Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Saskatchewan shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Saskatchewan offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Saskatchewan at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Saskatchewan? Wrong! If the Saskatchewan is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Saskatchewan then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Saskatchewan? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Saskatchewan and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Saskatchewan wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Saskatchewan then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Saskatchewan site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Saskatchewan, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Saskatchewan, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

{{Infobox Province or territory of Canada| Name = Saskatchewan| AlternateName =| Fullname = Province of Saskatchewan| EntityAdjective = Provincial| Flag = Flag_of_Saskatchewan.svg| CoatOfArms = Coat of arms of Saskatchewan.png| Map = Saskatchewan-map.png| Label_map = no| Motto = Multis E Gentibus Vires (Latin: "The Strength of Many Peoples")]| Flower = Western Red Lily| Bird = [Sharp-tailed Grouse| LargestCity = [Saskatoon, Saskatchewan| Premier = Lorne Calvert| Viceroy = [Gordon Barnhart| AreaRank = 7th| TotalArea_km2 = 651900| LandArea_km2 = 591670| WaterArea_km2 = 59366| PercentWater = 9.1| PopulationRank = 6th| Population = 996,869 (est.)| PopulationYear = 2007| DensityRank = 9th| Density_km2 = 1.67| GDP_year = 2006| GDP_total = C$45.051 billion Statistics Canada Gross domestic product, expenditure-based, by province and territory| GDP_rank = 5th| GDP_per_capita = C$45,718| GDP_per_capita_rank = 5th| AdmittanceOrder = 9th (province)| AdmittanceDate = [September 1, 1905 (Split from Northwest Territories)| TimeZone = Coordinated Universal Time−6 (no daylight saving) Lloydminster and vicinity: UTC−7 and does observe DST] in Canada, which has an area of 588,276.09 square kilometres (227,134.67 sq mi) and a population of 990,212 (according to 2007 estimates), mostly living in the southern half of the province. Of these, 202,340 live in the province's largest city, Saskatoon, while 179,246 live in the provincial capital, Regina, Saskatchewan. Other major cities, in order of size, are Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Swift Current, Saskatchewan, and North Battleford, Saskatchewan. The province's name comes from the Saskatchewan River, whose name comes from its Cree language designation: kisiskāciwani-sīpiy, meaning "swift flowing river". Name Source from the Government of Canada

Geography From a great scale, Saskatchewan appears to be a quadrilateral. However, due to its size, the 49th parallel boundary and the 60th northern border appear curved. Additionally, the eastern boundary of the province is partially crooked rather than following a line of longitude, as correction lines were devised by surveyors prior to the homestead program (1880–1928). Saskatchewan is bounded on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the United States states of Montana and North Dakota. Saskatchewan has the distinction of being the only Canadian province for which no borders correspond to physical geographic features. It is also one of only two provinces that are completely land-locked, the other being Alberta.Saskatchewan contains two major natural regions: the Canadian Shield in the north and the Interior Plains in the south. Northern Saskatchewan is mostly covered by boreal forest except for The Lake Athabasca Sand Dunes, the largest active sand dunes in the world north of 58°, adjacent to the southern shore of Lake Athabasca. Southern Saskatchewan contains another area with sand dunes known as the "Great Sand Hills" covering over 300 square kilometres. The Cypress Hills (Canada), located in the southwestern corner of Saskatchewan and Killdeer Badlands (Grasslands National Park) are areas of the province that remained unglaciated during the last Wisconsin glaciation. The province's highest point, 1,468 metres (4,816 ft) is located in the Cypress Hills. The lowest point, 213 metres (700 ft) is the shore of Lake Athabasca in the far north. The province has nine distinct drainage basins made up of various rivers and watersheds draining into the Arctic Ocean, Hudson Bay, and Gulf of Mexico.

Climate Saskatchewan lies far from any significant body of water. This, combined with its northerly latitude gives it a cold summer type humid continental climate (Köppen type Dfb) in the eastern half, drying off to a semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen type Bsk) in the western part of the province. Summers can be very hot, with temperatures above 32°C (90°F) during the day. Warm southern winds blow from the United States during much of July and August. While winters can be bitterly cold, with high temperatures not breaking −17°C (0°F) for weeks at a time, warm chinook winds often blow from the south, bringing periods of mild weather. Annual precipitation averages from 12 to 18 inches annually across the province, with the bulk of rain falling in June, July, and August.

