In 1997, Ranch Ehrlo Society’s Buckland campus, located just outside the city of Prince Albert, officially opened. But the idea, and the need, for a northern campus had been around long before.

As far back as the early ‘70s, the agency felt the need for a presence closer to our client base in northern Saskatchewan. Twice, attempts were made to establish what would one day become the Buckland campus – in 1974, financial commitments were finalized but the progress on the program was halted, mainly due to staffing concerns; and in 1984, government support for the campus was pulled after concerns from citizens in the area.

Randy

In April of 2007, Randy O’Shaughnessy became the director of residential treatment for the northern programs. He stayed in the role until September 2011.

“I believe the campus is necessary for a few different reasons,” he said. “The opportunity to provide a treatment-based environment in a similar environment to (northern client’s) home environments, is extremely advantageous. The learning opportunities for the client and the staff are increased,” he said.

“From another point of view, I think that having a northern campus is one of the things that differentiates us, or did at the point that it was developed, from other facilities – we have a variety of locations that had a consistent, congruent philosophy base but different environments.”

Buckland campus

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Keep an eye on our website for more stories about our Buckland campus as we celebrate 20 years of going forward with pride in northern Saskatchewan, and join us on September 19th from 3 – 5 p.m. as we celebrate with a barbeque at the campus!