July 2009

Round Our Way the Birds Are Singing

July 30, 2009 | in

I woke up at the crack of dawn to the sound of songbirds as the sunlight crept through the windows of the RV in Candle Lake. I leaped to my feet and quietly manoeuvred my way around the collection of souvenirs and mementos we had accumulated over the past six weeks on the “Round Our Way” 2009 Summer Tour. Read more »

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Parading around in Prince Albert

July 29, 2009 | in

It was the perfect evening for a parade in Prince Albert. The sun was out, it was not too hot, and there was enough of a breeze to keep the bugs away. With such ideal conditions it was no wonder that the event brought out what seemed like thousands of people to the city’s downtown. Read more »

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Returning to Foam Lake - July 23

July 22, 2009 | in

Almost six years ago I had the opportunity to visit Foam Lake, Saskatchewan with former Saskatchewan Liberal Leader David Karwacki during the 2003 provincial election campaign. We had stopped, with some of the provincial media in tow, to visit a fairly new start-up company called Milligan Bio-Tech. Read more »

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All Aboard the Liberty Train!

July 22, 2009 | in

The last two days of our tour has been a whirlwind of activity that has seen us visit 11 different communities in less than 48 hours. Read more »

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Community Spirit Strong at Ness Creek Music Festival

July 17, 2009 | in

In my younger days I was a guitarist in a rock & roll band, and a dream of ours was to play at the Ness Creek Festival- a rite of passage for any band worth its salt. Back then I would never have thought that my first time at Ness Creek would be years later as the Leader of the Saskatchewan Liberals. Read more »

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Coffee at the Crossroads - Blaine Lake - July 16

July 16, 2009 | in

No summer political tour of Saskatchewan is complete in my books without a stop in Blaine Lake. Read more »

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Camp Wanna Be Free - July 11

July 12, 2009 | in

It was two years ago that I last had the opportunity to attend the Western Canadian Young Liberal’s summer caucus (affectionately known as “Camp Wanna Be Free” or in times when the Liberals are in government, “Camp Finally Free”). Like then, it was again being hosted in Saskatchewan on the shores of Lake Diefenbaker. Read more »

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Entrepreneurial Spirit of Saskatchewan Alive and Well in Ogema

July 11, 2009 | in

In the end, it will be the communities with the best entrepreneurs that thrive, and there are few better examples of this than Ogema. Several years ago, south Saskatchewan town had a population of less than 300 and was facing the loss of its railway, school, elevator and health care facilities. Today, it’s a different story. Read more »

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Centralization Getting Worse

July 3, 2009 | in

The first leg of the “Round Our Way” 2009 Summer Tour has focused on Southwest Saskatchewan and has seen us visit 10 different communities covering over 1500km, including Maple Creek, Shaunavon, Assiniboia, Gravelbourg, and Ponteix. Read more »

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Life on the Road

July 3, 2009 | in

Having gone “on tour” before many times with everyone from local candidates, to cabinet ministers, to the PM, there is something very familiar about going back out on the road to campaign with my good friend Ryan Bater. And yet, I can’t help but feel that this tour is a little bit different than my other experiences. Why you ask? One reason: travelling in the RV that we affectionately call the “Millennium Falcon” (there are more than a few Star Wars fans in the Sask Liberals these days, chief amongst them being our new Leader). Read more »

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Province Got a Brand New Flag- June 29th

July 3, 2009 | in

One of the greatest aspects parts of touring the province is finding little nuggets of history that you never knew about before. While visiting Ponteix on a very hot afternoon we were surprised to find a flag in the Town’s Council Chambers that we had never seen before- but by its appearance was distinctively Saskatchewan. It was a bicolour of red over green. Read more »

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