Municipalities Ten largest municipalities by population{| class="wikitable"!Municipality!1996!2001!2006|-|Saskatoon, Saskatchewan|193,653|196,861|202,340|-|Regina, Saskatchewan|180,404|178,225|179,246|-|Prince Albert, Saskatchewan|34,777|34,291|34,138|-|Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan|32,973|32,131|32,132|-|Yorkton, Saskatchewan|15,154|15,107|15,038|-|Swift Current, Saskatchewan|14,890|14,821|14,946|-|North Battleford, Saskatchewan|14,051|13,692|13,190|-|Estevan, Saskatchewan|10,752|10,242|10,084|-|Weyburn, Saskatchewan|9,723|9,534|9,433|-|Corman Park No. 344, Saskatchewan|7,142|8,043|8,349|}

Note that the list does not include Lloydminster, which has a total population of 24,028 but straddles the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. As of 2006, only 8,118 people lived on the Saskatchewan side, which would make it Saskatchewan's 11th largest municipality. All of the listed communities are considered cities by the province, with the exception of Corman Park, which is a rural municipality. Municipalities in the province with a population of 5000 or more receive official city status.

Economy Saskatchewan's economy is associated with agriculture; however, increasing diversification has meant that now agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting together make up only 6.8% of the province's GDP. Saskatchewan grows 45% of Canada's grain. Wheat is the most familiar crop, and perhaps the one stereotypically associated with the province, but other grains like canola, flax, rye, oats, peas, lentils, canary seed, and barley are also produced. Beef cattle production in the province is only exceeded by Alberta. Mining is also a major industry in the province, with Saskatchewan being the world leader in potash exports. In the northern part of the province, forestry is significant.

Oil and Natural Gas production is also a very important part of Saskatchewan's economy. Oil and natural gas production is only exceeded by Alberta. Heavy crude is extracted in the Lloydminster-Kerrobert-Kindersley areas. Light crude is found in the Kindersley-Swift Current areas as well as the Weyburn-Estevan fields. Natural gas is found almost entirely in the western part of Saskatchewan, from the Primrose Lake area through Lloydminster, Unity, Kindersley, Leader, and around Maple Creek areas.

Saskatchewan is also the world's largest supplier of uranium, and supplies much of the western world. The uranium industry is closely regulated by the provincial government which allows the government of Saskatchewan great latitude in setting world uranium prices.

Saskatchewan's GDP in 2006 was approximately C$45.051 billion, with economic sectors breaking down in the following way:{]s include major Saskatchewan-based entities are, Saskatchewan Government Insurance, SaskTel, SaskEnergy (the province's main supplier of natural gas), and SaskPower. Bombardier runs the NATO Flying Training Centre at 15 Wing, near Moose Jaw. Bombardier was awarded a long-term contract in the late 1990s for $2.8 billion from the Politics of Canada for the purchase of military aircraft and the running of the training facility.

History Prior to European settlement, Saskatchewan was populated by various indigenous peoples of North America including members of the Athabaskan, Algonquian, Atsina, Cree, Saulteaux and Sioux tribes. The first European to enter Saskatchewan was Henry Kelsey in 1690, who travelled up the Saskatchewan River in hopes of trading fur with the province's indigenous peoples. The first permanent European settlement was a Hudson's Bay Company post at Cumberland House, Saskatchewan founded by Samuel Hearne in 1774.

In the late 1850s and early 1860s, scientific expeditions led by John Palliser and Henry Youle Hind explored the prairie region of the province.

In the 1870s, the Government of Canada formed the Northwest Territories to administer the vast territory between British Columbia and Manitoba. The government also entered into a series of numbered treaties with the indigenous peoples of the area, which serve as the basis of the relationship between First Nations, as they are called today, and the Crown.

A seminal event in the history of what was to become Western Canada was the 1874 "March West" of the federal government's new North-West Mounted Police. Despite poor equipment and lack of provisions, the men on the march persevered and established a federal presence in the new territory. Historians have argued that had this expedition been unsuccessful, then the expansionist U.S. would have been sorely tempted to expand into the political vacuum. And even had it not, then the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway would have been delayed or taken a different, more northerly route, stunting the early growth of towns like Brandon, Regina, Medicine Hat and Calgary — had these existed at all. Failure to construct the railway could also have forced British Columbia to join the United States.

Settlement of the province started to take off as the Canadian Pacific Railway was built in the early 1880s, and the Canadian government divided up the land by the Dominion Land Survey and gave free land to any willing settlers.

The North West Mounted Police set up several posts and forts across Saskatchewan including Fort Walsh in the Cypress Hills, and Wood Mountain Regional Park Post in south central Saskatchewan near the American border.

In 1876, following the Battle of Little Bighorn Lakota chief Sitting Bull led several thousand of his people to Wood Mountain. Wood Mountain Reserve was founded in 1914.

Many Métis (people) people, who had not been signatories to a treaty, had moved to the Saskatchewan Rivers district north of present-day Saskatoon following the Red River Resistance in Manitoba in 1870. In the early 1880s, the Canadian government refused to hear the Métis' grievances, which stemmed from land-use issues. Finally, in 1885, the Métis, led by Louis Riel, staged the North-West Rebellion and declared a provisional government. They were defeated by a Canadian militia brought to the prairies by the new Canadian Pacific Railway. Riel surrendered and was convicted of treason in a packed Regina, Saskatchewan courtroom. He was hanged on November 16, 1885.

