It's not an Estevan-only problem, but it's one that this city certainly isn't immune to.
Civic pride is a sense of duty, an attitude that everyone in a community has a stake in the well being of the streets, the buildings and the people. It's a community spirit that ebbs and flows, but all too often it seems we aren't treating our own city with the respect it deserves.
It's easy to lay the blame on the transient makeup of the Energy City. It's too easy to say too few people have roots dug deep enough into the earth to care how much litter is strewn around the streets.
The state of the city and low spirit of many community members doesn't stop at the feet of interim city dwellers. The issue of civic apathy is both intrinsic and reversible.
Coun. Dennis Moore brought the matter up at a recent city council meeting, noting the mood around town and the public's attitude toward the state of the city was a sorry one.
We see trash tossed from the hands of drivers on our roads. We see garbage left to fertilize the lawns of our city parks. Looking at how so many treat the community, we don't blame others for feeling like a turnaround and cleanup is hopeless.
But there is hope.
It only takes one person to pick up a discarded wrapper and find an appropriate means of disposal. It takes just one more to retrieve an empty coffee cup, thrown carelessly in the general vicinity of a garbage can, and toss it in that can.
Many times before we've called upon those who do care about the state of our neighbourhoods to be leaders, and we're going to the well once again.
An example needs to be set that shows we do take pride in our city. We need people to lead by example, not only by properly disposing of their petty trash but also by picking up after others.
Nobody wants to do it. Nobody wants to clean up after someone else's mess, but when someone litters, they create an air of apathy and inspire bitterness in our communities. Combating that with boots on the ground ensuring our parks and streets remain green is the only way to reverse those ill feelings.
The more people decide to take ownership of their neighbourhoods, take pride in their city and no longer accept the litterbug minority, the quicker we'll again be a city that cares about itself.
Estevan, like every city, is imperfect, but that should only mean that there is even more reason for each person in the community to do what they can to make it better. That starts with caring about the place in which we all live and work.
Sometimes it means we have to get our hands dirty, but every time we do that, another person will take notice. We must demonstrate that carelessness and disrespect toward our community is unacceptable, and show that everyone benefits from a well-kept city.
We need a prideful few to lead the way and are confident our community leaders will show off Estevan's best stripes.
