cityhall

Swift Current City Hall

A contingent from the City of Swift Current made a trip to Billings, Montana earlier this month to continue discussions on the southwest corridor.

Deputy Mayor Ryan Plewis said if they want improvements they need to be on the same page, “I don't think the right way to think about this is us or them sort of venture. I think probably realistically what we need to do is say as a region pick a route, pick a highway we're going to support in terms of having an investment into infrastructure and we need to pick a port that we're going to need to get behind”

Plewis adds that not speaking with one voice would make it easier for other politicians to ignore their requests, “The most important thing we can do again is speak with one voice. It's two easy for different politicians at different levels, whether at Provincial or Federal, to not make a decision based on investment when people in the same region can't even agree on it”

There has been talk of the commercial port going on Highway 4 and Highway 37.

Plewis said it's most likely that they won't get both, “In an ideal world obviously everyone would have everything but this is a world with finite resources and different levels of government who make different decisions.”

The two countries have been working to develop a 24-hour commercial port here in the southwest for a number of years

Colin Powers talks with Deputy Mayor Ryan Plewis