Kipling, Saskatchewan
Encyclopedia
Government
Town council members:- Mayor Kelly Kish, employee of GeeBee Construction, elected in 2009
- Alderman Terry Barath, elected in 2009
- Alderman Kevin Kish, employee of Marton's Auto Body, first elected in 1999 by-election
- Alderman Wayne Huzina, first elected in 2009
- Alderman Max Krescy, employee of the Kipling Coop
- Alderman Duane Leicht, an employee of Sask Power, elected in 2002 by-election
- Alderman Darren Szakacs, employee of the Kipling Coop, first elected in 2002 by-election
In provincial politics, Kipling is in the constituency of Moosomin
Moosomin (electoral district)
Moosomin is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, Canada. Located in southeastern Saskatchewan, this constituency was one of 25 created for the 1st Saskatchewan general election in 1905....
. It is currently represented by Don Toth
Don Toth
Donald James Toth is a Canadian provincial politician and the current Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. He has represented the constituency of Moosomin in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan since 1986. Originally elected as a member of the Progressive Conservatives, he...
of the Saskatchewan Party
Saskatchewan Party
The Saskatchewan Party is a conservative liberal political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The party was established in 1997 by a coalition of former provincial Progressive Conservative and Liberal party members and supporters who sought to remove the Saskatchewan New Democratic...
. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
The 25th Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan was in power from 2003 until November 20, 2007. It was controlled by the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party under premier Lorne Calvert.-Members:-By-elections:...
in 1986 as a member of the Saskatchewan Progressive Conservative Party, and joined the Saskatchewan Party caucus in 1997. He was re-elected in the 1991, 1995, 2003, and 2007. He is the current Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the presiding officer of the Saskatchewan legislature.-Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan:*Thomas MacNutt 1906-1908*William Charles Sutherland 1908-1912...
.
Name
The town was named after author Rudyard KiplingRudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
, who had made several visits to Canada. In 1889, whilst crossing North America en route from India, he paid a visit to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
; he travelled by train through Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
during his honeymoon in 1892; and he crossed the whole country in a private Pullman
Sleeping car
The sleeping car or sleeper is a railway/railroad passenger car that can accommodate all its passengers in beds of one kind or another, primarily for the purpose of making nighttime travel more restful. The first such cars saw sporadic use on American railroads in the 1830s and could be configured...
in 1907. During the latter visit he delivered a great many speeches, and was received with adulation, particularly at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
During one of Kipling's voyages across Canada he passed through the town of Broadview, which is located north of Kipling. His passing through this town led to Kipling receiving its name. Today, portraits of Rudyard Kipling can be found on buildings throughout the town. Rudyard Manor, a home for senior citizens, has also been named after him.
Development
On many early maps, Kipling bears the name "Kipling Station"; it was a divisional pointDivisional point
In Canada, a divisional point is a railway depot that includes more than just a basic siding or station.- Overview :In the coal and steam era, a divisional point would include such amenities as a substantial passenger station, freight and baggage sheds, a roundhouse, water tank, coaling and sanding...
on the Canadian National Railway line, and the community grew in a more substantial way after the arrival of the railway in 1907-08. The main initial settlement in the Kipling area had taken place in the 1890s and the first two decades of the twentieth century. One of Canada's largest Hungarian settlements formed in the Bekevar District. The central point of that community was the Bekevar church, the architectural design of which was inspired by the Great Church in Debrecen, Hungary; this church, constructed in 1911-12, still stands, and has been designated a Municipal Heritage Property. The first residents settled in the Bekevar district in 1900. In other districts around Kipling, settlers from various European countries made their homes. There was a very sizable German-speaking community (mainly consisting of families who had come from the Russian Empire, and who named their district "Edenland"); in other districts the most significant ethnic groups were the Scandinavians (concentrated around the Neelby School District) and the British.
In the past decades, many Saskatchewan towns and villages have shrunk or disappeared, but Kipling has defied this pattern, although it did suffer a considerable decline during the 1930s. While the number of rural residents in the surrounding districts has dropped very noticeably, the population of the town itself has now gradually increased, and is served by a substantial number of vibrant business enterprises. Kipling attained the status of a town on January 1, 1954, and serves a large trading area.
