September Year in Review

Daily Herald file photo. (L to R) Chelsea Mitchell and Cassidy Mitchell lead runners at the start of the Terry Fox Run at the Alfred Jenkins Field House on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024.

It was a busy shift for the Prince Albert Police Service on Friday evening as they received more than 100 calls for service.

In a press release the Police Service stated that they experienced a significant increase in call volume during the night shift from Aug. 30 at 6:00p.m. to August 31, at 6:30 a.m. ‘

Officers responded to 103 service calls, “highlighting the demanding nature of the work members perform ”to ensure the community’s safety and well-being.

“The Prince Albert Police Service acknowledges the dedication and resilience of our officers, who continue to serve the community with professionalism despite the increased work-load,” the release reads.

“We remain committed to maintaining the safety and security of all citizens and will continue to address the challenges presented by the high volume of calls.”

There’s still no end in sight for evacuees from Sandy Bay or South-end Sept. 2, according to Duane Hiebert, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation’s (PBCN) emergency management director.

The Flanagan fire, while it hasn’t grown much in the last few days, is now more than 44,000 hec. in size.

Firefighters were pulled off the fire Sept. 1 as the fire was flaring up, but it calmed, allowing firefighters to return to the blaze Sunday evening, Hiebert said.

Sept, 3  was the first day of school across Prince Albert with schools in the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division and Prince Albert Catholic School Division returning for the 2024-2025 school year.

St. John Community School principal Brock Skomorowski said that he has been looking forward to the first day of school.

“It’s always nice to be on summer break and spend time with my family, but then it gets to the fall and you’re ready to go back and see the families and the kiddos,” Skomorowski said.

“It’s so nice to see everyone again and all their smiling faces.”

Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp has announced that she will not seek re-election in the upcoming municipal election.

Lennox-Zepp a lawyer in Prince Albert and the current City Councillor for Ward 2, said after eight years representing her ward, she was stepping down for personal reasons.

“Sitting on city council is not a life sentence. You don’t have to stay forever, and so I feel that I’ve put in the work and achieved some goals here and that I am not seeking further election,” Lennox-Zepp said in an interview afterwards.

Lennox-Zepp said she can see how her career and her time as councillor has helped to grow and make some positive input into the policy of the community.

The man who killed Ponch Tyson Thomas Bird at a Prince Albert homeless encampment was sentenced to 11 years for manslaughter at Prince Albert Provincial Court on Monday.

Garrisen Clarke, 19, sat quietly in the prisoner’s dock with his hands folded in and declined to say anything when given a chance by Judge Felicia Daunt before sentencing.

Clarke was 18 when he shot and killed Bird on July 22, 2023.

Clarke will receive credit for time-served, meaning he will spend a little more than nine years in prison. He also received an 11-year sentence for discharging a firearm with intent.

The two sentences will run concurrently.

A third charge of attempted murder was withdrawn.

The 11-year sentence was a joint submission from the crown and defence. Typically, manslaughter sentences are between four and 12 years.

Ali Diehl hopes to make waves at the Los Angeles 2028 prospect swimming competition coming up in two weeks, but before that she stopped off a Prince Albert City Hall for more hardware.

Diehl received the 2024 Terry Fox Award at the City of Prince Albert

Council meeting Sept. 16, something she wasn’t expecting.

“I feel like it’s not real,” she said. “I honestly think it’s super cool and such an honor to even be close to being like someone like Terry Fox.

“One of the teachers at my high school, Miss Fetch, she nominated me for this award because she has seen all my success on piano, and a lot of success too in swimming,” Diehl added.

Professor Jay Wilson has been appointed as the first-ever Principal at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Prince Albert Campus.

Wilson began his two year term on Aug. 1 and said his vision for the campus is a full range of supports for students. Wilson said the University has been in the city for 30 years and wants to expand that connection.

“When I got here, (I asked) ‘how do I honour and support what’s been going on and how do I add to that to make sure that we’ve got all the Wellness supports,” Wilson said.

He wants the Prince Albert campus to mirror the Saskatoon campus as much as possible in terms of support and campus experience.

“This isn’t a regional college,” Wilson said. “We have a full range of different programs. We have research we have supports and I want to grow them.”

Wilson said his vision includes things like Extracurricular activities that give students a compete experience. He said that if the university is providing opportunities to get together like Indigenous Awareness Week or Black History Month, students should feel welcome.

