Very recently I have become quite interested in the political goings on of the municipal government in my “wee burg” due to the announcement of a good friend to enter into the political fray and run for city councillor.

Following the adage “You can’t bitch if you don’t know”, I have taken it upon myself to research every study and official community plan (OCP) undertaken by present and past councils, both within the city limits of this “wee burg”, the outlying rural districts (of which there are four), and the two main First Nations communities that are part of this messed up, dysfunctional, neurotic “family”.

I have been surprised, and unpleasantly so, at the number of studies that have been undertaken at great cost to the city taxpayer, that all say the same thing, identify the same problems, and offer the same solutions.

At this juncture, I proposed to my good friend, that should he become city councillor, that his first order of business is to put in a motion that NO MORE studies be undertaken, and NO MORE consultants be hired. Pick one of our existing studies, open to Page One and get started.

My good friend has been assured that I will be keeping his feet to the fire, and will be happy to act as a part of his “consultant team”.  Unpaid of course, but no matter; I am of an age now that I realize that I must do my part to create the future I want, rather than wait for it to happen.

It has been the misfortune of my “wee burg” to be blessed (or cursed, rather) with city councils that have been adamant to maintain “business as usual”, when many of us long time residents can see the writing on the wall: Times change, and we have to change along with it.  For far too many years, the lumber industry was the main, and some will say the only, industry in this “wee burg”.  Needless to say, “King Lumber” left town in 1984, and he ain’t coming back, people!  Past and present councils seem to have missed that memo.

I am pleased to see younger, more vibrant, and conscientious people stepping up to the plate to run for city council.  (I suppose I should be grateful for live, breathing people).  The present Mayor, whom I hope wins re-election, will do very well with a new, fresh council.

It is time to empower a fresh council to be Architects of Change, and bring this “wee burg” into the 21st Century; to the incumbent council members I offer this: “Thank you for your service, now get out of the way and let some fresh blood run the sandbox.”

Just this past week, I saw in our local paper the headline “Public forum will address prospect of bringing local energy sources to Valley” (this forum is being put on by a local Transition Towns initiative).

The article goes on to say that our local city council “is currently in talks and awaiting grant applications, for the creation of a district energy system…..” So far, it appears that the potential clients of this district energy system would be large facilities, such as our seniors’ facilities, recreational buildings, the local high school, and the local hospital. All very good, but what of the average home owner?

As it stands now, the average home owner gets “bupkes” as per usual. There are no incentives offered by the government in British Columbia, either at the provincial level or at the municipal level, to leverage their not inconsiderable purchasing power to help offset the substantial costs of purchasing solar panels or wind turbines for the home owner.

In Alberta, there are government incentives for home owners to purchase solar panels and solar hot water heaters, which is kind of ironic when one considers that Alberta is Canada’s “oil patch”.

Now I know that some people may say that British Columbia is not Dubai, with its 300 and some days of sunshine a year; however, let me direct your gaze to Wildpoldsried, Germany.

This little community of 2,600 hardy souls produces 321% more energy than it needs. Yes, you read that right: 321% MORE energy than it needs. This little community has the same average number of days of sunshine that Seattle, Washington gets per year. (Anyone who has been to Seattle will most likely remember it as being “moist” and gray).

Wildpoldsried has managed to achieve this by putting solar panels on nine community buildings and 190 private homes, building four biogas digesters, and installing seven windmills.  The district also benefits from three small hydro power plants.

Now, if I were to endeavour to go completely “off the grid” with my 1700 square foot urban home, I would have to cover every square inch of roof, and my entire property with solar panels, which would inhibit my small food forest, currently under construction and going much slower than I would like; not to mention, the Better Half giving me grief for taking away her much beloved sunshine.  However, if all of my neighbours had a few panels on each of their roofs, as well as each power pole equipped with a small wind turbine atop, then collectively we could all generate enough electrical power to serve our needs.

I hope that this forum generates some real ideas and plans for making these things possible.  If the government will not lead the way, I would suggest that the possibility of creating a co-op to purchase solar panels, solar hot water heaters, wind turbines, and hiring qualified installers be seriously considered.

In this day of ever rising prices of energy, it is incumbent upon us to take a serious look at the costs of our conventional energy sources and look for better, cleaner, and ultimately cheaper, energy sources.

In this “wee burg” of mine, we have this idea of “Shop Local” that has been dreamed up the local Chamber of Commerce and a few business owners; and every year there is much hue and cry that people are not supporting their local businesses.

To that end, I would like to offer a few observations as to why that may be happening:

1. Just because you are a local business does not mean that I owe you my loyalty. If you want my hard earned dollars, I expect to be treated as your most important customer, not as someone who has interrupted your smoke/coffee/whatever break.

