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Senator Batters makes a pitch

Saskatchewan Senator Denise Batters made a pitch for Estevan and southeast Saskatchewan last week when she addressed the Canadian Senate and the public with thoughts on the current provincial and Canadian economy.

Saskatchewan Senator Denise Batters made a pitch for Estevan and southeast Saskatchewan last week when she addressed the Canadian Senate and the public with thoughts on the current provincial and Canadian economy. 

Regina-based Batters, the widow of Estevan-born MP David Batters, spoke in the Senate on Feb. 23. She said her connections to Estevan and southern Saskatchewan were real and close to her heart, not only being her husband’s home city but also where she first practiced law and where they were married. 

“Estevan is also at the heart of Saskatchewan’s economy,” Batters said. “It is the energy capital of Saskatchewan, a normally bustling, thriving, entrepreneurial place. Many say it is a microcosm of Calgary.

“Most significantly, the people of Estevan are hurting. Unemployment is on the rise and families face an uncertain future. Employment Insurance benefits of those who have lost jobs are about to run out.” 

Batters noted, however, Estevan is also known as the sunshine capital of Canada, for good reason. 

“Its people are resilient, they are optimistic and they are hopeful their oil industry will once again thrive. There is hope on that vast Prairie horizon — the Energy East pipeline. It would allow the West’s oil resources to flow to Eastern Canada and on to new markets. Communities like Estevan — communities built on hard work and entrepreneurial spirit — would be able to capitalize on these new markets to better weather the current economic slump.” 

Given the advantages of the Energy East pipeline, Batters said she would expect the current government to leap on the opportunity to break ground yet the “sunny ways campaign doesn’t extend to Saskatchewan’s communities.”