The Canadian government implemented the Post-Discharge Re-Establishment Order in 1941 as a program to help returning soldiers reintegrate into the general population.
The hope was to avoid the chaotic discharge that happened at the end of the First World War. The order contained an education component that gave veterans financial incentives to return to school.
All tuition and fees were paid by the government plus a monthly stipend.
Many of the returning veterans enrolled in an accelerated entry program that began in January 1946. The first year of university could be finished by taking classes successively in the winter, inter — and summer sessions.
The student population of the University of Saskatchewan exploded with returning soldiers. In the fall of 1944 enrolment was 1,530, but it reached 4,195 by 1946.
The U of S acted quickly to accommodate the sudden influx. Some students with families were housed at the former RCAF training base near the Saskatoon Airport.
Accommodation for single female veteran was organized by the YWCA and located at Saskatoon’s downtown Badminton Club, which had served as a Canadian Women's Army Corps barracks during the war.