The year 2005 will long be remembered for the celebration of our province's Centennial, which helped make for a banner year for Weyburn and area, in addition to the other extraordinary events that took place to shape this past year, and set the stage for the year to come.

For the Centennial, most every town and village in the Weyburn area held a Homecoming event to celebrate the milestone, plus there were communities like Fillmore who celebrated their own 100th year. Weyburn itself hosted a week-long Homecoming event in August, then served as one of 15 centres around the province for the regional celebrations, including the provincial fireworks show identical to those around the province.

On a national scale, the eyes of Canada's hockey world were on Weyburn in May for the RBC Royal Bank Cup national Junior A hockey championship, which gained particular significance locally when the underdog Weyburn Red Wings came through and won the national title for the second time in its history.

Early in the year, the province enacted a public smoking ban, and Weyburn gained attention when the Royal Hotel defied that law, keeping their ashtrays out. The tickets levied by public health inspectors piled up, and a rally was held on the provincial court house front lawn in support of owner Rob Joyal, who finally bowed to the regulations when things got a little tense one night.

Weyburn also gained national attention with the ongoing labour case at the Wal-Mart store, as the company tried to send the case to the Supreme Court of Canada to challenge the province's Trade Union Act; the company was denied leave, and the case remains unresolved as it continues in front of the Labour Relations Board. The main issue in the case is an attempt by a union to organize the workers of the Wal-Mart store, a feat that has rarely been accomplished before.

On the education front, this past year was crucial for the changes coming down that will take effect in 2006. One, elections for the new South East school board were held, and that board has spent the last half of 2005 preparing for Jan. 1 when all public schools will fall under their jurisdiction. Two, the rural Catholic parents in the southeast organized to first elect their own board, which will subsequently join the Holy Family School Division, again effective as of Jan. 1. This includes the Queen Elizabeth School attendance area in the Weyburn region.

Finally, after enduring rumours all through the year that it might happen, a federal election was called as the Liberal government fell late in 2005, and Canadians will head to the polls, again, on Jan. 23, 2006.

This year would have been quite eventful just with all the Centennial celebrations, but with everything else added in, this truly was an extraordinary year for Weyburn, the province and the country, and is setting the stage for 2006: the beginning of a new era for local education, and a federal election - and that's only the first month. This year is bound to bring many more surprises our way. - G.N.