a ie
| a

 

Communities In Bloom: Keeping BC Beautiful Through Community Involvement and Friendly Competition

Kevin Welsh, Features Editor

e don’t call ourselves
\ \ “Beautiful British Columbia”
for nothing. After all, as a

province, we're known for our natural
beauty, and both Vancouver and Victoria
are championed domestically and abroad
as two of the most gorgeous cities in the
world. Many would agree that a large part
of what makes Vancouver and Victoria so
aesthetically pleasing is the efforts that
have gone into preserving and incorporat-
ing landscaping, parks, and urban forestry
into the city infrastructure. It should then
come as little surprise to discover that
British Columbia has nine cities or towns
representing us in this year’s national
Communities In Bloom competition, as
well as two mote cities representing us in
international competition.

More than merely a beauty contest,
Communities in Bloom is a friendly com-
petition, waged on both provincial and
national levels, that recognizes communi-
ties that have pulled and worked together
in the spirit of civic pride, environmental
responsibility, and the sustainable beautifi-
cation of cities. What began in 1995 with
29 participating communities has blos-
somed and grown to feature more than
100 cities competing in national competi-
tion with hundreds more municipalities
competing at the provincial levels.

If the ever-increasing number of par-
ticipants isn’t encouraging enough, the
strict and thorough registration require-
ments ensures competing municipalities
are serious about their beautification
efforts. Communities in Bloom promotes
and requires involvement, cooperation,
and action from citizens of all ages, as
well as from the municipal government
and local organizations and businesses.
Participating communities must be seri-
ous about it and committed to working
together or else they need not apply.

Daphne Kelly, the former chairperson
of the City of Langley Communities In
Bloom, the defending national champions
in the 20,001—50,000 population range,
reiterates the stringent and demanding,
yet ultimately rewarding, commitment and
requirements of the competition:
“Communities in Bloom is more than just
flowers. It’s people, plants, and pride
growing together, and the City of Langley
is a very good example. Being involved in
the national competition gives us an
opportunity to show the rest of Canada
and the world what a great place the City
of Langley is to live in, work in, and visit.”

The City of Langley is a textbook
example of how municipalities can grow
together and foster civic pride through

20 | www.theotherpress.ca

 

Communities in Bloom, as well as sustain
the beauty and reap the environmental
and aesthetic rewards of the competition.
Langley had never competed before 2002,
when they were approached by Kevin
Goldfuss, the Manager of Parks for
Williams Lake, regarding competing
together in the Canadian Classic division,
a category that requires defending cham-
pions to pair up with a previously
uninvolved community and compete as a
tandem. Williams Lake and the City of
Langley’s partnership proved to be suc-
cessful, as they won the competition,
setting the stage for Langley’s subsequent
dominance.

In 2003, Langley entered the provin-
cial competition for their population
bracket and, though they didn’t win, did
earn a score of 83.8 percent and a five-
bloom rating, the equivalent of a five-star
rating. The five-bloom rating qualified the
city for the 2004 national competition,
which they won over cities such as
Brandon, Manitoba, and Owen Sound
and Brockville, Ontario. For 2005,
Langley will again represent British
Columbia nationally against Brandon,
Owen Sound, and Brockville as well as
Grande Prairie, Alberta, and Fort Erie,
Ontario. They will also compete with BC’s
Harrison Hot Springs in the Canadian
Classic category.

The judging of the competition cer-
tainly amounts to more than just a walk
through some parks. Participating com-

munities are given one day to guide travel-
ling, trained volunteer judges through the
area and showcase what they have to
offer. The judges evaluate the communi-
ties in eight separate categories: Floral
Displays—the distribution, originality,
harmony, and arrangement of flowers
and plants; Landscaped areas—creating
an environment where plants are integrat-
ed artistically into their surroundings;
Turf and Groundcover Areas—the use of
turfs and wild flowers around private
homes, public buildings, and municipal
and private parks; Heritage
Conservation—the support and attention
to local museums, the support of munici-
pal policies the
preservation restoration of
heritage buildings, cemeteries, parks,
and monuments; Environmental
Awateness—which includes sustainable

and by-laws, and

and

development, waste reduction, and recy-
cling programs and the management of
landfill areas, sewage disposal, and haz-
atdous-waste collection; Tidiness—with
regards to everything from animal drop-
pings, graffiti, and vandalism to streets,
sidewalks, ditches, and vacant lots; Urban
Forestry—which focuses on short- and
long-term plans, sustainability, succession
planting, and the maintenance and preser-
vation of trees and woodlots; and
Community Involvement—which ensures
that citizens from the private, municipal,
and corporate sectors have worked
together in all of the categories.

Since entering the competition in
2002, the support of the private and cor-
porate sector of the City of Langley has
been outstanding. The Langley Times has
been tireless in their promotion of the
efforts exploits of the
Communities In Bloom committee, and
George and Shirley Vallance, the owners’
of Langley’s Canadian Tire, have been
acknowledged on many occasions for
their contributions. As well, the municipal
government has shown a tremendous
amount of support and are firmly com-
mitted to all of the Communities in
Bloom endeavours.

and local

National winners receive historic gran-
ite trophies—but more importantly are
able to enjoy the benefits from their beau-
tification efforts. Over the past few years,
the City of Langley has flourished
through Communities in Bloom. Among
the attractions now featured in the munic-
ipality is a wheelchair-accessible path
through the Nikomekl Floodplain, a stu-
dent-planted and nurtured Butterfly
Garden at Blacklock Elementary School, a
nature walk at Brydon Lagoon, raised gar-
dens at Douglas Park, and a greenhouse at
Sendall Gardens. As well, partnerships
with the Kwantlen University College
Horticulture Department, the Langley
Field Naturalists, the Langley Arts
Council, and the Nikomekl Enhancement
Society, among others, have been estab-
lished in an effort to further improve
parks and guarantee sustainability.

Besides the City of Langley and
Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia
will be well represented at the 2005
national competition by White Rock,
Quesnel, and Squamish in _ the
10,001—20,000 population division;
Chetwynd and Merritt in 5,001—10,000;
and Chemainus in 3,001—5,000. Prince
George will represent in the
50,001-100,000 division against fellow
middleweights St. John, New Brunswick,
North Bay and Kawartha Lakes, Ontario,
and Strathcona and Lethbridge, Alberta.
As well, the University of British
Columbia-Okanagan (located in
Kelowna) will represent in a separate
Parks and Grounds category, while Fort
St. John and Kamloops will compete
internationally against the likes of
Fayetteville, Arkansas; Rancho Santa Fe,
California, Hershey, Pennsylvania,
Coventry City, Wetherby, and the Parish
of St. Heller, United Kingdom, Dyce and
Sorn, Scotland, Shikoai, Japan, and Zlin,
Czech Republic.

June 8/2005