Making Money Is Easy - Making Change Is Hard

Typically in this blog I write about community events or people. I go to an event, I learn about it, and then I come back here and give my perspective to you. Last week I attended the Heart of Wood Buffalo Awards, and I am not going to write about the event. My friend and fellow blogger Russell Thomas did a pretty comprehensive post about the awards themselves on his blog, and I suggest you read that for coverage of the event. Instead of writing about the event I am going to write about why the awards exist - and the nature of volunteerism in our community.

The title of this post is a quip I made to my friend Wally at the Leading the North conference in January. Wally and I were discussing what it means to contribute, and I tossed out the one liner in the title. Wally loved it (and said he was going to steal it, too, and knowing Wally he probably did!). You see, we were discussing the fact that pretty much anyone in this region can choose to make money - but not everyone chooses to make change. And while money is great I think change is even better.

We are widely known as a philanthropic community, and I am very proud of that fact. We are the per capita topper for United Way donations, for instance. We raise ridiculous amounts of money for charities at galas. And we open up our wallets regularly for good causes, from our Keyano College Foundation to local kids doing Jump Rope for Heart at their school. While that philanthropic spirit is amazing and is often celebrated what isn't celebrated as often is our volunteer spirit - and it should be. Philanthropy isn't all about money, people. A good friend reminded me of that recently, and he is right. I too am guilty of  the "write the cheque because I am too busy" tactic. I know something important, though. I know what really runs this community. And it isn't money.

You see, this community is run by volunteers. I don't say that lightly, people. Community is not based on the size of the buildings, or the size of the industry. Community is not based on commerce. Community is not based on the type of cars on our streets or the square footage of our houses. Community is based on people. Community is the concept that what you put into it is what you'll get out of it. Put nothing in and there is no community. Give it something - anything - and you build something powerful. You build a community. You build what we have going on here, which is nothing short of astonishing.

The Heart of Wood Buffalo Awards celebrate volunteers and non-profits, and it's a wonderful thing to witness. I am always humbled by those who choose to work in our non-profit organizations - and it is a choice. Many of those who work there could easily take their skills and abilities and talents and go work for industry - and make a helluva lot more money doing so. So, why do they stay in non-profits? Because it is in their heart. Because they are making a difference. Because they are making change - and they know that while making money is easy, making change is hard, and yet they do it anyhow. So, my respect for those who run places like the Food Bank and the SPCA and the Centre of Hope and all our other non-profits? Total, mad respect.

Now, those non-profits often rely on another thing to function - volunteers. They can't afford to pay people to work at every event they host. They need people, but they need them for free - and that is where the volunteers come in. And come in they do, often swooping in at the last minute when word goes out that an event is under-staffed or in dire need of more volunteers. They don't ride in on white horses, and they don't act like heroes - although they are. If I could get them all a super-hero cape I would, because that is exactly what they are - community super heroes.

The crazy thing is that often volunteers don't even see what they do as special. I know this first hand, people. I don't think what I do with this blog is any big thing, really. On the weekend I spent over 12 hours at Relay for Life, and then spent 4 hours writing about it. Over 16 hours spent, and with zero pay - but to me it wasn't a big deal, it was just the right thing to do. I didn't raise a dime for cancer research, but maybe I raised some awareness of the event, and maybe I provided some entertainment to those who did the money raising and walked that track. To me, though, those unpaid 16 plus hours was no big deal - and that is what I find with every volunteer, no matter if they serve on boards or are simply spending a couple of hours at a festival. It's just no big deal. It's just what they do. It's just this volunteer thing, nothing special. And that, perhaps, is exactly what makes it special. And that, quite likely, is why I am so madly passionate about the volunteers in this community. Because they all contribute. They all know making money is easy - but making change is hard, and they do it anyhow because it's just the right thing to do. Perhaps it's because in the end it pays in ways you can't take to the bank but that you take with you every day in your heart instead.

