A government-funded counselling program in Prince Albert is providing more accessible options for mental health support.
Catholic Family Services started offering counselling at the library in the summer. With new funding announced last month, the non-profit organization is working on placing a child and youth counsellor in schools.
“People are nervous about coming to counselling and it takes a lot of courage sometimes for people to take that first step,” said Executive Director Louise Zurowski.
“I say courage because that’s what it takes lots of the time, for people to say ‘I’ve got an addictions problem,’ ‘My marriage is falling apart.’”
This single-session, walk-in form of therapy, Zurowski described, is called rapid access counselling.
If the client is in need of further services, the rapid access counsellor can refer them as needed.
Kent Slemming sees clients at the library every Wednesday from 1:15 to 5 p.m. There’s a wide range of topics that Slemming offers possible solutions for, including trauma, grief, domestic violence, relationships, anxiety, and depression.
“Sometimes they are just needing that one session to sort of relieve some tension,” said Slemming.
“We’re not focusing so much on their past and what has happened necessarily in their past. We’re more trying to build up the tools and coping mechanisms to deal with what they’re feeling right now.”
As part of the program, Slemming also sees clients at YWCA Central and Our House.
The library sessions, though, are for everyone over the age of 10 – and in a more public building where there may be less fear of judgement.
“There are often times a lot of hesitancies in going to an actual office. First off, it makes it a lot more real, and that can be scary for some clients,” said Slemming.
“If you were to just go to a library and see ‘Oh, there’s counselling here’…those particular people are a lot more likely to attend a session.”
Last month, the provincial government announced $1.7 million in annual funding for Family Services Saskatchewan to expand the rapid access counselling program to include children and youth.
By the end of November, Zurowski said the organization is hoping to have a counsellor see students in schools, starting with the Catholic division.
The counsellor would be available in schools three days a week, and in the office two days a week for referrals.
Without rapid access counselling, Zurowski said wait times are typically five to six weeks. Lots of times, she said, the issues at hand “have changed totally” in that time period.
Catholic Family Services also offers programs for assistance with employment, lessening barriers for women and life improvement for families, such as transportation, meals and babysitting.
Local emergency responders are warning the public stay off of the ice following three deaths at a lake south of Humboldt.
According to an RCMP news release, officers were called to assist firefighters and paramedics on Saturday afternoon after five people had fallen through the ice into Humboldt Lake.
Emergency personnel saw three people in the water where the ice broke. A young girl was pronounced dead at the scene, while a woman and another girl were taken to hospital.
The other two men did not re-surface. The RCMP’s underwater recovery team located their bodies on Sunday evening.
“It’s a very unfortunate situation,” said Alex Paul, deputy chief at the Prince Albert Fire Department.
“We’re so early in the season, we’ve had very few days of below zero weather for ice to form.”
Paul said it’s uncommon for people to fall through the ice and into the river in Prince Albert. Throughout the winter, though, the fire department does get calls to help people get off of the ice who are unsure of a safe way off.
Members wear waterproof immersion suits to these types of calls, Paul explained, along with a harness and tether back to shore. They bring an inflatable rescue sled to carry others off of the ice, spreading their weight over a greater area.
Paul said moving water is especially risky.
“You may drill a test hole in one area and find that you have 12 cm of ice and plenty to walk on, but you could go just another 50 or 60 feet down the river or across the river and the ice could be half that thick, just because of the way the currents have eroded the ice.”
Even on static water, ice has not fully formed at this time of the year, although it may appear solid at the surface.
Lyle Karasiuk is a safety advocate and director of public affairs for Parkland Ambulance.
“A tragedy has happened simply related to unsafe ice conditions,” he said.
“When I heard about it and saw it on social media, I just thought I don’t ever recall being in Prince Albert that we’ve had somebody go out on an ice floe this time of year. We often hear, sadly, of people’s pets.”
The RCMP did not say if anyone went into the water to attempt to save another person.
