Enterprise Saskatchewan Minister Jeremy Harrison announced the provincial government will continue to operate the Ethanol Grant Program (EGP) under current criteria until a scheduled comprehensive review of the program is completed in 2012.

“This will help Saskatchewan ethanol producers by providing stability and reliability while also ensuring local jobs are maintained,” Harrison said. “We have met with and listened to the concerns of our ethanol industry.”

In the 2010-2011 provincial budget, the government considered harmonizing the EGP with new federal programming. Through consultation, the industry noted this might have resulted in less market access for small ethanol producers, and could have potentially jeopardized their viability.

“The ethanol industry is an important economic driver in Saskatchewan, especially in rural areas, and the Ethanol Grant Program is important to our overall success,” Pound-maker Agventures Ltd. President Brad Wildeman said. “We are pleased the provincial government is working with the industry and is continuing with this program.”

The existing program will continue until a review of the legislation in 2012 is completed. This will allow time for officials to work with fuel marketers and distributors, the ethanol industry, and farmers to develop predictable long-term programming beyond 2012.

The Government of Saskatchewan will provide an estimated $23 million this year in support for the ethanol industry. This is the highest level of provincial funding for the industry since the program began in 2002.

Saskatchewan’s ethanol industry employs approximately 400 people (direct and in-direct) and contributes over $230 million per year to the provincial economy.

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For more information, contact:

Joanne Johnson
Enterprise Saskatchewan
Regina
Phone: 798-0503
Email: joanne.johnson@enterprisesask.ca

Brad Wildeman
Pound-maker Agventures Ltd.
Phone: 306-365-4281
Email: brad@pound-maker.ca

Don Morgan, Minister of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety, issued the following statement today in recognition of Labour Day:

“On behalf of the Government of Saskatchewan, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the working men and women who educate our children, provide services, produce food, keep us safe, and all those who have helped build this province and who have contributed to our quality of life.

“I also wish to salute employers who have invested in the career development of their employees and who have made significant contributions to the growth of our province.

“Every resident of Saskatchewan deserves to work in a safe and healthy environment. I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone wherever they work, whatever the job, to get home safely at the end of the day.

“Our Government is strongly committed to reducing the rate of workplace injuries through vigorous enforcement of our occupational health and safety standards and regulations.

“Worksafe, a partnership of the Workers Compensation Board and the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety, is doing great work in changing public attitudes toward safety. The recent signing of a Safety Charter by more than 100 CEOs of public and private sector organizations in Saskatchewan is a great example of this leadership.

“Our Young Workers Readiness Certificate Course is educating young workers about their rights and responsibilities and helping to build a culture of safety in this province.

“I look forward to collaborating with employers, unions and other stakeholders on further ways to improve workplace safety in Saskatchewan.”

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For more information, contact:

Bill Stovin
Labour Relations and Workplace Safety
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0926

Highways and Infrastructure Minister Jim Reiter salutes all commercial drivers and the trucking industry with the proclamation of Saskatchewan Trucking Week, Sept. 5-12.

“Saskatchewan has an export-based economy that is heavily dependent on the transportation of goods by truck, Reiter said. “The trucking industry is critical to ensure these goods get to regional, national and international markets as efficiently as possible.”

For this reason, the provincial government has taken aggressive steps to improve the flow of goods shipped by truck and cut related red tape.

Truck transport in this province is integral in the movement of about 92 per cent of goods, products and commodities, according to the Saskatchewan Trucking Association (STA).

“We salute our transport companies for their dedication to their staff and the safe movement of goods that positively impact the economy,” said Al Rosseker, STA Executive Director. “We also applaud the governments in Western Canada for eliminating trade barriers that have increased the flow of goods.”

Last year, the governments of Saskatchewan and Alberta signed a Memorandum of Understanding to help harmonize policies and regulations for commercial vehicle operations. As a result, Saskatchewan increased the weight limit from 62,500 kg to 63,500 kg for carriers operating B-train truck tractor and semi-trailer combinations on Saskatchewan’s most heavily-travelled highways. Alberta and B.C. allow a weight limit of 63,500 kg for these vehicles.

