Wilkie is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

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 ...

, located at Section 5, Township 40, Range 19, west of the 3rd Meridian (of the

Dominion Land Survey The Dominion Land Survey (DLS; french: links=no, arpentage des terres fédérales, ATF) is the method used to divide most of Western Canada into one-square-mile (2.6 km2) sections for agricultural and other purposes. It is based on the layout ...

). The town is at the junctions of Saskatchewan Highways 14, 29, and

784 __NOTOC__ Year 784 ( DCCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 784 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Eur ...

. Wilkie is surrounded by the RM of Buffalo No. 409 to the north and the RM of Reford No. 379 to the south.

History

On February 2, 1907, the first post office was established with the name Glenlogan at Section 4, Township 40, Range 19, west of the 3rd Meridian. The post office changed names on October 1, 1908 to Wilkie. The town of Wilkie, Saskatchewan was named after Mr. Daniel Robert Wilkie, who was the president of the

Imperial Bank of Canada The Imperial Bank of Canada was a Canadian bank based in Toronto, Ontario, during the late 19th century and early 20th century. History It was founded in 1873 as the Imperial Bank in Toronto by Henry Stark Howland, former vice president of the Ca ...

(1906–1914), a backer of the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

, and a member of the

Canadian Art Club The Canadian Art Club was an artists' group established in Toronto in 1907 to advance the standards of Canadian art exhibitions and to exhibit the work of distinguished Canadian artists, particularly those who had studied abroad or lived there. It ...

. Mr. Wilkie and his family lived at "Seven Oaks", a heritage property at 432 Sherbourne Street, Toronto, which was completed in 1875. His son, Major Arthur Benson Wilkie, graduated from the

Royal Military College of Canada '') , established = 1876 , type = Military academy , chancellor = Anita Anand ('' la, ex officio, label=none'' as Defence Minister) , principal = Harry Kowal , head_label ...

and served with the

Royal Sussex Regiment The Royal Sussex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foot ...

(1901–1920) in

Lucknow, India Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division. ...

(1902); Thorncliffe, England (1903–04);

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

(1904–05); Candia, Crete (1906); British Legation,

Peking } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

(1908); and

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

(1910–1920). His other son Major Charles Stuart (Chas) Wilkie served as a lieutenant with the

Royal Canadian Artillery , colors = The guns of the RCA themselves , colors_label = Colours , march = * Slow march: "Royal Artillery Slow March" * Quick march (dismounted parades): "British Grenadiers/The ...

(1899–1919) and volunteered with the 10th Regiment in South Africa during the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

(1899–1900) and during the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Wilkie was once home to "The World's Largest Grasshopper" (a

roadside attraction A roadside attraction is a feature along the side of a road meant to attract tourists. In general, these are places one might stop on the way to somewhere, rather than actually being a destination. They are frequently advertised with billboards. T ...

), which used to be located in front of the town rink and hall.

Transportation

Wilkie is a station on the

line from

Portage la Prairie Portage la Prairie () is a small city in the Central Plains Region of Manitoba, Canada. As of 2016, the population was 13,304 and the land area of the city was . Portage la Prairie is approximately west of Winnipeg, along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

, via

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 ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, 160 kilometres west of Saskatoon. Wilkie is also the starting point of Canadian Pacific's Reford Branch, to

Kerrobert Kerrobert is a town in west central Saskatchewan. It has a population of 970 (2021) Kerrobert is served by Highway 21, Highway 31 and Highway 51 as well as the Canadian Pacific Railway. It is approximately east of the Saskatchewan/Alberta bord ...

, to the south-west, and of the former Kelfield Branch, of the CPR, to Kelfield, south. Adjacent to Wilkie is the abandoned aerodrome,

Wilkie Airport Wilkie Airport is an abandoned aerodrome that was located adjacent to Wilkie, Saskatchewan, Canada. See also * List of airports in Saskatchewan * List of defunct airports in Canada This is an alphabetical list of abandoned airports in C ...

Parks and recreation

The Wilkie Regional Park () was formed on February 24, 1970 on land owned by the town. The land is well treed and features 22 campsites, four ball diamonds, and a picnic area. The park is located along the west side of town along Highway 29. Located along the south side of town is Wilkie Golf Club. It is a 9-hole

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

with grass greens. The Wilkie Saskcan Community Centre has an ice rink and curling rink. On October 9, 2015, an electrical fire caused significant damage to the building. In 2019, Wilkie was a top four ''

Kraft Hockeyville ''Kraft Hockeyville'' is an annual competition sponsored by Kraft Heinz, the National Hockey League and the NHL Players' Association in which communities compete to demonstrate their commitment to the sport of ice hockey. The winning community ...

'' finalist. Funds from that and a campaign started by Brett Wilson, raised $126,000 for a new ice plant for the facility. Installation of the new ice plant started in the summer of 2021 and was up and running by September 29, 2021.

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 ...

, Wilkie 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.

Education

Wilkie is home to Norman Carter Elementary School (k–6) and McLurg High School (7–12).

Latimer controversy

Wilkie was the site of the controversial murder of Tracy Latimer, a 12-year-old girl with

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...

, on October 24, 1993. Her father,

Robert Latimer Robert William Latimer (born March 13, 1953) is a Canadian canola and wheat farmer who was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of his daughter Tracy (November 23, 1980 – October 24, 1993). This case sparked a national controversy on t ...

, killed her via

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...

poisoning at the Latimer family farm near Wilkie, wanting to end her suffering. The case sparked a national controversy on the definition and ethics of

euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...

, as well as the rights of people with disabilities. The killing led to two Supreme Court decisions,

R. v. Latimer (1997) ''R v Latimer'', 9971 SCR 217, was a decision by the Supreme Court of Canada in the controversial case of Robert Latimer, a Saskatchewan farmer convicted of murdering his disabled daughter Tracy. The case involved consideration of arbitrary dete ...

, on

Section Ten of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Section 10 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms specifies rights upon arrest or detention, including the rights to consult a lawyer and the right to ''habeas corpus''. As a part of a broader range of legal rights guaranteed by the Chart ...

, and later R. v. Latimer (2001), on cruel and unusual punishments under

Section Twelve of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms Section 12 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as part of the Constitution of Canada, is a legal rights section that protects an individual's freedom from cruel and unusual punishments in Canada. The section has generated some case law ...

. Latimer was released on day parole in March 2008 and was granted full parole on November 29, 2010.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Buffalo No. 409, Saskatchewan Towns in Saskatchewan Division No. 13, Saskatchewan