Come Fly With Me - the Fort McMurray Airport and What Needs to Happen

 

It’s been a long time overdue. If you have flown out of the Fort McMurray Airport in recent years you’ve seen the congestion. Particularly right around arrival and departure times the airport is a bit like being a sardine in a can. There are times when I walked into the boarding waiting area and realized that if I wanted a seat I’d have to sit on someone’s lap (and frankly I’m both a little too old and a little too shy for that nonsense). The parking situation has been horrendous, and there were times in the past I considered abandoning my car at the Nova Hotel lot and walking in to the airport, dragging my luggage behind me. And why was this happening? Because our little airport is handling a capacity far beyond its capability.

There have been months when our little airport has seen 96,000 passengers. In one month. And now with the addition of international destinations, like Denver, things are only going to get busier, and so the airport expansion is not only welcome but crucial. An expanded airport with increased capability will serve this community well as not only will it be easier for residents to travel but it will be easier for others to come here, and should relieve some of the traffic on the local highways, too.

I’ve been watching the progress on the expansion with interest, and I’ve followed the news of the new food vendors with delight. As a former airline employee I am excited by a viewing deck where flying junkies like me can watch planes land and depart, dreaming of their destinations while thinking about all the trips we have taken. And I, along with many others, will be there for the air show, because I love all things flying. I have one grave concern about all this, though. We are building an airport to handle the capacity we see now, and will see in the future. In 2012 our little airport saw 957,000 passengers come through its doors, and given the oil sands growth projections this number will increase, and rapidly. My concern? The provincial government decision to cut the funding to the improvement of Highway 69, the road that accesses the airport.

I hate to overuse the “economic engine” phrase but the reality is that it’s true. This region is the economic engine of this province, and anything that makes the functioning of the industry and this community smoother needs to be considered carefully. Here is my concern: we will build a state-of-the-art, world-class airport capable of handling our current capacity and beyond, but we will lack the surrounding infrastructure to make it truly operational. What is the point of an airport of this nature if you don’t have the proper highway to access it, and one that just creates headaches and frustrations for the travelers you are trying to attract?

I realize the provincial government is facing some funding issues, but in my opinion the cut in funding to Highway 69 is short-sighted and exemplifies the old-style thinking that landed this region into the mess we find ourselves in – a situation of inadequacies in almost every corner, making do with so little for so long. We have been behind in infrastructure for so long, and this decision follows a long history of such decisions that led us here. We are showing the bold, innovative, progressive thinking necessary by doing things like expanding our airport, but if we are hindered by the provincial and federal government (and I include them in this because it is also in the best interests of the country to keep this community functioning well) then we cannot achieve our true goals and potential. Added to the Highway 69 issue is the issue of an unfunded lengthening of the runway, an improvement that would further increase our capacity.

I want to make something clear. The improvements to the Fort McMurray airport are not just for the benefit of this region. It will benefit this entire province and country because we all know that the economic strength of this region is one of the things that has kept Albertans and Canadians employed. This is not just about “Fort McMurray” – this is about ensuring the continued economic prosperity of our province and country. This is about making sure we can function well and smoothly and continue to be that economic engine. It is only with the support of the provincial and federal governments that we can make this happen. It’s time to get ‘er done – and cough up the dough to do it.

 

Fort McMurray Today article on YMM Airport

 

Let's Walk the Talk, Fort McMurray

It's sad that we need to have this talk, Fort McMurray. I rather believed that most us knew the rules about all this, and that we didn't need to be reminded. But today I realized we really do need to go over all this, even if it is something you all learned when you were about 3 years old. The topic? Pedestrian safety.

Recently in this community we saw a tragic incident which cost the life of a pedestrian. I don't know the facts of that particular case and so I will not opine on it - but I do know we have a safety issue when it comes to pedestrians, because I've seen it myself over the last decade. Sometimes it is the fault of the driver, and sometimes it is the fault of the pedestrian - but in the end of pedestrian vs. car the pedestrian always loses.

Here are some basic pedestrian safety rules - and then let's talk about some Fort McMurray specific issues, shall we?

