Luseland: A look back at 2021 with Mayor Kathy Wurz
By Joan Janzen
Kathy Wurz began her tenure as mayor of Luseland in November of 2020 after serving three terms as councillor for the town. After filling numerous and varied committee and board appointments, Wurz was more than able to take on the role.
“It wasn’t a huge learning curve because I had a good understanding of the needs of the community,” Wurz said, adding that she had the support of the rest of the council. All councillors returned, except for the addition of one. “We have five women and two men; it’s almost unheard of.” This isn’t surprising since the latest census shows Luseland’s approximate population of 628 has women outnumbering men 5-1.
Luseland’s mayor noted the town’s population is not shrinking, and includes many young families. “We had one of the biggest kindergarten classes we’ve had in years,” she added. Students from Tramping Lake, Denzil and Major help maintain a healthy attendance at the Luseland School.
The community of Luseland offers a safe place for families to raise small children. “Activities for children are definitely less costly, making the town more attractive for people with small children,” Wurz said.
A strong agriculture and oilfield business sector play a prominent role in the area, however, Luseland’s small businesses employ a lot of people. “We have people looking for space; we could use another building downtown. We have a lot of thriving small business opportunities,” Wurz explained. Nevertheless, there are challenges that need to be faced.
“The first year was challenging, putting in policies and procedures that work,” Wurz noted. In 2021, the agriculture community took a big hit because of a drought. The cancellation of senior hockey, which was the arena’s most significant draw, caused it to suffer, and the local theatre has been closed during the past year.
The community hall has also taken a hard hit with the absence of functions and only one wedding celebrated in 2021. Nevertheless, a new hall committee was formed, and they promptly began fundraising for hall maintenance by hosting a paint night.
“It’s an amazing community! There’s great local support. When something is needed, people support it in droves. It’s amazing!” Wurz said. “Everyone’s getting creative. The golf course decided to do an online auction, which has been very successful.”
In 2021, the Flahr family returned to their hometown for support of their Flahr MS Bike Ride, raising money for MS research. Although the event had to be modified with a drive-thru BBQ and outside entertainment, the family said it was their most successful fundraiser in the seven years they’ve been running it. Mayor Wurz invited the Flahr family to come back next year.
“Our Community Development Committee is amazing!” Wurz said. The committee hosted Luseland’s first fall fair. The event was a success, even though the committee had to make changes just before the event began to accommodate new regulations.
“We also hosted a mental health workshop, which I can’t even describe the timeliness of,” Wurz said. Funding was provided through a partnership with Canadian Agriculture, which paid for the one-day workshop; local businesses kicked in money for the lunch, which enabled people to attend free of charge.
As the festive season approached, Luseland went ahead with Santa Day. The kids enjoyed a ride around town with Santa, tobogganing and a bonfire. “We got lucky and had snow, so it went over well,” Wurz said.
“We’re finding ways to make it work,” Wurz continued. “I’ve started a Facebook page and have had a very good response, and people are liking the communication. We have a large senior population, and a lot of people are housebound and want to know what’s going on.”
Although Mayor Wurz admits there were challenges throughout 2021, she enjoys being the mayor of Luseland.
