Extolling the virtues of life in a small town
Docuseries back for a fifth season
They may be down, but don’t count them out. The struggling small towns on CBC’s docuseries Still Standing all face their share of problems, but host Jonny Harris is still on a mission to spotlight the residents who fight to keep them alive.
For the past four seasons, he’s criss-crossed the country to interview locals, visit nearby attractions and write good-natured standup comedy routines saluting each town’s quirks. As the show readies for season 5, premièring Tuesday on CBC and CBC Gem, Harris spoke about how the residents have inspired him, why he changed his mind about sasquatch, and the most hard-up community he’s seen yet.
Q You’ve done the show in so many communities — is there anything that the people you’ve met have in common?
A Tenacity and volunteerism. A saying I’ve heard in many small communities is, “there is no they.” When it comes to issues from snow-clearing to fundraising to road maintenance to flood repair, you don’t just grumble and say, “They should really do something about that.” “They” is you. People in small towns roll up their sleeves and get ’er done.
Q What can viewers expect in the new season?
A Churchill, Man., was a particularly interesting shoot. The railway line was washed out in a flood and no one was stepping up to fix it. The Canadian government and the American company (Denver-based OmniTrax) that owned the track were pointing fingers and waiting each other out. Meanwhile the town became a fly-in community — prices for everyday items skyrocketed, local businesses were getting crushed, people were losing jobs. Of all the towns we’ve featured, the struggle in Churchill was the most present, tense and palpable.
Q One of the episodes this season is in Harrison Hot Springs, B.C., which is known for its Sasquatch sightings. Were you a believer in sasquatch before hand?
A I was a non-believer, and now I’m agnostic. So many sightings and so many footprints make it compelling. One researcher and author I spoke to said the biggest argument against existence of the sasquatch is that we have found no remains, no bones. But it could be that sasquatch go somewhere very remote to die — like elephants.
Q You’re from a small town yourself. Would you ever want to take the show to Pouch Cove, N.L.?
A Absolutely, and we will. But maybe we’ll save it for some kind of special or series finale or something.
Q What have you learned about Canada and Canadians by doing this show?
A Our hearts are in the right place. A New York Times article recently called Canada the moral leader of the free world. In small towns, I have seen the kind of tolerance, kindness, acceptance and diversity that makes Canada so.