A glimpse at some of the people in this year's news highlights for the Battlefords region. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Top 10

Year in Review: Highlights from the region (Pt. 1)

Dec 30, 2021 | 2:01 PM

During the Christmas season, our team at Pattison Media is once again producing positive stories based around holiday traditions and accomplishments for the region.

Following an exciting year in the news, battlefordsNOW counts down some of the top stories.

#10 — Moosomin First Nation sees boost to build new school

It was an exciting day for Moosomin First Nation in August when Marc Miller, the then Minister of Indigenous Services Canada, visited the community to announce it would be receiving $38 million in federal funding to build a new kindergarten to Grade 12 school. Bradley Swiftwolfe, Moosomin’s chief at the time, was thrilled, saying it was greatly needed. Read more here.

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#9 — Rosemarie Falk re-elected as MP

Conservative incumbent Rosemarie Falk successfully retained her seat in the Battlefords—Lloydminster riding in September’s federal election. Falk took the lead with 69 per cent of the vote. Among the top three, coming in second in the race was the NDP’s Erik Hansen with 12 per cent; followed in third by the Maverick Party’s Ken Rutherford picking up seven per cent. Read more here.

#8 — City and town sign on to inclusiveness

Inclusivity was on everyone’s minds in June when City of North Battleford Mayor David Gillan and Town of Battleford Mayor Ames Leslie came together to sign the Declaration of the Inclusive Municipalities. Many leaders from across the region, including area Indigenous communities, also attended the event to show their support. Read more here.

#7 — COVID-19 vaccinations become available

Drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination clinics started in the Battlefords in April, offering people a shot of protection to fight off the virus amidst the pandemic. The Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs Inc. (BATC) took the lead and held vaccination clinics for the community at the Dekker Centre space for four months over the spring and summer.

BATC executive director Neil Sasakamoose is the son of the legendary Fred Sasakamoose, one of the first Indigenous players in the NHL. Fred died at the age of 86 from symptoms of COVID-19 in November 2020, so Neil said the matter hits close to his heart. Read more here.

#6 — Homeless shelter saved

After months of public rallies and meetings, the Battlefords emergency shelter, which was at risk of closure, managed to keep going in 2021. The Lighthouse Supported Living announced last February the facility was slated for closure in April due to lack of funds. In March Métis Nation-Saskatchewan (MN-S) announced it would provide funding to September. The Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs Inc. (BATC), MN-S, the City of North Battleford, and the Lighthouse Supported Living commenced in talks over several months to try to find a more permanent solution to keep the homeless shelter running into the future. Many breathed a sigh of relief when BATC stepped up and announced in September it would take over operations of the facility starting in October for the interim. Read more here.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow