I am trying very hard to not take it personally that my postal code happens to be one of the first ones in the country to lose home mail delivery this year. You see, some local blogger might have gotten a bit incensed when Canada Post decided to institute an arbitrary and capricious $5 surcharge on parcels coming into this community, and they might have kicked up a bit of a fuss over the whole idea. They might have written a couple of blog posts about it, and done some interviews, and helped to create a little pitchfork-and-torch movement designed to make Canada Post back down from this approach to revenue generation - and then this local blogger might have learned that her home mail delivery was going to disappear as her postal code happened to fall into the ones that CP has decided will be the first to lose this service. And while I am assuming this is sheer coincidence some may be surprised to learn that I am not going to kick up a fuss over this decision at all - because I believe it is what CP must do to survive.
I was actually surprised when I moved into my new house in the summer and learned that the rusty, dented mailbox on the side of my house wasn't merely decorative. This is the first place I have lived in Fort McMurray with home delivery, and while I appreciate the convenience of stepping outside my door to collect my mail I also recognize that the costs of home mail delivery are just not sustainable given the current status of business at Canada Post.
There is no doubt that the advent of the internet has hurt mail services. I don't receive magazines by mail any more, and most of my bills come to me electronically. And while I still love to get mail I know that CP is facing some real financial challenges to continue delivering mail at all, let alone providing mail delivery to every house - and so the move to community mailboxes doesn't trouble me. I think, rather, that it is a sound business decision.
Now, don't get me wrong, as I have tremendous empathy for those who will lose their jobs in this transition. Regrettably though things change, and as they do businesses have to make difficult decisions in order to sustain themselves, and this is one of those decisions - and CP is, and should be, a business.
I objected to the CP $5 parcel surcharge because it was not being evenly applied, affecting only our community and no others. However, the discontinuation of home mail delivery will be evenly applied, phasing it out over time until all Canadians collect their mail at community mailboxes (which do have some advantages, including generally being more secure than home mailboxes which are not locked and thus prime pickings for identity thieves).
I recognize that there is concern about how this will impact those with mobility issues, and I share those as I have had some experience with elderly parents with mobility issues. In that experience, though, I learned that most with mobility issues who live in their own homes do so with some degree of assistance (eg. having people to shovel snow, mow lawns, etc) and collecting the mail may just become another chore to which these caretakers, friends or family attend. I am also hopeful that in some cases Canada Post may be able to make some sort of arrangements, including perhaps directed weekly delivery specifically to those individuals who are able to show that collecting their mail at a community mailbox would involve unnecessary hardship or difficulty.
My main point is this: if phasing out home mail delivery means that they will be able to provide better service, with emphasis on quality of service, speed of delivery, and customer satisfaction then I am all for it. I do have some concerns, as Canada Post service in our community has been woefully lacking in the last few months, but I also believe that is because they are being stretched beyond their capacity at this point. Perhaps the phasing out of home delivery will help to them to maintain a sustainable business model, improve their service and give them some ability to be competitive in a market that has significantly changed since the old days when home delivery was a standard. The world has changed, and now is the time when our institutions, like Canada Post, must change as well. Change is often difficult, and it can be painful, but at times it is necessary. I believe this is one of those times.
And besides, it's time for me to take that rusty old mailbox down anyhow.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
Why the Government of Canada Needs to Show Fort McMurray the Money
A federal by-election looms large in Fort McMurray, an election that reportedly is causing some consternation within our federal government as they realize that their hold on this constituency may not be quite as secure as they had assumed. Years of lacklustre representation and an MP who seemed more devoted to creating crossword puzzles about the colour of his hair seemed to indicate a lack of interest in our region on the part of the federal government, ironic given that they tout us as the "economic engine" of the nation. While the lip service given to this region has been vast the actual investment in the region has been woefully lacking (and if you challenge this I would ask when was the last time you heard the federal government was making a significant investment in this region - I rest my case). Nowhere has this been more troubling, perhaps, than with Willow Square.
The Willow Square issue and the aging in place facility planned for that location has long been a contentious issue, with each level of government carrying some level of blame and responsibility. In the final analysis, though, absolutely nothing can be done on Willow Square until the land is turned over for development, and the delay for the development of the aging in place facility must rest with those who control the land - the federal government, through the CMHC.
The federal government has apparently offered three options. One, presented by our departed MP (who thoughtfully left us high and dry and without federal representation) indicated the government would lease the land to the province - at commercial market rates, with a 50-year lease, paid in full up front. Now, this was presented as a "generous deal" by our MP, although how this could be imagined to be a generous deal is beyond even my simple mathematical abilities. The second option is that the federal government will sell it for full market value, and given the market value on land in the RMWB this is also not exactly a generous offer (and likely to impact the development on the property if a significant amount of funds need to be spent on simply acquiring the land). The third option is that they will sell it to the province for a discounted rate provided the province accept some conditions, not only on this property but on several others in the province, making it part of a "package deal". And they seem unwilling to sever this property off to negotiate on it separately, in whatever wisdom they hold on the matter. And to all this I say "enough" - because if the Conservative party in Canada wishes to see another Conservative MP in this region I would suggest they start making some concessions, displaying some leadership, and showing us the money before we decide to head in another direction entirely in this by-election.
I still firmly believe that we need to develop two facilities in our community, one in Parsons Creek and the one at Willow Square, just as I have always contended we should do. I also firmly believe that both can and should be accomplished, but I have also come to the end of my rope with a federal government that talks a good game about the importance of the oil sands and our region but that doesn't follow the talk with any action. Once we have the Willow Square property in our control we can sort out the details about it and the Parsons Creek facility and all the rest - but the point is moot until the property is available to develop.