A very significant development related to the livestock industry has been the creation of several large hog operations in recent years, and Kipling has become the headquarters for one of the world’s leading companies which is conducting research on swine genetics.
Kipling sites which can be classed as 'heritage properties' include the former CN station, built in 1908–09, and the Kingsley rural municipality office, built in 1919. In addition, a major and highly interesting group of pioneer-era buildings can be viewed on the spacious sites belonging to the Kipling and District Historical Society Museum. The Kipling and District Museum (1903–59) is a Municipal Heritage Property on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.
Schneeberger case
The town first made international headlines in 1999, when town physician Dr. John Schneeberger, a South African immigrant pled guilty on two counts of sexual assault and one of obstructing justice after one of his patients came forward, claiming that he had drugged her and proceeded to rape her while she was in a disoriented state. The original case was dropped for lack of evidence. A second victim later came forward, forcing the case to be re-opened. This time around, Schneeberger admitted that he had injected a tube of another person's blood sample into his arm in order to deceive the authorities. He was deported from CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 2003.
Child abduction
On 1 August 2006, convicted pedophile Peter Whitmore was holed up with a 14-year-old child in an abandoned farmhouse. RCMP officers and SWAT teams surrounded the farmhouse. The ten year old child had been abducted the previous week and when a local resident saw the van described on TV and radio, the resident went to inspect the car, at which time one of the abducted came running out, saying that Whitmore and the other abducted teen were inside the home. Approximately 10 hours later, Whitmore surrendered to police and the other abducted teen was taken into police protection. Whitmore was convicted on charges of sexual assault causing bodily harm and other sex offences, kidnapping, making death threats and child pornography. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2007; he requested to be chemically castrated.One red paperclip
The website One red paperclipOne red paperclip
The website One red paperclip was created by Kyle MacDonald, a Canadian blogger who bartered his way from a single red paperclip to a house in a series of online trades over the course of a year. MacDonald was inspired by the childhood game Bigger, Better, and the site received a considerable...
was created by Kyle MacDonald, who bartered his way to a house in a series of online trades over the course of a year. On 12 July 2006, Kyle MacDonald made his final trade with the town of Kipling after a successful series of trades from one red paperclip. The house is located on 503 Main Street.
Kyle bartered the right to a role in a film to be produced by Corbin Bernsen
Corbin Bernsen
Corbin Dean Bernsen is an American actor and director, known for his work on television. He is best known for his roles as divorce attorney Arnold Becker on the NBC drama series L.A. Law, and as retired police detective Henry Spencer on the USA Network comedy-drama series Psych...
called Donna on Demand
Donna on Demand
Donna On Demand is a 2009 dark comedy film written, directed and produced by Corbin Bernsen. The film was launched on DVD on September 15, 2009...
for his house. Kyle and his girlfriend, Dominique Dupuis moved into Kipling around Labor Day, 2006. Open auditions for the movie role were held in Kipling, with Bernsen selecting 19-year-old local resident Nolan Hubbard for the role.
Rust
Corbin Bernsen developed a script specifically for Kipling, with production on the film project entitled RustRust (film)
Rust is a 2010 drama written and directed by Corbin Bernsen, which was released direct-to-video on October 5, 2010. The film takes place in the town of Kipling, Saskatchewan, Canada with many local citizens in prominent roles...
which was released on October 5, 2010. It was bankrolled by the citizens of Kipling, who raised close to $250,000 and created a new company, Kipling Film Productions, for the chance to see their town on the screen. Production of the film also took advantage of Saskatchewan film incentives, including a rural tax rebate for shooting outside Regina
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
.
Climate
Other sources
- The Unforgiving Minute - A Life of Rudyard Kipling Harry Ricketts, Pimlico, 2000 ISBN 0-7126-6471-8
- What was he doing out?- The Province, Page A8, Vancouver BC Brett Popplewell, Canadian Press, August 3, 2006