It’s about community

Golden’s mayor, Chistina Benty, gives a tour of the town that she says is guided by a strong sense of community and connection

Christine Benty says that Golden residents take a progressive view of their town's future — Tanya Laing Gahr photo

Over lunch at Bacchus Books and Café, Christina Benty, mayor of the Town of Golden, discussed the community’s most recent economic and social initiatives in the wake of the recession. Benty said that while many small businesses have seen a drop in sales, there has still been growth in Golden.

“In the construction industry, as far as growth and development goes, it’s been fairly steady,” she said. “We haven’t seen the drop that other resort municipalities have seen. We’ve remained fairly constant and steady in our growth—minimal but it hasn’t stopped.”

Benty believes that Golden’s push to diversify its economy from traditionally resource- and transportation-based industries has helped support the community’s growth. Along with that is Golden’s focus on creating a centre that supports its residents and the sense of community that Benty said is its greatest strength.

The Official Community Plan (OCP) has been a large part of that vision; it contains a number of initiatives, including the affordable housing strategy that is meant to ensure residents can live where they work.

“We just broke ground (in April) on our affordable housing project and we’ll actually be having our first two official housing units on board in the community (this year),” said Benty. “The whole project is affordable, but there are two units that will be sold below market value and will remain perpetually affordable.”

Benty said the project will have a “need to reside clause” that will ensure that only Golden residents can purchase the units.

The affordable housing project itself addresses a number of goals in the OCP, including increased density, walkability, community gardens and other issues of liveability. And that, said Benty, is the raison d’être for every initiative that the city is undertaking—liveability.

“How do we create a liveable community?” Benty asked. “One of the ways is through housing; another is through arts and culture and making this a place that people want to reside in.”

Benty gave all due credit to the people of Golden for the town’s collective progressive nature in terms of development and community. She said there has been a lot of support for arts and culture from most residents, and the Spirit Square has been used repeatedly since its completion last year.

The trails that have been put in along the Kicking Horse River have also been used frequently for walking and biking. The importance of the two rivers—the Columbia and the Kicking Horse—are reflected in many of the new upgrades taking place in Golden.

The Spirit Square, which overlooks the Kicking Horse River, incorporates a flowing wave design into its brickwork. Benty said that many of the downtown businesses that face away from the river are looking at ways to improve the rear of the buildings to make the downtown river walk more appealing.

The fact that there is such high support from the small businesses in Golden may be because the Town of Golden supports them. Benty said the lack of several big-box stores is a deliberate choice. That decision may have helped to retain many of the workers who were laid off during the initial forestry downturn; while some have left the area to find work, others have taken the opportunity to start their own small businesses.

And, because of the close-knit nature of Golden, many of those young companies are finding the community has their back. Ultimately, Benty thinks the community has taken ownership of its fate, and in doing so is creating a future that everyone can believe in.

“I think there’s a real shift,” said Benty. “We want a walkable community. We want a liveable community. We want a community that celebrates culture and diversity and art. We want a community that has green economic development and looks at energy options and tackles climate change.”

Given the thrust behind many of the Town’s initiatives, Golden is on its way.