What Does it Mean to Feel Ownership Over a Place?

Locals and tourists alike often feel inclined to criticize but how inclined are we to help?

Just one of many beautiful views this week in this place I call home.

“What happens here in the winter? There’s nothing here. Do people live here?”

I bristled, bit my tongue and took a sip of my beer.

The young server continued about her task of stocking the bar and responded, not really elaborating much but also not pushing back at her customer’s questions. 

He continued to loudly lament the lack of amenities in the small, waterfront town.

I didn’t live there, but I could feel the tension in my chest rise at his offending comments. Even though, I had just previously told my husband how surprised I was with the number of empty storefronts and how unfortunate it was the gas station had closed. 

What right did I have to criticize that he didn’t?

I guess I felt I was local enough to have a measure of ownership over the place and also knew well enough to not speak these things out loud to just anyone who was in earshot. I certainly understand the challenges facing the community better than many, especially a visitor from the city who came up on his boat. 

But again, it was that entitlement that someone who visits a place once can have a opinion on it’s liveability that raised my ire.

I’ve heard these comments before in the restaurant. 

“How are you sold out? Who is ordering?” From a traveler during the height of COVID, aghast they could not call and place a takeout order at 6:30 PM when they wanted it. 

There is a weird dichotomy that exists when people who haven’t taken the time to really care or form a connection with a place feel compelled to comment on it’s flaws. One would hope the same visitors also pick up their trash and treat the folks they meet in these places with respect. Afterall, if you feel enough ownership to criticize you should also feel responsibility to look after the place, right?

Sadly, I don’t think this is the reality typically and being a local in a place that often treated as just another material thing to be consumed, has certainly made me more aware of how I behave when I travel.

I’m in no way perfect, but I try more to act as a “guest” and consider my impact on a place. Just because I have the privilege and wealth to travel, it doesn’t make me better than anyone. I think this is something many travellers forget in the hype of planning a vacation. 

Because I’ve also been there. So much energy goes into planning the perfect trip (blame social media) that in the moment, you’re over analyzing everything and nothing lives up to the expectation. So, I guess I can kind of appreciate why visitors fail to see the people who are happily living their lives in the places they go. The everyday is rarely a sizzle reel.   

Anyway, I digress. The point is, this guy from the boat was mostly just being rude. And yet, because he was not from here, I was offended. Even though I shared some of his concerns. 

After some reflection (and numerous edits), I realize this feeling is very familiar to me because it’s the same thing I feel when I read criticisms of own town from our own community members on social media. 

It’s a mix of shame and defensiveness. 

Shame because I know we have lots of rough edges and things aren’t all in the best shape. Shame because there is more I could probably do or I haven’t been able to focus on it as I’d like. 

I feel defensive because none of us can do it alone. Even when I might agree with the concern, I know there are many people trying very hard to make this town better, and I also know they read these comments. It truly deflating after you’ve worked hard and invested scarce resources into upgrading something, and the next week there’s another wave of criticism about something else.  

It’s why many politicians I know now avoid community Facebook groups altogether. Which is also a shame, because these are largely the only places we get information these days. 

It does kind of stun me because I would never walk into someone’s home and criticize the state of their flooring or wallpaper. Yet, we feel entitled to criticize and complain about our community, like things just magically happen or they are someone else’s responsibility. Even if that someone is our neighbour. Or maybe even us.

Afterall, we are all owners of the community. 

Best known for its brewery, Creemore is becoming a favourite place for me for very boring community development reasons.

I was doing some research on Creemore this week, and saw this statement at the bottom of the website for the “Station on the Green” , a cultural and heritage community space built in the fashion of the previous train station: A proud community asset of the Taxpayers of Clearview Township.

“What an interesting statement,” I thought.

Quite easily this could have said, “A project of Clearview Township”. Or not even a statement, just the township logo and we would infer it’s owned by the local government. 

But it doesn’t say that. It attributes this unique cultural and heritage community space to the “taxpayers”, the people. And I wonder if this subtle difference is an important one.

Does it imply more ownership within the community than we typically feel when it’s “government's responsibility”? 

Certainly, if we feel ownership, we are more compelled to ensure upkeep and success. We are quick to level ownership over government – ‘we must hold them accountable’-- and place our demands. How might our behaviour change if we thought of our community spaces as “assets of the taxpayers” and in turn, recognized ourselves as an owner responsible? 

Might we be more compelled to pitch in and lend a hand when a park or playground needs an upgrade? Would we reach out to ask how we can help instead of hiding behind a screen and criticizing those trying their best to do what they can with the limited resources they have? 

Often, addressing basic issues gets hung up within overly bureaucratic systems designed to minimize risk, which is both frustrating and also worth challenging. Rarely, is the issue that people don’t care. As I am continually reminded, most people care a lot and want to do a good job.

We often forget government is also a product of us. They are not “others” and especially in municipalities, they are members of our community too. Many sharing the same concerns and dreams. 

Maybe we need to all start by asking more, “how can I help?” 

Link Round-up

What I'm reading, listening too and generally enjoying and challenged by this week

Cargill Homecoming is a case study in community engagement - Cargill Homecoming wraps up today, and I have been simply blown away by what an extremely dedicated, energetic group of volunteers can pull off in a small town. It’s not only that though. It’s how this entire community, and everyone connected to it in some way, has absolutely shown up with their best, most creative and fun selves to celebrate a place that ties them all together. Their Instagram is also on point. Props to everyone involved and if you don’t know what a “homecoming” is you can start with this brief explainer I wrote for the Owen Sound Current.

Homecoming: A Uniquely Midwestern Ontario Tradition

Paris restaurants are empty during the Olympics - I don’t have Olympic fever, really more of a mild cold. And while it’s on in the restaurant daily and I enjoyed watching Summer McIntosh take her place among Olympic greats for three gold medals in one games, I am finding myself paying attention to event details more than the sports themselves. Like, why are the stands so empty for the (defending champions) Canadian women’s quarterfinal soccer match? Why is a snowboarder commentating? Why is Snoop Dog everywhere? (OK this is a question I’m not alone asking).

And this has led me to learn that Paris restauranteurs have been taking this Olympic games in the teeth. Ouch. I feel for them. While we are so teeny and the biggest events our town has hosted is a music festival and the fall fair, I know this fear well. Will people come here too or will they spend all their time (and money) at the event?

Creemore Village Green - I went down a bit of a Creemore rabbit hole and found this story about the community exploring potential uses for the former TD bank, which the bank was considering donating to the town. In the end, the building was demolished and a community foundation formed to develop and oversee a new outdoor gathering space in the heart of the town. It has a bandshell and shady trees and was full of people when I was there last weekend. In all, it’s another inspiring story of a small town that doesn’t limit it’s thinking and what’s possible when individual citizens and private partners come together to create something they believe in.

How HGTV Shapes and Refines our Taste - I enjoyed this Culture Study podcast and not just because it intersects with place, although that certainly did hit for me. I used to watch a lot of home reno shows and even looked into applying to be on one on more than one occasion. This conversation is kind of meandering through our obsession with HGTV and what does it says about our preferences and politics. It’s also a nice break for me from endless political coverage.

Calimoto - I FINALLY got my motorcycle out of my Grandma’s garage — this is its winter storage and no, my Grandma doesn’t run a bike shop, which some thought I meant when I said garage and that’s just hilarious if you know my Grandma. Anyway, I have been squeezing in rides as much as possible. I found the Calimoto app a few weeks back and am loving the ability to plan rides, record and also use as a GPS. Worth the subscription.