BALANCE BETWEEN PROMOTING TOWN'S GROWTH AND MAINTAINING COMMUNITY CULTURE POSSIBLE
OSOYOOS TIMES-February 20, 2008
Osoyoos' new brand/slogan, unveiled earlier this month, definitely has a nice ring to it.
A great deal of work went into this effort to revamp the community's profile in the eyes of potential investors, tourists and maybe even future residents.
And everyone involved with the project, from the town to Destination Osoyoos to the business and development collectives that chipped in, should be applauded.
Promoting the area as an inviting jewel in the heart of British Columbia certainly creates a sense of optimism for the community's economic future.
A question that came up in a recent Letter to the Editor, however, is a good counter-balance to such a drive to showcase the town to the rest of the world:
What about the people who live here all the time? What's being done to make sure this community is just as much theirs as those who come for the beaches in the summer or the potential for development?
It's not a question that should overshadow the promotion of Osoyoos. But it should remind everyone that maintaining and expanding the culture of this community is just as valid and worthy a goal.
If so much effort can be put into attracting others to live, work and invest here, then surely as much can be done to make sure there's a reason to stay here, especially for young people.
Sure, many kids will leave town to attend university or college when they're done high school.
That's a given since the closest post-secondary education is at least 45 minutes away.
But are there jobs and a culture here to lure them back?
Are the feelings of being ignored by some of those in their golden years within the community shared by those just starting out in their lives?
Continuing the push to market Osoyoos should go hand-in-hand with a strategy to allow Osoyoosites to still feel at home here and an effort to make this community something worthwhile to return to.