So, to every person in this community who is or has been a volunteer - thank you. If you serve on a board, a school council, volunteer at festivals, or paint faces for free - thank you. If you participate in community clean-ups - hell, even if you are just out at a park and notice some garbage on the ground and toss it in the dumpster unpaid, unasked, and unthanked - thank you. If you do ANYTHING to make this community a better place - thank you. I can't give all of you an award, people. I probably don't even know 95% of you that serve as volunteers. But I can give you this: my sincere gratitude for making change. I can give you my promise that I too will continue to make change in this community, and that together we will make it into the most amazing place this country - perhaps this world - has ever seen.

Making money is easy, people. Making change is hard. And yet every single days thousands in this community are making change - and it's a beautiful thing to witness, Fort McMurray. It's a beautiful, beautiful thing. And it gives me hope every single day - hope for us, and for the future - and for our community.

Coffee With NorthWord - And Why Northern Words Matter

There is a perception that Fort McMurray is some sort of vast cultural wasteland, a place where arts and culture don't exist. Of course that perception comes from mostly outside the community, but to some degree even inside this place we call home there are those who are unaware of the rich arts and culture offerings available to us. As a writer I have been heartened to discover that there is a community of writers here, those who dabble in everything from romance to zombies, fiction to non-fiction, blogs to ebooks.

And there is even a place for those writers to submit their works, a place that welcomes their poetry and stories - and even welcomes a blog post from a certain writer's personal blog, a blog post that is close to her heart. It is a blog post that I am both pleased and humbled to say will be published in a lovely little publication right here in Fort McMurray.

The publication? NorthWord, A Literary Journal of Canada's North. Northword is a publication started by local individuals - and it continues to be edited, published, and loved by local individuals. It is for those who love to read, and love to write. It is for those who love the written word, and for those who love to tell their stories in whatever form.

NorthWord is on the cusp of some change, people. Just as this community is changing so is our literary magazine (in fact if you look around the change in this region is reflected everywhere, from our schools to our retail stores to everything else). And as they change they will need people from the community who also love the written word, people who want to be involved as Northword changes, expands, and leaps into the same new territory our community is embarking towards.

In order to explore this new territory NorthWord is asking people from the community to join them for coffee this Friday, June 15th, from 5-8 pm, in Room S212 at Keyano College. The good people from the journal would like to share with everyone the success of Northword, the excitement - and their love of the written word. They would like people who also share that love to consider becoming involved with NorthWord as board members or volunteers.

I have discovered something while writing this blog. The written word matters. When I began this blog I wasn't sure of that, really. I wrote the blog entirely for myself, and never thought anyone else would care about it. What I have learned, though, is that words touch people. Words, used carefully, can heal, and words, used carelessly, can wound. Words have power. Words have impact. And words from our little northern community can spread around the world as we tell our story in blogs and ebooks and newspapers...and little publications like NorthWord, a literary journal of our northern hearts.

Please join me at

Coffee with NorthWord

Friday June 15th

5-8 pm

Room S212, Keyano College :)

Let's let those northern words shine

for all the world to see!

2012 Relay for Life - Or "Coffee, My Dad, and Tears"

There are certain things closer to my heart than others. There are certain things so close and so personal that they are actually quite difficult to write about, but letting them flow onto paper somehow also helps to heal them a bit. And sometimes those personal things tie into an event I attend in a way that wraps itself around my heart. That happened this past weekend when I spent all night at the 2012 Fort McMurray Relay for Life - an event that is a fundraiser for cancer research, a celebration of cancer survivors - and a memorial to those who lost their battle to a dreaded disease.

As I have mentioned in this blog before I lost my father to lung cancer just over six years ago. It was a horrendously painful experience, heart wrenching in every way, and one that while you begin to forget the small details you never forget the impact. So, when Krystal Ralph, one of the lovely organizers of this year's relay, contacted me to ask if I would consider attending the event it was an easy question to answer. I would attend, of course. I would stay all night, live-tweeting as I went, documenting the experience from my perspective. And I would do so in memory of my father, one of two people (the other being my mother) who had the most profound impact on the person I have become.