However, Karasiuk said, it’s often the automatic reaction to jump in and try to recover somebody else – leading to further deaths.
“Going out to rescue them, even for the strongest and the safest and best swimmer, you don’t have all of the gear that say a fire service might have to get to you,” he said.
“We need to stop and think for just a second how to do it safely.”
Instead, Karasiuk recommended using an item like a tree branch or rope to bring the person back to shore and dry them off as quickly as possible. Paul added that, if you’re planning on going out on to the ice later on in the winter, to let someone know where you’re going and when to expect you back.
The Water Security Agency’s guideline shows a minimum of 10 cm of ice to safely walk on. A snowmobile requires a minimum of 20 cm, a two-tonne vehicle 30 cm, and a heavy truck over 30 cm.
The names of those who fell in the water are not being released because the incident is considered a sudden death investigation with no evidence of criminality. The Saskatchewan Coroner’s Service is investigating.
Community-based support often left underfunded compared to reactive measures, says STR8 UP
Rodney Nataucappo’s lifelong struggles with abuse, drugs and gang activity slowly faded away with support during and after his time in Saskatchewan Penitentiary.
Otherwise, he said he may never have known the feeling of recovery.
“Prior to me being involved in STR8 UP, I used to hear lies all of the time – I’ll do this for you, I’ll be there, all these comments that told me that the people I loved and that I should trust, I didn’t love or trust them,” he said.
“To me, it seemed so artificial. I never had anybody come through for me.”
STR8 UP, based in Saskatoon, provides programming to help people transition out of gangs and criminal lifestyles. Nataucappo also worked at its secondary office in Prince Albert as a mentor after being released from jail in 2020.
Nataucappo said he was about 16 years old when he first joined a gang. It was easy to join, he said, with the gang’s “main guy” also being from Yellow Quill First Nation.
At the time, Nataucappo had already established a criminal reputation committing property-related crimes like theft and break and enters.
“It was the perfect opportunity for me because I had low self-esteem, I had low self-worth, no confidence in what I do except what I know, which is violence and crime,” he said.
The physical and sexual abuse that consumed his home life stemmed from residential schools. Naturally, he said, this led to learning how to fight to protect himself – and it only spiralled from there.
The gang boosted his ego. In the criminal world, your progression through the system was no different than being praised for receiving a sports medal or getting a degree.
“The justice system is exactly like grade school, right up to university. You go to grade school, then you go to high school, then you’re in university once you graduate and hit the penitentiary,” explained Nataucappo.
“After you get to the penitentiary, that’s the highest achievement in the criminal world.”
Nataucappo was sentenced to four years for an armed robbery and disguise with intent. He said the crime was fuelled by his crystal meth addiction.
He had tried to sober up prior, but relapsed. Having served a longer sentence and being connected to STR8 UP’s founders, Father Andre Poilievre and Stan Tu’Inukuafe, he was able to leave the jail sober.
But that initial transition back into the community – where he easily could have fell back into crime and addictions – was when the support was most important.
A collection of Rodney Nataucappo’s IDs from Correctional Service Canada. The bottom ID card is from his employment at Saskatchewan Penitentiary, where he was released as an inmate just three years ago. – Rodney Nataucappo/Submitted
“The biggest thing is that relationship. Building that positive, trusting relationship so people know that there is that alternative,” said Russ Misskey, STR8 UP’s executive director.
“When they leave a correctional facility, they’re often stuck. Where do they go? If there’s no support there, they often don’t have much choice but to go back to what they knew before. If they don’t have a place to stay, if they don’t have positive people around them.”
Misskey said it’s more cost-effective to fund support programs than it is to put criminals through court and house them in correctional facilities.
Similar community-based initiatives have shown positive results. According to a research analysis, all participants of Youth Alliance Against Gang Violence in Prince Albert had exited gangs or resisted gang involvement at case closure.
It also led to increases in conflict resolution skills and decreases in depression, with 50 per cent of participants finding employment.
