Members of Ponoka laughed and learned during a well-delivered speech at the Ponoka Kinsmen Community Centre on Sept. 30.
The Ponoka and District Chamber of Commerce hosted a special presentation titled 13 Ways to Kill Your Community led by MLA Doug Griffiths.
Griffiths captured everyone’s attention with his vibrant humour and smart strategies in regards to building a strong, innovative and attractive community.
“Some of the best intentions we have, our dreams and hopes, are often shattered by things we do today that we don’t realize we are even doing. With that in mind I wrote up a list of 13 things that you can do to kill your community,” said Griffiths. “It is not meant to be a list of things that you should deliberately do, but rather a list of things that you or community members should deliberately do, but rather a list of things that you or community members may be doing that are directly having negative consequences on your community and its future. If you are doing these things, you are harming your community’s future.”
Some of the ways touched on water quality, businesses, immigrants and more.
Griffiths was elected as MLA for the constituency of Wainwright at the age of 29 in 2002 and re-elected to the legislature for a second term for the constituency of Battle River-Wainwright in 2004. Griffiths is involved in many aspects of the province and serves on numerous committees including the Alberta Grain Commission, Private Members Business House Strategy Committee, the Learning Alberta Steering Committee, the Health Quality council and the MLA Committee on Strengthening Alberta’s Role in Confederation. He also is a member on the Council of State Governments West: Trade and Transportation, the Cabinet Policy Committee: Resources and Environment, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and many more.
Griffiths has an honors degree in Philosophy and a degree in Education from the University of Alberta and received many awards for teaching, prior to becoming an MLA.