By TERRY PUGH
Two incumbent councillors with the RM of Corman Park have confirmed they’ll be seeking re-election in the upcoming November 13 civic vote.
And both councillors say their focus is on maintaining and improving infrastructure in all areas of the large rural municipality surrounding the City of Saskatoon.
Division 3 Councillor Lyndon Haduik and Division 7 Councillor Calvin Vaandrager told the Gazette in separate interviews that keeping the approximately 800 kilometers of gravel roadways in good shape has to be a priority.
But, it’s also an expensive undertaking that requires a lot of planning. The RM is divided into 12 zones, with a dedicated operator and grader assigned to each zone. During favourable conditions, the graders are out in the zones on a standard rotation of anywhere from two to three weeks, with high-volume roads being graded more frequently.
Both Haduik and Vaandrager suggest one way to help keep a lid on road maintenance costs is for the RM to have more control over its sources of gravel. Currently, the RM of Corman Park leases several gravel pits, and awards gravel crushing contracts to private contractors through a public tendering process. Approximately 40,000 to 50,000 cubic yards of aggregate are crushed annually.
“The RM owns a lot of land that could potentially provide an excellent source of gravel if it’s managed well,” said Vaandrager, a dairy farmer near Langham who was first elected in 2020. “One of my priorities for the next four years is to work with other councillors to have the RM pursue that option. We could have our own source of gravel for the next couple years, and that should save us some dollars.”
Haduik, a farmer in the Beaver Creek area south of Saskatoon who was first elected to council in 2016, said he’s fully supportive of the RM owning its own gravel sources.
“I’ve been pushing for this for several years,” said Haduik. “It’s something that makes a lot of sense.”
Vaandrager said he learned a lot during his first term on council, and believes that experience will be valuable as the municipality navigates a course over the next four years.
“One term is really not enough,” said Vaandrager, who chaired the council’s public works committee over the past year. “A person is always learning all the time.”
Vaandrager said it’s important to have councillors at the decision-making table who are involved in agriculture.
“I know there is lots more development coming down the road,” he said. “And some of that development has the potential to change the dynamics of Corman Park in the future. But, we have to remember that this is also the biggest dairy-producing area of the province.
“Dairy operations represent tens of millions of dollars in investment, and the only milk processing plant in Saskatchewan is located right in Saskatoon.”
Haduik said he decided to throw his hat in the ring and seek a third term because he believes the municipality can accommodate residential and industrial growth while still maintaining a strong agricultural base.
It’s just a matter of balancing competing interests and working for solutions, he said.
“I like to look at things from different perspectives,” said Haduik.
“I think one of the best qualities a councillor can bring to the table is the ability to be a good listener and to respect other people’s opinions and perspectives.”
Haduik said in every rural municipality, and particularly in one as large and diverse as Corman Park, land use conflicts are inevitable.
But that doesn’t mean they’re insurmountable.
“People are people, and they’re always going to disagree on some things,” said Haduik.
“But there’s a happy medium somewhere, and things can be worked out if we talk to our neighbours and approach things calmly and with an open mind.
“Sometimes it’s just a matter of getting all the facts straight before you reach a conclusion, and considering all the different options.”
Haduik noted that his division has a mix of agricultural, recreational and country residential uses. Balancing all those competing interests requires compromises at times.