Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Awards to recognize outstanding businesswomen

By Lisa Goudy


New awards for businesswomen will be given out in March.

“Women are often the unsung heroes behind lots of different organizations and different volunteer initiatives,” said Crystal Froese, chair of the awards nomination committee with the Business Women of Moose Jaw. “So we just really want to highlight the importance of the contribution that women make in our community and in southern Saskatchewan as well.”

On March 8, International Women’s Day, the Business Women of Moose Jaw will host the first annual Spring Sparkle and Shine Salute to Women PRISM Awards for excellent female businesswomen. 

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Average weekly Sask. wages up 4.7 per cent in 2013

By Lisa Goudy


As of November 2013, Saskatchewan’s average weekly earnings is $43 higher than 2012.

A provincial government news release said Saskatchewan’s average weekly earnings were $967.45 in November 2013, which is the second highest in Canada behind Alberta. That’s a 4.7 per cent increase for Saskatchewan from 2012.

“I think it’s great news. Saskatchewan had one of the highest increases year over year month over month in our earnings,” said Tim McMillan, provincial energy and resources minister.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Lisa's Corner: Keep the true Olympic spirit alive

By Lisa Goudy


A week from today, the Sochi Olympic Winter Games will begin.

Canada will send 221 athletes to the Olympics, which is the largest Canadian team ever to go to the Winter Games. One of the team members, Ben Coakwell, is from Moose Jaw and will participate in the four-man bobsled team.

But so far, leading up to the Olympics, it’s almost as if we’ve been hearing more about controversies about the country than the sporting events.

We’ve heard about the funding and how critics have accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of mismanaging the money.

The facilities were criticized for the hazards they could pose. Russia’s policies on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights have been another hot issue.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Scotties release Old Classic ticket packages

Danielle Sicinski, co-chair of the 2015 Scotties
Tournament of Hearts host committee,
announces the release of Old Classic ticket
packages for  the event during a media
conference at Mosaic Place on Jan. 30, 2014.
 Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


The most exciting part of co-chairing the Scotties host committee for Danielle Sicinski is bringing the games home.

“Being a female curler, it’s always a dream to play in the Scotties and to be able to bring it to your home city, I think, is pretty exciting,” she said. “As we saw with the Capital One Canada Cup, we had amazing crowds with that event and I think this one we’re going to have even bigger crowds for it and be that much more exciting.”

At a media conference at Mosaic Place on Thursday, Sicinski, along with Glenn Hagel, the other co-chair of the host committee, announced the release of the Old Classic ticket package for Canada’s women’s curling championship set for Feb. 14 to 22, 2015 at Mosaic Place.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Council Notebook: Dust program rates see increase

Mayor Deb Higgins, Coun. Candis Kirkpatrick,
Coun. Don Mitchell and Coun. Dawn Luhning are
seen at the Jan. 27, 2014 council meeting.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy

The 2014 dust control rates will increase three per cent from 2013.


City council approved the dust control program at Monday’s meeting for gravel streets and lanes in the city.

“Funding for the Dust Control Program is allocated from the Street Oiling Operating Budget and a charge is levied against abutting property owners based on property frontage,” said an engineering department report. “The Program is self-sustained where the cost is fully recovered by the benefitting properties.”

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Garbage container sparks debate, apology at council

By Lisa Goudy

At Monday’s meeting, a 15-minute debate about a garbage container ended with an apology.

Coun. Brian Swanson, who presented the minutes from the Jan. 15 meeting that had no items requiring council approval, made a motion to receive the report as presented, seconded by Coun. Heather Eby.

While discussing the motion, Coun. Candis Kirkpatrick pointed out item 4.2 regarding an email from Kassy Miller who requested another garbage container for her residence because she has a special needs child and needs another container for “medical waste.”

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Exhibition company looking for city funding

Lori Johnson, Burrowing Owl co-ordinator at the
Burrowing Owl Centre, holds ambassador owl
Potter while speaking on the proposed upgrades to
 the centre at the Jan. 27, 2014 budget committee
meeting. Potter will be four years old in July.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


The Moose Jaw Exhibition Company was created in 1884.

One-hundred-and-thirty years later, for the first time, the company is asking for a direct funding relationship with the City of Moose Jaw.