“We often don’t think much of putting another five million dollars towards a police force or 120 million dollars towards a correctional facility, but when it comes to the community side of things that gets proven results and is a partner in that whole strategy, it’s often left with very minimal funding,” said Misskey.
The Saskatchewan government introduced the Community Intervention Model (CIM) under the Gang Violence Reduction Strategy in 2019.
The project targets people between 15 and 30 years old who are likely to reoffend without any intervention. They’re connected with a support worker, who helps them access government and community outreach services.
The Ministry of Corrections and Policing partnered with STR8 UP to offer these services in the northern region and Regina Treaty Status Indian Services Inc. in the southern region.
The province invested $4.5 million into the CIM project over four years.
The Herald has not received a response from the ministry to questions about the project’s future, or other initiatives that support people being released from correctional facilities.
“The relationship we had was like a father-son relationship, whereas I didn’t receive this kind of support and this kind of encouragement at home or with my family or friends,” said Nataucappo about STR8 UP.
He said there’s a difference between sobriety and recovery. Nataucappo’s recovery wasn’t just the absence of drugs and alcohol, but re-engaging with morals like respect and honesty that substance use stripped away from him.
“We’re conditioned to live in a lifestyle that’s not meant for us,” he said, “living in a jail cell, living behind a wall, behind a locked door.”
“Within that, we’re conditioned to live in our own jail. Our own jail tells us we can never get out. Our own jail tells us we’re not worth anything. Our own jail tells us we’ll never amount to anything. To me, if I were to discourage somebody from going down that route, I would say change the relationship you have with yourself.”
For Nataucappo, that meant ignoring those lies and cutting people out of his life that influenced them.
“Those are the main thoughts that you have to switch around to ‘I can be successful, I’m lovable, I’m worth it.’”
STR8 UP offering free tattoo removal
STR8 UP is offering free tattoo removal for people transitioning away from gangs, addictions, and criminal lifestyles.
“Often, they’re removing that marking of someone who they were, not who they are now,” said Misskey.
“For many of them, it’s a really big deal for them. Not just for personal reasons, but also for employment reasons, even just being out and having to explain that to people.”
Misskey said STR8 UP started offering tattoo removal in the spring.
The organization purchased the laser machine from a company out of the United States, which also travelled to Saskatoon to train staff.
He said anyone across Saskatchewan who meets the requirements can access the service, as long as they can travel to Saskatoon for the removal. On average, according to its website, most tattoos require three to 12 sessions to remove.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) says this summer marked one of the busiest wildfire seasons in the past two decades.
Steve Roberts, vice-president of operations, said the province has seen 494 wildfires so far in 2023, above the five-year average of 387. Most occurred in the north.
Those fires have burned 1.9 million hectares – five times the size of Prince Albert National Park, and slightly more than the unprecedented dry conditions caused in 2015.
“Wildfires are becoming more prominent. Their impacts to people, both from a direct threat and from a smoke issue and impact, we saw was an issue across Canada, we saw was an issue internationally,” said Roberts.
Additionally, he explained, most of the smoke Saskatchewan saw came from fires outside of the province. This alone has caused evacuations of people with high-risk health issues, such as in Fond du Lac in August.
In total, 2,703 people were evacuated from their home communities due to wildfire or smoke threats.
Roberts said 55 per cent of wildfires this year were caused by humans.
“We think of the savings and the reduction of risk and threat should 55 per cent of our fires not have occurred this year because people were cautious with their use of fire, were prepared should a fire start.”
Even though it’s the end of wildfire season, Roberts said there’s still a risk. He asked the public to be cautious of activities such as campfires, ATV use and discarding cigarettes.
“There’s still precautions that need to be taking place late in the season, and those affect folks that are hunting, using the forest, being out in the forest late in the fall here doing some late farming activities, cleanup activities,” he said.
Roberts said there was “minimal disruption of critical infrastructure” this year. Wildfires destroyed 43 structures, but there were no losses or damage in communities. There were also no fatalities.
