‘It’s an exciting time for us’: MN-S breaks ground on new community hub

Jason Kerr
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‘It’s an exciting time for us’: MN-S breaks ground on new community hub

Dignitaries, elders, and children officially broke ground on a new Métis Nation–Saskatchewan cultural and educational centre in southwest Prince Albert on Wednesday.

The centre will house the new Ma Faamii Community Hub, which will help connect Métis citizens with support programs for themselves and their families. It will also house the new Early Learning and Childcare (ELCC) Centre of Excellence, which will open up 90 childcare spaces for Métis families.

“It’s an exciting time for us at Métis Nation—Saskatchewan,” MN-S Director of Social Infrastructure Jason Mercredi said. “We’ve been looking for ways for a while to get our footprint across the province, and this is going to help us not only do that, but make a big impact for Metis citizens and all of PA.”

Mercredi said Prince Albert has the second highest concentration of Métis citizens in Saskatchewan. With those numbers, he said it made sense for the organization to increase its presence.

“(We’re) incredibly excited for us to be able to open up a low cost childcare centre in Prince Albert there,” he said. “(Having) 90 spaces is going to make an impact, and it’s also on the training side of things and employment side of things where we’re going to see long-term impacts in being able to support the community.”

The ELCC Centre of Excellence will create 29 full-time and four part-time jobs. It will also provide training and practicum opportunities for ELCC educators through a partnership with the Gabriel Dumont Institute.

The Ma Faamii Service Centre will create six new full-time positions.

The new building will be constructed on a 26-acre parcel of land of 10th Avenue West, south of the Jumpstart Playground and Alfred Jenkins Field House. MN-S is also exploring options for further development on the site.

Mercredi expects construction on the Community Hub and Centre of Excellence to end in 2025, but said it might get pushed to 2026.

“Construction, you never know the way it’s going to go,” he said.

“We have really good partners in PCL on the build side of things. They’re very capable of working on these types of projects, and we think it’s going to be on a timeframe we need it to be.”

MN-S President Glen McCallum was one of a handful of dignitaries in Prince Albert for the ground-breaking. McCallum he is glad to see construction underway.

“I was happy to stand alongside colleagues and partners today at the ground breaking ceremony for our Métis Centre of Excellence Early Learning and Childcare Centre in Prince Albert,” McCallum wrote on Facebook. “The new Centre will provide 90 daycare spaces for Prince Albert Metis families and act as a venue to share and grow our identity, culture, values, and language.

“The purchase and development of the land is part of our priority as a Métis government to build a future for Métis children and families.”

Prince Albert woman headed to Hawaii after winning $1 million lottery prize

Jason Kerr
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Prince Albert woman headed to Hawaii after winning $1 million lottery prize

Prince Albert’s Diane Pugh is Saskatchewan’s newest millionaire after winning $1 million on a Western Max lottery ticket.

Pugh won by matching all seven numbers—1, 3, 28, 43, 44, 45, and 48—on one of 14 Western Max $1 Million Prize draws. The win was unexpected.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Pugh said in a press release.

“It was a shock at first, but now it just feels like a weight has lifted off my shoulders. We don’t have to think twice about our finances now.”

The win was so unexpected Pugh initially thought she had won $100,000 instead of $1 million.

“It’s hard to count all those zeros on the screen,” she said. “I thought it was $100,000 so I took it to the cashier. He scanned the ticket and asked; ‘Do you know what you won?’”

Pugh said the first order of business is to by a new vehicle for her family. She learned about her win shortly before her husband took his truck into the shop for some expensive repair work.

“My husband was waiting for me in the car. I got in and told him not to bother taking his truck to the shop. We’re going to buy a new one,” Pugh said.

After that, Pugh said she plans on taking a trip to Hawaii and speaking with a financial advisor before deciding what to do with the rest.

Pugh purchased her winning ticket at the Canadian Tire Gas+ store on Marquis Rd. in Prince Albert.

Edmonton singer always looking for ways to invest in young artists

Jason Kerr
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Edmonton singer always looking for ways to invest in young artists

Wherever she travels in the musical world, Metis artist Kaeley Jade tries to support the next generation of artists.

