News

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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
from your Town Council:
Paul Picray, Nick Wood, Nicole Genaille, Bob Nicholson,
Kim Lechler, Mayor Carol Belchamber, & Frank Duhaime

The annual Santa Day (hosted by Parkland Co-op) and the Christmas Market (presented by the Porcupine & Area Farmers Market) was held on Saturday, December 7th.  Photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, Kids’ Club Crafts, and Sleigh Rides kept the kids busy all afternoon, while over 30 vendors set up at the Farmers Market, ensuring everyone on your Christmas List was taken care of, and Margret Scott served up another great Farmers Market lunch!

The Winners of the 2019 Christmas Cash Shop Local Promotion were drawn during the day’s festivities.    Congratulations go out to Ruth Chorney, Claudette Grona, John Pinder, and Mario Alibaya, who each won $100 in Christmas Cash; to Olive Fettis, Macheala Read, and Rylie Willerton, who each won $250 in Christmas Cash; and to our Big Winner, Denita Bratton, who won the grand prize of $500 in Christmas Cash!

The Christmas Cash promotion is sponsored by Parkland Co-op, Slobodian Pharmacy, Affinity Credit Union, Fields, Caroline’s Restaurant, Family Chiropractic & Wellness, Just an Inch, Porcupine Plaza, the Porcupine Motel, and Kapoor Selnes & Klimm, as well as the Porcupine Plain Economic Development Committee.  The Christmas Cash prizes can be spent any of the participating merchants between now and June 30, 2020.

Thank you to the participating merchants who make this promotion possible, and to the community for shopping locally this Christmas — when you Shop Local, you invest in your own community and keep your local economy strong! 

Round 1 of the 2020 SledTown ShowDown is underway – from December 2 to 15, 2019.

Last year, Hudson Bay garnered the most votes in Saskatchewan.
Will they retain provincial pride or will a newcomer challenge for the title?
Within two weeks, half of the contestants will be whittled away.
Vote for Porcupine Plain for your favourite SledTown!
You can vote once a day until the current round closes.

Click HERE to vote!!

On Thursday, November 28^th, Johnston Agencies hosted the 6^th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony.

Bob Nicholson, town councillor and evening’s emcee, welcomed the festive crowd and talked a bit about the journey of replacing the Christmas Tree. The tree that had been in front of the hall for the past 30 years had to be removed in October, due to extensive cracking of the trunk. The new tree is the size the old one was when it was originally planted. Bobby then explained the criteria for nominations of “Official Tree Lighter”. The individual should be community minded and carry the kind spirit of Christmas year round. This year’s honoree was Shelly Schultz.

Shelly has been nominated multiple times over the past six years, with many of the nominations citing her commitment and unwavering energy to the Cubs and Scouts organization. Shelly has been at the helm of the Porcupine Scouting Association for over 25 years, making a positive impact on the lives of hundreds of children in our Community.

Mayor Carol Belchamber also summarized some of the other nominations, where a common theme was Shelly going out of her way to make things better for those around her. One of the nominations spoke of Shelly’s infectious smile, and her belief that anything can be made better by kindness.

Shelly then responded, in her ever humble way, that the joy that she has gotten back over the years of volunteering and helping people has far outweighed what she has given. She also thanked her husband Danny, who has been supporting and helping her volunteer activities throughout the years. (Fun Fact – Danny Schultz actually planted the original tree in front of the hall!)

Carol then presented Shelly with the official “Tree Lighting Ornament” and a small keepsake to say thank you. This year the ornament , along with those of the previous five Tree Lighters, will hang on a lighted wire next to the Christmas Tree.

Shelly then gave the order to “Light up the Tree” and, much to the relief of the Johnston Agencies team, it lit up and the choir sang “Joy To The World.” Amber Hoffus then addressed the crowd to say thank you to everyone that helped to make the night a success, and reminded those in attendance that it’s important to stop looking for the “perfect tree” and start paying attention to the adventures and people around the tree you’ve got because that’s what really matters! The program concluded with the Community Choir giving a little taste of their Christmas Cantata.

It was then time for hot chocolate, cookies, sleigh rides and visiting around the fire!

