Our own house needs fixing, not spin
Our own house needs fixing, not spin
Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray March 24, 2006
"No matter what we spend, the media will write what they want and what they see. You always see the Boomtown Casino sign (in media reports) and the lights of the Oil Can. That's what we have to work on."
Regional Coun. Phil Meagher hit the nail on the head this week when discussing Wood Buffalo's proposed community image campaign.
The money proposed -- $400,000, plus another $275,000 from industry that hasn't been committed yet -- seems astronomical, but it's not that much for a campaign like the one proposed, officials told council.
Yikes! It's possible municipal officials are still a little shell-shocked after approving a couple of $100-million projects in a short time -- the sewage treatment plant and the expanded MacIsland project -- but this is serious coin, folks.
All in aid of image?
There's no question that Fort McMurray has a negative impression in many minds, both inside and outside the Oilsands City.
That incorrect portrait goes back decades, when oilsands projects were being built in the '60s and '70s, and workers were rumoured to roam the Lower Townsite searching for alcohol, drugs and fisticuffs.
The reality may not have lived up to the legend, but we're stuck with it.
Regular folk who live in Fort McMurray and don't participate in the illicit drug scene know it's a great place to live.
Those who commute back and forth help carry the fiction of a dirty rotten city onwards, because it helps justify their driving time. "Who'd want to live there?" they ask.
The myth is wrong, but they make it their truth.
Advertising campaigns can affect impressions. By presenting the truth, a bit tarted-up and wearing a new dress, people can be led to see the reality in Wood Buffalo.
Fort McMurray's prime location in the midst of the boreal forest is the envy of just about everywhere else. People come here for their vacations, after all.
The unparalleled recreation opportunities outside our doors are something that many big-city residents can only dream about.
The economic opportunities are in the same league. This is where the action is.
But it's no bowl of roses. Look at the divisive debate that split local residents over the issue of urban work camps. Look at the bitter carping by councillors, including Meagher, at the same meeting over seemingly petty issues like parking and a neighbour starting diesel trucks up at an early hour, rousing sleeping people with the loud engine noise.
These quality of life issues must be tackled before an image campaign starts.
We can't sell ourselves to others until we start believing the message.
All external media has to do is drop by, ask a few well-placed questions to the right people, and $400,000 worth of image advertising could be undone in an instant with a crabby quote from a local ne'er do well.
We need to fix our own house first before embarking on this expensive and dubious exercise in spin control.
© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.
Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray March 24, 2006
"No matter what we spend, the media will write what they want and what they see. You always see the Boomtown Casino sign (in media reports) and the lights of the Oil Can. That's what we have to work on."
Regional Coun. Phil Meagher hit the nail on the head this week when discussing Wood Buffalo's proposed community image campaign.
The money proposed -- $400,000, plus another $275,000 from industry that hasn't been committed yet -- seems astronomical, but it's not that much for a campaign like the one proposed, officials told council.
Yikes! It's possible municipal officials are still a little shell-shocked after approving a couple of $100-million projects in a short time -- the sewage treatment plant and the expanded MacIsland project -- but this is serious coin, folks.
All in aid of image?
There's no question that Fort McMurray has a negative impression in many minds, both inside and outside the Oilsands City.
That incorrect portrait goes back decades, when oilsands projects were being built in the '60s and '70s, and workers were rumoured to roam the Lower Townsite searching for alcohol, drugs and fisticuffs.
The reality may not have lived up to the legend, but we're stuck with it.
Regular folk who live in Fort McMurray and don't participate in the illicit drug scene know it's a great place to live.
Those who commute back and forth help carry the fiction of a dirty rotten city onwards, because it helps justify their driving time. "Who'd want to live there?" they ask.
The myth is wrong, but they make it their truth.
Advertising campaigns can affect impressions. By presenting the truth, a bit tarted-up and wearing a new dress, people can be led to see the reality in Wood Buffalo.
Fort McMurray's prime location in the midst of the boreal forest is the envy of just about everywhere else. People come here for their vacations, after all.
The unparalleled recreation opportunities outside our doors are something that many big-city residents can only dream about.
The economic opportunities are in the same league. This is where the action is.
But it's no bowl of roses. Look at the divisive debate that split local residents over the issue of urban work camps. Look at the bitter carping by councillors, including Meagher, at the same meeting over seemingly petty issues like parking and a neighbour starting diesel trucks up at an early hour, rousing sleeping people with the loud engine noise.
These quality of life issues must be tackled before an image campaign starts.
We can't sell ourselves to others until we start believing the message.
All external media has to do is drop by, ask a few well-placed questions to the right people, and $400,000 worth of image advertising could be undone in an instant with a crabby quote from a local ne'er do well.
We need to fix our own house first before embarking on this expensive and dubious exercise in spin control.
© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.
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