Prince Albert Rotarians recently welcomed a new member, Sandy Shindelka. In a vocational presentation, Sandy shared her experiences working in the finance sector, moving to several different places in Western Canada. She started at CIBC, before moving to BMO and transitioning through several different positions, eventually getting a Mortgage Broker's License. Sandy came to Prince Albert recently, and has joined Prince Albert Rotary after having participated in Rotary in the past. Welcome Sandy!

 

Prince Albert Rotarians are still having regular meetings from a distance. Bailey Fischl, the CEO of Pure Roots Urban Farms presented about her business, which focuses on food that is nutrient-dense and hyper-local. The idea behind hyper-local is that food is grown within communities to reduce the carbon footprint from transportation, by selling directly from grower to end consumer.

 

The process of Pure Roots Urban Farms is a vertical method and uses 95% less water, 85% less fertilizer, and 95% less space than traditional farming methods. The farms are placed as units, and work diligently to provide the highest quality produce.

 

Monday, March 30th Prince Albert Rotarians gathered on Zoom to meet from a distance. Natasha Thomson from Big Brothers Big Sisters presented on the Prince Albert chapter and how the organization is helping youth in the community. Big Brothers Big Sisters pairs youth from ages six to sixteen with a mentor to assist them with social awareness, relationship skills, decision making, self management, and self awareness. Although the match between youth and mentor typically only lasts until age sixteen, many of the relationships made last a lifetime. Prince Albert currently has thirty-five matches, but are always looking for more volunteers to mentor youth. Anyone who wishes to volunteer a few hours a week can enroll on the Big Brothers Big Sisters website.

 

As per email message from President Joe, currently scheduled Rotary meetings have been temporarily cancelled.  All March meetings are expected to be cancelled and the situation evaluated for April later this month.  Please refer to the email from President Joe for the full details.  If you are a Rotarian member and did not receive the email, please contact President Joe or President-elect Keith.

 

Thanks and stay safe.

 

We encourage everyone to keep updated by following the Saskatchewan Health Authority link below. 

Last week, Prince Albert Rotarians had a visit from the Director of Resolution at the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, Jocelyn Putland Wiebe. Jocelyn's presentation touched on a variety of topics, but began with explaining that the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission is meant to protect the rights of Saskatchewanians and deal with complaints of human rights violations. The SHRC is moving away from using litigation to resolve claims, and instead is using mediation, which has seen a high rate of success. Most issues can be solved with mediation, and eighty percent are solved in less than a year, while half are resolved in less than ninety days. 

 

In the image below from the left are Neil Raas, Director of Resolution Jocelyn Putland Weibe, and President Elect Keith Fonstad.

The first meeting of 2020 for Prince Albert Rotarians consisted of a lovely presentation from one of the newest members of the Prince Albert Rotary Club, Matthew Reid. Matthew spoke about his position at the Salvation Army and how he hopes to improve the Prince Albert chapter to better serve the community by forming a Community Council and Church Leadership Program to assist with decision-making.

 

This holiday season, the Salvation Army Christmas Kettle program in Prince Albert raised $75,000 that will go toward programs that take place year-round. Some of these programs are the Christmas Program, shelter assistance, clothing, food, and sending children to camp. Seen in the photo below are Prince Albert Rotary Club President Joe Weinrich on the left, and Matthew Reid on the right. 

On Monday, November eighteenth, Rotary Club of Prince Albert members were given a presentation by Nuvo Pharms founder Jamie Novotny. Mr. Novotny is a medical advocate for the use of medicinal marijuana, and speaks from experience as someone who deals with Multiple Sclerosis and Crohn's Disease. Medical Cannabis helped Mr. Novotny to go from being unable to walk at all and not speak properly, to being able to walk and speak again, evident by his ability to present at Rotary Club luncheon. In his presentation, he detailed that there are several problems with Medical Cannabis, including that patients often have to go to the illicit market to get what they need, as many of the Cannabis producers who farmed medicinal marijuana prior to legalization turned to recreational production after legalization. Mr. Novotny is currently working on starting his company Nuvo Pharms, which will produce high quality medical Cannabis and provide patients with a safe, consistent product. Seen below are Mr. Novotny (left), and Rotary Club President Joe Weinrich. 

Saturday the twenty-sixth of October was the twelfth annual Rotary Wine Premier, sponsored by B&B Construction and many other generous sponsors. The evening was a great success, boasting a full house, live entertainment, and the presence of the makers of the evening's wines from Italy and Australia. 

 

Rotary Club of Prince Albert would like to thank all attendees, volunteers, and sponsors. We'd also like to thank Doug Reichel Wine Marketing for working with us to provide high-quality wines for the evening.

 

Diamond Sponsor:

B&B Construction Group

 

Emerald Sponsors:

Meyers Norris Penny (MNP)

Lake Country Co-op

Scotiabank

 

Platinum Sponsors:

FYI Doctors: Doctors Diakow, Malec, Haugen, and Lacey

CBI Health Centre

Novus Law Group

Riverside Dodge

PA Insurance

 

Gold Sponsors:

Carlton Honda

Thierman Financial

PA Fastprint

Prince Albert Daily Herald

 

Silver Sponsors:

Century 21

Feher Financial

Chamber Plan Suchorab and Morash

 

Bronze Sponsors:

PA Autobody

Scotia Wealth Management, Terry Lysyk

PA Photocopier

Coronet

 

Friend Sponsors:

Coldwell Banker, Doucette Realty

Beau "Lac" Funeral Home

What began as a dream nineteen years ago came to fruition today with the completion of the final section of the Rotary Trail. Spanning twenty-two kilometers, this trail is meant to not only be multi-use, but meant to be accessible to people of all walks of life. Today, Rotarians, sponsors, and community members gathered for the completion of this nearly two-decade-long project. Although at first a project of this size seemed like an impossible task, today proved that dedication and persistence can make dreams happen. 

 

Rotary Club of Prince Albert would like to thank the incredible sponsors of the trail for both monetary and in-kind donations, as well as the community for donating time and support. Thanks also goes out to everyone who attended the completion ceremony today to celebrate!

 

 

Our very own Rotarian Chris Clinton presented to the club today on some of the many highlights from his trips abroad which he undertook with his wife Eileen. Chris attended the most recent Rotary International Convention in Germany and also found time to visit local Rotary clubs in Australia and Russia. Thanks for the report and pictures Chris - it's great knowing we have a representative from Prince Albert Rotary Club making connections with other Rotary Clubs around the world. (Seen here with club president Joe Weinrich).