Work is underway to redraw the federal electoral boundaries in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and add seats in Alberta. The three-person independent commission established in each province will publish proposals. Public hearings will then follow before the new boundaries are accepted. In Saskatchewan, the commission headed by Queen’s Bench justice Ronald C. Mills will consider that […] Read more
Karen Briere
Stories by Karen Briere
Sask. minister steps down
Saskatchewan agriculture minister Bob Bjornerud chose an audience of rural councillors March 14 to announce he will soon step down from cabinet. It was an appropriate crowd. Before Bjornerud was first elected to the legislature in 1995, he had served on RM council and attended Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities conventions. He told delegates to […] Read more
Sask. gov’t extends grain bag recycling project
No deposit or environmental fee | SARM delegates defeated a motion to institute a recycling deposit on the large plastic bags
Rural municipal councillors meeting in Regina last week agreed that plastic grain bags are a nuisance, but they couldn’t decide how best to get farmers to clean them up. A resolution passed at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities annual convention asked the province to look at regulations to encourage farmers to use the bags […] Read moreViterra confirms negotiations
Farmers, employees, shareholders and analysts are watching and waiting to find out who is behind a takeover bid for Viterra Inc. A statement issued by Viterra during a halt in trading March 19 didn’t say whether that party was a single company or a group. “Viterra confirms that it has begun exclusive negotiations with a […] Read more
RMs to target rats with gov’t funding
Some funds will also go toward beaver control
Saskatchewan farmers and rural municipalities are getting a little more government help this year to deal with pests. The federal and provincial governments announced March 14 at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities convention they will contribute $1.8 million to help control beavers, rats, wild boar and gophers. The bulk of the money is for […] Read moreAg spending increases in Sask. budget
Agricultural spending in Saskatchewan will go up this year, largely due to previously announced crop insurance funding and money allocated to business risk management programs. Finance minister Ken Krawetz delivered the 2012-13 budget this afternoon, allocating $430.8 million for agriculture. That is the second largest amount ever budgeted for the ministry and $13 million more […] Read more
Farmers continue to wait for word on Viterra takeover
Farmers, employees, shareholders and analysts are watching and waiting to find out who is behind a takeover bid for Viterra Inc. A statement issued by Viterra during a halt in trading didn’t say whether that party was a single company or a group. “Viterra confirms that it has begun exclusive negotiations with a party and […] Read more
Viterra’s 1Q earnings shrink
Trading halted briefly | Grain company acknowledges takeover interest from unnamed source
Viterra Inc. reported last week that its first quarter net earnings were down $23 million compared to the same period last year, mainly because of lower grain handling and processing earnings. Earnings per share dropped from 27 cents to 21 cents. The results were announced a day before trading halted briefly after the company acknowledged […] Read moreGardiner Dam failed to do more: report
A new operating plan for Gardiner Dam on Saskatchewan’s Lake Diefenbaker will be developed in light of a report assessing operations during last year’s flooding. The report by hydrologists John Pomeroy and Kevin Shook from the University of Saskatchewan outlined several concerns about how the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority operated the dam. Downstream users, including farmers […] Read more
New lieutenant-governorknown for community work
Schofield appointed | Longtime military supporter gets the nod
Vaughn Solomon Schofield will be Saskatchewan’s next lieutenant-governor. Prime minister Stephen Harper announced March 6 that Schofield, from Regina Beach, will take over from outgoing lt.-gov. Gordon Barnhart at a date to be announced. Schofield has a long history of community involvement including business, the arts and crime prevention. Although she is perhaps not as […] Read more
