On May 1, the City of Prince Albert and YWCA begin their search for a property to house a permanent 24/7 emergency shelter. The property needs to be a minimum of 9,000 square feet with sufficient outdoor space for a fenced seated area and at least 10 parking stalls. “Establishing a permanent emergency shelter is one small but significant piece of the jigsaw,” Community Safety and Well-Being Coordinator Anna Dinsdale says. “(It) connects to other important actions like reducing the strain on emergency services and supporting individuals into transitional housing and other services.”
Members of the Prince Albert RCMP host a regimental ball to raise funds for the Prince Albert Ronald McDonald House on May 4. The event starts with a cocktail hour and live musical entertainment from Allison Strong before a catered dinner and keynote speech from Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme. “Our committee was trying to come up with something (and) we thought Ronald McDonald House was a very worthy charity to donate to,” says retired staff sergeant and organizing committee member Carmela Schneider. “Then, it just turned out that they were announcing they were going to be building a home in Prince Albert, so it matched up perfectly.”
Local teachers Krysta Lambert and Deacon Harold Salahub are named the 2023-24 Catholic Education Service Award winners on May 7. Lambert, a teacher at St. Catherine Catholic School, says she was not expecting the award at all. Salahub, an Ecole St. Mary High School staff member and Prince Albert Catholic School Division Religious Coordinator, says he was shocked to be chosen, but grateful.
Prince Albert emergency responders sound the alarm after a spike in drug overdoses. The Prince Albert Police Service issues a press release about what they called “a recent and concerning” increase in overdoses. Parkland Ambulance spokesman Lyle Karasiuk says from 8 a.m. on Wednesday, to 8 a.m. on Thursday, paramedics answered calls for six overdoses. All six patients survived, but ended up in hospital. “It’s unusual for us to see a sharp spike like that,” Karasiuk says. “When we see a spike like that, honestly, we often think there is something in the illicit drug supply that has hit the street that is causing this to be a bigger problem than it usually is.”
The provincial government officially breaks ground on the new Acute Care Tower at the Victoria Hospital on May 10. The project will cost $900 million, and require an additional 500 staff once completed. “This means everything on so many levels,” Premier Scott Moe says. “It’s a service not only to the people in Prince Albert, but the region and the entire northern part of our province.”
The Prince Albert Housing Authority breaks ground on the new Meadow Green housing development. The project will replace a building that was destroyed by fire in 2021 and left 16 families without homes. Once completed, Meadow Green will provide 12 new affordable housing units for low-income families.
Prince Albert Pride bans local MLAs who supported Bill 137 from participating in official Pride Month activities. PA Pride Chair Chelsea Bleau says they made the decision as a show of support to Queen City Pride and other provincial pride organizations who also banned local MLAs.
The fifth annual Fest-of-Ale returns to the Art Hauser Centre courtesy of the Prince Albert Kinsmen Club. All funds raised go towards the diamond conversion project at Crescent Acres. The list of vendors grows from 22 to 25. Organizers says it’s the ‘best year so far’ for the fundraiser.
Saskatchewan Rivers MLA Nadine Wilson announces she is stepping down as Saskatchewan United Party leader. Wilson, who represents the constituency north of Prince Albert, is replaced by Jon Hromek. “I am thrilled that our party will be ushering in a new era of leadership under the capable guidance of our new leader,” Wilson says in a press release.
Queen Mary Community School students Drake Roberts (left) and Raymond Miller (right) pick up a few pieces of garbage while walking along 15th Street West in Prince Albert on Monday, May 6, 2024, the first day of Community Clean-up Week.
Arts
Prince Albert residents gather for the city’s first Vaisakhi Mela festival at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre. The festival is typically celebrated in Punjab and parts of Northern India, and signifies a change in the type of crops local farmers grow. “It’s kind of a new year for our Sikh community, and one for the 10th Guru, Guru Gobind Singh,” event host Hargun Singh says. “He invented a new culture called Khalasa for us and it’s a kind of change of a season in our province.”
The fifth annual SHARE Roast and Toast takes aim at Comedian Kelly Taylor on May 4. The event helps raise money for SHARE’s vocational and recreational programming. “We figured after him being the emcee for a few years, it was time to turn the tables and put him in the hot seat,” fundraising committee member Robin Knudsen says. Roasters include Taylor’s siblings, Tara and Graham, and friends Bart Holt and Garth Bendig.
The Watsonairs Ladies Choral Group treats listeners to a night at the movies with their annual Spring Concert on May 5. The list includes songs from The Lion King, Spider Man, and Mamma Mia. “We thought that the singers would enjoy singing them and we’d have a lot of fun, and they’d also be crowd pleasers,” Choir Director Amy Robinson says.
The Carlton Comprehensive Public High School band brings ‘pop, rock, and a little disco’ to Prince Albert with their spring concert on May 9. The concert is titled ‘A Night at the Movies’ and consists of a large number of younger musicians as the program recovers from shutting down during COVID-19. “The pop/rock theme was different from the other themed concerts we have had,” band director Brenda Bernath says. “It was something the students were interested in, and it was also manageable for them.”
Off the Cuff Improv, The Socially Distant, and comedian Elliot Byers, are among the acts that take the stage for the inaugural Variety Night for Mental Health at the Rock Trout Café. The event raises money for the Love My Mind Non-Profit Initiative.
Prince Albert celebrates Margo Fournier’s impact on the local arts scene with a dedication ceremony at the former Prince Albert Arts Centre, now knowns as the Margo Fournier Arts Centre. As part of the dedication, the Prince Albert Children’s Choir leads attendees in the singing of O Canada. The choir is directed by Fournier’s granddaughter, Megan Fournier-Mewis.
Sports
The Prince Albert Predators began their quest for the Founders’ Cup with a 15-6 win over the SAskatchewan SWAT at the Kinsmen Arena on Friday, May 24. Prince Albert scored six of the first seven goals in the contest. Despite the SWAT playing in a league higher tiered the the PGLL where the Predators play, head coach Lucas Wells was proud of the start. “They came out firing and they proved we can play. Guys got to understand that just because we’re from a small town, just because we play in a lower tier league, we can play lacrosse and I think our start helped. It got the crowd into it. The crowd was electric. I’ll say this forever, these are the best fans in the league and it’s the truth. These guys are the best. It was awesome in here.”
The Prince Albert Raiders were once again major players at the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, making a pair of top five selections. Prince Albert made a trio of local selections, including two players from PA in forwards Connor Howe and Declan Borthwick. Raider general manager Curtis Hunt said both players were extremely excited when he spoke to them on the phone after the draft. “You can almost hear the smile through the phone from that perspective, which obviously makes us feel good. I think both boys are highly competitive. I think both boys are climbers in terms of where they want to get to. I think the city of Prince Albert will be a lot of fun watching these young men develop next year, one as a Minto and one as a Warman Wildcat and then onto the Prince Albert Raiders. It’s a pretty good feeling.” Defenseman Liam Myhre of Nipawin also heard his name called by the Raiders in the third round.
Former Prince Albert Minto Chase Friedt-Mohr helped the Melfort Mustangs to a Canterra Seeds Cup championship, defeating the Flin Flon Bombers in six games. Friedt-Mohr spent parts of five seasons in the WHL before ending up in Melfort for one season. “It was awesome coming back in my 20-year-old season.” Friedt-Mohr says. “It was kind of the last kick of the can here to get a championship, and as soon as it came in, I knew we had a special group in Melfort. We battled a lot of adversity this year, and I was just super proud that our group got it done.”
