Changes to rural life impacts all of us
Childhood memories are beautiful, but does that way of life still really exist in Sask.?
When people ask me where I am from, I usually say Weyburn — the small city tucked in the southeast corner of the province.
But it would be more accurate to say I grew up on a farm, five kilometres from Goodwater. This is where I attended an elementary school with 60 kids. It's where I took skating lessons at the natural-ice rink community members took turns running.
Fall suppers and funerals were run out of an elderly town hall. Community ladies threw me a bridal shower in the basement of the United Church, bringing their best china and flowers from their gardens.
These memories are beautiful, even romantic. But does this way of life still really exist?
When the province was founded in 1901, about 15.6 per cent of the population lived in urban areas. Now, that number sits at about 66.7 per cent, and indications are that will continue to rise.
Prairie life, Saskatchewan life, has shifted to a more urban existence. Goodwater still is alive, in part due to infusions for the active oil industry in the area, but the school, the rink, the church, the grain elevator and many other of its features are gone.
The pieces that make up our Abandoned Saskatchewan project explore the province's attachments to its rural roots, and ask a tough question: Do we have an accurate image of ourselves?
Kevin Mitchell provided the seed of thought for this project, as he proposed a piece about visiting his now-abandoned childhood home. He writes with the emotion and clarity that has earned him praise on the national level for his writing and reporting.
Reporter Phil Tank crunches the numbers for us, and looks at the shift in farm ownership from the family farm to larger, industrial operations.
What happens when you are the last couple living in your hometown? Matt Olson tells the fascinating story of Keith and Beverly Hagen in the town of Scotsguard. Matt also has taken a look at how access to health care has changed as the population has moved in to larger centres. He put together a piece on rural churches, which are so precious to community members they have often been moved along with residents when they relocated.
Farming and agriculture is part of Saskatchewan's provincial identity, and is foundational to its economy. The face of that industry, however, has undergone a profound shift.
Nick Pearce joined Phil Tank in looking at the changing face of farming. He also explores the reasons a Prairie icon, the grain elevator, has been so difficult to preserve.
We have also seen a shift in how we view those who transformed Saskatchewan's landscape into farmland. The word “settler” has come to mean something different as we come to terms with how Indigenous people were treated during our history. Starphoenix/leader-post columnist Doug Cuthand addresses his experiences with First Nations and the purchase of farmland in Saskatchewan.
Photographers Matt Smith, Michelle Berg and freelancer Jordan Mitchell have done a fantastic job capturing visuals and video for the project. Acting managing editor Andrea Hill needs credit for producing and editing this large, detailed project over the past year.
Saskatchewan's identity crisis has grown slowly — and many of us may not have recognized the change that has already taken place. One area where it has become clear, however, is in the political sphere. Voters were clearly split, as the rural areas wholeheartedly supported the Saskatchewan Party, while the NDP came up with wins and created close races in urban centres.
When it comes to rural life, there are questions to be asked. What have we lost? What can we hold onto? What do we need to see in a more realistic way?
Understanding our past, and our present, will help us see where we are headed in the future. Abandoned Saskatchewan's aim is to help us on that journey.