Rural Communities

[cakadu]

Alberta turns 100 next year, as does Saskatchewan I believe. In my area there are many rural communities celebrating 100 years this year - congratulations to them.

As agriculture gets bigger and bigger, we watch our rural communities dwindle. The two just do not work together in many instances.

I've also been seeing ads for rural fairs and rodeos that have been going on for a great many years - 80 to 100 in a lot of cases.

I think it would be interesting to hear what goes on in various areas and how the rural community manages to survive, thrive and put on their various events year after year. What sorts of things work, what have you had to change and what have you witnessed improvements in?

There just might be something that someone else can use!

[rsomer]

This is a topic that should get interest. The mosaic of Rural Alberta is changing, I do a lot of travelling across the province and it is sad to see so many houses and business places boarded up and very little traffic on the streets of what used to be very vibrant communities.
The volunteers that keep many of the smaller community centres open and viable in many of our rural centers aren't getting any younger.

[cowman]

Many of the smaller rural towns have basically become an old folks home. In fact, if it wasn't for oil and gas adding a few faces and dollars, a lot of these towns would be ghost towns!
Over the last several years the infrastructure needed to support agriculture has been disappearing. The elevators, the railroads, the creameries etc. Mostly due to government policy and corporate greed?
I find it sad to see a small town die. When I was a boy I had a summer job working in a garage in a small rural town. Probably a population of around 300. They had 4 elevators, a general store, two gas stations, bulk station/fertilizer dealer, hardware/lumberyard, pool hall, three churches, comunity hall,school, outdoor rink, three quality ball diamonds. Now... nothing! No businesses, community hall boarded up. Elevators all gone, railroad tracks tore out, school closed. One church left and looking pretty rugged. The graveyard is about the only place that still looks pretty good! I doubt if more than a dozen old people live in that town now.
What happened?

[cowman]

I bet that those who still live in the small villages and towns still have that sense of community pride that built this country. When the grain elevators were torn down and urban centres lost assessment it was a real blow. The public demands a certain level of service, so villages and towns without significant commercial and industrial assessment have to carefully consider how they can best deliver these services which include: Ambulance;Fire;Landfill;Water and Sewer, and in many cases Seniors Housing if they are a member of a Housing Foundation.
I live ten minutes from a former Village where the citizens voted to dissolve to Hamlet status. The businesses there have prices comparable with large centres and the hamlet is thriving. So some are more fortunate than others.

[cowman]

Just wondering emerald, if the hamlet is very close to a major center? I ask this because I know in the central area of Alberta some of these little towns have become attractive to park welfare cases? Cheaper rents I guess?
The problem of participation by the residents is this: In a lot of these rural towns the people are very old! Now make no mistake, I'm not knocking these old people! But they do tend to be more involved because that is how it was done in the old days? They tend to have that civic pride thing?
What happens when they are gone?

[cowman]

cowman the Hamlet I refer to is about an hour and a half from Edmonton, so it isn't a place that is attractive for low rental accommodation . I concur with your assessment of what some Hamlets have become, however this one has not. I credit the municipality which now governs the Hamlet with taking some very practive steps after the disolution study to keep the Hamlet an attractive place to live and do business.

[cowman]

what happens when the senior members of the community are gone will dictate just how important it is to those who remain to keep the community thriving. I always am amused when people say they just don't have time to get involved in the community, those senior folks have been involved their entire lifetime, and likely worked harder than most of us can imagine today.
As with anything else, priorities are what make or break a community.

[cowman]

emerald: I wonder how the people in your hamlet make a living? So many of these small towns based their economy on agriculture and when agriculture has changed so dramatically in the last few years, I wonder how they have managed?
I do know of towns that have adapted very well due to new opportunities from the oil and gas fields?
In this day and age of instant information it is pretty hard to keep young people "down on the farm" so to speak? With a decent education they can expect so much more in the city than they could ever recieve in agriculture or a small rural town. They are bombarded from an early age that money and all the toys are possible!
And I guess I sure can't blame them! All the toys are nice and it is also very nice to have a disposable income that can be spent on the things you want?

[cowman]

I suspect a good number of the 'younger' folks in the Hamlet either own or work in the businesses within the Hamlet itself, and others work either in the oil/gas or logging industries nearby or have jobs in other sectors. The highway contractor has one of their main yards on the edge of the hamlet, so I would imagine they employ some of the folks as well.
Of course the Hamlet is home to numerous retired farmers who chose it because it is close to their old farm community and has excellent seniors housing.

[Muttley]

My small town here in Sk. has been slowly going down hill for years. Losing business after business, and of course the population slowly getting older.

We started a project a couple of years ago call a eco-village. We know have a wonderfull building that is enviromentally friendly that houses our golf course club as well as a restaurant. It uses things like geothermal heating, solar, and the building is made of straw walls using recycled elevator timbers.

What this project has done has caught the attention of the counrty and beyond.
A large company called Hemptown clothing has purchased property and putting up a multi-million dollar facility here which will employ a number of people. We have also had other companies that are interested in setting up business in our community because of interest in eco friendly projects.

We are not enviromental nuts but looking at other projects such as wind generation & biodiesel.

If you are ever near Craik, Sk. stop and have lunch, a round of golf and see what we are doing that can not only be applicable for a town but for each home or farm owner interested in projects that can not only save our resourses but a dollar as well.

[Muttley]

Sounds like your community has that old pioneer spirit, good for you, and continued good luck in Craik, Sask.