Settled in the Last Mountain Hills is the friendly town of Strasbourg. The earliest settlers came to this area in 1884 and the area became known for its rich agricultural soil and ample land for pastures. The town has a rich cultural and historical background, originating with the German pioneers who settled the area. The town’s name was originally spelled Strassburg – ‘Strass’ meaning ‘street’ or ‘road’, and ‘Burg’ meaning ‘town’. The spelling was changed to the French “Strasbourg” in 1919. Strasbourg and area has a hardworking, dedicated group of people who take an active role volunteering their time in the many community organizations that support our recreation, culture, and tourism industry.

Milestones:

Milestone 1: Formed an Age Friendly Committee

The committee was formed on February 8 with 17 committee members. In 2018, the committee re-organized, and currently has 9 committee members.

Milestone 2: Received support of municipal government

Resolution passed Wednesday, July 9, 2015

Milestone 3: Assess community

Date completed: May 6, 2016

The surveys were placed in 410 mailboxes and distributed to 28 housing units, with 62 responses

Milestone 4: Develop an action plan

Items in initial action plan:

• Access to public washrooms in the downtown area
  • Temporary Public Washroom sign – end of August 2016
  • Freestanding Public Washroom open 24/7 in Green Space – spring 2017
  • More benches for people walking around downtown
    • Six benches to be placed around town – end of August, 2016

Milestone 5: Measuring and reporting details

• The primary indicators that we have used to determine if we are on the right track are anecdotal positive remarks. However, people have expressed interest in purchasing more benches, increased usage of the washroom at the Town Office has been noticed, and there was considerable enthusiasm regarding the Intergenerational Letter Writing Project.

Age-Friendly Successes: 

• Additional benches for the town completed in 2017
• Produced a Community Resource List for newcomers
• Had a successful pen pal project between youth and seniors
• Held a Community Volunteer Information Fair on September 16, 2017 with volunteer organizations from Strasbourg and surrounding area providing information, and with presentations from the Alzheimer Society of Saskatchewan, the Red Cross, and the Saskatchewan Seniors Mechanism. This was a joint project with the Strasbourg Recreation Board.
• Resident identified lack of benches at Strasbourg Cemetery.
  Outcome: AF consulted with Town Administrator who has ordered a bench.
• Concerns raised by residents regarding the risk of falling on the bottom step in entrance to Strasbourg Lower Hall.
  Outcome: AF consulted with Town Administrator who investigated possible options. Sign may be posted to ‘Hold Railing’.
• To attend Town Council Meeting to update numbers regarding AF.
  Outcome: AF consulted with Town Administrator who advised AF to make arrangements with her to set a date for a presentation. To do so after outcome of application for
  Age-Friendly Recognition.
• To submit an update to the Town of Strasbourg Newsletter regarding Age-Friendly Strasbourg.
  Outcome: Article published in July September 2018 newsletter

New Goals and Plans: 

• Write a Passage: an intergenerational writing project.
• Helping Grandmas and Grandpas at School: to pair Grandmas and Grandpas with students to assist with literacy.  To be developed with School Administration.
• Table for One More Supper: to invite people who are living alone to attend a supper at a local restaurant. 
• Strasbourg Age-Friendly Facebook Page: in process

Media Coverage:

• Penpal project
• Strasbourg Town Hall Meeting 2016