"Although you may drive down Thatcher Drive and not see much going on, on the north end of the property where the horse facilities are, there’s a lot of weekends where there’s a lot of trailers there and a lot of activity going on and a lot of economic spinoff for the city,” said George Fowler, general manager of the Moose Jaw Exhibition Company.


At Monday’s budget committee meeting, Fowler, along with Lori Johnson, Burrowing Owl co-ordinator and ambassador owl Potter, made a presentation and request for the city to provide $111,000 to capital projects and the company providing $226,000.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Consultant will do thorough investigation into pool

Swimming instructor Elizabeth Crawford gets ready
to catch Nikki Samson at the bottom of the slide
during the Pre-School 2 swimming lesson on
Aug. 12, 2013 at the Kinsmen Sportsplex.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


An investigation into issues at the Kinsmen Sportsplex pool will aim to provide further clarity.

At Monday’s meeting, council authorized city administration to sole source Water Technologies Inc., based out of Beaver Dam in Wisconsin, to do an “empirical and qualitative investigation” regarding the water treatment and pool recirculation at an approximate cost of $25,000 from the Kinsmen Sportsplex maintenance budget.

“We know that the Kinsmen pool and its issues have been a point of contention for the people who use the pool and the general public,” said Coun. Heather Eby. “I think it’s imperative that we get this looked at as soon as possible … I just think we’re at the point where we need to get this addressed once and for all and I think this is the right company to do it.”

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: New water filtration system for Mosaic Place

By Lisa Goudy


Mosaic Place is getting a water filtration system.

At a cost of $42,000 from the contingency funding for the multiplex, council decided to authorize administration to design, supply and install a water filtration system at Monday’s meeting.

“You do the best you can when you do something initially and then all of a sudden something comes back to haunt you or comes back and needs to be fixed and we’re in a situation like that,” said Coun. Candis Kirkpatrick. “If we didn’t go ahead with this, I really think we would end up with a cost budget in excess of $42,000 sometime in the future.”

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Taxes going up by 1.64 per cent

Council finalizes 2014 operating budget after much debate

Mayor Deb Higgins shares her reasons for supporting the
2014 operating budget at the Jan. 27, 2014 council meeting.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy

The operating budget is approved and with it comes a 1.64 per cent tax increase.

Council finalized the 2014-2015 operating budget at Monday’s council meeting. The increased taxes will generate an additional $353,065 for the city’s operating budget. While several items were re-voted on at the meeting, the majority of council approved the budget as budget committee had approved it.

“I believe council’s done a good job and that it’s well-worth supporting this budget,” said Mayor Deb Higgins. “We need a utilities master plan to lay out a good, solid plan for the city to move forward.”

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: New livestock price insurance to help protect producers

By Lisa Goudy

A new livestock price insurance program will eliminate a disadvantage between Saskatchewan and Alberta. 


“Saskatchewan’s been at a fairly distinct disadvantage over the last three years because Alberta’s had theirs in place since 2009,” said Bill Jameson, president of the Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association and JGL Cattle partner in Moose Jaw. “Saskatchewan hasn’t had it. So certainly it puts us on a level playing field with Alberta now.”

On Friday, the federal government and the Western provinces’ provincial governments announced a new four-year Western Livestock Insurance Program (WLPIP) pilot that will be available beginning March 1.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Fun and skill-building in Lindale’s The Wizard of Oz

(From left): Abby Grund as Toto, Eva Gray as Dorothy
and Desiree Rader as Glinda interact in a scene from the
Missoula Children's Theatre production of "The Wizard of
Oz" at Lindale Elementary School on Jan. 24, 2014.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


Grade 1 student Brooke Pryor wasn’t nervous before her first play.

“I’m enjoying it and this is my very first year,” she said. “It’s lots of fun when you get to dress up.”

Pryor was one of 61 students at Lindale Elementary School who acted in the production of The Wizard of Oz on Friday at the school. The Missoula Children’s Theatre from Montana put on the show. There were two performances on Friday, one at 1:30 p.m. and one at 7 p.m.