I was invited to attend the Survivor's Reception, and when I arrived I was handed a T-shirt and found a place at a table with local radio guys Nolan Haukeness and Jerry Neville. I always find these two entertaining, although I discovered Nolan gets even funnier with lack of sleep, and by 5 AM I decided he was the most amusing man alive (remember, no sleep and way too much coffee, my opinion may be suspect in this case). The Survivor's Reception is a bit daunting, because it is a sea of yellow t-shirts - and every yellow t-shirt is worn by a cancer survivor. Each one of those people have received a dreaded diagnosis that changed their life. Each and every one is a hero, in my opinion.

After the Reception we all headed over to the track at Father Mercredi for the Opening Ceremonies. There was a stunning cheerleading display from Norfort Gymnastics, and the Aurora Choir sang "Oh Canada" - and then it was time for the survivor's lap. It was again a sea of yellow t-shirts, this time walking around the track to smiles and a soundtrack of handclapping. They had fought, and they had won. They had survived a disease that too many do not.

When the teams took the track it was stunning - because there were 96 teams in total, an astonishing number considering every team has at least 4 members, and many have significantly more. They filled the track, in costumes and clever t-shirts, and they walked united against the disease that took my father. It was just the start of many moments that brought tears to my eyes, and just the very beginning of a night of memorable moments.

As the teams walked the track the entertainment began - the zumba class that I lost the Intrepid Junior Blogger to, and a band that played some pretty great cover tunes. I busied myself taking photos of the teams and the tents, the costumes and the faces, and then I screwed up my courage and headed over to the tent where luminaries were being sold. I had a luminary to make, and I knew it would not be easy to do.

I bought my luminary, took it to the table, grabbed a marker, and thought about what to write. How do you encapsulate an 81-year life in a few short words? How do you express the impact someone has had on your life? What words are adequate to explain it? In the end my words were not adequate, as not even a book would be enough to express it all. But I wrote it and signed it and then I took my luminary and placed it on the track in a spot where I would be sure to find it at 11 pm when the luminaries were lit.

Once again I went back to taking photos, and I drove the Intrepid Junior Blogger home (after discovering my car had been entirely blocked in at the parking lot at Father Merc - and I had to drive on the sidewalk in front of the school to escape!). I stopped for a coffee on the way back, and when I arrived dusk was beginning to fall. The track was lined with unlit luminaries, and soon, very soon, the bagpipes began to play and it was time for the luminary ceremony.

I was grateful that Phil Meagher was there to light the luminary in front of me as my hands were quite shaky. When it was lit I sat there for a few moments, taking photos and, admittedly, weeping. I was not alone, though, as there were tears around the track as family and friends remembered those lost. After a few moments I wandered the track and took photos of the other luminaries that struck me, each one with a message to someone lost, still fighting - or surviving. Seeing all those little bags filled with a glowing candle was almost overwhelming as I tried to comprehend what they meant in terms of numbers of lives touched by this disease. I stared around the track, watching the glow. I looked at the faces, many tear-stained. I touched my own cheeks and felt the tears. And I felt so damn proud of every person on that track who was doing what they could - raising some money and giving of their time, an entire 12 hours of it! - to fight this disease that has cost us so many tears and lives.

I continued to take photos and wander around, heading over to the Casman Centre for coffee refills and food (that midnight snack? Wow! I've never seen so many desserts in my entire life, people). Around 1 am another friend appeared, one newly arrived in the city and working at a local radio station. Graham and I did a lap around the track, he in memory of his grandmother and me for my dad, of course. We chatted quietly and I was happy for the company, delighted to speak to such a kind and warm soul at such a late hour. When we finished the lap I headed to my car for a couple of hours of sleep as weariness was affecting my tweeting. And while I did not sleep I did rest, and when I returned to the track at 4 am I found this:

Still moving. Quieter, slower. But the teams were still in motion, still walking that track as I had tried to sleep, still committed to their purpose. I had brought a cup of coffee with me. It wasn't for me, though. I took it to the still lit luminary I had purchased, and put the coffee cup beside it. And so in the early dawn light, as birds began to sing and members of my community walked the track, I had coffee with my dad one more time.

I walked the track again, taking photos of the giant squirrel that seemed a bit surreal at 4 am, and at about 5 I headed back over the the Casman and had breakfast with Nolan (and seriously, he is one helluva funny guy, especially when you have had no sleep and will laugh like a hyena at anything).

