By Marelle Reid

Mission Record

Mission is one of the most beautiful municipalities in the province, according to the results of the latest Communities in Bloom (CinB) competition.

The local CinB Society received a trophy for winning top spot in the 20,001 - 50,000 population category at the sixth annual awards ceremony Sept. 19.

Judges from the provincial CinB toured towns and cities throughout the province to rank them in eight categories: tidiness, environmental awareness, community involvement, heritage conservation, urban forest management, landscaped areas, floral displays and turf and ground covers.

“They drive around and look at the whole town. They don’t miss a blade of grass,” said CinB co-chair Myrna Matthews.

The competition is part of a development program open to municipalities of all sizes.

Local CinB committees are a collaboration of private citizens, businesses, service groups and local government who work to improve parks, neighbourhoods and other heritage assets by following a set of criterion.

Like last year, Mission earned five “blooms” for scoring 823.5 points out of 1,000, and this year did even better with 851.5 points.

More than 800 points equals five blooms, which is the highest rank in the competition.

Special mention this year went to the Silverdale Creek Wetlands.

Last year Mission got a special mention and the provincial trophy for the protection of historical and cultural records and buildings.

Matthews said the competition shows how well a community is doing in terms of civic pride and community involvement.

“We haven’t been sitting still,” she said. “Essentially everybody in Mission takes part, so this is an award for Mission.”

CinB reports everything that has been done by officials and residents to increase the aesthetic appeal of their town.

The four groups judged include the municipal government, commercial/industrial segment, non-profit schools and churches and residents.

Environmental awareness, beautification of urban lands and economic stimulus are a few reasons the B.C. CinB Society gives for municipalities to participate in the annual competition.

Matthews suggests a boost in tourism is another example of the economic impact the event can provide.

“When people see the Communities in Bloom logo on anything that’s to do with Mission, tourist-wise, that tells them that this is a town that cares, takes pride in what they do, and is probably quite nice to go through because they also judge on floral and landscaping and things like that.”

Judges noted Mission has “the flavour of a much smaller and more intimate community,” which increased the total score this year.