With John Diefenbaker’s “Northern Vision Speech” in February 1958, Canadians turned their collective eyes north. It was now a Federal funding and policy priority. There was, however, a wide knowledge gap when compared to the Scandinavian countries and Russia. To fill this gap, the University of Saskatchewan established The Institute for Northern Studies in January 1960. Building on the decades of northern research, the U of S created a muli-disciplinary unit dedicated to research on the Subarctic and Arctic regions of Canada. A special emphasis was placed on northern Saskatchewan. The Institute was to act as a focal point for northern research at the University, to encourage northern research by obtaining scholarship funds and grants, and to coordinate interdisciplinary research. In addition the Institute provided a lecture series which promoted understanding of the Canadian north; training programs which taught northern peoples new skills; cross-cultural courses for people working in the north; and a northern information service. A sample of the studies supported by the INS include political and social history of the Northwest Territories; biological investigations on forest vegetation, fungi, mammals, biting insects, birds; economic surveys of water transportation, mining, fishing, timber, furs; the geology of some mining camps, the geophysics of the earth's crust; engineering design of radio communication for remote areas. In 1981 it was announced that the Institute would be phased out over three years. The records of the INS can be found at the University of Saskatchewan Archives.

Tom R. Smith is a graduate of the College of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan; he received his B.E. in 1945. His varied career has included being part of the team that built the Alaska Highway, service during World War Two, farming, and teaching in the College of Engineering. His research has had a strong focus on archaeology and local history, especially through years of involvement in the Saskatchewan Archaeological Society. He was married to Laura Carpenter, who died in 2008.

Joseph Thaddeus Hébert was born in Botsford Portage, New Brunswick on September 25, 1890. He obtained a B.A. (1912) and an M.A. (1915) from the University of New Brunswick. He then earned an LL.B. from Harvard University. He was hired as a junior Professor of Law at the University of Saskatchewan in 1919. He taught classes at the University of Saskatchewan until 1924 when he returned to New Brunswick to practice law. He married Yvonne LeBlanc in Nova Scotia in 1926. He died on March 17, 1932 in Campbellton, New Brunswick.

Clarance Crawford McAusland was born in Saskatchewan in August 1919. His parents were Crawford McAusland and Charlotte Robson. He received his education at Vaughan, Melfort View, and Melfort High School. Clarance married Muriel Hadden of Okotoks, Alberta in July 1946. Clarance and Muriel had four children: Frances, Patricia, Marion, and Janet. Clarance lived for many years on SE 3-45-19-W2 and farmed a number of quarter sections of land in that area. In addition to grain farming, Clarance also raised purebred Shorthorn and Aberdeen Angus cattle and was a member of the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association. Clarance was active in the Grain Club, Swine Club, Melfort Agricultural Society, Melfort United Church, Masonic Lodge, Melfort Rotary Club, and the Melfort View School Board. Muriel McAusland passed away in January 1986. Clarance moved from the farm into Melfort in 2007. Clarance McAusland died on December 14, 2013.

