MLA Report From
OPINIONS
OPINIONS
OPINIONS
Nancy Heppner
Page 14 - JUNE 30, 2016 - martENsvillE mEssENgEr
Phone: 306-668-1093 Email: [email protected]
Our
Investing in Student
commitment
Success to Keep
68-1093
Email: [email protected]
ne: 306-668-1093
Email: [email protected]
Southey Folk
Fighting Mine
Rural
Saskatchewan
people always seem to
be facing an uphill battle,
even if they don’t spend
much
time
thinking
about. Most rural folks
are just too damn busy
trying to eke out a living,
whether they are farming
or operating a small rural
business, or trying to keep
their customer base at a
time of shrinking rural
populations. But when
their very way of life is
threatened, they fight tooth
and nail.
This is now the case for
Southey area residents
battling Yancoal ove r
a $3.6-billion solution
potash mine that has the
support of Premier Brad
Wall’s Saskatchewan Party
government. The pitched
battle made its way to
the legislature earlier this
month, when some 70 local
residents came to tell their
story. "Ten years ago the
province was begging to
have a community like ours,
now they are set to destroy
it," Southey businessman
Neil Wagner told reporters.
"Our concern is about the
environmental impact this
is going to have and that's
our issue with it."
And
according
to
Southey area farmers
and businesses that will
be directly impacted by
the mine location, there
battle with state-owned
Chinese mining company
is a classic David-versusGoliath story. Yancoal
has already secured a
license to use Buffalo
Pound reservoir (Regina’s
water source, so city
residents have a dog in this
fight,
as
well)
in
the
neighbourhood of
11 and 12 million
cubic metres of
annually.
Provincial
Politics
with
Murray Mandryk
water
But fear of their water
being contaminated is only
the beginning of it for local
residents, who also fear
their property being split,
the loss of wildlife and
even their children’s safety
being put at risk. “If this
could happen to us, every
farmer in the province
should
notice,”
said
Karla Hegglin, another
area farmer. “It could
happen to them, as well.”
Many of these residents
are taken aback by the
approach of the Sask. Party
government,
normally,
ever mindful of its rural
support.
However,
the
group
expressed
its
disappointment with Last
M o u n t a i n - To u c h w o o d
Sask. Party MLA Glen
Hart, who they said
confirmed
that
the
government is willing to
sacrifice their rural way
of life in the name of
economic
development.
"This community may
need to look at possibly
sacrificing
themselves
because the government
needs the resource money
right now,” Wagner said,
paraphrasing Hart at a
meeting. "He mentioned
it at the beginning of the
meeting and he repeated it
at the end of the meeting."
Hart
denied
saying
“anything like that” but
snippets of a tape recording
of the meeting have
leaked out, suggesting the
Southey residents aren’t
far off base.
Moreover,
Economy
Minister Bill Boyd has
since acknowledged he
met with Yancoal as far
back as 2012 and has
pushed for the proposal.
Of equal frustration is the
bureaucratic process, in
which the local residents
say the local rural
municipal don’t have the
capacity to contribute in
the environmental process.
Meanwhile, the residents
feel that Yancoal has done
the absolute minimum in
what the people describe
as a “broken” process.
Finally, but maybe most
significantly, it is a battle
within the community
as well, making this
fight even tougher. The
local area is clearly split
between those farmers
directly affected and those
less directly impacted and
seeing a huge financial
benefit of having jobs and
economic activity next
door.
All this makes for an uphill
battle, causing one to
wonder why these people
think they have a chance
at winning. But in spirit of
rural people, the Southey
farmers seem to have an
answer. "If you feel you're
too small to be effective:
Have you ever been in a
room with a mosquito in
the dark?" said business
owner and resident Thera
Nordal. "We will continue
to make noise until our
voices are heard.”
Quebec loses while Las Vegas wins big at NHL roulette wheel
Saskatchewan
Strong
As another school year
comes to an end, our
government is investing
in students to keep our
education system strong.
Though challenges exist,
we are increasing our
investment in Education
by $157.4 million over last
year and we are adapting
to a new and growing
province by investing in
infrastructure and putting
dollars into the classrooms
where they are needed
most.
The
government’s
investment in infrastructure
includes:
$310.5 million,
an increase of $153.1
million for 18 joint-use
schools being built on nine
sites;
$33.4 million, an
increase of 24 per cent, for
preventative maintenance
and renewal;
$4.6
million
for emergency building
repairs;
$41.9 million for
ongoing capital projects
including schools in St.
Brieux,
Langenburg,
Gravelbourg,
and
Martensville
as
well
as
École
Connaught,
Sacred Heart and the new
Mâmawêyatitân
Centre
replacing Scott Collegiate
in Regina; and
$1.0 million for
school facility assessments.
government’s
to supporting
early education and child
care includes the creation of
810 new child care spaces
being developed as part
of the 18 new elementary
schools currently under
construction on nine jointuse sites in Saskatoon,
Regina,
Warman
and
Martensville.
The 2016-17 Education
Budget increases funding
for classroom supports
by $4.0 million to $288
million.
This includes
supports for students with
intensive needs, students in
vulnerable circumstances
and students who require
English as an additional
language support.
In
addition, $5.4 million of
school operating funding
is being targeted to support
Syrian refugee students.
Having students reach
their full potential in the
classroom continues to be a
priority for our government.
We remain committed to
working with our sector
partners to achieve the goals
set out in The Saskatchewan
Plan for Growth and the
Education Sector Strategic
Plan, including improving
achievements in reading
and leading the country in
graduation rates by 2020.
Investments in
Housing Creating
Jobs in Saskatchewan
The
Government
of
Saskatchewan is committed
to meeting housing need
and encouraging economic
development. Since 2007
our
government
has
invested nearly $700 million
ABOVE: MLA Nancy Hepner
in housing, encouraging an
additional investment of
$1.6 billion and generating
more than 11,000 jobs in
the housing industry.
With our partnerships with
municipalities, builders,
lenders and non-profit
organizations, we are
seeing tangible results of
these investments as we
work to provide housing to
Saskatchewan’s growing
population.
Over half
of the 11,000 jobs were
directly related to the
increased housing activity.
The remaining jobs were
in other industries that
support housing activities
in Saskatchewan.
Additionally, the 201617 Budget saw an
increase of $2.2 million
to Saskatchewan Housing
Corporation, plus $8
million in new money
that has been allocated for
the Graduate Retention
Program First Home
Plan. These investments
will further our poverty
reduction strategy with
improved access to safe and
affordable homes, support
our recent graduates, and
provide job opportunities
in the residential housing
construction sector which
will create security for
people and grow the
economy.
Letter to the Editor
The Martensville Messenger welcomes letters to the editor for publication. Letters must be signed and a phone number and/or email address included so
the writer’s identity can be verified. ALL letters are the opinion of the writer and NOT the Martensville Messenger. We reserve the right to edit letters
for length, clarity or compliance with the current standards of public taste. Submit your letter to [email protected] or jottenbreit@
martensvillemessenger.ca or drop by the Martensville Messenger office at Bay #7 - 301 Centennial Drive North.