Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Eric Berntson fonds
General material designation
- Textual record
- Sound recording
- Moving images
Parallel title
Description type
Ministerial
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Fonds
Repository
Reference code
F 303
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
1980-1990 (Accumulation)
-
1978-1990 (Creation)
- Creator
- Berntson, Eric Arthur, 1941-2018
Physical description area
Physical description
1.500m of textual records
1 audio cassette (9 min. 30 sec.)
1 videocassette (5 min. 37 sec.)
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Eric Arthur Berntson was born on May 16, 1941 at Oxbow, Saskatchewan to Arthur Berntson and Johanna Larson. He received his early education at Glen Ewen, Saskatchewan and attended high school at Halifax, Nova Scotia. He later attended the University of Calgary.
After serving eight years as a pilot with the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force, Berntson moved to Calgary, Alberta, where he worked in electronic data processing for National Cash Register. He returned to Saskatchewan around 1972 and began farming in the Carievale district. Berntson was a member of the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association and the Royal Canadian Legion.
Berntson was first elected to the Saskatchewan Legislature in 1975 and served as a Progressive Conservative MLA for the Souris-Cannington constituency until 1990. He was Leader of the Official Opposition in the Saskatchewan Legislature from 1979 to 1982. Berntson served in the Grant Devine Government as Minister of Agriculture (1982-1983); Minister of Economic Development and Trade (1983-1985); Provincial Secretary (1983-1990); Minister of Economic Development and Tourism (1989-1990) and Deputy Premier (1982-1989). He was Minister Responsible for numerous agencies, boards and commissions including Agricultural Development Corporation (1982-1990); Saskatchewan Water Corporation (1985-1986); Souris Basin Development Authority (1986-1989); Saskatchewan Mining Development Corporation (1988-1990) and Crown Investments Corporation (1987-1990).
Berntson resigned from Cabinet on April 10, 1990 and vacated his seat in the Saskatchewan Legislature on July 19, 1990. On September 27, 1990, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada on the advice of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Berntson served as Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate from 1994 to 1997. He resigned his seat in the Senate on February 27, 2001.
Eric Berntson died at Ottawa, Ontario on September 23, 2018.
Custodial history
Some of these records were transferred to the Regina office, Saskatchewan Archives via the ministerial office of Patricia A. Smith in one accession in 1991: R91-242 (August 28, 1991). Berntson's records were later separated out from those created by Smith and accessioned as R91-356.
Some of these records were transferred to the Regina office, Saskatchewan Archives via the Saskatchewan Legislative Library in one accession in 1992: R92-190 (August 7, 1992).
Scope and content
This fonds consists of a small volume of records created, accumulated and used by Eric Berntson from 1980 to 1990 in his political career as Minister of Agriculture; Minister of Economic Development and Trade; Minister Responsible for Agricultural Development Corporation of Saskatchewan (AGDEVCO); Minister Responsible for Saskatchewan Mining Development Corporation (SMDC); Minister Responsible for Crown Investments Corporation (Crown Management Board) of Saskatchewan; and Minister of Economic Development and Tourism.
This fonds has been arranged into six series: Minister of Agriculture; Minister of Economic Development and Trade; Minister Responsible for Agricultural Development Corporation of Saskatchewan; Minister Responsible for Saskatchewan Mining Development Corporation; Minister Responsible for Crown Investments Corporation (Crown Management Board) of Saskatchewan; and Minister of Economic Development and Tourism.
No sub-series have been assigned to the series.
This fonds contains public and political records.
The Minister of Agriculture series includes a small volume of records relating to agricultural issues created by Berntson in 1980 and 1981 as MLA for Souris-Cannington.
The types of records included are correspondence, briefing notes, memoranda, reports, publications, agendas, legislation, news releases, an audio cassette and a videotape.
The fonds is missing the majority of the records Berntson created in the portfolios noted above. Also missing is MLA and constituency material, Opposition files and records created by Berntson as Deputy Premier, Provincial Secretary and Minister Responsible for various agencies, boards and commissions.
Notes area
Physical condition
Records are in good physical condition.
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Arrangement reflects both original order and archival intervention. Series titles supplied by archivist. File titles provided by records creator except where indicated in square brackets.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
These records are subject to access restrictions. Please consult reference archivist for assistance.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Use, publication and/or reproduction of records are subject to terms and the conditions of the Copyright Act. Please consult reference archivist for assistance.
To consult the records, visit or contact the Regina office.
Finding aids
SAFA 265 consists of a fonds description, file listings of textual records and item descriptions of the audio cassette. The electronic finding aid consists of a file level database for textual records and item level descriptions of the audio cassette and videotape. Please consult reference archivist for assistance.
Uploaded finding aid
Associated materials
Related material: Records created by Berntson from 1983 to 1985 as Minister of Economic Development and Trade are located in the Bob Andrew fonds (F 429).
Records created by Berntson as Minister Responsible for Crown Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan are located in the Lorne Hepworth fonds (F 419).
Records created by Berntson as Minister of Agriculture; Minister Responsible for Saskatchewan Water Corporation; and Minister Responsible for Souris Basin Development Authority are located in the Harold Martens fonds (F 448).
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
General note
Location for retrieval: Regina - Hillsdale.
Conservation
Archival staff replaced the original file folders with acid-free folders. Metal clips, elastic bands and other fasteners were removed, and newspaper clippings and facsimiles were photocopied. Large, unmanageable files were split into smaller parts.
Alpha-numeric designations
Audio cassette: R-16089
Videotape: VT R-13840
Alternative identifier(s)
Original ID
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Control area
Description record identifier
F 303
Institution identifier
Rules or conventions
Saskatchewan Archives. Archival Description Manual 2004.
Status
Final
Level of detail
Language of description
- English
Script of description
- Latin
Sources
Content of the fonds.