A new strategic plan is in the works for the Town of Minnedosa, and it starts with seeking out just how the community sees itself and what it’s looking for. Town CAO Jim Doppler kicks off a town hall meeting by introducing consultant Cathy Snelgrove who will facilitate the process for the approximately 100 attendees.

Snelgrove led the group through a brainstorming session around just a few key questions, aiming not to begin formulating a plan but to lay the foundation of what a plan would need to incorporate.

“We want to gain as much information from you about what you want to see for your community [and] understand what challenges you’ve got,” says Snelgrove. “And once we gather that information, it’s really coming out with what’s the plan. What’s the plan for the next five to ten years?”

Starting with, “What are some of the things that make Minnedosa amazing?” Snelgrove drew out a list of the community’s amenities but pushed participants deeper to find the things that are unique about the community. When considering why they live where they live, participants began to talk about the people and their relationships.

Challenges ran the gamut from infrastructure and climate to broader issues such as diversity and inclusion. Communication was a big issue that many corners of the room raised throughout the conversation, particularly communication by Town Council and other municipal departments. As a tourist town revolving around the lake, another huge challenge is the lack of hotels in the community.

One of the hardest exercises was agreeing on four priorities from the challenges the community is facing. In many ways, the exercise itself was important as the answer. “What do you take off to add something else?” is the same question faced by when there are limited funds to tackle problems. It was a microcosm of the everyday decision-making process of town leadership.

“What I say to any community is it’s easy to look down the road and try to become someone else, but … if everybody had a TIm Horton’s on every corner, and had a Wal-Mart and had all that stuff, then we’d all be living in exactly the same community,” says Snelgrove. “What you have to do is figure out you.”

The community town hall will be followed by a survey available both online and in paper form, which Snelgrove encourages everyone to spread the word about. “The more information and the more ideas we get,” she says, “the better the plan will be.”