One wonders why we should even bother doing a review of the big stories in the Battlefords from the year 2020.
No one wants to relive the events of 2020, a year most people want to see flushed down the drain as quickly as possible.
For the Battlefords a case could be made that it was our worst year ever — worse than even the cryptosporidium and oil spill years — and not just because of the COVID-19 pandemic that prompted shutdowns, economic devastation, and no shortage of loss of life in the province and world.
It was a year in which one event after another ended up postponed or called off. It was also a year of devastating tragedy: the loss of a beloved Battleford NHL player, a tragic local murder-suicide, and ongoing and notorious criminal cases in the local courts.
But look on the bright side: at least North Battleford isn’t the “Crime Capital of Canada” anymore, ending a long streak at the top of the Crime Severity Index this year.
So maybe it wasn’t all bad news in 2020, but it was still a year for the trash can. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. The Battlefords North Stars were on the brink of another Cup run, and the Rotary Club was set to welcome astronaut Chris Hadfield to sold-out events in April.
The ‘Riders were also set to host the Grey Cup in 2020, and possibly even win it. Oh, well.
Here’s a look back at some of the main stories of 2020:
Debt the top story
The main stories prior to March 12, 2020 reflected a much different world than the locked-down one we would experience the rest of the year. Our Jan. 2 edition even had the headline “Getting out of debt our top priority financially.”
Well, folks, how did that go? This might as well be everyone’s headline for 2021, and 2022 and 2023 for that matter, after the way this year went.
Team Silvernagle rocks
In January and February, sports were going full-blast including the curling playdowns. It was the Robyn Silvernagle team out of Twin Rivers Curling Club that provided big thrills to local fans by winning the provincial women’s title on Silvernagle’s final rock.
They booked a trip to the national Scotties in Moose Jaw in February, where they were cheered on as Team Saskatchewan for a second year in a row, but fell just short of the playoff round.
The Rush
Another highlight in February was “North Battleford night” at SaskTel Centre with the Saskatchewan Rush, with Mayor Ryan Bater and several councillors and North Battleford residents were on hand to cheer on the Rush at the game.
Election in the area
Also in February, election season was in the air as Jeremy Cockrill won a contested nomination over Tom Hawboldt for the Saskatchewan Party nomination to run in The Battlefords in the provincial election. Amber Stewart had already been in place as the NDP candidate.
Coronavirus a concern early on
But there was an ominous story that made the News-Optimist in late February. “City looking to put pandemic policy in place,” the headline stated, as we reported that discussion at City Hall had turned towards bringing in a concrete policy to respond to a pandemic.
That was out of concern for a coronavirus outbreak that had originated in Wuhan, China and was already spreading rapidly around the world. North Battleford wanted to be ready — just in case.
It didn’t take long for City Hall to have to respond to the crisis. On March 12, Saskatchewan announced its first confirmed case of COVID-19. By that time, both Battleford and North Battleford had already put in place its joint emergency response plan.
The pandemic was on, and with it came a host of cancellations and closure announcements in the Battlefords and surrounding area.
The Battlefords shuts down
The most immediate cancellations were painful: sports were cancelled, bringing a crashing halt to hockey playoffs, and in particular the strong championship hopes of the Battlefords North Stars after just four playoff games against Nipawin.
By the end of the next week, more cancellations and closures had been announced: the Capitol Theatre, the casino, the Dekker Centre, leisure services facilities, museums including Western Development Museum, and more. Scheduled events fell by the wayside: the planned Chris Hadfield event in April was pushed back to October, and later pushed back to 2021. Agri-mex, at the Ag Society grounds, was postponed. Schools were suspended on March 20 and went to remote learning for the rest of the year.
There was also a report in the March 26 paper that Giant Tiger would be closing - a casualty of a major sale involving several of its stores across Canada. But the closure decision was later reversed. The North Battleford location was eventually included in the deal and stayed open.
First death
The first two deaths in the province from COVID-19 were reported on March 30, and one of them was of a Battlefords-area resident: Alice Grove, age 75. It was members of her family who confirmed her death to the media.
It was the start of a long year of pandemic-related news. As it went on, the community adjusted. Council meetings switched to online-only video conference calls, with restrictions and social distancing imposed on stores and businesses as they returned under the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan in the late spring.