The SPSA conducted 30 wildfire investigations, which Roberts said occurs when the cause can’t be directly attributed to lightning.
While wildfires are the SPSA’s main focus during the summer, the agency also assists in other emergencies.
So far this year, it’s responded to seven communities for flood mitigation, and is currently assisting the Water Security Agency in Cumberland House. Crews have also helped in 12 missing person searches and answered over 75,000 911 calls.
The Village of Cumberland House has declared a state of emergency due to a lack of drinking water – an issue that has been ongoing with fluctuating river levels.
A news release from the Metis Nation – Saskatchewan (MN-S), which is supporting the village with the nearby Cree Nation, said the village does not have enough water to fill its reservoir for the winter. The community has enough drinking water to last four weeks.
Acting Mayor Veronica Favel said the issue stems from “complete negligence” from the province, SaskPower and the Water Security Agency (WSA). Officials from each of these groups are working together to find a long-term solution.
“Along with the municipality not having access to fresh water, wildlife and our traditional medicines are at risk of being lost. Continuously we have felt this impact,” said Favel.
The area is mainly populated by Cree and Metis peoples.
Cumberland House Cree Nation Chief Rene Chaboyer called on authorities to restore the area’s water supply.
“The nation’s struggle for access to water is a stark reminder of the urgent need for the codevelopment of sustainable water management policies, informed by local Indigenous knowledge,” he said.
“The state of the fur bearing animals, the birds, fish, and plants are also part of the crisis.”
The Cumberland House reservoir receives water from the Big Stone River, which has stopped flowing due to low levels in the Saskatchewan river system. The MN-S said “time is limited” with freezing temperatures near.
The MN-S also pointed fingers at the EB Campbell Dam for interrupting the cycles of the Saskatchewan River Delta. It said that as long as the dam continues to operate, the area’s water issues will persist.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) said it’s on site in Cumberland House assisting the WSA.
“We have been in communication in a support capacity for a period of time now, since last week we were already mobilizing equipment,” said Steve Roberts, vice-president of operations.
He said the SPSA has delivered pumps and arranged for a pumping contractor to assist with ensuring the reservoir is at full capacity ahead of winter.
“They also have, unfortunately, every few years they will have high water levels that require prevention and some measures to deal with flooding in the community, all predicated on basically river levels,” added Roberts.
The reservoir is the only source of clean drinking water for Cumberland House, according to the MN-S.
Ryan John lives a normal life. The 24-year-old Prince Albert man spends most of his summers on his motorcycle, even making custom biker vests in the off-season.
Just a few years ago, though, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever return to his passion.
On Oct. 14, 2020, John was the victim of an unprovoked stabbing in the lobby of the city’s Boston Pizza. Around 10 p.m., while John was waiting for his food, 19-year-old Trent Fox “ran in there full speed” and plunged a four-inch hunting knife into his head behind his left ear.
“I took a step back, wondering what’s going on. Did he punch me? Did he slap me, or what? What did he hit me with?” he recalled.
“I’d seen this big flash of white light with blue streams in every direction.”
John said Fox picked him up by his vest and stabbed him a second time on the left side of his jaw.
“I heard like a bone cracking, snapping sound and then my jaw tilted to one side, and that one hurt even more. Now I’ve got two holes in my head that are spraying blood.”
He said police caught Fox in the parking lot. Meanwhile, paramedics took him to the Victoria Hospital, and that’s when he started feeling dizzy and nauseous.
“The closer we got to the hospital, the more this feeling of peace came over me where I felt like everything was okay. But I knew in the back of my mind somewhere that this was not okay. I knew what happened,” he said.
“I could’ve died on the spot.”
While at the hospital, he was put into a medically-induced coma to stop his brain from swelling. John’s mother, Michelle Hunt, said she rushed to the hospital around 11:30 that night.
