With Mike Wood announcing his resignation as councillor from the City of Dryden, his seat was officially declared vacant at the Feb. 1 special meeting called by council.

Acting Clerk, Deb Kincaid, presented a staff report to mayor and council outlining the options, timelines and costs involved in filling Wood’s position.  Council decided unanimously to hold a by-election to fill the position.  The only one not to vote was Mel Fisher, who was absent from the meeting.

Options included the appointment of an individual to fill the vacancy or a by-election.  Kincaid said in her report that appointment is the quickest and most cost effective option to fill the vacancy and could be completed with a council decision at the March 19 regular council meeting.

Methods considered for appointment included appointing the next highest vote-getter from the previous election, appointing a candidate from another office from the previous election, appointing an eligible member of the public, advertise for applicants or solicit interest from previous members of council.

Councillor Ken Moss stated he would only be in favour of an appointment if the entire council were unanimous on the decision.  Councillor Brian Collins suggested simply going to former members of council and throwing the names “in a hat” as was done upon the resignation in 2010 of Gwen Kurz.  Mentioning Councillor Mary Trist’s comments on this being a three-year term left to fill, not three months as previously, Collins agreed that a by-election was the best choice.

Council agreed that a vote-by-mail format would be best, and had the highest voter turnout in previous elections.

According to Kincaid’s report, the estimated cost of vote-by-mail for this by-election, with trained volunteers doing a manual count, would be between $20,000 and $28,000.  Her estimation of doing a traditional vote would be between $12,000 and $16,000.  City Treasurer, Linda McNaughton says the by-election will now trigger an amendment to the recently passed 2012 budget as no funds are currently allocated.

Kincaid says the clerk’s department is not functioning at its full employee complement and any by-election will require the re-allocation of certain staff time, including herself as acting clerk, and the deputy clerk to by-election duties.  She says this will necessitate hiring additional temporary staff to ensure adequate coverage for the nomination period, revision period, and voting process.  Traditional elections require a larger temporary staff complement than vote-by-mail does.

Kincaid is to identify the voting date and key timelines at the February council meeting. The meeting was attended by former councillors, candidates from the 2010 election, and a former member of the city’s senior management team.

Dryden city council delegates heard a presentation on the dangers of in-camera meetings — a subject they already know a thing or two about, Feb. 2 at the Kenora District Municipal Association’s  (KDMA) annual general meeting in Sioux Lookout.

Municipal consultant Nigel Bellchamber, along with his business partner, acts as a closed meeting investigator for over 120 Ontario municipalities.

Of all the reasons a municipal council might enter a closed session, Bellchamber says ‘council comfort’ is not one of those reasons.

Bellchamber believes councils should use closed meetings as sparingly as possible and consider disclosing as much information as they can to the public without damaging the interests of the corporation.

“We would encourage people to err on the side of sharing with people,” said Bellchamber. “It just reduces fear and tension. Even when you work in an organization and you’re down the rungs, you often wonder, ‘what’s the boss thinking, what are they talking about in those management meetings’. When you get promoted up to senior management you realize that there really isn’t that much that can’t be disclosed, or that should remain secret. The really big risk is loss of confidence. You are the most important level of government to the people of Canada.”

Over last four years, Bellchamber has performed around 30 investigations into closed meeting conduct, a process that has revealed some common mistakes.

“What’s common is that municipalities do it with the best of intentions,” said Bellchamber. “By and large they are using closed sessions for the right reasons, but they make some technical errors.”

Bellchamber says technical errors in a closed meeting can be costly to municipalities. If granted, Freedom of Information requests invoked by the public can result in the release of information to the disadvantage of the municipality and the embarrassment of council.

“There are lots of times when it is quite appropriate to be in closed session — you may be receiving advice from your solicitor on a matter subject to solicitor/client privilege, it might be a personal matter about an identifiable individual, you might be negotiating for a piece of property. There are many legitimate scenarios, Council just needs to be careful that it is acting in accordance with the law.”

