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Weekly UpdatesIn 1971, Lyle Stewart was a young but eager doorknocker. Nearly four decades later, his accomplishments resonate of experience and maturity.
Stewart seriously forayed into politics in 1999; Thunder Creek elected him as its MLA. By the time he donned the Enterprise mantle, Stewart had clearly defined goals.
"I wanted to create the impression that we are truly open for business in this province, that we welcome investments and the jobs and spin-offs that investment brings with it," he says.
"We don't believe that government is the main engine of growth. Government is a provider of services," he adds.
A farmer born and raised in Pense, Saskatchewan, Stewart is well positioned to recognize the province's issues and needs.
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"The unique thing about Saskatchewan is that we have all the resources that every other place wants--oil and gas, mining, agriculture, the nuclear cycle," says Stewart. "But the wrong attitude and signals were sent from government to the private sector. That precluded the development of those resources and the prosperity that we see now."
When Enterprise Saskatchewan was carved out of Economic Development and Industry and Resources, attitudes were transformed, "We have people over there now who are absolutely dedicated to economic development in this province. We could not have achieved what we did without their co-operation," says Stewart,
To continue this momentum, we need increased power. While hydro, solar and wind power are useful, they cannot yet produce enough to sustain our needs. We need a combination of base load resources: clean coal, gas and nuclear.
"Our power supply is being met on a hand-to-mouth basis," explains Stewart. "There hadn't been any planning for growth or for the obsolescence of our current power fleet and aging infrastructure."
As he passes the Enterprise mantle on to Minister Cheveldayoff, Stewart will remain focused on his passion: economic development. "I was the luckiest man in the province for the last 18 months while I had this portfolio," he says.
"I am so pleased to have been able to make that contribution on behalf of my province that 1 care about."
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