North Battleford is a city in west-central

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. It is the seventh largest city in the province and is directly across the North Saskatchewan River from the Town of Battleford. Together, the two communities are known as "The Battlefords". North Battleford borders the

Rural Municipality of North Battleford No. 437 The Rural Municipality of North Battleford No. 437 ( 2016 population: ) is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 16 and Division No. 6. Located in the west-central portion of the provi ...

, as well as the

North Battleford Crown Colony The North Battleford Crown Colony ( 2011 population 164) is an unincorporated community within the Rural Municipality of North Battleford No. 437 in Saskatchewan, Canada that is designated a census subdivision by Statistics Canada. It is adjace ...

( census subdivision). Situated immediately north of the mouth of the

Battle River Battle River is a river in central Alberta and western Saskatchewan. It is a major tributary of the North Saskatchewan River. The Battle River flows for and has a total drainage area of . The mean discharge is 10 m³/s at its mouth. His ...

, North Battleford and the greater Battlefords area are a notable stop along the Yellowhead Highway, part of the Trans-Canada system, and serve as a commercial and cultural hub for west- and north-central

. Together, the Battlefords are served by the Yellowhead Highway as well as

Highway 4 Route 4, or Highway 4, may refer to several highways in the following countries: International * AH4, Asian Highway 4 * European route E04 * European route E004 * Cairo – Cape Town Highway Albania * SH-4 road in Albania from Durres to Kakav ...

, Highway 26, Highway 29, and Highway 40. Battlefords Provincial Park is north on Highway 4.

History

For thousands of years prior to European settlement, succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples lived in the area. The Battlefords area (including the present city of North Battleford and town of Battleford) was home to several historic indigenous groups, including the Algonquian-speaking Cree and Blackfeet as well as

Siouan Siouan or Siouan–Catawban is a language family of North America that is located primarily in the Great Plains, Ohio and Mississippi valleys and southeastern North America with a few other languages in the east. Name Authors who call the entire ...

Assiniboine

First Nation Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

band government In Canada, an Indian band or band (french: bande indienne, link=no), sometimes referred to as a First Nation band (french: bande de la Première Nation, link=no) or simply a First Nation, is the basic unit of government for those peoples subjec ...

s, who contested for control of local resources. Early European settlement began as a result of fur trading by French colonists in the late 18th century. The Canadians founded Fort Montaigne d'Aigle (Eagle Hills Fort) nine miles below the confluence of the Saskatchewan and

s in 1778. A year later the fort was abandoned following conflict between traders and natives. Permanent European settlement in the area centred around the town of Battleford, founded 1875 and located on the south side of the North Saskatchewan River. Battleford served as capital of 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. ...

between 1876 and 1883. In 1905, the construction of the Canadian Northern Railway main line to Edmonton placed the line on the north side of the North Saskatchewan River. North Battleford, built along the railway line, was incorporated as a village in 1906, as a town in 1907, and as a city (with a population of 5,000) in 1913. The Assyrians were one of the first settlers of the area in and around North Battleford. The immigrant colony comprised 36 men and a few women from the town of

Urmia Urmia or Orumiyeh ( fa, ارومیه, Variously transliterated as ''Oroumieh'', ''Oroumiyeh'', ''Orūmīyeh'' and ''Urūmiyeh''.) is the largest city in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran and the capital of Urmia County. It is situated at an alt ...

in northwestern Persia. It was established in 1903 by Dr. Isaac Adams, an Assyrian Presbyterian missionary. In 1907, 40 more settlers arrived. Eventually, due to economic hardships, Dr. Isaac Adams and a few close relatives emigrated to Turlock, California. The descendants of the families who remained in North Battleford have names that are Assyrian in origin. Examples of Assyrian family names include Bakus, Essau, and Odishaw. Population growth stagnated until the 1940s and then grew to approximately 10,000 by the 1960s. The city has grown into an administrative centre and service hub for the economic, education, health and social needs of the region. North Battleford used STV-PR in its city elections from 1920 to 1924. The Latter Rain Revival, a Christian movement, started here in 1946–48.

Historic sites

A number of heritage buildings are located within the city. The North Battleford Public Library was built in 1916 with a $15,000 grant from the Carnegie Foundation of New York. and the Canadian National Railways Station was built in 1956.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

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 ...

