We met with a delegation from Labrador West on Thursday – a couple of mayors, councillors, industry and government representatives. They were on a fact-finding mission wanting to learn more about how a resource-based community coped (and is coping) during a time of exponential growth and economic activity. They are going through the wringer right
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A number of years ago, a group of us in the inaugural class of Leadership Wood Buffalo embarked on a case study to try and understand the leadership lessons from the process to get the Clearwater and Christina Rivers their revered Heritage River status. Disparate user groups were miles apart in terms of their vision for
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I have always dreaded going to our recycling depot in downtown Fort McMurray. Typically, I let the pop cans, crushed milk containers, and wine bottles pile up until some community group doing a fundraiser comes by to pick them up or I simply run out of room and am forced to do something. To be
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A team of graphic illustrators came together to create this wonderfully compelling material. As an example of an infographic, it is stellar; as a proactive health message, it is invaluable. We all know someone who has been impacted by breast cancer. I’m pleased to support this group of collaborators in sharing CODE Pink. Created by:
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Dylan and I were sitting in the living room last night. He was reading his latest fantasy novel; I was into the final chapters of John Irving’s latest, when we heard a very unfamiliar thud come from outside. We looked at each other, each with a quizzical look on our faces. It was a second
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We all have a story of where we were the morning the towers came down. Undoubtedly the watershed moment of an entire generation, the morning of 09/11/01 is imprinted in our memories and can be summoned up with little effort or searching. I didn’t believe it when I was told what happened. This was long
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I have often scoffed at the images that emerge from the annual Black Friday melee, marking the beginning of the Christmas shopping season down in America. Scores of people line-up at their friendly neighborhood retailers to take advantage of the door crasher specials offered as loss leaders, to ignite the shopping flame that burns insatiably
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The Clearwater River Valley is draped in fog this morning, the temperature into single-digit territory, and the house sitting at 21-degrees as we begin our day. After a rain soaked Big Spirit Festival long weekend, summer has loosened its grip, acquiescing to the inevitable sway of autumn. I’m happy, as this summer – the second
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A question popped into my head late last night that I posted on Facebook before going to bed. Here is the post:“I’m going to ask a very hard question: What do we need to do differently to inspire a live music culture at Fort McMurray festivals? We had two amazing Juno Award winning artists on
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I have often described the confluence of the Snye and Clearwater River as being “my happy place”. If you were to add up the amount of time I’ve spent on that sandy point (called Willow Flat on a map from 1910) it would equate to full days, likely weeks. I’ve done a lot of fishing
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