Estevan Chamber of Commerce: Trudeau should see Sask.'s hard-hit oil patch

Jackie Wall wishes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could have visited her southeast city a couple of years ago before the impact of the huge oil industry slowdown.

“He didn’t see that every hotel was filled,” said the executive director of the Estevan Chamber of Commerce. “And in the evening, the restaurants were filled and just the vibrancy that was here.”

The Trudeau government has eased employment insurance rules for some areas, but not for most of the hard-hit oil patch in Saskatchewan.

That said, Wall also believes her community is adjusting.

“People are getting used to the new reality,” she said. “They are looking at solutions rather than focusing on (the problem).”

Wall added that she knows the changes to EI would only provide temporary help. She says stakeholders are coming together in Estevan to find new ways to prosper in a world of low oil prices.