Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
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Prince Albert is the third-largest city (after Saskatoon and Regina) with a population of 41,072 as of 2006, in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is situated more-or-less in the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because it is the most northerly major centre as well to its being situated where the agricultural prairie of the south meets the forested and lakeland areas of the north. Prince Albert National Park, located just 51km north of the city, has a huge wealth of lakes, forest, and wildlife.
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[edit] History
The first white man to come through the area that is now Prince Albert was Henry Kelsey in 1692. The first establishment in the area was a trading post set up by Peter Pond, which the area is now named after (1776).
James Isbister, an Anglo-Metis employee of the Hudson's Bay Company settled on the site of the current city in 1862. He farmed there until 1866, and had been joined by a number of families who called the site Isbister's Settlement. He later moved back to Prince Albert and lived out his remaining days there.
The community was founded in 1866, by Rev. James Nisbet, a Canada Presbyterian Church minister who came to establish a mission for the Cree. It was he who named the community after Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, in honour of the deceased 1861 husband of Queen Victoria. In 1879 the Presbyterian Church brought out Lucy Margaret Baker to run the mission school.
In 1884 Honore Jaxon and James Isbister were involved in the movement which brought Louis Riel back to Canada.
In the Northwest Rebellion of the following year, Prince Albert Volunteers bore the heaviest casualties of the fighting at the Battle of Duck Lake, and surrounding settlers took refuge with the North West Mounted Police in a hastily improvised stockade at Prince Albert fearing an attack by Gabriel Dumont which never came.
After the Battle of Batoche, Major General Frederick Middleton marched on to Prince Albert to relieve the town.
1885 also marks the year that Prince Albert was incorporated as a town under its first mayor, Thomas McKay.
In 1904, the settlement was incorporated as the city of Prince Albert, then named after Prince Albert Victor, father of the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII). Its government is of a council-mayor type.
By odd political coincidence, the federal constituency of Prince Albert has been represented by three prime ministers of Canada:
- John George Diefenbaker 13th Prime Minister, became the MP for Lake Centre in 1940 (redistributed into Prince Albert in 1953), Prime Minister from 1957 - 1963,
- William Lyon Mackenzie King 10th Prime Minister, represented Prince Albert from 1926 - 1945,
- Sir Wilfrid Laurier 7th Prime Minister, represented Prince Albert in the Saskatchewan provisional district (still part of Northwest Territories) in 1896, before returning to his Quebec East riding later that year.
There are three historical museums of high interest in Prince Albert. The combined The Evolution of Education Museum and Rotary Museum of Police and Corrections are located at the tourist information centre just off of Highway #2 South. The second museum, the Historical Society Museum, is located in an old Fire Hall at the north end of Central Avenue on River Street. The John G. Diefenbaker house is a historic site open to the public and is found on 249 19th Street West. Across from the Historical Society Museum, is the site of Diefenbaker's constituency office that is not open to the public.
Famous people from Prince Albert include sprinter Harry Jerome, singer Jon Vickers, and ice hockey player Johnny Bower. Prince Albert was also for a time home to Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables. As well, Boris Karloff, famous for his roles in horror films portraying characters like Frankenstein's Monster and The Mummy, resided in Prince Albert during the early 20th century.
In the early beginnings of Saskatchewan, Prince Albert was one of the choices to house either the University of Saskatchewan or the Saskatchewan Federal Penitentiary. Due to Saskatoon's convenient location, the university was built there, and the penitentiary was built in Prince Albert.
[edit] Interesting facts
- The first stagecoach robbery in Saskatchewan occurred in 1886, when a lone outlaw held up a carriage.
- In 1884, 500 people turned up to hear Louis Riel speak. One month before this speech he had just returned from the United States following a political exile resulting from the Red River Rebellion in 1869 - 1870.
- Prince Albert has the distinction of having being represented in Parliament by three Canadian Prime Ministers: Sir Wilfrid Laurier in 1896 when it was the Saskatchewan Provisional District; William Lyon Mackenzie King from 1926 to 1945; and John Diefenbaker from 1953 to 1979.
[edit] Social Problems
[edit] Obesity
According to Statistics Canada, Prince Albert has been rated as third highest health region in the country for obesity with 26.7% of the population deemed to be obese. This is over 66% higher than the national average of 15.5%.
[edit] Infant Mortality
The infant mortality rate, which is a universal indicator of population health status, suggests that Prince Albert has double the Canadian average of infant deaths per 1000 live births and is almost 30% higher than the Saskatchewan average.
[edit] Low Incomes
Over half the population in the city has an income under the national average. A recent Prince Albert Health District Assessment of Community Needs and Capacities (1999) indicated that 25% of its population has an income of less than $20,000 per year. These low-income areas also represent the areas where large numbers of young children reside. *Note this data is before the 2006 closure of the Prince Albert Pulp and Paper mill.
[edit] Segregation by ethnicity and racism in the city
Prince Albert has had little success in combating a high degree of unofficial segregation along ethnic lines in terms of the neighborhoods in which its citizens occupy. Wealth disparity between First Nations groups and those presenting as European Canadians is extensive within Prince Albert. First Nations people have faired on the lower end of this wealth scale while the dominant ethnicity in the city (Caucasian residents)control capital and are over represented in positions of power and local government. Many would describe racism as an endemic issue within the city that facilitates this segregation. In 1991 the city received national media attention when Carney Nerland shot Leo LaChance in the back as he was leaving Nerland's Prince Albert store. Nerland was the Saskatchewan leader of the Church of Jesus Christ Christian Aryan Nation, a white supremacist organization. Nerland pleaded guilty to the charge in April of 1991 and received a four-year sentence.
[edit] Education Shortfalls
Only 44% of the population has some form of post-secondary education; 26% of the population has not achieved a high school diploma.
[edit] High Unemployment
The unemployment rate is high in Prince Albert; in a significant number of areas more than 40% of the population is unemployed. Frequently, the areas of high unemployment also have large numbers of young children.
[edit] Poverty On the Rise
A comparison of the five-year statistics from the Prince Albert Share-A-Meal Food Bank (Clayton, 2002) indicates that from 1996 until 2001 there has been:
- A 21% increase in the number of adults and a 35% increase in the number of children under 18 years of age utilizing these services- 4066 children in 2001;
- A 33% increase in the number of single parents utilizing these services;
- A 40% increase in the number of couples with children utilizing these services;
- A relatively constant proportional ratio (approximately 3:2) of referrals between dual and lone parent families. Single parents(59% in 1996 and 58% in 2001), couples with children (41% in 1996 and 42% in 2001). Contrary to public wisdom there are almost as many dual parent referrals as single parent referrals; and
- A 22% increase in the number of new referrals and a total increase in all referrals of 17%.
This indicates a very significant increase in food security issues for children in both single parent and dual parent homes. Many of these food security issues are economically based. Our mapping study indicated that about half the population in the city had incomes below the national average of $45,739. However, a recent Prince Albert Health District Assessment of Community Needs and Capacities (1999) indicates that 25% of the population has an income less than $20,000.
[edit] Sports
The city is home to the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League. They play out of the 3,366 seat Art Hauser Centre.
[edit] Arts and Entertainment
[edit] Music Scene
[edit] Metal
- The pioneers of the Prince Albert punk/metal scene were the group known as The Blood Sucking Pigeons From Hell. The group released three albums on the independent Heavy Metal Connection label. The first self titled album was released in 1986 and was followed up in 1988 by Boy You Gotta Big C*** and finally by Brutallica Live in the same year. The group never officially disbanded but has been relatively inactive since the early 90's.
- Prince Albert has housed a small metal scene for the past few years. Although, it remains primarily a teenage gathering, the metal scene continues to gain steam through the country. Some of the more prominent bands are Cessate, Dead Like God, and The Never Was. Because of this small metal scene, Prince Albert has the chance to see many struggling underground bands of the genre from all throughout the country.
