My dad was a printer, by trade. He began working as a typesetter during the Great Depression and resumed it after serving in WWII for 6 years in the Royal Canadian Navy. Although he dreamed of one day owning his own weekly newspaper in a small town (he almost bought the Innisfail Province when I was a youngster), he and two colleagues purchased a commercial print shop in Calgary in 1971. My first job – starting when I was 12 – was in that print shop. Printer’s ink is in my blood, and the smell of newly cut and printed paper rushes me back in time to life at “the shop”.

I can honestly tell you that some of the best books I have ever read were purchased because of the feel of the cover, or the smell of the pages, or the design and font of the presentation.

Community is much the same – and those external impressions really do make a difference in encouraging people to turn the pages and see what is offered within.

I remember the excitement of people planting and competing in Communities in Bloom and would love to see more fun gardening activities in town – continuing to introduce some of our established gardeners to new gardeners wanting to learn how to grow their own food. The Innisfail Garden Club has invested money and a lot of time to transform the community garden – I had my first experience there this summer – I learned so much and made some new friends! Their patience with new gardeners paid off – they mentored students and youth all summer! I am grateful the Red Deer County rural beautification program is still alive and well. And I am impressed with the Town’s efforts in investing in good landscape design (solid flower beds are much nicer to look at than cement retaining walls). The new wayfinding signage is attractive as well as informative and enhances our visual brand. Downtown lighting, beautiful summer baskets and gardens . . . all add to the intrinsic value of the community we love and wish to share with others. 

Could there be more opportunities for local community members to be involved? Of course – I promise to “plant some seeds” to see if we can make that happen!

I believe that we can become strategic as we beautify our lovely town and address some of our crime issues by focusing on principles used in communities across the world called Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). CPTED intentionally manipulates the built environment, resulting in safer neighborhoods. Technology is our friend – the timing couldn’t be better in considering some of these strategies as solar power provides us with affordable opportunities.

Case in point . . . Raspberry Park. We often hear about property crime and general mischief in the area around that lovely and very large green space. What a difference the installation of solar lighting in that area would make!

Through my work with the Red Deer & District Community Foundation, and the Mayor of Red Deer’s Task Force for Ending Homelessness, I had the opportunity to work with and learn from an environmental design expert. I would like to share some of this with you, as I believe it is an important – and relatively straightforward – solution to some of our ongoing crime issues that we have identified over time. Key to the successful implementation of crime prevention strategies is this . . . people. Density of people. Movement of people. And it’s definitely a chicken and egg proposition – if people don’t feel safe, they stay inside. If people feel safe, they venture out and about in their community.