Bellchamber says closed meeting legislation has come a long way in 20 years and is still evolving, particularly in regards to communications technology like smartphones and email.

“Twenty years ago municipalities could do whatever they wanted in closed session,” says Bellchamber. “They traditionally had rules of their own that said, ‘personnel, property and legal matters’ — we deal with those in closed session. That just covers everything. So the province made the list much more specific. Are they going to add more to it? I doubt it. Unless there were some sort of persistent failure to abide by the rules, but I don’t see that. I believe it’s working.”

The Dryden Native Friendship Centre has received funding for a new program, focusing on getting urban aboriginals back to work, and on-the-job training.

The Apatisiwin (Employment and Training) Program’s main goal is to provide employment and training opportunities for unemployed or underemployed urban aboriginal individuals. The goal is to help those individuals attain their career goals with focus on on-the-job training and academic upgrading, when necessary for the job.

“Urban aboriginal is defined as living off the reserve, you can be status, non-status, Metis, Inuit, doesn’t matter,” said Kaylin Reid, Skills Intervention Worker for the Apatisiwin Program.

The funding only lasts until March 31, 2012, but Reid says she will continue to take applications to the last day, in order to show the government that the need is there, and attempt to have the funding extended.

“Right now, my deadline is March 31, so I have to have all my funds spent before or by that date, and that is the furthest I can guarantee anything,” said Reid.  “Currently, I only have EI (Employment Insurance) funds, which means you have to be EI eligible, so either on active EI, or on what’s called Reachback.  Having been on EI in the past three years, or five years for maternity or parental leave.”

With the Apatisiwin Program, the intervention provides the training and work experience to clients by providing on-the-job training costs, wage subsidies and other specified costs to employers. It is designed to assist individuals in assessing their skills and identifying a career goal.  Clients are partnered with local businesses in their trade or desired career path.

“Basically, it’s for any employment training.  No matter what it is, if you want training somewhere, if we can get you a placement, we’ll pay the wages, 100 per cent wage covered.  Employers are responsible for WSIB, their portion of CPP, EI, those things,” said Reid.  “For the individual, it’s get you experience, get you trained for the job.”

Reid said some education can be covered, but there are some guidelines involved.

“For school, we can pay for tuition, but you have to be in your last year.  You can be in university, and in your last year, we should be able to pay for it.  If you’re in college, and in a two year program, you have to be in your second year,” said Reid.  “If you’re not, we can help pay for books, materials, that kind of thing.”

There is an intake process for funding, and must be approved by a committee upon recommendation from Reid.

Applications will be accepted until March 31, or for more information, contact Reid at siw.dnfc@drytel.net or by calling 223-4180, extension 30.

Growing up in Oxdrift on his parents’ farm, Dr. Clayton Schneider has had a passion for dog sledding since he was a youth.  Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Schneider started his dog sled training with the farm dogs as a kid.

“We always had dogs, but more recently I have become competitive,” said the local veterinarian.

Schneider has just returned from Prince Albert, SK. where he placed second place on day one and first place on day two of the 12 mile, ten-dog race.

“That was a different sort of race out there.  Most races out there, they add day one and day two and the total is the winning time, but the Saturday and Sunday were a different race out,” said Schneider.

“This race is 23 miles coming up on Saturday and Sunday, so I ran my 10 dogs 25 miles on Monday, and 21 miles yesterday and then they’ll get two days of break,” said Schneider.  “Then in their head, they’ll know this weekend they are going to run about 22 miles, plus my lead dog ran it last year, so she’ll remember the trail.”

Schneider and all 40 dogs are now heading across the map to compete in six races over six weeks.

Schneider has taken on a new vet at the Dryden Veterinary Clinic, allowing him to take the extended time off to run his dogs.

