Balcarres ( ); 2006 population 598) is a town located in southern

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, Canada along Highway 10 and Highway 22, approximately 85 km northeast of Regina. Highway 619 and Highway 310 are nearby highways to this community. Neighbouring communities include

Fort Qu'Appelle Fort Qu'Appelle is a town in Canadian province of Saskatchewan located in the Qu'Appelle River valley north-east of Regina, between Echo and Mission Lakes of the Fishing Lakes. It is not to be confused with the once-significant nearby t ...

to the west, to the southeast

Abernethy Abernethy may refer to: Places Scotland * Abernethy, Perth and Kinross, a village ** Abernethy (NBR) railway station, a former railway station in this village * Nethy Bridge, Highland, a village formerly known as Abernethy * Abernethy Forest, ...

, and to the north

Ituna Ituna () is a town in Saskatchewan, Canada. In 2006, it had a population of 622. It is north-east of the capital Regina. The town contains several businesses serving the local residents and rural community, including financial services, groc ...

. The File Hills

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

of Little Black Bear, Peepeekisis, Okanese, and Star Blanket are also located to the northeast.

History

Balcarres post office was established in the

North-West Territories The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

on 1 April 1884. The name originates from the first postmaster, Balcarres Crawford, at the neighbouring community of

Indian Head Indian Head can refer to: Coins * Indian Head cent, U.S. one cent coin (1859–1909) *Indian Head eagle, U.S. $10 gold piece issued between 1907 and 1933 *Indian Head gold pieces, U.S. coins issued between 1908 and 1929 *Indian Head nickel, U.S. f ...

, North-West Territories (now, since 1905,

Sites of interest

Motherwell Homestead The Motherwell Homestead is a National Historic Sites of Canada, National Historic Site of Canada located just south of the community of Abernethy, Saskatchewan. The site commemorates the life and achievements of William Richard Motherwell, Saskat ...

National Historic Site of Canada is within 10.5 miles, or 17 kilometres, of Balcarres. Valley Centre Recreation Site, Lebret Recreation Site, an
Katepwa Point Provincial Park
are all within 20 kilometres as well.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, Balcarres had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Balcarres_Main_Street_2002_2

Amenities

The town is home to several businesses including L&J Country Foods, two Chinese restaurants, Balcarres Country Inn, Henry's Family Fair, Baber's Pharmacy, a Royal Bank, as well as many others. Terminal 22, a large inland grain terminal, is located west of town along the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

rail line. Balcarres has a hospital and senior citizens home called the Balcarres Integrated Care Centre or BICC, and an elementary and high school, which educates children from the communities of Balcarres, Abernethy, and the File Hills Indian reserves. There is a United, an Anglican and a Baptist church.

Notable people

Walter Deiter Walter Perry Deiter (31 May 1916 – 7 September 1988) was a Canadian First Nations leader. He was the founding chief of the National Indian Brotherhood in 1968, which is today known as the Assembly of First Nations. Early years Deiter wa ...

, chief of the

National Indian Brotherhood The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is an assembly of Canadian First Nations (Indian bands) represented by their chiefs. Established in 1982 and modelled on the United Nations General Assembly, it emerged from the National Indian Brotherhood, wh ...

James Garfield Gardiner James Garfield Gardiner (30 November 1883 – 12 January 1962) was a Canadian farmer, educator, and politician. He served as the fourth premier of Saskatchewan, and as a minister in the Canadian Cabinet. Political career Gardiner was first elec ...

premier of Saskatchewan The premier of Saskatchewan is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The current premier of Saskatchewan is Scott Moe, who was sworn in as premier on February 2, 2018, after winning the 2018 Saskatc ...

and minister in the

Canadian Cabinet The Cabinet of Canada (french: Cabinet du Canada) is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada. Chaired by the prime minister, the ...

Mandy Meyer Armand "Mandy" Meyer (born August 29 1960) is a Swiss-Canadian guitarist best known for being a member of the hard rock band Gotthard, the progressive rock band Asia, and the heavy metal band Krokus. Meyer has also worked with Cobra, Stealin' H ...

, guitar player for

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

and Krokus * Kenneth Moore, ice hockey player in the

1932 Winter Olympics The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Lake Placid 1932, were a winter multi-sport event in the United States, held in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February ...

. *

Noel Starblanket Noel Victor Starblanket (September 26, 1946 – April 15, 2019) was a Canadian politician. For two terms from 1976 to 1980 he was chief of the National Indian Brotherhood (today known as the Assembly of First Nations). Early years and education ...

, chief of the National Indian Brotherhood * Doug Trapp, ice hockey left wing for the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

Jerry Walker Jerry Allen Walker (born February 12, 1939) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Athletics, and Cleveland Indians between 1957 and 1964. Born in Ada, ...

, ice hockey winger

References

External links

* {{Authority control Towns in Saskatchewan Abernethy No. 186, Saskatchewan Division No. 6, Saskatchewan