Some days Nanaimo could be a brighter place – and it’s not just the weather.
Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation CEO Susan Cudahy told city council she wants to encourage residents to be more positive about the city they live in as her organization sets out to change Nanaimo’s image and elevate it to become tops on the Island.
Nanaimo boasts some amazing advantages to its Island neighbours – outdoor recreation, parkland and the harbourfront walkway are all regular stops for tourists and visitors – that should be celebrated.
But Nanaimo also has serious issues to address – child poverty and the growing infrastructure deficit spring readily to mind – which can’t be solved by simply pretending everything is sunshine and daisies.
Any good government, institution or group benefits by constructive criticism which offers solutions to identified problems.
People point out issues to address and identify potential solutions, while government responds by implementing those ideas or finding others.
Encouraging a city’s residents to be part of that problem-solving process can also be looked at as a positive aspect of the community, by showing how residents are engaged and willing to donate time, energy and ideas to civic causes.
For criticism to work, it must be constructive. Tearing down the city and ideas expressed by its residents without offering any solutions does nothing to move the city forward, nor solve problems faced by its residents.
Positivity and civic pride have their place.
But every city also faces challenges from time to time – how it reacts and responds to those challenges is what makes a community worth living in.