“It’s a great opportunity for a lot of kids to have exposure to the arts,” said Anna Lewing, tour actor and director with the Missoula Children’s Theatre.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Harvard plane crashes outside 15 Wing

Two people made a “controlled ejection” and walk away from scene

By Lisa Goudy

On Friday afternoon, a plane crashed south of 15 Wing Moose Jaw.


“Two people made a controlled ejection from a CT-156 Harvard aircraft and that was initiated when the pilot determined it would not be safe to attempt a controlled landing,” said Capt. Thomas Edelson, spokesperson for 15 Wing. “Rescue crews and vehicles were on the scene shortly after the incident and both personnel walked away from the area where they touched down under parachute.”

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Lisa's Corner: Living without regretting or missing out

By Lisa Goudy

If any of us had the ability to glimpse the future, we’d know what regrets we’d have and avoid having them.

None of us have that ability. The future is unknown.

We do not know what lies ahead of us and we do not know what regrets we’ll have when we’re about to die.

But there is a way to help us understand now to live our lives to the fullest. I am no expert. I’m so young it’s impossible for me to be one.

One of my Facebook friends my age shared a link to an article on viralnova.com called, “37 Regrets That You Should Always Avoid.” With my curiosity piqued, I read the entire list. It was worth my time.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Working to meet city’s quota of hospital funding

Brian Acker, director of financial services, speaks
during the budget meeting on Jan. 20, 2014.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


The city will need to borrow money for its share of new hospital funding.

Brian Acker, director of financial services, provided budget committee with the funding status for the city’s commitment for the replacement of the Moose Jaw Union Hospital.

“One of our challenges with the hospital funding is we will need to borrow approximately $5.5 million,” said Acker. “So later this year, you will see something coming forward to executive committee in terms of that.”

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Vanier student companies donate to charities

The Olympia Bath Products company, comprised of
six Vanier Collegiate students in the Entrepreneur 30
class, shows off some of the products they sold on
Jan. 23, 2014. The company donated approximately
$500 to the Moose Jaw Transition House. (From left):
Riley Arseneau,  vice-president of human resources,
Analena Harden, vice-president of marketing and sales,
Kathryn Markewich, vice-president of production, and Tori
Beattie, vice-president of finance. Not shown: Savana
Shanoski, president, and Amber Abbott, shareholder.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


Ever since first selling their product at the Whistlestop Craft Show, student-run company Olympia Bath Products ran smoothly.

“We knew that it was going to be a large audience so we had to make a lot of product and when we first started doing that, we were kind of getting frustrated,” said Vanier Collegiate student Kathryn Markewich, vice-president of production. “We had so much product made, but we weren’t making any income, any revenue. So we got to Whistlestop and we just had our hopes up that we would sell and do great and we did.

“We sold almost $1,000 worth of product and that really bumped us up and made us realize we had a good product on our hands. So we were really motivated from that point on.”

The company was one of two student companies in the Entrepreneur 30 class at Vanier Collegiate that donated to charities on Thursday.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Entrepreneur class more than “pen and paper”

Peacock Prairie Potluck company raises $1,500 for charity

Walter Woodroffe-Brown, student president of the Prairie
Potluck company at Peacock Collegiate, presents Carol
Acton, executive director of Hunger in Moose Jaw, a
cheque for $810.50 on behalf of the company on Jan. 23,
2014.(From left): Robert Rose, Amanda Bartell, Jenessa
Korbo, Matt Emery, Shailynn Taylor, Adam Russell,
Carson Ackerman, Tyler Hopkins and Zach Ransom.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


If it weren’t for Peacock Collegiate’s Entrepreneur 30 class, the 10 students in the class wouldn’t have been friends.

“We were a group of kids who really wouldn’t have become close in another setting, but with this class you had no choice but to become close and rely on one another,” said Grade 12 student Shailynn Taylor. “I think that was really cool that such a different group of kids all pulled together to do something.”

“The only person I’d ever hung out with, been friends with before this class was Amanda (Bartell) and now I consider everybody in here a friend,” added fellow student Carson Ackerman.

Taylor and Ackerman are two of 10 students in the class who created their business to sell the Prairie Potluck Cookbook featuring 130 recipes. 

