REGINA -- He danced with
a native dance group, wondered aloud about coming back to Saskatchewan
to watch the Roughriders win the Grey Cup -- and took the province by storm.
The Prince of Wales
yesterday began a whirlwind first visit to Saskatchewan, the only Canadian
province he'd never visited before.
"We believe, sir, that
you have saved the best to the last," Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert
told the prince in a packed legislative chamber.
The dark grey Canadian
Airbus carrying the prince touched down at 1:06 p.m., 21 minutes behind
schedule.
Wearing a grey pin-stripe
suit, the prince was greeted on the tarmac by Lt.-Gov. Lynda Haverstock
and her husband, Harley Olsen.
A small crowd of royal
watchers gathered outside the airport fence for a glimpse.
The prince entered the
back of a dark grey limousine with Ms. Haverstock and drove to the T.C.
Douglas Building, where he boarded the horse-drawn landau for a ride to
the legislative building. There, he was greeted by a wave of enthusiastic
applause from the hundreds of people awaiting him.
After inspecting a guard
of honour of army and navy reservists from Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the
tall, 52-year-old prince opened a new, barrier-free entrance to the 89-year-old
legislative building.
He entered the building's
new Cumberland Gallery, which contains 28 works of First Nation art assembled
by the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Heritage Art Foundation.
From acclaimed Saskatchewan
artist Allen Sapp, he accepted a colour acrylic painting of aboriginal
boys playing hockey on a pond, then moved into the legislative chamber
for a special presentation of the Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal to 16 individuals.
Welcoming the prince,
Ms. Haverstock said that because he had no defined role, "like an artist
it was incumbent on his Royal Highness to decide how simple, how diverse,
how busy, how colourful, the canvas of his life would be."
She saluted his work
with young people, his "passionate concern for the environment" and his
defence of heritage properties and noted that many of his charitable efforts
are run by volunteers -- one of the themes of this visit, along with inner-city
affairs, agriculture and Canada's aboriginal people.
The farmer-prince noted
the importance of agriculture and rural life in Saskatchewan and said,
"One should never underestimate the cultural and spiritual importance of
agriculture."
After becoming the first
honorary member of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit and unveiling a new
10-cent coin that salutes volunteerism in Canada, he headed to a colourful
welcome in the courtyard named for his mother in front of Regina's City
Hall.
Greeted by First Nations
and European ethnic dancers, he did a "walkabout" through the crowd of
about 1,000 to the stage, where he signed the city's "golden book" and
watched a short performance of music and recitations by the inner-city
Rainbow Youth Centre.
Leaving through the
crowd, he pleased photographers trailing him by briefly dancing with the
Eagleclaw Dance Group.
He's ruddy, in blooming
health. He appears to have added a bit of weight in recent years, primarily
around the waist. And what he seems to do most of all is to take the cynicism
out of those he meets.
In Regina yesterday
morning, Prince Charles met young entrepreneurs whose businesses had received
start-up loans from a foundation patterned on an organization he has set
up in Britain. He then spent more than an hour touring an urban aboriginal
high school and community centre.
He left in his wake
emotionally hotwired people and frustrated aides. Hotwired people who suddenly
found themselves talking about who they are to one of the world's greatest
celebrities. And frustrated aides because he does not hurry: Schedule or
no schedule, he stays at an event until he's met everyone and talked to
them. He has an intense, theatrical, almost manic style of speaking to
people, suddenly darting his head toward them, then jerking it back, then
swerving abruptly sideways to talk to someone on his left or right. His
face is animated, expressive. Only the pitch and cadence of his voice remains
unchanged.
At the Canadian Youth
Business Foundation Event, the Prince talked to young Canadians who had
started up businesses, among others, in landscape architecture, organic
fruit and vegetables and naturopathic medicine, all interests of the Prince's.
Rob Horricks, whose
Calgary-based Organic Express Inc. is in its third year of operation, declared
the Prince a visionary after the two talked about organic agriculture.
Tasleem Kassam used
a foundation loan to start her Elemental Naturopathic Clinic. Her conversation
with Charles, she said, was "certainly a lifetime opportunity. He's very
personable once you get past the idea that he's the king-in-waiting."