Phase 1 of this initiative was implemented June 1, providing a weight limit increase to specified provincial highways as well as all cities and urban centres located along these routes. Phase 2 which wil be implemented in the near future, willl see the weight increase eventually expanded to other targeted primary weight highways on the provincial system.

The advancement of these changes meet with th spirit of the New West Partnership agreement signed by the governments of Alberta, BC, and Saskatchewan earlier this year.

The province has also initiated development of a high-clearance trucking corridor to allow over-sized loads to be moved without the need to raise or temporarily cut utility lines and other structures. It will run from Saskatoon to the Alberta-Saskatchewan border on Highway 7 and Melville to Rosetown via Highways 15 and 4, and will be implemented in 2011. Shippers will pay a permit fee to use this corridor at a dramatically reduced cost.

Earlier this summer, provincial transportation ministers from Saskatchewan and Manitoba met in Brandon with shippers and stakeholders to explore various options to harmonize trucking regulations and policies between the two jurisdictions. Officials from the two provinces are currently developing the next steps forward.

“Saskatchewan Trucking Week reminds us of the importance of the commercial trucking industry to our province,” Reiter said.

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For more information, contact:

Kirsten Leatherdale
Highways and Infrastructure
Regina
Phone: 306-787-8484
Cell: 306-536-9692

Go Riders Go!

The province of Saskatchewan recognizes September 4 as Rider Fan Day, in honour of the 13th man.

“We are pleased to officially recognize the role of the 13th man – the fans who support the Saskatchewan Roughriders,” Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Bill Hutchinson said. “Rider fans, through their cheering, have helped sack quarterbacks, stop the running game and throw opposition receivers off their routes. The Riders and their fans are an important part of what makes Saskatchewan such a great province.”

The Saskatchewan Roughriders Football Club is celebrating its centennial in 2010. The club has had a great deal of success in the past few years. Solid fan support means home games are consistently sold out and sales of Rider merchandise surpass that of all other CFL teams combined.

There are many activities planned for Rider Fan Day including a parade along the “Green Mile” from Mosaic Stadium to the provincial Legislature and the unveiling of works of art by Rider fans. The exhibition called, Heart of the Rider Nation: a Centennial Art Exhibition (1910 – 2010) Celebrating the Greatest Fans on Earth, will be on display in the Cumberland Gallery in the Legislature until September 30. It will then be sold by a silent auction with the proceeds going to the George Reed Foundation.

“Many Rider fans were involved in planning Rider Fan Day and were quick to mobilize to mark the centennial for the fans,” Director of Riderfan Centennial Celebration Inc. Heather Hodgson said. “That George Reed moved ‘home’ and is our fan patron is a huge gift to the Rider Nation. George and his wife Angie, will lead the ‘Rider Fan Parade of the Century’ and will help open the Rider fan art exhibition. This promises to be a fun day so I encourage every Rider fan to take part.”

Trevor Selinger, also known as the “Chicken Man” at Rider Games, says Rider Fan Day is a way to recognize the support fans have given the Riders over the past century.

“As we all know Rider fans are the greatest fans in the world,” Selinger said. “I and everyone I know, bleeds green from the heart. Being a Rider fan is more than just being a fan, it’s a way of life for us. It’s very exciting to have a day dedicated to we Rider fans and for all of us to come together as a province and cheer for the greatest team on earth. Go Riders!”

Rider Fan Day officially kicks off when the parade begins at 2:30 p.m.at Mosaic Stadium. Everyone is invited to walk along with the parade.

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For more information, contact:

Art Jones
Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport
Regina
Phone: 306-787-3506
Email: art.jones@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-550-5927

Heather Hodgson
Riderfan Centennial Celebration Inc.
Regina
Email: heatherghodgson@gmail.com
Cell: 306-551-6189

Trevor Selinger
Rider Fan, A.K.A. “Chicken Man”
Regina
Phone: 306-924-3062
Email: jargo007@hotmail.com
Cell: 306-501-7853

Saskatchewan residents who are receiving a living related donor kidney transplant can soon have their surgery in Saskatchewan.

