Diane Rogers

Rural women in Saskatchewan have two weeks to come up with project ideas to apply for grants under a new initiative. The grant amounts vary from $250 to $500 per project for the application deadline of June 15. There will be another grant round with a deadline of Sept. 14. The grants follow up eight […] Read more

Rural school closures are a big concern in Saskatchewan but not much of an issue for its provincial neighbours. Alberta closed 10 rural schools from September 2001 to May 2007, said provincial education official Tim Chamberlain. The local school board decisions elicited little comment, he said. Rural school closures have also been low in Manitoba: […] Read more

A fresh food box program is having trouble living up to its ideals. “We really want to purchase from local growers but we’re having a hard time finding them,” said Debbie Bonsan of Midwest Food Resources, a nonprofit charitable group that works on food programs in northwestern Saskatchewan. The group is looking for farmers in […] Read more

A pastor’s uncomfortable experience of having in his congregation both a farmer in debt and the person holding the mortgage led to an idea. Cam Harder, now a theology professor at the Lutheran church college at the University of Saskatchewan, is turning that experience into a positive by pushing to develop a Rural Ministry Institute […] Read more

LUMSDEN, Sask. – Free power would make a lot of farmers smile. But unless they are off the power grid, generating their own electricity via the sun probably doesn’t make a lot of economic sense for most farmers, says a solar consultant. However, Will Oddie of Lumsden, Sask., would add a “not yet” qualifier, saying […] Read more

LUMSDEN, Sask. – Three years ago the Saskatchewan Bed and Breakfast Association changed its name from the Country Vacations Association to recognize that the province also has urban guest homes. However, the 90-member group still projects a country image with its black rooster logo. Although the group has existed in some form since 1973, the […] Read more

4-H membership is dropping in Canada, but not in Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Chris Forrest, communications manager with the Canadian 4-H Council, said national membership dropped to 28,900 this year from 29,900 last year. However, membership in Saskatchewan increased to 3,739, the first increase since the six- to eight-year-old age group was introduced 10 years […] Read more

The 1907 school had one room and one teacher with a score of students ranging in ages and grades. The 2007 version of a rural elementary school may start to resemble that again. As rural school enrolments dwindle, Canadian trustees stave off school closures by placing several grades together. It can be as much as […] Read more

The Welsh are healthiest in their region’s rural areas, in contrast to Canada where urban residents are more healthy, according to a study by Welsh and Canadian researchers. While access to health services, food stores, public transport and schools is better in Welsh cities and towns, there is higher incidence of heart disease, respiratory problems […] Read more

Saskatchewan health consultant Jayne Whyte liked what she heard in last year’s Kirby report about improving mental health services in Canada. However, she is concerned that the report did not talk about the issue in terms of gender. “It is important to recognize that women play major roles in the mental health system: as people […] Read more