April 19–25, 2026 In small towns, you can hear volunteerism long before you see it—the scrape of skates on the ice, chairs being set up for a fundraiser, and the hum of a community supper coming together. These everyday sounds remind us how much rural life depends on people who quietly give their time. Across Saskatchewan, National Volunteer Week is our chance to recognize that essential work. This year’s theme, Ignite Volunteerism , shines a light on the power of civic parti

Long before Gull Lake had a modern hospital, health care here was held together by determination, borrowed rooms, and the steady work of local women who refused to let the community go without care. Much of what we know about these early years comes from Gull Lake Memories—A History of the Town of Gull Lake , which preserves the hospital’s earliest records and recollections. The “Bit by Bit” Era (1912–1914) The earliest records point to 1912, when a small cottage hospital ope

Gull Lake entered 1913 with a new council and a community already pushing past its early boundaries. Charles Morrison took the mayor’s chair, joined by councillors McCue, Tyler, R. Shingler, Markuson, George Donegan, and N.R. Hoffman. J.S. Tweed and F.V. Davies were appointed auditors; Dr. J.B. Swanson became Medical Health Officer, and the town made its first offer of appointment to solicitor R.E. Alexander—names that shaped the town’s early civic foundations. Early decision

March in Southwest Saskatchewan delivered the full prairie sampler: warm spells, sharp cold snaps, surprise moisture, and a general refusal to commit to spring. Perfect conditions for another round of our friendly forecasting rivalry between the Tompkins Pig Spleen Forecast and Environment Canada’s Supercomputer‑powered seasonal outlook. Here’s how we score each month in the Pig Spleen vs. Supercomputer rivalry: How the Scoring Works Each forecast earns 1 point for each cor

A warm slice of early Main Street life Long before Main Street took its modern shape, Gull Lake had a little bakery that left a lasting mark on the town’s early years. Shilling’s Bakery — located on the south side of Main Street, midway between Proton Avenue and Rutland Avenue — entered a new chapter in October 1910, when it changed ownership and was soon rebuilt after a fire just six weeks later. Today, the street has changed, but the bakery’s place in that central stretch o

“Building Communities Together” — on the north side of the Gull Lake Curling Rink, looking out over Little Green on the Prairie Park. A mural that reflects the work, pride, and cooperation that shape every community across Southwest Saskatchewan. In every Southwest Saskatchewan town, stories are told in unique ways: through museums, landmarks, and the character of main streets at dusk. But murals—especially new large‑scale projects like Shaunavon’s water tower—stand out as so