News Release: Fire at the Dump

A fire that broke out at the west end of the Kindersley landfill late Monday night has been successfully contained within that section of the landfill. An investigation into the cause of the fire is now underway, and the Town is awaiting air quality tests to determine the risk of residual smoke in the air.

Kindersley Fire Department and Public Works crews responded to the scene around 8:45 pm, and quickly determined the best method of response would be to contain the fire. Other individuals and companies also provided assistance in the response, as crews focused efforts on cultivating large paths around the perimeter of the dump, pushing dirt to create firewalls and berms, and dousing portions of the fire with water and fire suppression foam.

Key information pertaining to the fire, as of Tuesday, October 8, 2013, 10:15 am:

• The fire has been contained to the western portion of the dump.
• All garbage collection in Kindersley has been suspended until further notice.
• The Kindersley Waste and Recycle Centre is closed for regular business.
• The Ministry of the Environment has been contacted to conduct air quality tests and to assess the area.
• Heavy winds made it difficult to contain the fire to the west, but aggressive efforts to create firewalls and berms, and to section off portions of the landfill were successful.
• The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
• The fire was deemed to be effectively contained by 2:30 am.
• Plans were in place for additional measures if the fire raged out of control.
• Crews continue to work to contain the fire, which is expected to burn for many more days.

·       The Town thanks the Fire Department, Town staff, and various members of the public who assisted with the fire response, including:

o   Eric Friesen of Moody’s Equipment

o   Ron Hunter

o   Kindersley RCMP

o   Prince Albert Emergency Dispatch

o   Holland’s Hot Oiling

Build Canada Fund 2014

It has been announced that the federal Conservative government will be moving ahead with their Build Canada Fund. The rules have not been announced yet but the Town is on track to take advantage of the monies available for infrastructure development. The Town is currently looking at upgrades and enhancements of water and sanitation in preparation for future growth.

Council and Policies Schedule

A lot of work has been going on to move Kindersley forward as a positively engaged socially and vibrant community. Here is our tentative schedule for the next 3 to 4 months.

Oct   7 - Budget Meeting setting Priorities, Goals, and scope

Oct 22 - Public Meeting discussing:
                    Budget - Community Input Consultation
                    Traffic Plan - Community Consultation
                    Economic Development Incentives (EDI) - Community Consultation

Oct 23 - WCMGC
Oct 23 - SK Highway Corridor Meeting
Oct 23 - Chamber of Commerce Welcome Night

Oct 28 - Council Meeting

Oct 30 - Phase 2 Facilitated Workshop hosted by Group 2

Oct 31 - Town Square Final Voting Day

Nov 12 - Council Meeting
                    Presentation of Official Community Plan (OCP) Final Draft
                    EDI presentation as part of OCP
                    Admin Report regarding
                              Traffic Study implementation recommendations
                              Town Square

Nov 15 - Budget Committee Review of Public Input

Nov 25 - Council Meeting
                    Adopt OCP
                    Admin Report on EDI

Nov 27 - WCMGC

Nov 29 - Budget Committee Final Meeting

Dec 9 - Council Meeting

Dec 23 - Council Meeting

Jan 13 - Council Meeting
                    Admin Report on preliminary Budget for 2014

4th Week of January - Draft Budget 2014 Community Meeting

Feb 10 - Council Meeting
                    Admin Report on preliminary Budget 2014 with public comments

Feb 24 - Council Meeting
                    Adopt in principle Budget 2014
                    Adopt EDI (A retroactive date may be applied)
                    Adopt Traffic Study Implementation Plan

April 14 - Council Meeting
                    Adopt Budget 2014
                    Adopt 2014 Mill Rate

Meeting dates yet to be determined include further meetings regarding EDI and the next Mayor/Reeves Forum.

Other items we are working on and implementing include: Strategic Plan, Long Term Financial Plan, Long Term Infrastructure Plan, and the Asset Management Plan.

Please come out to our public meetings and let us hear your thoughts.

Federal Riding Redistribution

Every ten years the federal government has to reassess the ridings to ensure appropriate representation. The last census was the data used to reassess the populations and as a result the riding boundaries have changed.

Change in Kindersley will be significant. We will no longer have the Honourable Gerry Ritz as our MP and as a result we will no longer be in same riding as North Battelford and Lloydminster in Battlefords-lloydminster. Instead we will be joining the riding in the southwest; Cypress Hills-Grasslands represented by David Anderson. Because of this change Kindersley will be the second largest community in the redrawn riding.

Last week I met David Anderson, we were guest speakers at the same event,  and I am looking forward to working with David. Mr. Anderson will be visiting Kindersley soon and David and I have agreed to meet in the near future.

To see the new riding map, please click here.

Understanding Kindersley

(Please note I had formatting problems with this post)

Kindersley & West Central Saskatchewan

Kindersley is growing and busy. As we move forward it is imperative we understand who we are and share that with others. What follows is a statistical profile of Kindersley with some thoughts.

