A changing world offers plenty of opportunity: Griffiths

FORMER MINISTER OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS TO SPEAK AT SOUTHGROW REGIONAL INITIATIVE SEMINAR

One man is set to tackle the opportunities and ever-changing challenges that are presented to southern Albertan communities this March as SouthGrow Regional Initiative kicks off its seminars for this year.

On Wednesday, Doug Griffiths, the former minister of municipal affairs — and now consultant as well as community builder — will be at the Coast Hotel in Lethbridge to present his discussion “Everything is About to Change” which will muse over the incredible opportunities and challenges that communities in the area face in the wake of a rapidly-evolving world.

“During my discussion I cover a lot of subject matter that basically overviews the changes coming, how we manage change, why we resist it, and how do we deal with people who resist it,” says Griffiths. “The world is changing at such an accelerated rate and our small communities are important in making us stronger, they are the foundation which makes our country strong.”

Griffiths, who is the founder of “13 ways” which is a consultancy that helps communities big and small get out of their own ways to overcome modern challenges, is coming to Lethbridge with a tailored plan on how to help rural and urban areas within southern Alberta face the growth that is in their immediate paths thanks to the world’s ever-changing technologies.

With his endless experience of working with hundreds of different communities throughout his career, Griffiths has tailored a discussion of what’s coming for southern Alberta and how they can prepare for this future of change.

“I think there are many opportunities for southern Alberta around issues driven by climate change, new ports of energy production, food production and healthcare,” says Griffiths. “We are in a unique position that we actually have as many sun days here as Phoenix, Arizona does, and we can innovate and address solutions around these dimensions that will help propel southern Alberta so much further into the future.”

Griffiths also added, throughout his presentation, he will discuss the truth that rural communities are in an extraordinary position to leap-frog bigger cities.

This is because they don’t have the same costly infrastructure, meaning they can move past these bigger areas in many sectors pertaining to developing new innovations.

With these factors in mind, Griffiths says that small communities being aware of their potential is imperative to them flourishing within today’s society, and that keeping up with global trends is something all areas must look at doing to ensure their place within the market.

“Change is accelerating all the time and a lot of communities are still trying to transition and catch up. And there are many higher experts that help cities manage, however, a lot of smaller communities don’t have that and that’s why I do these presentations,” says Griffiths.

The seminar, which is hosted by SouthGrow Regional Initiative, will see an evening lineup starting at 5 p.m. There will be a meet and greet, dinner provided by L.A Chefs, and a welcome from SouthGrow before moving into Griffiths’ presentation with the evening coming to a close at 8 p.m.

Tickets are open for anyone interested in attending and are available online at: