Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Bringing an Irish party to Moose Jaw

Celtic Thunder to play Mosaic Place on Friday night as part of Legacy tour

Submitted photo

Celtic Thunder will play Mosaic Place on Dec. 2, 2016.

By Lisa Goudy

When Celtic Thunder cast member Ryan Kelly thinks of Moose Jaw, he thinks of mountains of snow.

“We’ve never done a show in Moose Jaw before, but we’ve gone there on a travel day. So we’ve experienced Moose Jaw before,” he said. “There was a lot of snow. I’ve never seen so much snow in my life than in Moose Jaw that day. So I always remember Moose Jaw for that. We’re happy to be playing a show there.”

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Sharing ‘A Christmas Prodigal’ story

Briercrest College and Seminary preparing for annual Christmas musical 

Submitted photo

George Engles, right, played Jean-Marc Smith

and Alan Shaw, played by Jonathan Davies, 

discuss Alan’s plan to move to Halifax to start a

newspaper rather than follow his father’s

footsteps in the shipping business.

By Lisa Goudy

Briercrest’s Christmas musical has special meaning for Sheridan Clifford.

 

It is the first time while at Briercrest that the third year music student will play a lead role in the annual musical, set for Friday to Sunday.

“In previous years here at Briercrest, I’ve been heavily involved with the artistic dance team. So it’s acting and hip hop dance, urban dance,” said Clifford.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Winter is coming

Weather Network expecting below normal temperatures for Moose Jaw region

Lisa Goudy/Times-Herald

Moose Jaw was one of the communities in 

Saskatchewan hit with a blast of winter on Tuesday.

By Lisa Goudy

Get ready to bundle up.

The Weather Network recently released its winter outlook and the Moose Jaw area is forecasted to be cold, cold, cold.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Hunger in Moose Jaw unveils building expansion

Lisa Goudy/Times-Herald

Donna Gabel and Tanya Friesen, workers with

the lunch program at Hunger in Moose Jaw, stand next

to Carol Acton, executive director of Hunger in Moose

 Jaw, just prior to the opening of the new addition.

By Lisa Goudy

As Tanya Friesen and Donna Gabel worked in the kitchen at Hunger in Moose Jaw, they smiled at the new addition.

“There’s actually room,” said Friesen with a smile on her face. She is the kitchen manager for the lunch program at Hunger in Moose Jaw and has been making lunches for hungry kids for six years.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Changing kids’ lives

Motivational rapper Unkle Adams delivers anti-bullying presentation at Central Collegiate 

Lisa Goudy/Times-Herald

Curtis Adams, also known as Unkle Adams,

delivers an anti-bullying presentation to students

at Central Collegiate on Nov. 24, 2016.

By Lisa Goudy

Curtis Adams used to surround himself with negative people and negative habits.

Lisa Goudy/Times-Herald

Curtis Adams, also known as Unkle

Adams, delivers an anti-bullying

presentation to students at Central

Collegiate on Nov. 24, 2016

“I was going nowhere in life and I was smoking and I was drinking and I was being unhealthy,” said Adams, who was born and raised in Regina. “I got sick of the lifestyle I was living … I just thought, ‘There has to be more to life than this.’”

Slowly, he started making changes in his life by going for a run, quitting smoking and eating healthier.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Tom Jackson brings Huron Carole series to Moose Jaw

Photo courtesy Rafal Wegiel

Tom Jackson is bringing his Huron Carole

show to Moose Jaw on Dec. 4 at Grant Hall Hotel.

By Lisa Goudy

When Canadian actor, singer and activist Tom Jackson was 38 years old, he was living on the streets because of addiction.

“I lived below the house of a gentleman who was kind enough to give me the space who dealt me drugs and I was a homeless guy,” said Jackson, referring to a time in his life before he found fame on the CBC drama, “North of 60.”

But one December night, “by the grace of the Creator,” he met another homeless man who was “worse off than I was.”

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Lisa's Corner: Supporting our local economy

By Lisa Goudy

I’ve never been much of an online shopper.


Sure, I’ve ordered things online from time to time, but I prefer to go out to a store and shop that way. 

