Prince Albert

The Prince Albert National Park (PANP) is expected to be buzzing with activity over the May long weekend as it’s now officially open for the Spring and Summer seasons.

The town of Waskesiu is ready for the influx of visitors, said Robyn Hufnagel, Prince Albert National Park’s promotion officer. “There’s shops, restaurants and accommodations opening their doors for May long weekend and welcoming visitors.”

Victoria Hospital staff is continuing to develop new strategies for reducing surgery wait times and improving patient care.

Two teams of hospital workers have just finished their rapid process improvement workshops (RPIW), week-long exercises designed to streamline hospital systems.

The first team was charged with reducing operating room turnover time, which is basically the amount of time it takes to prepare an operating room for a procedure.

The Rural Municipality of Prince Albert has renewed their declaration of a Local Emergency until May 26.

The declaration was originally made May 12 due to severe flooding to municipal roads and lands, which continues throughout the area.

While under the Local Emergency, no burning within the boundaries of the RM is allowed. Those who ignore this rule will be issued a Notice of Violation and be responsible for any fines.

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Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation urban members gathered to take over the urban band office in Prince Albert on Thursday.

A handful of band members were outside of the office with signs calling for a re-election of certain band council members.

At issue is an alleged sudden spike in voters at the urban constituency during the April election. Some members are claiming this is the result of members who live outside of the urban area casting ballots for the councillor position, which is against the band’s custom election act.

With fire season upon us it is a fitting time to have more wildfire investigation conservation officers trained throughout the province.

This past week 27 people from across Canada have been in Prince Albert to receive a nationally recognized Wildfire Origin and Cause Investigation course from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment.

The City of Prince Albert is asking transit users and non-users alike to take part in an online survey about the bus system.

The city will be circulating copies of the surveys on the buses starting May 16, but it will also be available online on the city’s website.

The surveys will also be available at the John M. Cuelenaere Library and at City Hall.

The survey aims to measure residents’ satisfaction with current service, as well as find out potential areas for improvements.

This spring is going to be a little less green for some customers of Shand Greenhouse in Estevan.

The company, a subsidiary of SaskPower, made a shipment of seedlings to customers in the RM of Prince Albert, unfortunately some of the trees ended up in the wrong hands.

The seedlings were supposed to be dropped off at the Municipal Shop and picked up by customers, but some were taken without permission from people who did not place an order.

The 10th Annual Prince Albert Downtown Street Fair is one month away.

The event is free to attend and will include a raffle draw, sidewalk sales, children’s activities, and special discounts for attendees at downtown businesses.

There will also be a ‘Klassic Kruizers’ showcase of retro automobiles.

The June 15 event will be held on Central Avenue from River Street to 15th Avenue West from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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On Twitter: @princealbertnow  

Getting all businesses along the unfinished portion of the Rotary Trail on board with it traversing the area in front of their property has proven to be a challenge.

It’s one of the issues for the trail to overcome as it moves towards completion, as outlined in a report to Prince Albert city council authored by community services director Greg Zeeben.

Residents in Prince Albert may notice a missing mailbox when they go to mail their letters.

Starting this week Canada Post will be moving away from hand-sorting in certain cities, like Prince Albert, and start shipping those letters to a bigger city to be sorted by machine. Prince Albert’s letters will be sent to Saskatoon to be sorted.

With 85,000 people living with diabetes in Saskatchewan, there is an alarming trend among the Aboriginal population.

With 17.2 per cent of First Nations individuals living on reserve diagnosed with the disease, 10.3 per cent among First Nations living off-reserve and 7.3 per cent among the Métis population, it is an issue that needs addressing.

The 10th Annual Aboriginal Gathering on Diabetes taking place in Prince Albert at the Exhibition Centre on Wednesday is planning to do just that.

It’s the time of year when most residents of Prince Albert are getting ready for summer and getting the bike out of the garage.

It’s Bike Safety Week across the province this week and an important aspect of staying safe – helmet use – is being highlighted during this campaign.

Lyle Karasiuk with Parkland Ambulance said they want to remind everyone before they head out on their bicycles, that there are a few simple rules to follow, including wearing a helmet.