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Senior's Scene

The Will of the People

Oct 30, 2020 | 9:25 AM

I had to wait until Tuesday morning to find out about the outcome in the Provincial Elections in the Prince Albert Northcote riding.

Monday night it was predicted that for some ridings they needed to wait for the results of the mail-in vote, but Nicole Rancourt confirmed, on Facebook , that she had lost her battle in Prince Albert-Northcote.

She stated “Thank you to the voters that put your support behind myself and the New Democrats. Unfortunately, it appears we were not successful in Prince Albert Northcote. I am so proud to have stood with Ryan Meili and the NDP team in the legislature and in this election, and I was proud of our plan to put people first. We may not have been successful in winning in Prince Albert Northcote tonight, but I am so proud of the work we have done here.”

With Prince Albert being represented by Joe Hargrave (Prince Albert – Carlton) and Alana Ross (Prince Albert -Northcote) – both Saskatchewan Party candidates -, we will also have four more years with Premier Scott Moe on the helm.

Many of Mr. Moe’s cabinet members are also returning to the fold including the Honourable Warren Kaeding, Saskatchewan Minister for Seniors.

Since his appointment as Minister for Seniors, Mr. Kaeding has paid particular attention to the Prince Albert Seniors Advocacy Centre and The Heart of Seniors Gathering a Prince Albert Church specifically dedicated to Seniors. He encouraged these two Prince Albert-based organizations to maintain a strong link with his relatively new Provincial Ministry.

With Alana Ross and Joe Hargrave around the same cabinet table as Mr. Kaeding, this promises to be quite positive for seniors in the City of Prince Albert.

And now it is time to turn our attention to the municipal elections on November 9th, 2020.

We already are seeing a hot contest with four Mayoral candidates including, of course, the incumbent Mayor Greg Dionne. Darryl Hickie, ex Sask Party MLA and Cabinet Minister, has already laid out this platform, as has Josh Morrow.

During the traditional All Candidates meeting, held on October 15th, 2020, all Mayoral Candidates laid out their plans on what they would do for seniors in the City of Prince Albert.

They all committed to work closely with the Prince Albert Seniors Advocacy Centre on the planning and delivery of respective age-related programming and services for seniors.

The forum did not exhibit unhealthy rivalry between the candidates. In fact, the whole affair was quite civil.

It appears that Josh Morrow carefully listened during this event as he included a strong written statement for support of the elderly in his Platform.

The outcome of the Provincial Election might play a role in Darryl Hickie’s campaign as he knows so well all the players around the Cabinet table, including, of course, the Premier.

Also, there is a tremendous appetite in Council seats with most wards being contested except Ted Zurakowski’s ward. Ted was acclaimed and will remain.

However, it is possible the composition of council might be quite different compared to the previous council. The outcome might be a council with quite a few new faces which changes the whole dynamics considerably independent from who is elected as Mayor.

Interesting times we live in.

This was and might be the will of the people.

John Fryters is a 72-year old senior who is passionate to assist other seniors in his peer group. He can be contacted by e-mail at campus@inet2000.com or through www.seniorprincealbert.com.

This column is sponsored by MacKenzie Funeral Chapel and Crematorium – Compassionate care and impeccable service.

130 9th St. E, Prince Albert, SK
Phone: (306) 763-8488

https://mackenziechapel.ca/