Arthur Wellington Ross was born in Nairn, Ontario, on March 25, 1846; and was of Scottish ancestry. His grandfather, Arthur Ross (1776-1861), was a member of the 78th Highlanders, and served with the Duke of Wellington; likely immigrated to Canada between 1820 and 1846, and was one of the first settlers in the township of Adelaide, Middlesex County. (He also appears to have provided the inspiration for his grandson’s name). Arthur Wellington Ross began his career as a teacher, and later became inspector for public schools prior to earning a BA from the University of Toronto in 1874. Arthur married Jessie Flora Cattanach on July 30, 1873. By October of 1874, Arthur had joined his father-in-law’s firm, Crooks, Kingmill & Cattenach, as a law student. He and Jessie, together with their young son John Hugo, moved to Winnipeg in May 1877. [Jessie’s account of that trip, “Rambling Recollections,” was published in the “Women’s Edition of the Telegram”]. A second son, Donald Aynsley Ross, was born that September. Arthur joined his brother’s law firm, and was admitted to the Manitoba bar in 1878. A daughter, Gertrude, was born on May 15, 1880 but died the following year (July 8, 1881). A real estate promoter and speculator, by 1882 Ross was one of the wealthiest landowners in Winnipeg. In addition to city property, he owned most of what later became known as Fort Rouge; he speculated in Metis scrip; and owned town lots in Brandon and Edmonton, as well as rural property. He suffered financially in the 1882 real estate collapse; the Hudson’s Bay Company took him to court, and he became a topic of debate in the local press. Ross had been elected (as a Liberal) MLA in 1878, but in 1882 he resigned from the provincial legislature and was elected as a Liberal-Conservative MP for Selkirk from 1882-1896. He became involved as a defender of the CPR, and began speculating in Vancouver real estate; and effectively rebuilt his fortunes, with land holdings throughout the North-West, in various industries and resources, including mining. “In habits he was quiet, yet liberal, and very social. In all matters he was plucky and enterprising, the last two qualities being the secret of his successful career. With the public he was very popular and in social life had many warm friends.” Arthur Wellington Ross and Jessie Flora Ross divided much of their time between Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. Ross suffered a stroke while in British Columbia in 1901, and died in Toronto while seeking medical treatment, on March 25, 1901.

John Hugo Ross was the eldest son of Arthur Wellington Ross and Jessie Flora (Cattanach) Ross. He was born on November 24, 1875 in Toronto, Ontario. He worked in Toronto prior to moving to Winnipeg in 1894, where he founded the Hugo Ross Realty Company, and subsequently helped found the Winnipeg Real Estate Board. John Hugo Ross was also president of an insurance agency, served as secretary-treasurer of the Winnipeg Stock Exchange, and was involved in various other companies. He died on the Titanic on April 15, 1912.

Arthur Dwight Ross was born in Winnipeg on March 18, 1907. He was the son of Donald Aynsley Ross. Ross was an Air Commodore, wounded in action during World War II; he received the George Cross for his bravery. After the war, he was appointed the Commandant of the RCAF Staff College in Toronto. Ross was later appointed Air Commander of the Western Atlantic Area's Canadian Atlantic sub-area of NATO's Allied Command Atlantic. He was also an Honorary Aide-de-Camp to the Governor General of Canada, Viscount Alexander of Tunis; his career, like that of his grandfather, enabled him to meet prominent individuals of his time. Ross retired from the RCAF in 1961. Ross died in 1981 in Kingston, Ontario.

Born in Toronto in 1927, Christopher Chapman was an innovative Canadian filmmaker and documentarian. He was best known for "A Place to Stand", produced for the Ontario Pavilion at Expo 67 and for which he won an Academy Award. "A Place to Stand" represented the beginning of IMAX technology, and Chapman pioneered the “multiple dynamic images” technique, used in movies including "The Thomas Crown Affair" and "Airport" and later known as the “Brady Bunch effect.” His later work focused on IMAX films and 3-D films, done in partnership with his twin brother Francis. He was the recipient of several film awards and medals; served as president of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and of the Directors Guild of Canada; received an honorary doctorate from Ryerson University; and was named to the Order of Canada (1987). He married Aljean Pert in 1962; they had one son, Julian, but Aljean died in 1971. He married Barbara Glen Kennedy in 1974. Christopher Chapman died in Uxbridge, Ontario on 24 October 2015.

Lorne Burton Elliott was born July 1, 1896 in Killarney, Manitoba. The family moved to Fielding, Saskatchewan; and he attended the University of Saskatchewan. Burton enlisted in the First World War on May 2, 1916. He was then two months shy of 20 years old, and had been at the University for two years. He was promoted to Lieutenant in April 1917. Burton was wounded in battle in October 1917 and transferred to a hospital in London. He died of self-inflicted wounds at the hospital on November 17, 1917.

