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You could have forgiven long-time residents of Estevan for being a little bit cynical earlier this year when the Golden Garbage Can competition was brought back.

Estevan didn't have the best track record in the annual clean-up showdown with Weyburn. I remember Estevan won it the first year I covered it back in 2001; I don't recall us ever regaining the trophy until it was mothballed in 2010. (I do remember one year in which Weyburn thought for sure Estevan would win, but the judges sided with Weyburn).

But even the most cynical of long-time residents would have to admit a lot of progress has been made to help make Estevan a cleaner, more attractive community since 2012. You no longer hear the complaints about Estevan being a dusty, dirty city. (I did not share those views).

Estevan won the resurrected Golden Garbage Can competition Monday over Weyburn by more than two points. The judges were impressed with the appearance of both cities, but they thought Estevan looked a little better. I do hope the good folks in Weyburn enjoy possession of the Silver Rake for the next year. 

I've seen the improvements that have happened over the years. Some of them have been significant and even expensive, such as paving the Estevan Leisure Centre's parking lot in 2013. But other changes have been more subtle, but have added up.

Trees and flowers are great, and you'll never hear me complain about having more trees in the city. I'd love to see far more, but I recognize the cost of caring for and maintaining them.

A few years back, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the city was part of the Communities in Bloom program. Judges were impressed with what they saw. The city received some good ideas that could be enacted for parks and greenspaces, and was eligible for grants to make beautification projects happen.

The efforts of people like former parks manager Rod March and former public works manager Norm Mack certainly helped. Curbs received a fresh coat of yellow paint (some curbs could use a new layer) and traffic lights were painted. Roads and sidewalks affected by water main breaks were quickly patched. (I remember when that used to take up to two years). The Operation Clean Sweep campaign was introduced.

March brought a lot of great ideas as the parks manager, and laid the groundwork for ideas that continue to be used today. Other new ideas have been brought in since March left.

But it just seems like there's a lot more attention to Estevan's appearance than there used to be. We're more aware of the impact that having a great-looking community can have when trying to impress newcomers and prospective residents. And so many people are just a little more focused on beautification.

People wanted to see the Golden Garbage Can come to Estevan this year. I didn't see that level of desire to win in the past. There was a novelty element to this year's contest, too.

The city looks great. Obviously the inches of rain we received on and around the Victoria Day long weekend helped with how green it is now, but there's more to our appearance than just precipitation.

Everyone who worked hard to beautify their yards or their neighbourhoods to impress the judges played a role in this victory. The competition doesn't happen if the two cities don't bring it back, and the City of Estevan staff deserves a lot of credit for making Estevan look great and taking care of the parks. But this wouldn't have happened without the efforts of so many citizens.

The return of the competition also gave us a fun little distraction. Both communities turned to social media to engage in a little fun "trash talk". (Sorry for the pun). With all of the talk about wildfires, evacuations, U.S. tariffs, frustration with the 2025 federal election results and Western separation, we needed something to make us laugh and bring us together. The Golden Garbage Can did the trick.  

It's great to win, especially when that win is over Weyburn. But more important than the win is how our community looks, the effort that people in both communities have put into making their communities' appearance, and the entertainment that both cities provided.

Estevan and Weyburn say the Golden Garbage Can will be back next year. Hopefully it won't be the last time they square off.