The food was amazing, and the company was terrific. This was crunch time, though, and many had begun to hit the wall:

Shortly after 6 am I headed back out for the closing ceremonies. I found a giant beaver (the "last beaver standing", as the woman with him quipped). I found a giant stuffed eagle.

I found a lot of weary people - and I found a tremendous sense of pride in every single one of these people who were curled up in sleeping bags and on camp chairs, each taking their turn on the track. Exhausted, so tired from a long and dark night - but surviving. Fighting. Just as those who battle cancer fight, often exhausted, often during long and dark nights. I thought of all the long nights my father fought, and the battle he eventually lost. I thought of all the times he was so exhausted, and when we fought for him when he was too weak to fight. I thought of all these people in this city - in MY community - who fight the disease themselves, or who support those who do. I thought of all those who walked that track all night. I thought of how this little community of ours has become so close to my heart, and about my love for it. And my love for my father and for this community and for all those in it tangled up together in my heart and I turned away to hide the tears that hit me once again.

At the closing ceremonies the fundraising total was announced - an amazing $450,000, not including matching donations. There were winners of various prizes announced, and then it was time for the final lap. Some walked that lap, and some even ran it. Some were carried across it piggyback style, and a couple fell when they crossed it, in heaps of exhaustion and laughter. And I stood there and watched it all, the morning sun warming my face as I smiled. And then it was over, and I climbed into my car and headed home.

I turned up my stereo and played the song they played during that final lap. I opened my windows and my sunroof and I blared it into the early Saturday morning. It was 7 am, and this song was never more meaningful than at this moment. The song? The video is at the end of this post. And it is true, every word. And while my father did not survive his battle with cancer he left behind a tremendous legacy - five daughters, and eight grandchildren. He left behind ambassadors who carry his heart - and his memory. He left behind me, a woman who feels the greatest compliment ever received is the one that said "you are just like your dad". Yes. Yes I am. I am his daughter, and that night he was with me every single moment as I saw darkness fall, and as I saw morning rise. He was with me when I walked the track, and he was with me when I lit a luminary in his memory. And he was with me when I drove away from that experience, forever enriched by a night in this community with a group of people who captured my heart. For this, people, was the 2012 Relay for Life - and it was a night I will never, ever forget.

RMWB Leadership Bootcamp

This whole "boot camp" thing has become pretty popular in recent years. There are all sorts of boot camps one can attend, from the court-ordered variety for substance abuse to culinary boot camp to bridal boot camp to fit into your wedding gown. There is a boot camp of a different sort coming to our region, people. It's not about substance abuse or cooking or weight loss. It's about something we have in abundance in this area, but which we will need in desperately larger capacities as we grow and move into our future. It's Leadership Boot Camp - and I think it might be one of the most exciting ideas I've heard in a very, very long time.

Leadership Boot Camp is the brainchild of the RMWB and inspirational philanthropist, businessman, and motivational speaker Ian Hill. The concept is simple - put 400 people from the community through a leadership program. 100 from the municipality, 100 from local high schools, 100 college students, and 100 people from the community at large - 400 in total (and perhaps even more). But this isn't a one-day leadership workshop of the kind that is often initially successful but falters in the long run. This isn't a 3-day conference. This is a 15-week program, interactive and using every type of accessible media possible. This is a program designed to be accessible, easy to use, and appealing to everyone. This is a program for everyone who wishes to learn to lead, or to improve their leadership skills. This is for the common man. This is for all of us, people.

The concept is that true leadership - sustainable, viable, engaged, and active leadership - comes not from the towers on high but from the grassroots. It comes from people within our community, and often from those who may not even consider themselves leaders. It comes from those who can lead in the way the 21st century needs - collaborative, convening, catalytic. It comes from within, both within ourselves and within the community. And this program is designed to foster and grow that leadership in a region that will rely more and more heavily on strong leadership. Because without strong leadership, leadership of the sort that can mobilize and engage, this community will falter. It will fray at the edges, and it will begin to come apart at the seams.

I have written many times that I believe we are at a crucial juncture in the development of this community, and so this program cannot be more timely. As this time in our development we need to develop the kind of leadership that can lead us not only in the present but into the future.