The village of Weldon had nearly triple the population on Sept. 21 as friends, family, community members and dignitaries were on hand to officially open the Wes Petterson Memorial Park.

The park and playground were built to honour the late Wes Petterson, who was killed in the September 2022 mass stabbing.

Through a sign language interpreter, Petterson’s son, Wes Petterson Jr., said that his father would be proud of what the small community had done in his memory. He also had the honour of cutting the ribbon to open the park officially.

“He would be so glad that the kids have a safe place to play,” Petterson

Jr. said. “I know that my father will be watching over them and watching them play in the park.”

Diane Hovdebo, Petterson’s Sister-in-Law was amazed how quickly the park project came together.

“It’s pretty amazing that they did it that quick,” Hovdebo said. “The most amazing part is that they felt the need to put Wes’ name in memory of it. That’s awesome.”

Prior to the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division election in November incumbent trustees from Prince Albert Grant  Gustafson and Michelle Vickers both announced their intentions to not seek another term.

Sports

The Prince Albert Raiders have two new faces behind the bench for the 2024-25 season.

Conor Yawney and Dan Ferguson were both hired by the Raiders over the offseason.

Yawney was hired as an assistant coach replacing Keaton Ellerby while Ferguson is the team’s new goaltending coach taking over for KellyGuard, who was hired by the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors during the offseason.

Entering the 2024-25 season, the Prince Albert Northern Bears are hoping for big things from a young roster in the Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League (SFU18AAAHL)

Prince Albert features nine rookies on the roster this year including Londyn Hoffman, Olivia Trann, Jersie Andersen, Shelby Booy, Emma Christison, Aliya Clarke, Zoey Kreinke, Gracie Reed and Rowan Clement.

Northern Bears head coach Steve Young says he is hoping the rookies will have an immediate impact for the team.

“They’re first year players in the league so they come in with a lot of energy. I believe we’ve made some good picks on keeping girls in a balanced situation. Girls can offer different things in different situations so we wanted that and the biggest thing is they’ve got to be complimented by our older returning players.”

For the first time in his tenure as WHL commissioner, Dan Near paid a visit to the Art Hauser Centre on Sept, 18.

Since taking over as the WHL Commissioner, Near has made an effort tovisit every market in the league. Prince Albert was one destination he didn’t make it to last season and he says he is excited to see the Art Hauser Centre and the community.

“I know it’s such an important community for the league and one that I wanted to get to before the winter started and Gord Broda and Curtis Hunt were kind enough to say, hey, come on, we’ll do some pregame ceremonies. I have a chance to drop the puck. I’m thrilled to be here, I’m thrilled to see what the team looks like this year.”

Near began his tenure as the WHL Commissioner on Jan. 1 of this year and worked closely with his predecessor Ron Robison until taking over the Commissioner’s office on Feb. 15.

Arts

The third Mann Art Gallery Intergenerational Métis Mentorship Project took a different form at a new location on Aug, 31

The Horse Labyrinth Outdoor Art Installation Project placed a labyrinth outside the Prince Albert Tourism Centre in a collaboration between artist Leah Dorion, Elder Curtis Breaton

and mentees emerging Métis cultural educator and artist Ashley Smith and Dorion’s son, Louis Lafferty.

This interactive artwork is inspired by Métis Horse Culture in the region and the pattern for this labyrinth is featured in Dorion’s Mother Earth  Colouring Book.

“I really wanted to take creatures that were key to the native culture through our history,” Dorion said.

“The horse has been a key Métis figure, like (with) the Red River carts andjust the hunting Buffalo on horseback, so I wanted to make a beautiful labyrinth path for the community. (It’s)very interactive and this labyrinth has a real shepherd’s hook design in it to go to centre.”

The Heart of the Youth Pow Wow has been an annual tradition in Prince Albert since 2018.

On Sept. 6, the organizers hosted a Sponsorship Appreciation Lunch to recognize their organizations and volunteers who support the event, which packs Kinsmen Park each May.

The pow wow is an inclusive gathering that provides youth in Prince Albert and the surrounding communities with an opportunity to engage in the powwow tradition without the pressures of competition.

Elder Liz Settee of the organizing committee said the event was simply a nice way to pay tribute to their numerous sponsors.

“Prince Albert is comprised of a very high percentage of Indigenous people, and we’ve not had a place where the community can really come together to celebrate our young ones that are

just learning dancing or drumming,” Settee said. “To be able to showcase them and honour them and have the community watch and participate is  extremely huge and the youth love it.”

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