The Edmonton-based singer does it at home, helping run a theatre project for Indigenous youth in the Edmonton Catholic School system called “Braided Journeys”, and she’ll continue that trend in Prince Albert by performing at Prince Albert Collegiate Institute fundraiser More than a Room on Thursday.

“I love working with youth,” the award-winning musician said during a phone interview on Wednesday. “I think it’s very important, now more than ever, that we continue to do that.”

“I got my start in music when I was nine and I started theatre at a very similar age too, so having role models to look up to and be able to aspire to was so important for me in kind of figuring out who I was as an artist at a young age and definitely moving into high school too. I started playwriting, I started acting more seriously for theatre, and having opportunities like that to share my work, to collaborate with others, and to receive feedback from mentors has really shaped who I am as an artist, so I really want to make sure that I’m investing my youth in my community and other communities.”

The PACI fundraiser will be one of two stops in Prince Albert during Jade’s tour. After performing as the featured singer/songwriter at More than a Room on Thursday, Jade will take to the Rock Trout Café stage for a more intimate set on Friday, accompanied by guitarist/percussionist/vocalist Gabriel Gagnon.

It will be the second time she’s performed in Prince Albert, with the first coming roughly one year ago. The first trip was what actually helped convince her join forces with PACI for More than a Room.

“(PACI teacher) Alicia Wotherspoon actually reached out to me because she’d been at my show last year,” Jade said. “She was talking about how she was excited to see us play and then she realized we would be there the literal day after More than a Room this year, so she reached out to me via email and pitched the fundraiser and what it’s all about.

“For me, I come from a degree in the fine arts, so I think it’s so important to be continuing to invest in our young people and in the arts programs that they have…. It’s very close to my heart and I’m very thrilled to be doing this.”

Friday’s set at the Rock Trout will feature songs from Jade’s latest album, Turpentine, plus some new work she’s eager to play for the first time. Her style is a mix of pop, folk, and indie music, and it’s received plenty of positive reviews—most recently at the Canadian Folk Music Awards where she was nominated for three awards, eventually winning Indigenous Songwriter of the Year.

Jade said it was a great honour to receive the award, but it also caught her off guard. She performed at the awards live with her band, and had just returned to her seat when she heard her name called.

“It was just kind of a whirlwind of adrenaline,” she remembered. “I got called, and I was way up in the balcony so I had to make my way in my really tall boots down the stairs and up the stairs. It was very incredible. I’m so honoured to be recognized by my peers in that way.”

Jade will finish off her first round of summer shows with performances in Saskatoon and North Battleford on May 25 and May 26 respectively.

She has a tour through Alberta planned for the summer, with a stop in Fernie, B.C. at the Wapiti Music Festival scheduled for August. After that, Jade is headed back to the recording studio for a new project.

Kaeley Jade will perform live at the Rock Trout Café on Friday, May 24 with special guest Brenner Holash. The doors open at 7:30 p.m., with music at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance, or $20 at the door.

More than a Room begins at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre. Tickets are available at www.earc.ca or from the Rawlinson Box Office.

Prince Albert art school students put their best piece forward at Year End Art Show

Jason Kerr
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Prince Albert art school students put their best piece forward at Year End Art Show

Whether it’s their first year, or their 20th, students from Christina’s Art School will have a chance to display their best pieces from the past 12 months and beyond when the school hosts its annual Year End Art Show on Thursday.

Student artists will display works in graphite, charcoal, coloured pencil, pastel, Acrylic, and Watercolour at Sandra’s Art Gallery in Prince Albert. Some of the pieces took a few months, while others are the result of more than a year of effort.

Instructor Christina Thoen said it’s always exciting to see how each student has progressed over the past year.

“I think a lot of time when the students are first beginning their classes, they have no idea what they are actually capable of,” Thoen said. “Many of them would never call themselves an artist, so there’s a lot of talk about that in class so that they can completely own that title as they continue.”

Students range from as young as eight all the way up to seniors. Their work will be on display until the new school year begins in September.