, North Battleford 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.

Ethnicity

In the late 2000s many

Ruthenians Ruthenian and Ruthene are exonyms of Latin origin, formerly used in Eastern and Central Europe as common ethnonyms for East Slavs, particularly during the late medieval and early modern periods. The Latin term Rutheni was used in medieval sourc ...

have emigrated to Canada, concentrating in North Battleford. Most of them came from the same town:

Ruski Krstur Ruski Krstur (Serbian Cyrillic: Руски Крстур; Rusyn: Руски Керестур) is a village in Vojvodina, Serbia. It is located in the municipality of Kula, West Bačka District. The village has a Rusyn ethnic majority. Its popul ...

Crime rate

In 2018, ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian perspe ...

'' ranked North Battleford as Canada's most dangerous place for overall crime. The prior year, ''Maclean's'' published an article about this, ''Canada's most dangerous place, North Battleford, is fighting for its future'', discussing the safety initiatives planned by the community. After the article was published, Mayor Ryan Bater said:

The reality is we require the provincial and federal levels of government to take notice of this and align their efforts with ours. This needs to be a partnership. This can't be something the governments do in silos and we need to be working together. If we can do that, then sometime in the future we can see some great results.

City Manager Jim Puffalt added that the per person index may not be accurate because the population data does not consider the numerous transients, estimated at just over 14,000. In his view, the city has roughly 30,000 people at any time. "If you put our rates over 30,000 people we wouldn't be number one

n the Maclean's study N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

" he said. In 2023, the City of North Battleford earned it's highest position on the Crime Severity Index (CSI) since 1998, with the city challenging the dubious 'Crime Town' moniker.

Climate

North Battleford experiences a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

'' Dfb''). The average high during the end of July is and the average low is . For the middle of January the average high is and the average low is . The highest temperature ever recorded in North Battleford was on 13 July 2002. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 1 February 1893 and 12 January 1916.

Government

North Battleford is represented in the provincial Legislative Assembly by the member for The Battlefords. It is represented in the House of Commons by the member for Battlefords-Lloydminster.

Attractions

North Battleford is the home of one of four branches of the

Saskatchewan Western Development Museum The Western Development Museum is a network of four museums in Saskatchewan, Canada preserving and recording the social and economic development of the province. The museum has branches in Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Saskatoon and Yorkton. Respe ...

. This branch focuses on the

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

history of Saskatchewan, including a pioneer village. A prominent feature is the former Saskatchewan Wheat Pool grain elevator No. 889 from

Keatley, Saskatchewan Keatley is an unincorporated community in Douglas Rural Municipality No. 436, Saskatchewan, Canada. The community is located 60 kilometers northeast of the city of North Battleford, Saskatchewan. See also * List of communities in Saskatch ...

. The

grain elevator A grain elevator is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits ...

was moved to the museum grounds in 1983. The city also has the Allen Sapp Gallery, featuring the noted

Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...

painter.

Sports and recreation

Panoramic Photo of the NationsWest Field House

The North Battleford Access Communications Centre, a 2,500-seat multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

, is home to the

Battlefords North Stars The Battlefords North Stars are a Junior "A" ice hockey team based in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada, that plays in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. The teams was founded in 1973 as the Battleford Barons and has been known as the ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

team of the

Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a Junior 'A' ice hockey league operating in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan and one of nine member leagues of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. Open to North American-born players 20 years of ...

. It is also home to the North Battleford Kinsmen Indoor Rodeo, held annually in April. The North Battleford CUplex (Credit Union CUplex), which opened in 2013, includes the Dekker Centre for the Performing Arts, the Northland Power Curling Centre, the NationsWest Field House, and the Battlefords CO-OP Aquatic Centre.

Infrastructure

In 2001, a problem with the city's water system led to the infection of approximately 6,280 people with

cryptosporidiosis Cryptosporidiosis, sometimes informally called crypto, is a parasitic disease caused by ''Cryptosporidium'', a genus of protozoan parasites in the phylum Apicomplexa. It affects the distal small intestine and can affect the respiratory tract in ...

