Goose River Lodge

Dan Danielson was born at Eston, Saskatchewan, on August 12,1949, and lived on his grandfather’s homestead farm for six years prior to his family moving to Tyner, Saskatchewan, where the school was located. He completed grade eight in Tyner before travelling by school bus to Eston High School where he graduated in 1967. Dan went on to the university of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon where he completed a B Ed in Education, a BA in Economics, a PGD (Post Graduate Diploma) in Educational Administration and an MEd in Educational Administration.

His Master’s Thesis was written on policy making and governance. Dan has a love for lifelong learning and says, "Education is the greatest equalizer in our society. "

Even at a young age he recognized how helpful it is to communicate and make friends with older people, usually well-educated with considerable expertise and experience. Now as an elder himself, he says the younger generation provides him with positive hope for our future. However, being an analytical "truth seeker" in a world of half-truths, misinformation, and lies, is a worthy but difficult challenge.

Dan worked with the Saskatchewan Land Bank, the Saskatchewan Farm Ownership Board, the National Farmers Union, the Federal/Provincial Partnership Agreement on Rural Development, the Meadow Lake School Division and Co-op Hail Insurance. He and his wife Sharon, who had a career in banking with long-term employment at Affinity Credit Union in Saskatoon, worked on and off the farm to establish and sustain a successful family farm business, build a new farm yard, move in and upgrade a farm home, acquire a second home in Saskatoon and purchase a cottage at Hitchcock Bay by Lucky Lake on Lake Diefenbaker.

Dan has served on numerous boards, committees, commissions and associations including: the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission, the Saskatchewan Crown Land Tenants Association, the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Committee, the Saskatoon Public School Board, the Saskatchewan School Boards Association, the Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency, the University of Saskatchewan Senate, the Committee for a Democratic Co-op, Agriculture in the Classroom, Western Grains Research Foundation, CUPE Pension Plan and Primrose Resources Economic Development Corporation.

Dan likes to include an educating message into the conversation. He believes that government has a beneficial role to play in our "market economy" to reduce barriers to entry, to democratically establish fair rules for the game, and allow more than the most-wealthy to participate. He understands that "Regulations" to make the market more-fair, humane and safe are essential. He suggests that fair taxes are necessary to pay for needed government services like "Public Medicare" and "Public Education". In addition, he often states that the most-wealthy use more public resources, services and infrastructure, so it is only fair that they should pay at a higher tax rate. Sharing is caring and we all benefit. Our fragile democracy should not be up for sale to the highest monetary bidder.

Dan has a natural flair for the clever and comical side of life, no matter how serious some issues can be. He enjoys people and can often be caught talking to total strangers, who he says are potential friends he has just met. He suggests if people are insulted and reject his friendly approach, he is only out one hello and maybe an initial smile. Above all, he wants his family and others to have a safe, productive and happy life going into a complex but interesting future. His motto is: "We can all make a difference" both independently and collectively.

Dan says," We owe it to ourselves, our communities, our country, and the world, to inform ourselves on social, economic and political issues, and to participate in the democratic process. He knows "Climate Change" is real and says currently about every month, someplace in the world experiences a climate related disaster, costing at least $1 billion to clean up and repair. He boldly proclaims, "Never mind the profit inspired greed and misinformation from the highly paid ‘fossil fools lobby’ and their self-serving talking points, we need to save our planet or monetary wealth will become meaningless. The cost is less to solve this human made climate problem than be forced to adjust our lives to cope with it. Time is not on our side."

In addition, Dan enjoys the beauty and friendship of nature and advises us all to stop, listen, observe, smell and feel our surroundings. He says we need to be kind to the environment for very important, life saving, human and economic reasons.