“I had seen my son laying on the gurney. He was covered in blood,” she said. “(The nurse) says to me ‘I tried to clean him up before you got here.’ And then I (asked) the doctor, ‘Is he going to live?’”
The doctor told Hunt to prepare for the worst.
STARS transported John to Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Ryan John, who was 21 years old at the time, was airlifted to Saskatoon after being randomly stabbed in the head on Oct. 14, 2020. — Ryan John/Submitted
The recovery
Hunt said John had been in the coma for a week before the doctor told her they had hit a wall. She told them to go ahead with an exploratory surgery to see where the bleeding was coming from, rather than taking him off of life support.
The surgery was successful – something she credits to continued prayers.
“Whenever something would arise, like his temperature was so high and they couldn’t get his temperature down, so I’d go on Facebook and ask for prayers, and all of the sudden his temperature would start to come down. Then another time, his blood pressure was too high, so I asked for prayers for that and then that slowly went down, too,” she said.
The doctor told Hunt that her son likely would have sight and mobility issues.
“I said ‘I’ll be his eyes; I’ll be his mobility,’” she said.
“When he woke up, he had everything. He could walk; he could see; he could talk. The first thing I said to him was ‘Do you know who I am?’ and he says ‘Yeah, mom, I know who you are.’ I started crying.”
Coming out of the 13-day coma, John “felt the worst kind of pain you could think of.” It was like the sting of hitting your funny bone – times a hundred – in his head and trinkling down his spine, he explained.
The first day, John was able to walk 10 steps to the bathroom, but that was a “real struggle.” A few days later, he could walk four or five laps around his hospital ward and, within a week, he reached 12 laps.
“It’s true that I was in a lot of pain, but feeling sorry for myself wasn’t going to do anything. I knew that if I forgave and if I stayed positive and eat right and exercise, that that was going to push me further to getting out of the hospital,” said John.
John also had a craniectomy, a surgery to remove a portion of his skull. Once the swelling had gone down, he had that portion replaced in another surgery.
He walked out of the hospital on Dec. 4, less than two months after the attack. He’s writing a book about his near-death experience, with himself and family members narrating an audio version.
Michelle Hunt and Ryan John following John’s surgery to temporarily remove a portion of his skull in order to relieve pressure from his brain. — Ryan John/SubmittedThe scar showing where John’s skull was replaced after craniectomy surgery. Now, John has long hair and plans on donating it for cancer patients. — Ryan John/Submitted
Four-year sentence
Fox was initially charged with attempted murder, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of aggravated assault. In July 2021, he was sentenced to four years in prison.
Although John had hard feelings towards his attacker at first, he’s now reached a place of forgiveness. He even wants to meet with Fox through a victim services program.
“I do not have any anger towards him because I know that he has a very rough life and I know what led him to do that. For me, I come from a family where I’m very well supported,” he said.
“I found my purpose in life of why everything happened to me,” said John. “I wouldn’t change a thing.”
In a police statement, Fox said he was intoxicated and hitchhiked from North Battleford to Prince Albert, claiming he didn’t remember the stabbing.
He told court that he was a member of the Westside Outlaws gang. John said he repeatedly called him a “snitch” during the stabbing.
John’s ultimate goal was to be released from hospital by springtime so that he could ride his motorcycle. SGI gave him back both his drivers and motorcycle license.
When his family all hopped on their bikes for the first time since John’s recovery, they were all in tears.
“I was living my dream, and my dream was very simple,” he said.
Three Prince Albert musicians are creating a comfortable and intimate space for songwriters to share their work.
Laura Marshall, Jenna Tokaruk and Stephanie Wilkinson hosted their first Songwriters’ Open Mic Night in August. Now, with the goal of hosting the event regularly, they’re holding another on Saturday at the Jam Street Shared Arts Space.
“We all kind of come from a bit of a different path with music, but we just wanted to create a place that’s comfortable for amateur musicians and songwriters to come out and play in a setting that’s not intimidating,” said Marshall.
