Still Standing

Jonny befriends a local socialite with a cannon, narrowly survives a fake Tsunami and discovers the true meaning of hard-core community.

Jonny digs up the dirt on the Rocky Mountain mining town of Coleman, Alberta.

Jonny sails into the seaside town of Souris, P.E.I. to fish with the friendliest folks around.

Jonny fries up a big batch of fresh donuts, busts out the chainsaw to carve his very own totem pole, and picks up a fierce game of hoops.

Jonny loads boxes of 'nipples' (pipeline fittings), gets up-close and personal with a swarm of chickens, and tries his hand at a game of curling.

Jonny does some heavy 'mussel' lifting, goes back to grade school, and gets acquainted with the town ghost.

“Sometimes tragedy brings out the best in people.” Jonny Harris says Fort McMurray has a lot to be proud of.

Jonny goes for a dive to explore some WWII wreck sites, gets some step dancing lessons, and has a kitchen party at Dicks' Fish and Chips.

Jonny visits Manitou's "water park", delivers a monologue at the theatre, and tries to stay on target at the archery club.

Residents of Tignish are banking on new initiatives to get by, like harvesting sea plants for cattle, and the opening of an interpretive venue that celebrates one of Canada’s greatest country singers, Stompin’ Tom Connors.

Carcross has landed on the world stage in an unexpected way. From the outside, the future looks bright, but only if the local community can figure out how to welcome the outside world while protecting their land and traditional way of life.

In Rogersville, once known as the Brussels sprout capital of Canada, a new generation is using the seeds of their Acadian history to grow a new economy.

New Brunswick’s Campobello Island is Canadian more by chance than by geography. The only year round and direct access to the mainland is a bridge to the US, which makes for a unique Canadian/American cultural blend and many challenges.

Tucked away in Northern Ontario is a slice of…southern Italy. A century ago, immigrants from Siderno, Italy left for a better life in Schreiber. And though the town’s big three employers, the mines, mills, and railway have since declined, the descendants of these founding famiglias are still there; their Mom-and-Pop shops, strong family ties, and unique southern-Italian heritage are a big part of what’s keeping this unique but struggling community alive.

Harrison Hot Springs is famous for its namesake resort and healing waters. Tourists flock to town from May to September but, come the winter months, there’s no one but locals and a few business owners to tough it out. The town is doubling down on creating a year-round economy (outside of the resort) and hopes that their other claim to fame, the elusive Sasquatch, will be the ticket.

The future is uncertain for environmentally sensitive Pelee Island, ON, but those who call the island home are committed to ensuring that their unique jewel is around for generations to come.

Without any industry or formal government, ‘making it’ in Bear River requires a sense of enterprise, a communal spirit, and a touch of the outlaw.

Lillooet, BC’s forestry-based economy is heading downhill - permanently. But its rugged residents are committed to fighting the fight in order to find a way to stay in beautiful Lillooet.

Locals like to say that ‘all roads lead to Hope’. It’s a place to gas up and a place to ‘go,’ but locals want it to be known that the town is more than just a place to pee — it’s a place to be.

When Port Stanley's prosperous commercial fishing industry collapsed, the beach town was left with an identity crisis and an uncertain future.

While its tourist train dollars are long gone, the proudly-weird town of Wakefield is reimagining itself as a place known for culture and outdoor fun.

The seafaring town of Gibsons, BC once made famous for The Beachcombers, is reinventing itself as a regional hub for Filipino culture, a tourist destination, and a paradise for beer lovers.

Oneida Nation of the Thames is hard at work reclaiming the economic, cultural and spiritual practices that were banned by government policies over the past 100 years.

One of the top five fastest-growing communities in Manitoba; Morden, Manitoba, has an immigration program, a booming industrial economy and a collection of aquatic fossils to entice tourists.

For 100 years, Amherstburg was famous for its amusement park. When the park closed, locals turned to a new attraction that will never go out of style: Amherstburg’s remarkable heritage.

For over 100 years, small-scale farming and logging fueled Gracefield's economy, but it hit a slump in the 1990s; things are turning around thanks to newcomers and new interests.

For 50 years, this tiny town was an air force base where thousands of pilots learned to fly; when the base closed, Southport transformed into a new kind of community.

This Indigenous community beat out 25 others to build the largest First Nations’ casino in Canada.

After the town's cannery shut down, Prince Rupert reinvented itself as a global shipping hub.

After the closure of Smiths Falls’ iconic Hershey factory, Ontario’s “Chocolate Capital” reinvented itself as place where new recreational and service sector businesses can thrive.

Jonny Harris travels to the Osoyoos Indian Band in British Columbia to find out why this Indigenous community in the desert has been called “the Miracle in the Desert.”

Jonny visits Glace Bay, Nova Scotia to find out how Canada’s once-largest coal town lost its mines.

In Arnprior, Ontario, Jonny Harris finds out how the collapse of its aviation industry led to the final shift of aerospace workers clocking out in March 2024.