I am sorely tired of our region and community being the economic backbone of this nation but being treated like a distant appendage. I am tired of the talk about our importance and our value and then being treated as if our needs and concerns do not matter. I am tired of a federal government that fails to not only meet our needs but even acknowledge them, as this matter has been going on not for weeks or months but for YEARS and they felt they needed to do nothing because their electoral hold on the region was solid - but not anymore. I truly believe that this region, after years of federal neglect, is up for grabs and that a powerful and dynamic candidate from another party could pose a serious threat to the Conservative hold. If the Conservatives want us to believe in their commitment to this region and see another Conservative MP elected I would suggest it would behoove them to act on this issue now and find some way to transfer the Willow Square property to our community in a manner that is fair, equitable, and acknowledging of the significant impact our industry has on this nation. I think this would be a very opportune time, in fact, for them to bend a little and make some concessions to give the people what they want, and not promise it as a carrot in the by-election. I would suggest they do it now, before the by-election is held, in a show of good faith that is sorely needed in a place that has felt the sting of federal neglect in recent years.
Today I call on the Canadian government to act on this issue, and to ensure that Willow Square is an issue that is resolved not in ten years, or five years, or even one year. They have it in their power to resolve it before the by-election is called - and this voter and observer is watching carefully to see what they chose to do, and to see what their true level of commitment to this region is.
Enough with the talk about how important this region is. It's time to show us the money - and hand over Willow Square.
The Willow Square issue and the aging in place facility planned for that location has long been a contentious issue, with each level of government carrying some level of blame and responsibility. In the final analysis, though, absolutely nothing can be done on Willow Square until the land is turned over for development, and the delay for the development of the aging in place facility must rest with those who control the land - the federal government, through the CMHC.
The federal government has apparently offered three options. One, presented by our departed MP (who thoughtfully left us high and dry and without federal representation) indicated the government would lease the land to the province - at commercial market rates, with a 50-year lease, paid in full up front. Now, this was presented as a "generous deal" by our MP, although how this could be imagined to be a generous deal is beyond even my simple mathematical abilities. The second option is that the federal government will sell it for full market value, and given the market value on land in the RMWB this is also not exactly a generous offer (and likely to impact the development on the property if a significant amount of funds need to be spent on simply acquiring the land). The third option is that they will sell it to the province for a discounted rate provided the province accept some conditions, not only on this property but on several others in the province, making it part of a "package deal". And they seem unwilling to sever this property off to negotiate on it separately, in whatever wisdom they hold on the matter. And to all this I say "enough" - because if the Conservative party in Canada wishes to see another Conservative MP in this region I would suggest they start making some concessions, displaying some leadership, and showing us the money before we decide to head in another direction entirely in this by-election.
I still firmly believe that we need to develop two facilities in our community, one in Parsons Creek and the one at Willow Square, just as I have always contended we should do. I also firmly believe that both can and should be accomplished, but I have also come to the end of my rope with a federal government that talks a good game about the importance of the oil sands and our region but that doesn't follow the talk with any action. Once we have the Willow Square property in our control we can sort out the details about it and the Parsons Creek facility and all the rest - but the point is moot until the property is available to develop.
I am sorely tired of our region and community being the economic backbone of this nation but being treated like a distant appendage. I am tired of the talk about our importance and our value and then being treated as if our needs and concerns do not matter. I am tired of a federal government that fails to not only meet our needs but even acknowledge them, as this matter has been going on not for weeks or months but for YEARS and they felt they needed to do nothing because their electoral hold on the region was solid - but not anymore. I truly believe that this region, after years of federal neglect, is up for grabs and that a powerful and dynamic candidate from another party could pose a serious threat to the Conservative hold. If the Conservatives want us to believe in their commitment to this region and see another Conservative MP elected I would suggest it would behoove them to act on this issue now and find some way to transfer the Willow Square property to our community in a manner that is fair, equitable, and acknowledging of the significant impact our industry has on this nation. I think this would be a very opportune time, in fact, for them to bend a little and make some concessions to give the people what they want, and not promise it as a carrot in the by-election. I would suggest they do it now, before the by-election is held, in a show of good faith that is sorely needed in a place that has felt the sting of federal neglect in recent years.
Today I call on the Canadian government to act on this issue, and to ensure that Willow Square is an issue that is resolved not in ten years, or five years, or even one year. They have it in their power to resolve it before the by-election is called - and this voter and observer is watching carefully to see what they chose to do, and to see what their true level of commitment to this region is.
Enough with the talk about how important this region is. It's time to show us the money - and hand over Willow Square.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Celebrating 100 with YMMPodcast
I am a person with a strong sense of occasion. I have been known to celebrate St. Patrick's Day by flying an enormous Irish flag over my house, and getting up at 3 am to watch royal weddings while drinking tea and eating scones. I believe special occasions deserve a celebration, which is why last night I was at the Keyano Recital Theatre to watch some friends celebrate a special event.
I will never forget the first time I reached out to Toddske and Tito from YMM Podcast. I had just started this blog, and was still of the mind that I would write it anonymously. I had listened to their first podcast, and had been intrigued so I emailed them, not knowing what the reply would be. I was, to be honest, a total novice, with no idea what I was doing or where I was going with this blog. I was uncertain and a bit shy and wary, and had they told me to get lost I probably would have - but they didn't. Toddske emailed back, encouraging me to shed the anonymity, to consider coming on the podcast, to work with them in some way to spread the positive message about our community that we were all trying to get out...and that is how a friendship began. And, over the last three years, I have come to see Toddske, Tito, Ashley and Steve of YMM Podcast as more than friends. They are part of my McMurray Family.