“It’s incredible, the feeling of seeing all their pieces up,” Thoen said. “I wish more students would show their work, but you can just really, really strongly encourage, and that’s what I do.”

Student Marj Somers will be the showcase artist at this year’s show. Somers has been a student for 20 years at the school, and Thoen said her work shows great versatility.

“She’s done many, many mediums, different subjects, she does a lot of pieces for her family,” Thoen explained.

Somers’ didn’t begin painting until after she retired. She had always talked about painting, Thoen said, but didn’t try it until her staff bought her a school gift certificate as a retirement gift.

Since then, Thoen said Somers has become a great example of what’s possible if you just take the first step.

“That was always her dream, ‘I’m going to paint,’ and then they (her friends) actually took the step and got her the gift certificate so she needed to show up and she just loves it,” Thoen said.

Thoen said Thursday’s opening is like the final performance for a group of dancers. They’ve worked for months on their craft, and now it’s a chance to display it for the world.


She added that most artists underestimate themselves and what they are capable of. Events like Thursday’s art show help boost their confidence.

“The reality of getting real instruction and drawing is key to anyone realizing the reality that they already are an artist,” she said. “They just need a little bit of the technical understanding and a little opportunity to grow first.”

The Year End Art Show Opening begins at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 23 at Sandra’s Art Gallery in Prince Albert.

@kerr_kerr • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Prince Albert business owner asks customers to ‘round up’ for mental health

Jason Kerr
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Prince Albert business owner asks customers to ‘round up’ for mental health

Business owner Janine Favreau launches her first mental health fundraiser for CMHA

Poor mental health among Prince Albert residents has been a major concern for one local business owner, and now she’s taking steps to help ensure people it need receive treatment.

Throughout the month of May, Nutters Everyday Naturals owner and manager Janine Favreau has been asking customers to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar, with the proceeds going towards the Canadian Mental Health Association’s (CMHA) Prince Albert office.


“People are coming in looking for assistance,” Favreau said. “Anxiety is at an all-time high, and it doesn’t seem to matter if it’s a young person or an old person.”

According to Statistics Canada numbers released in September 2023, several studies have shown mental health declining in Canada over the past decade. However, that trend got even worse when COVID hit in 2020.

Data from the 2022 Mental Health and Access to Care Survey showed more than five million people in Canada were experiencing significant symptoms of mental illness. The largest increases were in the prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders, compared to 2012. The data also showed youth were in particularly rough shape.

“There is a growing body of research that suggests that the prevalence of major depression and anxiety disorders among youth today is higher than it was for previous generations,” reads the report. “The effects of the pandemic on mental health were also greater for young people compared to older age cohorts.”

The study also concluded that not all needs for counselling and psychotherapy services were being met, with patients sitting through “long wait times” for mental health counselling services.

Favreau said it’s been an unspoken issue for many people in Prince Albert since COVID hit. She’s hoping this fundraiser will help provide more access to treatment for those who need it.

“People who are struggling, mentally or emotionally, need help and seeing a therapist costs money,” she said. “This is where the (CMHA) in Prince Albert can assist, along of course with their lifestyle of daily exercise, their diet and supplements, and connecting with their loved ones.

“We’re so fortunate that we do still have Canadian Mental Health office here in Prince Albert,” she added. “It costs money to see therapists and so as a business who is in the health industry, we see that this is a real important need.”

Favreau plans to run the campaign through to the end of the month. She also hopes it will be the first of many annual mental health fundraisers.

“Our customers are so receptive to this campaign,” she said. “I’m sure that it is touching many people in having some either personal experience or family experience with dealing with someone who has mental health issues.”

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Musicians, poet, and Mann Art Gallery educator to be inducted into PA Arts Hall of Fame

Jason Kerr
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Musicians, poet, and Mann Art Gallery educator to be inducted into PA Arts Hall of Fame

Brian Sklar, Darcy Blahut, Lana Wilson, and the Prince Albert Concert Band may focus their energies on separate areas of the arts world, but in September their all have one thing in common: a spot in the Prince Albert Arts Hall of Fame.

