Year in Review: February- Sask Games, hockey, housing needs


Synergy sponsors Games volunteers

The volunteer drive for the 2024 Saskatchewan Summer Games is underway. Synergy Credit Union contributing $50,000 as the official volunteer sponsor.

The announcement took place at Synergy Credit Union with the Games’ host society, community leaders and mascots, Tansi and Ravi.

“This is a big step to really start the volunteer drive. That is a key component—over 1,000 volunteers to make these Games go,” said Games host society co-chair, Aaron Rawlake.

“The synergy of our volunteers and sponsors to make this happen to give these athletes a memorable experience is huge.”

Volunteers will greet the athletes, keep score, assist with medical needs, manage logistics, sell merchandise, manage ticket sales, and more.

Students help grow game of hockey

Hockey is played by young and old, but where does a love for the game come from?

That question was asked and answered at E.S. Laird Middle School last Thursday as students laced up some skates and took to the ice; a first for many in the group.

Hosted by E.S. teacher Morgan Mann, the learn-to-skate-style event took place on the outdoor rink behind the school with instruction from the Rustlers and the U15 AA Richardson Jewellery Steelers. Mann is also the head coach of the Lakeland College Rustlers women’s hockey team.

Aside from basic skating skills, the Rustlers and Steelers helped students tie skates, work on puck control, and of course, perfect some clappers.

“The U15 Steelers and the Apex Automation Lakeland College Rustlers women’s hockey team applied for a grant with Hockey Alberta to grow the game of hockey, and more specifically, hockey and skating and the experience of being on the outdoor ice,” explained Mann.

“Our initiative was for students who have maybe never had this opportunity before. The two teams decided to join together, and we got a perfect day for it. This is also our first skate on our ODR here at E.S. Laird, and the ice is in great shape.”


Housing needs under microscope

The City of Lloydminster held a meeting to discuss what it will take to fulfill housing needs in the community, with a survey now underway.

The City of Lloydminster Housing Needs Assessment and Strategy Community Conference was held at the Lloyd Ex on Jan. 30, with nearly 100 registered attendees participating in the day-long conference.

“One of the things we’ve been hearing from folks is that it was a really great opportunity to connect with other people who are involved in housing in Lloydminster. From a business, but also from a social services provider perspective, to start building some of those relationships,” said Patrick Lancaster, the City’s manager of social programs and services.

The day began with a presentation by Bassa Social Innovations, a consultant team that’s been conducting workshops with various groups in Lloyd for the past seven months to gather information and present an initial report. Lancaster said the validation of their findings was an important part of the process.

“The main presentation was a presentation of the initial findings of the report. A big part of that was the validation process. It was like ‘here’s what we learned—does it feel like Lloydminster? Does this make sense about our community?’

“Our consultants are very conscious of the thought they want to make sure the report represents our community, so they need to hear that from us, as residents.”

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Meridian Source Staff
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