Canada in the twenty-first century is a place of growth and expansion. Cities like Vancouver and Toronto have become word class destinations for business and tourism. Meanwhile, smaller, less prominent communities face changes of different sorts, as residents depart for the opportunities present in our country’s largest cities. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Canada’s prairie provinces.

Despite changes in population and the loss of such essential services as schools, post offices, and grain elevators, many of Canada’s oldest prairie communities–communities like Craik and Meacham in Saskatchewan, and Vulcan in Alberta–have defied the odds, facing death only to rise again.

In Herbert Has Lots for a Buck, Elizabeth McLachlan investigates how these communities have capitalized on green initiatives, the growing influence of local artists, and even an uncanny connection to one of Star Trek‘s most famous icons to not only survive beyond expectations, but thrive.