We just received this note:
"The Town of Ogema was awarded the trophy for the best Sustainable Development throughout all of Canada in the 2005 National Edition of Communities in Bloom.
Ogema went from a town that was at risk of fading away to a town that is alive and growing. In 2002, the town got together and defined a vision: to attract additional business activity, to retain and expand services, and to enhance positive community involvement.
From this, strategies and actions were formulated. Examples that have arisen from these strategies thus far include purchasing the railway track and eventually the grain elevator; attracting an intensive livestock operation; moving and renovating a modern 16 unit motel; and most recently, setting up a business capable of upgrading rail cars to current standards.
Then, of course, there are all the spin off service industries. The community is becoming increasingly involved in their town by more active volunteerism – a train station like the one the town used to have was found, moved into town and restored both inside and outside including outstanding landscaping. There is also a 28 building historical village with thousands of artifacts – there has never been public money used for the museum!
There have been documentaries filmed about the successful economic development in Ogema and the mayor has been invited to speak to many municipalities about how they are making their town economically sustainable.
Background information:
Canada Lands Company is proud to sponsor the Sustainable Development Award of the Communities in Bloom program and to contribute to making Canadian communities better places to live in, to work in and to visit.
The Best Sustainable Development Award was awarded for the first time at the 2005 National Edition of Communities in Bloom. It is a huge honor for Ogema to have received this award.
When the judging was done for the year’s competition, only the judges knew about this award. Judges from each category throughout all of Canada were asked to submit their choice of a recipient for this award.
A committee then had the task of sorting through al entries to declare a winner. This means that Ogema , who were judged in the smallest category – population 1-1000, was up against those chosen from the largest category of more than 100,000.
This award is sponsored by Canada Lands Company, a federal Crown corporation that optimizes the financial and community value of surplus strategic properties. In carrying out this mandate, CLC, purchases properties from the Government of Canada, improves and revitalizes them, and then manages or sells them in order to produce the best possible benefit for the Government of Canada and all Canadians. The company is self-financing, pays all applicable taxes at all levels of government and implements innovative property solutions made possible by its depth of real estate expertise."
"The Town of Ogema was awarded the trophy for the best Sustainable Development throughout all of Canada in the 2005 National Edition of Communities in Bloom.
Ogema went from a town that was at risk of fading away to a town that is alive and growing. In 2002, the town got together and defined a vision: to attract additional business activity, to retain and expand services, and to enhance positive community involvement.
From this, strategies and actions were formulated. Examples that have arisen from these strategies thus far include purchasing the railway track and eventually the grain elevator; attracting an intensive livestock operation; moving and renovating a modern 16 unit motel; and most recently, setting up a business capable of upgrading rail cars to current standards.
Then, of course, there are all the spin off service industries. The community is becoming increasingly involved in their town by more active volunteerism – a train station like the one the town used to have was found, moved into town and restored both inside and outside including outstanding landscaping. There is also a 28 building historical village with thousands of artifacts – there has never been public money used for the museum!
There have been documentaries filmed about the successful economic development in Ogema and the mayor has been invited to speak to many municipalities about how they are making their town economically sustainable.
Background information:
Canada Lands Company is proud to sponsor the Sustainable Development Award of the Communities in Bloom program and to contribute to making Canadian communities better places to live in, to work in and to visit.
The Best Sustainable Development Award was awarded for the first time at the 2005 National Edition of Communities in Bloom. It is a huge honor for Ogema to have received this award.
When the judging was done for the year’s competition, only the judges knew about this award. Judges from each category throughout all of Canada were asked to submit their choice of a recipient for this award.
A committee then had the task of sorting through al entries to declare a winner. This means that Ogema , who were judged in the smallest category – population 1-1000, was up against those chosen from the largest category of more than 100,000.
This award is sponsored by Canada Lands Company, a federal Crown corporation that optimizes the financial and community value of surplus strategic properties. In carrying out this mandate, CLC, purchases properties from the Government of Canada, improves and revitalizes them, and then manages or sells them in order to produce the best possible benefit for the Government of Canada and all Canadians. The company is self-financing, pays all applicable taxes at all levels of government and implements innovative property solutions made possible by its depth of real estate expertise."
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