- Media Release by DAVID MARK, Mayor of Nokomis
October 12, 2022
To all those concerned:
The Town of Nokomis has been working hard in the past number of years to bolster growth and keep our community strong. The latest improvements have connected our rural community to three fiber-optic networks that deliver the same internet capacity available in downtown Saskatoon, Calgary, and even Toronto.
We offer gratitude to our ratepayers and business community, both here in town and in the RM of Wreford, for their support in keeping Nokomis a viable community. We would also like to recognize and set apart our local Last Mountain Co-op Food Store and staff as essential ingredients in making the community prosperous. This letter is by no means a critique of their hard work and dedication.
On August 25th, Nokomis experienced the sudden closing of one of our other essential services - LMC Gas Bar & Agro Centre - located on Hwy #20 and 2nd Ave W. The Town received no advance notice. No discussions between LMC and the Town had been held, despite the huge impact the closure would have. Since then, full- and part-time positions were posted, with a closing date of September 23rd.
Town Council asked to meet with the LMC Board and GM, and were invited to a meeting in Raymore on October 6th. Council's desire was to share our concerns as well as our overall vision for our community. We also wished to hear what the LMC Board's vision is for their continued presence in Nokomis, and the status of filling the positions.
What Council learned is that the GM has "started" interviews. He was unwilling to agree that he could begin training staff and have the Gas Bar and Agro Centre re-opened even with reduced hours prior to the end of October. He stated that the "right" person needed to be found.
LMC has argued in a letter released to Nokomis on August 29th that staffing is a widespread issue. However, the community knows that several applications came directly from Nokomis people. The LMC website has a page lauding its commitment to "Career Development." Why, given how difficult it can be to fill positions, is the GM not acting to get available people trained and made into fantastic team members? Why wait for the "right" person? Why not develop the persons who are willing and able?
We also question why the experienced Food Store manager cannot be used to assist in the development of the new manager-trainee at the Gas Bar? Would it not also be possible to utilize other part-time staff at the Food Store to increase their overall hours, and thus their earnings, if no suitable candidates are found among existing Gas Bar applicants?
At our October 6th meeting, we also learned that the Board is unwilling or unable to articulate their long-term vision and commitment regarding Nokomis. Council finds this to be especially concerning.
Nokomis is the same local economy that hosts the new joint venture between Federated Co-op Limited and Blairs Fertilizer. One Co-op asset grows as another withers due to short-term thinking and poor forward planning.
We are asking LMC to consider their responsibility to the local community in light of the following questions. We
expect LMC to provide answers, as well as action, no later than October 28th, 2022.
Why is there no proper notice to those traveling on highways #20 and #15, warning people there is no retail gas for sale in town? People travel to, and through, Nokomis for personal and business reasons. Without Nokomis their next option for fuel is Strasbourg, Watrous, Raymore or Lanigan.
Why is there no notice at the closed Gas Bar that Cardlock Gas is available on Highway #15? The LMC argues the Cardlock is there for service. Yet, how many people have LMC Cardlock cards? What about those without LMC Cardlock cards? Will their Cardlock card (from a different Co-op) work at Nokomis Cardlock? People who depend on cash or POS credit or debit payments at this point have no option.
Why are community members who have ordered a LMC Cardlock Gas card waiting over a month to receive it - only to find it doesn't work on arrival?
What are our Health Care Workers (Homecare Staff, CCAs, Nurses and Technicians) to do for gas when they start and end their day in a community with no gas for sale? Their workday involves traveling to neighbouring communities that also have no gas for sale!
Dr. B.K. Lim's practice brings thousands of people through the community year-round, many of whom are from outside of the Last Mountain Co-op. Will they risk running out of gas on a doctor's trip?
Is LMC committed to developing and improving the Nokomis Agro Centre and Gas Bar, or is the intent just to let it die? Does the LMC intend to sit on their commercial property, alongside a provincial highway yet in the heart of our community, and ignore their environmental obligations regarding their aging underground fuel tanks? Will the LMC let this important local business die, through an administrative loop-hole, leaving the aging tanks behind for the community to deal with?
Why is it not understood that the Cardlock option is NOT an adequate long-term substitute for the Nokomis Gas Bar, given the community's geographic location and the amount of business it draws?
The Town of Nokomis refuses to follow scarcity thinking that says “It's just a matter of time" or "The Cardlock is good enough". Nokomis, alongside a number of communities and RM's, find themselves at the doorstep of the world's largest and most advanced Potash mine, BHP's Jansen Lake Project. BHP is actively looking to work with communities to prepare them for accepting new residents working on their site through construction and into the future of operations. Finally the time has come to take advantage of the infrastructure and opportunities on our doorstep!
If LMC does not see community responsibility to be an issue, is LMC content to lose gas customers, not to mention local agro product purchasers, to other institutions?
We now look to the support of all Nokomis and area community members, as well as concerned government
representatives, to help restore this vital service! Take action today and ask your Last Mountain Co-op the questions we've been asking!
-Sincerely on behalf of Council, David Mark Mayor- Town of Nokomis