As more settlers came to the prairies on the railway, the population grew, and Saskatchewan became a province on September 1, 1905; inauguration day was held September 4.

The Homestead Act permitted settlers to acquire ¼ mi² of land to homestead and offered an additional quarter upon establishing a homestead. Immigration peaked in 1910 and in spite of the initial difficulties of frontier life, distance from towns, sod homes, and backbreaking labour, a prosperous agrarian society was established.

In 1913, the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association was established as Saskatchewan's first ranchers' organization. ( See Logo Here) Three objectives were laid out at the founding convention in 1913 have served as a guide: to watch over legislation; to forward the interests of the Stock Growers in every honourable and legitimate way; and to suggest to parliament legislation to meet changing conditions and requirements.

Its farming equivalent, the Saskatchewan Grain Growers Association, was the dominant political force in the province until the 1920s and had close ties with the governing Liberal party.

In the late 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan imported from the U.S. and Ontario, gained brief popularity in WASP nativist circles in Saskatchewan and Alberta. The province had the dubious distinction of having the largest per-capita membership in the KKK of any political jurisdiction in North America. The Klan, briefly allied with the provincial Conservative party because of their mutual dislike for Premier James G. "Jimmy" Gardiner and his Liberals (who ferociously fought the Klan) enjoyed about two years of prominence, then disappeared, the victim of widespread political and media opposition, plus scandals involving their own funds.

In 1970, the first annual Canadian Western Agribition was held in Regina. This farm industry trade show, with a heavy emphasis on livestock, is rated as one of the five top livestock shows in North America, along with those in Houston, Denver, Louisville and Toronto.

Politics in ReginaSaskatchewan has the same form of government as the other Canadian provinces with a Lieutenant-Governor (Canada) (who is the representative of the Monarchy in Saskatchewan), premier, and a unicameral legislature.

For many years, Saskatchewan has been one of Canada's more left-leaning provinces, reflecting many of its citizens' feelings of alienation from the interests of large capital. In 1944 Tommy Douglas became premier of the first avowedly socialist regional government in North America. Most of his MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly) represented rural and small-town ridings. Under his Cooperative Commonwealth Federation government, Saskatchewan became the first province to have Medicare (Canada), billed at the time as government-funded mandatory universal medical insurance. In 1961, Douglas left provincial politics to become the first leader of the federal New Democratic Party.

Today, the official opposition in the province is the Saskatchewan Party, a new party built in 1997 out of the remains of the Tories and former Liberals and even a small number of New Democrats frustrated by the NDP's inability to "grow" the economy and population. The current premier of Saskatchewan is New Democrat Lorne Calvert, whose government was re-elected in the Saskatchewan general election, 2003 with a slim majority—the NDP won 30 seats in the 58-seat Legislative Assembly, while the Saskatchewan Party won the remaining 28 seats. Most NDP MLAs represent cities and towns while most SP MLAs represent rural ridings.Partly because of this the NDP's three long stretches as the provincial government have not translated into recent federal success. While both Saskatoon and Regina (Saskatchewan's largest cities) are roughly twice the population of an urban riding in Canada, both are split into multiple ridings that blend them with rural communities. Across Canada, Conservatives are competitive in suburbs and pre-eminent in rural areas, and of the 14 federal constituencies in Saskatchewan, 12 were won by members of the Conservative Party of Canada in 2006, and 13 of 14 were won by Conservatives in 2004, while the federal NDP has been shut out of the province for two consecutive elections. The only Liberal MPs are former Finance Minister Ralph Goodale and Gary Merasty, whose election win brought allegations of possible election fraud.

Provincial Flag

Saskatchewan's flag was officially dedicated on 22nd September, 1969. The flag features the Armorial Bearing (Coat-of-Arms) in the upper quarter nearest the staff, with the floral emblem, the Prairie Lily, in the fly. The upper green half of the flag represents the northern Saskatchewan forest lands, while the gold lower half symbolizes the southern prairie wheat fields. The design was a prize-winning entry of a Province-wide competition that drew over 4000 entries, by Anthony Drake, then living in Hodgeville, Saskatchewan.

Centennial celebrations

In 2005, Saskatchewan celebrated its centennial. To honour it the Royal Canadian Mint issued a commemorative 5-dollar coin depicting Canada's wheat fields as well as a circulation Quarter (Canadian coin) of a similar design. Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and The Duke of Edinburgh visited Regina, Saskatoon and Lumsden, Saskatchewan and Joni Mitchell issued an album in Saskatchewan's honour.

Demographics According to the 2001 Canadian census, the largest ethnic group in Saskatchewan is German people (28.6%), followed by English people (24.5%), Scottish people (17.9%), Irish people (14.5%), Ukrainian people (12.6%), French people (11.4%), First Nations (10.6%), Norwegian people (6.3%), Polish people (5.3%), Métis people (Canada) (4.2%), Dutch people (3.3%), and Swedish people (3.1%) - although about a quarter of all respondents also identified their ethnicity as "Canadian."