Marshall said she’s always enjoyed writing songs. While she’s used to playing around the campfire with friends, she enjoys the rush of performing at open mics and small events.
Still, that can be daunting.
“It can feel very vulnerable to share songs that you’ve written. They’re often your personal stories, so sometimes it’s hard to find the right setting to share.”
The open mic night is intended for like-minded artists to gather and create connections. At the same time, Marshall explained, it fosters inspiration to continue creating music.
“I think when we create, we all kind of crave sharing that with some kind of an audience,” she said.
“When you go out and see other performers and songwriters, I always take a lot of inspiration from that.”
Marshall said all ages and experience levels are welcome. You can sign up to play one or two songs at the event, with time to socialize after the music.
The open mic night will take place from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Admission is by donation.
Marshall said they’re hoping to continue the event on a regular basis, possibly every season, depending on the response. In the summer, they had around 17 people join.
UPDATE: Justice Bird, 29, was taken into custody at a residence north of Montreal Lake on Friday, Oct. 13.
RCMP cancelled a dangerous person alert for Montreal Lake Cree Nation on Thursday night, although one suspect remains at large.
The Waskesiu detachment initially issued the alert at 3:50 p.m. It was cancelled later that night at 10:12 p.m.
One of the two suspects – who wasn’t named – has been taken into custody. The RCMP initially named two suspects, but removed the second man’s name shortly after because they were still confirming the identity.
One victim is in hospital, according to the RCMP. The two suspects were reported to be armed with a gun.
“There is no current immediate risk to public safety identified. If this changes, we will update the public immediately,” reads an update from the RCMP.
Police are still looking for 29-year-old Justice Bird.
He’s described as 5’9” and 166 lbs, with black hair, brown eyes, and several face tattoos. He was last seen wearing a white ball cap and black and white clothes.
Justice Bird. — RCMP/Submitted
Leadership posted updates in a Facebook page for Montreal Lake band members.
In a post at about 3:15 p.m. Thursday, leadership said the school was placed in a hold and secure and buses would not take students home until given the go-ahead from authorities. Later in the day, according to a community notice, students were taken home one bus at a time and were escorted by police.
All Montreal Lake buildings were placed on lockdown, which remained in place on Friday.
There was no school for staff or students and the health centre was only open for emergencies.
“We will have mental health supports visit us on site on Monday to support our school family if required,” reads a message from SABMS, the Montreal Lake school.
“We love you all and thank you again for ensuring the safe return home of all our students.”
Chief Joyce Naytowhow McLeod declined to comment as the matter remains under police investigation.
Montreal Lake Cree Nation is located about 100 km north of Prince Albert.
A northern Saskatchewan children’s book author and illustrator has been shortlisted for a $20,000 national award.
Miriam Körner’s book, Fox and Bear, is in the running to win the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award by The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC). Out of the seven awards, the Marilyn Baillie award holds the second largest prize, behind the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award for $50,000.
“The other shortlisters, the illustrators on there, are some illustrators that I’ve always looked up to when I started out my career,” said Körner, who lives in Air Ronge.
“It was just a really incredible feeling to see my name next to their names.”
The story follows the fox, who begins coming up with ways to make life more efficient without having to hunt and gather. Then, the bear is left to decide how he wants to live his life.
Although the book is up for interpretation, Körner said it’s intended for children “to think deeply about the relationship we have to the natural world.”
“When we think about the future, if there’s a way to move back towards that (connection) – and Fox and Bear kind of represent two very different characters.”
Fox and Bear is told through illustrations that Körner cut out from recycled paper and cardboard. She put the cut-outs together in a small theatre and photographed them to create the pages.
“This is a story that was kind of inspired by the massive amount of clearcutting that was happening in northern Saskatchewan. Just seeing the devastation of that, I didn’t want to use paper that comes from the forest,” she said.
