Through decades of involvement in provincial and municipal politics, specifically her time on town council, Colleen Powell has had a lasting effect on the community of Athabasca. Powell shares her experience moving to the town in 1985 where she quickly found her home and jumped into local politics to advocate for the betterment of her community.
Some answers have been shortened for readability and conciseness.
What brought you to this community, and what keeps you here?
My husband was working for the government and was offered a job at Athabasca University. We had two young children then. I was teaching political science at Grant MacEwan — best job I ever had. I thought I’d rather go to palm trees than tundra; I did not know anything about Athabasca. We lived in England, Calgary and Edmonton, and I met him in Ontario, so we had been around, and I thought, why not?
His job turned out to be really good. I didn’t have a job. I did tutor at the University for a few years.
We liked the community. It’s a great place to raise kids, so we stayed.
What’s your most memorable experience here in Athabasca?
I think my time on council was probably the most memorable. Nothing in particular stands out, we built the (riverfront) park. When I first got elected — that was ‘98 — it was still sort of a scrappy industrial area. There was a fight about what should go down there, whether it should be more industry or a park, and I was on the park side. We won that election, a number of us, and over the years we got the park built.
What’s one thing here that you think everyone should try?
I think everybody should try the library. I'm chairing the library board right now. It is the largest community group in the county area; there are over 1,000 members. Name one other group that has 1,000 members. I keep saying that if they had a jersey and a stick, we would have had a new library years ago.
I think what everybody should try is to become a member in some group that they’re interested in.
The other thing is: get involved in your municipal politics. I'm not saying everybody should be on council. You have to be able to disagree without losing your temper and that's a really hard thing to do. There were a few sleepless nights, but generally, it was fine.
What’s one thing that you would change about Athabasca if you could? What’s one thing you hope never changes?
A lot of it has to do with the physical look of the town. I would want to maintain the community feeling of the downtown. That means focusing — especially small businesses — downtown.
Mainly realizing that if you’re looking for economic growth — which right now we don't have, but when it returns, which it will — companies like to move to places where their people want to live.
I would love to see a bypass road from the north around town because when industry does get going we are going to end up with those big trucks. I hear that businesses don’t want that to stop. They're wrong; those guys don't stop here. They might stop for a coffee or a sandwich but they’re not dropping a lot of money here. It's a pain in the neck and it’s dangerous.
Do you consider yourself an Athabascan first, Albertan first, or Canadian first?
I’ll go Canada, Athabasca, Alberta. I am a Canadian first. I've spent 10 years living overseas in four different countries and being a Canadian becomes more important as you leave this country. You recognize that we are from sea-to-sea-to-sea one people. Athabasca because it’s my home, and Alberta? I'm not one that's Alberta first at all.
Putting Alberta first is a political statement rather than a genuinely felt statement by most people. I think it's felt more by people who've never left; and they should leave and come back.