{| class="wikitable"!Year!Population!Five-year % change!Ten-year% change!Rank amongprovinces|-|1901 ||91,279 ||n/a ||n/a ||8|-|1911 ||492,432 ||n/a ||439.5 ||3|-|1921 ||757,510 ||n/a ||53.8 ||3|-|1931 ||921,785 ||n/a ||21.7 ||3|-|1941 ||895,992 ||n/a ||-2.8 ||3|-|1951 ||831,728 ||n/a ||-7.2 ||5|-|1956 ||880,665 ||5.9 ||n/a ||5|-|1961 ||925,181 ||5.1 ||11.2 ||5|-|1966 ||955,344 ||3.3 ||8.5 ||6|-|1971 ||926,242 ||-3.0 ||0.1 ||6|-|1976 ||921,325 ||-0.5 ||3.6 ||6|-|1981 ||968,313 ||5.1 ||4.5 ||6|-|1986 ||1,009,613 ||4.3 ||9.6 ||6|-|1991 ||988,928 ||-2.0 ||2.1 ||6|-|1996 ||976,615 ||-1.2 ||-3.3 ||6|-|2001 ||978,933 ||0.2 ||-1.0 ||6|-|2006 ||985,386 ||0.7 ||0.9 ||6|}Source: Statistics Canada. The history of Saskatchewan's population from Statistics Canada Canada's population. Statistics Canada. Last accessed September 28, 2006.

Provincial Finances {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"!Fiscal Year!!Public Debt*!!Pers. Inc. Tax!!Corp. Inc./Cap. Tax!!Sales tax!!Oil Revenue!!Total NR Revenue!!Canada H/S Transfers!!Equalization!!Health Expense!!|-|2007||11,034,644||1,668,538||1,067,459||1,079,794**||1,318,852||1,694,252||1,040,374||12,273||3,202,965|-|2006||11,133,595||1,447,905||918,279||1,112,350||1,124,952||1,721,100||958,314||88,672||2,990,625|-|2005||11,464,234||1,329,081||638,968||985,079||906,938||1,474,191||715,138||581,570||2,773,961|-|2004||11,940,337||1,245,763||682,052||854,480||774,488||1,140,962||750,558||41,284||2,515,823|-|2003||11,710,616||1,429,757||557,360||813,932||862,318||1,243,649||668,211||-9,215||2,342,835|-|2002||11,429,158||1,196,410||508,542||770,984||555,337||903,044||608,908||492,017||2,199,723|}

The Tabulated Data covers the previous fiscal year (e.g. 2007 covers April 1, 2006 - March 31, 2007).All data is in $1,000s.

* This value reflects the debt of all Government Service Organizations as well as Crown Corporations.

** The Provincial Sales Tax was reduced from 7% to 5% effective October 28, 2006.

Source: Government of Saskatchewan. Public Accounts of Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Last accessed June 25, 2007.

Education The first education on the prairies was learned within the family group of the first nation or early fur trading family settlers. There were only a few missionary or trading post schools established in Rupert's Land later known as the Territorial evolution of Canada.

1886 sees the formation of the first 76 North West Territories school districts and the first Board of Education meeting. The immigration boom forms Block Settlement. Communities are seeking education for their children similar to the schools of their home land. Log cabins, and dwellings are constructed for the assembly of the community, school, church, dances and meetings.

The roaring twenties and established farmers who have successfully proved up on their homesteads helps provide funding to standardize education. Text books, normal schools for formally educated teachers, school curricula, state of the art school house architectural plans, provide continuity throughout the province. English as the school language helps to provide economic stability as now one community can communicate with another, and goods can be traded and sold in a common language. The number of one-room school house districts across Saskatchewan totalled approximately 5,000 at the height of the one-room school house educational system in the late 1940s.

Following World War II, the transition from many one room school houses to fewer and larger consolidated modern technological town and city schools occurred as a means of ensuring technical education. School buses, highways, and family vehicles create ease and accessibility of a population shift to larger towns and cities. Combines and tractors mean that the farmer can successfully manage more than a quarter section of land, so there is a shift from family farms and subsistence crops to cash crops grown on many sections of land. There is no more need for communities every 10 to 16 kilometres (6-10 mi) apart or within a horse and buggy ride. This evolution is still continuing and under analysis in the spring of 2007 with another 50 rural consolidated schools now facing imminent closing.{{cite book ] have been newly proposed as a means of allowing competition between rural schools and making the operation of co-operative schools practicable in rural areas.

Miscellany

Popular culture The most famous representations of Saskatchewan in modern popular culture come from the popular Canadian television sitcoms Corner Gas and Little Mosque on the Prairie, both of which are set in small towns. The novels of W. O. Mitchell, Sinclair Ross, Michael Helm and Gail Bowen are also frequently set in Saskatchewan.