2. I realize that I may be looking for something that you may not currently carry in your store/place of business; instead of just saying “we don’t carry that” and giving me the brush off, offer to find out if you can bring the desired item(s) in. You may be surprised, I might be willing to cover your shipping costs for bringing those items in. Not only that, I will be a repeat customer, and I will tell everybody (and I do mean EVERYBODY) how helpful you were and what a fine establishment you have to shop in.

3. Appearance counts for everything. When I arrive your establishment, your windows should be clean; the sidewalk in front of your store free of trash; I do not want to see you (the owner) or your staff standing around having a smoke, or hear you gossiping about people that I may or may not know. If you must smoke or gossip, use the back entrance where customers are not exposed to your filthy habits.

4. Be knowledgeable about all of the products that you carry. Nothing is more annoying than having a sales clerk say “I know nothing about that, sorry.” Find out, quickly. You can’t sell something you know nothing about.

5. While the customer may not always be right, the customer ALWAYS pays your paycheque. If you have no customers, you have no reason to be in business.

6. Always, always remember: you may be the only store in town that carries “X” product, but there is a large city just an hour’s drive south of us that will be more than happy to take my hard earned money, and make me feel good about doing so.

I offer these points as someone who has worked in the public service industry for nearly 30 years, and as a customer who has received both poor and excellent service from businesses in this “wee burg”.

Recently I saw in our local paper, a very public airing of issues between our local mayor and three incumbent city councilors.
Now, normally I don’t give much credence to any level of politics, as I find it to be an exercise in self -aggrandizement with various political pundits achieving heights of bullshit that leave one stunned into silence.
Having said that, my reading of the local mayor/councilor fiasco, boondoggle, what-have-you, leaves me less than impressed with the behaviour of so-called “mature” adults.
At heart of this set-to, is a request from the mayor to extend a previously agreed to, and approved, visit to Ottawa by one week so that he could meet with various federal officials and perhaps raise the profile of our “wee burg” on the national stage. The aforementioned councilors have taken it upon themselves to offer reasons that our mayor is not qualified to go that border on the spurious, imbecilic, and petulant.
Even though our municipal elections are a scant eight months away, the political manoeuvering has already begun. It is a shame that these councilors cannot see what most other people see: they have always kept our new mayor on the outside of their little clique; voted down most initiatives put forth by our new mayor; and generally put up roadblock after roadblock to ensure that our “wee burg” never moves forward in a way that would allow our young people to secure well paying jobs to buy homes, raise families, and most importantly, contribute to the tax base.
Sometimes I am left to wonder what exactly is the reason to shun all potential progress in this small town? Worried that a little competition, that knows a thing or two about real customer service, might drive personal businesses out?
Whatever the reason, I am glad to see that many local people have spoken out, and are speaking out against this childish behaviour. The mayor and council would do well to remember that the current mayor was elected by the people to do a job that obviously was not being done by the previous mayor; as well, the councilors are elected to represent the people, not their own personal feelings and agendas.
This coming November hopefully should decide who gets to play in the sandbox, and who gets to stand in the corner in “time out”.

Very recently I had an opportunity to drop in on an old friend that I’ve known for about 25 years, but haven’t had the chance to see in person for some time due to the busyness of everyday life.

I knew that he had been doing some farming activities on his rural, 25 acre property, but I must confess I was quite surprised at the amount of work that he has completed.  He was gracious enough to give me the tour; showing me the pond filled with Koi, turtles, ducks, and two visiting Canada Geese; the large fenced in veggie garden area; the cows (two grown and one baby); the rabbits, chickens,pigs, and bee hive.

While all of this was going on, there was a rambunctious tangle of children (four of which are his own), running about, falling down, getting up, getting dirty and loving it.

His youngest daughter came up to me at one point and deposited a baby rabbit into my hands, which was an absolute treat, as I had only seen baby rabbits on television and in photos.  I wanted to take this cute, tiny little black and white bundle of fur home with me; somehow, I think the Better Half would give me “that look”, and said bunny would be back at it’s original home “toot sweet”.

We strolled his property where he showed off his many grafted fruit trees, and even grafted a few while I was there.  We had a look at his bee hive, which had a goodly quantity of bees, actively working away, getting things ready for the upcoming season.  We spoke of Permaculture principles, Food Forestry, Organic Gardening, and many other things.  It was an absolute pleasure to see someone that I have known since teenhood so at home and completely happy.

Having seen my friend’s Permaculture Food Forest allowed me to look at my own property with fresh eyes.  While I don’t have 25 acres, nor the desire to own such a large piece of land, there is much that can be done on a city sized lot.  I am now on the hunt for columnar or colonnade apple trees to plant down the middle of my raised garden beds, fruiting dwarf-sized shrubs, vines, a couple of dwarf cherry trees…..and the list goes on.

