1958
Over the last twenty-five years, Canada's economy has markedly shifted from being a primarily agricultural one to a manufacturing one, largely possible due to the ability to set up systems of largely self-regulating machines, processes known as automation. A manufacturing expert and a labor expert discuss from their individual points of view their comprehensive thoughts on the impacts of automation on society.
1958
Humankind has always used things, such as tools and beasts of burden, to help in doing manual tasks that would be much more difficult, time consuming and/or impossible under human physical constraints otherwise. The ability and speed of doing such physical tasks changed with the development of the steam engine, which made the production of machines to assist in such tasks quicker and easier and which, in turn, led to the ability of mass production. This advancement was even more evident during recent wars where it largely has been machines battling machines for the causes of life, liberty and freedom, the better machines which invariably would help win said wars. The recent addition of electronics into the mechanization would advance the assistance to work in the white collar world with machines not only doing office functions but assisting in intellectual functions, albeit with humans still making the decisions based in part with what the programmed machines output.
1959
Canadian prairie farmers have for time immemorial talked about water in relation to their livelihood, most often the lack of it for their needs. Most farming experts agree that prairie grain farmers should continue to farm such, but dedicate a small portion of their land under irrigation to grow forage crops for livestock, either in-field or baled, to overcome any poor years due to drought. This film centers on the decision to build an earth-filled dam on the South Saskatchewan River near Outlook. While the dam would provide other uses such as hydroelectricity and water for municipalities, its primary purpose would be for irrigation for farmers. Despite the decision having been made, many farmers in the region still debate its merits primarily on a cost-benefit analysis and fear of the unknown in having to farm in a different manner. Some of their questions may be answered by a smaller dam project north of the area, the Williamson family, members who comprise the farmers affected by that project, talking about their experiences with that dam and the new means of irrigation for their farming needs.