Arts and culture Museums and galleries



Artist-Run centres



Artists

Law and order Police agencies

Correctional facilities



See also

Bibliography

Notes External links

{{Infobox Province or territory of Canada| Name = Saskatchewan| AlternateName =| Fullname = Province of Saskatchewan| EntityAdjective = Provincial| Flag = Flag_of_Saskatchewan.svg| CoatOfArms = Coat of arms of Saskatchewan.png| Map = Saskatchewan-map.png| Label_map = no| Motto = Multis E Gentibus Vires (Latin: "The Strength of Many Peoples")]| Flower = Western Red Lily| Bird = [Sharp-tailed Grouse| LargestCity = [Saskatoon, Saskatchewan| Premier = Lorne Calvert| Viceroy = [Gordon Barnhart| AreaRank = 7th| TotalArea_km2 = 651900| LandArea_km2 = 591670| WaterArea_km2 = 59366| PercentWater = 9.1| PopulationRank = 6th| Population = 996,869 (est.)| PopulationYear = 2007| DensityRank = 9th| Density_km2 = 1.67| GDP_year = 2006| GDP_total = C$45.051 billion Statistics Canada Gross domestic product, expenditure-based, by province and territory| GDP_rank = 5th| GDP_per_capita = C$45,718| GDP_per_capita_rank = 5th| AdmittanceOrder = 9th (province)| AdmittanceDate = [September 1, 1905 (Split from Northwest Territories)| TimeZone = Coordinated Universal Time−6 (no daylight saving) Lloydminster and vicinity: UTC−7 and does observe DST] in Canada, which has an area of 588,276.09 square kilometres (227,134.67 sq mi) and a population of 990,212 (according to 2007 estimates), mostly living in the southern half of the province. Of these, 202,340 live in the province's largest city, Saskatoon, while 179,246 live in the provincial capital, Regina, Saskatchewan. Other major cities, in order of size, are Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Swift Current, Saskatchewan, and North Battleford, Saskatchewan. The province's name comes from the Saskatchewan River, whose name comes from its Cree language designation: kisiskāciwani-sīpiy, meaning "swift flowing river". Name Source from the Government of Canada

Geography From a great scale, Saskatchewan appears to be a quadrilateral. However, due to its size, the 49th parallel boundary and the 60th northern border appear curved. Additionally, the eastern boundary of the province is partially crooked rather than following a line of longitude, as correction lines were devised by surveyors prior to the homestead program (1880–1928). Saskatchewan is bounded on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the United States states of Montana and North Dakota. Saskatchewan has the distinction of being the only Canadian province for which no borders correspond to physical geographic features. It is also one of only two provinces that are completely land-locked, the other being Alberta.Saskatchewan contains two major natural regions: the Canadian Shield in the north and the Interior Plains in the south. Northern Saskatchewan is mostly covered by boreal forest except for The Lake Athabasca Sand Dunes, the largest active sand dunes in the world north of 58°, adjacent to the southern shore of Lake Athabasca. Southern Saskatchewan contains another area with sand dunes known as the "Great Sand Hills" covering over 300 square kilometres. The Cypress Hills (Canada), located in the southwestern corner of Saskatchewan and Killdeer Badlands (Grasslands National Park) are areas of the province that remained unglaciated during the last Wisconsin glaciation. The province's highest point, 1,468 metres (4,816 ft) is located in the Cypress Hills. The lowest point, 213 metres (700 ft) is the shore of Lake Athabasca in the far north. The province has nine distinct drainage basins made up of various rivers and watersheds draining into the Arctic Ocean, Hudson Bay, and Gulf of Mexico.

Climate Saskatchewan lies far from any significant body of water. This, combined with its northerly latitude gives it a cold summer type humid continental climate (Köppen type Dfb) in the eastern half, drying off to a semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen type Bsk) in the western part of the province. Summers can be very hot, with temperatures above 32°C (90°F) during the day. Warm southern winds blow from the United States during much of July and August. While winters can be bitterly cold, with high temperatures not breaking −17°C (0°F) for weeks at a time, warm chinook winds often blow from the south, bringing periods of mild weather. Annual precipitation averages from 12 to 18 inches annually across the province, with the bulk of rain falling in June, July, and August.

Municipalities Ten largest municipalities by population{| class="wikitable"!Municipality!1996!2001!2006|-|Saskatoon, Saskatchewan|193,653|196,861|202,340|-|Regina, Saskatchewan|180,404|178,225|179,246|-|Prince Albert, Saskatchewan|34,777|34,291|34,138|-|Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan|32,973|32,131|32,132|-|Yorkton, Saskatchewan|15,154|15,107|15,038|-|Swift Current, Saskatchewan|14,890|14,821|14,946|-|North Battleford, Saskatchewan|14,051|13,692|13,190|-|Estevan, Saskatchewan|10,752|10,242|10,084|-|Weyburn, Saskatchewan|9,723|9,534|9,433|-|Corman Park No. 344, Saskatchewan|7,142|8,043|8,349|}

Note that the list does not include Lloydminster, which has a total population of 24,028 but straddles the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. As of 2006, only 8,118 people lived on the Saskatchewan side, which would make it Saskatchewan's 11th largest municipality. All of the listed communities are considered cities by the province, with the exception of Corman Park, which is a rural municipality. Municipalities in the province with a population of 5000 or more receive official city status.

