聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 To live in rural Saskatchewan these days means to do without something else.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Perhaps this isn鈥檛 so different than the norm in rural Saskatchewan for years.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 This has become the sad reality in a place that鈥檚 faced declining population, and thus, justification for a consecutive government to take away services.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But what鈥檚 always been commendable about rural people is their determination to face such cuts with an intriguing combination of finding a way to develop alternatives or finding ways to confront government to demand better.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In these tough budgetary times when much is again being taken away from rural Saskatchewan folks, they clearly appear to be finding ways to make sure their displeasure is known.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The latest issue of worry for rural Saskatchewan is actually a federal-based problem; changes that might affect the cost of landline telephone services in rural and remote areas.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Last December, the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) decided in December to phase out subsidies to certain landlines, a move that may impact 100,000 people in this province.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t鈥檚 just another bit of money or cash flow off our bottom line, off our profit line. Every time we turn around we鈥檙e paying more,鈥� Wynyard Mayor Erling Brakefield told Jennifer Ackerman of the Regina Leader-Post.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Noting that he already pays $200 a month for landline telephone services, Brakefield is worried about rising costs without any options.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 So what are Brakefield and other rural Saskatchewan people doing? They鈥檙e fighting back, making submissions to the Canadian Radio Telecommunications/Telephone Commission (CRTC) to make their case known.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ackerman in her story wrote that Cutworth area farmers Adeline and Edward Palchinski, don鈥檛 have cell phones or the Internet, but are getting their daughter to make a CRTC submission for them.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚t鈥檚 getting to the point that anything you want, it鈥檚 always higher in price,鈥� Adeline Palchinski told the Leader-Post.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 For its perspective, the CRTC claims a change in subsidy rates automatically means a rate increase because it still regulates customers鈥� rates.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 What seems certain is the CRTC is running headlong into determined rural Saskatchewan people who know all about fighting to keep their way of life.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 We鈥檝e seen it before and we鈥檙e seeing a lot of it now in the opposition to 2017-18 budget, not the least of which is its decision to shut down the 70-year-old Saskatchewan Transportation Company.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 By now we all know that STC hasn鈥檛 made money in 38 years and required massive subsidies.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But that mean its shuttering wasn鈥檛 a big blow to rural people; older people and disabled who may not drive, First Nations people who don鈥檛 have vehicles and farmers, business people and others who required parts and other things that came through STC parcel delivery.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Admittedly, we鈥檙e not seeing a letter-writing campaign from rural Saskatchewan regarding STC.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Some might even observe the anti-STC-closure protests seemed to be generated in the cities; the sit-in protests on the last buses, the challenges before the province鈥檚 Highways Traffic Board and the pot-banging protests in front of the Premier Brad Wall鈥檚 latest fundraising rally.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But make no mistake that rural people have found a very effective way to make their feelings known. A recent Mainstreet/Postmedia poll shows Wall鈥檚 Sask. Party tied at 46 per cent with the NDP among voters outside Regina and Saskatoon.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Admittedly, this represented voters in Moose Jaw, Prince Albert and the north, where the NDP has more traditional support.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But given that three out of four rural voters, proper, voted for Wall鈥檚 candidates, one might think there is a message in all this.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Years of fighting to keep what is theirs has made rural folks very good at finding ways to get their message across.
