It is a time-honoured journalistic tradition at this time of year to look back on the year that was. The following stories were the biggest news of 2015 as judged by the editorial staff of Yorkton This Week.
5. Major Mosaic expansion
A $1.7 billion expansion of Mosaic鈥檚 K3 potash mine project at Esterhazy announced in March was seen as having a hugely positive affect for Yorkton according to Mayor Bob Maloney at the time.
鈥淎ny development in potash is good news for the city of Yorkton,鈥� Maloney said.
鈥淚t will result in more jobs and more jobs means more business for Yorkton; you get more people shopping here, more people building homes. We build subdivisions when Mosaic announces something. Miners make good money and they live in houses; they don鈥檛 live in apartments for the most part.鈥�
As it is, 133 of the operation鈥檚 permanent employees and their families already live in the city.
Mosaic had not released how many permanent jobs the expansion might create because that is approximately eight years in the future. However, in the interim, Sarah Fedorchuk, senior director of public affairs, said at least 300 skilled trades people and up to 600 will be employed in the construction.
鈥淲e anticipate it will be really, really great for the local economy,鈥� she said.
Maloney saw a lot of spin-off benefits for Yorkton.
鈥淲hen you look at those kinds of dollars, some of it will be spent in the local region,鈥� he said. 鈥淢osaic always does a good job of trying to make sure that they support local suppliers because then they鈥檝e got ongoing assistance as they develop.鈥�
4. Dracup project approved
In July, Yorkton Council approved a major expenditure in road improvements.
At its regular meeting July 13, Yorkton Council took the unusual step of discussing a near $6.5 million expenditure in-camera, out of the view of both the public and media.
It was during the in-camera session Council decided to extend the Acadia Paving Ltd. contract to complete roadway improvements on Dracup Avenue North ($2,184,000), a round-about at the Dracup/Darlington intersection ($966,000) and Dracup Avenue 麻豆视频 ($1,752,400) for a total cost of $4,902,400.
Acadia had earlier been awarded the contract on the work being done on Highway #10 in front of the Parkland Mall and Mayhew.
Council also authorized a budget for underground infrastructure work for Dracup Avenue North ($2,212,500) and Dracup Avenue 麻豆视频 ($4,225,000) for a total of $6,437,500. Work is to commence immediately on Dracup Avenue North, and tenders to be brought back to Council for Dracup Avenue 麻豆视频.
City Manager Lonnie Kaal called the process in this case was 鈥渦ntypical鈥�, noting generally budget items are discussed in strategic planning sessions, not in an in-camera session. However there was some urgency with this decision, if it were to proceed this year, she said.
3. GSSD v. CTTCS and the Province
After 10 years, a dispute between the Yorkton public and separate school divisions over the school in Theodore finally got under way November 9.
In initial 2005 suit, launched by what was then the York School Division, plaintiff alleged the creation of a separate school division in Theodore contravened the Education Act.
Minority religion education rights are protected in Saskatchewan by the Canadian Constitution. Good Spirit School Division, however, is arguing that the Catholic school in Theodore was created not to serve the minority Catholic population, but to circumvent the public board鈥檚 decision to close the school and bus students to nearby Springside based on the fact that most of the students are non-Catholic.
Christ the Teacher Catholic Schools maintain it has 鈥渢he right to decide to admit non-Catholic School students and to determine the extent to which their admission allows us to maintain a truly authentic faith-based Catholic school system,鈥� according to an open letter circulated just before the trial began. 鈥淥ur faith is a journey that includes inquiry of non-Catholics and growth of existing members. This requires inclusion and a welcoming spirit.鈥�
The case is ongoing.
2. Mildenberger guilty in Usherville murder
In March 2009, Gwenda Gregory was found brutally murdered in her Usherville home.
In June 2012, her neighbour, Jaycee Mildenberger, was charged with first-degree murder.
His trial was scheduled to start in January 2015, but was adjourned.
Finally, on June 8, more than six years after the crime and exactly three years after Mildenberger鈥檚 arrest, the trial began with the stunning revelation police had cracked the case with an elaborate seven-month long Mr. Big operation leading to two videotaped confessions.
The first confession took place in a warehouse in Winnipeg where Mildenberger laid out the grisly details of the crime to a phony organized crime 鈥渇ixer.鈥� The second, corroborating confession was delivered to investigators at RCMP 鈥淔鈥� Division headquarters in Regina.
At trial, prosecutor Andrew Wyatt painstakingly laid out the evidence for a jury and culminating with the two confession videos.
The defence countered by putting the defendant himself on the stand to recant his confessions. Saskatoon defence attorney Brian Pfefferle argued Mildenberger lied because investigators manipulated him into believing his family would be in danger if he didn鈥檛 tell them what they wanted.
The jury didn鈥檛 buy it taking just eight-and-a-half hours to convict Mildenberger of first-degree murder.
Madam Justice C.L. Dawson wasted no time pronouncing the mandatory life sentence with no eligibility for parole for 25 years. With time-served, and barring a successful appeal Mildenberger will be in prison until at least June 8, 2037. He will be 71 years old.
1. Trades & Technology Centre opens
After years of planning, and months of construction Parkland College opened its new Trades & Technology Centre in September.
The $19 million facility allows the college the better needs of students in the area, and better meet the needs the students in the area, said Dwayne Reeve, president of the Parkland College. There are 100 students in the facility right now, with plans for 300 training spaces.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a really wonderful teaching environment, and it鈥檚 also a wonderful facility in terms of what we have for equipment and programs.鈥�
The facility means the College can offer more programs, Reeve said, as well as offering more in depth programming, and allowing students more time to get practical experience with equipment. While the Power Engineering lab, one of the cornerstones of the new college, is not completely finished, Reeve said it would be one of the best facilities in the province.
鈥淲e will be able to train highly skilled workers that will then go back into the workforce, be employed by many of the industries and small businesses in our communities, and ultimately create vibrant communities, and that鈥檚 what everyone wants, the region to continue to grow, expand and develop.鈥�
The expected cost was $15 million, but Reeve says that the extra cost came in a lot of the intricate equipment required for much of the programming.
The provincial government was a partner in the facility. Other partners included the federal government, industries in the area like Mosaic and PotashCorp, the City of Yorkton as well as the local businesses.
Past president Fay Myers was also an instrumental part of getting the facility off the ground. The planning began six years ago, and Myers says that much of the very early planning involved talking to people and finding out what they needed for their industry.
鈥淚t started six years ago basically by talking to people and putting a small group together at the college and putting a plan and a vision together.鈥�
Myers admitted it was a little bit surreal to be stand in the centre on the grand opening.
鈥淚鈥檝e seen it through the sod turning all the way through the construction, all of the planning, all of the people involved in planning room to room to room, it鈥檚 a wonderful building, a wonderful concept and a wonderful college for this region. I know that the Parkland College will go forward and do more.鈥�
