Diane Rogers

WHITEWOOD, Sask. – Poverty has been a liberating experience, says the outgoing president of the Saskatchewan Women’s Institute. Speaking during her report to SWI’s June 4 annual meeting, Virginia Kreklevich had to smile. “We are the leaders in thrift for the WI movement in Canada,” she told the 35 members present. She said it is […] Read more

LUCKY LAKE, Sask. – Horses have different personalities, says Shauna Getz, who has spent half of her 29 years training them. Her business, Getz Performance Horses in Lucky Lake, puts her in contact with many of those personalities each year. She offers mare and foal care, horse and human training in reining and riding, and […] Read more

It took Elsie Karl nine years to rise from British Columbia Women’s Institute newcomer to president of the organization last month. Karl said her main goal during her three-year term is to get more younger members. “We’ve been trying and trying; we want to encourage women and to advertise more what we do,” she said. […] Read more

Farm women are too busy dealing with everyday life to work on the larger issues that concern them. “I know that for me, as well as other farm women, things came to a grinding halt because of spring seeding,” said Noreen Johns, the facilitator for three workshops held in Saskatchewan this spring. “Then a lot […] Read more

After 10 years of operation, Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan Inc. is celebrating its extension on life. The federal government will continue the program until 2010, says executive director Laura Small. The program, which has sister organizations in the other western provinces, offers help to budding businesswomen in drawing up business plans, sharpening their financial and […] Read more

Ernesto Sirolli has played a white knight to thousands of entrepreneurs around the world and the Italian born consultant was in rescue form again at the 10th anniversary conference of Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan Inc. In a day-long workshop May 13 in Saskatoon, he told women business owners that they need three skills to succeed: […] Read more

Kate Humpage has a job to get long-winded academics talking to plain-speaking guys in overalls in rural Canada. The job got easier with last month’s announcement from Ottawa that it was providing $250,000 over the next three years to develop a communication system. Humpage, who is the manager of rural research and analysis with the […] Read more

Noreen Johns has been helping women light some fires this spring. They’re not burning stubble off farmland but hoping to improve the health of women in rural Saskatchewan. In the first two of three planned workshops, Johns, of Zelma, Sask., has been the facilitator for women who came together to talk about health issues. The […] Read more

Kristen Hedley figures it was her passion for 4-H that led to her being named the 2005 Alberta Premier’s Award winner. Hedley was chosen during the annual provincial 4-H selections program April 29-May 2. The 18 year old, who just finished her first year at the University of Alberta in education, said she gained a […] Read more

The Canadian Agricultural Safety Association has $591,000 this year to distribute to projects that make farming less hazardous. CASA executive director Marcel Hacault said the board wants to give the money to projects that target youth, communicate the safety message or train people working in agriculture. “Statistics we have show the pre-school (age) and older […] Read more