The Prince Albert Arts Board announced on May 16 that the PA Concert Band and Sklar would be inducted into the Music category, while Blahut would go in under Literature and Wilson as a Builder.

Arts board chair Adreanna Boucher said the usually large induction class is a sign Prince Albert residents cherish their local artists.

“COVID shut everything down, and now that everything’s opened up again, I think people are less likely to take for granted the joy and pleasure being involved in the arts and being able to take in arts events,” Boucher said. “I think it kind of got people excited to want to celebrate the artists who are out there doing things.”

Sklar was born and raised in Prince Albert and is one of Canada’s most decorated country music performers, with 43 albums, numerous chart sinles, and more than 350 network and syndicated TV shows. His television series, CTV’s Number One West, has won a total of six national awards for excellence.

Blahut has lived in Prince Albert for 25 years and has become a fixture in the city’s poetry scene. He has written three full-length collections of poesm, a collaborative book of both prose and poetry, as well as chapbooks. He also takes the occasional tangent into children’s stories, long fiction, shorts, and stage plays.

Wilson has spent 10 years as the Mann Art Gallery’s Manger of Education programs where she developed extensive visual arts programs that helped residents of all ages, backgrounds, abilities, and motilities engage with the arts.

The Prince Albert Concert Band is the oldest cultural institution in Prince Albert, having predated the city’s founding. Before mass media, the band was the community’s main source for music and entertainment at social events. The band has gone through several rebirths over the years, but still performs at events such as Remembrance Day while putting on two or three concerts annually.

The Daily Herald will have profiles on all inductees closer to the induction gala on Friday, Sept. 27.

This year’s event will feature a major change. With so many inductees, the Arts Board has decided to host a ticketed ceremony in the E.A. Rawlinson Centre theatre to go along with the annual ticketed dinner.

The ceremony will feature performances from local artists, dancers, and musicians in between recognizing each inductee.

“Because we have four inductees, we know that there’s going to be more people who are going to want to come and take part in celebrating them,” Boucher explained. “We wanted to be able to include as many people as possible.

“Also, Kevin Joseph is on our board and he actually made a comment one day at one of our meetings about how artists have lost stages where they can get up and perform over the years and that was kind of in the forefront of our mind, thinking, well, as the arts board, we should be creating stages for people to perform.”

Boucher said there will be performance-only tickets available for residents who want to view the show without attending the dinner. Residents who buy tickets for the show will receive free tickets to the performance.

Tickets will be available on the E.A. Rawlinson Centre website and at the box office by mid-June.

Prince Albert MLA defends legislature work environment

Jason Kerr
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Prince Albert MLA defends legislature work environment

Prince Albert Northcote MLA Alana Ross said the provincial legislature has a great work environment on Friday.

Ross made the comments after being asked if she was worried about how MLAs treated each other following allegations from the outgoing Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Randy Weekes.

In his final speech as Speaker on Thursday, Weekes accused government house leader Jeremy Harrison of texting “intimidating and harassing messages” when rulings didn’t go the government’s way. Weekes also said there were three occasions where he was almost physically assaulted—twice when government staffers lunged at him, and once when an MLA nearly head-butted him.

Weekes is the long-time Saskatchewan Party MLA for Bigger-Sask Valley, but will not run in the next election after losing a nomination battle.

When asked on Friday if she was worried about how MLAs treated each other in the legislature, Ross said her own experience was a good one.

“I’ve never worked in a better work environment,” she said. “I’ve been treated so well here and I’ve been treated with respect from all of my colleagues.”

Weekes allegations caused a firestorm on Thursday, but Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe isn’t convinced they’re true.

On Friday, Moe told reporters he spoke with Harrison about Weekes’ comments, which Harrison denied. Moe said he has confidence in Harrison, and concerns about Weekes.

“I’ve been informed that they (the allegations) are all unequivocally false,” Moe told reporters.

When asked what she thought about Weekes’ comments, Ross said she agreed with Moe’s response.

“The premier was very clear in his statement, and I really don’t have anything further to comment on it,” Ross told the Daily Herald.