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: FHHR has FluMist nasal vaccine now available

Remaining injectable vaccine earmarked for specific groups

Bonnie Nelson, public health nurse for the Five Hills
Health Region (FHHR), demonstrates with Willeke Gals
how the FluMist nasal vaccine process would work at
the Moose Jaw public health office on Thursday.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy

A few hundred doses of FluMist vaccine are available in the Five Hills Health Region (FHHR).

By appointment only, the nasal vaccine is licensed to use for anyone between the ages of two and 59. Dr. Mark Vooght, chief medical officer with the FHHR, said there is a “relatively limited (supply of) injectable vaccine,” but the injectable flu vaccines are set aside for infants, pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems and now also for anyone over the age of 60.

However, anyone from six months of age to seniors can phone in for an appointment to get vaccinated with the suitable vaccine.

“It is not a killed vaccine. It is a live, weakened vaccine and that is precisely why we don’t give it to pregnant women and we don’t give it to people whose immune systems are taking a knock at the moment,” said Vooght. “The reason for that is it could cause illness in those people and we don’t want that to happen.”

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Looking to replace third baseline at Ross Wells

Number of projects needing funding in 2014 for parks and recreation

Jody Hauta, director of parks and recreation, details
some of the requests of his department at the
Jan. 20, 2014 capital budget meeting at city hall.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


Pending budget approval, the second phase of bleacher replacement at Ross Wells Park will take place in 2014.

“We’re in the process of replacing the third baseline here we’re working on right now. The first baseline will be the other section that’ll be replaced as well,” said Jody Hauta, director of parks and recreation. “Then there will be the grandstand, which will be a bigger ticket item.”

The bleacher system has been in place since 1996 and are beginning to “rot and decay,” according to Hauta’s report. The old wooden bleachers will be replaced with aluminum.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Citizen voices concern over Crescent Park properties

John Parsons addresses executive
committee at the Jan. 20, 2014 meeting.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


John Parsons has concerns about possible site restrictions for properties surrounding Crescent Park.

“The biggest problem to me is rear lane usage and the necessary clearance. This is particularly when you’re dealing with parking, parking access from the rear lane (and) the biggest problem being underground parking,” said Parsons, who made a presentation to executive committee at Monday’s meeting.

The resident and owner on the 100 block of Hochelaga Street East, which backs the lane behind Athabasca Street East, said his concerns relate to a proposed 24-suite apartment building at the 100 block of Athabasca Street East, which is directly to the south and across the lane from his residence.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Creekstone Villas “selling quickly”

New Rock Developments offers mortgage assistance plan

By Lisa Goudy

Townhouses are selling fast for the Creekstone Villas development currently under construction on South Hill.

“The thing that’s made us renowned across the board through B.C., Saskatchewan and Alberta is the unique mortgage assistance plan that we are the only ones able to offer,” said Cam Ens, New Rock Developments president. “The majority of people that we see are people wanting to get out of the rental market, people that want to get into home ownership but maybe don’t have the full down payment.

“That too is really orientated around they can make the payments, but they don’t have the lump sum to pay down. So our mortgage assistance will pay it down for them.”

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Budget to discuss “exploring options” for municipal airport

By Lisa Goudy


City administration is requesting approval for exploring options relating to the municipal airport.

“We can explore how we can better utilize the airport,” said Mahabub Zaman, director of engineering services, at Monday’s capital budget committee meeting.

The city has owned and operated an airport located 13 kilometers northeast of the city on Highway 301 since 1978. The single asphalt runway is 910 meters long and 23 meters wide, enough to deal with small and medium-sized aircrafts but not large or jet-powered planes.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Public works projects lacking dollars

Proposed budget for infrastructure at unsustainable level

Duane Grado, public works manager, speaks
about the capital budget requests at the Jan.
20, 2014 budget committee meeting.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


Almost all public works, water mains and storm sewer projects have a proposed budget that is not sustainable.

According to the proposed 2014-2018 capital budget, there are 214 kilometers (km) of paved roads in the city, 71 km are arterial and collectors and 143 km are residential.

“We have an existing computerized system that tracks all this but it is becoming redundant,” said Duane Grado, public works manager. “We’ll be recommending in 2015 that we get a new computerized system for that.”

