A pair of evening presentations taking place next week will help to lay the groundwork for what is being called the town of Outlook’s first-ever community strategic plan.
The goal is to create a plan that provides answers and solutions to the kind of questions and problems that are faced by any community as it relates to the future; drawing new residents, furthering the local business sector, addressing any housing issues, and attracting new levels of investment and tourism, as well as other areas to look at.
The idea of developing such a plan for the Town of Outlook had been tossed around in the past, but it had never truly materialized. Local officials believe that if Outlook is to flourish as a community and realize its true potential, then a strategy is needed to move towards that result.
Two sessions are being held at the Outlook Civic Centre that will involve a one-hour presentation called, ‘5 Ways to Achieve the Exceptional’, followed by the audience’s involvement in a Q&A portion.
The first session will be held on Tuesday, May 15 from 6:00 to 8:30 pm, with a focus on inviting local business owners and those affiliated with the Outlook & District Chamber of Commerce. The second session will be held on Thursday, May 17 for the same timeframe, inviting those who are affiliated with local community groups.
Chris Fields, Principal of Alberta-based consultancy Rynic Communications will be leading the presentations, and he says that the sessions are all about helping to shape Outlook, touching on his field of work that he has over two decades of experience in.
“I’m a consultant, and I work in community development, which I’ve done for 25 years,” said Chris, on the phone with The Outlook. “I think I’ve worked with something like 55 communities in the last five years, and I’ve been focussing on rural communities in particular over the last few years. Ultimately, what it’s really about is shaping a community’s future in a positive direction.”
Fields has experience working in smaller areas, having just strategized a plan for the town of Black Diamond in Alberta, which has a population roughly the same as Outlook. When it comes to this community, Chris says one of the key areas where a discussion may have to be had is in agriculture.
“Lots of small communities, that’s what I’ve focused on in the last few years,” he said. “Specific to Outlook, the town obviously has a strong focus on agriculture, and that’s a million-dollar question in a lot of places I’ve worked in. One of the real challenges is that farms are getting bigger and the farming population is aging, which usually means the populations are static or in some cases even declining, and yet there’s real opportunity in smaller communities too because Canada will be one of the world’s few exporters of food in the next decade. So the consideration now for smaller communities is, ‘How do we think about a next generation agricultural community and economy?’ How can we solve the riddle of processing more of it? How do we promote entrepreneurial spirit around it or investment?”
The approach that Fields takes to each community that engages his services is different, but it’s also shaped his belief that residents in each community have a common desire to see their towns, villages and areas thrive.
“I’ve worked with enough smaller communities in the agriculture space to have a little insight as to some directions that other communities have talked about, and I do think that’s helpful to places like Outlook,” he said. “I also believe in the ability of local people who agree to do things together to shape their own destinies for their own communities. The question is, what do people working together agree to focus on as they move towards the future?”
As for what attendees can expect from the pair of planning sessions in Outlook, Fields says the presentations are about finding out where Outlook currently stands as it relates to all of the mentioned key areas. As well, he intends to use an interactive online tool to help gauge audience response and answer questions from time to time, so those attending may want to bring a smartphone, or either an iPad or laptop computer.
“My first visit is really about understanding where your community is at now in terms of strengths, weaknesses or opportunities,” said Chris. “I also do a bit of a question-and-answer thing where I use online software where you can respond to questions using your phone. You answer, and then you can see on a screen these sliding bars to see how everyone else is feeling. It’s a fun way to ask questions about your community now, and about your community in the future.”
Fields’ personal take on community strategic plans is that they’re an important document that helps any village, town or area think about the future and how to prepare for it. If they’re done well and everyone is on the same proverbial page, then perhaps there’s no telling how bright the future may be.
“I think of them as a road map that speaks about your future,” said Chris. “If you have nothing, then the question is, ‘Who is Outlook and the RM of Rudy and why do they matter?’ So it’s a way of pulling together ideas and having a horizon line that you set for your community that you’re going to work toward. Now, nothing happens overnight and these things take long periods of time to do really well, but I think ultimately that rural areas in particular are facing a lot of change. Whatever these things are that a community is talking about, they’re ultimately about the future. A good plan should start to answer those questions and have people in the same boat rowing together, and it’s about sharing a common sense of purpose in working towards a cool and bright future for their community.”
