LATEST ARTICLES

Prince Albert Exhibition food vendors continue to serve culture, community, and comfort

Lexi Saldaña
-
0
Prince Albert Exhibition food vendors continue to serve culture, community, and comfort

The Prince Albert Exhibition continued Friday to bring the community together for fun, family-bonding time, and most especially, for taste-testing different menus from African cuisine to Indigenous food to traditional meat-packed burgers. 

Ran by husband-and-wife duo, Tee Tasty African Cuisine continued to serve customers at the Prince Albert Exhibition with delicious African food. 

As an accountant, co-owner Oluwasanmi Daniel Dada supported his wife Sarah’s wishes to open a catering business. 

“She started the Tee Tasty African Cuisine Incorporated basically to fill in the niche for African food in Prince Albert,” explained Oluwasanmi Daniel Sada, co-owner of the catering company.” “Because I tell you, we especially have a lot of Africans here, and especially Nigerian, which is our roots from West African Lagos, Nigeria, which is our base.” 

Sarah first fell in love with culinary as a child, and cooks all the dishes available on the delectable menu.

“We have jollof rice, we have fried rice, and we have fufu. The fufu is made of yam and a vegetable. So we have different proteins too. We have turkey, we have chicken, we have fish and we have other things with it,” said Sarah. “I’m happy doing it. I want to showcase our food to the world.I want people to come and eat.” 

This is the business’s third year at the exhibition, and she described the community feedback as positive.

“Everybody is giving me five stars. They love it. “Oh, I want fufu,’  And they’re happy seeing the fufu,” said Sarah. 

The Dada family first moved to Prince Albert in 2018 from Regina, which brought to their attention the lack of African cuisine in the city. 

However, despite not having a physical restaurant, they offer catering services for various events like parties and street fairs. 

“We don’t have a restaurant. We can’t. But it’s something we look forward to in the future. But right now we just want to climb the ladder one thing at a time,” he said.

As for motivation towards that goal, Oluwasanmi said they “want the community to know [them].” 

“I want to comment that not all African foods are spicy, some are specifically made to be spicy,” he joked. “A lot of people, their notion, their mindset about African food is that, ‘Oh, it must be spicy,’ which is not true. So that itself will not let some people come. They don’t want to try because they think it’s spicy. So I want Canadians to taste it, to give it a try. I’m sure they will love it. Our meals are very beautiful.” 

The Tee Tasty African Cuisine will be at booth ten at the Prince Albert Exhibition until Aug. 9. 

A little further down the path is a booth from the Prince Albert Indian Metis Friendship Centre, a non-profit organization with a mission to improve quality of life for Indigenous people in the city. 

Lexi Saldaña / Daily Herald
Warren Roberts photographed inside the Prince Albert Indian Metis Friendship Centre booth at the Prince Albert Exhibition on Aug. 7.

Warren Roberts, a member of the organization and the “fry guy, hamburger guy” according to him, spoke about the importance of having the booth at the exhibition. 

“We are a non-profit, so everything we do goes back into the community for the less unfortunate, which is our youth, which is dealing with drugs and alcohol and abuse at home and stuff,” he explained. “So all in our elders programs where they don’t have too much funding for anything. So any money that we do get goes back into the community and helps the people that do need it. And if we can do anything that we can, we’ll do it for sure.” 


Their signature item on the menu is the ‘bannock burger’.

“We have a bannock lady that’s been making bannock for the friendship center for probably 30 years. And she just does it so good. And with the onions and the burgers, everybody’s little bit of input, it makes it the best burger at the fair,” said Roberts. 

The booth has been running for 31 years, with lots of supportive feedback from the community throughout its course of operation. 

“We get a lot of good feedback. A lot of people do know what we do and what our goal is. So there’s not too much that we can’t do. If we can do it, we’ll point you in the direction that you can get help.” he said. 

For those interested in being involved with the organization, visit the Prince Albert Metis Friendship Centre on 1409 First Avenue East. 

Next-door is ‘Burger Bros.’, known for their packed menu of smoky and juicy burgers. 

