SHAUNAVON — Shaunavon, known by locals and others as a “Boomtown,” has seen fluctuations in population since its inception in 1913, but has maintained relatively steady numbers throughout.
At times, the population has boomed, primarily through activity in the oil and gas industry which has drawn people to the community from other parts of Canada. That industry has also led to a transient population with workers relocating to Shaunavon for work, only to leave once the boom is over. However, in recent years, newcomers to Shaunavon have included individuals and families from other provinces who have no connection to oil and gas, or Shaunavon’s other main economic driver, agriculture.
It seems that the community, and other communities in the southwest, have caught the attention of those seeking a different lifestyle from large, urban centres, particularly from British Columbia but other provinces as well.
A recent mayoral candidate in the Shaunavon municipal election was Drew Grainger. Drew and his wife, Shaunna, relocated to Shaunavon in 2022 from White Rock, B.C.
“We had an idyllic life: the kids had finished college, we had the house, the cars and good jobs. But, there was no sense of community,” Shaunna explains.
“We had never even met our neighbours. I said to Drew that we needed to make a change, to find a real community somewhere.”
Shaunna soon began to notice ads for Shaunavon popping up on her feeds. They had been investigating vacation properties since 2018, and Shaunna began to look further into Shaunavon, “Where the West is Still Wild.”
“I checked on Google Maps and looked at all of the street views. Finally, on the Remembrance Day weekend of 2020, we made a trip to look at potential real estate,” she explains further.
“Our plan was to maybe buy a fixer-upper and take four to five years to do renovations. We bought a house and Drew came out the following summer to work on the property; it just happened to be Boomtown Days (the annual summer celebration). He watched the parade and later FaceTimed me. He had tears in his eyes and said, ‘This is it. We need to be here. This is our community.’"
Grainger notes that the couple appreciates the town’s many amenities including a world-class arena, many restaurants, a museum “that is second to none,” a library, multiple schools and the swimming pool. They were also pleasantly surprised to learn that many health professions were available including an optometrist, dentist and chiropractor, to name a few. Shaunna indicated that they do not miss their former commute, the grind of urban living, the drugs, homelessness and gangs. Above all, though, it’s the people that they’ve come to love.
“We know that if we needed something, we would have someone on our doorstep, offering to help.”
Shaunna had been employed in the auto industry for 27 years and was able to secure employment with the Plewis Group of Standard Shaunavon. She is business development manager for all of the Plewis Group, along with financing for the Shaunavon location. Drew is a retired RCMP officer and is currently the regional resilience specialist for the 小蓝视频west (SW) Regional Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) where his experience in law enforcement and with municipal government has been an asset to the position and communities he serves.
Shaunna’s daughter and daughter’s boyfriend have also relocated to Shaunavon, at least for now, and they are finding community and opportunities as well. The Grainger’s are also considering options for moving Drew’s mother to Shaunavon.
The couple has embraced small-town community life. Drew recently ran in what proved to be a tight race for mayor and Shaunna is volunteering on the newly formed Welcome2Shaunavon Committee to lend her energy and lens as a relative newcomer to the efforts of welcoming other new Shaunavonians to the community.
Another B.C. couple, Whitey Somers and Diane Penyige, also made their way to Shaunavon to get away from the faster pace on Vancouver Island and to be closer to family, some of whom are situated in Burstall and Lethbridge, Alta. When considering locations, Shaunavon kept popping up for them. Somers says, “B.C. is beautiful and we knew beautiful people there. It was also a good place for my career as a musician; I played lots of different festivals and venues.”
Somers is an experienced and well-known roots/blues songwriter, singer and instrumentalist. While they knew they wanted a change, he explains that there was some initial culture shock, explaining, “Shaunavon has a slower pace and it’s so peaceful. Within a couple of weeks, we felt a burden lifted. We met great people at a local coffee shop, and elsewhere, and felt so welcomed.”
One adjustment has been with Somers’ musical career as there isn’t the same abundance of places to play, but he continues to work on his songwriting and searching out festivals, venues and events to perform at.
Initially, the couple had planned to get a place in Mexico for winter and look for a different place, off the island, for summer.
“We had rented an apartment in Shaunavon but within two weeks we had decided to stay,” Somers says.
“We bought a house and got a dog. We reached out to friends and let them know how affordable life is here and what a good community it is.”
The owners of the recently opened El Faro Market are some of their connections who have joined them in Shaunavon, along with a niece.
“There is growth and opportunity here and we encourage friends who can bring value to the community to move here,” He adds.
Somers also threw his hat into the 2024 municipal elections for a council position, as he wanted to step up and show that he loves his new community and to give back where possible. While his bid for a council seat was unsuccessful, he continues to praise the community and its people.
“We love to see the families and the family values here. At this location, we are also closer to some of our children, grandchildren and great-grandchild.”
Somers says he has ideas for the future in Shaunavon.
“We see a lot of potential for the town and I’m hoping to start a music consignment store in the future; everything from instruments to stereos, to records to decorative items — anything to do with music. I think Shaunavon would also be an ideal location for a songwriter’s festival. Shaunavon really could become a music hub.”
With passion and emphasis, he adds, “Then there’s the sky. We have a beautiful view of it from our porch, with its ever-changing pastel colours.”
The couple has roots in Ontario and he says it’s been a blessing to have lived in so many different places in Canada. When asked if southwest Saskatchewan has inspired his songwriting, he confirmed that he did write his first prairie song for his daughter’s wedding called, “Love Out on the Prairie.” While the affection Whitey and Diane feel for Shaunavon may be of a different variety, they too have found love out on the prairie in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan.
