Celebrating Saskatchewan's Archives and Archivists

Released on February 3, 2017

Saskatchewan will acknowledge and celebrate the work of the professionals who develop, promote and make the archives in our province accessible to the public by declaring February 5 to 11, 2017, Archives Week in the province.

“I’m pleased to recognize our provincial community of professional archivists whose work enables people to explore our collective past,” Minister responsible for the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan Christine Tell said.  “I encourage everyone to take part in the events and exhibits taking place during Archives Week.”

Archives Week is celebrated annually during the first full week in February, and is organized by the Saskatchewan Council for Archives and Archivists (SCAA) and the more than 50 established archival institutions within Saskatchewan that it represents in the Canadian archival system.

“Remembering our past is important for present and future generations,” SCAA Executive Director Sandy Doran said.  “Over the past 11 years, Archives Week has provided the people of Saskatchewan a fun and informal way to look back on significant pieces of history relevant to our province.”

Several events are taking place across the province in celebration of Archives Week, many of which are free, including a celebrity reading in Regina.

“The event hosted by the Provincial Archives to celebrate Archives Week explores our province’s history during the North West Resistance,” Provincial Archivist Linda McIntyre said.  “Audiences can look forward to hearing excerpts from Louis Riel’s Batoche diary and a newly discovered series of telegrams sent to and from the war front, as well as expert commentary from various perspectives of this important period in history.”

“The celebrity readers for this year’s Regina Archives Week event are all experts in their respective fields,” SCAA President Jeremy Mohr said.  “Professor James Daschuk (University of Regina) is author of ‘Clearing the Plains’, an account of the government’s approach to and treatment of indigenous people in Western Canada.  Professor Sylvain Rheault (University of Regina) has studied and written about Louis Riel’s diaries and poetry and the religious influences and perspectives within them.”

“Darren Prefontaine (Gabriel Dumont Institute) is an expert on Métis history, and shares his wealth of knowledge on sources of the Resistance,” Mohr said.  “Frank Korvemaker, a retired archivist and researcher, is the master of ceremonies.”
 
Other Archives Week events will take place in Saskatoon, Humboldt, La Ronge, St. Isidore de Bellevue, Whitewood, Lloydminster, Melfort and North Battleford.

Archives Week not only brings awareness to the significant contributions archivists make to our province, but also serves as a time for us to celebrate the history of Saskatchewan as a community.

To find out more about how you can participate in Archives Week events, please visit http://www.scaa.sk.ca/public-awareness/archives-week/.

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For more information, contact:

Alyssa Pittet
Central Services
Regina, Saskatchewan
Phone: 306-787-4460
Email: alyssa.pittet@gov.sk.ca