Rent Real Estate"Communities in Bloom" Unite If Weather Doesn"t
As most Canadians watch their gardens thaw out after a long winter of
snow and ice, British Columbia gardeners have seen many of their spring
flowers come and go during a wonderful non-winter. Even with this
dramatic diversity in weather, Canadian gardeners from coast to coast
are preparing for the annual "Communities in Bloom" competitions which
are judged in July and August.
Communities in Bloom is a non-profit Canadian organization committed to
"fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification
through community participation and the challenge of a friendly
competition." It is designed to be a continuous community improvement
program and is divided into distinct phases: Provincial, National and
International. The program encourages involvement and action by citizens
of all ages, municipal governments, local organizations and businesses.
This national beautification program strives to improve the tidiness,
appearance and visual appeal of Canada"s neighbourhoods, parks, open
spaces and streets through imaginative landscaping. Environmental
awareness and preservation of heritage and culture are also important
themes.
National beautification programs have flourished in Europe for decades.
With this inspiration, Communities in Bloom began in 1995 with 29
Canadian communities. Now more than 100 national communities take part
and hundreds of municipalities register in provincial editions.
Described as "more beauty than a contest," Communities in Bloom will
send 40 expert, specially-trained volunteer judges across Canada during
the summer to evaluate municipalities on eight key criteria:
Tidiness
Environmental Awareness
Community Involvement
Heritage Conservation
Urban Forestry
Landscaped Areas
Floral Displays
Turf and Ground Cover Areas
Provincial judges evaluate communities and award certificates with a
rating of 1 to 5 Blooms (5 being the highest ranking) at a Provincial
Awards Ceremony in the fall. The top two 4 or 5 Bloom communities in
each Province will be invited to participate in the 2004 National
Competition.
Since 1995, Communities in Bloom has been credited with both expected
and unexpected benefits for participating communities and their citizens:
increase in civic pride, community involvement and property values
participation from all ages and all walks of life
citizens, groups, organizations, business and municipal
government all mobilized and pulling together
process of continuous improvement for the whole community, year
after year
information and cultural exchanges within the community and
with neighbouring, national and international communities
decreased vandalism
economic development and increased tourism
Every community is invited to participate in the provincial and national
editions, within one of seven population categories, ranging from
category one of 1 - 1,000 to category seven of 100,001 - 300,000.
Communities with a population of more than 300,000 can enter directly in
the national edition. There are also two special, sponsored awards --
Scotts for the Turf Criteria and NCC for Floral Displays -- that acknowledge exceptional beautification efforts. This competition is not based on population nor does it reflect the
overall bloom rating. For instance, if your community does an
outstanding job or has a unique method of maintaining turf and open
spaces, sports fields, private citizens" property and commercial
properties, then it could be awarded "Best Turf in Canada."
Past CIB winners are"twinned" with past winners of international
contests like Britain in Bloom, America in Bloom or Japan in Bloom to
mentor the program, establish information and cultural exchanges.
The City of Stratford, Ontario, proudly awaits the arrival of
Communities in Bloom participants from across Canada and around the
world that will be attending the National Awards Ceremonies and
Symposium, "Dramatically Different," to be held in that city from
September 23-28, 2003. Internationally renowned for The Stratford
Festival, Stratford, with a population of 29,000, has more
acres of parkland per capita than any other city in Canada along with
several formal floral gardens, almost 100 municipal flowerbeds and
several major formal park areas.
Since resident participation is an important award criterion, pitch in
on local clean-up days and lend a hand to tree planting programs.
Increase your property value while you contribute to your community"s
beauty and make your own garden glow. To find out more about getting
involved, check out the Communities in Bloom Participation Guide 2003.
Yes, Canada, spring is finally here.