Nanton, Alta., making final push for Next Great Save

The last day to vote for the contest is May 6

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

The mayor of Nanton, Alta., is urging people to vote for the local grain elevators in the Next Great Save contest.

“Can we do it? Jennifer Handley said on X on Thursday morning. “We are a town of nearly 2,300 people and we have been doing our best to gain votes. We’ve got a solid footing at third place, but we need more votes and shares to push through to first! 15,000 votes to be exact.”

Ryan Pollard, a councillor with the City of Leduc, responded saying he’s been splitting his votes between the grain elevator and the Cape Bear Lighthouse in P.E.I. That project has 5,998 votes.

The Next Great Save contest, administered by the National Trust for Canada, awards a total of $65,000 to communities to help with local landmark maintenance and preservation.

Individuals can vote once a day regardless of geography. Voters will be asked to verify an email address to ensure the ballot is counted properly.

As of May 2, the elevators at the Canadian Grain Discovery Centre have 23,439 votes and are in third place. If the third-place result holds, it would receive $5,000.

Any winnings from the contest would be used to stabilize the structure and do work outside of the Albera Wheat Pool elevator. This would include a fresh coat of paint and structural engineering work.

The first and second place winners receive $50,000 and $10,000 respectively.

Currently, the LaSalle Theatre in in Kirkland Lake, Ont., has 37,990 votes while the Our Lady of Mercy Church in in Aguathuna, Nfld. has 39,101 votes.

The final day to vote in the contest is May 6, with the winners revealed the following day.