Last night YMM Podcast hosted WinterREELS, a 100-hour film competition showcasing local filmmakers who are given three elements and 100 hours to write, cast, film, and edit a short film. The films then go to a panel of judges (for this competition our esteemed and hip city councillor Tyran Ault, the lovely and irrepressibly clever Erin Schwab, and comedian Jon Mick - more about him later). The judges vote on things like Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, and, last night, Best Film was decided by a combination of judging and audience votes.
The seven entries screened were, in a word, astonishing. Funny for the most part, and some downright hilarious, they ran the breadth of talent in this community, showcasing filmmakers and performers, many whom I know and some I don't. I was delighted when my Dancing With the Stars partner, the young and uber-talented Dustin Young, walked away with Best Actor and Best Film nods, as the clever little film he and his partners concocted was terrific in every regard. I loved seeing my friend Nick Bernard working with Nolan Haukeness to create a little film that was not just funny but a bit poignant, too. The Barrett Brothers had me roaring with laughter, their home-made Winter Olympics and characters perhaps worthy of their own sitcom. Kelton Stepanowich, a talented young director, took Japanese film and made it funny and topical, earning the Best Director nod, and Eric Janvier once again managed some movie magic by lessening his need for actors by playing all three roles in his film (and creating some fascinating interactions along the way). Clinton Boucher created this great little film about that missing Olympic ring from the opening ceremonies (and his film earned his female lead the Best Actress Award), and Sister So and her band of wonderful friends made a film that had moments that were close to provoking tears, and yet funny at the same time.
In the end all seven films displayed a strength and talent in this burgeoning local filmmaking scene, a talent that has been there all along but that struggled to find venues to showcase the work, and support for their endeavours - that is, until YMM Podcast came along.
You see what started as a podcast became the Fort McMurray Filmmakers Association, a group dedicated to the promotion and encouragement of local filmmaking. Through festivals and competitions they didn't just breathe life into the local film scene - they resurrected it from near death, because those who were involved in it were a scattered group of individuals who were all pursuing their creative goals but without the support of an organization to help them. Those novices interested in filmmaking had nowhere to start, but the YMMFMA has become that place, offering free workshops and film festivals and competitions, but even more offering opportunities for networking and collaboration. YMMPodcast changed our community, you see.
I said no to being on the podcast for a very long time, right until the day I said yes and now I cannot even recall how many times I have recorded with them. Some of my favourite moments have occurred at the Dining Room Table Studios. I have laughed in their company (and listening to the podcasts have regretted this donkey bray laugh of mine every single time), and, at least once, I cried in their company, too, shortly after the deadly collision on Highway 63 that took seven lives. I was still pretty emotionally fragile after that incident when I recorded with them, and so the tears flowed pretty easily - but never once did I feel unsafe. I was with friends, you see. I was, in fact, with family.
Last night I watched seven amazing little films made by local filmmakers, and then I watched Jon Mick, a hometown boy who now lives in Edmonton, burn up the stage with his comedic talent (and he has a gift, as on occasion he had me close to tears as I was laughing so very hard). And then I watched as four people who each hold a special place in my heart gathered around a table and recorded their 100th YMMPodcast episode.
They covered a wide range of topics, particularly a top ten list pulled from an anti-oilsands website about why everyone hates Fort McMurray, debunking some and acknowledging some, as they and I share the same sentiment about being honest about our flaws and our strengths, too. I was touched when Ashley mentioned me as being proof that the number one reason on that list, that "nobody cares" about Fort McMurray, was wrong, because she said I am proof that someone cares about this community (and it's true, I do, because the people I care about are what makes this community what it is). I think, however, the theatre last night was filled with people who care about this community and the people in it, and perhaps none more so than the four who sat on the stage recording what began as a little podcast and became so much more.
As I watched them I don't think they could tell my eyes were glistening slightly. You see since I see them all as family I think it is acceptable to share that I am so very proud of all of them and their accomplishments that it always makes me a bit teary-eyed. Nothing makes me happier than to see those I care about succeed, and YMM Podcast has succeeded in every possible way, including changing the lives of those they have touched, like me.
Last night they made me laugh, particularly Tito and his comment about how we cannot drop the "Fort" from the name "Fort McMurray" as has occasionally been proposed because it makes us vulnerable and open to attack if we have no "Fort" to protect us. They made me blush, like Ashley's comments about what I do and about my rather well-known obsession with shoes (and she wore some lovely shoes in my honour, too). They made me smile, like hearing Steve talk about coming back to Fort McMurray, the town he was born and raised in, when he vowed he would never come back, and how deciding to return was the best decision he ever made. And they made me tear up, like when Toddske talked about the podcast changing his life, because I know that sentiment all too well. Three years ago this spring I started writing a little blog without any idea where it would lead, and yet here I am today, far from anonymous and living a life that I could have never imagined.
Fort McMurray is the land of opportunity. I don't just mean in the economic sense, although that is true too. It is the land where people with passion, vision and drive can take things that seem like a dream and make them real. It is the place where you can start a podcast or a blog and find it takes you places you never even contemplated. It is the place where you can find friends and have them become family.
So, to Toddske, Tito, Ashley and Steve I say thank you. Thank you for all the things you have done and will do to make this community a better place. Thank you for pursuing your dreams and passions, because doing so inspires others to pursue their own. Thank you for the film festivals, the podcasts, the laughs, the tears and the memories - but thank you most of all for allowing me to come along for a bit of the journey, because I am so profoundly grateful and proud to have been even a small part of it.
