The Power of Place: Takeaways from ECF’s 2025 Annual Luncheon

“The only communities that survive are the ones that are loved”

This is just one of the many insights I took away from several days of thought-provoking and inspiring discussions with visionary changemaker Zita Cobb, Founder and CEO of Shorefast and the Fogo Island Inn.

Over two days Edmonton Community Foundation hosted three events focused on Zita’s transformative work rebuilding the economy and viability of Fogo Island. We examined what it means to build place-based communities and economies – rooted in the strengths, stories and people that make them great.  

We started with a private event for donors, ECF ambassadors and community leaders with Zita and Mary W. Rowe CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute.  The momentum continued with our 2025 Annual Luncheon where Zita was our keynote speaker sharing her insights and ideas with our audience of over 450. And we closed it off with a public event hosted in partnership with Edmonton Public Library, Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, Edmonton Downtown Business Association & Explore Edmonton Corporation.  

Zita challenged us to think differently about our city and our communities, and how we build them with and for the people who are here. She reminded us that: 

• Place matters because people and culture are rooted in place. 

• The people who are in a community are the best ones to shape its future.  

• Assets are what we love and can’t replace. Money isn’t an asset — it’s a resource to strengthen what we already have. 

• A thriving community depends on three strong pillars: government, business, and community. Each pillar needs to be strong, be at the same table and work together. The community pillar has been eroded and needs to be rebuilt.  

• We live in a society not an economy. Economies need to work for the people who are there. 

• We CAN build economies that work for all of us by asking: What do we have? What do we know? What do we love? What makes us unique? What do we miss? 

• We are responsible for the city and community we live in. Edmonton has an abundance of assets that we can build on. 

If you were inspired by Zita’s ideas and discussion as much as I was, the conversation isn’t over. Join us on social media or reach out and share your perspectives. What does place mean to you? What are our assets and how can we make them stronger?  

Together, we don’t have to imagine a stronger future. We can build it.