Saskatchewan General Information Area: 651,900 sq km (251,796 sq miles). Population: 1,028,120 (1998). Population Density: 1.6 per sq km. Capital: Regina. Population: 200,030 (1998). GEOGRAPHY: Saskatchewan is bordered by Manitoba to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, Alberta to the west and the US States of North Dakota and Montana to the south. Its landscape is mainly prairie, parkland, forests and lakes. Prince Albert National Park is the gateway to Saskatchewan’s wilderness. The highest elevation is the Cypress Hills in the southwest, 1392m (4566ft) above sea level. Language: Although Canada is officially bilingual (English and French), English is more commonly spoken in Saskatchewan. Time: East of 106°W: GMT - 6. Note: Most of Saskatchewan does not observe Daylight Saving Time. Public Holidays Public holidays are as for the rest of Canada (see general Canada section), with the following dates also observed: Aug 4 2003 Saskatchewan Day. Aug 2 2004 Saskatchewan Day. Travel - International AIR: Air Canada (AC) provides a daily scheduled service connecting Saskatoon and Regina to the rest of the world. The principal regional services are operated by WestJet, Transwest Air and Points North Air, connecting major Canadian centres as well as serving the northern communities. International airports: Saskatoon (YXE) is 7km (4.5 miles) from the city centre (travel time – 15 minutes). Airport facilities include car hire, car parking and restaurant. Regina (YQR) (website: www.yqr.ca) is 2km (1.3 miles) from the city centre. RIVER: Ferry services operate from various locations connecting communities within the province. Houseboats may also be chartered in certain areas. RAIL: VIA Rail, Canada’s national passenger train service, operates the Winnipeg–Saskatoon–Edmonton link. ROAD: Saskatchewan has six travel corridors, namely the Northern Woods and Water Route (9 and 55) east–west, Yellowhead Highway (16) east–west, the Trans-Canada Highway (1) east–west, Red Coat Trail (13) east–west, CanAm International Highway north–south and the Saskota International Highway (9) north–south. Saskatchewan has more road surface than any other province in Canada – a total of 250,000km (150,000 miles). Bus: Scheduled motorcoach service is provided by Saskatchewan Transportation Company, Greyhound Bus Lines and Moose Mountain Bus Lines. Charter motorcoach services are also available from a number of cities and operators. Car hire: Hire cars are available in most cities. Saskatchewan law requires that anyone driving or riding in a motor vehicle must wear available seatbelts at all times. Accommodation The majority of accommodation suitable for travellers is found in the south and central portion of the province, especially in Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Swift Current, Weyburn, Melfort and the Battlefords. The parklands in the northern part of the province have mainly camping-style accommodation as well as northern lodges and cabins, some with all the modern facilities. ‘Houseboat charters’ on the lakes are a special feature of Saskatchewan. For further information on hotels in Saskatchewan, contact the Hotels Association of Saskatchewan, 1054 Winnipeg Street, Regina, Saskatchewan S4R 8P8 (tel: (306) 522 1664; fax: (306) 525 1944; e-mail: hotels.assoc@sk.sympatico.ca; website: www.hotelsofsask.com). Accommodation reservations can be made through Tourism Sakatchewan (see Contact Addresses section). The Saskatchewan Accommodation, Resort and Campground Guide is available through Tourism Saskatchewan and is a comprehensive directory of hotels/motels, parks, campgrounds, lakeside accommodation and vacation farms that are available throughout the province. Grading: Saskatchewan Tourism’s annual guide uses the following definitions when describing accommodation: Mod: Modern room. Includes private bathroom facilities with wash basin, bathtub and/or shower and flush toilet; Smod: Semi-modern room. Includes wash basin only and a pressurised hot and cold water supply; Nmod: Non-modern room. Has no plumbing facilities; Lhk: Light housekeeping unit. Includes kitchen facilities as well as living and sleeping quarters. CAMPING/CARAVANNING: The parklands offer some of the best camping landscapes in Canada. There are 25 provincial parks and two national parks, as well as 101 regional parks, all offering different rates of service with some offering accommodation for those without recreational vehicles or tents. For details contact the local park authorities. A number of companies can arrange motor camper rentals, with a range of fully equipped vehicles. Full details can be obtained from Tourism Saskatchewan. Introduction Half of this vast province comprises designated provincial forest. There are 80 million acres (32 million hectares) of it north of the 54th parallel, offering unequalled opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts. The south and centre enjoy a more mellow landscape, ranging from prairie and grasslands to badlands and breathtaking river valleys. REGINA: The provincial