REGINA – As we look back on 2014 in Saskatchewan, here are some numbers that stood out over the course of the year.
1,129,899 – Saskatchewan’s population as of December, another new record for the province.
$47 million – Money spent by SaskPower to remove failed smart meters from Saskatchewan homes. By the end of 2014, 10 of the units had caught fire. The Crown utility recouped some of the cost, but is still committed to buying meters from the same manufacturer
2060 – Days between the 2009 finale of Corner Gas on television and the 2014 motion picture’s opening in theatres. Funding for Corner Gas: The Movie came in part from a Kickstarter campaign and a grant from the Saskatchewan government.
4 – Tower cranes lining the sky at the site of Regina’s new stadium build. Construction is now in full swing, with the $278-million facility slated to open fully in 2017
$3,600 – Cost of a car service for June Draude, the former social services minister during a 2013 trip to London. It was later revealed that finance minister Ken Krawetz used a similar service. Krawetz, along with Draude, reimbursed taxpayers for the gaffe. The employee who booked the limos lost his job.
90.0 cents – Average price of regular gas in Saskatchewan to close the year, with the total continuing to fall as oil prices plummet. The crash will likely hurt Saskatchewan’s 2015 budget.
$131.26 – Total money saved by the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region as a direct result of Lean, the province’s plan to streamline health care. Lean was heavily criticized throughout the year. The contract with an outside Lean consultant will end in February 2015.
37 – Saskatchewan communities forced to declare a state of emergency due to flooding in early July.
$23.4 million – Amount paid out so far through the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP), with more than 2,700 damage claims still to be resolved.
-38.8 – Coldest temperature recorded in Regina during 2014, on March 1.
33.1 – Warmest day of 2014, as Reginans sweated it out on September 25.
4– Quarterbacks started by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a season where stalwart Darian Durant was sidelined with an elbow injury in Week 11, leaving Rider Nation’s playoff hopes in the hands of 41-year-old Kerry Joseph
10-8 – Wins and losses by the Riders in 2014. The year ended with an 18-10 loss to Edmonton in the Western Division semi-final.
7 – The familiar number slotback Weston Dressler returned to following the anxious #DresslerWatch2014. Dressler decided to return to the Riders for a 7th season after being cut by the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs
88.75 – Mark McMorris’s score in the slopestyle snowboarding final at the 2014 Winter Olympics. McMorris won bronze – Canada’s first medal of the games.
31 – Years as head coach of the Regina Rams for Frank McCrystal, who retired following the 2014 CIS football season. McCrystal took home CIS Coach of the Year honours in 2007.
23 – Wins by the Regina Pats before the new year, with just 12 losses. The Pats hold down 3rd place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference – surprising, given the club was expected by many to only be fighting for a final playoff spot.
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