 

Basic Pedestrian Safety

(from Government of Alberta) 

 

Safety is anything but pedestrian for Albertans

Walking is part of a healthy lifestyle and is many Albertans’ primary form of transportation, particularly children and youth. In 2006, almost 40 per cent of the drivers in collisions involving a pedestrian failed to yield the right of way to the pedestrian.
As part of its ongoing traffic safety campaigns, the Alberta government advises pedestrians and motorists to follow these road safety tips:

Pedestrians

• Obey all traffic signs and signals.
• Always walk on the sidewalk; if there are no sidewalks walk on the side of the road facing traffic.
• Wear bright or light-coloured clothing or reflective strips when walking in dark or low-light conditions.
• Cross safely at corners and crosswalks, preferably at intersections with traffic lights.
• Stop at the curb to show drivers you intend to cross the road; hold your arm straight out at right angles to your body pointing across the road as a legal sign to motorists that you wish to cross the road.
• Look left, right and left again before proceeding to cross the road; cross when traffic has come to a complete stop and make eye contact with drivers in each lane that you cross to ensure you are seen.
• Continue crossing the street if the light changes to ‘don't walk’ while you are in the crosswalk.
• Watch for traffic turning at intersections or entering and leaving driveways.

Motorists

• Scan farther down the road and obey posted speed limits. Always be prepared to slow down or stop.
  Avoid loud music and other distractions when driving.
• Use caution when approaching intersections or mid-block crosswalks. Allow pedestrians to cross the road before proceeding. 
• Be cautious in parking lots or when backing out of a parking stall or driveway.
• Slow down around parked or stopped vehicles as they may hide a pedestrian who is crossing the road, particularly children who may dash out into the street.
• Stay alert and slow down on residential streets and through school zones; the speed limit for school and playground zones in urban and rural areas is 30 km/h unless otherwise posted.
• Watch for the school safety patrol wearing orange vests, and stop as directed. School safety patrollers play a vital role in directing children safely across the street.

Okay, that's the basic, standard advice. Now here is some of my own:

1) If it is late at night or early in the morning, it is pitch black outside, and you are walking, please don't wear black pants with a black jacket with a black hood pulled up over your head. You don't look like a ninja, you look like a criminal, and besides no one can see you when you cross the road. How do I know this? Because the guy who darted out in front of my car last winter almost became a hood ornament because I could not see him.

2) Hey you jaywalking on Franklin, especially in front of the Jubilee Building? Cut that out. There is a crosswalk on every corner. so drag your lazy ass to it and cross there.

3) Don't dart in between parked vehicles to cross the street. Would you want a kid to do this? No? Then you shouldn't do it either. When I was six I did this and got mowed down by a bicycle, and I have never done it again. Thank god it was only a bicycle.

4) Everybody needs to slow down. What is up with speeding inside the city? I have seen people whipping around residential neighbourhoods like they are in the Grand Prix. This needs to stop, especially now that it is summer and there are going to be a lot of kids on the streets. Drive like those are your kids, and slow down.

Look people, in the end we need to look out for each other. Safety is up to all of us, and so pointing fingers is not helpful. Just as there are "bad" drivers there are "bad" pedestrians, and we need to all address our own bad habits. And then we need to make sure our kids are still on board with the rules, and we need to have this discussion within our families and our workplaces. We have lost one life already this year in a pedestrian-vehicle collision - but it is in our power to make sure we don't lose any more.
 

Mother's Day in McMurray

I may be a lot of things - a woman, a writer, an employee - but my first role, and proudest, is that of mom to the now thirteen year old Intrepid Junior Blogger. Being a mom is a joy, and an honour - but it's not always an easy job, either. Once a year we take some time to together to celebrate not my being a mom, but our relationship as mother and daughter, and for the last eleven years this has happened right here in Fort McMurray.

A lot has changed since my first Mother's Day here, of course. The IJB has grown and changed (grown enough to require constant restocking of things like leggings and shoes, and since she has her mother's clothing and shoe habit this is a fairly constant event), and so too has our relationship. This past weekend we celebrated thirteen years of a mother-daughter relationship, and we did so over the course of two days.

