Wainwright,
our time has come -
let’s be ready
You can feel it in the air around Wainwright, you can see it in the streets and you can hear it in the coffee shops. Wainwright is on a roll.

For years, as our province has prospered, we here in East Central Alberta have felt left out of the economic boom that central Alberta has been enjoying for a considerable period of time. This is no longer the case.

The next five years are going to see more development in this area than we have seen in the last 15. The big question is, are we going to be ready? Being ready does not just mean our schools are going to be ready, it does not mean, Is our hospital going to be big enough?, it does not just mean, Is our sewage system up to the task?

It means are we the locals, who have been here for many years, even generations, going to be mentally ready to accept, welcome - and yes, even help – those who are going to move here prosper? 

This is a question of attitude. If we have a positive attitude to the growth that is coming, the challenges that growth presents and the opportunities that this affords the youth of this community and the newcomers alike, we will all benefit.

Wainwright has been on the threshold of this breakthrough for the past 10 years. It has been far too long coming. We now need to do everything we can to make sure it happens. What can the ordinary person do to help this effort?

1. Stop bad mouthing Wainwright. This hurts us more than you can imagine. Don’t complain about the shopping, the service, the water, the town council, the chamber of commerce, the restaurants or the litter in the streets. Do something to improve things. Bad talk is cheap and it drags us all down.

2. Shop locally. Make demands on local businesses, ask them to get what you want, give them a bit of time to respond and adjust to your needs. Business will respond to increased demand for goods and services, it is a law of free enterprise, the law of supply and demand - so demand and they will supply.

3. Invest in Wainwright, spruce up your business, your yard, your house, your car, your education, your volunteering, your local giving and your pride in where you are from. Invest in our future, in training for your employees, and encourage young people to look here fi rst for career opportunities.

4. Be aware of your community. Listen to it breathe, laugh with it, cry with it and join in its struggles. It needs you, it needs each one of us. When you fail, we fail. When we fail, you fail. We are in this together.

This is our life as a community - be in the moment, make every moment count, and we will all enjoy the potential of this great opportunity that is before us.
RWH