It is interesting these days in Yorkton to listen to people lamenting those things which ultimately relate to the economic growth and vibrancy of both our city, and our province.
It should be understood economic growth comes with a few caveats attached.
The first is that there will be a requirement for additional infrastructure to service the engines of growth.
At present we in Yorkton are experiencing a couple of examples of that need for infrastructure, and in both cases residents are often complaining about the inconvenience created by the project.
First there is the work associated with laying in infrastructure along Dunlop Avenue, and on York Road. The work has created detours for weeks now, and people are never happy when a detour gets in their way.
But in this case the work will service the new Parkland College Trades and Technology Centre, which is a major educational development that will serve our city and the region well for decades into the future.
A detour may be inconvenient, but it is one which will take our city to a better future.
Ditto the work being undertaken on Highway #9. The intersection going through a major upgrade is one of the busiest in the city now, and with ever larger semi units, and a growing consumer base, the congestion of the past needed to be addressed.
Then there are the trains.
The numbers of trains passing through Yorkton seem to be growing, as do the lengths of those trains.
No one is happy stopped at a rail crossing as a train passes, yet it is very much a sign of a more vibrant economy.
Expanded potash mines in our area mean more cars carrying the commodity.
A bumper crop in 2013 means more grain cars on the rails.
Two canola crushing plants here mean cars filled with canola meal and oil has to roll through our city.
It is something we should be more accepting of if we want growth here and provincially.
And then there is the odour which wafts over our city from those canola plants when the wind is blowing in the right direction.
Again it is an area of complaint in coffee shops across Yorkton, and while no one will suggest they smell like roses, it could be far worse.
It is again a situation where there are some downsides to processing plants, whether it's an alfalfa dehydrator, oil upgrader, or a canola crusher.
But it is also the smell of jobs, an economic activity, and community vitality.
We in Saskatchewan have long hoped for a more vibrant economy, and now that it is here, we must learn to be a bit more accepting of the challenges which come with such growth in our city.