Thursday’s session marked the second time Weekes has raised concerns about the government’s conduct. On Wednesday, he read a letter from former Sergeant-at-Arms Terry Quinn into the record. In it, Quinn wrote that he felt harassed by statements made by Minister Christine Tell.

Provincial NDP Leader Carla Beck said it’s been “a very concerning two days” at the legislature, which show the Saskatchewan Party has a strong sense of entitlement after 17 years in power.

“Showing that this is a government that doesn’t think that the rules apply to them was deeply concerning, but also in keeping with some of the things that we’ve been hearing out there,” Beck said during an interview on Friday. “After 17 years, it seems that this government has no interest in listening, and increasingly appears to think that the rules don’t apply to them.”

Beck said the assembly has rules and protocols in place that govern how each party behaves in the legislature, and allegations that an MLA is breaking those rules are “a huge concern” since it good break confidence in provincial politicians.

“These rules apply to all members,” she said. “We have opportunity at the Board of Internal Economy, which both sides sit on, to discuss these rules, but once these rules are made, the rules apply to all of us.”

–with files from Alec Salloum/Regina Leader-Post

Residents raise concerns about ward cleanliness and mental health supports during Ward 3 Town Hall Meeting

Jason Kerr
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Residents raise concerns about ward cleanliness and mental health supports during Ward 3 Town Hall Meeting

Clayton Cottingham has picked up a lot of garbage since moving to Prince Albert, and not because he’s paid to either.

The Ward 3 resident has disposed of everything from fast food wrappers and chicken bones to rubber inner tubes that are blown or thrown onto his lawn. Cottingham said he tries to do his best to keep his yard and street clean, but the buildup is frustrating.

On Wednesday night, he was among the residents who gathered at the Midtown Hall seeking solutions at the Ward 3 Town Hall Meeting.

“If they’d just put it in my garbage, I’d be happy with that, you know what I mean?” Cottingham said during an interview afterwards.

“I try to do my best in mutual aid. I think that’s the way to go. I think we all have to help each other out, and I think that’s the only way forward, right, so that’s why I came here tonight.”

For Cottingham and others who attended Wednesday’s meeting, the garbage blowing through the ward is just a symptom of two bigger problems: poverty and poor public mental health. He said some Prince Albert residents have no home of their own, and are dealing with significant mental challenges, which leads to other problems like garbage piling up on his lawn, or someone partially burning down his backyard fence after starting a fire.

Ideally, he’d like to see more proactive solutions that help get people off the streets.

“Shopping carts are always in the back alley and I have to take them somewhere, right, to get rid of them,” Cottingham explained. “If I leave them where they are, they’re going to set more fires, so there’s just a level of extra work I have to do because of the situation not being dealt with proactively.

“I think a lot of the situations with safe injection sites and more mental health programs would definitely help with that, but I’m probably in the minority on that sort of situation,” he added. “I think this is a health issue, not a crime issue for the most part.”

Cottingham wasn’t alone in his concerns. He and other residents had a chance to raise these concerns with various City of Prince Albert department heads and Ward 3 Coun. Tony Head on Wednesday.

In an interview afterward, Head said the City already has events like pitch-in week, which have helped clean up various neighbourhoods. He’s open to holding more than one pitch-in week a year to build on that momentum, however, he also said there is a social impact that can’t be addressed by just picking up garbage.

Ward 3 Coun. Tony Head listens to a question during the Ward 3 Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, May 15. — Jason Kerr/Daily Herald

“That’s been an ongoing challenge for at least for my term and I know before that,” he said. “It’s been ongoing and I don’t know if we’re gaining any ground on it. The province needs to assist.”

Head said the City has hired Community Safety and Well Being Coordinator Anna Dinsdale to help address some of those. Dinsdale was in attendance on Thursday to outline some of the city’s recent initiatives, like the search for a site that can house a permanent 24/7 emergency homeless shelter.

Head said Dinsdale has been a great addition to the city, but added that there is still a lot of hard work ahead, and the City can’t do it alone.

“Residents want to see action and that was loud and clear last night,” Head said. “I know our staff heard it. Our police heard it—our chief—and I got that message loud and clear from the residents as well, and I guess that could mean lobbying the provincial government more.”

