Black paint now covers a well-known Yorkton mural, displeasing some residents
CBC
A 15-year-old street mural that became a landmark in downtown Yorkton, Sask., has been painted over in black by the new owners of the building it decorated.
The mural faced City Central Park, located on Broadway Street West in downtown Yorkton.
Filled with figures from the past and present, it was painted on the wall of a liquor store by Moose Jaw artist Grant McLaughlin in 2008.
The mural, roughly 5 1/2 metres by 21 metres, functioned as the backdrop to a stage for small performances in the park. It added to the park's atmosphere, Yorkton Mayor Mitch Hippsley said.
"It's been a wonderful gathering centre, and because of the ambiance of what we've created there, we want that to continue, but the new owners have every right to paint that wall whatever colour they want," he said.
Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority said in an email that it sold the liquor store last November. According to a cabinet order, SLGA received permission to sell the building to Pumphouse Athletic Corp. for $1.18 million.
Among the terms of the sale, it said, was to give the City of Yorkton the ability to decide the future of the mural.
Hippsley didn't comment on whether the city considered using that clause to preserve the mural, but said it made "attempts" to keep the art.
Pumphouse Athletic Club, a local fitness facility, opened its new location in June, according to a Facebook post by the company.
Hippsley said owners of the gym met with city council in May before to discuss painting over the existing mural, so it was no surprise when it happened.
He said he doesn't know what will replace the mural or if the wall will continue to only stay the way it is — black.
"Of course we're all crossing our fingers that whatever they do, it will become part of the ambiance again," he said.
Pumphouse Athletic Club said Friday it didn't have anyone available for a comment.
Tonia Vermette, a Yorkton artist, worked with McLaughlin on restoring and retouching the mural in 2021 — a project that took weeks, she said. She also worked with two other local artists to refurbish the mural again last year.
Canada is preparing for U.S. President Donald Trump to hit the country with potentially devastating tariffs on Tuesday, but the federal government and the premiers say they are in the dark about what will actually materialize and how high those promised levies will be.
Former P.E.I. Premier Dennis King has been appointed as Canada's new ambassador to Ireland, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday in a news release.
Oxford and Elgin counties have the highest number of measles cases in the country, the province's public health agency says, as local medical officials warn of more possible exposures to the deadly virus.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford will take questions from media Monday for the first time since his Progressive Conservatives won their third-straight majority in a snap election last week.
Newfoundland and Labrador is staring down federal, provincial, and municipal elections in the next eight months, but for one new Canadian the opportunity to vote is something she's not taking for granted.
Even with a dirt trench running down the hallway, and exposed wires and pipes hanging from the ceiling, it still kind of looks like an elementary school.
Some of the most affordable rental housing in Nova Scotia is rapidly becoming less so, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation data analyzed by CBC News.
A two-time federal Conservative candidate in Miramichi says he doesn't think current party MP Jake Stewart can win again in a federal election that is expected to start within weeks.
Quebec municipalities and human rights groups are voicing concerns about proposed legislation that would require newcomers to abide by a set of common values.
Amazon and Walmart Canada have so far ignored the NDP government's requests to restrict the online sale of machetes to Manitobans, the province says.
Saskatoon city council is seeking money to crack down on unlicensed short-term rentals in the city, like those on AirBnB and VRBO, amid an active moratorium on licensing certain new short-term rentals.
When Kwaku Ayisi lost a friend who hadn't even reached 40 to breast cancer, it inspired him to look at the barriers Black women face in Saskatchewan's breast-health system.
A northern Alberta town is losing its only family doctor clinic and officials are trying to find solutions before the doors close for good at the end of May.