Economy Saskatchewan's economy is associated with agriculture; however, increasing diversification has meant that now agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting together make up only 6.8% of the province's GDP. Saskatchewan grows 45% of Canada's grain. Wheat is the most familiar crop, and perhaps the one stereotypically associated with the province, but other grains like canola, flax, rye, oats, peas, lentils, canary seed, and barley are also produced. Beef cattle production in the province is only exceeded by Alberta. Mining is also a major industry in the province, with Saskatchewan being the world leader in potash exports. In the northern part of the province, forestry is significant.

Oil and Natural Gas production is also a very important part of Saskatchewan's economy. Oil and natural gas production is only exceeded by Alberta. Heavy crude is extracted in the Lloydminster-Kerrobert-Kindersley areas. Light crude is found in the Kindersley-Swift Current areas as well as the Weyburn-Estevan fields. Natural gas is found almost entirely in the western part of Saskatchewan, from the Primrose Lake area through Lloydminster, Unity, Kindersley, Leader, and around Maple Creek areas.

Saskatchewan is also the world's largest supplier of uranium, and supplies much of the western world. The uranium industry is closely regulated by the provincial government which allows the government of Saskatchewan great latitude in setting world uranium prices.

Saskatchewan's GDP in 2006 was approximately C$45.051 billion, with economic sectors breaking down in the following way:{]s include major Saskatchewan-based entities are, Saskatchewan Government Insurance, SaskTel, SaskEnergy (the province's main supplier of natural gas), and SaskPower. Bombardier runs the NATO Flying Training Centre at 15 Wing, near Moose Jaw. Bombardier was awarded a long-term contract in the late 1990s for $2.8 billion from the Politics of Canada for the purchase of military aircraft and the running of the training facility.

History Prior to European settlement, Saskatchewan was populated by various indigenous peoples of North America including members of the Athabaskan, Algonquian, Atsina, Cree, Saulteaux and Sioux tribes. The first European to enter Saskatchewan was Henry Kelsey in 1690, who travelled up the Saskatchewan River in hopes of trading fur with the province's indigenous peoples. The first permanent European settlement was a Hudson's Bay Company post at Cumberland House, Saskatchewan founded by Samuel Hearne in 1774.

In the late 1850s and early 1860s, scientific expeditions led by John Palliser and Henry Youle Hind explored the prairie region of the province.

In the 1870s, the Government of Canada formed the Northwest Territories to administer the vast territory between British Columbia and Manitoba. The government also entered into a series of numbered treaties with the indigenous peoples of the area, which serve as the basis of the relationship between First Nations, as they are called today, and the Crown.

A seminal event in the history of what was to become Western Canada was the 1874 "March West" of the federal government's new North-West Mounted Police. Despite poor equipment and lack of provisions, the men on the march persevered and established a federal presence in the new territory. Historians have argued that had this expedition been unsuccessful, then the expansionist U.S. would have been sorely tempted to expand into the political vacuum. And even had it not, then the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway would have been delayed or taken a different, more northerly route, stunting the early growth of towns like Brandon, Regina, Medicine Hat and Calgary — had these existed at all. Failure to construct the railway could also have forced British Columbia to join the United States.

Settlement of the province started to take off as the Canadian Pacific Railway was built in the early 1880s, and the Canadian government divided up the land by the Dominion Land Survey and gave free land to any willing settlers.

The North West Mounted Police set up several posts and forts across Saskatchewan including Fort Walsh in the Cypress Hills, and Wood Mountain Regional Park Post in south central Saskatchewan near the American border.

In 1876, following the Battle of Little Bighorn Lakota chief Sitting Bull led several thousand of his people to Wood Mountain. Wood Mountain Reserve was founded in 1914.

Many Métis (people) people, who had not been signatories to a treaty, had moved to the Saskatchewan Rivers district north of present-day Saskatoon following the Red River Resistance in Manitoba in 1870. In the early 1880s, the Canadian government refused to hear the Métis' grievances, which stemmed from land-use issues. Finally, in 1885, the Métis, led by Louis Riel, staged the North-West Rebellion and declared a provisional government. They were defeated by a Canadian militia brought to the prairies by the new Canadian Pacific Railway. Riel surrendered and was convicted of treason in a packed Regina, Saskatchewan courtroom. He was hanged on November 16, 1885.

As more settlers came to the prairies on the railway, the population grew, and Saskatchewan became a province on September 1, 1905; inauguration day was held September 4.