[edit] Punk rock
- In the 1990`s the local punk band Oswald's Walking Connection enjoyed some prominence being featured on a continental compilation CD and releasing a few independent recordings before breaking up. For a short time, the punk band Counter-State emerged, playing only once to a small crowd. Before the band's demise in late 2005, they were able to release the EP Fighting For Our Lives. Basing heavy influences on bands like Aus Rotten and Leftöver Crack. 2 Minute Hate is also a well known punk band in the later 90s that rocked the punk music scene in Prince Albert. They did a number of shows in the city sharing the stage with other bands such as Shed. 2 Minute Hate had some of the biggest turnouts at there shows in Prince Albert hitting the scene when the punk fashion/genre was really getting popular. Members of 2 Minute Hate still reside in Prince Albert and are working on other projects and lead singer/guitar Trevor Bremner now resides in Winnipeg, Manitoba and is working on a CD release. Another up and coming Punk/Metal band one the rise is The Never Was, who blend styles of Metal and hardcore Punk bands such as Pennywise and Propaghandi.
[edit] Rave/Electronic
- In the late 1990's and early turn of the century Prince Albert had a relatively vibrant electronic dance music scene. Local groups such as 3thos Productions (pronounced 'ethos') and Da Funk Squad (DFS) were responsible for the majority of events put on in the city during this period. The scene began to dwindle after public perception of these events began to emerge in favour of a viewpoint that 'raves' were facilitating the use of elicit substances. The combination of this viewpoint and changing trends in society played a role in the highly decreased prevelancy of these events in Prince Albert and elsewhere.
[edit] Christian rock
- Prince Albert has a small Christian rock following. A number of Christian pop rock bands have emerged in the last few years. Expense Paid, Roberta, and 2-50 (Two Fifty) Ties are three of those bands. Each of those bands are usually more popular in their home church.
[edit] Alternative rock
- Prince Albert has a small alternative rock scene. In the last few years bands have come and gone with 44 Slide achieving some success as they have recorded two albums. "Slave to the System" is a ten song full length album while their newest album "Greed" is a five song EP. 44 Slide has performed at various festivals in the city. But they have been well received in the Saskatchewan capital Regina.
- Another band that seems to have stood the test of time is Idle Thoughts. The three-piece band, led by Jason Moon, released its first album, "crappystinkylove", in 1996, and currently releases a new song each month to its website, IdleThoughts.ca, where friends and fans can download for free.
- Whenever Jason Moon is not working or touring with his band Idle Thoughts, he is doing his own solo project. You can see Jason Moon's official site
[edit] Country
- Prince Albert has been known for their country music scene across Saskatchewan.
- One of Prince Albert's foremost venue for showcasing local and talent from outside of the Prince Albert regin is the Country North Show. The Country North Show has been huge success since its inception many years ago and has been a launching pad for many artists in the area.
- Various artists from the area have gone on to do bigger and better things. Those artists include Jessica Robinson and Donny Parenteau. After a stint as a Neal McCoy fiddle player, Parenteau returned home to launch his own solo career. Other artists stay in the city and become well known throughout the local country music scene. Heidi Munro, Rick Martin (sometimes alongside his band Country Connection), Steppin' Out, among others. But Steppin' Out has been known to play rock also and not just country.
- Parenteau and country/gospel artist Rick Martin have even won Saskatchewan Country Music Awards in their respective categories.
- One of the biggest supporters of the country music scene in the area has been Six Shooters Saloon.
[edit] Concerts
- The Northern Lights Casino also helps to bring in many small independent and major country and native bands to the city. Some artists include Freddy Fender, Donny Parenteau, Michelle Wright, among others.
- In the summer of 2005 Tom Cochrane did a live free show promoting the Live 8 concert later in the year. It was held in Prime Ministers Park.
- 12th Street Station is a venue at the Prince Albert Winter Festival. It showcases a variety of genres such as blues, rock, jazz, among others. It has grown in popularity each year.
- Since the E.A. Rawlinson Centre was built, Prince Albert is now able to bring in bigger more well known acts. The very first show at the Rawlinson Centre was on April 1, 2003 and was Chantal Kreviazuk. Other acts who have been to the Rawlinson Centre have been Adam Gregory, Colin James, Rita MacNeil, Theresa Sokyrka, Arrogant Worms, Canadian Brass, Doc Walker, David Usher, among many others.
[edit] Drama
Carlton High School is known for its productions dealing with topics such as Nazism, dark Gothic romances, and light hearted children's plays. Every year, three productions are put on with one being the children's play that tours the public elementary schools in November. The next play is put on in early March and is a contestant in the region 7 drama festival. The final play is often presented in early May, consisting of a large cast and crew. Most often this play is of Shakespearean orient but with a strange modernized twist. As well, the drama club often does a short film to complement the final play.