capital was once called ‘Pile of Bones’ but was renamed in honour of Queen Victoria. Its centrepiece is the Wascana Centre, a huge urban park (one of the largest in North America) containing the McKenzie Art Gallery and Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts. The park also provides an impressive setting for the Legislative Building, the Royal Saskatchewan Museum and the Kramer/IMAX Theatre. Regina is the home of Canada’s only training academy for Royal Canadian Mounted Police (‘The Mounties’) and the RCMP Centennial Museum offers a quirky insight into the development of Canada’s Wild West. SASKATOON: Built on both banks of the South Saskatchewan River, Saskatoon is one of Canada’s fastest-growing urban centres. The Western Development Museum, Wanuskewin Heritage Park, Forestry Farm Park, Mendel Art Gallery and the Ukrainian Museum of Canada are its main attractions. ELSEWHERE: The Trans-Canada Highway provides the best means of touring the far south, connecting the cities of Swift Current, Moose Jaw and Regina. Moose Jaw, once a quiet trading post, achieved notoriety during Prohibition in the 1920s, when it played host to gangsters, including Al ‘Scarface’ Capone, and played a pivotal role in the distilling, bootlegging and rum running business. The Tunnels of Moose Jaw tours provide an excellent account of the town’s turbulent and exciting history. Another popular Moose Jaw attraction is the Temple Gardens Mineral Spa and Resort. Visitors can take the waters (drawn from porous rock formations more than 1350m (4500ft) below ground) in the hot mineral pools. The Highway follows the cavernous Qu’Appelle Valley, a sunken garden studded with lakes that runs two thirds of the way across the province. East of Regina, Fort Qu’Appelle and the lakeside recreation parks of Katepwa Point and Echo Valley, as well as Buffalo Pound to the west are worth visiting. On the west side of the province is Swift Current, which hosts an annual Frontier Days Festival; and, further west across low-scrub prairie, the afforested oasis of Cypress Hills Park (the highest point of land between Labrador and the Rocky Mountains). The Yellowhead Highway, running eastwards from Saskatoon to Yorkton, near the border with Manitoba, is a good way to tour Saskatchewan’s grain belt. This region was once settled by Ukrainians, as testified by the many silver-domed Orthodox churches, such as that at Veregin. Other attractions en route include the Duck Mountain and Good Spirit Lake Provincial Parks. There is a pioneer village at the Western Development Museum in North Battleford, northwest of Saskatoon, and Fort Battleford National Historic Park, is located 5km (3 miles) southeast of North Battleford. Manitou Beach has the Manitou Springs Mineral Spa, where visitors may relax and float effortlessly in the very salty, warm, mineral-rich waters which are pumped from Little Manitou Lake into pools in the spa and are supposed to provide relief from a variety of ailments. But Saskatchewan’s main attractions are the endless forests and thousands of lakes of the north, accessible by the Northern Woods and Water Route. There are few permanent settlements and many regions are accessible only by air. Prince Albert is the main gateway. The closest park is Prince Albert National Park, a hilly, forested area with hundreds of lakes, ponds and rivers, consisting of nearly 30 per cent water. Animal species that can be seen in the park include bison (in the southwest corner), white pelicans (Lavallée Lake), lynx, timber wolf, elk, moose and black bear. Its most developed area is at Waskesiu Lake, which has lodge and cottage accommodation and good facilities for camping, recreation and watersports, including water-skiing, sailing, canoeing and kayaking. Further off to the northwest is Meadow Lake, which has good accommodation and facilities for hunting and winter sports. The small airport at Lac la Ronge, about 238km (149 miles) north of Prince Albert, is the main base for flights to the very remote northern lakes, such as Wollaston and Athabasca. Excellent fishing and canoeing opportunities are available on Lac La Ronge and on the Churchill River which passes nearby, as well as many rivers and lakes throughout Saskatchewan. Sport & Activities Outdoor pursuits: Although Saskatchewan is commonly thought of as consisting mainly of vast prairies, the landscape is quite varied. The wide, treeless plains in the south are broken up by river valleys and ranges of low-lying hills, and there are large forests in the north of the province and close to 100,000 lakes and rivers. Saskatchewan’s two national parks, Prince Albert National Park in the north and Grasslands National Park in the southwest cover nearly 5,000,000 acres (2,000,000 hectares) between them. Opportunities for wildlife viewing are plentiful, with wolves, moose and caribou inhabiting the northern forests, while elk and deer can be found further south. When the snow melts, parklands are used for horseriding, camping, canoeing, cycling and hiking. The south of the province is particularly