Punnichy ( 2016 population: ) is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

in the Canadian province of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in 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 the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

within the Rural Municipality of Mount Hope No. 279 and Census Division No. 10. It is approximately northeast of the City of Regina. This village is part of the original " Alphabet Line" of the main Canadian National Railway line with Lestock to the east and Quinton to the west (the M, N, O towns have long since been deserted). Punnichy derived its name from ''panacay'', "fledgling bird with few feathers", a

Saulteaux The Saulteaux (pronounced , or in imitation of the French pronunciation , also written Salteaux, Saulteau and other variants), otherwise known as the Plains Ojibwe, are a First Nations band government in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, A ...

joke referring to the appearance of a pioneer merchant. Punnichy is located along Highway 15 in the heart of the

Touchwood Hills Touchwood Hills are a range of hills located in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The hills are composed of the "Big" Touchwood Hills and the Little Touchwood Hills. Together they are referred to as the Touchwood Uplands. The hills are i ...

between Quinton and Lestock. It is surrounded by four

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 ...

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

s: Muskowekwan, Kawacatoose, Daystar and

Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

. Punnichy was the location of one of the last operating residential schools in Canada, Gordon Indian Residential School, which closed in 1996. Punnichy is part of the provincial constituency

Last Mountain-Touchwood Last Mountain-Touchwood is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, Canada. Located in southern Saskatchewan, this constituency was created by combining the district of Last Mountain with part of the constitu ...

and federal constituency

Regina—Qu'Appelle Regina–Qu'Appelle (formerly Qu'Appelle) is a federal electoral district in Saskatchewan, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1904 to 1968 and since 1988. Geography The district includes the northeastern qu ...

. In 2009, Punnichy celebrated its centennial.

History

Punnichy incorporated as a village on October 22, 1909.

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, Punnichy 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. In the 2016 Census of Population, the Village of Punnichy recorded a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Education

Punnichy has an elementary school, high school and a Carlton Trail Regional College centre. Punnichy Community High School is unique within the Horizon School Division, in that it is run on the quadmester system, with 4 terms in a school year. The students take four classes in the first quadamester, two each morning and another two each afternoon. The first quadmester lasts 90 school days and the remaining 3 each last about 35 days. In the last 3 quadmesters, students take one class all morning and another all afternoon. A satellite facility of Punnichy high school is the George Gordon Computer Education Centre located in the community centre on Gordon First Nation. The facility assists First Nations students to return to school or pick up extra classes to move into post-secondary or job training. The program is "at your own pace" and is similar to "store front" programs in urban centres.

Gordon's Indian Residential School Gordon's Indian Residential School was a boarding school for George Gordon First Nation students in Punnichy, Saskatchewan, and was the last federally-funded Canadian Indian residential school system, residential school in Canada.Miller, J.R. 201 ...

, located in Punnichy and which closed its doors in 1996, was the last federally-funded residential school in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

.Miller, J.R. 2012 October 10.
Residential Schools in Canada
" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (last edited 2020 September 2).Gordon’s
" '' National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation''.

Notable people

* Nolan Yonkman, a defenceman for the Florida Panthers, was born in Punnichy. *Ernest Luthi, noted Saskatchewan artist * Jim Sinclair, Indigenous political leader * Dr. Raymond Sentes- Professor of Political Science, Anti-Asbestos Activist * Jeffery Straker, singer

References

{{SKDivision10 Villages in Saskatchewan Mount Hope No. 279, Saskatchewan Division No. 10, Saskatchewan

History

Demographics

Education

Notable people

See also

References