THE MELVILLE Friday, $1.50 PER COPY GST INCLUDED April 16, 2021 Vol. 95 No. 11 Agreement # 40011922 PROUDLY SERVING MELVILLE AND SURROUNDING AREA SINCE 1929 • WWW.GRASSLANDSNEWS.CA • 1-306-728-5448 SaskPower to improve Sask. power grid By Chris Ashfield Grasslands News Customers in the Melville and Yorkton area will be benefiting from a $50 million capital stimulus grant from the provincial government to SaskPower that will help to protect system reliability and build distribution capacity. The Power Grid Renewal Grant, provided through SaskBuilds and Procurement, will enable SaskPower to invest a record $272 million during the 2021-2022 fiscal year to replace and improve its aging transmis- sion and distribution infrastructure and fast-track current projects as part of an annual program to ben- efit customers in Saskatchewan. The Melville/Yorkton area is one of the regions that will benefit from the investment due to the sig- nificant impact caused by the frequency and duration of outages over the past five years. Work in the area will include upgrades to protection and equipment to improve reliability, wood pole replacement, and up- grading lines while moving them from fields to road allowances. “A stable and reliable power grid is crucial to en- sure the safety and security of our electrical system and maintain a strong economy,” Minister Responsi- Spring snow cleanup EMILY JANE FULFORD | GRASSLANDS NEWS ble for SaskPower Don Morgan said. “Between 2014 7\URQH2PRQL\LRI0HOYLOOHZDVRXWZRUNLQJKDUG0RQGD\$SULOVKRYHOLQJKLVQHLJKERXU·VIURQW and 2020, SaskPower invested more than $1 billion to maintain and improve its extensive transmission walkway in an effort to help some of the seniors in the community. Snow started to fall on Sunday and and distribution infrastructure in the province. continued until Tuesday leaving approximately a foot of wet, heavy snow. SaskPower’s record investment, bolstered by our gov- ernment’s Power Grid Renewal Grant, demonstrates our continued commitment to maintaining a resilient electrical system.” A significant portion of SaskPower’s overhead April snow storm buries Melville; closes and underground rural infrastructure comes to the end of its life every year and requires renewal or re- placement to continue to provide reliable service to customers. This record investment, which is a 62 per major highways for more than 30-hours cent increase over the five-year average spend, will help improve the reliability of SaskPower’s electrical system. By Grasslands Staff stopped, more than a foot of wet, heavy snow was esti- “Investing in our power distribution lines, which Grasslands News mated to have fallen, with banks adding up to several provide a vital link to homes, farms and business, feet deep in some places. makes sense,” SaskBuilds and Procurement Minister The storm resulted in dangerous driving condi- After a warm and sunny Easter long weekend of Jim Reiter said. “The $50 million Power Grid Re- tions with most of Highway 1 between Whitewood t-shirt temperatures, or at the very most, sweater newal Grant will be invested directly into limiting and Balgonie closed from Monday at around midnight weather, it was looking like winter might be gone for power outages and improving distribution stability until Wednesday morning. Travel was also not recom- good in 2021. Even local stores were preparing their for everyone in Saskatchewan.” mended on many other highways throughout the area spring merchandise for any who would consider grow- Transmission and distribution sustainment ac- including Highway 47 between Melville and Grenfell. ing a garden in this ever-changing and unpredictable tivities include wood pole maintenance and replace- Road conditions caused the cancellation of most school climate. As of Saturday, April 10th, many families ment, line rebuilds, underground cable replacements, buses throughout the Good Spirit School Division, were out making use of local parks and cycling paths upgrades to protective equipment for electrical in- both in the city and other GSSD communities. While to get out and get active in the beautiful early sum- frastructure, and the conversion of additional street- highways re-opened on Wednesday morning, travel mer conditions. Anybody who neglected to keep up to lights to LED in towns and villages. More than 65 per was still not being recommended due to icy conditions. date with the local weather forecast would be in for a cent of this work will be completed by Saskatchewan City of Melville crews began clearing some of the doozy of a surprise the following day when they found contractors, and the remaining work will be com- city’s streets and sidewalks on Tuesday and were out that Mother Nature had some drastically different pleted by SaskPower crews. The provincial govern- still