On the list of finalists, the book’s illustrations are described as “inventive” and “intricately detailed,” which “perfectly underscore the message of this timely tale that raises important questions for young readers to ponder about sustainability and decision making.”
Körner said if she won, the $20,000 would go towards re-building a cabin that was destroyed by wildfires in 2015.
“It’s been such an honour to be on that shortlist, and even if it goes as far as that, it caught the attention of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre in Ontario, which means the book if falling into the hands of new readers and that’s already a big reward in its own,” she said.
The four other shortlisters for the award are Boobies by Nancy Vo (Vancouver), I’m Not Sydney by Marie-Louise Gray (Outremont, QC), Lizzy and the Cloud by The Fan Brothers (Toronto), and Mina by Matthew Forsythe (Montreal). The winner will be announced on Oct. 23.
Fox and Bear was originally published about a year ago.
Körner has come out with several other children’s and young adult books since her first was published in 2016. This includes When We Had Sled Dogs, Winter Dogs, Qaqavii and Li’l Shadd: A Story of Ujima.
Prince Albert’s new First Nations university campus is set for shovels to hit the ground, pending significant funding approval.
The First Nations University of Canada (FNUC) has been waiting for a few months to hear back about a $25 million grant from Infrastructure Canada. This would fund almost half of the roughly $55 million build, according to President Jacqueline Ottmann.
She said the upgrade would bring the campus’ student capacity up from about 300 students to 450.
“That is significant growth for us and the building is also designed to host community events,” she said.
“In the facility that we’re in right now, that can’t happen. We just don’t have the space there,” she said.
The current FNUC campus in the city is located downtown on Central Avenue. In January, city council approved a proposal to build on five acres of land near the Alfred Jenkins Field House for a nominal one dollar fee.
“It’s a strong demonstration of economic reconciliation and partnering for the benefit of all people,” said Ottmann.
If the funding from Infrastructure Canada is approved, which would come from the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program, Ottmann said construction can begin “almost immediately.” Then, FNUC has a two-year timeline to complete the project.
FNUC has already secured an $8.5 million mortgage, and is in the midst of a $5.5 million campaign. Ottmann said a million dollars of that campaign will be covered with the federal government’s approval.
She said the location is ideal for their student demographic, which is primarily women, many who are single parents.
“That location made sense for a future campus because you’re looking for holistic supports. At that location, we have pathways, walking pathways, there’s a field house, there’s a playground, then there’s the hospital,” she said.
Student registration for the Fall 2023 semester showed 46 per cent of FNUC students are pursuing Indigenous social work, followed by 26 per cent in the arts.
Ottmann said many social work graduates move on to become therapists.
“There is that connection that I think we can strengthen with the hospital,” she said.
Ultimately, explained Ottmann, FNUC prioritized a new and improved campus in Prince Albert because it hosts students from across northern Saskatchewan.
“What we recognize, and we talk about this and learned about this, is that many people from the north don’t want to go any further south than Prince Albert,” she said.
“(We have) to uplift our Indigenous youth and non-Indigenous youth and to ensure that they’re not only recruited within our institutions, but they are retained to program completion.”
Ottmann spoke at a Prince Albert Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Coronet Hotel on Thursday. Her speech ranged from an early story of “persistence and determination” to today’s growth in fostering Indigenous education.
“All of our graduates, when they get their degree, all the sudden those doors open,” she said.
That desire to pursue further education trickles into future generations.
“I was one of the first to graduate from my community, and that was celebrated in my family, and I marked that moment by wearing a white buckskin dress at my high school graduation – the scariest thing that I had done up until that point,” recalled Ottmann.
“But it was more for kind of communicating that I won’t compromise who I am, but also inspire the youth in my community.”
Ottmann is from the Saulteaux community of Fishing Lake First Nation near Wadena.
She said FNUC works to bridge elementary, to high school, to post-secondary education, and into the workforce. Student recruiters often travel to First Nation communities and rural areas not just to promote the university, but to demonstrate the opportunities available beyond a high school education.