It began at the local theatre Saturday evening with a screening of Ironman 3 in 3D. The IJB and I screeched in moments before the show started, securing our seats and then quietly mowing down popcorn and twizzlers and gallons of pop. This is the same theatre we have been coming to for eleven years, too, and we have seen so many movies here, from stories like "Up" (where she moved to another row when it became clear I would not stop crying and sniffling and embarrassing her) to movies like the one we saw on Saturday. I realized as we sat there how even the movies we view has changed over the years, from children's favourites in the past to now more adult fare. We sat and laughed and gasped and swooned over Robert Downey Jr. (that's rather new, too). And the theatre was even a nice temperature, unlike the time I went to see The Hobbit and found the theatre the same temperature as the inside of my fridge (by the end of that movie I was wrapped so deeply in my coat and scarf I resembled one of the Star Wars sand people, just my eyes peeping out, and my fingers were numb). We dragged ourselves home after the movie, with a mild popcorn hangover and full of moments from the movie to share.

Sunday, the actual Mother's Day according to the calendar, began with a wee sleep in for us both, and when I finally ventured downstairs I discovered the IJB playing on the x-box - and with this:

With a smile on my face and love in my heart I kissed her goodbye as I had a couple of errands to attend to, including checking in on the Mother's Day Brunch at MacDonald Island Park.

I arrived at MIP to discover the brunch in full swing, and I perused the shoe and jewelry vendors who had set up little shops for the moms to enjoy. I had a bit of the brunch, delighted to find the food excellent as usual and feeling proud of the job done by the hospitality department of the place where I now work. I then moved on to my next stop, which was the second annual Designer Handbag Auction from the Wood Buffalo Food Bank.

The "It's In the Bag" Designer Handbag Auction is one of my favourite annual events. Last year I donated a purse...and then I bought it right back as I wanted it so badly. This year I had my eye on a little green Matt and Nat bag, but when I arrived at the Sawridge Hotel I discovered a small turquoise Matt and Nat, as well as a Coach bag that pretty much screamed "Me me me". And so I placed my bids, and ventured to the grocery store to secure the goods to feed the IJB for the week while awaiting notice to see if I won the bags I so desired. It didn't take long, and if you were in the downtown Safeway and heard hooting noises on Sunday that was me celebrating the successful bid on two new bags.

I headed home quickly and picked up the IJB as we had another date - supper at Earl's and tickets to a show at Keyano Theatre. Over supper we discussed several things, with a strong focus on Twitter as the IJB uses that social media format to do role playing games (a subject I plan to explore in a new blog I am writing at Medium). And then, after this surprise tuxedo strawberry ending to the meal we headed to Keyano - and to see a friend of ours.

You see two years ago we had the chance to sit down and have supper with Canadian performer, comedian, actor, and genuinely amazing human being Shaun Majumder and his gorgeous fiancé Shelby Fenner. He was here back then to do some filming for his series "Majumder Manor", and to raise some funds for the bed and breakfast project in his hometown of Burlington, Newfoundland. Now, Shaun and I connected over issues like community and creativity, but he and the IJB formed a real bond as she too loves the performing arts. He was so kind to her back then, sharing with her wisdom and lessons learned over his years performing, and we were so excited to see him back in town to once again raise money for the project so dear to his heart - a bed and breakfast that will help to restore the economy in the place he was raised.

We sat in the theatre, the IJB and I, enjoying the musical act Shaun brought along from Newfoundland and the comedy of opening act Nigel Lawrence. The IJB was likely one of the youngest in the crowd, and I suspect some may think she was too young for some of the humour which tipped into the raunchy on occasion - but all I can say is that she is in Grade 8 at a junior high public school, and the performers didn't say anything she hasn't already heard at lunch time. We laughed at Nigel's antics, but it was during Shaun's performance that we truly roared, tears running down our faces. And when Shaun spotted us in the second row, saying hello to us and calling the IJB by name - well, it would be hard to top that. In front of a sold-out theatre he included the IJB in his show, mentioning her several times, and each time she beamed, making her mother's heart glow.

After the show we headed outside and joined the line to have Shaun sign a t-shirt and photo - and when he saw us there were hugs and kisses and a genuine exchange of affection. He asked the IJB about her performing exploits since he saw her last, and she was able to share the news of her recent role in the musical "Annie" at school. We parted by sending our best wishes to the lovely Shelby, who was his fiancé when we saw him last and is now his wife, and with promises to keep in touch.

