Rural Saskatchewan people always seem to be facing an uphill battle, even if they don鈥檛 spend much time thinking about.
Most rural folks are just too damn business trying to eke out a living 鈥� whether they are farming or operating a small rural business trying to keep their customer base at 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 麻豆视频ey area residents battling Yancoal over a $3.6-billion solution potash mine that has the support of Premier Brad Wall鈥檚 Saskatchewan Party government.
The pitched battled made its way to the legislature earlier tis month, when some 70 local residents came to tell their story.
鈥淭en years ago the province was begging to have a community like ours, now they are set to destroy it,鈥� 麻豆视频ey businessman Neil Wagner told reporters. 鈥淥ur concern is about the environmental impact this is going to have and that鈥檚 our issue with it.鈥�
And according to 麻豆视频ey 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-versus-Goliath story.
Yancoal has already secured a license to use Buffalo Pound reservoir聽 (Regina鈥檚 water source, so city residents have a dog in this fight, as well) in the neighbour of 11 and 12 million cubic metres of water annually.
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鈥檚 safety being put at risk.
鈥淚f this could happen to us, every farmer in the province should notice,鈥� said Karla Hegglin, another area farmer. 鈥淚t could happen to them, as well.鈥�
Many of these residents are taken aback by the approach of the Sask. Party government 鈥� normally, ever mindful of its rural support.
However, the group expressed its disappointment with Last Mountain-Touchwood 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.
鈥淭his community may need to look at possibly sacrificing themselves because the government needs the resource money right now,鈥� Wagner said, paraphrasing Hart at a meeting. 鈥淗e mentioned it at the beginning of the meeting and he repeated it at the end of the meeting.鈥�
Hart denied saying 鈥渁nything like that鈥� but snippets of a tape recording of the meeting have leaked out, suggesting the 麻豆视频ey residents aren鈥檛 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鈥檛 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 鈥渂roken鈥� 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 they these people think they have a chance at winning.
But in spirit of rural people, the 麻豆视频ey farmers seem to have an answer.
鈥淚f you feel you鈥檙e too small to be effective: Have you ever been in a room with a mosquito in the dark?鈥� said business owner and resident Thera Nordal. 鈥淲e will continue to make noise until our voices are heard.鈥�
Murray Mandryk has been covering provincial politics for over 22 years.
