Conventional wisdom is that 2016 was a lousy year for the whole wide world.
Terrorism, war, political upheavals and a multitude of celebrity deaths marked the year.
By the same measure, the Battlefords saw the Husky oil spill into the North Saskatchewan River, as well as social turmoil in the surrounding area following the shooting death of Colten Boushie of Red Pheasant First Nation.
So it didn't turn out to be such a great year in the Battlefords, either, in a lot of ways, but it wasn't all bad news.
There had also been some exciting event announcements and building projects launched, and two new mayors leading both communities by year's end.
With that backdrop, we now take a look back at the items that marked the year in news in 2016:
January
The year began with the community still mourning the recent loss of renowned First Nations artist Allen Sapp. His memorial service took place Jan. 1.
The issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women was centre stage in North Battleford this month with the opening of the Walking With Our Sisters, a travelling memorial to those women. That exhibit was at the Chapel Gallery.
Also this month, Battleford got a new town administrator, John Enns-Wind, who had resigned as mayor of Kindersley to take the new job. He was introduced at the first town council meeting of the year.
The biggest story to hit the province in January was the shooting tragedy in La Loche in which four people were killed and seven others injured. A 17-year old was charged in the shooting.
February
This month was dominated by news of some big events coming to the Battlefords.
It was announced that North Battleford had won the bid for the 2018 Saskatchewan Winter Games. The announcement was made at the NationsWEST Field House, only days after games officials spent a day in the community touring the proposed venues for the event.
The other big news of the month was that Twin Rivers Curling Club had successfully landed the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling, to be held Jan. 3-8 at the North Battleford Civic Centre and shown nationally on Sportsnet and CBC.
The Battlefords Chamber of Commerce saw Jay Bottomley take over as president from Brendon Boothman.
Also this month, North Battleford lost both a business and a community leader in late February, when Re/Max owner Brian Maunula passed away.
March
The month was dominated by the start of the provincial election campaign in Saskatchewan.
Both Premier Brad Wall and opposition leader Cam Broten made stops in the Battlefords during March. Liberal leader Darrin Lamoureux was in Battleford for a campaign event a month earlier.
Just before the official campaign period, Wall helped cut the ribbon near Edam on the Husky Edam East heavy oil thermal plant.
A story with a distinct North Battleford angle made national news in early March. It was the saga of the two local homeless individuals who were provided one-way bus tickets to British Columbia by provincial Social Services after they could not continue to obtain accommodations at The Lighthouse Serving the Battlefords.
Their arrival in Vancouver was a media sensation, and Social Services came under fire for their handling of the situation.
Locally, a major project moved one step closer to getting shovels into the ground as a service agreement between City officials and Terracap Management Inc, owners of Frontier Centre, was completed, clearing the way for the approval of the subdivision for a new 100-room Comfort Inn and Suites to be located on Carlton Trail.
April
The provincial election on April 4 proved to be a runaway for the Saskatchewan Party. They swept the entire Northwest region with incumbent Battlefords MLA and Environment Minister Herb Cox winning over Rob Feist of the NDP. Larry Doke in Cut Knife-Turtleford and Scott Moe of Rosthern-Shellbrook were also easy winners. Overall, Premier Brad Wall's party won 51 of 61 seats, with the NDP winning the rest. Following the election, Cam Broten resigned as provincial NDP leader after losing his seat.
A local story of note was the spectacular "takedown" of a suspect on 100th Street by police on April 4, a capture that made the rounds of social media after it was caught on dash cam video.
May
This was the month of the biggest story in all of Canada in 2016 — the Fort McMurray fire.
The city was never far out of mind of Battlefords residents during the crisis. Thick smoke from northern Alberta made its way to the Battlefords during that time.
All the residents of Fort McMurray were evacuated. Among those impacted directly was Nate Bedford, who lost his home to the blaze. Bedford would later move to the Battlefords to become coach and general manager of the Battlefords North Stars.
Locally, the annual State of the City/Town Address produced some controversy as Mayor Ian Hamilton dared to touch the thorny topic of amalgamation of North Battleford and Battleford. He suggested a study could be conducted to look into the advantages or disadvantages.
The mayor of Battleford, Derek Mahon, also made big news by confirming to reporters he would not be seeking another term as mayor.
June
It was budget month in Saskatchewan, with Finance Minister Kevin Doherty delivering a bad-news deficit budget June 1. With the resource sector in a slump, revenues took a major hit and the books were in the red to the tune of $434 million.