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Fire Marque to provide new revenue for city

Revenue stream is at no cost to city or homeowners

Chris Carrier, national municipal accounts manager
for Fire Marque, answers a question at the
Jan. 20, 2014 executive committee meeting.
 Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

 By Lisa Goudy

In an agreement with Fire Marque Inc., the city’s fire department will be able to recover costs associated with fire responses. It will result in extra revenue for the fire department where applicable and there are no additional costs for the city or homeowners.

At Monday’s meeting, executive unanimously passed a motion to enter into a three-year agreement with licensed Canadian company Fire Marque Inc. to recover costs “to which the City is entitled under existing insurance policies.” It is estimated to add $50,599 of additional revenue to the city per year.

Mayor Deb Higgins and Coun. Brian Swanson were absent from the meeting. Council will finalize executive’s decision at an upcoming meeting.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Nominations accepted for MJBEX Awards until Jan. 31

By Lisa Goudy


The Moose Jaw Business Excellence Awards (MJBEX) showcases the best of the best in Moose Jaw.

“We have to acknowledge the success and everything else that’s going on in our city. We want to just promote the city itself,” said Brian Martynook, CEO of the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce. “This way we can, by showing what business are doing out there, especially in the new businesses, community involvement and customer service categories. It just shows that these businesses are taking a value in our community.”

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Rory Allen to headline humane society fundraiser

By Lisa Goudy


Rory Allen is once again set to entertain for the benefit of the humane society.

On Feb. 6 at the Heritage Inn, the Saskatchewan-born Elvis Presley impersonator will perform as part of the Moose Jaw Humane Society’s third annual Valentine’s fundraiser, Kisses for Kritters with a Tribute to the King.”

“(Allen keeps returning because) I guess just the support he gets from Moose Jaw,” said Dawn Cardell, fundraising co-ordinator for the shelter.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Lisa's Corner: Find courage to stand up to bullies

By Lisa Goudy


Bullying continues to be a serious issue.

Earlier this week, I sat in on a presentation to grades 4 to 8 students at William Grayson School to cover a story for the paper. Const. Landon Giraudier of the Moose Jaw Police Service and Moose Jaw Warriors team members Sam Fioretti, forward, and Justin Paulic, goalie, made the presentation.

Presentations like these are important to take place in schools. We learn about bullying all the time. We know it continues to be a problem in its many forms such as physical, verbal and cyber. We know we need to actively work toward fixing it. We know we have made progress, but not enough.

Yet some of the statistics provided by Giraudier, Fioretti and Paulic still surprised me. Every seven minutes a child is bullied on the playground. Every 25 minutes a child is bullied in the classroom. Every day, thousands of kids don’t go to school because of the fear of being bullied.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Higgins looking forward to an “even better” 2014

Mayor Deb Higgins gives the State of the City address
at the Moose Jaw an District Chamber of Commerce
2013 Citizen and Group of the Year Awards and
Moose Jaw heritage advisory committee awards
luncheon on Jan. 16, 2014 at the Heritage Inn.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


From a record value of permits to the work on the new hospital, Mayor Deb Higgins thinks 2013 was a “great year.”

“2014, I think, is going to be even better,” said Higgins after her State of the City address on Thursday at the Heritage Inn. “(During budget) we were notified of an increase in our taxable assessment, which means more money is coming in from activity, economic and construction activity, here in the city and that just says there’s lots going on.

“We’re starting to see the results of that at city hall and we can all drive around town and see construction going on somewhere.”

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Municipal heritage award winners announced

Heritage advisory committee chairperson Ira Dales
presents Verna Alford and her brothers with the municipal
heritage award for restoration for their work on Grant Hall
at the Jan. 16, 2014 luncheon at the Heritage Inn.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


The municipal heritage awards were given out on Thursday.

The three awards were given out prior to the 2013 Citizen and Group of the Year Awards on Thursday at a luncheon at the Heritage Inn.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: 2015 Scotties banquet director wins Citizen of the Year

Citizen and Group of the Year winners surprised

Darlene Guy accepts her award for the 2013
Citizen of the Year at the award luncheon
at the Heritage Inn on Jan. 16, 2014.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


Darlene Guy has volunteered with many events and she doesn’t see that stopping any time soon.

