Situated in the western reaches of Saskatchewan, Unity sits at the crossing of Highway 14 and Highway 21, roughly 200 kilometres west-northwest of Saskatoon and about 375 kilometres southeast of Edmonton, Alberta. The nearby town of Wilkie lies just 33 kilometres to the east. The area is also defined by the intersection of two major rail corridors, with Canadian National Railway tracks running through town and the Canadian Pacific Railway having crossed the CNR at Topaz, just west of Unity, since 1924. Via Rail’s The Canadian calls at Unity several times per week, giving the town a passenger rail connection that many communities of similar size no longer have.
Population and Growth
Unity had a population of 2,496 in the 2021 Census, spread across 1,042 occupied private dwellings out of 1,148 total. The town covers a land area of 9.7 square kilometres, giving it a population density of about 257 people per square kilometre. That figure represents a modest decline from 2,573 residents recorded in 2016, a drop of roughly 3 percent. Growth in the area stretches back much further, with the arrival of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1908 helping to expand what had been a small settlement since 1904 into a community of around 600 by the 1920s. By 1966, the population had climbed to over 2,100.
Attractions, Education, and Notable Connections
Unity offers a number of local draws, including the history murals found in the downtown area, the Unity and District Heritage Museum, the Unity Golf Course, and the Unity Credit Union Aquatics Centre. The Unity Regional Park houses ball diamonds, and the Unity Arena provides indoor recreation. Just to the west of town, Sink Lake and Gordon Lake form a wetland area that attracts migratory birds. Muddy Lake lies to the south, and the Kikiskitotawânawak iskwêwak Lakes (formerly known as Killsquaw Lakes) are about a mile southeast of town. Education in Unity includes St. Peter’s Catholic School and Unity Public School for kindergarten through Grade 6, and Unity Composite High School covering Grades 7 through 12, all part of Living Sky School Division No. 202. The town also has a notable cultural connection: playwright Kevin Kerr set his Governor General’s Award-winning play Unity (1918) here, exploring the impact of the 1918 influenza pandemic on the community. NHL hockey player Boyd Gordon is among the notable people to have come from Unity.