Congratulations on your 100th YMMPodcast episode - and here is to hundreds more.
I will never forget the first time I reached out to Toddske and Tito from YMM Podcast. I had just started this blog, and was still of the mind that I would write it anonymously. I had listened to their first podcast, and had been intrigued so I emailed them, not knowing what the reply would be. I was, to be honest, a total novice, with no idea what I was doing or where I was going with this blog. I was uncertain and a bit shy and wary, and had they told me to get lost I probably would have - but they didn't. Toddske emailed back, encouraging me to shed the anonymity, to consider coming on the podcast, to work with them in some way to spread the positive message about our community that we were all trying to get out...and that is how a friendship began. And, over the last three years, I have come to see Toddske, Tito, Ashley and Steve of YMM Podcast as more than friends. They are part of my McMurray Family.
Last night YMM Podcast hosted WinterREELS, a 100-hour film competition showcasing local filmmakers who are given three elements and 100 hours to write, cast, film, and edit a short film. The films then go to a panel of judges (for this competition our esteemed and hip city councillor Tyran Ault, the lovely and irrepressibly clever Erin Schwab, and comedian Jon Mick - more about him later). The judges vote on things like Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, and, last night, Best Film was decided by a combination of judging and audience votes.
The seven entries screened were, in a word, astonishing. Funny for the most part, and some downright hilarious, they ran the breadth of talent in this community, showcasing filmmakers and performers, many whom I know and some I don't. I was delighted when my Dancing With the Stars partner, the young and uber-talented Dustin Young, walked away with Best Actor and Best Film nods, as the clever little film he and his partners concocted was terrific in every regard. I loved seeing my friend Nick Bernard working with Nolan Haukeness to create a little film that was not just funny but a bit poignant, too. The Barrett Brothers had me roaring with laughter, their home-made Winter Olympics and characters perhaps worthy of their own sitcom. Kelton Stepanowich, a talented young director, took Japanese film and made it funny and topical, earning the Best Director nod, and Eric Janvier once again managed some movie magic by lessening his need for actors by playing all three roles in his film (and creating some fascinating interactions along the way). Clinton Boucher created this great little film about that missing Olympic ring from the opening ceremonies (and his film earned his female lead the Best Actress Award), and Sister So and her band of wonderful friends made a film that had moments that were close to provoking tears, and yet funny at the same time.
In the end all seven films displayed a strength and talent in this burgeoning local filmmaking scene, a talent that has been there all along but that struggled to find venues to showcase the work, and support for their endeavours - that is, until YMM Podcast came along.
You see what started as a podcast became the Fort McMurray Filmmakers Association, a group dedicated to the promotion and encouragement of local filmmaking. Through festivals and competitions they didn't just breathe life into the local film scene - they resurrected it from near death, because those who were involved in it were a scattered group of individuals who were all pursuing their creative goals but without the support of an organization to help them. Those novices interested in filmmaking had nowhere to start, but the YMMFMA has become that place, offering free workshops and film festivals and competitions, but even more offering opportunities for networking and collaboration. YMMPodcast changed our community, you see.
I said no to being on the podcast for a very long time, right until the day I said yes and now I cannot even recall how many times I have recorded with them. Some of my favourite moments have occurred at the Dining Room Table Studios. I have laughed in their company (and listening to the podcasts have regretted this donkey bray laugh of mine every single time), and, at least once, I cried in their company, too, shortly after the deadly collision on Highway 63 that took seven lives. I was still pretty emotionally fragile after that incident when I recorded with them, and so the tears flowed pretty easily - but never once did I feel unsafe. I was with friends, you see. I was, in fact, with family.
Last night I watched seven amazing little films made by local filmmakers, and then I watched Jon Mick, a hometown boy who now lives in Edmonton, burn up the stage with his comedic talent (and he has a gift, as on occasion he had me close to tears as I was laughing so very hard). And then I watched as four people who each hold a special place in my heart gathered around a table and recorded their 100th YMMPodcast episode.
They covered a wide range of topics, particularly a top ten list pulled from an anti-oilsands website about why everyone hates Fort McMurray, debunking some and acknowledging some, as they and I share the same sentiment about being honest about our flaws and our strengths, too. I was touched when Ashley mentioned me as being proof that the number one reason on that list, that "nobody cares" about Fort McMurray, was wrong, because she said I am proof that someone cares about this community (and it's true, I do, because the people I care about are what makes this community what it is). I think, however, the theatre last night was filled with people who care about this community and the people in it, and perhaps none more so than the four who sat on the stage recording what began as a little podcast and became so much more.
As I watched them I don't think they could tell my eyes were glistening slightly. You see since I see them all as family I think it is acceptable to share that I am so very proud of all of them and their accomplishments that it always makes me a bit teary-eyed. Nothing makes me happier than to see those I care about succeed, and YMM Podcast has succeeded in every possible way, including changing the lives of those they have touched, like me.
Last night they made me laugh, particularly Tito and his comment about how we cannot drop the "Fort" from the name "Fort McMurray" as has occasionally been proposed because it makes us vulnerable and open to attack if we have no "Fort" to protect us. They made me blush, like Ashley's comments about what I do and about my rather well-known obsession with shoes (and she wore some lovely shoes in my honour, too). They made me smile, like hearing Steve talk about coming back to Fort McMurray, the town he was born and raised in, when he vowed he would never come back, and how deciding to return was the best decision he ever made. And they made me tear up, like when Toddske talked about the podcast changing his life, because I know that sentiment all too well. Three years ago this spring I started writing a little blog without any idea where it would lead, and yet here I am today, far from anonymous and living a life that I could have never imagined.
