Maskwacis to get slower Holiday Train this year after video poked fun at it speeding through

Sisters Josie and Shennaya Saddleback still laugh when they talk about the Holiday Train speeding through Maskwacis back in 2023.

“I feel like our people just cope with humour and laughter,” said Josie, who along with her sister is a member of Samson Cree Nation.

This marks the 27th year the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) railway has run the Holiday Train program raising money and collecting food to address food insecurity during the holiday season. It makes 196 stops across Canada and the U.S. and features free live musical performances to boost holiday cheer. 

But in Maskwacis, a community of four First Nations in Alberta, the holiday cheer seems to speed by rather fast. 

In 2023, Shennaya recorded a video of the train travelling at a high speed through the community. She shared it with a family group chat, and her sister followed up by posting a video of herself reacting to it on social media. 

“I was laughing so hard. And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, Shennaya, you caught such a good video at the perfect time,’" said Josie. 

Her reaction video added the sound of her laughing so hard she was gasping for air. She had a “wicked cold” at the time, she said. 

“I didn’t think anything would come of it,” Shennaya said. 

But the videos were shared widely on social media and garnered hundreds of thousands of views, resurfacing last year during the holiday season — and now change is coming. 

Samson Cree Nation Councillor and Proxy Chief Vinnie Saddleback said many First Nations have railways that go through their territories and he would like to see more effort from railway companies to connect with those communities. 

With that in mind, and with support from the rest of the Samson council, Coun. Izaiah Swampy-Omeasoo wrote and shared publicly a letter to CPKC asking for the train to make a stop in Maskwacis. 

Last year, he said, the community was still reeling from the killing of 15-year-old Hoss Lightning and Christmas was a difficult time. 

This year he hopes for more joy and the chance to celebrate together. 

Not long after he posted the letter, the railway responded, Swampy-Omeasoo said.