Among the cuts hitting closest to home was the elimination of provincial funding for the Battlefords River Valley Authority, forcing the municipal partners from North Battleford and Battleford to come up with solutions on their own.
July
A major boost to the downtown core was announced in July as Magic Lantern Theatres announced a five-screen movie theatre to be located on the King Street Station lot near the liquor store.
Over in Maymont, the sod was turned to mark the start of construction of a new inland grain terminal being built for GrainsConnect Canada.
Sports news dominated the early part of July. A major event started the month off as North Battleford hosted the provincial 55-plus Games at venues throughout the community.
High school football fans converged on Hafford for six-man all-star football as the Can-Am Game between Canada and the United States took place at that community.
Another major story in July was word that Kevin Hasselberg was leaving as coach and GM of the Battlefords North Stars. He had taken a job as coach with the Pensacola Ice Flyers of the Southern Professional Hockey League.
The biggest story of the month, and likely the year, in the Battlefords was the spill of between 200 and 250 cubic metres of oil into the North Saskatchewan River.
The plume of oil made its way down the river.
Cleanup efforts quickly got underway. Meanwhile the City of North Battleford shut down the F.E. Holliday water treatment plant as they scrambled to find alternative water sources.
Later, officials struck a deal with the Town of Battleford to access potable water from their water treatment plant.
August
This month was particularly news-packed in the Battlefords.
The city finalized its strategy for dealing with the impact of the oil spill into the North Saskatchewan River. It would involve accessing water from Battleford, building four new groundwater wells at Water Treatment Plant No. 1 and bringing in a filtration system so water could be accessed from the river again.
Water restrictions remained in place throughout the month. By the end of August, the new wells were up and running.
Another major story during the month erupted south of the community on a farm in the RM of Glenside, where a young Red Pheasant man named Colten Boushie was shot and killed on private property.
The shooting was met with an emotional response from First Nation people. As well, there was controversy on social media as some incendiary and offensive comments were posted about the situation, including one that prompted an RM official to resign elsewhere in the province.
The accused, Gerald Stanley, was charged with second-degree murder in the incident and he was released on bail following a court appearance in Battleford Queen's Bench court. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for January.
In provincial political news, Herb Cox announced he would be stepping down from cabinet to undergo his second stem-cell transplant in the fall as he continued his ongoing fight against cancer. Scott Moe took over the environment portfolio.
Also, this was the month when the ceremonial sod-turning took place for the new Comfort Inn and Suites Hotel.
September
This was a month of unexpected and dramatic changes at North Battleford city hall.
With the municipal election coming up, Mayor Ian Hamilton had earlier announced intentions to run again. But in a surprise U-turn, Hamilton announced a change of heart and said he would not run again for a third term.
That opened the door to Councillor Ryan Bater, who announced soon after that he would be in the race for mayor.
When nominations closed Sept. 21, Bater was the only candidate who had filed papers. He was mayor-elect of North Battleford, by acclamation.
There was also a departure from council ranks as long-time councillor Ray Fox decided not to run for reelection, ending a 13-year tenure at North Battleford City Hall.
October
This month was marked by the municipal election races in North Battleford and Battleford. In North Battleford, 15 candidates were running for the six council positions. In Battleford, eight candidates were running for council while incumbent councillors Ames Leslie and David George went head-to-head in the mayor's race.
When the votes were counted, Ames Leslie was elected mayor of Battleford. New council members elected were Judy Pruden and Kevin Russell.
Over in North Battleford, three new councillors were elected: Kevin Steinborn, Kent Lindgren, and Len Taylor, although in Taylor's case it was his first time back on council since 2003.
October was also a big month for the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce as they launched the Shop the Battlefords app to conclude their Small Business Week activities.
It was also a month when the community lost another renowned artist of First Nation descent, Henry Beaudry, who was also a decorated veteran of the Second World War.
November
This was the month that the newly elected councils in both Battleford and North Battleford were sworn in.
This was also a month of news about the Battleford liquor license. The winning bid to replace the current publicly owned liquor store went to Sobeys.
It was also a month for a long-awaited celebration. Battlefords Trade and Education Centre held a grand opening of its new building on Railway Avenue and 105th Street during the first week of November.
December
This was a month when the new council got down to business in North Battleford. There were budget deliberations, with a wide range of items discussed including underground pipes and roads, the debt limit, downtown redevelopment, waste management fees and major capital projects such as City Hall renovations and airport runway rehabilitation.
Deliberations proved long and arduous, but by mid-December council indicated they had enough information at their disposal to make final decisions on the budget when it returns in January.
