Canada Day celebrations in Prince Albert's Kinsmen Park. There will be fireworks at dusk along the riverbank. (Teena Moteleone/paNOW)
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Canada Day: Not just a national holiday for Saskatchewanians

Jul 1, 2025 | 4:35 PM

In a province where small towns matter, Canada Day is an opportunity to feel part of something bigger while still celebrating local traditions.

In Prince Albert, hundreds gathered at Kinsmen Park to show their patriotism, listen to music, enjoy treats and splash in the water parks while proudly waving their Canadian flags.

Fun fact: Today, the maple leaf is instantly recognized as the symbol of Canada. But it wasn’t always the case! In fact, thanks to the expanding fur trade 400 years ago, the first popular Canadian symbol was…the beaver!

Jade Stevens, with her daughters, reminisced about Canada Day when she was a little girl. (Teena Monteleone/paNOW)

Jade Stevens used to come to the Kinsmen Park event when she was a little girl. Today, she brought her own daughters to celebrate tradition, sense of community and what it means to be Canadian.

“Being close to nature…being able to enjoy the lakes and the great outdoors in our backyard and treating people like they want to be treated,” she said.

Fun fact: Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined — over 2 million!

Varinder Mittal and his family celebrated Canada Day in Prince Albert’s Kinsmen Park. (Teena Monteleone/paNOW)

For Varinder Mittal’s family, Canada Day is about culture and new beginnings. They moved here from India in 2017 and became citizens in 2021. Mittal, who is a mechanical engineer, said the celebration reminded him of India’s Independence Day which takes place on August 15.

“We are excited to celebrate this beautiful day. It’s sunny, with a bit of a breeze and it’s a great day to wear red and white.”

On why he came to Canada, Mittal said he wanted to explore a new side of the world.

“I had been here on work trips before and I found my kids could find a better future here and so everything happened and now I work for the Government of Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways.”

Fun fact: About 1 in 5 Canadians were born outside the country — making it one of the most multicultural nations in the world.

Canada Day events offer space for both celebration and reconciliation, recognizing that Canada’s story began long before 1867. In Saskatchewan, six numbered treaties cover the entire province. The phrase “We are all treaty people” is often used to show that both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people have a shared responsibility to uphold the spirit and intent of treaties.

Indigenous culture was celebrated at the Canada Day event at InnovationPlex in North Battleford. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

In North Battleford at InnovationPlex, Indigenous culture was celebrated as part of the festivities with local dancers in traditional regalia.

Fun fact: Words like Canada itself come from Indigenous languages: “Kanata” means “village” in the Wendat (Huron) language.

Kenneth Cheung, a news reporter for battlefordsNOW took in the celebration on his day off. He moved to Canada from China about five years ago. He’s spending his first full summer in the Battlefords and said his favourite thing about the area is the people.

“I know it might sound a bit cheesy, but as a newcomer all the way from China, I thought it would be hard to adapt, especially moving from big cities to rural Saskatchewan. But everyone here has been so kind to me, and I really do feel welcome,” Cheung said.

Fun fact: Speaking of cheesy, did you know Canadians eat more macaroni and cheese per capita than anywhere else? Apparently, 1.7 million boxes of Kraft Dinner are purchased weekly out of a global total of 7 million.

A group of Battlefords area residents show off their patriotism in red and white. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

Over in Melfort, the Ag Society and Melfort and District Museum had plans to host a full day of events including a community BBQ, petting zoo and live music. Instead of fireworks, an outdoor family movie will cap off the event.

Melfort area residents take great pride in being Canadian. With strong farming roots and innovation in crop research, the region plays a big role in feeding not just fellow Canadians, but the world by exporting grain globally.

Some kids enjoyed the water park and face painting at the Canada Day event in Prince Albert Tuesday July 1. (Teena Monteleone/paNOW)

Residents in northern Saskatchewan were especially happy to be celebrating Canada Day in their home communities. Several thousand residents were evacuated due to wildfires last month and while their landscape may have darkened with charred remnants, national spirit shone bright with an impressive attendance at the La Ronge parade and food tents.

Canada Day events in La Ronge. (What’s up La Ronge and Surrounding Areas/Facebook)

Fun fact: Northern Saskatchewan is home to Canada’s largest active sand dunes, right along the shores of Lake Athabasca — in the middle of the boreal forest!

No matter where the event, Saskatchewan’s Canada Day celebrations reflected a province proud of its roots.

panews@pattisonmedia.com

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