good for birdwatching. The Network Reserve sites of Chaplin Lake and Quill Lakes are home to over 300 species including rare ferruginous hawks, peregrine falcons and Hudsonian godwits. Saskatchewan boasts nearly 100,000 lakes and the province is named after the Native American word for river systems (Kis-is-ska-tche-wan). Sailing, water-skiing, swimming and fishing are especially popular in summer months. The fishing season is from May to March, and ice fishing is popular in the winter. Wintersports are practised in the region, including skiing, skating, curling and ice hockey. There are at least 13 downhill and over 25 cross-country skiing areas. With over 250 courses, golf can be played throughout the province. The diverse terrain throughout Saskatchewan provides challenging courses in attractive locations. For general information about sport and activities in Canada, see the main Canada section. Social Profile Food & Drink: Whitefish and pickerel are marketed by Native American co-operatives. Wild rice harvested by Native Americans is an excellent accompaniment to the abundant wild fowl which includes partridge, prairie chicken, wild duck and goose. ‘Saskatoons’ berries, similar to blueberries, are used for jams, jellies and ‘Saskatoon pie’, eaten with fresh country cream. Other wild berries include pinchberries and cranberries which make a tart and tangy jelly, ideal with wild fowl meals. A good selection of restaurants can be found in all the province’s cities and major towns catering to all tastes and budgets. The minimum drinking age is 19 years old (sometimes older). Alcohol is sold only in licensed stores, licensed restaurants, cocktail lounges, dining and beverage rooms. Retail outlets operate throughout the province. Nightlife: There are several nightclubs in the major cities; bars and restaurants in most main towns have live entertainment as well as music and dancing. The best times for nightlife are during the annual summer fairs held regularly in all the major towns. The days of the settlers and cowboys are recreated with people dressing in costumes and eating traditional foods. The emphasis changes in each town and according to the time of year. An example can be found in the capital, Regina, with a festival lasting several days – Buffalo Days. Shopping: There are many small craft stores that offer pottery, silkscreens, rock jewellery, potash clocks, embroidered leather and denim. Special Events: For more information on special events in Saskatchwan, contact Tourism Saskatchwan (see Contact Addresses section). The following is a selection of special events held in Saskatchewan during 2003: Jan Annual Snowmobile Rally, Cut Knife. Feb Prince Albert Winter Festival, Prince Albert; Love’s Annual Valentine Winter Festival, Love; Luther Invitational Basketball Tournament, Regina; Canadian Challenge Sled Dog Race, Prince Albert to La Ronge and back. Mar Flicks: Saskatchewan International Children’s Festival, Saskatoon. Apr Polkafest at Danceland, Manitou Beach; SK Indian Federated College Powwow, Regina. May Yorkton Fhosrt Film and Video Festival, Yorkton; Shorebirds and Friends Festival, Wadena. Jun Mosaic, Regina (Festival of Cultures); Western Canada Farm Progress Show, Regina. Jul Saskatchewan Air Show, Moose Jaw; Wood Mountain Stampede, Wood Mountain; SK Antique Farm Equipment and Pioneer Show – Those were the Days, Battlefords. Jul/Aug RCMP Sunset Retreat Ceremonies, Regina; Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan, Saskatoon. Aug Thresherman’s Show and Seniors Festival, Yorkon; World Bunnock Championship Challenge, Macklin; Saskatoon International Fringe Festival, Saskatoon. Oct Canadian Cowboy Association Finals Rodeo, Saskatoon. Nov Canadian Western Agribition, Regina. Nov/Dec Sundog Handcraft Faire, Saskatoon. There are also approximately 50 amateur and professional rodeos held annually in various locations. Business Profile Commercial Information: The following organisation can offer advice: Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, 1920 Broad Street, Regina, Sakatchewan S4P 3V2 (tel: (306) 352 2671; fax: (306) 781 7084; e-mail: actionsaskatchewan@skchamber.sk.ca; website: www.actionsask.com); or Saskatchewan Economic and Co-operative Development, 2103 – 11th Avenue, Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 3V7 (tel: (306) 787 2232 (general enquiries); fax: (306) 787 3872; website: www.gov.sk.ca/econdev). Conferences/Conventions: For information or assistance, contact the Visit Canada Centre or Tourism Saskatoon or Tourism Regina (see Contact Addresses sections for Canada and Saskatchewan). Climate Temperate in the south with cold winters in the north. The highest rainfall occurs between April and June. Summers are hot and dry with long hours of sunshine, but winter temperatures are generally cold and snowy until early March, but sunny. Required clothing: Light- to mediumweights during warmer months. Heavyweights are worn in winter. Waterproof wear is advisable throughout the year. Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.