; a lawsuit seeking several million dollars in damages was filed in 2003. Between 5,800 and 7,100 people suffered from diarrheal illness, and 1,907 cases of cryptosporidiosis were confirmed. Equipment failures at the city's antiquated water filtration plant following maintenance were found to have caused the outbreak. The provincial and municipal government offered compensation to victims after the lawsuit was approved in 2017. The

North Battleford Energy Centre North Battleford Energy Centre is a natural gas-fired station owned by Northland Power located in the Rural Municipality of North Battleford, Saskatchewan located near the city of North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada. The plant is operating und ...

, a

natural gas-fired power station A gas-fired power plant or gas-fired power station or natural gas power plant is a thermal power station which burns natural gas to generate electricity. Natural gas power stations generate almost a quarter of world electricity and a signifi ...

owned by

Northland Power Northland Power (TSX The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX; french: Bourse de Toronto) is a stock exchange located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the 10th largest exchange in the world and the third largest in North America based on market ca ...

, has been operational since 2013.

Transportation

North Battleford is served by the North Battleford Airport, while the North Battleford/Hamlin Airport is no longer in use. The city also recently added a public transit system, in addition to the book-as-needed "Handi-bus" for people with disabilities.

Local media

Newspaper

''BattlefordsNOW.com'' is an online local news site focusing on what's happening "right NOW" in the Battlefords and surrounding area. The local newspaper is the ''Battlefords' News-Optimist''. It is published weekly on Thursdays and has circulation in the surrounding area. ''Feed The Artist Magazine'' is a local non-profit periodical print and online publication that features the work of primarily local artists, photographers, and writers.

Radio

Three local radio stations serve the area:

CJNB CJNB is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts a country format at 1050 AM in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. Owned by the Jim Pattison Group, it is headquartered alongside its sister stations CJCQ-FM and CJHD-FM at 1711 100th Street in Nort ...

CJCQ-FM CJCQ-FM is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts an adult contemporary format at 97.9 FM in North Battleford, Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwes ...

("Q98"), and

CJHD-FM CJHD-FM is a Canadian radio station that broadcasts an active rock format, branded as ''93.3 The Rock'' at 93.3 FM in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada. Its local sister stations are CJNB and CJCQ-FM CJCQ-FM is a Canadian radio station ...

("93.3 Beach Radio"). Some

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

radio stations can also be received.

Television

The Battlefords were served by CFQC-TV-2 channel 6, an analogue repeater of CTV station CFQC-DT Saskatoon. That repeater ended all analog broadcasting transmissions in 2021, and there are no plans for converting it to digital television.

Notable people

* Andrew Albers: baseball player * Lloyd Axworthy: Canadian politician and spokesman *

Wade Belak Wade William Belak (''né'' Aadland; July 3, 1976 – August 31, 2011) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and defenceman. He was drafted 12th overall by the Quebec Nordiques in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. He played for the Colorado Av ...

: former NHL player *

Colby Cave Colby Alexander Cave (December 26, 1994 – April 11, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins and the Edmonton Oilers. Cave was born in North Battleford, Saskatch ...

: former NHL player *

Ron Delorme Ronald Elmer "Chief" Delorme (born September 3, 1955) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and the chief amateur scout for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Delorme played in the NHL for the Colorado Rockies ...

: former NHL player * Deidra Dionne: Canadian freestyle skier, Olympic medalist *

Lillian Dyck Lillian Eva Quan Dyck, (born August 24, 1945) is a retired Canadian senator from Saskatchewan. A member of the Cree Gordon First Nation in Saskatchewan, and a first generation Chinese Canadian, she is the first female First Nations senator an ...

: Neuroscientist, Canadian senator *

Johnny Esaw Johnny Esaw, Order of Canada, CM (June 11, 1925 – April 6, 2013) was a Canadians, Canadian of Assyrian people, Assyrian descent, a sports broadcaster and television network executive. He was a pioneer of sports broadcasting in Canada, best kn ...

: former sports' broadcaster, former vice-president of CTV Sports * Bob Francis: former

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

player, NHL coach * Emile Francis: former NHL player, coach, and general manager * Ray Hare: former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

Bruce Hoffort Bruce W. Hoffort (born July 30, 1966) is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey goaltender who played in 9 games over parts of two National Hockey League (NHL) seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, which is the most games played by an NHL goa ...