Lexi Saldaña / Daily Herald
Hunzi Markos photographed with a ‘Bro Burger’ inside the Bros Burger booth at the Prince Albert Exhibition on Aug. 7.

Huzni Markos, who also owns Selena’s Donair Pizza, ran the booth Friday.

“It was supposed to be my son. This one’s supposed to be a fundraiser for them. We opened it last year. My son went to national soccer so he and his friends were lucky to raise some money. And then this year, they play university soccer, so now I’m the one stuck here,” he joked. 

With the help of family and friends, the booth continues to serve the community with irresistible burgers. One of their most popular is called the ‘Bro Burger’, a double patty, double bacon, and double cheese with buffalo ranch burger. 

“This is what the boys like. So they like, you know, they’re more of meat. And because boys love this ranch on pretty much anything. So we make this menu according to their love for the food,” explained Markos. 

He also added that they wanted to be “different.” 

“Our burgers are actually not four ounce burgers. They’re six and 12 ounce burgers. We use homemade sauce. Our buns are very special. They’re not just the original buns, they’re the D’italiano bread,” he said. 

The burgers are received positively by customers, with some even coming back for more. 

“People try it, they love it. People try it right now and anyone that tries it, they’re coming back. They see how it is and they love it,” said Markos. 

Though the Prince Albert Exhibition is renowned for their mix of agriculture and  traditional fair environment with midway rides, cattle shows, and live entertainment, food booths around the grounds are stars of the show for foodies and hungry fairgoers alike. 

The Prince Albert Exhibition will be open until Aug. 9 at the Prince Albert Exhibition grounds. 

Clowning around the Prince Albert Exhibition with Joey Maddison

Lexi Saldaña
-
0
Clowning around the Prince Albert Exhibition with Joey Maddison

Amongst the bright lights illuminating from the Prince Albert Exhibition lights, is a brightly-dressed, colourful clown who seemingly camouflages into the environment—Joey Maddison, also known as his jester alter ego “Joey the Clown” or “Mr. Clown”, seeks to brighten up the days of fairgoers. 

“This is my third or fourth year. I call myself a joy facilitator for the event. I try to make everything more fun,” explained Maddison. “I wear very limited makeup, but my colorful costumes are very, very loud, bright, cheerful.” 

From head to toe, he’s a fun jumble of patterns, colours, and textures: a plaid button-up shirt, bright orang e patch pants, fishnet gloves, and a giant polka dotted bow to match his polka dotted tie. 

Oftentimes, the weather can be a challenge for the performer. 

“Like today I’m going to be really getting cold, you know, even though I’m wearing, like, short sleeves for the event. But it’s something you just kind of make the best of it. And for me, I’m very passionate about what I do,” he said. 

Children and even seniors all greet him with a smile, often gaining hugs from toddlers and a solid fist bump from older adults. 


“I love to see people smile and love to have them get engaged and also like to be an ambassador for the event,” he said. “I’m friends with a lot of different people in different facilities. Like, I can say, ‘Oh, you’re looking for a vendor?’ And I can tell them where to go. And then there’s also other things that are going on with the shows where, like, people have questions. I like to be able to answer those for sure,” he said. 

Despite his friendly demeanor, kids sometimes hesitate to say hello. 

“Well, children being scared does happen, and it is just kind of easing them into it. The first few times I go around, I start with just gradual waves. I don’t try to interact with the kids,” explained Maddison. “From a distance, I wave. If they wave back, great. If not, then that’s okay. It’s their choice. But the ones that wave, the next time I go by, I come in closer and I come in for a high five or whatever. Just kind of want to make sure they’re comfortable with my presence being around.” 

With hundreds of people attending the exhibition, he finds reflection and thinking of his late mother help combat feelings of nervousness. 

“I still get butterflies before these events. My mom passed away 15 years ago. I miss her every day and she was the biggest supporter of this. I was taking a knee before an event to do a little prayer and I said, ‘Mom, you’re gonna love the show.’ So when I see the kids and the people laughing and smiling and having a good time, I know she’s close.” 