Fort McMurray is the land of opportunity. I don't just mean in the economic sense, although that is true too. It is the land where people with passion, vision and drive can take things that seem like a dream and make them real. It is the place where you can start a podcast or a blog and find it takes you places you never even contemplated. It is the place where you can find friends and have them become family.
So, to Toddske, Tito, Ashley and Steve I say thank you. Thank you for all the things you have done and will do to make this community a better place. Thank you for pursuing your dreams and passions, because doing so inspires others to pursue their own. Thank you for the film festivals, the podcasts, the laughs, the tears and the memories - but thank you most of all for allowing me to come along for a bit of the journey, because I am so profoundly grateful and proud to have been even a small part of it.
Congratulations on your 100th YMMPodcast episode - and here is to hundreds more.
Friday, February 21, 2014
The Magic of the Olympics in Fort McMurray
I have admitted in this blog - often - that I am not really an athletic type. I'm not all that knowledgeable about the world of sports, as my expertise lies more in the areas of classic authors and shoe manufacturers. One of the things I have come to understand over my life, though, is the intrinsic link between sport and community, and nowhere is this link more profound and visible than the one that ties us to the Olympics.
The Olympics have this way of turning even non-athletic types into both viewers and fans. There is simply something about those athletes striving for the podium that is inspiring. There is something about learning about their battles with illness and injury to achieve excellence in their sport, and something about their pure and sincere drive to excel. It isn't just about beating their competition but about beating themselves, about putting in their best performance and shining on an international stage. The Olympics are, in a word, inspiring.
And in a country where we experience so many months of snow and darkness the Winter Olympics take on deep significance. Most of us - even me - grew up playing or enjoying some sort of winter sport. From hockey to skating to sledding (which, adding some skinsuits and removing some safety gear, becomes bobsledding, luge, and skeleton) we embrace winter sports and recreation, and while we grumble about the short days and long nights and cold temperatures the phrase "we are winter" sums it up rather eloquently.
The Winter Olympics pulls together the best athletes in the world, participating in sports we as Canadians know well (and often consider our own, like curling and hockey, sports we clutch tight to as part of our heritage and birthright), and it does something else with deep impact. The Winter Olympics brings us together as a community.
This past week I have witnessed it in the main concourse of the Suncor Community Leisure Centre. Walking through on my way to meetings I see crowds gathered in front of the screen set up in the main lobby showing Winter Olympics events. Sometimes there are just a few people there watching, and sometimes there are dozens. Sometimes it is families, and sometimes it is a collection of strangers, gathered together watching as athletes from our country - and around the world - take years of training and experience and pain and hard work and belief and commitment and compete against each other to stand on that podium.
The resounding cheers when the Canadian Women's Hockey took the gold rang through the entire building. It was the sound of dozens of people cheering together for people they don't know, will likely never meet, and yet have such incredible pride in. It was the sound of joy. It was, in fact, the sound of community.
We have a desire as humans, I think, to celebrate together. We are not solitary creatures, and we seek out the company of others to share our moments of both joy and sorrow, because we know then that we are not alone. Every emotion we feel is somehow amplified - better - when we share it with others, and so we gather together to collectively hold our breath, shout our encouragements, and cheer.
On Sunday of this weekend the Suncor Community Leisure Centre will open its doors two hours early at 5 AM so people can gather to watch the Canadian Men's Hockey Team go for gold. It's very early, and it will probably still be dark outside. Many will choose to watch from their homes but some individuals will choose to watch together, side by side with family, friends and strangers to cheer on the athletes in whom we have such pride, and such hope. It will be early but it will also undoubtedly be magic, and even I, who am not an athletic type, am planning to be there, because those magic moments aren't just about sports. They are about togetherness, and shared experience, and community. And so perhaps at the end of the day - or in this case very early on a Sunday morning - I am a little bit of an athletic type after all.
The Olympics have this way of turning even non-athletic types into both viewers and fans. There is simply something about those athletes striving for the podium that is inspiring. There is something about learning about their battles with illness and injury to achieve excellence in their sport, and something about their pure and sincere drive to excel. It isn't just about beating their competition but about beating themselves, about putting in their best performance and shining on an international stage. The Olympics are, in a word, inspiring.
And in a country where we experience so many months of snow and darkness the Winter Olympics take on deep significance. Most of us - even me - grew up playing or enjoying some sort of winter sport. From hockey to skating to sledding (which, adding some skinsuits and removing some safety gear, becomes bobsledding, luge, and skeleton) we embrace winter sports and recreation, and while we grumble about the short days and long nights and cold temperatures the phrase "we are winter" sums it up rather eloquently.
The Winter Olympics pulls together the best athletes in the world, participating in sports we as Canadians know well (and often consider our own, like curling and hockey, sports we clutch tight to as part of our heritage and birthright), and it does something else with deep impact. The Winter Olympics brings us together as a community.
This past week I have witnessed it in the main concourse of the Suncor Community Leisure Centre. Walking through on my way to meetings I see crowds gathered in front of the screen set up in the main lobby showing Winter Olympics events. Sometimes there are just a few people there watching, and sometimes there are dozens. Sometimes it is families, and sometimes it is a collection of strangers, gathered together watching as athletes from our country - and around the world - take years of training and experience and pain and hard work and belief and commitment and compete against each other to stand on that podium.
