The past several years have been difficult ones for the people of rural Ontario.

The transition to a knowledge-based economy, the decline in manufacturing, and the concentration of population into economic hubs has been, in many cases, traumatic on rural communities.   

A  couple of decades ago the village of Delta looked much different than it does today. There was an elementary school, a bank, a post office, two grocery stores, a restaurant, a hardware store, a liquor store, a gas station with a coffee shop, and a gift shop. Today most of those services have disappeared. More importantly, because virtually all of them were places where you would bump into friends and neighbours, that vital community link was also taken away. Efforts are underway to revitalize the village core as exemplified by the opening of a coffee house, a chip truck, and an ice cream shop. In addition, the municipality has transformed a lot adjacent to the Old Stone Mill into a small park overlooking the mill creek. While these efforts are welcome, there is still a gap that needs to be addressed.

More specifically, there is no easily accessible children’s park or playground or a staffed facility that offers supervised before and after-school programs, services that are critical in attracting and retaining young families to a community. There is no drop-in centre available on a daily basis for seniors or stay-at-home parents. Most importantly, there is no safe and non-judgemental environment for the youth of the village to meet and talk or just relax with friends. In short, a significant segment of the population has been unintentionally marginalized.