So, the details. It's a 15 week program starting in September. The idea is that it is divided into 5 segments, each of 21 days duration. Each segment will focus on a different aspect of leadership (including how to be creative, an essential leadership quality but one often overlooked). There will be a live workshop at the beginning of each 21-day segment, and then there will be weekly reinforcements, video chats, online forums, and continued opportunities to expand on the aspect being addressed during those 21 days. The information will be accessible and downloadable online, meaning you can see it online or download it onto your iPod. The concept is to make it as easy as possible for everyone to be involved in the program - but the program itself is not designed to be easy. Because this is about improvement. Because this is about learning to lead. Because this is boot camp, and while you may not work up a physical sweat dragging around car tires I'm betting there will be a great deal of mental sweat involved.

And what will the cost be to you? Nothing. That's right. Zero dollars. There will be a commitment of time. There will be a commitment of mental power. And Ian will hold you accountable, guaranteed. But this program costs you nothing. And the benefit to you? The potential for the community? Perhaps beyond calculation. Perhaps far more than one could ever imagine. Perhaps the kind of benefits that change your life - and our community.

Over the summer Ian and the good folks from the RMWB will be reaching out to the community to encourage applications for this program. They will reach out to every community within our community - faith-based, cultural groups, schools. They will try to engage every demographic. They will try to ensure that everyone who has an interest in this opportunity has a chance to learn about it, and, if they wish to pursue it, apply to participate. And then, on September 12th, 400 or more people in the RMWB are going to boot camp. They will go through the program, and, after 15 weeks, emerge with new skills, new ideas - and maybe, just maybe, as the powerful new grassroots leaders this community will need as we embrace an exciting future.

I am going to admit a few things here. I'm pretty much crazy about Ian Hill, as he has had a profound impact on me personally and professionally in the times I have heard him speak. He says things that resonate deeply with me, and he has in the past year made me think a great deal about what I do and how I do it. I am also pretty much crazy about this community, and deeply passionate about seeing it improve, especially as we face a future that is going to be both thrilling and a little frightening, a future in which we will see changes of a massive kind (huge population growth, for instance). I am of the opinion that the only way we can approach this future is to be prepared - and the best way is to make sure we have leadership in every single place, from our schools to our churches to our playgrounds to our businesses to our streets. We need strong, engaged, active, catalytic, convening, and collaborative leadership. We need grassroots leaders who can be as bold and innovative as this community is. We need grassroots leaders who can embrace the future without fear or reservation, and who are able to see their role in it. We need leaders of the 21st century variety. We need leaders of the RMWB variety. We need leaders of the kind that I strongly suspect might be as unique as we are here in this northern community, leaders who can take our challenges and make them into strengths, and who can turn this community into the beacon of hope that Ian Hill spoke of the very first time he came here. And this boot camp? Well, I think this boot camp might just turn out those leaders.

In another window on my computer right now I have open the application for RMWB Leadership Boot Camp. I am about to apply. I am about to take a step into the future, and a step towards hopefully becoming a stronger grassroots leader. And I hope that I will be joined by 399 or more people who also wish to take that step - and who want to help lead this amazing place into a future that I believe will perhaps become a lesson for the rest of the world in community building. I am hoping I will be accepted into boot camp, people. I have never once before considered boot camp - but this time around I could not be more excited to commit 15 weeks to an experience that I believe might well change my life - and the future of this community.

Want to learn more about

RMWB Leadership Boot Camp?

Find it here!

Why You Should Be At Live Cafe Tonight in Fort McMurray

Over the year I have been writing this blog I have met some pretty incredible people. I have met politicians and musicians. I have met those who run businesses and those who run non-profit organizations. I have met other writers, podcasters, and media people. There is one person who has had a profound personal and professional impact on me, though, and who has become someone I truly admire and respect. He is the kind of person who is a visionary, but who puts actions behind his words. He is the sort of person you can bounce ideas off, and who doesn't scoff at you but helps you find a way to make those ideas work. He is someone who can engage an entire room of adults at a conference, and who can hold the attention of squirrelly high school students. He is Ian Hill, businessman, motivational speaker, philanthropist - and friend of our community.

