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We are all free agents. If any one of us thinks we can have a better life in New York, London or Biggar, we are free to move there and see how it goes.

Most of us have we decided to stay here and call Saskatoon home.

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I have been fascinated for years by what makes people stay in Saskatoon. The winters are brutal, and we are a long way away from the nearest Ikea. When I ask why we stay, many say “jobs.” Yet it is much more than that.

If we are really honest with ourselves, we really like it here. Saskatoon may 258.5 kilometres northeast of the middle of nowhere, but it is home. When we decided to work, live and invest here, it wasn’t because of government subsidies.

This might explain why so many people are outraged by the decision the provincial government’s decision to give $3 million to Winnipeg-based Skip the Dishes, and by Saskatoon city council’s move to give a $5.8 million tax abatement for an office development on River Landing. We have to pay people to work and make money in Saskatoon now?