For the Battlefords a case could be made that it was our worst year ever — worse than even the cryptosporidium and oil spill years — and not just because of the COVID-19 pandemic that prompted shutdowns, economic devastation, and no shortage of loss of life in the province and world. It was a year in which one event after another ended up postponed or called off. It was also a year of devastating tragedy: the loss of a beloved Battleford NHL player, a tragic local murder-suicide, and ongoing and notorious criminal cases in the local courts. But look on the bright side: at least North Battleford isn’t the “Crime Capital of Canada” anymore, ending a long streak at the top of the Crime Severity Index this year.