Melville, Saskatchewan


Melville is a small city in the east-central portion of Saskatchewan, Canada. The city is northeast of the provincial capital of Regina and southwest of Yorkton. Melville is bordered by the rural municipalities of Cana No. 214 and Stanley No. 215. Its population at the 2016 census was 4,562, making it Saskatchewan's smallest city. It is also home of hockey's Melville Millionaires, who compete in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, and baseball's Melville Millionaires, who compete in the Western Canadian Baseball League.

History

According to What's in a Name?: The Story Behind Saskatchewan Places and Names by E. T. Russell, and People Places: Contemporary Saskatchewan Place Names by Bill Barry, the city was named for Charles Melville Hays, who at the time of the settlement's initial construction was the president of the Grand Trunk Railway and Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Hays was on board the RMS Titanic when it sank; he did not make it off the ship.
Pearl Park was the area's first post office established in 1905 near the Pearl Creek, a tributary of the Qu'Appelle River. Melville was declared a city by the province in 1960.

Demographics

Government

The mayor of Melville is Dr. Walter Streelasky.
Provincially, Melville is within the constituency of Melville-Saltcoats. It is currently represented by Saskatchewan Party MLA Warren Kaeding.
Melville is represented in the House of Commons of Canada by the MP of the Yorkton—Melville riding, currently Cathay Wagantall of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Infrastructure

Melville's namesake was the president of the Grand Trunk Railway and Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, Charles Melville Hays. Since Melville's founding in 1908, it has served as a nexus for railroad activity, currently including that of Canadian National Railway and Via Rail, the latter for which Melville effectively serves as the main rail-to-bus connection to Regina for its passengers. Today, the transcontinental Canadian train, operated by national passenger rail carrier Via Rail, serves the Melville railway station three times per week.
In 2002 the St. Peter's Hospital was constructed. St. Peter's was founded in 1940 as a municipal hospital by the Sisters of St. Martha, based in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Next to St. Peter's is the St. Paul Lutheran Home.
The Melville Railway Museum is a Municipal Heritage Property on the Canadian Register of Historic Places.
The Melville Heritage Museum is in the original Luther College building, built in 1913. The Luther Academy moved to Regina in 1926. After a stint as St. Paul's Home for the Aged and Orphans, the building was declared a heritage site, opening as a museum in the early 1980s.
Melville's connections by road to other communities include Saskatchewan Highways 10, 15 and 47. The closest major centre to Melville is the city of Yorkton, 43 kilometres to the northeast.
Melville Municipal Airport is located east of the city.

Education

Melville is served by public and Catholic schools: École St. Henry's Junior Elementary School, and St. Henry's Sr School are both part of the Christ the Teacher Catholic School Division The Carlton Regional College Basic Education is located nearby in Lestock. Davison School, as part of the Good Spirit School Division offers pre-kindergarten to grade 6 education. The Melville Comprehensive School, a part of the Good Spirit School Division provides secondary education. Parkland Regional College provides post secondary technical training and operates a branch school out of the Melville Comprehensive High School building.

Sports

Melville is home to the Melville Millionaires of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, as well as the Melville Millionaires of the Western Canadian Baseball League.
In 2011 the Melville Communiplex opened. The federal and provincial governments covered $20 million of the construction costs of the $24.5 million facility. The Communiplex has an NHL size ice surface and seating capacity for 1,500 people, a walking track, fitness and cardio care facilities, and a convention centre. It replaces the existing 60-year-old Melville Stadium, home to the Melville Millionaires.
The city also has an 18-hole golf course.

Media

;Newspaper
;Radio
Melville currently has no current FM or AM radio stations, instead they are serviced by a digital radio station called: The Buzz :
FrequencyCall signBrandingFormatOwnerNotes
AM 940CJGXGX94country musicHarvard Broadcasting
FM 91.7CBK-FM-3CBC Radio 2public broadcastingCanadian Broadcasting CorporationRebroadcaster for CBK-FM
FM 92.9CJLR-FM-5MBC RadioFirst Nations community radioMissinipi Broadcasting CorporationRebroadcaster for CJLR-FM
FM 94.1CFGW-FMFox FMhot adult contemporaryHarvard Broadcasting
FM 98.5CJJC-FM98.5 The RockChristian musicDennis M. Dyck
DigitalOnlineThe BuzzRockPearl Creek MediaWeb Based Digital Radio Station

Television
Within are the Melville Game Preserve, Melville Regional Park and Duff Recreation Site.

Popular culture

In the film Hannibal Rising, title character Hannibal Lecter shows up in the "hamlet of Melville" in the final scene. However the town depicted is surrounded by forest and is referred to as "near Saskatoon".

Notable residents

Location