REGINA – More than 1,000 acres of pristine, native grassland sits just minutes from the City of Regina.
As of Tuesday afternoon, a quarter of White Butte Trails Recreation Site had been in danger of transforming to a golf course.
So opponents lined up, pens in hand, at a coffee shop to write letters to Parks, Culture & Sport Minister Mark Docherty.
“It’s a beautiful place to go that no one is mowing or fertilizing and it’s 5,000 years old,” said Karen Herriot, who helped organize people online in less than 48 hours.
“Places that are valuable and rare … just protect them.”
From skiers to wildlife enthusiasts, it was a strong and swift push back against a proposal the government said was only in an early planning phase.
“It’s nothing new to the provincial parks system, and therefore we thought it warranted further discussion,” said Twyla MacDougall, the assistant deputy minister. MacDougall wouldn’t name the developer behind the proposal.
‘We’re not going to pursue’
In Tuesday’s question period, Docherty responded to NDP critics of the proposal by saying “no decision has been made” and that there was an obligation to consider any proposals for White Butte, including a golf course.
Minutes later, however, Docherty said he’d heard all he needed.
“I don’t think this is a project we’re going to support.”
It’s a victory for White Butte’s recreational users, who hope to send a message to developers in the future.
“We’re just suggesting golf courses be put in places already disturbed,” Herriot said.
“Places that are valuable and rare, like native prairie, just protect them.”
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