'We're very fortunate in this part of the province' says Estevan mayor

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It can't befun being the mayor of Estevan these days.

In just a few short yearsthe city tucked away in the southeastern corner of Saskatchewan has been dragged down by the plunging price of oil.

Still RoyLudwig prefers to remain optimistic.

"Well it's tougher times for our people in the City of Estevan. The unemployment of course is up and all the associated issues that come with that. You know we are dealing with those issues as they come forward and try to make the best of it."

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Ludwig has been in the mayor's chair since 2012 and says hehas seen the best and worst of times in his city.

Hotels couldn't be built fast enough to keep up with the demand. Today those same hotel parking lots are near empty.

Restaurants are quiet, and so are the streets.

Still, Ludwig feels Estevan is fortunate

"We're more fortunate than most in that we have coal and power production here in the city which is helping our economic base."

Ludwig is moonlighting as the mayor. He has worked at the Estevan mine for 37 years.

The mine supplies coal to the Boundary Dam Generating Station.

"We're fortunate here that we have the coal, we have the power production at SPC, it goes hand in hand with the coal, and we have farming."

But oil is what drives Estevan's economy, and the price per barrel is struggling to stay above the $40 mark.

Still for Ludwig, the future looks bright.

"Well I think we have a great future here in the southeast. Oil in which we're optimistic will turn around, that will come back. So taking all that into account we're very fortunate in this part of the province."