As the pandemic dragged on, though, more cancellations were racked up. North West Territorial Days was cancelled, the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame inductions were postponed, and more sports were cancelled. Schools were re-opened in the fall, but sports did not return except on a limited basis within the schools. There was no high school football season in 2020.
The annual tradition of fans travelling to Regina to watch Saskatchewan Roughriders football took a hit this year as the Canadian Football League cancelled its season. With no fairs, football or Craven Country Thunder, it proved to be a very quiet summer throughout Saskatchewan in 2020.
The pandemic made 2020 a lousy year all around in the Battlefords. But other stories made a bad year worse:
Colby Cave dies
The sudden death on April 11 of Colby Cave of the Edmonton Oilers, who grew up and played his minor hockey in the Battlefords, shook the whole community. Cave died of a brain bleed in hospital in Toronto.
The Cave family returned to the Battlefords from Toronto, and the Battlefords community paid them a stirring tribute as they formed a long convoy of vehicles along highway 16 to welcome them back.
It wouldn’t be the only hockey death to hit Saskatchewan in 2020; late in the year came the death of Fred Sasakamoose, the first Indigenous player in the NHL, due to COVID-19.
Murder-suicide
North Battleford was stunned again with news in June of a residential structure fire incident on 99th Street. That fire incident turned into a sudden death investigation. Police later confirmed that a woman and her two children were dead in a confirmed murder-suicide.
Tiki Laverdiere murder case
Several court cases dominated the news in 2020 but the ongoing Tiki Laverdiere murder case and investigation remained the most prominent crime story in the Battlefords. Laverdiere had gone missing May 1, 2019 and was found dead July 19 of that same year. Soon after began the long line of arrests in the case.
By 2020 year’s end, ten people were charged in connection to the murder case, the most recent being Samuel Takakenew who was arrested for accessory for murder on Aug. 26 in Edmonton.
Two individuals in the case were sentenced in 2020: Brent Checkosis was sentenced May 15 to seven years for accessory to murder, while Mavis Takakenew received 18 months, also for accessory after the fact.
The other accused individuals saw their cases continue in the justice system in 2020, with the most notable court appearance being the three-week-long preliminary hearing for Jesse Sangster, facing a murder charge, in September and October. Much more court activity is expected for 2021.
St. Vital Church
The future of Battleford’s historic St. Vital Church in Battleford hung in the balance in 2020, as town council struggled with the issue of whether to send in the wrecking ball to the property. A vote was slated by council to de-designate it as a historic site, but after letters of objection were received the issue ended up being deferred.
Finally in August, a compromise solution was found to save the church.
Council agreed to work with S L Contractors Ltd., the same builders who retrofitted Battleford post office, to allow them to do project management on the church renovation. The plan was to take funds earmarked for demolition and use it to renovate the exterior and structure of the church; that would allow the structure to stay up, but it would remain closed to the public.
Election year
Ordinarily, elections would be a major story in any year they are held and it was no different in 2020. But social distancing requirements made for a different campaign, with campaigners having to follow strict protocols to keep their distance on the campaign trail.
Oct. 26 marked the provincial election and there was no change in the government, as Scott Moe and the Saskatchewan Party returned to power in a landslide. It was also a big win for Jeremy Cockrill, who took over from Herb Cox as the new MLA for the Battlefords in the legislature.
Nov. 9 was the date of the municipal election, held right after a major snowstorm hit. The snowstorm resulted in the vote being postponed in Saskatoon and other communities, but the road crews cleared enough snow in North Battleford so that the vote could go ahead.
The result in North Battleford was an upset. David Gillan knocked off incumbent Ryan Bater to win the vote and take over as North Battleford’s new Mayor. Prior to taking over as mayor, Gillan had spent years as a finance director in Battleford and in North Battleford.
Over in the town of Battleford, it was a different story as most familiar names got back in, including incumbent Ames Leslie who was elected to a second term as mayor by acclamation.
The change in Battleford town hall had actually happened earlier in the year, as town chief administrative officer John Enns-Wind departed to a new municipal job in New Brunswick. Ash Alam, previously from Buffalo Narrows, replaced him in the role in the fall.