The Homestead Act permitted settlers to acquire ¼ mi² of land to homestead and offered an additional quarter upon establishing a homestead. Immigration peaked in 1910 and in spite of the initial difficulties of frontier life, distance from towns, sod homes, and backbreaking labour, a prosperous agrarian society was established.

In 1913, the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association was established as Saskatchewan's first ranchers' organization. ( See Logo Here) Three objectives were laid out at the founding convention in 1913 have served as a guide: to watch over legislation; to forward the interests of the Stock Growers in every honourable and legitimate way; and to suggest to parliament legislation to meet changing conditions and requirements.

Its farming equivalent, the Saskatchewan Grain Growers Association, was the dominant political force in the province until the 1920s and had close ties with the governing Liberal party.

In the late 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan imported from the U.S. and Ontario, gained brief popularity in WASP nativist circles in Saskatchewan and Alberta. The province had the dubious distinction of having the largest per-capita membership in the KKK of any political jurisdiction in North America. The Klan, briefly allied with the provincial Conservative party because of their mutual dislike for Premier James G. "Jimmy" Gardiner and his Liberals (who ferociously fought the Klan) enjoyed about two years of prominence, then disappeared, the victim of widespread political and media opposition, plus scandals involving their own funds.

In 1970, the first annual Canadian Western Agribition was held in Regina. This farm industry trade show, with a heavy emphasis on livestock, is rated as one of the five top livestock shows in North America, along with those in Houston, Denver, Louisville and Toronto.

Politics in ReginaSaskatchewan has the same form of government as the other Canadian provinces with a Lieutenant-Governor (Canada) (who is the representative of the Monarchy in Saskatchewan), premier, and a unicameral legislature.

For many years, Saskatchewan has been one of Canada's more left-leaning provinces, reflecting many of its citizens' feelings of alienation from the interests of large capital. In 1944 Tommy Douglas became premier of the first avowedly socialist regional government in North America. Most of his MLAs (Members of the Legislative Assembly) represented rural and small-town ridings. Under his Cooperative Commonwealth Federation government, Saskatchewan became the first province to have Medicare (Canada), billed at the time as government-funded mandatory universal medical insurance. In 1961, Douglas left provincial politics to become the first leader of the federal New Democratic Party.

Today, the official opposition in the province is the Saskatchewan Party, a new party built in 1997 out of the remains of the Tories and former Liberals and even a small number of New Democrats frustrated by the NDP's inability to "grow" the economy and population. The current premier of Saskatchewan is New Democrat Lorne Calvert, whose government was re-elected in the Saskatchewan general election, 2003 with a slim majority—the NDP won 30 seats in the 58-seat Legislative Assembly, while the Saskatchewan Party won the remaining 28 seats. Most NDP MLAs represent cities and towns while most SP MLAs represent rural ridings.Partly because of this the NDP's three long stretches as the provincial government have not translated into recent federal success. While both Saskatoon and Regina (Saskatchewan's largest cities) are roughly twice the population of an urban riding in Canada, both are split into multiple ridings that blend them with rural communities. Across Canada, Conservatives are competitive in suburbs and pre-eminent in rural areas, and of the 14 federal constituencies in Saskatchewan, 12 were won by members of the Conservative Party of Canada in 2006, and 13 of 14 were won by Conservatives in 2004, while the federal NDP has been shut out of the province for two consecutive elections. The only Liberal MPs are former Finance Minister Ralph Goodale and Gary Merasty, whose election win brought allegations of possible election fraud.

Provincial Flag

Saskatchewan's flag was officially dedicated on 22nd September, 1969. The flag features the Armorial Bearing (Coat-of-Arms) in the upper quarter nearest the staff, with the floral emblem, the Prairie Lily, in the fly. The upper green half of the flag represents the northern Saskatchewan forest lands, while the gold lower half symbolizes the southern prairie wheat fields. The design was a prize-winning entry of a Province-wide competition that drew over 4000 entries, by Anthony Drake, then living in Hodgeville, Saskatchewan.

Centennial celebrations

In 2005, Saskatchewan celebrated its centennial. To honour it the Royal Canadian Mint issued a commemorative 5-dollar coin depicting Canada's wheat fields as well as a circulation Quarter (Canadian coin) of a similar design. Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and The Duke of Edinburgh visited Regina, Saskatoon and Lumsden, Saskatchewan and Joni Mitchell issued an album in Saskatchewan's honour.

Demographics According to the 2001 Canadian census, the largest ethnic group in Saskatchewan is German people (28.6%), followed by English people (24.5%), Scottish people (17.9%), Irish people (14.5%), Ukrainian people (12.6%), French people (11.4%), First Nations (10.6%), Norwegian people (6.3%), Polish people (5.3%), Métis people (Canada) (4.2%), Dutch people (3.3%), and Swedish people (3.1%) - although about a quarter of all respondents also identified their ethnicity as "Canadian."