There are so many people that we need to thank for an evening like this, so please visit our Face Book page at Porcupine Plain Holiday Tree Lighting, or take the time to read one of the posters up around town.

From our families to yours, Have a Safe & Happy Holiday Season!

Lorraine Padalec, Coralynn Hipkins, Karen Wick & Amber Hoffus

On Thursday, October 24th, Kelly Chase — Porcupine Plain native and former NHL player — brought the Stanley Cup to Porcupine Plain!  Visit the link below to find out more —

saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/it-s-like-traveling-with-the-beatles-kelly-chase-draws-crowds-in-porcupine-plain-with-stanley-cup-1.4655801?cache=yes%3FclipId%3D104056

 

Congratulations to the POP on the opening of your new Gift Store & Full Service Laundromat!

Aleck & Anthony Erikson assist Mayor Carol Belchamber, Hugh Nerlien, MLA and Connie Stianson in cutting the ceremonial ribbon at the Grand Opening for the Porcupine Opportunities Program’s latest venture —
Bits n Pieces gift store and full service laundromat — held on Tuesday, October 8th

 

Angela Gervais (onsite manager), and the LOL (Loads of Laundry) staff

SEWER DO’S AND DON’TS

DO’S:

DO – Follow the suggestions listed below which may save residents money and avoid significant inconvenience, as well as the cost to the resident or community for clearing and repairing blockages.

DO – Place liquid fats, oils and grease (FOG) into a jar or container with a lid and then dispose in the trash on trash collection day.  Wipe down greasy pots and pans with a paper towel prior to washing in the sink or dishwasher.

DO – Place a wastebasket in the bathroom to dispose of solid wastes. Disposable diapers, and personal hygiene products do not belong in the sewer system.

DO – Use a strainer over the drain in your sink, tub and shower. Then, empty the collected material into the garbage.

DO – Use a composter. The Parkland Co-op has compost bins that one can put lawn clippings, garden rubbish and food scraps in. You can then use the compost to fertilize your garden.

DO – Use the manufacturer’s recommended amount of detergent for washing in the kitchen or laundry. The average household uses three times more detergent than manufacturers recommend for washing dishes and clothes. When these detergents enter the sewer system, they hold large amounts of fats, oils, and grease in suspension making cleaning and treating the wastewater difficult and more costly. In addition to saving money on buying detergents, by cutting down on the amount of detergent used, there will also be less phosphate in the environment to cause the growth of algae in water.

 

DON’TS:

Do Not – pour fats, oils and grease from cooking down the sink drain. If your pots and pans are oily or greasy, don’t rinse them; wipe them out with a paper towel.

Do not – pour sour milk down the sink. One liter of full cream milk has enough fat in it to cover the surface of an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

Do not – use the toilet as a wastebasket / garbage can.

Do not – use the sewer as a means to dispose of food scraps.

Do not – discard food scraps, tealeaves, coffee grounds and eggshells down the sink.

Do not – flush razor blades, pharmaceutical products, cigarette butts, nail polish remover, toilet deodorant dispensers or other non-biodegradable products down the toilet. Also, toys can find their way into the system and cause serious problems. Please be diligent.

Do not – place jewellery and valuables on the edge of the basin or the sink. Once flushed down the toilet, valuable and valued items are very difficult to recover.

Do not – flush diapers, sanitary napkins, tampons, convenience pads, surgical bandages, syringes, and cotton tipped stems or pantyhose down the toilet. Do not dispose of plastics and plastic film from personal hygiene items, including disposable diapers down the toilet.

Do not -pour paint, engine oil, pesticides or chemicals down the sink. Some hazardous materials can corrode the sewer, while others complicate the treatment process. In fact, dumping them in the sewer is illegal and could subject you to a fine. This isn’t only because of the threat of these hazards getting into the environment; but also because these chemicals pose a health threat to maintenance crews working in the sewers. Similarly, by throwing hazardous materials in the solid waste containers, you are creating a risk for collection employees.

 

Be advised that the precautionary boil water advisory for the Town of Porcupine Plain has now been lifted.

Thank you to the crew with TSL and the Public Works staff for their efforts during the upgrades at the Water Treatment Plant.