The resounding cheers when the Canadian Women's Hockey took the gold rang through the entire building. It was the sound of dozens of people cheering together for people they don't know, will likely never meet, and yet have such incredible pride in. It was the sound of joy. It was, in fact, the sound of community.
We have a desire as humans, I think, to celebrate together. We are not solitary creatures, and we seek out the company of others to share our moments of both joy and sorrow, because we know then that we are not alone. Every emotion we feel is somehow amplified - better - when we share it with others, and so we gather together to collectively hold our breath, shout our encouragements, and cheer.
On Sunday of this weekend the Suncor Community Leisure Centre will open its doors two hours early at 5 AM so people can gather to watch the Canadian Men's Hockey Team go for gold. It's very early, and it will probably still be dark outside. Many will choose to watch from their homes but some individuals will choose to watch together, side by side with family, friends and strangers to cheer on the athletes in whom we have such pride, and such hope. It will be early but it will also undoubtedly be magic, and even I, who am not an athletic type, am planning to be there, because those magic moments aren't just about sports. They are about togetherness, and shared experience, and community. And so perhaps at the end of the day - or in this case very early on a Sunday morning - I am a little bit of an athletic type after all.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
The Cost of Compassion
Recently some media attention has been given to the case of a young man in our community who was paralyzed from the neck down after an encounter with the RCMP in 2012. The young man in question had apparently stolen a car, and when the police blocked him with their vehicles in an attempt to apprehend him he decided to play a little real-life Grand Theft Auto and began to ram their cars. The police, reasonably fearing for their safety and the safety of others, fired on the car he was driving, and one of the bullets struck the young man's spine, damaging his spinal cord and causing paralysis. The young man, 16 at the time of the incident, is now paralyzed for life, and is suing the RCMP for damages.
Now, I want to make a few things clear right at the outset. I don't condone his actions, and I believe the officers acted reasonably given the situation (and an investigation has cleared them of any wrongdoing). The location where the incident occurred is very close to schools and playgrounds, and at 3 pm in the afternoon on a Saturday, when the incident occurred, it was reasonable for the officers to fear for the safety of civilians should this young man decided to continue his game of GTA and perhaps drive away at high speeds. I also don't believe the lawsuit he and his family have filed should result in financial compensation of any sort, as due to his injury he will now use a disproportionate amount of our health care resources, and to me that seems fair compensation given that his own actions led to his injury. However, as became clear when I was discussing this incident recently with others, it does not mean I do not have compassion for him, and particularly his family.
Young adults simply do not think like adults. I could cite a lot of studies showing that brain development in young adults indicates they do not understand cause and effect the way more mature individuals do, and that their ability to calculate consequences is impaired by that lack of development. This is not meant in any way to excuse his actions, but I think it is of value to understand that in those young minds the concept of death or injury may become some sort of romanticized concept, full of drama and pathos and significantly lacking in the blood and gore such things actually entail. This lack of brain development means that young adults will embark on ridiculously reckless exploits, as most of us who have spent any time with teenagers can attest. They tend to over-emphasize the potential for positive outcomes while minimizing the potential for negative outcomes, and this does affect their decision making ability. Does this lessen the culpability of this young man in his crime? Not at all - but the sad reality is he is now in a jail of his own devising, a jail consisting of his own body and one from which he can never escape. He has, in essence, been given a life sentence.
Compassion, as compared to a lawsuit, costs us nothing. The ability to have compassion for someone, even when they have done wrong or wronged you, is a remarkable quality, and it is, I believe, one of the ones that define us as human. Animals do not seem to display this ability to engage in forgiveness and compassion, but we as humans can - and I think when we do it speaks well of us, because it says far more about our character than about those to whom we extend that compassion.
I am deeply troubled that a 16-year old youth in our community stole a car, and decided to play a little real-life GTA with our law enforcement officers, for whom I have deep respect and admiration. I am deeply troubled that his family has now endured not only his criminal actions but his injuries, and as a mother I know how painful that would be, regardless of how your child happened to end up in that hospital bed. I am deeply troubled that some in our community have openly expressed the sentiment that this individual - fundamentally a child - should have simply been killed, as if his life, or the life of any other human, is without value. Perhaps it is that very sentiment, that devaluing of human life, that leads young men to commit the kinds of acts this one did. Perhaps if we started from a place of valuing all human lives equally and were more successful in instilling this in our children we would see fewer stealing cars and ending up with bullet wounds on the side of a road.
The reality is we can condemn his actions but continue to feel compassion for him and his family. I sincerely hope that one day, after a hopefully unsuccessful lawsuit given that he was injured during the commission of a crime and the police used reasonable force under the law, he will decide to use his experience to teach other local youth about the real-life impacts of the acts he committed. Perhaps he will use his sad experience to help them to understand that life is not a game of Grand Theft Auto, and that real life actions have real life consequences, some of them far worse than spending life in prison, like being in the prison of a body over which you now have no control. To me that would be the best possible outcome in a terribly sad scenario which saw a young man only two years older than my own Intrepid Junior Blogger paralyzed through his own foolish and reckless actions.
The cost of compassion? Nothing. And while I hope he does not receive a penny in compensation for the shooting that left him paralyzed, given that his own choices have led him to where he is today, I have endless compassion for him and those who love him, because it costs me nothing to do so, and because maybe, just maybe, that compassion will one day mean he will use his life to encourage others to choose a different path, and not one that ends in a pool of blood on a local street.