removing piles of snow on Wednesday. Residents plans. ment’s investment will result in the equivalent of across the city also took to their driveways and side- The violent return of winter weather conditions 120 to 150 additional jobs over the course of the work walks, shovels in hand, to try to keep on top of the started with a heavy and wet snowfall on Sunday, being completed. spring snowfall, some even chipping in to help their April 11. The snow was accompanied by rain in the af- SaskPower has the second-largest network of all neighbours, many of whom are seniors. ternoon and fairly mild temperatures considering the Canadian utilities with 157,000 km of distribution While it is very possible that this may be the win- amount of white stuff that blanketed the city. Snow and transmission lines. In addition, SaskPower has ter’s last hurrah of the season, it seems to want to go continued throughout to Tuesday and by the time it the fewest customers per kilometre of line than any out with a bang. other utility in the country. “IT’S GOING TO BE OK” SEMI TIRE SERVICE REPAIR TIRES ֈ ֈ ֈֈ SALE ON NOW ,'8-+,;!&=-$'32!££@3<8ধ8'!2&1'$,!2-$!£2''&9R ֈ R auto service NO JOB TOO MORE THAN JUST TIRES BIG OR SMALL! FREE TIRE 11R22.5 and 11R24.5 - '8ধ)'&-+,;',-$£' 296'$ধ32;!ধ32 f '!=@8<$0!2&8!-£'8 296'$ধ32;!ধ32 STORAGE $ f8<$0!2&8!-£'8'6!-8'2;'8 (with purchase 3(ধ8'9m 280 Service Road N., Melville 245 / tire f,''££-+21'2;9 306-728-4002 - Oil Changes, Brakes, Shocks Tune-ups and more! 2 April 16, 2021 0HOYLOOH$GYDQFH:KLWHZRRG*UHQIHOO+HUDOG6XQ)RUW4X·$SSHOOH7LPHV Grasslands News Prince Philip remembered during visit to Fort and Melville By Alan Hustak Grasslands News Prince Philip took photographs with his own cam- era from the observation platform of their train along the trip through the Qu’Appelle Valley when he and the Queen visited Melville 43 years ago. The Duke of Edinburgh, who died on April 9 at the age of 99, was with the Queen on a whistlestop tour on July 29, 1978, that took them to Fort Qu’Appelle, Balcarres, Melville and Yorkton. The royal train was the first passenger train on the tracks in 17 years and rail stations along the way were cleaned and spruced up for the occasion, except in Fort Qu’Appelle. Mayor Don Cockwill said the town only needed to paint the three walls that the couple would see as they passed. Among those who met the Queen’s consort was Lorna Standingready, a resident of Peekeepisis First Nation who accepted an invitation from Premier Allan Blakeney to have dinner in Regina with the Royal cou- ple. The protocol office sent her a letter suggesting she dress “appropriately” and wear a long gown, gloves and jewellery for the occasion. In an interview with CBC news, Standingready re- called that she couldn’t afford formal attire. “I went in my moccasins, my buckskin dress, my rabbit fur and my beads,” she recalled. “And I felt so strengthened and I felt that I could be who I was in another society.” At the time, some First Nations were boycotting the visit because of a treaty rights dispute. But Stand- ingready attended anyway and was delighted when Prince Philip admired her regalia. Thousands turned out at each stop along the way. MELVILLE ADVANCE ARCHIVES | GRASSLANDS NEWS Dancers from the Gordon First Nation performed for Red carpet treatment the royal visitors in Fort Qu’Appelle. People stood for Melville welcomed Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip as they made their trip by train that started in two hours outside the station waiting for the train to Regina and ended in Yorkton on Saturday, July 29, 1978 as shown in archived newspapers in the Aug. arrive, among them Paulette Anderson who was pre- 2 issue of the Melville Advance. sented to the royal couple. “The wives of all the adler- men were taught to curtsy and told not to speak to the the biggest security officer I have ever seen in my life Prince unless he spoke to us first,” said Anderson. “I stepped in front of us, and blocked the view. Jesse remember he asked Alderman Kon Rippert what he did couldn’t see anything.” for a living. Kon said he was in the marine business. The train stopped longer than planned in Balcarres. Here, on the prairies? The Duke seemed astonished.” Flags and bunting flew from buildings in Melville when Humphrey Bartlett carried Anderson’s daughter, Jesse the Queen and her consort visited the comprehensive on his shoulders so she could see her parents presented high school. A crowd of about 2,000 lined the streets to the Royals. “What I remember is just as the Queen as Mayor George Artemenko and Noel Joel Williams, and Prince Philip stepped out on the station platform, Chief of Saskimay First Nation, welcomed the royal couple who took part in celebrations marking Mel- ville’s 70th birthday with the Queen helping to unveil Hon.