Shellbrook student Abigail Kyliuk receives the $120,000 Schulich Leader Scholarship from the University of Calgary. The award allows her to join a network of national STEM scholars. Kyliuk is grateful, but surprised, by the selection. “It was one of those things where it’s like, ‘oh, I heard of someone else getting this,’ but you don’t think that you’re actually going to get it,” she says.
After two years of cleaning, renovating, and building, the River Valley Resilience Retreat is ready to celebrate. The local non-profit celebrates two years of operation with a special ceremony on June 5. “It’s extremely rewarding and an honour,” says co-founder and Prince Albert firefighter Jeff Reeder. “It’s a lot of hard work that got us to this point.” Lt.-Gov. Russ Mirasty is among the dignitaries on hand celebrating the occasion. Mirasty, a former RCMP officer, says the River Valley facility is much-needed. “I’ve seen what OSI and PTSD can do, even to a close family member in particular, and I always felt there were better ways to deal with it than we did in the past, so it was a pleasure to come out,” Mirasty says.
The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation resumes Work-to-Rule job action after declaring an impasse in negotiations on June 6. The STF and Government Trustee Bargaining Committee hold a meeting on June 5, but the STF says it can’t accept the government’s demand for binding arbitration. Starting June 10, teachers stop providing voluntary services outside the restricted work day, including a withdrawal of all extra-curricular activities. The two sides eventually agree on June 14 to enter binding arbitration.
A report the James Smith Cree Nation mass stabbing makes 36 recommendations, but finds no ‘missing link’ in police response that could have prevented the tragedy and saved lives. The report comes following an internal review overseen by RCMP in Alberta, and two coroner’s inquests. A total of 11 people were killed and 17 injured in the attacks on Sept. 4, 2022 on James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby community of Weldon.
Members of the Prince Albert Fire Department celebrate after the organization acquires new PFAS-free turnout gear. The gear will help reduce the risk of occupational cancer in firefighters.
The 13th annual Victoria Hospital Charity Golf Classic raises nearly $75,000 at Emma Lake on June 14. The funds will help purchase advanced medical equipment to enhance patient care, Boreal Health Care Foundation CEO Cody Barnett says.
Montreal-based developer Leyad purchases the Cornerstone Shopping Centre property in Prince Albert for $94 million. The property was previously owned by Choice Properties REIT. “We’re making other investments in Western Canada, and Prince Albert just really fit the criteria with what we were looking for,” Leyad CEO Henry Zavriyev says. “Obviously, this shopping centre is the premier retail centre in Prince Albert.
Sports
Saskatoon’s Kim Brown shoots a two-round score of 151 to win the 2024 Ladies Northern at Cooke Municipal Golf Course. This is Brown’s first Ladies Northern win since she won four straight from 2016-19. Regina’s Kim Walker takes home the Sr. Ladies Northern title.
The Lakeland U17 Blaze fall just short in the final of the Shaye Amundson Memorial Tournament. The Blaze rally for three runs in the seventh and final inning, but fall 5-4 to the Saskatoon Selects. “I thought they showed a lot of resolve battling back here in this final,” head coach Scott Reid says. “Overall, they performed very well this weekend.” In other divisions, the Prince Albert Aces win both pools at the U11 level, while the U13 and U15 squads are eliminated in the semi-finals.
Carlton Comprehensive Public High School sprinter Stryker Zablocki takes home a pair of gold medals at the Saskatchewan high school provincial track and field championships in Saskatoon. Zablocki takes first in the 100 m race with a time of 12.23, then wins gold in the 200 m with a time of 24.97. “I was really excited,” Zablocki says. “I’ve just been training pretty hard the past couple of months. I was hoping that I could medal, and that was the outcome, so it was really exciting for me.”
St. Mary High School grad Seanna Trumier is named the Sask Volleyball U21 Female Athlete of the Year. Trumier helps lead the Lakeland College Rustlers to their second straight CCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship. Trumier credits her teammates for helping her win U21 Female Athlete of the Year. “It’s super sweet to be recognized, but I really give it out to my teammates,” she says. “I think that I wouldn’t have got this award or got this opportunity if it wasn’t for my teammates right now in Lloydminster, or my upbringing in Sask. Volleyball.”
Arts
The Veselka Ukrainian Cultural and Heritage Club hosts its inaugural Hutzel Heaven event on June 1. Club members gather to sing Ukrainian songs and back bread in the clay over at the Exhibition Grounds. Organizers say the goal is to give Prince Albert residents a chance for fellowship, while helping the club attract more volunteers.
Christopher Lake horticulturalist Gerry Miller hosts his annual plant exchange for the third straight year, but this one has a twist. Miller starts Art in the Garden, an event bringing horticulturalists, artisans, vendors, and decorators together. “I feel that’s very important for people to be able to network with one another, whether they’re experienced or whether they’re novices,” Millers says. “That’s what I like to see, particularly at this event.”
A pair of local artists add some colour to the downtown by unveiling a pair of murals in the Gateway Mall courtyard. Artists Rebecca Perry and Colby Lavigne draw on Northern Saskatchewan and Prince Albert themes for their work. Examples include a giant northern walleye, the riverbank, the library, and the arts centre.
Local artists Rebecca Perry (left) and Colby Lavigne (right) pose for photos with new murals unveiled outside the Gateway Mall in downtown Prince Albert in June 2024.
Local artists Rebecca Perry (left) and Colby Lavigne (right) pose for photos with new murals unveiled outside the Gateway Mall in downtown Prince Albert in June 2024.
Carlton Comprehensive Public High School Grade 10 student Kiara Levesque received the People’s Choice Award for her work ‘Kokomi’ at the 2024 High School Juried Art Show. Levesque says she is amazed to be selected. “There are just so many amazing pieces in there that it was really anyone who could have one,” she says. “But of course, I’m happy with it was me.”