Established around 1977, the SIAP offered opportunities for Aboriginal peoples to learn about and gain skills in the agricultural sector. The 4-H program in particular offered these learning experiences to Aboriginal youth on reserves, making Saskatchewan the only Canadian province to have a separate 4-H program for Aboriginal youth. Donor Les Ferguson acted for a long period as the full-time 4-H coordinator, supported by eight Agriculture Extension staff. Common youth projects included woodwork, foods, clothing, traditional arts and crafts, and firearm safety. The 4-H Garden Project, the 4-H Poultry Project, and the 4-H swine project were particularly popular. Approximately 100 4-H leaders would work with the program each year. Costs would be shared equally between the Indian 4-H Program and the families involved. The SIAP was also a major organizer of the Saskatchewan Indian Youth Conference.

Born in Vancouver, Victor Wiebe began his academic career by studying Chemistry at the University of British Columbia, earning a B.Sc. in 1966 and an M.Sc. in 1968. He went on to study at University of Western Ontario earning a M.L.S. in 1974. Wiebe worked at the National Research Council before joining the University of Saskatchewan faculty as a Librarian I in 1976. He worked in variety of Library Departments including Reference, Government Publications, Engineering and Veterinary Medicine before retiring in 2008 as a Librarian IV.

Born in Moose Jaw in 1941 and raised in Saskatoon, Robert Lorin Calder is a lifelong resident of Saskatchewan. Having taken a B.A. (1964) and M.A. (1965) at the University of Saskatchewan and a PhD. at the University of Leeds (1970), he was the longest-serving (45 ½ years) member of the Department of English at the University of Saskatchewan, and at 38, was also the youngest Department Head in its history. Additionally, he served as the Acting Head of the Music Department and as the first Associate Dean of Fine Arts and Humanities in the College of Arts and Science.
Calder is the author or editor of eleven books, most of which have been published internationally – in the U.K., the United States, Japan, and Russia. He was the first writer in the history of Saskatchewan to have a book published by an international trade publisher (William Heinemann Ltd) while residing in the province. His "Willie: the Life of W. Somerset Maugham," for which he was awarded the Governor General’s Literary Award, and twenty-three article and reviews, made him recognized as the leading authority in the world on Maugham. In 2005, he was given the University of Saskatchewan’s Distinguished Researcher Award, and in 2011 he was selected among the first hundred College of Arts and Science Alumni of Influence.
Calder has been an active member of the Saskatchewan writing community, serving as President of the Sage Hill Writing Experience, the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, and The Word on the Street Saskatoon (of which he is a founding member). He was instrumental in the creation of the Kloppenburg Award for Literary Excellence, and the innovative Master of Fine Arts in Writing at the University of Saskatchewan. In addition to the Governor General’s Literary Award, he has won two Saskatchewan Book Awards, and has twice won the John V. Hicks Manuscript Award. In 2018 he was awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit.

Holly Borgerson Calder is an Honours English graduate from the University of Saskatchewan. She worked as a court reporter and as a bookseller of rare and out-of-print books. She has published poetry. She has served on the Board of Directors of Sage Hill Writing Experience and of Saskatoon's Word on the Street Festival.

Christine James (Chrisse) Bornstein (née Girgulus) was born on February 21, 1930. She attended the University of Saskatchewan, from which she earned a B.A. in 1952. While there, she began her involvement in theatre. Chrisse has had a long career in both amateur and professional theatre in Saskatchewan, working as actor, director, and in various additional stage/production capacities. She has worked for almost every theatre company in Saskatoon, including the Greystone Theatre (University of Saskatchewan); Gateway Players, Persephone Theatre, and Saskatoon Summer Players. Chrisse has earned numerous awards at the Saskatchewan Drama Festival for her work, including Best Actress, Best Director, and Best supporting actress. She married artist Eli Bornstein in 1965; they have two daughters.

Allan Cushon was born in Oxbow, Saskatchewan in 1950. Starting in 1978, Allan Cushon was the co-owner of Saskatoon’s most recognizable locksmithing shop, Burnett’s Key Shop. Allan was a University of Saskatchewan Alumnus and an avid collector of books, magazines, and other things with particular focus on mysteries, Sherlockian works, and anything to do with locks and keys. Allan passed away in December 2014.