Then, before spending money, I can examine and feel what I’m about to spend my money on.
I’m not against online shopping. In fact, I find it quite useful for items I can’t find in-store, for rare items and for items sold from other countries.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Stopping violence

Candles lit for remembrance and hope at Grandmother Moon Symposium 

Lisa Goudy/Times-Herald

A student lights a candle in memory of one of the

women killed at École Polytechnique in Montreal in

1989 at the annual Grandmother Moon Symposium

at Central Collegiate on Nov. 24, 2016.

By Lisa Goudy

One by one, students came to the table and lit a candle in remembrance.

As each did so, a woman’s name was read from the microphone. Fourteen candles were lit in memory of the 14 women who were murdered at École Polytechnique on Dec. 6, 1989 in the Montreal Massacre. One more candle was lit for hope.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: DFFH admin seeks $900,000+ budget

By Lisa Goudy

Lisa Goudy/Times-Herald

Coun. Scott McMann, Coun. Crystal Froese, and

Coun. Brian Swanson listen to a report at Thursday’s

Downtown Facility and Fieldhouse interim board meeting.

 

The Downtown Facility and Fieldhouse (DFFH) administration has presented a 2017 budget request of $905,665 to the DFFH board. 

This was one of the items briefly discussed at the first meeting of the DFFH interim board at Mosaic Place on Thursday.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Vanier students give back

Lisa Goudy/Times-Herald

(From left) Jennie Wilson of Yara Community Gardens, 

Bryce Johnson, Vanier SRC co-president, Kendall Bistertzan,

Vanier SRC co-president, and Deann Little of the Moose Jaw

and District Food Bank, pose with the recent cheque

donations from students at Vanier Collegiate.

By Lisa Goudy

It was a lot of work for Vanier students to set up their haunted house this year, but this week it paid off.

SRC co-presidents Kendall Bistertzan and Bryce Johnson presented Deann Little, assistant director for the food bank, and Jennie Wilson, co-ordinator of Yara Community Gardens, with a cheque of $450 each.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Fighting back against diabetes

Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Rob Bagg talks about his personal connection to diabetes 

Submitted photo

Rob Bagg, wide receiver with the

Saskatchewan Roughriders, is raising awareness

of diabetes in Diabetes Awareness Month.

By Lisa Goudy

At times growing up, when Rob Bagg was able to enjoy the treat of a cookie, but his younger sister Alison couldn’t.

In the early 1990s, Alison was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. She was nine.

“She was an absolute warrior and still is when it comes to managing her diabetes and her lifestyle and she’s never one to complain,” said Bagg, a wide receiver with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Coming together for diabetes support

Moose Jaw Diabetes Support Group offers encouragement to those living with diabetes 

By Lisa Goudy

Twelve years ago, Fred Mathieson was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. 

“I’ve still got two legs and I can see and everything else, but it’s always there. That’s the discouraging part about it,” said Mathieson, who lives in Moose Jaw.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Black Friday bargains hit Moose Jaw

Lisa Goudy/Times-Herald
Downtown Moose Jaw is pictured.

By Lisa Goudy

Black Friday is making its way to Moose Jaw.

What started as an American tradition has evolved into a Canadian one and a chance to shop local.

“The local economy is what we’re all here to drive on … It helps jobs. It helps pay the taxes. It keeps our community strong,” said Rob Clark, CEO of the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Lisa's Corner: Moving past hate

By Lisa Goudy

We are all human.

It’s a basic statement, a simple fact. We are one species of many that inhabit this world. There are 7.4 billion of us around the world.

I am different from you, just as you are different from me. We might share common interests, but I guarantee you we don’t agree on everything.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Looking to post-secondary futures

Guidance counsellors hold post-secondary education day  

Lisa Goudy/Times-Herald

Guidance counsellors from both school

divisions in Moose Jaw banded together

again to hold a post-secondary

education day at Peacock Collegiate.

By Lisa Goudy

Now is the time to get Grade 11 and 12 students thinking about post-secondary education.

“They need information earlier rather than later. We don’t want to wait until the end of Grade 12 to start thinking about these things,” said Kerrie Binetruy, guidance counsellor at Peacock Collegiate. “It’s very important to start early.”