Maddison described himself as “personable” and someone who can adapt to other people’s energy. 

“When I see these kids running and coming to me, hugs and whatever, they’re high-fiving me as if I just saw them last week. That’s what warms my heart,” They’re asking me to go on a ride with them because their parents are too nervous and they’ll grab my little hands around my pinky. I’m going on this ride, which I’m personally terrified of myself, but they pick me. And off we go. And it’s just moments like that, there’s so much out there that’s so much to celebrate about.”

Joey the Clown will be on the Prince Albert Exhibition grounds until Aug. 9.

A great day for a parade

Lexi Saldaña
-
0
A great day for a parade
Lexi Saldaña/Daily Herald.
A group of Prince Albert cadets march down Central Avenue during the annual Prince Albert Exhibition parade.
Lexi Saldaña/Daily Herald.
Members of the Performing Arts Warehouse dance down Central Avenue during the Prince Albert Exhibition parade on Tuesday.
Lexi Saldaña/Daily Herald.
One of the participants in Tuesday’s parade hands out candy to residents who watched on Central Avenue.
Lexi Saldaña/Daily Herald.
The Prince Albert Fire Department participated in the Prince Albert Exhibition Parade with a fire truck and team members engaging with the crowd.

Young magician sets the stage at PAEX open mic

Lexi Saldaña
-
0
Young magician sets the stage at PAEX open mic

The Prince Albert Exhibition held an open mic at the Main Hall Wednesday afternoon where a spectacular young magician first took the stage.

Hendrix Deschambault, a 12-year-old magician who goes by the stage name ‘Hendrix Stone’, dazzled the audience with his magical act.

“I was nervous, and then I wasn’t nervous anymore. It was sort of just nervous when I started, and then everything was just normal,” said Stone. “This is also my first magic show.”

In terms of getting over his fears, he said to “just do it.” 

“I mean, like, one time I went on stage to do a karaoke thing at a church and they were like, ‘Hey, you should go up there and do something,’ I was super nervous. Because I’ve never done that before, and so I just went up and did it and wasn’t nervous anymore,” he said. 

He performed card and coin tricks as well as a stunt that involved picking an audience member. 

“I got them to randomly pick a page in the book, and then I closed the book, and I got them to write down the bottom number that they saw on the page,and then they wrote that on a paper, and they sat down,” explained Stone. “Then I took a coin, I put it in my hand, and then I grabbed a pen, magic wand. I made it disappear out of my hand into the book. And where the coin was in the book was the number that the person wrote down, and that was the trick.” 

Since he was six, he was a self-taught magician, finding ways to learn magic through the internet. 

“I just, like, seen magic shows before, and I thought they were super cool. And then I went on YouTube and I just started looking at magic tricks, and I saw magic tricks,” he said. “I started learning them, and then I wasn’t really getting much, like, to know, so I started just creating my own tricks.” 

Alongside the young magician, was a table full of his supporters—his little brother, his little brother’s friend, his grandmother’s friend, and most especially, his grandmother. 

Marjorie “Margie” Deschambault was a proud grandma as she watched her grandson perform on stage.


“I’m a huge supporter of his magic,” she said. “He’s been fascinated with magic since he was two or three years old. When he was in pull ups, yet he would pretend magic, pulling stuff out of his pants.” 

Deschambault encouraged the 12-year-old to perform after seeing the open mic event on the exhibition website. 

“So I said to Hendrix, would you like to do this? And so we got him registered and I’m glad it happened,” she said. 

Reflecting on his journey with magic, Deschambault said “it kind of surprised [her].” 

“I thought, why? You know, this is incredible, because I remember him being fascinated when he was three years, two or three years old,” she explained. “So, it’s maybe a special talent that he’s been given, but he’s very outgoing and has lots of stage presence. So, I can see him wanting to do that when he grows up.” 

Deschambault described her grandson as “very sociable and very comfortable with people.”


Stone hopes to sell out shows and go on tour in the future. 

“I would like to be a stage performer. Like any sort of magician. Being on stage is really fun,” he said. 