Wednesday’s meeting was the second of three ward meetings schedule for this week. Residents met in Ward 7 on Tuesday, and in Ward 8 on Thursday.

New recreation facilities scheduled to open in Ward 3 this summer

COVID-19 may have slowed down playground construction, but it hasn’t stopped it.

Parks and Open Space Manager Tim Yeaman said the City had to delay construction on a new playground and spray park in the Midtown area by one year. However, the $700,000 project is in progress and scheduled for completion by the end of June.

“I remember when I started at the city seven years ago, you used to be able to order a playground in February, have it here by June, and have it installed in a month, and that’s not the case anymore,” Yeaman told those in attendance. “You actually have to order a playground. It takes up to a year for it to be manufactured, for it to be shipped to a location, and to be installed.”

Once open, the new playground and spray park will have benches, picnic space, shade covers, and brand new lighting to make it easier for police and bylaw officers to track criminal activity that may occur outside of regular usage.

Yeaman said the City is also looking at installing security cameras to protect its investment.

If “all the starts align,” Yeaman said, invitations to the grand opening should be sent out by the end of June.

“When we do projects like this, I certainly look at legacy,” Yeaman told those in attendance. “Everything that we’re do today makes a difference for somebody tomorrow. I know we have a lot of things that maybe we don’t consider to be good that happen in the community—vandalism and destruction—but that’s no reason why we shouldn’t continue to push ahead and give the children of this community a better place to live.”

Police discover 2 injured in residence while investigating weapons complaint

Jason Kerr
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Police discover 2 injured in residence while investigating weapons complaint

Two victims are in hospital with non-life threatening injuries after being found injured in a residence on the 400 block of Ninth Street East.

Prince Albert police were called to the scene at 5:16 a.m. on May 16 for a weapons investigation. On arrival, they found two people injured—one with injuries to their foot that appeared to come from a firearm, and another with arm injuries that are possibly from a blunt object.

Both victims were taken to Victoria Hospital for further care. Police continue to investigate.

Prince Albert Police Service bike rodeo sets the stage for a safe summer

Jason Kerr
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Prince Albert Police Service bike rodeo sets the stage for a safe summer

As the weather warms up, Prince Albert police officers and their community partners will be making sure local cyclists have a safe start to the summer.

The Prince Albert Police Service’s (PAPS) Community Policing Unit will hold a Bike Rodeo on Saturday to give safety tips and maintenance advice to cyclists of all ages. PAPS Sgt. Derek Simonson they expect to see a sharp increase in the number of bike riders on Prince Albert streets over the next week, so the bike rodeo is a good opportunity to have some fun, and make sure everyone is prepared for the summer.

“It gives that positive engagement in the community,” Simonson said. “It’s a really fun event for the kids who do make it out with their parents. It helps set the stage for a safe summer and a safe riding season.

“We know it’s short here in Saskatchewan, but for the time that they are out on their bikes, we definitely hope that we give them a few tools to make it safer.”

Helmets are one of the most vital tools. Saturday’s bike rodeo will have a fitting station where riders can learn to wear their helmet properly. Simonson said it’s the most important thing cyclists can do to stay safe.

“We do still do see kids without bike helmets and whatnot, so if we can influence that safety piece just a little bit, that hopefully will go a long way,” he explained.

While spreading awareness about safety is important, the bike rodeo also gives police officers a chance to interact with the community. Simonson said PAPS and the Prince Albert Police Service Association will typically chip in and buy a few items for giveaways, and added that officers view the rodeo as a great chance to connect with the community.

Members of the Prince Albert Fire Department and Parkland Ambulance will also be on hand to help out with the helmet fitting station and bike skills course. Canadian Tire and the Prevention Institute are also helping out with donations.

“We do have quite a few partners and it does make for a great event,” Simonson said.

“It’s free and hopefully the weather’s good. We don’t have control over that all the time, and we hope to see lots of families out this Saturday.”

The 2024 Prince Albert Police Service Bike Rodeo runs from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre Parking lot on Saturday, May 18.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

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