{| class="wikitable"!Year!Population!Five-year % change!Ten-year% change!Rank amongprovinces|-|1901 ||91,279 ||n/a ||n/a ||8|-|1911 ||492,432 ||n/a ||439.5 ||3|-|1921 ||757,510 ||n/a ||53.8 ||3|-|1931 ||921,785 ||n/a ||21.7 ||3|-|1941 ||895,992 ||n/a ||-2.8 ||3|-|1951 ||831,728 ||n/a ||-7.2 ||5|-|1956 ||880,665 ||5.9 ||n/a ||5|-|1961 ||925,181 ||5.1 ||11.2 ||5|-|1966 ||955,344 ||3.3 ||8.5 ||6|-|1971 ||926,242 ||-3.0 ||0.1 ||6|-|1976 ||921,325 ||-0.5 ||3.6 ||6|-|1981 ||968,313 ||5.1 ||4.5 ||6|-|1986 ||1,009,613 ||4.3 ||9.6 ||6|-|1991 ||988,928 ||-2.0 ||2.1 ||6|-|1996 ||976,615 ||-1.2 ||-3.3 ||6|-|2001 ||978,933 ||0.2 ||-1.0 ||6|-|2006 ||985,386 ||0.7 ||0.9 ||6|}Source: Statistics Canada. The history of Saskatchewan's population from Statistics Canada Canada's population. Statistics Canada. Last accessed September 28, 2006.

Provincial Finances {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"!Fiscal Year!!Public Debt*!!Pers. Inc. Tax!!Corp. Inc./Cap. Tax!!Sales tax!!Oil Revenue!!Total NR Revenue!!Canada H/S Transfers!!Equalization!!Health Expense!!|-|2007||11,034,644||1,668,538||1,067,459||1,079,794**||1,318,852||1,694,252||1,040,374||12,273||3,202,965|-|2006||11,133,595||1,447,905||918,279||1,112,350||1,124,952||1,721,100||958,314||88,672||2,990,625|-|2005||11,464,234||1,329,081||638,968||985,079||906,938||1,474,191||715,138||581,570||2,773,961|-|2004||11,940,337||1,245,763||682,052||854,480||774,488||1,140,962||750,558||41,284||2,515,823|-|2003||11,710,616||1,429,757||557,360||813,932||862,318||1,243,649||668,211||-9,215||2,342,835|-|2002||11,429,158||1,196,410||508,542||770,984||555,337||903,044||608,908||492,017||2,199,723|}

The Tabulated Data covers the previous fiscal year (e.g. 2007 covers April 1, 2006 - March 31, 2007).All data is in $1,000s.

* This value reflects the debt of all Government Service Organizations as well as Crown Corporations.

** The Provincial Sales Tax was reduced from 7% to 5% effective October 28, 2006.

Source: Government of Saskatchewan. Public Accounts of Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Last accessed June 25, 2007.

Education The first education on the prairies was learned within the family group of the first nation or early fur trading family settlers. There were only a few missionary or trading post schools established in Rupert's Land later known as the Territorial evolution of Canada.

1886 sees the formation of the first 76 North West Territories school districts and the first Board of Education meeting. The immigration boom forms Block Settlement. Communities are seeking education for their children similar to the schools of their home land. Log cabins, and dwellings are constructed for the assembly of the community, school, church, dances and meetings.

The roaring twenties and established farmers who have successfully proved up on their homesteads helps provide funding to standardize education. Text books, normal schools for formally educated teachers, school curricula, state of the art school house architectural plans, provide continuity throughout the province. English as the school language helps to provide economic stability as now one community can communicate with another, and goods can be traded and sold in a common language. The number of one-room school house districts across Saskatchewan totalled approximately 5,000 at the height of the one-room school house educational system in the late 1940s.

Following World War II, the transition from many one room school houses to fewer and larger consolidated modern technological town and city schools occurred as a means of ensuring technical education. School buses, highways, and family vehicles create ease and accessibility of a population shift to larger towns and cities. Combines and tractors mean that the farmer can successfully manage more than a quarter section of land, so there is a shift from family farms and subsistence crops to cash crops grown on many sections of land. There is no more need for communities every 10 to 16 kilometres (6-10 mi) apart or within a horse and buggy ride. This evolution is still continuing and under analysis in the spring of 2007 with another 50 rural consolidated schools now facing imminent closing.{{cite book ] have been newly proposed as a means of allowing competition between rural schools and making the operation of co-operative schools practicable in rural areas.

Miscellany

Popular culture The most famous representations of Saskatchewan in modern popular culture come from the popular Canadian television sitcoms Corner Gas and Little Mosque on the Prairie, both of which are set in small towns. The novels of W. O. Mitchell, Sinclair Ross, Michael Helm and Gail Bowen are also frequently set in Saskatchewan.

Arts and culture Museums and galleries



Artist-Run centres



Artists

Law and order Police agencies

Correctional facilities



See also

Bibliography

Notes External links



 

Saskatchewan



 
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