The Prince Albert Exhibition is set to hold other open mics from 3 p.m to 4 p.m at the Main Hall until the last day of the exhibition on Aug. 9.

Producers, farmers, and agronomists gather for annual field day program

Lexi Saldaña
-
0
Producers, farmers, and agronomists gather for annual field day program

The Conservation Learning Centre (CLC) returned with its annual Field Day Program Wednesday, with presentations on new technology and research, field trials, and farm tours to showcase to local farmers, producers, and agronomists. 

The event started in the main office, where CLC Community Outreach Coordinator, Rachael Groat and CLC General Manager, Robin Lokken outlined the agenda for the day.

“The main goal would be just getting farmers out into the fields and actually have them check out the trials, walk the plots, ask the experts here questions they have, and also for us to learn from the farmers what kind of future research they would like to see,” said Lokken. 

The schedule was full of presentations including rejuvenation of hayland, 4R management of barley,  drone seeding and spraying, agricultural drainage, and more. 

“One of my favourite ones we’re checking out today is mixing up varietal mixtures for improved yield stability in field barley,” said Lokken. “So in this trial, we are looking at seeding feed barley as a monocrop, like individual varieties, but then we have some plots where we have a whole bunch of different barley varieties seeded in the same plot.”

Alongside informational presentations about agricultural research, the organization also emphasized the balance between sustainability and profitability. 

“The presentation that we just had about drone seeding, [participants] are provided with information to help seed challenging locations and also learn about programs that are out there to provide a cash incentive too to try out some things,” said Lokken. “They don’t want to put money into something that they don’t know how if it’s going to work as well.” 

Brooke Howat of Ducks Unlimited Canada delivered a presentation on drone seeding, where she detailed their research on using agricultural drones to spread forage seeds in marginal and seasonally inaccessible fields, showcasing differences in various seasons and techniques. 

In terms of the province’s unpredictable weather, she said that their research in agricultural drainage has benefited from the rainy season. 

“We’re comparing surface drainage to tile drainage,” said Lokken. “We’ve been able to see that, even during dry years, drainage does make a difference and helps increase yields.” 

Agricultural drainage refers to the practice of removing excess water from cropland through using surface ditches, subsurface tiles, and gravity channels to improve root health and crop yields. 

“I’m definitely happy to see that we’ve got more moisture and so now we can see the effects of drainage are suppressed during dry years,” she added.

In addition to the CLC’s annual program, they also offer hands-on community programs.

“We get the community out on-site, whether it’s through the school program to learn about agriculture, and get some hands-on experiences. Then we host other events like our Fall Family Fun Day,” said Lokken. “But we also have things like our nature trail and our community garden, which have been received very well too.”  

Lokken said she is excited and thankful so many people come, especially farmers and producers, to learn and ask questions. 

“I prefer that we spend less time kind of talking and more time having that discussion with the farmers after the presentations and answering their questions and actually getting them to walk in the plots and point out something, and say ‘Hey, what’s going on here?’, versus the winter where we’re just stuck in front of a screen.” she said. 

All around the world at PAEX

Lexi Saldaña
-
0
All around the world at PAEX

From Ukrainian pastries to Filipino dishes to Jamaican culinary, the Prince Albert Exhibition has a bountiful array of international dishes for the community to enjoy. 

Zenik Rabiej, president of the Veselka Ukrainian Club, and his team have a booth with freshly-baked goods—all baked inside a traditional clay oven.

“Years ago in the Ukraine, a clay oven was part of every household. That’s what they cooked with,” explained Rabiej. “And even when Ukrainian immigrants came to this country, many of them had a clay oven in the yard and they would use that for cooking.”

The day starts with placing the pre-made dough into bread pans, and building a fire within the oven. 

“We built a fire in there, brought it up to temperature, and then when the dough had risen or the bread had risen high enough in the bread pans, then we just put it in there,” said Rabiej.  

An essential part to the process is ensuring the temperature of the fire was just right. 

“It’s not like your stove where you can crank it up,” he said. 

After 40 to 45 minutes, the bread is golden-brown, removed from the oven and exudes a delicious, warm, and toasty smell. 

