Allan Blakeney Adult Campus officially opens in Regina

With a swift lift of a blue cloth covering a plaque, the Allan Blakeney Adult Campus in Regina was officially named on Tuesday.

Blakeney was premier of Saskatchewan between 1971 and 1982. He died in 2011.

While he was honoured a year ago, the official plaque wasn’t revealed until the campus relocated.

“He would be very pleased, absolutely. It is nice to see the name up on the wall,” said Blakeney’s widow, Anne, who took part in the naming ceremony Tuesday.

The Allan Blakeney Adult Campus, part of Regina Public Schools, is located in the old Wascana School at 4th Avenue and Lewvan Drive.

The location is in the heart of Blakeney’s old constituency of Elphinstone.

“The people in it were very good to us, they helped us and we helped them and that was lovely,” Anne said.

“I wish the students a great deal of success with their lives, with their families and their work.”

Premier Brad Wall also attended the ceremony Tuesday. He called the naming fitting for a former education minister.

“He was a strong advocate of continuing education and helped introduce the first community college program in Saskatchewan’s history,” Wall said.

“The Adult Campus honours the legacy of Allan Blakeney by providing young adults with the opportunity to complete their high school education and prepare for post-secondary and career opportunities.”

The campus offers programming for adults aged 18-21 who have not completed high school.

Day and evening courses are available, along with a variety of programs that will enhance post-secondary education and career opportunities.

Former Saskatchewan premiers Roy Romanow and Lorne Calvert were also at the event.