Gogama finds ways to make the area inclusive and welcoming
Looking for a way to expand and grow into a more inclusive and welcoming destination, the Municipality of Gogama has been busy with a handful of projects for both residents and people looking to visit.
“Going back a few years, we established a community playground to be part of that infrastructure that’s needed to attract people coming into town,” said Gerry Talbot of the Gogama Chamber of Commerce.
“We’ve put up some new signage on Highway 144. We’ve worked with the community library in trying to make it even more attractive for the people that are visiting our community and quite a few other things, as well.”
More recently, Gogama launched a tourism brochure to attract more visitors and a five-year economic development plan. Although the list so far has quite a few completed projects on it, Talbot said there is always more to be done.
'We had to do something to stay alive'
“It’s important to the community because over the years we’ve had outmigration of our youth and we’ve had some people move away, we’ve had some employers that have shut down their organizations so people, you know, the population was dwindling,” he said. “So we had to do something to stay alive.”
Talbot said the municipality is run by a group of volunteers. He said improvements, like the ones listed above, take a team effort, including the help of The Venture Centre.
“In small communities you don’t always have the expertise that is required to carry out some of these projects or to create an economic development plan, and that’s where you rely on organizations such as The Venture Centre to help you achieve these projects,” he said.
“The board is made up of people that know the needs of small communities … The staff is able to help us with completing applications that sometimes complex government funding applications so that we can get funds to carry out some of our projects.”
The Venture Centre
Since its inception in 1994, officials said The Venture Centre has had a working relationship with Gogama.
“We’ve assisted with strategic planning whenever it was required, with tourism, with marketing and social media,” said Amelie Pelletier, chair of The Venture Centre board. “We’ve provided some support for community development as well.”
“We all know that funding sometimes is very scarce for some of these community development projects so it’s important to not only support the businesses, but support the residents in these smaller communities so they can support, in turn, the businesses,” she added.
Talbot said the completed projects have already seen a payoff, with children using the playground three out of the four seasons a year and everyone now being able to access the museum with the new ramp.
He said that without the help and expertise of The Venture Centre, a lot of the projects wouldn’t get done.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.