I met Ian when he was the keynote speaker at the Leading the North conference in January. I met him again when he was in Fort Mac more recently, and he and I communicate on occasion about a variety of things. And now, people, you have a chance to meet Ian, too. He is coming back to Fort McMurray this week, and he will continue to forge a relationship with this community - and the people in it.

Tonight there is a little "tweetup" at Live Cafe in the Nomad Inn, from 7-9 pm. This is an opportunity to meet Ian Hill, someone that I think is completely amazing - and who inspires me, who makes me want to do better, be more, and accomplish great things. But this isn't just about meeting Ian. This is about a new adventure, too, something called "Leadership Bootcamp" in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

I'm going to admit something here. I don't have a lot of details about Leadership Bootcamp yet. I don't quite know what it means, or what it will encompass. But I know a few things.  I know Ian Hill is the kind of person who can change the way you think - and his passion can make you want to change your life. I know leadership, true leadership of the kind that is bold and innovative, is desperately needed, rare, and found in greater potential quantities here than perhaps anywhere else in the world. I know that if you combine Ian Hill and anything having to do with encouraging and fostering leadership you will have a powerful brew that could produce astonishing results. And finally I know where I will be tonight, 7-9 pm. I will be at Live Cafe, chatting with Ian and learning all about Leadership Bootcamp in our community. Won't you consider joining us, Fort Mac?

Come and find out about

"Leadership Bootcamp"

in the RMWB

tonight, June 5, 7-9 pm, 
Live Cafe at Nomad Inn.

If you would like to attend please fire me

an email so we have some idea of expected numbers :)

Thank you -

and if you come I can guarantee

you will not be sorry you did :)
Hope to see you there!

The Race Is On

Well, it's race season in Fort McMurray, people. I don't mean horse racing, car racing, or motorcycle racing. I mean political race season, and just after the recent provincial election, too. The recent election of two PC MLAs who were also elected city councillors means that two seats have now opened up on city council. Since it's 18 months until the next general election a by-election has been called for June 25th - and one week ago today nominations closed and the race really began.

The number of candidates is a bit boggling. Fourteen people have stepped forward and tossed their names into the ring. Fourteen people took a bold and brave step. And of those fourteen only two will succeed. I too am keenly interested in this election, because I believe our region is at a crucial period in development. The decisions made - or not made - will impact us for decades, and we have some significant opportunities at this point in time to change our future. Thus I find myself studying the candidates carefully, and I have expressed interest in speaking to them to find out their thoughts on this community - and on their vision for it. In the past two weeks three candidates have graciously agreed to sit down and talk to me, and I'd like to share these conversations with you. So, Fort Mac, if you haven't met them before let me introduce you to Colleen Tatum, Tyran Ault, and Matt Youens, city council hopefuls.

Photo courtesy of  Colleen Tatum

Colleen Tatum is the first candidate I interviewed. Colleen is the co-owner of a local small business (MXC Off-Road) and as such has an interesting perspective on that aspect of life in our community. Colleen and I discussed the challenges small businesses here face, from high rents to staff retention. Running a small business is a challenge anywhere, but here can be particularly difficult when considerations like land shortages are taken into account. Colleen discussed with me the need for better communication from the municipality about land releases, and a better system for allowing local business owners access to newly available commercial properties.

Colleen's slogan for the election is "Livable, sustainable, remarkable". I love the slogan, incidentally, and asked her to explain why she thinks it applies to the RMWB. Colleen sees the "livable" as making our community a place with access to adequate businesses and services, "sustainable" as a community that is not entirely based on an oil sands industry (eg, jobs that are non-oilsands related, and education for those jobs, and "remarkable" as simply being what we are. Colleen grew up right here. and has seen this region change dramatically. She commented on our pioneer spirit, and our "can do" and "we will figure it out" attitude to problem-solving.

I think what impressed me personally most about Colleen is that she is absolutely a bright young woman with a keen interest in this region, and with an understanding of both it and how small businesses function within it. She is personable and quick-witted, with a lovely smile, and her knowledge of this area shines brightly. I can tell she is deeply invested here, raising her family and owning a small business, and that speaks to her commitment and depth of caring for this place we call home.

