December 15, 2025
A north-central Saskatchewan First Nation is postponing its community Christmas celebrations due to an outbreak of the flu.
In a Facebook post Saturday, Beardy’s and Okemasis Cree Nation (BOCN) said its chief and council made the decision after learning about multiple hospitalizations and the death of a local matriarch related to influenza infections.
“Due to the rising cases of influenza, chief and council have made the difficult decision to postpone all community dinners (on-reserve, urban, and elders) until the new year when this flu season subsides,” said the statement from the band, located 85 kilometres north of Saskatoon.