Sarah Caulfield, 25,
of Saskatoon, proprietor of Vista Landscape Design, wanted to deconstruct
the Prince's style with journalists. "Very skilled,"she said of him. "And
chatty." Oddly, everyone at the event sat on metal folding chairs. Except
Charles, who was given a cushioned armchair.
In the gymnasium of
Regina's Scott Collegiate Secondary School, he met a sea of young aboriginal
faces: the entire student body from the high school and a nearby elementary
school, plus most of their parents and a municipal engineer, Walter Friesen,
in charge of fixing a burst sewer pipe under the school.
One of the Prince's
two student escorts, Chantal Dustyhorn, was stunningly dressed in a white
robe and ceremonial jewellery, some of which (a relative confided) had
been borrowed from family members. After welcoming ceremonies, he moved
from classroom to classroom, sitting in for lessons, playing games, talking
to students. Later in the day, Prince Charles left for the town of Assiniboia,
Sask. He will spend the weekend in Saskatoon and Yukon and fly to Toronto
Monday for a gala celebration of the Canadian arts.
The Prince met with
about 20 organic farmers in Assiniboia and peppered them with questions
about genetically modified foods and Canadian farming practices.
Kevin Beach, 41, who
runs a mixed operation on 1,215 hectares near Ernfold, Sask., drove about
two hours to the meeting.
"When we started, I
think organic farmers were probably viewed as ponytails and flowers, but
that's changed now," said Mr. Beach. "We're serious businessmen out to
grow clean, nutritious food and get it to the consumer." The farmers indicated
the Prince is against genetically modified foods.
Prince Charles, touring Canada, has
been on a marathon meet-the-people
day, playing games with children,
chatting to well-wishers and discussing GM food with farmers.
Charles threw himself into small-town
Canada on the third day of
his tour, visiting remote Assiniboia
in the heart of prairie province Saskatchewan.
According to resident Ray Connors,
75, it was the most exciting
thing to happen in Assiniboia "ever".
The whole town turned out to greet
the Prince and, in the excitement
and heat, two cadets and one elderly
woman collapsed.
Some bagged positions behind the red
rope lining his walkabout a
full six hours before he arrived,
while others had travelled from far and wide.
During his afternoon in Assiniboia
- the only town in about 25,000
square miles of prairie farmland
- the Prince performed a turning
of the sod ceremony inaugurating
the beginning of constructing a
community centre bearing his name.
He then moved on to meet farmers in
the town hall. Low grain prices
have given Canada's farming community
a rough time recently, with
many bemoaning the lack of government
subsidies while still having
to compete with those in the US and
Europe.
Although he had made a speech the
day before about the "peril" of
industrialised farming methods, none
of those he met needed convincing
of the possible environmental hazards
of large-scale farming and
GM crops, which are grown in abundance
in Saskatchewan province.
The 20 people, from four farming families,
were all organic growers,
like himself. One of them Dwayne
Woolhouse, commented: "It was a
great experience to meet somebody
who thinks the way I do."
Earlier in the day, the Prince visited
a Nato training centre for
air force pilots, at Moose Jaw, and
a school in Regina, the provincial capital.
ASSINIBOIA, Sask. - Prince Charles thrilled people in this prosperous farming community yesterday by turning sod for a new recreation centre and meeting privately with a family of organic farmers.
"He shook my hand. It was a privilege," said Eleanor Moore, 78, one of the "3,000 progressive souls" who reside here, according to the town sign.
The Prince also visited a local tire recycling plant and was given a $40-belt made from recycled rubber. He placed a tire on a conveyor belt and watched it be shredded in the recycling process.
The Prince, who on Thursday extolled the virtues of organic farming in a speech at the Saskatchewan Legislature, met privately with Dwayne and Jeanne Woolhouse and their four children, who have farmed organically near Assiniboia for about 10 years.
"I heard they were serving him Saskatoon pie," said Ms. Moore. Saskatoons are a reddish-blue native berry.
To vigorous applause before a crowd of more than 1,000, Charles tuned sod and unveiled a cornerstone for Assiniboia's new, $4.2 million Prince of Wales Cultural and Recreation Centre.
Today, Charles will head to Saskatoon after checking out of his $99-a-night Jacuzzi suite at the Regina Inn, where he was forced to stay after labour disruptions at the Hotel Saskatchewan kept him from sleeping in the $450-a-night Royal Suite of the grand railway hotel.