Photo courtesy of Tyran Ault

Tyran Ault was my next interview, and I was quite keen to interview Tyran as I have come to know him a bit over the past year while writing this blog. I knew that he is quite active in the community, and we had spent time together at things like the Community Image Summit Keyano College hosted some time ago. So I was intrigued to hear Tyran's take on our region.

Tyran came here when he was 9 years old, and dove into politics - in school council, that is. He has worked in radio, in communications for the RMWB, and now works for Suncor in communications. This resume has meant he has been exposed to many different sides of our community, from private business to public service to industry, and has lent him a unique perspective. Tyran has a "to do" list he would like to see accomplished, from a recreational facility in Timberlea to finding ways to encourage the development of both large and small business ventures.

Tyran's campaign slogan is "Enhancing our future locally and globally", which is another great slogan in my opinion. When I asked him to explain he told me that he sees the potential here for us to become a centre of technology and research development, a place the world looks to for solutions of complicated problems. We discussed some of the innovative research and technology development already happening here, and how that could be expanded into the sort of industry that could sustain the community when the oil sands finally drip their last drop of bitumen. He sees this region as a place that is "growing up", coming into it's own, but one that needs strong leadership to continue to thrive.

I think what impressed me most about Tyran is that he is also very bright, and passionate about both this place and our future. Just as with Colleen he is personable and funny, and he is an excellent communicator of thoughts and ideas. After just these two interviews I knew we had some very exciting candidates in this election, but I had another interview lined up as well.

Photo courtesy of Matt Youens

Matt Youens was the final person I interviewed in this round. Matt is also someone I came to know in the past year, and once again I was curious to see his vision for the RMWB.

Matt expressed his delight with the idea of serving on council to be part of the shaping of the region for the future. He would like to see the good work council has been doing continue, as well as provide new momentum to council. As he says (and I agree) there is always room for improvement. Matt is an HR professional, with a background in HR and communications. 

Matt expressed the issues as he sees them - infrastructure, from potholes to traffic to lack of retail space. He too talked about encouraging the development of business initiatives, from small to large. He talked about the need for stronger communication between the RMWB and the community. 

Matt too sees our potential as a jewel of technology development, and the potential to export that knowledge throughout the world. He commented on our ability to"dream as big as we dare and then push it just a little bit further". He also talked about how we have an opportunity to make this region a place of both form and function, having the chance to build things that are not only functional but beautiful, too. 

I was impressed with Matt, too, and his comments about letting our actions be our words, and stopping talking and starting "doing" showed me that he understands that "words" just aren't enough in our rapidly changing region. Matt, as with Tyran and Colleen, is bright and personable, an effective communicator with a strong vision.

~

Well, folks, there you have it. Three out of our astonishing fourteen candidates interviewed, and after interviewing these three I have a few thoughts.

The first is my sheer excitement over the nature and quality of the individuals running in this civic by-election. They may all have slightly different perspectives, but Colleen, Tyran, and Matt all embody what is absolutely best about this region. Young, bright, creative, and bold, they are typical of the Fort McMurray spirit. They are each passionate about this region, and they each bring an exciting vision of the future and their potential role in it. After every single interview I was excited, and thrilled to see such passion and interest  in the place I love. I felt I had interviewed three people who love it as much as I do, and who love it enough to want to devote their time and energy to serving on council (which is not an easy job, people, councillors work very hard in our community).

These three candidates all fit right into our most prevalent age demographic, as our average age in this region is a mere 31 years. This demographic is not represented on council, and I do believe council should be representative of the community in every way. The energy, enthusiasm, and youth they bring could revitalize a council that is already quite active and vital, but a boost of fresh new energy can make it even stronger.

Most of all I think I was deeply impressed that these three have chosen to seek election. I think their interest says something about this region - that we are bold and innovative, that we are unafraid to follow our dreams and to aim high, as these three are doing. Their interest in not only our community but in serving our region in this way was absolutely heartening to me, and I found myself incredibly hopeful about the future of our region in the hands of bright young people like these.

