeting. The fare increases also increased student rates from $1.75 to $2 and increased senior rates from $1.75 to $2. Monthly rates, tickets and day passes are also going up.

“We haven’t had an increase in a while,” said Coun. Patrick Boyle. “It’s one of those necessary evils that we have to do.”

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