The 17th annual Manitoba Communities in Bloom Awards Conference took place in Killarney on September 11th and 12th.

This year Manitoba has 17 communities participating at the provincial and national levels.

Diane Banash is the Manitoba Coordinator and says the program remains popular. “It's going really well. I'm impressed with the communities and the judges comments. It gives me a strong sense of what is happening across the province.”

She notes the program continues to attract new communities with Niverville and West St. Paul in for the first time. “Those are the new participants and some communities have been involved with the blooms program since 1998.”

Communities in Bloom is a Canadian non-profit organization committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification with a focus on green spaces. Manitoba Communities in Bloom is the provincial edition.

Communities are evaluated on their accomplishments in six judging criteria which focus on creating a vibrant community - a great place to live, visit and conduct business. These categories are: Tidiness; Environmental Action; Heritage Conservation; Urban Forestry; Landscaped Areas; and Floral Displays with involvement by all sectors of the community being a component in all categories.

Evaluated communities are provided with a bloom rating (1 to 5), a special mention (community highlight), and an Evaluation Grid and written report which provides specific feedback on community successes and suggestions for improvement in the six categories.

Provincial awards were handed out on Saturday night:

Bloom Ratings and Special Mentions 2015
Community and Category Bloom Rating (max. 5) Special Mention
Population: 1-500
L.U.D. of Baldur 5 blooms and Special Mention: Municipal Support

Population: 501-1000
Town of Riverton 4 blooms and Special Mention: Pursuit of Economic Development

Population: 1001-3000
Town of Minnedosa 5 blooms Special Mention: Signage
Town of Morris 4 blooms Special Mention: Community Garden for the Food Bank –Social Employment Initiative

Population: 3001-5000
Town of Niverville 3 blooms Special Mention Lagoon Remediation
Town of Swan River 4 blooms Special Mention Community Group Participation
R.M. of West St. Paul 3 blooms Special Mention Residential Landscaping

Population: Over 5000
City of Selkirk 4 blooms Special Mention Red Feather Farm Park

Circle of Excellence
Town of Carberry 5 blooms Special Mention Railway Picnic Shelter Plans
Town of Lac du Bonnet Non-evaluated

Friends of Manitoba CiB
City of Thompson Non-evaluated

Manitoba has six entries in the National Edition (Town of Stonewall, City of Dauphin, Municipality of Killarney-Turtle Mountain, City of Brandon, Boissevain-Morton and the International Peace Gardens).

Those awards will be announced at the National Symposium and Awards Ceremonies Kamloops B.C. on October 3rd, 2015.

The conference gave the 100 delegates a chance to network with other communities and find out more about botany issues, fund raising and moving forward in a positive way.