Committee hopes to preserve historic Sask. hospital

The Battlefords North-West Historical Society has its eyes set on preserving the original Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford (SHNB).

They created a “Save SHNB#1” committee in hopes of rallying support to save both the hospitals façade and its extensive historical archives, chronicling mental health in the province over the last 100 years.

Committee chairperson Jane Shury said they have to keep some of the Battlefords’ history, while recognizing saving the entire building isn’t feasible. “Number one [priority is] the building—the façade,” she said. “The hospital has been an historical landmark for, like, 103 years.” 

In the basement of the building there is currently a museum containing archives covering the last 100 years of mental health care in the province.