And then, late Sunday night, we crawled into the car and headed home where we exchanged our own hugs and kisses, mother and daughter both exhausted and once again reminded of the strength of our bond. I tucked in the IJB and we chatted for a bit about Ironman and Twitter and designer bags and Shaun and then, finally, we both went to sleep, another Mother's Day in McMurray over - except for me every day is mother's day, because that is what I am - and it is the very best job in the world. The fact that I get to do it here, in the place that I think is the best place in the world? Well, that's just the icing on my Mother's Day cake. Happy belated Mother's Day, Fort McMurray!

Where Hope Becomes Home - Second Annual "Hope in the Dark"

This morning I cried about homelessness.

This happens to me on occasion, usually after a visit to a small building on Franklin Avenue, although today it was an article about a homeless man in the city where I grew up, and the impact his recent death has had on police officers there. I have been thinking a great deal about the homeless recently, and it is because of an event that is coming up very soon.

Last year I spent a night sleeping on a park bench. I did it because I wanted to learn a bit more about how it feels to be homeless, and last year our local daytime drop-in shelter for the homeless hosted an event called "Hope in the Dark". That night has resonated with me ever since then, because it is a night I will never, ever forget. It was a night designed to raise awareness of homelessness and create understanding by allowing people to experience what it is like to be homeless for a night.

There are moments burned into your mind. For me one of those is when last year, early in the morning, I lay in my sleeping bag on a park bench and realized I was cold, and very tired, and I felt very alone. I had barely slept at all, and I had heard strange noises all night. I had huddled inside an open doorway for warmth, and I had relied on my fellow "homeless for a night" friends. And I truly felt alone, and vulnerable, despite knowing I was surrounded by friends. And the funny thing is I knew I could go home and to my warm and comfortable bed after it was over. I didn't have to wander the streets all day until I slept outdoors on a bench - again. I could go home. Because I had a home to go to.

Over the last two years I have become quite passionate about the homeless in our community. I have spent time at the Centre of Hope, where I believe hope truly is found for those who often see little hope in their lives. I have gotten to know the staff there, but more importantly I have gotten to know the patrons, and I have begun to care about them deeply. Every single one of them has a story, a reason they have ended up on the streets of our community. I have listened to those stories, and some...well, some simply break my heart. They are told with such honesty, and such courage. I would say, in fact, that their honesty and courage inspires me. They have encouraged me to be honest and courageous and to tell stories that would be very easy to not tell. I have learned through their honesty and courage to find my own. I have learned from them, you see.

And last year I learned a little about how they must feel, sleeping on park benches and on the ground. I learned how it felt to be cold and tired and alone, and how you begin to rely heavily on those around you. I learned how much you need to hang onto to hope, because at 3 am, when it is dark and cold and there are scary noises and you feel alone you can very quickly lose sight of hope.

This year the Centre of Hope is hosting the second annual "Hope in the Dark" event. You can choose to sleep in a sleeping bag under the stars, or a cardboard box, or a tent. If you are me then you will head straight for the park bench you know, a bench that others have begun to call yours. And you will find yourself lying awake at 3 am, thinking about homelessness and the nature of hope.

This year I am hoping many more people will join me in a little park in downtown Fort McMurray. I know the Centre of Hope has some  activities - and some surprises - planned. I know that there will be a festive feeling in the air, almost a party atmosphere - but that as the night winds down and the darkness descends all the participants will begin their own journey of homelessness. It might sound like a cliché, but the event last year changed me. It was the kind of experience I find hard to explain in words, and one that still makes me feel a bit shaky on occasion when I recall certain moments of clarity about the experience of homelessness.

This is what I know. There is a time, at about 3 am, when all is dark and you think all around you are asleep. You huddle deeper inside your sleeping bag, cold and afraid. You begin to think about your life, and about the stories of those who have shared their experience of homelessness with you. You begin to think about your own warm bed at home, and you begin to realize the line between you and those who sleep on park benches every night is a very fine one. You shiver a bit from the cold, and from fear. And then, if you are me, you cry a little bit when you think about those for whom this is not a choice, and not an "awareness event". You cry because your heart hurts when you think of them, and their stories, and their life - and, all too often, deaths - on the streets of our community. And then you wake up a couple of hours later and realize that the mittens you are wearing to protect your fragile hands from the cold are still damp with tears, and you go home. Because you have a home. And that realization makes you start to cry all over again when you realize that hope, in the end, might be all that some people have, because they do not have a home.