Rabiej said showing this way of baking was a way to preserve Ukrainian culture. 

“It’s in honor of my ancestors, and it’s to keep the culture and language and stuff going forward and not forgetting where we came from and even though we’ve become Canadians,” he said. “It really, really means a lot to myself and to the people working here.” 

In terms of response from the Ukrainian community, he said the feedback has been positive. 

“They really like that. And they, they kind of like the fact that they can come here and you know, and some of us still speak the language and that,” said Rabiej. “So it gives them a good feeling to know that there’s some people, I guess maybe preceded them.” 

Rabiej said the next Veselka event will be the Ukrainian Day in the Park at Little Red River Park on Sep. 12 from 1 to 5 p.m, and will feature live music, freshly-baked bread, and Ukrainian food. 

Across the oven-fresh pastry goods, a Filipino restaurant renowned for their corn dogs, were awaiting their next batch of customers. 

Liza Austria, owner of Chow Queen, viewed her business as “retention.” 

“I always look at the way of retaining immigrants,” she said. “I started an Asian store in PA then because people should be aware of the diversity of the culture because what we need is retention. How can we retain immigrants after they get their permanent residency?” 

As for her menu, she loves to showcase her Filipino heritage through integrating it into Western taste buds. 

Liza Austria posing inside her Chow Queen booth at the Prince Albert Exhibition on Aug. 5. —
Lexi Saldaña / Daily Herald

“I created my own recipe for items, you know, different foods,” explained Austria. “My goal is to have fun and at the same time use my skills. Because Filipinos are very resilient, no? And we always try to, you know, all our food are from the Spanish, from Chinese. So fun food—I can do that too. So I said, ‘Okay, corn dogs.’”

Customers can choose between a normal delicious corn dog, or a gooey corn dog filled with mozzarella cheese. 

For Liza, her day started at six in the morning. 

“I was sleeping and I was dreaming of the spring rolls I had to make,” she joked. “So at six o’ clock in the morning I got up, started making spring rolls. So until nine o’clock, I finished one batch and then went to get all the stuff. And of course started prepping. Everything has to be fresh, right?”

After ten years of running a business, Austria continues to stay motivated due to the community support she has been receiving. 

“People are kind. See how nice they are? And their excitement to see us because they always say, ‘Oh, we waited for you for a year to have your corn dogs.’”

The Chow Queen booth offers an array of classic Filipino foods including chicken adobo, as well as drinks like Ube-flavoured bubble tea. 

Behind the Filipino restaurant is M&T Jamaican Cookout—a family-run business specializing in Jamaican culinary. 

Created by husband-and-wife duo, Michael and Tara Gray, the business also operates as a catering company for birthdays, graduations, funerals, and other events. 

With their third year vending at the exhibition, the couple are excited to be able to display Jamaican culture to the community. 

“We like being at the exhibition because this is a family event. It’s a community event. And we want to bring our own flavor to this event and to the city,” said Michael.

“This is our third year at the exhibition, so we’re absolutely excited,” said Tara. 

Michael added that having the booth was a way to show gratitude to the city. 

“I’m from Jamaica, and last year in October when we went through a category five hurricane in Jamaica, Melissa, the community really came together.” explained Gray. “We had a fundraiser and the community came together and they helped us so we were able to send back stuff to Jamaica. And we appreciate that. So we just give a part of ourselves to the community and just to say thanks.” 

He emphasized that “[they make everything from scratch.” including their own special seasoning.

(L to R) Ryland, Michael, Tara, Ryder, and Siobhan Gray inside their M&T Jamaican Cookout booth at the Prince Albert Exhibition on Aug. 5. — Lexi Saldaña / Daily Herald

Jerk chicken, jerk pork, curry goat, Jamaican patties, and fries and gravy were some of the mouthwatering eats available on the menu. 

For the family, the preparation for the exhibition started on Friday with grocery shopping and ensuring the best yet affordable ingredients for their customers. 

