A van full of ladies from Creighton Lodge ventured out Aug. 16 to the mine site operated by Westmoreland Mining LLC.
Most of us have heard about the energy tours that are offered each summer, but very few of us have actually gone on one. So we decided it was time.
We booked the SMILE Services van and we were so lucky to have David Michel as our driver. He is retired from the mines and is very knowledgeable about the coal industry.
Our young tour guide was Kacie Sovdi, a young university student who is employed by the coal mine to provide entertaining and informational tours. Kacie is also fortunate to come from a family of coal mine workers, so she had extra tidbits to keep us engaged in the tour.
We drove to the Westmoreland Coal office and maintenance area. We were able to see how busy everyone is that works behind the scenes ensuring the mines operations run smoothly. We were in awe at how large the machinery used at the mines truly is.
Then we took the gravel road out to the actual coal mining site, where the drag line was in full operation. We sat for a few minutes and watched as the large dragline scooped up the dirt and was on a mission to search for coal.
We drove a little further up the road and saw the coal that was already mined. It was amazing to watch the process and then to realize that they put the land all back to its original form once the mining process is complete and all the coal is removed from the pit.
After the tour we headed to Dairy Queen for ice cream and we reminisced about the days of coal mining in the past. It has always been an industry that is vital to our community.
We all came to the same conclusion: coal miners are hardworking individuals that are the heart of Estevan and we need to continue to fight for the coal industry in Canada. Thank you for such a wonderful tour and for letting us get a glimpse of how important the coal mining industry is.
