|
And That's The Scoop: How will this region survive declining population?
Richard Froese
for Smoky River Express
As my final column before I leave and return to Stettler, I only wish the best future for the Smoky River region and each community.
Over the seven years that I served in this region, I have discovered that community leaders and residents are growing more committed to working together to help the region sustain and grow, despite historic challenges.
With the centennial celebrations this summer, this will certainly be a great time to reflect on the past and what has shaped the region and each community and to focus on the future to sustain the region.
Especially when you look at the population figures in the 2011 census. The numbers don’t lie.
This region is shrinking in population – like any other rural region across Canada.
In the past 10 years in the census figures, this region has lost 1,000 residents, down to a current figure of 4,581.
With this trend, what is the future of the region in the next 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 years or more?
How are municipal councils, communities and residents planning for this shrinking future and more residents rural regions leave rural regions?
Eventually in the next 10 to 20 years, the region’s five municipalities will evolve into one municipality to better serve the residents and be more economically efficient while facing the challenge of recruiting skilled staff to rural regions, which are not highly attractive in any profession as we know from the shortage of physicians.
As I leave and as you look to the future of your community and region, several components will be key to survive and thrive.
I believe for this region to sustain itself over the next decades, residents and municipal government will need to think outside their community.
REGIONAL is the only reasonable way to think and focus for the future. Each resident, municipality, community, needs each other to survive.
Without each other, each of us and our communities will suffer and ultimately die.
Those partnerships will include municipalities funding services, projects, facilities and programs located outside their boundaries.
The fairest way to fund these aspects of the region is that all municipalities would fund them proportionately to the number of users and the amount of time consumed and utilized.
All residents and municipalities need to take their fair share of the financial load to help sustain the future of the region.
It will be very interesting to follow this issue of the future of small rural communities and hand they plan to work together to sustain the future
< Previous
Home
Next >
|
