Mark down Nov. 10, 2014 on your calendar. It was a momentous day for elected officials in both Innisfail and Penhold. It was an even greater day for the citizens of both communities, as they receive extraordinary investments for the future -- the type of which the best progresses are built on.
The councils in both Innisfail and Penhold did the right thing in a huge way. They rejected the strong-arm pull of business and government logic, and turned to the gentleness of the heart for their communities. They found the greater good, a greater good for the futures of their communities.
Innisfail's long battle over the relocation of the waste transfer station site officially ended at council on Nov. 10 with the unanimous approval for an alternate location, one that is comfortably 500 metres away from the 230 residents at Westwood Court Mobile Home Park. It was an enormous win for the town's “little” people, those mostly on fixed incomes who are too often ignored and taken for granted by too many in the community. For the past six months these “little” people with the huge hearts stood up and said, “No, we do not want a dump in our backyard.” They pulled together. They rallied. They were determined. They told the town its plan was just plain wrong. They never gave up.
Council was forced to admit they should have listened to the people first before approving the original plan. Members ultimately decided to follow the will of the people. It was a classic example of doing what is for the greater good. No longer are humility and integrity just words on paper. They now have been put into action. There is real meaning. Council deserves to be saluted.
In Penhold, council was faced with its own dilemma. The town originally handed Wild Rose Manor owner Jim Guilbault a bill of $131,864 for the fire that destroyed his apartment building on April 10 and left 30 people homeless. It was done while Guilbault is working with a developer to rebuild on the site, a move that could ultimately provide more homes to Penhold in a time when the town's fortunes are booming and affordable housing is scarce.
Guilbault, who lives in Lacombe, has served Penhold honourably for three decades by providing affordable housing to the community, and while handing him the firefighting bill may have been a prudent and practical decision, it was hardly the right one. But common sense prevailed. Penhold council tore up the bill. Mayor Dennis Cooper, however, cautioned council it had to be careful as the move was setting a precedent.
Yes it was, but maybe not the one he was thinking about at the time.
By waiving the bill, council demonstrated, like its counterpart in Innisfail, that there are simply the right moves that can be made, no matter how much they might defy bureaucratic logic. This is one of them, and Penhold is a better community for it.
Down the road both communities may face new decisions that at first appear correct and prudent for bottom lines and municipal management practices. And then out of the blue comes another option, one that is for a greater good.
Both Innisfail and Penhold can always look back to Nov. 10, 2014. These were the special moments where the bar of greatness for each community was forever set.
