North Bay has received five blooms, the highest possible rating, in its Communities in Bloom evaluation.
That from Clean Green Beautiful North Bay and the city which scored 830 out of 1000 points.
The Communities in Bloom judges evaluated the city this past summer, making stops at various sites such as Canadore Sustainable, the city’s waterfront, community gardens, local businesses, and historic homes.
“Thank you to everyone in our community for stepping up with litter pickups, tree planting, creating beautiful streetscapes, planting orchards, and much more,” says Hariett Madigan, Chair of Clean Green Beautiful North Bay. “You hope that you can light up the community, so to speak, and the community didn’t let us down at all.”
Six categories were assessed by the judges, including community appearance, environmental actions, tree management, heritage conservation, landscape, and plant and floral displays.
Madigan says they can’t go down from five blooms now, but there’s always room for improvement.
“We have to improve on many different levels like sustainability, heritage conservation, weeds and litter,” Madigan says.
Officials say the judges noted that a five-bloom rating is an outstanding achievement, particularly for a first-time entrant such as North Bay.
“North Bay was exceptional and deserved every mark we gave you. It was amazing,” says Matt Robertson, Provincial Judge for Communities in Bloom.
Communities in Bloom Ontario has recommended the city move up to the national competition level.
Madigan says the committee will consult with the community and decide likely early in the new year.