Earlier yesterday, Charles visited Regina's inner-city Scott Collegiate Secondary, a predominantly native school with a day-care centre for students who are single parents. Students presented Charles with artwork and staged a skit in the school gymnasium about rescuing a cat from a tree.
Before entering the school, Charles greeted five generations of a Treaty 4 family headed by elder Willie Peigan, 88. Treaty 4, giving land rights to four Prairie tribes, was signed by the Prince's ancestor, Queen Victoria.
"It's a big occasion for native people to meet our future king," said Tom Johns, 81, Mr. Peigan's nephew. "We appreciate it very much."
Today in Saskatoon, Indian leaders say they will raise treaty compensation issues with Charles in a private meeting.
Outside Scott Collegiate, Rod Anankan, 69, a Korean-era veteran from the Piapot Reserve, asked an aide to the Prince who was carrying a large black satchel: "Is that our treaty money in that big bag?"
"Sadly, no," the aide replied.
The Prince also visited an inner-city community
lunch program for underprivileged aboriginal children from nearby schools.
Prince Charles on his tour of Canada,
has performed a hunting dance
after asking for a lesson from an
eagle-plumed red indian tribesmen.
Charles watched 52-year-old Oo-Chin-a-Pees
stamp his feet to a beat
from eight drummers, then copied
as best he could.
The traditional dance took place in
Regina, Saskatchewan province,
on the second day of Charles's tour,
as he was being entertained
by the Eagle Claw dance troupe.
Charles delighted crowds with his
jig alongside Oo-Chin-a-Pees,
whose name in English is Marvin Crier.
Afterwards, Mr Crier rated his royal
pupil as four out of 10 but
added: "It was a lot of fun and he
caught on a lot quicker than anybody I know.
"Most of the time, dancers are shy
to start off with but he kept
in time with the beat. He showed
a lot of promise and could be a dynamite traditional dancer."
Earlier the Prince made a speech in
which he warned about the "peril"
of industrialised farming systems.
Saskatchewan province is an important
farming area and is also a big grower
of GM crops.
Addressing the provincial government's
legislative chamber, Charles
said that at a time of crisis for
farmers worldwide, it was time
to reconsider the benefits of more
traditional farming methods.
During his visit to the legislative
building, the Prince attended
a ceremony to mark the achievements
of volunteers and was presented
with a silver coin minted in recognition
of International Year of Volunteers.
He also toured a gallery of aboriginal
art and formally opened the
building's new Prince of Wales Entrance,
for wheelchair users.
Prince Charles has been given
an Indian name - by a native chief
who thought it up while relaxing
in a sauna.
The moniker was bestowed on Charles
as a great honour during a visit
to an aboriginal centre on the fourth
day of his tour of Canada.
To native Indians the Prince is now
known as Kisikawpisim Kamiyowahpahmikroot,
which roughly translated means: "The
sun watches over in a good way".
Gordon Oakes decided on the name the
night before in a "sweat lodge",
an Indian sauna where natives go
for purity of thought.
The Prince was showered with gifts at the Wanuskewin Heritage Park, in Saskatchewan province.
It was Charles' great-great-grandmother,
Queen Victoria, who signed
a peace treaty in 1876 with their
forefathers - and they're not
happy about the way it turned out.
Chief Ben Weenie said he would remind
the Prince of the terms of
the treaty, which supposedly guaranteed
certain rights and services
to Indians in exchange for their
relinquishing control of the land.
They now claim services such as health
care, education and housing
fall short of the promises made 125
years ago by the Crown.
After Charles's meeting with the elders,
he sat in an amphitheatre
to watch a troupe performing ceremonial
dances, including ones mimicking eagles, buffalos and horses.
The Prince, who flew to Saskatoon
from provincial Regina, also visited
a centre for local charities and
spoke to young mothers and their children in special housing.
'We must not lose sight of the contribution
of rural life to the national psyche':
Five-day visit obert Remington National
Post
REGINA - Prince Charles
brought his message of environmentally friendly farming to Canada's agricultural
heartland yesterday, calling rural areas "the lungs which enable our urban
civilization to breathe."
