ST. PAUL – The Town of St. Paul awaits with bated breath, nominated among the finalists for the WinterLife Award. The award is part of the Outstanding Achievement Awards for the 2022 Communities in Bloom Canada (CiB).
According to information from the St. Paul Communities in Bloom committee, the WinterLife Award recognizes the “efforts and involvement in projects and initiatives which engage the community with indoor and outdoor activities,” in celebration of Canadian Winter.
The communities who applied for the award are evaluated under three primary criteria, which are: Holiday Celebrations for November and December, Winter Activities from November to March, and Community Outreach also from November to March.
The winner will be announced on Oct. 21 at the CiB Community Showcase.
Penny Fox, member of the St. Paul CiB committee, said the WinterLife Award is an opportunity to showcase that St. Paul is a “year-round” destination, celebrating both summer and winter.
“In Alberta, we tend to think that we only do things in the summer,” she said, and there is a misconception that tourism, for example. only happens in the summer.
“And that’s not true.”
That’s why Fox also encourages members of the community to celebrate and take part in winter activities and events in St. Paul.
“These are the places, and these are the things that give us an opportunity to volunteer, to learn and to grow as a community, and support the community,” said Fox.
A myriad of activities, programs, and initiatives run through the winter months in St. Paul, and that information has been submitted and showcased to CiB for the WinterLife Award. According to information from the St. Paul CiB committee, included among the winter activities in town are community outreach programs involving art, music, seniors' activities, as well as children and family centered activities.
Other winter activities include cultural activities, outdoor infrastructure like ice fishing and outdoor parks, sports like hockey and cross-country skiing, as well as community celebrations, and fundraising events.
According to the information, while winters in northern Alberta tend to be longer, the town of St. Paul and its population of less than 6,000 people, has “certainly learned to adapt.”
