Prince Albert celebrates Canada Day after last-minute venue change

Prince Albert’s daytime Canada Day celebration carried on Wednesday after wet weather forced a last-minute move from Kinsmen Park to the area around Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 2.

Families, Legion members, police, firefighters, cadets, vendors and volunteers gathered on Eighth Street East for a day of ceremony, food, music and family activities.

The celebration was moved after wet ground conditions made Kinsmen Park unavailable, but the change did not stop residents from coming out. By 11.00 a.m., food booths, games, face painting and children’s activities were set up near the Legion and in nearby parking areas. Families gathered around the site, children moved between activity areas, and music helped bring a Canada Day atmosphere to the new location.

Although the sky stayed cloudy, the rain held off during the early part of the celebration, allowing families to move between the food booths, games and ceremony area.

The Prince Albert Fire Department also had a fire engine on site, where firefighters showed children and families around the vehicle.

The formal ceremony began shortly after noon with Grant Ursaki, a member of the Legion and an Air Force veteran, serving as master of ceremonies. Ursaki called for the marching on of the colours, with Legion members joined by police, cadets and RCMP members in Red Serge before ‘O Canada.’

Rick Hodgson, president of Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 2, welcomed residents and thanked the many people who helped move the event on short notice.

“We have had to be relocated from Kinsmen Park down to here due to the wet weather, and it was a busy day all day yesterday organizing, but we feel like we got it done,” Hodgson said.

Hodgson said the celebration still included children’s activities, food booths, bingo and entertainment. He also thanked sponsors, volunteers, entertainers and the City of Prince Albert for helping the event continue.

“A real huge thank you to all of our volunteers in the back, helping out, serving lunches, and a big thank you again to the City of Prince Albert for helping us move down to here and get things set up,” Hodgson said.

The opening ceremony also included a Treaty 6 and Metis homeland acknowledgement, followed by a smudging ceremony offered by Elder Liz Settee.

The Sturgeon Lake drummers then took part in the Canada Day drumming celebration. Ursaki said the national drumming initiative began in 2017 during Canada’s 150th birthday and has since grown to include drummers in communities across Canada and beyond.

MLA Alana Ross addressed the crowd, bringing greetings on behalf of Premier Scott Moe and the Government of Saskatchewan. Ross thanked the Legion for the invitation and recognized the organization’s 100th anniversary year.

“The Legion provides many, many services for our community and for service members, and they play an important part of our community team,” Ross said.

Ross also commended the Legion for adjusting quickly after the venue change.

Mayor Bill Powalinsky said he was proud to see the celebration continue.

“I want to thank everybody that’s coming out to help celebrate our national celebration day,” Powalinsky said in an interview after the ceremony. “I want to thank the Legion and all of its affiliates and all of the volunteers who pivoted so quickly to make this event happen, and that just shows our true community spirit and our resilience.”

Powalinsky said the Legion plays an important role in keeping Canada Day traditions alive in Prince Albert, especially because of the connection between the day, national service and those who served Canada.

“It’s very, very important,” he said. “If you think about the most major events that really defined our presence in the world as a nation to be proud of have been as a result of the efforts overseas of our troops.”

During his remarks to the crowd, Powalinsky said there are a few things that make “the back of my neck tingle,” including hearing the pipes, seeing colour parties march in and watching the Canadian flag.

“We’re proud to be Canadians, and we’re proud to be from Prince Albert, because this community throws events like this,” he said.

After the ceremony, the celebration shifted back to music, food and family activities. Children lined up for games, families visited the fire truck, and residents moved between the booths and activity areas. Powalinsky also joined in the lighter side of the celebration, stopping at one of the booths for face painting.

Powalinsky said the turnout showed the strength of Prince Albert’s volunteer community.

“It proves that Saskatchewan people are the nicest people in the world, and PA has some of the nicest people in Saskatchewan,” he said. “We are such a community that’s so wealthy with volunteers.”

arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca