Those in the community of Dundurn and Thode are banning together and speaking up for the place they call home after frustrations with the potential future of Blackstrap Lake.
Over 500 people have signed a petition against proposed zoning bylaw changes in Thone and Dundurn which would reduce the minimum separation distances required between Intensive Livestock Operations (ILO) and residences, communities, and Blackstrap Lake, which is a part of the Saskatoon southeast water supply system.
Anyone operating would not need to consult the affected communities.
The petition was started by Vanessa Ursel, who says that while ILOs are an important part of agriculture in the province, it is important to maintain a safe distance to minimize impact on communities’ quality of life, ecosystems and property values.
“This can all co-exist with proper distance requirements,” Ursel said. “We aren’t talking about kilometres away, we’re talking about metres away behind us, where we’re sloped directly towards the lake and the sub-basins fed toward the lake.”
Ursel is urging the RM to increase the separation distances by 1000 meters.
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Ursel started the petition after she said she got no responses to questions she had on the changes from the RM.
“A message needs to be sent that the people’s voices matter and that we need to take it into account that our environment matters, that our water matters and that people can work together with respectful boundaries and making sure that proper distances and laws regulate what we need,” she said.
Other members of the community have come out in support of the petition including Marlene Schwenker.
Schwenker and other residents of the village say contamination from runoff would mean the water would no longer be usable in a system they use all year round.
“It’s been part of this landscape, part of this community since the inception of the community,” she explained. “It’s terrifying to me. I can’t put it any other way.”
In a statement from the RM of Dundurn on the proposed zoning bylaw, they said “the changes prescribed within these bylaws are proposed to provide the RM Council with opportunities for comprehensive and efficient land use policy that aligns with the desire for informed decision making.”
The RM went on to say it worked with a planning consulting firm to complete the new Zoning Bylaw and OCP in a manner that exceeds the requirements of the Community Planning Branch of Government Relations.
“At present, the RM of Dundurn does not have any active applications for new ILO or expansions of existing operations.”
Ursel hopes the RM responds to her call and to those that have voiced their concerns through the petition to help preserve a thriving community that continues to grow.
“Contact your officials, talk to people about it because right now it’s affecting Thode, it could affect anyone in the whole RM,” she said.
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