File photo of a Town of Coaldale sign (Lethbridge News Now)

By Justin Goulet

Coaldale vying for title of Strongest Town in Canada-U.S. competition

Mar 15, 2021 | 11:43 AM

COALDALE, AB – Will Coaldale be named the Strongest Town in North America?

The community has been selected to participate in the Strongest Towns Contest.

The competition, run by U.S.-based organization Strong Towns, recognizes towns and cities in both Canada and the United States that are working hard to become stronger and that are building enduring resilience and long-term prosperity.

In total, 16 communities are competing against one another. Eight will move on to the second round based off of community votes.

The competition bracket (Photo: strongtowns.org)

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In the opening round, Coaldale is facing off against Kenmore, Washington.

Representatives from both communities have provided answers to questions around economic resilience, citizen involvement, community response to COVID-19, and other topics.

Coaldale’s Director of Planning and Development, Spencer Croil, spoke with Lethbridge News Now about the town’s involvement.

“I do believe that we’re a community in transition,” Croil said.

“We’re coming into our own in the sense that, for a long time, Coaldale has been considered a small town and given recent developments in the natural population growth that occurs – especially being a bedroom community to Lethbridge – we’re becoming a mid-sized town, or a larger community than we’ve been used to being in the past.”

Croil noted some projects such as the replacement of the aging Kate Andrews High School and expansions to pathways as some of the drivers for a positive future for Coaldale.

READ MORE: New schools, replacements, and modernizations coming to Southern Alberta

He also gave kudos to the various working groups in the town.

“We have five working groups that are all citizen-led that have been started or in process over the past couple of years,” Croil told LNN.

“So, we’re certainly trying to make sure that there’s a strong element and focus on community involvement and a lot of the changes that are going on [are] being driven by community and all of these things, I believe, are what make Coaldale a great place to live.”

Citizens can vote in the Strongest Towns Contest once per match-up.

Round one voting closes at 12:00 p.m. CDT (11:00 a.m. MT) on Thursday, March 18. Full rules can be seen here.