Business View - November 2014 113
said. “A lot of places get left behind, but when we de-
cided to move forward we looked for partnerships –
with developers, with the provincial government, with
the school board – that would help us get things done
and allow us to share services.”
Spence said there was some reluctance on the part
of some long-time Warman residents to buy in to the
growth plan, especially since the status quo had been
largely unchanged for several generations. Population
only numbers in the low hundreds through the 1950s,
at which time local affairs were addressed by a rural
municipality.
Incorporation as a village came in the early 1960s and
a town five years later, before city status was granted
by Saskatchewan’s provincial government in 2012.
“There are some who don’t care for it, sure,” she said.
“Once you open the door to growth, you can't shut it.
If residents want services and amenities in their com-
munity, the way to facilitate that is to embrace the idea
of growth and realize the benefits that come with the
extra tax dollars and increase in population. Gradually,
those same people began to embrace the idea as they
began realizing exactly what benefits that Warman
was buying into.”
PUBLIC SECTOR