I have a feeling that there will be quite a few trips to nurseries to acquire various and sundry plants and trees in the near future, as well as much trading of plant cuttings and the like.  Spring is definitely in the air!

I read, with no small amount of satisfaction (and barely restrained operatic caterwauling), that my local city council has seen fit to entertain the idea of allowing chickens and bees within the limits of my fair “wee burg”.
As I’m sure many are aware, urban agriculture, and all of its associated bits and pieces, has been prominent in various news forums over the last few years.
I do not profess to speak for others; but for me, I like the idea of seeing the full life cycle of the food that I consume. It is my belief that when one is intimately aware of, and connected to, the cycle of life and death that animals and plants undergo to give us sustenance, one tends to view such things from (dare I say?) a more spiritual perspective.
It becomes far too easy to distance oneself from the gifts of Mother Earth when vegetables, fruits, and other edibles are grown, raised, and processed many miles from one’s plate; it becomes far too easy to devalue the work needed to procure such items for our consumption, when we can just “toodle over to the store” and load up our grocery cart with items from the other side of the planet.
For myself, the idea that I will be responsible for the safety, health, and well-being of a couple of feathered; or in the case of bees, a few thousand, furry individuals fills me with awe and humility in equal parts.
I am like a new parent, researching online for the “perfect” chicken coop, the “perfect” bee hive; what kind of chicken “girls” should I get? What kind of bee should I welcome to my garden? How many kinds of honeybees are there, anyway? What if they don’t like me? What if I don’t like them? Do I give them names? ( Bee #1, Bee #2, Bee #3, Bee #…. Damn! Bee #1, Bee #2, Bee #…. STOP MOVING!)
I must say that I am blessed to have close, dear friends that already have chickens and bees, so I shall be availing myself of their expertise; and I’m sure, affording them many opportunities to have a few good laughs at my expense.

As time progresses, I hope to be able to grow even more of my own food, procure lovely farm fresh eggs from the “back 40” (uh huh… 40 feet from my back door), enjoy a little honey from my own hive in my tea.  All while swinging in a hammock in the back yard, reading a good book…..

Quite recently, a dear friend whom I have had many discussions on topics related to GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms), organic gardening practises, and the like, sent me a news link in regards to organic foods containing pesticides and chemical residues.

(link is available here:  http://tidechange.ca/2014/02/05/ubiquitous-toxins-and-uncomfortable-questions-by-ray-grigg )

This is a very sobering report, and brings home the fact that things that happen “over there” do very much affect goings on “over here”.  As someone who quite enjoys growing some veggies and spending some quality time communing with the earth worms and other assorted critters of the natural world (save Bambi who spends much time on the other side of the fence casting an eye on what she deems to be her personal salad bar), I am quite conscious of what goes into my garden soil ultimately ends up in me and my loved ones.

At this point it may be tempting to simply throw up our hands and say “We’re Doomed!”, or as one person so colourfully put it: F.I.N.E.!(Fuck, It Never Ends!) I suggest that this is simply a reminder that we must be even more diligent over matters that pertain to our health, both personally and that of Mother Earth.

If you choose not to (or are unable to) grow your own veggies and fruits, check out a local farmer’s market and talk to the purveyors about their products.  Ask them: How do you grow your products? Do you use pesticides/herbicides? Do you use organic, open pollinated seed?  Ask a million questions; a good farmer will be proud of his/her product and will be happy to answer your questions.  But please, do not ask them “Why is your product so expensive?”  Keep firmly in mind the farmer has a much higher overhead cost than big box stores that ship in 20,000 cardboard-hard, and equally flavourful tomatoes from “Le Mexico” at a time.

If you are growing your own food, cast a critical eye over all of the inputs that you are adding to your soil for fertility.  I personally eschew all manner of manufactured (ie: chemical) fertilizers; as a person who has taken Organic Master Gardener training, I firmly believe that organic inputs such as leaves and compost are much safer and healthier for the soil.

I am aware that some people like to use fish and/or fish offal buried in the garden to boost soil fertility.  With the devastation in Fukishima, radioactive wastewater was washed out to sea and is now in our waters, in which our fishies are swimming in. (Remember: “over there/ over here”?)  Take a moment to think about where the fish came from.

While we may not be able to live in a completely toxin-free existence (and living in a hermetically sealed bubble is troublesome and the epitome of anti-social behaviour), we can endeavour to do the very best that we can; educate ourselves, ask questions, and be prepared for some uncomfortable answers.

As I sit in my office (affectionately known as “The Bullshit Corner”), I quite often find myself pondering deep, meaningful things (along with a few nonsensical things that give me the giggles, but that’s a topic for another day); lately, I have been reflecting on a documentary that I saw on CBC’s “the fifth estate” called “Made In Bangladesh”.

In this documentary, the “fifth estate” crew interviews a former clothing designer for a national big box store after the collapse of the Rana Plaza in Dhaka, Bangladesh in which 1,127 people perished.