“You know, inflation has gone up, so we gotta find the right price food so we can give our customers a cheaper price at a minimum because of inflation. You know, so we just want to keep it low for our, our people, our customers,” explained Gray. “We have a lot of customers here in PA and at this time, we just want to say thank you to all of our customers that have supported us over the years.”

As a family-owned business, all hands on deck is essential.. Their 14-year-old twins, Ryland and Ryder, and their 17-year-old daughter, Siobhan, help prepare, serve customers, and overall assist in the operation. 

The community support continues to be a main motivator for the couple as they remain enthusiastic to serve the city for a third year.

“The best motivation is to see the smiles and the customers who come here, you know, know that we, especially me being from Jamaica and seeing people kind of delve in the culture and want to know more about Jamaica,” said Michael. 

Those interested in booking M&T Jamaican Cookout, visit their Facebook page under the same name.

For foodies and lovers of food alike, the Prince Albert Exhibition has plenty of options to try and explore—from Ukrainian, to Filipino, to Jamaican, and many more—there is a menu for everyone. 

The Prince Albert Exhibition will be held at the Prince Albert Exhibition grounds until Aug. 9. 

Prince Albert Country Music Association to put on show at PAEX

Lexi Saldaña
-
0
Prince Albert Country Music Association to put on show at PAEX

The Prince Albert Country Music Association (PACMA) is set to perform at the Prince Albert Exhibition Sunday starting at 7 p.m.. 

Guests can expect to hear “lots of recognizable tunes, lots of toe-tapping songs that people can sing along with, and just showcasing the members of PACMA,” said Dennis Adams, president of PACMA. 

The Prince Albert Country Music Association is a local organization that includes 70 members, who love, share, and advocate for country music in the city. 

“We put on about four or five shows annually, so we’re really happy to be at the exhibition,” Adams explained. “We do various shows and proceeds of our money goes to community events and we sponsor a youth music program.” 

As for the performers, he revealed the full list of musicians expected to be on stage.

“We have a four-piece band of myself, Matt Gracious, Dean Kushneric, and Kerry English,” said Adams. “And then we have 10 of our singers, who include John Watson, Connor Anderson, Rod Gjerde, Karen Beauchesne, Larry Krauss, Les Breiter, and Gayle Breiter.” 

Adams described the fully-packed line-up as a “cross-section” of new and old country. 

The Prince Albert Exhibition, otherwise known as ‘PAEX’, is an annual five-day summer fair that features midway rides, live entertainment, and agricultural shows to celebrate the city’s abundant farming industry. 

“It’s a lot of fun, I mean, you know, it’s nice to play to your home crowd,” said Adams. “We’ve done the shows there before in the past, we always get a really warm reception, and we really appreciate it, and so hopefully we’ll see lots of people there on Sunday.”

He adds he hopes to see attendees enjoying the music.

“Just people enjoying themselves, you know? People sitting there and just really enjoying the music,” Adams explained. “Obviously, we tend to put on a really entertaining show, you know, so people just really enjoy it, and part of the exhibition, so we’re just enjoying the whole daily experience of the exhibition, and so hopefully they’ll stop in and listen to the show,” 

The Prince Albert Exhibition will be held at the Prince Albert Exhibition grounds from Aug. 5 until Aug. 9, with additional information and tickets for sale available on their website at paexhibiton.com. 

The Prince Albert Country Music Association is expected to be on stage starting at 7 p.m. Sunday.

Prince Albert local wins Mrs. Canada Universe 2026, set to represent Canada in Sri Lanka competition

Lexi Saldaña
-
0
Prince Albert local wins Mrs. Canada Universe 2026, set to represent Canada in Sri Lanka competition

A Prince Albert local was crowned as Mrs. Canada Universe 2026 in Surrey, British Columbia at the Bell Media Performing Arts Centre on Jul. 25. 

Jasmine Esquivel, a 43-year-old local is a successful sales rep, a mother of five, and now, a beauty queen. 

“My last pageant in the Philippines was when I was 17 years old and then I stopped because I got pregnant early,” said Esquivel. “Then my life started as a full-time mom and I didn’t realize that, after having five kids, I’m going to be crowned as Mrs. Canada Universe.” 

