Roses and rainbows, doom and gloom. Im all for having a good time, but Id like us to invite more people to the party. If we talk about the good, we have to acknowledge and address the bad, the deficits. Humans have this wonderful ability to hold more than one idea in their heads. The Wood Buffalo region has a duality. The economic boom is good for some not so good for others, the most vulnerable. Does the good out weigh the bad? For some yes. For others, no. I recently drove by the RV park on HWY 63 again, and its going to be another cold winter for those hard working people falling through the cracks. We still have an Empty Penhorwood, An Empty Hotel on Main Street, Empty Businesses and restaurants that were successful, lost to us all now, they helped keep our community vibrant. With still no long term care facility (promised and cancelled 37 times over 4 decades, thanks for the reminder Ms. Jean!) and the demand at the food bank is increasing all the time. It feels like we have stagnated; perhaps its fatigue, partly cynicism. The city is uglier and dirtier than ever, harsher for some and we let it get that way. Per capita we have the smartest population in the country, and powerful resources on our doorstep, the means to create social contracts and have lasting community impact that works for all peoples and communities, Treaty, Metis or non-treaty. We can extract oil but we cant figure out how to construct shelter, or facilitate businesses to invest here (they want to locate here but they can not!) or clear the sidewalks of ice so pedestrians with limited mobility can access businesses in the downtown core. Nor can we build a Hospital North of the Athabsca River, or a natal centre to accommodate a couple hundred births a month. WE forget the human element, we forget people need shelter and food and amenities so they dont have to risk their lives driving down 63 to meet their needs. Is it all doom and gloom, it is all roses and rainbows... no, on both accounts. WE can celebrate, we have much to celebrate but when we are do we sometimes exclude and marginalise and get defensive. Im all for having a good time, but Id like us to invite more people to the party.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 17:48:55 +0000
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