I am a young women, living here with my husband and my 2 year old son. Originially I am from Germany. I was used to live in a city with about 60 000 inhabitants. Since I moved to Canada, particullarily to Wetaskiwin, I have to get used to a small city. Of course there are differences between countries and will always be. But this is an opportunity for you to get some ideas from someone who knows a different lifestyle than it is in Canada. I personally really would like to see Wetaskiwin as an attractive city to the one who live here and to people who come to see it, which it is not!

- Please please do something about those nasty looking houses. It is a shame – driving trough Wetaskiwin and for example havin g my family from Germany over and to see all those houses. I just seems, people do not care about how their houses and properties look like. Here my suggestion: What really bugs my husband and me is, that taxes are getting up, as soon as one tries to make the house and property look nicer. My husband did so much on our house, all the time and effort he put in in the renovation – and then we get the tax bill…. It is discouraging!!! The City of Wetaskiwin should appreciate it when their inhabitants try to make Wetaskiwin look better – and reward them. How about promising not to increase taxes for about 5 years after a major renovation project? That in my eyes would incourage people to renovate. Or even give them a refund for some of the renovation cost. I know there is now this tax deduction out for home renovations projects, but as far I know it is a provinicial or federal promotion.

- I am often so sad and disappointed when I drive or walk through the mainstreet. Ther e are so many nice old buildings which are empty, nobdy cares about it. This old buildings should be restored. And the other one either torne away and get new more modern looking build there. Or there are old builings which are in use, but (the same as said above with private properties) nobody cares and does any renovations to them.

- And please encoure more businesses to come to Wetaskiwin! I heard taxes are high for business owner. So why not lower them? Where is the problem? I can not understand why the City of Wetaskiwin can not get it, that through this, people here would so much more stay in Wetaskiwin to shop, rather than to go to Edmonton or Camrose for example for Clothes shopping. There are almost no store for clothes shopping- and not everyone loves to wear Wal-Mart clothes (not that I do not buy clothes there). But I am for example a short person and it is so hard for me to find good clothes. I have to go to Edmonton for that. I personally drive to Camrose sometimes because there is a bigger variety of stores. And the main street is so much more attractive to me than in Wetaskiwin. I really would like to see stores like shoe stores, clothes stores, neat gift stores, nice coffee shops to sit and socialize (not something like Tim Hortons- that’s more a Fast food style.)

- The same for the Wetaskiwin Mall. Just nothing interesting happening there anymore besides the Farmes Market which I do not visit often. What a pity to let this building stand empty.

Now, here are some of the things I like and appreciate about Wetwaskiwin:

- the free of charge ice ring

- that opportunity of the kids dropp-in in the stripp mal by Shoppers Drug Mart

- the free of charge racket fields, skateboard park, baseball and football fields (although I am not to much into sports myself, but I like it, because I know people can use it, have fun and be active without having to pay lots of money). My brother from Germany rea lly liked the Skateboard park, because he drives skateboard himself. It would be to bad if it would get close down.

- lots of playgrounds (we like to go on those school playgrounds especially), since I have an active boy who needs to use his muscles.

– submitted at wetaskiwintomorrow.ca

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