So, there you have it, people. I'm not going to tell you who to vote for. I am going to tell you to get out there and vote, because this is a crucial point in the development of this region, and all three candidates agreed with me on that. And because we are at a crucial juncture this election - and YOUR VOTE - become even more important. This isn't the time for apathy - this is the time for action. This is our chance to have input in the future of this region, and to choose who will lead us into it. If these three young people - who are, in my opinion, each worthy of serving on council - are willing to step forward and serve us then I think we should be willing to get to a polling station on June 25th and cast our vote. This is our future, Fort Mac - let's decide it together, eh?

I'd like to thank

Colleen, Tyran, and Matt

for agreeing to speak with me 

about their vision for the RMWB.

If any other candidates in the upcoming

civic election wish to speak to me

I can be reached at

McMurray Musings :)

Major Recycling Excitement - the Green Bottle Depot Opens!

I like recycling, people. There is something very virtuous in it, something very basic about the concept of not contributing to landfill but rather redirecting items in your waste stream to be used again. The sad part is that I am not particularly good at it. Oh, I collect my recycling - I just never, ever get rid of it, meaning I have a garage that I squeeze my car into, praying the doors will still open despite the mounds of cardboard, piles of paper, collections of glass bottles - and bags and bags of beverage containers.

In the past those bags always daunted me. Recycling them meant piling them in my car and driving them downtown, or out to the SPCA. Or it meant waiting for a bottle drive, and on a few occasions delighted fundraisers were treated to the recycling bonanza that is in my garage. But for the most part "recycling" them meant they sit in my garage waiting, my own little personal landfill as they haven't been redirected in the waste stream but rather caught in it. But not anymore, people. Last week I had the privilege of attending the grand opening of the Fort McMurray Green Bottle Depot - and frankly, people, in my little world this place changes everything.

The new Green Bottle Depot is located at 170 Boreal Drive in the Taiga Nova Eco Park, which is tough to find if you don't know where it is (it's basically across Highway 63 from the Suncor Business Centre). It might take you a few minutes to find it, actually, as when I went it took me some time to sort out where exactly it is - but once found you'll never forget it, because this is the gem of bottle recycling.

It's a huge, bright facility. And as soon as you walk in the door you can sense there is an industrious nature here, the bottles being sorted and counted. It's almost entirely too easy, this kind of recycling. And frankly it appeals to my fundamental laziness.

There are some impressive numbers and facts associated with this facility. It can process 50 million beverage containers per year. It's the largest recycling facility in the province. And they will soon be home to some innovative equipment designed to automate and streamline the bottle return process. And even more importantly you have the option to donate your bottles directly to a charity, like our local SPCA.

I was also pretty excited to see a car wash attached to the bottle recycling facility. If you have a car in Fort Mac you KNOW there is a shortage of car washes (ask me about the time the car in front of me died at a local car wash and I was stuck in line for almost 3 hours - no, really, I dare you, ask me). And I almost chortled with delight upon being told that recycling worth a certain dollar amount could be exchanged for a car wash (I have enough recycling in my garage to keep my car clean for years, people, years). The car wash is not yet open but when it is I will be one of the first, bags of recycling in the trunk and smile on my face.

Look, I realize not everyone gets excited about recycling, but then again not everyone is keeping stacks of beverage containers in their garage (although every time a neighbour opens their garage door I see similar stacks and I am beginning to sense my recycling hoarding is a common disorder). I suspect the Green Bottle Depot has no idea how truly successful they are likely to be in this community, though. I suspect they have no idea how many of us have bags and bags of recycling we are just waiting to get rid of. I'm planning to go for a tour of the facility soon so they can show me how it works and explain the process. I loved that during the entire grand opening ceremony last week you could hear the rattling and clinking of bottles being sorted. When I go out for that tour I am loading up my car, and away I will go, trunk rattling and clinking. And when I open the trunk and my recycling from the last two years pours out (and gets donated to the SPCA) I think they just may realize exactly how successful they are going to be right here in Fort McMurray, home of recycling hoarders like me.

This is a map to the new Green Bottle Depot.

My advice? If you think you are hopelessly lost,

look up, because you probably just found it! ;D