Estevan is the envy of other Saskatchewan centres on a number of fronts. One thing I know for sure, those other communities get real jealous when they look over the fence and see us with our toys.
A couple of recent community projects like the Soldiers’ Tree and the Summer Games brought this fact to mind.
Do you realize the kind of equipment we have running around this kingdom of ours is truly envied by many others.? I know this as fact.
I have a friend who used to be in the hauling and big construction business and when he paid us a visit a few years ago, one of his requests was for me to take him on a tour of our excavation and hauling hotspots because he had heard a few rumours at various workshops that Estevan was a place to see if you were interested in doing things big. And yes, it was a jaw dropper for him as we spun around to Peterson and Turnbull and over to Baxters and Dayman and then to the places with pickers and cranes like Skylift and the list went on. Every day, ho hum sights for those of us who had become jaded with the sights and sounds of huge trucks hauling coal, and draglines digging dirt, and rig haulers setting up business on a new drilling site. But for him, it was like a child’s first visit to the circus. He loved viewing the “stuff.”
So we go mining, drilling, excavating, trucking, building and picking with these trucks, cranes, buckets, winches and rigging and don’t spend two seconds contemplating the true advantage we have. Yes, it’s expensive equipment, and it’s in our backyard. We don’t have to make long distance phone calls and wait for it to arrive from Louisiana or Edmonton. It can be at our back door in a half-hour, give or take a coffee break.
And we have the people who know how to operate the “stuff.”
I still chuckle when Regina folks talk about their Wascana Lake Big Dig of a few years ago and making the observation that one Estevan dragline could have taken care of that entire project in half a day. Of course, it might have been a little messy around Wascana Park for a few days after, but you get the picture, don’t you? The equipment used for the Regina project was Tinker Toyland for the locals.
So, the next time you want to take our big equipment for granted, or want to complain about how the heavy haulers are ruining our roads, stop and think about the alternatives.
You can shovel for 23 hours and hurt your back, or call up one of our skid steer or front-end loader or trencher guys, and git ‘er dun in 38 minutes. Of course it will cost you a few bucks. And that leads me to my next step.
These people who are dealing with our resources are the true contributors to the gross domestic product of our province and country. They don’t push paper. They push dirt and gravel and reveal valuable commodities and build roads and other things. Yes, we need paper shufflers, because “the job is never complete until the paperwork is done,” but without production, there is no need for paperwork. We must remind ourselves of that.
On a closing note, dear diary, I know I have to make up my mind soon regarding my de-railed run for mayor. I have 26 confirmed votes. That may not be enough. I think the odds are better for a Senate appointment. Maybe I’ll check with Sunny Ways Sequel to see what my
odds are.