After years out of the pageant spotlight, a simple ad appeared and changed her life. 

“I saw the advertisement about they’re looking for candidates for Mrs. Canada and then  my friend says ‘Why don’t you join?’’ explained Esquivel. 

Following her auditions, an acceptance email arrived in her inbox, and from there, her journey started. 

“It [was] a mixture of feeling happy and of course lots of things in my mind. I was thinking about the expenses,” she said. “But I had lots of support from my kids and my family and from my friends, as well the [Prince Albert] community supporting me so they said that we’re gonna do fundraising, and so I accepted the contract.” 

Alongside financial support from peers, family, and community, she also explained that she had received a lot of training in preparing for the pageant. 

“Since March I’m on a diet, I’m on a meal plan, I go to the gym regularly every day, I have my trainer, and I have a catwalk training, and then I also have a beauty coaching.” said Esquivel. 

However, she found that her prior experience with pageantry and modelling helped her adjust to her newfound routines.

“At that young age I have lots of training, and even though I have my three kids already, I’m still doing modeling and some endorsements in the Philippines, like photoshoots, modeling new clothes, modeling in the salon if they want a model for hair and makeup,” she said. “It’s muscle memory.” 

Though she has a list of responsibilities, she is “so thankful for [her] kids, family, and community for supporting [her].” 

During the competition, she said found womanhood and community within the other 59 delegates. 

“They were so nice. I made a lot of friends and they were giving me advice,” said Esquivel. “On the pageant final day, I didn’t realize that I didn’t have earrings to pair with the gown, and then one of the candidates offered and she lent me her earrings.” 

Esquivel’s main goal and strive for advocacy is to empower youth and most importantly, to show the world that a woman is not defined by her motherhood. 

“Having [children] is not a burden for me—it’s a challenge,” she explained. “I want to prove and to show that even though you’re a mom, you can still balance your time, you can still be a good mother and you can be a supermodel and you can be a beauty queen.” 

Her winning look featured a floor length bodycon dress adorned with silver jewels and a knee-high slit, as well as makeup done by Caledon and Brampton makeup artist, Rashmi Sachdeva. 

“I feel so happy. I didn’t expect it, but I’m so thankful and grateful to wear the crown and I hope to be a good queen and a good inspiration to everybody,” said Esquivel. 

Subsequent to her win, she will be flying to Sri Lanka to represent Canada at an international competition in October. 

“I’m the only one who’s going to represent Canada, I’m so excited,” she said. 

Esquivel said that she has begun her preparations, even taking measures to contact a designer to create her ‘national country’ look, which she said will honour Prince Albert. 

As for future endeavors, she aims to focus her energy towards her advocacy. 

“I’m gonna focus on helping the community, especially in part of my advocacy, and my platform, so I’m gonna start volunteering and empower the youth,” said Esquivel. “I need to do my duty as Mrs. Canada Universe.” 

In terms of community support, she hopes locals will partake in her fundraisers as well as finding sponsorships in order to fund her journey to Sri Lanka. 

“I’m so happy to represent Canada, and hopefully I’ll get lots of support from all over Canada,” said Esquivel.

Strike ends as WestJet and CUPE reach tentative agreement

Lexi Saldaña
-
0
Strike ends as WestJet and CUPE reach tentative agreement

WestJet and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) have reached a tentative agreement Monday—ending a roughly 28-hour strike that led to cancellations of over 600 flights.

“This tentative agreement represents meaningful progress,” said CUPE 8125 President Alia Hussain. “It evolves the flight credit system by recognizing more of the work cabin crew are required to perform and with general increases to compensation for that work.” 

WestJet has yet to provide details on the details of the agreement, which will be presented to cabin crew members for a ratification vote. 

Chief Executive Officer of WestJet, Alexis von Hoensbroach said that “[they] are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement that reflects the hard work and professionalism of our cabin crew.” 

On July 30, CUPE Local 8125, which represents 4,400 of WestJet’s cabin crew members, issued a 72-hour strike notice due to stalled contract negotiations over unpaid ground time, low wages, and a high volume of uncompensated safety and boarding duties. 

