Melfort In 2000

FTLComm - Melfort - August 15, 2000

Yesterday I visited two of Melfort's Realtors on behalf of a friend and then drove around this pleasant rural city to see how things are going. My friend a disabled low income person was looking for a modest low cost home in Melfort and this allowed me to see how the housing market is going. About three or so houses at $17,000 were available and most of those are in the core area of the city. Realtors report that there are few new housing starts in Melfort this year but both were working on selling new condominium suites in large complexes. These multi-dwelling units gobble up a lot of land and when they are built remove low cost housing to make room for their construction. Melfort in general relies heavily upon its agricultural service businesses and unlike Tisdale with its manufacturing and industry Melfort has to rely on retail to the farm community. When you consider the three communities each is remarkably diverse and only when seen together present a true picture of this part of Saskatchewan. Nipawin is the tourist capital of the three and its secondary economy is its reliance upon the support of the people of the three aboriginal bands who see Nipawin as its main service community. With this in mind I noticed that Melfort's mall is showing some serious signs of retail stress with three of the four corners in the centre of the mall closed for want of tenants Beside many retail holes in the mall many businesses which were operating a year ago on main street are now closed. The downturn in the rural economy is seriously affecting Melfort. One of the deceptive things about the agricultural economy is that on a day to day basis we are not hearing the discomfort being expressed by farmers because they have their limits as to what they can tolerate. Since this time last year we have seen a succession of farm dispersal sales as both all three communities, Tisdale, Nipawin, and Melfort have experienced auction sales as farms that were once operating have sold out and disappeared. It would be fair to say that more than forty farms that were operational at this time last year have simply ceased to exist their families left and all that they would purchase left with them. In a simple way you must realise that's got to hurt the retail business community. While the retail business is tight, Melfort is not on the rocks, it still offers its people and the community that shops in Melfort a wide range of products and services. Many businesses are doing well just as many are just getting by. GT Mechanical that suffered the fire here in Tisdale last fall, relocated in Melfort has closed its doors and ceased to operate, though this is only one example it is telling that it is a difficult time to start a business in Melfort. If you are a Melfort person or shop in Melfort I would enjoy hearing your view of things and would be eager to print your comments so we all can reflect on the changing marketplace and economic climate as you perceive it. Sincerely Timothy W. Shire PS: The picture at the top of the page was made from a series of hand held pictures with my digital camera of a map of Melfort then pieced together, it is not accurate but was intended rather to represent the extent of the community.