Stratford city council unanimously supported hosting the Communities in Bloom (CIB) National Symposium, though they had questions on how to financially support the event.
At Monday night’s city council meeting, CIB members Kimberley Richardson, Mary Anne Krutila, and Carys Wyn Hughes delegated on potentially hosting the symposium in 2025.
The last time Stratford hosted a symposium was in 2003. Stratford would host Oct. 16 to 19, 2025, if selected.
They also came to ask for in-kind support for event space, permission to get sponsorships for the event, and a $40,000 loan to get the event off the ground.
“Stratford’s connection with CIB started with Ted Blowes,” Richardson explained “Ted Blowes’ goal was to bring people together to celebrate their communities and improving the quality of life for residents and visitors and celebrate their communities.”
CIB is a non-profit organization that fosters civic pride in municipalities across Canada and the world. It does so in beautification, environmental protection, community participation, and the preservation of heritage and culture.
Every year the organization hosts an awards ceremony that coincides with the symposium, a space for officials and residents from across the CIB network to gather, and be honoured with awards.
It is also a chance for the host city to show off what it has done.
Richardson said that the $40,000 loan would go towards the event, and is the estimated cost. Some of the loan would go towards transportation for delegates and some towards the CIB organization for support staff to come and assist, for example.
Any revenue from the event goes towards CIB. The symposium is a major fundraiser for the organization every year.
Richardson ensured the loan will be repaid in October 2025 entirely through registration fees of delegates.
This is the only financial ask that the committee anticipates as of yet, though Richardson did say that if they aren’t allowed to get sponsorships then it would jeopardize the whole event.
Karmen Krueger, director of corporate services and city treasurer, said that there isn’t a formalized process for the city giving a loan out to a committee. Staff would source the funding from somewhere, though Krueger said that from exactly where needs to be further investigated.
She later clarified that the loan would not negatively impact the city’s financials unless is was not paid back, which Richardson assured would be done.
Support for hosting the national symposium passed unanimously, though the motion that Coun. Brad Beatty put forward was amended so that the funding piece could be further investigated by staff and options for funding the symposium can be presented to council at a later date.
Close to 200 delegates are expected to attend, plus any delegate’s partner or friend that wishes to attend.
This year is the 30th anniversary of CIB. The national symposium is being held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, this October.
“Stratford has been involved since the onset,” Beatty said after CIB’s delegation. “We receive every accolade available and it doesn't go without hard work and the hard work that our community does.”
