OUTLOOK - If you weren't in attendance for author Doug Griffiths' talk on the more than a dozen ways that people can seriously maim or even kill their hometowns, then you may have missed out on an eye-opening and unfiltered discussion about the problems that are facing communities seemingly everywhere.
On Thursday, October 21 at the Jim Kook Rec Plex in Outlook, Griffiths made an evening presentation to a few dozen in attendance, speaking from the views given in his book, '13 Ways to Kill Your Community'.
The book and the presentation approach the problems of communities from a polar opposite stance that's there as a sort-of tongue-in-cheek viewpoint. Griffiths presents facts and figures that may raise the eyebrows of some, but his chapter titles tell the reader to just do "this or that" if they don't want to see their communities grow and prosper.
For example, the former Alberta MLA touched on water quality, including the alarming fact of how three larger-scale boil water advisories a day take place in Canada. In that regard, one of the chapters in the book and one of Doug's presentation points tells readers to "Forget the Water - Quality and Quantity".
One of the key points that was made that may have stuck with the community leaders in attendance could have been what Griffiths said on the mindset that some towns and small cities have.
"We trade away what we want most for what we want now," he said, touching on the realization that ultimately led to the creation of his book.
In his second point, Don't Attract Businesses, Griffiths brought up how business interests of small town leaders can sometimes interfere with the plans of local business owners.
"No one wants competition, so things get stamped out," he said, noting how people don't believe in having competitive markets if there is any personal stake involved.
On the topic of retaining youth, Griffiths said that 'boomerang' strategies are one of the most effective ways to accomplish this goal. This essentially means that you let them leave home, while working to give them a reason to one day return.
"Your key is not to keep them; the goal is to have them go out and find a reason to want to come back," said Doug.
Other topics, such as Shop Elsewhere, pointed out how jealousy plays a part in affecting any community's downtown market and that business owners need to continue giving people a reason to want to shop local, as it's up to them to keep dollars in their community.
Griffiths' take in Chapter 7, Don't Cooperate, talked on how community in-fighting can lead to harm down the road, telling a story of how communities feuding with one another chased away important business that would have seen the whole region likely prosper. In this regard, we can see that while the world has changed, the attitude of some when it comes to boundary lines can blur things and 'walk back' the future.
Live in the Past, another chapter in Doug's talk and book, may have stood out the best during the evening presentation. He had acronyms for the kind of people that we see in small town areas quite often (CAVE = Citizens Against Virtually Everything, FEARS = Fire Everyone Against Reasonable Solutions), and pointed out how people will sometimes use disinformation to their advantage, keeping a narrative alive that keeps a community perfectly still with no forward momentum.
Reject Everything New, meanwhile, explored how some people reject new ideas and projects because they really haven't been anywhere or have a world view that's incredibly limited.
"We don't appreciate what we have until someone else appreciates what we have," said Doug, highlighting how new eyes can find something special in a place that you may already know by heart.
The final two chapters that Griffiths spoke on also touched a nerve in the room, Grow Complacent and Don't Take Responsibility. Through these, he encourages communities to develop strategies to always be looking for growth.
"We need new ideas, fresh blood; it's like a baton race where you're always going and you need to keep momentum," he said, on the need to always keep moving.
The people who call a community home, meanwhile, are the ones who may need to step up and assume responsibility because nothing is ever going to happen if no one does anything of note to advance a particular community.
"You are a reflection of your community, so you need to fix it or do it," said Griffiths. "It has to be YOUR idea on your own! When we believe we're set to fail, it's up to us to prove otherwise."
The evening presentation, clocking in at just over two hours in length, served as perhaps a reminder that the world is going to keep spinning and the future is going to keep evolving whether people like it or not. It's up to the people that call any such community home to grab hold and evolve with the times if they want to see a prosperous tomorrow.
"I believe that building communities is the single greatest thing on Earth," said Doug. "You guys need to do this, it's not just a Mayor and Chamber thing, everyone needs to own it."
The appearance in Outlook by Griffiths was a rather timely one, as the town is well aware of the need for growth and is in the midst of preparing land near Railway Avenue for new commercial and industrial development. (Note: the print edition of this article mistakenly said the area was being prepared for new homes. The Outlook regrets the error.)
