Glenavon, Saskatchewan

For other uses, see Glenavon.

Glenavon
Village
Village of Glenavon
Location of Glenavon in Saskatchewan Show map of Saskatchewan Glenavon, Saskatchewan (Canada) Show map of Canada
Coordinates: 50°10′52″N103°07′55″W / 50.181°N 103.132°W / 50.181; -103.132
Country	Canada
Province	Saskatchewan
Region	Saskatchewan
Census division	5
Rural Municipality	Chester No. 125
Government
• Type	Municipal
• Governing body	Glenavon Village Council
•  Mayor	William (Bill) Sluser [1]
•  Administrator	Brittany Knoll
Area
• Total	1.32 km2 (0.51 sq mi)
Population  (2016)
• Total	182
• Density	137.6/km2 (356/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
Postal code	S0G 1Y0
Area code	306
Highways	Highway 48
Railways	Canadian National Railway
[2] [3] [4] [5]

Glenavon (2016 population: 182) is a village in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within the Rural Municipality of Chester No. 125 and Census Division No. 5. It is accessed from Highway 48. ^[6]

History

Glenavon incorporated as a village on April 13, 1910. ^[7]

Murder of Anna Juswiak

On May 5, 1950, 23-year old Polish émigrée Anna Juswiak boarded a train in Regina bound for Glenavon, where she was to meet friends of her fiancé, Stanley Kisilowski. ^[8] On May 6, Juswiak's body was discovered in the backyard of a Glenavon home, "her head battered by a blunt instrument." ^[9] Subsequently, Royal Canadian Mounted Police interviewed a man registered as "Leo Beaudry" from Portage la Prairie at a hotel in Kipling, identifying him as 25-year old John Woltucky, an ex-military and ex-convict using an alias, who had been released from penitentiary in Prince Albert on April 17, 1950. ^[9] Woltucky was previously serving out a three-year sentence for illegal possession of a firearm, five charges of housebreaking, and theft of a parka. ^[10] Police were initially "convinced that Woltucky did not answer to the description of the man they were looking for," but, with additional information from authorities in Glenavon, picked up Woltucky at the train station minutes before he was to board an outbound train. ^[9] Among his personal effects, police discovered a bank book belonging to Ms. Juswiak. ^[8] Two women from Kipling, Mrs. Lars Pearson and Mrs. Alf Johnston, identified Woltucky as having disembarked the train in Glenavon accompanying Juswiak. ^[9]

The trial of John Woltucky proved sensational for the small town of Glenavon, where, "nothing like it had ever happened before in the peaceful community." ^[11] In multiple newspapers, the murder of Anna Juswiak was initially reported as a shooting. ^{[12] [13]} During the trial, Glenavon's population of roughly 250 was "augmented by some 200 non-residents." ^[9] According to Regina Leader-Post reporter Robert Tyre, "the murder itself was overshadowed by the antics of the villagers who deserted home, business, and family en masse to prowl and poke about the scene of the crime like an army of Scotland Yard detectives gravely and earnestly searching for clues." ^[11]

Woltucky was convicted and found guilty twice, both times sentenced to the death penalty. ^[8] During his detainment, he underwent psychological testing at Weyburn's Souris Valley Mental Health Hospital, from which he escaped on July 2, 1951 and was later re-apprehended. ^[14]

Demographics

Population history
(1981–2016)

Year	Pop.	±%
1981	284	—
1986	262	−7.7%
1991	237	−9.5%
1996	230	−3.0%
2001	207	−10.0%
2006	183	−11.6%
2011	176	−3.8%
2016	182	+3.4%
Source: Statistics Canada via Saskatchewan Bureau of Statistics [15] [16]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Glenavon had a population of 179 living in 97 of its 110 total private dwellings, a change of -1.6% from its 2016 population of 182. With a land area of 1.29 km² (0.50 sq mi), it had a population density of 138.8/km² (359.4/sq mi) in 2021. ^[17]

In the 2016 Census of Population, the Village of Glenavon recorded a population of 182 living in 108 of its 121 total private dwellings, a 3.3% change from its 2011 population of 176. With a land area of 1.32 km² (0.51 sq mi), it had a population density of 137.9/km² (357.1/sq mi) in 2016. ^[18]

See also

• List of communities in Saskatchewan
• List of francophone communities in Saskatchewan
• List of villages in Saskatchewan

References

1. "Municipal Directory System".
2. National Archives, Archivia Net, Post Offices and Postmasters, archived from the original on October 6, 2006
3. Government of Saskatchewan, MRD Home, Municipal Directory System, archived from the original on November 21, 2008
4. Canadian Textiles Institute. (2005), CTI Determine your provincial constituency, archived from the original on September 11, 2007
5. Commissioner of Canada Elections, Chief Electoral Officer of Canada (2005), Elections Canada On-line, archived from the original on April 21, 2007
6. "South - Glenavon - Hwy 48". Tourism Saskatchewan. Government of Saskatchewan. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
7. "Urban Municipality Incorporations". Saskatchewan Ministry of Government Relations. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
8. Pacholik, Barb (2009). Paper cows & other Saskatchewan crime stories. Pruden, Jana G., 1974-, University of Regina. Canadian Plains Research Center. Regina [Sask.]: Canadian Plains Research Center. pp. 91–97. ISBN   978-0-88977-276-2. OCLC   772396369.
9. Staff Writer (June 10, 1950). "Higher court for Woltucky - In Glenavon murder". The Leader-Post. p. 8. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
10. Staff Writer (December 20, 1947). "Three-Year Sentence". Winnipeg Free Press. p. 8. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
11. Tyre, Robert (1950). Along the Highway. Regina, Saskatchewan: School Aids and Text Book Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 12.
12. Canadian Press (May 9, 1950). "Charge Man with Murdering DP Girl". Medicine Hat News. p. 4. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
13. Canadian Press (May 9, 1950). "Ex-City Man Faces Charge of Murder". Winnipeg Tribune. p. 5. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
14. Canadian Press (July 4, 1951). "Escaped Mental Patient Captured at Weyburn". Winnipeg Free Press. p. 2. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
15. "Saskatchewan Census Population" (PDF). Saskatchewan Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
16. "Saskatchewan Census Population". Saskatchewan Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
17. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions (municipalities), Saskatchewan". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
18. "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Saskatchewan)". Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2020.