THE BATTLEFORDS — It was another year of major news in the Battlefords and area in 2021.
The year was dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic which raged on in 2021, as well as the national stories of the federal election and unmarked graves of residential school students.
Here is a look at just a few of the top news stories covered by the News-Optimist and SASKTODAY.ca in the Battlefords and area this past year.
COVID-19:
Countless stories documented the various waves of COVID-19 that hit the province in 2021, as well as the attempts to get life back to normal.
The big story during the spring and summer months was the vaccine rollout. Drive-thru clinics were set up in the province including at the former Kramer Caterpillar facility in Battleford, which has been in use delivering COVID-19 first and second doses and later booster doses. Also active was BATC, who set up a vaccine clinic that operated out of the Dekker Centre for several months.
Cases declined to the point that all restrictions were lifted in the summer. But by the fall, restrictions were back on as the Delta variant raged on, filling hospitals with COVID-19 patients. The province instituted a mask mandate and a proof of vaccination/proof of negative test requirement for venues such as restaurants and bars and at indoor events.
Proof of vax became a hot issue at City Hall, as council debated and ultimately voted in favour of extending the proof of vax requirement to most city facilities.
Starting in the summer of 2021, another hallmark of the year was the resumption of many events that were cancelled or delayed in 2020.
Among the major events that resumed in August 2021 was the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame inductions, as well as the North West Territorial Days Parade. The Battlefords Ag Society staged some scaled-back events including a midway and a demolition derby day.
A highlight of the year took place Oct. 22 as the Rotary Club of the Battlefords finally staged their long-delayed Centennial Gala at the Dekker Centre. It included the appearances in the Battlefords of former International Space Station commander Chris Hadfield at the gala event and at North Battleford Comprehensive High School.
Sports fans welcomed the return of hockey and the Battlefords North Stars, as well as other local teams in the fall of 2021, after losing almost all of the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 restrictions.
There were also new events, such as the commemorations recognizing the new National Day of Truth and Reconciliation Sept. 30. A public event was held at Battlefords Indian and Métis Friendship Centre that day and a walk at The Ridge to the Battleford Industrial School cemetery took place the previous day.
But not all events resumed in 2021. One of the more notable cancellations was that of the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce 2021 BBEX Awards ceremony, though the plan is to resume the awards in 2022.
The year 2021 ended with uncertainty in the Battlefords with the arrival of another new variant, Omicron.
Unmarked Graves:
A major national story was the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at residential school sites at Kamloops, B.C. and at Cowessess First Nation.
There were local implications to the story as Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs in conjunction with SNC-Lavalin launched a ground-radar investigation of unmarked graves around the site of the former Delmas residential school, with plans to search the old Battleford Industrial School site as well. That extensive search commenced at Delmas in July and is expected to last a year.
Federal Election:
The other major national story of the year was the federal election on Sept. 20, 2021, which saw Justin Trudeau and the Liberals returned with another minority government.
In Battlefords-Lloydminster, Conservative Rosemarie Falk resoundingly won her third election in a row.
COVID-19 became a factor during the campaign, with one all-candidates event in Lloydminster being closed to the public due to the rise in cases. The Falk campaign ended up cancelling election night gathering as cases rose.
Not cancelled, though, was the election night gathering of the People’s Party in Saskatoon attended by leader Maxime Bernier. That event drew controversy, with fines issued over various public health violations of the province’s indoor mask mandate.
The Lighthouse:
Throughout 2021, the News-Optimist has published multiple stories concerning the financial struggles facing the Lighthouse Serving the Battlefords on 102nd Street.
In February, the Lighthouse announced the closure of the emergency shelter due to federal funding changes. However, Métis Nation Saskatchewan stepped up with interim funding to keep the shelter open until the fall.
That lasted until late September, when the announcement came that Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs would take over operation of the shelter. The shelter was renamed Miywasin Kikinaw, with BATC leasing the building from The Lighthouse.
BATC commenced renovations on the shelter facility, with shelter clients relocating to the Lone Star Motel for a brief time. The renovated shelter is now back up and running under the new operators.
Municipal Inclusiveness:
The councils of North Battleford and Battleford moved forward with efforts at inclusivity this past year. Both North Battleford Mayor David Gillan and Battleford Mayor Ames Leslie formally signed the documents at a ceremony in June for those communities to officially join the Coalition of Inclusive Municipalities.
Fires:
The year 2021 was a destructive year of fires in the Battlefords, with Fire Chief Lindsay Holm reporting to council a sharp increase in structure fires in North Battleford.
The year saw several residential fires on both sides of the river, including a December fire on 108th Street in North Battleford in which two people were found deceased. The deaths later were deemed to be homicides, and the investigation is still under way.
Also notable were fires impacting long-standing commercial businesses. The two most notable were at Battleford Esso in January and at Kerr’s Cleaners late in the year. Both businesses have expressed their desire to rebuild in 2022.
Tragedy:
Also making the news in 2021 was a deadly two-vehicle collision on Territorial Drive on Nov. 30, in which two people were killed.
Tiki Laverdiere case:
It was another active year in the courts. The long line of accused individuals in the Tiki Laverdiere murder case made their way through the court system in 2021 and there were more convictions registered, though most details still remain under publication bans.
In January, Charles St. Savard received 14 months and 20 days in jail for kidnapping with intent to unlawfully confine.
In October, Nikita Cook received 25 years after being found guilty of first-degree murder following a non-jury trial in Queen’s Bench Court, Battleford.
In December, Samuel Takakenew was sentenced to time served after pleading guilty to accessory to murder.
Demise of the old Sask. Hospital:
It was a sad year for longtime supporters of the old Saskatchewan Hospital building in North Battleford. Silverado Demolition was contracted by the province to conduct the demolition of the old facility during the first several months of 2021.
The defining moment came when the smokestack that dominated the Battlefords skyline came down in May, though some artifacts from that structure were removed and preserved.
