An estimated 400 people crammed into an auditorium Thursday night to air their views and listen to others on the future of uranium development in Saskatchewan.

The province, a major producer of the ore, is exploring an expansion of the industry beyond mining.

Public consultations have been scheduled for much of the summer.

In Regina, participants provided a range of opinions, from adamant support for nuclear energy to concern over the safety and environmental impact of uranium development.

While many speakers clearly had a point of view, some people attended mainly to listen.

"Get informed," Rodney Ashfield told CBC News when asked why he came to the meeting. "And don't let people do your thinking for you."

Ashfield said he hoped to learn as much as he could about the options.

"I don't pretend to be an expert on either side of the issue, but we all need to become more expert," he said. "So, why not come here?"

While the provincial government is seeking input on the future of uranium, some participants recommended a broader examination of Saskatchewan's development needs.

"I'd like to see the benefits of alternate fuels and stuff," Derek Bissonette told CBC News. "I'd like to see a project for the other [energy sources] — for solar for wind."

Bissonette said he felt the government focus should be on renewable energy projects, instead of developing uranium.

Six more public consultations are scheduled to take place, before the end of August.

The next meeting will be in Prince Albert on Monday.

The meetings are being recorded, and the results will be packaged and presented to the government later this year.

Dan Perrins, a former senior civil servant, was appointed to oversee the consultations.

He told CBC News on Friday that after four community meetings, he has heard views from all sides: pro-development, anti-development and people just seeking information.

Perrins said he thought the anti-development people were "more largely represented" at the meetings.

"My task is to listen," Perrins said when asked if the meetings were being dominated by one side of the debate.

"There's people sharing information, there's people expressing their views," Perrins said. "All of that is all important."

Perrins said two themes have already emerged from the consultations. He said people have raised concerns that a report on uranium development did not fully examine the safety issues linked to further exploitation of the radioactive material.

Second, he said many people questioned why the discussions on development did not include more research on alternative forms of energy.

Perrins added that he has also heard many people express frustration with the time allotted for consultation.

The public hearings will conclude on June 16.