The Daily Herald’s look back at 2024 continues with our Year in Review for April and May.
Roughly 160 youth from Prince Albert and Northern Saskatchewan gather at Plaza 88 for the second annual Our Legacy Youth Conference. Event organizer Nicole Matheis said they wanted to create something that celebrated local youth. The event runs from April 2-4, and concludes with a gala where students show off projects they worked on in conference workshops.
The Smile Cookie Campaign raises more than $48,000 for the Prince Albert SPCA. Local Tim Hortons’ establishments host the fundraiser from April 29 to May 5. The total is a record for Prince Albert.
After overseeing seven federal elections in Prince Albert, Barry Hollick officially announces his retirement as returning officer for the Constituency of Prince Albert. Hollick made the decision to retire in late 2023, and formally announces it in April. He retires after spending 21-and-a-half years in the position.
The Prince Albert Chamber of Commerce officially opens their new downtown office on April 4. The chamber made the move in March, but welcomes the community with an official grand opening in April. “Feb. 1 we got possession of the building and then it’s been a crazy past month with renovations and bringing it up to make it work for our organization,” Chamber CEO Patty Hughes says.
The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation announces that an indefinite work-to-rule period will start on April 8 after negotiations break down on a new collective bargaining agreement. Despite the challenges, the events like the Prince Albert and NE Regional Science Fair are still held, but with small changes.
James Smith Cree Nation bands provide a massive boost to a playground campaign created in memory of Wesley Petterson. The 78-year-old Weldon resident was killed in the mass stabbing that occurred on Sept. 4, 2022. On April 13, 2024, James Smith Cree Nation donates $116,000 towards the Weldon Playground Project in Petterson’s honour. “I have no words,” Playground Project co-director Jamie Petrie says following the donation. “Our hearts are filled with so much joy and gratitude.”
Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River Conservative MP Gary Vidal announces he will not seek re-election. Vidal was first elected in 2019, but declined to run again after re-districting meant he would no longer live in the riding. “Though it is not a legal requirement that a Member of Parliament live in the riding they serve, for me, it is a personal requirement and one that I believe in very strongly,” Vidal writes in a letter released to the media. “The fact is that I will not reside in the new riding.” Vidal’s home community of Meadow Lake is attached to the former riding of Battlefords-Lloydminster to create Battlefords-Lloydminster-Meadow Lake. Vidal writes that the Conservative Party has told him they will not hold an open nomination in the riding. Battlefords-Lloydminister is represented by Conservative MP Rosemarie Falk.
Drs. Tilak and Lalita Malhotra are recognized with the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Healthcare at the annual Med Gala on April 27. Tilak was Prince Albert’s first pediatrician, and the first Saskatchewan pediatrician asked to participate on the Canadian Paediatrics Society national board before passing away in 2017. Lalita became known as the Angel of the North for her work helping deliver babies in remote northern communities. The duo moved to Prince Albert in the 1970s and quickly became involved in the medical community. “The two of them worked tirelessly for decades at the hospital and in the community,” Boreal Healthcare Foundation CEO Cody Barnett says. Other winners include Parkland Ambulance, who receive the Collaborative Care Award, and Tammy Gillis, who receives the Nursing Excellence Award.
Arts
A travelling Photovoice exhibit that puts the focus on what brings joy to black Saskatchewan residents arrives at the USask Prince Albert campus on April 2. The exhibit features personal reflections from 16 artists, illustrated by photos from around the province. “We wanted to highlight the diversity of the black community,” project lead Florence Mudzongo says. “Saskatchewan residents continue to be a welcoming place for members of the black community, and as a social worker, I feel that it was so important to help us build community in letting the community know who we are.”
Odyssey Productions brings a bit of laughter to the stage with their new comedic play ‘Dogbarked’, which opens on April 10. The play takes a humorous look at Saskatchewan stereotypes through the eyes of two brothers in a dying rural Saskatchewan town.
The Barveenok Ukrainian Dance Festival returns to full power with more than 20 clubs at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre. Organizers say this is the largest Berveenok dance festival since 2019. “Last year (2023) was our first time back since COVID, but our weekend, unfortunately, conflicted with some other local festivals,” Barveenok president Kayleigh Skomorowski says. “We made a really serious effort to avoid those conflicts this year. It’s been really good. It’s a busy weekend, but there’s so much energy.”
Prince Albert’s art community gathers to celebrate the legacy of John V. Hicks with a new exhibit at the Margo Fournier Arts Centre. ‘Drawn from Words’ features local writer Lynda Monahan reading selected pieces of Hicks’ poetry, while viewing sketches created by Hicks’ close friend George Glenn for Hicks’ book covers.
Studio 1010 hosts their annual Show and Sale at the Grace Campbell Gallery. The show features watercolour, acrylic, and oil art pieces. It is one of three shows Studio 1010 hosts in 2024.
Students from across northern Saskatchewan arrive in Prince Albert of the annual PAGC Fine Arts Festival, which opens on Monday, April 22. Students show off their skills in a variety of disciplines. The event is held at the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre for the second straight year after the usual venue, the Allan Bird Memorial Centre, burned down in 2022.