“I’ve hired a very nice young fella to help me, my associate, Dr. Greg Springett from near Toronto.  He just arrived today with his family and my staff, clients and I are all very happy to have him,” said Schneider.

He began the six weeks with the Musher’s Rendevous in Preeceville, SK on Feb. 3-5 where he placed second and third, followed by a training session in Flin Flon.

“We’re taking about 45 dogs up to Flin Flon, to a cabin in the middle of nowhere, and we’re going to train.  The guy has trails made, a 10-mile, a six-mile, a 20-mile.  All we do is train our dogs for the whole week,” said Schneider.  “Then we will come back and race in Thompson, then come home to the Dryden race, and we have four six-dog teams entered in the Ely, MN.  I’ve won that race three years in a row, and last year I set a record.”

“Then back to Cross Lake, which is up in the mouth of the Nelson River in Manitoba, and then I’m going to the 50th Anniversary of the Canadian Open in Fort Nelson, BC.,” said Schneider.

Learning the key to training the dogs was a snowmachine, Schneider now hooks up to 16 dogs in front of his snowmobile and runs the miles of property surrounding his home.

“With no snow, if I hook up 12 dogs and go through the bush, I could kill myself, so this way is safer.  When I get on the sled, I just have to hang on,” said Schneider.

Schneider breeds a hound/pointer cross, and has a current inventory of 40 dogs.  Most of the females are spayed, with the exception of the valuable ones.

“Twenty years ago, I had malamutes and huskies, but I had a very hard time with their behaviour.  They are very aggressive toward each other, but these dogs here won’t fight,” said Schneider.

By time of print, the WolfTrack Classic in Ely, MN had been cancelled due to a lack of snow, warmer than average temperatures and the loss of snow pack. The combination of these elements has resulted in poor trail conditions and temperatures that prove both unhealthy and dangerous to both the dogs and the drivers.

The Dryden Lions Club held skating races in the community for 25 years, with the last race taking place in 1990.  Caley Ecker and Bill Salonen are working together to bring the activity back to the community.

Being held in conjunction with WinterFest, the skating races will be held at the Dryden Arena on Friday, February 17, beginning at 9:30 a.m. and will be open to all schools in the area.

“The goal of this is to have everyone feel in unity, especially over Family Day weekend.  It’s a good way for us, as a school, to celebrate us as a community.  Not just Dryden, but as all kids together in one place, being supported by their community and family,” said Ecker.  “The best part about it is watching all the kids coming in and feeling the excitement of it together, and then everybody has some common ground again.  Even if you’re not participating on the ice that day, you’re still here cheering on your school, or maybe a friend in another school, or your brother or sister.”

The individual race age categories will be divided up by boy and girl, starting at age five and ending at age 14.  There will also be one relay team per school for boys, and one for girls entered as well as an endurance race by one male and one female.

In the individual age categories, the student can move up to the next age group by winning the race, and keep competing against the older kids.

“When I retired, I should have really talked someone into following up with it, but I didn’t.  Now Caley wants to start it up again, and I think it’s a good fit for the winter festival, and this event gets a lot of kids involved.  Any kid can skate in their age limit,” said Salonen.

The students can sign up in their individual schools, and all students are invited to attend and cheer on their friends.  The smaller schools will be combined for the relay races.

“It’s the French School, the Full Gospel School, Migisi, and Lillian Berg, all as one, and they are Team United.  They will compete and all their points will join together, and they will compete in the relay together,” said Ecker.

After the school day is complete, there will be an elementary versus teachers hockey game at 4:30.  The Grade 7 and 8 classes will go up against the staff of the various schools to have a fun game.

The event was helped out by sponsorships from the City of Dryden and the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board.

The simplicity of a woman and her guitar were more than enough to satisfy a room packed to the rafters for the highest profile show of the 2011-12 Dryden Entertainment Series.

