The results are in for this year’s provincial Communities in Bloom competition, and community members should be proud

The judges have officially spoken. In August, Whitecourt was on the big stage, competing in the
Communities in Bloom Provincial Competition. Two judges toured the municipality by bus, along
with the local Communities in Bloom committee, town staff and town councillors.
The group visited multiple local hot spots, including Festival Park, toured neighbourhoods to see
what residents had done to beautify their properties, saw the downtown and business core,
shared about projects happening in Whitecourt, like FireSmart, and checked out the river spurs
on the Athabasca River. The trained judges evaluated Whitecourt for Community Appearance,
Environmental Action, Heritage Conservation, Tree Management, Landscape, and Plant and
Floral Displays concerning municipal, business, institution, residential and community
involvement.
Following a full day of data collection, the judges went to other municipalities in the province and
over the next couple of months, all the scores were tabulated and recently provided to
municipalities. On Monday, November 25, the Whitecourt Town Council heard how Whitecourt
did. Kelly Sadoway, Manager of Recreation, Arts and Culture, was excited to share it.
“I come bearing good news! I’m happy to say that we were given a score of 83.9 percent and an
overall ranking of five out of five blooms.” Whitecourt has achieved a five out of five ranking
through the provincial competition previously. “They gave us praise for a few things. We got
special recognition for the River Spur Project and the addition of walking trails and benches
down there,” explained Sadoway.
She said the judges also pointed out the beauty of downtown Whitecourt, commenting on the
colourful flowers. “They really thought it was beautiful,” said Sadoway. “They also liked our
strong FireSmart program, which is going to get even better, I hear,” she said with a smile,
alluding to the recently announced fireguard project that will commence this month.
The Communities in Bloom judges also praised the community for its well-maintained park
spaces and the diverse outdoor recreational activities available at Festival Park, including the
playground, bouncy pillow, volleyball courts, walking trails, slides, splash park, soccer fields and
open spaces for a mix of sports.
One thing the judges said they would like to see next time is the Whitecourt Cemetery. “They
would like to see what we have going on over there,” said Sadoway. She said they also wanted
more information on the river spurs. “They had some questions about the log jams and how they
were all sitting there and that it was actually a positive thing, and they wanted more information
on that and for us to share it.” The trees pushed up against the spurs from past high-water
events help protect the land from further erosion, acting as a barrier. They also provide habitat
for fish and wildlife. The judges felt that signage explaining that could be added.
“The Town of Whitecourt has many natural assets for the residents and visitors to enjoy. The
River Spur Project is one of the most recently completed projects that can be enjoyed. It is
important to have signage in this location, addressing the reasons for leaving the tree branches
and logs along the banks of the river,” read the evaluation form prepared by the visiting judges,
Bob and Sherry Cote. They also commented that it was obvious that people cared about their

community. “We enjoyed our short visit to your community, and we wish you all the best in your
ongoing projects that promote Growing Great Communities Together. It was evident that the
community representatives that were on our tour, and those that met us at various locations, are
very passionate and proud of their community,” they concluded.
“They were also thinking about water conservation incentives for us to get more residents using
rain barrels,” said Sadoway. The Communities in Bloom committee has given out rain barrels in
the past thanks to an opportunity that sprung up about ten years ago. “Someone on the
committee had a line on someone who repurposed the barrels. They were for industry use, and
they repurposed them to be rain barrels. We got 100 of them. I think we sold them for half the
price we paid for them as an initiative to try and get people to use them, and they all went out,”
explained Sadoway. Similarly, the group recently gave out composters during a composter class
at the library to help encourage residents to compost at home.
“We got a newsletter from Communities in Bloom (after the results were shared), and it talked
about all the different areas and communities that had been ranked in Alberta, and Whitecourt
had the highest percentage. However, they did not declare us the winners, so I’m not too sure
what’s happening there,” said Sadoway. She added that she sent in a letter and was waiting on
a response to find out if Whitecourt was the overall provincial champ. “It did look like we did
well.”
Mayor Tom Pickard chuckled and said, “But we’re not competitive. It’s about beautification. But,
if we’re keeping score, we did have the highest score.” Councillors, admin and visitors in the
audience shared a laugh with a few “We’re the champs” thrown in for good measure, with smiles
all around. “It’s ok to celebrate our wins,” said Councillor Tara Baker.
Whitecourt has been a provincial winner in the past, as well as a participant in the national
competition. Whether or not Whitecourt is officially crowned this year’s provincial winner,
residents and businesses alike, and the hardworking town staff, should all be proud that their
efforts to beautify the town have been noticed and are appreciated.