Are Small Towns Really Losing Traction—Or Are We Missing the Full Story?
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Sometimes it can feel like our communities are losing traction. But is that really the case, and where do we look for answers?
Across the southwest, there’s been some talk lately about decline, disruption, and the idea that small towns need to be shaken up to survive. But when you look at what’s actually happening on the ground, a very different story emerges—one of adaptation, collaboration, and steady, community‑driven progress.
The darkest period in my lifetime was the loss of our hospital—a huge blow at the time. I remember the conversations well: the town will dry up, people will move away, the community will decline.
Fast forward to today. The hospital didn’t return, but Gull Lake didn’t fold. Instead, we adapted.
The former hospital is now home to Autumn House Independent Living Facility, providing a safe and supportive home for many of the seniors people once feared would have to leave. On the south end of town, the Gull Lake Special Care Centre continues to provide long‑term care for residents who need it. And the Gull Lake Health Centre remains an essential part of our community, supplying medical care with two physicians who serve both local residents and the surrounding area.
Our ambulance personnel now have higher levels of training, greatly improving prehospital emergency care for patients who need to be transported further. And the new Community Paramedicine Program has positioned us ahead of many communities our size. Paramedics now provide home visits, health assessments, medication assistance, wound care, welfare checks, follow‑up care, and connections to additional services—all at no cost to residents who need support in their own homes.
Is the system perfect? No. Even cities struggle. But we’ve held our own because we’ve always chosen to work together.
Why does Gull Lake Ambulance exist today? Because municipalities banded together to operate it. That’s what real community looks like.
And did the town decline after losing the hospital?
No—it did not.
When I first joined council, we had empty lots everywhere and a subdivision sitting still. What happened next? We boosted the visibility of the town, and new homes started coming in. Today, very few empty lots remain, and current councils continue to fill the last of them. I still get calls from people looking for a place to rent, and the truth is it’s not easy—demand is higher than the available housing.
The last census showed a 13% decline, but what we’re seeing on the ground today tells a very different story—steady demand for housing, new families arriving, and ongoing calls from people wanting to move here.
New families arrived, and with them came the Kreative Kidz Early Learning Centre. We now have three major inland grain terminals. Young entrepreneurs have opened new businesses. The Gull Lake Cultural Cooperative is restoring and marketing a downtown heritage building. Our Economic Development and Tourism Committees continue to look for opportunities to grow the town—and that work is showing results.
Today’s Southwest isn’t operating in a digital vacuum either. Our communities are more connected than ever through modern town websites, active municipal Facebook pages, and community‑run social platforms that keep people informed and engaged. Regionally, we’re part of a broader network that includes the Gull Lake & Rural Regional Alliance, the Southwest Saskatchewan Visitor Centre & HUB, the Three Points Economic Partnership, South Saskatchewan Ready (SSR), EVOLVE Shaunavon, and the Southwest Saskatchewan Immigration Partnership (SSIP). These groups share information, promote local opportunities, support newcomers, and help our towns collaborate in ways that simply weren’t possible a decade ago. The digital age hasn’t left small towns behind—it's given us new tools to work together and tell our story.
Our communities aren’t defined by gatekeeping or closed doors. Every year, new volunteers step forward to join boards and committees, and fresh ideas help shape the work we do. Openness to contribution has always been part of the Southwest's character, and it continues to strengthen our towns today.
We don’t ignore challenges or shy away from hard conversations. We work through them together, the same way southwest communities always have—with honesty, collaboration, and a willingness to adapt.
The Gull Lake Campground has seen upgrades that make it more welcoming for visitors. And during the summer, the Gull Lake Museum operates a Visitor Centre that helps showcase our history and draw people into the community.
Even when the Gull Lake Housing Authority sold Price Manor, it filled quickly—another sign of demand, not decline.
And our facilities—the Recreation Complex, Curling Rink, and Lyceum Theatre—continue to operate because volunteers step up year after year to keep them running for the community.
We’re not alone in this. Shaunavon, Eastend, Maple Creek, and many other southwest communities have done the same. We all face challenges, but we meet them the way we always have—together.
We still have work to do, of course, but we’re building from a place of strength, not decline.
Some people think small towns are doomed or that dramatic shakeups are needed to expose problems. But real leadership—the kind we see across southwest Saskatchewan every day—is about identifying problems together, finding solutions together, and working together.
“Building Communities Together” isn’t just a slogan. It’s how every community in southwest Saskatchewan continues to grow, adapt, and move forward.
Blake Campbell
💡 This is just one of the many stories shaping life in Gull Lake.
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Sponsorship Note: This editorial is brought to you by Gull Lake Events. This platform is made possible through the support of my local business, Campbell’s Accommodations. We believe in the importance of local news and are proud to help keep Gull Lake informed and connected.
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