UNITY — The town office is short-staffed. If you know of any professional accountants looking for a new opportunity, we still have an opening for a finance officer. Staff will be interviewing for a new bylaw officer later this week. Hopefully, we will be able to fill both positions soon.
A huge thank you goes to Kevin Cey as he moves into retirement from our recreation staff. Kevin’s service and dedication showed in his work. He will be difficult to replace.
Summer has provided lots of entertainment opportunities. The pool is busy and the staff provided extra hours of operation during the big ball tournament. The community and visitors appreciated the opportunity. They have also teamed up to provide coverage through the September long weekend which is a fantastic way to finish the season. Thanks so much to our lifeguards.
Our summer students play a huge role in keeping up with all the grass and general maintenance of our green areas. They have kept busy mowing, watering, weeding, whipping and painting. We hope you can return next season to help keep our community beautiful.
The First Avenue project is showing progress. One of the subcontractors has also had staffing issues. Time will tell if this affects the timeline. The roll test has been completed on the 100 block. Water and sanitary services are complete on the 200 block. They are working on finishing the subbase for the 200 block.
We have had some initial discussions with the Ministry of Highways on design changes to access points on Highway 14. Safety issues have triggered these discussions. The timeline for the actual work is three to five years down the road.
One of our community members is working with individuals to draft two petitions. The first will be to the minister of Health regarding the proposed tendering of pharmaceutical services for Unity’s Long Term Care residents. The reason given for tendering is cost savings. However, it’s the residents or their families who pay for these services. LTC residents and families need to have direct contact with their pharmacies. There is a real possibility that the tendering process could result in a pharmacy from Swift Current or Prince Albert winning the tender. This takes away our residents' right to shop locally and discuss their concerns with someone they know. The first petition will be for the residents and their families to sign.
The second will be for the community, in general, to take part in. This speaks to the gradual erosion of services in small communities. We love to shop locally and support those who provide us with the services we need to thrive and raise our families. Small business is the backbone of Saskatchewan and this move by SHA is unacceptable. It could be a week or so before the wordsmiths are ready to present the petitions but watch for social media posts and be ready to sign.
Council will be looking at a Bylaw to allow golf carts on town streets. We must make sure we cover all the details before we bring it forward. In the meantime, enjoy the dog days of summer and all the garden produce.
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