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I am a proud second generation Canadian. My paternal grandparents came from Scotland and settled in the Kootenays. My maternal grandmother came from the US and maternal grandfather came from Norway. Pretty basic, right? Wrong!
Both couples lived, worked and raised their families in extremely diverse communities. There were many barriers. Language. Religion. Traditional customs. Diaspora identity and loyalty. Urban vs rural. Settled vs unsettled. Canada was a wilderness with spots of density – but only rare spots. Travel was primarily by train and boat. They ate what they grew or hunted. They made their own clothes . . . “reuse” was a core value.
Was it perfect? No. It was not – in any way! My Norwegian grandfather was a homesteader in southern Saskatchewan. He was surrounded by eastern Europeans, British and Americans. Language was the root of most conflict. Their rural community was also home to roaming bands of Romas (they were called gypsies in those days), as well as tribes of indigenous folks. Sitting Bull had crossed the border with his tribe of 5,000 in the 1870’s, near Wood Mountain. So – there were ever present risks and dangers, and dealing with the unknown was a necessary skill to survive! My grandfather became a Councillor that was held in high esteem. Not because he spoke English! But he was calm and adamant that all voices be heard. All the time. He was nonjudgemental, and he was progressive. He believed that human rights were to be extended to all – at a cost to no one. Progressive enough that his three daughters were all educated beyond high school – not a cultural value shared at that time among many European settlers.
Why do I tell this story? Well – although it was more than 125 years ago, there are more similarities in our communities than differences as we look back over time. Reasonable commitment to ensuring each of us is welcomed and allowed to establish themselves and their families in safe communities is still relevant and still critical. Communities that embrace people of all ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, intellectual and physical abilities, and genders.
How can Town Council help make that happen? Leadership is walking the talk. Leadership is creating spaces for all – and diverse voices don’t always agree or say what we want to hear. Leadership is – after all these years – the ability to put a lens of equity in front of every discussion and decision.
How have we done that? Primarily through policy creation – policies such as the Special Events Policy recently approved, and includes processes for Special Declarations to be created (i.e. Small Business Week, Seniors Week, etc.). Another policy is the Flags Policy, which essentially says that any organization celebrating a special event and in possession of a flag commemoratingtheir organization, is welcome to bring that flag to the Town Office and have it hoisted on a municipal building or public space, for an agreed upon period of time. The Flag Policy also defines provisions for flying flags at half-mast. The Town has also entrusted work to committees that enhance our community: Policing & Safe Community Committee; Age-Friendly Committee, Family & Support Services (FCSS) . . . and work closely with the citizen founded and maintained Welcoming & Inclusive Community Committee.
None of these policies or activities are created to create division. They exist to create level playing fields for all citizens, community organizations, community events as well as consistent processes that all citizens can predict and understand.
Originally published in September 2021, safety in our community continues to be much discussed and a concern for residents. The content still speaks to me . . . communities are living and breathing creatures, and continual attention to design and the environment around us makes us all safer and happier.
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.
Some of the very basic premises of CPTED are:
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design has been proven to lead to a reduction in the fear or crime and the incidence of crime, and to improve quality of life. Designing public as well as private communities using these principles is relatively simple and cost effective – it has been proven to improve safety in almost any environment, from buildings to streets and parks.
Do we need the Town to do all of this for the residents? Absolutely not! But good communication and educational opportunities/workshops to enhance understanding is important. We already have a Policing & Safe Community Committee that is a logical steward of CPTED. We are fortunate to have both an RCMP detachment and bylaw officers in our town to serve as resources while we imagine the design of Innisfail from a safety perspective.