: former NHL Goaltender *

Dale Hoganson Dale Gordon Hoganson (born July 8, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played 344 games in the National Hockey League and 378 games in the World Hockey Association between 1969 and 1982. He played for the Los Angeles King ...

: former NHL player * Bill Hunter: hockey coach, owner, and general manager; founder of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

* Carole James: politician, former leader of the

British Columbia New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party of British Columbia (BC NDP) is a social-democratic provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. As of 2017, it governs the province. It is the British Columbia provincial arm of the federal New Democrati ...

, Deputy Premier of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

* Dave King: NHL coach *Cole Knutson: Métis classical musician *

Skip Krake Philip Gordon "Skip" Krake (born October 14, 1943) is a Canadian former ice hockey centre. He played in the National Hockey League with the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, and Buffalo Sabres between 1964 and 1971. In addition, he played in the ...

: former NHL centre * Jody Lehman: former

EIHL The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to as the British Elite League or, for sponsorship reasons, the Viaplay Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey ...

goalie *

Bernie Lukowich Bernard Joseph Lukowich (born March 18, 1952) is a Canadian former NHL and WHA player. He played 79 games in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the St. Louis Blues. And another 21 games for the Calgary Cowboys of the WHA. His son is Brad Lu ...

: former NHL player * Alistair MacLeod: author *

Merlin Malinowski Merlin "The Magician" Malinowski (born September 27, 1958) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre. Malinowski was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, but grew up in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. Playi ...

: former NHL

right winger A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

Rueben Mayes Rueben A. Mayes (born June 6, 1963) is a Canadian former American football running back who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) from 1986 to 1993. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame for his contributions w ...

: former NFL player *

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...

: musician, artist *

Nancy Nash Nancy Nash is a Canadian blues and pop singer, who has recorded and performed both under her birth name and as Sazacha Red Sky. Under the latter name, she garnered a Juno Award nomination for Best Music of Aboriginal Canada Recording at the Juno ...

: Singer and Performer *

Brian Plummer Brian Plummer, also known as David Brian Plummer (11 September 1936 – 12 September 2003), was a British writer, teacher and dog breeder. Background In 1977, Plummer appeared on Richard Whiteley's '' Calendar'' regional news programme, during w ...

: Musician * Lee Richardson: Canadian politician * Allen Sapp: Canadian

painter *

Corey Schwab Corey Schwab (born November 4, 1970) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goalie. He was drafted in the 10th round, 200th overall in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils. Schwab won the 2003 Stanley Cup with the New Jersey D ...

: former NHL goalie *

Gregg Sheppard Gregory Wayne Sheppard (born April 23, 1949) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who most notably played for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. He played in three Stanley Cup Finals with the Bruins (1974, 1977, 19 ...

: former NHL forward * Fiona Lesley Smith: Member of the Canada women's national ice hockey team * Herbert Sparrow: former Canadian senator *

Len Taylor Leonard William "Len" Taylor (born January 16, 1952) is a Canadian politician and a former member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, representing The Battlefords. Taylor is a member of the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party. From 2000 ...

: former Saskatchewan cabinet minister and federal MP *

Al Tuer Allan Tuer (born July 19, 1963) is a professional scout for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League. He was a professional ice hockey defenceman that was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the 9th round (186th overall) of the 1981 N ...

: former NHL defenceman *

Jesse Wallin Jesse Wallin (born March 10, 1978) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in 49 career National Hockey League games for the Detroit Red Wings. He was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, but was raised and played his mino ...

: former NHL defenceman, WJC Gold Medallist, WHL GM/Head Coach *

W. Brett Wilson William Brett Wilson (born July 1, 1957) is a Canadian investment banker, businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He was a season 3, 4 & 5 panellist on CBC Television's ''Dragons' Den''. He has attracted widespread attention and media covera ...

: Entrepreneur and Philanthropist

Notes

References

External links

* {{Coord, 52, 45, 27, N, 108, 17, 10, W, region:CA_type:city, display=title Cities in Saskatchewan Pannonian Rusyns Rusyn Canadian Serbian-Canadian culture Ukrainian-Canadian culture in Saskatchewan