Â鶹ÊÓƵ

What impact has Covid-19 had on the town in 2020 and how has the community been dealing with it?

In Kipling, we have been extremely fortunate that there has been little direct contact with the virus. While there have been two cases that I have heard of, neither had serious issues for those who were infected and, even better, there was no community transmission. This was, in large measure, I believe, due to the diligence that people are taking with regard to safety. 

Even those who believe that the whole situation has been blown out of proportion, and there some of those, are taking precautions in order to prevent any of our more vulnerable residents from falling prey to the illness. That is laudable, and it is certainly my wish that it continue. 

We have scaled back certain activities, in accordance with the SHA (Saskatchewan Health Authority) guidelines. The curling club has suspended all of this season as they felt that it would be impossible to safely allow this sport. The skating rink has limited practice groups and has definitely increased cleaning procedures. As I understand it, at this time, games have been disallowed by SHA, but those in charge have plans afoot to re-establish these when allowed. 

The community centre can only have small groups, therefore there have been no banquets or other large gatherings. Churches have largely gone to virtual services to accommodate the needs of their parishioners. Individual families are generally staying home and visiting with extended families via phone, text, email, FaceTime, or Skype. 

A truly satisfying element has been the number of people who are checking on neighbours, and even providing meals to singles or those who are less able or less inclined to cook well for themselves. Note should be taken of our town staff. It is not always easy to provide the needed (and as possible the wanted) services during a pandemic, but our staff, both office and outside have worked tirelessly to see that everything within the town has been as normal as possible. 

What do you see for the future for your town in 2021?

2021 is beginning with a bit of the gloom left over from 2020, but also with a sense of optimism. While there is no doubt that some of the town’s projects were back-burnered in a just-in-case mode, we are now looking at reinvigorating our efforts to do improvements within the town. 

Water and sewer upgrades and rebuilds have been ongoing for a number of years. The lagoon project has been completed. We are over a year with the new water plant (a project that saw a change in water source to deep wells as well as the extension and complete revamping of the water treatment system) and the results are well worth the time and money that it took. Replacing somewhat antiquated water meters was on the agenda for 2020, but will begin in 2021. 

There will be other needed upgrades done over time to continue to bring all of the systems up to date. Recreational facilities were not forgotten in 2020 with improvements happening in the swimming pool. Several initiatives are on the drawing board, and indeed well into the planning stage for the rinks. These should see much improved access to the building as well as needed upgrades to the dressing rooms and bathroom areas. 

Of course, there is always interest in more being done, and, with the new council, planning will be done to facilitate changes that, while not necessarily happening in 2021, will set the stage for years to come.

What improvements do you see for Kipling in 2021?

In 2021, it is my fervent hope that we can return to some of the normal or pre-pandemic activities while keeping some of the improvements in caring and attitude that seems to have come about. More of our community has embraced food security by getting into gardening and canning/freezing. This has been a bonus for the health of the people, not only with the fresh food but also with the sunshine and exercise that went along with growing it.

I hope that we won’t slip back into forgetting to check that there are lights on in homes where only single persons live, that we will continue to think about the food bank and those who depend upon it, that we will keep that small-town closeness that has allowed many to thrive in what would otherwise be a dark and dreary time. That’s what made our communities survive many years ago, and that is what can again be a light to help us going forward. 

I would be amiss if I didn’t also hope that some of the regional projects that seem to be slightly stalled can get vibrant again. It would be wonderful if some of our efforts with regard to economic development would come to fruition in 2021, and it is up to the council and staff to work towards this. 

What message would you like to send out to your community?