CANADA HEALTHY COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE

Purpose: Supports projects that create safe and vibrant public spaces, improve mobility options, or offer digital solutions.

Federal funding that flowed through the Foundation to help communities adapt public spaces and local services safely and equitably. This funding initiative is now complete.

The committee hopes to see other projects like this grow across Northern Alberta. They will be utilizing the saskatoons and raspberries for a U-Pick to help with the sustainability of the project. The orchard will be an educational opportunity in their community, partnering with local schools, seniors, and community members by providing field trips and tours.

Along with the orchard, the Ag. Society also manages the local museum village, community hall, community gardens, and sponsors the local Farmers Market in their area. This project has created considerable opportunities for collaboration within the community and stands to have a multi-faceted impact. This project is an additional way of keeping the history and legacy of orchards and gardens alive for years to come.

Both the orchard and community gardens haven’t reached their full capacity yet. There will be additional phases and more planting going forward. This project stands to further the Society and committee’s vision, objectives, and to greatly increase their impact within the community.

Micro Granting

Purpose: Supports immediate community needs

The Foundation continues to support all communities in our region. One of these avenues is our micro granting which provides smaller, immediate funding to community organizations to address emergency needs.

The Impact

Wapiti House had been supporting a senior male (pseudonym “Phil”) with some complex health issues in their transitional housing program. Phil was particularly vulnerable to illnesses as he is often unable to take proper precautions to limit the chance of infection.

The Impact

In 2018, while searching for books on gardening for their local garden tour event, the La Crete Agricultural Society came across a book on the history of gardens and orchards in Russia and Manitoba. Many of the community forefathers came from Ukraine and naturally this caught their interest. This book inspired the idea to start an orchard in their museum village to depict their community’s heritage. The project encourages a healthy diet, provides additional food sustainability in the north, and encourages future educational and economic benefits as their learnings are shared publicly.

Susan Siemens heads the committee that consists of 11 other members of the community. Together they have made a dugout, planted 1350 trees, installed an irrigation system and a game fence on the 7 acres of land that the Society’s Board of Directors set aside for the project.

Susan has started a “Learnings Booklet” to keep track of the various species that have been planted, to record how each variety weathers the northern winters, and any other issues they might have.

Despite significant progress in the community, support for street involved seniors who are living with compulsive habitual use of alcohol or substances are often denied support and care by existing health systems. Wapiti House worked with several facilities where Phil could be properly housed. The facilities are extremely overwhelmed and it was a challenge to move him into a space where he would receive the care he deserves. A micro grant from the Foundation helped to bridge Phil’s care until a long term solution could be found.

“Our humanity is revealed in how we respect those who struggle to respect themselves.”

- Jared Gossen, Project Lead