The designer spoke of an executive meeting that was called just shortly after this tragedy, in which the main topic was how were they going to fill the clothing order now that the manufacturing plant was no more. “Nothing was said of the over 1,100 people who lost their lives…nothing!”

I must confess that it was extremely difficult to watch a full grown man struggle not to cry on national television. This brought home to me that we, in the so-called “first world” countries have become so used to consuming products with nary a thought of how said product comes into being in the first place.

At this point, I took it upon myself to have a gander in my closet and look at the country of manufacture tags; I was quite chagrinned to find an abundance of “Made In China” and “Made In Bangladesh” tags, but not a single “Made In Canada” tag.

Being that we live in a climate that enjoys prolonged periods of cold and wet, outright boycott of all things of Bangladeshi manufacture would cause periods of nakedness until the leaves come forth in the Spring in abundance enough to cover the “naughty bits”.  That is, if said “naughty bits” don’t freeze and fall off in the winter.

I propose that we do, as many investment advisers suggest, diversify, diversify, diversify!

In many larger metropolitan centers, there are quite often a variety of consignment shops and second hand stores that have a good selection of quality clothing for men and women. Here, in this “wee burg” that I live in, a quick perusal of the local second hand/consignment shops reveals a plethora of polyester offerings in patterns and colours that would blind airline pilots flying overhead; the one shop that has good quality offerings is located inside a church building, so be prepared for offerings of the religious variety as well as the raiment variety.

For the well-tailored male, I offer the following “Made In Canada” sources:

Harry Rosen, Tilley, Dion Neckwear, Braemore, Caulfield Apparel, Jack Victor, Lipson Shirtmakers, Samuelsohn Suits, Coppley, Phillipe Dubuc, Philip Sparks, Yenting Chen, and Stanfields.

Now, keeping in mind that many of the above sources do have some prices that are North of “Breathtaking”, I posit that we should look at this as “investment shopping”.  Yes, you may purchase a coat or suit for several hundred dollars, but that money: a) supports a Canadian business, in Canada; and b) at those prices, you are buying quality, not quantity.  I further posit that we would then take greater care of such garments, and keep them for longer.

Also, keep in mind that if you have garments that are in need of small repairs, such as a broken zipper or missing buttons, most local drycleaners have a tailor or seamstress on hand.  I took in several coats that had broken zippers and one winter coat that had some buttons fall off, and had the whole works repaired for a small sum of $75.00 which is much cheaper than replacing said items.

It is time for us to reassess the desire to wear the latest “it” fashion of the moment, and take the long view in all matters of life.  It is cheaper in the long run and looks better.

November 8, 2013.

I just received my November/December issue of Orion Magazine…always a pleasurable read.  One article that particularly struck a chord with me: “Light Bandit” by Gregg Kleiner.  This piece deals with an elderly man who sets out to turn off a few streetlights in his community; first by legal means, then by illegal means undertaken in the cover of darkness.

As I sit in my office, looking out the window at the streetlights going down the road, I am reminded of a conversation that I had with a dear friend about the necessity of having so many street lights, the cost of the electricity to operate said lights, etc.  And now this article, which shares many of my feelings towards the proliferation of lights to “light up the night”.  I must confess I have had thoughts of turning a few of these lights off myself, but I’m not brave enough to don garbage can hat and sneak out into the wee smalls of the morning (also wishing to maintain a healthy dose of matrimonial peace helps).

It is unfortunate that society has developed a phobia of nature and darkness.  In days past, before my Better Half worked the evening shift at a local big box store, we used to go for a stroll in the evenings up to the local rugby clubhouse and walk the field in behind the clubhouse where the illumination of streetlights doesn’t penetrate the dark (and the field spotlights are only on during scrum nights), and listen to the sound of wind, frogs croaking in the bush, the rolling and booming of thunder one evening, the sound of bats flying overhead sounding their sonar cries in pursuit of a meal.

I often wonder, if we were able to turn off the streetlights and reacquaint ourselves with the dark, would we rediscover some form of latent spirituality and come to the realization that “all things are connected”, as has been posited by His Holiness, the Dalai Lama?  If we were to go further and turn off the television with its celebration of the latest antics of Justin Beiber, Miley Ray Cyrus or some other pop tart flavour of the moment, would we then go back to reading, learning, and (heaven forbid!) connecting with each other, and actually speaking of things and ideas of substance?

I am reminded of the few times that I have had a bonfire in the backyard; family members and friends that I have not seen in some time gravitate to the fire, have some bevvies of choice, laugh, reminisce, sometimes cry, and talk late into the night of matters both profound and plebeian.

Hum…perhaps I grow maudlin and contemplative in my old age.  Ah well, one hopes to grow wiser as the years pass.