Rob Vanstone
Regina Leader Post
Peoples planting roots in Regina
Saskatchewan Roughriders rush end Shont'e Peoples was not part of the end-of-the-season rush.
Unlike most American players on the Roughriders, Peoples was not quick to leave Regina following the 2001 CFL season.
In fact, Peoples -- who hails from Detroit -- intends to make the Queen City his year-round home. He and his wife, Janice, have purchased a house in Regina.
"Basically, it comes down to the individual having his priorities set in the proper perspective,'' Peoples says. "I'm married now and it's not advantageous for my wife and I to be jumping back and forth across the border.
"When you get married, you've got to have a foundation. You've got to have stability. Home is where you make it. It's a mental thing . . . This is where I'm working. I make the best out of my situation that I can.''
Regina is not renowned for its vibrant night life, but Peoples is not concerned.
"If I change my perspective and start to view things more positively and search out things to do for entertainment, there's a lot to do here,'' Peoples says.
"There are a lot of valuable things here that are lacking in the big city. People have different values here than they do in a larger city. That's why I really appreciate it.''
Although the crime rate in Regina has become an issue, it hardly compares that of Detroit.
"That's another thing,'' Peoples says. "I was on the phone the other day talking to a friend of mine back home. I told him, 'I have peace of mind here.'
"I'm not dogging Detroit. I love Detroit. I have a great time when I go home. But it's refreshing to be able to leave your home for the whole day without locking your door.
"It's nice to go to the gas station at 11 or 12 o'clock at night and not worry about getting stuck up or car-jacked. It's refreshing not to go to a convenience store and have all these people hanging outside of the building, hustling you for change. I don't worry about drive-by shootings.''
Peoples, 29, was named a Western Division all-star last season -- his first with the Roughriders.
His CFL career, which began in 1994, also includes stops in Las Vegas, Birmingham, Winnipeg and Calgary.
"I've travelled a lot, but I really appreciate it here,'' he says. "It's nice when you can go somewhere and people know you, but they don't really bother you.
"I may go to the store or a restaurant and I can hear them saying, 'That's Shont'e Peoples,' but very seldom do they come and harass me. They may come and say hi and chit-chat, but they give you your space.''
The wide-open spaces are another plus.
"Here, the sun always shines,'' Peoples says. "At home, it's cold. It's gloomy for weeks. When it's winter, it's like the sun hides and waits for springtime. You may get sun 12 times until spring.
"Here, the winter is cold, but it's sunny all the time and that makes you feel better.''
Peoples has experienced some of the Regina winter, but has yet to contend with minus-40 temperatures.
"It has been cold,'' says Peoples, who is a Jehovah's Witness. "I'm in the ministry, so I'm going house to house. I've been out there and it has been freezing -- but all that stuff is temporary.
"Even at home in Detroit, it gets cold -- but we don't have that wind, though. If it gets to minus-40, that's why I bought a house with a fireplace. When it's minus-40, my wife and I can sit in front of the fireplace and drink some home-made wine and enjoy the day.''
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