The announcement was made by Health Minister Don McMorris and Saskatoon Regional Health Authority officials and medical staff at St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon this morning.

“I am very pleased that we have partially resumed the Kidney Transplant Program – the Living Related Donor element of the program is operational with the first transplant scheduled in September. As well, we continue to do assessments and follow-up for many kidney transplant recipients,” McMorris said.

A review of the Kidney Transplant Program was undertaken by the Saskatchewan Transplant Steering Committee. The Saskatchewan Renal Transplant Program Review report makes several recommendations aimed at improving services into the future.

“The Ministry of Health and the region support the direction of the report and approach to be undertaken, with increased government funding of $1.5 to $2.0 million to be used for the operation of the transplant program. This includes the recruitment of transplant surgeons, and more promotion of organ donation,” McMorris said. “I am pleased the region is providing leadership and a commitment to this important issue.”

“We are grateful to our colleagues in Edmonton for providing transplant services,” said Maura Davies, President and CEO of the Saskatoon Health Region which administers the Kidney Transplant Program. “With their assistance in undertaking these transplants, it means we are caught up. There is no patient backlog for living donor transplants. We look forward to the resumption of living related donor transplants in Saskatoon.”

In 2009, 22 Saskatchewan patients received kidney transplants (19 from deceased donors and three from living donors).

Committee recommendations can be found in the attached backgrounder.

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For more information, contact:

Joan Petrie
Saskatchewan Ministry of Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083

James Winkel
Saskatoon Health Region
Saskatoon
Phone: 306-655-6222

Drivers are advised to be aware of ongoing and upcoming provincial highway construction projects during their Saskatchewan travels to help plan safe and efficient routes to their destinations.

“Motorists should allow for extra time when they’re travelling, in a construction zone, during the upcoming Labour Day long weekend,” Highways and Infrastructure Minister Jim Reiter said. “Remember to obey all flag persons and slow to 60 km/hr when passing highway workers and equipment.”

New activity expected to be underway in September includes paving on Highway 7 near Delisle, paving on Highway 11 near Warman, paving on Highway 16 near Langham and a culvert replacement on Highway 357 just west of Togo. For more details and a list of other long-term projects in various stages of construction or progress, please see the attached backgrounder.

For other important information, such as emergency road closures due to severe weather, flooding or forest fires, along with short-term maintenance activities, motorists can check the Highway Hotline.

Highway Hotline information is available via telephone, the Internet or wireless device as follows: Regina and area at 306-787-7623; Saskatoon and area at 306-933-8333; on the SaskTel cellular network at *ROAD; toll-free across Canada at 1-888-335-7623; at http://roadinfo.telenium.ca/mobile.html; and at
http://www.highways.gov.sk.ca/road-conditions/.

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For more information, contact:

Dan Palmer
Highways and Infrastructure
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4805

Pineland Metal Products Inc. of Prince Albert has pleaded guilty to two charges under Saskatchewan’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) regulations and been fined a total of $8,400.

The charges arose after an incident in July 2009, in which an employee of the company was injured. He had been working on the roof of a metal clad building near Northside, Saskatchewan when he slipped and fell over four metres to the ground.

Pineland Metal Products Inc. pleaded guilty to:
• contravening section 116(2)(a) of the regulations for failure to ensure that workers use a fall protection system where a worker may fall three metres or more; and
• contravening section 17(1)(a) of the regulations for failure to ensure that all work at a place of employment is sufficiently and competently supervised.

An additional charge of violating OHS regulations was stayed in court.

Occupational Health and Safety has a zero tolerance approach to violations of fall protection legislation. In 2010/11, there have been 17 convictions for non-compliance of OHS regulations related to protecting workers from falls, and over $32,500 assessed in fines and surcharges.

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For more information, contact:

Bill Stovin
Labour Relations and Workplace Safety
Regina
Phone:306-787-0926

Each year, pruning of elm trees is prohibited from April 1 to August 31 to reduce the risk of Dutch elm disease (DED). The beetles that spread the deadly disease are most active during this period and are attracted to fresh cuts from pruning branches.

Regular pruning, outside the ban period, helps keep trees healthy and better able to resist all types of diseases, including DED. Removing dead and dying wood also makes trees less attractive to the elm bark beetle, the insect that spreads the fungus that causes DED.

Provincial regulations also require commercial pruners of elm trees to have taken a recognized training program or be under the supervision of someone who has. Improper pruning techniques can contribute to the spread of many tree diseases, including Dutch elm disease.

“The late summer and early fall can be an opportune time for tree maintenance” says Jeff Gooliaff, Ministry of Environment’s Insect and Disease Operations Supervisor. “The weather is generally more pleasant and predictable than in the early spring, and the leaves on the trees make it easier to spot and remove dead or unhealthy branches”

Because of the risk of spreading DED, transporting or storing elm firewood is illegal. Any elm wood should be disposed of promptly, using the method and locations chosen by each municipality.

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For more information, contact:

Jeffery Gooliaff
Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment
Prince Albert
Phone: 306-953-2987

New Third Party Delivery Means Patients To Wait Less

Saskatchewan patients will now benefit from being able to have certain day surgeries outside of a hospital setting. Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region has started booking patients for dental surgery and knee arthroscopy procedures at Omni Surgery Centre, a private surgical facility in Regina.

The government’s ambitious goal is to reduce surgical wait times to no more than three months by 2014. Third-party delivery of surgical services is being introduced under the Saskatchewan Surgical Initiative as a way to shorten patients’ wait times and help eliminate the backlog of people on the surgical wait list.

“Our first concern is with patients, and providing them with timely surgery,” Health Minister Don McMorris said. “This will help to shorten wait times for some day surgeries, and the setting will be more convenient for patients. Day surgeries will be provided and funded within our public health system, so patients will not be required to pay for services and no one will be allowed to jump the queue.”

Omni Surgery Centre began providing dental surgery services for the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region today. Surgeries are booked through health region processes within the publicly funded, publicly administered health system.

Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region’s contract with Omni Surgery Centre meets a commitment to provide day surgery services at or below the cost of providing them in hospitals. A detailed cost analysis confirms that outpatient dental surgery and knee arthroscopies at Omni Surgery Centre will cost less than the same procedures provided in a hospital. Knee surgeries, at $1,500, represent a $179 or 11 per cent saving per procedure, while dental surgeries, at $965, represent a $76 or 7 per cent saving per procedure. Omni Surgery Centre has been licensed under the provincial Health Facilities Licensing Act and is accredited by the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

“Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region is committed to ensuring that we provide timely access to surgery for the people we serve,” Executive Director of Surgical Care Services for the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region Trent Truscott said. “Having certain day surgery procedures done at the Omni Surgery Centre will help us ensure patients receive those procedures quickly while freeing operating room time in our hospitals for more complex day and inpatient surgeries.”

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For more information, contact:

Tyler McMurchy
Health
Regina
Phone: 787-4083
Email: tmcmurchy@health.gov.sk.ca

Penny Lynn Holdings Ltd., operating as Dale Pierre Roofing, of Regina, has pleaded guilty to one charge under Saskatchewan’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) regulations and been fined a total of $840.

On August 5, 2009, an Occupational Health Officer observed four workers on a roof at a Regina construction site with no fall protection or protective headwear.

The company pleaded guilty to contravening section 116(2)(a) of the regulations for failure to ensure workers use a fall protection system where a worker may fall three metres or more.

An additional charge of violating OHS regulations was stayed in court.

There have already been 20 convictions under OHS legislation this year, compared to 11 in 2009/10. Also, a total of 33 prosecutions have been initiated, one more than all of last year.

The ministry works to eliminate workplace injuries and illnesses by ensuring compliance with fair and balanced occupational health and safety standards through education, inspections, and where appropriate, prosecution.

OHS conducts approximately 4,000 worksite inspections annually and takes a zero tolerance approach to violations of fall protection legislation.

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For more information, contact:

Bill Stovin
Labour Relations and Workplace Safety
Regina
Phone: 787-0926