One letter separates those two words - hoPe becomes hoMe. And maybe that is why we need to hold onto hope - so that some day hope will become a home for those who have neither. We cannot allow being homeless to become being hopeless. We have the power to change it, to turn hope into home, but first - very first - we must understand it. And this is your chance to do so.

Hope in the Dark 2013

will be held on May 25th.

Please register and join me -

and turn hope into home.

 

 



"I Coulda Been a Contender" - Thoughts on Bill Cosby in Fort McMurray

It might seem odd to you, but I wasn’t really all that excited at the prospect. I’ve met a lot of people, and while this one ranked as likely the biggest “celebrity” of any I have met I still wasn’t all that enthused. I was happy to have the opportunity, of course, but I was less than excited. After all, this celebrity is a performer, and not all performers are great intellects, or even all that pleasant. As often happens though I am not only happy to say I was proved wrong...but delighted to be so very, very wrong.

The celebrity in question? International star Bill Cosby, who was brought to Fort McMurray through Northern Insights, the speaker program from the Fort McMurray Public Library. This program has already brought intellect and author Malcolm Gladwell to town, and in the future will bring Arlene Dickinson – but last night on the stage was entertainer, superstar, comedic genius – and intellect – Bill Cosby.

I’d seen The Cosby Show, of course, and heard many of his comedy routines. I’d even read a few things he had written, but none of that prepared me to meet the man behind the superstar. I was part of the media meet and greet, and those who had met him just prior to my meeting told me stories of his charm.

We were ushered right into his dressing room, other members of the media and myself. There he sat, in a large leather chair, and as the bench was full of other media the library staff suggested I sit on the leather sofa next to him. I sat down, just one person between the man and myself, and when I sat the skirt I had been wearing that day slid up slightly, revealing a bit of thigh through the side slit. I caught his eye when he dryly said to me “flashing me is unfair”. I believe I almost swallowed my tongue, as his wit was obviously just as crisp as ever, and his eye for detail untarnished by age. We went through a few questions with him, and his ability to handle (and direct) a media scrum was immediately apparent as he deftly fielded questions (although always, always providing an answer with a twist). He answered queries about his career, and his comedy, and he did so with grace, and dignity – and humour.

What I observed while in that room for a brief twenty minutes was a man who may have aged but who has not dimmed in any regard. I was anxious to see him on stage, because I suspected his quiet dressing room demeanour would explode into onstage hilarity – and I was correct.

I left his dressing room in awe of this man, and joined the Intrepid Junior Blogger who already had seats for us. I was delighted when I discovered Phil Meagher was introducing him, because Phil is one of our resident comedians, a local smarty-pants who always has a quick quip at the ready, and I was eager to see the banter between them. I was not disappointed as Phil was quickly “schooled” by the master of comedy, a wit and genius that cannot easily be matched. And then, when Phil left the stage and Cosby sat there at a table, the fun really began.

Cosby spoke for an hour, and it was a fairly wide range of topics addressed. He spoke of family, and his wife. He told stories of the past, and one of the funniest for me was when he spoke of an incident with his then ten year old daughter and his wife. The daughter was being a typical preteen girl, and he riffed into a bit about teenagers that rang very true for me, how they can never find anything and instead scream for mom (being a mom I am quite familiar with this phenomenon,  and recall one frantic phone call asking me to come home from an event because someone’s mascara had gone missing).

He covered a lot of ground, and reacted to the audience who would occasionally shout things out. One of those moments was when he spoke about what he would tell others about his experience here, and someone shouted out the words “big spirit”. It was delightful to see him quickly grasp the impact of these words, and to see him incorporate it into his routine. And while I enjoyed his talk I think it was the following question and answer session I enjoyed the most.

You see while Cosby shines during a monologue it is perhaps his interaction with others that is the most intriguing. What interested me most is that when he is asked a question the answer often doesn’t seem to fit the question. I’ve seen this before, though. My father, in his later years, would often provide answers that didn’t seem connected to the questions he was asked. And it wasn’t that he was senile, or that he wasn’t listening. It was because he had reached the point in his life where the answers he gave were the ones he felt needed to be given, regardless of the questions asked. He felt he had a finite amount of time left, and the time he needed to share what he had learned of life was running out. And so he would be asked a question, and the answer, while perhaps being related, was often not quite what was asked. Yet it all made sense if you just listened to the answer, because he was telling you not what you had asked for, but what he wanted and needed you to hear. And so too it was with Cosby, both when he answered questions during the media meet and greet and when he did the audience Q&A. Instead of looking for the answers to the questions asked one needed to listen to the words he said – because while it might have seemed to be disconnected he was sharing with us what he felt we need to know.

