Plan to attend Growing Friendly: Creating and Preserving Communities that Work, a lecture by local resident Angus Affleck. Last fall, Learning Again in Almonte hosted Building on Common Ground, a symposium where participants shared what they valued and wanted to preserve in the future in Mississippi Mills. The day was filled with enthusiasm, dreams and fears. Even among people captivated by the possibilities, the wary response was often “growth is inevitable and we have no control” and “all these concerns are the necessary effects of economic sustainability”.
One response, appearing like a breath of fresh air, came from Angus Affleck, a voice that dared to imagine something different, by someone knowledgeable enough to see how it could work. With deep roots here, he knows our community. Angus has worked for the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change for Ontario, contributed to leading environmental think tanks, and provided heritage consulting services across both public and private sectors. Those experiences led to him founding Wise Cities Consulting, “bringing his expertise to communities facing change, helping them adapt in ways that honour their history, strengthen their identity, and create lasting value for future generations”.
The articles on his blog which include, Why Local Businesses are the Lifeblood of Wise Communities, and How to Grow Without Losing your Soul reflect, so precisely, the vague unease and hope that was voiced at the Symposium, that Learning Again in Almonte, in collaboration with Building on Common Ground, have invited Angus to share his vision, strategies, and the successes and failures of other communities in similar circumstances. He will be speaking on Thursday, October 30, from 7-9pm at the Almonte Branch of the Mississippi Mills Public Library. Entrance is by donation but registration is required. Further details on our website.