Abstaining from commercial radio for the most part, I admit I arrived to class without my homework done on Ms. Ryder. In my head, indistinct impressions of a Melissa Etheridge-type of songwriter formed my only expectations.

What followed was an eye-opening affirmation of what everyone says about Serena Ryder.

You know who she is. You just don’t know you know. Y’know?

After seeing her perform, it’s unlikely I’ll ever forget.

The 2008 Juno-winning (Best New Artist) Ryder plowed through a repertoire studded with inescapable originals like ‘Little Bit Of Red’, ‘Weak In the Knees’ and ‘All For Love’ — to the delight of the devotees in the audience.

What could not be accounted for was Ryder’s presence. While comments on stage presence are a trite and commonplace part of any review, Ryder seemed to project an uncanny level of confidence and relaxed comfort on stage — as though she could curl up and have a nap in front us if she wanted to.

Thankfully, she didn’t. On the contrary, at times Ryder would totally lose herself, stepping back from the mic’ to power into her guitar parts, her mop of hair flying wildly, obscuring her face as she hunched over her acoustic guitar, totally possessed by the performance.

While amazing to see someone so totally in the zone, she was a nightmare to photograph — her erratic movements often too much to freeze a sharp image at 1/15 of a second in the available light.

And thank the creator for the super-fans in the audience, who livened up the typically sleepy, overly polite Entertainment Series crowd with some tension-defusing hoots and hollers to fend off ‘the crickets’ in lulls between songs.

Not that Ryder needed any help. She was as charming between songs as she was when playing — calling out to see if the Ho-Ho’s waitress (Olga) whom she had put on the guest list had made it to the show (she did).

Ryder and her powerful, versatile voice left the Dryden crowd wanting more after a performance of her a cappella tune Sing Sing, returning for a one song encore.

The Dryden Entertainment Series returns Thursday, Feb. 23 with the Manitoba Theatre Centre’s travelling production of The Melville Boys. The series is looking for volunteers to help in the loading/unloading and set-up/teardown of the theatre sets. Interested volunteers can call 223-8139 or 937-6574.

Art students at the Art Beat program taught by Morgan Shepherd gathered on Feb. 3 to display what they’ve learned and created during session one.

“We’ve used all different mediums, like paint and pencil, and we followed the seven styles of art, including human figure, portrait, still life and landscape,” said Shepherd.  “They did a project for each one of those styles.  Then their parents and family get to come and see what they’ve done and worked on since September.”

Art Beat was created during the summer of 2011, with a grant from the Summer Company program, and Shepherd had enough success to carry the program through.  Session One included 17 youth, and Session Two will start this week.

The 18-year old teacher will continue with the Art Beat classes until she goes away to hairdressing school, and is considering starting adult classes as well, but is doing more research before making that decision.

Mae is survived by her grandchildren Trevor Ambridge and Tonya Duavin, her brother Fred (Bud) Ambridge, sister Shelby (Jean) Dupuis and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her husband Bill Paganin, infant son Billy, son Lloyd Ambridge, daughter-in-law Noreen Ambridge, her parents Anne and Joseph Ambridge, sister Marie Kirby and brother Arthur Ambridge.

Mae was a very unique individual who held family most important in her life.  She found great comfort in the outdoors as she loved nature and animals.

Mae dedicated her life to the needs of others, working as a caregiver, a tree planter and cook.

Her final days were made more comfortable by the loving care she received from the staff at Princess Court.

A private family interment will take place in Prince George, B.C. at a later date.

If friends desire, memoriam donations may be made to the Second Chance Pet Network through Stevens Funeral Homes, Box 412, Dryden, ON P8N 2Z1. Condolences may be emailed to sympathycard@shaw.ca subject: Paganin

A special person, a special face

Never selfish, always kind

Your life was full of loving deeds

Forever thoughtful of our special needs

On earth you toiled, in Heaven you rest

Your memory is a keepsake

With which we will never part

God has you in his keeping

We have you in our hearts