And some of his answers intrigued me. There was the man who, before he even asked his question, commented that we must finally be becoming something because we had guests of the kind of Bill Cosby – and Cosby stopped him immediately, telling him that we had to stop that, stop acting like we are nothing, because, of course, we are something, and we are something even without Bill Cosby or other performers or entertainers. Do we have a good mayor, he asked? Do we have good schools, he inquired? If we do then we already ARE something, and we are something good. I would go even further. Do we have a good community? Do we have strength in our social profit sector? Do we have citizens who are passionate about the place we call home? The answer to all this is, of course, yes.

Cosby shared a lot last night. He shared thoughts on crime and punishment (thoughts and beliefs I happen to share, as I think it is not nearly as black and white as we wish it was), and on his favourite scene from the movie “On The Waterfront” (a movie I too have seen more than once). He spoke about how we need to talk about our issues, admit them, and confront them – because silence is a crucifixion, just as a character in that favourite scene of his explains. And so too that rang true for me, because in this community with all the opportunities and potential we still have issues, and ones that we must continue to discuss.

I chose the title of this post for one reason. Cosby mentioned the line that is in the title, because it too comes from “On the Waterfront”. While he said it is not his favourite line it is one that is very popular, and it speaks to me for several reasons. One of the reasons is because Fort McMurray is not a “coulda been” contender. We are a contender, in every conceivable way. We are something because of the strength of our community, our economy, and our industry. We are a contender in our ability to attract the best and brightest, the most innovative and creative. We are a contender in the way we have organizations like the Fort McMurray Public Library, groups that bring people like Bill Cosby to our community to speak. We do not need to say “I coulda been somebody”. We ARE somebody, and last night an icon of American comedy and entertainment dropped in to remind us. And we should feel deeply grateful that he recognized something in us that sometimes we struggle to see. He saw we are somebody. He saw that we are, in the end, Fort McMurray - and we have every right to be proud to be.

 

My thanks to the

Fort McMurray Public Library

and

Northern Insights

for the chance to meet Bill Cosby -

and for giving our community the opportunity

to be reminded that we are somebody.

Line Painting, Chirping, and Patience

I love the people of this community. I really, really do. I feel I must preface this post with that as on occasion I think dark thoughts about this crazy place I call home, and while the thoughts are there they are fleeting. I thought those dark thoughts recently, however, thoughts that ran a lot like this: "oh, just shut up".

It all started when the snow and ice came off the roads, leaving several areas without visible lane markings. It was particularly bad in the construction areas on Highway 63 through the city, with driving becoming more and more like a daily guessing game. I saw people making three lanes where I am quite certain there are only two, and I witnessed so many close calls when people meandered about, not entirely sure where their lane was. And the chirping began on Twitter and Facebook, people complaining about the lack of lines and the inherent danger of letting the driving public just make them us as we went along. And frankly I was one of the chirpers.

Now I, being me, didn't stop with the chirping. No, I sent a message to the offices of the Ministry of Transportation for the province. I advised them of the situation, the risk I felt it represented, and then asked who was responsible and what was being done. Within a couple of hours I had my answer, which was that as soon as the temperatures warmed up lane marking and line painting would begin. I was delighted, of course, because clearly this was already in the plans and soon we would once again have lanes and not be quite as likely to engage in spontaneous games of bumper cars.

I suppose I was quite naïve in thinking that the chirping would stop when the lane marking and line painting began.  I was, therefore, overcome with a rather dark cloud of rotten thoughts when I saw on Twitter and Facebook that people were complaining about traffic delays...due to lane marking and line painting. Suddenly the adage "damned if you, damned if you don't" sprang to mind, and I began to think I knew a bit about how politicians must feel. It seems, in fact, that you just can't win.

Look, people. I know we all like to complain about traffic, but when it comes to line painting I think it's short term pain for long term gain. And I'd prefer they didn't do this at night because I rather like the lines straight and done well so they don't have to do it again.