Prince Charles, on his
first visit to Saskatchewan, was greeted by about 1,000 people at the grounds
of the Saskatchewan legislature, where he opened an art gallery and dedicated
a wheelchair accessible entrance to the legislative building.
He received a painting
from prominent aboriginal artist Allen Sapp.
On a walkabout, the
Prince of Wales greeted native elders and posed for a yearbook photo with
Rory Headley, dressed as King Rufus, mascot of Regina's Riffel High School
Royals.
"I never thought I'd
be shaking the Prince's hand," said Mr. Headley, 17. "It was awesome."
The Prince also posed
for photos with Howard Anderson, 77, a Cree who is grand chief of Canada's
native war veterans.
"He said he had one
of these," said Chief Anderson, pointing to his ceremonial headdress. "But
he didn't want to wear it because it was too windy."
Prince Charles charmed
Doris Tripps, 89, of Holdfast, who presented him with a bouquet ofcarnations.
"He said he should be
giving flowers to me," said Ms. Tripps.
A labour dispute forced
the Prince and his staff of 40 to cancel reservations at the Hotel Saskatchewan,
a stately railroad hotel, and move to the Regina Inn. Workers had also
picketed that hotel, claiming it was a training ground for replacement
workers. However, pickets were withdrawn after talks resumed late Wednesday,
preventing the embarrassment of the Prince of Wales having to look for
a third hotel in the Saskatchewan capital.
During ceremonies at
the Saskatchewan legislature, the Prince shook hands with 16 people who
received medals for volunteerism, including Vicky Merryfield of Watrous,
Sask., who wrote a book on curling, Saskatchewan's official sport.
The Prince praised Saskatche-
wan for having the highest rate of volunteerism in the nation.
But it was sustainable
agriculture that was emphasized in a speech by the Prince, who produces
organic food at his farm at Highgrove.
"One should not underestimate
the enormous cultural, spiritual and environmental influences which farming
has in Saskatchewan, particularly at a time of real crisis for farmers
worldwide, when it is even more vital to take stock of the long-term consequences
of industrialized farming systems and re-examine inherent benefits of a
more traditional approach to the overall goal of sustainability," he said.
He said Canada is a
"much more urban society than people in Europe perhaps realize." Yet, he
said, "we must not lose sight of the contribution of rural life to the
national psyche, or put another way, to the national soul. I compare rural
and agricultural areas, like forests and parks, to lungs which enable our
urban civilization to breathe."
The Prince was feted
last night at a government dinner. Today, he will receive a belt made from
recycled tires at a rubber-recycling plant in Assiniboia, where he will
roll the 750,000th tire on to a belt at Prairie Rubber Corporation.
The Prince is also scheduled
to tour a NATO flight training centre in Moose Jaw before heading tomorrow
to Saskatoon and then on to Yukon.
The Prince is hardly slumming it during his two-day stay in his $99 (£44) per night alternative accommodation. He has been allotted one of five newly-redecorated suites on the Regina Inn’s exclusive Business Class floor at the top of the 12-storey hotel (Alan Hamilton writes).
His bed is extra king-size and 8ft wide, which seems excessive for one person of average size. He can sit up in it and watch 38 television channels, some in English and some in French, but for the latest news on Phoenix the calf he will have to rely on CNN, as BBC News 24 does not penetrate the prairies.
Fresh fruit and flowers are placed in his room each day and he can move from his bedroom to the adjoining sitting room, furnished with two couches, a desk, a coffee table and another 38-channel television. In the bathroom he will find an array of complimentary shampoos, shower gels, moisturising creams and other toiletries. The only extra facility that he would have enjoyed at his original choice, the Hotel Saskatchewan across the street, would have been a swimming pool.
Built in 1966 and looking like it, the Regina Inn has made a brave attempt at a facelift of its 235 rooms, with new carpets, curtains, wallpaper and bedspreads throughout. But it cannot totally shake off its elderly provincial feel, despite the installation of a fitness centre which boasts 15,000 sq ft of equipment, with tanning and massage therapy. The Prince is unlikely to have time to use it.
The hotel management were under orders yesterday not to discuss what special provisions they had made for the Prince and were particularly coy on the innocent question of whether his room contained a Corby trouser press. Probably not: the Prince does not press his own trousers.