“I am doing the banquet for the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in 2015. I don’t see it ending, no, and even my friends in Regina said, next time Regina has a big function, they’re calling me,” said Guy. “I just enjoy it. I enjoy the people that I’ve met.”

She was awarded the 2013 Citizen of the Year Award at the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen and Group of the Year Awards luncheon on Thursday at the Heritage Inn. She was surprised to win the award.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Mayor: Infrastructure rehabilitation about more than just money

Bids taken for "overall infrastructure plan"

Mayor Deb Higgins is seen at the Jan. 13,
2014 budget committee meeting at city hall.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


Mayor Deb Higgins believes putting more money into infrastructure isn’t the only way to solve the city's deficit crisis.

“Money isn’t the only solution. We also have to be able to manage and co-ordinate resources in the area of equipment and manpower to get the jobs done,” she said.

“Our focus this year is a better alignment of manpower and equipment and a focus on the basic services that we have a responsibility (to deliver).”

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Council notebook: Humane society and city agreement negotiations continue

Coun. Brian Swanson, Coun. Heather
Eby and Coun. Patrick Boyle are seen
at the Jan. 13, 2014 council meeting.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy

The city and the humane society’s agreement has been extended until March.

At Monday’s council meeting, council approved the motion and all its parts as passed by executive committee at the Dec. 23 meeting. The motion included approving $17,000 per month for animal control costs until March 31 to allow negotiations to continue for that period.

City administration is authorized to extend the agreement with the Moose Jaw Humane Society dated 2007 until March 31 and either party can terminate the contract extension with 30 days written notice.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Council votes to amend condo conversion bylaw

Minimum vacancy rate increased to three per cent

Coun. Candis Kirkpatrick speaks on behalf of renters
in the city regarding the amendment to the condo
conversion bylaw at the Jan. 13, 2014 council meeting.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy

Amendments to a condo conversion bylaw were a topic of discussion at council.




At Monday’s meeting, council approved an amendment to the condominium conversion bylaw. The amendment proposed an increase to the City of Moose Jaw vacancy rate threshold from 2.0 per cent to 3.0 per cent or more, applying to the approval of conversion of existing rental units to condominium units.

The average vacancy rate for the City of Moose Jaw was at 3.0 per cent in April 2013 compared to 1.5 per cent in April 2012. By comparison, in October 2004, the vacancy rate was 4.3 per cent.


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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: New committee to catch up on bylaw backlog

Council votes on an item at the Jan.
13, 2014 council meeting at city hall.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


To address the backlog of bylaw and policy reviews, council has created a bylaw committee.

“I’m not sure that this will be seen as a fun exercise, but I think it’s an essential, not just as a housekeeping obligation, but a critical review of bylaws, some of which are and have long been obsolete,” said Coun. Don Mitchell.

The bylaw and policy review committee was established at Monday’s council meeting. The committee will include Mayor Deb Higgins, Mitchell and Coun. Candis Kirkpatrick, city manager Matt Noble, city clerk/solicitor Myron Gulka-Tiechko and manager of planning Michelle Sanson. Mitchell and Kirkpatrick volunteered to be on the committee.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Budget gives $25,000 to Telus Cup by close vote

Coun. Heather Eby and Coun. Dawn Luhning are pictured
at the Jan. 13, 2014 budget committee meeting at city hall.
Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy

By Lisa Goudy


The Telus Cup host organizing committee received half of the funding it requested from the city.

Budget committee passed Coun. Patrick Boyle’s motion to give the organizing committee $25,000 with funding from the parks and recreation budget under miscellaneous grants. The committee had requested $50,000.

“I put the motion out there because I think it’s a benefit to the city and they didn’t get what they were asking for,” said Boyle. “I think what we’re potentially proposing out there is fair.”

The Telus Cup will be at Mosaic Place from April 21 to 27 at Mosaic Place. The Midget AAA national championship will feature six teams, including the Moose Jaw Generals, and there will be 19 games.

However, Coun. Dawn Luhning said she didn’t support the $50,000 in funding for the Scotties and she didn’t support any proposed funding for the Telus Cup for the same reasons.

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