So, I love y'all and you know it. But on occasion when the chirping starts I cannot help but think "oh for the love of god please shut up". That feeling doesn't usually last long, but it seems I have a lack of patience when it comes to some things. For some that lack of patience happens when they are stuck behind line painting equipment. For me it's when I'm stuck behind those chirping about it.

Lane marking and line painting continues on local roadways.

Just deal with it already.

Thirty Five Years Ago Change Started Here, Fort McMurray

I have the pleasure of attending many events in this community. Often they are related to the arts, or to entertainment. My very favourite events are those that are related to community, however, and specifically those that involve our local social profit sector. I am always delighted to receive invitations to these events because they involve the organizations that form the heart of this community.

Last night I attended one of these events, and while this one was similar to others in the past this one was a bit different too. This one had in attendance an individual I had never heard of prior to last night, but someone who I think fundamentally changed this community thirty-five years ago. This individual is a lovely lady named Maryanne Warren, and almost four decades ago she founded the Fort McMurray United Way – an organization that has had a profound impact on this community and all those who reside in it.

When I speak or write about Fort McMurray I often speak about our philanthropy. We are, per capita, the “most giving community in Canada”, a designation of which I am deeply proud. I have often thought about what this means for us – and about us – but until last night I gave little real thought to those who founded the organizations that have brought us to this point in time. Thirty five years ago the United Way did not exist, but a woman named Maryanne  saw a need, and saw a way to fill out – and so she did, including taking the incredibly bold leap of personally borrowing $5000 (an enormous amount of money in 1978) to found the organization.

Last night I had the honour and the distinct privilege to hear her speak about borrowing that enormous sum, and how she had to explain to her husband what she had done. I heard in her voice conviction, courage, passion, and compassion. I heard in her voice a type of leadership so common here in Fort McMurray, and while I may have been under the illusion that this type of leadership is a new phenomenon last night I learned this has been happening here for decades. Maryanne Warren is, in very simple words, a hero. She didn’t just leave a legacy here – thirty-five years ago she changed this community forever. And she didn’t do it for fame or acknowledgement or recognition – but because it needed to be done, and she decided to do it.

This year the United Way celebrates thirty five years in this community. This is a tremendous milestone, and an amazing achievement. Their support of our local social profit organizations is fundamental to their existence, and they do what they do with courage, conviction, and compassion. I am impressed by them on a daily basis, and I am honoured to have the opportunity to write about them. None of this would be true, though, without the courage, conviction, and compassion of a woman named Maryanne Warren. She is a lady not so different from any of us, but the mark she has left on this community is profound. She explained last night that the Fort McMurray United Way was the most successful branch in Canada during the first three years of its existence, and here we are again thirty-five years later, top of the philanthropic charts and able to share with others our amazing success in this regard.

The slogan for the United Way is “Change Starts Here”. Last night as I listened to Maryanne Warren speak I could not help but think that she is the epitome of this motto. She is the living embodiment of the adage that change starts here, because thirty-five years ago the change started with her. She didn’t just found an organization – she changed us forever, and for the better. She touched the lives of not hundreds but thousands and thousands of people over the last thirty-five years, and quite likely thousands more as we move into the future. So the question I have now is: Who is the next Maryanne Warren in Fort McMurray? Who will be the next person to change us – not for now, but forever?

It could be you. It could be my child, or yours. We have among us leaders who are trying to effect change, and just like Maryanne all they need is encouragement and support. They already have the courage and conviction and passion and drive – they just need the community behind them. And in the same way the community has supported the United Way over the past thirty-five years we will continue to support those who lead that organization – and we will support those who have the courage to found new organizations when they see the need.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the Fort McMurray United Way for inviting me to attend last night, as it was an honour to attend the Community Building Awards. I want to thank the current leadership of the United Way, and all those who support it in whatever way, from donating to organizing campaigns. I want to thank all the social profits who work so hard in this community every single day to meet the needs of others. But in the end I truly want to thank a lady named Maryanne Warren, a woman who last night brought tears to my eyes with the story of her commitment, compassion, conviction, and love of community. I think there are many people of note in this community, and many deserving of recognition – but I would humbly suggest that in the future perhaps we could name some aspect of this community – perhaps a public park where families and community gather - after this lady who changed this community forever. Change starts here – and thirty five years ago it started with a borrowed $5000, determination, conviction, and a lady named Maryanne Warren of the Fort McMurray United Way.