Business View Magazine - October 2018

214 215 development? Mayor Tolmie: “In our strategic planning ses- sion in June, we discussed residential housing for the downtown. How do we get Millennials to the core? Moose Jaw is designed so there are homes and condos and seniors’ housing within walking distance of downtown. And it isn’t much of a trek to get around the city. “To be honest, as Mayor I have to address changing the way we’ve been doing things for the last 50 years, because the population has hovered around 35,000 for that time period. It can be scary for a community that has low unem- ployment, a stable population base, high average income level, and good pricing for homes. In my mind, that presents a good opportunity for growth. People want to live in a stable commu- nity and that’s one of our pluses. As part of our strategic plan, we’ll be rolling out some initiatives for advertising the community–understanding that marketing has changed, and we are now our own media.We live in that world, today.” BVM: What’s happening on the ‘green’ environ- mental front? Mayor Tolmie: “We’ve been working with Sask Polytech and Mack Sun on putting a 10 MW solar farm here; a partnership with the city providing the land, and Sask Polytech helping with Sask Power, and different indigenous groups in the province. That’s a source of alternative energy for the future. Part of our challenge is we have to wait for Sask Power to make that decision, as we’re one of the cities in contention for the project. “When it comes to sustainable water, I look at applications can be applied to crop farming in this community. Agriculture is a huge driver here. Part of my role as Mayor is to foster and encour- age the entrepreneurial spirit, even though I may not understand all the technical aspects. I do know that integrating technology, aviation, and agriculture –bringing all those community as- sets together – is a way forward for Moose Jaw’s future. “Our major employers are a diverse group with a global reach: 15 Wing Military Base, CP Rail, Thunder Creek Pork Plant, Simpson Seeds, Mosaic (Potash), Gibson’s oil refinery, as well as agricul- ture/farming. Unemployment in Moose Jaw is very low and that poses challenges, itself, because there are employers out there looking for workers and that means our population has to grow. It’s a great opportunity for people to move here.” BVM: Is the City encouraging new residential MOOSE JAW, SASKATCHEWAN