Darren Zary
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
One of Canada’s curling hot-beds will be heating up.
Not only will Saskatoon host the Montana’s Brier in 2027, the city will also play host to the 2026 Canadian senior curling championships.
The country’s best 50-and-over curling teams will converge on Saskatoon’s Nutana Curling Club next December.
Curling Canada made the announcement Tuesday.
The event will run Dec. 6-13 in 2026 and will kick off a big year of curling in Saskatoon, which also will play host to the 100th anniversary of the Brier just a few months later.
“The Canadian Seniors (represents) the true spirit of curling with great competition on the ice and true camaraderie off it,” Nolan Thiessen, Chief Executive Officer of Curling Canada, said in a release.
“Saskatoon has proven time and time again that it hosts professional-level curling championships, and we know the 2026 Canadian senior curling championships at the Nutana Curling Club will continue that tradition.
“We look forward to an amazing event in Saskatoon next year.”
It will mark the second time that Nutana Club will play host to the Canadian senior event. In 1999, Quebec’s Agnès Charette and B.C.’s Ken Watson won the women’s and men’s titles respectively.
Nutana also hosted the 2025 Canadian under-18 championships, as well as the memorable 1978 Canadian Mixed Championship when Bernie Yuzdepski’s team won gold on its home ice.
Kory Kohuch, general manager of the Nutana Curling Club, is a newly crowned Canadian senior men’s champ as a member of Bruce Korte’s Saskatchewan team that won the 2025 Canadian title this past weekend in Ottawa.
“Three-time world seniors champions, Team Sherry Anderson, and 2008 senior men’s World Champion Eugene Hritzuk are members of our club and it will be a great to honour to be hosting this event,” Kohuch said.
“Many of these senior curlers were the pioneers of the men’s and women’s World Curling Tour. Many have played in Briers and Scotties. These players are still really good. And they all love to have a great time. Our playing conditions will be amazing and our hospitality will be top notch.”
The Canadian senior championships haven’t been staged in Saskatchewan since Prince Albert hosted in 2008, when Team Hritzuk claimed gold for the host province and Team Pat Sanders of British Columbia won the women’s title.
“There isn’t a better place to host the 2026 Canadian Seniors than the Nutana, which was our home club for many years,” Anderson said in a release. “The event is such a fantastic, social, competitive, friendly, fun event. We made so many lasting memories from those events and playing against people whom I had played against my whole competitive curling career. I hope people come out to support it and watch curlers they used to see on TV at the Scotties and Brier. I promise you it will be worth it.”
Ontario leads all Member Associations with 13 Canadian senior men’s championships since the event’s origin in 1965 and 12 Canadian senior women’s titles after Team Sherry Middaugh claimed gold for the host province this past weekend in Ottawa at the 2025 Canadian senior championships.
The Canadian senior men’s championship first occurred in 1965, with the first event played at Port Arthur, Ont.
“We’re truly excited about what is going to be a spectacular season of curling in our province and the City of Saskatoon,” said Steve Turner, executive director of CurlSask. “Saskatoon’s curling community is ready to get to work to welcome the country to our province next season, and the 2026 Canadian Seniors will set a great tone.”
The winners in Saskatoon will represent Canada at the 2027 World Senior Curling Championships.