Kindersley is the regional hub of West Central Saskatchewan with a population of 4,678 according to the 2011 Census. However, if you count the number of health cards who self identify Kindersley as their home address then our population is 5, 330.

The difference of 652 is 14% and seriously affects our funding levels through the gas tax.








Family Characteristics, 2011 Census

Most families in Kindersley are traditional.

Kindersley is a young community with most residents being between 25-44.

Half of the adults in Kindersley are married with almost a third of adults never legally married.

Kindersley is a community in which more than 80% of the families have grandparent, children, and grandchildren in town limits.  Family is important.

Kindersley's education levels are indicated in this chart. As you can see the labour market has a lot of people with predominately a high school diploma or less.

Most people work in sales and service in Kinderlsey with the next largest group being trades and transport. This is logical given our industries.

Kindersley is one of Saskatchewan's wealthier communities with the median income being $10,000 higher than the rest of the province. However, it should be noted that the cost of living is higher due to our geographic location. As an example, we have to pipe our drinking water 55 kms from the South Saskatchewan River. The current housing shortage is also not helping.

The Industry Chart demonstrates that we are a resourced based town with supporting industries such as welding.







This is a very brief and incomplete statistical profile of Kindersley. If you would like more statistical information about Kindersley please click here for the Community Profile compiled by Stats Can.

Hold and Secure

This past week has been a change from normal routine in Kindersley. With the discovery of a cut monitoring device of Michael Shawn Stanley in Lloydminster and the siting of a purple late model SUV in Kindersley and West Central Saskatchewan things have tightened up.

Michael Stanley - currently thought to be clean shaven.

Here is a picture of the suspect.



The RCMP, the Town, and school leaders have been working hard to keep our community safe. Here are some things the Town is doing.

The Emergency Plan is being used by the Town, Sun West, and the RCMP including communicating as much as possible about the situation and the current status. We are being cautious and following police instructions. It is possible that the suspect has moved on but until he is apprehended it is best to be cautious. Parents, be vigilant and diligent and don't let you children out unsupervised.



Here are some things we are doing with our sons:

• Strangers are people we don't know, not all strangers want to harm us but we can't be sure. Avoid strangers who want to give you something or take you somewhere.
• Educate so they have some guidelines to make safe choices when confronted by a stranger. We don't want to create anxiety or panic but confident decision making.
• Play in safe areas with friends or adult supervision.
• Don't be out alone after dark.
• If a someone grabs you when you don't want to be make lots of noise and say things like: "You're not my mom/dad!
• My observation is that most people have been sensible and prudent.

The RCMP are working on this and there will come a time, hopefully sooner than later, when the suspect will be apprehended. The Justice Minister, Peter MacKay, has been in contact with local officials to offer his support as well.

The justice system is not perfect and I am confident that the relevant officials will be reviewing the circumstances leading to the escape of the suspect.

After this event is in the past our local officials will be sitting down as a group to review the incident including:

• did the emergency plan work as we hoped?
• what worked well?
• what opportunities for improvement (OFIs) have been found?
• was information shared in a timely fashion?

This interruption will last for a bit and then our normal routines will resume.

If you would like to view my interview on CTV national news please click here.

Here is a link to the Saskatoon CTV coverage including local people, including me, speaking.

Recovery House

Recently I received an invitation from K-DAWN to participate in a discussion about the need for and establishment of a recovery house in Kindersley. The Oxford House Society of Regina are presenting.  Oxford House has a number of self-run and self-supported recovery houses for men or women. The recovery house is a place assuring residents of an alcohol and drug free environment that is affordable and safe for individuals recovering from their addictions.

If you are interested in participating please RSVP by Sept 30th. The meeting is October 10th at the Legion Hall at 6:00 PM.

Water Reports

Once a month Council receives reports on the quality of the Town's water. Kevin does a terrific job and has a well deserved excellent reputation with the provincial inspectors. Per usual we have terrific water and no ecoli.

Bernie Haubrich Water Treatment Plant, September 24, 2013

Here is an interesting fact attesting to Kevin and his family's dedication. Kevin is not allowed to travel more than an hour away from Kindersley. Last year during Christmas Kevin's family traveled to their family while Kevin stayed home in Kindersley.

You can see Kevin around the golf course chasing his ball.

Waste Reduction Week

The Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council has asked Council to declare October 21 - October 27 2013 Waste Reduction Week in Kindersley.

Kindersley Waste Management Facility, September 24, 2013

The aim of the week is reduce the generation of solid waste, wasted water, and energy resources. We are doing this and learned during the September 23rd council meeting that water consumption is down and we are working to repurpose our backwash water for resale for industrial purposes.

Further, the Town is working with our regional partners to develop a regional waste management facility.

Cemetery Update

Just a quick note to let you know that the construction of the columbarium is due to begin shortly. Along with this construction the contractor will be working to maintain and repair our existing columbarium.

Cemetery with Columbarium in the background, September 24, 2013