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YORKTON - It is forever interesting how inter-connected things can be with a community.

Take canola – that yellow-flowered field crop which covers thousands of acres of farmland every year in the region – and how it is now so completely woven into the very fabric of Yorkton.

Of course most will recognize the general importance of agriculture to the community. Yorkton was basically established to serve area farmers more than a century ago, and largely that remains its primary reason for existence. Take away area farms and much of Yorkton would disperse as well.

Canola is now the key crop for Saskatchewan farmers – so it has a major impact locally. When canola crops are good, and prices strong, the Yorkton economy benefits.

And it goes beyond farm sales too, as we all know from the existence of two large canola crush facilities which employs many locally, and thus impacts the economy as well.

But, those plants have very much influenced this beyond their own footprint in the city.

Take for example the recent launch of an Indigenous-led canola crushing program at Suncrest College in the city.

The ‘Introduction to Canola Crushing Careers’ is a new program built on a partnership with the Yorkton Tribal Council (YTC) (see page A1 for details), and obviously such a job training opportunity would not exist here if not for those thousands of acres of canola already mentioned.

“The goal of the program is to provide a foundation of knowledge about canola, oilseeds, the crushing process and why this industry is thriving in Canada. With this knowledge base, the students are now the ideal candidates for positions within the Canadian oilseed crushing industry,” said Greg Tomcala, Suncrest College Applied Research Coordinator, who will be instructing the program.

It is the sort of development which makes so much sense since it builds on such a solid foundation of agriculture.

Then there was the open house last week giving residents an early look at developing plans for a multi-million dollar wastewater treatment plant in the city.

A significant aspect of the plan is to build capacity to service ‘wet agriculture processing’ facilities such as the twin canola plants already here, said Connor Hunt – Director of Environmental Services, with the city.

The two plants have seemingly been in a constant state of expansion, and that means a need for more water and dealing with more wastewater.

Again it shows just how canola impacts things locally. It’s economic impact requires the city ensure infrastructure exists to support it both today and into the future.