Now, I want to make a few things clear right at the outset. I don't condone his actions, and I believe the officers acted reasonably given the situation (and an investigation has cleared them of any wrongdoing). The location where the incident occurred is very close to schools and playgrounds, and at 3 pm in the afternoon on a Saturday, when the incident occurred, it was reasonable for the officers to fear for the safety of civilians should this young man decided to continue his game of GTA and perhaps drive away at high speeds. I also don't believe the lawsuit he and his family have filed should result in financial compensation of any sort, as due to his injury he will now use a disproportionate amount of our health care resources, and to me that seems fair compensation given that his own actions led to his injury. However, as became clear when I was discussing this incident recently with others, it does not mean I do not have compassion for him, and particularly his family.
Young adults simply do not think like adults. I could cite a lot of studies showing that brain development in young adults indicates they do not understand cause and effect the way more mature individuals do, and that their ability to calculate consequences is impaired by that lack of development. This is not meant in any way to excuse his actions, but I think it is of value to understand that in those young minds the concept of death or injury may become some sort of romanticized concept, full of drama and pathos and significantly lacking in the blood and gore such things actually entail. This lack of brain development means that young adults will embark on ridiculously reckless exploits, as most of us who have spent any time with teenagers can attest. They tend to over-emphasize the potential for positive outcomes while minimizing the potential for negative outcomes, and this does affect their decision making ability. Does this lessen the culpability of this young man in his crime? Not at all - but the sad reality is he is now in a jail of his own devising, a jail consisting of his own body and one from which he can never escape. He has, in essence, been given a life sentence.
Compassion, as compared to a lawsuit, costs us nothing. The ability to have compassion for someone, even when they have done wrong or wronged you, is a remarkable quality, and it is, I believe, one of the ones that define us as human. Animals do not seem to display this ability to engage in forgiveness and compassion, but we as humans can - and I think when we do it speaks well of us, because it says far more about our character than about those to whom we extend that compassion.
I am deeply troubled that a 16-year old youth in our community stole a car, and decided to play a little real-life GTA with our law enforcement officers, for whom I have deep respect and admiration. I am deeply troubled that his family has now endured not only his criminal actions but his injuries, and as a mother I know how painful that would be, regardless of how your child happened to end up in that hospital bed. I am deeply troubled that some in our community have openly expressed the sentiment that this individual - fundamentally a child - should have simply been killed, as if his life, or the life of any other human, is without value. Perhaps it is that very sentiment, that devaluing of human life, that leads young men to commit the kinds of acts this one did. Perhaps if we started from a place of valuing all human lives equally and were more successful in instilling this in our children we would see fewer stealing cars and ending up with bullet wounds on the side of a road.
The reality is we can condemn his actions but continue to feel compassion for him and his family. I sincerely hope that one day, after a hopefully unsuccessful lawsuit given that he was injured during the commission of a crime and the police used reasonable force under the law, he will decide to use his experience to teach other local youth about the real-life impacts of the acts he committed. Perhaps he will use his sad experience to help them to understand that life is not a game of Grand Theft Auto, and that real life actions have real life consequences, some of them far worse than spending life in prison, like being in the prison of a body over which you now have no control. To me that would be the best possible outcome in a terribly sad scenario which saw a young man only two years older than my own Intrepid Junior Blogger paralyzed through his own foolish and reckless actions.
The cost of compassion? Nothing. And while I hope he does not receive a penny in compensation for the shooting that left him paralyzed, given that his own choices have led him to where he is today, I have endless compassion for him and those who love him, because it costs me nothing to do so, and because maybe, just maybe, that compassion will one day mean he will use his life to encourage others to choose a different path, and not one that ends in a pool of blood on a local street.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
The Weekly Wednesday What's Coming YMM
It's time to try something new. Over the last few months the number of requests I have gotten to share events and activities through this blog or my social media outlets has gone up exponentially, and frankly I can no longer keep up. Now, keep in mind I juggle the tending of this blog with a more-than-full-time job, a very busy Intrepid Junior Blogger who needs a lot of chauffeuring, a dog, a cat, and three ferrets who require feeding, attention and belly scritches, a house that requires maintenance (let alone things like laundry and dishes), and sometimes I even like to sleep (but not often).
But I'm not going to quit. No, far from it. I am rather going to use one blog post a week to share posters from those events, sort of a "snapshot" of the events I am likely to attend and that I would suggest others may want to check out. Some might be right around the corner, and some might be weeks away, but these are the events to have on your radar. If you have an event that you would like me to feature in the blog please email me a poster (if possible) at: McMurray Musings
Coming up this Friday at my favourite local pub Wood Buffalo Brewing Co. is Slowcoaster - and it's a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters so it's a must attend!
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But I'm not going to quit. No, far from it. I am rather going to use one blog post a week to share posters from those events, sort of a "snapshot" of the events I am likely to attend and that I would suggest others may want to check out. Some might be right around the corner, and some might be weeks away, but these are the events to have on your radar. If you have an event that you would like me to feature in the blog please email me a poster (if possible) at: McMurray Musings
Coming up this Friday at my favourite local pub Wood Buffalo Brewing Co. is Slowcoaster - and it's a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters so it's a must attend!
Never been to Fort Chipewyan? This might just be the weekend to check out the ice road - and to see this incredibly beautiful community, the oldest settlement in Alberta! They are hosting their Winter Carnival and it looks to be a full weekend of great events!
This one is a little further away, but tickets are on sale now for the Shamrock Shindig, an annual fundraiser for Educare. This preschool program has a profound impact on our little people as I learned when I wrote about them last year when I had so many parents contact me to tell me how Educare changed their child's life. Besides being a really good time the Shindig is a fundraiser for a great organization doing great work in our community!
