Outlook, a charming town nestled in west central Saskatchewan, Canada, is approximately 80 kilometres south-southwest of Saskatoon. The town is beautifully situated along the South Saskatchewan River, downstream from Gardiner Dam and the Coteau Creek Hydroelectric Station.
The settlement of Outlook began in the early 1900s when farmers and immigrants moved into the area in search of farmland. The town officially started as a settlement on August 26, 1908, when the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) began auctioning lots.
On November 23, 1908, the citizens of Outlook welcomed the first train from Moose Jaw. The CPR soon started a tri-weekly train service carrying large piles of lumber to meet the growing demand for buildings. The Outlook CPR Station building was constructed in 1909, and a year later, on November 1, 1910, Outlook was officially declared a town.
In 1912, the Skytrail bridge crossing the South Saskatchewan River was completed, allowing both passenger and commercial traffic to cross the river without using a ferry. However, the town faced a significant setback in 1910 when a fire broke out in a hardware store, rapidly spreading and engulfing a city block.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Outlook had a population of 2,336 living in 1,001 of its 1,055 total private dwellings. This represented a 2.5% increase from its 2016 population of 2,279. With a land area of 8.34 km2, it had a population density of 280.1/km2 in 2021.
Outlook boasts a vibrant arts program, including the Equinox Theatre, a community theatre group that stages one to two productions a year. Past productions include classics like Anne of Green Gables and The Little Mermaid. The Outlook and District Community Arts Council also operates an art gallery in the Town Office Building, further enriching the town's cultural scene.
Outlook & District Regional Park, a 100-acre park located along the South Saskatchewan River, offers 50 electrified campsites, an outdoor heated junior size Olympic swimming pool, hiking trails, and the 9-hole Riverview Golf Course.
The Skytrail Bridge, a former railway bridge converted for pedestrian use, stands 156 ft above the South Saskatchewan River. However, it has been closed to the public since 2013 due to unsafe conditions.
The Outlook railway station building houses the Outlook & District Heritage Museum, which boasts over 2,500 artifacts from the Outlook area. Highlights include a caboose, an arrowhead and stone tool collection, an old holding cell from the Broderick train station, and original artwork by acclaimed artist Arthur Evoy, who was born in Outlook.
The Canada Saskatchewan Irrigation Diversification Centre, a research facility located on the outskirts of town, tests different crops, diseases, and chemicals under dryland and irrigation conditions. The centre offers many tours during the summer and a field day in July.
Outlook experiences a humid continental climate. The highest temperature ever recorded was 41.1 °C on June 16, 1933, and July 4, 1937. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −52.2 °C on February 25, 1919.
Outlook Airport is located southeast of the town. The town used to have an award-winning recycling program that was recognized across North America. As of 2003, the Town of Outlook had recycled nearly three million lbs of cardboard and nearly 2 million lbs of newspaper. However, in 2019, the local program was replaced with Loraas pickup based in Saskatoon.
