SAIT unveils 53-year-old time capsule found at Heritage Hall

The package is the second time capsule from Donald Kitiuk, a former Calgary brick layer and SAIT instructor.

A time capsule dating back to 1968 has been unearthed at SAIT’s old Heritage Hall building in northwest Calgary.

The capsule was found by a construction crew repairing the soon-to-be 100-year-old building’s stairs. While working, the crew lifted off the steps and found a package rolled up, left behind by a previous brick layer and former instructor at SAIT named Donald Kitiuk.

Michelle Fernandes, SAIT’s associate director of facilities management projects, planning and design, says after they found the package and deemed it safe they knew someone left it to be found.

“When they lifted it (the steps) they thought it was a two-by-four but it was wrapped up plastic,” she said.

Fernandes says she was called over to look at it. “We got called over, we saw the package, it looked like a subway sandwich wrapped in craft paper with lots of question marks all over it!”

Inside the package there were many things from that day, including Canadian Automobile Association magazines, Legion magazines and some other documents.

The package was also addressed to William – Donald’s son – who is also a current instructor at SAIT.

William Kitiuk says he knew about the capsule after his dad told him about it as a kid but never knew when or if it would be unearthed.

“I knew they were under these steps. He told me very specifically they were under the west steps – I had no idea what it was.”

Kitiuk says the timing of finding the hidden package couldn’t be better.

“What an amazing time to find it for the anniversary and today, Dec. 22, is when mom and dad got married in 1949.”

According to William, his dad worked on many buildings throughout Calgary and that this is the second package found, the first unearthed in the walls of the remand centre.

“Mom was telling me she got a call from the remand centre, they had found a bunch of papers in the walls, so they went and sat with mom and went through all the papers. So this is the second one.”

Kitiuk says he wouldn’t be surprised if more turn up over the years to come.

“This is really neat, I’m really looking forward to looking through these.”