Saskatchewan takes April Fools’ Day in stride

April Fools’ Day has arrived and here are a few ways that organizations and companies throughout the province are getting into the fun.

Australian Kangaroos to be introduced to Saskatchewan

It’ll soon look a lot more like the land down under here in Saskatchewan.

The Association of Saskatchewan Urban Parks and Conservation Agencies (ASUPCA) is bringing 50 pairs of Australian Red Kangaroos to the prairies.

Research shows that introducing the marsupial to the Saskatchewan grasslands could help in the effort to promote biodiversity, by helping to get rid of intrusive and exotic plants like the eucalyptus.

ASUPCA officials say exotic plants have slowly choked out native prairie grassland – of which only 20 per cent remains.

The kangaroos are slated for arrival early this summer.

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U of R converts pool to live lobster tank

The University of Regina has converted the diving pool to a holding tank for lobsters.

On Friday the university announced that the dive portion of the pool in the Centre for Kinesiology will be turned into a lobster holding tank to allow the university to develop and sustain its own supply of lobster for the Prairie Kitchen Party gala dinner.

Aside from the creation of a self-sustaining supply of lobster for the annual student fund-raiser, the university will also be initiating a number of research projects aimed at exploring the viability of a large scale lobster industry in Saskatchewan.

The U of R says that disruptions to normal use of the dive tank will be minimal. Lobsters will be specially selected and trained to be friendly to pool users and to move to the sides of the pool when people are using the diving boards.

The University will be stocking the dive tank with lobsters beginning in the fall of 2016, with the first made-in-Saskatchewan lobsters being served at the Prairie Kitchen Party in May 2017.

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Boston Pizza launches food shield

If you hate sharing your food Boston Pizza may have a dinner creation that is calling your name.

Boston Pizza announced Friday that they are launching the ‘Hey! That’s Nacho Food Shield,’ which is a protective, impenetrable shield designed for guests who don’t want to share their food with tablemates.

The Hey! That’s Nacho Food Shield is constructed of a sleek, transparent acrylic and can be placed over any dish for protection on all sides from hungry friends, family and teammates.

Kindersley RCMP welcome drug-sniffing guinea pigs to the force

RCMP in Kindersley have added two new Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) to their team – and they’re guinea pigs!

RCMP say the two new recruits (Thunder and Lightning) have been trained to sniff out impairment in drivers under the influence of drugs. The guinea pigs have been brought to Kindersley after successful use with other police services abroad.

“After hearing about the successful use in other communities overseas, exploring the use of DRE Guinea Pigs in Canada will be a welcome sight to our local communities. They (Guinea Pigs) are much cheaper to train and keep than dogs.” says Cst. Kletzel of the Eston Detachment, a community satellite detachment of Kindersley RCMP.

A new kennel at the back of the Kindersley detachment will be built in the near future to hold Thunder and Lightning and also two RCMP vehicles have been re-designed to have a small cage in the back seat when travelling.

RCMP are reminding drivers that drive while impaired by drugs in Saskatchewan face the same consequences as those who ddrive while impaired by alcohol.

Drivers found to be impaired by drugs will face an immediate three-day license suspension.

If you don’t want to meet up with Thunder and Lightning then make the right choice, don’t get behind the wheel if you are impaired by drugs or alcohol. We hear Thunder and Lightning don’t like to share the backseat.

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