Carlton High School also has a French drama group called Les Solipsistes, directed by Michael Bowden, a French immersion and core French teacher. The group performs two plays every year, one Christmas play, directed towards children, and a competition play for the drama festival.
Prince Albert is also home to the Odyssey Dinner Theatre, which puts on two or three plays a year, which are always accompianied by a dinner.
Over the last three years, Prince Albert has had the pleasure of being home to Shakespeare in the Park, produced by Prince Albert's very own ShortStuff Productions. ShortStuff Productions is a local theatre group started by Joan and Desmond Short. Their past shows have included Jesus Christ Superstar, Baba & Gido's 50th Wedding Anniversary and The Rocky Horror Show.
[edit] Festivals
Every year Prince Albert has a variety of festivals, fairs, shows, etc. Different times of the year yield different festivals.
- Aboriginal Music & Arts Festival - October 4-8, 2007- Music & Performing Arts & Artist Showcases - Industry Trade Show - followed by major International Pow wow.
- Canada Day celebrations - July 1st - Prince Albert in the Park.
- Canadian Challenge - The longest All-Canadian Sled Dog Race - January 31-February 4,2007
- Downtown Street Fair - Prince Albert - held in June
- Farm Fair
- Focus on Women- Annual Trade Show -
- Founders Day- June - on the North Sasktchewan river bank - Prince Albert.
- James Smith Annual Powwow- James Smith Cree Nation - first weekend of August.
- Kidzfest - held in July
- International Childrens Festival
- Lifestyles Annual Trade Show -900 CKBI - held late October.
- Metis Fall Festival - 3 Day Festival honoring Metis Heritage - held in September
- Muskoday Rodeo & Chuckwagon Races- Muskoday First Nations - Held in June
- Muskoday Pow Wow- Muskoday First Nation - held in August.
- Prince Albert Exhibition & Summer Fair
- Prince Albert Winter Festival - February 7-25, 2007 - Largest in Western Canada.
- Sasktel Saskatchewan Jazz Fest - Holds concerts in conjunction with this provincial event
- Shakspeare in the Park- Kinsmen Park - by Short Stuff Productions of Prince Albert.
- Sturgeon Lake Pow Wow- Sturgeon Lake First Nations - held in July.
- Taste of Prince Albert - Restaurants provide samples of their cuisine for a small price - Entertainment - held in the Kinsmen Park.
- Thanksgiving Annual International Powwow- October 5-8,2007 - More than 1500 dancers.
- Vintage Power Machines Threshing Festival- held in July.
- Waskesiu Festival- Waskesiu - PA National Park - held in July.
[edit] Economy
Prince Albert is situated on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River with rich agricultural land to the south and the boreal forest to the north. Although Prince Albert is centrally located in Saskatchewan it is the most northern city in the province. This physical location has led to the creation of the slogan "Gateway to the North."
The city's location has benefited the community in many ways through the years as an agriculture, forestry, tourism, mining, retail, and service centre for the immediate market and the northern communities. Prince Albert's primary market has an estimated population of 85,697. The secondary market represents many of the northern communities that have a strong presence in Prince Albert's current retail market but also a possible market area expansion zone. This secondary area adds 17,000 people to the population for a total market area of approximately 103,000.
The future of wood processing in Prince Albert is in doubt because of an October 5, 2005 announcement by Weyerhaeuser stating it would be closing down the Pulp and Paper Mill located just east of the city. The closure began on January 3, 2006 with paper production being stopped. The pulp mill continued operating until April 13, 2006, when the Weyerhaeuser Pulp and Paper Mill officially closed. The 690 people who were employed by Weyerhaeuser lost their jobs. It is expected that many more jobs will be lost because some other businesses in the forestry industry relied mainly on the Pulp and Paper Mill. The closure is speculated to have a negative impact on the economy, causing housing prices to drop.
Prince Albert's primary industries are mining, forestry and agriculture. A maximum-security penitentiary also exists to the west of the city.
