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Grain Elevators
For many years there were four grain elevators in Willow Bunch. Sask. Pool No. 88 “A”, United Grain Growers (UGG) No. 1 and The McLaughlin Elevator all opened in 1926. McCabe Brothers began operations in 1929. The capacity of each elevator varied between 30,000 and 32,000 bushels. By the early 1980s the elevators began to shut down, following a trend which was seen right across the province and the prairies. The Pool “A”, McLaughlin (which by then was Pool “B”) and McCabe Brothers (now UGG No. 2) elevators all closed in 1984. UGG No. 1 would follow in 1999. The final elevator to close was Sask. Pool “C”, which opened in 1982 with a capacity of 3,670 metric tonnes, ceased operations in 2001. It is now privately owned.

Jolly Giant Pub
The 1990s also saw the opening of a new restaurant in Willow Bunch. Originally called “Willow B’s Tavern,” the restaurant opened for business on October 31, 1996. It was owned by David and Georgina Brenner. There was a change in ownership in 2004 when it was purchased by Renaud and Robert Bissonnette, who renamed it the “Jolly Giant Pub.” Renaud would become the sole owner one year later. In 2012 the restaurant changed hands once again, as it was sold to Dawn Lessard of St. Victor, in partnership Tim and Penny Dloughy from Assiniboia. The pub continues to serve everything from alcohol and coffee to burgers and full meals.

Willow Bunch School


Enrollment at Willow Bunch School had been declining since the mid-1960s when as many as 425 students were enrolled. In January 2007, the Prairie South School Division began a review of its schools in seven communities, including Willow Bunch. The division maintained it was becoming a challenge to “deliver an effective learning program in a fiscally responsible manner.”

On May 22, 2007, the Prairie South school board voted to close five schools by the end of August. They included Briercrest, Limerick, Crane Valley, École Ross and Willow Bunch. The special meeting of the board took only 25 minutes to complete.

The last day of classes at Willow Bunch School was June 30, 2007. Students are now bused to the neighbouring communities of Coronach and Assiniboia.

In 2008, the school was bought by Alan Patterson, who moved to Willow Bunch from Surrey, British Columbia. He also purchased numerous other properties in the area, including the school in Crane Valley that was closed at the same time as Willow Bunch. Known as the "Wizard of Willow Bunch," he hopes to convert the building into a college to “teach people how to use their dreams for something ‘practical and useful.’”

Library
In 2009 the library moved to a new home. Established in 1973, the Willow Bunch Library is a branch of the Palliser Regional Library. Originally located in the Hills of Home Senior Centre, the entire collection was moved to the former RM office, which was vacated in 2008 as the Town of Willow Bunch and RM offices were amalgamated. The move took place on April 20, 2009, with the grand opening a month and a half later on June 12.