Guidance counsellors from both school divisions in Moose Jaw banded together again to hold a post-secondary education day. Binetruy and Corrie Lewis are the guidance counsellors at Peacock Collegiate, Tammy Saylor is the counsellor at Central Collegiate, Christa LaPointe is the counsellor at Vanier Collegiate and Brett Young is the councillor for rural Prairie South schools.

“The counsellors in Moose Jaw get together and we sponsor this event so that the kids can go under one roof and learn about as many post-secondary opportunities as possible,” said Binetruy.

“We have a variety of post-secondary schools here, Saskatchewan and Alberta mostly.”

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Lisa's Corner: High opioid rates are no joke

By Lisa Goudy

Substance abuse is no laughing matter.

Based on what I read in the news this week, I’m not the only one who was surprised about the number of people hospitalized for opioid poisoning. 

Before I get into that, for those of you who don’t know, common opioids include codeine, morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl and hydromorphone. 

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Bridging a divide

"The Relationship Between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous People" workshop set for Moose Jaw on Nov. 24

Submitted photo

Cassandra Wajuntah, research affiliate at the Indigenous

People’s Health Research Centre (IPHRC), is one of the

facilitators at a one-day workshop, The Relationship

Between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous People.

By Lisa Goudy

The relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous people has played an important role in Canada’s 150-year-history.

However, Ron Crowe, executive-in-residence at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS) at the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan believes more work needs to be done.

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Back in time through poetry

Local author releases new poetry collection

Photo courtesy Jim McLean

Local poet Jim McLean recently released a new poetry collection.

By Lisa Goudy

The year 1957 was a good one for Moose Jaw resident Jim McLean.

“I was a very young fellow experiencing a lot of different things back then. I was about 17 years old then,” he said. “So it does have a lot of meaning for me.”

 

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Lisa Goudy/Times-Herald

Moose Jaw author Jim McLean recently released a new poetry collection, Nineteen Fifty-Seven.

Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Lisa's Corner: Home for the Eirichs

By Lisa Goudy

Tuesday was a landmark day for Mandy Eirich, her son Keagan and her nephew Kaleb.

After all, it was the day she and the boys moved into their own home. It was the sixth Habitat for Humanity Moose Jaw build.

I was delighted to be present for the key ceremony at her home on Ominica Street East on Tuesday morning, one in a crowd that easily filled the main area of the home. 

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Habitat key ceremony set for Tuesday

Photo courtesy Mandy Eirich

Mandy Eirich stands with her son

Keagan (left) and her nephew Kaleb (right).

By Lisa Goudy

On Tuesday, Mandy Eirich is going to get the keys to her new home and she can barely contain her excitement.

“Owning my home as single mother and auntie has truly been the best experience of my life,” she said. 

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Lisa's Corner: Remembering through peace

By Lisa Goudy

I do not believe in war.

As a Mennonite, I firmly believe that taking up arms against others isn’t something we should do. I believe in peace. 

Every year when red poppies start adorning people's jackets, lapels and pockets, I'm always sure to pin my poppy on the left hand side of my chest, but I always add another button from the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) with a symbol of a dove on it that reads, “To remember is to worka for peace.” I feel it’s essential to wear both.War is not the answer. It only leads to bloodshed and death on both sides. Their individual sacrifices can’t be forgotten and working for peace is the best way to honour their memory. By spreading compassion, we inspire hope.

On a personal note, I have a few family connections to war on both sides of my family.

             

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Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Hearing Voices from the Front

Briercrest College performance of wartime letters, songs and poems returns for second year 

Photo courtesy Briercrest College
Ron de Jager performs “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” 
at the 2015 performance of Voices from the Front.

By Lisa Goudy

Ron de Jager’s parents live in Holland and 71 years after the end of the Second World War, their memories of it are still clear.

“They remember the Canadians coming and freeing them,” said de Jager.

“It was very emotional for them. My mom hid in a bunker in the side of a dike from the Germans when she got bombed out of her village. In one hour, she got separated from her whole family in the south of Holland and so it’s a very vivid memory for them when I still talk about it."

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