Optimism Needed to move Lethbridge Forward: Editorial Board

In an excellent editorial, "Optimism and ideas needed to move our city forward", the Lethbridge Herald Editorial Board wrote: 

It’s easy for all of us to be critical of the world around us including our home community. After all, when you look at all the issues facing humanity today, trying to be optimistic and positive isn’t easy.

We have in Lethbridge the same issues affecting every community across the country – homelessness, poverty, addictions and crime. We face the same uncertainties as the rest of humanity with the war in Ukraine, increasing tensions with China and Iran, and of course climate change and its growing impact on all of us.

But if we focus on the negatives, we can’t look at changing our world for the better. It takes optimism and creativity to survive and thrive and to overcome the challenges that mankind has battled since the beginning.

We here in Lethbridge too often complain about the negatives in our city. But take a good look at life in other communities in Alberta and beyond and try to see the benefits of working, raising a family, going to school and living here permanently.

Sure, our taxes have increased – as they have elsewhere and in some cases more than here. Yes, we have a shortage of affordable housing but city council recently agreed conditionally to pay millions of dollars to help three deserving projects address that situation if they are approved for federal Rapid Housing Initiative money. These projects are huge for our community and if approved will make a real difference in getting people the housing they need to begin thriving. If the Lethbridge Housing Association is successful in its development application, it too can better help those who want help to begin the transition from being unsheltered to having secure homes and the start of new  and better lives.

City council last November made a strong effort to address crime here by providing the Lethbridge Police Service the much-needed funding to increase its manpower so LPS can tackle the growing problems we have here. It provided needed funds to Fire/EMS so their members can more quickly and better serve our community.

Leave politics out of the equation and quit grinding the axe for awhile  – which some won’t ever do  – and take a good look at what we have in this city that makes it a great place to live, a feeling that is shared by the majority of respondents to a City survey.

We have wonderful, expansive park areas, numerous recreational opportunities, two strong post-secondary education institutions, a Western Hockey League team, superb high school sports teams and schools which provide our students with excellent education.

We have short commutes from virtually anywhere in the city and short-lived congestion during what we have for rush hours.

Can traffic flow be improved? We doubt anyone would argue that traffic lights could be better synchronized on major thoroughfares. 

And roundabouts can be annoying when they’re on every single block. But every community could probably improve its transpiration system, as well. Growth has its challenges anywhere.

This City also has a planning department which has a vision for the future of our community, a vision which we’ve seen begin transforming and revitalizing our downtown core.

Some again will argue with that vision but it’s working. And it will work if we are willing to open our minds and give that vision a chance to become reality.

Yes, downtown has huge issues to be addressed for crime, drug use and homelessness – like any other community.  An upcoming letter to the editor will reiterate the issues we are experiencing at the paper.

The activity going on in doorways and alleys is often disgusting and it’s more prevalent than ever. 

And yes, these issues need to be addressed, not only for the safety of residents, workers and downtown shoppers but also for the benefit of the people who are responsible for these behaviours. 

Downtown businesses are paying a steep price – too steep – for the addictions and homelessness issues in the core.

But despite the problems including parking, our downtown with Festival Square and the variety of businesses is a destination and will continue growing as a destination as long as we let optimism guide us rather than pessimism.

And we need to be optimistic. Everyone can take a role in improving the world around us.  We need solutions to the problems we face and we can all play a part in coming up with them. 

The world hasn’t advanced because of collective negativity and our community won’t prosper without optimism, hope and a positive outlook.

We have many reasons to be positive about our city. 

And we need to let that attitude guide us forward. We can’t let negativity shackle us and hold us down.

Read More: Optimism is Realism

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