Skip to content

Acknowledge the ‘D’ word

I walked to a nearby business Sunday to buy coffee for Jayne Foster and myself as we put in a lonely shift to ensure crazy deadlines, in a week with a holiday smack in the middle, are met.

I walked to a nearby business Sunday to buy coffee for Jayne Foster and myself as we put in a lonely shift to ensure crazy deadlines, in a week with a holiday smack in the middle, are met.

As I walked up to the till a man in front of me was purchasing a huge armload of fireworks. “Yikes,” I thought, “I certainly hope he’s going to be careful with those.” The Department of the Environment has banned the lighting of fireworks in all campgrounds and provincial forests because it is so amazingly dry, everywhere.

There have been reports of significant rain here and there, but it certainly hasn’t been general. I have noted on several occasions a decent shower in North Battleford doesn’t mean Battleford will be gifted likewise. There will be puddles on the north side of the river and the pavement not even wet on the south.

The parched earth quickly soaks up what little falls, and the hot, relentless sun that follows, quickly burns the moisture away.

There are even faint whispers of the “D” word, which governments seem so reluctant to use. That’s probably because by actually acknowledging drought, the agencies have to get to work to figure out what needs to be done to provide relief to those affected. Never mind that cattle producers have known for weeks they will have little or no feed to store up for the winter.

I can sense another “Hay West” movement brewing, while government agencies drag their feet about putting their drought relief programs into effect.

You don’t have to look any further than the canola crop along Territorial Drive near the river to see how the situation is affecting crops. Germination is spotty, development is delayed and the weeds are flourishing.

Keeping the garden and lawn watered are constant tasks and it is evident, while driving around the community, many have given up and decided to let nature take its course.

The North Battleford Fire Department recently lifted its open fire ban for the third time this summer.  NBFD always admonishes residents to be careful with any fire, however. Why anyone would want to light an open air fire in an urban setting is beyond me. Stick to your fire pits, folks.

Lifting the ban may have been premature given the ongoing hot dry weather we’ve been experiencing, with little change on the horizon.

Rain is in the forecast for Canada Day, but please, if you’re using fireworks to celebrate, use the utmost caution. A wildfire is devastating to people, wildlife and the landscape. Don’t be the source of one.