In response, WestJet issued a lockout notification, which is a legal warning from the employer that states they will refuse to let employees work and stop paying them unless a labor agreement is reached by a specific deadline. 

Following this, WestJet cancelled 276 flights in order to avoid standing crews and tabled a last-minute contract offer that included a 13 per cent immediate pay hike and ground duty premiums. 

On Aug. 2, the deadline passed without a signed contact with over 4,200 flight attendants launching a work stoppage, and flight cancellations rose to over 600 total flights.

On Monday, WestJet and cabin crew members reached a tentative agreement. WestJet slowly resumes its operations and the union prepares for members to vote on ratification. 

“To our members, thank you for your solidarity throughout this process. We also want to thank the public, labour organizations, and everyone who supported cabin crew as we worked toward a fair resolution,” said Hussain. 

In a statement from Sunwing and WestJet Media, they said “WestJet will not comment further on the details of the tentative agreement until the ratification process is complete. During any ratification, a strike or lockout is not possible, meaning customers can plan, book, and travel with WestJet with certainty.”

Pope Leo XIV appoints new Bishop of the Diocese of Prince Albert

Lexi Saldaña
-
0
Pope Leo XIV appoints new Bishop of the Diocese of Prince Albert

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Rev. Father Kenneth Thorson, O.M.I as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Prince Albert, with his ordination on Aug. 22. 

“It was a surprise. I was really touched that Pope Leo chose to invite me to take on this role and be the Bishop of Prince Albert,” said Thorson. “The first couple of days I was a little nervous as I considered the invitation. Then after some prayer, and more prayer, I was at peace with it and grateful for this opportunity to serve in a new way.” 

Prior to Thorson’s invitation, he said he had been appointed as the incoming pastor at a parish in Ottawa, Ontario. 

“It was an unexpected invitation that brought some disruption into my plans and the plans of the Oblate community,” he said. “But in the end, I see it as an invitation from God. I see God’s work in this.” 

The role of Bishop of Prince Albert leads the regional Catholic or Anglican diocese, overseeing parishes, ordaining priests, managing church administration, and providing spiritual guidance through community outreach across northern and central Saskatchewan. 

Thorson said one of his top priorities is reconciling with Indigenous peoples. 

“I’m a missionary oblate of Mary Immaculate. My community ran the majority of Catholic residential schools,” said Thorson. “A significant part of my work as leader of the Oblates in the last six years was to work on different ways of responding to the calls for truth and reconciliation.” 

He said he wants to continue this initiative through “reaching out to and responding to invitations from First Nations, Métis communities to learn how [he] can be in service to the work of truth and reconciliation.” 

Alongside his mission of reconciliation, he also emphasized that connecting with the community, including the youth, is something he intends to exercise. 

“The plan is first to listen. That’s the most important thing, I think. To get to know the communities that are a part of the Christian and Catholic communities and to begin to visit and meet the people of those communities will be very important,” said Thorson. 

“[The youth] are in fact not an object of the church’s mission, but they are members of the church called to mission,” he said. “Young people have the language of young people. So I’ll be looking for young people to work with me and teach me how I meant to be a bishop with and for the young people of the Diocese of Prince Albert.” 

Despite living in Ottawa for a few years serving as the Vocation Director at the OMI Lacombe’s St. Charles Formation Community, the Saskatoon-born reverend was excited to return to the prairies. 

“I was born in Saskatoon, and I lived six years in Nipawin. I know Saskatchewan, but I’d been away for so long, and it was really lovely to come back, and to experience once again the hospitality and the kindness of Saskatchewan people.” he said. 

Thorson’s ordination will be on Aug. 22 at the Sacred Heart Cathedral.  
 
“The celebration isn’t about me. The celebration is about the local church of Prince Albert who are celebrating the ordination and installation of their new bishop and the commitment that we all share by our baptism in Christ,” he said. “I’m looking forward to celebrating that with the people here and getting on with the mission.” 

123Page 1 of 3