Winnipeg school pays homage to skunk that forced relocation
One Winnipeg elementary school is making the most out of a smelly situation.
Last week, students and staff members at Stevenson-Britannia School were forced to leave their classrooms due to a smell left behind from a skunk that made its way into the school’s crawl space.
“It took a few days, but finally they caught a skunk,” said Jane Couch, the school’s principal.
“That’s all we know of it at this point, that all of this fuss was caused just because of one skunk.”
Though the smell had students leaving the premises last week, now they’re celebrating it.
“The first day [of the smell] was not that bad, but the second day, I just couldn’t stand the smell. It was really bad,” said Grade 3 student Harsehajdeep Hehar.
Monday marked the start of spirit week at Stevenson-Britannia School and it kicked off with Skunk Celebration Day.
As an homage to the critters, students wore black and white -- the colours of a skunk.
They also named the skunk that started all this chaos, calling her Sardinia. The name pays tribute to sardines, which were used as bait to catch her.
“All of us decided at the end of last week that we had to have a skunk celebration day in honour of this skunk that turned our lives around for a week,” Couch said.
“They’re a small, but powerful animal.”
Sardinia’s legacy at the school may now continue. Currently, the school’s mascot is a sabre-toothed tiger. However, Couch said that the ‘Stevenson Skunks’ has a nice ring to it, so that change could be coming.
“The kids said we need to have a Treaty 1 animal, that was what was most important to them, and a skunk is a Treaty 1 animal,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.