Time tells the story
Mr. Steele would undoubtedly roll over in his grave with disgust if he were to know the Goat Trail was only marginally better today then in 1885 when he and his Scouts first traveled the area. The year is now 2009 we have technology, we have industry, we have oil based products like asphalt, (real asphalt, not the cold pour impostor) and we have governments. By that I mean we have had many elected MLA’s with different political stripes some with the Government of the day and some not. Once we even had a minister of Highways, all of whom addressed the up grading of the Goat Trail, some even went as far as to tease us with surveying and brushing of the right of way. Yes sir folks the new Trail is coming to town just put your check mark in the black square on the left side of the ballot, and if you don’t have a ride we will send a fleet of 4 wheel drives to make sure you make it to the polling station, or pull you with a cat or tractor if the trail is particularly bad on that day. Today Highway 21 is not a prioritized project as a matter of fact it is not even in the new 5 year rolling plan. A plan which apparently gives road builders the confidence to purchase new equipment. Which means what? To take years to complete short stretches of highway like highway 26 north of St Walburg or the portion of highway 21 south of Maidstone these roads have been under construction for years moving massive amounts of earth, causing impassable conditions during adverse weather conditions and what is the real purpose in moving so much earth, is it creative road building or an economic stimulus these construction zones certainly appear environmentally unfriendly. As for the Goat Trail we have been looking for an upgrade, we are interested in retaining the unique scenic atmosphere as the trail winds it way through the Lake Country, not opening the forest to a gaping 300 meter straight line gash. Today it appears nothing has any intrinsic value. Our politicians have no foundation and very little or no credibility. The lip service they pay us is just that, the moral renewal we thought was coming is a myth and a lie, we are left only to ridicule and find humour in what we already knew, but some where in the back of our minds we hopped for the positive change we know needs to happen. As we know only to well the first little piglet to the trough always gets well fed, it is very unfortunate today all our purpose appears to be monetary. The Goat Trail leads to Ministikwan Lake a tourist destination point although anyone who values their equipment refuses to drag it over the Trail which translates to less business, which seems a little ironic since the government is sponsoring road builders to purchase new equipment yet they refuse to see the value in keeping tourism alive, let alone cater to Chief Leslie Crookedneck and his First Nation who have also been actively requesting upgrading on the Trail. Pierceland too have raised many highway #21 concerns over the years one individual even wrote a book about the road and a few years back CBC Radio Regina even sponsored a writing contest with Highway #21 as the theme, all of which continues to fall on deaf ears. Time always tells the story we have all endured the road of yesterday and today hopefully good news is in the future for Ministikwan Lake. |