[edit] Education
The city has a total of five high schools. St. Mary High School, and Rivier Academy (private, all-girls) are part of the Prince Albert Catholic School Division, while Carlton Comprehensive High School (largest high school in Saskatchewan), WESMOR (Acronym of the rural elementary schools Wildrose, East Central, Spruce Home, Meath Park, Osborne, and Redwing), and P.A.C.I (Prince Albert Collegiate Institute) are in the Saskatchewan Rivers School Division.
The Saskatchewan Rivers School Division operates 26 schools and the Prince Albert Catholic School Division operates nine schools.
Post-secondary schools found in Prince Albert include the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) Woodland Campus, First Nations University of Canada (Northern Campus), Gabriel Dumont Institute, and Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT).
[edit] Royal presence
Main Article: Monarchy in Saskatchewan
Prince Albert has welcomed the following members of Canada's Royal Family:
- Princess Margaret - 1958 and 1980
- The Duke and Duchess of York (Prince Andrew and Sarah) - 1989
- The Earl of Wessex (Prince Edward) - 2003
[edit] Local media
[edit] Radio stations
- AM 540 - CBK, CBC Radio One
- AM 900 - CKBI, country music radio "Country 900"
- FM 88.1 - CJLR-3, MBC Radio
- FM 89.1 - CBK-1, CBC Radio Two
- FM 90.1 - CKSF, La Première Chaîne
- FM 99.1 - CFMM, contemporary hit radio "Power 99FM"
- FM 101.5 - CHQX, active rock "Mix 101FM"
[edit] Television stations
- Channel 3 - CBKFT-2, SRC
- Channel 5 - CBKST-9, CBC (formerly CKBI)
- Channel 9 - CIPA, CTV
- Cable 9 - Saskatchewan Communications Network
- Cable 10 - Shaw Cable community channel
[edit] Newspapers
- Prince Albert Daily Herald
- Prince Albert Shopper
- Rural Roots
[edit] Famous Prince Albertans
Notable persons who were born or lived in Prince Albert include:
- Johnny Bower - former NHL player
- Lawrence Clarke - Hudson's Bay Company Official, early Territorial Government Representative and prominent local citizen considered by some to be the instigator of the Northwest Rebellion of 1885.
- John Diefenbaker - former Prime Minister of Canada
- Glenda Goertzen - children's author
- John V. Hicks - poet (Note: John V. Hicks was not born in Prince Albert, he moved there with his parents at a young age)
- James Isbister - 19th Century Anglo-Metis leader
- Honore Jaxon - Louis Riel's secretary, leader of the Prince Albert Settler's Union in the early 1880s.
- Harry Jerome - sprinter
- Boris Karloff - Hollywood actor
- Day Hort MacDowall - Early prominent citizen and representative for Prince Albert in the Territorial Government of the 1880s.
- Charles Mair - 19th Century Canadian Nationalist Poet (not born in Prince Albert but resided there for several years in the early 1880s)
- Dave Manson - former NHL player who is an assistant coach with WHL's Prince Albert Raiders
- Blair Morgan - 5 time X-Games gold medalist for snowcross
- Carney Nerland - White supremacist who garnered national media attention in 1991 after killing a man on the basis of his skin colour.
- Ryan Parent - Philadelphia Flyers prospect
- Jim Robson - former Vancouver Canucks broadcaster and Hockey Hall of Famer
- Richard Tapper - swimmer, who competed for New Zealand at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Jon Vickers - singer
- Rick Wilson - Dallas Stars assistant coach
- Gary Fowlie - former CBC journalist. Currently the Chief of Media Liaison and Accreditation for the United Nations in New York, NY.
[edit] References
- Abrams, Gary W. D. (1966). Prince Albert: The First Century. Modern Press, Saskatoon.
[edit] External links
- Interactive 360 panorama imagery and more
- City of Prince Albert web site
- Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
- Prince Albert Mintos (midget AAA hockey)
- Carlton Comprehensive High School
- ShortStuff Productions (Shakespeare In The Park)
- Thomas Porter Photographics
- The official tourism web site Saskatchewans 4 Season Adventure Playground
- Cooke Municipal Golf Course
- Waskesiu Golf Course
- Elk Ridge Resort
- Prince Albert National Park
- Waskesiu - in Prince Albert National Park
- Prince Albert History
- Prince Albert Historical Society
- E.A. Rawlinson Centre Official Site
- Canoe JAM! E.A. Rawlinson Centre Concert Listings
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