What are you doing Friday evening? Check out this lecture from local Erin Schwab, a woman with massive talent and a keen intellect to boot. We are tremendously fortunate to have people like Erin living, working and creating in this region, and this free lecture is a fine opportunity to hear her speak and understand why I feel that way.
I don't even try to hide it. I love these guys like family and I always will. YMM Podcast and I started our adventures around the same time in this community, and I am so proud of what they have accomplished and achieved in that time, and what they have brought to the community. This weekend they celebrate their 100th Podcast, and I will be there cheering them on (and if you hear snuffling noises from my direction then yes, there is a chance I will cry because I am just so bloody proud of all of them). This is a teaser from their upcoming WinterREELS competition this Saturday evening, when they will also record that 100th Podcast and comedian Jon Mick will perform.
Whoot for winterPLAY! In a place where the winter season can seem very long, thank god for a winter festival that not only warms the heart but celebrates the season that I think defines us as Canadians. winterPLAY kicks off with fireworks on February 20 and just keeps going with great events for the entire family!
If you haven't seen it yet this is the last week and weekend to catch this phenomenal production at Keyano Theatre. Once it is gone, it is gone, and you will miss the magic forever - so get your tickets NOW!
Wait, how did this sneak in here?!?
Oh yeah. Sad cat wants to know why you haven't voted for my partner Dustin and I yet as we begin our trek towards the "Dancing With the Stars" finale on April 26th. Look, if I am going to get on a dance floor and bust a move (and possibly several bones) the least you can do is vote and throw $20 towards the SPCA as they work to save the lives of critters like sad cat. And for the record I will have the IJB continue to generate sad cat and sad puppy memes until you break down and vote for me, so I suggest getting a move on it. Please? Oh, and buy tickets, because while I can't claim I can dance I and my fellow competitors intend to put on one helluva show!
That's it. my weekly Wednesday round-up of cominge events and pleading for votes. I probably missed something (I probably missed A LOT of things) which is why if you think there is an event I should include next week you need to send me an email, a tweet or a Facebook message and tell me what it is. I will do my best to keep up - but as you can see this is becoming a busy little town these days, and
Monday, February 17, 2014
Vive la Différence (or Why FIFO is a Four-Letter Word)
**Warning**
This post contains profanity,
which I usually avoid -
but they started it.
When I pulled up behind the truck at the stop light I couldn't help but see the words emblazoned in the back window. And while I pondered about the level of class it takes to drive around with the world identifying you through the profanity you have chosen to display on your vehicle it wasn't the words that really troubled me. It was the message behind the words.
"Fit In or Fuck Off" it said.
As soon as I read it I started to think about what the driver of the truck was trying to say. Who did they think needs to "fit in" exactly? And into what definition of fitting in, exactly? It felt like I was back in high school, with the local bully/thug trying to tell the nerdy kid that they didn't fit in and that therefore they deserved the beating they were about to get - but this is even far uglier than the school bully, because I suspect the "fit in or fuck off" sentiment might be directed at those in our multiculturally diverse community. And I say it because this is not the first time I have heard it.
There are those who believe that everyone in this country should be the same, leaving behind them all cultural differences when they arrive and putting aside whatever history and culture they hold dear. Now, never mind that Canada is an amalgam of the places we all immigrated from (just look at our cuisine, our perogies and sushi and stir fry and pasta and butter chicken for a small example). We have created our culture from those that contributed to it when they arrived here from other countries, and we continue to do so as we welcome new immigrants who bring their culture and beliefs with them. But at some point along the way some of us forgot that we are, for the most part, immigrant stock as well (with the exception of our First Nations peoples), and that we were newcomers here once too.
The entire concept of "fit in or fuck off" (FIFO) is so fundamentally flawed in every respect. Those who tout it must not realize that if we all were the same how boring life, and our country, would be. They must truly not understand that we built this country from a multitude of other cultures and traditions, and that one of our finest attributes has been our ability to enable those who call this home to celebrate their culture and traditions and share them with others. And they probably didn't attend the recent local multicultural event, one which was attended by over 2,000 people in just one day. A lot of the people at that event probably don't fit into the "fit in or fuck off" world - and thank god for that.
You see I think "fitting in" is absolute and utter bullshit. I can almost guarantee I wouldn't "fit in" to the world of the driver of that truck, and I doubt they "fit in" to mine - but in my world there is room for them, and I would never direct them to "fuck off" because their ideas don't match mine. However it seems they have no trouble with making that demand, telling the world that if they don't "fit in" to their world then they should "fuck off". For the record, that's not a world I have even the vaguest interest in "fitting in" to.
This is a country that celebrates cultural diversity. This is a country that celebrates differences, whether they are of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. This is a country that not only accepts those that are the not the same but celebrates and appreciates the differences because the differences are what makes this country unique and special and valuable. We are not a country where an ad of our national anthem being sung in different languages could evoke bigotry and hatred. We are not a country of bland "everyone should be the same" automatons. We are not a country of "fit in or fuck off", because just like I realized in high school after an encounter with a bully most people don't really "fit in", they add their differences to the world - and the world is a better place for it.
As for the concept of "fit in or fuck off"? I suppose I could tell those who peddle it to fuck off - but instead I would ask where their ancestors came from, and suggest that maybe they think about how they would have felt had their new country greeted those ancestors with that sentiment. Because their ancestors didn't "fit in", they brought their differences and helped to build this astonishingly diverse and vibrant nation, a nation where we can all be so proud to live. Thank god they didn't fit in - or fuck off, because we are what we are today because of them.
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